Chapter 400: The Newcomer Becomes The Challenger
Eventually Sacha narrowed her hand down to two cards. Her confidence returned.
“Looks like I’m finally catching up.”
Stan said nothing.
She played another card. “One more.”
Her hand dropped to a single card.
Sacha immediately pointed toward herself. “Uno!”
Stan smiled. “Good.”
Sacha leaned back with a satisfied expression. “Looks like you’re finally going to lose.”
Stan looked at her remaining card. He already knew what it was.
’Yellow seven.’ He glanced at his own cards. ’Perfect.’
He placed a Wild card onto the pile. “Yellow.”
Sacha’s expression changed. “Wait…”
Stan calmly followed with another card.
Sacha stared at him. “You planned that?”
“Maybe.”
She drew. Then another turn passed.
Stan continued controlling the colors, forcing her to draw whenever she couldn’t match the current card.
Camilla watched every move with increasing concentration.
He wasn’t merely playing his cards well. He knew what Sacha had. He knew which colors she lacked. And he was choosing his plays accordingly.
How?
She didn’t have enough information to determine the answer yet.
But she memorized the sequence.
Finally, Sacha was forced to draw again. Stan placed down his final card with a soft, decisive tap.
“Uno.”
Sacha froze. Her eyes widened. She looked at his empty hand. Then at her own. Then back at him.
“…Impossible. You were actually able to defeat me.”
Stan leaned back, raising one hand in a deliberately smug little gesture of victory, basking in the moment with zero shame.
“I told you.
Sacha’s face scrunched into a pout. “There won’t be a second time.”
Stan smiled. “We’ll see.”
From the side, Camilla’s calm voice cut in, cool and certain. “Yes. Indeed. There won’t be a second time… not only for him, but for you as well, friend.”
Sacha’s head snapped toward her.
She grit her teeth, competitive fire flaring. “You think you can beat me the way my brother did? You’re just a newbie. You didn’t even know what this game was a few minutes ago.”
Camilla only met her gaze with serene confidence, the faintest hint of a smile still playing at the corner of her mouth. “I have spent the entire game observing.”
Sacha crossed her arms. “Observing isn’t the same as playing.”
“I disagree.” Camilla’s eyes moved briefly toward the scattered cards. “You both have patterns.”
Sacha’s expression changed slightly. “Patterns?”
“You hesitate before certain plays. You favor particular cards when specific colors are available. You also react differently when you are confident and when you are attempting to deceive the other player.”
Stan raised an eyebrow.
Camilla continued calmly. “I have memorized them.”
Silence fell and Sacha blinked, a bit dumbfounded.
Stan shook his head, holding back a smile, mildly amused by his sister reaction…
Then Sacha slowly turned toward her brother. “Brother…”
Stan cleared his throat. “Yeah?”
“I think we may have created a monster.”
Stan looked toward Camilla. Camilla’s faint smile remained.
For the first time since the game had begun, Stan felt a genuine sense of danger.
’She’s actually serious.’
And somehow, that only made the second round feel even more interesting.
The air between the three of them crackled with fresh challenge as the cards were gathered for the next round.
Anyways, Sacha pulled the scattered cards toward herself with a decisive motion.
“You’re the newcomer,” she said, giving Camilla a sharp little smile, “so I’ll make this fair. I’ll deal.”
Camilla inclined her head once, unbothered. “Very well.”
Stan watched as his sister shuffled with practiced speed. He could see the dual purpose in her movements. She genuinely wanted the game to feel fair for a first-time player, yet the competitive glint in her eyes made it clear she also intended to test just how far this composed stranger could go.
Camilla, for her part, tracked every motion of Sacha’s hands and the shifting deck with quiet, laser-like focus.
She’s actually studying the shuffle, Stan noted, mildly impressed.
Sacha dealt the hands. “One, two, three…”
She distributed the cards around the table before finally dealing the last few to herself.
Camilla accepted each card without immediately looking at it.
Sacha noticed. “You’re not checking your cards?”
“I will when you’re finished.”
Sacha raised an eyebrow. “Confident.”
“I simply don’t see the need to rush.”
Stan smiled faintly. She’s definitely taking this seriously.
Once the final card had been dealt, Camilla picked up her hand and arranged the cards neatly.
The second round began under a completely different atmosphere than the first.
Sacha no longer carried the easy confidence of someone who expected to dominate. Stan remained relaxed, certain he understood the flow of the game better than either of them. Camilla sat perfectly composed, posture straight, expression calm.
There was not a trace of first-game nerves on her face.
Sacha noticed.
Why isn’t she nervous? She literally learned this game less than half an hour ago.
She glanced at Stan. He looked just as calm. That realization sat uncomfortably in her chest.
’Seriously?’
At that moment, both of them were already treating Camilla like a legitimate opponent.
Sacha clicked her tongue lightly. “Alright. Enough talking. Let’s play.”
She placed the first card down. The game opened.
Sacha waited for the beginner mistakes. Hesitation, wasted action cards, poorly timed color changes. They never came.
Camilla examined the discard pile, her own hand, and the previous plays with measured care before each decision. She did not rush, yet she never stalled.
Early on, she discarded high-value cards that would become burdens later. She held useful action cards in reserve. She refused to change colors unless the shift clearly benefited her position.
When Sacha tried to steer the available colors, Camilla simply adjusted.
More than once she seemed to anticipate what remained in the other two hands based purely on what had already been played.
Sacha’s unease grew. ’She’s not playing like someone who just learned the rules.’
And just like that a few turns passed.
***
A/N:
What do you guys think of the story so? Your powerstones and Golden tickets is very much appreciated