Newly crowned queen Xarie Banth has teamed up with the Order of Light, a high tech military outfit to fight off an invasion. High tech gadgetry, virally transmitted lycanthropy, and ancient godlike evil are just a few aspects of The Order Rising. Book 1 Ifria Fallen available on amazon, kobo, cobia, and wherever you get ebooks.

A small story:
There were three grownups having their
morning tea together. Their children
were playing on the floor. They were
discussing what they would do if
danger threatened, and all of them
declared that the first thing they would
do was pick up their children and
escape.
Suddenly, the safety valve of the
pressure cooker burst, creating a steam
explosion in the room. Within seconds,
everyone was out of the kitchen – except
for the children playing on the floor!

Our love is not as great as we claim it to be! Even we don't know the real depth of our love, that's the problem. We say and do a lot of things in the name of love. But reality can be shockingly different from all that. If we integrate the love emotion in us, it can become a highly sincere and authentic expression of our original nature.
(Living Enlightenment ebook, pg 22)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ccHjk1VN9zjfyJKxU-u4QImrYvVoYC_T/view

links to Living Enlightenment ebooks in different languages:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sjF-VSq1hTuRXonor1ccUgVVHmLM7GpGHCiSil10mWU/edit#gid=0
#Nithyananda #LivingEnlightenment

Want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want want free free free free free free free free free free free free free free free free free free free free free free free free free free free free free free free free free free stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff stuff

Thank you for taking interest in my book! It started getting views more quickly than I expected. 
Unfortunately, this book has been published and will no longer be updated. If you'd like to read the rest of this, please visit my website, Amazon, or Google Play eBooks to finish it! This book has been featured on WGAL News and ABC's author spotlight. Copy the link to my website below to read the rest of the book. I PROMISE you won't regret it. Because trust me, you haven't even uncovered half of the mystery in this book. 
Website: www.chantewinc.com/shop/
Amazon: Search "The Life Behind Her Smile: Everything Is Not As It Seems" (Kindle version available)
Google Play: Under Ebooks search "The Life Behind Her Smile: Everything Is Not As It Seems"

No one knows what people go through behind closed doors. 17-year-old Melanie Acuff is currently in the fight for her life. Growing up without a father and a drunken mother, Melanie was left to fend for herself. Her home life leads her into the arms of a violent boyfriend and Melanie quickly sees leaving him may cost her life. But through all of this, she still flashes the same bright smile and bubbly personality her town knows her for. Soon, she won’t be able to keep up the act any longer as everything begins to crumble beneath her. A quickly brewing friendship between Melanie and the new student Nick is enough to pour gasoline on an already lit fire. Now as things fall apart piece by piece, Melanie must literally fight for her life. This story tells of how a young girl turns from a fearful, depressed and powerless victim to a bold, happy and powerful young lady. Come take a peek into Melanie’s journey and The Life Behind Her Smile.

If you'd like to support this story, or this author:

There are links for several methods on my own website: t e c h p i x i e . n e t
I have an account under the same name at: p a t r e o n . c o m / g u s d e f r o g
There is also: p a y p a l . m e / g u s d e f r o g

There is a bit of actual merchandise with Data Dragon Danika artwork on it available on Zazzle and DeviantArt. 

--------

There are ebooks of some of my stories. Patrons can sort my posts for epubs by clicking the Ebook tag on my posts there. Ebooks are currently published under the same title as the web novel versions.
On the various ebook markets:
Some of my stories are listed as: by gusdefrog 
While others are listed as: by K.A.H.D

--------

As always, thanks for reading! ❤️

After a great deal of preparation, Danika begins her new digital dragon's life in a very small way.

They say the "Living Jade Empire" creates individualized quests. They say it can read your mind. They say you can find your heart's desire. They say that there's never been a game like it, and they're right but… they're also wrong.

The game is a data mine, built to retell the old tales that humans have been telling each other since language was invented. It doesn't read your mind, but it reads your search history, your favorites, and your blogs. The "Living Jade Empire" is literally crafted from fables, legends, fantasies, and maybe just a bit of stardust.

