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[Do you wish to proceed to The First Arcana - The Magician?]

 

As the last seconds of his clock slipped away, Luca heard the familiar voice; This was the third time. The first was when he found himself blanketed in darkness, while the second time was when he obtained The Fool card. Now, he heard this voice for the third time. Three times, this was all it took him to describe it as familiar.

 

"It is dreadful how fast one can get used to something," muttering, Luca closed his eyes. After a few more seconds, the corners of his lips curved up. It was an unamused smile.

"Yes. Let's see what this path is all about." Before his last word finished resounding in the space, the bedroom was already empty.

...

 

After the brilliant light disappeared, Luca opened his eyes and tentatively looked around. The moment he agreed to enter the Arcana, the light had already blinded him, forcing him to shut his eyes down.

 

Now, as his sight was slowly returning to normal, he found himself in a rather spacious room; It was white and empty. The walls, floor, and the ceiling; Everything seemed to be made from crystal-white marble. It looked pure and spotless, like a brand new piece of paper. The only thing that blemished this peace was a circular table in the center of the room surrounded by six identical chairs.

 

Luca wanted to observe the room more, but his attention was naturally drawn elsewhere. Beside him, there were five more people present.

Recognizing this fact, a flash of surprise and suspicion passed within Luca's eyes, but soon his expression returned to normal.

 

When he found out that he couldn't leave the apartment, Luca had halfway given up on meeting other human beings. Later, while reading the guide, he slowly changed his mind. Perhaps, after all, he was not alone. The system and the guide were too meticulously crafted for it to be just a coincidence. And if it wasn't, then he definitely was not the only case of an exiled soul. However...He never expected to meet people so soon. Wasn't this a little bit too fast? Was it such a commonity for a soul to go astray?! Go and get that damn Samsara fixed!

 

As Luca's heart silently thumped in his chest, he kept on the most indifferent face he could muster and calmly studied these people.

 

From the moment he decided to play this game, he had made his mind to give his all. There were two main types of gamers. The first type were those who jumped head-first into the game without paying attention to the rules; The second were people who meticulously studied the game and their opponents before attempting to join in on the fun. It was easy to guess who was more likely to win.

 

Before Luca found out how to clear this Arcana, he had no intention to be friendly. He was not stupid or naive. It was unlikely the losers would end up well. And...Luca thought about the name of the Arcana he was challenging - The Magician. This was the second Major Arcana from the Tarot deck. It symbolized will, desire, creation, and deceit. The Magician had the power to bring her wishes into the material world. However, she was the mistress of trickery and deceit. She was a lier.

 

Besides Luca, there were 5 more people - 3 men and 2 women. Some of them looked panicked, others excited or suspicious. It was evident that none of these people were well aware of what was going to happen. Then again, they were challenging the second from the 22 cards. The first real challenge, if he didn't count The Fool, who was acquired just by joining The Path of Life. Currently, it was most likely that exiled souls could only challenge the Arcana in a specific order. However, even if it was possible to skip a card and challenge it later, he doubted he would encounter such opponents so early in the sequence. It would be really unfair for someone experienced to play with amateurs.

 

Just as everyone was silently watching each other, unsure if they should try to chat or ask for information, a voice sounded in the room.

[All challengers, please proceed to sit around the table.]

The people stopped moving as they cast their eyes toward the table in the middle of the room.

 

Luca did the same while making a mental note that this time the voice was heard by everyone. Previously it was being transmitted directly into his head, but now, he clearly perceived the sound by his sense of hearing. The result would be the same if all people telepathically received the same message, however, by using a more open method, it was easier for everyone to develop a sense of trust. This was the, we all heard it, so it is fair, type of misdirection. Luca did not believe it was all that simple. He decided to be on guard for possible surprises. There was no proof that there were no hidden messages sneaked in the shadow of the open announcement.

 

After the initial confusion and doubt, the first to take a step forward was a stout and brawny guy. His facial features were ordinary, and he looked like the type who preferred speaking with their fists. With his lead, the others followed, and one by one took a seat at the table.

