Miracle Card Shop: All My Cards Can Be Actualize

Within the confines of a small room, Daniel knelt on the floor before his four women and two contenders: Koyuki, Envy, Greed, and Penthesilea stood in front of him, while Michaela and Pride sat on a nearby sofa.

Michaela looked as though she wanted to speak up for him but hesitated, sensing the anger radiating from the other women toward their lord, Daniel. Pride, meanwhile, only pouted, feigning disinterest and a hint of annoyance.

The four women's expressions told him everything. Penthesilea's anger was the mildest, her face wavering between worry and irritation. Koyuki, Envy, and Greed, however, were clearly furious.

Daniel had no idea how he'd gotten himself into this mess. But after some reflection and sifting through his recent memories, he realized it seemed to have all started… five days ago.

— Five Days Ago —

In the card shop, Daniel was once again opening booster packs. Now that he'd officially founded his organization, he needed a variety of useful and powerful cards to use as secret weapons or trump cards.

There were certain cards he knew of but hadn't been able to find, even after opening three boxes of the same set. One of these was the elusive Thalassar card. He realized now that any card with a real-world counterpart simply wouldn't appear. This restriction was put in place by the Keeper, meant to preserve the stability of reality and keep interdimensional beings unaware of their location.

For some reason, Daniel also couldn't unlock the Ragnarok Tales of the Rebel God box set using his points. Despite trying, it was as if reality itself was actively preventing him. The Keeper had explained that this was due to the fabric of reality's integrity resisting any attempt to bypass these limitations.

After Daniel finished opening his boxes and boosters, he glanced at the points displayed on the wall screen. Left with only 100 points, he couldn't afford to open more packs, so he decided to leave the shop.

"Mr. Emberweave, are you on vacation these days?" the Keeper asked.

"No, not exactly," Daniel replied. "After returning from the Sultanate of Aqaba, I've had a lot on my plate—mostly reading reports at the office. So, it's far from a vacation."

"What happened there?" the Keeper inquired.

"Huh? You don't know?" Daniel was surprised. It was rare for the Keeper to seem unaware of his recent activities.

"No, I don't," the Keeper replied, sounding confused. "Aren't you the one who sealed your connection to the record?"

"The record? What Record?" Daniel asked, genuinely confused by the Keeper's remark.

"Never mind," the Keeper said, brushing it off. "By the way, what is the Sultanate of Aqaba? Could you tell me about it?" He changed the subject.

Daniel realized that The Keeper seemed to be changing the subject, stirring his paranoia. But then he remembered The Keeper's words—that he couldn't betray him—and noted that The Keeper had never interfered in his life. Besides, if The Keeper had any ill intent, he wouldn't have waited until now.

He reflected on The Keeper's mention of a "connection" and his question about whether Daniel had sealed it. Could this connection somehow prevent The Keeper from monitoring him? And what exactly was "the Record"? There were clearly many things he still didn't know.

Putting these suspicions aside, Daniel proceeded to tell The Keeper about the outbreak incident in the Sultanate of Aqaba, his actions there, and how he had helped the country. He explained everything regarding Thalassar, Vlad, and the events that had unfolded.

The Keeper listened intently, nodding occasionally. "I see, thank you for sharing, then," he said. Yet Daniel thought he noticed a slight frown on The Keeper's face as he absorbed the information.

Once his business in the shop was concluded, Daniel excused himself and prepared to leave the card shop space and return to the real world. Just as he was about to exit, The Keeper called him back.

"I'm very sorry, Mr. Emberweave, but the shop needs to close for a few days. There are some things I need to check," The Keeper said.

"Huh? Does that mean I won't be able to use my cards in the meantime?" Daniel asked with a frown. Though it would be a real pain if he couldn't use the cards, it wasn't a disaster. He had prepared multiple contingency plans in case his powers were ever disrupted.

