- How to get cards in a card game-first world
I mentioned before that there are an enormous variety of cards in this world, but how exactly do Duelists collect them?
There are a few methods.
One is to buy packs or rummage through storage boxes –
the same as in my previous world.
There’s nothing particularly special to say about that.
However, in this world there is compatibility between people and cards, so when you open packs, you tend to get cards more compatible with you.
With storage cards, they’ve obviously been handled by people, so that phenomenon doesn’t occur.
Another way is finding cards lying around or receiving them as gifts.
Not that the cards were literally “found” lying around, but in this world cards are fairly commonly just lying around randomly.
The reason they’re lying around isn’t because Duelists discarded them –
they just end up there somehow.
There’s a law that says any cards you find lying around become yours to keep.
In fact, some people make a living collecting those randomly strewn cards and selling them to shops.
By the way, if multiple people spot the same card at the same time, there’s a law that says they have to fight to determine ownership.
As for receiving cards as gifts…there’s nothing special about that, it’s exactly what it sounds like.
Finally, some cards are just created or somehow end up added to your deck spontaneously.
Cards aren’t really things that can be created per se.
Duelists tends to casually create new cards seemingly out of nowhere.
Sometimes cards just randomly appear in your possession – the acquisition route is often quite mysterious.
In my case, the “Primordial Holy Angel Acient” card that formed the base of my deck is one I’ve had since regaining my memories from my previous world.
It must have been mixed in with a celebratory gift of cards from my parents right after I was born into this world.
And now –
The Duelist card shop.
Inside this spacious store, customers are rummaging through storage boxes and having free duels.
The central duel field is unused, indicating it’s still a relatively quiet time of day.
“Shop Manager, I’ve got some cards I’d like you to buy.”
“Welcome, Yato-chan. You’ve brought in quite a haul again.”
“Well… let’s just say a lot happened.”
I’m currently buying cards.
My customer is Yato chan—Yatogami.
Her handle name is “Yato-chan,” and though the Dark Card Agency is supposed to be a secret organization, I wonder if this is really okay…
More to the point, since she refers to herself with the “chan” honorific, I can’t help but call her Yato chan too which is a bit embarrassing.
I could easily call Erea without honorifics but…
Ever since the incident was resolved, Yato chan has been a regular customer at my shop.
Her sister was safely rescued too and made it to the national tournament in time, it seems.
Though I never expected that her sister would be the young lady who immediately bought that rare card we had gotten in stock using cash on hand.
“But it’s not a bad thing, you know? This ‘circumstance’ is kind of like a celebration.”
“Ah, I see. You officially joined the organization then.”
When I mentioned the organization, Yato chan looked around in surprise.
But I know better than anyone that our conversation can’t be overheard from this position.
Erea isn’t working today either, and I’m pretty sure I saw her doing a livestream on video sites earlier, so she won’t be coming down to the shop floor.
So getting inducted into the Dark Card Agency is the “circumstance”, and you were given all these cards as a sort of celebration gift, I take it?
Probably spare cards that the senior members weren’t using anymore.
Of course, since you don’t use them either Yato chan, you have to sell them off.
You just dumped them all on me to get rid of them smoothly, huh?
“So are you off work today?”
“School’s out and I’m off-duty from the organization. So I figured why not, you know?”
Since it’s her day off, Yato chan is dressed casually.
A black-haired ponytailed girl of a rather mature build for a middle-schooler.
Her outfit, rather surprisingly, is a punk-style fashion centered around black.
She seems like the type who’d say “You should totally get a silver arm band or something!”
That said, she retains a cute girlish aura that suits her well.
At the very least, she’s not wearing piercings or anything.
“Okay, I’ll appraise these cards, so just wait a bit.”
“…I do have one question though, can you really sell storage cards?”
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
While I’m appraising the cards, Yato chan glances at them and asks.
Cards from storage boxes never really sold well, even back in the previous world.
The going rate was maybe a few dozen cards for around 10 yen when buying, which shops would then sell individually for 20 yen or so.
In this world, storage cards are even harder to sell.
If you buy them and they don’t match your compatibility, it’s just a simple loss.
Put another way, the main income sources for card shops are quite different between my previous world and this one.
The primary income for shops in this world comes from various sources.
Like duel field usage fees for instance –
500 yen per use.
That’s the nationally standardized rate.
Most shops only rent their fields, whereas I bought mine outright, so I can use it freely.
But not charging the fee would be dumping, so I have to collect it.
Getting sidetracked though – the need for storage cards is simple.
Their mere existence has meaning.
The same is true for card shops themselves – they make up an indispensable portion of how people acquire cards.
If they disappeared, it would cause major issues for many people.