But in the end, will the game be able to figure out what Danika wants most? Will the desires of other players take priority? Or, will playing it change her, until she desires what it can give her?

A journey is always made up of many small steps, and this game has still only just begun.

"Are you serious?" Han Sen thought Ancient Devil was playing with him. He couldn't imagine how killing himself would solve anything.
Ancient Devil gave Han Sen a predatory grin. "Haven't you heard about dying and then being reborn? If you don't die, how are you supposed to dodge Super Space Slash?"
Han Sen had heard of rebirth before, but he didn't know what it had to do with Super Space Slash. He wanted to find a way to counter Super Space Slash because he wanted to live. What was the point of killing himself?
Ancient Devil pointed at Han Sen and said, "Before, we all swore to die like it was yesterday. And after, swore to live like today. Today, you are still alive. Then, what is the difference if you were to die yesterday?"
As he listened to Ancient Devil, Han Sen felt like he was lost in an impenetrable fog. He had no idea what Ancient Devil was talking about, but he knew that continuing to ask wouldn't improve the situation. Unless he agreed to let Ancient Devil go, of course. Otherwise, Ancient Devil would continue to avoid reaching the crux of the matter and explaining what was required to break Super Space Slash. Although in truth, the hints that Han Sen had received thus far weren't all that bad.
After leaving Destiny's Tower, Han Sen thought about what Ancient Devil had said to him. He still couldn't understand what the man was saying.
"Suicide... and dying yesterday... Being alive today... What is Ancient Devil trying to tell me?" Han Sen spent a long time thinking the matter over, but he couldn't quite figure it out. It felt like the concept was just beyond reach.
Suddenly, an invisible shockwave rolled through the air. Two shadows emerged from a quickly-gathering mist, and they landed on the plaza of the palace.
"Exquisite and Li Keer are finally here!" Han Sen exulted, once he looked closer to confirm that it was them. Ever since he had been locked up in this bottle world, he hadn't seen hide nor hair of Li Keer or Exquisite.
As both of them walked before him now, Han Sen didn't say anything. He knew Exquisite and Li Keer were only youngsters among the Very High. They wouldn't be allowed to make any important decisions. Even if they wanted to free Han Sen, they didn't have the authority.
"The scales across your body are gone!" Li Keer gasped, looking Han Sen over.
"Yes. I don't know why, but the scales just vanished. Can you ask the leader if I can leave now?" Han Sen said.
Exquisite and Li Keer looked at each other. It was as if they wanted to tell him something, but they were hesitant to actually say it. In the end, Exquisite ended up saying, "The leader still wants you to stay in the bottle."
"Does that mean he's going to keep me bottled up in here forever?" Han Sen said with a frown.
"Don't worry," Li Keer assured him. "We will try our best to show everyone that you aren't a threat. We will try to get your freedom back as soon as possible."
"My body no longer possesses the scales. Doesn't that help erase any suspicions they have about me?" Han Sen pointed out, but his voice didn't sound particularly hopeful.
Exquisite sighed. "If the scales had been removed by my people, of course, they wouldn't remain suspect. But now it seems that the scales have simply disappeared by themselves. I'm afraid the leader and the elders won't believe that the scales just vanished of their own accord and went away for good."
"That means I'm still to be trapped here?" Han Sen's mind had become placid once again. He didn't expect the Very High to let him go. He would have to escape using his own power.
Li Keer tried to provide comfort by saying, "We will try to help you in any way we can. You just need to hold out a little longer, okay?"
Han Sen wasn't a rookie who had only just started adventuring. He knew these were just words of comfort that wouldn't lead to any real changes in his situation.
"If I can't leave this place, can you bring me some books so that I'm not completely bored?" Han Sen asked flatly.
