Chương 39: Poisoning the Draft Pool

[Time]: Day 30 of Enrollment, 06: 15 PM [Location]: District 1 · The Commercial Ring · "The Witch's House""Drink up," Victoria said, her voice laced with a challenge.

"You'll need the liquid courage." Hathaway looked from Victoria's gloved hand to the two crystal glasses Elise had just placed on the table. She didn't back down.

"I don't need courage," Hathaway smirked, reaching for the drink.

"I just need a celebration." She stared at the glass. It was a work of art. The liquid was a mesmerizing, translucent blue. Inside the glass, the liquid was violently boiling, bubbling and churning as if it were on a stove. Yet, huge chunks of fine ice crystals were constantly condensing from the steam, floating in the boiling liquid, and then melting again in a perpetual cycle.

"It looks like a storm," Hathaway whispered.

"It is a paradox," Victoria explained, picking up her glass.

"It is brewed from Moon Sugar and Gin, sealed in ice, then flash-boiled with High-Tier Fire Magic. The spell keeps it perpetually in a state between 'Boiling' and 'Freezing'."

"The temperature is fixed at -3°C, but the texture is searing hot." Victoria took a sip. A flush of color instantly rose to her pale cheeks.

"It helps Witches with low sensitivity to feel their own mana flow. And for us... it just tastes like victory." Hathaway picked up her glass. The blue color... it reminded her of something. It was the exact same shade as Rory's eyes. Azure, with fractured ice rotating inside.

"To Rory," Hathaway smiled, clinking her glass against Victoria's.

"To the Siren," Victoria nodded. Hathaway took a sip. BOOM. It felt like swallowing a liquid explosion. The cold hit her tongue first, numbing it, followed instantly by a wave of boiling heat that rushed down her throat and exploded in her stomach. Her mana circuits lit up like a Christmas tree. Her brain felt incredibly clear, yet her body felt floaty and relaxed.

"Whoa," Hathaway breathed out a cloud of cold steam.

"That is... awake."

"Now that your brain is online," Victoria cleared the table. She looked around the bustling bar. The surrounding tables were full of Witches playing cards. Holographic monsters battled on the tabletops, and the air was thick with the excitement of gambling. Victoria turned her gaze back to Hathaway. Her expression shifted. The "Strict Tutor" mask she had worn for the past month slipped, replaced by the naked hunger of a Collector.

"The lighting here is perfect," Victoria whispered, leaning in.

"Back in the dorm, I only got a glimpse. We were too busy cramming for the A1 Exam, and it would have been... unprofessional to get distracted by shiny cardboard." She extended a gloved hand, palm up.

"But now, the exam is over. Show Her to me, Hathaway. I want to see the 0. 002% miracle properly. I want to see the First Seat." Hathaway grinned. She knew exactly what Victoria wanted. The boiling-ice wine buzzed pleasantly in her veins, amplifying her confidence. This was her moment to flex. She pulled out the heavy obsidian box and placed it on the table. She didn't open the whole box yet.

She simply plucked the top card— [The Witch of Eternal Slumber · Ovelia] —from her inner pocket, still encased in its protective crystal shell. With a dramatic flair, she placed it on the velvet tablecloth.

"Feast your eyes, Victoria," Hathaway smirked.

"But don't drool on the foil." Hummmm— The moment the card face was exposed, the light in the booth seemed to bend. The ambient sounds of the bar—the chatter, the music, the clinking of glasses—faded into a muffled background hum, as if the air itself had become heavy and viscous. Hathaway looked at the card. Even though she had seen it before, her breath still hitched. The card frame was a border of Solidified Void, a matte, abyssal black that seemed to absorb the surrounding light.

At the top, the name was not written in common tongue. It was inscribed in Original Witch Script. The characters twisted and shifted like living smoke. They didn't need to be read. The moment Hathaway's eyes touched them, the concept was violently shoved directly into her neural cortex, bypassing language entirely: 【THE FIRST SEAT · OVELIA】 【Meaning: The Silence Before the End】 And below the text lay the Portrait. It was a window into the truth of the universe.

Inside the frame, Ovelia reclined in a void of scattered stars. She possessed the terrifying, raw beauty of a Top Predator resting after a hunt. Like a black panther lounging on a tree branch, her relaxation was not vulnerability—it was the absolute confidence that nothing in this dimension could threaten her. Her hair was a cascading waterfall of the night sky, blending seamlessly into the background cosmos.

Her most striking features—the high, majestic black ears and the nine colossal, flowing tails—dominated the composition. They weren't just "fluffy"; they radiated a heavy, beast-like majesty, their fur shimmering with the cold light of distant nebulas. Her eyes were half-open. They were deep, abyssal black irises that swallowed all hope and light. She looked out from the card with an expression of Supreme Arrogance.