“Existence itself has meaning, huh? I guess the Agent Organization is the same.”
“Well, from an outside perspective it does seem like there’s an awful lot though…”
I continue the appraisal while we chat.
Most of the cards aren’t worth much, just regular ones.
There does seem to be an unusually high number of God-Declaration cards though – what strange twist of fate is that?
And then, I suddenly stop appraising.
“Hm? This card…Yato chan, do you recognize this one?”
“Eh, let me see? …No, I don’t know that card. Strange, I’m sure I checked through all of them before bringing them here.”
What I found was a card that even Yato chan didn’t recognize.
It had somehow gotten “mixed in” with the cards Yato chan brought to sell.
“But this is one that you use, right Shop Manager…?”
“Ah, it’s an Primordial Saint Angel Ancient monster.”
Its official name is Primordial Sublime Saint Ancient Angel Nova North Zephyr – Samurai.
In other words, it’s one of my own Primordial Saint Angel Ancient monster variants.
“Why did it get mixed in with the cards I brought again…?”
“It just happens sometimes. So when I find them, I buy them out of pocket. They actually fetch a pretty high price, you know?”
“Is that okay?”
“Well, considering it’s supposedly the only copy in this entire world right now, that price is justified.”
—That’s right.
This is how I acquire new cards myself.
They tend to get randomly mixed in with the cards people sell to my shop that are compatible with me.
In the past I’d find cards lying around or receive them as gifts too.
But ever since opening this shop, obtaining cards this way has been my only real method.
Apparently it’s the same deal for other shop owners too.
Some of them even struggle with cash flow issues from having to buy up those cards.
Being a Shop Manager is a tough business, it seems.
“Still…I don’t get why it came from the cards I brought. This North Zephyr – Samurai seems completely unrelated to me…”
“Honestly, there’s no relation. These things just randomly get mixed in from all over.”
There’s no rhyme or reason to whose cards they get mixed into.
But this card itself must have some significance.
Come to think of it,
doesn’t this remind you of that mysterious Samurai from before?
Moreover, that Samurai’s deck focused on “North Wind” monsters.
North Zephyr, with Samurai right in the name – there’s no way it’s unconnected.
In fact, the effect specifically says “This card’s name is also treated as a North Wind card.”
That’s how these variant series work – the card name hints at who the presumed owner is connected to.
Like how my Past-End Dragon is treated as having “Battle End” in its name and stats.
“Anyway, I’ve finished the appraisal.”
“Thanks, let me see what it… huh…?”
When I show Yato chan the appraisal results,
her reaction is one of confusion.
“Um, Shop Manager, is something wrong with this…?”
“Nothing’s wrong, that’s the proper valuation. Well, it’s pretty much just the value for North Zephyr – Samurai.”
Yato chan trembles slightly.
Then, her piercing shout echoes through the store.
“You’re going to pay over a million for this! ””
All eyes turn our way at once.
But after I indicate there’s no issue, everyone quickly returns to their duels and rummaging.
Very civil customers.
In any case, it seems Yato chan has never experienced selling a rare card before.
“But that’s just how it is with rare cards. These kinds of high-value sales make up a significant portion of a shop’s revenue.”
The truth is, the bulk of a card shop’s income comes from buying and selling rare cards.
It’s like an antique store in that sense – the world’s card shops operate similarly.
Including my own shop here.
“I’m going to call my sister for advice!”
“Sure, go ahead.”
With that, Yato chan whips out her smartphone and dashes out of the store.
Now that I think about it though…
If this is Yato chan’s first time experiencing a rare card buyout, does that mean she doesn’t know about that other thing?
That insanely rare card her sister bought that went for a few million yen.
Rumor has it the receipt from my shop was stuffed in the storage box with it.
Her sister probably tore off the price part of the receipt before giving it to Yato chan, knowing it would make her faint from shock.
And that incredibly rare card of her sister’s is now sitting in Yato chan’s own deck.
Please take good care of it.
TIPS: For somewhat skilled Duelists, it’s possible to sell off unrelated rare cards they find lying around to fund purchasing related rare cards for themselves.
Also check out my friend Localizermeerkat for more LN translations!
BUY THE SOURCE MATERIAL TO SUPPORT THE AUTHOR !!!
Kindly click on the green button above and contribute to filling the green bar if you’re interested in having another LN from the request page translated. Also, every donation is being used to purchase the source material and to fund more English translations.
Please consider joining my Ko-Fi membership. By becoming a member, you’ll also gain access to 2-10 additional chapters of all of the novels from this site translated into English. Last but not least your support will also assist me in upholding the translation quality and speed. For more information, please follow the link.
Donation for faster release is always welcome
Additionally, I am now accepting translation requests.
