Chapter Nineteen: The Lich King Once Again Defeats the Orcs

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[Shut Up, Priest!]
[Effect: Prevent your opponent from making any sound or facial expressions at you]
[Description: Shut up, you filthy scoundrel. If you steal another card, I’ll smash you.]

This is a control card, and its effectiveness is self-evident by the name alone. Roald designed this card specifically for those mage units. And also for Peter Parker—because the guy just talks way too much.

After printing out the simpler, less technical cards, it was time for the crucial step: forging minion cards.

Roald originally thought it would be nothing more than an experiment, but to his surprise, Osborn had actually managed to obtain mutant blood—and of a rather impressive quality. With this new intelligence, Roald’s understanding of this world deepened yet again.

In summary, he now knew that besides the superheroes, this world had mutants as well. It sounded like a fusion of different worlds, but in the Marvel universe, that was perfectly ordinary.

Still, Roald had no desire to become entangled with mutants!

Suppressing his curiosity, Roald examined each test tube in turn.

A row of test tubes lay in the box, some carefully labeled, and in the lower left corner of the box was a line of small print:

“We research, we balance, we reckon—Bolivar Trask.”

Seeing that name, Roald immediately remembered who he was.

Bolivar Trask, a major villain in Marvel lore, founder of Trask Industries, a visionary scientist. While researching the mysteries of human DNA, he discovered the X-gene. Determined to save humanity, he also created the Sentinel robots, nearly wiping out the mutants.

He even succeeded in developing the Sentinels that struck terror into mutants in the film “Days of Future Past.”

In the movie, this version of the Sentinels had absorbed the powers of multiple mutants, allowing them to shift forms at will and adapt to all manner of combat scenarios.

At the film’s climax, not only did the Sentinels tear Colossus apart using their unique abilities, but when confronted with Sunspot’s solar-level firepower, they transformed into an “Iceman” form that suppressed flames, forcing Sunspot back into human form, robbing him of the will to fight.

Even against Omega-level mutants like Iceman, these Sentinels could shift to a “Fireman” state, instantly neutralizing Iceman’s attacks with intense flames, and ultimately three Sentinels combined to incinerate him.

Though these Sentinels were ultimately no match for true Omega-level mutants, they were ideal for mass-produced bio-weapons—a fact that inspired Roald greatly.

If he could get his hands on higher-grade mutant blood, he believed he could attempt to forge powerful cards himself.

After seeing Bolivar Trask’s signature, Roald understood that with Osborn being a biotech company, and Trask researching mutant genes as well, both belonged to the field of biological sciences. It was only natural that they would collaborate on certain projects. The provenance of these blood samples now made sense.

This suited Roald just fine—it saved him a great deal of trouble. Clearly, Norman had gone all out this time.

While there were no particularly legendary figures among the blood samples, there were still some pleasant surprises.

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He saw samples labeled with the names of Beast Hank McCoy, Wolverine Logan, and several other mutants.

Roald began searching through his card library, ready to experiment with his own method for forging minion cards.

From his current understanding, the base blood used for a card determined its fundamental attributes, while the ecology—or the combination of additional blood and materials—affected the derived properties of the minion card. Essentially, the process was random, but compatibility had to be considered as well.

For example, to create an orc, one needed to find beast-related blood as a base. To make an elf, you’d seek out some beautiful lady’s blood. If Roald wanted Sylvanas, his best bet would be to use Wonder Woman’s blood—though, of course, the result could always be someone else. If he wasn’t particular, he could just throw everything in and let fate decide; the result would be a random minion.

But one thing was certain: good compatibility and quality materials led to better results.

This time, Roald decided to use his own blood as the base, aiming to establish a template through experimentation.

First, he crushed ten soul crystals into powder with his fingers. Then, slicing open his palm, he mixed his blood thoroughly with the soul crystal powder.

He then coated the cards with this mixture, ensuring an even layer over each card’s surface.

Once the base was ready, Roald began the experiment in high spirits.

Next came the addition of other blood samples. For speed or Windfury, he’d select the blood of a swift mutant. For lifesteal or regeneration, Logan’s blood; for strength, Hank McCoy’s; for other traits, he would gather more specialized samples.

Of course, this was just a metaphor.

The base blood set the card’s minimum attributes, while the added materials determined the strength of its abilities.

First, he prepared the base. Then, he processed the materials.

The proportion of each blood sample needed careful calibration—it was best to let the desired main trait dominate, but the ratios were difficult to perfect. Minion cards were essentially being conjured from nothing, a much more complex process than making any other card.

Still, as long as he followed the steps meticulously and measured the ingredients reasonably, the creation process wasn’t so challenging.

Dividing the materials for one card into ten portions, Roald began by boosting the card’s baseline with his own blood, then added five parts Logan’s blood, coating the card again.

This method could grant the card lifesteal, regeneration each turn, or related defensive traits.

After that, he added Hank McCoy’s blood and coated the card once more, potentially endowing it with rage, Windfury, or attack-boosting abilities upon enemy defeat.

These were the results of his recent experiments, though the specifics might vary—more materials were needed for further tests.

Once the two primary traits were established, he added less crucial materials.

Each step, from grinding to coating, took over three hours. Nearly every trait and material required another layer of grayish coating, but Roald relished the joy of creation.

When the base and materials were all set, he laid the card flat on the table and brushed it with his own blood once more for evenness.

After letting it air-dry a little, he ground ten more soul crystals for safety, then performed a dark infusion to inject soul energy into the card.

[Dark Infusion] was a kind of activation method, and the number of soul crystals used determined the card’s minimum success level—much like a guaranteed lower limit in a ten-pull gacha draw.

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To be extra safe, Roald spent a little more than usual.

Now, it was just a matter of waiting for the card to fuse and take shape.

The final step was to wait for the dark infusion to complete.

When all the materials had been absorbed, the card before Roald shimmered with gold.

The last step was done.

With a trace of uncertainty, Roald picked up the card from the table. Golden light streamed from every crack in the card as its gray shell burst, sending fragments flying.

A new golden card appeared before Roald.

This minion card was not quite what he’d expected.

[Scourge Warchief Grommash Deathfrost]
[Type: Hero Card]
[Rarity: Legendary]
[Race: Orc]
[Attribute: Undead]
[Magic: 8]
[Ultimate: Battleaxe Strike is always a critical hit]
[Traits: Berserk, Windfury, Fel Energy, Lifesteal, Scourge Axe, Power of Death, Lich’s Blessing]
[Description: Hmph, ahhhh! This chieftain is going to cleave you all apart with my Bloodhowl—except for the great Lich King, of course.]

Roald: “……”

(Old man stares at phone meme.)

His hand trembled; he nearly dropped the card.

Though this chieftain was a bit stinky, there was no doubt the card was a success. As for its true effectiveness, that would only become clear when it faced Abomination or the Hulk.

After putting the card away, Roald turned to see Erica entering the room.