"What kind of books would you like to read? In a situation like this, I don't think our people will let you read any kind of geno art," Li Keer said, as straight as an arrow. She was often like that, telling Han Sen what he needed to know.
"No geno arts. I just want some books about philosophy and theology. Something about life and death would be best." Han Sen was hoping that these books might give him inspiration, perhaps revealing what Ancient Devil meant when he spoke of suicide.
"Let me find a way. We will try and get these books for you," Li Keer answered.
"Thanks a lot." Han Sen smiled.
"You're our silkworm. This is what we should be doing..." Li Keer trailed off halfway and fell silent. Han Sen's situation now was different. He wasn't really their silkworm anymore.
But Han Sen seemed to be doing better than they had expected. The way he casually spoke with them, he didn't sound as if he was going to be locked up forever.
Before they left, Exquisite told Han Sen, "I will tell the leader that the scales have disappeared. They will most likely send someone to examine your condition. But I don't think there is a high chance of you leaving. So, do not put too much hope in getting out soon."
"I understand," Han Sen said with a nod. He knew Exquisite had no authority in this matter, so the final say-so wasn't her decision to make.
Not long after they left, a Very High true god elite appeared before Han Sen. He checked Han Sen out and asked Han Sen some questions. Han Sen had already composed his answers a long time ago, so when he was asked what had happened, he had a story ready to go. The explanation wasn't entirely perfect because Han Sen kept trying to avoid talking about certain things. The Very High elder couldn't tell what was going on.
After the Very High elder left, no one came to see him for a few days. Han Sen spent the entire time practicing the Sit and Forget Sutra. Time passed rather easily.
"It has been a while since I saw Yanran and Ling'er. I wonder if Ling'er has grown up yet. And I wonder what is going on with Littleflower. Mom and Dad said they wanted to spend some time traveling. I wonder if they have come back yet..." Sometimes, Han Sen would get distracted as he thought about how much he missed his family.
"The Sit and Forget Sutra is completely different from Under the Sky. One of them is about entering the world, and the other is about exiting the world. Combining them will be hard. And I have never practiced Very High Sense before, so I have to use Under the Sky as a base. If I start from the beginning with my practice, I don't know how long it will take for me to learn the Sit and Forget Sutra." Han Sen had no way of accurately predicting when he would elevate the new skill to a usable level.
The Sit and Forget Sutra and Under the Sky were similar in structure, but according to the theory, they operated on different wavelengths. They were practically polar opposites. Even though he had managed to obtain the alpha's experience and mind, he couldn't combine the two techniques.
While Han Sen was stewing in his own frustration, a shadow appeared through the mist surrounding the palace. It was an old Very High man Han Sen wasn't familiar with.
The old man didn't speak. He only tossed something at Han Sen, then turned around and left.
Han Sen raised an eyebrow, having no clue what the old man had just done. He picked up the item and looked it over. It was a mini laptop, about the size of a person's hand.
Han Sen turned on the computer. He couldn't connect to the internet, but there were many ebooks inside it.
Now Han Sen understood. This was probably Li Keer and Exquisite's delivery.
Han Sen browsed quickly through the titles, and he realized that ebooks really were the only things that the computer contained. Most of the books were about philosophy and theology. There wasn't anything about geno arts, at all.
Han Sen hadn't really expected to find a geno art, anyway. He flicked through the books. With how much his brain had evolved, it was an easy task for him to memorize the exact contents of a book with a million words. He could recall the content perfectly, without forgetting a single word. Understanding it, however, was something else entirely.
"Flush Real Sutra." Han Sen jerked when he saw the title of one of the books.