It was a languid, side-eyed glance that looked down upon the viewer, conveying a clear message:'You are too small to disturb my rest.' It was a beauty that transcended gender and race. It was the primitive, awe-inspiring beauty of a natural disaster, or a collapsing star. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Below this breathtaking art, the stats burned in the same cognitive Witch Script: [Cost: 10 Stars] [ATK: 30 / DEF: 30 / HP: 5] The silence in the booth did not last long. The visual disturbance caused by the [Ovelia · Starlight Foil] acted like a beacon in the mana-sensitive environment of the bar. Whispers erupted around them like wildfire.

"Did you see that darkness? That wasn't an illusion spell."

"That Frame... Solidified Void? Is that The Card?"

"Current market price is 625, 000 Solars, and it's still rising. It's the Holy Grail..." Witches from nearby tables stood up, craning their necks. Even the automated pianist seemed to miss a beat. In the world of Witch Cards, seeing this card was like seeing a living myth. Hathaway felt the gaze of the room. She sat straighter, basking in the envy. That's right. Look at her. She is beautiful, and she is mine. Victoria ignored the crowd. She didn't touch the card.

She simply hovered over it, her eyes tracing every line of the "Solidified Void" frame, drinking in the artwork like it was fine wine.

"Magnificent," she breathed.

"The texture... the depth... It really is a window into the void." She looked up at Hathaway, a rare, genuine smile on her face.

"Thank you. That was... satisfying." She lingered for a second longer, staring at the abyss within the card, before forcing herself to pull back. With a sigh of reluctance, she straightened her posture and adjusted her velvet gloves. The soft, dreamy look of the Collector evaporated, replaced by the sharp, analytical gaze of the Duelist.

"However," Victoria tapped the table, signaling the end of the viewing session.

"A masterpiece deserves a battlefield. And right now... we don't have one."

"What do you mean?" Hathaway asked, still admiring her Ovelia.

"Too scared to play against a Chief?"

"No," Victoria pointed at the empty seat next to them.

"I mean the rules."

"The Shared Void system requires a minimum card pool of 120 cards to remain stable. Your deck is 40. Mine is 40. That's only 80. We cannot duel 1v1. We need a third player to stabilize the dimension." Hathaway blinked, her alcohol-fogged brain finally retrieving the rulebook. [Logic: Game Rules Retrieval] Deck Construction: 40 Cards per player. The Shared Void: All players' decks are shuffled into a massive Public Pool. Minimum Players: 3 (Total 120 Cards).

"Right," Hathaway nodded, feeling a bit foolish.

"I forgot. We need a third leg." She looked around the room, eyeing the gawking crowd.

"Any volunteers to get crushed by the High Council?"

"Me! Me! I want to play!" A cheerful voice cut through the murmurs. Before Victoria could vet the candidate, a young witch bounced over to their booth. She looked like the quintessential "Girl Next Door"—if your neighbor was vibrant enough to blind you. She had silky, shoulder-length black hair and eyes the color of bright, shining rubies. Her smile was infectious, radiating a terrifying amount of "Genki" (Energy). She didn't look rich. She didn't look intimidating.

She looked like she just walked out of a shoujo manga.

"Hi! I'm Rina!" The girl stared at the Ovelia card with zero greed, only pure, sparkling curiosity.

"Wow! It really is the First Seat! Look at those ears! Look at that 'I don't care about you' expression! It's so cool!" Victoria scanned the girl, not for mana, but for table etiquette.

"This table is playing with... high stakes cards. Are you sure?"

"I'm pretty confident in my luck!" Rina grinned, pulling out a deck box that was bright gold and slightly tacky.

"I once bought a soda and won another soda five times in a row! Can I play? I promise I won't cry when I lose!" Hathaway shrugged.

"Sure. Fresh meat is welcome." She looks harmless, Hathaway thought. Probably plays a casual deck.

"Great!" Rina sat down, slamming her deck on the table. [Deck Core: The 5th Seat · Irene (The Sovereign of Avarice)] Hathaway raised an eyebrow. Irene? That's a 'Gold Generation' deck. It focuses on economy and RNG. Not bad. But compared to Ovelia? Cute.

"So," Hathaway summarized.

"We have the Lucky Girl (Rina). We have the Control Freak (Victoria). And I have..." She patted her obsidian box.

"... The Entire Government."

"Wait." Victoria didn't smile at the joke. She raised a gloved hand, stopping Hathaway from touching the synchronization crystal. Her eyes locked onto the obsidian box with a sudden, sharp suspicion.

"A standard 'High Council' collector's set contains exactly 25 Cards." Victoria listed them off on her fingers.

"The 10 Current Seats. The 10 Eternal Seats—the historical founders like the First Witch and the Herbalist. And the 5 Grand Artifacts."