 

On Luca's left sat a beautiful middle-aged lady, while on his right was a balding man with a big belly peeking between the buttons on his shirt. Both of them appeared nervous, and the man had beads of sweat covering his forehead. On the other side of the woman was a young-looking Asian girl. However, Luca couldn't be sure about her actual age as most Asian people had youthful appearances even when older. Finally, on the seat diagonally to Luca's, sat a middle-aged caucasian man with a fine temperament. He looked to be someone with high social standing.

 

Before Luca could gain more information, all of the players had taken their seats, and the voice was heard again.

 

[Welcome to the First Major Arcana Challenge - The Magician's Election of Good and Evil.

This is a Game of Wits.

All game rules are equal to laws, and violators will be judged as guilty. The punishment is Path Failure.

 

The rules of the challenge are as follow:

[1]. Violence is prohibited throughout The Magician's Election of Good and Evil.

 

[2]. There are a total of six challengers in this game. Three will follow the path of good, and three will follow the path of evil. The path distribution is random, and the players' pathway is anonymous.

 

[3]. The game consists of 6 rounds.

 

[4]. Before each round, every challenger will have 30 seconds to speak their mind. They can convey their thoughts or expose the lies of their opponents. Players can choose to remain silent.

 

[5]. Each round, a challenger will be elected as a team leader. The first leader will be appointed at random, and the order will continue clockwise. The leader has to choose three more players from the remaining five and form a 4-man-team. All players in the team have to vote with The Magician - Upright or Reversed. Each player can abstain from casting a vote only once throughout the game. The voting will conclude in 1 minute. The vote will be anonymous.

 

[6]. After the voting is over, the result will be made public, stating only the winner - Upright, Reversed, or None, without the exact number of votes. If The Magician is Upright, the Good path will receive a point. If The Magician is Reversed, a point will be added to the Evil. Both pathways will not receive points if there is no winner.

 

[7]. At the beginning of the game, each player will receive a position. The positions will be distributed at random, and they are fixed throughout the entire game. All positions are anonymous, and each one of them comes with a privilege which the player can use according to the rules. The positions and their privileges are as follow:

• Traitor: Once throughout the game before the round starts, the Traitor can change their pathway. If they are good, they will become evil and vice versa. The decision is irreversible.
• Duplicator: When they are part of a team, the Duplicator can choose a target (other than themselves) and duplicate their vote. The Duplicator is not aware of the target's vote, and no one else (including the target) is aware of the additional vote.
• Gambler: When they are a part of a team, the Gambler can choose a target and flip their vote, switching it between Upright and Reversed. The Gambler is not aware of the vote itself, and no one else (including the target) is aware of the change.
• Prophet: When they are a part of a team, the Prophet can choose a target and view their vote. No one else (including the target) is aware of the Prophet's peeking.
• Hypnotist: When they are a part of a team, the Hypnotist can hypnotize a target, preventing them from casting their vote. No one else (including the target) is aware of the hypnosis.
• Restrictor: When they are a part of a team, the Restrictor can choose a target and neutralize their privilege. The effect will be released after the end of the round. No one else aside from the Restrictor will be aware of the restriction.

Subrule 1: The dominance of privileges is as follow:

Traitor > Prophet > Restrictor > Hypnotist > Gambler >Duplicator

Subrule 2: After all votes are placed and privileges used, and before the result is announced, the target subjected to a privilege will be notified.

 

[8]. At the end of the game, the players of the pathway with more points will receive The Arcana of Deceit and Desire's acknowledgment. If, at the end of the 6th round, the number of points for both pathways is equal, new rounds will be played according to the established order until one pathway prevails. The players with the acknowledgment will successfully complete the challenge of The Magician and return to their personal spaces. The losers will be disqualified and fail the Path of Life.]

 

Listening to the rules of the game, Luca's eyes narrowed. He glanced at the dazed expressions on some of the people's faces and wondered just how many of them will see through the Magician's lies. This definitely was a game worthy of the title of Arcana of Deceit and Desire.

 

[To all challengers, The Magician wishes you an enjoyable game.]