In the magnificent interstellar era, mankind has finally developed teleport technology, but when trying to teleport, they are not sent to the future, the past, or any land known to men...

This mysterious space is called God’s Sanctuary, where lived numerous unknown creatures. Here, humans will make the greatest leap in their evolution to create the most glorious epoch in history.

"Sacred-blood creature black beetle killed. Beast soul of sacred-blood black beetle gained. Eat the meat of sacred-blood black beetle to gain 0 to 10 geno points randomly."


Twenty days before the end of the world.
        Although the year was a bit harsh to the people in modern society, they never forgot to act cool instead of worry. People wearing protective suits could be found around malls, churches, or markets. However, not everyone was interested in hanging out and socializing with other people.
        Similar to any other day, Ansa Kho, wearing a loose sleeveless undershirt with a pair of jersey shorts, was facing the stand fan and was 'enjoying' the warm breeze of the wind. He was reading Craig L. Symonds' "The Battle of Midway" while both feet on top of the refectory table.
"Nothing can be hotter than this place! Much hotter than the desert!" Ansa Kho voiced out his complaints when the air could not dry his sweats anymore. Thus, he closed the book and ran upstairs, hoping to whistle some air.
Amidst the ritual of calling the wind, he heard the conversation of both of his parents with his eldest cousin, Charm Metri.
His family and his cousin's family belong to one household. But they rarely see and talk with each other because of some implications. Luna Kho and her sister, Lina Metri, which was the mother of Charm, were in the middle of a fight.
"Charm, did you pack some reserve food in case of emergency?" Luna Kho asked without any hint of worries in her voice. She asked her niece out of politeness and to have a little chat with Charm Metri.
Charm Metri was startled because of what her auntie asked. She thought, 'Does auntie was planning to borrow some money again?'
"Yes, aunt. Why have you asked?" Charm asked in confusion.
        "Eighteen to twenty days from now, Armageddon will begin. Just hope that we will be safe and survive this catastrophe." Luna Kho sighed when she thought of the news that shows the possibility that they will perish.
        From the other house, Ansa Kho was listening and was flustered when he heard what his mother had just said. He believed the information he got because he was also a member of the organization that focuses on Divination. All members of his family- maternal and paternal, were also members of the Divine Organisation.
He hurriedly ran downstairs, instantaneously facing his gadgets and downloading all eBooks and guides to survival, hoping that it will help when the time comes. He has no hope to survive because he's a sinner. 
What sins could he have done? Laziness, unfaithful, disobeying parents, theft, lying and also murdering. A 17-year-old teen had experienced killing... killing insects and bugs. Although no one has ever told him that killing such pitiful tiny organisms is a sin, he considered as it is. 
While browsing some interesting books on the web, he realized something and started to ponder. 
'Will I be able to read everything that I downloaded?' He stopped moving his fingers and watched the monitor in a daze. 'Should I just…' He stopped asking himself because his synapse stopped sending neurons to his brain. 
A scene where countless boys and girls with a skeletal body, skin loosening and bruises and wounds are utterly visible on their body, are walking endlessly on barren land. At their back were people wearing a uniform, seemingly similar to ancient war troops, cheering and laughing like they haven't seen those poor children at the front. 
 As time passed by, bodies started to fall down. The souls that manipulate those scrawny vessels left in a fiasco. Above them was a unique green soul in a stupor, clumsily possessing everybody that fell. It did not care about the state of the body he possessed. 
Everything was happening without Ansa Kho knowing. After losing his mind for a moment, his thought reappears and his question remains the same. 
'Should I just browse some news for a while? Ah, how long has it been since I last visited the websites of the TV networks?' Ansa Kho opened a new tab and searched for the latest trends and news on the search bar. 
[INTERNATIONAL SOCCER GOALKEEPER, BAEZIGON RHOSTUS IS STILL MISSING AFTER 8 MONTHS OF SEARCHING. THE HAWK DOMINO TEAM AND RHOSTUS FAMILY ARE LOSING HOPE TO SEE THEIR… see more]