Even if his powers were to disappear, he knew that anything he had already actualized wouldn't simply vanish. For instance, if he actualized a sword from a card, the sword wouldn't immediately disappear. He had tested this by placing items into a magic array designed to destabilize anything related to mana and magic.

Since magic, in theory, is the art of using mana as a fuel or medium to manipulate reality to do the bidding of the magic caster, and since he used mana to fuel the actualization process, it stood to reason that anything he brought into being might just be a form of solidified mana shaped according to the card's specifications.

In one test, he even had an Atlantean Vanguard volunteer stand in a magic formation that destabilized mana. While the vanguard couldn't feel or use mana in that space, the Vanguard he had actulized remain unperturbed and unaffected by the spell.

He also experimented with banishing spells intended to return otherworldly beings, like demons, to their realms. When cast upon his actualized beings—volunteers standing in the array—nothing happened. They were not mere summons brought forth by magical manipulation; they existed fully in the real world, in the truest sense.

"No, of course not. As I said before, this power, the cards, and the ability to actualize things are yours alone. No one can take it from you, just as no one can take the ability to breathe from a living being. It's a part of you, inseparable. Even the most powerful god in the interdimensional realms, who could strip away another's magic as easily as taking candy from a child, still couldn't take this power from you. Your power is too deeply woven into the fabric of existence itself," The Keeper explained.

Hearing this, Daniel felt as though something vast and unseen was stirring, only to be instantly snuffed out like a small candle flame.

"It seems I've said too much. My apologies, Mr. Emberweave, for causing you this inconvenience," said The Keeper.

Daniel exchanged a few pleasantries with The Keeper before leaving the shop. He attempted to summon the shop door again, but it didn't appear. It seems The Keeper truly was busy with something, Daniel mused.

For now, he decided to lay low. Just because he had several contingency plans didn't mean he needed to go looking for trouble to use them. He could consider this time a vacation.

"Speaking of vacations, I haven't taken little Sylvana anywhere in a while," Daniel muttered to himself as he strolled down the street.

"Ah! Mr. Emberweave, what a coincidence! Are you here for ramen?" A familiar voice called out, and Daniel turned toward it.

He saw Aryan Sharma stepping out of his car, which he had parked near a restaurant by the alley Daniel usually used to summon the shop's door. The alley was part of a foodie street near Astral Corp HQ, popular with his company's employees.

"Ah, Mr. Sharma! Hello. Are you grabbing lunch?" Daniel replied, exchanging pleasantries with his CEO.

The two of them headed into a ramen shop and enjoyed a couple of ramen bowls together. During their meal, Daniel felt as if someone was watching him, though the sensation quickly faded. Then he noticed a paparazzo snapping his photo before darting away.

Daniel didn't think much of it. He wasn't a celebrity and rarely appeared on TV. Besides, he was just having ramen with his CEO; if someone wanted a photo of that, they could have it—he didn't care.

Little did he know, this was the start of a disaster.

That evening, during prime time, a special segment aired on Atlantis Daily News, a station rebranded from its days in Sector Alpha City before New Atlantis had declared independence.

The segment began with the logo and a catchy tune as the host's jubilant voice introduced the program.

"And now, for our prime-time special segment: The Nation's Husband!" Applause erupted from the studio audience.

"You may wonder why we've moved this program to our special news segment. Where have those greasy old politicians with white hair and beer bellies gone? Well, this is a very special occasion! Since Sector Alpha City declared its independence and became New Atlantis, we haven't had a ranking like this. So, we're bringing it to prime time for the most viewers! Ladies of New Atlantis, it's time to vote for your best daddies!" The host laughed, her lively smile and energetic style exciting her audience.

"First up, we have celebrity Miguel Stuart! Last year, he made his Hollywood debut in his first Hollywood film! With his 'prince charming' appeal and warm, refreshing look, he's certainly the 'daddy' in the hearts of many women who love his charming and uplifting aura," the host announced as the program displayed the face of a man with golden hair and a princely appearance.