"That is 25 cards," Victoria leaned in, her gaze piercing.

"But the Shared Void rules require a legal deck of 40 Cards. You showed me the Queen earlier. But where is the infantry? What did you fill the remaining 15 slots with? Low-cost minions? Utility spells?" Hathaway grinned. This was the part she was most proud of. The original Hathaway—that magnificent, obsessed whale—hadn't filled the gaps with useless "Minions" or "Items." No. She had gone for Thematic Perfection.

"Prepare yourself, Roommate," Hathaway said, sliding the box fully open to reveal the entire 40-card stack.

"I didn't want to dilute the bloodline with trash mobs. So, I expanded the definition of the Council." Victoria leaned in. Her eyes scanned the deck, her brain processing the mana curves. She saw the Current Seats (Cost 8-10). Powerful, modern, expensive. Then she saw the Eternal Seats. [The First Herbalist · Violet] Cost: 10 Stars ATK: 1 / DEF: 1 They were Ancient Pioneers. Legends who founded modern civilization. But in a duel? They were Monuments, not soldiers.

Their cost was astronomical due to their status, but their combat stats were weaker than a stray cat. And finally, her gaze landed on the 15 cards at the back of the deck—the ones Hathaway added to fill the gaps. One card, in particular, caught the light. [The Retired 5th Seat · Josephine Durant] Title: The Scarlet Fox of Carsendiara Cost: 9 Stars Hathaway touched the card with genuine respect. Josephine Durant. She remembered Victoria's history lesson about the "Hell Crusade" and the "Ovelia War."

She is a tragic hero, Hathaway thought. I couldn't bring myself to remove her from the deck.

"I included the Former Grand Witches," Hathaway announced proudly.

"Josephine, Don Jill Ross, George Morris... Every single Grand Witch who has ever held a seat in the modern era is in this box." Victoria stared at the box. She stared at the Current Titans (Cost 10). She stared at the Ancient Monuments (Cost 10, Stats 1/1). She stared at the Retired Legends (Cost 9). And she stared at the Artifacts (Cost 10). Victoria froze. Her hand, holding the wine glass, began to tremble violently. Her lips pressed together so tightly they turned white. Her chest heaved.

Hathaway watched her closely, sipping her boiling-ice wine. She knew what Victoria was thinking. She knows. She thinks I'm an idiot. She thinks I have a 'Brick Deck' that can't play anything for the first 8 turns. But Hathaway had a plan. As a former Game Designer, she had analyzed the Shared Void mechanic perfectly. The rule was simple: In a three-player game, each player retains exactly two 'Core Cards' in their starting hand.

The remaining 114 cards from the three decks are shuffled together to form the Shared Void. Why should I put low-cost 'Goblins' (Cost 1) or 'Slimes' (Cost 1) in my deck? Hathaway thought, her inner toxic gamer awakening. My strategy is Malicious Sabotage.

"Ludwig... You... you have forty cards... and not a single one costs less than 8 Stars?" Victoria's voice sounded strangled, squeaking slightly.

"Quality over quantity, Roommate," Hathaway replied, leaning back and crossing her arms.

"I've dumped thirty-eight unplayable 8-to-10 Cost Titans into the shared pool. I am deliberately poisoning the well." Rina blinked, looking at Hathaway's deck with awe.

"Wow! That's so... toxic! But won't you draw your own heavy cards and get stuck too?"

"Of course I will," Hathaway said, a cold, calculating smile spreading across her face.

"The probability of drawing a brick is now equally symmetrical for all three of us. We will all choke on my Titans. We will all miss our early curves. The overall pace of the game will grind to a miserable, suffocating halt." Victoria stared at Hathaway, the sheer, unadulterated malice of the strategy dawning on her.

"You are forcing a slow game," Victoria whispered, her voice shaking.

"You are deliberately dragging the board into a late-game stalemate, because..."

"... Because a slow game inherently favors the player holding the ultimate Exodia in their starting hand," Hathaway finished, tapping the two Core Cards she had secretly retained.

"You two might have retained early-game synergy cards as your cores. But I retained the absolute ceiling of the Witch World. I don't need to win the early game. I just need to make sure you can't either." Victoria took a deep breath. She reached out and picked up her own deck box— [The Black Emperor's Shadow Court]. A smile slowly appeared on her face. It was twisted. It was manic.

"It is... breathtaking, Hathaway," Victoria said softly.

"Truly... breathtaking logic. You have brought a deck of arrogant Gods to a knife fight to force a stalemate."

"Tonight," Victoria whispered, placing her deck on the synchronization zone, "the High Council is indeed in session. And I cannot wait to see how they treat a master who tries to use them as bait." Hathaway grabbed her deck. She was ready. She had a plan. She was a genius.