Ansa Kho did not bother too much and click the link. The link loads another new tab and there appears a page called WORLD JOURNAL. He smirked and scrolled down to read more about this so-called journal. He forgot about the news he just had clicked and focused all interest on the new tab. 
"Someone uses the official station's website URL to redirect to their page. It seems that this person is pretty desperate to make people read about his or her work. I hope it won't hack my password and account, I don't know how to keep it private anymore." Ansa Kho snickered and started reading the introduction of the page. 
[Dreams are supposed to be just 'only' dreams; not until those dreams begin to become the reality. 95-99% of a person's dream is forgotten, according to the research. We dream of falling, dying, and being chased by the blank face man. Everything and everyone in our dreams are blurry, only those whom you know are clear. Dreams are covered in black & white, they say. But why would my dreams be colourful, detailed, and remarkable?]
Ansa scratched his cheeks and narrowed his eyes. 'This user is pitiful. I think no one wants to listen to her blabber.' Ansa commented inwardly.
[It started when I was 12 years old, I had a dream of a ball of fire obliterating some parts of the world. Gods appeared and surrounded the walls of a certain place, the only sanctuary of the human. Dreams like that are impossible to happen and I don't believe my dreams would come true.
Acquaintances who shared something about their dreams to me often come true. But those dreams are about meeting their loved ones or mine. ]
Bang! 
The table cracked because of the heavy hand that landed on the table. Ansa was annoyed and scrolled down the mouse a bit further. He only stopped when he read: TWO, THREE… MORE THAN FIVE DREAMS HAVE COME TRUE. EXPLOSIONS, CALAMITY AND DEATHS. DREAMS ARE COVERED WITH BLOOD. THE REPLICA OF MYSELF ON THE MIRROR DISTORTED. I NO LONGER BELONG TO THIS WORLD. 
The laptop fell down to the sofa. Ansa felt that what he read was a curse and worriedly thought, 'Humans really are becoming to be more and more threatening. It would be better to wage a war than to face powerful demons.'
He closed the tab and decided to read the sports news. He almost forgot that he intended to read this than that creepy, unrealistic page.
A popular soccer player named Baezigon Rhostus went missing without a reason. They only recovered a note bidding farewell to his parents on the day of his 21st Birthday. There are two reasons why the Rhostus family would like to look for him. All the wealth they accumulated for years had been robbed by their son. Fortunately, Baezigon Rhostus did not move or robbed the money nor the debit card they have. They want to talk to him and find out what was wrong. But after 8 months without news, they seem to lose hope. The police also found no lead about his whereabouts. 
"Condolence," Ansa Kho surmised. Whether that International died or survived, he doesn't care. For Ansa, his family and his own life mattered the most. Furthermore, he wouldn't be of any help to them. That news is only informing his fans about him.
He closed the tabs and shut down his laptop. His resolution is to finish the book that he was currently reading and proceed to read another book with a few pages. He listed down some book titles and continuously limited 27 ebooks down to 4 ebooks. This is enough to last until the time of my death. 
His genre changed in a span of a minute because of the news about their end. If ever he would survive, it would be better to stock all information as he can inside his mind. He will only be able to look into it himself if he is the only one left on Earth. 
Ansa Kho spent most of his time browsing eBooks and reading the survival tips information. He just stopped when he felt sudden dizziness. Since the beginning of the vacation, he usually felt headaches until he got used to the pain and seemingly thought that it was part of his life.
However, the pain he felt right now was unbearable. He lied down and tried to feel his surroundings. What he only heard was a very loud siren that almost all of his eardrums were going to explode.
Countless vague images were spinning right inside Ansa Kho's mind. Somehow, those images appear to be familiar at the same time, not. He was like taking a look inside someone else's memory. His brows furrowed in his sleep; trying to remember every moment he spent inside his dream.
Sounds of metal clashing, war cries, and a deafening explosion echoes all around. Words are no longer audible. Ansa Kho tries to interact with other people in the setting, but he was disappointed. No one can see him at all!

Will be continued when outline is ready. 

Readable at M_Sword account.

Hello to my dearest readers of 'Get Back to You,'
Volume 3 ends finally. If I think, Volume 3 is the biggest of all right now. What a long trip we had.
A new journey is going to start soon.
I'm writing this chapter, especially to thank you for the love and support I received until now.
To everyone who chose to give my novel a try and began enjoying the story,
I'm grateful for your time spent reading 'Get Back to You.'
...
Enough of formal talk, so guys, I have been revisiting the previous chapters, right from the start, and I found myself cringing to a few places.
Some of you are aware, but anyways, I am re-drafting from the start, especially volume 1 and 2, because I think when I reached volume 3, my writing improved and I happen to learn a lot during the volume 3 journey.
It made me a better writer, and I'm proud of myself for putting in the hard work and learning from every chapter.
That is why I want to re-edit the old chapters to give a more polished look. The process is going on for now.

Why?

My dream is to release 'Get Back to You' as a book series.
Well, first, I'm planning to release them as Ebooks and later find a reliable publisher to publish the hardcopies.
I have some ideas about the book cover designs. I hope you guys can buy a copy when it gets released.
That's the future that I am working on side by side.
Now, coming onto the important part,
I AM GOING ON A BREAK THIS MONTH AND WILL RETURN ON NEW YEAR.
One of the main reasons to take a break is to rest my hands. I write for hours, and the editing consumes a lot of time too. Right now, my hands got succumbed to the pain.
Lifting a saucepan is difficult for me now; that's how much I lost power in my hands.
I am also taking this break to storyboard the rest of 'Get Back to You.'
Break for me means- I have a lot of behind the scenes work to do for my novel.
If you guys noticed, I also have another novel that is on pause currently.
That is another beautiful story that I plan on continuing next year.
Also, I want to read books.
I want to check out a lot of stories that are pending to read.
Reading more will improvise my writing, which in turn will give you a great reading experience.
As for reaching out to me, I already gave a discord link.
Anyways, here is the link once again:
Feel free to stop by and say hi, I will respond to it.
https://discord.gg/Jdvpn3a

If Discord doesn't work, you can join me on TWITTER:
Username - @LjackAce

Since I use music often in my novel, I want to create a Spotify playlist for 'Get Back to You.'
Well, you can all know about it in the discord and twitter.
I also want to share a few images, behind the scenes stuff- you can hear all about it on twitter and discord.
Oh, I also have an Instagram profile, where you can follow me:
Username - ljack_ace

What else?
For now, that is all I have to say.
I will surely be sad about not seeing your comments and not being able to update for a while. However, I plan on writing earlier so that I can be at ease for the upcoming volumes.
Holidays are coming up, so here's to an early holiday wishes to you and your family. Have fun and be kind and simply rock it.

Thank you once again for being with me on this adventure. 
I have a handful of stories to tell, and I hope you guys will stick together with me.
*cries from the Author's note*
Well, drop by on either discord or twitter or Instagram to be in contact with me. You can also comment here, in this chapter, in case if you want to reach out to me.

That's it, folks.
Take care, and enjoy life.

'Get Back to You' will return on January 1st, 2020.
Stay happy, and god bless!

P.S. In case of any updates, I will either post it in Discord and also will comment in here for your information. I advise you to follow me at least one from any one of the platforms since I can reach out and inform you on the go.

-
Sincerely,
Ljack Ace,
XoXo

WELCOME to my very first novel, Get Back to You.
I'm so happy to see that you selected this book to read. I'm sure you will have a great time.

Important Note: You are about to read an LGBT novel, a beautiful love story of two women, Lillian Grey and Giselle.

The two souls bonded by love yet, pulled apart by the external entities. The two women meet years later, the subtle fire still tingling inside, allows them to reconcile but, the question to be asked is: Will they accept it or not?
******
"Here's my message for you in case if you even care about me!"
"Don't ever show yourself in front of me, ever again."
"Why?"
"Because I can't stop myself from loving you if I ever see you again."
"What you gave me is irreplaceable! It still burning in my heart, never letting me live my life in peace."
Upon hearing the shocking news about Giselle's return from her best friend, Anna, Lillian conveyed a heart-wrenching message to pass on, only if Giselle still cared to ask about her.
******
Author's Note:
Get Back to You is very special because it is my first novel and a bold choice, I would say. The once short story showed a lot of potentials to become a perfect novel. The character had a depth to them and an unheard voice, for which I wanted to bring justice by exploring and writing. Just like how we would enjoy a typical romance story between two opposite sexes, I wanted to tell a sweet love story of two beautiful women. Through this novel, I wish to improve people's viewing of LGBT relationships and hope that we show respect without judging.
Join the adventure of Lillian Grey and Giselle and in their struggles to come together. I'm very proud of creating this story, and I constantly work hard to bring justice to its storytelling. I hope that my efforts reap when the readers enjoy the tale as they travel through this journey.
The best way to show your support and share your thoughts is through comments, which I hope to see eventually. Type your constructed opinions and perspectives. Bring out any concern with your reading experience, and let me learn from your voice. And finally, this is fiction which is to read and enjoy. Please don't rule reality based on it. Have a great read here and when you encounter similar situations in real life, make sure to be wise and impartial in your judgment.

Apart from reading my novel here, there are other ways for you guys to show your love and support. 
All of your support will keep motivating me to write well.
Kofi -> ko-fi.com/ljackace
Patreon -> patreon.com/LjackAce

Follow me on my Instagram! I share all the references and some cute moments of the characters from the story:
Instagram -> instagram/ljackace

Join the discord server:
https://discord.gg/Jdvpn3a

Started a new wordpress site to release any updates, share blogposts, and announcements. So, check it out!
https://ljackace.wordpress.com/

I'm deeply grateful for having an opportunity to share the story here and for all the love I've received thus far and in the future. Thank you very much for enjoy Get Back to You!

Translated by Coldtaco
Edited by Aelryinth
Were Chinese card games fun?
The ansswer differed from person to person, as everyone had different tastes.
Many said that card games were crude, monotonous, and repetitive, all of which are true.
But... they were quite profitable!
Being profitable meant the players approved of it.
Why did players approve of it? Because they thought it was fun!
This was a very weird phenomena, as players complained while forking money out of their pockets.
Why were card games so profitable? Which part of the game made it fun?
This was an open-ended question. If Chen Mo were to write a thesis on the core of card games, it would probably be tens of thousands of words long.
In simpler words, the pleasure of playing card games came from three distinct areas.
First was the collecting and level-up cards. This was built on the players' recognition of the character cards.
There was a certain company who made a One Piece-themed I Am MT bootleg. A certain rich person spent a few thousand RMB without question just to draw a Hawk-Eyes card!
There was another nameless Three Kingdoms card game that was still in beta, and another certain rich person added five thousand RMB into his account in anger just so he could draw Zuge Liang. It turned out the game didn't even have Zuge Liang yet!
The company ended up working overtime to add Zuge Liang into the game!
Similarly in I Am MT, many players would be grinding dungeons daily, collecting purple card shards, or spending heaps of money "Drawing Ten", all just to get the cards they wanted!
The video game designer would balance the cards' abilities to match the scenes in the series (or according to the popularity of the character), all just to train the players to recognize the character cards.
With the recognition of players, the cards would become more valuable, which in turn incentivized the players to spend money.
Once the value of a card had been established, it would be differentiated from the other cards. The desire of the players to collect and level up cards would also be satisfied, and they would feel that the money was well spent.
Therefore the key in making a card game profitable was to establish a value system that was recognized by the players. This made it possible to constantly sell the players new cards, just like they were collecting stamps.
After a player got the card they wanted, in order to make it stronger, they would continue to level it up, or improve its abilities. Everytime the card was leveled, it let the players feel like they were growing, which would make it feel like money well spent.
This was also part of the aforementioned "numerical stimulus".
This was the most important source of joy for card games. This was a very mature, and very repeated model, which is why the mobile card game market was so saturated.
The second core attraction was figuring out the lineups and crafting your own strategies.
The combat system of card games might seem monotonous, but it was actually quite rich. In I Am MT, each card had three attacks: a normal attack, a special attack, and passive attacks. The character creation system was based on the combat system of World of Warcraft, with different characters having different abilities.
There would be several types of AoE spells, such as blizzard types (attacked the whole screen), whirlwind types (three cells in the row in front) and piercing attacks (two cells in front).
There was also physical and magical damage, as well as single and multi-targeted spells.
Healing had the same idea, with single and multi-targeted healing.
Other than that, there was also damage reduction, resurrection, damage over time, and many other combat abilities. If you could think of it, there was some way to integrate that into the card game combat system.
This was all in addition to card positioning, order, effectiveness, and weaknesses, party leader abilities, and other complicated mechanics, which greatly increased the playability of the card game combat system.
Of course, this combat system was no match for a standalone game, but it was more than enough for mobile gamers!
This combat system could be displayed all over the world again, just by reskinning the combat system for animes like One Piece or Naruto, or Wuxia Novels.
These combat systems had a cyclic balancing system. For example, single target healing beat burst damage, burst damage beats group healing, group healing beats AoE damage, etc. It would take the players a large amount of time testing and sharing their experiences with others to be able to find the best group of five cards among dozens of cards.
The rare cards were under strict control, requiring the player to spend time or money. Testing out each and every card in combat was a huge investment!
This process would also be fun and fulfilling to the player. Therefore if the combat system and card growth system in a card game were a perfect match for one another, it would result in a combat system that never grew old, allowing the players to play it for years and years without getting bored.
The third feature was marketing strategy and numerical stimulus.
These all covered a broad area, such as operational activities (seven-day logins, check-ins, growth bonuses), daily bonuses (free diamonds, free combat bonuses, online rewards, etc.), early bonuses, etc...
Of course, these weren't just for card games, but were standards for every Chinese mobile game. It was also popular among other genres, such as strategy games or FPS games.
However, the absolute first source of it had to be early browser games, popularized by mobile card games, which finally spread to all Chinese mobile games.
Of course, this "Ivan Pavlov"[1] style of numerical stimulus have been greatly criticized by many gamers. In the end, it was only criticism, and there wasn't a single mobile gaming company who didn't dare not do the same.
Why? Because it was simple, yet effective. Once it was removed, the statistics for the game and its profits would drop.
This was the effect of "numerical simulation"!
First, the game must be free, attracting as many players into the game as possible. Some of these players may not plan to spend money, but that didn't matter.
After the start, there would be a very detailed tutorial, allowing the players to experience what the game had to offer as soon as possible. At the same time, the game would be extremely easy and allow the player to steamroll through it.
This was the same theory behind ebooks: providing the first sections for free, experience it first, pay later. If the user wasn't happy, no payments would be received.
However, this could not be maintained for a long time, probably three days to a week, and the player had to experience some difficulties after that.
In games like these, paying players and free players were naturally on different levels. In order to make the players spend money, barriers had to be introduced.
The aforementioned barriers would be introducing them to difficulties and guiding them to spending money to make themselves stronger, and then moving forward on harder levels.
This would result in another problem: if a player didn't want to spend money and they were met with a barrier, what would happen? They would probably give up on the game!
How do you keep these players? Simple, just give them help!
============
TL Note: [1] Ivan Pavlov is a psychologist known for his work in classical conditioning


Chen Mo liked calling himself a video game designer, despite being a mere video game producer.
After dying one day from work-related stress, he transmigrated into a parallel world as himself, right after he graduated. He was now in the body of his younger self, who also aspired to be a video game designer. 
Will he be able to fulfill his dream after being reborn in this oddly different new world, and become the best video game designer in that world?
Follow Chen Mo on his romp through video game classics as he brings the great games of the past to a whole new world in pursuit of his dreams!
Note: This Novel has been continued as a passion project by its translator. The continuation of this novel will not affect the result of Trial Reading or Voting Pool. 

free ebooks novel

The Order Rising

Free Without the “Free”

Living Enlightenment-Flow in Love

Vhugah

The Life Behind Her Smile: Everything Is Not As It Seems

Data Dragon Danika

Super Gene

Keta: End to the War

Get Back to You

Almighty Video Game Designer

People search free ebooks also like: