CORRUPTED CARDSMITH BOOK 1

DAMAN

CORRUPTED CARDSMITH

BOOK 1

Copyright 2025 © Daman Knightley

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be produced in any form, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, information, or retrieval, without written permission from the author.

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Also In Series

Corrupted Cardsmith Book 1

Corrupted Cardsmith Book 2

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PROLOGUE

A brief flash of purple light flickered within the guildhall as an immaculately dressed man stepped through a halo of fading light. There was a dark purple card floating above him that pulsed briefly before absorbing the surrounding halo and dissipated inside the man’s chest.

Sporting a thin mustache, the stranger had neatly trimmed short blond hair, pale gray eyes and an elegantly chiseled jawline. It was hard to judge his age accurately, but to an onlooker’s eye, he appeared to be in his late thirties. Dressed in tightly fit black robes, the stranger exuded a natural aura of authority as he passed through the hall.

People walking through the area acknowledged him with a quick nod, while others halted in their tracks to give him a bow of respect. The stranger ignored them all as he confidently strode his way ahead, before stopping at a large decorative door guarded by a single giant of a man looming over him.

“…”

The stranger stood there with his pale gray eyes calmly gazing at the towering guard.

“Tch.”

The guard grunted before tapping a brown card strapped to his belt and stepped aside. The massive door opened without a sound, allowing the stranger to step forward into the hall.

“You took your sweet time, Renald. The Leader has been waiting for you.”

A husky feminine voice sounded to the stranger’s right as a woman shrouded in silky indigo robes walked over.

“I had to pass through the Sunspire’s territory to get here to the 20th floor, and they wouldn’t let me pass unless I gave them all the details of why I was making my way to the Starhaven guild. Of course, I didn’t tell them the truth, but I want to know what all this haste is about, Leana.”

Renald’s eyebrow twitched with annoyance as he followed behind the woman. Despite knowing the way to the Leader’s throne, he let Leana lead him. Even with his volatile nature, he understood the leader of Starhaven commanded fear; a fear that extended beyond the Sunspire’s Archbishop.

As one of the few rankers to evolve to Tier 6 and reach the Card Luminary stage, Starhaven’s leader stood at the forefront of humanity’s crusade against the dungeon.

Renald was a powerful Tier 4 ranker in his own right, but even amongst the other Tier 4 Cardists, he was special because of his [Epic] class card: Diviner.

He couldn’t see the complete future, but his class card allowed him to take small glimpses a few seconds into the future. This made him a formidable opponent to face, as combined with the rest of his fate cards, only a handful of other Tier 4 Cardists could contend against him.

The pair arrived at the enormous, empty metal throne in the center. The seat bore the magnificent Starhaven crest, the mark of the man whose power reigned supreme in the dungeon.

“The leader’s not in the guild at the present. He’ll talk to you through the comms card.”

Leana pulled down the hood covering her face, revealing beautiful dark locks of hair. Her icy-blue eyes glanced at Renald before she stepped back. The throne glowed with an enigmatic gold light as a hazy illusion of an armored man coalesced on top of the throne.

Seeing the figure appear, Renald quickly got down on one knee and whispered, “Greetings to the Card Luminary.”

A small smile played on Leana’s lips as she stood on the sidelines, her gaze fixed on the guild leader, a figure she clearly admired.

“Renny! How have you been, chappy? Sorry man, the tree-huggers in Verdura wanted me to help them out with something in their kingdom, so I had to leave urgently.”

Renald’s eyebrow twitched at the leader addressing him as ‘Renny’, but he didn’t dare correct the man. As famous as Starhaven’s leader was for his legendary class card, he was equally infamous for his hoodlum personality.

Leana let out a defeated sigh. If she could somehow fix the leader's rowdy personality, it would clear her plate of cleaning the mess he created. She recalled the aghast expression on the Elf Queen’s face when the leader called her the ‘Fancy Tree-Hugger’ to her face in the presence of her subjects.

“It’s alright, Card Luminary. What can I do for you?”

Renald maintained his decorum.

“Lily, hand it over to him.”

With great eagerness, the leader’s image spoke from its throne.

“Don’t call me Lily, you lug!”

Leana cursed in mock defeat, but eventually summoned a shiny silver card from her shoulder, where her storage card was equipped. The moment the intricate silver card appeared, Renald’s gray eyes widened in shock. He’d heard of Tier 6 spell cards before, but this was his first time seeing one.

“It can’t be…”

When his sight landed on the words etched into the card, Renald swiftly pivoted his head to the figure on the throne, “A-Are you sure you want me to use this?”

“Let alone the fact that you’re the highest evolved ranker with a compatible class card, we’re desperately in need of information. The Akarsha dungeon’s integration into our world took us by storm, and in the countless years of clearing the dungeon floors, the Leader has gathered certain vital information.”

Leana placed the silver card on Renald’s palm, causing the card to flash brightly as it fused with the man’s [Epic] Diviner class card. The Leader silently waited for Leana to continue.

“Our world will soon face a terrifying calamity and we need you to use that oracle spell card to find out who the enemy is.”

Leana explained while the illusion of the Leader distorted slightly on the throne. It was unknown whether it was because of the comms connection or the leader’s turbulent emotions.

“Very well.”

Renald nodded as he channeled his lumen into the silver card. His lumen reservoirs were running a bit dry because he didn’t have a chance to replenish it after using the portal card, but it was pointless to complain before Starhaven’s Guild Leader.

The silver card thrummed as an intense silver light exploded into the area and hastily seeped Renald’s pale eyes. The Diviner let out a painful cry while streams of silver liquid poured down his cheeks from his retina.

Leana almost stepped forward to help Renald before being stopped by the Leader’s sharp warning. The system restricted cards to specific classes for a reason; it was fatal for non-compatible classes to force those cards into their decks.

Fortunately, they didn’t have to wait for long, as Renald’s screams eventually died out while the silver light gradually receded into the card. The oracle card was now noticeably dimmer than before.

Renald panted, out of breath, crumpling to the floor. His eyes looked like they were about to close, but his mouth quivered as if he wanted to get his words out. The Leader’s avatar on the throne leaned forward at the same time that Leana rushed to Renald on the floor to hold him up. He was completely drained of lumen, but he should be fine after a day or two.

“I-I saw… I s-sa…”

Renald struggled to form a sentence; however, Leana guessed what he was trying to tell them.

“You saw the enemy? Who is it?”

She wiped the gathering beads of sweat on Renald’s forehead, a trace of urgency hidden in her voice.

Renald nodded in acknowledgment before bursting into a series of coughs. After a few seconds, he squeezed out his words.

“Cardsm…ith.”

Immediately after, Renald’s eyes rolled back into their socket and the man passed out of consciousness.

Leana turned her head to the throne, her fingers trembling. They finally had a clue as to the one who will eventually destroy their world.

It was a Cardsmith.

CHAPTER 1

The sound of a young teen boy humming a tune echoed within a small peach orchard. It was almost evening, and the soft reddish hues of the horizon made the peaches glimmer with a rosy shine. The scent of the ripe fruit permeated every inch of the small orchard.

“15…20…25… 30…32! I did it!”

The teen boy muttered to himself with triumph as he stood in the back of the line with the other fruit pickers. He didn’t appear to be over 12 years old, but his true age was hard to gauge after looking at his frail and malnourished body. Locks of unkempt black hair fell around his thin face, partially hiding his surprisingly bright hazel-green eyes.

“Ya finally did it eh, Shouren?”

A large middle-aged woman standing in front of the boy turned around when she heard the victorious exclamation from the teenager. Unlike the small basket that Shouren carried, the woman had two large barrel-like baskets with roughly over a 100 peaches in each of them.

Her callused hand gently patted the frail teen on his head.

“It’s my first time, Merrin! I finally get to take 2 peaches home today. One for me and one for my grandma.”

Shouren’s cheeks flushed with happiness as he looked up at the hearty woman. It was harvesting season, so the orchard owners gathered as many helpers as they could get and everyone got paid based on the number of peaches they picked.

This job was for mostly all the Tier 0’s in the town, but kids often joined in as well. Weak and frail, Shouren’s trips to the orchard yielded only a meager harvest of a few dozen peaches. He couldn’t afford the tools the adults had, and neither did he have the strength to climb the trees like the other kids. Instead, the young teen relied on his sharp senses to detect which of the peaches’ stems were the weakest and used small pebbles to knock them down. The browner the ends of the stem, the easier it was to knock it down.

The orchard owners required each picker to pick at least 30 peaches; pickers could then sell any extra peaches back to the owners for a fixed price. This was the first time that Shouren picked over 30 peaches, so he was ecstatic that he could take those two extra fruits home. He had no intention of selling it back for a few chronas. Even a tiny bite of those market peaches would be beyond his means.

Unlike the other kids in the village, Shouren and his grandmother lived in abject poverty and barely had enough chronas for a single full meal a day. It didn’t help that the rest of the villagers scorned them and refused to hire his grandma for her sharding services.

His grandmother, Rhea, was one of the few Cardsmiths in the village but of course, no one commissioned any work from her except a meager few. Rhea also didn’t have a card recipe of her own, and was reduced to only being able to Shard cards. Even if she wanted to discover her own recipe, she didn’t have the funds to access a Card Smithy.

Decades ago, Starhaven Guild’s Tier 6 Card Luminaries conquered the Akarsha Dungeon’s 20th floor, uncovering blueprints for a Laser Card Smithy—a construction that enabled Cardsmiths to craft higher-level cards using cutting-edge technology.

“Make sure you take the juiciest two of that batch.”

Merrin winked at the giddy teen and turned back around. The older woman’s heart ached for the hungry boy, but as a low-ranking Tier 0 Cardist, she lacked the means to help. After the harvesting season was over, her family would be in a similar situation as Shouren, albeit not as bad.

Shouren cheerfully nodded his head in response and bent over the basket to make his selection. With a subtle movement, he shifted two plump peaches aside before he had to present the basket to the inspector. The line was gradually receding and soon it’d be Shouren’s turn.

The teen gingerly kneaded his bony right shoulder, which was slightly sore from all the pebble slinging he’d done earlier.

I can’t wait to see the look on Grandma’s face.

Shouren thought with a grin on his face. He could hardly remember the last time they had fruit.

He watched Merrin walk ahead, carrying her two massive baskets to the front of the table where the pudgy inspector sat. A burst of lumen coalesced over the neatly dressed inspector as a card appeared and floated over Merrin’s baskets.

I wonder what class card he has?

Seeing the thick energy of the lumen around the inspector, Shouren knew the inspector had to be at least Tier 1. He’d never seen that much lumen being controlled by any Tier 0 in the town.

Lumen was the most important resource of his planet, Aethoria. It was the foundation that all civilizations used to advance in evolution. Lumen was everywhere and in everything. The higher your Tier, the more lumen you could generate and, in effect, the more powerful cards you could command.

Shouren dreamed of having an [Epic] class card of his own one day. He wanted a combat class card so he could join one of the strongest guilds and make enough money that he and his grandmother could have as many fruits as they could eat. Maybe he’d even get to try some of that steak he’d seen in the butchery. Add in some butter, spices…

“Next.”

A stoic voice pulled Shouren out of his reverie.

“Y-yes!”

Shouren quickly wiped the drool off his face and rushed forward with his basket in hand. He almost tripped over on the way, but steadied himself at the last moment.

“I have 32 peaches in here. The owners said I could take the extra, so I’m taking these two.”

Shouren rambled hurriedly in a single breath, his nervousness seeping into his quivering voice. He feared the inspector would swindle him out of his two peaches.

The inspector raised his eyes from the register he was writing on and his eyes swept over Shouren’s dirty and worn clothes. Meanwhile, the card floating over the basket flashed with a dim glow.

“30 goods submitted. Take your two peaches, runt.”

The inspector sighed and his hand swirled over the register, recording the new tally. The pudgy man waved his hand, urging Shouren to leave.

“Thank you, sir!”

Shouren gave the inspector a grateful bow and ran towards the orchard exit, stuffing the two plump peaches into the hem of his ragged shirt and folded it to his chest, making an impromptu satchel. He didn’t have any pockets, so this had to do until he reached home.

Shouren rushed past the marketplace and the series of clean houses on the tidy pavement. His hazel-green eyes shone with uncontainable excitement; he couldn’t wait to share the fruit with his grandma. He had no memory of his parents, and his grandmother rarely ever mentioned their accidental death. However, that never mattered to Shouren. His grandmother was the one who raised him, and that’s all the family he needed.

Shouren glanced up at the setting sun. It was almost halfway gone. The iconic symbol on the sun still mesmerized him to this day. According to his grandmother, they hadn’t always had the same sun. When the Akarsha dungeon first appeared in their world, there had been a thundering crack in the sky, which alerted all kingdoms of the world, turning their attention to the horizon.

Before the stunned eyes of the inhabitants, the old sun silently shattered, replaced by a larger star bearing a mysterious and enigmatic symbol. With a triangle and line deeply etched into its surface, the new sun signaled the opening of the Akarsha dungeon.

“Watch it, you rat!”

Shouren heard someone snarl at him when he ran past a pair of men. He hadn’t even touched them, but the man seemed to take offense at the teen for merely getting close to him.

“Sorry, sir.”

Shouren turned around to offer an apologetic smile and bowed to the man. He was used to this treatment by the villagers. Only a few, like Merrin, didn’t treat him like the plague.

A few minutes later, with the darkness of the evening setting in, Shouren was close to the outskirts of the village. Just as he was about to take a left turn at the junction leading to the slums, he noticed something from the corner of his eye.

A girl about his age walked with a group of similar-aged kids. What caught Shouren’s attention was the small object that fell to the ground from her pocket. A shiny wrapper covered the object, and the glint from its sheen caught Shouren's gaze.

It was candy.

Shouren had seen plenty of them at the market, and even tried one on his last birthday when his grandmother surprised him.

He wanted to shout to let the girl know she dropped her candy, but something stopped him.

“She didn’t even notice. If I wait for a bit, I can take that candy for myself.”

Shouren muttered to himself. Judging from the girl’s immaculate dress and that of her companions, Shouren thought that none of them would care much for a small piece of candy. However, Shouren would rarely have the opportunity to enjoy that delicacy again.

He inched closer to the spot of the fallen candy and picked it up with one hand, while the other hand kept the peaches in place.

Shouren stood standing still as he mulled over his thoughts. The group of kids were almost out of sight.

“Hey!”

Shouren yelled in their direction. One of the boys glanced back before he nudged the others when he saw Shouren was addressing them.

“She dropped this.”

Shouren pointed at the girl and then held out his hand, revealing the wrapped candy.

The young girl saw the candy and patted her dress, only to find that it was indeed hers. However, just as she was about to walk towards Shouren to collect it, an older teen boy barred her path with his arm and held her back. The young teenager had thick, curly almond-colored hair and deep brown eyes. On closer scrutiny, the teen was closer to 15 years old, as he was taller than the rest of the group members.

“Look at his gross clothes, Linny. I bet he’s the little thief that stole it.”

The teen glared at Shouren with disgust.

“Favian, why would he offer the candy back if he intended to steal it?”

The girl, Linny, replied meekly. She didn’t believe Shouren tried to rob her as this was the first time she ever saw him, and besides, who would want to steal a piece of candy when it was so cheap?

“Go back, Linny! You don’t know these pests like I do. All you tierless rats are a leech on our town. Instead of being grateful that you’re allowed to live here near the dungeon, you dare to steal from us?”

Favian’s spittle flew as he shouted at Shouren.

“Sorry, sir. I’ll leave this candy here and be on my way.”

Shouren was already regretting getting involved, when all he was trying to do was help. Instead, he had to apologize once again for a mistake he didn’t commit.

I should have just taken it for myself instead.

He had no choice. It’s not like the law would take the side of a slum rat like him. It was best to bow his head and walk away. Besides, his grandmother would be wondering why he was late today.

“Stop! I can see you’re hiding something else in your shirt. You probably stole that as well. Leave it behind and then get lost.”

Favian walked up to Shouren, looking down at him while poking his chest. The rest of the group of kids stood silent as they watched. Some had uncomfortable expressions on their face but none voiced out their thoughts.

“What? No way! These are mine. You can ask the inspector in the peach orchards, I didn’t steal these.”

Shouren’s gaunt cheeks flushed with shame. He worked hard for these peaches, and now he was being accused of stealing them in front of an audience.

“I’m sorry, please just let me go.”

Shouren dropped the candy to the ground and turned around to leave.

“You think you can commit a crime and then leave as you please? Didn’t they teach you in school that there are consequences to stealing?”

Favian grabbed Shouren’s frail shoulder and forced him to turn back around. Favian was clearly much larger and stronger than Shouren.

“Favian, you’re hurting him.”

Another kid from the group said aloud when he saw the pained look on Shouren’s face. The kids didn’t care for the candy and it was not worth harassing some poor rat from the slums.

“Shut up! I’m going to be a ranker in the future when I get my class card. Thieves like him need to be punished so that our communities are safe.”

Favian shot a glare at the kid who voiced out his objection, before further twisting his grip on Shouren’s shoulder, causing him to cry in agony as he dropped the peaches on the ground.

“P-please…”

Shouren weakly grabbed Favian’s shirt, begging him to let go. He saw the older teen raise his foot over the fruits, and dread sank into Shouren’s heart.

“Get your dirty hands off me.”

Favian pushed Shouren away, sending him crumpling to the ground. Then, making sure Shouren’s eyes were on him, Favian painstakingly crushed one of the peaches under his boot. Without pause, Favian continued the same with the second peach.

Tears rolled down Shouren’s grubby face.

Why? If you were going to waste it, why not just let me have it?

Shouren whimpered, his unkempt black hair covering his face. He didn’t even do anything wrong. He only wanted to help. Then why was he being treated this way?

Did he not have a right to exist in this world?

A seed of rage settled inside him, replacing the misery he felt.

What was the point of doing good deeds if this was the ultimate result? Where was the law that was supposed to protect him? Where were all these righteous people when he and his grandmother were starving by themselves?

Shouren slowly tilted his head to face Favian. His radiant hazel-green eyes stared at the older teen, fury emanating from the depths of the irises.

Seeing the defiant look on the slum rat, Favian’s anger bubbled, and he swiftly sent a violent kick to Shouren’s chest, eliciting a painful groan from the latter. A sharp crack echoed in the air. It was from Shouren’s ribs.

“Know your place, thief.”

Favian grabbed Shouren’s hair and rained punches down on his face.

After the initial seven blows, Shouren lost all sensation in his face. He only felt the vibrations coursing through his skull. Somewhere in the back of his head, he heard several screams. He was sure at least one of them was not his.

He laughed at himself inside his mind as Favian continued his onslaught with his fists.

Why did he expect something else from this world? His grandma was wrong. There was no point in being kind to others. That only left you beaten to a pulp on the street.

The world was never fair.

What was his purpose in this world? Why was he born?

Shouren would find the answer to that question one day.

And the world would tremble in response.

Then, Shouren lost consciousness.

A tiny critter’s feet scratched against the gravelly pavement as it scuttled around searching for food. It briefly stood on its hind legs, the thin whiskers on its snout sniffing the air, as it detected a strong, sweet aroma.

Scrambling towards the fruity scent, the tiny street rat gradually arrived at its source. It was the crushed pulp of a juicy peach. Its beady eyes shined with joy as the rat leaped up at the mound where the fruit was stuck, swallowing large chunks of the peach while also lapping up the sugary juice pooled underneath it.

Suddenly, the mound moved.

“Ughh.”

Shouren groaned. His head thrummed with a pang as he struggled to open his eyes. There was a loud ringing in his eyes, like someone just pommeled his head through a bunch of rocks. In fact, that’s close to what had actually happened.

“It hurts.”

He touched his nose with his bony hands, feeling a warm wetness soaking his skin. It was blood. Shouren was bleeding through his nose, though much of it was already drying up.

The tiny critter realized it had mistaken the mound for a small human. Glancing regretfully at the peach pulp, the street rat took one last look and bolted away from sight.

“Why…”

As he regained his balance, the memories of what had just happened flashed through Shouren’s head. He was only trying to help a stranger, but that resulted in him getting humiliated and bleeding alone on the road. He noticed the pieces of crushed peaches scattered around him. Those kids didn’t even take those fruits. Instead, they tore it apart and threw it on him like he was garbage.

“Why…”

Shouren curled up into a ball over the filthy chunk of peach on the ground. His fists clenched on the side as his vision blurred. Water droplets silently splattered over the crushed fruit. Why was it raining? No, it wasn’t rain.

“Why…”

Shouren sobbed, his dirty, unkempt hair falling over his teary eyes. With each breath, he tasted blood on his tongue. He worked tirelessly for days so he could finally have those peaches to take home. He didn’t steal or cheat them out of someone, so why was he still punished?

Was it because he was poor? Or was it because he was weak?

It was both.

A smoldering hatred bubbled inside him. He’d fight back next time. Even if they shattered his bones, he’d not let others take what was his. Shouren stopped crying and wiped the nectar and tears off his gaunt face. His hazel irises looked up at the cloudless sky.

One day, he’ll become a ranker and leave behind this miserable town with his grandma.

Oh no, grandma!

A shock tingled through Shouren’s head as he remembered his grandma was still waiting for him at their home. He didn’t know how much time had lapsed since he was unconscious, but his grandma would definitely be worried.

Shouren hurriedly patted all the dirt and sticky fruit off his clothes. Blood had already splotched his shirt, so he couldn’t do anything about it.

Running back to his original path, Shouren sprinted towards home.

Should he tell his grandma what had happened? Rhea always told him to respect others even if they didn’t return the favor. It was essential for a Cardsmith to have a dignified heart. She’d instilled those teachings in him since an early age. Although, whether Shouren agreed was still up in the air.

Shouren felt a tinge of anger at those thoughts. He had to treat Favian with respect after the brute smashed his face? What kind of lesson was that? Shouren and his grandma were not some members of a noble family to abide by these nonsensical rules. They barely had enough food for a single meal a day.

Yet, that reality wouldn’t change his grandma’s mind. Rhea was a Tier 0 Cardsmith, who, despite failing her evolution to Tier 1, vehemently stuck to her morals.

His grandma had a [Common] class card, the lowest rarity of all available class cards and also the cheapest. If that was the only issue, it wouldn’t be so bad. However, the rarity of class cards had a few important functions.

Primarily, the initial trait unlocked at Tier 0 Awakening was the same rarity as the initial class card. If you awakened with a [Rare] class card, your first trait would also be a [Rare] trait. Starting Tier 0 with a [Rare] trait would put you miles ahead of anyone with a lowly [Common] trait.

But a class card’s rarity had another devastating consequence for newly awakened Cardists. Your tier evolution attempts were entirely determined by the rarity of your class card.

A [Common] class card only gave you a single chance to evolve from a Tier 0 to a Tier 1 Cardist. If you failed the evolution, then there was no hope for the future. Once you awakened with a class card, you could never change it.

When Rhea failed her first evolution with the [Common] Cardsmith class card, it meant that she would be a Tier 0 Cardsmith for the rest of her life.

If they were rich and had lots of chronas, his grandma wouldn’t be in this situation. Only the wealthy could afford class cards above the [Common] rarity. The next higher rank, [Uncommon] class cards gave you three chances of evolution, followed by [Rare] class cards with their five chances. The last two, [Epic] and [Legendary] class cards were elusive and Shouren had never even seen anyone with it in his village. They were extremely rare and only dropped in the deeper floors of the Akarsha dungeon.

Shouren didn’t know the exact number of evolution chances [Epic] and [Legendary] class cards gave, but it had to be high.

The class cards had yet another restriction tied to their rarity. The [Common] ones only allowed you to evolve up to Tier 1. Even if you successfully evolved to Tier 1 on your first attempt, that would be your highest-ever Tier. [Uncommon] class cards allowed you to evolve up to Tier 3, and [Rare] class card pushed it up to Tier 5. An [Epic] class card was necessary requirement for a Cardist to ever evolve to Tier 6, the same level as the leaders of the major factions.

The only exception to this rule were the [Unique] class cards.

Shouren took in ragged breaths as he ran past the familiar series of shabby houses. His grandma’s shack was at the end of this road. Their neighborhood was effectively a slum, but no one liked to call it that, especially the townsfolk.

“I’ll get an [Epic] class card one day.”

Shouren slowed down to a walk. His knees were aching and giving out. The grumbling of his empty belly didn’t help either. As far-fetched as Shouren’s dream of obtaining an [Epic] class card was, it wasn’t entirely impossible. While the elite could buy those class cards, the rest of the world had another path.

During every tier evolution, there was a small chance of the class card evolving as well. If you were lucky enough for your [Common] class card to evolve to [Uncommon], then all the guilds would line up to recruit you. It meant your synchronization with that particular class card was high and there was a possibility of it becoming a [Rare] class card in the future.

This small beacon of hope was everything Shouren had. He couldn’t afford an [Uncommon] class card, so he was betting his whole life on that one chance with a [Common] class card.

“I’ll do it. I won’t fail.”

Shouren wheezed through his nose. The congealed blood had clogged up his air pathways. He trudged along towards his house. It was right around the corner now. The images of Favian punching him while the other kids watched swirled within his mind, eliciting a wave of melancholy. No one would help him and his grandma. The world will just continue to watch them suffer from the sidelines.

Shouren hated how pathetic he looked. Were they ridiculing him on the inside when they were watching him? His bright hazel eyes glinted underneath the shadows. The young teen’s heart was already blooming with rage at the injustice of the world.

I’ll ask grandma’s permission to sell the Cardsmith class card for a combat one.

Shouren contemplated how he’d go through with this plan. Rhea had been saving that [Common] Cardsmith class card for his next birthday when he’d undergo the ceremony to become a Cardist. However, Shouren loathed the Cardsmith class. They were weak, had little to none combat ability, and their only purpose was to improve the lives of other Cardists.

Shouren would rather die than serve people who looked down upon him.

Even if the risk of death was higher with any [Common] class card, he would choose that over the Cardsmith class. At least he would die on his terms.

The main hurdle would be to convince Rhea. His grandma was strangely strict when it came to their Cardsmith heritage. Shouren’s father, his father’s father, and all previous generations of his family had always been Cardsmiths. It was a rule passed down from their ancestor that every generation of their family had to have at least one living Cardsmith. When Shouren asked his grandma what their family name was, the old lady was conspicuously silent and brushed the question off.

Shouren didn’t have many memories of his parents, and neither did he have any other siblings. His grandmother had ingrained in him the idea that he would be a Cardsmith from the age of five. Even as a toddler, Shouren dreamed of becoming a warrior and entering the dungeon. It was every kid’s dream. To be a ranker and be the first to clear a dungeon floor. The rewards could change your very destiny.

When the old sun shattered, a wave of disease and plague shadowed Aethoria. The oxygen in the air dwindled to its lowest level, leading to the collapse of most life on the planet. Other races fared just as bad as the humans, with their life expectancy declining and entire ecosystems were in disarray.

However, that all changed when the first dungeon exploration party cleared the 10th floor of the Akarsha Dungeon. Within that 10th floor was an empty land that stretched wider than any kingdom on their planet. It could house millions of people. Lumen infused the air, allowing the Cardists to unleash even greater powers from the cards.

But that was not all. Conquering the 10th floor also affected the outside world. Contaminants were removed from the skies, returning oxygen levels to their previous state. Traces of lumen appeared mixed in the air; and, despite its density being far lower than inside the dungeon, the discovery was still shocking.

Subsequent generations born after the lumen experienced a dramatic increase in lifespan, strength, and more robust health.

When the next group of rankers cleared the 20th floor after decades, it transformed the outside world once again. New species of vegetation infused with lumen appeared along with beasts that could inherently manipulate lumen like the Cardists. The world’s inhabitants experienced yet another upgrade to their bodies.

By now, everyone realized that clearing every 10th dungeon floor brought about immense benefits to their planet. It had been almost over a century since they had cleared the 20th dungeon floor, and all the guilds and kingdoms have been stuck on the 27th floor. It had taken them close to seven years to go from the 26th to the 27th floor.

Shouren had a feeling that the higher ups were hiding something, as they never told the people what the rankers actually got in reward. There had to be a reason all those Cardists risked their lives to clear those floors. Shouren didn’t believe it for a second that they were doing this for the benefit of other people.

The world was full of Favians.

If Shouren wanted to change his life, it had to be inside the dungeon. He had to become someone capable of fighting, someone who could control his own destiny.

“Shouren!”

A pair of skinny arms grappled him into a hug, slightly lifting his frail body into the air.

“Grand…ma?”

Shouren was deep within his thoughts that he failed to notice he was already on his street. His long and shaggy hair didn’t help his vision much either. Inhaling the familiar and earthy scent of his grandmother, Shouren’s emotions spilled out of control.

“There, there, my dear sweet potato.”

Rhea put Shouren down and gently held him whilst he cried into her robes. She sensed something must have happened to her grandson because he was late, and his reaction and bloodied clothes led her to believe it involved the other villagers.

“They took… my peaches… from me… said… I stole…”

Shouren spoke between crying and taking in quick breaths. At the end of the day, he was still a young kid, and seeing his grandma made him forget all the earlier dark thoughts he had, and simply poured out his feelings to her.

“Come inside, little one.”

Rhea sighed and dragged Shouren to their shack. She saw the pain in her grandson’s eyes, but there was nothing she could do about it. Even if she voiced a complaint to the governor, they’d do nothing to stop it. Who cared about a useless Tier 0 Cardsmith?

Shouren would have to get accustomed to this treatment. It would only get worse when he’d get older.

“Why don’t we leave this village, grandma?”

Shouren trailed behind Rhea, his breathing back to normal after letting out his pent-up emotions. He tugged at his grandmother’s dirty gray robes as he looked up at her.

“And who would pay the chronas for the transportation, little potato?”

Rhea poked him playfully. It wasn’t the first time Shouren had asked her this. She knew the desires in her grandson’s heart, but she was powerless to bring them to reality. If only… Rhea stopped that train of thought.

“Forget about that. Look what grandma saved you for dinner instead.”

Rhea brought out a small slice of dry bread from within her robes and held it out to Shouren.

“Rusk Bread? I love it!”

Shouren swiftly grabbed the slice and nibbled on it, letting his saliva moisten the sides so he could bite through it. He was famished and didn’t have any food since the morning. Rhea smiled and parted Shouren’s unkempt hair to tidy it up a bit.

“What about you, grandma?”

Shouren paused to look at Rhea. Was this the only slice she had?

“Don’t worry about me, potato. I already had a slice before you came.”

Rhea used the edge of her robe’s lining to clean off the remaining dried blood on Shouren’s cheek.

Shouren stopped chewing on the bread and glanced at his grandma.

She was lying.

He saw her bony frame, similar to his own. She looked like she was all bones and skin. How did she bear through it?

Shouren’s stomach growled, urging him to take more bites of that dry bread.

“It’s not fair.”

Shouren whispered, his hand letting go of that bread as it dropped with a dull thud.

“The world was never meant to be fair, little potato.”

Rhea chuckled, yet the wrinkles on her face deepened. She bent down to pick up the bread and held it out to her grandson.

Shouren smacked the bread out of her hand.

“I will become a warrior and enter the dungeon.”

He couldn’t take this anymore. He didn’t want this life. Getting beat up during the day and then starving during the night. Even if his grandma opposed it, he would learn to fight.

“You will do no such thing, Shouren.”

Rhea ignored the bread and stared sternly into Shouren’s hazel eyes, the same as her. The old woman’s tone took a serious turn.

“I would rather die than become a Cardsmith!”

Tears rolled off Shouren’s cheek as he shouted at his grandmother.

“Shouren…”

Rhea was taken aback by Shouren’s reaction. Torn between family tradition and her grandchild’s joy, she questioned whether forcing the issue was right. However, being a warrior meant Shouren had to risk his life in the dungeon. It was better to be poor. At least then, her grandson would be safe and alive.

“It’s late, go to sleep, little potato.”

Rhea lightly touched Shouren’s cheek and turned around towards one of the two mats on the floor. She planned to talk some sense into him tomorrow once he was well-rested.

Shouren stood there silently. He felt horrible for yelling at his grandmother. She was all the family he had. He knew Rhea often went days without food just so he could have a full belly at least once a day.

He stared at the piece of bread on their shoddy floor and walked over to it. Gingerly picking it up and swiping any dust stuck to the bread, Shouren made his way to Rhea. His grandmother was sleeping on her mat with her eyes closed.

Sitting down next to her, Shouren broke the bread in half and placed the bigger of the two halves beside her.

“You need to eat as well. Don’t leave me alone, grandma.”

Shouren muttered in a quiet voice and then proceeded to his own mat. He didn’t see it, but the wrinkles on Rhea’s face softened slightly.

It was a cold night, but Shouren’s heart was warm for now.

CHAPTER 2

“… get up, little potato…”

A gentle voice muffled inside Shouren’s ears, as he groggily lifted his eyelids to see better. Rhea smiled once she saw her grandson was awake and turned around to resume her earlier task.

Shouren groaned as he felt his face and body sting from last night’s beating. There was a slight puffiness to the injuries but nothing that would leave a mark, save for his pride. Neither he nor Rhea mentioned any medicine or potion, as they both knew neither of them had the chronas.

“Do you need help?”

Shouren slowly got up on his feet and asked in a hoarse voice. He tentatively stretched out his arms and legs and was relieved nothing was fractured or broken. He made his way to his grandmother, who was currently hunched over the only table they had in the house.

“Hand me the spell card over there, potato.”

Rhea spoke without lifting her weary head, as a pale gray glow coated around her hands. Beads of sweat pearled near her forehead, but the old lady paid no heed to it. Her full focus was on the contents spread on the shoddy table.

Shouren nodded without hesitation and sprung to the corner of the room where his grandmother stored her spell cards. Sitting atop a dreary flat wooden box the size of his two palms, an unassuming gray card remained in place. No one even had to lock the wooden box, as not even a thief would bother opening it for a [Common] ‘Create Puddle’ spell card.

Quickly grabbing the spell card, Shouren rushed to his grandmother’s aide and gingerly placed it on the table.

“Thank you, potato. Now tell me, what are the 3 primary duties of a Cardsmith?”

The wrinkles on Rhea’s face eased, her bright hazel irises eying her grandson inquisitively. In contrast to her frail body and withering skin, the old woman’s eyes were astonishingly bright. The gray light around her hands intensified as the lumen wrapped itself around the new spell card and began tearing it apart.

Shouren grumbled under his breath, but relented once he saw the eager look in his grandmother’s eyes. He’d bring up his secret plan to Rhea later. She wouldn’t approve, but after last night, Shouren no longer had a choice.

“The first role is Sharding. To break the card’s lumen into smaller shards so a Cardist can absorb them to increase their synchronization rate.”

Shouren rolled his eyes as he detailed the explanation out. His grandmother had instilled it into him since he knew how to speak. To advance in tiers, every Cardist had to reach at least 80% synchronization with their class card before they could attempt to evolve to the next tier. The vast majority were simply stuck at Tier 0 and never undergoing their first evolution to Tier 1.

At the same time, on the table, the ‘Create Puddle’ spell card was ripped into 5 uneven shards and joined the other shards hovering over the table. 5 was the maximum number of shards Rhea could salvage from a Tier 0 spell card.

“The second ro-”

Shouren was mid-sentence when Rhea promptly interrupted him. Her eyes remained glued to the new shards floating in front of her.

“Why is sharding so important to Cardists?”

Her tone was no longer jovial, a heaviness set in her voice. Although Rhea wasn’t facing Shouren, he knew she was closely paying attention to his voice. Rhea would turn into a different person whenever the topic was about Cardsmiths. It’s why the usually caring grandmother adamantly refused to let Shouren pick any class except for the Cardsmith.

“Sharding breaks the lumen inside a card and allows any Cardist to absorb them. If the insights in the shard resonate with their class card, it can push up their synchronization, bringing them closer to evolution. Without sharding, it can take years for a normal person to reach Tier 1. Also, the sharding ability is exclusive to Cardsmiths.”

Shouren recited in a practiced manner. This was simply one of the countless times Rhea had asked him the same question. He added in the last sentence because he knew his grandmother was happy at the mention of a Cardsmith’s importance.

Looking around their barely furnished shack and the rotting roof, Shouren pointedly decided not to argue about it. Whatever made his grandmother happy. For now.

“I almost forgot, little potato. Your birthday is in a few days.”

Rhea hummed happily. Her hands crawled to a still as the lumen retreated inside her body, and the shards gradually descended onto the table. Her order for the merchant was completed and the chronas from this job should secure food for her and Shouren this month.

“Let me finish reciting the roles of a Cardsmith, grandma! The second ro-”

Shouren sat up straight in panic and waved his hand in front of Rhea. He desperately needed to avoid that conversation now, not until his secret plan was in action. As if mocking, Shouren could feel the invisible glare of the [Common] Cardsmith class card stashed inside the same wooden box. It was the only class card they had. And if Shouren had anything to do with it, it would have been sharded long ago or exchanged for another class card.

However, before Shouren could distract Rhea any further, their door swung open with a crash.

Both the grandmother and grandson pair winced at the noise, but even more at the splinters that broke loose at the bottom. Great, now their door needed repair as well.

A lone man walked through, unfazed by the minor property damage he’d just caused. Dressed in simple khaki trousers and a brown tunic, the man’s dark eyes surveyed the room with obvious distaste. His nose crinkled in annoyance at the sight, but quickly reverted to his original expression when he saw Rhea’s eyes were on him.

“I apologize for the intrusion, Cardsmith. But I need the spell card back, along with the advance I gave you.”

The merchant clearly wasn’t sorry, but at least pretended to be remorseful by offering Rhea a polite bow. Shouren quickly put it together that this was the merchant who’d recently commissioned Rhea to shard a [Common] spell card.

“What do you mean, Master Boris? You already agreed to the service, and the terms were very clear. In trade for a [Common] spell card, I have to give you 4 shards in return. Here, I was just about to notify you that the order was completed.”

Rhea frowned at the merchant’s statement. As a Tier 0 Cardsmith, Rhea could extract 5 shards from a [Common] spell card while most other Tier 0 Cardsmiths could only extract 4 shards. This was Rhea’s talent she’d cultivated over the decades. No other Cardsmith would have taken the deal that Master Boris offered except for Rhea.

“My sincerest apologies, Cardsmith. I just found out that a new Tier 0 party of Cardists were entering the dungeon for the first time, and their member requested for a ‘Create Puddle’ spell card. As you know, the guilds have been breathing down our necks and fulfilling this request will make things smoother between them and the merchant guilds.”

Master Boris pompously bowed again, displaying his remorse at reneging on the contract.

Rhea froze at the merchant’s words. The realization of what was happening sunk into her with dread. Master Boris had never intended to pay for his part of the contract.

No one would believe the nonsense that a lowly ‘Create Puddle’ spell card was that important. Any Cardist could buy it in the market for a few chronas. It was ridiculous to think that the friction between the guilds had anything to do with the contract she made with the merchant.

Rhea’s hazel eyes hardened as she glared back at the merchant.

“What do you want?”

Any pretense of respect or politeness left her voice.

“Unless you can forge the shards back into the ‘Create Puddle’ spell card, I want 6 shards.”

Master Boris stood up straight with a sneer, knowing both parties had realized that the ruse was up. It wasn’t his fault that the shriveled old lady begged him desperately outside his shop a few days ago to hire her services. He didn’t even care about a measly few shards from a [Common] spell card. This was the punishment for the old woman who sullied the decorum of his prestigious shop and caused uneasiness among his customers because of her dirty attire.

He couldn’t berate her in front of the shop or else he’d lose his contacts and reputation. He gave her the falsehood of hiring her services and even magnanimously handed out the spell card to her.

“I’ll give you back the 5 shards I extracted from the spell card. If you don’t accept, I’ll file a complaint against your shop to the governor.”

Rhea’s bony hands trembled with distress, but her voice remained steady. Meanwhile, Shouren’s eyes quivered at seeing the look of helplessness in his grandmother.

“Sure, go ahead and complain. In the meantime, I’ll take ownership of this house and all its contents as collateral for my payment until this matter is settled with the authorities. After all, it’s fully your right to lodge a complaint.”

Master Boris rubbed his chin gloatingly. Without a system-enforced contract, it was meaningless to complain. No one would care about what a Tier 0 had to say.

“I’m sorry… here’s your 6 shards…”

The old lady held back a sob as she picked up the 5 shards on the table, along with an extra one from the original pile. She couldn’t let Shouren see her in tatters.

It was futile. The merchant came in prepared for any defiance. He’d planned it out from the beginning. Even if Rhea complained, the process alone would defeat her. The governor’s estate cared little for a conflict involving a couple of shards.

By losing that single vital shard, Rhea only had a few days before they’d run out of chronas for food. She accepted her death long ago, but she couldn’t give up yet for Shouren’s sake. He needed to survive. She’d scavenge the house to find anything that she could sell.

Master Boris grinned as he plucked the shards from Rhea’s wrinkled hand and turned around to leave.

On the side, Shouren stared at the merchant’s back and muttered something.

“I’ll kill you…”

“Did you say something to me, runt?”

Master Boris furrowed his eyebrows. He didn’t like the rude way that brat had been glaring at him. Thankfully, only Rhea could properly hear what Shouren said.

“It was just his stomach growling, Master Boris. Please have a good day.”

Rhea grabbed Shouren with her leathery arm and shielded him from the merchant’s sight. It sickened her to be polite to the very man that extorted her and her grandson from food, but Shouren’s life was more important. Openly threatening the merchant would give him cause to kill her grandson.

“Hmm. Don’t bother me again, Cardsmith. I won’t be as kind as I am today.”

Master Boris grunted in irritation and left the house.

A dejected silence spread through the empty room. A chilly breeze leaked through the damaged door, enveloping the two figures in the center.

“Anger will make you lose yourself, little potato. Try to forgive.”

Rhea soothed Shouren, feeling his body tremble underneath her. A wetness seeped into her hand that was holding him.

Shouren’s face stung from the tears rolling down his cheeks.

His grandmother was wrong about one thing. Shouren wasn’t angry.

His hazel eyes marred crimson with the blood vessels threatening to pop out. The tears were his body’s response to cool the heat accumulating within his irises. Rhea had been with Shouren since he was born, but even she failed to grasp the true nature of her grandson.

No, Shouren wasn’t angry.

He slowly lifted his hand and tightly hugged the thin and frail body of his grandmother. In the morose and desolate room, his hazel eyes pulsed with a flash of dark maroon.

No, Shouren wasn’t angry.

He was mad with rage.

And he wasn’t born to forgive.

A faint creaking sound dimly echoed in the late hours of the night.

Shouren mutely watched the creaking door swaying with the night’s breeze. The scenes of the day whirling through his mind. He could hear the deep snores of his grandmother beside him. Today had exhausted the poor elderly lady.

Shouren heard a growl.

It was his empty stomach.

Both Rhea and Shouren hadn’t eaten the entire day, and despite her insistence, Shouren vehemently refused to eat the only piece of bread they had. Rhea thought her grandson would eventually succumb to his hunger and eat it later, but she had severely underestimated Shouren’s vehemence.

Screw the secret plan.

Shouren cursed inside his mind as he shuffled away as quietly as possible from his sleeping grandmother. His ‘secret plan’ had been to steal the [Common] Cardsmith class card from the wooden box covertly and trade it for any other equivalent [Common] class card he could find in the market.

Sure, Rhea would have been furious with him, but by then, it would be too late. You couldn’t change your class card once you awakened with it.

But I can’t do that anymore. Not after today. No one will ever steal from grandma again, including me.

Shouren’s heart clenched at the thought of his earlier plan to steal his grandmother’s card and calmly stood up, his feet barely making any noise in the process. Even though that class card was going to be his, it felt wrong now to take it away from his grandmother after he watched someone else extort her.

In the end, Rhea would still forgive his crime.

Shouren lovingly gazed at his grandma, her face serene of any troubles. Rhea had sacrificed so much of her life for her children, and then later for her grandchild as well. She had never complained, despite being mistreated and tormented by others. Rhea remained kind and forgiving.

Does she not feel the rage?

Shouren glanced down at his own hands. Was something wrong with him? Where did this fury come from?

No, the plan to steal and sell the Cardsmith class card had changed. However, he was adamant about choosing his own class card. Even his grandmother didn’t get to choose what kind of life he had to live. Screw his ancestors and their legacy. It was their fault that his family had to live this destitute life.

Shouren was running out of time. His 14th birthday would be in a few days and his heart would finally be ready to undergo the class card awakening. He brushed his wild black hair aside and scanned his gaunt body. Everyone thought he was 12 years old, but in reality, his true age was almost 14 years old. His short height was the result of his malnourished body and deprived of a regular source of food.

His old plan discarded, Shouren only had one choice left.

He had to enter the Akarsha Dungeon and hope he’d find another class card. He didn’t have any chronas to buy a class card, and selling his grandmother’s Cardsmith class card was out of the question. No one entered the dungeon before their awakening, as it was tantamount to suicide. Even a Tier 0 monster could effortlessly slice through a tierless human.

I'd rather die than become a Cardsmith.

Steeling his nerves, Shouren gave one final look at his sleeping grandmother and silently tread towards the door.

“I’m sorry, grandma.”

Shouren whispered sadly as he pushed aside the door and walked away into the darkness of the night.

The door creaked once before becoming still again.

The sound of soft snores strummed within the lonely shack.

“Should I turn back?”

Shouren groaned as he jogged to the town center. It dawned on him that he didn’t even think to bring a weapon or a means to fight inside the dungeon. Not that his shack had anything inside that could be used as a weapon. Rhea and him were so poor that they didn’t even own a kitchen knife.

“This really is the dumbest plan I’ve had.”

Shouren labored through his shallow breaths, his body still aching from yesterday’s injuries.

It’s too late. I already decided that I rather die than live under someone else’s tyranny.

He recalled the images of Master Boris coercing his grandmother to extortion. Nothing would change even if he became a Cardsmith. Instead of just his grandmother being swindled of her shards, it would then be both him and her being swindled together.

He had to become a Cardist with actual power. He’d never witnessed anyone in town abusing a Tier 1 Cardist. Those who killed monsters in the dungeon had no qualms killing other living beings as well. If his grandmother had a combat class card, then even as a Tier 0, Master Boris wouldn’t have dared to humiliate her to this extent. It was precisely because the merchant knew that Rhea couldn’t do anything that he gambled to exploit her.

“Watch it, kid!”

A chubby middle-aged man grunted with annoyance when Shouren bumped into him by accident.

“Sorry, mister!”

Shouren yelled a quick apology before bolting off. It was dark and not the time to get lost in his thoughts. He had to pay attention from now on. Although it wasn’t illegal for a tierless to enter the dungeon, Shouren wanted to avoid any attention drawn to him if possible. His unkempt and dirty clothes were always a target for the people to pick on.

The first floor of the Akarsha Dungeon was open to all, and also known as the ‘Tutorial Floor’ by the Cardists. Anyone could enter the floor and there was no time limit to clear it. The clearing conditions were very simple as well: kill any 3 Tier 0 monsters.

But Shouren’s original problem still remained. How would he kill a Tier 0 monster with no weapon? Until his awakening, his attributes remained locked, meaning even his strongest punch would barely scratch the monster’s hide.

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll try to gouge its eyes out or lure it into a trap.”

Shouren shook his head and made his way to the town center. One way or another, Shouren was going to fight until his last breath. He had no experience in making a trap or ever fought anyone. His only experience was getting punched until the other side gave up.

Only a single thought reverberated inside Shouren’s mind.

I’ll never kneel down to others.

Even if they killed him, Shouren would no longer submit himself to those with power. His hazel-green eyes flamed with aspiration.

Gradually, a few hazy light orbs fluttered in the distance as Shouren finally made it to the edge of the town’s square. Everyone called it town, but in reality, it was just a destitute village.

A few decades ago, it used to be an actual town when Tier 2 Cardists roamed the nearby kingdom, but since the Sunspire Theocracy conquered the 10th floor and then later when the Starhaven Guild subjugated the 20th floor, most Cardists flocked to the higher density lumen environments. Now, only the Tier 0 and occasionally a few Tier 1 Cardists remained in the outside world.

“No guards today?”

Shouren whispered, a trace of thrill in his voice. A few villagers roamed around the town, but it was unusually quieter today. He saw a couple of guards loitering near the market’s entrance, their drunk and boisterous laughter causing a few shopkeepers nearby to click their tongues in distaste.

However, the path to the dungeon entrance was clear. Strange.

The entrance to the Akarsha Dungeon was remarkably nondescript. It was a plain rectangular portal with an overhead arch set that hovered a foot from the ground. When their world’s sun was destroyed and the dungeon appeared, countless portals emerged all over the land. They all differed in appearance. Some were grander, while other portals were simply a plain door.

Shouren hesitated for a brief moment as he considered whether to ask someone nearby why there was no one entering the dungeon right now. Despite the late hours, there was always someone entering and leaving the dungeon.

Shouren exhaled out a deep breath. None of the villagers would give him an answer even if he tried. He needed to hurry before his grandmother woke up.

Bracing himself, Shouren took one last look to make sure the guards’ sight wasn’t in his direction and raced to the dungeon entrance.

Shouren wheezed out his breaths, his skinny legs wobbling with as much strength as he could muster. His chest bulged while his lungs desperately drew in air.

He was almost there, and no one had noticed him.

3 more seconds until he made it to the entrance. His back was now soaked. Shouren didn’t know whether it was from his sweat or fear.

2 more seconds left.

“Oy! What’s that idiot doing? Stop him!”

A sharp voice suddenly boomed across the town’s square.

1 more second.

Shouren could hear the nearby villagers shuffle to a halt. Gritting his teeth, he jumped. He just needed to touch the portal, but then he felt a shadow looming over him from behind.

Right as that presence was about to grasp him, Shouren’s index finger made contact with the portal.

[Enter Floor 1 of Akarsha Dungeon?]

[Yes/No]

Shouren cried ‘Yes’ with his remaining breath, and then the dungeon sucked him in.

“Was that a kid? Did anyone see the runt’s face?”

Shouren heard someone’s fading voice right before his world turned black.

“Ugh… what’s going on? My head hurts.”

Shouren whimpered while clutching the sides of his temple. An eerie tingle crawled down his spine and made its way to the corner of his retinas. Shouren shuddered as he gradually opened his hazel eyes.

[Floor 1 Clear Conditions: Kill 3 Tier 0 entities]

[Current Kills: 0/3]

Floating in the center of his vision, the text glowed once before dissipating away. Shouren didn’t have access to his status yet, so that’s probably why the dungeon’s message caused discomfort inside his body. If things went according to plan, then Shouren would soon find another class card and undergo his awakening. He was only a few days away from his 14th birthday, and his heart should be mature enough to accept a card.

When Shouren tried looking up, a beam of velvety light smacked him on the face as he registered the surrounding scenery. Lush verdant trees rooted within a forest enclave, and accompanied by abundant dark green bushes. Shouren covered his eyes, taken aback by the sudden light. It was just night a few minutes ago.

“This is the dungeon?”

Shouren gasped in wonder. It felt so real. Was this an actual world?

Something rumbled underneath him.

Shouren glanced down. It was his stomach.

He had no food, water, and no weapon to fight in the dungeon.

Before his resolve wavered, Shouren quickly rushed to the nearest bush. He couldn’t see any monsters nearby, but that didn’t mean none were lingering in the vicinity. Standing in the open was stupid, especially considering how defenseless he was right now. His dirty clothes didn’t even protect him from the wind, let alone the claw of a Tier 0 monster.

“I need to find some food first and then water. Thankfully, there’s no time limit. After securing my immediate survival, I’ll need to survey the floor for what type of monsters are looming around.”

Shouren brushed aside the twigs as he squeezed inside the bushes. It was important to stay out of sight before he figured out what kind of monsters he was dealing with. He might not have come prepared, but he wasn’t a complete fool. He’ll make the best of the situation.

“There are lots of trees around, but I don’t see any fruit on them. Maybe there are a few fruit trees deeper into the forest?”

Shouren took off his dirty shirt and used his teeth to tear it into several strips of cloth. Then, placing one end of the strip between his toenail, Shouren wrapped the cloth around his foot until it completely covered the bottom of his soles. He took another strip and followed the same pattern, but now with the second cloth strip, there was more padding on the sole.

Shouren repeated these steps multiple times, and it wasn’t long until both his feet looked like he was wearing several layers of poorly stitched socks. He didn’t have anything to protect his body after ripping his shirt into shreds, but Shouren achieved something even more essential: silencing his movement.

The thick cloth on his feet was uncomfortable to walk, however, it was better to remain in stealth than move fast. Shouren was the weakest on this floor and almost all monsters would be faster than him. He couldn’t beat them with strength or speed. He needed his wits. And a carefully executed plan.

“This should do it.”

Satisfied with his amateur work, Shouren then used the remaining scraps of the fabric to bandage around his fingers. This will keep him relatively safe from accidentally touching anything poisonous. If he couldn’t find any fruits, the next option was to scour for some mushrooms.

Feeling that his preparations were adequate, Shouren was ready to leave the bush and begin his exploration. It was at this moment, he heard a faint rustling in the distance.

“At least let me eat something and die with a full belly.”

Shouren moaned in despair as he sensed more rustling. Since he didn’t enter with a party, it meant whatever that was moving near him could only be one thing.

A Tier 0 monster.

CHAPTER 3

“It’s alright. Everything is alright.”

Shouren attempted to calm his pounding heartbeat as he heard the rustling grow louder. He tried to make his body as small as he could by hugging his arms and legs together. After making sure the bush enveloped his entire frame, Shouren covered his mouth and nose with his hands, preventing the sound of his breathing from leaking.

Then, he proceeded to stay still and take in controlled breaths of air. His heart thumped against his chest, adrenaline now rushing through his blood and Shouren only prayed that whatever the monster was, it couldn’t hear his hammering heart.

A viscous smell permeated the air.

Is that blood?

Shouren’s palms trembled. Was the monster injured? Could he try to finish it off with whatever caused it to bleed?

No! Even a Tier 0 monster would have its attributes unlocked. If it still has enough of a fight left, it would be me getting stuffed inside its belly.

Shouren shook his thoughts away from the dangerous idea. Without undergoing his class awakening, Shouren was a tierless and hence had no access to his attributes. On the other hand, even the weakest Tier 0 monster would have all its attributes at F rank. Some elite monsters could sometimes start at even B rank attributes.

Unlike the arduous training that humans had to go through to increase their attributes, monsters could simply consume cards to increase both their synchronization and attributes together. This is why monsters had an easier time evolving as long as they had access to unlimited number of cards.

This was not a battle Shouren could win with brute force.

Doubling down his efforts, Shouren stayed still despite his muscles showing initial signs of cramping. The rustling got closer and closer. He could now hear the growl associated with the rustling. Based on the deep throaty growl, Shouren estimated it was a pretty large creature.

He could now hear the thudding of the monster’s steps. It was moving slowly, and with an even rhythm. Was the monster not injured?

Right when Shouren thought the monster would pass near his hideout, it lazily swerved to the side and a loud thud quaked through the entire forest.

That was a tree. Is it resting underneath the tree?

Shouren was too scared to turn his head. It sounded like the monster slumped against a nearby tree. If only he could turn his head and see what the monster was.

I need to wait. It might still be alert.

Beads of sweat gathered on his forehead. At least the monster hadn’t detected him yet. He would wait until he was sure it was safe to leave the bush.

A mellow breeze drifted in the forest.

Shouren stayed still. He was sure his feet were numb by now. But he diligently stayed where he was. The monster had yet to make any noise since it last stopped near the tree.

And so, 20 minutes passed.

Shouren was about to lose all sensation in his legs when suddenly, a deep snore rumbled in proximity. A pang of elation spread within him. Was the monster actually asleep? Despite the snores, Shouren waited another 5 minutes before he tentatively shifted his leg.

The snoring continued.

Letting out a heavy relieved breath, Shouren painstakingly edged away from the bush and slowly turned his head.

It was a behemoth of a bear.

Tight sinewy muscles pulsed over the stalwart monster, radiating the deadly power contained within them. Thick and hoarse brown fur covered the burly beast, and Shouren soon spotted the source of the bloody smell. It was the bear’s jaws. It was drenched in thick blood.

I’m so glad I didn’t try to attack it, thinking it was injured.

Shouren shuddered in fear. The monster wasn’t wounded. Instead, it had just returned from a successful hunt. The blood belonged to its unlucky meal. He scanned the sleeping mass of terror in search of any scratches or minor laceration. None.

Whatever the bear had hunted, it was a complete obliteration. The opponent hadn’t even managed to leave a bruise.

Shouren anxiously stood up, feeling the nerves in his legs re-igniting once again. He needed to get away from the monster as soon as possible. This bear could well be the apex Tier 0 monster of this whole floor.

Shouren took one step and nervously glanced back to see if the bear had woken up. It was still snoring. He took another two steps. The snoring continued.

“Wait…”

Shouren whispered, halting his foot mid-step as an idea sprang inside his mind. The bear came in from the opposite direction. Didn’t that mean that path was clear of any potential dangers at the same strength level as the bear? Maybe Shouren would come across any carcasses left by the bear. The bear would have definitely consumed any cards or shards left behind by the monsters, but the bones and some meat should still be there, right?

Shouren’s stomach had stopped grumbling, but that only meant his hunger had reached a new critical state.

“Why am I such a coward?”

Shouren chewed on the inside of his cheek and turned around. He decided to go where the bear had come from. A safe, ordinary life wasn’t what he sought when he entered the dungeon. He came here to risk everything for a chance at something else. Even if that meant he could die in the process.

Shouren got on all fours and slowly moved towards the opposite path. He needed to stay low to the ground, using the bushes to his cover in case the bear suddenly woke up. Giving the hulking monster a wide berth, Shouren gradually made his way towards the path the bear had come from.

He could feel the blood raging inside his veins. He was halfway to the other side and the bear didn’t move from its original position. Shouren was too far to hear its snoring now.

Almost there.

Shouren’s limbs ached. He wasn’t used to crawling on his fours like this. If not for the adrenaline coursing through his body, his muscles would have long been in seizures.

“Grr…”

The sound sent a wave of dread through Shouren. He slowly tilted his head.

The bear simply raised its baleful claw and scratched the back of its hide twice, and then plopped back to sleep.

You bastard! Stop giving me a heart attack every few minutes.

Shouren cursed in his head and hastened his steps.

Soon, he was out of the forest enclave and could no longer see the bear or the tree it was sleeping on.

Shouren stood back on his two feet and took in several deep breaths. He was glad he wasn’t wearing a shirt or it would be soaked with his sweat.

“Time to find the prey left behind by the brute.”

Shouren slapped himself out of all the nervousness and cautiously tread into the new section of the forest. After experiencing the terror of the bear, the normal Tier 0 monsters no longer scared him that much. He only needed to kill 3 Tier 0 monsters, and they didn’t have to be as horrifying as the bear.

Step by step, Shouren walked deeper into the path. It was no longer as bright as when he first entered the floor, meaning they were soon approaching evening. He didn’t know how time worked inside the dungeon.

“I can use that. It’s better than nothing.”

After a few minutes on the path, Shouren came across a fallen branch beneath a large tree. It was thick enough to land a serious hit, but not too cumbersome enough for him to swing it.

“It’s perfect!”

Shouren laughed as he plucked the straggling smaller branches and leaves off the stick, and swung it around. The weight wasn’t completely balanced in the center, but it was the first weapon that he’d found. Shouren didn’t feel as defenseless as before. He had a fighting chance now.

Tracing the bear’s paw marks on the grass, Shouren steadily followed it. His mouth was parched, his lips showing signs of cracking. He didn’t try to wet it with his tongue, keeping as much moisture inside his body as he could.

For the next 12 minutes, Shouren tediously tracked the bear’s old marks. He occasionally detected drops of blood on the grass, but they were probably from the monster’s jaw as it trod on the grass. With the fresh lingering traces of the bear, it prevented other monsters from crossing Shouren’s path as well.

“I can smell it.”

The familiar bloody aroma grazed Shouren’s nose. The bear’s prey was nearby.

Shouren crouched to the ground with the thick stick resting on his shoulder. He had to be wary of any scavengers that might have found the dead monster before him. Pursuing the bloody scent, Shouren soon came across the source.

Lying on the ground was the carcass of a half-eaten black fox. Something had clearly gouged out its heart and a portion of its stomach. A savage rip had also split its body from the middle, leaving only its upper body and front limbs intact. The grass was still wet as drops of blood unceasingly dripped into the crimson puddle. Flecks of dried blood stained the blades of grass further away. It didn’t seem like much time had passed since the black fox died.

Shouren gulped at the sight. Despite its strong, lithe appearance, the black fox was still mercilessly mauled to death. Taking a quick glance around to confirm there were no other predators in the area, Shouren rushed to the half-eaten carcass. The coppery tang of blood intensified.

When he arrived, he noticed a few purple beetles chewing on the flesh. Shouren raised his stick and swiftly brought it down on one of the insects. The beetle’s carapace cracked under the force, spilling its gooey insides out. The other beetles scurried away fast before Shouren could pulverize them.

“Did that count as a kill?”

Shouren waited for the dungeon message to update. But it never came.

“Tch, it was a tierless insect.”

Shouren clicked his tongue. Of course, it wouldn’t be that easy to kill a Tier 0 monster. And it definitely wouldn’t die in one hit with a stick.

“I can’t carry the carcass. It’s too heavy and the smell of blood would eventually draw other monsters to me. I need to cut a part of it out.”

Shouren contemplated how to dissect the carcass. Glancing at his stick, he let out a sigh. He didn’t have anything sharp enough to cut through the flesh.

“I’m running out of time. Traces of the bear will fade away and the other monsters will soon arrive here.”

Shouren searched around in the area, seeing if he could find something to cut. He needed to sever one of the front legs of the fox. He could make that into a sharp enough bone weapon to land a fatal hit. But how was he going to cut it?

The sun was almost setting; the sky turning a darker shade of orange. There was not enough time.

“I’m going to vomit.”

Shouren gulped what remaining saliva he had and bent down to the carcass. With no tool in his hand, he grabbed the dead fox by the leg and bit down near the joint.

His teeth sunk deeper into the raw flesh and Shouren tore it out. Chunks of fur, blood and meat smeared the inside of his mouth. Forcing himself to not retch, Shouren continued to tear chunks of meat away from the joint until he could see the white cartilage and pinkish tendon.

“Arghh…”

His stomach churned as a bit of the blood leaked down into his throat. The metallic flavor singed his tongue.

“Don’t think about it, don’t think about it, don’t think about it.”

Shouren muttered the mantra over and over again as he twisted the leg, causing it to break free from the joint. With his mouth drenched in the monster’s blood, Shouren gnawed on the tendon until it tore off as well, leaving him with the entire leg.

It was already dark now, the sun setting long ago.

Shouren gazed up at the night’s sky, his body covered in blood as it cascaded down from his mouth. Tears formed in his bright hazel-green eyes and rolled down his cheeks. But Shouren was not sad. They were tears of triumph.

He was no longer the same Shouren.

Consecrated by the blood of the monster, the young teen had taken his first step on the path of power.

Shouren stayed like that for a while. Nothing on the outside had changed, but he could feel something inside him had undergone a metamorphosis. He’d shed a burden he didn’t know he’d been carrying.

“Awooo!”

Out of nowhere, a howl pierced the silent night, breaking Shouren out of his reverie. Soon, other howls joined the first one in bestial harmony.

Shouren wiped away the blood from his face and stood up with the black fox’s leg.

“Time to leave.”

Giving the remaining carcass one last glimpse, Shouren searched for another path to escape. The bear’s residual scent was almost gone, and in a short while, the lingering scavengers would rush to this area.

“I don’t think I have much time.”

The howls were getting closer and closer. It sounded like a wolf pack, but Shouren didn’t want to wait to find out. He surveyed the area and, rather than take an open trail, he decided to use his old strategy of traveling in the thick of the trees and shrubbery.

The black fox’s blood still coated his skin, so using the woodland to obscure his traces was better. Only question was where should he go?

“Wait, I’m drenched in the fox’s blood. Why not just use it? The best place to hide is… right here.”

Shouren threw away his stick and placed the fox’s leg between his teeth, freeing up both his hands. He then promptly bolted to the nearest tree and started climbing it. It was an enormous risk, and Shouren hoped the incoming monsters wouldn’t try to decipher why the same smell of blood was coming from two different places, but this was his best chance of survival.

He wasn’t skilled enough to hide his tracks, meaning the monsters would have eventually tracked him down. He could use the fox’s blood to muddle their senses.

Grunting through his muffled mouth, Shouren slowly scaled up the tree. The bark was thick enough to hold his weight and had plenty of grooves to make his climb workable. Shouren didn’t stop at the first layer of branches and inched higher. His back strained with effort, as he had never exerted his muscles to this extent.

The howls were almost upon him. The air vibrated with intensity at the pack’s approach.

“I can’t climb more.”

Shouren wheezed out of breath and scuttled to the extending branch. His thigh were chafing as well. He wasn’t at the tallest point of the tree, but nor was he at the lowest layer. This should be high enough for the monsters to not detect him.

“AWOOO!”

This time, Shouren could hear the monster howling right below him. Peeking below, he saw a group of four canine beasts surrounding the fox carcass. They looked like wolves, but slightly smaller and with a wiry frame. One of them was larger and packed a bit more dense muscle, leading Shouren to believe it was the alpha.

They were lowly Tier 0 dog-like monsters, but each of them could tear apart Shouren in a matter of seconds.

He calmly watched the pack chew through the leftover flesh. The alpha gnawed on the remaining fore leg and cracked the bone, lapping up the marrow. Although little meat remained on the carcass, the pack devoured it ravenously.

Shouren continued to watch them, hoping he had managed to evade their senses. Judging by their appearance, the dog-like monsters didn’t seem to be as sharp as normal wolves.

“Brr..”

The alpha abruptly raised its snout in the air and sniffed sharply. The 3 other pack monsters eyed their leader in excitement. Is there another hunt?

Shouren’s heart palpitated. He gripped the tree trunk tightly with one hand and the other held on to the fox’s leg. Did the alpha smell me?

On the ground, the alpha let out a victorious howl and dashed in the original direction Shouren had come from. The pack yipped in elation and trailed behind their leader, letting out battle howls. The hunt continued.

“Did they smell my old tracks, or was there another bloody fight between monsters nearby?”

Shouren waited for a few minutes to check the pack wasn’t returning and let out a sigh of relief. Whatever drew their attention, he was glad that he had escaped from their clutches. Leaning against the trunk, Shouren relaxed his aching and weary body.

He was starving and thirsty.

Now that the immediate danger was gone, his body screamed to sleep and recover. However, he needed to do one task before he shut his eyes.

Bringing the fox’s leg closer to his face, Shouren smiled in triumph. With this monster leg, he could use the bone to actually hurt a Tier 0 monster. He finally had a weapon and answer to how he would get out of this dungeon alive.

The leg wasn’t sharp enough to impale, but Shouren could use it as a club to batter unsuspecting monsters in an ambush. He could bite through the flesh with his teeth, but the Tier 0 bone was another level of hardness. His strength was lacking to break the bone apart and sharpen its edges.

“No, this is fine. Before I had nothing, but now I have a chance of winning.”

Shouren raised the leg in the air, his face beaming with hope.

“Still no blighted fruits in the dungeon.”

His victory was interrupted by his stomach growling in desperation. Even from this vantage point, Shouren couldn’t see any trees with fruit. What was he supposed to eat?

His eyes shifted over the raised fox’s leg.

There was still some flesh around it. Well, he only needed the bone to fight.

“I can’t believe I’m going to do this, ugh.”

Bile threatened to rise in his throat, but Shouren suppressed it down. His hazel eyes stood unwavering on the fox’s leg. He’d already been baptized by the monster’s blood, eating its raw flesh shouldn’t be too bad.

He couldn’t risk lighting a fire to cook the flesh, let alone the fact that Shouren didn’t even know how to start a fire.

Before his stomach could change its mind, Shouren latched on to the leg with his jaws and tore out the stringy flesh.

“Grah! It tastes like vile leathery jerky.”

He forcefully gulped the bite down, ingesting part of the hide as well. The meat was gamy, and the texture was akin to moist leather. Shouren doubted if the meat would even taste edible after roasting. It was that revolting.

Yet Shouren took his second bite.

And third.

He needed the energy if he was going to survive tomorrow. However, this time, Shouren would bring the fight to the monsters.

Something splattered on his face.

Shouren grumbled in annoyance.

It splattered again. And also on his shoulder.

Shouren sleepily opened his hazel eyes to leer at whatever was causing the disturbance. His grandma probably had a chore for him.

“Huh?”

Shouren swiftly got up in shock. He wasn’t home with his grandma, but inside the Akarsha Dungeon. Moreover, it was beginning to rain. It was the pattering of the raindrops that had woken him up. Shouren was just relieved that he didn’t fall down the tree during the night.

“Thank you, dungeon! I won’t curse at you anymore.”

Shouren joyfully opened his parched mouth and waited for the raindrops to coalesce enough for a small gulp. After a few minutes, Shouren accumulated enough for a mouthful and quickly swallowed it down.

It was heavenly sweet.

Just as he was about to open his mouth again for a second gulp, Shouren heard something shuffling below him.

“Is that a cat?”

A small and lithe gray monster was bent over the carcass, scraping away the tiny bits of flesh left on the bone. The fox’s remains were now mostly a skeleton. While Shouren was asleep, a multitude of scavengers must have come to partake of the free meal.

He was glad it was raining, as the torrent of water had likely extinguished all of Shouren’s earlier tracks.

“Should I sneak behind it?”

Shouren calculated the risks. He had a weapon now, the fox’s bone, and the gray cat was small enough that Shouren thought he had a shot at defeating it.

In the end, Shouren shook his head. Cat-like monsters would generally be agile, and it could toy with him using its speed. He needed a slow monster that he could get one powerful blow on.

Patiently waiting for the cat to have his fill, Shouren started to climb down the tree. The rain shower would dampen the sound, and if a weaker Tier 0 monster showed up, Shouren wanted to be low enough to the ground to ambush it.

Whether or not the gray cat heard Shouren climbing down. In the next second, it bolted away from the pile of bones and left the area.

Eventually, Shouren made it to the first layer of branches, which was low enough to climb down the tree quickly. Now he had to wait for another scavenger.

Nothing showed up for a few minutes.

The unceasing rain poured through the forest, eliciting a musty and earthy aroma.

Deciding not to waste the precious time, Shouren opened his mouth and waited for it to fill with rainwater. It only took a few seconds to gather a mouthful this time. After repeating this for a few times, he was no longer thirsty.

“Hmm?”

Shouren sensed movement below. There was nothing there. His eyes darted around in confusion until he sensed it again. It was coming directly under him.

“It’s coming from underneath the soil.”

Shouren watched in amazement as a dull pink bulbous head poked out of the soil and laid still in motion.

It doesn’t have any eyes.

Shouren noticed in fascination at the disgusting creature. It was a worm-based monster. He shuffled to the next branch until he was directly above the worm and the fox skeleton.

After confirming that no other predators were coming, the dull pink worm crawled the rest of its body out of the soil and latched its creepy jaw onto the fox’s spine. The worm didn’t seem to have a tough flesh, its body gelatinous and half the size of Shouren.

This was definitely a Tier 0 monster. A normal worm wouldn’t be this large.

The worm was making quick work of the fox’s spine and moving up to the skull. Shouren didn’t have enough time. He underestimated how quickly this worm was going to devour the bones.

A dangerous plan took root inside the Shouren’s mind.

“I’m sorry, grandma.”

The plan was perilous enough that Shouren didn’t think he’d make it unscathed. But he was willing to risk it. If the worm finished all the bones, there would be no more bait for Shouren’s ambush. He needed to kill the worm now.

Gripping the fox bone with both hands, Shouren aimed the end at the worm’s head. He had a clear trajectory down. The fall would be less severe if he could roll with the impact.

The worm was eating the skull now.

Shouren’s grip on the bone tightened, the veins in his hand bulging.

This isn’t such a bad way to die.

Shouren flashed a morbid grin and then leaped off the branch.

His messy dark hair fluttered in the wet wind, as Shouren’s hazel eyes glowed under the stormy rain.

“ARGHHH!”

As he was almost upon the worm, Shouren roared with all the bloodlust pent up inside him. In that fraction of a second, the worm suddenly twisted its head above, its multiple rows of sharp teeth unfurling at Shouren.

Crap! It’s blind, not deaf!

Shouren cursed. The plan was to use the momentum of the fall to land the strongest blow on the back of the worm’s head. But now the worm had its razor teeth aimed at Shouren.

Despite the worm detecting Shouren, it still couldn’t evade the attack.

The fox bone drilled through the worm’s mouth, the sheer gravity pulverizing the soft brain on contact. Something flashed in the corner of his vision, but the Shouren didn’t notice it.

With the bone lodged in the mouth, Shouren didn’t have leeway for a safe landing, and felt the worm’s teeth scrape his hand and wrist.

Something shattered with a crack inside him.

Unbearable pain drowned Shouren’s senses. His vision got bleary, and it wasn’t because of the rain. He couldn’t move.

I can’t feel my legs.

Shouren realized in horror. He tried to turn his head, but it wouldn’t respond. His right arm, though, still had some mobility. Only now did Shouren suspect what had broken inside him.

It was his spine.

That was the crack he had heard.

If only he didn’t alert the worm in the end, he could have controlled his fall. But it was too late now. With his spine shattered, he couldn’t move his legs and would soon succumb to his injuries. At least he’d taken down the monster with him. Who’d believe him? A tierless killing a Tier 0 monster.

“Haha..ghuk…”

Shouren chuckled dryly, but was interrupted with an agonizing cough. He spat out the blood. His head remained frozen, but then he saw the worm’s body glow with lumen.

Two gray cards hovered over the dead worm. One of them pulsated with denser lumen than the other one.

One of them was a class card! It was only a common class card, but still a class card.

Shouren couldn’t read the card with his failing vision. He shook his remaining working arm, which was still wedged inside the monster’s mouth, and reached for the class card. He wanted a closer look to see what class it was.

He’d always dreamed of owning an Epic class, but he’d take whatever chance he could get to fight. Even if it was a lowly common class card.

His fingers grasped the gray card, but Shouren struggled to bring it closer. His tendons had been severed at the elbow.

How am I even alive?

Shouren mocked himself. By now, the darkness had claimed his sight, leaving him in utter blackness. Meanwhile, the adrenaline numbed his pain, which was his only comfort.

His fingers were still touching the class card.

What do I have to lose? I’m dead either way.

Shouren smiled with his eyes closed, and willed the card inside his heart.

The world plunged into darkness.

[Awakening initiated… error… target pathways broken… connection to soul fragmented…]

[…]

[Detected traces of Heritage… re-establishing connection to soul… Success]

[Common class card detected: Cardsmith… connecting class to soul… error]

[/.zb,mzg\;ljasd]

[…]

[System command overridden… Forced Awakening initiated]

[Attributes Unlocked… Trait Unlocked… error]

[xsdg-81-4;:ga;xs]

[…]

[System command overridden… Awakening Complete]

[Successful Tier 0 Evolution]

CHAPTER 4

The sound of the rain drowned all the noise in the still forest.

In that clamor, the body of a young teenager lay spread out in the open as the raindrops drenched his naked figure. Yet the teen remained asleep, unaware or uncaring of the violent shower.

Just as it seemed as if the teen would continue to sleep, his eyelids tittered imperceptibly.

“Kuh…”

Shouren suddenly woke up, coughing frantically. The series of coughs quickly alternated to an intense bout of retching. His vomit was a putrid amalgamation of the contents of his stomach, bile, phlegm, blood, and a vicious dark globule.

“What is that abomination?”

After finally discharging the dark globule from his body, Shouren’s body started to soothe itself down. He slowly got up and stared at the rancid vomit. Was that gross, jelly-like thing inside him?

However, before Shouren could investigate any further, a chain of blinking flashes in the corner of his vision caught his attention. When he focused on the light, his eyes drew back in shock.

[Successful Tier 0 Evolution]

[Status Unlocked]

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 0%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 0/1

Lumen: 10/10

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: F

Intelligence: F

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite>

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Locked

3 - Locked

“No no no no!”

Shouren’s knees gave, and he dropped to the ground in despair.

He was a Cardsmith.

How was that possible? He read his status again to make sure.

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

The words bore into him, mocking everything he’d done so far to escape from this very fate. Monster kills could drop any cards, but they tended to coalesce cards that were inherent to their race or abilities. What did a dumb worm have anything to do with a Cardsmith class card? Shouren thought the class card dropped by the worm would be a combat or damage-dealing class.

“Haha…ha…ha…”

Shouren hung his head in anguish as he looked up at the thundering clouds of rain. The gray sky added to the gloominess he felt inside his heart. What was the point of running from his home if in the end he ended up with the very class he detested?

He wanted to fight back against the people trying to exploit him and his grandma. How could he do that with a non-combat class?

He’d risked everything for this chance. He’d risked his life fighting that worm and destroyed his spine in th-

Shouren’s thoughts abruptly stopped there. He checked his arms and pivoted his head to look at his back. No trace of broken bones or wounds. He remembered shattering his spine when he landed on the worm monster. The memories of that fight rekindled in his mind.

A Tier 0 awakening wasn’t supposed to heal your injuries. Especially the fatal ones like Shouren sustained on his spine.

Shouren twisted his mid-section back and forth to test if everything was fine. He felt great. Better than great, actually. With his attributes unlocked, tendrils of lumen coursed through his body, strengthening his muscles and bones.

“Something is wrong.”

Shouren frowned and summoned his status again. This time, he carefully read each line.

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 0%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 0/1

Lumen: 10/10

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: F

Intelligence: F

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite>

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Locked

3 - Locked

“Class is Cardsmith [Common]… at least grandma will be happy, right?… Attributes are all at ‘F’ rank which is normal since all Tier 0 Cardists started with these… Huh? Corrupted?”

Shouren paused when he came to his class abilities. Why was there something called <Corrupted> there? He’d never heard others mention this before, and neither had his grandmother ever informed him. Knowing that Rhea had instilled every single tidbit of information about the Cardsmith class to him, Shouren was firm that <Corrupted> wasn’t part of the class card.

He was familiar with the three basic abilities that all Cardsmiths started with: Card Forge, Sharding and Card Sacrifice. The first ability allowed the class holders to forge new cards, the second ability was to break them down into shards and the final one was the class’s sole attack ability.

Shouren focused more on the abilities, and then an additional layer of text appeared beneath them.

Card Forge: Forge new spell cards with lumen. Existing spell card recipe required. Cannot forge class cards.

<Writ of the Forgotten>: Corrupted version of ‘Card Forge’ ability. Dismantle 10 Tier 0 spell cards to forge a random Tier 0 spell card. No existing recipe required.

Sharding: Break down Tier 0 cards into 4 shards. Higher proficiency will increase shard yield.

<Devourer’s Rite>: Corrupted version of ‘Sharding’ ability. Consume 100 same rarity class cards into main class card to upgrade.

Card Sacrifice: Destroy any Tier 0 spell card and shoot a single Lumen Bolt.

<Oblation Pact>: Corrupted version of ‘Card Sacrifice’ ability. Destroy any Tier 0 spell card and use its ability for 1 minute without restriction to class. Sufficient lumen required.

“This doesn’t make any sense.”

Reading the ability details, particularly the corruption text, increasingly befuddled Shouren. The first corruption ability by itself was enough to turn his life upside down.

This was why his grandmother remained at the bottom of the barrel in the village. She didn’t own any powerful card recipes to forge, leaving her to be a simple sharding tool to break down cards instead. However, the true value of any Cardsmith came from the number of recipes they could access. This is why powerful guilds stayed powerful. They hoarded all the priceless recipes and secured its distribution with unbreakable system oaths.

“The corruption will give me a random Tier 0 spell card, but not its recipe. I wonder how random it is? Would the type of the 10 spell cards change the final spell card?”

Shouren’s mind was blazing through ideas. He originally resented the Cardsmith class because it wouldn’t change anything about their lives. People would still continue to look down on them. But the corrupted ability changed everything. With enough chronas, he could even buy the high Tiered Cardists as guards.

Not all Tier 0 spell cards were equal in value. The previous ‘Create Puddle’ spell card fetched around 10 chronas in the market. However, ‘Fireball’, a Tier 0 spell card, readily sold for 240 chronas!

If he had enough chronas, could he simply buy 10 ‘Create Puddle’ spell cards and hope for an expensive spell card? What if <Writ of the Forgotten> gave him back another ‘Create Puddle’ instead? That would be a waste of chronas.

“It’s still worth a shot, but I need chronas more than ever now. Let’s see what the next corrupted ability is. Devourer’s Rite… what is up with these names? It sounds like a demonic ability.”

Shouren’s face scrunched up in worry. Until today, he’d never heard of corruption and the names gave him an ill foreboding. None of the names sounded benevolent.

“Upgrade… class card!?”

He froze.

If the first corrupted ability shocked him, then the second one sent him straight into a frenzy. If he read it correct, Shouren could consume 100 common class cards to upgrade his card from [Common] to [Uncommon]. And then similarly use 100 [Uncommon] class cards to upgrade to [Rare].

“Does that mean one day I’ll actually have an [Epic] class card? Forget reaching [Epic], I could even upgrade to a [Legendary] class!”

Shouren muttered in disbelief. Sure, just the first step of acquiring 100 common class cards was a far-fetched dream, but it still meant it was possible. Although any class card could theoretically upgrade during Tier evolution, higher-rank cards had a lower probability of upgrading. Shouren had never heard of a Cardsmith being able to upgrade a class card from [Epic] to [Legendary].

However, Shouren would be able to do it as long as he had the required 100 cards.

“I was thinking too small before. Forget a few hundred chronas. I could be a millionaire with this ability.”

Shouren grinned in euphoria. He would be the only Cardsmith in the world to offer the service of guaranteed upgrades to people’s class cards. If they had the chronas, he could even elevate them all the way from [Common] to [Legendary]. How many guild leaders or factions would pour their chronas into Shouren?

He grabbed his face and laughed with pure happiness. Finally, he and his grandma would be out of the slums and never have to worry about food.

What if they torture me if I don’t agree?

A sudden thought spurred Shouren into stillness. He put his hands down in an abrupt change of mood. If word of his corrupted abilities reached the powerful factions, it would be devastating.

He’d already experienced it a day ago. Master Boris didn’t care for the law as long as he could bribe the one in charge of enforcing that law. Who said the guild leaders or the powerful factions would play fair? Shouren was just a measly Tier 0 runt. Why would they try to entice him with chronas and benefits when they could capture him and force him to be their slave?

The other guilds and factions would back off from the first kidnapper if they promised them a certain allocation of the upgrades.

They’ll use grandma to enslave me.

Shouren gulped as the full consequences of his ability began to sink in. If anyone found out, this would be the best time to capture Shouren with his Tier 0 status. He had no backing, funds, or influence to protect himself. Even if he escaped, they could threaten his grandmother to lure him back.

No, he couldn’t let anyone know about <Devourer’s Rite> or anything about the corrupted abilities.

“It’s getting dark. Let me read the final corruption and leave this area.”

The rain had stopped at this point, and Shouren’s new Tier 0 body stood glistening in the open sky. The evolution hadn’t changed him too much physically, but with the newfound lumen coursing through his muscles, even at F rank attributes, Shouren was finally a threat to the weakest Tier 0 monsters.

“Hmm, not bad, I guess.”

Shouren finished reading through his final corrupted ability, <Oblation Pact>, and nodded in satisfaction. It wasn’t as earth-shattering as the first two abilities, but it allowed him to use any spell cards of his current tier without restriction to class. Unfortunately, this would destroy the card, making it a onetime use.

Still, it was much better than the original Cardsmith’s Card Sacrifice ability, which was the only combat ability of the class, and all it did was shoot the weakest Lumen Bolt. A single bolt wasn’t enough to weaken a Tier 0 monster gravely.

The corruption would allow him to use all Tier 0 spell cards without distinction. It was an amazing ability on all accounts, but it had one big problem.

Shouren’s lumen capacity was pathetic.

He only had a paltry maximum capacity of 10 lumen. That wasn’t sufficient to cast a single Tier 0 Fireball, which required 15 lumen at the least.

“But won’t I have more lumen in the future?”

Shouren’s cause of his weak lumen was because of the [Common] class card inside his heart. If he upgraded it to [Uncommon], he’d have double the lumen. And what if he upgraded it even further? Then, before undergoing his Tier 1 evolution, he’d have a similar lumen capacity as most guild elites.

An unexpected silent crunch of a twig broke Shouren from his thoughts, instantly alerting him he wasn’t alone anymore. How could he be so dumb to stand in the middle of the forest without a care for his surroundings?

“I’m screwed…”

Shouren’s hands and feet quivered at the looming danger before him. When did the beast get so close to him? He circulated his feeble lumen through his body. There was no running from this monster. Shouren would take it on.

A low guttural growl erupted from the monster in front of him as it bared its teeth.

This was the second time Shouren had encountered this same beast.

It was the alpha wolf.

“Hi there, friend. You’re looking a bit rough there.”

Shouren chuckled nervously. He was half-crouched in case he need to leap away. Yet he remained in position, waiting. The alpha dog/wolf monster was covered in countless wounds and gashes.

The alpha snarled in response, unknown if it actually understood Shouren’s words or not. It slowly tread around him, waiting to pounce. It was strangely wary of the human. The human didn’t give off any dangerous aura. Although they were both in the same tier, the human’s lumen was surprisingly dim. But the alpha’s senses were warning it of something.

“Friend, you don’t look so good and I haven’t showered for a few days. You really don’t want to be tasting me right now. Why don’t we back off and go our own separate ways?”

Shouren continued to talk. The monster hadn’t attacked yet, so there was a chance it could understand his words. The alpha’s left eye was shut with three parallel claw marks bleeding into it. A brutal tear ripped part of the flesh from the monster’s hind leg, causing it to limp slightly.

The many cuts on the rest of its body were still spilling blood, making it weaker by the second.

And the monster seemed to realize this as well, as it swiftly launched itself on Shouren, its jaw aiming right at his heel. It wanted to cripple the human’s movement.

“Shucks, no deal then.”

Shouren was ready for the attack and directed his lumen to rush towards his legs, hastily evading the attack. His control of the lumen was rudimentary, but it helped him to keep up with the monster’s agility. If not for the alpha’s injuries, Shouren was sure the beast had at least E rank agility.

The monster’s jaws snapped into the cold air, and it quickly turned around for another dive. It whimpered in pain as its back leg tumbled for a moment.

I can’t keep dodging its attack. I need to land a hit on one of its open wounds.

Shouren grit his teeth and checked his status. He only had 8 lumen left. The previous burst to his legs had cost him 2 lumen, meaning he’d be able to evade four more attacks before he’d run out as well. The alpha was weak, but it looked like it could last longer than him at this rate.

With their positions switched, Shouren glimpsed something glowing gray to the side.

I can’t believe I forgot about the second card that dropped from the worm. It was a spell card!

Shouren cautiously moved around the monster. The moment it went for the strike, Shouren would leap to the card and use its ability with the <Oblation Pact>. If the gods favored him, it would be powerful enough to kill the alpha in one hit.

“Grr!”

The alpha contorted its head to the side, trying to dispel the blood leaking into its eye, and instantly bolted at Shouren.

Shouren was already ready to dodge and leaped away. A vicious glint flared in the alpha’s remaining healthy eye. It wasn’t dumb enough to fall for the same trick twice in a row. In a flash, its jaws changed trajectory and latched onto the human’s arm.

Shouren was about to let out a string of curses, but the sharp pain that exploded from his trapped arm cut him off. The monster crunched its jaws and its fangs tore into Shouren’s skin.

Feeling helpless, he tried to shake the beast off, but it was relentless in its vise grip.

Screw it, I’m taking you down with me.

Shouren let out a savage roar and dragged the alpha with him towards the spell card on the ground. Its fangs dug deeper into the flesh, but Shouren didn’t care. It was nothing compared to the agony he’d experienced with the shattered spine.

“I… got it.”

Shouren muttered in joy as his other hand plucked the card from the grass. It was a [Common] spell card. However, Shouren’s face deflated when he saw the ability inscribed on the card.

Tier 0 - Sense Mineral [Common]

Detect all common metals in a 20 meter radius.

Cost: 2 lumen per minute.

Why is my luck so terrible?

Shouren wanted to yell at someone at the unfairness of his card drops, but he was running out of time. The alpha’s fangs were almost down to his bone. If the monster broke it, he couldn’t rely on another awakening to heal it.

There’s no other choice. I’m using the normal Lumen Bolt.

Shouren drove his mind into his heart where his class card resided, and triggered the third ability, Card Sacrifice. The spell card in his hand glowed for a brief moment before it disintegrated into a pure ball of lumen.

The alpha appeared to have detected the sudden change of the lumen in the environment and attempted to escape.

“Too late, friend. Should have taken the offer when you had the chance.”

Shouren smiled ferociously as he used his mangled hand to clutch the monster’s fang, preventing it from breaking free. Then, using his other hand, he brought the ball of lumen directly above the alpha’s bleeding eye.

The monster’s remaining eye pleaded with the human to let it go. Its snarls now morphed into desperate whines.

“Lumen Bolt.”

Shouren whispered as the ball of white light blasted into the monster’s brain.

A dull thud echoed in the now still forest.

“I thought life as a Cardsmith was going to be boring.”

Shouren chuckled dryly, loosening his hand from the dead monster’s jaw and collapsing on the grass. His hand was bleeding badly, but it wasn’t critical yet.

He stared at the starry night above and summoned his status.

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 0%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 0/1

Lumen: 4/10

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: F

Intelligence: F

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite>

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Locked

3 - Locked

Wait. I forgot about the first trait everyone unlocks after their awakening… mine is… Corrupted Cardsmith… Un-Unique?

Shouren’s brain was frazzled as he digested the ramifications of what he was reading. He couldn’t believe that he missed reading the traits section twice after awakening.

His first trait was [Unique].

That was supposed to be an impossibility. Everyone’s first trait was the same rarity as the class card they used to awaken. If you used a [Common] class card, then your first unlocked trait was going to be a [Common] trait as well. If it was an [Epic] class card, then you’d start with an [Epic] trait.

No one had ever gotten a [Unique] trait for their awakening.

This was because no [Unique] class cards had ever dropped. All current [Unique] class card holders had all evolved to [Unique] rank later in their path, but they all started with one of the existing class cards. The method of obtaining a [Unique] class card remained a secret, with each [Unique] Cardist having a unique trigger for its evolution.

[Unique] class cards weren’t necessarily stronger than [Legendary]. There were some powerful [Legendary] Cardists who in fact, became much weaker after their class evolution to [Unique].

[Unique] class cards were just… Unique.

The second fact was that [Unique] class cards had never dropped from a monster or even as a dungeon reward. That was an absolute fact.

This meant that no one ever had their first trait be [Unique].

Until Shouren.

“What exactly happened to me then?”

Shouren muttered in confusion at the information unfolding before him. His memory after the altercation with the worm grew hazy. All he remembered was being surrounded by pitch blackness. It was the void.

This trait is likely the source of the corruption.

Shouren discerned this trait was the core of his corrupted abilities. The name gave it away. He was just an idiot for not paying attention to his status until the end. Shouren tried to focus on the trait to glean any other details about it.

Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

????

“Give me something, you stupid system. What am I supposed to do with those question marks?”

Shouren grunted in distaste. This trait was the root cause of his enigmatic abilities, and the system refused to give any details.

“Please?”

He tried a more polite approach the second time, but it was fruitless. The status remained unchanged.

Did the system not want to tell him, or… did even the system not know about this trait?

Shouren put this matter aside for later and concentrated on status to see any changes after the battle with the alpha. It was a shame the spell card dropped by the worm wasn’t a damage card, but his normal Cardsmith ability pulled through. Luckily, the simple Lumen Bolt finished the already weakened monster.

“Card Sacrifice isn’t too bad. The ability didn’t take any extra lumen from me and used the card’s own lumen for the attack. That’s pretty handy if I’m low on lumen.”

Shouren muttered to himself. <Oblation Pact> allowed him to use all spell cards, but it was extremely lumen hungry as well. He really needed to upgrade his class card to [Uncommon] to satisfy his lumen requirements. Simply moving and dodging attacks was draining his abysmal amount of lumen.

But the sheer cost of 100 [Common] class cards seemed unattainable for now.

“Why didn’t my synchronization go up?”

Shouren then noticed the glaring “0%” on his status. He just killed a powerful Tier 0 monster. That should have increased his synchronization at least a little.

His eyes hovered over the ‘Tier’ line to get more details.

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 0%]

Increase synchronization by gaining deeper insights into your class and its mysteries.

“Since my class card is Cardsmith, I need to do Cardsmith things to increase my synchronization. Killing monsters doesn’t seem to be part of it.”

Shouren grumbled in dismay. He’d risked his life to kill the alpha, but that didn’t even add a single percentage point to his synchronization. Hence, if Shouren wanted to evolve to Tier 1, he needed to eventually glean insights about the Cardsmith class by using his non-combat class abilities.

Speaking of the dead alpha.

Shouren glanced to the side. Did it drop any cards?

“Killing monsters might not be useless…”

Shouren’s hazel eyes sparkled in amazement when he saw the three cards floating above the dead monster. One of them was glowing green!

Shouren’s hand slowly reached for the cards, and immediately went to the green [Uncommon] card. It was a spell card.

He skimmed the ability inscribed on it.

Tier 0 - Sonar Pulse [Uncommon]

Discharge a powerful wave condensed of invisible sonar vibrations. Ignores all armor.

Cost: 12 lumen per wave.

“Woah! This should sell for quite a bit.”

Shouren was disappointed he couldn’t use the card himself, but it remained a fantastic card that would earn him many chronas. It wasn’t too expensive of a card that he’d need to worry after selling it in the market.

He didn’t even think about keeping this card for himself in the future. It would be a long time before he’d be able to collect a 100 [Common] class cards, and his grandma didn’t have that much time left. Getting a few hundred chronas would keep a roof over both their heads and ensure immediate survival.

“Let me see the other two cards as well.”

Shouren shuffled the [Uncommon] card back to reveal the other two. The first [Common] card was actually a class card.

Tier 0 - Rogue Class [Common]

“If only this was the drop from the stupid worm.”

Shouren’s fingers grazed the cool surface of the class card. Rogue class card wasn’t rare, but it was definitely worth more than a Cardsmith or a Warrior class card. The Rogue class had a lot of useful abilities for any dungeon party. In fact, any variation of the Rogue class was an essential member of a party.

“No point dwelling on the past. I might not have gotten the Rogue class, but I got something much better instead.”

Shouren shook his head with a smile. Sure, if he had a Rogue class, he’d have been able to dispatch that wolf monster much more effortlessly. In the end, he’d be stuck at Tier 1, the highest level attainable for a regular Cardist.

But now, Shouren had a genuine shot at becoming a true powerhouse. The lone capability to upgrade his class card to [Legendary] was enough to thwart any negative feelings he had regarding the Cardsmith class.

Setting aside the [Common] class card, Shouren saw the final gray card.

“I guess my luck isn’t so bad after all.”

His lips curled up. He finally had a card he could use the <Oblation Pact> on, and he knew exactly which monster to target.

The clues of what happened to alpha and its circumstances had taken shape in Shouren’s mind. His last memory was of the alpha and its pack heading in a certain direction. Whatever had happened there led to the death of the 3 pack members and the alpha knocking on death’s door.

But the pack’s opponent hadn’t chased down the alpha despite its injuries. That only meant one thing. The opponent was also critically wounded.

There was a sole Tier 0 monster in the direction the alpha came from.

“Time to greet another old friend.”

Shouren confidently clutched the gray card and gingerly stood up, keeping his injured hand to his hip.

Unbeknown to the young teen, the corruption wasn’t limited to just the abilities.

He was changing as well.

CHAPTER 5

“Tch, I need to hurry.”

Shouren was currently sprinting through the forest. Fortunately, the alpha was bleeding severely, allowing him to track its trail leading back to the bear.

Lumen is really amazing.

He was constantly channeling 2 units of the lumen within his body. As long as he didn’t use it for explosive movement, Shouren could keep the lumen running inside. It didn’t make him faster when he used it like this, but it drained less stamina and eased the fatigue building up.

His hand wasn’t healed, but at least the coursing lumen prevented the blood from leaking out.

His lumen was slow to recover, his capacity re-filling back to 6/10.

It was the major drawback of having a [Common] class card.

“Let me check my other notifications.”

While darting around the forest, Shouren decided to check his remaining blinking messages. He didn’t want to make the same mistake of passing over his [Unique] trait that late.

The status was unchanged, but there was a new text box beneath it.

Akarsha Dungeon: Floor 1

[Floor 1 Clear Conditions: Kill 3 Tier 0 entities]

[Current Kills: 2/3]

Sweet peaches, I only need one more kill and I can leave the dungeon.

Shouren thought in excitement. If things went according to plan, he wouldn’t need much time to finish the bear with his latest spell card.

“But… what if I stayed?”

Shouren’s hazel eyes looked in contemplation as he raced through the path. The 1st floor of the dungeon didn’t have a time limit and even if he completed the clear conditions, he had the choice of staying back or leaving whenever he wanted.

He’d already accomplished his original goal: to acquire a class card.

“I could leave after my 3rd kill. Heal for a few days and then clear the 1st floor again. I’ll hunt the Tier 0 monsters to eventually save up enough chronas to leave the village.”

Shouren mediated over his plan. It was a safe plan that would let him accumulate kills and cards over a long period of time. He never even had to enter the 2nd floor ever. The wealth from selling the Tier 0 cards would be plenty for him and his grandma.

No.

Shouren’s eyes hardened.

No.

No!

He couldn’t go back to the person he was before this. The image of his grandmother hanging her head in defeat to the merchant replayed in his mind. The image of Favian pommeling his face to the dirt flared up. Everyone was just watching the brute without stopping him.

The reason why no one stopped Boris and Favian was simple.

Shouren and Rhea weren’t worth it.

They wouldn’t gain anything if they helped the pair.

Shouren’s wiry muscles thrummed with intensity, the corded fibers tightening with vigor as his feet glided over the grass. His hazel eyes resolved with determination.

“I’ll fight. I’ll climb the floors. And I’ll be powerful enough that I don’t have to hide my abilities from the world.”

Without Shouren noticing, an ephemeral cage of enflamed chains wrapped around his class card. But before he could sense anything, the red chains rapidly vanished as if they were never there.

Shouren continued his thoughts without missing a beat. He wasn’t going to take the easy path. He’d only leave the dungeon after he’d killed every single monster on the floor.

“Something’s happening to me.”

Shouren whispered to himself. He was always prone to anger quick, but never acted upon it. Killing the worm had been a monumental risk, but he didn’t slow down after that. He took on the alpha as well. A monster he was hiding from barely a few hours earlier.

And now, rather than running away from the bear, he was actively hunting it.

He’d always been angry at the injustice forced upon him. He was angry when Favian thrashed him. However, it was different this time. Shouren was channeling his anger into a purpose.

To Kill.

“It’s here.”

Shouren’s head jolted with a mild migraine, but he shoved it aside. He could hear the bear in the distance.

Crouching to the ground, Shouren tread carefully from this point on. The lumen helped him regulate his rising heart rate. Step by step, Shouren made his way to the source of the deep growls. They were weaker than the first time he’d heard the bear.

Brushing aside the shrubbery, Shouren peeked at the scene before him.

The bear was slumped on the bloody grass, surrounded by three half-chewed carcases. All the corpses had a hole in their chest where their hearts should have been. Countless lashes and missing flesh marred the enormous bear. The deepest gash was on its chest, over its heart. The pack was cunning. They probably focused all their attacks there in an attempt to kill it swiftly.

The monster was carefully licking its wounds to stop the bleeding.

It’s already eaten the pack’s cards. Its lumen should be fast recovering.

Shouren mused from his hiding spot. Thankfully, the monster’s wounds didn’t appear to be healing as fast as he’d expected. The pack had really done a number on the bear. Its wild eyes were alert of any pending danger. It knew that it was at its weakest point and other monsters would take this chance to kill it if it closed its eyes.

As long as it remained awake, it could defend itself.

Deciding he was close enough, Shouren slowly brought out the third card he’d gotten as a drop from the alpha.

“I’ll use the card from your body to avenge your pack.”

Shouren promised as he activated his corrupted ability, <Oblation Pact>.

If the alpha could hear the human’s words, it would choke itself to death. Wasn’t the human himself responsible for its death? Who’d avenge that part then?

Tier 0 - Hide Presence [Common]

Remove all traces of your presence. Affects only Tier 0.

Cost: 2 lumen per minute

Shouren felt the spell card disintegrate into dust. Unlike Card Sacrifice, where the lumen congealed over the card, the corruption devoured all the card’s lumen. Where did it go?

Let’s go.

Shouren redirected his attention back to the bear. He ignored the ‘2 lumen per minute’ part. <Oblation Pact> only let him use the spell for a minute, so 2 lumen was all he needed to expend.

The spell card stated it would remove his presence, but it didn’t specify if it removed sound, smell, and his lumen as well. It technically should, since they contributed to his ‘presence’, but he won’t know until he tested it.

He dashed toward the bear. If he had more time, he’d meticulously test every step before getting close to the bear, but Shouren only had 50 seconds remaining. It was all or nothing.

Reaching towards his back, Shouren pulled out his trusty weapon.

The black fox’s bone.

Only now, it was modified into a spike. With his F ranked strength, Shouren was able to crack the end of the bone and use the monster’s claw to shave the splintered tip into a sharp point, resembling a bone nail.

Lumen: 2/10

He used 2 units of lumen to activate the spell card and then pushed another 2 units into his legs to propel them into a blur. Shouren was going to use all the mustered momentum to pierce through the bear’s heart in one burst of motion.

30 seconds left.

Shouren was only a few meters away from the bear now. He could hear the deep vibrato of his throaty growls. Yet, the looming monster didn’t move. Its eyes stared ahead blankly. It hadn’t detected the incoming Shouren.

20 seconds left.

He was only a meter away from the bear now, its acrid breath fazing past Shouren’s nostrils.

19 seconds left.

Shouren raised the bone spike, aimed it at the open laceration on the heart and charged ahead.

18 seconds left.

The spike was only a few inches away from the bear’s heart.

Guided by pure instinct, the monster’s eyes shifted slightly. Shouren’s heart thundered inside his chest.

Lumen: 0/10

Flooding his arms with an extra wave of raging lumen, Shouren drilled the bone spike deep into the bear’s chest. The splinter easily slid into the soft tissue of muscle, eliciting a barbaric roar from the bear. It thrashed on the ground, trying to throw off the human. Even with its heart pierced, the bear’s vitality fought back.

The bear’s eyes bulged with incredulity. When did the human get so close without it noticing?

Shouren’s body trembled under the intensity, weak from the lack of lumen. However, he gathered his protesting muscles in a last resort and twisted the bone inside the monster’s heart.

The bear groaned in anguish, its growl fading to silence as the light in its eyes eroded away. The massive monster crashed lifelessly to the ground.

Shouren stood there, drenched once again in a monster’s warm blood, his bone spike dripping viscous crimson droplets on the grass.

His screen flashed.

Akarsha Dungeon: Floor 1

[Floor 1 Clear Conditions: Kill 3 Tier 0 entities]

[Current Kills: 3/3]

[Floor Rewards will be distributed upon exit or new floor.]

[Exit: Yes/No]

[Enter Floor 2: Yes/No]

Shouren sighed in relief. He could finally leave the dungeon whenever he wanted. Or he could proceed to the 2nd floor and challenge stronger monsters. He was tempted by the second floor, but he knew his limits. If a few monsters on the 1st floor had given him this much trouble, he wouldn’t even survive the 2nd floor without a collection of powerful cards in his arsenal.

He felt the ‘Hide Presence’ spell card fizzle out of his body. If only he had a few more of those, he could efficiently take down a few more monsters.

“Let’s see the cards the big guy dropped.”

Shouren flicked the blood from the bone spike before returning it to the hem of his trousers. Then, his eyes glanced toward the bear’s corpse.

“I think grandma would have a stroke if she saw this.”

Shouren’s eyes widened in disbelief.

Hovering over the bear’s corpse was a single card.

In the darkness, Shouren’s irises reflected the color of the glow emitting from the card.

Blue.

Shouren was dumbstruck at the card hovering in front of him.

Carved with intricate patterns swirling over the surface, the blue glowing card emanated an ethereal feel to it. This was the first time Shouren was seeing a [Rare] card in person. In his small village, a card like this would be exclusive to the members of the governor’s house. Not even the local merchants would have [Rare] card in stock.

It was simply too valuable.

So valuable that Shouren didn’t even know how many chronas he’d need to have to buy one in the big cities.

“Only 1 card, but holy smokes, it’s a blighted [Rare] spell card.”

Shouren mumbled to himself, his face still locked in a shocked expression. The monstrous bear had only dropped a single card, but it was a card that would draw the ire of everyone if they ever discovered Shouren was in possession of it. He glimpsed it was a spell card, and he gingerly reached out his quivering hand to grab its delicate corner.

Tier 0 - Dimensional Vault [Rare]

Personal storage space of 27 cubic meters. Cannot store living specimens. Required constant lumen to maintain spatial integrity. Utility spell card with universal class compatibility.

Cost: 5 lumen.

“It’s a utility spell card!”

Shouren brought the glowing blue card closer to his inquisitive face, his mouth open with awe.

Utility cards were very special. Everyone could use utility cards, unlike regular spell cards, which had class restrictions. At Tier 0, every Cardist had 1 free spell slot allocated to them. Until evolving to Tier 1, that lone spell slot was priceless.

Initially, Shouren was ecstatic about the [Rare] card drop, but he also knew he most likely wouldn’t be able to use it. [Rare] spell cards demanded ludicrously high lumen, far exceeding his meager 10 lumen.

Either he could travel to the bigger cities to sell the card or he could waste it for a single use of Lumen Bolt with his Card Sacrifice ability. The latter would twist his heart at the waste, but the former could invite unnecessary trouble to him and his grandma.

However, the situation was different with a utility spell card. Shouren had yet to use his spell card slot.

“It needs a permanent 5 lumen from my max capacity to maintain the spatial structure. If I equip it, that would mean I can only use the remaining 5 lumen to fight. I need at least 2 lumen to stop my stamina from depleting too fast, and another 2 lumen to dodge a single attack. Leaving me with only 1 lumen to launch a strike. What if I miss the first hit?”

Shouren scratched his head in frustration. His lumen capacity was nightmarishly low. He could equip the Dimensional Vault in his spell slot for a few minutes and remove it after he was done, but then he’d lose everything he’d placed inside unless he took it out before. He couldn’t be doing that back and forth all the time.

“Screw it. I’ll think about it later. I don’t even have 5 lumen right now, and I need to get away from this area first.”

Shouren secured the blue card in his trousers and turned his attention to the bear’s corpse. Once again, he lamented at the lack of a proper weapon. If he had a sword or a dagger, he could cut the bear’s claws out. Shouren was certain they’d sell for a fair chunk of chronas.

Sighing with resignation, Shouren leaned over and grabbed one of the bear’s stocky paws. Ignoring the bristling coarse fur, he bit down with full force, his teeth puncturing into the oily raw meat. Tearing off the flesh with his jaw, Shouren spat out the morsel and gnawed through the meat until the hide. He repeated this until he was full and had recovered 7 more lumen.

“Not as bad as wolf meat.”

Shouren commented while wiping away from blood from his mouth with his elbow. The bear meat was surprisingly palatable.

Should I equip Dimensional Vault and store this bear?

Shouren pondered over the decision again. The bear’s meat could help him recover his lumen faster, and having a secure stock of it would make Shouren’s future hunts less lumen-stringent.

But what if he unexpectedly encountered another Tier 0 monster like the alpha? He barely had enough lumen for his last couple of fights and both monsters were already severely wounded. He could not always count on that kind of luck all the time.

Out of the three fights he’d faced, the last two were already close to death and the first fight he had against a healthy Tier 0 monster, he’d smashed his spine into dust.

Those were not reassuring odds.

If he had a collection of spell cards, such as the Hide Presence card he used against the bear, he could risk crippling half his lumen to equip the utility card. However, he didn’t have useful spell cards at the moment, save for the cards he could sacrifice for a Lumen Bolt. If only the Cardsmith class had a viable attack ability.

“No, I can’t risk it.”

Shouren finally shook his head wistfully. Survival was more important. The bear’s meat would let him prepare in advance, but the utility card’s function stopped there. It wouldn’t help him in direct combat. For that, he desperately needed all 10 of his lumen. He could always find other monsters in the forest but nothing could replace the 5 lumen he’d lose in maintaining that spell card.

Shouren was young, but he didn’t let the greed of a [Rare] card cloud his judgment.

He glanced down at his previously injured hand. The alpha’s fang marks were almost healed. Lumen had many amazing qualities, and one of them was amplifying his natural regeneration. It would still take a few more days for the injury to fully heal, but the hand was no longer hurting Shouren.

“Time to scout this area.”

Shouren picked the tallest tree he could see near him and dashed towards it. For a short while, this area should be safe of other monsters, so he wanted to take this time to climb up as high as he could and map the area to find other notable location points. There definitely should be a body of water nearby, which would mean a higher chance of finding prey.

With the [Rare] card tightly secured, Shouren summoned a tide of lumen to wash over his muscles. Fueled with the boundless energy of the class card, Shouren rushed up the trunk. He made quick work of the climb, racing ahead with his new Tier 0 body. In a mere few minutes, Shouren was hanging off the tallest branch of the tree.

The heavy wind sliced through his face, causing him to squint through his hazel eyes to see the land below him.

Countless trees spanned the entire forest, with a row of looming mountains in the back.

“That’s the place.”

Shouren spotted the mountains and his instincts were telling him to go there. He was too far away to see clearly, but he had an inkling that there would be water near the region where the forest connect with the mountains. The rocky landscape would also give him another escape route where he could use the environment to delay his pursuers.

Mentally noting down the direction of the mountain, Shouren dropped down the tree with haste. Once his feet touched solid ground, He wasted no time in heading in that direction. With lumen dancing through his body, Shouren ran ahead. He was brimming with energy after gorging on the bear’s flesh.

He wondered what his grandmother, Rhea, would have to say if she knew he’d been eating raw monster meat since he’d been in the dungeon. Would she scold him or be proud of his determination to survive? Was something wrong with him because he’d gotten used to the flavor of raw meat?

Shouren didn’t know.

“Grandma…”

Shouren hesitated. He could leave the dungeon anytime he wanted, but he’d made the choice of staying back to kill more monsters and get stronger. But that meant he was intentionally making his old lady more mournful more than she needed to. Shouren didn’t even leave a note saying he was going into the dungeon. Rhea would be clueless as to where her grandson was. She was already frail enough.

He could argue that he couldn’t leave the dungeon until he’d killed 3 Tier 0 monsters, but how could he tell her he selfishly stayed back longer after fulfilling the requirements?

“1 week. I’ll stay for 1 week and try to kill as many monsters as I can. After that, I’m leaving.”

Shouren whispered, his eyes blazing with intensity. He knew what was at stake with his corrupted trait and abilities. He needed to get stronger before others found out about what he could do. Shouren could technically leave today and re-enter the dungeon, but there was a reason the dungeon’s entrance was empty and someone tried to stop him from entering.

Whatever it was, no one could close the dungeon access for more than a few days. Shouren hoped that within a week, whatever had caused the dungeon entrance’s restriction would be resolved, allowing him to exit without attracting attention.

Once he’d made sure his grandmother was alright, Shouren would come back to the dungeon. Before he did, he needed to collect enough cards to sell to buy a small weapon and a few pieces of leather armor.

The [Uncommon] Sonar Pulse spell card in his trousers would not be enough to buy what he needed. He needed a lot more cards. For both chronas… and to upgrade his class card.

A Cardsmith with an [Uncommon] class card was an entity that even the governor would respect. [Rare] Cardsmiths were the treasure of the top guilds, and only a few [Epic] Cardsmiths existed in the entire kingdom.

It was said that only [Rare] Cardsmiths and above could use the laser smithies to forge cards. Not much was known about the laser smithies except that it was one of the dungeon rewards for clearing the 10th floor. The factions and guilds monopolized its blueprint and prevented it from leaking to anyone else. Shouren had always wanted to see one, but his tiny village couldn’t afford it.

While he’d heard of a few famous [Epic] Cardsmiths, Shouren had never heard of a [Legendary] Cardsmith ever.

But one day, there would be one.

Shouren grinned in the dark night as his wild hair fluttered behind him and torrents of lumen poured into his legs.

— The next morning —

A small badger-like monster lazily strolls to the nearby river stream and laps up some sweet mountain water. Its lower jaw had a metallic sheen, as if it were made of iron rather than bone. The badger’s soft silver fur moistened from the splashes made by the river water. Its beady eyes shimmied with happiness, taking its time to drink its fill.

Suddenly, a sharp bone spike exploded out of the water and pivoted towards the monster’s head.

The sound of bone cracking in half split the air waves. Despite the attack catching the monster off-guard, the bone weapon fared a losing battle against the metallic jaw.

This fat rat is a mutated monster?

Shouren groaned with lament and mourned the loss of the fox bone that had accompanied him through his previous battles.

His plan wasn’t terrible. Last night on his way to the mountain, he caught sight of a river bank leading there. An idea flashed through his inexperienced mind. What if he used the river to remove his scent and then ambush unsuspecting monsters who’d come to quench their thirst?

It was a feasible plan. Unfortunately, he ran into a badger with a mutated, metallic jaw.

Yeah, I’m not fighting that thing bare-handed.

“Sorry little fellow, have a good morning!”

Shouren sputtered with a nervous laugh and tried to dive back into the river. He’d think of another plan to fight the monsters without his bone spike.

The badger glared balefully at the intruder disturbing its morning routine. However, when it saw the human try to escape, it screeched with fury and pounced at the fleeing teen. It would not let this punk get away after rudely smacking its face.

Shouren detected the silver-furred monster from the corner of his eye. Channeling a surge of lumen to his legs, he kicked against the water to propel him to the side, evading the monster’s attack.

The badger let out a shrieking screech in protest, but it was quickly drowned by the raging currents of water. The creature’s beady eyes darted in panic.

It can’t swim?

Glimpsing at an opportunity, Shouren used another 2 units of lumen and twisted his body mid-water to latch onto the back of the small monster. Shouren wasn’t sure if badgers in the wild could swim, but this monster was clearly struggling to stay afloat. Was it its metallic mutation?

The badger attempted to break free of Shouren’s hold, writhing its small body. And when that didn’t work, it used its claws to swipe at the human’s arms.

That hurts.

Shouren ground his teeth in pain. The monster’s claws were sharp, but not long enough to penetrate to the bone. The river diffused a cloud of red as Shouren continued to bleed through his gashes.

Lumen: 3/10

I only need to hold out until it runs out of air.

Shouren gambled, using the barest amount of lumen simply to stay on top of the monster and prevent its head from popping out. The badger was small enough for him to control with his larger body, and its strength seemed to be concentrated near its jaw.

The struggle lapsed for a few minutes before Shouren felt the claws weakening their skirmish against his arms. And then a minute later, the clawed stiffened for a second before going still.

[Floor 1 Clear Conditions: Kill 3 Tier 0 entities]

[Current Kills: 4/3]

[Updated: Kill count exceeded clear conditions. Increased floor rewards will be distributed upon exit or new floor.]

[Exit: Yes/No]

[Enter Floor 2: Yes/No]

CHAPTER 6

Shouren raised his brows in pleasant surprise at the new notification.

He was going to get increased rewards by going over the required kills for the floor? Did that mean more rewards in quantity or higher quality? Sadly, no more information could be gleaned from the system’s words.

“This dumb rat nearly turned my forearms into noodles.”

Shouren choked out a few mouthfuls of the river water that managed to enter his throat during the struggle, and clumsily dragged the badger’s corpse out of the river and to the moss-covered rocks. Two cards had dropped from the pesky monster, which he swiftly pocketed to his trousers.

Shouren flung the creature on the rocky river bank and flopped beside it onto his drenched back. Shouren rasped with pained breaths as he circulated his diminishing lumen to aid the recovery in his arms. Why did all the monsters target his poor arms?

His earlier plan had a few flaws. The fox bone wasn’t sturdy or strong enough to pierce through any armored monsters. He was lucky so far with the injured beasts as they already had open gashes that he could take advantage of. However, the bone weapon failed magnificently when it struck the armored part of the badger.

Shouren was hidden underneath the water, making his visibility extremely low. He just saw that it was a smaller monster and chose to ambush it.

“If the dungeon will reward me more with higher kills, then I need to change my strategy. I’m not strong enough to take these monsters head on, and bone weapons won’t work for future ambushes.”

The lumen numbed the stinging pain from his arms, allowing Shouren to focus on his thoughts. He was aware of his deficiencies. Although the corruption granted him unbelievable powers, it didn’t translate into direct combat prowess. With all his attributes in the F rank, Shouren was majorly handicapped against the Tier 0 monsters.

“Let’s see what this rat dropped.”

Turning his attention to his recent loot, Shouren retrieved the two new cards.

“Eh… great, I guess.”

Shouren mumbled unenthusiastically. He really wanted a spell card that could kill all the monsters with one shot. But luck didn’t favor him today. The badger had dropped two [Common] spell cards.

Tier 0 - Burrow [Common]

Dig into earth. Size and shape depend on caster and inputted lumen. Deeper soil increases lumen requirement.

Cost: 1 lumen to activate.

Tier 0 - Reinforce Material [Common]

Alter the density of common materials to grant it greater strength and defense. Can be applied to weapons made of common metals.

Cost: 2 lumen.

The cards were great, and the second one would probably sell for quite a bit in the market, yet they wouldn’t help him directly kill the monsters. If only he could equip combat spell cards in his spell slot, he could’ve used the [Common] Hide Presence forever.

Shouren knew combat spell cards had much lower chance of dropping, but that didn’t quell his disappointment. He had a single [Uncommon] combat spell card, but he couldn’t even use that with his measly lumen capacity.

“I’m back to square one.”

Shouren slowly got up with a sigh and squeezed out as much of the water as he could from his trousers.

I don’t mind the raw meat anymore, but this badger doesn’t look appetizing. I wish I could cook it over a fire at least.

Shouren glanced at the dead monster next to him and wrinkled his nose in distaste. The rocky bank was connected the forest glade, so there was an expansive area near him where he could start a small fire with the plentiful trees and branches. However, the smoke and smell alone would draw the attention of nearby monsters.

And Shouren had no weapon right now. Unless he dissected the badger for another bone.

“Wait…”

He halted abruptly in his tracks. He looked at the badger, the nearby rocks mixed with boulders, the flat plains of the forest, and the remaining cards in his arsenal.

His hazel-green eyes flashed with inspiration, an seedling of an idea taking root. An idea that could potentially solve his problem of fighting the monsters. It was a crazy plan. Crazy enough that if it failed, Shouren wouldn’t escape with merely a few injuries on his arms.

If he went through with his maniacal idea, a single small mistake would have him shaking hands with his dead ancestors in the afterlife.

“I was approaching this wrong from the beginning.”

Shouren’s eyes glazed with fervor. He finally realized his error. He kept trying to fight as a warrior or an assassin. But he was neither of those. He might have wanted to get a combat class card, but fate had a different path for him.

He was a Cardsmith. It wasn’t what he ideally wanted, but it was his path now.

And if he wanted to fight, he needed to fight as a Cardsmith… with the cards and abilities he had.

“C’mon, you loser. I need you for this plan.”

Shouren smirked at the badger’s corpse and picked it up by its bushy tail. He laughed with anticipation as he walked into the open grass area.

This is where Shouren would commence his crazy plan.

Lumen: 10/10

“I’m ready, let’s start. <Oblation Pact>”

Shouren raised one arm holding the [Common] spell card, and shoved a chunk of raw badger meat in his other hand to his mouth, chewing through the lumen-enriched flesh as fast as he could to replenish his dwindling lumen reserves.

Tier 0 - Burrow [Common]

Dig into earth. Size and shape depend on caster and inputted lumen. Deeper soil increases lumen requirement.

Cost: 1 lumen to activate.

The spell card disintegrated into dust. Shouren rushed to get to work. He only had a minute to succeed.

He brought his hand over an empty patch of grass and clenched his fist. The spell dug into the soil. Shouren visualized a big rectangle the size of 3x2 square meters and watched the lumen drill into earth.

The forest soil was fairly loose, causing no difficulty for the amateur Shouren to shape the size of the hole he wanted. Using his other hand, he tore through another bite of the monster meat.

Lumen: 7/10

Lumen: 6/10

Lumen: 5/10

Lumen: 6/10

Lumen: 5/10

Lumen: 6/10

Shouren had already dug three deep pits into the meadow, each separated by only a few feet. He was going to make the pits spread out in a circle from the center, creating a maze surrounding the small safe patch of land.

Shouren remained steadfast, digging new pits and gobbling down the badger meat.

42 seconds left.

Shouren raced down the meadow, his hand clenching and un-clenching as new pits formed.

Lumen: 3/10

Lumen: 4/10

Lumen: 3/10

Lumen: 2/10

Lumen: 3/10

13 seconds left.

Lumen: 2/10

Lumen: 1/10

Lumen: 0/10

Lumen: 1/10

Lumen: 0/10

2 seconds left.

Shouren collapsed on the ground, wheezing out of breath as the spell left his body. With sweat cascading down his face and neck, he stared triumphantly at the 12 pits encircling the area. They were all contained inside the radius, giving off the appearance of a crude runic circle.

Shouren jogged back to the center and tore another chunk from the dead badger. He needed to recover his lumen for the second stage of the plan.

Not all the pits were completely even, with several smaller or larger than others, but Shouren had gotten the job done. After another 20 minutes, his lumen was back to full capacity.

“Onto Stage 2! <Oblation Pact>”

Shouren wiped away the bloody trail leaking from his mouth and took out the second card, simultaneously triggering the corrupted ability once again.

Tier 0 - Reinforce Material [Common]

Alter the density of common materials to grant it greater strength and defense. Can be applied to weapons made of common metals.

Cost: 2 lumen.

Another [Common] card crumbled into nothingness. Shouren leaped off to the nearest pit and placed his palm on the surrounding dirt. Tendrils of lumen swam into the soil, fusing itself with the grains. Shouren didn’t understand how the spell worked, but he watched in fascination.

The pit outwardly looked the same, but only by touching the sides of the soil could Shouren tell that it was structurally much harder.

Lumen: 4/10

“One pit took me 6 lumen to reinforce.”

Shouren clicked his tongue at the absurd cost of the spell. He wouldn’t be able to reinforce all 12 of the pits in time.

Racing against the clock, Shouren ignored the next pit and darted to another pit in the distance. If he could only reinforce a few pits, he’d spread them out. Swallowing another morsel of the monster meat, Shouren got to work.

After a while, Shouren felt the second spell dissipate from his body as well.

“I could’ve reinforced one more if I had the bear meat.”

Shouren sighed while scratching the side of his head. He’d reinforced 5 of the pits and had the time to do another one, but he was out of lumen. The badger meat was adequate, but Shouren recalled that the bear meat had much more lumen in the same amount of bite.

That must be due to the differences in attributes between all the Tier 0 monsters, despite the same tier.

“My back is killing me.”

Shouren stretched his muscles while taking in a deep breath. The last 2 minutes had physically and mentally drained him by constantly bringing his lumen to 0. He didn’t need lumen for the third stage, so he resumed his task.

Grabbing the thinnest branches from the nearby trees, Shouren got to piling them atop the pits. He left the leaves and stems attached to the branches to blend better with the grass. He needed the thin, flimsy branches to be fragile enough to break at the barest pressure. This entire process took a good 35 minutes to complete.

It took longer than expected because some branches were not long enough to cover the entirely of the pits. However, with all the pits covered in branches, Stage 3 was also completed. Shouren had spread the branches even on areas not with the pits, to make it appear like the whole area was covered with dead branches rather than just where the pits were.

Shouren made sure to mark the pits with a distinct sign that only he’d recognize.

The sky was now starting to darken.

“Time for Stage 4.”

Shouren stated cheerlessly. This was the stage he least liked and didn’t want to do, but it was necessary for the plan to come to fruition.

He brought out his last [Common] card. It was the Rogue class card.

“Sharding.”

Shouren whispered with regret as his hands glowed with lumen. Touching the class card, he observed it shatter with a brilliant crack and break into 4 uneven shards.

He hated this stage as he could’ve used that card to upgrade his class card. Shouren only hoped that his crazy plan would work, and in that case, the loss of the Rogue class card would be justified.

Shouren took the illuminating shards and placed each one atop the branches on the reinforced pits.

Stage 4 was the accumulation of the bait for the monster lure. And nothing was more beguiling for a monster than the scent of a card. Shouren could have just used the badger’s carcass to lure monsters. However, that would only attract the weak scavengers.

Shouren didn’t go through all this effort to hunt another worm, dog-wolf, or badger. He wanted to aim for the stronger Tier 0 monsters like the alpha and the bear. Only the card drops from those monsters would be worth this hassle.

Still, Shouren ran over the other pits and squeezed out a few drops of badger blood onto the pits, letting the branches soak in the viscous liquid.

It was night by the time Shouren finished placing the baits.

“And now, the final Stage 5.”

Shouren’s nerves thrummed with eager anticipation. His finger nervously took out the final card he needed for this crazy plan. It was also the stage that brought the biggest danger to Shouren.

His lumen capacity would be cut in half.

“Equip spell card.”

The radiating blue card in Shouren’s hand flashed with an intense blue light and morphed into an incandescent sphere. The ball of shining lumen blended into his skin and traced towards his heart where his class card rested.

[Equipped Tier 0 - Dimensional Vault [Rare] utility spell card to free slot.]

It tickles.

Shouren thought as he felt an invisible click inside his heart once the [Rare] spell card settled. He wondered what his grandma would have to say if she knew her grandson had a priceless [Rare] card equipped. The Dimensional Vault card alone was worth more than their house and all their belongings.

“Open.”

Shouren whispered eagerly, activating the spell card for the first time.

A beam of white light flashed in his mind’s eye, and a 3x3x3 meter alabaster room expanded before Shouren. The room's porcelain walls were reminiscent of an aged ivory marble.

Wow, this is huge!

Shouren stared in awe. He could fit his entire room in there. To test a few things, Shouren deactivated the ability and opened his status. Since the spell card was slotted in his heart, the whole process was smooth and effortless.

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 1%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 1/1 - Dimensional Vault [Rare]

Lumen: 3/10 (-5)

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: F

Intelligence: F

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite>

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Locked

3 - Locked

“My lumen didn’t budge. So with the permanent 5 lumen deduction, I can use it an unlimited number of times. Okay, that’s not a bad deal.”

Shouren mumbled with satisfaction. If he had to pay an additional lumen for each activation of the vault, it would drain him in seconds.

“Did my synchronization go up?”

He just noticed the subtle change in his evolution bar. He was 1% closer to Tier 1. Shouren furrowed his eyes in contemplation. Was it because of using the Sharding ability?

No, he’d used his other class abilities like Card Sacrifice before and that never budged his synchronization bar. What was the reason?

“Is it because I finally decided to think like a Cardsmith?”

Shouren’s hazel eyes lit up with revelation. That had to be it. Even after awakening with the Cardsmith class card, he’d been fighting his battles like a warrior, contrary to his class. Only now, he’d changed his approach and decided to fully utilize the versatile capabilities unique to his class.

I need to find someone to tell me the basics about the synchronization.

Shouren put that to the back of his mind and resumed his experimentation with the [Rare] spell card.

“Let’s try putting something inside.”

Shouren tottered over to the closest stick on the ground and picked it up, willing it to go inside in the vault. It vanished without a trace from his hand, and instantly appeared in the white room.

With a grin, Shouren tried to summon it and unsummon it multiple times. There was no loss of time. It was instantaneous. This time, Shouren flung the stick a few meters away from him and tried to put it into his vault.

It didn’t work.

He walked closer to the stick while repeatedly trying to store it. The stick remained on the ground. Only when his feet finally touched the wood, did the stick vanish into his vault.

Alright, some contact needs to be made to store anything inside the Dimensional Vault. I can’t put things I’m not touching inside.

Shouren nodded his head. He was understanding the limitations of the spell card the more he got familiar with it.

For the next part, Shouren tried to summon the stick away from him. Until now, Shouren had been visualizing the stick to appear on his hand. Could he make it appear away from him?

Plop.

The stick appeared mid-air a few feet away from Shouren and dropped to the ground.

“It works! I need to touch something to store it, but I can pull it out without touching the same object.”

Shouren bounced with joy and tried to summon the stick very far away from him. It didn’t work.

Hmm.

He tried to summon the stick 2 meters away from him. It worked.

Then he tried 3 meters and it worked once again, but when he attempted to summon it 4 meters away from him, the spell card didn’t trigger.

“3 meters is the maximum limit. It’s the same as the size of the Dimensional Vault.”

Shouren made a note to remember it. He repeated this a few more times, summoning it above him, behind him, and to the sides. The stick appeared as long as it was within a 3 meter radius from his center.

“Last test then.”

Putting the stick back in the vault, Shouren unequipped Dimensional Vault from his spell slot. He watched as the incandescent ball of lumen trailed from his heart and towards his palm, illuminating his hand as the blue card coalesced there.

Without wasting a breath, Shouren equipped the [Rare] spell card again.

The alabaster 3x3x3 room was back… but there was no stick inside.

“I figured. The room gets destroyed if I un-equip the card and I’ll lose anything I stored inside.”

Shouren pouted. He couldn’t un-equip the spell card mid-battle to regain his 5 lumen. He already had an inkling of this outcome but it was best to confirm it as well. He was curious where the stick went. It didn’t drop to the ground. It was simply gone. Was it in the void?

“That should be enough experiments. Time for the final touches.”

Shouren slapped his cheeks in excitement and dashed toward the rocky shore. His preparations were now complete, and the traps were set in motion.

This was Shouren’s first true battle as a Cardsmith.

“Oh, that’s the spot.”

Sitting alone in the forest glade, a small human figure was hunched over a small crude campfire with skewers of meat poked into the grass around it. The delectable aroma of cooked meat wafted in the area, along with the smoke from the fire.

“This is the best meat ever!”

Shouren yelled into the empty air, singing praises for the roasted badger meat as he bit into it.

Yuck! It doesn’t taste any better after being cooked as well.

Shouren gagged inwardly at the rancid flavor. Outwardly, he was putting on a show. For the traps to work, the monsters had to be focused on him and not pay close attention to why the branches were all laid out on the forest floor when the trees were a bit further away.

Shouren had to play the ignorant role to lure the monsters out. If they thought his guard was down, the more likely they’d be to get closer to him without much vigilance.

It was a burdensome task to start the fire, as Shouren had never done it before. However, after much trial and error, he used the friction of a sturdy stick and some ground wood dust to start the ember.

“Look at that fat dripping over the fire!”

Shouren continued to advertise the foul meat.

There was no fat dripping.

This is a bit embarrassing.

Shouren blushed inside. He felt like a street seller on the market, but he was selling to no one. There weren’t even any customers around. But he had to do this because his F ranked attributes wouldn’t be able to detect the monsters unless they came much closer. This was an act for the monsters that were already stalking him after he lit the fire.

The four shards on the reinforced pits sparkled under the skylight.

Despite not sensing any monsters nearby, Shouren continued to make noise. After what seemed like an hour of ‘Ooh’ing and ‘Ahh’ing after the meat, he heard the faintest rustle of a leaf being moved.

Something’s there.

Shouren didn’t raise his head or turn around, and kept his eyes on the meat cooking over the fire. He wouldn’t have heard the leaf if it wasn’t for his intense concentration on the surroundings. Whatever it was, it made no noise while moving over the branches in the vicinity.

It was a monster with stealth.

“The salt really brings out the flavor of this succulent meat.”

Shouren raised the skewer and munched on it with relish.

There was no salt.

A pair of reptilian eyes bore into the back of the small human.

The human was busy eating, as he didn’t notice the mighty snake and its beautiful, dark-violet scales. The snake silently hissed with annoyance. How rude of the human to not admire its sheen. It didn’t matter. It was a merciful monster and it would break the human’s neck with its fangs before devouring him. But it needed to collect the shard first.

The 2 meter long snake noiselessly slithered to the shard, its reptilian eyes flushed with greed. For a brief moment, it turned its head to glance at the human. The dumb human was still busy eating. Good.

The snake sensed more shards around. Its scales vibrated with glee and rushed to the first shard. It would be closer to evolution after consuming these shards.

Right as the quarter of the snake’s body was over the covered pit, it abruptly fell inside the trap with an audible thud. The shard fell alongside it. The monster panicked for a second but hissed with irritation when it saw there was nothing else in the pit. It was just a hole. It could easily climb out of it.

Out of nowhere, the small human appeared over the pit with a stupid grin on his face. The teen boy had a sharp wooden stick in his hand.

The snake snorted in derision, its scales relaxing from tension. The human was a dim-wit if he thought he could penetrate the snake’s scales with that poor toothpick of a weapon. Just as the snake was about to coil up and launch itself at the human, the teen did something unexpected.

He tossed a handful of dirt over the snake’s eyes.

The monster was amused by the small human. It didn’t need to hunt with its eyes. It had other senses it could use to track the human. Its forked tongue tracked the direction of the teen as the monster once again attempted to strike.

Suddenly, the snake smelled… the river?

Before the monster could gather its sight, it felt all the shadows bloom around the pit. The sky was turning dark.

No, the pit was turning dark.

In that fraction of a second, the snake’s vision cleared, but it had no time to escape as the massive boulder hit its body.

And then it knew no more.

“Sweet peaches, it worked!”

Shouren ardently touched the top of the huge boulder and summoned it back into his vault, revealing the flattened snake monster on the bottom of the pit.

His crazy plan had worked.

Back when he initially saw the rocks and boulders near the river, a plan had started to formulate within his mind. With the snake trapped inside the pit, Shouren momentarily blinded the monster and then swiftly summoned the large boulder 3 meters above the pit.

The snake was crushed under the gravelly pressure.

“It didn’t get the shard.”

Shouren sighed with relief. He’d killed the snake before it could eat his precious shard. Then, the glow hovering over the flattened snake caught his attention.

It was 5 cards.

Two green and three gray cards.

It was Shouren’s biggest haul from any monster. However, that wasn’t the end of the surprises.

[Attribute upgraded. Intelligence F —> E]

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 1%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 1/1 - Dimensional Vault [Rare]

Lumen: 15/20 (-5)

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: F

Intelligence: E

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite>

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Locked

3 - Locked

CHAPTER 7

It’s my first attribute upgrade.

Shouren checked the message again. His Intelligence was the first of his attributes to reach E rank.

He tapped his head. He didn’t necessarily feel smarter or wise. Although, he did sense that the speed of his thoughts had gone faster.

Does the world seem clearer?

Shouren muttered, experiencing an imperceptible fog clearing from his sight. Or was it just in his head?

“Look at that sweet, juicy lumen!”

Shouren crouched down and smacked the dead snake’s flat scales in excitement. Shouren glanced at the monster’s dead eyes awkwardly. He’d just goaded this Tier 0 beast and then used a giant boulder to pulverize its insides. It was a sad way to die.

Hope you get to eat lots of eggs in the afterlife, friend. Are there even eggs in the afterlife? Well, just eat whatever you can find.

Shouren shrugged after patting the dead snake and returned to his excitement with the new lumen capacity.

His dreaded 5 lumen was now bursting with 15 lumen. E rank Intelligence had doubled his base lumen from 10 to 20, and with the Dimensional Vault occupying a constant 5 lumen, Shouren now had 15 lumen that he could actively use.

“If I knew increasing my Intelligence would solve my lumen issues, I wouldn’t have been so hesitant with equipping the [Rare] card in the first place.”

Shouren brushed off the meat paste from the scaly hide and stored it inside the vault. The snake hide had a gorgeous coloring, and the merchants would pay a nice purse for it.

Shouren inspected his attributes again. Except for Intelligence, all of them were F ranked. Increasing the attributes to E rank should be relatively easy, but he didn’t know how to reach D rank Intelligence. How much lumen would that give him? Would he get there by tricking more monsters? He had an inkling that it wouldn’t work.

He’d been constantly on the run since he’d entered the dungeon, and yet his agility remained at F rank. His first kill, the pink worm, had also been an ambush and yet that didn’t raise his attribute.

“Well, 15 lumen is still good. I wonder what the other attributes will do?”

Shouren picked up the intact shard from the pit. He made his secondary goal to raise his other attributes to E rank as well. Strength and Agility should be straightforward, but he had no clue how to train his Constitution.

“Give me something good, you stingy dungeon.”

Setting aside the attribute matters, Shouren turned his attention to the task he’d been delaying. The 5 glowing cards on the ground.

He purposely shuffled the 2 green cards to the back and started with the gray cards.

The first two were [Common] class cards.

Tier 0 - Warrior Class [Common]

Tier 0 - Merchant Class [Common]

“This sneaky guy actually dropped the Merchant class card.”

Shouren raised his eyes appreciatively. It was a [Common] version of the class card, but the Merchant classes generally sold for a decent amount of chronas. It was one of the relatively valuable [Common] class cards, unlike the Cardsmith.

He stored the class cards in his vault. He had plans for them.

Then, he looked at the last [Common] card.

Tier 0 - Lumen Shield [Common]

Create a 1 meter wide lumen barrier in front of you, blocking attacks within Tier 0.

Cost: 3 lumen per second.

“You’re starting to like me, aren’t you, dungeon?”

Shouren cheered. He finally had a defense spell card that he could use to save his life. It was a lowly defense spell that only covered a small area in front of him, but it essentially gave Shouren an added layer of armor in case something went awry.

He put this card in a specific zone within the Dimensional Vault, allowing for quick access.

Shouren stared at the first [Uncommon] card in front of him. Once again, it was another class card.

Tier 0 - Thief Class [Uncommon]

“This is troublesome.”

Shouren squinted his eyes in frustration. It was a superb class card that was high in demand. An [Uncommon] Thief in any party was instrumental in safely clearing a dungeon floor or find hidden treasures.

The problem was that it was too dangerous for the present Shouren to sell it openly. [Uncommon] class cards were an expensive commodity in the markets and if someone spotted Shouren with one, the consequences of that were unimaginable.

Rather than selling it, I want to trade it for more [Common] class cards.

Shouren reflected in his mind. He already had enough items he could sell for chronas. What he urgently needed to do was to accumulate a 100 [Common] class cards to upgrade his class to [Uncommon].

With his Corrupted Cardsmith trait, any new class abilities would have an additional corrupted ability. Shouren looked forward to that day.

“This is okay as well.”

Shouren placed the Thief class card inside his vault and looked at the final card in his hand.

Tier 0 - Disguise Self [Uncommon]

Create an illusory appearance, hiding your real features. After activation, no further lumen required to maintain the spell. Illusion unaffected to Tier 1 and above.

Cost: 10 lumen per activation.

Unlike the Tier 0 - Hide Presence spell card, Disguise Self only altered the person’s appearance. It would make no difference to the monsters as they’d hunt any living being. However, Shouren was ecstatic that the spell card didn’t require a constant supply of lumen. That meant, if he ever corrupted that card, he could use it longer than a minute.

It was a shame Shouren couldn’t use this card, but if he could find a reliable merchant, he now had 2 [Uncommon] cards to trade.

No, I had the other [Uncommon] card as well.

Shouren almost forgot his first [Uncommon] spell card dropped by the alpha. It was a card he threw aside because of its absurd lumen cost.

Tier 0 - Sonar Pulse [Uncommon]

Discharge a powerful wave condensed of invisible sonar vibrations. Ignores all armor.

Cost: 12 lumen per wave.

Now that Shouren’s lumen capacity had hit 15, he could effectively use the offensive spell card. Out of all the cards at his disposal, the Sonar Pulse was his strongest attack card. It could forcefully ignore a monster’s armor and directly target its vulnerable flesh.

“I have a trump card for both offense and defense now. I should reset this pit pronto before another monster comes through.”

Shouren quickly disposed of the broken branches and replaced them with the fresh branches he had in his vault. Once again, he was delighted at the usefulness of the [Rare] Dimensional Vault card. It wasn’t a combat card, but its versatility was unmatched.

Appeased at the reset pit, Shouren carefully placed the shard on top and retreated to his original spot.

“Shucks, I forgot about the skewers.”

Shouren chided himself at the blackened scraps of charcoal which were once stringy cuts of badger meat. With everything sorted, he opened his notifications while he waited for another monster to take the bait.

[Floor 1 Clear Conditions: Kill 3 Tier 0 entities]

[Current Kills: 5/3]

[Updated: Kill count exceeded clear conditions. Increased floor rewards will be distributed upon exit or new floor.]

“I still can’t believe it.”

Shouren slapped himself in elation. A mere few days ago, he was agonizing over how to get a single Tier 0 monster kill, and now he was sitting with 5 kills in his pocket. Strangely, he wasn’t even afraid of the monsters anymore. They were not invulnerable and as long as they bled, Shouren could kill them.

And he wasn’t just talking about the monsters.

Shouren tightened his fists, his hazel-green eyes bore into the fire with a fervor blaze. He would protect his grandma from now on and let no one trample on them ever again. He never wanted to see the despaired look on his grandma when that merchant had extorted her shards away from her.

Shouren knew those shards meant another month of food and roof over their heads. Yet, that merchant had heartlessly snatched it away from her. Those shards didn’t mean anything to that man. But in that one moment, that merchant had the power over both Shouren and Rhea’s lives in his hand.

Krrtt.

A weird monster’s call shook Shouren out of his dreary thoughts. This time, the creature was straight in front of him. It was a sunset-colored ferret. If not for the razor serrated fangs attached to its mouth, Shouren found the creature quite cute.

Its twitching eyes darted between the fire, Shouren, and the glowing shard near it.

“Oh no, my shard!”

Shouren fumbled out his seat and reached out his arm as if going after the shard.

Che!

The ferret sniggered with a wave of its bushy tail and bounced over to the shard. The dumb human was too far away and it would reach the delicious shard before him. The nimble monster breezed past the surrounding branches and arrived near the shard.

It gave a final gloating glance at Shouren before snatching up the shard with its teeth.

Seeing the pained expression on the human’s face, the ferret began dancing in joy. It was too small to contend evenly against the human, and the fire made it nervous. But it had still come out victorious in this clash and stolen the shard away.

The branches splintered at the pressure, causing its furry paw to be trapped in the crack. The ferret shrieked in panic, but it was already too late.

“Got ya.”

Shouren bolted to the creature with a grin plastered on his youthful face. Before the monster could break free, a giant boulder mashed it into pieces.

“This little guy was actually cute when it danced.”

Shouren sighed at the splattered bits of the monster in the pit. It was a bit of an overkill killing the tiny creature with a massive boulder, but Shouren didn’t want to take any chances. He was sad about the lost shard, though. It was already lost the moment the creature ingested it.

Shouren chuckled as the light from the new cards in the pit ricocheted through his green irises.

“I could get used to this.”

“…8 … 9… haah… 10!”

A small figure could be seen holding a rock the size of a melon over his shoulders as he repeatedly squatted with it. Trails of sweat poured down his face, neck and chest, his muscles convulsing under the weight.

“Without lumen, I might as well have the strength of a toddler.”

Shouren gasped out of breath, heaving the rock away from him. If someone didn’t know him better, they’d think he’d ran for 20 miles, done hundreds of squats or underwent an extreme physical training.

However, he’d collapsed after sprinting for less than a mile, and 10 squats had nearly collapsed his body. If Shouren channeled the lumen, he would have been able to easily dwarf those numbers, but the point of the training was to increase his other attributes to E rank.

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 3%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 1/1 - Dimensional Vault [Rare]

Lumen: 15/20 (-5)

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: F

Intelligence: E

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite>

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Locked

3 - Locked

“Tch, neither Strength or Agility increased. At least, the synchronization went up a few points.”

Shouren commented in a disgruntled voice. His training over the past six days had amounted to no change in the attributes. His fitness levels were in the drain. If Shouren had to guess, he might have started at the bottom of the F ranked attributes.

Only his Intelligence might have been close to the upper threshold of F rank.

These past 6 days, Shouren had constantly been slaughtering monsters that came across his traps, and had to often use his Cardsmith class abilities like Sharding and Card Sacrifice, bringing his synchronization up to 3%. Shouren had yet to try his Card Forge ability.

An almost inaudible rustling echoed in the forest glade. Without taking his eyes off his status, Shouren dashed to the source of the sound and raised his hand.

A looming boulder descended on the poor creature, obliterating it in a fraction of a second.

In a series of practiced moves, Shouren retrieved the boulder and swiped the hovering cards into his vault. All of them were gray [Common] cards. In the 6 days, he had accumulated a countless number of [Common] cards and a few [Uncommon] ones, but not a single [Rare] card had dropped. Shouren had really gotten incredibly lucky with the bear’s drop.

He didn’t even bother to collect the monster’s hide. His [Rare] Dimensional Vault was full of these corpses and he needed the space for the boulder. Shouren peeked at the monster’s remains from the corner of his eye.

It was a medium-sized variation of an iguana-like monster with a fiery pattern on its back.

Ignoring its mangled carcass, Shouren opened his notifications.

[Floor 1 Clear Conditions: Kill 3 Tier 0 entities]

[Current Kills: 16/3]

[Updated: Kill count exceeded clear conditions. Increased floor rewards will be distributed upon exit or new floor.]

[Exit: Yes/No]

[Enter Floor 2: Yes/No]

Shouren walked over to the river bank and scooped some refreshing water into his palms before swallowing it down. Today was his last day in the dungeon and over the week, he’d racked up an impressive 16 kills, finally pushing past the 15 number mark with today’s kill.

He was averaging around 2 monsters a day. There were a few rare times that the traps failed and he had to activate <Oblation Pact>, but the boulder did the majority of the heavy lifting.

“Let’s see what I have.”

After finishing his drink, Shouren opened his vault with eager excitement. This was his favorite habit during the past few days: checking the number of cards he had.

Class Cards:

[Common] x14

[Uncommon] x3

Spell Cards:

[Common] x11

[Uncommon] x5

Shouren was hoping for another [Rare] card, but it was already a miracle that one had dropped in Floor 1 of the dungeon in the first place. However, his luck wasn’t too terrible.

Just as Shouren was about to run his hands through the cards, a dangerous rumbling thundered through the still sky.

“Huh?”

Shouren crouched to the ground, his senses on full alert to detect the anomaly. His mind was hovering over the button that let him exit the dungeon. It was his safety measure.

With a raging crack in the sky, a bolt of scorching lightning exploded above Shouren. Before he could dodge, a blazing lightning missile blasted the ground a foot away from him, destroying the reinforced pit there in an instant.

Shouren yelled in pain. One of the smaller chains of lightning in the vicinity had managed to land on his right leg. The smell of seared flesh drifted into Shouren’s nose. A small brush against the lightning had roasted the skin on his leg.

At that moment, the lightning in the sky parted in the center, revealing the origin of the tumultuous lightning. It was a godly winged creature the size of a small house. Its sparkling golden wings fluttered angrily over the horizon, its burning eyes boring down on Shouren.

“Oh, hell no.”

Shouren sputtered in shock, and with no time to spare, quickly selected the option to leave the dungeon.

[Cannot exit dungeon. Hostile Tier 0 monster in area.]

Are you kidding me? That thing is a Tier 0! What is going on? That is the first flying monster I’ve seen on this floor, and what is with its absurd power?

Shouren’s brain rattled at the vibrations rocking on the ground. The lightning beast honed its gaze at the human and sent shockwaves in the air with its crackling golden wings. It was about to let loose another barrage of lightning.

Shouren was still unable to leave the dungeon.

Stupid dungeon! I knew it wouldn’t have such an easy escape route. How do I even kill a monster that can fly and shoot lightning out of its body? I could use a few of the [Uncommon] spell cards I collected over the past few days, but I doubt any of them would do any serious damage.

Shouren’s thoughts raced madly as he sought a solution. Killing that lightning beast was out of the question. He had neither the lumen to sustain that fight or the attributes to match it toe-to-toe.

What if I can hide from it long enough?

Shouren froze at the thought. The message from the dungeon stated there was a ‘hostile’ entity in the area. If Shouren could evade the lightning beast’s sight for enough time, it could be no longer hostile to him.

If it was 6 days ago, Shouren wouldn’t be able to execute that plan. However, he had a shot now.

I really didn’t want to use this card after how long it took for another one to drop.

Grasping at the sole path of survival, Shouren frantically activated <Oblation Pact> and used the card that’d let him escape.

Tier 0 - Hide Presence [Common]

Remove all traces of your presence. Affects only Tier 0.

Cost: 2 lumen per minute.

The day one of the monsters had dropped this familiar spell card, Shouren was ecstatic. He hadn’t encountered another deadly beast like the bear which required him to go all out, but the flying lightning beast in the air was definitely a step above.

Also, how was that giant monstrosity a mere Tier 0?

His corrupted ability sank into the card and Shouren felt the spell card trigger. If the flying carnage was actually a Tier 0, this spell card should be able to elude its senses.

Another flash of lightning erupted on the ground, and Shouren’s right shoulder sizzled from the aftermath. He bit his tongue and swallowed down the agony coursing through him. The spell card should mute his noises, but he didn’t want to take any chances.

An ear-shattering screech pierced the sky as the monster furiously flapped its wings, sending miniature bolts of golden lightning scattering all over the vicinity. Shouren’s traps and the reinforced pits all crumbled into dirt at the intensity of the fervor attacks.

It lost the human.

The lightning beast raised its beak and howled.

Shouren hobbled away from the destruction, dragging his right leg through the grass. At least the lightning cauterized the wound, preventing the blood from staining the ground. Otherwise, the lightning monster would have noticed it.

C’mon, let me out, you blighted dungeon. If I knew there were flying monsters on this floor, I would have chosen a different spot to lay my traps. Also, why is that flying monster targeting me? It’s like it spawned right above me.

Shouren didn’t stop spamming the command to exit the dungeon. He wanted to run, but the pain in his right leg and shoulder was starting to shut his nervous system down. He was close to passing out.

Please…

Shouren’s eyes drooped as the Tier 0 - Hide Presence spell was about to fade away. He had 11 more seconds left.

His vision was getting blurry. Shouren didn’t realize it yet, but he had already collapsed on the ground.

7 more seconds.

Only one of his eyes remained partly lucid. He didn’t stop tapping the exit command in his mind.

4 more seconds left until the spell ran out, and the lightning beast would be on him.

He was submerged in darkness as his eyelid gave up.

2 more seconds.

[Exit initiated. No hostile Tier 0 entities in the surrounding area.]

[Floor 1 Clear Conditions: Kill 3 Tier 0 entities]

[Current Kills: 16/3]

[Updated: Kill count exceeded clear conditions. Increased floor rewards generating…]

[Rewards generated. Select your choices.]

“Kugh!”

Shouren coughed, sucking in a mouthful of air as his throat cleared and filled with clean air.

“You really had to wait until the last minute to bring me out of that mess?”

Shouren muttered unhappily at the dungeon as he gathered himself and patted the flecks of grass away from his disheveled hair.

“So boring. You could use some furniture in here, dungeon.”

Shouren inspected the small empty white room and slowly sat up. The room was bereft of any objects or items. It was simply a small room with enough space for one grown man. Shouren groaned as the burns on his leg and shoulder throbbed with discomfort.

Shrugging his shoulders at the lack of response from the dungeon, Shouren dove into his notifications. They had been blinking non-stop since he’d woken up.

[Congratulations on clearing Floor 1.]

[Awarded with 3 [Common] cards for normal clear. Additional 2 [Common] cards awarded for Solo clear.]

[Conditions for increased rewards met. Floor 1 clear rating “C+”. Select 1 additional reward from below.]

[1. Attribute Rank Up [Uncommon] - Upgrade any one of your attributes to E rank.]

[2. Random Tier 0 Recipe [Uncommon] - Get a random recipe for a Tier 0 [Common] card.]

[3. Random Lumen Weapon [Rare] - Get a [Rare] random weapon capable of infusing lumen.]

“Woah, that’s a lot of messages. There were separate awards for solo clear? I didn’t even know that. That’s awesome, I have five more [Common] cards now. I’ll keep the useful ones and sell the rest. Hmm, each dungeon floor has a ‘clear rating’? And I only got C+ after killing that many?”

Shouren sat still as he read the list of rewards. If his 16 kills had netted him a C+ rating, what would he need to get an A rating? Or was that even the highest rating possible?

I could probably increase my rating if I killed that lightning beast in the sky.

Shouren contemplated silently. If he wanted to kill that flying monstrosity, then a crude trap like the pits wouldn’t work. He needed an elaborate plan with a careful execution.

Shouren’s lips curled up in a smile as he glanced at his scorched flesh. He would have his revenge on that flying monster one day. But before that, he needed to make a choice.

“Attribute Rank Up is pretty straightforward. I could use it to raise my Agility to E rank. I could then build the traps faster and wouldn’t need to rely so much on my lumen to move around. Shucks, it won’t let me raise my Intelligence to D rank. Imagine the lumen I’d have to play with.”

Shouren scratched the back of his head while he read through the descriptions of the rewards. His first option was already tempting to pick. It was rare for a Tier 0 to have 2 attributes at the E rank after only a few days from awakening.

Most wouldn’t have all their attributes at E rank until their first evolution to Tier 1.

And having a D rank attribute at Tier 0 was almost unheard of.

“Let’s me see the next one on the list… a Tier 0 card recipe?”

Shouren’s hazel eyes blazed with an intense light. Out of all his class abilities, there was one he had yet to attempt: Card Forge. The true essence of the Cardsmith class. The lack of a card recipe was what forced his grandmother to toil on the streets for simple Sharding rather than utilize her legitimate Cardsmith talent.

It would only be the recipe for a Tier 0 [Common] card, but the ability to forge an indefinite amount of cards with lumen would alleviate a lot of Shouren’s problems. He won’t have to rely solely on scouring for monster kills to collect cards.

What if it was the recipe for a [Common] class card?

Then it would only be a matter of time until he forged enough cards to upgrade his class card to [Uncommon].

So far, Shouren liked the Random Tier 0 Recipe choice more than the Attribute Rank Up. Then his eyes moved down to the final option.

“It’s a real Lumen Weapon and a [Rare] one at that!”

Shouren glued his eyes to the description, confounded at what he was seeing. It was a genuine [Rare] reward on the list. A Lumen Weapon was a veritable treasure of the dungeon. Tier 1 monsters and above couldn’t be hurt with normal weapons anymore, and if Shouren wanted to enter the 2nd Floor, a Lumen Weapon would be vital.

“But what if it’s not a sword or a bow, but some strange weapon like a sickle?”

Shouren frowned. Any [Rare] Lumen Weapon would be a game-changer in a fight. However, Shouren’s issue was with himself.

His physical traits were garbage.

Holding and swinging a weapon was strenuous for the body and without the lumen to sustain it, Shouren would fall apart the moment his lumen hit zero. If he got his class card upgraded to [Uncommon], he’d have a much more ample supply of lumen, but with his present situation, a Lumen Weapon was too draining on his body.

“I could sell the weapon and buy something more suited for my attributes.”

Shouren considered it for a while. A [Rare] Lumen Weapon was something that only the major guilds had. It would be stupid of him to not pick this choice.

The moment I show up with a [Rare] Lumen Weapon, I’ll be kidnapped, robbed, and then thrown to the gutters. All before the tea even cools down for supper.

Shouren sighed in regret. Walking into any shop or the market with the [Rare] Lumen Weapon was a death wish. If he were a Tier 1 or Tier 2, no one would bat an eye. But a Tier 0 young teen with a weapon of that kind, and especially with his ragged clothing and dirty face?

“I can save the weapon and use it when I’m finally strong enough to openly confront others. If that [Rare] weapon lets me kill the lightning beast, I could get even bigger rewards next time.”

Shouren tried to convince himself of his choice. Anyone else would have picked the [Rare] option without hesitation.

Yet Shouren’s heart was conflicted.

I want to give it to grandma…

Shouren looked at the floor dejectedly, his eyes flickering over the second choice on the list. His selfish desire to run away from home had probably put the old lady through unimaginable distress. It was Rhea’s dream to bring back the glory days of her family’s Cardsmith heritage. This one card recipe would be the key to making that a reality.

Furthermore, Shouren wasn’t a warrior with a steel-plated armor or an indomitable body to run around with a mighty weapon. A weapon was only as good as its wielder.

And Shouren’s weapon wasn’t his body.

[Synchronization: 4%]

It wasn’t his lumen.

[Synchronization: 5%]

It wasn’t his cards.

[Synchronization: 6%]

It was his class. The Cardsmith.

[Synchronization: 8%]

Shouren made his final choice.

The white room flared with a burst of light, and his body vanished without a trace.

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 8%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 1/1 - Dimensional Vault [Rare]

Lumen: 15/20 (-5)

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: F

Intelligence: E

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite>

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Locked

3 - Locked

CHAPTER 8

“Go cook yourself over there, kid. Stop blocking the way!”

A large, stout middle-aged man shoved Shouren aside as he made his way to the dungeon’s portal. His armor rattled with every step he took.

“Kid looks like he took a tour in the oven for his first run.”

The large man’s party member chortled, noticing the burns on Shouren’s leg and shoulder. The rest of the man’s party trailed behind him and disappeared once he touched the portal, leaving Shouren standing to the side.

I’m back!

Shouren exclaimed inwardly. He was finally out of the dungeon and he came out alive. He was glad the dungeon was back in operation and not in the same state as when he first entered it.

Shouren hoped no one would remember him as the one who sneaked past the restrictions and jumped in the dungeon. He should find out why the dungeon was restricted on that day in the first place.

But before that, there was something else he had to do.

Now that he was out of everyone’s way, Shouren peeked inside his vault and grew giddy at seeing all the cards piled up there. With the extra 5 cards from the dungeon reward, Shouren had close to 30 [Common] cards and 8 [Uncommon] cards.

It was an impressive haul for his first time in the dungeon. Would others even believe him if he told them how many cards he managed to get in his first run?

It was all thanks to the Tier 0 - Dimensional Vault [Rare] spell card that he was able to procure these many cards. Shouren wanted to go through all his cards one by one, but there was something else that captivated his attention: the thin scroll in the center of his vault.

The scroll was the Random Tier 0 Recipe.

Shouren didn’t want to touch it. The scroll would reveal the random card’s recipe once it was activated, and then the knowledge would be transferred only to that person.

“Grandma will finally be able to live her dream with this.”

Shouren smiled warmly. He couldn’t wait till he showed his grandma the scroll and then he’d reveal that he was now a Cardsmith just like her.

It’s been a week, grandma will be worried sick. I should run.

Shouren tried to sprint, but soon winced in pain at the burns on his right leg. There was something wrong with the connected nerves there. Now that he was out of the dungeon, he carefully examined the degree of the injury on his leg and shoulder. The lightning had done deeper damage than expected.

“Need a healing hand, gracious little Cardist? Must have been a dangerous hunt if your party left you here.”

A sweet and kind voice interrupted Shouren. It was a young nun in her early twenties dressed in pure white robes. Her soft brown eyes looked at Shouren with sympathy as she held out her hand to him. There was a mellow pink glow emanating from her hand.

“You gonna heal me for free?”

Shouren narrowed his eyes at the nun. He knew those types of people from the church. They acted all benevolent in the public’s eyes, but didn’t heal a beggar unless they had chronas to afford their services.

The young nun’s face scrunched up in distaste at the mention of the word ‘free’ and stated in an even tone. “120 chronas for a full heal or 70 chronas for a partial heal. Diseases will cost extra. What do you want?”

Gone was the kindness in her voice.

She thought the kid was rich, as only the wealthy would dare to send their Tier 0 children to the dungeon this young with an escort party. The nun speculated the party might have told the teen to return for a heal. But from the way the brat talked, he was clearly a local hoodlum.

“I have 20 chronas. What can you do with that?”

Shouren balked at the cost of healing and tried to bargain with the nun. Unlike his previous minor cuts and bruises, the lightning had seared deep into his flesh and he desperately needed to take of this before it got worse.

“I can take that 20 chronas and give you a fist bump. Do I look like I’m begging you for money?”

The nun snorted and turned around to leave. The kid was messing with her if he thought she’d heal him for a measly 20 chronas. There were always new customers near the dungeon’s entrance that required healing, so she’d wait for them.

“How about 40 chronas? My cat is dying. Please do this favor for it.”

Shouren held on to the hem of the nun’s robes and put on a pitiful expression.

“Am I the cat’s aunt? What does your cat have to do with me? Tell me the cat’s name quick.”

The nun paused at the absurdity of the kid’s tactics. This kid was trying to scam her, but the young woman saw something else in those hazel irises. A playful glint flashed in her own eyes.

“Pumpkin. It’s an orange kitty. You have the cat’s name, can I get the discount now?”

Shouren grinned with an eager voice.

“Stop trying to pull a fast one on me, brat. There’s no kitty, and you’re not buying a gallon of milk from me. What is with this haggling? Do you know how expensive healing cards are? Go kick some rocks over there with your barbecued foot.”

The young nun huffed with her arms crossed over her chest.

“Okay, fine, I have a [Common] card with me I can give you in exchange for a heal.”

Seeing the nun unwilling to budge, Shouren sighed with lament and pretended to grab a card from the back of his trousers. In reality, he was pulling the card from his vault.

Tier 0 - Suffuse Aroma [Common]

Release a burst of honeyed scent into the air, attracting all pollinating insects to the targeted location.

Cost: 4 lumen per burst.

This was one of the cards a monster had dropped during his 6 day hunt. He had other more valuable [Common] cards, but he wanted to wait until he got home and checked through them again, along with the new 5 cards he got from the dungeon reward.

The Suffuse Aroma [Common] spell card should be worth approximately a 100 chronas in the market.

Shouren didn’t want to let the nun know he had cards worth exactly the same amount as her listed price.

That would be too suspicious.

“Hmm, this is a decent card. Should be useful for the Farmer’s Guild, but this won’t be enough for a full heal spell. I can do a partial heal and give you 20 more chronas.”

The young nun stretched out her hand to grab the card.

“A full heal. If you don’t want to, I’ll just find someone else from one of the Healers Guild.”

Shouren smirked and quickly pulled his hand away with the card.

“Everyone knows the church’s full heal spell is leagues above the guilds’ own spells.”

The nun returned his smile, but Shouren saw her wavering.

“I’m sure they’ll be able to heal these simple burns, though.”

Shouren dragged his words. He didn’t want to draw the attention of any guilds, but the nun before him didn’t know that.

“What an annoying kid. You’re lucky I’m feeling generous today. Hand over the card and I’ll use a full heal spell card on you.”

The young nun said with annoyance, waving her hand before Shouren.

“You cast a partial heal and I’ll come find you. Don’t try to trick me.”

Shouren held out the card and his hazel eyes bore into the nun seriously.

A retort died on the nun’s lips as Shouren’s intense expression stopped her in her tracks.

Why is he looking at me like he’ll kill me? Is this brat really a kid?

“You’ll get the full heal as promised. Now, stand still and don’t fight my lumen.”

The young woman took the card from Shouren’s hand and replied in the same serious tone. She was initially curious about the kid as he looked too young to have even undergone the awakening, but this wasn’t a wealthy noble’s child. What was he doing alone in the dungeon?

The nun’s palm glimmered with a mellow pink hue, and then she pressed her hand against Shouren’s chest.

“Argh.”

He groaned as the nun’s lumen washed over him and hammered into his flesh. This was Shouren’s first experience with someone else’s lumen. He thought the nun’s lumen would be gentle and silky, but it was the opposite. The pink lumen bulldozed through his muscles, knitting any tears in the fibers and the cracks in the bone.

There were numerous small injuries piled up within his body that the full heal spell was now scraping over. It didn’t hurt, but it wasn’t pleasant as well.

“This will sting a bit. What was the monster that you fought, kid? This is no ordinary wound from a Tier 0 monster?”

The nun’s eyes widened in astonishment once her lumen passed over the burned areas on Shouren. Beads of sweat pooled on her forehead. It was going to cost lots of lumen to repair the flesh around the injury.

I really got scammed in this deal.

The young woman cried inside her mind as she sent another reinvigorating wave of lumen to force the dead flesh out and replace it with new flesh.

Meanwhile, Shouren clenched his teeth hard. This pain was nothing compared to taking the actual lightning attack on his body.

After several seconds, the nun drew her hand back and gasped out of breath.

“If I was a bad person, I would have backed out of the deal and returned your card to you. That had cost me more lumen than I thought. Now, I have to wait until the evening to recover that lumen.”

The young nun took in a deep breath and stared at Shouren.

“If you were a good person, you wouldn’t have taken a payment to heal someone in the first place. Have a good day, aunty! My cat is waiting for me.”

Shouren bounced a few times on his right leg as his face relaxed at the full recovery. Without giving a chance for the nun to demand more chronas, he dashed away.

“Who’s an aunty, you idiot? I’m only 20 years old! 20! Geez, wasn’t his cat dying just a few minutes ago?”

The young nun yelled at the teen’s retreating figure and chuckled to herself.

What an interesting kid. I’ll be on the lookout for him when he comes to the dungeon again.

On the other hand, Shouren was racing through the streets with lumen powering through his recovered legs.

It was finally time to reunite with his grandma.

Please let her be alright.

Shouren dashed through the familiar streets, his heart pounding through his chest. It was still relatively bright outside, so he had to skirt past the wandering people in the small town, but no one paid him any heed.

After a few minutes, Shouren gradually slowed down, recognizing the distinct shape of his grandmother’s derelict shack.

His home.

Shouren stopped outside the edge of the shack. He was feeling nervous for some reason. The place looked even more barren and gloomy than usual. Age and constant erosion from the weather had jaded the straw hatches on top. The brittle walls looked about to collapse, with a thin binding of cement barely holding the bricks together.

Shouren took in a deep breath before opening the door and slowly stepping inside.

A huff of stale air wafted into his nose, accompanied by the overwhelming darkness etched into every corner of the room.

“Oh no, grandma!”

Shouren cried out, his voice echoing with distraught. There were no lights in the shack, which meant Rhea hadn’t been able to pay the bills on time. Moreover, Shouren couldn’t sense her nearby.

“Grandma!”

Shouren’s hazel-green eyes quaked with horror when he detected a faint silhouette collapsed in the furthest corner of the shack.

“No no no no…”

Shouren muttered, dread leaking into his voice as he kneeled in front of the unmoving figure. His small hands shook with fear as he grasped the frail and bony hand of his only living relative. Shouren could dimly see Rhea’s face.

Her cheeks, sunk deep into their sockets, gave her face a gaunt, almost skeletal appearance. In the span of a week, Rhea had become close to unrecognizable. The deeper grooves on her wrinkled skin, the thinning of her wispy white hair on her scalp, and the extreme weight loss all alluded to the misery the poor woman had gone through in the absence of her sole grandson.

A faint heartbeat flickered in and out of existence.

“I’m sorry, grandma, please wake up. Please, I’m begging you—don’t leave me alone.”

Shouren wailed atop the fragile old lady. There was a still a pulse. Rhea was alive. Tears rolled down his quivering cheeks and desperation took hold of his pleas.

Gone was the fierceness from his body, the ferocity he used to kill all those monsters. Right now, he was simply a kid begging for his grandmother to wake up.

Whether the gods took pity on the teen’s tears or the elderly lady heard the sorrowful cry of her grandson, Rhea’s eyes weakly shuddered awake.

“Grandma!”

Shouren hastily gripped onto the old lady’s robe and supported her head with his arm. Rhea’s dull hazel eyes gazed feebly at the source of the familiar voice.

“… po… ta… to?”

Rhea’s parched lips struggled to form the words, but a new vigor surged into the old lady as she recognized her grandson. She clutched Shouren’s hand in a scared vice, afraid if it was just a mere hallucination.

“Little potato, is it really you? Why did you leave me?”

Rhea hugged Shouren’s small frame to her chest, bursting into a fit of uncontrollable tears.

“I was stupid, please forgive me, grandma. I won’t ever leave you again.”

Shouren bawled in relief and hugged Rhea back.

Both grandmother and grandson held on to each other as they sobbed their hearts away.

Late at night on the same day.

“You made this whole ludicrous plan to just avoid the Cardsmith class card?”

Rhea’s hazel eyes sternly bore into the identical hazel eyes of her grandson. Her lips were pressed into a thin, angry line, and her arms were folded so tightly it seemed her knuckles were white with barely contained anger.

Shouren shifted uncomfortably while seated on the floor. His eyes pointedly avoided meeting Rhea’s own. After their teary reconciliation, his grandmother had asked him about what had happened, and Shouren spilled everything, concealing nothing from her.

He told her about his plan to risk entering the dungeon and find a different class card. How he fought the worm and got his Cardsmith class card, and everything from killing the monsters to the rewards he’d gotten from the dungeon.

Rhea’s hands trembled when her grandson recounted the tale of him clashing with the monsters, but she patiently waited for him to finish.

Shouren didn’t even hide his corrupted abilities from her. He told her about his [Unique] trait and listed the descriptions of the corruptions as well. Shouren initially hesitated if he should tell Rhea, but after seeing the old lady’s condition due to his disappearance, Shouren dispelled those thoughts.

If there was a single person in this entire world that he trusted with his life, it was Rhea.

“Answer me, Shouren!”

Rhea’s steely eyes drilled into her grandson.

Shouren realized his grandmother was truly enraged. She never called him ‘Shouren’ unless she was serious.

“… Yes.”

Shouren slowly looked up and returned Rhea’s gaze. He was sorry for keeping his grandmother in the dark, and the toll his silent disappearance had caused, but he wasn’t sorry for choosing to defy the path his grandmother set for him.

Ultimately, he ended up as a Cardsmith. However, it was through his own fate and choices that led to that. He could accept the results of that. What Rhea wanted him to do was to become a Cardsmith without his consent.

“Cardsmiths are not combatants, potato. You could die in the dungeon.”

Rhea held Shouren’s stare and sighed with defeat. Those hazel-green eyes, strikingly same as members of their family, were resolute in their conviction. Rhea wasn’t oblivious to Shouren’s repulsion to the Cardsmith class. She’d known about it for a long time.

However, her family’s legacy had to be kept alive. Maybe she’d tell her grandson one day, but he was not ready for it yet.

Her eyes softened as she glanced at the defiance within Shouren.

“But I have the corrupted abilities. I can fight like others.”

Shouren rebutted in response.

“The corruption will let you fight only if you have the right cards. What happens when you run out of them, potato? How will you fight, then?”

Rhea shook her head gently, trying to persuade her stubborn grandson. She went over in detail with Shouren about the corruption of his class’ abilities. The old lady had never heard about ‘Corruption’ until today, but she’d look more into it by getting access to the public libraries.

It didn’t seem like it was harming Shouren for the moment, but Rhea would find information about the ‘Corruption’ regardless. She wasn’t about to let her only grandson jump into an unknown danger by himself.

“That’s where you come in, grandma. Here!”

Shouren grinned as he took out the invaluable scroll from his vault and held it out to Rhea.

The old lady’s eyes widened in astonishment at the use of the Dimensional Vault. Her grandson had told her about equipping that [Rare] utility card in his spell slot, but it was still her first time witnessing a storage ability. That card alone would put Shouren’s life in danger if anyone saw him use it.

“What do I do with this?”

Rhea raised her eyebrows in response. She knew about the final dungeon reward Shouren had selected. But why was he handing it to her?

“If you have a recipe for a card, you could make the cards for me and then I’ll have a permanent card to use for Card Sacrifice or <Oblation Pact>. I can then fight without worrying about running out of cards.”

Shouren answered enthusiastically, prodding the scroll towards his grandmother, asking her to take it.

“You want me, in my current age, to jump around the dungeon with you and climb trees to assassinate unsuspecting monsters?”

Rhea chuckled mirthfully, pushing the scroll away.

“No, you’ll stay here and make the cards for me. I’ll stack them and bring them to the dungeon.”

Shouren shook his head. No way in hell would he ever take his grandma into the dungeon.

“And what if you run out of those cards as well? Stop being foolish, little potato. You know you need this scroll more than I do.”

Rhea said gently while tussling Shouren’s dark hair.

“But—“

“It’s your reward, and it’s meant for you. If you want me to accept your decision to go back to the dungeon and fight the floors, then use that scroll so I know you have a way to fight back.”

Rhea placed her thin hands on Shouren’s shoulder and answered with determination. If Shouren had a way to forge new cards in the dungeon, he’d always have one form of attack all the time. Besides, a Cardsmith’s true abilities lay in their forging skills.

“You’re a better Cardsmith than me. It’s your dream.”

Shouren whispered sadly.

“And it’s still my dream. But it’s my dream to fulfill, not yours, little potato. This bag of old bones still has a lot of life left in her.”

Rhea lovingly patted Shouren’s wet cheek.

I’ll help you with your dream, grandma.

Shouren made a promise to himself. He’d do everything he can to improve Rhea’s health and increase her lifespan. His grandmother was right about one thing. Cardsmiths weren’t actual combatants. Their ability lay in building the blocks to power for others to use.

Except for Shouren.

He would build the blocks to power not for others…

…but for himself.

[Synchronization: 8%]

[Synchronization: 9%]

“Activate it, potato. Let me see what your first recipe as a Cardsmith will be.”

Rhea smiled, her face beamed with pride.

Shouren nodded with excitement and with a bit of nervous anticipation.

Then he unfurled the scroll.

A ray of lustrous light filled the dark room.

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 9%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 1/1 - Dimensional Vault [Rare]

Lumen: 15/20 (-5)

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: F

Intelligence: E

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite>

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Locked

3 - Locked

CHAPTER 9

The radiant glow gradually receded, revealing the dazed look on Shouren’s youthful face.

“Well, what is the recipe?”

Rhea lovingly poked Shouren on his forehead, bringing him out of his reverie. The old lady tried to hide her excitement, but even she was bursting with curiosity at what the card recipe was.

Shouren stared ahead with a blank expression on his face. At the same time, a torrent of images were rushed into his mind, the memories of how to forge the new card. The fragments of knowledge pieced together, detailing the process of how to hammer the lumen into the new card.

Seeing her grandson unresponsive, Rhea began to worry. She didn’t touch Shouren again. The old lady, unfamiliar with the process of activating a recipe scroll, hesitantly stepped back, a nervous flutter in her chest.

Shouren remained motionless, transfixed in place.

“Ugh.”

Shouren groaned, clutching his head as a deafening clamor—a cacophony of images, memories, and instructions—rang inside his mind.

“Little potato! Are you alright?”

Seeing that her grandson was conscious again, Rhea darted over to him, her hands examining Shouren for any injuries. There were none.

“I’m okay, grandma… my head just feels like it’s been through a grinder.”

Shouren said while taking in a series of deep breaths. The knowledge of the new card recipe was firmly tethered inside his brain.

[New card recipe detected. Cardsmith class confirmed. Unlocking new section in status.]

Shouren ignored the notification and turned to his grandmother. His face lit up with unbridled excitement.

“Watch this, grandma.”

Shouren clasped his hands together and raised them to his chest.

Tendrils of silky lumen swirled from his chest and swam towards his shoulders and then down to his arms and finally, where his palms were connected. Shouren’s skin around his fingers glowed softly.

“Card Forge.”

Rhea muttered in reverence. Shouren was using the main ability of a Cardsmith, an ability she’d longed for her whole life to use one day. Pride bloomed inside her, as her hazel eyes watched her grandson forge his first card.

Shouren’s face distorted with exertion. He guided the raw lumen between his palms and used his control over it to hammer it into shape. Slowly, his palms extended out, revealing the luminous blank card. It had no face or design. It was an empty shell of a card.

The blank card’s border twisted as Shouren struggled to maintain its shape.

Rhea didn’t dare interrupt Shouren. This was a critical stage, and her grandson was forging a card without an anvil or a proper smithy. He was hammering the card purely with his lumen alone.

Shouren’s forehead contorted with concentration. He channeled more of his lumen into his hands to stabilize the blank card. This was an integral step before he molded the lumen into its final card function.

Miniature tremors quaked beneath Shouren, sending the vibrations through the flimsy floor tiles. The blank card was hovering in the air between Shouren’s palms. It thrummed with each hammering by the whips of lumen coming from his hands.

The blank card flashed with a deep resonance.

Shouren heard an inaudible click inside his mind and knew that the blank card now had enough lumen to not explode and store the spell.

Shouren rotated his arms and moved his palms from the card’s sides to above and below it. Taking in a quick breath of air, Shouren then started to unleash a new wave of lumen inside the blank card. This time, the lumen washed over the card, slicing numerous nicks on the face. It was a lengthy process.

Gradually, an outline of the spell began emerging out of the card. Shouren relentlessly poured his lumen over the card, carefully making the smooth incisions.

After what seemed like hours, and his back and the rest of his body drenched in sweat, Shouren growled with triumph at last. A burst of gray light immediately exploded from the card.

[Synchronization: 12%]

“I did it!”

Shouren panted breathlessly, his hand shaking as he reached out to grasp the card.

Tier 0 - Spectral Threads [Common]

Create thin spectral threads from your hands to bind a target for 3 seconds. Threads will break if damaged or over-strained. Effective only on Tier 0 targets.

Cost: 5 lumen per use.

“Spectral Threads.”

Shouren read the name out loud of his first ever forged card. His face radiated joy at his creation. It was his first card that he made himself.

It was a spell card.

He hoped for a class card, which would speed up the progress to his class card upgrade. However, Spectral Threads might prove to be even better. He could always find cheap [Common] class cards to buy in the market, but a reliable offense spell card was quite expensive.

Spectral Threads wasn’t exactly an attack spell card, but Shouren had an idea that could work in a similar function with a combination of his existing cards and <Oblation Pact>.

“How does it feel, potato?”

Rhea smiled at the exhausted Shouren. She’d already glimpsed the spell card’s details and had an inkling of what he would do with it.

“Like I can do anything!”

Shouren replied cheerfully. He waved the card around without it leaving its sight. It was so beautiful. It looked the same like his other [Common] cards, but Shouren felt an inexplicable tie to this card. His lumen was inside the card.

It was a part of him.

“You’ve taken the first step of a Cardsmith today. Cherish it, potato. There’s a reason why high ranked Cardsmiths are priceless to the world. We can create new cards with our lumen. No one else can do that.”

Rhea explained calmly, with a hint of seriousness in her tone. No one cared about a Tier 0 Cardsmith, but her grandson’s destiny wouldn’t stop here. It was merely his beginning. One day, Shouren would evolve to the higher tiers and the world would soon take notice of him, whether he wanted to or not.

If they found out about his other abilities as well, then Shouren needed to be strong enough to face that reality.

“I think I understand a bit now, grandma.”

Shouren nodded slowly, raising his head to meet Rhea’s gaze. He’d disdained the class his whole life because it was weak. However, something changed in him today. Cardsmiths might be weak at their initial stages, but once they could forge powerful cards, a single Cardsmith was akin to an entire army.

“I’m sorry, potato. I won’t be much help to you from now on since you’ve already gone further ahead than me as a Cardsmith.”

Rhea shook her head sadly. Her grandson liked to attract trouble wherever he went, but she was helpless to aid him.

“Don’t say that, grandma. You’re the best Cardsmith I know! Other Cardsmiths can only extract 4 shards from a card but I’ve seen you get more.”

Shouren laid the card down and hugged Rhea, her thin body shivering slightly against his. The smell of stale barley and lavender clung to her robes.

“Thank you for the compliment, little one. Untrue as it might be, I’ll accept your words.”

Rhea wiped away the tears on her cheeks and continued while gently running her hands through the strands of Shouren’s wild hair.

“But there is one thing I can help you with, potato. The ‘Chamber of Ascendance’.”

Shouren tilted his head in confusion. What was his grandmother talking about? What was the ‘Chamber of Ascendance’?

“Before I tell you about that, what is your current synchronization level?”

Rhea saw the confounded look on her grandson’s face and posed another question.

Shouren opened his status. He recalled his synchronization had gone up when he forged his first card.

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 12%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 1/1 - Dimensional Vault [Rare]

Lumen: 6/20 (-5)

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: F

Intelligence: E

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite>

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Locked

3 - Locked

Cardsmith Recipes:

Tier 0 - Spectral Threads [Common]

Oh nice, there’s a new section for my card recipes. I had 15 lumen at the start, meaning it took 9 lumen to forge the Spectral Threads spell card. That’s not too bad. Maybe the lumen cost will decrease as I get better at forging or buy a smithy.

Shouren ceased his train of thoughts and answered the waiting Rhea.

“Grandma, it says my synchronization is at 12%.”

“Huh? Why is it already at 12%? Didn’t you tell me you only awakened your class card a week ago?”

Rhea stared at her grandson, perplexed at the absurd number he’d told her. It had taken her a full year to reach 10% synchronization. How did Shouren already achieve 12% synchronization?

“Did you shard any cards to absorb?”

Rhea inquired, trying to comprehend the situation with her strange grandson.

“Um, no?”

Shouren scratched his head. He needed those cards to sell, why would he waste them on Sharding? Well, he did use Sharding a few times for making the bait in dungeon, but he didn’t absorb any of them.

His previous statement of me being the best Cardsmith feels like an insult now.

Rhea chuckled to herself in her mind.

“Listen to me, potato. You need to start Sharding cards and bring your synchronization to 80% as quick as you can.”

Rhea stated in a heavy voice. Before Shouren could ask why, she gingerly grabbed him, and leaned down, bringing her face closer to his.

“Because you will succeed where I failed in the past. I never talked to you about Tier Evolutions, potato. Mostly, it was due to my own shame. Listen close, little one. It’s time for you to learn about the ‘Chamber of Ascendance’”

Rhea sighed and continued.

“One of the greatest mysteries of our world is tied to the ‘Chamber of Ascendance’. It’s an astral space that you’ll be able to enter each time you get close to evolution. Most people could only enter the Chamber once they reached at least 80% synchronization.”

Astral space? Is that another dimension or part of the soul?

Shouren sat still and listened attentively. He knew his grandmother had attempted to evolve to Tier 1 in the past, but it had gone awry. Since she only had a [Common] class card, she could never attempt the evolution again.

“In everyone’s astral space, there are nine black stars, corresponding to each tier. Igniting the first star will start your evolution to Tier 1. This is where I failed miserably, potato. The conditions to ignite the stars vary from each person, but mine was to overcome the fear of losing our family’s legacy.”

The old lady’s hands quivered as she recounted her tale. It was apparent that Rhea had still not overcome her fears.

Shouren glanced at his grandmother with worry etched on his young face but didn’t say a word. This was the first time that his grandmother was talking about her evolution. In the past, she’d just go silent and evade the topic. Shouren felt like Rhea needed this time to pour out her emotions.

“If I could have overcome that hurdle, I would have been able to evolve to a Tier 1 Cardsmith. It took me decades to reach the 80% synchronization threshold with only my Sharding ability. Yet, in that critical moment, I put my family over my desire to be a Cardsmith. Honestly, I don’t know if I would have made a different choice if given the chance again. The class card rejected my mind and refused to let me evolve. It took away 10% of my synchronization and doomed me to remain at Tier 0.”

Rhea buried her head in her pale, wiry hands.

If grandma had an [Uncommon] class card, she would have at least another opportunity to attempt evolution. This is why I need to upgrade my class card before undergoing Tier 1 evolution. Wait a minute. Higher rarity class cards have augmented versions of the base class ability. Would my corruption also change if the base abilities were augmented? What if I can eventually upgrade other’s class cards?

Shouren froze at the possibility. His corruption came from his [Unique] trait, and not his class card. It corrupted the current abilities, but what if the original ability upgraded? Theoretically, the corrupted ability would improve as well.

Should I tell her?

Shouren hesitated. If his conjecture turned out to be untrue, then he’d have given his grandmother false hope. Would Rhea be able to handle another defeat? No, it was best to upgrade his class card first, and then see if the corruption alters it in any way.

“We don’t have to talk about this today, grandma. It’s getting late, let’s rest for the night.”

Shouren placed his small hand over Rhea’s thin and weathered hands.

The elderly lady raised her head and warmly kissed her grandson’s forehead.

“I’m alright, little one. I just got caught up in the past. However, you need to hear this now, and why I want you to reach 80% synchronization quickly through Sharding.”

Rhea wiped the wetness from her eyes with her robes and gestured for Shouren to listen.

“You have an uncanny connection to your class, potato. That’s very rare. It’s like you were fated to be a Cardsmith whether you wanted to or not. Destiny has a mysterious way of working, and despite you trying to run away, you still ended up with the Cardsmith class. Your first trait is tied to your class as well. Another peculiarity. I don’t believe these are mere coincidences, potato.”

The old lady gently patted Shouren on his head, her eyes darting to the side. Should she tell him what their family’s legacy was, and why she sacrificed her own evolution at the cost of maintaining it?

Seeing the lost gaze in Rhea’s eyes, Shouren tugged at the hem of her robes. He was getting sleepy and his grandmother needed to rest as well.

“Start sharding cards you don’t need and get to 80% without delay. Once you get there, don’t enter the Chamber of Ascendance, and instead pursue your insights to reach 95% synchronization. That’s the maximum anyone can achieve, and then enter the astral space. With 95% synchronization, you’re almost guaranteed to evolve to Tier 1, and your evolution choices would also be more suited to you. If not for your rapid rate of natural synchronization, I wouldn’t have suggested this path.”

Rhea’s eyes glowed with intensity. If her grandson was determined to tread the path of power and danger, then she’d give him the information to become that person.

“But I need the cards for other things, grandma. Why can’t I simply continue what I was doing before and reach 95% synchronization without sharding?”

Shouren’s heart raced at the thought of his Tier 1 evolution. At that stage, no one in the whole town would be able to look down on him. However, he was loath to shard his current cards. For his future plans in the dungeon, he needed each and every one of them.

“There’s a limit to how much you can push past 80% synchronization, little potato. If you use up your natural talent in the early stages, it will dampen your chances of succeeding. sharding will work up to 80%, so utilize that ability to get there, and then use your talent to overcome the hurdle beyond that point. Trust me on this, Shouren.”

Rhea replied earnestly, urging her grandson to heed her words.

Oh no, she called me by my name. Grandma is sure about this.

Shouren groaned inwardly. Rhea was serious about this.

“I… understand, grandma.”

Shouren relented, eliciting a radiant smile from Rhea.

“There’s my cute and obedient potato!”

Rhea rubbed her cheeks happily against the obviously disgruntled Shouren.

My cards…

“Also, grandma, you didn’t tell me why the lights are not working. We’ve been sitting in darkness for the past few hours.”

Shouren mumbled through his squished cheeks.

“Oh.”

Rhea stopped abruptly, an embarrassed expression on her face. The old lady looked down at the cracked floor tiles.

Shouren sensed something bad was coming.

“I used the last remaining shards to pay the rent for the week, but then I didn’t have any chronas to pay the energy bill. I’m sorry, potato, I’ll try to find some work tomorrow morning. I know they could use an extra hand in the village’s kitchen.”

Rhea apologized, her eyes moistening once again.

All this time, grandma had been carrying this burden alone.

Shouren closed his eyes in grief. The cards he had in his vault would have drastically changed their lives for the better, but despite knowing that, Rhea had wanted Shouren to use them on himself instead.

“Grandma, how much is the rent for next week?”

Shouren opened his eyes, his hazel-green irises meeting Rhea’s, a silent conversation passing between them.

“250 chronas.”

Rhea responded with a sigh. She knew what her grandson was thinking. Rhea didn’t want to bring this to his attention, but it was too late now.

“Do you trust me as well, grandma?”

Shouren smiled and returned the same words Rhea had said to him earlier.

“Yes.”

The old lady replied without pause, the creases near her eyes softening.

Little potato is growing up. Look at those determined eyes. I should let him make his own choices as well.

It saddened Rhea that her young grandson was forced to mature this quickly and unable to enjoy his childhood.

“Oh, dear heavens! I forgot it was your birthday a few days ago, potato! Here, let me bring the gift I prepared for you.”

Rhea slapped her thigh in panic and rushed towards their only table to retrieve the gift.

“I never got you anything for your 85th birthday, grandma.”

Shouren chuckled and walked next to her.

Rhea shot her grandson an amused, withering glare at the mention of her age before bursting into laughter. Her frail hands held out a small pouch toward Shouren.

“You’re already familiar with one of the items. It’s the Cardsmith class card. You already have the Cardsmith class so you can shard this card. It will have the best results in your synchronization. But here’s my other gift to you.”

The old lady pulled out a small piece of shard from the pouch. However, there was something different about it the moment Shouren laid his eyes on it.

“I never had a card recipe, and could never forge proper cards. So, instead, I decided to shape the shards with my lumen. It’s more of a decoration than anything substantial, but it’s my proudest achievement as a Cardsmith.”

The shard was shaped like a small card. Rhea had managed to craft its outline, solely using her channeled lumen. Shouren had never heard of anyone being able to carve the shards like Rhea had done here. It was ultimately still a shard in the end, but it defied the knowledge regarding what could be done with cards.

If I can upgrade her class card, grandma would surely become one of the greatest Cardsmiths in the world.

Shouren stared in awe at the intricate patterns on the glowing shards. His grandmother had done that without a recipe or the use of the system.

Rhea affectionately handed the shard to Shouren as she whispered in a soft voice.

“Remember this, little potato. A Cardsmith’s true path is always rooted in creation, not destruction.”

Shouren’s hand trembled as accepted the precious shard. His grandmother was handing him the shard, but there was something else underlying that action. She was handing him a part of her spirit and emotions.

Shouren nodded mutely, his eyes glued to the breathtaking shard.

Rhea beamed with pride, watching her grandson’s fascination with the shard she created.

“Time for bed, little one.”

The sunlight leaked past the dirty window, boring down on Shouren’s calm face.

His grandmother laid a few feet away, snoring blissfully while ignoring the rays of the morning light.

Shouren had been sitting awake the whole night. He pretended to fall asleep for Rhea, but he needed to make plans. After last night, his plans had to be modified slightly. He needed to set aside cards to shard, and at the same time, he had to allocate cards to exchange for chronas.

They couldn’t continue to live in this decrepit shack.

Shouren stood up with a long stretch, glancing at the outside world through the bright glass.

“It’s time to go to the market today.”

CHAPTER 10

Shouren had been in the process of coming up with a new plan since his conversation with his grandmother last night. They desperately needed chronas. His grandmother had paid the rent for this week, but Shouren was sure that she didn’t have any more shards left for the following week.

He only had a week to gather the required chronas for both the rent and the bills.

I have enough cards in my vault to pay the rent for the next few months, but then I would be back to square one. I now have the Spectral Threads recipe for a stable cash flow, but I don’t want to sell it yet. It will be my primary mode of combat and I need enough cards to practice. Rather than counting on random cards, it’s better to start to create a strategy with the cards I can forge constantly.

Shouren retrieved a shoddy waterskin from his vault and took a gulp of fresh water. The waterskin was made from the hide of a boar-like monster that he’d killed in the dungeon. He wasn’t skilled enough to process it into leather, so he simply stitched it with a tiny bone and some loose tendon. The water had a meaty aftertaste, but Shouren didn’t care. It won’t go rotten inside his vault.

Besides the cards, I have the rest of the hides and monster parts I salvaged in the dungeon. They’re only Tier 0, but should still be worth a decent chunk of chronas. The next stage of the plan is to enter the 2nd Floor of the dungeon. Unlike the 1st Floor, the 2nd Floor has the possibility of spawning a Tier 1 monster. I need to go with a party.

Shouren took another large gulp of the water before putting it inside his vault. His nose crinkled at the gamy aftertaste again. Except for the 1st Floor, the first five floors of the Akarsha Dungeon were populated with Tier 1 monsters, and starting from the 6th Floor, it was the realm of the Tier 2 creatures. The 1st Floor was the only floor where no evolved monsters existed.

Tier 1 monsters were a completely different kind of catastrophes.

Monster evolutions worked disparate from the humans and other sentient beings. Until Tier 0, the monsters were only a light upgrade from the general animals. However, after their evolution, they became more attuned to lumen and could cultivate it directly into their flesh and bones.

This is why the major factions and the most powerful Cardists in the world were unable to clear past the 27th Floor. It took an entire legion of Tier 6 Card Luminaries to kill a single Tier 6 monster.

Shouren needed to find a party until he grew strong enough to challenge it solo. He wasn’t an idiot. There was no need to risk the 2nd Floor foolishly. A Cardsmith executed plans on his terms, and by using the full arsenal of his cards.

“I need to buy a bed as well.”

Shouren smiled sadly at Rhea’s sleeping figure on the cold floor. The hard tiles were painful on the old lady’s bones, but Rhea never complained.

Shouren removed one of the hides from his vault and gently covered the old lady. It was a soft furry hide that should keep his grandmother warm while she slept. Shouren didn’t mind missing out on the chronas from keeping that hide aside.

Rhea meant everything to him.

Putting on one of his old shirts and trousers, Shouren quietly walked to the door and shut it behind him. He’d already informed Rhea last night that he’d go to the market in the morning.

Shouren’s hazel-green eyes glanced up at the bright clear sky, the corner of his lips curling up. His fingers reached for a card inside his vault, and he smoothly corrupted the card.

Tier 0 - Disguise Self [Uncommon]

Create an illusory appearance, hiding your real features. After activation, no further lumen required to maintain the spell. Illusion unaffected to Tier 1 and above.

Cost: 10 lumen per activation.

This was one of the [Uncommon] cards dropped by the Tier 0 snake monster. Back then, Shouren thought this card was useless as the monsters wouldn’t care how the human looked. However, it didn’t have to be used against the monsters.

“Thankfully, it doesn’t need a continual flow of lumen to maintain the disguise.”

Shouren’s voice grew deeper and scratchy. His body expanded, primarily his legs, torso, and shoulders. Shouren’s neck bubbled with morphing flesh until it was thick like a lumberjack.

In place of a young male teen, there stood a staunch middle-aged man dressed in simple warrior robes. His features were bland and nondescript, as Shouren wanted to blend in without drawing much attention. The spell was an illusion. None of his actual flesh had physically changed at all.

Shouren was going to act like he was a junior Cardist that was relatively new, but had been to the dungeon a few times. This would account for any surprises if the merchants caught him unaware of certain topics. He could just blame his fresh newbie status.

Reaching once again into his vault, Shouren pulled out a flimsy burlap sack. He couldn’t reveal his Dimensional Vault, so the sack would act as a cover. Shouren filled the sack up with a number of random hides, but kept the cards in his vault. He’d need to make several stops at various vendors to offload all his loot.

Selling them all at one place could warrant a lot of unnecessary questions.

“Let’s go.”

Shouren cheerfully flung the sack over his shoulder and made his way to the market.

“Ew, try using soap next time you shower.”

A lanky teen girl covered her nose and cursed in a muffled voice when Shouren walked past her.

“Buy me one then.”

Shouren grumbled through his fake voice, abashed. He didn’t need to change his voice, as the Disguise Self spell already took care of it. He was just glad that no one could see his pink cheeks right then.

For the past few minutes, all the folk in the street gave Shouren a wide berth whenever he passed by them. The foul and pungent odor emanating from the hides was enough to push all the onlookers away.

“Geez man, did you swim in a pool of rotten fish curry?”

A chubby man in his early twenties dug his face into his shirt, making sure his nose was not exposed out to the air.

Shouren simply sighed and moved on. The sooner he got rid of the hides, the quicker he could bury his head in a trash can with shame.

“Young man, if you ever want to feel the touch of a woman, may I suggest taking a bath every so often?”

Shouren heard a woman’s repulsed voice in the back yell at him. He wanted to shoot back with an insult of his own, but he swallowed the words down. Shouren couldn’t risk drawing more attention than he already had.

I hate this. I forgot how bad the hides smell.

Shouren cussed in his mind.

It didn’t matter anymore. He was at the market street.

I can’t pick one of the bigger merchant shops. I want to go to them in the end after I get some chronas. I’ll stick to my original plan then. Hit multiple small shops to offload the hides and monster parts.

Shouren was giddy, looking at all the various shops spread on the street. Their town might be small, but it was still home to a dungeon portal. That meant there would always be merchants around to buy and sell cards, along with monster remains.

Some shops also functioned as outposts to their respective guilds and factions. Of course, no major figure would be stationed in a tiny town like Shouren’s.

Sweet peaches, that’s the Tier 0 - Recovery spell card!

Shouren trudged past one of the bigger shops and saw the [Uncommon] card in a showcase outside the glass window. It was a dark green store with delicate golden accents on the bricks. It most likely belonged to one of the top guilds.

Shouren almost plastered his face to the glass before collecting himself. He had to pretend like he was an adult and not a 14-year-old bumpkin.

Any heal-type cards were super rare. It was why the shop had it out in the open for display. It was a marketing strategy to convey they had more similarly valuable cards inside. If anyone tried stealing that card, thinking it was common glass, they’d be in a shock of their lives.

I’ll come here again.

Shouren made a mental note and moved along. The smaller shops would be all the way at the back of the market. While he passed through multiple shops, he drooled at all the items that he could never afford. Armor, weapons, cards, tools, clothes, bags, and so much more.

Shouren even saw a real-estate shop that leased and sold houses in the main residential district of the town.

One day, I’ll buy grandma new clothes and one of those fancy fur coats that the noble people wear. I think her favorite color is lavender. I’ll ask her next time.

Shouren thought wishfully. He grew up hating the nobles, but he realized now that the nobles were only people who had at least one powerful Cardist in their family. His grandma would also be treated like a noble if he could one day become a mighty Cardist as well.

He was tempted to stop by the real-estate shop to check the prices, but they would instantly kick him out the moment he stepped inside with his reeking sack of hides.

If my plan succeeds, I’ll be back here soon.

Shouren smiled as he walked away. He never told Rhea about his whole plan. The old lady would get a few surprises in the future shortly.

After a few more minutes, Shouren finally arrived at the most deserted and shabby-looking shop on the street. There was a cracked wooden tile on the outside that read: “Dreamthorn”.

What a weird name.

Shouren frowned at the odd choice of a shop’s name and carefully inspected the exterior of the rundown structure. The outer bricks surprisingly looked clean, but the shop’s door and windows appeared as if they hadn’t seen a washcloth for decades.

Shouren shrugged and opened the door. He was just going to sell a few hides and move to the next shop.

A melodious chime rang, making Shouren glance at the bell above the flimsy door.

Before Shouren could register the setting inside the shop, an astonished voice spoke out loud.

“Oh my, what’s a little brat doing with a spell like that?”

Oh no, it’s a Tier 1! What’s a Tier 1 doing in this goblin’s underbelly of a shop?

Shouren cursed in panic and tried to bolt to the door. His illusion spell didn’t work on people at Tier 1 or higher.

He wanted to cry at his terrible luck. Shouren deliberately picked the shabbiest looking shop in the whole market, and his damned luck sent him straight into a Tier 1’s den.

“Take another step, and I’ll carve both your legs into meat pudding.”

A sweet and pleasant voice whispered the threat into Shouren’s left ear.

The warm voice contrasted with the grisly threat just made. Goosebumps tingled over Shouren’s skin, and his heart hammered inside his chest. Shouren didn’t even see who it was, but that person was already behind him.

“I only have one kidney, half a lung, and there’s a hole in my heart. My organs won’t sell for much.”

Shouren calmed his thumping heart, and answered without the Tier 1 hearing the trembling in his voice. He was afraid. If a Tier 1 was hiding in this desolate shop, it meant they were up to no good and most likely, an organ trafficker that preyed on lone street kids.

No one would come looking for Shouren here besides Rhea, and even then, no one would seriously take the complaint of the penniless elderly lady.

“Do you list all your available organs to everyone you meet?”

The Tier 1’s voice had an amused edge to it.

It’s a woman.

Shouren’s brain finally had time to process the events unfolding. In his terror, he didn’t even take the time to discern the voice. He didn’t dare turn around to look at the woman, but based on the whisper, she was a middle-aged woman that was only a few inches taller than him.

Considering Shouren’s 5’2” stature, that would put the woman at a height of approximately 5’4”. Even after growing a little from the awakening, Shouren remained short for his age due to years of poor nutrition.

The Tier 1 Cardist was petite by adult standards.

“I have a rare medical condition that makes me pass out every hour. I can’t work manual labor.”

Shouren coughed nervously. If the bloodthirsty woman hadn’t knocked him out to harvest his organs, it might mean she wanted to sell him as a slave.

“Quite untrusting of others, I see. I don’t care about how many kidneys you have, kid. You’re a terrible liar. Now, put that sack down and turn around.”

The woman sighed with exasperation at Shouren’s continued fiasco.

“You won’t kill me?”

Shouren’s hand tightened over the sack. Yet he didn’t turn around.

“Pfft— What a scaredy-cat. Hey Isola, why are we messing with this slum kid?”

A new voice from the other side of the shop interrupted with a burst of laughter. It sounded like an older male teen.

“That kid is using an [Uncommon] spell card as a Tier 0. Rubin, you need to pay more attention to your surroundings.”

Another fresh voice echoed a yard away from the second voice. This time, it was a deep and rich voice of an older man.

“Tch, whatever. He’s a dirty slum rat in the end. I can smell his filth all the way here.”

The male teen named Rubin snorted with derision.

Shouren’s eyes blazed, his hazel irises seethed with rage. He didn’t mind being killed or maimed. However, he would no longer tolerate others looking down on him.

A tsunami of lumen erupted within his body, and not caring whether the Tier 1 killed him or not, Shouren turned around and dashed straight to where Rubin’s voice came from.

Once he turned around, Shouren noticed a lot of things at once. The curious and playful look on the auburn-haired woman, the calm and stoic expression on the dark-skinned bald man, and finally the gloating sneer on the blond 17-year-old teenager.

Waves of lumen rushed into Shouren’s veins as he twisted his abdomen and swung the sack at Rubin’s head with full force. Rubin’s sapphire eyes stared at Shouren with unwavering confidence.

“He came at me first. I can retaliate, right, Thalen?”

Rubin smirked as he smoothly tilted his head to evade Shouren’s attack. Rubin didn’t even shift his legs.

“Both of you are Tier 0, retaliation is allowed.”

The bald man stated with his eyes closed while leaned against the back wall. He was tall, and wearing a suit of charcoal-black leather armor. There was no weapon Shouren could see on him.

“No fatal strikes, Ruby.”

The petite, auburn-haired woman said cheerfully as she raised her hands over her head and yawned lazily. Isola was dressed in simple maroon and orange robes. Once again, Shouren saw no weapons on her as well.

“It’s Rubin, you dolt!”

Rubin glared at the petite woman. Noticing the woman’s teasing expression, Rubin clicked his tongue and turned his withering gaze toward Shouren.

“Are you dumb? Attacking with that sack is too slow. How did you even survive the streets? Let me show you how to land a hit on someone.”

Rubin smirked, drawing out a small dagger. Before Shouren could prepare, he felt a dull thud on his left shoulder.

“You gave me too much time to prepare. I knew you were going to attack with that sack, and by the time you lifted it off the ground, the weight of it was already dragging down your speed.”

Rubin brought his face closer to Shouren’s baleful eyes.

Shouren snarled, his wild hair obscuring his vision. He felt the cold metal gliding into his flesh. This pain was nothing compared to the lightning beast.

He ignored Rubin’s taunt and raised his leg to kick.

Rubin shook his head with disappointment and smoothly dodged the attack as if he had already predicted it.

“Too rash. You want to be arrogant, then at least be good at something like me.”

Rubin switched the hand holding the dagger and nimbly sliced the flesh on Shouren’s thigh to his chest. It was a long, bloody gash, but it didn’t penetrate any of the muscle strands.

Shouren channeled more lumen and lunged after Rubin. His eyes remained focused despite the obvious taunts.

Thalin slowly opened his eyes while Isola hummed with enjoyment.

“You’re too weak and slow. It’s not even fun anymore. I thought you’d have a bite to you, but what a pity.”

Rubin relished with a fake reproachful gaze at Shouren. Just as Shouren’s fist was about to make contact, Rubin’s icy blue eyes flashed with victory. He aimed the dagger straight into Shouren’s fist, severing the skin and into the palm.

Shouren chuckled.

“Got you.”

Shouren clasped the dagger’s pommel in a vise with his bleeding hand, preventing Rubin from pulling it out. Meanwhile, Rubin stared at Shouren in surprise.

“You talk too much. I never paid you money to sit here and listen to you babble all day. My ears bled more than what your dagger did.”

Shouren grinned. Rubin was taller than him, and without lumen, Rubin would also have been stronger than him. However, Rubin’s attributes were definitely all in the F rank. With lumen, Shouren closed the gap.

The only advantage Rubin had was his combat techniques. Until now, Shouren still didn’t know what class card Rubin had.

Thalin’s eyes were fully open now, and he observed Shouren with fascination. Even Isola whistled at Shouren’s guts to intentionally take the dagger head-on without care to injury. Both of them stood motionless and didn’t attempt to stop the fight.

“What’s your class card? You’re cheating by using its ability to numb your pain.”

Rubin looked murderously at Shouren.

“Cardsmith.”

Shouren replied with a bright smile before he grabbed onto Rubin’s blond hair and smashed his forehead into the latter’s face.

“Wha—“

Rubin sputtered in shock, but Shouren slammed his head into Rubin’s face again. Splotches of blood splashed onto the shop’s floor.

“What’s yours?”

Shouren laughed through his bloodied teeth, his molars stained crimson from Rubin’s bleeding nose.

“Hea—“

Rubin groaned, trying to pull away but Shouren’s lumen powered hand locked onto his arm.

How much lumen does this kid have!?

“Didn’t hear you, say it again.”

However, before Rubin could finish his sentence, Shouren bashed his head again, cracking the cartilage completely in Rubin’s nose.

Rubin’s body thrummed with unbridled fury. He closed his eyes and touched a card hidden in the back of his pants. He then muttered softly.

“Full Heal.”

A explosion of lumen seeped into the room, and when the light died down, Rubin was standing there unscathed with all his injuries recovered. His sapphire eyes bored at Shouren in revenge.

“Enough. The kid wins the bout.”

Thalin stood up and appeared in a flash beside Rubin, his dark hand preventing Rubin from drawing out another card.

“I’m still standing and he’s almost dead.”

Rubin protested vehemently.

Shouren’s sight was starting to get bleary. His ears rang with faint noises. Yet he willed himself to stand. The fight wasn’t over. Shouren still didn’t know if Thalin and Isola were enemies as well. He couldn’t pass out now.

“It’s over. You lost by using your class card.”

The dark, bald man slowly shook his head at the indignant Rubin.

“What!? That brat used it first!”

Rubin glowered with anger. Shouren had lied about his class, lied about using an ability, and even provoked him by using his nose as a pincushion.

“He never activated a card, Ruby. The kid withstood that pain on his own willpower.”

Isola glided over to the floor. Her eyes exchanged something briefly with Thalin, to which the latter nodded.

“I-Is he really a Cardsmith then? How?”

Rubin’s blue eyes widened in bafflement.

“Only our little friend can answer that.”

Isola pivoted her head to glance at Shouren. At that moment, something else happened.

Suddenly, Shouren crumpled to the ground, his blood leaking through his clothes while darkness filled his mind.

His illusion spell shattered, revealing his real features to everyone.

CHAPTER 11

“Hey, Isola, the dumb frog is awake.”

A familiar annoying voice was the first thing Shouren heard as his eyes fluttered back into consciousness.

“I can see that as well, Ruby. Now, get off him before the poor lad dies of suffocation.”

Isola’s cheerful voice greeted Shouren as he groaned with discomfort.

Is that why my chest felt heavy? That pumpkin-head was sitting on me?

Shouren cursed inside his mind. He soon sensed the pressure ease and opened his eye fully to see Rubin bounce away, chuckling with victory.

“How long was I passed out?”

Shouren needed to return to Rhea by evening or else his grandmother would begin to worry. He gave a quick glance to the side, relieved that his sack was untouched and the hides were still intact. Good, they didn’t steal anything from him.

As if noticing Shouren’s inspection, Isola rolled her eyes and continued.

“You’ve been out for two minutes. What, you think we have the whole day to wait for you to wake up? I’m not running a bed-and-breakfast, you know?”

“What do you want from me?”

Shouren’s suspicions were on high alert. They could have done anything to him while he was unconscious. Yet, they didn’t. Why?

“Let’s start with something small. You already know my name from Ruby yelling it out all the time. I’m Isola Brightvale at your service. What’s your name, kid?”

Isola’s pleasant smile lightened the mood of the room. Now that Shouren had the time to observe her, Isola’s radiated a merry persona while her chestnut-colored eyes twinkled with mischievousness. Shouren was drawn to her. He didn’t know why, but her presence warmed him.

“My name’s Shouren. Did you heal my wounds?”

Shouren answered while scanning the rest of his body. No traces of the laceration, cuts, or bruises remained. He was fully healed.

“Nope, you can thank Ruby for that.”

Isola gestured at the sulking Rubin to her side.

What’s with him? He’s been staring at me whenever he thinks I’m not looking.

Shouren detected a subtle shift in Rubin. Rubin had been behaving strangely towards him since their bout.

“Thank you.”

Shouren gave a nod in Rubin’s direction. Rubin had an aggravating personality, but he still healed Shouren despite their earlier fight. Shouren was thankful for the gesture. He now had an inkling of Rubin’s class card. It was a healer based class.

But how did he fight so well?

Rubin snorted in response but nodded back after a brief pause. His sapphire eyes bore into Shouren for a second before looking away.

“Nice to meet you, Shouren. Well, we have quite a situation at our hands. I have to admit, it went a bit out of control, but it seems it worked out for the better in the end.”

Isola brought her hand to her chin and tilted her head with curiosity.

Shouren gave her a perplexed look as he stood back up. He didn’t know what the woman was getting at.

“I was initially taken aback by a Tier 0 kid using an [Uncommon] disguise spell card. I thought you were a spy sent by an acquaintance, but after seeing you fight, either you’re the worst assassin ever or you’re really just a kid who randomly entered this place.”

Isola covered her chuckle with her mouth after seeing the offended look on Shouren’s face.

“Show your class card, Shouren.”

A deep voice rumbled in the back. Only now did Shouren realize the third person was missing from the room. Thalin.

There’s still something they’re not telling me. Isola and Thalin are clearly no small-time Cardists, and even Rubin seemed like he was from an affluent family. What were these three doing in a dusty village and inside a shambled shop? They can’t see the corruption on the class card, so I can show them without worrying.

Shouren’s thoughts raced as he touched his chest with his other hand.

A gentle glow of lumen exuded from the floating gray card in front of Shouren’s chest.

“He’s really a Cardsmith.”

Rubin’s brows rose with disbelief.

“His words ring true.”

Thalin shot Isola a look.

A flicker of disappointment shimmered behind Isola’s brown eyes when she saw the [Common] class card, but she covered it before Shouren could see. Shouren had a blazing fire inside him that drew her to him, but Isola knew that the chances of him successfully evolving to Tier 1 were bleak.

If only he had an [Uncommon] class card.

“Why would I lie about being a Cardsmith?”

Shouren shrugged his shoulders. He could feel the imperceptible tension in the room slowly fading away. Would they have killed him if he was lying? Shouren wanted to leave the room as soon as possible. He liked Isola, and Rubin was irritating, but Thalin sent shivers down his spine.

The dark-skinned man was an enigma. And Shouren was still unaware of what these three were doing in his town. They didn’t belong here.

Shouren reached out for his sack and picked it up, indicating he was about to leave.

“I thought you came here to sell off those hides, kid? Why don’t we see what you have and then maybe you’ll show us the rest of your wares inside your secret storage?”

Isola picked up on Shouren’s intention to leave and laughed at the shocked expression on his face when she mentioned his storage.

“How did you know?”

Shouren choked out the words. His danger senses were back on alert again.

“Oh please, relax, kid. You’re walking around carrying that many hides and not a single card was found on you when you passed out. Don’t you think that’s unusual? Inventory utility cards are a common drop after the 5th Floor. I already have one and don’t need to steal yours, so calm your pearls.”

Isola let out an exasperated sigh at the fidgety kid. What kind of life did Shouren live that he mistrusted everyone so much? The woman observed the Shouren’s hackles raised every time something agitated him.

She went beyond the 5th Floor? I’m so screwed! She’s at least a Tier 2 then.

Ice poured down Shouren’s spine as the veil lifted from his eyes. The pieces of the puzzle began falling into place a bit. Shouren thought these three wanted to steal his stuff or exploit him in some way. However, from the beginning, he was just a curiosity to them.

Why would a Tier 2 Cardist care about a lowly village kid and his paltry collection of Tier 0 monster hides?

They probably wanted to confirm he wasn’t a hidden spy or an assassin, and after seeing his class card, they lowered their guards.

“Do you really want to buy these hides? They’re all Tier 0.”

Shouren’s cheeks blushed as he offered them the loot. He felt a bit silly presenting Tier 0 hides to someone in Tier 2.

“Sure, kid. You can never run out of hides and the armorsmiths will gobble up as many as they can find to train their new recruits. However, I’m more interested in the trinket you used to cast that illusion spell.”

Isola inquired with a smile. With a [Common] Cardsmith class card, Shouren couldn’t use illusion spell cards, meaning he used an external item with that effect.

Trinket? She thinks I used an item which had an illusion effect. I can’t let her know it was my corrupted ability.

A shadow flitted through Shouren’s mind as he quickly came with an excuse.

“It was a single-use item, and it got destroyed after the spell ran out. Do you also have [Common] class cards to trade?”

Shouren shook his head ruefully, putting on a pained expression at the loss of his item.

Isola stared at him for a moment before sighing. Shouren was obviously lying, but she didn’t pay it any further heed. Based on what she knew about Shouren’s character, he was probably worried she’d steal it from him. As if she needed a trinket that didn’t even work on Tier 1’s.

“I don’t have many [Common] class cards as I usually take them to the Cardsmiths to shard, but it’s been a week since I’ve gone to one, so I should have a few left. Which ones do you want?”

Isola whistled a tune as she brought out 12 gray cards from her inventory. As a Tier 2, Isola had three spell slots to use.

Shouren was elated at seeing those [Common] class cards. He wanted them.

“I’ll take them all.”

Shouren replied with gusto, his heart in a fervor storm. This would get him closer to upgrading his class card to [Uncommon].

He heard Rubin splutter on the side, astounded at Shouren’s audacity. Even Thalin raised his brow inquisitively at the young teen.

“I like you, kid, but not that much, okay? I can give you 3 of these cards for all those hides there.”

Isola teased as the corner of her mouth curled up.

This will be the pivotal moment that will either give me wings or burn me to ashes.

Shouren ignored the tumultuous waves of anxiety crashing inside him and made his choice. He desperately needed those class cards, and if he had to take a risk with his plan, then Isola was the best option to roll the dice with.

Steeling his gaze at the auburn-haired woman, Shouren raised his hand and brought out a single card from his vault.

“Eh, buddy? Another [Common] spell card isn’t going to tip the scales that much.”

Confusion was etched all over Isola’s face. Did Rubin not heal Shouren’s head properly, or was it still concussed?

Shouren held his gaze at Isola. She was the one he needed to convince. From the short instances that Thalin spoke, Shouren had gathered that the dark man deferred to the petite bubbly woman instead.

But Shouren’s next words froze the room into silence.

“I forged that spell card.”

“Are you serious, kid?”

Isola’s brown eyes drove into Shouren with a startling intensity.

A Cardsmith with a recipe and a Cardsmith without a recipe were two drastically different levels of existence.

“Forge one in front of us.”

Thalin joined Isola next to her small frame. The large man’s body moved silently within the shadows.

Shouren took a quick peek at his status, and he needed 1 more lumen to forge the card. It should replenish in a few minutes.

“I can forge it now, but I think we should discuss something else before that.”

Shouren started, refraining from displaying his nervousness on the outside.

Even Rubin stood there silently gawking at the events unfolding. From the expressions on the two adults’ faces, he knew Shouren had captivated their attention. Rubin had an inkling of the cause of their excitement. Cardsmiths with a recipe were a natural supplier of cards. They could theoretically craft an inexhaustible number of cards as long as they had lumen.

This was critical to any organizations like a guild, or the kingdoms. They had so many members that they needed a constant flow of cards to sustain their influence.

However, Shouren had a [Common] Cardsmith class card. Who in their right mind would let him take the recipe when the chances of him even evolving to Tier 1 were meagerly low?

“An illusion trinket, a spatial storage utility card, unusual amount of hides for a non-combat class, and a Cardsmith with a recipe on top of that… you’re a peculiar kid, Shouren.”

Isola’s face turned serious for the first time since Shouren had met her. She seemed to contemplating what to do from here on. Thalin merely spectated silently while Rubin stayed uncharacteristically quiet as well.

Shouren didn’t blink as he waited. His gamble would all depend on Isola’s next move.

“Can I ask why you chose to reveal your ability to forge cards? We both know you didn’t have to if you simply wanted all 12 of these [Common] cards.”

Isola knew the kid in front of her wasn’t stupid. From the way Shouren entered the shop with a disguise, an [Uncommon] spell, having a storage card as a Tier 0, and combined with his abnormal suspicion to strangers, Shouren didn’t look like a dumb kid that would reveal his secrets to strangers.

Moreover, Shouren was clearly hiding the extent of his possessions from the world. Carrying around a sack of hides when he already had a storage card. If the number of hides was any indication of his prowess, then Shouren definitely had a lot more cards hidden with him.

Then why not use those cards for a trade rather than revealing something like a recipe? Shouren was well aware of the dangers that kind of information posed.

“You’re a Tier 4 Cardist. Why would you care about a Cardsmith with a mere Tier 0 recipe?”

Shouren shrugged nonchalantly.

“Nice probe, but I’m not telling you my Tier, kid.”

Isola chuckled at Shouren’s attempt at getting her to divulge her level of strength. In response, Shouren grinned as if it didn’t matter. He already confirmed that she was at least a Tier 2. However, Isola appeared to be waiting for Shouren to continue his explanation.

“It’s because of that pumpkin-head over there.”

Shouren sighed and gestured to Rubin.

“Who’re you calling a pumpkin-head, froggy?:

Rubin looked perplexed at Shouren’s reason, but retorted with a jibe of his own. Shouren trusted Isola because of him?

“Continue.”

Isola rolled her eyes at the childish exchange and prompted for Shouren to resume.

Shouren scratched his cheek and explained slowly.

“Rubin is brash and irritatingly loud, but he listens to you. Not out of fear, but I see the respect in his eyes. Then there’s that scary bald guy over there. He looks like he steals cookies from children’s hands, but even he bows in respect to you. There’s no terror in their eyes. Then it only means one thing: they trust you above everything.”

A few seconds of silence echoed in the room once Shouren finished.

“Pfft, the kid said you look like a cookie thief, Thalin.”

Isola burst into a fit of melodious laughter, poking the large man mirthfully. Thalin grunted without saying a word, but Shouren glimpsed the edges of his mouth inching upwards.

“Wanna have another go, froggy? Let’s see who is the ‘irritatingly loud’ one this time, huh?”

Meanwhile, Rubin snapped with indignation, his dagger dancing between his fingers, goading Shouren.

Then Isola sighed and moved closer toward Shouren. He looked up at her, his gaze unwavering.

“You have a fire in your soul, kid. It’s a shame about your [Common] class card, but you have the iron inside you to climb the dungeon floors. If the system favors you, you might reach Tier 1, but that’ll be the end of your journey with that [Common] class. Such a pity. Anyway, I’m guessing you want to make an arrangement with me to sell your crafted cards?”

Isola exhaled and reached out for the card in Shouren’s hand. She lamented that a young teen of Shouren’s caliber was doomed to Tier 1. Even if he succeeded in the Chamber of Ascendance, he’d never be able to reach Tier 2 without an [Uncommon] class card.

“Yes, you’ll take 2% of all the sales and give me 98% in return. Initially, we’ll do the exchange in [Common] class cards, and then switch to chronas. I prefer the Cardsmith class cards, but any other basic class cards will work as well. It will be a system enforced contract, and we can set the minimum number of cards you need me to forge every week.”

Shouren listed out the terms. His first priority was to get as many [Common] class cards as he could. He didn’t worry about Isola getting suspicious about this request. Most people would shard class cards to increase their synchronization.

“Why don’t we sign a slave contract at the same time as well and you can have me working for free? What is with those terms, brat!? Am I your long-lost aunt or something to give you 98%? I want 20% of the sales.”

Isola almost spat out when she heard Shouren’s terms. He was giving her a 2% while he kept 98% of the profits. How was he a mere slum kid? She had a feeling that if Shouren had a merchant class, he’d ruthlessly wring everyone dry.

“5%.”

Shouren shook his head without giving an inch.

“20% and I’ll make sure no one learns about your identity as the Cardsmith who forged these cards.”

Isola crossed her arms over her chest, unrelenting as well. She read the spell card, and it was a pretty neat card. It wasn’t useful in direct combat, but the tamer guilds would go wild for it. It would let them safely capture Tier 0 monsters without harming them or intoxicating their bodies with paralyzing agents.

It wasn’t normally worth her time to take on this transaction of a Tier 0 card, but her instincts were telling her to make a bond with this bizarre dark-haired teenager. Having this contract would ensure she’d be able to reach Shouren whenever she wanted.

How a [Common] Cardsmith brat could help her in the future, she didn’t know yet. But she’d learned to trust her guts.

“7% and I’ll give you a foot massage every month for free.”

Shouren answered after a slight pause, winking. The young money-grubber dreaded giving up his profits.

“20%, and I guarantee your secrecy. I’ll gather as many Cardsmith class cards as I can from the other towns, and you give me a foot massage every week.”

Isola smirked cheekily. She enjoyed watching Shouren twitch under her gaze. She knew she had him. Shouren was a fool if he thought he could scam her. He trapped himself by offering the extra service.

“Foot massage for me as well.”

Rubin chimed in from the side, snickering at Shouren.

“Fine, 20% and everything you said, but I want to add one final thing. Rubin will have to give Thalin a foot massage at the same time as well.”

Shouren gave Rubin a thumbs up with a wink and held out his hand to Isola. It was Rubin’s fault for interrupting the discussion.

“Deal.”

Isola nodded with a chortle and shook Shouren’s small hand.

“Can we switch people? I don’t want to touch Thalin’s gross feet.”

Rubin whined, resigned to defeat. Isola had already shaken the kid’s hand and now he’d be forced to do it despite not getting any benefits from the transaction. Rubin cursed his tongue for jumping into the discussion.

“Use warm water for my feet.”

Thalin said to Rubin in a deadpan voice before walking away.

“One more thing, kid. You’re smart for your age, but I’ll say it anyway. Don’t tell anyone about us. I haven’t asked about your secrets, as you are allowed to have them. Similarly, you need to respect ours as well. I don’t like saying this to a kid, but if you tell anyone about us, then I’ll dispose of you in a manner I see fit. Are we clear on this?”

Isola gripped Shouren’s shoulder and stated in a somber tone, bringing the temperature of the room down a few degrees.

“I won’t betray you as long as you don’t betray me.”

Shouren matched Isola’s gaze. He had no intention of telling people about Isola. It was apparent that the three of them had secrets to hide, but that didn’t matter to Shouren. As long as Isola honored the contract and upheld her side of the bargain, Shouren didn’t want to get involved with them anymore.

It was dangerous hanging around Tier 2 Cardists. That meant their enemies were Tier 2 as well.

“A conditional answer… you won’t betray me as long as I do the same. What if you change your mind later?”

Before Isola finished her words, her body dissipated, and she reappeared in a flash beside Shouren, a crystal-like sword placed to his neck.

“I won’t betray you as long as you don’t.”

Shouren reiterated his words. Beads of sweat pooled over his forehead as he felt the coolness of the sharp blade, but he stood still. Unlike the thunder beast in the dungeon, Shouren didn’t feel any killing intent from Isola.

Shouren meant his words. Just because Isola was higher Tiered than him, he wouldn’t bow down to her in fear. If Isola had wanted to kill him, she’d have done that long ago.

“Good kid. You’re a bit of a swindler, but at least you mean your words. Now, let’s finalize the contract.”

Isola withdrew her sword with a satisfied smile, and patted Shouren’s head, pleased.

“You owe me a discount for trying to threaten your client.”

Shouren grumbled, rubbing his neck to make sure the blade didn’t nick anything.

Isola laughed harder in response.

“I can’t believe it.”

Shouren whispered with giddiness, his hazel eyes twinkling under the reflecting glow.

Delicately sitting on the palm of his hand was the stack of 12 class cards Isola had given him. It was an advance payment Shouren had insisted on after signing the system contract. The auburn-haired woman hadn’t really cared much and casually handed them to him.

In return for the cards, Shouren had until next week to hand over 10 Spectral Threads spell cards to her before nightfall. Thalin had requested for Shouren to forge one card before them, and Shouren had obliged, receiving a reticent nod in return from the large man.

“Wish I’d gotten more for the hides.”

Shouren sighed as he looked at the 200 chronas in his vault.

He still had a few more hides in his vault, but Shouren didn’t want to let Isola know just how big his storage space was. Having a [Common] utility card was unusual, but having a [Rare] storage utility card might even pique Isola’s attention.

The hides were only worth around 170 chronas, but Shouren increased the amount to 200 after claiming he didn’t have any spare change. Isola had threatened him earlier with a weapon, so this was Shouren’s petty payback.

He wanted to sell the remaining hides to acquire more chronas, leaving his grandma with enough money to cover next week’s rent in case he got delayed in the dungeon. Without his disguise spell card, Shouren could only sell his [Common] cards to the local merchants.

Should I trust Isola with my [Uncommon] cards?

Shouren pondered, but right then, a familiar voice cut through the evening air.

“Oi, froggy. Want to join me in the dungeon tomorrow?”

CHAPTER 12

“Huh? I’m a Cardsmith. I won’t be much help in a fight.”

Shouren was taken aback at Rubin’s request.

No way am I entering the dungeon with pumpkin-head over there. I won’t be able to use any of my corrupted abilities, and I don’t want to get involved any more with Isola’s group until I know more about who they actually are.

Shouren’s thoughts rumbled inside his mind.

“Of course I know that, you idiot. I need you for your sharding ability. You know how to use it, right?”

Rubin flicked Shouren’s head, eliciting an annoyed yelp from the latter.

“I know how to shard cards. But why do I need to go into the dungeon with you? Just bring them to me, pay the standard fee, or the express fee if you want it done quick.”

Shouren pushed Rubin aside before he could flick his forehead again.

“Nah, it’ll take too much time for you to recover your lumen out here. The dungeon has a much higher lumen density for how I want you to shard the cards—Also, stop trying to rip people off at every turn. I’ve never heard of an express fee before.”

Rubin protested to the shrewd, dark-haired kid.

“Sounds shady. I don’t want to. Go lure some other 14-year-old to do your bidding.”

Shouren squinted his eyes in suspicion. He already didn’t want to have more dealings with Rubin’s group, and the blond teenager was being too fidgety from the norm.

Seeing Shouren turn around to leave, Rubin swiftly sidestepped him. Just as Shouren was about to channel his lumen to run away, Rubin’s following words stopped him in his tracks.

“I can help you unlock your second trait.”

Shouren froze and turned around to look at Rubin, confusion evident on his youthful face.

“I thought the second trait would unlock at my Tier 1 evolution.”

“This is why I don’t like talking to village bumpkins.”

Rubin sighed while running his hand through his coarse blonde hair. He later continued speaking.

“Most people think you can only have 3 traits in your life because a majority of them don’t reach the Tier 1 evolution. Think about it, froggy. Why are there certain Cardists like the luminaries that are stronger than those in the same tier? If you only have a single trait before your first evolution, your final result won’t amount to much.”

Does he mean my evolution is tied to my traits? Grandma never completed her evolution, so I don’t have any information about the outcomes. But why does Rubin want me to come to the dungeon with him and why even offer me knowledge about the second trait?

Shouren became pensive at Rubin’s information. However, he couldn’t figure out why Rubin was sharing these details with him in the first place.

“How many traits do you have?”

Shouren asked with unhidden curiosity.

“I have two for now, but I’m very close to unlocking my third one. Which I need your help with.”

Rubin didn’t say what his traits were, but knowing that he had more than one trait was enough to prompt Shouren with even more questions.

“Don’t ask me what they are, froggy. I’m not going to tell you. Only Isola and Thalin know because they helped me with my second one.”

Rubin smirked, seeing the hazel-eyed teen twitch in agitation. He could tell Shouren was eager to know.

“One of your traits has something to do with perception or body control.”

Shouren stared at Rubin as he stated his conjecture. Back when Shouren fought the older teen, something had been gnawing at him. Rubin was a Tier 0 with a Healer class card. Shouren didn’t know what rarity his class card was, but for a non-combatant class, Rubin moved too eloquently.

Shouren didn’t believe Rubin’s attributes were necessarily higher than his. He felt the force behind the dagger’s strike and it shouldn’t be at E rank, and neither did Rubin move at a speed of an E rank attribute. The ease at which Rubin dodged his attacks had been bothering Shouren until now.

“I can’t believe Isola the dolt was right. Froggy, your Intelligence is at E rank, correct?”

Hearing Shouren, Rubin covered his eyes with his palm in resignation.

“Wait, why does Isola think my Intelligence is at E rank?”

Shouren didn’t confirm Rubin’s accusation. However, his response seemed to have already confirmed it within Rubin’s mind.

“Do you think a normal 14-year-old kid can stay that calm while in the presence of 2 high tiered Cardists? Not only that, you devised a strategy on the spot and got yourself a system contract to sell your forged cards. If it wasn’t for your [Common] class card, Isola would have recruited you right then.”

Rubin explained in a steady tone. His sapphire eyes gazed at Shouren, faint speckles of respect hidden for the younger teen.

I did notice that after my Intelligence upgraded, the speed of my thoughts has increased, along with how fast I can process the information in my surroundings. I know Isola and Thalin are high tiered, but isn’t it abnormal for me to not be scared of them? I did think the chances of them actually killing me were low, but why did I think that?

It dawned on Shouren that he had indeed changed a lot since his attribute upgraded to E rank. Back in the dungeon, he was momentarily surprised, but the effects of that upgrade were beginning to show.

The fact that Isola wanted to recruit him didn’t faze Shouren at all. He wasn’t going to join them anyway. He had too many secrets to risk displaying them. Until he was strong enough to protect himself, all his risks would have to be calculated.

“How do you upgrade your attributes?”

Shouren paused briefly before posing his question.

“Shut up, brat. If it was that easy, then all my attributes wouldn’t be in F rank. Do I look like I’m your teacher? Stop pestering me with so many questions. So, are you joining me for the dungeon or not?”

Rubin exhaled loudly, waving his hand at Shouren’s tirade of questions.

Pumpkin-head knows about how to upgrade attributes, but if he hasn’t managed to do so yet, it means the process is difficult or uncertain.

Shouren stored that bit of detail for later.

“Fine, I’ll ask about your original offer. That’s fair game. Why would you offer me the information about traits for just sharding cards? You can get any [Common] Cardsmith in the village to do it.”

Shouren was eager to learn about unlocking his second trait and the attributes, but his wariness didn’t leave him yet.

“I don’t know, froggy. I just want to, okay?”

Rubin chuckled and shrugged his shoulders without care. Shouren had the cunningness of a little monster, but there was something about the kid that all three of them liked.

“You’re not going to give a reason like I remind you of your son or someone important to you?”

Shouren took out his rawhide waterskin and took a gulp of the cool water.

“Shut up, brat. If I had a son your age, wouldn’t I have to be married while still in the womb? I know you’re a scrubby kid that spent his time on the streets, but you don’t have to be suspicious about everything. Isola likes you, and even if Thalin doesn’t say much, he approves of you as well. Hell, I like your guts as well. You went straight after my head without thinking about my class card or my tier.”

Rubin frowned at the clumsily stitched waterskin while he resumed talking to Shouren. When Shouren offered the water to him, Rubin retched out the water while glaring at Shouren once he tasted the meat-flavored water.

“You’re not trying to finish me off in the dungeon when no one’s looking?”

Shouren grinned at Rubin spitting out the water. By now, he’d gotten used to the meat flavored water.

“Heh, you pestered Isola for a couple more chronas. Trust me, you’re not worth enough for even a kidnap ransom.”

Rubin stared at Shouren in bewilderment before cracking up into laughter.

He doesn’t look like he wants to target me. Pumpkin-head doesn’t seem much like a thinker. Could Isola have put him up to this? I doubt she’d let Rubin venture off his own. Maybe she just wanted to confirm if my Intelligence was at E Rank. Well, it doesn’t matter. I need more information about the dungeon, attributes, and my traits. Grandma doesn’t know either, so doing a few dungeon runs with pumpkin-head is worth the risk. Maybe I’ll squeeze out details from Rubin about who they are as well.

“I want half the loot.”

After pondering over his thoughts, Shouren came to decision. He’d go with Rubin.

Shouren would make sure not to reveal his corrupted abilities and only stick to the regular Cardsmith ones. It would be limited to the 1st Floor, so Shouren wasn’t too worried about the danger.

Unless the lightning beast showed up again.

“Not this again.”

Rubin groaned. He was well-versed to Shouren’s antics by now. The little loot-grubber wouldn’t give an inch if left alone.

“If you’re going to fight, then I’ll gladly give you half the loot, froggy. I doubt your sack would fare well as a weapon against the monsters.”

Rubin raised his hand to stop Shouren from speaking.

“I’ll fight all the monsters, but if you kill any on your own, the loot from that monster will be yours. I want you to shard the cards I give you, and it’ll be the standard fee. One shard per successful activation.”

Shouren stood there silently, thinking about Rubin’s proposition. The terms were good. Shouren wouldn’t have to fight, and he’d simply collect shards. There was also the added information about the traits. In truth, just the last part was enough for Shouren to delve in the dungeon with Rubin.

“Alright, that’s fair. But let’s add one more part. If any of the monsters drop a class card, we both flip a coin and if I win, I get to keep that card.”

Shouren liked the terms, but he still didn’t want to let go of collecting more cards. He needed to upgrade his class card as soon as possible. No way was he going to do a fair trade and give Rubin chronas for the cards.

“I’m changing your nickname, froggy. You’re ‘little goblin’ from now on. We have an agreement then. Let’s go.”

Rubin shook his head in amusement at Shouren’s addition of the coin flip, but he didn’t really care as long as he got to unlock his third trait.

In truth, Isola and Thalin didn’t know about his plan to take Shouren to the dungeon. They had only asked him to confirm the doubt regarding Shouren’s attributes and any details he could find in the village about the kid.

However, Rubin was different. He fought Shouren up close and saw the blazing fire masked behind the younger teen’s eyes. It’s why he was in disbelief that Shouren was a Cardsmith. As a non-combat class, Rubin was the same. His ambition was to unlock the relevant traits to let him fight as a healer. It was the only way to contend against the system’s restrictions for using non-class cards.

He wanted to show Shouren that path as well.

Coming from a clan of prolific healers, Rubin was forced to select the Healer class card on his awakening day. However, he never wanted to sit back and leave the fight to others.

Rubin saw the same flames flickering inside Shouren.

The only difference between them was that Rubin started with a [Rare] class card, while Shouren had a [Common] class card. Isola and Thalin didn’t think the guild would accept Shouren, regardless of how talented he was if his chances of reaching Tier 1 were this low.

“You’re a good kid, pumpkin-head.”

Shouren laughed cheerfully when Rubin agreed to his clause and reached on his tiptoes to pat the taller teen on the head like an elder.

“Get your grubby little hands off me.”

Rubin snorted and pushed off Shouren playfully.

“Let’s meet at the dungeon’s entrance. I need to make one last stop and I’ll join you in 30 minutes.”

Shouren summoned his lumen, allowing the waves of energy to course inside his body. He needed to drop the chronas and a few cards with Rhea so she had enough money to cover their rent if he was delayed in the dungeon.

“Don’t be late, little goblin.”

Rubin turned around and left after waving.

He needed to inform Isola and Thalin as well.

“Be careful, little potato.”

Rhea pulled her grandson close to her, embracing his small frame tightly.

It was late evening and Shouren had come to tell her than he needed to go into the dungeon. She tried to prod him further, but her grandson stopped her with a firm shake of his head. Shouren was serious.

Rhea wanted to know what had happened at the market, but she trusted Shouren. Every teen after obtaining their class card had to be treated as an adult.

In many ways, by simply entering the dungeon alone, Shouren had proved that he was a better Cardist than herself.

“Don’t worry about me, grandma. I won’t be fighting this time and just need to confirm something inside the dungeon. I didn’t get time to sell everything I wanted, but these two cards should be enough with these chronas.”

Shouren retrieved the pouch of chronas he received from Isola, along with 2 other [Common] spell cards. They were mediocre spells that Shouren didn’t need. Combined with the chronas and the two spell cards, it should cover the rent and other bills for a while until he returned from the dungeon.

Shouren looked inside his vault to gaze at the stack of cards neatly aligned on the side.

Class Cards:

[Common] x28

[Uncommon] x3

Spell Cards:

[Common] x12

[Uncommon] x3

Those were a lot of cards. He already had more than a quarter of the [Common] class cards he needed to upgrade to [Uncommon] Cardsmith. He originally started with 14 [Common] class cards from the monsters on the 1st Floor, then an additional 2 from the 5 total cards the dungeon gave as final reward, and the 12 class cards he obtained from Isola just a brief while ago.

Should I save the [Uncommon] class cards or trade them for more [Common] class cards so I can upgrade my class sooner?

Shouren was conflicted. Gathering [Common] class cards were simply a matter of time as they were both cheap and frequently dropped on the first floor. However, [Uncommon] class cards were still… well, uncommon.

No, I’ll keep them. If I really need to, I can trade the [Uncommon] spell cards, but I need the class cards to later upgrade to [Rare] Cardsmith. It won’t be as easy as the [Common] class cards. Even Isola wouldn’t be able to promise them.

Shouren was tempted to use the <Devourer’s Rite> and absorb the 28 class cards, but he was going into the dungeon and it was best to be fully equipped in case there were any unexpected events. Shouren was eager to see if there would be any changes in his class card once he started the process.

“You need the cards for sharding…”

Rhea began before Shouren interrupted her as he ran out the door.

“And live like bats in a cave with no lights? Forget it, grandma. I won’t forget to shard cards but we also need to sell some to live decently. I’ll see you soon and remember to eat your meals, grandma!”

Shouren gave a final stern look to Rhea before he flashed a grin, and then left the house.

Rhea glanced down at the cards and pouch, chuckling softly to herself. It was an amusing situation with her 14-year-old grandson reproaching her with a serious expression on his youthful face.

Well, his Intelligence is higher than mine at E rank.

The small town was bustling this evening. The past few days, the dungeon’s entrance was closed by the orders of the Sunspire Theocracy, the rulers of the 10th floor of the Akarsha Dungeon.

No one knew why, but the governor abided by the order and forbade anyone from entering the dungeon for 3 days earlier in the week. It was a grave matter, as Sunspire had even sent one of their bishops to the small town.

As the de facto rulers of the 10th floor, the Sunspire Theocracy had ample leeway in the real world as well. Although they couldn’t bar anyone from directly entering the 10th floor, they could restrict resources for the various guilds and factions.

After every 10 floors, the dungeon brought about significant changes in the real world. Starhaven Guild was the world’s current most powerful organization as they cleared the 20th floor, but Sunspire still retained their formidable status for clearing the 10th floor first.

The lumen density on the 10th floor was essential to Tier 2 classes and above. The higher tiered spell cards had monstrous amounts of lumen required to activate, and the Cardists would run dry without being able to replenish their lumen. Crafting classes like Blacksmiths, Tinkers, Cardsmiths, etc., needed alarming pools of lumen in the atmosphere to craft their wares.

Since only Tier 4 Cardists and above could risk delving to the 20th floor, Sunspire’s 10th floor was the final destination for a lot of the adventurers. Many smaller guilds and kingdoms had system contracts with Sunspire for the use of the floor to train their recruits, and some even splurged fortunes to buy land inside the 10th floor.

This was one of the rewards for clearing every 10th floor. Sunspire had raked in billions of chronas every year just from real estate transactions on the floor. Owning land on that floor meant that one could directly enter the 10th floor from any portal.

This was why the various powers of the world had been vying to clear the 30th floor for decades. However, they were stuck because they realized they needed the might of a Tier 7 to clear 27th floor onwards.

And there was no Tier 7 in the world yet.

The moment one appeared, the race would start again.

“Why did the geezer put me on the entrance surveillance duty? I’m a merchant, not a lousy scout.”

Master Boris scowled in irritation as he scanned the dungeon’s portal from his shop. Being one of the grand shops overlooking the dungeon entrance, the bishop from Sunspire had tasked Boris with looking out for any suspicious individuals.

The old bishop was a devious bag of bones, but as one of the top figures in the Theocracy, he didn’t get there by being a kind and benevolent worshiper. Sunspire’s faith was rooted in worshiping the new, mysterious sun that came with the Akarsha Dungeon. Its arrival saw the old sun devoured in a blink, giving birth to a civilization born with lumen and cards.

“What a pain. The geezer is taking revenge on me for letting that rat escape into the dungeon last week.”

Boris took a small sip of his rose petal tea, his eyebrows locked in anger. Last week, he noticed a young kid trying to sneak into the dungeon, but since Boris was lazing around, it was too late to stop the kid from jumping inside.

He didn’t get a good look at the brat’s face as the kid’s back was to him, but Boris didn’t care either way. It was a dumb order in the first place to stop people from entering the dungeon. Sunspire still hadn’t told anyone why they sent that order in the first place.

Master Boris was one of the many merchants within the Sunspire Theocracy. Their positions weren’t as prestigious as the clergy, and they had to pay an obscene amount of taxes on top of that. But it all came with one major bonus: an unrestricted access to the 10th floor.

That clause was enough for Boris to sign his soul to the devil… or the sun god.

“Blasted barefooted fools. Do they know how much I’m worth? Ordering me around like a peasant scum.”

Boris muttered to himself, indignation coiled inside his stomach like a waiting viper. The proud merchant wanted to go sit in his chilled office, but he was certain that the bishop would have someone else watching over him as well.

The merchant had already sent a list of various groups of people he thought acted suspicious near the dungeon, but he was met with abject silence. The meaning was clear from the bishop: they hadn’t found the people Sunspire was looking for.

“Eh?”

Boris paused for a moment and put his cup down. He was watching a pair of teens greet each other near the dungeon’s entrance. They didn’t seem suspicious, but the merchant’s instincts were sensing something was off.

The older blonde kid appeared to chide the dark-haired one in jest, while the latter thumped his chest in protest. Boris didn’t care what the brats were talking about. It was the difference in their outfits that was throwing the merchant off.

The blonde kid had a simple but pristine tunic and trousers, along with a few patches of leather armor. Boris could detect the glint of a small metal blade latched to his side. Then there was the shorter and younger kid with the obvious attire of the slum kids. Sections of the fabric were torn in rough markings, and the shaggy black hair didn’t help the younger teen’s image at all.

“They’re different social status, but why are they so relaxed with each other?”

Boris placed his hand on his chin, his dark eyes crinkling in thought.

He didn’t think the dark-haired kid was the same rat he let escape into the dungeon earlier this week. How could Boris have known Shouren had undergone his awakening inside the dungeon and looked taller and more filled out than before?

The smaller kid had his hand held out towards the older kid, as if asking for more money. The older blonde kid then smacked the smaller one’s head in annoyance, pulling him into the dungeon. The short, dark-haired kid shrugged in mock defeat and waddled behind the blonde kid, their figures quickly vanishing into the dungeon.

“Did the blonde kid recruit the slum kid, and now they’re disagreeing with the payment terms? No, wait, that doesn’t make any sense. Who would hire a slum kid as a guide for a dungeon? That’s preposterous! Should I send a message to the bishop’s knight? Though, they don’t match the description for a group as the geezer asked.”

Boris was in a conundrum. He had to report any small groups of suspicious people entering the dungeon, but the two teenagers were a pair, not a group. The two brats didn’t seem like people the Sunspire Theocracy would be interested in.

The merchant hesitated with the comms card in his hand. Boris only cared about chronas. He just had to follow the task as instructed to him. Nothing more, nothing less. The teenagers were not in a group, so he didn’t have to report it.

“I might have something to report.”

Boris sent his voice into the comms card, causing it to light up in response.

He didn’t care about the rotten geezer. But Boris had the instincts of a seasoned merchant, and his gut was telling him that there were chronas to be made here.

CHAPTER 13

[Party of 2 detected]

[Enter Floor 1 of Akarsha Dungeon?]

[Yes/No]

Shouren mentally checked ‘yes’ and happily followed behind Rubin.

He was back in the dungeon.

[Floor 1 Clear Conditions: Kill 3 Tier 0 entities]

[Current Kills: 0/3]

Another system notification popped up in the corner of his vision. Shouren brushed it away.

The familiar night sky and the calm breeze grazing past his skin made him reminiscence about his first dungeon run. The circumstances in which he awakened and the despair he’d felt when he saw his class card.

Shouren had been hoping for any [Common] combat class card back then, but after learning about his corrupted abilities, he was now aiming for a [Legendary] class. It wasn’t even a fantasy anymore. Shouren actually had a shot at achieving that if he had enough relevant cards.

“Stay close to me, little goblin. If you stray too far, then it’s not my fault if you get sliced into ribbons by a stealth monster.”

Rubin took out his fancy dagger, its pommel gripped firmly by the older teen. His voice held traces of humor, but Shouren could glimpse a tenseness in the blonde teen’s movement. After all, Rubin still had a non-combat class card, and a Tier 0 like the rest of the monsters on the floor. Even he would have to escape if enough of them ganged up on their party.

“Do you have another dagger? I’ll give it back after the dungeon.”

Shouren nodded quickly at Rubin’s initial warning, and tread behind the teen. However, he couldn’t stop stealing glances at the dagger in Rubin’s hand. It was most likely a Lumen Weapon. The faint glow and the trail of patterns swirling along the blade’s edge gave it away. Shouren recalled that one of his dungeon rewards was a Lumen Weapon as well.

He wondered what the rewards will be this time since they were in a party.

“Do you see another dagger on me? Even if I did, I sure as hell won’t trust you to give it back to me. If you put it inside your storage, I won’t have a way of getting it back. Forget it, you’re not here to fight. I need you to conserve your lumen for sharding. Let’s stop by this tree for a few minutes so I can scout where we are in the dungeon.”

Rubin snorted at Shouren’s request. The older teen gazed up at the sky. It was close to nightfall, and the perfect time to ambush monsters. They needed to avoid triggering any hordes of monsters and stick to smaller groups. Rubin was confident in dealing with any Tier 0 monster despite not having a combat class card.

It wasn’t luck that Isola and Thalin had discovered him back in his home city.

“So rude, pumpkin-head… I would have given it back.”

…after a few years.

Shouren cheekily added the last sentence in his mind.

The pair stopped in front of a nondescript tree, and Rubin scored the bark with his dagger.

“This will give us a checkpoint. There are no monsters I can detect around here, so stay here while I scout ahead to see which direction to take. No running off, little goblin. We’re in a dungeon, and regardless if it’s the first floor, you need to follow the leader’s orders. For today, that’s me.”

Rubin stared intently at Shouren until the younger teen nodded, eliciting a playful wink from him.

“I’ll stay. Don’t worry about me.”

Shouren gave Rubin a thumbs-up with his hand. It was true. Shouren had no desire to fight today. His objective was to learn from Rubin how others conducted their dungeon runs and their survival techniques. Moreover, using his corrupted abilities in front of Rubin was a recipe for future disaster. Shouren liked Rubin, but it wasn’t enough to put his and Rhea’s lives in the older teen’s hands.

“Good. We’ll setup a camp for the night and secure this area.”

Rubin lightly patted Shouren on the back and dashed away into the forest.

Shouren was alone now. He quickly opened his status.

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 12%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 1/1 - Dimensional Vault [Rare]

Lumen: 15/20 (-5)

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: F

Intelligence: E

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite>

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Locked

3 - Locked

Cardsmith Recipes:

Tier 0 - Spectral Threads [Common]

His lumen was at full capacity. Now that he was back in the dungeon, there would be enough monster meat to replenish his reserves if it ran dangerously low.

“Rubin told me to conserve my lumen, but it’s a waste if it’s sitting at full 15 units without doing anything. I’ll use a bit and that should still leave me with plenty for sharding.”

Shouren talked to himself while scratching his head.

He already knew what he wanted to use the lumen for.

“Card Forge.”

Shouren muttered softly, as his hazel eyes flashed under the burst of lumen erupting from his chest. He brought his palms together, giving a path for the lumen to race.

“It’s such a weird feeling.”

Shouren gasped as he began condensing the lumen into a card frame for the spell. He was hammering the lumen discharging from one hand into the lumen from the other hand. There was no anvil. Shouren was using his hands both as the anvil and the hammer.

And the lumen was the flaming forge.

Shouren’s body quaked slightly at each hammering of the lumen, the vibrations ringing through his muscles.

The knowledge I absorbed from the Spectral Threads recipe gives me a basic understanding of how to forge the spell card. The first step is to construct the card frame where the spell will permanently reside. I don’t know if all cards have similar frames, but for Spectral Threads, it needs around 3 units of lumen to make it solid enough to house the spell.

Shouren’s thoughts whizzed through his mind. He didn’t pay much attention when he previously forged the spell card, but he was beginning to discern how the forging process worked.

Cards were a medium to store a specific spell, and lumen was the raw energy behind it. In order to store a specific spell, the medium had to be durable enough to constrain it. A Tier 1 spell couldn’t be properly stored inside a Tier 0 card. It would simply explode if even attempted.

Once the card’s frame was solidified with lumen, the next step was to open the unique channels for the spell to course through. Every spell had its own unique signature, but Shouren only knew the one for Spectral Threads.

Would the forging process be different for class cards?

Shouren pondered briefly. Intense concentration morphed his face. The card’s frame was completed. He was ready to push the lumen inside the card to establish the relevant channels.

Unlike spell cards, class cards were a different phenomenon. It wasn’t a spell, but a framework of a class that gave multiple abilities. Without a recipe for a class card, Shouren could only use his imagination.

What if I made the lumen construct various channels and experimented with it?

Shouren stilled at the sudden thought. He already knew how to forge the card’s outer frame with his lumen and that should be relatively same to the other Tier 0 [Common] spell cards. However, what if he altered the channels while infusing his lumen into the card? Could he forge another spell card?

“No, if it goes wrong, I’ll be the one sent to the afterlife.”

Shouren grit his teeth together, his forearms straining under the pressure. He couldn’t risk it now. He had added another 5 units of lumen to the card, and if the channels backfired with the incomplete card this close to his chest, the explosion would evaporate his heart in less than a second.

Besides, I think other Cardsmiths would have had the same idea after their first recipe. Why didn’t anyone succeed yet?

Shouren knew others must have had the same idea as him. Then why wasn’t this information widespread? There must be a reason why Cardsmiths only used recipes to craft.

The new Spectral Threads spell card was close to completion. By now, Shouren had carved the signature channels inside the card and the final unit of lumen would complete the circuit, sealing the spell inside.

“What if someone already managed to forge a card without a recipe, but they kept that information secret?”

Shouren whispered under his breath, a spark of realization hitting him as he hammered the final tendril of lumen. The air pulsed with an incandescent glow, announcing the birth of another spell card.

[Synchronization: 13%]

“What information is secret? Also, didn’t I just tell you to conserve your lumen?”

A curious voice interrupted Shouren’s reverie. It was Rubin back from his scouting. And he didn’t look pleased at seeing Shouren use his lumen to forge cards instead of saving it for sharding.

Thankfully, the pumpkin-head didn’t hear the first part of the sentence since I was saying it under my breath. I really need to be more careful next time. Rubin’s an idiot, but he’s not oblivious.

Shouren mentally chided himself before bringing the new card to his face, inspecting it of any blemishes. He then turned to address Rubin.

“I was just thinking that there must be a reason why you, Isola and Thalin kept it a secret from me. I figured it was because of your guild.”

Shouren tried to divert Rubin away from what he said. Shouren stood up and patted the dirt off his clothes. He looked disappointedly at Rubin, pretending like he was hurt by the lack of disclosure. Shouren already had an idea that all three of them were from the same guild or organization. There were too many clues for it not to be the case.

Shouren was merely trying to distract Rubin, but the older teen’s next words made his mouth open in shock.

“Tch, how did you figure it out? Both Isola and Thalin weren’t wearing the guild’s insignia, and I won’t receive mine until I evolve to Tier 1. Blighted hells, little goblin, did your Intelligence upgrade to D rank? How else would you know we’re from the Starhaven Guild?”

Rubin cursed, covering his eyes with his left hand. He was imagining Isola’s fury when she’d find out that their cover was blown, and the brat knew about their identities.

Holy divine peaches! They’re all from the Starhaven Guild!? The guild of super elite Cardists that cleared the 20th floor by themselves! No wonder they were hiding like thieves in the abandoned shop. They were here on a secret mission.

Shouren’s E-rank intelligence accelerated his thinking, enabling him to quickly reach a conclusion. He’d willingly walked into the lion’s den like a clueless rabbit.

Starhaven Guild was a titan in the world, and wherever they walked, they brought storms with them. And now they were in Shouren’s little village town.

“I don’t care that you’re from the Starhaven Guild, but I hope that you didn’t trick me about the traits. After we’re done with the dungeon, we can go our separate ways.”

Shouren forcefully suppressed his pounding heart and tried to keep his voice steady. He wanted to cry on the inside. Shouren just wanted to collect his cards and evolve to Tier 1, but his terrible luck kept shoving him into mortal danger.

Luckily, pumpkin-head is dumb like a rock, but Isola will figure out that I tricked him when she’ll make Rubin recount the story. Would they kill me to keep their identities secret? They were clearly here for something and didn’t want the public to know of their guild’s involvement.

Beads of sweat pooled over Shouren’s forehead. The dungeon might be safer than the outside world.

“If you already know we’re from the Starhaven Guild, do you think we’d trick a bumpkin like you? I’ll deal with Isola and Thalin…”

Rubin started his sentence after seeming to make up his mind.

You’re such a good kid, pumpkin-head!

Shouren cheered the older teen in his mind. Rubin was going to take away the pressure from him.

“… but you need to come with me to meet them. You can’t leave our side until our mission is over.”

Rubin finished by gripping Shouren’s skinny shoulders, his sapphire eyes boring down on the younger teen.

“I u-understand.”

Shouren gulped and responded with a nod.

I hate you, pumpkin-head! I hope you go bald before you turn 20 years old.

“Stop looking at me with those puppy eyes, little goblin. Isola will kill me if she finds out I let you disappear after figuring out our identities, and then Thalin will bring me back from the afterlife, just to hang me from a noose. No, you’re staying with me. I’ll promise you that they won’t kill you, though. The guild has strict rules against killing innocents.”

Rubin ran his hand through his silky, blonde hair, unaware Shouren had just cursed him with eternal baldness.

Shouren stood there silently. He’ll keep his mouth shut next time. It was a hard lesson he learned today.

“I found a camp spot, let’s go, little goblin. There’s a pack of ice foxes nearby, so let’s finish them before setting up the camp.”

Rubin sighed and playfully nudged Shouren. Why did the kid look like he was going to his own funeral?

“Hmm.”

Shouren answered unenthusiastically as he followed behind Rubin.

Wanting to cheer up his party member, Rubin thought of something and said to Shouren while they ran to the area with the ice foxes.

“Here’s part of your reward early, little goblin. One of the requirements to unlock a trait is to complete certain actions without the help of the system. They can be achievements, accomplishments, or simple tasks. That’s all you get for now, and once we complete the dungeon, I’ll tell you the rest.”

Shouren’s eyes glimmered with excitement when he heard Rubin’s words.

Seeing that Shouren was back to his normal spirits, Rubin chuckled and dashed ahead. It was time to collect a few cards for his mischievous friend to shard.

Shouren didn’t care about the Starhaven Guild anymore. He finally had a clue about his previous dilemma. His hazel irises sparkled with anticipation.

It meant that forging a card without a recipe was possible.

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 13%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 1/1 - Dimensional Vault [Rare]

Lumen: 6/20 (-5)

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: F

Intelligence: E

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite>

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Locked

3 - Locked

Cardsmith Recipes:

Tier 0 - Spectral Threads [Common]

“There they are. Stay here and try not to make a sound.”

Rubin breathed, gesturing for Shouren to crouch behind the bushes.

In front of them, Shouren watched a group of five pale cobalt-colored foxes huddled together in sleep. Their sleek, icy fur shimmered underneath the starry sky. The five foxes had various sizes, but even the largest of the group was still smaller than the black fox Shouren had encountered on his first day in the dungeon.

“I’ll charge you 2 class cards per use of my Lumen bolt.”

Shouren whispered while stationing himself in the shadows. He remained a bit dazed by the knowledge that Rubin was associated with the Starhaven Guild, but it was too late to cry over spilled beans. Shouren was going to make the best of it, and that meant fleecing Rubin as much as he could before the end of the dungeon.

Rubin simply rolled his eyes at Shouren’s declaration before steadying his dagger and preparing to dash at the unsuspecting foxes. He knew Cardsmiths only had a single offensive ability and even that required them to burn through an entire card. Rubin didn’t need it for now, and neither would he take it after hearing Shouren’s demand.

Without saying another word, Rubin shot ahead, his feet flying through the blades of grass. He made the first strike on the largest ice fox, his dagger cleanly slicing through the monster’s neck, decapitating it in an instant.

He channeled the lumen inside that dagger.

Shouren mutely watched the fight unfold before him. Shouren stared with envy at the Lumen Weapon. Even with F ranked strength, Rubin was able to sever the monster’s neck without much resistance.

A piercing screech reverberated in the air as the rest of the foxes woke up. The moment they saw the human, all four of them pounced on Rubin.

Should I help?

Shouren’s hazel eyes flickered with worry. However, it quickly dissipated shortly after.

Rubin raised his unarmed hand to cover the back of his neck where one of the foxes targeted while evading the second one. He calmly dispatched another ice fox mid-air before it could land a bite on his chest, and he let the last one sink its razor teeth into his ankle.

The last fox snarled with rage as it snapped his jaw shut and tore through the flesh and tendon. Its blue irises, a different shade than Rubin’s own sapphire eyes.

“You all got some heavy-duty chompers.”

Rubin chuckled as a flash of lumen flared around his injuries, congealing the blood, and stitching the wound shut. Without waiting for the remaining foxes to react, Rubin swiftly slashed his dagger through the fox’s skull, which had latched onto his now-healed ankle. Then, without pause, his lumen-enriched dagger cleaved through the last two foxes.

Not a drop of sweat trickled down Rubin during this whole ordeal.

A blinking notification popped up in the corner of Shouren’s vision.

[Floor 1 Clear Conditions: Kill 3 Tier 0 entities]

[Current Kills: 5/3]

[Updated: Kill count exceeded clear conditions. Increased floor rewards will be distributed upon exit or new floor]

The kills are shared with the whole party. Good, I don’t need to waste any of my cards then. Also, pumpkin-head was going easy on me when we last fought. I’m sure his trait is what lets him move like that. He didn’t even channel some lumen into his body, it went all to his dagger. That means he was moving like that without the use of lumen!

Shouren silently watched Rubin collect the floating cards from the monsters’ bodies. Observing the older teen was eye-opening. Rubin fought like a seasoned veteran and barely used any lumen, conserving every unit of it until he needed it. It was a stark contrast to the way Shouren fought, with summoning as much lumen as he could into his body.

Rubin fought like a lithe panther, fast and agile strikes. Whereas, Shouren felt like he was a dancing wild boar, clumsily stumbling around the battle stage.

Is this the caliber of people Starhaven recruits? Rubin wasn’t even a full member of the guild yet and had a non-combatant class card on top of that. Then, what were the actual combatants of the guild like? I understand why Rubin is striving for his third trait now.

Shouren contemplated within his mind. It made sense. After all, it was because of his [Unique] ‘Corrupted Cardsmith’ trait that he could use all cards irrespective of class compatibility, and even upgrade his class card—a feat he’d heard no one of having until him.

He wondered what rank Rubin’s traits were.

Shouren stared with envy at the approaching Rubin. He wanted to learn how to unlock additional traits even more now.

“Here, shard these cards for me, little goblin.”

Rubin walked over and tossed Shouren 4 [Common] spell cards. Shouren gave them a quick glance.

Tier 0 - Inspect [Common]

Reveal basic information of Tier 0 enemies. Utility spell card with universal class compatibility.

Cost: 1 lumen per activation

Tier 0 - Flicker Shot [Common]

Launch a lumen dart that rebounds to a second nearby enemy at half the initial damage.

Cost: 4 lumen per dart

Tier 0 - Minor Corrosion [Common]

Apply a debuff that lowers Constitution for 1 minute. Effective on Tier 0 enemies.

Cost: 5 lumen per activation

Tier 0 - Evasion Boost [Common]

Minor increase in Agility.

Cost: 3 lumen per minute.

Shouren’s eyes widened at the description of the first card. If he could see the basic attributes of the monsters, he’d be able to make better suited traps for them. Alas, he only had one spell slot, and he preferred the Dimensional Vault [Rare] over Inspect [Common]. But it was a card that Shouren wanted in the future after he gained his second spell slot.

He wanted to vie for the card now, but Rubin had been clear from the start. He was here to shard cards. Besides, a [Common] card should be easy to find in the market once he had enough chronas. It wasn’t worth agitating Rubin over.

“I know there were more cards than these 4.”

Shouren grabbed the spell cards and patiently waited for Rubin.

“As expected of the little goblin. There was one [Uncommon] card, and the other two are [Common] class cards. Don’t worry, I didn’t forget our deal, kid. We’ll flip for the class cards after you’re done sharding those 4 cards. But don’t get your hopes up on the last card. We only made the deal regarding [Common] class cards.”

Rubin grinned while displaying the other 3 cards.

Tier 0 - Mage Class [Common]

Tier 0 - Scout Class [Common]

Tier 0 - Armorsmith [Uncommon]

“It’s a Mage class card! You’ll really give it to me?”

Shouren hand almost snatched the class card out of Rubin’s hand. Not all [Common] class cards had the same value. Even a [Common] Mage class card was worth hundreds of chronas. They could use a large amount of spell cards and had exclusive class abilities that boasted significant power in the early stages.

There were a total of 7 cards dropped by the five ice foxes, which were notably fewer than what Shouren would have gotten in his last dungeon run. Did entering the dungeon solo affect the monster drops as well?

Rubin gave Shouren a pitiful glance. He sometimes forgot that Shouren had grown up in poverty. In the city, everyone could easily afford a Mage class card if they wanted, and it wasn’t even remotely scarce like it was in the villages.

“It’s yours if you win the coin flip. I won’t go back on my word, little goblin.”

Rubin put the cards away.

“If I win both coin flips, can we flip for the Armorsmith class card as well?”

Shouren squinted his eyes in eagerness. He regretted not making the deal to include all rarity of class cards, but it was too late now.

“Shut up and start the sharding, kid.”

Rubin sighed and crossed his arms over his chest, waiting for Shouren to begin. He had grown accustomed to the kid’s antics by now.

“Yes, pumpkin-head.”

Shouren gave a mock salute to Rubin and turned his attention to the 4 spell cards in front of him. Shouren wasn’t giving up on that [Uncommon] class card yet.

“Sharding.”

Shouren muttered as he triggered his class ability on the Inspect card. A trail of lumen rushed into the card, erasing its patterns as traces of cracks formed on the surface.

I wanted this card as well.

Shouren groaned inwardly and waited until the card finally broke off into 4 glowing shards.

Rubin nodded with satisfaction, and hastily took 3 of the shards before Shouren made up any further nonsense, asking for more payment. In response, Shouren clicked his tongue and glared at Rubin, his expression asking how could the older teen doubt his honest integrity.

Shouren grumbled under his breath and stored the last shard in his vault. In fact, he did have a sneaky plan to swipe another shard away. Rubin snorted and waited for Shouren to shard the rest of the cards, his sapphire eyes not blinking once.

Shouren grabbed the second card and activated Sharding once again. He felt the lumen surge into the card, covering its frame and pushing inside, creating a faint fracture.

Huh? Isn’t this the opposite of the forging process?

Shouren was struck by an abrupt thought. When he was sharding the card, the lumen first wrapped around the card, removing the layer of seal, then it drilled into the channels, breaking off the pathways, before it finally ruptured the outer card walls.

The second sharding was completed, and Rubin snatched the other 3 shards again. Shouren looked at his palm in a daze. His thoughts were racing through his brain.

“Hurry up, little goblin, we have more monsters to hunt.”

Rubin fidgeted impatiently on his feet.

“Uh, sure.”

Shouren slowly took the third spell card and triggered Sharding.

However, this time, Shouren’s hazel eyes were locked on the vibrating card. He felt like a veil was lifting over his mind, and something was unraveling before him.

CHAPTER 14

Shouren didn’t try to control the flow of lumen. Instead, he watched the energy’s movement like a hawk.

After activating the Sharding ability, ropes of lumen spread from the center of his chest, swimming through his arms and finally into the gray card before him. Upon contact, the lumen stretched itself over the card’s surface for a brief second.

It broke the seal. This is usually the last step of the forging process when I have to stabilize the lumen with card’s frame and the channel network.

Shouren carefully inspected the beginning of the card’s dismantling. Until today, he’d never considered how his Cardsmith abilities worked together. However, it made sense. If Cardsmiths could create new cards, wouldn’t they have the ability to break them down as well?

Everyone knew sharding was about breaking the cards into shards, but no one looked at it as the direct opposite of Card Forge. They were simply two different abilities.

If the process works in reverse, then would I be able to extract the lumen out of the cards and back into my body? My cards would then become potential lumen batteries!

Shouren breathed rapidly, his heart rate pulsing through the roof. The implications of this knowledge could change the way he fought in the future.

[Synchronization: 14%]

[Synchronization: 15%]

Once the seal was shattered, the lumen then darted inside the card’s channels, sundering down its walls and then charging forcefully towards the card’s frame. Shouren watched as the lumen battered against the card’s frame with fervor until cracks started to emerge at the borders.

Huh? The lumen didn’t target the channels, but went straight to the card’s frame. Is it because the frame is the most important variable in breaking the card into shards? That’s right, there’s no need to break the tunnels in the channel network if the card can only be broken after destroying the frame.

Shouren furrowed his brows in deep thought. Compared to the card’s frame, the channel network was more fragile and delicate. Yet, the lumen only targeted the card’s frame.

I think I know why normal Cardists can only extract 4 shards from a card. The card frame’s weakest points are the 4 locations at the midpoint between the corners. By smashing the lumen at those points, the card breaks apart into 4 shards. But, grandma could extract 5 shards. I think she might have unknowingly found a way to destroy one of the channels.

Shouren’s brain was heating up. A multitude of possibilities flashed through his mind. He needed to have a discussion with Rhea once he left the dungeon. If his theory was right, then the path to extracting more shards from a card depended on efficiently targeting the various weak points on the card.

The more channels one destroyed, the more shards they could obtain.

[Synchronization: 16%]

[Synchronization: 17%]

[Synchronization: 18%]

Why was this important?

It was because the larger the shard, the lower the synchronization rate. Not every spell inside a card would contain knowledge about a specific class card. However, if the shard was broken into further smaller pieces, it would hold more of the foundational insights. It would be easier to absorb and maybe even push past the 80% synchronization limit.

“Hey, little goblin. Did you eat something weird for lunch? Your face looks constipated right now.”

Rubin commented from the side once the sharding of the third card was complete and he quickly plucked three of the four shards from Shouren’s palm.

“It’s because you’re standing too close to me. When was the last time you showered, huh? It must be at least three days based on that stench.”

Shouren wiped away the sweat from his forehead and scowled at Rubin. He wanted to experiment more with the sharding ability, but before he attempted to control the flow of lumen, he needed to do it away from Rubin’s prying eyes.

He had two theories to confirm. First, if the lumen could be directly extracted from the cards, and second, if he could obtain more than 4 shards by destroying the card channels as well.

I’ll wait until Rubin is fighting with monsters before I enact my plan.

“Showering every day is bad for you, little goblin. Trust your senior on this. If you smell like soap in the dungeon, it will attract too many monsters to you.”

Rubin stated in a sagely tone of voice.

“Ew, just say that you don’t like to shower.”

Shouren made a gesture of pinching his nose together to stop the smell from entering his nostrils. However, it was hypocritical of Shouren, since he had himself gone for a week without a shower when he last stayed in the dungeon.

“You’re too young to understand this wisdom, little goblin.”

Rubin shook his head without changing his expression. However, while shaking his head, he tried to sniff his shoulders. Did he really smell that bad? It was true that he didn’t like to shower much, but he couldn’t smell that bad, right?

“Sure sure. By the way, here are the last 4 shards, pumpkin-head.”

While Rubin was busy smelling himself, Shouren had briskly sharded the last card as well. Rubin was an idiot, but even he would sense the change if Shouren began to alter the flow of lumen during sharding. He needed to wait until Rubin’s attention was distracted by monsters.

“Good job, kid. There’s one other troublesome monster I have to take care of before we secure this perimeter. Let’s go say hello to it.”

Rubin happily took the 3 shards. It was so convenient having a Cardsmith travel with you and not having to wait for the shards. Rubin had long ago reached the 80% synchronization threshold for his Tier 1 evolution.

However, he need to unlock his third trait before he entered the Chamber of Ascendance. It would greatly increase his chances of getting a [Epic] class card Tier 1 evolution.

“No, you’re forgetting something, pumpkin-head. We still have to flip for the 2 [Common] class cards. I fulfilled my part of the deal by sharding those cards, and now you’re trying to pull a fast one over me.”

Shouren frowned in disappointment. He dramatically hung his head down as if Rubin was trying to take advantage of a poor slum kid.

“Oh, my bad, little goblin. It was an honest mistake! I was just too excited to go collect more shards. Here, let me flip the coin. I’ll let you pick first.”

Rubin had an awkward expression on his face and hastily took out the 2 [Common] class cards from the back of his pocket, along with a single chrona.

“I’ll take one card if you were truly sincere in your apology.”

Shouren’s eyes gleamed.

“Hmm, I think my hands are getting tired. Let me put the cards back in my pocket so I can rest them properly.”

Rubin stared mutely at the cheeky Shouren.

“I was just kidding, pumpkin-head. But let me flip the coin instead. You have a body movement-type trait, and it won’t be fair if you flip.”

Shouren chuckled and jokingly patted Rubin on his arm.

“I don’t trust your storage ability as well, kid. What if you switch the coins in your hand?”

Rubin wasn’t fazed. His sapphire eyes bore into Shouren. Whenever it came to loot, he had to tread carefully with the cunning brat.

So, he has a trait related to movement and not a premonition one. Pumpkin-head is so gullible sometimes.

“We’ll both turn around, and then I’ll flip the coin behind us. I won’t touch it, and we’ll both turn around at the same time, and go look together. This is fair, since neither of us would be near the coin when it lands.”

Shouren raised his hands in the air, projecting innocence.

Rubin thought for a few seconds and seeing no holes in the suggestion, he nodded with agreement. As long as Shouren wasn’t touching the coin in the end, he wouldn’t be able to tamper with the coin.

“Alright, you flip the coin.”

Rubin placed the chrona on Shouren’s smaller palm.

“Ready, pumpkin-head?”

Once the pair were in position and standing shoulder-to-elbow, Shouren placed the coin over his thumb.

“I pick heads.”

Rubin sighed. He just wanted to go hunt monsters and get his shards. Instead, he was flipping coins with the kid in the dungeon.

The coin swooshed through the air, seemingly curving behind them in an arc, and landed about 2 meters away from their position.

Both glanced at each other, and then slowly turned around, facing the coin’s direction. Without saying another word, the pair walked over.

Shouren tried to stop his face from twitching.

Isola, Thalin, and Rubin all knew about his storage card, but they were all under the impression that it was a [Common] utility card. Back in the decrepit shop, Shouren noticed how Isola brought out the cards from her storage card.

She was touching them.

However, Shouren didn’t need to touch the items in his vault to bring them out. He could summon them anywhere within a radius of 3 meters.

Rubin’s face sagged in defeat while Shouren’s face lit up.

Sitting still among the swaying blades of grass was a small coin, its metallic surface glinting under the night’s sky.

It was tails.

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 18%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 1/1 - Dimensional Vault [Rare]

Lumen: 2/20 (-5)

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: F

Intelligence: E

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite>

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Locked

3 - Locked

Cardsmith Recipes:

Tier 0 - Spectral Threads [Common]

“I feel like you cheated somehow, little goblin.”

Rubin took out the two [Common] class cards from his pocket and handed them to the grinning Shouren beside him.

“What can I say? I’ve always been lucky.”

Shouren snickered while he grabbed the cards and shoved them inside his vault before Rubin could change his mind. Shouren had conveniently forgotten all the times he’d previously cursed his bad luck.

I can’t believe that I have 30 [Common] class cards in my vault now. I’m almost halfway to 100.

Shouren couldn’t stop the corner of his mouth from twitching. At first, a 100 [Common] class cards had seemed like an impossible dream, but it was gradually becoming a reality.

“Hey Rubin, what are you going to do with that [Uncommon] class card? I can shard it for you.”

Shouren sneakily picked up the chrona from the ground and slid it into his vault without Rubin noticing. That single chrona originally belonged to Rubin. Shouren was glad that Rubin’s trait was related to movement and not perception, otherwise it would have foiled his deception.

“No way, kid! Only a [Uncommon] Cardsmith can properly shard this card, and I will not let you ruin it for practice. Forget about that card, and let’s hurry. It’s getting late, and I’m famished.”

Rubin shoved Shouren away when the dark-haired teen poked his head towards the back of Rubin’s pocket where the green card lay.

“Fine, have it your way, pumpkin-head. Also, why don’t we eat the foxes? They look… tender.”

Shouren made a disapproving noise at Rubin’s refusal to let him shard the [Uncommon] card, before he turned to look at the five dead foxes. Shouren had wanted to experiment with the [Uncommon] card and see how durable the card’s frame and channels were. Of course, he wouldn’t use his own green cards. He’d rather use Rubin’s cards since they were ‘free’.

“Stop drooling over those stringy beasts. Nah, I have something better in mind for our dinner tonight, kid. He’s a bit of an angry fellow and kicks a lot, but he’s also very flavorful.”

Rubin gestured for Shouren to follow, and then bolted east of the forest. Shouren quickly dashed to the closest fox and tore off one of its legs, before he sprinted towards Rubin. His lumen was running very low, and he needed to replenish his reserves for what he had in his mind soon.

He didn’t store the entire monster’s corpse inside his vault to not let Rubin figure out how big his storage actually was.

“That’s kind of barbaric, kid.”

Rubin raised his brow, giving his young companion a sidelong glance. Tier 0 monster meat was relatively safe to consume raw, but most people rarely ever did. But Shouren had no qualms with the dripping blood. He was casually feasting on the bloody flesh with relish. Clearly, it was not his first time.

Once again, the strange kid perplexed Rubin.

If only the brat didn’t have a [Common] class card, he’d have begged both Isola and Thalin to allow Shouren to join their guild’s recruitment program. Just Shouren’s tenacity was enough to put him on a par with the elite luminaries.

“I’m starving, and who knows how long it’ll take you to kill the ‘flavorful’ fellow.”

Shouren gnawed on the bone, feeling the lumen surge inside his chest as the meat traveled to his stomach.

Lumen: 7/20 (-5)

Shouren was trying to glean some information out from Rubin. He needed to calculate if it would be enough time for him to experiment with the sharding ability.

“I only saw it from far away, but it’s a pretty enormous monster. It’s by itself, so it should take me around 5 minutes to finish it off. Even if it becomes a battle of attrition, that fellow isn’t winning after I heal myself a couple of times.”

Rubin gloated, flashing Shouren a charming smile.

“Don’t rush at the monster if it’s dangerous. Take your time, pumpkin-head, and try to kill it slowly and safely.”

Shouren continued to munch on the fox’s leg. He had almost fully restored his lumen by now.

Rubin’s sapphire eyes softened as he looked at the annoying brat, thinking that Shouren was worried about his safety.

Shouren wasn’t.

“Stop here, little goblin. This is as far as you go. Leave the rest to me.”

Rubin stopped running, holding out his arm to signal Shouren to stop as well.

In front of the pair was an expansive meadow, and a glistening pool of water in the center. It was a small pond. However, what drew their attention was the colossal figure slouched near the body of water.

It was a gigantic black boar.

Patches of thick bone plates covered the massive monster, its ivory color a stark contrast to its obsidian body. Two looming tusks curled outwards near its snout, exuding a ferocious and intimidating atmosphere.

Shouren audibly gulped. It reminded him of the savage bear he’d encountered on his first dungeon run. Thankfully, he didn’t have to deal with this monster this time around.

Shouren peeked at his party member and exhaled in relief at the unperturbed expression on Rubin’s face. He needed time to experiment with his abilities, but not at the cost of Rubin’s life. Shouren liked the gullible pumpkin-head.

“Be careful, Rubin.”

Shouren gave Rubin an encouraging thumbs-up and retreated a few steps back. He wanted to put a bit of distance between the fight and him.

“Watch me, kid.”

Rubin’s sapphire eyes blazed with excitement as he ran his hand through his silky hair. Rubin then silently leaped at the boar with his dagger glowing behind his shadow.

Nope, don’t have time.

Once he heard the boar howl in rage, and sounds of fighting erupted in the area, Shouren swiftly turned his head around and sat down on the ground, ignoring the clash.

Shouren’s hazel eyes flared with anticipation, and the air crackled with jittery energy.

I don’t have much time. I need to finish this before Rubin comes back.

Shouren took out one of his [Common] Spectral Threads spell cards and promptly activated the sharding ability. With his other hand, he took a small bite of the half-eaten fox leg.

Slow it down, and change its direction into the channel network.

Shouren’s hand trembled as he held back the initial rush of lumen and forced it towards the card’s channels. The seal shattered quickly upon contact with the lumen, and the remaining lumen hesitantly turned in the direction of the card’s channels. It flickered between the card’s channels and the frame.

Go to the channels.

Shouren mentally instructed the lumen, his will flowing through the lumen from his arms and into the card.

The lumen shifted in place and slowly trickled into the channel walls.

Yes, it’s working!

Shouren exclaimed with elation, pumping more lumen to ram the channels and erode its strength. Shouren felt the card quivering under the assault. He continued to pour more lumen.

Almost there.

Shouren could sense the channel was about to collapse. The card was now throbbing with distress.

“Oh, no.”

Shouren barely had a second before he felt all the lumen inside the card detonate. Just as the imminent explosion was about to occur, Shouren immediately tossed out everything inside his Dimensional Vault, and shoved the volatile card inside the storage.

He felt a pang inside his chest once the card exploded inside the vault.

Drip.

A drop of crimson blood leaked out from his nose.

I forgot to keep the card’s frame stable with lumen.

Shouren groaned in pain, clutching his head. It felt like someone had smashed a building into his skull. He was so focused on the card’s channels that he diverted all the lumen there, neglecting to keep some around the card’s frame to stabilize the card until he finished his attack on the channels.

The instability caused the lumen inside the card to set off a chain reaction.

Shouren hastily placed all his items back inside the vault. Fortunately, the alabaster room was intact. He had to remove all the items in case the explosion affected his valuables. He had learned from his previous trials that there were certain rules regarding his Dimensional Vault.

Ignoring the tinge of a metallic taste in his mouth, Shouren quickly pivoted his head to see if Rubin had seen him. No, Rubin was still busy with the monstrous boar. The creature had several deep gashes on the areas not covered by the bone armor. Yet its robust vitality kept it fighting.

On the other hand, Rubin appeared to breathe calmly and looked uninjured.

Shouren saw that part of Rubin’s clothes were torn, so perhaps the older teen had already healed himself once. He could tell the battle was drawing to a close, with Rubin waiting for the monster to bleed to death.

My chronas…

Shouren cried inside his mind as he took out another [Common] Spectral Threads card. It was his last one and if it failed, then he’d have to use his other cards. His only solace was that he could forge more of the Spectral Threads spell card once he was done.

I need to set aside some lumen to hold the card’s frame together as well.

He wouldn’t make the same mistake again. Shouren’s E ranked Intelligence whirred in action, taking him into a trance.

Shouren shattered the seal once again, and this time, split the lumen into two uneven threads. The thinner thread slithered to the card’s frame, temporarily binding the borders together until he destroyed the channels.

The larger and thicker thread of lumen rushed once again at the channel walls.

Huh? This part is weaker.

Shouren sensed something strange. The channel he was randomly attacking now was more brittle than the other location. He could already feel the channel weakening at the first strike.

The channels should have their own individual weak points as well.

Shouren’s eyes lit up in realization. He gently probed the neighboring channels, and eventually he found another weak point.

A mourning growl echoed in the distance until the sound waves fell completely silent.

I’m out of time.

Shouren’s body tensed and he quickly sent the lumen bursting into the two weak points he’d found, collapsing the two channels and then had the lumen reunite with the smaller thread, breaking the card’s frame as well.

He could hear some shuffling noises in the distance. It was Rubin, probably collecting the dropped cards. Shouren only had a few seconds before Rubin would walk over.

Now.

Shouren located the four usual weak points of the card’s frame and immediately ruptured it. The sharding was complete, and he closed his eyes in relief.

But right then, a gong rang inside his mind, jarring his thoughts.

[Congratulations. Non-system Sharding successful. Achievement being registered]

Shouren’s eyes widened in shock. His theory was right. He glanced down at his hand, and sitting on his palm were six shard pieces.

However, that wasn’t the biggest shock of today.

[Unlocking new Trait in progress… 3… 2… 1]

CHAPTER 15

[Unlocking new Trait in progress… 3… 2… 1]

[New Trait “Ve nre d r” unlocke— error]

[agf/14=jlgf]

Shouren suddenly grabbed his head, whimpering in pain. A metallic grating sound tore into his brain, sending pangs of agony through his nerves. In haste, Shouren flung the shards into his vault.

What was that notification!? Something weird is going on.

Right as he saw the glitching message on the system, Shouren saw images of illusory red-black chains spreading out from his chest and towards the trait hovering within his vision.

The chains weren’t real.

He instinctively knew that they lacked physical form. Only he could see them.

Why do I know this?

Shouren ignored the throbbing pain, and watched in horror as the malevolent red chains wrapped itself around the trait, constricting the letters in his vision.

[New Trait “ e n e d r” unlocke— error]

[lk\;*75asg]

Shouren clasped his chest, his nails biting into his skin through the thin layer of fabric. The molten chains were corrupting his trait. Shouren finally realized what they were. He’d seen them before in a fleeting memory.

This is how my first trait got corrupted.

Shouren shut his eyes, the pain overwhelming his senses. During his awakening, he was unconscious the whole time, and he never saw how his trait got corrupted. Moreover, his previously mangled body had also surprisingly healed. However, this time, Shouren was watching it unfold before his very eyes.

No!

Shouren grit his teeth. He felt the chains were consuming something else in his body while they constricted the trait. There was a price to pay for this, and the corruption was devouring it without his consent. Shouren didn’t know what the corruption was eating, but he felt a sense of ‘loss’ the moment they materialized, and it grew deeper once the demonic chains enveloped the trait.

The dark crimson chains snarled, commanding the human to back off. No words were spoken, yet Shouren understood it.

Shut up! This trait is mine!

Shouren reached for the chains, and surprisingly, his hands made contact with the ethereal construct. His palms sizzled with scorching flames. The demonic chains were burning through his skin.

The red-black chains trembled with disbelief. The human could touch it.

That momentary lapse was enough, and Shouren tugged it hard with a twist. The demonic chains howled as Shouren dragged them back into his heart.

Shouren’s hand quivered with relief, but a few specks of terror remained. That thing was inside him. And he knew it was sentient.

How did that thing get inside me?

Shouren shivered. He tried to scramble his memories of the day he awakened, but only a pitch black darkness answered him. Did he want to continue using his corrupted abilities after witnessing the source of it?

The fiery chains would have made the trait more powerful, but Shouren’s gut was screaming at him to stop that process. This was not like his Cardsmith abilities. This time, it felt like the chains were corrupting something deeper inside— his soul.

Or did it already corrupt it?

“Did you go potty in your pants? What is with that pose?”

Rubin’s voice rattled Shouren out of his gloomy thoughts. Shouren was glad that only he could see the horrifying chains.

“I was cheering for you, pumpkin-head.”

Shouren laughed nervously. His hands felt as though they were being roasted alive. He attempted to hide his palms, but the blonde teen’s eyes flashed.

“What is this, little goblin?”

Rubin grabbed one of Shouren’s hand before the latter could whip it away. Rubin’s hand held Shouren’s in a vise.

Crap, pumpkin-head saw it.

Red-faced, Shouren scratched his head with his other hand, and winced once the seared palm touched his coarse hair.

“Um… I was just practicing something.”

Shouren replied hesitantly after a temporary pause. Seeing those fiendish chains emerge from his body had already frazzled his brain, and he couldn’t think of an excuse quickly.

“I know what you were doing, kid. Just stop, alright? I’ve heard only those with [Uncommon] Cardsmith class card or higher could even attempt it. You’re going to kill yourself if you try to shard more than 4 pieces.”

Rubin was getting angrier after each word, his sapphire eyes drilling into Shouren while his fingers dug into the younger teen’s flesh.

Eh?

Shouren stared mutely at Rubin’s outburst.

“I knew something was up when I saw your glazed look during the last sharding. I thought your E ranked Intelligence would be enough to dissuade you from trying it, but obviously, I was wrong.”

Rubin exhaled with frustration.

Shouren didn’t know what to say. He thought the blonde teen was a simple idiot, but Rubin had genuine concern for him. And he was also more attentive than he let on. Shouren didn’t think Rubin could see the dark red chains, but the teen probably had an inkling that Shouren cheated on their coin flip.

Yet, he didn’t probe Shouren. He let Shouren have the class cards.

“I’m sorry, Rubin.”

Shouren hung his head in shame. Even now, he was lying to Rubin about the cause of his burns, but he couldn’t ever reveal that secret. It was better to let Rubin think he burned his hands trying to shard the cards rather than expose his corruption.

Shouren didn’t make a promise to never do it again, as that would be another lie. Shouren didn’t know why Rubin cared for him, as he’d tried to scam the older teen at every turn.

“Give me your hands.”

Rubin stated sternly, his face locked in a somber expression.

Shouren didn’t retort, and quickly held out his palms. A surge of radiant pinkish lumen seeped into his hands, swiftly expelling the burned morsels of flesh and regenerating a new layer of skin once it healed the tender flesh underneath.

Seeing the guilty look on Shouren’s face, Rubin sighed. Shouren was a bright teenager that was limited both by his financial circumstances and his poor class card. Shouren had to be cunning to survive where he grew up, but Rubin wanted the young teen to experience the other side as well.

The side which fought for the world. If Shouren kept looking at people with distrust, he’d never see them as worthy of protection. Rubin had his reasons for accepting Isola’s invitation into the Starhaven Guild, but the primary one was to clear the floors.

Every 10th floor brought new changes to the outside world, making the population stronger, eliminating diseases, and giving answers to why this happened to their planet. So much of the older history was shrouded in mystery since the system’s arrival. Rubin’s clan had scriptures passed down from their ancestors that cards used to be different than the ones they have today.

Certain sections even mentioned of cards existing even before the system’s arrival.

Instead of working together to save their planet, all the guilds, factions, and kingdoms fought each other to compete for resources, territory, and power. Starhaven was the same. Isola and Thalin were here to uncover what Sunspire was up to. One of their bishops had been discreetly stationed here for a while, and they had even blocked access to the dungeon for a few days.

“So, what did the ‘flavorful fellow’ drop? Don’t forget that you promised me dinner, pumpkin-head.”

Shouren rotated his freshly healed hands and tried to lighten the mood.

“Two [Uncommon] spell cards, and one [Common] spell card. Here, shard this one while I grab some of the boar meat.”

A tinge of anger remained on Rubin’s face, but he silently brought out a gray card and tossed it to Shouren. Then, saying nothing else, he turned around to retrieve the boar.

Tier 0 - Misfire Cry [Common]

Deal sound damage to a random target— including allies.

Cost: 1 lumen per cry.

This card sucks!

Shouren commented inwardly. It was like the card was meant to be sharded than actually used in combat.

“Be safe, little goblin. I will not heal your hands if you try to be reckless again.”

Rubin said in a solemn voice without turning around. Shouren couldn’t see the older teen’s face, but he knew Rubin was being serious. He wouldn’t heal him if the card exploded in his hands again.

“I promise to be more careful, Rubin.”

Shouren whispered sincerely.

Rubin chuckled, aware that Shouren didn’t say he wouldn’t attempt again, but only that he would be more careful next time. The brat had some guts. Well, it was his choice, but Rubin would also stick to his word and not heal Shouren if he hurt himself. Choices had consequences.

The blonde teen then walked away.

“Alright, say goodbye little useless card.”

Shouren turned his attention to the gray card with an eager smile and activated his sharding ability.

“What is this?”

Shouren mumbled in confusion. Something was very different this time. The card had numerous sparkling, flashing points of various sizes and of different levels of illumination. Shouren could see the insides of the channels like he was physically present there.

It’s the trait!

Shouren glanced at the notification that he ignored when Rubin arrived. Unbeknown to him, Shouren’s left eye was glowing with a revolving, circular, runic pattern.

[New Trait “Veinreader” unlocked]

Shouren quickly summoned his status and went directly to the ‘Traits’ section. There, floating below his Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique] trait was the newly unlocked trait.

Veinreader [Uncommon]

Your gaze can trace the weakest nodes in any Tier 0 card’s veins. Trait upgradeable.

Card’s veins? I think it’s talking about the channels. So, they’re called ‘veins’, huh? But doesn’t that make it seem like the card is alive somehow? Is the lumen the blood?

Fortunately, the system gave a description of his latest trait, albeit a bit vague and rudimentary. His older [Unique] trait still had a series of ‘????’ for its description. Shouren ruminated over what he just learned. The idea of a card having ‘veins’ seemed like a significant piece of a puzzle.

It’s also ‘upgradeable’. Pumpkin-head never mentioned that part… or does he not have a trait that can do that?

Shouren brushed aside the status and resumed his focus on the card.

In his sight, the card appeared like an amalgam of various sized stars. The four brightest stars were the four at the center of each side of the card’s border. It aligned with what Shouren knew from his previous experiment. Those were the weak points that had to be destroyed in order to complete the sharding.

In the distance, Rubin was busy slicing the boar’s belly with his glowing dagger.

Shouren’s lumen seeped into the card, and he experienced a rush of sensory overload. Unlike his previous attempts, this time, he could ‘see’ the lumen enter the card’s channels, or ‘veins’. Before, he could only feel the existence of the channels, and used his mind to guide the lumen.

Woah.

Shouren breathed out in wonder. It was like he could finally see the card’s internal structure and didn’t have to walk around in the dark. His lumen flowed smoothly through the channels under Shouren’s navigation. At the sight of the first star on the path, Shouren drove his lumen straight into its center.

The node of light burst into smithereens. Shouren didn’t even have to use any pressure. Only now did he realize why it took him so much effort last time to destroy the channels. He wasn’t targeting the crucial points. Shouren was simply going off with a notion of where he ‘felt’ was the weakest point. However, now he could literally see the weakest point.

Wait, if the stars show the area with the weakest points, then the differences in their sizes must mean something important.

Shouren could see four big stars. He called them the ‘Major Gates’, then there were four smaller stars on the corner of the cards which he named the ‘Minor Gates’. These were all stars on the card’s frame.

Following that, the channels’ stars were a bit more complicated. They didn’t have the same symmetry that the card’s frame had. Instead, the various sized stars were scattered all over the surface.

All cards would probably have a different distribution of the star nodes since the channel’s network shape would depend on the individual card’s spell. The larger the star, the easier to break it down.

Shouren was starting to understand how the star nodes worked inside the cards. He tested this theory by charging at the closest small star. Its light was barely visible under Shouren’s trait.

The lumen brushed against the node, but nothing happened. Shouren tried again, but with more intensity. The small star remained indifferent.

Shouren ignored the irritating star and went to a bigger one this time. It was smaller than the first one he encountered, but still relatively larger than the previous small star.

And again, the star stood unfazed.

Shouren stopped and gathered his thoughts. His brain collecting all the information he’d tested so far. The difference between his first successful star destruction and the latter two failures.

It’s the center. The lumen has to pass through the center!

Shouren was thankful for his E ranked Intelligence. It really helped out in times like these. Without waiting, Shouren condensed his lumen, slimming its circumference down until it was slightly smaller than the radiant star.

The familiar cracking sound echoed in Shouren’s mind.

It’s like threading a needle. I have to make the lumen smaller than the star’s center and then poke it through to crush its stability. If I simply submerge it in lumen, it does nothing.

Shouren grasped it. He needed to refine his lumen control to destroy the smaller stars. Even if he condensed it as much as he currently could, he still could not make it small enough to pass through the mini star.

Shouren spotted three other similar sized stars and raced towards them.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

The stars exploded into a cluster of lumen dust. Then, without hesitation, Shouren crushed the four main star gates, and completed the sharding. He would experiment more later, but he was out of time for now.

Eight small pieces of shards sat on his palm.

[Synchronization: 19%]

Shouren’s lips twitched in elation. He was excited to show this to his grandma. Maybe he could teach her how he did it, and then she’d be able to unlock the same trait as well.

Shouren dumped the shards into his vault. Combined with his 6 shards from before, he now had a total of 14 shards. He couldn’t show these shards to Rubin, as they were noticeably smaller than normal.

Holding back his tears, Shouren brought out his own [Common] spell card and sharded it. This time, he didn’t waste time on the channels and directly attacked the four main star gates. Four shards sat floating on his palm.

That only took me a couple of seconds.

Shouren closed his eyes in amazement. What used to take him a minute to complete, now only required a few seconds. It was like Shouren was no longer blind to the card’s internal structure. He didn’t need to wander around aimlessly poking at the walls.

Rubin still hadn’t finished carving out the boar. He was only cutting specific parts of the monster.

Shouren put down the four shards and stared up into the night’s sky.

Was it real or just an illusion created by the dungeon?

Shouren was unnerved. He recalled the scene of the demonic red chains coming out of his chest. He couldn’t fathom what it was or what it wanted from him. Why did it even pick him? He was a nobody. Shouren didn’t have great strength or superhuman qualities. He was even shorter than others his age.

So why was this thing inside him? And what did it get in return for giving him his corrupted abilities?

Shouren felt his mind crumbling under the weight of those thoughts. He already knew that he was no longer the same kid before he entered the dungeon. He could feel his thoughts changing every day.

And that terrified him.

“If you were done with sharding the card, you could have at least started the campfire going.”

Rubin arrived before Shouren, carrying huge chunks of meat on his shoulder. He had a wry expression on his face, watching Shouren stare deeply into the night.

Shouren looked like he was wrestling with demons. More likely, the brat was planning on ways to mooch off the [Uncommon] cards from him.

“Oh, right! I’ll go gather some sticks. Also, here are your shards, Rubin. You can keep all four of them this time. It’s thanks for healing my hands.”

Shouren bounced up and placed the four shards before Rubin. He wanted to give Rubin his other shards as well, but that was too risky. Shouren didn’t even entertain the thought of giving Rubin his own cards. That was too far. He’d rather die than pass up his cards for free.

Rubin gawked at the sight. The brat was actually parting with his loot. Did Shouren stumble on his head in the past few minutes?

Shouren didn’t wait to see Rubin’s expression. He bolted to pick the fallen sticks on the ground. He wanted to divert his mind away from the scary thoughts. Away from the fact that there was something inside him.

Was it watching him right now?

Shouren’s chest vibrated.

[uy<lj7-=fe3]

The demonic crimson chains thrummed in response.

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 19%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 1/1 - Dimensional Vault [Rare]

Lumen: 5/20 (-5)

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: F

Intelligence: E

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite>

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Veinreader [Uncommon]

3 - Locked

Cardsmith Recipes:

Tier 0 - Spectral Threads [Common]

CHAPTER 16

“Can I shave your head once we get out of this?”

Shouren yelled to his side, desperately paddling his arms within the river. He was swimming as fast as he could, his legs making loud splashes over the water.

“How was I supposed to know how many dire wolves were in that pack, little goblin? Besides, it was your fault that the rest of the pack came out. You were munching on that boar rib like it was the last meal you’ll ever have. That smell lured the other dire wolves to us. Also, why are you so fixated on my hair, you brat?”

Rubin was in the same position as Shouren, frantically swimming away.

It had been two days since Rubin had killed the enormous boar. Since then, the pair of teenagers actively sought other monsters while staying clear of any large herds. Rubin fought the creatures and then Shouren sharded the cards later.

During this time, they also modified their original agreement. Shouren suggested that he be allowed to buy any class cards dropped by monsters with his share of the shards. Shouren made sure to add this time around that it was ‘all’ class cards and not just the [Common] ones.

Shouren had two reasons for doing this. First, he didn’t want to cheat Rubin any more by using his Dimensional Vault card. He would still cheat others, but Shouren considered Rubin a good friend by now. Most kids in the village scorned him, and Shouren had no friends growing up. It didn’t help that no one in the slums trusted each other.

Rubin was different. The older teen was impulsive, but he genuinely cared for other people. He had plenty of opportunities to take advantage of Shouren. He could have forced Shouren to shard without payment or told the younger teen to act as bait for the monsters. There was no law within the dungeon. Yet Rubin didn’t do any of that.

Second, Shouren simply didn’t want to store any more of those mediocre shards. He had to shard Rubin’s cards without using his Veinreader trait, but that also meant he was left with an inferior shard. After discovering the possibilities with his new trait, Shouren decided to only absorb the smallest and most optimal shards. He didn’t forget his grandma’s advice.

By handing over the normal shards to Rubin, he ensured Rubin could absorb all the shards of the same card, while also having the option to purchase the class cards without feeling guilt.

Rubin liked the idea as well. He accepted the amendment and set the price of the [Common] class card to 3 shards and the price of the [Uncommon] to 15 shards. It was still extremely cheap for Shouren, as no merchant in the town would ever agree to this deal.

Rubin didn’t need the class cards. He would have just sold them later, but didn’t mind helping Shouren. To simply hand over unearned cards would be against his clan’s principles, but the current arrangement was acceptable.

“Can you dive?”

Rubin glanced behind, his face contorted when he saw the pack of fourteen dire wolves relentlessly chasing them down. Their figures were a blur as rushed on both sides of the river bank.

“No, I can barely keep my head over the water. Shoot some firebolts at them or throw your dagger!”

Shouren sputtered out a mouthful of water. They had been in the water for over 20 minutes and his lumen reserves were pitiful. It was already a miracle that he could swim for this long without breaks.

“I’m a blasted Healer, not a mage! You can shoot a lumen bolt, so go ahead. No way am I throwing my precious dagger.”

Rubin swam closer to Shouren.

“I don’t have any cards with me. Give me yours and I’ll shoot the lumen bolts.”

Shouren huffed, his breaths wheezing out of his chest. Looking at the ghastly wolves, a mere lumen bolt wouldn’t even cripple them. The pack howled in unison, blood-thirst filling the area.

Rubin clicked his tongue in response. His Healer class card didn’t have a single offensive ability. At least the Cardsmiths had one attack ability, although it was weak enough that it might as well not exist. It’s why he didn’t persuade the obviously lying Shouren.

Throwing the dagger was out of the question. The Lumen Weapon was worth Rubin’s entire fortune.

“Hold your breath and tap me on the arm when you get close to running out of air.”

Rubin’s sapphire eyes flared with decisiveness as he grabbed Shouren’s arm and pulled him down under the river’s surface. Rubin then positioned himself below Shouren’s body while clasping the younger teen’s arms across his shoulders like a human backpack. Using only the thrust of his legs, Rubin wove through the depths of the river with Shouren on his back.

Fortunately, the river current helped Rubin expend less energy, especially with the added weight. The teenagers could hear the faint, confused howls of the dire wolves in the background.

Rubin prayed Shouren could hold on for another minute. With their scent and figures obscured from the wolves’ sight, they could escape this situation unscathed.

Meanwhile, Shouren’s body relaxed in relief. He was close to using his corrupted abilities if the situation became more dire. He could always blame it on using another ‘trinket’, but that was a major risk with Rubin swimming so close to him. They had all seen his [Common] Cardsmith class card, but they might still become suspicious.

The pair continued to glide underneath the river, and Shouren also used his legs to propel them faster. It had been over 45 seconds and they could no longer hear the wolves anymore. The water dampened the outside sounds, but Rubin made a call that it was safe and swam to the surface. He overestimated how long he could hold his breath with another person on top of him.

“What a close call.”

Seeing no dire wolves around, Rubin dropped Shouren beside him before a fit of coughs took over him.

“Alright, I’m adding diving to the list of skills I need to work on.”

Shouren joined Rubin and coughed out any of the river water remaining inside his mouth.

Soon after, the two took off their shirts and let them dry on the pile of nearby rocks.

“I managed to swipe these cards before the dire wolves got their reinforcements.”

Rubin grinned with satisfaction, showing Shouren five glowing cards in his hand. The two party members were lounging on the forest glade, chewing on some cooked monster meat as they restored their lumen.

Rubin missed the cards of a couple of wolves, but the attack wasn’t a complete failure in the end.

They were four [Common] cards and one [Uncommon] card. All of them were spell cards.

Shouren snuck a look inside his vault. The two days of hunting and sharding had him net him an additional 5 more [Common] class cards on top of the 2 class cards he got through the coin flip. In total, Shouren now had 37 [Common] class cards sitting in his vault. He had purchased those 5 class cards from Rubin with his normal shards.

He still had 7 more of the normal shards left in his vault as no further [Common] class cards had dropped since last night. Shouren planned on saving until 15 shards to buy one of the green class cards.

Shouren took the [Common] spell cards and slowly activated his sharding ability. To keep the card from fragmenting immediately, he slowed its advance toward the four main star gates. To avoid Rubin noticing, he pretended the sharding still took the same amount of time as before.

“Hey, pumpkin-head. You didn’t really need me to come to the dungeon for sharding, right?”

Shouren muttered softly, his eyes locked onto the card before him. He didn’t meet Rubin’s eyes. After a few days in the dungeon, Shouren quickly realized that Rubin didn’t need the shards urgently, as the older teen never absorbed them.

Rubin glanced at Shouren for a few seconds without saying anything. He appeared deep in thought, his face conflicted.

Shouren finished the sharding of the first card and moved to the next one. His eyes never leaving the cards.

“No, that was a lie.”

Rubin exhaled silently. He had a feeling the smart kid would eventually notice it.

Shouren worked quietly on the cards.

“Well, not a complete lie. I do need the shards. I will soon enter the Chamber of Ascendance for my Tier 1 evolution, and in case the first attempt fails, I need the shards to get back to 80% synchronization without delay.”

Rubin started talking while Shouren listened, his ears perked up. He was done with the second card and now sharding the third one.

“But you’re right. I didn’t need you to come into the dungeon. I could have had you shard them later.”

Rubin looked away at the flowing waves of water on the river.

“Me, Isola, and Thalin will leave the town in a few days. We weren’t supposed to stay here for this long. Isola isn’t a scout, she’s a recruiter. We were passing through your town when the guild’s order came to check what Sunspire was doing by closing the dungeon for a few days.”

Rubin continued, his sapphire eyes flickering.

“An actual reconnaissance team from the guild would arrive in the town, and then all three of us would leave, heading into the 20th floor, the headquarters of the Starhaven Guild. I’ll undergo my training there, and once I sign the contract, I’ll officially be a member of the guild.”

Shouren had sharded all four of the cards now, leaving him with 11 normal shards in his vault.

“You’re being very casual with revealing all this information. That means you also tricked me by saying Isola and Thalin would kill me if they found out I knew about your identities.”

Shouren’s brows furrowed in thought. He always thought Rubin was being sketchy that day. After interacting with him in the dungeon, Shouren knew Rubin wasn’t a complete dolt to spill out secrets that recklessly.

Rubin looked at Shouren with amusement, the corner of his eyes twinkling in mirth.

“Alright, little goblin. Time to come clean with you.”

Shouren folded his arms over his chest and waited.

“I needed to find a reason to scare you into staying with me in the dungeon. You don’t seem like the type to listen with no incentives, so I sprinkled in a bit of a threat for some flair. Hey, don’t look at me like that, kid! I already knew you were curious about who we were, so this hit two birds with one stone.”

Rubin raised his arms in protest after seeing the repulsed look on Shouren’s face.

“Isola told you to reveal your guild to me, right?”

Shouren tilted his head, musing over his encounter with the bubbly woman. Rubin didn’t seem like someone who planned moves to this extent. This fits more with Isola’s style.

“Yeah, she told me to slip it into a conversation and pretend it was an accident. I think I did a great job with that, eh? I fooled you for a long time.”

Rubin beamed with pride, patting himself on the cheek.

“It worked for a while, but it was mostly because I was afraid of Isola and Thalin. I think Isola expected you wouldn’t be able to fool me for so long. What did she say to tell me when I found out the truth?”

Shouren’s hazel eyes bore into Rubin. The shorter, younger teen was intimidating the older teen with ease, putting Rubin on the backpedal.

“No wonder that bunny-hopper likes you so much. You’re just like her! If not for your dark hair and green eyes, I would think you were her long-lost son or something. You’re correct, little goblin. Isola instructed me to take you into the dungeon and then disclose our identities. I had to do it in the dungeon, because no one else would be able to hear us and, in case you talked to someone else, we would have already completed our mission by then.”

Rubin shrugged and rolled his shoulders. They had been aching after carrying Shouren through the river. Since he had decided to come clean to Shouren, there was no longer any point in subterfuge.

“But why tell me you guys were from Starhaven guild and dangle the information about traits?”

Shouren couldn’t figure out why they had to go through these many loops. It was too long-winded of an approach.

“Well…”

Rubin hesitated here for a moment.

“I requested Isola to give me permission to teach you about traits. There’s a reason why you and others in the small villages don’t have the knowledge about traits in general. It’s kept hidden from the common people. If this information was widespread, people with [Common] class cards would do anything in desperation to unlock their second trait before the evolution.”

Rubin reached out and took his share of the shards from the ground. Then continued talking.

“Only certain guilds have the information about traits and even then, they only disclose it to people with [Rare] class cards and above. At first, I wanted to ask Isola to recruit you into the guild, but with your [Common] class card, it would be instantly rejected. So, I wanted to at least give you a higher chance of getting a [Uncommon] class card evolution when you enter the Chamber of Ascendance.”

Pumpkin-head did this all for me? He’s counting on that impossible chance I would be able to evolve my [Common] class card during the Tier 1 evolution. Rubin doesn’t know that I can upgrade my class card even before that.

Shouren’s heart warmed. The only shot Cardists with [Common] class cards had was to bet everything on their evolution. If they succeeded, they could become Tier 1. And, if they hit the lottery, their class card could also evolve along with their Tier. However, the odds of that happening were absurdly low. Shouren had only heard of a few hundred people out of millions ever evolving their [Common] class card.

It’s why he was so shocked when he found out that his corrupted abilities allowed him to do precisely that and with a 100% success rate.

“Do you really think I’ll be able to evolve to Tier 1 and continue on that path?”

Shouren clenched his fist, his emotions surging. No one except for his grandma had believed in him. Shouren had never met his parents, and Rhea refused to talk about them, saying he wasn’t old enough. But Rubin believed in him.

“Not just me, kid. Isola and Thalin believe you can as well. That’s why they took the risk and told me to reveal our identities to you. If, in the future, you reach Tier 1 and evolve your class card, you know where to find us. Your current synchronization should be below 5%, so you have plenty of years until you even attempt the evolution.”

Rubin placed his hands over his back and took a sniff of his pits. He nodded with a pleased expression. He didn’t need to take a bath for a few more days after his dip in the river.

“Why…”

Shouren’s eyes moistened, and his hands trembling slightly. He wanted to ask why believe in him to this extent? Why give him the opportunity to join them? Why give him knowledge about the traits? Why give him hope?

Why?

A long silence spread around them. The river water splashed against the bank, while the branches on trees swayed with the gentle breeze.

“Because I can, Shouren.”

Rubin’s voice pierced through Shouren’s thoughts. This was the first time Rubin had addressed him as ‘Shouren’.

“I don’t need anything from you, kid. And neither can you give me what I want in life. That’s my path to take. I simply help, because I have the power to do so. That’s it. I don’t like thinking too much, and just do what I want. Life is much simpler that way.”

Rubin smiled at Shouren, but his face then morphed abruptly.

“Bad luck, little goblin. Save the discussion for another time.”

Rubin got up, slowly removing his dagger from his back.

Shouren understood the signal and crouched on his feet, ready to bolt.

A single flaming baboon monster was rushing at them, swinging from one tree to another. Its smoldering fur turning the passing leaves into ash on contact. The monster’s bloodshot eyes riveted towards the two humans. It shrieked in pleasure before pouncing on Shouren.

It wanted to finish the smaller one first.

“That’s kind of rude, you melting marshmallow. I’m much better looking than that kid.”

Rubin dashed ahead, placing his body before Shouren, and his dagger calmly pointed at the incoming monster.

“This fellow is blind, little goblin. You agree that I’m more handsome than you, right?”

Rubin flashed a grin at his younger party member. The baboon’s snarling fangs were almost about to land on the blonde teen.

Shouren shook his head vehemently, laughing on the inside.

Rubin’s glowing dagger danced in the air.

You really are the coolest, pumpkin-head!

It was late in the night.

Shouren peeked through his half-opened eyelid at the sleeping figure beside him. Rubin lay on his back, his limbs spread wide, and his chest rising with deep breaths. After killing the flaming baboon monster, the pair had hunted a few more monsters before making camp for the night.

Shouren had amassed another [Common] class card and added 6 more normal shards to his previous collection. He finally had enough to trade a [Uncommon] class card with Rubin, but he held back.

There was something Shouren had to test today.

Without shifting from his prone position, Shouren summoned a normal shard from his vault and into his palm. He was going to absorb the shard. It was his first time doing so, but he was familiar with the process. He had seen Rhea do it many times.

Shouren sent a trickle of lumen into the shard and watched it immediately sink into his skin. A wispy string of energy seemed to pass into his chest, where his class card resided.

But nothing happened.

Shouren checked his status. It displayed the same 19% synchronization he had started with a few minutes ago.

This is why I don’t like sharding.

Shouren complained as he took out another normal shard. His frugal mind resisted splurging the shards on himself. Absorbing one didn’t even have any effect. How many would he need to raise his synchronization by 1%?

The second normal-sized shard dissolved into his hand as well, the wispy string of unknown energy slithering towards his class card.

Once again, no change occurred.

My chronas… This is the last one, and then I’m done.

Shouren sniffed, his hand shaking as he took out yet another shard, repeating the process.

However, this time, the wispy string thrummed slightly, resonating with something inside the class card. Shouren saw a flash of images in his mind, but it vanished too quickly.

[Synchronization: 20%]

Finally, my synchronization moved!

Shouren frowned. If it took 3 normal shards for his synchronization to move from 19% to 20%, how many would it take in the later stages? Shouren knew from Rhea that it gradually took more and more shards to increase each % at the higher levels.

After confirming the normal shards, Shouren took out one of the smallest shards from the 8-piece collection. He wanted to see what the difference would be. Shouren injected a part of his lumen into the small shard.

The shard shimmered for a second before it shot into his palm. Shouren’s body rocked with alarm. A plethora of wisps swirled towards his chest. The class card rejected most of the wisps, but whenever it saw a certain wisp, it greedily absorbed the translucent string.

[Synchronization: 21%]

[Synchronization: 22%]

His synchronization continued to climb at every wisp’s absorption.

A series of images flashed behind Shouren’s irises, his insights into the Cardsmith class deepening every second.

CHAPTER 17

Shouren could feel something grasping at the back of his mind. It was like his brain was inside a shuttle, driving him through a complex web of maze and towards a specific destination.

His class card repelled another set of wisps, making that drive slow down, almost like it was running out of fuel. The class card absorbed another wisp, rekindling the shuttle and jostling it ahead into the maze.

[Synchronization: 23%]

The remaining wisps were all rejected by the class card, and the shard had completely dissipated. Shouren could sense a fragment of knowledge in the distance, but it kept eluding him.

This single shard alone pushed my synchronization by 3%.

Shouren mused as he quickly took out another small shard of the same set. He now understood why individual shards weren’t worth a lot, and why people brought specific cards to shard. There was some type of resonance there.

Before the illusory web could vanish, Shouren consumed the second shard without hesitation.

[Synchronization: 24%]

[Synchronization: 25%]

[Synchronization: 26%]

He was halfway to the center of the maze. He could vaguely feel it. Shouren devoured another shard of the same set. He was on his third shard.

[Synchronization: 27%]

[Synchronization: 28%]

However, the 3rd shard only raised his synchronization by a further 2%.

It’s slowing down.

Shouren cursed, taking out another shard. He knew the sharding gave diminishing results the more he used it. The small shards were still significantly more potent than the normal shards, but their effects were gradually tapering off.

Shouren didn’t want to slow down, and he threw all caution to the wind. He summoned the remaining four shards in his vault and stacked them over the one he already had in his hand. One by one, he consumed the shards without a break.

His 4th shard raised his synchronization by another 2%

[Synchronization: 29%]

[Synchronization: 30%]

The 5th shard by 2% again. Shouren was close to the center of the maze now.

[Synchronization: 31%]

[Synchronization: 32%]

The 6th shard only raised a single 1%. A few more steps were all that remained.

[Synchronization: 33%]

The 7th shard by 1% again. Shouren could feel something brushing against his mind now.

[Synchronization: 34%]

Shouren’s class card thrummed inside his chest. He squeezed the final shard, its wisps charging with momentum towards his class card.

The class card rejected all the wisps, its glow dying down, and the mental construct of the maze inside Shouren’s mind shattered into phantasmal particles.

What just happened!?

Shouren almost yelled out loud before catching himself. Rubin was still sound asleep on the side. He was so close to arriving at the center of the maze.

It’s a concept, or a technique.

Shouren racked his brains for an answer. The slight touch with that unknown thing in the maze had given him clues as to what it was. If he mapped all his insights onto a maze, the different sections would lead to different insights. He instinctively knew that the shards didn’t create that maze.

It already existed inside his mind.

The shards were like a compass that could navigate through the web and guide him to specific insights within his subconscious. That was why the class card repelled the incompatible wisps. Because it only resonated with the wisps that were compatible with his insights.

The larger shards had too many intertwined locks of wisps. Even if there was a single wisp that the class card could absorb, the other mismatched wisps glued to it caused it to be repelled by the class card. Conversely, the smaller shards frequently produced individual wisps that the class card could easily absorb.

Shouren now comprehended why the shards increased the synchronization rate. They were like dense fragments of energy that pushed relevant insights to the forefront of your mind.

It wasn’t a complete waste then. The next time I absorb similar wisps from a similar shard, I’ll return back to the spot where I last stopped.

Shouren couldn’t know for sure, but he felt it was true. That particular insight was there in his mind, and if he could attain a few more identical wisps, he could seize that insight without repeating the entire journey.

All wisps led to different insights.

Shouren didn’t want to stop here. He was on the cusp of understanding his sharding ability.

Shouren took in a long breath. And another shard appeared in his hand. It was from the set of six shards. The same card that unlocked his Veinreader trait. The sensation of his synchronization going up was addicting. He felt more full… more complete.

The slightly bigger shard shimmered and seeped into Shouren’s palm. Struck by an idea, Shouren triggered his Veinreader trait. A pale green, runic pattern hovered in front of his left eye.

Nothing.

The wisps were the same as in his normal vision.

It’s not a card, is that why?

Shouren deactivated the trait, and observed the new trail of wisps. He noticed that the larger shard had more of the wisps bundled together, with several individual wisps.

His class card rejected the first individual wisp that approached. A cluster of intertwined wisps were the next in line. Shouren turned his attention to the next individual wisp, but suddenly, the bundle of wisps were sucked into his class card.

The web of maze flickered back in his mind, the shuttle thrusting ahead with full force. Shouren was in a different part of the maze, but this insight was already close to him.

[Synchronization: 35%]

Shouren was confused. Why did the class card accept the cluster of wisps?

The shard is from Spectral Threads! It’s a card I forged myself.

It finally dawned on Shouren. He already had the recipe for the Spectral Threads spell card, and its signature was woven into the fabric of his consciousness. He could feel his class card throbbing with excitement.

Shouren didn’t hesitate. He grabbed the remaining five shards and crushed them together. He was going to use all the momentum to reach that insight.

[Synchronization: 36%]

His class card had already consumed three of the shards, and Shouren could see the brilliant ball of insight floating in the center of the maze. The shuttle didn’t have to travel far. He was already close to grasping this insight before the shards.

The final three shards dissolved into wisps, and Shouren’s body tingled as a strong pulse washed over him. He touched that glowing ball of insight.

A torrent of knowledge flooded into his mind. It was his insight about lumen control. All lumen was wild in its nature. It had to be tamed. A Cardsmith didn’t need potent lumen or explosive lumen like the combatant class cards. Instead, their focus should be on controlling the lumen into threads. The more threads a Cardsmith could weave, the more powerful their forged cards.

Shouren closed his eyes and breathed in the newfound revelation. He was already on this path, but now the insight confirmed it. Back when his card exploded during the sharding process, Shouren had reflexively split his lumen into two threads. One to stabilize the card’s frame, and the other one to poke the card’s veins.

He didn’t realize it then, but he had already stepped onto the path of lumen control. It was simply buried in the back of his mind.

[Synchronization: 37%]

[Synchronization: 38%]

Shouren opened his eyes, his hazel green irises brimmed with ecstasy. He looked down at his palm and channeled his lumen. The tendrils curled around Shouren’s arm, and once he then sent a command, the lumen obeyed and twisted to split apart into two threads.

Shouren watched in fascination. The threads were akin to his arms. He could freely move them around. Shouren then tried to split them again into four.

The lumen spluttered and choked before rapidly dissipating. A sharp pang went through Shouren’s brain.

Ouch! It’s like splitting my mind into two.

He shook his head as the pain slowly receded.

However, that failure didn’t faze Shouren. He was excited. What would he be able to do with multiple lumen threads? Were other Cardsmiths capable of this?

I should sleep, Rubin said tomorrow is the last day in the dungeon.

Shouren yawned, shifting his body on the earthy ground and preparing to sleep.

No, wait, the wisps in the shards are not a concept or technique like I initially thought. They’re memories of the original card!

Shouren shivered, frozen in place. He sensed he was onto to something. The wisps didn’t impart new concepts. It helped the existing insights by joining their memories together.

The flashing notification confirmed Shouren’s suspicions.

[Synchronization: 39%]

The card’s frame is its body, the channels are its veins, the lumen is the blood coursing through it, and if the wisps are the card’s memories…

…then does that make it the card’s

…soul?

[Synchronization: 40%]

Shouren woke up to rough grating noises bombarding his ears. When he got up to see where the sound was coming from, he found Rubin bent over a large patch of dirt, squiggling away with a small stick.

“Ah, you’re awake, little goblin. Seeing as it’s our last day in the dungeon, I thought I should teach you some basics about how the dungeon works. You’ll eventually need to join other parties in the future, and most of them would already know this information.”

Rubin glanced back, waving at Shouren to come join him.

Unlike Shouren, most kids who wanted to venture into the dungeon started their formal education years prior. Although the major guilds mandated that all towns and cities provide free basic education to all children, Rubin saw Shouren was largely ignorant of dungeon-related matters.

Rubin didn’t want to probe Shouren about his circumstances or ask why he had never attended the school. Rubin could already make a vague guess after becoming familiar with Shouren’s personality.

“What is this garbage handwriting?”

Shouren squinted his eyes, struggling to read what Rubin had etched into the ground. Rubin had cleared the patch of any grass, revealing the wet, compact dirt beneath. The patch was then further divided into sections with various diagrams and text.

“Shut up, brat! I’m trying to help you.”

Rubin scowled, slapping Shouren on the back of the head. Ignoring Shouren’s yelp, Rubin explained.

“Pay attention, Shouren. It’s absolutely vital that you don’t stay longer than 6 days on this floor. While everyone knows that the first floor is the tutorial, there is a secret boss that spawns if you cross that threshold.”

Rubin’s words instantly caught Shouren’s attention.

He’s talking about that lightning beast!

“I will not go into details about that hidden boss, but if any party you join crosses the second day without completing the required three monster kills, then run away and try to do it on your own. Without the option of leaving the dungeon, you will die if you face that hidden boss.”

Rubin drew his stick and pointed at one of the sections he doodled on the dirt. There was a drawing attached to the section and only now did Shouren realize it was a sketch of the lightning beast. Shouren thought it was a recipe for cooking chicken at first. The bird had a fat belly and flying upside down.

Pumpkin-head probably forgot he drew this from the other side of the dirt patch and then added the writings later when he came on this side.

Shouren smiled wryly. However, he finally knew why that monstrous lightning beast appeared right over him that day. It was actually a hidden boss monster. Shouren’s spine shivered at what would have happened if he hadn’t already had the option to exit the dungeon.

I want to kill it.

Shouren’s eyes hardened when he recalled the burns he’d sustained that day. Without his corrupted abilities, Shouren would have been zapped to death. He wasn’t an idiot. Until he mustered a plan with a 90% success rate, Shouren wouldn’t attempt to fight that savage beast. He wasn’t a warrior with a lone sword.

He was a Cardsmith with an army of cards.

“Remember to always sign a system contract when you join a new party. The contract will have the loot distribution, your assigned duties, and any extra payment terms. The dungeon will give out rewards at the end based on everyone’s contribution. Since the dungeon doesn’t classify non-combatants’ contribution if they don’t directly attack the monster, it’s important to add the clause for extra payment in the contract.”

Rubin tapped another section on the dirt. There was a drawing of two stick figures. One figure was kneeling down while the other figure was whipping it.

Shouren raised his brow at Rubin.

“Does that mean at the end of the floor’s rewards, I won’t be getting anything? Pumpkin-head, you didn’t tell me about this before we agreed on our contract!”

Shouren accused Rubin.

“Ehem, I was saving it for an important lesson, kid. This way, you’ll always remember to add this clause in the future. Alright, next point. Immediately join the Cardsmith guild once you leave the dungeon.”

Rubin shrugged off the accusation and moved his stick to the last section.

At the mention of the ‘Cardsmith Guild’, Shouren’s eyes streaked with red. His small fists seethed with rage. He forgot all about the contract.

Rubin didn’t notice the abrupt change in the air and continued.

“They are a neutral guild and not associated with any factions. Until you pick a faction, joining them won’t be an issue. They can teach you the basics of how to use your abilities. I know you don’t want to reveal your recipe to others, little goblin, but the guild will have a card smithy that you can rent in secret using your trinket— Eh? What are you doing, kid!?”

Shouren raised his arm and shot a wrathful Lumen Bolt at the dirt patch, causing the mound of earth to explode in a cloud of smoldering soil. He didn’t care about sacrificing a card to use his ability.

Shouren’s hazel eyes quivered with quiet fury.

Rubin was about to smack Shouren but froze mid-way when he saw the tears pooling around the edges of the younger teen’s eyes. He paused at the display of raw emotion. Shouren had always appeared to be calculating and seemed older than his age, but Rubin could see the pain flickering behind that youthful face. He forgot the kid had only recently undergone his awakening.

Shouren took in rapid gulps of air as he tried to calm his pounding heart. Rubin stood patiently waiting. After what seemed like hours, Shouren finally dropped his head in shame.

“I’m sorry, Rubin. I couldn’t control myself.”

Shouren whispered, his small chest rising and falling. A shadow loomed across his haunted face.

“Did the Cardsmith Guild do something to you?”

Rubin asked in a calm voice. It was difficult to administer the guild branches away from the major cities and they were liable to use shady tactics in conjunction with the local government. It had gotten worse since the Starhaven Guild turned all their focus into clearing the 27th floor.

Shouren slowly shook his head.

“Your grandmother?”

Rubin paused briefly and asked in a low voice. He was aware that Shouren only had a single alive family member, his grandmother. Things started to make sense. Shouren would only lose control if the matter concerned his family.

Shouren raised his head, and his bloodshot eyes bore into Rubin. The older teen saw something dark pass through Shouren’s hazel eyes. For an instant, Rubin thought he saw a flicker of fiendish crimson chains wrapped around Shouren’s skinny body, but they quickly vanished when he blinked.

I should have slept for a few more hours.

Rubin rubbed his eyes in a daze. They were hot for some strange reason. When he glanced back at Shouren, there was nothing around him.

“My grandmother used to be one of the best Tier 0 Cardsmith of the village. She had a special talent with sharding cards. No other Cardsmith in the village could copy her. It wasn’t a trait. My grandma was just naturally talented.”

Shouren tightened his fist. Memories of when he was just a small kid flashed in his mind. Rhea always wore pristine white robes and had countless clients that used her sharding services.

“But one day, there was an order passed down to every Cardsmith branch: to find Cardsmiths with any unusual talents. When that order came, the guild took my grandmother away and interrogated her for days. It continued for months. They first took away her clients, spreading false rumors about her. Then, they ransacked our home looking for something, claiming that she stole the guild’s valuables.”

Shouren’s cheeks were drenched in tears. He remembered the helpless cries Rhea gave when the guild destroyed their home. No one came to help them.

“They continued to harass us until the day my grandmother failed her Tier 1 evolution. It all suddenly stopped, and they left her alone. But the damage was already done. No one in the village trusted my grandmother any more. She had to beg to shard cards for others and do it for cheaper than she could afford.”

Shouren wiped his cheeks on his shoulder. This is why he hated the Cardsmith class. He hated the other Cardsmiths for letting that happen to his grandmother. He hated the one who sent that order to hunt suspiciously talented Cardsmiths.

Rubin’s eyes widened. He recalled that incident a few years ago. He was still a kid in school, but he remembered the frenzy in the city’s Cardsmith Guild. They were searching for some Cardsmith. He didn’t know why, as they kept the details of that order secret, but the whole city buzzed about it. After a few years, it eventually died down when nothing came of it.

“I will not join the Cardsmith Guild.”

Shouren spoke with fiery eyes.

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 40%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 1/1 - Dimensional Vault [Rare]

Lumen: 15/20 (-5)

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: F

Intelligence: E

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite>

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Veinreader [Uncommon]

3 - Locked

Cardsmith Recipes:

Tier 0 - Spectral Threads [Common]

CHAPTER 18

“Little goblin, I can ask Isola to look into the branch’s history and try to sort out things with them and your grandma. I know life has not been fair to your family, but it doesn’t mean everyone at the Cardsmith Guild are bad people.”

Rubin sighed and walked towards Shouren.

When higher-ups usually issued such orders, the guilds would attempt to find scapegoats to escape completing the tasks. Especially since there was no hierarchy among the factions. Starhaven was the undisputed strongest faction, but Sunspire came a close second, and there was Verdura, and many other collection of guilds and kingdoms.

This made it impossible to establish a single dominant ruler among them. That was why the Starhaven’s leader moved in secret and looked for ways to evolve to Tier 7. With the birth of the first Tier 7 Cardist, he could unite all the factions under him.

Until then, corruption would ensue to rot the chains of command.

“I don’t care about them, and I don’t need their help. I will work on my class abilities on my own.”

Shouren refused firmly. No way would he join the same people that humiliated his grandma. Unlike Rhea, Shouren was a young, promising Cardsmith. Rhea had a unique talent, but she was still old and not worth the investment from the guild’s perspective. On the other hand, Shouren could still be molded into their liking.

Joining the Cardsmith Guild would also give Shouren an alibi for his card recipe and provide him with an additional layer of protection. Of course, they would first demand its source, and then allocate a cut of the profits. This was the route most Cardsmiths took before they joined a more powerful faction, becoming their exclusive Cardsmith.

Rubin worried for Shouren. The younger teen was occasionally reckless, like the incident with blowing up his hands in an attempt to exceed the sharding limits set by the system. If Shouren could get the tutelage of professional Cardsmiths, at least he would be in safe hands until he learned the basics of his class.

Rubin wanted to push a little more, but something inside him warned against it.

“Alright, kid. I will not force you. You’re plenty resourceful on your own.”

“But if you ever reconsider, I would suggest going to the Cardsmith Guild branch in the city of Thales. It’s the closest trade city to your town, and only a few days’ ride on a horse. None of the folks there have anything to do with mistreating your grandmother, and it could be a fresh start for both of you.”

Rubin ended his speech, raising his palm in the air to let Shouren know he was dropping the matter here.

Thales? I heard about that city from the merchants talking in the market. It’s the major trade hub in the surrounding area and most of the town’s wares come from there.

Shouren lodged the name in his mind, but didn’t dwell on it further. He had no intention of ever joining the Cardsmith Guild. Rhea was too old and frail to travel a few days on the road, and besides, Shouren didn’t think his grandma would like to leave her home.

He didn’t need the guild. Shouren would venture into the dungeon on his own, collect enough cards for this class card upgrade, and then evolve his grandmother’s class card as well. Both of them would be fine on their own.

“I still didn’t forget about the part where you scammed me of my final floor loot, pumpkin-head.”

Shouren nodded at Rubin’s suggestion. But then, his face distorted when he remembered what Rubin had been talking about. His loot!

“It’s not my fault, kid. It’s the rules set by the dungeon!”

Rubin chuckled nervously as Shouren’s eyes stared at him with accusation.

“Then give me some of your loot at the end.”

Shouren scowled. It was one thing to deceive him contractually, but trying to pocket his loot was a grave issue. Shouren would never let it slide.

“I can’t, little goblin. At the end of the floor, I’ll be using the portal directly to the Starhaven Guild’s base. I won’t be able to see you once we exit the floor.”

Rubin explained to the miffed Shouren. That was the advantage of having a base on the 10th or the 20th floor. You could use the dungeon’s portal to travel instantly between them. If Rubin returned to the town, then he would have to wait for the cooldown to pass before using the portal again.

“Make a system contract with me stating that you’ll hand 50% of the floor rewards when you next see me.”

Shouren held out his hand, refusing to budge until Rubin agreed.

“The original deal was that you would simply be a spectator and shard the cards while I killed all the monsters. It’s true that I didn’t disclose about the contribution system, but 50% of the rewards is hardly fair. I’ll give you 10% as an apology.”

Rubin stared at Shouren with an unbelievable expression. Shouren had the audacity to demand 50% of the rewards when he basically just sat and enjoyed the dungeon run.

“Where is your conscience, pumpkin-head? You tried to trick a poor slum kid. I want 49%”

Shouren remained steadfast in his negotiation.

“Who would consider you an innocent kid? I saw you gnaw on a raw monster leg with blood dribbling down your chin. That’s not a normal kid! 10% is the final offer. Either take that or stick with your 0%.”

Rubin snorted in response. He was used to the Shouren’s antics by now. Give an inch to Shouren, and the kid would take your entire family’s fortunes with him.

“48% or I’ll tell Isola that you secretly have a crush on her.”

Shouren smirked and used his ultimate blackmail strategy.

“Don’t care. I already proposed to her long ago.”

Rubin beamed with pride. Shouren had no leverage on him.

“Dude, she’s like 40 years old.”

Shouren gawked at Rubin. The older teen had no shame.

“You’re too young to know this, little goblin. But true love has no boundaries.”

Rubin was unfazed and chided Shouren in a sagely tone.

“I think Thalin is dating her.”

Shouren quietly dropped a bomb on Rubin’s dreams.

“H-How do you know this?”

Rubin choked on his words.

“47% and I’ll give you the evidence.”

Shouren was focused on the task. He wanted that loot, no matter what.

“11% and I’ll consider it.”

Rubin relented in the end, but didn’t raise the offer by more than 1%.

The two continued to bicker at each other for hours until they finally settled on a conclusion. Rubin would hand 15% of the floor rewards to Shouren the next time they saw each other, and in exchange, Shouren would ask Isola if she was single or not.

Both teens smiled in satisfaction.

“Here.”

Shouren finished sharding the last card and tossed all four pieces to the nearby Rubin. The two party members had spent half the day hunting for monsters and, luckily, they didn’t encounter another large pack like the earlier dire wolves.

A mound of crushed shells lay scattered across the grassland, trails of slimy mucus leaking through the chitinous cracks. A clutter of dead snail corpses lay still underneath the warm sunlight.

[Floor 1 Clear Conditions: Kill 3 Tier 0 entities]

[Current Kills: 27/3]

[Updated: Kill count exceeded clear conditions. Increased floor rewards will be distributed upon exit or new floor.]

[Exit: Yes/No]

[Enter Floor 2: Yes/No]

Pumpkin-head killed all of them by himself, and it took him only a few days.

Shouren saw the blinking notification and let out a low whistle. Back then, Shouren had taken an entire week to kill 16 monsters, and he thought that was an impressive number. And Rubin had a non-combatant class card just like him.

“You already bought the last [Common] class card. That means you should have 16 shards left, right?”

Rubin inquired with amusement as the shards rested on his palm.

“Uh-huh.”

Shouren looked at Rubin, his lips curling upwards. Both knew what was going to happen.

“Go ahead, little goblin. Tell me which [Uncommon] class card you want.”

Rubin laughed, taking out three green cards with his other hand. These were the only [Uncommon] class cards that dropped from all the monsters combined. He didn’t know why Shouren was so enamored with the green class cards, but he let the peculiar little Cardsmith have his pick.

Tier 0 - Armorsmith [Uncommon]

Tier 0 - Dark Archer [Uncommon]

Tier 0 - Appraiser [Uncommon]

Shouren didn’t hesitate and snatched the Armorsmith [Uncommon] class card. He didn’t know the actual worth of each card in chronas, but the Armorsmith class card resonated with him. In the end, it wouldn’t matter which [Uncommon] class card he absorbed later, but Shouren thought it was the best sounding one from the lot.

With today’s two hunts, Shouren now held 40 [Common] class cards and a single normal shard which was sitting on Rubin’s palm.

I almost forgot! I have to complete the card order for Isola.

Thinking about his nice stack of class cards, Shouren remembered the deal he’d previously signed with Isola. He had to deliver 10 Spectral Threads spell cards in a few days for the initial 12 class cards he took from her. Then every 10 spell cards would give him 8 [Common] class cards in return, after deducting Isola’s cut.

“Here’s your last shard, kid. Take care of yourself, and you better have at least 20% synchronization when I see you again.”

Rubin gave the last shard to Shouren and patted him on the shoulder with a dejected look on his face. He was really going to miss the strange kid. It was time to exit the dungeon and head to the guild’s base.

Shouren took the shard. After a temporary pause, he clasped Rubin’s arm and pulled him into a tight hug.

“Thank you for everything, Rubin. I learned a lot during my time with you.”

Rubin’s sapphire eyes softened as he hugged Shouren back. He sincerely hoped that he would see Shouren once again.

“Stop rubbing your grimy sweat on me, brat.”

Rubin chuckled as he pushed Shouren away.

Then, with one final wink at Shouren, Rubin vanished from the spot. He entered the room of the floor’s rewards. Unbeknown to Rubin, Shouren had snuck the final shard into his trousers. It was Shouren’s parting gift to Rubin.

Time to leave.

Shouren mentally clicked on the exit and found himself back in the familiar white room.

[Congratulations on clearing Floor 1.]

[Party contribution scores active. Current contribution: 0%]

[Awarded with 3 [Common] cards for normal clear. No additional rewards.]

[Floor 1 clear rating “B”]

Pumpkin-head, you better give me my loot when we meet.

Shouren cried at the measly dungeon rewards and exited the room.

Amidst the bustling town center, a dark-haired teen appeared at the town’s dungeon entrance. He glanced around before deciding on the direction to head. There was a faint annoyed expression on the teen’s face.

The observer noticed that the older blonde teen had not returned with the other kid.

A pair of eyes, hidden in the shadows of the market, silently watched the dark-haired teen disappear into the busy street.

Pumpkin-head better not run away.

Shouren kicked a rock on his path as he walked on the street. After seeing the ‘B’ rating on the dungeon clearing, Shouren really wanted to know how the rewards differed from a party run to a solo run.

He had initially wanted to delve into the dungeon with a party, but after discovering the contribution system, Shouren felt an aversion to that idea. It felt like a dangerous gamble, surrendering so much of his fate to the whims of others.

“Eh?”

Shouren felt something prickling his lower back when he kicked the rock. Placing his hand back there, his fingers traced a small flattened roll of parchment. His brows locked in curiosity, Shouren unfurled the rough piece of paper.

Hi there, little goblin! It’s the most handsome person in the world writing here. Thank you for the shards! (I thought you would gift me any remaining shards, but if you didn’t, then I take back my ‘Thank you’, you cold-hearted brat) I had to write this part down because if I said it to you in person, you would throw another tantrum.

Shouren rolled his eyes. He instantly knew who the owner of this garbage handwriting was. Rubin had most likely written this letter a few hours before when Shouren had multiple shards rather than a single one left. Shouren grinned and then squinted his eyes, continuing to read. Rubin had tried to fit as much of the words as he could on the tiny parchment.

I’ll write the ‘tantrum-throwing’ part at the end, so you will read everything before that. Here we go. First, don’t forget about the contract you signed with Isola. Make sure you forge the cards and deliver it inside the shop.

It will be empty by the time you read this, so when you go there, find the main table in the back and pull out the drawer below it. Place your crafted cards there and then close it. There should be a flash of light, and when you re-open it, your class cards will be inside. In case it doesn’t work the first time, come back the next day.

Shouren etched this into his memory. He was grateful for Rubin’s reminder, as he had indeed forgotten about that contract earlier. Shouren took a turn to the right. One more street and he would be back home. Shouren frowned at the mention of the ‘tantrum’, but he read on.

Ogre’s foot! I’m running out of space. Okay, I’ll skip the other part and write the main thing I wanted to tell you. It’s about the traits, kid. I apologize if you asked about them before we parted and I tried to run away. But if you forgot to ask about them, then it’s all on you, hahaha.

Shouren’s fingers squeezed the parchment. He did forget about the traits!

I was so fixed on figuring out the shards that I lost track of why I came into the dungeon in the first place.

“Damned pumpkin-head, he tricked me again!”

Shouren almost crumpled the parchment into a ball, but he held himself back. His hazel eyes angrily read the letter.

Please don’t throw a tantrum, kid. I had a very good reason for it. I actually gave you all the information you needed at the beginning. One key to unlocking a trait is doing an action without the system’s assistance. I know you wanted to know about how I unlocked my movement trait, but it wouldn’t work with you. After the awakening, the class cards don’t simply give us different abilities, but their lumen transforms our bodies as well. I can’t go into detail here, but…

Shouren strained his eyes to read the last part. Rubin had run out of space on the parchment. The sentence abruptly stopped there. Shouren had an idea and turned around the paper.

I forgot about the back. Ugh, my hands hurt, kid. I don’t feel like writing anymore. Now that you know the first step to unlock traits, just use that to discover the traits best suited for you. Don’t hit me when we meet again, and remember— walk your own path, little goblin.

Shouren sighed and placed the letter inside his vault. He couldn’t be mad at Rubin. The older teen had helped him more than anyone else. Shouren smiled with affection at the last sentence.

He had an inkling as to why Rubin didn’t tell him the exact steps to unlock traits.

When I unlocked “Veinreader”, it was a trait most suited to my Cardsmith class card. And I gained it by altering the way I used my class abilities. Is that how Rubin unlocked his traits as well? Is that why he was sure I wouldn’t be able to imitate his process?

Shouren pondered over the contents of the letter. Rubin had a Healer class card, and although Shouren didn’t know what other class abilities Rubin had besides ‘Heal’, one of them should be the basis of his trait.

Wait, I remember that pumpkin-head once said that he needed shards to unlock his third trait. Was he talking about that mental maze of insights?

Shouren mused, deep in thought. Rubin had probably left all these clues on purpose. Now that Shouren thought about it, Rubin had seemed to guide him to something without expressly saying it in words. There must be a reason why Rubin couldn’t say it.

Shouren was standing outside his home. The damaged door rattled against the whistling wind. He could hear Rhea’s shuffled movements inside.

Walk your own path, little goblin.

Shouren closed his eyes in a trance. He could sense Rubin standing beside him, encouraging him. Rubin was trying to tell him something.

Rubin was a Healer, and Shouren was a Cardsmith.

Rubin’s abilities centered on a body’s anatomy, while Shouren’s abilities were rooted in forging cards. He could feel Rubin’s ghost nodding in approval.

I never needed a trait to move like Rubin. I don’t need a trait to move faster.

Shouren took in a deep breath.

I only need a trait that lets me forge a card that can do all of that.

A calm enlightenment blossomed within Shouren, his class card softly vibrating with affirmation.

This was what Rubin had been trying to tell him from the start. Shouren wasn’t Rubin. He was a Cardsmith, and could do things only a Cardsmith could.

Forge new cards. That was his path.

[Synchronization: 41%]

However, Rubin’s ghost didn’t dissipate yet. Shouren could sense the ghost prodding him on. He was already on the cusp of it. It was there in his subconsciousness. It was a flickering ember.

Shouren kept his eyes shut. His E ranked Intelligence dashed among his fragments of memory, scouring for the source of that inexplicable feeling. He was standing on the edge of uncovering something.

Walk your own path, little goblin.

Shouren’s heart raced, his blood and lumen crashed like waves inside him. And then a burning heat exuded from his chest.

[‘j;h|lpk3/]

The fiendish chains shot inside his mind, forcefully seizing a fragment of memory evading Shouren. The scorching crimson chains imprisoned the fragment and shoved it before Shouren’s consciousness.

It was the memory where Shouren gained his insight on lumen threads. Was the corruption trying to tell him something? Without waiting for Shouren, the demonic chains growled in displeasure before drilling back inside his chest.

[wt:!1b5/ha]

Shouren shivered at the demonic chains’ presence, but it quickly left, as if it was aware of his fear. However, he could tell something was different about the chains this time around. Rather than rage, it seemed… more irritated?

It’s trying to tell me something. I got that insight after absorbing the shards. And Rubin told me he needed shards to unlock his third trait, but then he changed it to saying he needed the shards for his Tier 1 evolution. The last one cannot be a lie, so that means that both of them were the truth.

Shouren’s eyes flashed open, his hazel irises glowing with lumen. The pieces of the ethereal puzzle moved into their positions. Rubin had given him the answer long ago. Shouren raised his arm and coalesced the lumen in front of him.

The amber energy orbited his arm like a writhing snake.

Shouren sent his command, and the snake split apart in the center, birthing two smaller snakes.

No, I was doing it wrong from the beginning. It was never one thread becoming two threads. It needs to be two threads from the start.

Shouren crushed the lumen snakes and focused inside his class card. He was sending the command to the wrong thing. The command had to be sent to the original source.

“Split.”

Shouren ordered, and two trails of lumen emerged straight from the class card in his chest. The gray card thrummed with joy. Its owner finally recognized it.

CHAPTER 19

[Unlocking new Trait in progress… 3… 2… 1]

[New Trait “ um n e v r” unlocke— error]

[,nmoe{h]

A familiar scene unfolded before Shouren. The demonic chains suddenly spurt out of his chest and lashed at the trait.

Stop.

Shouren yelled inside his mind and was about to grab the chains before he remembered what happened last time he did that. Fortunately, the red-black chains listened to him.

The demonic chains stilled and turned around to face Shouren, hesitation exuding from the metallic links. The ends of the fiery chains wriggled with raw hunger. It felt like the corruption was asking for his permission.

It actually listened to me? I think it can understand my words. Let me try talking to it.

A surprised expression flickered over Shouren’s face. Unlike their first interaction, the demonic chains appeared to respond to his commands now.

Who are you?

He started with a basic question.

[lpw2=2/nw]

The chains flared, the crimson metal smoldering in response. It looked… proud?

Is it speaking through the system? Alright, no questions that require words. Let’s try again with only ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions.

Shouren quickly switched his strategy. For some strange reason, the system was translating the demonic chains’ words. Only, Shouren couldn’t speak or comprehend that language.

Can you understand me?

[-32fj.>g3/]

One end of the burning chain moved up and down in confirmation. Shouren grew excited at the acknowledgment. It really could understand his words.

How did you get inside my body?

Shouren eagerly sent his thoughts out.

[yrtw1~;h]

The demonic chains danced around the air, tracing invisible doodles, detailing its story.

I forgot, I need to stick to ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions.

Shouren mentally slapped himself and attempted again.

Do you want to eat this trait?

[py02!’m3]

The red-black chains buzzed with a primal yearning, crawling towards the new trait.

Stop! Did you eat my first trait as well?

Shouren urged the chains to a halt and resumed his prodding. He had to take its attention away from the trait. The new trait looked in a worse condition that his Veinreader back then.

[a:f252=9ty]

The fiendish chains froze with obvious discomfort before relenting to the command. The crimson metal links turned back and nodded slowly. It kept throwing furtive glances at the half-eaten trait.

Why does it want the traits so bad? I won’t get a legible answer until I can figure out what language the chains are communicating in. But it still listened to me despite the visible hunger… why?

Shouren ruminated over the present bizarre situation. He sort of felt sorry for the demonic chains.

Do you want to hurt me?

He asked after a serious pause.

[mbu73’:L]

The chains wriggled up and down, but a flicker of hesitation wavered through the metallic links before it shook its chains from side-to-side in confusion. The chains then scratched themselves in turmoil.

[l*4.tdf]

Is it telling me it originally meant me harm, but changed its mind later? No, it looks perplexed by the change as well. Does it also not know why it changed its mind?

A pang of anxiety crawled up from his spine. Shouren was dealing with an uncertain, ticking time bomb in his body. He repeated the question again.

Do you want to hurt me now or ever in the future?

[g\a+qwr#e]

The scorching chains shook the ends of its links, gradually becoming more sure of itself.

Can I trust it?

Shouren sighed in relief, but a shadow of fear lingered inside the back of his mind. He didn’t know what kind of entity he was dealing with. A mere touch of its chains had inflicted more severe burns than the previous lightning beast. Until Shouren found a way to get rid of the corrupted chains, it would remain a constant, uncertain threat within.

I’ll worry about that later. I need to save this trait for now. This is a trait connected to my lumen, and I absolutely refuse to let it be corrupted until I know the cost of that power. Just one trait being corrupted is enough.

Shouren decided. That power did not tempt him in the least. It wasn’t his own. What if he let the trait become corrupted, and one day, if the chains turned on him, he would lose it forever? Shouren didn’t want to borrow any power if he could not make it his own.

Is there anything else you can eat besides this trait?

Now that Shouren observed the burning chains more closely, he saw that several places on the metal appeared eroded with rust. The flames initially concealed the damaged parts, but he could see them now without his fear overwhelming his senses.

[l’\ouy*5&]

The chains glanced at the trait, drooling, but turned back with a trembling nod. The flaming chains then aimed directly at Shouren’s chest, indicating their hunger could be satisfied by something else.

Y-You want to eat my heart?

Shouren shivered and grabbed his chest in alarm. He was not going to let the demonic chains devour his heart.

[jhs12`4t-]

The chains shook in response. It felt like it was rolling its invisible eyes. Then, it tapped its metallic links again at Shouren’s chest, tracing a rectangle on the surface.

You eat cards?

It finally dawned on Shouren what the corrupted chains was asking. His heart rate steadied after the confirmation. He didn’t have to lose his heart today.

[nbvi5=0-c]

The demonic chains nodded up and down in excitement. The chains was elated that the stupid human finally understood what it wanted.

Shouren quickly took out a cheap [Common] spell card from his vault and held it out for the scorching chains to eat.

[\csdf3p{g]

The chains peeked at the gray card once and turned away in disgust. It would rather starve than eat that trash. Seeing the demonic chains’ reaction, Shouren frowned.

It doesn’t like [Common] cards and wants [Uncommon] cards instead? This guy is too expensive, wanting to eat my precious green cards for breakfast. No, I’m not giving it my [Uncommon] cards. It can either eat the [Common] cards or starve alone.

Shouren snorted at the picky eater. He only had a few [Uncommon] cards in his vault, and without knowing what the chains were, it was foolish to hand over his most valuable cards.

The chains shifted, the flames fluttering across the metal’s surface, eagerly waiting for another card.

Hmm? The chains are the source of corruption, or maybe the corruption itself. If that’s true, then it has already been telling me what it wants.

Shouren opened his status for a few seconds to check. He then took back the [Common] spell card and replaced it with another card. A gray class card.

[ghj3,>/’d]

The demonic chains swiftly pounced on the offered card, devouring the card in a flash.

[Activated <Devourer’s Rite> [Common]. Devoured class cards: 1/100]

A system notification popped before Shouren’s sight.

Shouren soon connected the dots. Now that he knew feeding the chains also helped him, he took out his remaining stack of [Common] class cards and fed the fiendish chains one by one.

[bkt5o|<gs]

The demonic chains danced with excitement as they rapidly chewed every class card Shouren offered.

[Activated <Devourer’s Rite> [Common]. Devoured class cards: 3/100]

[Activated <Devourer’s Rite> [Common]. Devoured class cards: 15/100]

[Activated <Devourer’s Rite> [Common]. Devoured class cards: 27/100]

.

.

.

The red-black chains thrummed in pleasure, the segments of rust falling apart on its body, and replaced with a new layer of glimmering dark metal.

.

.

.

[Activated <Devourer’s Rite> [Common]. Devoured class cards: 39/100]

[Activated <Devourer’s Rite> [Common]. Devoured class cards: 40/100]

Shouren used up all 40 of his [Common] class cards. The three cards from the recent dungeon run were all spell cards.

The final notification blinked in front of Shouren, but he was no longer looking at it. He was staring in both awe and fear at the demonic, burning chains. Something happened to it. The metal was no longer dull or damaged. The new layer was glittering with a dark sheen. There were still some areas where the rust remained, but the chains had obviously recovered to some extent.

Shouren didn’t know if that was good or bad for his future.

[.,mnbw\y7]

The chains pulsed with power, the flames turning blood-red for an instant before reverting to normal. The demonic chains rushed towards Shouren, enveloping his torso in joy. Shouren was about to yelp, thinking the chains would sear his flesh, but besides a pleasant heat, the flames didn’t harm him.

[4vsa’b72]

The demonic chains hummed something to Shouren before slowly dissipating away.

“You better not turn on me in the future, demon. I fed you all those tasty cards and if you don’t hurt me, I’ll give you even tastier cards in the future.”

Shouren clutched his chest and whispered to the demonic chains. It was too late to regret feeding the demonic chains. He tried to instill feelings of gratefulness into it, so the burning chains would remember his help in its recovery.

“Potato?”

Shouren heard the muffled voice of his grandma through the closed door.

“I’m back, grandma!”

Shouren called out, as another notification flashed in the corner of his vision.

[New Trait “Lumen Weaver” unlocked]

“So, you signed a system contract with these people from the Starhaven Guild, and then went into the dungeon with one of them? Little potato, you should have told me this before.”

Rhea glared at her grandson, her thin arms crossed over her chest.

For the past 20 minutes, Shouren had been recounting his meeting with Isola, Thalin and Rubin. He told Rhea about the contract he made with Isola, and everything that fared within the dungeon with Rubin.

He pointedly included nothing related to the demonic chains. As far as Shouren knew, no one else could see them. However, he wasn’t sure if the demonic chains could attack others of its own volition. If he took the risk and told Rhea about its presence, Shouren wouldn’t be able to stop the demonic chains from lunging at his grandmother.

There was simply too much he didn’t know about the dark red chains.

“Grandma, I told you to trust me and you agreed to it.”

Shouren matched Rhea’s hazel eyes with his own. Previously, the circumstances didn’t allow him to endanger his grandmother. Shouren was worried Isola or Thalin might target his grandmother if they became aware that he leaked their information. However, Shouren now knew that it didn’t matter anymore. According to Rubin, it wasn’t much of a secret. Isola was well-known as Starhaven Guild’s recruiter.

“I know, potato. I’m just worried that people will take advantage of you.”

Rhea said softly, her gaze weakening. If only she knew about the number of times her ‘innocent’ grandson had scammed others.

“Don’t worry about me, grandma, I’m always careful.”

Shouren confidently patted his chest. He wasn’t always careful.

“Alright, forgot about that. Now, tell me about the contract you signed with this Isola. Did she ask you where you found your card recipe?”

Rhea gestured for Shouren to sit down. She then went to the back of the room and returned with two glasses of water for each of them. Shouren had given her a brief overview of his encounter with the Starhaven Guild, but Rhea wanted to delve further into his interaction. Out of the three strangers, the description of Isola worried her the most.

Shouren might not be aware, but the title of a recruiter for the Starhaven Guild was no ordinary role. If Rhea’s hunch was correct, Isola wasn’t just a Tier 2 Cardist.

“I don’t think she really cared about the card recipe in general. Hmm, now that I think of it, Isola quickly lost her interest once she saw my [Common] class card.”

Shouren replayed the memory in his mind. Isola had started off being very inquisitive about Shouren, but her interest waned considerably the moment he revealed his [Common] class card, a palpable shift in her demeanor.

“Good. Potato, if you can avoid it, never meet that woman again. Especially if you ever upgrade your class card in the future.”

A strand of Rhea’s white hair fell across her serious face. She didn’t need to explain to Shouren what she meant by her words. Indeed, Rhea was right in her assumption. Shouren slowly nodded in understanding.

He trusted Rubin the most. Rubin was the only one willing to help him despite his lowly class card. To Isola, Shouren was currently just an afterthought. Not worthy of her full attention. He only had one card recipe, and it was a Tier 0 [Common] spell card. A card at the bottom of the power hierarchy.

It was unusual for a young teenager like Shouren to possess a card recipe, but it wasn’t unique enough in the grand scheme of the world.

“Should I stop forging cards for her?”

Shouren asked his grandma, his brows furrowed. There was no clause in the contract he signed with Isola that stated he had to continue to forge the Spectral Threads cards for her indefinitely. The agreement only stated that for every 10 spell cards, Isola would trade 8 [Common] class cards, or an equivalent amount of chronas if she couldn't obtain them.

Meaning, as long as Shouren didn’t offer the cards to her, the contract would be dormant. Except for the first 10 spell cards, since Shouren had already accepted class cards from Isola as pre-payment. However, after that, Shouren didn’t necessarily have to trade with the auburn-haired woman if he didn’t want to.

“No, little one. If you suddenly stop, it will make that woman curious. Besides, you need the [Common] class cards for now. It’s not like you can buy the cards en masse at the market. That would draw too much attention from the merchants. No, keep forging the cards for her until you have the 100 class cards you need. After that, you can stop.”

Rhea took a small sip of the water, her eyes crinkling with pride at her grandson. The Shouren of the past would have impulsively dived into danger without thinking. Rhea was aware of her grandson’s old desire to have a combat class card.

However, the present Shouren could reconsider his strategy if there was an alternate. He was still impulsively reckless sometimes, but Shouren was beginning to channel his thoughts more into his decisions. A characteristic all Cardsmiths needed. Rhea wondered who Shouren would become in a few years.

Shouren didn’t know the thoughts surfacing within his grandma’s mind, and broke the silence with his following words.

“Are you ready for your birthday present, grandma?”

Shouren smiled impishly.

Rhea snorted mirthfully and raised her eyes at the cheeky teen. What mischievousness was he up to now?

“If you don’t want it, then let’s forget about it. I thought you would want to unlock a trait as well. But I guess I was wrong. I’ll just go to sleep then.”

Shouren sighed teasingly and pretended to get up.

Rhea yelped in astonishment. Her grandson would help her unlock a trait?

Shouren had narrated what had happened inside the dungeon with Rubin, but he had purposefully held back on sharing the details of his two new traits and how he unlocked them. It was a surprise he wanted to give Rhea.

Oh, I forgot to check the new trait.

Shouren once again forgot to check for his latest trait. It was becoming a habit at this point. He quickly opened his status and went straight to the ‘Traits’ section.

Lumen Weaver [Common]

You can manipulate your lumen into fine threads, allowing for precise control over the lumen flow. Trait upgradeable. Current threads: 2/10

It’s different from the Veinreader. It’s actually letting me know what I need to do in order to upgrade the trait. Is it because it’s a [Common] rarity?

Shouren didn’t care that it was only a [Common] trait. As long as it helped him forge better cards. He figured the “2/10” was the current number of threads he could summon at present. If he raised it to 10 in the future, the trait was likely to upgrade then.

“If you don’t want to be turned into crispy potato chips, sit down and tell me!”

Rhea laughed as she pulled her grandson’s small arm, her pleasant laughter causing Shouren to burst into a fit of giggles as well.

After an intense session of tickling, Shouren finally relented and told Rhea about his first trait, Veinreader. Shouren quickly wriggled out of Rhea’s clutches the moment she froze at the trait’s description.

Shouren continued to describe to his grandmother how he unlocked the trait amidst his sharding process. He then excitedly relayed to her the differences between the shards once he used his trait on them.

Rhea silently listened to her grandson. One sentence after another. How Shouren discovered the different aspects of a card, its frame, veins, and the wisps. Rhea’s hand quivered slightly the more she heard Shouren tell the story, cheerfully animated.

“Little potato, what’s your current synchronization?”

Rhea’s muted voice shook Shouren out of his telling of the events.

“Eh? I think it’s at 41% now, grandma.”

Shouren just looked at his status a few minutes ago, so he already knew the number.

It’s too fast! Even with the shards, his synchronization shouldn’t be rising this much.

Rhea paled at her grandson’s alarming synchronization rate. It had only been a few days since Shouren’s awakening, and he was already halfway to Tier 1. It didn’t make any sense. There was nothing in the corrupted abilities that indicated it could affect the synchronization.

What was fueling the synchronization then?

An abrupt thought sparked inside Rhea.

“Potato, have you felt someone’s presence around you recently?”

What was his grandma talking about? Did she believe the house was haunted? Well, the house could use some fresh paint… and a new door.

“No, I don’t think so?”

Shouren scratched his head in confusion.

Rhea sighed in relief. She was just being paranoid. Her mother, Shouren’s great-grandmother, had forced her to remember all the ancient stories of the past. Just like her mother before her. The history of the family’s legacy was always passed down to the first daughter of the generation, while the sons inherited the skills and techniques of their clan.

The last male inheritor of their clan had vanished centuries ago, taking with him the last vestiges of the clan’s legacy. Only the daughters remained, the last remnants of their clan’s history. After the heir’s disappearance, the clan instilled a single rule: all members of their bloodline had to become Cardsmiths.

Rhea recalled a certain ancient history, but dispelled it once Shouren confirmed nothing was unusual.

It’s most likely related to his E ranked Intelligence. Little potato was always an exceptionally smart kid even before his attributes.

Rhea shook her thoughts and engaged back in the discussion.

“Alright, little one, show me how the Veinreader trait works.”

Rhea smiled, ignoring the flicker of a dark shadow behind her eyes.

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 41%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 1/1 - Dimensional Vault [Rare]

Lumen: 12/20 (-5)

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: F

Intelligence: E

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite: 40/100>

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Veinreader [Uncommon]

3 - Lumen Weaver [Common] - 2/10 Threads

Cardsmith Recipes:

Tier 0 - Spectral Threads [Common]

CHAPTER 20

Shouren took out a [Common] spell card from his vault and held it out for Rhea to hold the other end. It was one of the three spell cards he recently obtained from the last dungeon run with Rubin.

“Grandma, try holding the card as well and see if you can sense my lumen running inside it. Don’t channel your lumen and only touch the card.”

Shouren cautioned Rhea.

The wrinkles on Rhea’s forehead creased as she playfully slapped Shouren across his arm.

“Don’t tutor me like I’m a novice Cardsmith, potato.”

“Is this okay, little one? Or am I squeezing the card too much?”

Despite the earlier remark, Rhea was still nervous. She was worried in case the card exploded and hurt her grandson. Not all Cardsmiths had precise control over their lumen, and if Shouren got distracted with her hand on the card, it might lead to his lumen going out of control. Rhea forgot the card’s explosion would also afflict her.

“Actually, let me place the entire card on your palm. This way, you’ll be able to feel every single movement of the lumen inside.”

Shouren readjusted the card on his grandmother’s stretched palm and nodded with satisfaction. The key here was for Rhea to feel where the lumen was passing through the card. Without a card recipe or the Veinreader trait, it would be challenging for Rhea to keep track of what was going on inside the card.

It was akin to walking on a tightrope in complete darkness. One wrong step and she would have to start over again. Unlike Shouren, Rhea was operating from total blindness. That was why Shouren wanted her to feel the lumen coursing through the card, tracing his movements. He would guide Rhea to the card’s frame and the veins. If successful, his grandmother might eventually be able to unlock the same trait as him.

“Go ahead, potato, I’m ready.”

Rhea chuckled nervously with anticipation. How could she not? This had been an impossible dream for her. Rhea never thought she would be able to continue her Cardsmith path after failing her Tier 1 evolution. If she could unlock a trait, maybe it wouldn’t be the end of her journey.

“Veinreader.”

Shouren muttered, triggering the trait. A green circular runic pattern floated in front of his left eye.

Rhea gasped with amazement. Her grandson really had unlocked a trait before his Tier 1 evolution. Shouren already had the demeanor of a veteran Cardsmith.

“Focus on my lumen, grandma. Did you feel that pulse? That was the seal breaking.”

Shouren activated the sharding ability while speaking slowly, giving time for Rhea to get accustomed to the sensation. She couldn’t see the insides of the card, so she had to memorize all the other senses.

Rhea closed her eyes in response and nodded firmly. She was familiar with this faint vibration. It occurred at the beginning of every sharding.

Shouren then went straight to the card’s frame, near the four major card gates. He bypassed the card’s veins and saved them for the end. He didn’t want to split his lumen into threads yet, as that might confuse his grandmother. Shouren’s aim was to first show Rhea the different parts of a card. After she unlocked a trait that let her see the insides, he would demonstrate how to use the lumen threads.

“Grandma, can you feel the heat on the card’s borders? See these four points? The heat should be stronger here.”

Shouren led Rhea patiently while keeping the card stable. He didn’t want to break the card’s equilibrium.

“Is it the center of the four edges, potato? I can feel it’s warmer there.”

Rhea furrowed her brows in concentration.

“Yes, grandma!”

Shouren cheered Rhea on. He was worried for no reason. Although his grandmother didn’t have a card recipe, her instincts as a Cardsmith for decades had never dulled.

“These four points are the reason the default sharding only gives out 4 shards.”

Shouren shared his thoughts.

“Take me to the card’s veins, potato.”

Rhea was confident that she had memorized the major four gates. She now had an idea of how she could extract five shards from the cards.

“I sectioned a card into three parts, grandma. The first is the card’s frame, which holds the structural foundation of the card. The second part is the card’s veins. This is where the cards get their individuality and spell signature. And the last part is the wisps. You can’t see them now, but I think they are the card’s memories. I don’t have a proper explanation for them yet, but I wanted you to see if you can sense them as well. Here are the card’s veins.”

Shouren explained his theories to his grandmother before guiding her to the card’s channels.

“I’m losing your lumen, little one.”

Rhea immediately felt the shift in the card as her grandson’s lumen blended with the card, making her lose its tracks. Unlike the simple card frame, the card’s veins were a complex network of tunnels.

“Don’t track the lumen’s every move, grandma. Try to feel its general direction and the places where it feels warmer, just like the four major gates before.”

Shouren reassured Rhea and spoke in a calm tone. It would be impossible for his grandmother to track his lumen through every single card vein. His goal was for Rhea to feel the star nodes in the veins, so she knew what to look for in other cards.

Shouren lightly picked up Rhea’s other hand and placed it over where his lumen currently was.

“Start from here, grandma.”

Rhea visibly brightened once she reconnected with the lumen in the card.

“The path will be different for each card, but these different warm spots are the weakest points in the card’s veins. Every node you break here gives an additional shard on top of the first four shards.”

Shouren removed his hand and patiently watched his grandmother. Rhea focused intently, a fierce determination etched on her wizened face.

“There, I felt something.”

Rhea cried in joy. Shouren silently grinned at his grandmother’s reaction. His lumen had indeed passed through one of the larger star nodes. He made his lumen swim through the various star nodes, discerning which nodes his grandmother could detect.

“It’s weaker this time.”

Rhea muttered to herself. By now, Shouren had confirmed it. Rhea was able to sense the two largest star nodes in the card veins. It was incredible for her first time. Unlike Shouren, Rhea was operating purely with her non-visual senses.

“Little potato, I think I know how I could get 5 shards from a card. While your technique pours your lumen directly into the card’s veins, I used to run my lumen like a spiral through the whole card. When I would hear the first click, I completed the sharding. Whenever I would try for more clicks, the sharding would fail. I think those clicks were the weak points you are talking about.”

Rhea’s eyes remained closed in concentration. It finally dawned on her what she was doing before. Where her grandson was actively hunting each weak point in the card’s veins, she was thinly spreading her lumen within a perimeter to see which prey took the bait.

“I want to try sharding on my own, potato. Can I borrow a card?”

Rhea took in a deep breath and exhaled gently. She handed the card back to her grandson. Shouren’s lumen was already inside the card, and her sharding wouldn’t work on it.

“Yes, grandma!”

Shouren quickly sharded the card and shoved the 4 pieces into his vault. He didn’t even care that he’d wasted that card, or that another card was going to be used by Rhea. His grandmother could use all his cards if she wanted to. Well, as long as they were the [Common] ones.

Shouren grabbed another spell card obtained from the dungeon and placed it on Rhea’s palm.

“Shouren… thank you for this blessing. Grandma is very happy today.”

Rhea’s lips quivered weakly. Shouren didn’t realize what he had given her.

Hope.

Rhea’s amber lumen surged over the gray card. The lumen rope swirled in a circular pattern from the corners into the center. Rhea couldn’t copy Shouren’s technique, but she had developed her own over the decades. Her insights were different from Shouren.

She’s cracking the nodes!

Shouren watched in awe with his Veinreader, as the lumen spiral washed over the three largest star nodes.

“From the bottom of my heart, thank you, my precious little one.”

Rhea opened her hazel eyes, tears of joy trailing down her aged cheeks. Seven shard pieces floated over her trembling palm.

[Unlocking new Trait in progress… 3… 2… 1]

[New Trait “Card Echo” unlocked]

“You did it, grandma!”

Shouren jumped at Rhea, his small arms wrapped around his frail grandmother, and shoved his face into her stomach.

“Please don’t break my ribs, potato.”

Rhea wiped off her tears and joined her grandson in celebration as she mirthfully chuckled. It was all thanks to Shouren that she was able to unlock her second trait. Her radiant hazel eyes gazed lovingly on her grandson.

“Show me your Veinreader, grandma! I want to see how it looks on you.”

Shouren popped his head out of Rhea’s embrace and asked with obvious excitement seeping into his voice.

“It’s not Veinreader, potato. I got a different trait. Let me read it out for you.”

Rhea flicked Shouren’s forehead and opened her status.

Card Echo [Rare]

Generate subtle pulses with your lumen that bounce off a card’s internal structure. The lumen echoes will reveal the hidden rhythm of every card.

Shouren staggered as Rhea described her trait. His thoughts stumbled to a halt.

Grandma unlocked a [Rare] trait!? And it sounds so different from Veinreader. Based on what grandma said, the trait lets her locate the weak points all at once and she doesn’t have to pierce her lumen into them like I have to.

Shouren mused over the new trait. He was genuinely happy for his grandmother and pondered over its effects. At first glance, the [Rare] trait appeared better than his [Uncommon] Veinreader, but Shouren quickly noticed that his grandmother’s trait wasn’t upgradeable.

Card Echo would remain at the [Rare] level forever, whereas Veinreader could still upgrade to higher levels. Was it because Shouren’s insights were not as solidified as Rhea’s, allowing more room for growth?

But grandma also has an advantage. She doesn’t need to trace the star nodes or maneuver the lumen inside them to break it apart. She can use Card Echo to instantly shatter all the weak points she detects in a single pulse.

Shouren was now curious how traits unlocked for each individual. He initially thought that sharing his information would unlock the same trait for his grandmother, but now he realized that a person’s insights could drastically change the end outcome. Both he and Rhea knew about the card’s weak points, but Shouren’s trait manifested in him visually spotting their exact position while Rhea could feel their resonance.

However, Card Echo had one major disadvantage. It couldn’t detect all the star nodes, only the largest ones. Meanwhile, Veinreader couldn’t destroy all the star nodes, but it showed every single weak point on the card. It then depended on Shouren to break them.

“I think I prefer this trait, little potato.”

Rhea noticed Shouren’s slight disappointment. Her grandson was probably thinking he did something wrong. Shouren was clearly looking forward to both of them sharing the same trait. Rhea wanted to console Shouren, but she also wasn’t lying. Rhea wholeheartedly loved her new trait.

“But you can’t see all the weak points, grandma.”

Shouren answered dejectedly. His eyes glanced down sadly.

“Not everything is about having [Rare] traits or ‘upgradeable’ traits, potato. A trait is simply a trait. Even a [Common] trait can become the best trait in the hands of someone who knows how to use it properly.”

Rhea tousled her grandson’s hair, breaking him out of his reverie.

Shouren looked up at her, his glittering hazel eyes asking if Rhea meant what she said.

“I am not like you, little one. You’re crafty and often take risks that would send my soul to the afterlife, but I am different. Veinreader would have paled in my hands compared to yours. While I think Card Echo would probably frustrate you to no end.”

Rhea laughed, her gentle voice bringing out a warm smile from Shouren.

“Come back after another week and let’s see who can get more shards from a single card.”

Rhea wrinkled her nose and pulled on Shouren’s earlobe teasingly.

“Want to bet, grandma? After one week, we’ll both shard a card and see who gets the most pieces.”

Shouren snickered confidently, holding out his pinky finger to Rhea. Although his grandmother had earlier sharded a card into seven pieces, Shouren could easily beat that. He still had his Lumen Weaver trait.

Oh, I forgot to tell grandma about that.

“Overconfidence is often the folly of young men. I’ll take you on, potato. If you win, I’ll bake you your favorite lemon pie. And if I win, you take me to the village’s flower garden for a picnic.”

Rhea’s lips curled as she grabbed Shouren’s pinky finger with her own. If her grandson thought she would still be stuck on seven shards in a week, he was severely underestimating her decades of solely sharding cards.

“Now that we have already shaken on the bet, I should tell you, grandma, that I have another trait.”

Shouren scratched his head while a lopsided grin plastered over his youthful face. There was no way he was going to let his grandma beat him and go see some flowers in punishment. They weren’t even cool flowers to start with. Shouren would rather have the lemon pie. He drooled just at the mere thought of it. Now that he could kill monsters in the dungeon, he and Rhea could afford to buy the ingredients.

“Huh? You have another trait, potato!?”

Rhea squealed, grabbing her grandson before he could make his escape. The naughty brat was still hiding things from her. Shouren laughed while he tried to squirm out of his grandmother’s clutches.

“I was going to tell you, grandma!”

Shouren raised his hands in defeat and told Rhea how he unlocked his latest trait.

“Phew.”

Shouren breathed out as he stared up at the starry night. He was sitting alone outside his house while his grandmother made some stew for dinner. Rhea had used the cards and chronas he’d given her to pay the rent and also buy groceries for the week. Now that he thought of it, it had been a long time since his grandmother had cooked something in the house.

A few hours ago, Shouren had detailed out his latest trait to Rhea. He told her about splitting the lumen to stabilize the card’s frame while destroying the weak points in the veins. His grandmother remained confused the entire time. She tried emulating Shouren in splitting the lumen into two, but failed each time.

Rhea deduced that there was a prerequisite insight she was missing to understand the splitting of lumen threads. Besides, she didn’t need it anyway. Her techniques didn’t involve stabilizing the card’s frame like her grandson.

After that, Rhea wanted to celebrate both of them getting new traits with some stew and told Shouren to wait while she prepared the meal.

“There’s so much I have to learn and do.”

Shouren traced the stars in the sky. They were so far away, and yet he could see their brilliance from where he stood.

Upgrading my class card to [Uncommon] is the highest priority. A lot of my plans revolve around that. I’ll eventually be able to upgrade grandma’s class cards as well. Today was the first time I saw her so happy.

Shouren ran his hand through his dark hair. He learned this habit from Rubin.

Can you come out?

Shouren was nervous as he sent out his thought to the demonic chains. If he wanted to upgrade his grandmother’s class card, he would need the help of the demonic chains.

There was no response.

I’ll talk to it the next time it comes out.

Shouren sighed and continued to make plans for the immediate future. He needed to forge the Spectral Threads cards for Isola, and then he planned to enter the dungeon daily.

He would not stay longer than a day each time. The lumen density inside the floors were greater than the outside world, and he would also have access to monster meat to further replenish his lumen reserves. Card forging used up a lot of his lumen and he needed to do everything to hasten the process.

Without lumen potions, Shouren had to rely on the monster meat. It was inefficient, as there was only a certain limit of meat he could digest every few hours, but every little bit helped. The monster meat would give his family a steady supply of food while also speeding his forging.

Since I will enter the dungeon alone, I need to learn to fight using Spectral Threads.

Shouren figured his grandmother would need at least 30 minutes to finish the stew, so he decided to forge the card while he waited. Unlike the rest of the cards in his arsenal, Spectral Threads was a card he could forge anytime. Shouren wanted to build his combat strategies around cards he could reliably forge. And the first one on that list so far was the Spectral Threads spell card.

He was a Cardsmith, and although the corruption allowed him to use any cards, Shouren preferred to rely primarily on his own skills. He already had an idea of how to replicate his old strategy of using traps and his Dimensional Vault, but he also had to prepare for any unexpected situations where that strategy failed.

Shouren’s chest glowed in the darkness as the lumen rolled out to his hands.

“Card Forge.”

He then started to hammer the lumen into a card frame.

Hm, why don’t I use Veinreader as well?

Shouren had an idea and activated his trait at the same time he began forging the spell card.

“No way…”

Shouren recoiled at what he saw and whispered in disbelief.

CHAPTER 21

As the lumen from his palms hammered into forging the card’s frame, Shouren watched with fascination. He was seeing in real time how the weak points were being created.

It’s the four main gates in the card’s frame.

Shouren kept his palms steady as the forging process continued. He observed the lumen tendrils twist into the shape of a card. The four weak points were actually the zones where the lumen had twisted the most, making that line more brittle than other sections of the frame.

They are like the glue that holds the other lumen tendrils together.

Shouren’s face brightened at the new revelation. Instead of seeing how to break the weak points, he was now witnessing how they were born in the first place. It gave him an entirely new perspective on the star nodes.

He felt more lumen from his chest rush into his palms as the two waves of energy collided with each other. Shouren was now forging the card veins. The reflection of the glowing incomplete card flickered across his hazel eyes.

The larger star nodes are the spots where the lumen tendrils are only connected to two other connections, and they get smaller and smaller the more connections they have.

Shouren believed he solved the correlation between the size of the star nodes and the ease with which he could destroy them. The large weak points, such as the four main gates within the card frame, connected mainly only to their two neighboring points. Hence, making it easier to break off that connection.

However, Shouren inspected and found that the smaller star nodes connected not only to their neighboring weak points but also to other sections on the complete other end of the card. It was almost like a secondary network of lumen connections flowing underneath the main channels.

He had to carefully navigate the structure to break one of those smaller star nodes, avoiding any connections that would affect the main signature of the card. If he carelessly destroyed the star node, then the whole card would detonate in an explosion.

This was the reason Shouren had to previously make his lumen thread thinner to shatter a smaller star node. If it was too wide, the other connections would block it. The lumen had to be thin enough to only target the specific weak point.

This feels like another world exists inside the card.

Shouren breathed in awe as his Veinreader trait unveiled an alternate reality before him. The forging was almost complete. There was a lot more going on within the veins but Shouren’s mind couldn’t keep up with every instance. When he focused on one spot, a hundred other things were happening on the other side of the card.

A faint vibration passed through his palms. The forging was complete and a fresh Spectral Threads spell card lay floating in front of him. Shouren wiped away the traces of sweat on his face and grabbed the newborn card.

His fingers softly grazed over the card’s surface.

Could I manually forge the card, fixing those weak points?

Shouren contemplated, deep in thought. He couldn’t entirely eliminate the weak points as they were gateways for the lumen and had to be tied to other sections. However, Shouren could theoretically modify the points, reducing the current brittleness and easing the tension around the nodes. This would make it harder to break them in the future.

That could actually work, but I can’t attempt it right now. Forging the card requires two threads of lumen, and if I want to change anything, I need more threads to keep the incomplete card stable.

Shouren put the card inside his vault and stared up at the night. The constellations were reminiscent of the scene he just saw in the cards. He couldn’t yet take the risk of manually forging the card. He’d learned from his last failure with sharding. Incomplete cards had to be stabilized externally before he started messing around with its internal structure.

I get why splitting my lumen into two threads was so easy. I already gained that knowledge instinctively from the card recipe. It needs two lines of lumen to create the anvil.

Shouren realized why his grandmother couldn’t comprehend the concept of lumen threads. Unlike Rhea, he already had a foundational knowledge about how to do it. Back during the sharding, he only needed to keep the card frame stable while he experimented with the card veins. He was operating on an already finished card, and two lumen threads were sufficient for that.

However, during forging, it was an incomplete card. Shouren had to stabilize both the frame and the unfinished veins. Then he needed another two lumen threads to maintain the anvil, and then the final two additional lumen threads to hammer out the weak points. Considering all of that, Shouren needed to control at least 6 lumen threads to start manually forging the card.

Attempting to do so before achieving that would be tantamount to suicide. And Shouren still had a waiting order for a lemon pie in a week. He couldn’t die now.

Shouren smiled sardonically and glanced at his status. He needed a few more hours before he could forge another Spectral Threads card. He still had to gather 9 more of the spell cards for Isola, so he would simply observe more during the forging and take mental notes for the future.

Still don’t want to come out?

Shouren tried once again to goad the demonic chains to come out. He knew the demonic chains could hear him, but the demon only came out when there were traits or class cards to be devoured.

Alright, you greedy pig. I’ll ignore you the next time you ask me for cards as well.

Shouren muttered with annoyance as he raised his hands over his head and whistled softly. The night was too beautiful to think about the irritating chains.

“Stew is ready, potato!”

Rhea’s call reverberated outside through the broken wooden door.

“Finally! I’m coming, grandma.”

Shouren jumped towards the door and bolted inside.

Stew was more important than the demonic chains.

[=3aqt/>gw]

Someone strongly disagreed.

— The next morning —

“I’m back again.”

Shouren could see the now familiar dungeon portal as he walked towards the town’s center. This was going to be his third dungeon run, but only his second solo run. From his experience with Rubin, Shouren knew solo runs provided better loot and higher end rewards from the dungeon.

Besides his first [Rare] card from the bear, Shouren had yet to see another blue card dropped from the dungeon. Just his lone Dimensional Vault [Rare] card had been enough to overcome countless hurdles. What if he had another [Rare] card in his arsenal?

However, today’s plan was not to beat his original record, but to kill three monsters as quickly as possible and use the rest of the day to forge cards. Shouren was on a race to accumulate another 60 [Common] class cards to upgrade his class card.

He quickly peeked inside his vault. He only had 9 [Common] spell cards in total, with two of them being Spectral Threads. Shouren had managed to forge another card before sleeping.

None of his other [Common] spell cards were useful in a fight, leaving only the two Spectral Threads spell cards Shouren could use today. He had [Uncommon] spell cards that would be useful in a fight, but that was only for a last resort.

Should I steal a weapon?

Shouren thought not for the first time. He tilted his head to watch the rows of shops to the side of the market. One small tap, and the weapon would be quietly transported to his vault.

That’s a dumb idea. Merchants are the most cunning of the lot, and all of them would have safety measure to prevent storage cards from being used. Worst case, they have an alarm that would identify its use and then I’ll be rotting away in prison.

Shouren shook his head briskly as a shiver shot up his spine. No stealing… for now.

Alright, sticking to the original plan then. Find a large enough boulder the moment I enter the dungeon. If I can’t find one before I come across a monster, corrupt the [Uncommon] Sonar Pulse spell card to kill it, and then use the remaining spell time to cut through a tree’s trunk as boulder’s temporary replacement.

Shouren could see multiple parties entering and exiting the dungeon’s entrance. The ones returning either looked ecstatic with their run, or came out despondent with losses, or sometimes, even dead party members. It was a small town, and the people here took little risk. Dungeon deaths were pretty abnormal in the village, since most didn’t go past the first floor.

Oh, there’s the nun who scammed me! Better not get in her sight.

Shouren soon spotted a figure of the young woman in white cleric robes. She was the same person who healed his burns from the lightning beast. She hadn’t really scammed Shouren, but the young teen felt that anyone who took his money was secretly a scammer in disguise.

“Hey, kid!”

A girl’s voice cried out from the side.

Shouren ignored the voice and touched the dungeon’s portal.

[Enter Floor 1 of Akarsha Dungeon?]

[Yes/No]

Shouren swiftly tapped ‘yes’ and his body vanished into the dungeon. In the background, a disgruntled voice cursed at the teen.

[Floor 1 Clear Conditions: Kill 3 Tier 0 entities]

[Current Kills: 0/3]

The familiar notification flickered in front of Shouren, and he promptly brushed it away.

Two cold, pebble-like eyes stared at Shouren. The monster and human were only a few centimeters apart from each other’s face.

Croak.

Shouren froze in place, his eyes darting back and forth from the monster and his surroundings. He was inside a large, hollow cave. It wasn’t too deep inside the earth, as he could see small trickles of water running from the nearby river.

His hazel eyes then slowly trailed back to the monster.

Croak.

It was a turquoise-colored monster with a weird head shaped like a salamander and the body of a turtle. The shell looked incredibly sturdy and Shouren had no doubt that even his strongest [Uncommon] spell card would fail to splinter it.

The bizarre monster silently stared at him. It had plenty of time to launch an attack, but its pebbly eyes continued to gaze at the human with faint caution. Shouren was about to trigger his corruption and use one of his spell cards, but something made him hesitate.

Why hadn’t the monster attacked him?

Now that he had time to collect himself, Shouren noticed patches of green-blue underneath the turtle monster. They were eggs!

It can’t attack me because it thinks I will go after its eggs the moment it stands up.

Shouren rapidly calculated the present scenario. He didn’t have a boulder in his vault he could use, and doubted if that strategy would even work with the thick shell on the turtle. He could try to aim his spells at the bizarre turtle’s face, but his aim wasn’t that great and the monster could easily retreat into its shell, making his use of his card a waste.

Shouren’s eyes shifted down.

I don’t want to hurt the eggs.

Ultimately, Shouren didn’t really want to attack the weird turtle monster. It had the chance to attack him and chose not to. Despite its fears of Shouren harming the eggs, the monster had chosen to wait instead.

“I have no intentions of hurting you, ugly guy. I just want to leave the cave.”

Shouren raised both his hands in the air, a universal sign of surrender, and slowly spoke to the monster, taking care not to frighten it.

Seeing that the monster responded with curious silence, Shouren got prone on the ground, belly up.

Is this really safe? What if it attacks me now?

Shouren remembered that exposing one’s stomach to animals was a gesture of peace. He still had his spell card ready in the vault in case the turtle attacked, but the bizarre monster was just watching him.

Alright, no signs of attack so far. I’ll make my way to the exit like this.

Shouren rolled his shoulders up, and then crawled towards the exit, dragging his backside through the rough dirt.

I think I could have just walked out. I don’t know why I’m crawling through the dirt like a worm? That turtle probably isn’t even scared of me anymore after watching this. It’s too late to stand up, I need to continue crawling.

Shouren blushed, turning over and shoved his face to the ground, so the monster didn’t have to see his embarrassed expression.

Croak?

The turtle let out a confused squeal. Whether the confusion was because the human didn’t attack it or the ungraceful way he slithered on the dirt, only the monster would know.

Please don’t look at me. Please don’t look at me.

Shouren cried inside his mind. His only solace was that no one except him and the turtle would remember this memory. He wouldn’t tell anyone while the turtle couldn’t tell anyone, even if it wanted to.

He kept crawling through the cave. It wasn’t a deep cave as Shouren could already see the light of the exit. A few seconds later, the splashing sound of the river echoed within Shouren’s ears. He was outside.

Shouren hastily stood up and patted the flecks of dirt away from his clothes. A faint redness tinged his cheeks. He turned around to face the dark cave and pointed his finger at the emptiness.

“I’ll kill you if you tell anyone about today.”

Only a silent breeze responded to Shouren’s threat.

Meanwhile, inside the cave, the turtle stared at the crawling marks left behind by the small human.

Croak?

“At least I didn’t have to waste the day looking for a suitable boulder.”

Shouren sighed as he tapped the massive rock before him and stored it inside his vault. At the river bank, he had his pick of rocks and boulders.

I need something smaller than boulders that will still do the trick.

Shouren mused as he surveyed the nearby area. He spotted a few monster tracks and picked the one that didn’t have any similar accompanying foot prints. That meant the monster was alone. Shouren had to leave the boulder because it took too much space inside his vault when leaving, and he would rather fill it with the monster parts than a big, useless rock.

Do I even need to drop rocks on monsters?

Shouren pondered as he quietly followed the tracks. His combat strategy was entirely based on the cards he had at his disposal. Spectral Threads allowed for temporary restraints on the monster’s movement, which matched perfectly with later dropping heavy objects on it.

He could restrain the monster and then kill it with a weapon, but where would he find one? A Lumen Weapon like Rubin’s dagger was worth tens of thousands of chronas. Shouren felt a pang of regret when he recalled it was one of his options in the dungeon reward, but the recipe scroll had helped him more than anything else so far.

He had unlocked his traits, helped his grandmother unlock hers as well, all of which was possible through the knowledge he obtained from that recipe.

“Once I finish Isola’s order, I will enter the dungeon for a week and try to get a “B” clear. Hopefully, there will be a Lumen Weapon in the final selection.”

Shouren kept his movements as quiet as possible as he dashed through the open field. The tracks were getting fresher. In truth, low-grade Lumen Weapons weren’t really that uncommon or expensive for the common people. It was just that Shouren and Rhea were dirt-poor to start with.

I see it.

Shouren stopped in place, his hazel eyes scanning the lone monster in front of him.

It was an enormous hippo monster with glittering scales instead of a thick hide. The brownish-black scales shimmered with every step the hippo took. Shouren hesitated for a moment when he saw the dense cords of muscles poking through the scales. The hippo was the same size as the bear he encountered in his first dungeon run.

Shouren gulped. It was a bit nerve-wracking watching the brute monster stroll casually through the forest. It knew the weaker monsters wouldn’t dare trespass on its path.

Blazes, I don’t have time. I need to kill three monsters quickly and start forging the cards. I can’t be picking and choosing which monsters I want.

Shouren took in a deep breath, calming his nerves, and took out a card from his vault. His main goal was to use the dungeon and the monsters to fuel his lumen reserves.

You need to spend cards to make more cards.

Shouren activated his corrupted ability, <Oblation Pact> and used it on the card in his hand.

Tier 0 - Spectral Threads [Common]

Create thin spectral threads from your hands to bind a target for 3 seconds. Threads will break if damaged or over-strained. Effective only on Tier 0 targets.

Cost: 5 lumen per use.

The spell activated with a flash of lumen, and Shouren had now 60 seconds to use it. With his 15 units of lumen, Shouren could use it two more times.

“Grah!”

The hippo suddenly roared in savage fury, as ropes of ghostly threads spread from Shouren’s fingers and wrapped around the monster’s limbs. Its rabid eyes bore into Shouren when it saw it was him who attacked it.

“Goodbye, scary fellow.”

Shouren’s hands wavered as he felt the tremors pass through the ethereal threads. He wanted to finish the hippo as fast as he could. A looming boulder fell from the air and smashed directly into the hippo’s midsection.

“GRAAGHHH!”

The hippo bellowed with rage as the boulder rolled down to the ground with a thud. A streak of blood leaked from its pincer jaws, but the boulder wasn’t enough to kill it outright.

Time ran out after three seconds, and the ghostly threads snapped loose into the void.

The hippo swayed for a few moments with its woozy footing, before it locked gazes with Shouren and charged angrily at the human.

“I was only kidding.”

Shouren chuckled nervously as the hippo stormed towards him, sending shockwaves through the ground.

CHAPTER 22

The monster didn’t care. Its bloodshot eyes remained locked onto Shouren as it stampeded towards him.

It’s going to trample me at this rate.

Shouren racked his brains for a solution, his thoughts whizzing away. He could use Spectral Threads again to halt its movement, but then what? The boulder didn’t kill it.

Can you help?

He tried to call out for help from his resident demonic chains. Shouren had a feeling the scalding chains could inflict some serious damage on the rampaging monster.

No response.

Such a freeloader. You don’t even pay me rent for living in my body.

Shouren grumbled as he shifted his attention back to the hippo. With a quick flick of his hand, he activated the Spectral Threads spell again. Ropes of ghostly threads spurned around the monster, instantly stopping its momentum. The hippo let out another roar of frustration, its bloody eyes glaring at Shouren, promising brutal retribution once it got free.

Why can’t I think of any safe strategies?

Shouren rushed towards the boulder while the hippo remained trapped and sucked it back into his vault. In two seconds, the ghostly threads would be ripped apart.

Then, without wasting time, he aimed the boulder right above the monster’s head.

The hippo let out a deep growl born of agony when the boulder smashed into its head, and it took strained breaths as its bloody eyes rolled within its sockets. The ghostly threads snapped, breaking the monster free from captivity. It was still not dead.

By now, Shouren realized the monster’s scales had some level of protection against blunt force. In the first place, he never expected it to die in that hit.

Shouren poured 2 units of lumen into his legs for a burst of speed as he dashed at the dizzy monster, and then used another unit of lumen into his right arm, leaving him with only 2 units of lumen in his reserves. Shouren was risking everything on this strike as he wouldn’t be able to activate Spectral Threads for the third time.

In one smooth movement, he tapped the boulder to return it into his vault and before the monster could calibrate itself, he shoved his right hand straight into the hippo’s jaw.

An explosion of bloody flesh, scales and bones splattered all over the grass. A bloody boulder covered in monster guts stood still in the center.

“Eugh…”

Shouren groaned at the nasty smell penetrating the air and drifting into his nose. The plan only worked because the hippo was concussed from the second boulder strike. If he tried to put his hand inside its mouth while it was fully sober, Shouren wouldn’t have a second hand to write letters with.

“It’s a chore fighting against monsters without a reliable combat spell card.”

Shouren took off his bloodstained clothes and replaced them with fresh ones. He came prepared this time. If he didn’t have his Dimensional Vault card, Shouren wouldn’t have been able to outsmart a lot of these monsters. It was his main advantage against them until he had more reliable card recipes to use.

It was not the first time Shouren had thought of using his storage card to shove objects inside monsters. When he initially started experimenting with the vault and observed that he could summon items anywhere within the 3 meter radius, Shouren tried forcing items inside trees and other living creatures.

It didn’t work.

There was an invisible barrier whenever he tried to summon items inside another object. He tried it on a tree and the item would simply fall beside it. The tree blocked any attempts when its spacial integrity was invaded.

However, if Shouren manually made a hole inside the tree, he could then summon items inside the hole if he touched the space there. That pocket of space was not under anyone’s dominion. Therefore, he couldn’t directly summon the boulder inside the monster without taking claim over the pocket of space inside it.

When the hippo was stunned under the blunt impact, Shouren could safely drive his hand into its mouth and claim the small pocket of space there to summon the boulder. If the monster had been sober, it could’ve just snapped its jaw shut over Shouren’s hand, denying him the claim on that space.

There were unexplained rules regarding the vault and Shouren felt he had only briefly touched the surface of it. It was his only [Rare] card and as a Cardsmith, he knew there was more to that card than what was let on in the system’s description.

“Solo dungeon run is indeed the best.”

Shouren’s hazel eyes glittered with joy as he saw two green cards beside 3 other gray cards floating near the monster’s scattered remains. He didn’t have to share the loot with anyone, it was all his. Shouren picked up the cards with uncontained anticipation and read their descriptions.

Tier 0 - Brawler [Common]

Tier 0 - Herbalist [Common]

The first two were [Common] class cards which Shouren cheerfully pocketed to his vault. He would lure the demonic chains with them and finally get it to talk more. He then moved to the last gray card of the bunch.

Tier 0 - Intellect Boost [Common]

Minor increase in Intelligence.

Cost: 3 lumen per minute.

“It’s similar to the Evasion Boost card I sharded for Rubin a few days ago.”

Shouren commented as he read the card’s description. He didn’t know how much of a difference a slight boost to his E ranked Intelligence would even make.

Actually, now that I think about it. Why haven’t my other attributes increased at all? I’ve been running, crawling, and fighting all this time, yet not one of them got upgraded.

Shouren paused on the spot. Besides his Intelligence ranking up to E grade, the rest of his attributes had remained stagnant. Why?

Grandma is smarter than me, but her Intelligence attribute has been stuck at F rank forever. Even Rubin’s attributes were all F ranked. I think that’s why Isola wanted to confirm my attribute upgrade using Rubin. Is it that difficult to increase them?

Shouren scratched his head, perplexed. He didn’t know what the rules were to upgrade the attributes. Was there something else he did that day to rank up his Intelligence to E rank? He did remember that one of his final floor rewards was an option to increase his Attribute to E rank, and considering Rubin had a higher clear rating than him, the older teen should be aware of it.

Then why were his attributes still in F rank?

Shouren pushed the attributes issue aside for another time. His goal for today was to hunt two other monsters and start forging cards. He scanned the last two cards.

Tier 0 - Cinder Lance [Uncommon]

Launch a piercing lance of fire that ignites enemies over time.

Cost: 15 lumen per lance.

Tier 0 - Link of Vitality [Uncommon]

Create a temporary link between you and a consenting target. Transfer health between each other.

Cost: none.

“Cinder Lance is pretty straightforward, but I can only use it once with that lumen requirement. So it would have to be my first and final attack.”

Shouren tossed the green spell card into his vault. It was a powerful card, but had a lot of limitations for the present Shouren. However, it was the second card that raised Shouren’s brow in confusion. It was the first time he saw a card without a lumen cost.

It’s like a life leech card, but for allies. It needs the other party’s permission, meaning it wouldn’t work on monster or enemies. I think Healers like Rubin would really like this card. If they run out of lumen, they have a last resort to share their health pool.

Shouren was disappointed it wasn’t an actual healing spell card he could use. Link of Vitality was potent, but no monster would willingly give their health to him. And if he was ever injured, this card wouldn’t help.

I’ll fleece pumpkin-head and trade this card for multiple [Uncommon] class cards.

Shouren grinned mischievously and carefully stored the card inside his vault.

“Krggh…”

A rumbling feline snarl abruptly broke Shouren’s train of thought.

He snapped his head behind him and his eyes glued to the lithe form of an obsidian leopard.

Note for next time: don’t linger around a buffet of monster blood, flesh and guts.

Shouren sighed as he took another card from his vault. This time, the boulder strategy should work.

Shouren calmly gazed at the monster as he took out a card.

“Spectral Thre— wait, I don’t have any lumen.”

Shouren blinked blankly, staring at the card in his hand and then shifting his stare to the leopard.

“Peace is always an option, my friend.”

And then, Shouren ran away.

“That should be my limit for the day.”

Shouren exhaled, as the glow around his hands faded gradually, leaving behind a shimmering card.

“5 cards… not bad for a whole day’s work.”

Shouren collapsed backwards with exhaustion on the fresh patch of grass. Earlier in the day, when he was facing against the leopard, Shouren had tried to bolt. However, the leopard’s mate blocked his path of retreat.

In that moment, his E ranked Intelligence truly shined. Without hesitation, he grabbed a random gray spell card and instantly sharded it. He then flung two of them in the opposite direction before he made his way to the boulder and pile of monster chunks.

While the leopards raced to the shards, he quickly gathered as much of the hippo’s meat as he could after he stored the boulder in his vault, and climbed to the nearest tree. Leopard monsters were known to be excellent climbers, so whenever the pair of monsters attempted to lunge up the trunk, Shouren would summon the boulder above him. He didn’t actually drop it, as then he would lose the leverage. Shouren simply summoned and unsummoned with his hand touching the boulder, to scare the monsters away.

He used this precious time to gobble as much of the hippo meat as he could muster, his lumen reserves slowly trickling up. Once he had 10 lumen, Shouren smirked and went in for the kill.

The two monsters together dropped a single [Uncommon] class card, two [Common] class cards and three [Common] spell cards.

After that encounter, Shouren hid himself away and spent the rest of the day forging Spectral Threads spell cards, taking breaks to recover his lumen whenever he could. It was gross eating that much raw meat, but luckily it didn’t make him sick.

It was worth the effort.

[Synchronization: 42%]

[Synchronization: 43%]

Shouren beamed with pride as he glanced inside his vault and placed the 5th Spectral Threads spell card on the small stack.

“Time to head home for the night.”

[Floor 1 Clear Conditions: Kill 3 Tier 0 entities]

[Current Kills: 3/3]

[Floor Rewards will be distributed upon exit or new floor.]

[Exit: Yes/No]

[Enter Floor 2: Yes/No]

After Shouren mentally tapped on the exit option, he was once again back in the familiar white room. Another notification flashed in his vision.

[Congratulations on clearing Floor 1.]

[Awarded with 3 [Common] cards for normal clear. Additional 2 [Common] cards awarded for Solo clear.]

[Exit: Yes/No]

[Enter Floor 2: Yes/No]

Hmm, there’s no mention of a clear rating? I guess the dungeon doesn't make any differentiation between the normal clears.

Shouren nodded and then pressed ‘yes’ to exit outside. He internally cheered at the additional two [Common] cards rewarded for the Solo clear. And in the next instant, he was back at the town’s square.

He took this time to see what cards he got from this dungeon run and sent a quick glance into his vault.

Tier 0 - Rogue Class [Common]

Tier 0 - Merchant Class [Common]

Tier 0 - Blade Initiate [Uncommon]

Tier 0 - Ghost Mark [Common]

Place a hidden marker on a target. Able to track the target anywhere within 1 km radius. Active for 1 hour and cannot place multiple markers.

Cost: 2 lumen

Tier 0 - Obscure Vision [Common]

Creates a thin layer of distorted light in front of target, obscuring vision for 5 seconds.

Cost: 5 lumen per activation

Tier 0 - Lighten Weight [Common]

Slightly reduce gravity on inanimate objects. Effect reduces with greater initial weight of the object.

Cost: 6 lumen per use

These were the cards dropped by the two leopard monsters. The single green card was a [Uncommon] class card which Shouren was sure to have seen before in the market. Its [Common] variant was a very popular choice among the locals. The class came with a passive ability that instilled the basics of swordsmanship, instantly granting a newly awakened Cardist the skills to dispatch monsters.

However, Shouren was more interested in the first two spell cards.

If I ever encounter a monster that I wouldn’t be able to take head-on, I can use this spell card to track its location to set up a trap instead. Obscure Vision would have been helpful when I was dealing with that annoying hippo. Well, I’ll keep these two cards and shard the last one.

Shouren then moved to the five cards the dungeon rewarded him just a few seconds ago.

Dungeon, you really are the best! Thank you for another three class cards.

Tier 0 - Cardsmith Class [Common]

Tier 0 - Cardsmith Class [Common]

Tier 0 - Scrapper [Common]

In his current race to upgrade his class card, Shouren became ecstatic at seeing more [Common] class cards in his vault. The Scrapper class was a new one he’d never seen before, but the dungeon actually gave him two Cardsmith class cards.

Should I shard them or let the demonic chains eat them?

Shouren was in a difficult dilemma. If he sharded the Cardsmith class cards, he had a high chance of unlocking more insights, which could lead to more traits or a better understanding of his current abilities.

At present, he had five class cards in his vault, excluding the two Cardsmith class cards.

It’s smarter to shard them.

Shouren made a final decision. He could always find other [Common] class cards for the corruption to devour, but improving his own insights were more important. Normally, he could go to the market and trade for the Cardsmith class cards, but after his encounter with Isola, Shouren had been wary to enter other shops. He had a strange feeling that he was being watched, but couldn’t put a finger on the source of that feeling.

I can’t believe I get to see this card again.

Shouren’s eyes widened in pleasant surprise at the remaining two cards from the dungeon. They were both spell cards, but the first one was a card he had already seen before in his dungeon run with Rubin. Back then, Shouren had really wanted this card as well.

Tier 0 - Inspect [Common]

Reveal basic information of Tier 0 enemies. Utility spell card with universal class compatibility.

Cost: 1 lumen per activation

Tier 0 - Harden Skin [Common]

Temporarily hardens the caster’s skin with lumen. Reduces physical damage.

Cost: 8 lumen per minute

I have another utility spell card now. It’s not better than my current Dimensional Vault utility card, but I can save this for when my second spell slot would unlock. No wait, it’s a Tier 0 card, so when I evolve to Tier 1, its use would already become limited.

Shouren sighed as he thought further. The Inspect card was only effective on Tier 0 monsters, so by the time he evolved to Tier 1, it wouldn’t really matter that much anymore. Moreover, he couldn’t swap it with his vault utility card as he got greater benefit from the [Rare] card.

I’ll either shard the card or corrupt it if I need to.

Shouren didn’t bother with the last card. He had no intentions of ever fighting close-range with any monster. 8 lumen was a heavy price to pay for defense when he could use that amount of lumen more efficiently. He didn’t immediately put it in the sharding pile, but left it aside just like the Inspect utility card.

Shouren ignored the passing people and made his way home. His stomach was stuffed with monster meat and he needed rest to digest it properly. He felt satisfied with his dungeon run and the day's loot. At this pace, he would be ready to upgrade his class card in a few months.

He did have a few hiccups with the three monsters, but still came out unscathed. It was a major improvement from his first dungeon run, where he was covered in countless injuries and bruises.

It’s still the tutorial floor.

Shouren chided himself, realizing he was feeling proud for easily dealing with the monsters when it was merely the tutorial floor. The monsters were supposed to be easy to kill, as they were barely stronger than normal animals.

At Tier 1, monsters could use their own spells, and dealing with a single one became a momentous task. A boulder strike on the head would not suffice for a Tier 1 beast.

The tutorial floor was primary for the newly awakened Cardists to practice their abilities before they delved deeper into the dungeon. With each floor, the environment and the monsters became more and more punishing. The tutorial floor was the dungeon’s stage to see who had the fortitude to continue on.

I can’t lose sight of the future. My current strategy will not work after this floor, and If I want to climb higher, then I need to adapt.

Shouren frowned in thought as he walked away from the dungeon’s entrance. Today’s experience had highlighted his main deficiencies. He still didn’t have a reliable offense.

“Hey, kid! Stop!”

While Shouren was pondering his thoughts, out of nowhere, a woman’s voice cried out behind his back.

“Huh?”

Shouren tilted his head back in confusion. The voice seemed directed at him.

Hells, I need to run!

Shouren blinked in alarm when he saw who it was and immediately tried to bolt.

“I was being polite earlier in the day by calling you, but if you’re going to run again, then that becomes disrespectful, boy.”

A young feminine voice brushed against Shouren’s ears as a delicate hand gripped his shoulder in a pincer, freezing him to the spot.

“Eh? It’s you? Hahaha, I thought it was a scammer trying to con me.”

Shouren scratched his cheek and chuckled nervously.

The nun’s a damn Tier 1!? That was definitely above F ranked agility!

“Who’s the scammer here? I was the one scammed by you!”

The young nun poked her finger into Shouren’s chest, making her point loudly.

A few onlookers gazed at the pair curiously, wondering what all the screaming was about. Was someone trying to scam healing services out of the innocent and pretty nun? Hmm, based on the teen’s disheveled appearance and the ragged clothes, he did look like someone who would do that.

“Tch, come here with me, and don’t try to run this time.”

The nun clicked her tongue at the unwanted attention and dragged Shouren to a nearby alley, where no one was around.

“Hey, we both agreed to the deal, so it wasn’t a scam.”

Shouren shrugged his shoulders once the nun let him go. After seeing her agility, Shouren gave up trying to escape. It didn’t look like the nun was here to hurt him. But he still had his cards ready in the vault. Spectral Threads wouldn’t work on her, but he had his [Uncommon] spell cards ready at a moment’s notice. It wouldn’t be enough to neutralize the Tier 1 nun, but it should still give him some time to disorient her and make a run through the small streets.

The nun’s face eased as she let out a sigh, and her eyes calmly gazed at Shouren.

“You’re right. In the end, I still agreed to the deal. Anyway, I’m not here to badger you about that day. Instead, I wanted to make you an offer.”

Shouren’s face twitched.

Is this a trap? What could she possibly want with me? She doesn’t even know my class. Hmm, let me hear the offer first.

“What’s the offer?”

He kept his face as neutral as possible. His past burns may have misled the nun into overestimating his combat abilities, or even the presence of it.

“Come to the 2nd floor of the dungeon with my party.”

“Are you out of your mind? I’m a Tier 0.”

Shouren stared at the nun in disbelief. Did she really think he’d blindly trust a random stranger on the street and enter the 2nd floor of the dungeon with her party?

The nun nodded softly, understanding the Shouren’s confusion. She then put her palms together and pleaded with him.

“I know. Look, you don’t have to do anything in the dungeon. Me and my party will handle everything. I only need you as a health mule. If I run out of lumen, you will supply me with your health so I can heal others. It will just be a tiny bit, and not enough to actually harm your body. We can sign this in the system contract if you don’t trust me.”

Shouren’s face twisted with annoyance. She wanted to leech his health to heal? He did have a similar card, Link of Vitality, but he believed the nun’s version was a higher tier as it sounded like it could transfer the health from one person to multiple people. Still, Shouren had no intention of risking his life with some strangers.

“I don’t want to.”

He replied coldly, without hesitation.

“We’re not trying to rob you, kid. We really need to get the drops from this floor’s boss, and having a health mule will make our plans go smoothly. Look, you don’t have to do it for free. I’ll pay you 1000 chronas in exchange. There are other benefits as well. On the second floor, the lumen density is higher and it will be easier to rank up your attributes as well.”

The nun didn’t give up and continued to persuade Shouren.

1000 chronas? No, in time, I can make that safely on the first floor as well. However, the higher lumen on the 2nd floor is tempting. I could forge more cards, and trade for [Common] class cards faster. Maybe I could even upgrade my Lumen Weaver trait in a higher density environment. The attributes on top of that…

Shouren was conflicted. He didn’t care about the chronas, but this was his chance to explore the 2nd floor. It could help his breakthrough into his insights and hasten his progress to his class card upgrade.

His hazel eyes bore into the young nun. Did he trust her?

“I want a Lumen Weapon.”

Shouren spoke after some thought.

“Have a good day, kid. It should be your bedtime soon.”

The nun paused with an incredulous expression on her face before she patted her robes and turned around to leave.

“Okay, wait! 7000 chronas.”

Shouren grabbed the nun and made a counteroffer. Asking for a Lumen Weapon was indeed too much.

“5000 and we have a deal.”

The nun turned around with a smile and held out her hand in waiting.

“Fine.”

Shouren relented and shook her hand. He didn’t trust the nun entirely, but he would only enter after reading the system contract and making his preparation in advance. It was a risk, but he need to take it if he wanted to develop his skills fast.

“Name’s Virelle, by the way. Come here tomorrow morning and we’ll hash out the contract together.”

The nun gave a radiant smile once Shouren agreed.

“I’m Thalin. I’ll see you tomorrow then.”

Shouren gave a fake name and waved at the nun as he left the street. He was sure the original Thalin wouldn’t mind. He would think tonight and then make up his mind after seeing the system contract. Shouren wasn't going to enter a party blindly without a few precautions.

Once Shouren left the street, the smile on Virelle’s face faltered and an icy look replaced it. She took out a comms card from her back.

“Tell the bishop I made contact with the boy.”

CHAPTER 23

“I’m back, grandma!”

Shouren burst through the door. A few steps away from his house, he could already smell the sweet citrus aroma of lemon pie. His favorite!

“Welcome back, potato. You’re just in time. The pie should be cool enough to eat.”

Rhea was in the midst of cleaning the oven, and turned around with a smile when she heard her grandson. The old lady chuckled and gestured at the steaming pie on the table.

Shouren rushed to the pie, a dribble of drool leaking from the corner of his mouth.

“You made pie today? I thought we were going to wait to see who won the bet?”

They still had time to decide the outcome of their earlier bet to see who could shard the most pieces out of a card. Shouren’s stomach was bloated with chunks of monster meat, but there was always room for pie.

“I realized that we never properly celebrated your birthday and your awakening, little one. A part of me feels useless that I have to rely on you for all the bills. I wish I could help you in some way, potato, but all I can do is cheer you on. If you’re going to be fighting in the dungeon, I want to do my part here to make it easier for you.”

Rhea took off her apron, her aged eyes crinkling with gentleness as she met Shouren’s eyes. Since her encounter with the merchant Boris, no one in the market even approached her. Then, adding the recent chaos with the Sunspire Guild closing the dungeon, the mood in the village had been a bit tense as of late. Before, Rhea could at least make enough chronas to maintain the rent and food rations for a week, but the situation had become incredibly dire during the past week.

If not for her grandson’s return from the dungeon, they would have been thrown out into the streets. With no combat ability, she couldn’t help Shouren in the dungeon, and her presence would be more of a liability for him than an asset. That is why Rhea decided to do her best to help Shouren in whatever capacity as she could.

I’ll kill more monsters if it means that I get to eat lemon pie every day!

Shouren swooped a few lingering crust crumbs that fell onto the table to his mouth, his eyes closed in delighted pleasure. Nothing beat a freshly baked lemon pie.

“Grandma, I actually wanted to talk to you about something.”

Shouren craned his neck back with his hands firmly placed around the pie. He was letting his hands cool down the pie further so he wouldn’t burn his tongue. Shouren wanted to clarify a few things he’d been pondering over the past few days, and Rhea might have a few answers.

He didn’t want to tell her about Virelle yet. It was not because Shouren trusted the loud-mouthed nun, but because he knew Rhea would instantly bar him from entering the 2nd floor of the dungeon, especially with a group of strangers. And she wasn’t wrong. Shouren was taking a reckless risk by going into the second floor. His intuition was telling him not to trust a random nun who promised him thousands of chronas.

Yet he couldn’t give up the opportunity to enter the higher floor. Something was telling him that he’d find a lot of answers to his questions there. Many considered the 2nd floor as the real beginning of the dungeon. Moreover, the 5000 chronas would go a long way in helping him and Rhea. They wouldn’t have to worry about their rent and food for a while. Shouren could sell his cards, but then he wouldn’t have enough to shard or for the corruption to absorb.

He still hadn’t signed the system contract, and could still back out tomorrow if he didn’t like the terms.

“Ask away.”

Rhea shuffled to the shelf in the corner with her back towards Shouren and neatly placed her apron inside.

[‘la4=/dg]

Before Shouren could react, the crimson demonic chains shot at the pie quicker than he could blink and devoured the pastry in one quiet gulp.

“Y-you⁠—”

Shouren was about to let out a string of curses, but Rhea was already walking towards him.

“Go on, I’m listening. Eh? You put the pie away in your vault? I’m surprised at your discipline, potato. A few months ago, you would have scarfed it down in seconds.”

Rhea patted her grandson’s head with pride. Her little one was growing up.

I’m going to twist your chains one by one, you demon! My delicious pie…

Shouren’s eyes moistened with grief. He only got to savor the crumbs while the greedy fiend got to eat his pie. Could the chains even eat pies? Shouren thought the demonic chains only liked to eat cards.

Hey, give it back!

Shouren desperately pleaded with the demon to give back his pastry.

Please?

[\le2kr_*]

It sounded like the burning chains belched with satisfaction.

“Are you alright, potato? You don’t have to hold back this much. You can have a bit of the pie.”

Rhea bent down to look at her grandson with worry. It appeared as if Shouren was struggling to contain himself with emotion.

If there was any pie.

Shouren shook his head and let out a bitter smile. Next time, he would be one step ahead of the gluttonous chains.

“It’s alright, grandma. I’ll take my time with the p-pie.”

Shouren almost choked on the words, but continued lest Rhea got suspicious.

“I wanted to talk to you about attributes. You already know my Intelligence upgraded to E rank, but since then, none of my other attributes have even budged slightly.”

Rhea’s face creased in understanding. She had forgotten about that as well. In times like this, she’s reminded that her grandson had only been a Tier 0 for a few weeks. His accelerated synchronization, the ease with which he unlocked his traits, and his ability to forge cards unlike her, made her forget his relatively fresh status as a newly awakened Cardist.

“I don’t know the exact details surrounding the attributes, but here’s what I know from my time at the guild. There’s a bit of dispute regarding the methods of increasing your attribute rank, but the first one is to simply let them rank up on their own.”

Rhea sat beside her grandson and spoke slowly. Her face appeared as if she was racking her memories of the past. Mentioning the guild seemed to have brought further unwanted memories as well. Shouren listened eagerly, unaware of his grandmother’s thoughts.

“The belief is that relying on the system for the attributes can taint your future evolutions in the Chamber of Ascendance. If you unknowingly rank up one of your attributes and it’s not primarily tied to your class, it can distort your evolution options. Imagine you have an Archer class card but you accidentally upgrade your Constitution. There’s a chance that it might skew your evolution. It’s why most people don’t risk upgrading their attributes until their Tier 1 evolution.”

Shouren’s eyes widened as Rhea explained.

Will my E ranked Intelligence be a problem?

Rhea seemed to have sensed her grandson’s train of thought, and gently patted his cheek with affection.

“Don’t worry, potato, Intelligence is one of the essential attributes for the Cardsmith class. Luckily, that was the only attribute that got upgraded.”

Shouren breathed a sigh of relief. He recalled back in the dungeon when he tried to raise his other attributes as well. What if he had actually ranked up one of his attributes? Then a sudden thought struck him.

“Grandma, what if someone raises all their attributes to E rank before the evolution? Wouldn’t that balance it out like the original F rank attributes?”

“I don’t know, potato. It seems impossible that anyone can naturally attain an E rank in all attributes without doing anything.”

Rhea furrowed her brows in deep thought. Would that work? Technically, none of the attributes would be out of equilibrium and it would be similar to the situation with all attributes in the F rank. She tried to think if anyone in the village had ever tried this method but failed to remember. It was an absurd idea. Raising a single attribute to E rank from F rank was already difficult enough.

“Actually… it might be possible with the other method of raising your attributes: using insights.”

Rhea’s hazel eyes darted pensively.

“Insights?”

Shouren asked in an eager voice. Insights could be used to raise his attributes? Now that the thought of bringing all his attributes to E rank took root inside his mind, he wanted to go after it.

“Insights are the prerequisite, but the main requirement is copious amounts of lumen. Your attributes are essentially a combination of how lumen courses inside your body. To rank up the attributes, you need to fundamentally alter the way your body works. You can use lumen to force this change. If you gain an insight to alter the way your muscles work inside your body, and then use lumen to modify your body, it could possibly rank up your attribute.”

Rhea breathlessly explained in excitement. The prospective theory filled her with satisfaction. She had always liked solving puzzles. Rhea didn’t have the natural talent to raise her attributes, and the second method required a colossal amount of lumen. This was why everyone fought for a place on the higher dungeon floors. The lumen there couldn’t compare with the outside world.

Is that why pumpkin-head never raised his attributes beyond F rank despite having access to the 20th floor? He couldn’t risk only raising one attribute, and to raise the others with lumen, he needed the insights.

It dawned on Shouren why Rubin had been stuck at the F rank while close to 80% synchronization. It made sense now.

This makes me want to risk the 2nd floor even more now. What will happen after I raise all my attributes to E rank?

Shouren’s thoughts raced with frenzy. He had one advantage in terms of insights: his E ranked Intelligence. Could he use it to bring his other attributes to E rank as well? What would his Tier 1 evolution look like with all E ranked attributes?

I’ve decided. I will go with Virelle into the 2nd floor.

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 43%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 1/1 - Dimensional Vault [Rare]

Lumen: 12/20 (-5)

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: F

Intelligence: E

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite: 40/100>

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Veinreader [Uncommon]

3 - Lumen Weaver [Common] - 2/10 Threads

Cardsmith Recipes:

Tier 0 - Spectral Threads [Common]

Hey, come out, I’ve got some treats for you.

Shouren was sitting outside, in an isolated area behind his home. It was a rundown area with no other houses, except for patches of littered garbage. He picked this place to have a conversation with the demonic chains.

No one else could see the burning chains, but Shouren wanted to try a few other things, and it was best to not draw any attention to himself and his activities.

He had a couple [Common] class cards in his hand and he poked the edges to his chest, where the demonic chains resided.

Silence.

The night’s cool breeze brushed past Shouren, but the demon didn’t respond.

I’ve got a lot more than this, buddy. Look at the tasty cards.

Shouren brought out three more class cards and waved it in his hand, attempting to lure out the pie-thief.

Does it only come out when a trait unlocks? No, it came out of its own volition to steal my lemon pie. So, it can choose to come out when it wants.

Shouren mused while standing still. He took a peek at the oven mitts he swiped from his grandma’s shelf in preparation to take on the demonic chains. He didn’t think the mitts could fully protect him from the hellish flames, but it was better than his bare hands. Shouren was going to enact justice for his stolen pastry.

I can force you to come out.

Shouren smirked as he raised his hand and activated his corrupted ability on the five gray class cards.

“<Devourer’s Rite>”

A burst of hellish flames washed over the cards, devouring the stack in the blink of an eye.

[Activated <Devourer’s Rite> [Common]. Devoured class cards: 41/100]

[Activated <Devourer’s Rite> [Common]. Devoured class cards: 42/100]

[Activated <Devourer’s Rite> [Common]. Devoured class cards: 43/100]

[Activated <Devourer’s Rite> [Common]. Devoured class cards: 44/100]

[Activated <Devourer’s Rite> [Common]. Devoured class cards: 45/100]

“Y-you⁠—”

Shouren wanted to explode into yet another tirade of curses, but he held himself back. His grandmother would hear him and then he would have to make up some lame excuse.

[*gd%oa/6]

He could feel the demonic chains laugh gloatingly.

I’ll make you pay it back one day, you demon!

Shouren sighed with resignation and pushed away the burning chains. It would definitely come out again on his next trait unlock and he would force it to cough out answers then. The demonic chains was more animated than before, and Shouren wondered if eating the cards had made it recover faster. By now, he could even sense its subtle shifts in emotion. Could he one day decipher its unintelligible, gibberish text?

“If I’m going to enter the dungeon with Virelle, then I need to make some preparations. What should I include in the contract to ensure they don’t pull a fast one on me?”

Shouren sat down on the filthy ground and brought both of his hands out in front of him.

“Lumen Weaver.”

Two tendrils of lumen swirled through his arms in unison. Shouren clasped his palms together and commanded the two ropes of lumen to swim side by side, creating a loop. He wanted to study their movements to figure out to how split them again into four threads.

A lot of people delve into the dungeon with new parties all the time, and there are a few standard clauses that are present in every system contract. But there might be loopholes, so I need to watch out for that.

It wasn’t uncommon for strangers to enter the dungeon together. However, in most cases, their strengths were relatively similar. This was not the case with Shouren and Virelle’s party. If the nun’s Tier 1 was any indication, the rest of her party members should also be in the same tier.

Something about the way in which Virelle made the proposition had been bothering Shouren. He recalled her voice yelling at him before he entered the dungeon in the morning, and then the moment he was out, she was waiting for him the whole time. He didn’t think he was important enough for a healer to wait more than half a day for a dungeon proposal.

If it was just for a health mule, couldn’t she have just asked one of the other slum kids? Why wait specifically for him?

The reflection of the two lumen threads flickered over Shouren’s hazel irises. He was trying to control the flow of the lumen to discern its qualities. The speed of the lumen flow differed little from the original single thread, but Shouren noticed the threads were more ‘fickle’ when split into two. They appeared to flow in more of a ‘wave’, bending at the curves unlike the single lumen thread which was denser and flowed in a straighter line.

Is there a difference in the weight distribution? That would make sense. It’s ultimately the same units of lumen. If the density decreases per split, do I need to find a way to make it continue to flow when it gets lighter?

Shouren mentally mapped the variables. If the goal was to stabilize each thread to flow smoothly, that would explain why, when he previously tried to split the two lumen threads, it instantly sputtered out. The threads were too light and couldn’t flow with the same density. He didn’t have an answer at the moment, so he simply continued to observe the lumen threads.

Maybe Virelle thinks I’m much sturdier than I look. She was the one who healed my burns from the lightning beast, and thought I could handle at least a single Tier 1 monster’s attack. Was it because I was too calm at the injury, while other slum kids would bawl in tears?

Shouren resumed his thoughts regarding the nun and racked his brains for the uneasy feeling. He was missing a connection somewhere in the complex web of his instincts.

I will add a clause that prevents any party member from attacking me, use their abilities on me without my permission, and I’ll include any items as well, in case they use potions to drug me.

Shouren ran a few scenarios in his mind and began listing out the clauses he would include in the system contract. He needed to make an exception for the abilities as it would include healing as well, but Shouren added that it had to be done with his explicit consent. He would also demand payment of the chronas before entering the dungeon.

I’ll add that they cannot use me as bait to lure monsters, and I will remain in the center of the party formation, and I won’t be facing any direct attacks from the monsters. I’ll also add that they can’t send me with another party member to a separate location, in case they try to get me away from the main party.

Shouren calmly considered everything that could possibly go wrong and would have these points stated in the contract.

Despite his wariness, Shouren couldn’t let go of this chance. He needed to take the risk. There was too much he didn’t know, and the demonic chains was getting stronger day by day. Shouren didn’t think he could control it anymore if it decided to go on a rampage. For that, he needed to bring his own abilities and power on par with the demon.

With higher attributes and stronger class abilities, Shouren could keep the demon in binds. Today was an alarming wake up call for him. The chains could interact with the physical world on its own and Shouren couldn’t even stop it.

What if the demonic chains tried to hurt his grandmother?

Shouren’s eyes hardened. He needed to become stronger urgently… before it was too late.

“Sharding.”

Shouren’s hazel eyes flared with intensity as he grabbed the Lighten Weight spell card from his vault and shot his lumen into it. He activated his Veinreader trait at the same time, navigating the lumen threads into the card’s veins.

He was getting faster at breaking the star nodes each time he sharded. Under his deliberate control, the lumen slithered from each viable star node to another, leaving a trail of shattered dust.

One node… two nodes… one node… and another final node. Shouren destroyed five consecutive star nodes before diverting the lumen to the four main gates within the card’s frame. This was his current limit, as the other nodes were too small for his lumen threads to pass through.

In a flash of light, 9 really small shard pieces lay floating over his palm. It was the highest number of shards Shouren had ever extracted. His lips curled up. He couldn’t wait to surprise Rhea for their bet after a week.

Are you my friend or my enemy?

Shouren squeezed the shards in his hand and tried to talk to the demonic chains once again. He was in torment. Shouren didn’t hate the demonic chains, but at the same time, it was much stronger than him and had the power to hurt everyone in his life if he couldn’t rein it in. Until he had the power to fight back, the chains would always be a ticking time bomb in his body.

He crushed the shards and felt the surge of wisps stream towards his class card.

[Synchronization: 44%]

[Synchronization: 45%]

.

.

.

[Synchronization: 48%]

CHAPTER 24

The stream of wisps rushed into Shouren’s class card. Since the shards were so small, the class card easily absorbed most of the swimming wisps with little obstruction.

The web of insights reappeared within Shouren’s mind, and this time, he knew instinctively that it was an insight that he’d barely touched. It was so far away from the center of the web. Fragments of disheveled knowledge flickered before Shouren, but he couldn’t make any sense of them. The only feeling he got from the insight was… ‘falling down’?

It was a very distorted and fleeting fragment. If Shouren had to put it into legible words, then it was a concept of something simply falling down. He didn’t know how it connected to his Cardsmith class card, but he tossed that thought aside. He would learn more about that insight in the future if he absorbed more similar shards.

“It’s getting late. I should go to sleep before grandma calls for me.”

Shouren stiffed a yawn and made his way back inside the house. He had to wake up early tomorrow for the meeting with Virelle.

The next morning, Shouren woke up groaning as the sunlight tore through the crack of windows and singed through his eyelids.

“I think I need to stop wolfing down the crazy amount of raw monster meat.”

Shouren moaned with discomfort, and his stomach bubbled away at the mere thought. Shouren didn’t have any other choice. Lumen potions were too expensive, and he needed that extra lumen to continue forging multiple cards.

“Be careful today, potato!”

Rhea yelled over her shoulder while she busily shuffled inside the kitchen.

“I always am, grandma.”

Shouren smiled as he rubbed the drowsiness away from his eyes and got to his feet gradually. His stomach still ached, but it wasn’t in a critical condition. After making sure his vault was ready just like how he had left it last night, Shouren got to the door and with another wave goodbye to Rhea, he jogged to the town’s square.

Shouren went over what he was going to say to Virelle, and thought of a few other things he wanted to probe before he signed the contract. With a light sheen of sweat from a few minutes of running, Shouren finally reached the busy town square. Making his way to the street where he last parted with Virelle, Shouren came across the familiar figure of the young nun. She was already waiting for him.

Virelle was leaning against the wall with a small, chocolate-covered bun in her hand. The nun gave a cheerful wave at the approaching Shouren and took a large bite out of her bun. Speckles of chocolate bits smeared around her mouth, but the young woman didn’t seem to care.

Shouren gulped as he stared at the glistening layer of dark sweetness over the soft, velvety bun. Would it be rude if I tried to distract her and stole a bite of that chocolate bun?

Virelle laughed at the expression Shouren made. Then, the young girl tore off part of her bun with the thickest layer of chocolate and tossed it to Shouren.

“I promise you, Thalin, once you get a taste of that chocolate bun, you’ll never crave anything else ever again.”

Thalin? Is Thalin behind me?

Shouren almost twisted his neck back before he realized Virelle was addressing him. He had forgotten he’d given a fake name to the young nun.

“Ah, thanks for the bun, Virelle.”

Shouren snatched the treat mid-air and hastily gobbled it down. It was an explosion of sugary richness that melted across his tongue while the bread carried a soft whisper of buttery vanilla. Together, it was a perfect match made inside Shouren’s mouth.

It might actually be better than lemon pie!

“Alright, let’s get down to business, kid.”

Virelle patted her hands clean of the bread crumbs and looked seriously at Shouren.

Shouren had been savoring the last morsel of the chocolate bun inside his mouth, but after hearing the young nun’s voice, he swallowed it down with regret.

“Before we go over the contract, can I ask why you approached me instead of someone else?”

Shouren asked as he hastily wiped his mouth. He wished there was more of the chocolate bun for him to chow down.

A subtle shadow of an emotion shadowed her face for a heartbeat, but it was gone before Shouren could notice it.

“Well, if you don’t agree to the contract today, that’s exactly what I’ll do. You’re not some noble’s son that I could rob, Thalin. I just remembered you from when I healed your burns last time and since it looked like you were short on chronas, I thought this deal would appeal to you. Any random person will do as a health mule, but I prefer for them to be motivated while they’re working with me.”

Virelle shrugged her shoulders and explained in an even tone.

Hmm, it makes sense, and it doesn’t look like she’ll care if I walk away right now.

Shouren nodded and replied to the young woman by initiating the system contract.

“System Contract.”

He held out his hand to Virelle so she could read the terms he wanted in the contract.

A flash of light darted through Virelle’s eyes as she grasped Shouren’s hand and her system displayed the list of clauses for the contract. The young nun’s eyes widened with incredulity the more she read the terms Shouren listed there.

“This looks like you’re hiring us for an escort mission and our job is to protect you, rather the other way around where you’re working for us.”

Virelle stated dryly as she glared at the dark-haired teen.

The terms included a series of demands that Shouren would have to be placed in the safest position within the party’s formation, no party member could attack him with either weapons or abilities, and any non-lethal abilities had to have his express permission before being used. That included items and equipment as well. There were also clauses that forbade the party from using him as bait to lure monsters and that he had to be fed the whole time he was in the dungeon. The list of demands went on and on.

“This is just standard procedure to make sure I’m not being taken advantage of.”

Shouren clumsily scratched his cheek. Did he go overboard with the demands?

“Nothing about this is standard, brat! Are you coming on a vacation at a resort? Why do we have to provide you meals like we’re your personal chefs?”

Virelle lost her cool and burst into a tirade. She didn’t care about her mission anymore. This kid was treating her party like his private nannies.

“Okay, we can remove that part. I’ll arrange my own meals.”

Shouren chuckled, trying to placate the fiery young nun.

“Good. I can agree to the other demands that no one in our party will attack you or harm you in any way. This one should be fine as well… we’re definitely thrashing this one…”

Virelle went one by one over the contract clauses, throwing away any demands that were excessive, but kept the ones that guaranteed Shouren’s safety. Virelle was already feeling exhausted dealing with the annoying teenager, and if not for the bishop’s order, she would have smacked Shouren and bolted out of here.

“Wait, what is this? You want all the party members to bond their lives with you, so if you die, we all lose our lives as well!?”

Virelle almost choked on her spit. She had half a mind to grab the brat and kill him right now and avoid all this headache. The bishop’s order was to confirm a few pieces of information from Shouren, and the rest of her party was not in on the mission. In fact, none of them even knew she was a spy for the Sunspire Guild.

“I need an ironclad clause for my life. I can’t budge on this. All the other clauses might have loopholes I might not be aware of, but this clause will ensure I come out alive from the dungeon.”

Shouren crossed his arms over his chest and stated firmly, his hazel eyes boring down on Virelle. Although he lacked much experience with system contracts, he knew one could manipulate them through tiny loopholes. This clause would guarantee that, no matter what, he wouldn’t be killed in the dungeon.

Virelle stared at Shouren’s demeanor and sighed with exasperation.

“Fine. But it will only be my life tied to yours. If you die, I’ll join the afterlife with you.”

Her goal wasn’t to kill Shouren. Actually, she didn’t even know why the Sunspire guild had become so frantic in the past few weeks. The top clergy seemed desperate in their search for something, giving top priority to any clue leading to it. The bishop believed this slum kid might have some information regarding that.

Her mission was simple: get close to the teen and have him completely trust her. That was why Virelle wanted to take Shouren to the dungeon with her. She would have many chances to protect him, teach the basics, and even beguile him with thousands of chronas. Shouren was obviously greedy for money, and she could use that to hasten the befriending process.

Shouren thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. That worked for him. He didn’t think Virelle would willingly sacrifice her life so the rest of the party could kill him. His life wasn’t worth the sacrifice of a Tier 1 Cardist.

Virelle breathed with relief. She could continue her mission.

“Eh? You want 100,000 c-chronas sent to your family if you die?”

The young nun felt her blood boiling once again at the last clause on the contract. The guild would not reimburse her for the 5,000 chronas she had to give Shouren until the mission was over. She didn’t even have 100,000 chronas if she combined her entire fortune.

I hate this mission. No, I hate this brat in particular.

“Kid, are you trying to arrange for your funeral in the dungeon? What’s with all this preparation? Let’s just end this here and I’ll find someone else for the health mule.”

Virelle wanted to run away and stick to her role of gathering intel at the dungeon entrance. At least then, she wouldn’t have to continue talking to Shouren. She would have the bishop assign someone for this mission.

“I accidentally put that clause there. We can remove it, Virelle.”

Shouren waved his hands in apology and retracted that clause from the contract.

Alright, that confirms it. She’s not targeting me.

Shouren mentally nodded in confirmation. That clause was his final probe. He wanted to see if Virelle would continue despite that clause. If she did, then that meant she was after Shouren for something nefarious as no one would pay that many chronas when she could have just picked any other kid from the slums.

Virelle raised her brow in suspicion, but let the matter drop. Before the kid could get higher on her nerves, she added a few other basic clauses to the contract that stated the day, time, loot, etc. regarding their dungeon run. Shouren waited for a few minutes and then checked the contract again once Virelle presented the final version.

The new terms were straightforward. They would enter the dungeon in a week’s time, giving the party members enough time to gather their equipment and other necessities. Shouren checked that the guarantees on his life were intact and then signed the final contract.

“Don’t be late, Thalin!”

The tension slipped from Virelle’s shoulders when she saw the system’s notification blink in her vision, and she quickly made her escape from Shouren. She wasn’t going to let him change his mind now.

“Hey, wait!”

Shouren wanted to ask Virelle where she bought the chocolate buns from, but the nun had already dashed away out of sight. Filled with the memory of the delicious treat, he made his way back to the dungeon. Today was the last day to deliver the 10 Spectral Threads spell cards to Isola.

“Do I stink or something? Why did she run away so fast…”

Shouren mumbled as he turned around to walk.

Meanwhile, in another alley, far away from Shouren’s sight, Virelle stopped when the back of her pocket buzzed. It was her comms card, glowing in activation.

There was a new order from the bishop.

A bright flash rippled across the dungeon portal’s surface, and a dark-haired teen emerged, a scowl etched on his young face.

Screw the dungeon! It’s so unfair and biased against me!

Shouren wanted to go kick the portal, but if others saw him, they’d start kicking him instead. After his meeting with Virelle, Shouren went into the 1st floor of the dungeon and started hunting for monsters.

However, the first notification he got on arrival had instantly soured his mood.

[Update: 4th dungeon entry detected! Monster loot and final floor rewards downgraded for current and future entries.]

[Floor 1 Clear Conditions: Kill 1 Tier 0 entity]

[Current Kills: 0/1]

At first Shouren didn’t understand the full implication of the new changes, but when the first beast he killed only dropped a single [Common] card, the reality hit him like a blow. All the monsters on the floor would drop the lowest grade loot. Although the clear conditions had been reduced significantly from 3 monsters to a single monster, it came at the cost of worse dropped loot.

This was his 4th dungeon run. The first one was where he underwent his awakening, the second one was with Rubin in a party, and the 3rd run was yesterday. If he had known the rewards would be lowered on his 4th run, he would have maximized his rewards in the first few runs. Would the penalty still be in effect if he crossed the threshold by killing more monsters?

I bet that’s why Isola made pumpkin-head drag me to the dungeon! She wanted to see if I had delved into the 1st dungeon floor more than three times. When the monsters dropped [Uncommon] cards, Rubin must’ve realized that I hadn’t reached the 4th entry yet.

Shouren shivered at the thought. At every step, Isola was always a step ahead of him. Her bubbly persona was a carefully crafted veil that made others lower their guard around her. Shouren was glad that the auburn-haired woman was only treating him like a mildly interesting kid, and not as someone worth investing time in.

I must never reveal my class card to her again once I upgrade it.

Shouren made a strong mental note to stay clear of Isola’s gaze. Everyone, including Rubin and Thalin, were just puppets to her. Pumpkin-head was too pure-hearted to see Isola’s string of deceptions. No wonder Isola was the main recruiter of one of the most powerful guilds.

Shouren glanced at the three new [Common] cards sitting in his vault. The first one was from the monster he killed, the second one was the reward for the floor clear, and the last card was the reward for the solo clear. The normal clear reward had dropped from 3 cards down to 1, and the solo clear dropped from 2 to 1. This is most likely the dungeon’s way to force people to enter the higher floors.

Fortunately, two of the three cards dropped this time were [Common] class cards, with the last one being a spell card.

Tier 0 - Porter [Common]

Tier 0 - Forager [Common]

Tier 0 - Freshen Cloth [Common]

Clean and de-wrinkle any fabric or garment

Cost: 1 lumen per use

Shouren sighed as he walked through the long market streets. It wasn’t all bad. At least now, he didn’t have to hunt for three monsters before he could start forging his cards. He only needed to kill one and could spend the rest of the time crafting his cards. Today, Shouren was able to forge 6 Spectral Threads spell cards instead of 5 like last time, along with his synchronization rate raised by another 1%, putting it at a current 49%.

Forging the same card over and over again is decreasing the synchronization rate I get each time.

Shouren passed through the rows of shops and towards the back of the market. Forging was a reliable method of increasing his synchronization, but sharding new cards was still the most ideal path. He had a feeling that there was a reason why sharding was so effective on him.

“I’m finally here.”

Shouren stood in front of the distinct abandoned shop, with the familiar ‘Dreamthorn’ sign squeaking under the gentle breeze. Taking another step, he opened the door and met the empty stares of the desolate shop. Shouren visibly relaxed, knowing that Isola wasn’t actually present. It would have been a surprise if she was indeed still in this dusty shop.

Following Rubin’s instructions on the note he’d left him, Shouren soon located the table and walked behind it.

That must be the drawer.

He quickly found the wooden compartment on the right side of the table’s belly. The dilapidated wooden storage looked nothing special, but that must have been the point. Shouren carefully grasped the drawer’s metal knob and pulled it out. It was empty.

Then, taking the 10 Spectral Threads cards, he delicately placed the stack inside and closed the drawer shut.

Did that work?

Shouren waited for a few more seconds before he slowly pulled the drawer again. The cards were gone. However, there was a small note placed at the bottom. Curiosity taking hold of him, Shouren picked the note up and read its contents.

“Good job on fulfilling your end of the bargain, Shouren. These cards have repaid your debt. I look forward to this partnership and maybe more in the future.”

Shouren knew it was Isola’s handwriting at first glance even though he’d never seen her writing before. There was a cute winking face drawn at the bottom of the note, but it did nothing to lessen his uneasy feeling. According to their contract, Shouren would first have to pay back 10 Spectral Threads cards for the 12 class cards he took from Isola. It was a special onetime discount she’d given him to commemorate their partnership.

If Shouren had failed to deliver the cards in time today, then he would have to give Isola an additional 15 cards next week and if he failed even then, it would keep on increasing his debt with a sizable interest. That was why Shouren was racing to forge the cards by today. Now that he had delivered the cards, the penalty clause of the contract was no longer in effect. From now on, he could choose to trade 10 Spectral Threads cards whenever he wanted, without any time limit.

Every 10 of the spell cards would give him 8 [Common] class cards in exchange. In actuality, this was a losing deal for Shouren in terms of chronas as Isola could give him the 8 cheapest class cards while his individual Spectral Threads card was probably worth the price of two. But Shouren didn’t care. He would only continue this trade until he upgraded his class card to [Uncommon]. After that, he hoped to never see Isola again.

The deal with Isola was still better than going directly to the shops and having them question where he was getting the chronas from. It offered him discretion.

Alright, that’s one ticking problem out of the way. Now, I need to prepare for my last dungeon run before I join with Virelle’s party.

Shouren made his way out of the abandoned shop and started contemplating his dungeon run tomorrow. He planned to spend close to a week inside the dungeon and attempt to clear the floor with a high rating. It was his last chance to get something he could use on the 2nd floor. Shouren was praying for another chance to obtain a Lumen Weapon. He didn’t want to stay long enough for the lightning beast to spawn, but to get enough kills for the dungeon to give him proper rewards.

If only the first three attempts on the floor give the highest rewards, wasn’t he going to use up one of his attempts on the 2nd floor next week with Virelle?

Oh shoot! I forgot to include the clause to have Virelle pay me the 5000 chronas upfront.

Shouren mentally slapped himself when he remembered his mistake. It had slipped his mind entirely. He wanted to make sure the young nun wouldn’t renege on the deal and wanted to collect the money before he entered the dungeon with her party.

Shouren was mad at himself for committing such a careless mistake. He thought he planned everything perfectly, but went ahead and forgot one of the most important clauses to include. Shouren followed the same route he took earlier and walked towards the town square. The scowl was back on his face.

In the distance, concealed within the murky shadows of the alley, a dark silhouette silently observed the young teen. It had watched him enter the decrepit shop and trailed his every move. A few seconds later, the silhouette noiselessly took out a card and relayed the report.

It was late, and a lot of the shops were beginning to close. Although not all of them, since some villagers liked to delve into the dungeon at night. As Shouren passed through the same route, he paused for a second at the sharp sound of metal ringing.

Tang.

Ting… Ting.

Tang.

Shouren turned his head to face the shop where the sounds were coming from. It was a blacksmith shop. Shouren walked closer to the shop’s window and peeked inside. The smithy was way in the back of the shop and he could only catch a few stray glimpses at the forge.

Something about the hammer, the metal, and the anvil called out to him.

Tang. Tang. Tang.

CHAPTER 25

The sound is different each time.

Shouren stared through the window in a daze. He couldn’t see the anvil or the hammering as the back of the smithy was obstructed by the front of the shop, but he was focused on the sound the collision of the metals made.

If it was before his experience with forging cards, Shouren wouldn’t have paid much heed, but now, he could discern the subtle changes in the sound each strike of the hammer made. The hammer made a distinct sound on every hit. Shouren was so entranced with the sounds that he didn’t notice when suddenly, the clanging on the anvil stopped.

The door opened on the side of the shop’s exterior, and a polite voice broke Shouren out of his reverie.

“The shop’s closed for the night, young sir.”

It was an old, wiry man that towered at a height of over 195 cm. He had rolled his shirtsleeves back to his elbows, revealing the tight, corded muscles on his forearms. Shouren could tell the man was older than his grandmother, but he barely had any visible wrinkles on his skin. It was the old man’s deep-set topaz eyes. That was the only sign Shouren knew that this man was old. His class card definitely had to be [Uncommon] or above to give him that younger look.

Would grandma look younger once her class card gets upgraded as well?

“I’m sorry for disturbing you, Mr. Blacksmith. I was enjoying the sounds your hammer made.”

Shouren stepped back from the window and bowed respectfully to the old man. The blacksmith had shown him respect by addressing him politely despite his ragged clothes, so Shouren returned that courtesy.

“Hmm? You like my hammer’s sounds? What about it appeals to you, young sir?”

The old man readjusted the silver-rimmed spectacles on his face, a curious glint passing over his aged eyes. The man had a thin, lanky build, but Shouren could spot the chiseled muscles through the opened upper-part of his shirt. The shop’s security system alerted him that someone was touching the outside window, which made him stop and come out to check the intruder. The old man had initially seemed like he was politely gesturing for Shouren to leave so he could get back to his forge, but a quiet intrigue was beginning to replace it.

Normally, youngsters would try to sing praises about the quality of his goods or talk about how they wished they had awakened a blacksmith class card instead, to squeeze some discount. However, no one had ever told the blacksmith that they liked the sounds his hammer made. It was the same sound to everyone, so why would anyone like it? Was this a new roundabout way to get a discount from him?

Shouren paused as he scratched his head. What should he tell the old man? Now that he thought of it, it did sound weird that he liked the hammer sounds.

“The hammer sounded like you were talking to the metal through it. Actually, I don’t know exactly what the differences in the sounds were, Mr. Blacksmith. But I felt like you were hitting a new part of the metal each time, and it was talking back to you as well.”

Shouren simply said what was on his mind. The hammer sounds reminded him of when he was forging his own card. He would use the lumen to shape the card’s frame and veins. In a way, he was using the lumen to ‘talk’ to the card, and modifying his strikes based on the card’s response. The blacksmith’s movements seemed similar as well.

“Have you awakened already?”

The blacksmith’s topaz eyes stared at Shouren, an unreadable expression on his face. Shouren appeared young, so it was possible that he might have awakened already.

“Yes, I’m a Cardsmith, Mr. Blacksmith.”

At Shouren’s response, a tinge of regret flashed across the old man’s face before it shifted into understanding and he nodded at Shouren.

“Come inside, young sir. You can watch me while I finish my work.”

The old blacksmith then turned around and held the door open for Shouren.

Shouren didn’t hesitate and entered the shop with excitement. He still had time before Rhea would begin to worry about his whereabouts. It was a rare chance to watch another class craft in person. Most didn’t allow spectating to prevent their recipes from being leaked, however, the old blacksmith didn’t seem to mind. Was it because Shouren was just a young teen or because he knew a Cardsmith didn’t need recipes for metal?

“Woah! You can craft Lumen Weapons?”

Shouren gawked in shock at the broadsword on display behind the shop’s counter. The faint glowing patterns carved on the surface of the wide blade didn’t allow it to be mistaken for anything else.

“It’s just a lowly [Common] Lumen Weapon and the limit of my crafting skill, young sir. But I am happy that you can appreciate it.”

The old blacksmith’s eyes twinkled with pride as he examined the weapon. That sword was his magnum opus and the only Lumen Weapon he had ever forged. It was an enormous accomplishment for someone in this desolate village. It was why he had so many security systems in place, to prevent anyone from stealing that weapon.

“That’s so cool! You could sell it for tens of thousands of chronas!”

Shouren’s hazel eyes glazed with admiration. If he could ever forge a card of similar value, then he could live a lavish life with grandma in a city far away. Just one card would be enough to take care of all their needs.

“Chronas are not the means to everything, young sir. Come, let’s finish the metal before the forge cools down.”

The old blacksmith chuckled at Shouren’s statement and gestured for the teen to follow him to the smithy. He could tell his words hadn’t dissuaded Shouren in the least.

But chronas are the best…

Shouren mumbled in his mind and quickly trailed behind the old man. He shouldn’t upset the old man who warmly invited him to his shop.

Once inside the smithy, Shouren took his time to draw all the sights in. The most obvious object in the room was the scorching forge where the waves of orange fire danced in its depths. The temperature of the room was already a few degrees higher than a few steps outside in the shop. Shouren gazed at the other tools and equipment scattered around the smithy.

“Blacksmithing isn’t about hitting the metal with the strongest force you can muster. It’s about striking the metal where it needs to be, with the precise amount of force.”

The blacksmith grabbed the slender hammer as he used the tongs to place the cooled metal back inside the forge. After seeing the red-hot metal, the old man took it back to the anvil and started hammering away with the thin hammer.

“I don’t like having someone watch my work, young Cardsmith. But your words sang of the beauty you find in crafting, and as a fellow man walking on the same path, I wanted to show you my journey so far. This will be the only time I make this exception, so please watch carefully.”

The old blacksmith didn’t take his eyes away from the metal as he hammered in a rhythmic sequence. His topaz eyes concentrated with emotion as the flames of the forge flickered over his irises.

Unlike combat class cards where they gained enlightenment through killing, the non combatant classes focused on unraveling the mysteries of their respective crafts. Only a fellow crafter could appreciate his work’s beauty. Shouren’s eyes were free of taint when the teen watched him hammering the metal.

Shouren stood still and watched silently without moving a single muscle. Now that he was close to the metal, he felt his mind drifting away with the hammer sounds.

Tang.

Tang.

Ting.

Tang.

The blacksmith didn’t speak any further and continued striking the metal.

Shouren was in a trance as he saw the red-hot metal morph in a different shape under each hammer hit. The Blacksmith would then turn the metal with the tongs and continue to hammer away.

Why does he hit the metal so much?

Shouren didn’t understand why the old man didn’t shape the metal into a weapon’s form or something tangible yet. He simply kept turning the metal over and over again with each hit.

Sparks flew from the metal’s surface as thin scabs of dark crust flaked away to the bottom of the anvil.

Is that the waste from the metal?

Shouren’s mind jolted at the idea. The blacksmith wasn’t trying to make a weapon yet since the metal was still full of impurities. Before he could use it, the waste had to be hammered out.

At each hammer’s strike, a small amount of the dark waste crumbled away. It was difficult to work with metal when it was contaminated with hidden waste. If the old man molded it into a weapon at the current stage, the weapon would be too brittle and shatter at any large collision. It had to be cleaned of that impurity so it could stand resilient against any force.

Shouren’s eyes blanked out in thought as the raging orange flames flared in the background. He finally had an answer to one of his questions. He knew why his lumen threads faltered when he tried to split them multiple times.

My lumen is not pure.

The hammer’s clanging continued to echo in the smithy.

That would explain why when I spread the lumen too thin, it didn't coalesce anymore and broke apart. I had a hunch it was connected to the threads’ density, but now I can pinpoint to a deeper reason: the lumen purity.

Shouren watched in fascination as the old blacksmith adeptly struck the red-hot metal to draw out the blackened flakes. When his lumen was in a single thread, the impurity didn’t seem to matter much as it could still maintain its form and function. However, the more he split them, the threads lost their substance and the quality of the original lumen became more important to hold the energy together.

If Shouren was already struggling to split his lumen into four lumen threads with his existing purity, then reaching the six threads mark would be impossible. Shouren knew he needed to purify his lumen, but was it even possible?

Shouren had no idea, but he lodged this thought away for later. It was yet another clue regarding his lumen.

Tang. Ting. Ting.

The sound of the metal ringing reverberated in the hot room. Blow after blow, the old blacksmith worked the glowing metal without pause. Shouren quietly watched for the next twenty minutes until the hammer struck for the final time.

“It’s done, young sir. I hope you’ll return the favor someday by demonstrating your card forging skills in the future.”

The old man smiled gently at Shouren. He then wiped away the sweat with a handkerchief from his pocket and put the finished ingot aside using his tongs. The blacksmith didn’t expect Shouren to have a recipe at the moment, but his instincts told him that wouldn’t be the case in the distant future.

Shouren brought his hands to his side and gave the old blacksmith a respectful bow.

“Thank you for letting me watch, Mr. Blacksmith. I will definitely pay you back one day.”

Shouren could reveal his card-forging skills to the old man, but the risk was too high for now. After a few years, he would return and pay back the favor. Watching the blacksmith had given him important clues to the direction of his lumen training.

Shouren was just about to leave the smithy when a stray thought came to him.

“Mr. Blacksmith, what weapon would you recommend for me?”

The old man didn’t answer right away and instead looked at Shouren through his glasses. His topaz eyes washed over Shouren’s frame, his muscle ratios, and finally guessing as to what the teen intended to do with a weapon. Could Shouren actually be thinking of going into the dungeon to fight monsters, or is it for self-protection?

“For protection or to attack, young sir?”

“To attack.”

Shouren replied decisively, his young face firm.

“May I ask the extent of your funds for this purchase?”

The old man kept his respectful tone throughout the conversation. He liked the dark-haired teen, as Shouren didn’t pepper him with useless questions to impress him or earn his favor. However, he couldn’t just hand his goods for free. It cost him chronas to buy the ores and to keep the forge running, not to account for the labor time as well.

“I can trade in cards.”

Shouren pretended to take out two [Common] spell cards from his back pocket while, in reality, he grabbed them from the vault. This was the most he was willing to spend on a weapon.

The old blacksmith glanced at the two cards and gave a slow nod in comprehension. Those two cards were not enough for even the smallest sword or a well-crafted dagger, but he had a few weapons lying around that would cover the cost of its materials. The blacksmith went over to the back of the smithy and shuffled around with a pile of crude weapons. These were items he crafted that didn’t fulfill the requirements of displaying in the shop, but were still of good quality.

Unfortunately, Shouren’s two cards were only worth about 150 chronas, so he had only two options to show the teen. And that was already discounting his own labor cost when he gave the price to Shouren. Transporting ore to their desolate town was expensive, and the merchants charged a pretty chrona for them.

“Young sir is still growing. I think this nail and this knife are the best options available to you.”

The old blacksmith held out the two light weapons to Shouren and let him examine them. He then returned to the anvil and started to close the place for the night.

Shouren ran his fingers through the two weapons, unsure of which one to pick. He would have preferred a sword, but he couldn’t afford a weapon of that caliber yet. He accepted the two options laid out before him and not once did he question whether the old blacksmith was trying to rip him off or not. The old man gave off that rare, sincere aura that the old crafters like his grandma had.

The nail reminds me of the fox bone spike I used in my first dungeon run. It was a good weapon, but it had its shortcomings. On the other hand, the knife’s body is thinner than a dagger, but it’s more versatile compared to the nail.

Shouren held each weapon individually in his hand, getting accustomed to its weight and feeling. Shouren wanted to have a weapon as a backup in case his Dimensional Vault strategy ever failed. He had been lucky so far in evading the monsters, but he couldn’t always count on that to save him.

He needed to be ready in case things didn’t work out.

Shouren put the nail aside and bounced the knife in his palm. He was sure he didn’t want the nail, but the knife also felt awkward and clumsy in his hand. Using the knife felt clumsy whenever he resorted to a chopping or slashing motion.

“Did the young sir decide on the knife?”

The old blacksmith came back after a few minutes, his slender hammer in tow on his hip.

“Mr. Blacksmith, do you have a hammer for my size?”

Shouren’s mind flared when he saw the hammer on the old man’s side.

The blacksmith seemed to trace Shouren’s gaze on his hammer and shook his head.

“A war hammer would be too bulky for you, young sir. It needs both hands to wield properly and I’m sorry to say, but those two cards wouldn’t be enough to buy one.”

War hammers were heavy weapons. The amount metal used to forge single war hammer would have been enough to make dozens of knives like the one Shouren held.

“No, I mean, do you have another hammer tool, like the one you use to forge metal?”

Shouren put the knife away and asked eagerly. He didn’t want the weapon hammers. He wanted the tool hammer instead.

The old blacksmith stared at Shouren for a second, confusion plastered over his face as he explained.

“The hammer you’re asking for is a tool, young sir. It would be too light to kill any Tier 0 monster.”

“Do you have a small one that I can use?”

Undeterred, Shouren prayed the old blacksmith had one.

“Yes, I do have a couple of training hammers I let my apprentices use, but are you sure you want a hammer like that, young sir?”

The blacksmith was perplexed by Shouren’s insistence on a forging hammer. The tool was non-lethal and would at most irritate any monster. In the end, Shouren was still a paying customer, so the old man obliged. He went to another corner and plucked a small hammer from the stand. The metal inside weighed even less than the knife.

“I’ll take it!”

Shouren immediately exclaimed when he saw the hammer’s size. It was much smaller than the one the old blacksmith had on his side, but its handle was similar in slenderness, albeit shorter in length. The old man walked back to Shouren, with the training hammer outstretched before him.

Shouren reached out for the hammer and gripped the handle in his palm. He then swished it around and the weight felt… right.

This is what I want.

Shouren’s thoughts raced with excitement as he ran through the various scenarios in his mind. This hammer would fit perfectly with the strategies he had in his mind. He didn’t need to kill the monsters outright in a single strike, he just needed to buy some time for the finishing blow.

“A single card will be enough for the purchase, young sir.”

The old blacksmith let out a sigh. Shouren seemed like he’d already made up his mind and it was futile to dissuade him. He just hoped the youngster was not foolish enough to go alone in the dungeon with that training hammer. The training hammer was cheap, as it was just to let the apprentices get familiar with the hammering strokes.

“Thank you, Mr. Blacksmith!”

Shouren handed over a single card and shoved the training hammer in his waistband. It was getting late, and he needed as much sleep as he could tonight before he left for the dungeon early in the morning.

The old blacksmith took the card politely and waved at Shouren as he walked to the door. Shouren stepped outside and before he continued on the street, he turned to face the old man and bowed once again.

“Your silver glasses make you look cool, Mr. Blacksmith.”

Shouren straightened his back and gave the old man a stiff salute before darting away in the night.

The old blacksmith blushed as he adjusted his spectacles and let out a soft chuckle at the funny teen. Oh, to be young and silly again.

On the outskirts of the desolate village, a petite figure stood waiting alone. Soon, a cloud of shadows surged around her before condensing into the form of a tall, bald man.

“So?”

Isola raised her brow tensely.

“The report was accurate. Sunspire has indeed lost that ‘item’ in question.”

Thalin stated without a fluctuation in his voice.

“I can’t believe those fools actually lost it!”

Isola whispered in disbelief. None of it added up. The clergy in Sunspire weren’t complete idiots, and for them to lose that ‘item’ in this rundown village didn’t line up at all.

“Any orders from the Leader?”

Thalin asked upon noticing that Isola was lost in thought.

“No, it’s time for us to leave as well. We need to locate that ‘item’ as soon as possible.”

Isola clicked her tongue, her auburn hair fluttering in the dark night.

If Sunspire didn’t have it… then who did?

Time to get that ‘B’ clear rating!

It was morning and Shouren raced from his house after bidding goodbye to his grandma. He was going to the dungeon and this time, he would only come out after 6 days had passed.

CHAPTER 26

Something flashed in the distance, and in the next moment, a dark-haired teen appeared out of nowhere in the center of a forest glade.

Shouren already had a Spectral Threads spell card in hand in case he spawned right before a monster again. Thankfully, he was alone this time. He was surrounded by a vast expanse of trees and could see nothing else besides the lush greenery.

“Sweet! It’s all flat land, and monsters cannot easily ambush me.”

Shouren sighed in relief and plopped down on the soft grass. Returning the spell card to his vault, Shouren took out a medium-sized parchment paper instead, along with a black pen. He borrowed these two from his grandmother last night, but didn’t get the time to put it to use yet.

Gently setting the parchment down, Shouren began to write, using a light touch to avoid tearing the paper against the soft grass.

I need to plan this run carefully because I need to leave in time to join Virelle’s party. I can’t be lazing around mindlessly. Let’s start off with the main goals.

Shouren had originally planned to write out his dungeon goals once he went home last night, but he fell asleep the instant he started to brainstorm. The entire day’s exhaustion seemed to hit him right at that moment.

He wrote the first goal on the parchment with his shoddy handwriting. Fortunately, no one besides Shouren would have to read the squiggles on the paper.

1. Complete the 1st floor with a ‘B’ clear rating.

From what Shouren remembered, Rubin had killed a total of 27 monsters to achieve that rating while Shouren’s first clear of ‘C+’ rating only took him 16 monster kills. But the situation was different this time. The dungeon had imposed a penalty on his kills and floor end rewards. Would they still apply this time as well, even if he exceeded the kills by a certain amount? Shouren didn’t know and only time would tell.

He hoped to get something that would help him in his dungeon run with Virelle. The system contract ensured his safety, but Shouren still wanted to have a trump card in his arsenal if things went awry.

2. Forge Spectral Threads spell cards, and reserve 5 units of lumen for the spell card at all times.

After his last incident with the pair of leopard monsters, Shouren never wanted to be in a situation where his lumen tanks were completely empty. He lucked out that day, but he couldn’t count on luck to save him every time. He had a total of 20 units of lumen, with 5 lumen already reserved for the Dimensional Vault. With 5 lumen set aside for an emergency Spectral Threads activation, Shouren had only 10 units of lumen remaining for each battle. He had to be conservative with his lumen use.

3. Shard any viable cards to gain insights and to increase the synchronization rate.

Oh no! I tore the paper here.

Shouren bit the inside of his mouth when his pen pierced through the paper. He wished he had a rock nearby that he could use to place the paper on, but he was stuck with the soft grass.

Shouren’s third goal was to shard as many cards as he could and unravel their relevant insights. Not only were the insights the key to unlocking his traits, his grandma had told him they could be used to upgrade his attributes as well. Moreover, the smaller the shards, the faster his synchronization increased.

Actually, should I move the sharding goal to the number 2 spot?

Shouren couldn’t decide on the order of his goals. Sharding was quickly becoming his most prized ability in his toolkit. Deciding to adjust the order later, Shouren continued writing on the parchment.

4. Upgrade traits, mainly Lumen Weaver.

Shouren didn’t even know where to start with upgrading his Veinreader trait, but he had a few clues regarding his other trait, Lumen Weaver. He had a strong feeling that this trait would be integral to forging higher tier and rarity cards.

5. Find insights to upgrade my attributes.

Wait, goals number 4 and 5 are both connected to sharding and insights. Should I just combine the goals? Hmm, they all need insights, but the end results are different, so I’ll keep them separate for now.

Shouren bit the end of the pen in contemplation.

6. Train with the hammer.

The final goal for this dungeon run was to practice with the training hammer. Shouren desperately needed to learn how to fight in close quarters. A while back, he dropped this idea because he was a Cardsmith and wanted to rely on cards to achieve his objectives. However, the current Shouren today didn’t have the recipes of all the cards he needed to fight as a Cardsmith. Until he had multiple recipes, he needed a backup plan to engage with any incoming monsters.

He wouldn’t be able to escape unscathed all the time, and not every situation with a monster would be ideal to set up a trap in advance. Shouren needed an alternate method of fighting when he ran out of lumen or didn’t have any boulders in his vault.

If he could learn to stun monsters consistently with the hammer, that would give him enough time to finish them off using his Dimensional Vault [Rare]. All his recent battles had been him keeping his distance and when he faltered with the hippo back then, Shouren knew he couldn’t rely on that strategy forever.

A boulder hit wouldn’t work on a Tier 1 monster and it was better for Shouren to start preparing early in case it became a habit that could cost him his life in the future.

At the same time, using the hammer effectively was a difficult task. Shouren didn’t have the dexterity to aim at monsters’ heads while in motion with great accuracy. He needed to practice landing the first blow without getting mauled in the process.

Should I move the hammer training to the number 2 spot? It’s going to require the most amount of time to accomplish. Well, I wanted to move sharding to the number 2 spot as well…

Shouren chewed on the pen’s end.

Hiss.

An ominous sound made Shouren’s body go still.

I’m an idiot. I thought the flat plains would show me any monsters from a distance, but not all monsters are big like the hippo or the leopards. How long has this guy been watching me?

Shouren twisted his neck to the source of the sound with deliberate slowness. It was a thick 4 meter long python monster. Its scales were a mix of all shades of green, which made it blend imperceptibly with the grass stalks. The python’s draconian eyes dripped with savage hunger as it slithered towards Shouren.

It’s a python monster, so it shouldn’t be venomous. Should I take the risk of practicing my hammer or use the Spectral Threads now to finish it off quickly?

Shouren’s thoughts tumbled over one another in a rush. The monster was alone, making it a one-on-one battle, but there was a possibility that another one could join it later. Shouren didn’t want his first close-quarters fight with a hammer to be against a snake-type monster, but at least it wasn’t venomous.

Light flickered around Shouren’s right hand and one moment, his hand was empty; the next, it held the training hammer.

Shouren concluded in the end that the risk was well contained. If another monster ambushed him, he still had his lumen intact and could use the Spectral Threads to hold off multiple monsters back in that one minute.

Hiss.

The python monster didn’t wait any longer. With its fangs curled out, the reptile lunged at Shouren.

Shouren leaped to the side. He was expecting the monster to attack at any moment, so he was already ready with his knees bent slightly to launch himself out of the way. The Spectral Threads card was ready in his vault at a moment’s notice, but he wanted to take his time to adapt to the hammer.

It’s not balanced evenly. The weight is more heavily distributed at the top with the metal face, so when I move the hammer, it swings lightly in the air with its own momentum. Even when I hold it in my hand, the hammer head pulls down to the ground.

A torrent of his thoughts raced together inside his mind. Wielding a hammer differed from a bone spike, knife, dagger, or any other weapon Shouren held before.

Shouren’s hammer struck the empty grass. He was aiming for the monster’s lithe head, but missed entirely. The python was astonishingly agile for not having any limbs. It didn’t even break a sweat to evade Shouren’s attack.

My swing is taking too much time and its head is also much faster than the rest of its body.

Shouren paled as he swung a few more times with the hammer, but only met with the empty air or the flattening of the grass. If Shouren was aiming at the monster’s body, then he could have landed at least one blow, but whenever he aimed at the python’s head, the monster seemed to know a fraction of a second in advance.

The green python’s forked tongue vibrated in the air, carnage burning in its feral eyes as it coiled around itself.

What is it doing?

That was Shouren’s last thought before a pair of searing fangs bit deep into his calf.

A raw, anguished scream tore through the surrounding air.

It was his own voice.

It’s burning!

Shouren screamed as an excruciating pain pulsed through his blood and into his body.

When did the monster latch onto his leg? It was too fast for Shouren to follow.

“You sneaky rat, you have venom in your fangs!”

Shouren cursed through his teeth as he wobbled for a second. He could feel something invading his body, dampening his senses and thoughts. The monster glanced up at Shouren, its draconic eyes gloating as if it had never claimed it wasn’t venomous. Also, it appeared offended that the human called it a rat instead of the noble snake species.

It’s too late, I don’t have any healing cards. I need to kill it before the venom spreads further.

Shouren grit his teeth in regret and raised his hand, about to bring the hammer down on the monster’s scaly head. It was the perfect chance for him to land a hit on its head.

With a swish, the hammer swung cleanly without resistance.

Huh?

Shouren’s glazed eyes rolled down. The python was still locked on his calf, its fangs latched onto his flesh in a deathly vise.

It’s a venom that targets the brain.

A sense of dread creeped into Shouren. It was a nerve agent targeting not his body, but his mind. He had swung that hammer with his full strength aimed at the monster, but his mind-body connection was off sync.

Shouren wanted to cry at his earlier decision to hold off on using the Spectral Threads card, and he was paying the price for it now. The python’s fangs sunk in deeper, eliciting another sharp cry from Shouren.

I can’t give up. There must be a weakness to this monster. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have tried to sneak up on me.

Shouren racked his brain for a way out while he kept swinging at the python. His arm didn’t obey the trajectory his brain sent. The snake expected this and didn’t even bother looking up at the human anymore. It was focused on injecting as much of the venom as it could until it would be too late for Shouren to do anything.

Shouren stopped moving abruptly, the hammer limp in his hand but not fallen to the ground yet.

The venom is weak.

Shouren grasped at that realization. It had been a few minutes, and he could still think consciously. Though his motor functions were compromised, much of his rationality remained. Shouren quelled the rising panic and took his time to think. The monster didn’t even notice that the human was standing still. Its fangs throbbed as it pumped more drops of venom into him.

I don’t have a high constitution attribute. Despite that, the venom hadn’t paralyzed me yet. Was it geared towards the nerves within the muscles? And since it grabbed onto my calf, it hasn’t let go and seemed to let the venom do its job. Did the venom require a constant flow to work or did it need to reach a certain threshold before the effects were permanent?

Shouren ignored the scorching pang of heat traveling from his leg and concentrated on unraveling the venom. From what he gathered, the venom was too weak to have a significant effect from a single drop. It also didn’t target his brain like he’d initially thought, but towards the nerves connecting his brain to his muscles.

He gazed down at the monster. Only its mouth thrummed near the fangs, but the rest of its body was still.

I thought it was confident in its venom, but knowing how weak it is, it shouldn’t have been that confident to not even flinch when the hammer came near it. It’s not that it was unfazed, but that it actually couldn’t move.

Shouren’s eyes steeled at the revelation. Whatever the venom was, it was affecting the monster as well. It has no resistance to its own venom? Shouren didn’t care to dwell further on it.

He placed his palm on his hip and meticulously moved his hand down to his calf, using his skin as both support and guide to navigate. If he took his hand off his body, then his brain would cease to discern his bodily movements. That’s why Shouren kept his hand connected to his body. He gradually neared the python’s shiny head. The monster had a long sinewy body, while its head was relatively slimmer.

Now that his hand made contact with the monster’s head, Shouren latched onto its body and trailed down to its midsection. At this point, the python’s fears were coming true. The human had figured it out!

It hastily released its fangs from Shouren’s flesh and tried to retreat. Globules of Shouren’s blood seeped into the grass below, staining the earthy dirt.

Was it ingesting my venom-filled blood? That must be why it was affected as well. Hells, the venom is interfering with my blood and preventing it from clotting.

Shouren didn’t let go of his grip as the monster writhed under him. However, the situation had turned from worse to dire. The venom prevented the muscles near the wound from closing, causing Shouren to slowly bleed out. His earlier joy at finding the venom was not poisonous quickly died down, now that he had to face the possibility of bleeding to death.

Seeing that the human had no intention of letting it go, the python glared at the human and roped its long body around his wounded leg. Its sinewy muscles squeezed hard, forcing more blood to come spurting out the open wound.

However, while Shouren was losing blood, the venom inside also left alongside the more blood he lost. He was gradually gaining control over his body, but at the cost of his vitality. Fueled with desperation, Shouren raised his other hand and brought it down towards the monster’s jaw. Seeing an opening, the python coiled its upper body once again and bit into Shouren’s hand, palm up.

“Got you.”

Shouren wheezed through the burning sensation in his palm and activated his vault. The handle of the hammer shot through the monster’s brain the instant it appeared outside. Shouren had summoned the tool directly into the python’s mouth.

The monster’s body loosened around Shouren’s leg and slowly crumbled to the ground, as a single gray card floating above its corpse.

[Floor 1 Clear Conditions: Kill 1 Tier 0 entity]

[Current Kills: 1/1]

[Floor Rewards will be distributed upon exit or new floor.]

[Exit: Yes/No]

[Enter Floor 2: Yes/No]

A notification blinked within Shouren’s sight. However, he was losing his consciousness. Shouren shoved the card into his vault without looking at it and did the same with the python’s body as well.

He needed to stop his bleeding fast.

Should I leave right now? I could get healing once I’m outside.

Shouren stared at the exit option, deliriousness spreading through his body every second he lost more blood. He then hobbled away on his one leg, away from the scene.

No, I won’t have that easy option to quit every time I get hurt.

Shouren took out an extra shirt from his vault and wrapped it around his calf, tying the fabric tight to stop the bleeding as much as possible. The venom was still inside his body. After tying the fabric around his injury, Shouren channeled his lumen to move faster. He needed to find a safer spot to rest, away from the smell of blood.

How did I forget this? I can use lumen to fight off the bleeding!

As the tendrils of lumen danced through his body while he dragged himself away, Shouren recalled when he used the lumen in his dungeon run before to help heal slowly. It wasn’t effective on serious afflictions like burns or poison, but enough for fleshy injuries. The deliriousness was taking over his mind and he could feel his consciousness slipping away.

Shouren found an isolated spot near a crowd of trees and picked the one in the back. It was still vulnerable to an ambush, but Shouren was out of time. He was going to drop soon if he didn’t change something.

I should have expected that the snake might be venomous.

Shouren didn’t even make it to the tree before his body gave out and he came tumbling down with his face collapsing into the grass.

Everything was so hazy. Was it the blood loss or the venom? Shouren couldn’t differentiate any longer.

What a weird venom… it targeted my nerves instead of poisoning me.

Shouren’s hazel eyes dimmed as he lost focus and his vision turned blurry. It wasn’t just his body, even his brain was slowing down now.

The venom in my nerves is going to my brain as well?

Shouren’s mind was going numb. The speed of his thoughts were slowing down as well.

If my nerves slowing down makes my thoughts slow as well, can I make my nerves travel faster?

Drool seeped out of Shouren’s mouth as he lay there. His body no longer obeyed him. He couldn’t even exit the dungeon now, as his mind was cracking apart.

Faster… go faster…

Shouren’s mind was dissipating into nothing as he deliriously formed his half-thoughts. His eyes stared into nothing as he drifted away into the void.

Go…

A single thought echoed quietly, using the last strand of his will.

Something stirred inside Shouren’s chest and all his remaining 13 units of lumen rushed to his brain in a tsunami of energy. Normally, Shouren would fear bombarding his most vulnerable organ with so much volatile energy, but in his delirious state, he no longer understood the ramifications.

The tide of radiant energy washed over Shouren’s brain, seeping through his lobes. A flicker of a notification blinked within his irises, but he was no longer awake.

[Attribute upgrade initiated… insufficient lumen… progress halted]

[Intelligence E —> Intelligence E (0.8%)]

CHAPTER 27

In the back of a quiet forest, an isolated tree swayed with the gentle wind, its leaves rustling noiselessly. Thin beams of sunlight poked through the space between the verdant leaves, revealing a still body of a human male teen near the bottom of the tree’s trunk.

Then something stirred, breaking the silent stillness. It was the teen’s finger.

“Ugh…”

Shouren woke up with a groan. His mouth felt like he’d chewed on mounds of dirt. Actually, that’s exactly what had happened. Shouren retched, his stomach heaving as he spit out the wet soil lodged inside the back of his throat. How did the soil even get that far back?

I’m alive?

Shouren ran his hand over his tongue, trying to wipe away as much of the ‘dirt flavor’ as he could. The last he remembered, his nerves were contaminated with the python’s venom and he was dying of blood loss from that open wound.

He quickly checked his vault and had his cards ready while he nervously glanced around the surroundings. How long was he passed out for, and were there any other monsters nearby?

“It shouldn’t have been more than a few hours.”

Shouren’s hazel eyes flicked up at the sky, calculating the approximate time he was unconscious from the position of the sun. He staggered to his feet, and when he put pressure on his injured foot, a grimace twisted his face. Shouren looked down at his calf, relieved the wound had closed and stopped bleeding. However, it still looked dire. Meanwhile, the area on his hand where the python bit came out looking much better. The monster had most likely struck a major artery on his leg to cause that level of bleeding.

“Something is off.”

Seeing that he was momentarily safe, Shouren rubbed his eyes in confusion. He couldn’t put a finger on it, but the dungeon seemed… different. Nothing had changed outside. Everything was the same color, the same environment, the same forest, and the same trees. However, Shouren felt that something had changed. He couldn’t explain the feeling. It was like his mind could see further. Not his eyes, but his mind. It was an inexplicable sensation to put into words.

Shouren leaned on the tree, trying to gather his memories from before he passed out.

I was fighting the python’s venom in my blood and wanted to stop its interference on my nerves. I believe it was tampering with the nerve connection between my brain and my muscles, slowing and redirecting them.

Shouren closed his eyes, pressing the back of his neck against the cool tree. He remembered he gleaned something from the effects of the venom on his body. Was it an insight?

I wanted to counteract the venom by speeding up my nerves, but I never actually figured out how to do it. And that was the last thought in my mind before I blacked out. Wait, let me check my status!

Shouren chided himself for not checking his system status the instant he woke up. If something had changed, the system would have cataloged it.

[Attribute upgrade initiated… insufficient lumen… progress halted. Intelligence E (0.8%)]

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 49%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 1/1 - Dimensional Vault [Rare]

Lumen: 3/20 (-5)

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: F

Intelligence: E (0.8%)

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite>: 45/100

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Veinreader [Uncommon]

3 - Lumen Weaver [Common]: 2/10 Threads

Cardsmith Recipes:

Tier 0 - Spectral Threads [Common]

“My a-attribute changed!”

Shouren’s mind blanked for a second when he saw the first notification stating the change in his Intelligence attribute.

It’s still E rank, but there’s a percentage bar added to it now. Does that mean when it reaches 100%, it will upgrade to D rank!? But how? I don’t remember the insight.

Shouren’s breaths came out in rapid succession. All his other attributes were still F rank, but his Intelligence was already in the transition phase to the next rank. However, what stumped him was that he didn’t remember what insight it was that pushed this transformation.

Was the insight something to do with the nerves?

Shouren recalled a pressure in his chest, but did something trigger when his mind drifted away? He checked his current lumen and began to put a few pieces together.

I used 2 units of lumen during the fight with the python, leaving me with 13 lumen before I lost consciousness. Then I woke up with only 3 lumen. Based on the first notification, I didn’t have sufficient lumen to complete the attribute upgrade. Assuming all 13 lumen were absorbed at once, this only increased the bar by 0.8%. To bring it to a 100% and reach D rank, I would need… blazes, that’s a lot of numbers… over 1600 lumen?

Shouren was boggled by the sheer amount of lumen required for D rank Intelligence. It was a stark difference from when his Intelligence upgraded from F rank to E rank. There was no progress bar then.

Only Tier 1 or higher could possess D-rank attributes, and Shouren finally grasped the reason today. He would have to spend months non-stop gorging on Tier 0 monster meat to accumulate that much lumen for a single attribute. This, however, would mean abandoning his other priorities like upgrading his class card, forging, fighting in the dungeon, and everything else. He'd originally planned to upgrade his remaining attributes to E rank, but his main stat was already rising to D rank.

I think Intelligence is the key to unraveling insights.

Shouren mused as he stared at the gentle grass swaying around him. He had been wondering why he had been unlocking so many insights one after another. Shouren didn’t consider himself the smartest person, especially when he had someone like Rhea next to him all the time. His grandma was much smarter than him in everything, but she still had a F ranked Intelligence. On the other hand, since the moment Shouren started to focus on insights, he had collected them at a rapid pace.

It was no longer about being smart, but about being able to see past the veil of secrets. And that barrier was gradually dissipating for Shouren. That was the change he noticed after waking up today. He felt like he could pierce through those secrets faster now. What would happen when his Intelligence finally reached D rank?

Shouren could already feel his brain bursting with new ideas and theories of solving his previous predicaments regarding lumen and his other traits. If he pushed more, he was sure he could have a breakthrough soon.

Did you do something?

Shouren frowned and touched his chest, addressing the demon residing there. He was ecstatic at the new changes, but it was also troubling him. His growth was unusually fast, almost as if someone were deliberately hastening it.

The demonic chains didn’t respond.

Shouren sighed. He needed to force the demon to talk, but he needed a trait to tempt it with. Devouring [Common] class cards didn’t seem to entice it as much as the appearance of traits. Shouren didn’t have a solid reason to suspect the demonic chains, but his instincts were telling him that the fiend was responsible for more than simply corrupting his class abilities.

Do I even need to join Virelle’s party and enter the 2nd floor?

Shouren contemplated as he grabbed the python’s tail in his vault with one hand and the card it dropped with the other one.

My main goal to enter the 2nd floor was to use the denser lumen there to unlock more insights, but with my Intelligence now on the path to hit D rank, I could probably get insights on my own.

Shouren tore off a chunk of the python’s tail and swallowed the raw meat. He needed to replenish his lumen to speed up his recovery and to bring it to at least 5 units for the Spectral Threads card. Though the 5000 chronas and the abundant lumen on the 2nd floor remained appealing to Shouren, seeing a lone gray card drop from the python that had almost killed him, made him hesitant to use one of his three attempts there just to gain more lumen.

Moreover, he would be giving up the solo clear bonus as well if he entered with a party. Luckily, Shouren didn’t take the 5000 chronas in advance and the contract stated that if he didn’t show up 2 hours before the party entered the dungeon, the agreement would be void. This would give enough time for Virelle to find a replacement health mule.

Shouren then looked at the latest card in his arsenal.

Tier 0 - Glimmer Skin [Common]

Coat the caster’s skin in a shimmer that catches and scatters ambient light, making it harder to detect them.

Cost: 1 lumen per minute

It’s a slightly worse version of the Hide Presence spell card, but its lumen cost is lower.

Shouren tossed the card back into his vault. He tested his foot once again, seeing it get better as the new wave of lumen washed over it. Shouren missed having the Hide Presence spell card, as it let him assassinate monsters without getting hurt. If only he had the recipe for that card.

A few minutes later, Shouren felt recovered enough to move. Now that he could leave the dungeon whenever he wanted, it was time to resume his training. He took out the parchment with his goals and read them again. The python was a terrible match-up to train his hammer, but for his next fight, Shouren wanted to train it more. One failure wasn’t enough to deter him.

Taking advantage of the remaining daylight, Shouren wanted to hunt more monsters and later in the night, he would test out the changes brought by his Intelligence attribute.

His insight connected to the Lumen Weaver trait was already boiling with agitation, on the cusp of an impending transformation.

Should I take them on?

Shouren was lying prone on the ground, careful not to re-open his wounds, as he observed two small monsters in the distance. It was a pair of mole-type monsters, with dark blue fur and pincer-like fangs.

The sun hadn’t set completely, and he had ample time to look for another lone monster before nightfall. He was already injured and taking on two monsters at the same time was bordering on suicidal.

Moles are generally considered blind, so maybe it’s worth the risk? No, I can’t make that same mistake again. If I’m hunting them, then I need to assume that their vision is not compromised.

Shouren shook his head. He learned a painful lesson not to judge the monsters by their animal variants. Assuming the python had been non-venomous had almost cost him his life.

I can use Spectral Threads on one of them, while I use the other one to train my hammer techniques.

Shouren ruminated over his strategy. He could play it safer and keep one monster constricted while he dealt with its partner. This way, he could prevent them from overwhelming him.

I can’t let the last battle direct all my future strategies. I made a mistake there, and miscalculated the risk, but I can’t avoid taking risks every time.

Shouren glanced at his injuries on his hand and his calf. They hadn’t healed completely, and he still winced whenever something brushed against those sections. But, it was a good learning moment. He would never underestimate any monster from its appearance.

My goal is to adapt to the hammer and get used to fighting with it. I won’t always have a single enemy in front. It’s better to practice with 2 small monsters than being forced to fight for my life against 10 unknown monsters.

Shouren decided to engage with the two mole-type monsters. He opted to not have his spell cards ready for retrieval inside his vault. He was only going to use his hammer again.

Grandma would kill me if she knew how reckless I am being now.

Shouren chuckled softly to himself as he got back on his feet and summoned the hammer to his hand. He just came close to death a few hours ago, and was now charging towards it again.

I’m a Cardsmith. But I need to be more than that. If I only take calculated risks knowing everything is in my control, then it’s not a risk anymore. I need to be ready and prepared even when things are not in my control.

Shouren swung the hammer a few times in the air and then walked towards the monsters. His feet moved of their own accord, while his heart pounded with every step.

A shrieking screech resounded in the area.

The two monsters saw Shouren inching towards them and got ready on their haunches to attack the human.

This is going to hurt.

Shouren’s hazel eyes flared in defiance, and he brought the hammer before him. He would block their first charge and try to land a hit when they were close. The two moles scurried on the ground, their claws digging sharply into the soil as they built momentum and pounced in unison at Shouren. They stretched out their claws, aiming for his face.

Huh? How did I know they were aiming for my face?

Shouren blinked in confusion. He knew where the two pairs of claws were heading in. He couldn’t read the monsters’ minds, but from the angle, the speed and the direction of the claws’ momentum, Shouren could tell they were targeting his face.

Shouren hastily brought the hammer’s handle closer towards his face and used it to thwart one of the mole monsters. Unfortunately, the second monster had free reign to his shoulder and its claws ripped through the skin there.

Shouren was prepared for that scratch. He knew from the start he couldn’t dodge both of them at the same time. Calculating the trajectory of the second mole, he bent his knee slightly, preventing the claws from sinking further into his flesh. It was a surface wound and not serious to hamper his arm’s movement.

What just happened back then? Time didn’t slow down, but it felt like I had a lot of time to process information.

A drop of sweat trickled down from Shouren’s temple to his neck. Back when the two monsters attacked, he could account for everything in that single second and knew where the attacks would land and calculate the general trajectory of their claws. Time didn’t slow, but the amount of information Shouren could process in a second seemed to have increased drastically. His thoughts were fast. Really fast.

He hadn’t noticed before because he wasn’t in a perilous situation, but now, with his brain racing, flashes of various thoughts darted around. He could see which parts of the ground were softer when the monsters’ claws glided over them, and he observed the way the monsters attacked. They relied on their claws rather than their fangs. Was this the new change brought by his evolving Intelligence attribute?

The moles swished across each other and charged at Shouren from opposite directions.

It’s behind me!

Shouren crouched to the ground. He needed to defend his legs. If he lost his movement, then the two monsters could pin him down in seconds.

Just because I can process their movements doesn’t mean I’m fast enough to dodge them. If I block the first one’s attack, then I won’t be able to strike the second monster in time.

Shouren tightened his grip on the hammer. He knew which of the moles would reach him first, but he wasn’t agile enough to evade its strike and still land a blow on the second one. Shouren couldn’t just sit here and keep taking these hits on. He needed to kill one of them.

“Argh!”

Shouren cried in pain as the first mole’s claws grazed through his back, but he didn’t falter. His hammer was ready for the second mole dashing at him.

With a thwacking sound, the hammer struck the mole in the center, eliciting a grating howl from the monster. The monster bolted to the side, its beady eyes glaring at Shouren. It wasn’t a fatal strike, but enough to cause the monster some pain.

I missed its head.

Shouren clicked his tongue in regret as he felt the throbbing on his back. His new Intelligence calculated the approximate position of the mole’s head during the charge, but Shouren’s body couldn’t keep up with the speed of his thoughts. There was a dissonance there. He managed to land a hit on its body, but he missed the chance to kill it outright.

A Cardsmith always has to be calm, potato. Cards are delicate and need to be handled with care. Think before you move, and only move after you’ve thought everything.

A random memory sprouted inside Shouren’s mind. It was when he was 6-years-old and his grandmother was teaching him about the basics of sharding. He didn’t know why, but Rhea’s voice echoed inside him.

I’m slow and weak. Both my Strength and Agility are at F rank. My only advantage is my E ranked Intelligence which is in the middle of upgrading to D rank. Right now, it’s letting me process the monsters’ movements and estimate their positions around me. If it can do that for them, then I need to process my own movements and then align my hammer swings to match their rhythm.

Shouren hardened his eyes and brought the hammer low to the ground. The moles used the ground to build their traction and dash around him. Shouren was using the wrong angle for the hammer strikes. He needed to swing it from the ground up. It was less powerful than an overhand strike, but Shouren wasn’t going for power.

It’s vibrations. I need to land a hit where the vibrations can penetrate to its brain.

Shouren formulated a new plan. Even without direct skull impact, aiming the hammer head in the general direction of the brain upon contact could still send vibrations to the brain. As long as the monster was dazed for a second, Shouren could use that brief lapse to claim the space around the mole and summon his hammer inside it.

Now that Shouren thought about it, there had to be something different about his Dimensional Vault [Rare] utility card. It wasn’t just a simple storage card, but let him claim pockets of space in the real world as well. If only he could shard this card and glean its insights.

The moles shrieked at each other, exchanging a string of squeaks before resuming their attack on the human. They switched their positions and the uninjured one was going to deal the finishing blow.

“If I had a warrior class card, you two would have been floating inside a pot of stew with carrots and onions after the first minute. But then grandma would have been sad that I wasn’t a Cardsmith like her.”

Shouren rubbed his face with his free hand as he smiled at the pair of monsters.

The moles didn’t care about the human’s monologue and rushed at him with piercing screeches.

Think before you move, and only move after you’ve thought everything.

“I’ll be waiting for that lemon pie after I come back, grandma.”

Shouren squeezed the hammer handle and tilted its head at a particular angle. He was waiting for the prey. Blood stained his back and shoulder, but Shouren stood tall facing the incoming monsters.

The first mole struck at his back, while the second one was just a second away.

The corner of Shouren’s lips curled up as the hammer swung up from the ground. He wasn’t aiming at the second mole. Shouren took a step forward, pivoting himself on that foot as he twisted his body around and used the momentum to swing at the first mole’s chin.

The monster’s eyes rolled in its sockets on the shattering impact. Shouren then retrieved the hammer back into his vault and, without stopping, his other hand was already on its way into the mole’s mouth.

The second mole shrieked in rage, but it was too late.

The hammer burst out of the monster’s skull, sending fragments of bone all around the grass. Shouren swung the hammer to the side, shaking off the fleshy bits and blood off the metal head. He then turned to face the remaining mole with splattered monster blood on him and grinned.

“I don’t think this is what grandma had in mind when she gave me that advice.”

CHAPTER 28

The remaining mole monster twisted its neck up and let out an ear-piercing screech, its beady eyes boring down on Shouren with unmasked rage. Without waiting for another moment, the monster dashed straight towards Shouren, its ivory fangs gaping at him.

Shouren brought out his hammer before him again, positioning it before his chest. However, his calculation was wrong.

“Ugh…”

Shouren swore under his breath as he doubled over. The monster was moving much faster than a few minutes ago and invalidated his previous estimation of its trajectory. Its claws had torn into Shouren’s thighs.

Hells! I was trying my best not to get injured anywhere on my legs. Alright, it’s not just moving faster, but it’s acting more irrational as well. Unlike its previous coordination with the dead mole, it’s behaving more recklessly now.

Shouren used up another unit of lumen to reinforce his leg and stared at the monster, reflecting the same fury it felt. He could process information faster, but it was still prone to mistakes if his existing information was wrong or changed in any way. In the midst of battle, Shouren thought back to the time he first upgraded his Intelligence from F to E rank.

I didn’t need a lot of lumen when my Intelligence upgraded to E rank. In fact, there wasn’t even a notification that stated the lumen was sufficient. Could it be that E rank attributes don’t necessarily need lumen to upgrade? That would make what grandma told me incorrect then. Hold on, there could be differences in how everyone’s attributes function. They could operate in a similar function like insights.

Shouren ignored the searing sensation on his thighs and thought about his attribute. The unnatural speed of his thoughts allowed him to shuffle through his memories despite the ongoing battle.

He felt an invisible veil begin to unravel before his mind. If there were different requisites for attribute upgrades at each rank, that meant to bring the rest of his attributes to E rank, Shouren didn’t need the higher quality lumen. That would only apply when he wanted to upgrade them from E rank to D rank. He didn’t need to go to the 2nd floor, and could raise them all on the 1st floor itself.

At that same time, the mole didn’t give Shouren a chance to breathe and pounced on him again. Shouren was ready this time and swung his hammer at the monster to block its claws from reaching him.

“Y-you little⁠—”

Shouren dropped to his knee and growled in sheer pain. He blocked the mole’s claws with his hammer, but the monster didn’t stop there. For the first time in the battle, the mole twisted its neck and bit down on Shouren’s temple with its ivory fangs. He managed to push it off before it could rip the flesh out, but the damage was done.

Shouren was on the brink of taking out his [Uncommon] spell card, Cinder Lance, and blasting the rotten mole to smithereens. However, he suppressed that urge and stood back on his feet. He didn’t put his body through hell just to give up now. He needed to learn to fight, and every mistake he made now was a lesson he’d keep forever.

The monster is furious after I killed the other mole, and there’s no point in predicting its movements anymore. It’s driven by pure savageness at this point.

Shouren rubbed his left eye using his shoulder as the blood dripped from his temple and into his eye, staining his vision red.

That made it worse.

Shouren sighed with chagrin as the blood spread to the rest of his eyeball, making his sight worse than before.

When my Intelligence first upgraded to E rank, it wasn’t through an insight. If I assume that the building of the traps was the reason, then why did the notification pop up only after I killed the snake monster? Maybe the system needed a tangible result or outcome after using the attribute? This is so confusing…

Shouren resumed his earlier train of thought. For some reason, his brain kept pushing for him to think, even amid the battle.

E rank requires a monster kill, but D rank doesn’t. The notification for my latest Intelligence upgrade came after I already killed the python, meaning D rank needed insights and sufficient lumen. This should be the same for other attributes as well.

Various pieces of the puzzle were beginning to click inside Shouren’s mind. The battle was forcing his brain to push his thoughts into overdrive.

Meanwhile, the mole scurried on the ground and howled in madness as it pounced at Shouren again.

“I don’t care anymore. I’m taking you down, monster!”

Shouren growled and pushed his thoughts away as he crouched to the ground before unleashing a wide swing of the hammer. The metal grazed the mole’s ears but didn’t land a solid hit. However, it was enough to make the mole retreat momentarily. But it soon bounced back again with its claws reared at Shouren.

“Come, you little bugger.”

Shouren laughed in mania as his vision clouded crimson, and the adrenaline numbed all his injuries. He was bleeding through multiple areas on his body. However, Shouren was laughing with pleasure as he swung the hammer at the monster, his body and clothes drenched with blood.

Why is it… fun?

The moment Shouren stopped thinking too much about getting hurt, he found himself actually enjoying exchanging blows with the monster. Unlike his first calculated attempts with the hammer, Shouren found joy in simply swinging the hammer in the direction it wanted to move.

“Hahaha!”

The mole clawed through Shouren’s forearm, but before it could hit the tendon, he dropped to the ground and kicked the monster in its ribs. Shouren was aiming at its head, but the mole pulled back at the last second, causing his foot to land on its ribs instead. Shouren wasn’t just using his hammer, but his whole body. He ignored the claws and let the fear of the monster dissipate inside his mind.

The mole landed back on its haunches, but it was noticeably wobbly on the ground. Shouren leaped at the monster, his hammer trailing behind him as he curled the metal head towards the mole’s skull. Shouren was no longer making the predictions with his brain and just immersed himself in the thrill of the battle. He looked at the monster like any other slum kid he had got in a tussle with on the street.

The mole screeched and rolled to the side, evading the hammer’s path. It breathed with agitation, its furry chest rising and falling in desperation. How was the human still fighting? Numerous gashes and lacerations covered his body, yet the human grinned devilishly with blood smeared across his face. Who was the actual monster here?

Shouren didn’t break momentum and charged at the mole. He was snatching the upper hand and didn’t want to give it time to collect itself. Shouren swung the hammer with abandon, letting his instincts take over. He missed almost all his shots, but a couple struck the mole’s body. If only the hammer was heavier, Shouren could have smashed the monster into a pulp by now. But if the hammer was any heavier, he wouldn’t even have had the strength to swing it this easily.

I’m actually winning?

Shouren’s hazel eyes blazed with excitement. He was channeling a steady amount of lumen to thwart his injuries from getting worse, but other than that, he had relied only on his hammer and his vault for the fight so far. He hadn’t used any of his spell cards yet.

The mole abruptly shrieked as Shouren’s hammer struck its knee and fractured the bone in its hind leg.

Shouren didn’t waste the crucial opening and in one smooth breath, he retrieved the hammer back into his vault and summoned it again into his other hand, and brought it down on the monster’s skull. Just as he was about to use the same trick and summon the hammer inside the dizzy monster’s mouth, Shouren’s brain churned in activity.

His previous conclusions regarding his attributes all darted through his mind, and Shouren grasped at the last theory. There was only a single way to test it if he was right or not. He only had a couple more seconds before the mole would be sober and he would lose the opportunity to claim the space inside it.

Drops of blood continued to drip into his left eye, along with the blood leaking through the gashes on his back, arms, legs and every other part of his body. Shouren looked nothing like an innocent 14-year-old teen. His hazel eyes flared with decisiveness as he latched onto the back of the dazed monster, locking its claws with his limbs.

I better be right about this idea.

Shouren tightened his grip around the mole. The monster’s beady eyes were starting to gain focus. In that instant, Shouren’s teeth descended on the monster’s neck, his jaws closing around the flesh with all the strength he could muster. The mole thrashed in rage, trying to break free, but Shouren pressed it down on the dirt, preventing it from gaining any leverage. He then tore out the chunk of flesh from the mole’s neck and latched his mouth back on it.

This is so gross.

Shouren wanted to gag and retch his insides, but he steeled his nerves and drank the monster’s blood. It wasn’t the first time he’d ingested a monster’s raw flesh and blood, but it was definitely the first time he did that on a monster that was still alive.

The mole was already half-dead when a portion of its neck was ripped out, and its thrashing slowed as its vitality drained further. Tears poured out of Shouren’s eyes, mixing with both his and the monster’s blood as he drained the monster more of its health. Eventually, the light faded from the mole’s enraged eyes and it slumped in Shouren’s grip.

A flash of gray light flickered over its body as a card hovered above.

However, Shouren wasn’t even paying attention to the dropped loot. Instead, his eyes were staring in shock at the notification blinking in front of him.

I was right…

[Attribute upgraded. Constitution F —> E]

Shouren read the notification twice, still not believing it.

Well, it was his own idea, but seeing it actually worked made him gape in disbelief. Shouren took the events around his initial Intelligence upgrade from F rank to E rank as the base and formulated that the conditions should be similar for his other attributes as well.

If the condition was to kill a monster using that specific attribute as the catalyst, it would mean if he wanted to upgrade his Agility, then he’d need to kill a monster by exceeding its speed. Did that mean he had to pick a slower monster from the start, and then use that to his advantage? It didn’t make complete sense, as Shouren had killed monsters before by overpowering them. In his first dungeon run, he killed a beaver monster by drowning it under the river. Yet, his Strength never upgraded to E rank.

Shouren didn’t think it was that simple to upgrade the traits to E rank, otherwise all Tier Cardists would have done it already. There was something else he was missing here. And that’s when the outlandish idea came to him. What if he treated it like an insight? He wasn’t going with full logic when he chose to ingest the mole’s blood, but something deeper than his thoughts led his steps. His gut told him that leeching the monster’s source of vitality would do something to him as well.

“Why can’t the guilds just give the basic information regarding the attributes? I feel like I’m walking blind every time I learn something new.”

Shouren brushed off the notification and swiped the floating gray card.

Tier 0 - Seal Lock [Common]

Temporarily seal an object, chest, or door with a lumen lock. The seal will explode if forcefully removed or tampered without the caster’s lumen signature.

Cost: 3 lumen per use

Shouren wrinkled his nose when he read the details of the card. He really didn’t like the dungeon’s inferior loot after his 3rd floor attempt. It was like it was mocking him for all his effort to ultimately give him a useless card.

I’ll just shard this one.

Shouren tossed it into his vault along with the mole’s corpse and walked over to the first mole killed. There was another card to retrieve. Hopefully, it dropped something better than Seal Lock.

Tier 0 - Balanced Footing [Common]

Enhances caster’s perception of their body weight distribution for better mobility and balance. Utility spell card with universal class compatibility.

Cost: 1 lumen per second

“It’s a utility card!”

Shouren carefully read the description on the card. At first glance, it wasn’t strikingly amazing, but the more he pondered over the card’s details, the more curious he became. It wasn’t a combat card, but it aided the caster in moving more efficiently with their body. According to the description, it enhanced your movement perception, not your direct speed.

Should I keep the card or shard it for insights?

Shouren found himself in a predicament. He could keep the card and switch it with his Dimensional Vault when he was in a safe area to learn more about how it moved the lumen inside him, hoping to learn that way. Or he could shard the card and glean its insights, leading to a possible trait or another attribute.

I’ll think later. For now, I need to find a place to rest and recover for the night.

Shouren placed the utility card in a separate corner inside his vault and threw the second mole’s body inside as well. He had enough monster meat to last him for a couple days. He would prioritize his recovery for the night and use any leftover lumen to forge a few more Spectral Threads cards.

“I don’t feel any different from before.”

Shouren opened his status and his hazel eyes passed over the attributes’ list.

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 49%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 1/1 - Dimensional Vault [Rare]

Lumen: 9/20 (-5)

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: E

Intelligence: E (0.8%)

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite: 45/100>

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Veinreader [Uncommon]

3 - Lumen Weaver [Common] - 2/10 Threads

Cardsmith Recipes:

Tier 0 - Spectral Threads [Common]

“This is just like when my Intelligence upgraded to E rank. I didn’t notice the changes the E rank attribute brought until much later.”

Shouren scratched the side of his temple where the mole had bitten him. There was already a scab over the wound, making it itch uncomfortably. After his Constitution upgraded to E rank, the wounds on Shouren’s body didn’t heal any faster. Although, he felt his body was warmer in general. Not in an unpleasant way, but he felt more… complete.

Shouren retrieved his bloody shirt and wrapped it over his thighs. For some reason, his body didn’t currently seem to mind the minimal blood loss. He still felt energetic enough for a run.

“Time to go.”

Shouren then channeled his lumen and dashed into the deeper forest. He needed to find a safe place for the night.

“This should do it.”

Shouren sat on a dry patch of grass and gently wiped his wounds with a soaked cloth. An hour ago, he located a small pond inside the forest and quickly cleaned his blood-stained clothes while refilling his waterskin. He wanted to clean his wounds near the pond, but Shouren didn’t think he could last another fight before recovering more. The two moles had ravaged his body with countless cuts and scratches. Shouren skirted from the pond and eventually came across a suitable secluded spot.

“I think the E ranked Constitution increased my blood regeneration.”

Shouren put away the wet cloth and examined his wounds closely. They didn’t particularly heal faster, but the extra blood helped close the wounds better. It was like his body was better at connecting its flesh back together in its original place.

It feels like my body is a map, and the E ranked Constitution simply returns the map’s borders to their original locations whenever an intruder invades. I thought I would become sturdier or heal faster.

Shouren frowned in thought. He also sensed that he could run for longer without getting as easily exhausted, but other than that, the E rank Constitution changed nothing drastically inside him. Compared to his E ranked Intelligence, there was an obvious disparity between them.

“Doesn’t matter. Now that I’ve confirmed E rank attributes have their own method of upgrading, I can form a plan for the remaining two attributes as well.”

Shouren pushed the disappointing thoughts away and focused on his main task before he slept.

“Lumen Weaver.”

Shouren’s hazel eyes glowed with intensity as two lumen threads slithered out of his hands and eagerly swirled around him.

The insight I got from Mr. Blacksmith was about the purity of the lumen, and my other insight was related to the lumen’s density. When I split the lumen into threads, it loses its density, making it harder for the energy to flow with stability. I just didn’t know how to retain the lumen’s density as it got thinner and thinner. But after my Intelligence went through its change, I can see the path I have to take.

Shouren willed the two lumen threads to condense over his knuckles.

The hammer strikes not with power, but with vibrations.

Memories of using the hammer in his last fight darted through his mind. Shouren drew both his lumen-filled fists back to his shoulder blades. His hazel eyes were locked in concentration.

Boom.

His fists collided against each other, sending specks of lumen bursting in an explosion.

Boom.

Shouren didn’t stop there and drove his lumen-filled fists into each other again, relentlessly. The lumen threads flared in volatility as a few sparks of energy scattered away upon the impact.

Shouren could feel his hands throbbing under the powerful collision, but he couldn’t stop here. This pain was insignificant compared to what he had endured recently.

Boom.

The lumen threads slammed into each other, crackling with energy.

The stronger the vibrations, the more impure lumen will be spit out, leaving behind only the strongest tendrils of energy.

Shouren grit his teeth as his body quivered under the powerful blows. He could already feel the threads were more compact than before. The lumen threads were visibly thinner than a moment ago as they didn’t stretch entirely over the fists anymore.

One of his knuckles had cut through the skin on the other fist, drawing a trickle of blood. There wasn’t enough lumen spread over his fists from this point on. However, that didn’t deter Shouren. He hammered his fists again, discharging motes of lumen and blood into the air.

Boom.

Shouren slammed his fists in a daze, ignoring the pangs of agony shooting through his knuckles. Shouren felt his bone fracturing as well, but he didn’t care. The lumen was almost there.

“Split!”

Shouren commanded the two lumen threads, but they were still shaky. It wasn’t enough.

Boom.

Boom.

Boom.

He continued to torture himself in reverie as he pommeled his fists together while yelling for the lumen to split until something finally shifted in front of him. On the last hit, the two lumen threads froze in motion and pulsed with unbridled energy. They had lost almost 60% of their previous thickness.

Both threads pulsed once more before a glowing line appeared in the center, neatly slicing them in half. From the two threads, four new glowing lumen threads emerged out.

[Upgrading Lumen Weaver tra— error]

[=53h?/fa]

The demonic chains flickered to life inside Shouren’s chest.

CHAPTER 29

Finally, you’ve come out, buddy.

Shouren wheezed, his fists hanging loosely to the side as blood trickled down, soaking into the parched grass.

Stop.

His command put an abrupt halt to the demonic chains as it was in the middle of wrapping itself around the trait. The burning chains rotated its metallic links to stare at Shouren with deep hunger.

[a;tp*_2g%]

It’s still listening to me.

Shouren heaved a sigh of relief. He had been worried if the demon would continue to listen to his orders after its absorption of the [Common] class cards. On second glance, he observed the changes in the demonic chains. Unlike its previous illusory appearance, the metal chains felt more real, like it was now present in the physical realm itself.

For the past few days, Shouren had been diligently trying to get the demonic chains to come out, but his efforts had all been in vain, until today. The demon finally showed up to devour the newly upgraded trait. Shouren initially wondered if it would only come out for a new trait or if the upgrade of an existing trait was also similarly enticing.

Why were you ignoring me all this time?

Four thin lumen threads danced around Shouren as he glared at the agitated demonic chains.

I forgot I need to ask it only ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions.

[d\b<fju38*]

The chains shivered for a brief moment as it tilted its body away from Shouren. However, before he could rephrase the question for ‘yes’ or ‘no’ answer, the demonic chains shot a series of images into his mind. It was the memory of when the chains snatched the lemon pie from his hands. Bound with the memories, the chains sent an accompanying emotion: guilt.

Heavens above, you can t-talk now?

Shouren was stunned at the flickering memories in front of him. While the chains couldn’t physically ‘speak’, it was now able to communicate with image fragments and memories. The memories were still crude, but when it attached emotions to the memory fragments, Shouren could actually discern what the chains was trying to convey.

You were feeling sorry for stealing my pie?

Shouren leaned down to chains in a quiet whisper, his hazel eyes filled with astonishment. The demon was guilty about stealing his lemon pie? If wasn’t for the chains’ fiendish aura, Shouren would have thought he was dealing with a child.

[\dgot/.,jf52]

The ends of the demonic chains slumped in resignation. It sent an image of an ‘X’ which Shouren didn’t comprehend until he felt the corresponding emotion from the chains. It was trying to tell him that what it did was… forbidden?

Is there a set of rules binding the demon? That would explain why it still listens to me. I think it’s trying to tell me that what it did was against the rules and it was feeling bad for it. That just adds more questions in my mind. What are the preset rules, and if they are not supposed to be broken, how are the demonic chains able to break them?

It’s okay, I forgive you, friend. We are friends, right?

Seeing a breakthrough in the discussion with the demon, Shouren attempted to placate the demonic chains. He didn’t fully trust the demon, but experiencing the guilt it felt was too real to ignore. The current situation didn’t alleviate his previous concerns, and only highlighted it. Maybe the chains were not completely evil in nature, but it also couldn’t control itself entirely.

[nm5’;!+edf]

The chains froze for an instant before shaking its metal links from side to side. Then it sent another image of the lemon pie as it brushed against Shouren’s chest with a begging emotion. The chains singed his shirt where they brushed against him, but Shouren felt no heat. The demonic chains no longer cared about the trait as much as the possibility of obtaining the sweet pastry.

It’s not a friend?

Shouren’s heart stilled in dread. But when he traced the emotion from the demonic chains, it didn’t feel like it considered Shouren as an enemy. Was there something he was missing?

This little guy is all over the place and is back to demanding the lemon pie. Is there no bakery in hell?

I’ll bring you another lemon pie once we’re out of the dungeon, so answer this question: did you have something to do with my Intelligence upgrading a few hours ago?

Shouren put the concerning thoughts about the exact nature of their relationship aside and asked the main question at the forefront of his mind. He had been racking his brain regarding the attributes, and something told him that he did with the Intelligence attribute was remarkably abnormal. And the chains played a major role in it.

[pd#0”\d4t]

The chains danced in excitement, bombarding a series of memories into Shouren. The flames on the metal links flared with joy. It sent a string of emotion conveying gratitude and favor.

The demon did do something…

Shouren sagged on the grass as he saw the memories dart through his mind. It displayed all his remaining 13 units of lumen sent erupting towards his brain in a tidal wave. In that moment, Shouren recalled a stirring in his chest right before he passed out, and his intuition was right. The demonic chains were the source of the change in his attribute.

Just how tightly intertwined are we? It was even able to command my lumen.

Shouren pressed his palms to his face. Granted, it was only able to do it when he was no longer conscious, but the fact remained: the demonic chains was more than just an ability in the system. It was sentient.

That would explain why Shouren had always been uneasy about it trying to devour his traits, despite knowing it could make them stronger or increase its rarity. It was because the instant the demonic chains consumed his trait, the actual ownership of that would be transferred to the demon instead. Even if Shouren could access it through the system, it would never truly be his anymore. If he gave the demonic chains free rein and corrupt all traits, it would be no longer him controlling the demon, but the demon controlling him.

The corruption gave him unimaginable powers, but it would never be Shouren’s until he made it his own. It could always take it back. Is that what the chains meant by saying that they weren’t friends?

I need to stop spiraling. It’s already done. Besides, the demon didn’t do it out of ill intent. Based on the memories, it was trying to pay me back for the lemon pie. It actually gave me a clue for a D rank attribute for a mere lemon pie?

Shouren slapped his cheeks and collected himself. It was no use dwelling on the past. Now that he had a clear idea that the demonic chains wasn’t a reliable ally, he would make use of it the best he could while keeping it at arm’s length. It would be a mutually beneficial relationship with Shouren using it for evolution, and it devouring cards in exchange.

Actually, the chains had given Shouren an invaluable insight. He already knew the speed of his nerves had a direct correlation to his Intelligence attribute, but what if other organs in his body had their own connecting attributes? Was that the requisite for D rank attributes? Connect it with a related organ in the body?

Shouren’s mind raced at the possibilities. If the condition for E rank attributes were to kill a monster using that specific attribute, was the condition for D rank to connect that attribute to the body? That would explain the colossal lumen requirement. He was literally altering his organs to mold with the attribute. This was no longer in the realm of normal humans.

Could I tempt it with pies for more information?

However, before that, Shouren needed to clarify something with the burning chains.

Who are you, and where do you come from?

Previously, he couldn’t comprehend the demon’s gibberish text, but if it could now communicate through memories, Shouren wanted to know of its origins.

[04_hd/:e3]

The demonic chains trembled with emotion as it sent a barrage of memories into Shouren. Its hellish flames erupted with deep loss, boring its weight on him.

[;a;nq30”\aflhbl.ng w(_#(do33t ;:’? Gqq\ fa45*02e4]

STOP!

Shouren screamed in panic, his mind splintering at the sudden rush of fragments of inhuman memories. His instincts were telling him that if he gazed at them, his mind would shatter that instant. These were not memories a human could process. Shouren’s trembling fingers betrayed his fear as sweat soaked his back. This was a mistake.

[‘;cf32)4*d]

Thankfully, the demonic chains stalled the influx of memories and took it back. It trailed over Shouren’s chest in confusion. Did the human have a stomachache?

N-never do it again… please…

Shouren collapsed on his hands and knees, his whole body shaking uncontrollably. In that whole ordeal, Shouren had only managed to glean one thing about the demonic chains, and what its true aim was.

It was searching for others…

…other parts of its body.

What in the world was that!?

Shouren gasped, his eyes bloodshot. It was as if invisible claws had wrenched open his chest and gripped his heart in a tight squeeze. His mind was still quivering under the weight of those memories.

I-I can’t remember.

Trails of sweat poured down his back, soaking his shirt. Shouren tried to recall what he’d seen, but his mind threatened to collapse at each attempt. All he could remember was that the feeling that the demonic chains were only a small fragment of something else. Until now, he thought it was a demon or a monster, but after today, Shouren wasn’t sure anymore.

That was no demon.

“Arghh…”

Shouren groaned as another surge of pain racked his brain. A small line of blood leaked from his nose. The burning chains scrambled around him in confusion, wondering what happened to the human.

So, that’s why you can’t be my friend, huh? You don’t know who you are.

Shouren chuckled dryly as he wiped away the blood trickling from his nose. He’d managed to piece together a few things. The demonic chains was, in essence, a newborn baby. It didn’t know who it was or its name. Only that it needed to find the rest of its body. A few minutes ago, the chains had sent Shouren the images of its earliest memories and a mere glimpse into them had almost fractured his mind.

Shouren didn’t try to recall those images anymore. His brain was too fragile to process those memories, but that didn’t mean it would remain the case in the future.

Shouren coughed, pushing away the nausea he felt from his heart being crushed with invisible claws, and addressed the animated burning chains.

How about this, demon? We’ll be friends until you reunite with your siblings, and if they disapprove, then we go back to how it was before. Deal?

If his destiny was somehow linked together with the demon, then Shouren had to befriend it at all costs before it regained its complete memories. The chains seem to understand the concept of friends, as it had rejected him when asked if they were friends or not. If Shouren could get the demonic chains to agree, then at least he wouldn’t have to worry about it until it located its siblings.

The burning chains tilted its metal links in confusion. Friends? It wasn’t sure. Its only goal was to find other parts of its body. Would its brothers and sisters accept a human as their friend? The human wasn’t bad. He smelled better than the other inferior creatures it had seen in this world. Maybe its siblings wouldn’t mind this human as well.

[.m52_gw*’/]

The chains twisted in agitation. It couldn’t go against the contract. Unless…

The demonic chains swirled into the air and stopped right before Shouren’s face.

[>”fd;d\5p]

It sent a large zoomed image of something inside Shouren’s mind. It was the lemon pie his grandmother baked for him. The demonic chains rattled the image, conveying something to the human.

You’ll be my friend if I give you a l-lemon pie?

A disbelieving laugh escaped him, his eyes wide.

The demonic chains thrummed with displeasure. It rattled the image in Shouren’s mind again.

You want more than 1 lemon pie?

Shouren tried again.

The chains rattled the image more.

10?

Shouren was puzzled by the conversation’s bizarre turn. Why was the demon so infatuated with the pastry? It wasn’t even paying attention to the trait hovering on the side. Then, there must be a reason it risked appearing in front of his grandma to snatch the pie away. Now that Shouren thought of it, the demonic chains had never tried coming out when others were around him. It ignored even Rhea until the pie came out.

100?

It was an incomprehensible number of pies and even Shouren drooled along with the chains. After a brief hesitation, the burning metal links timidly rattled the image again, but only a few times. It was nearing its desired amount of lemon pies.

No wait! Where am I even supposed to get that many lemon pies from? It’s not like me and grandma run a bakery together.

Shouren raised his palms to the swaying chains and tried to send his concerns.

I can’t get that many pies at once. Only grandma knows how to bake them and besides, we don’t have that many spare chronas to buy the ingredients for that many pies. How about I promise you 5 lemon pies for now? Plus, however many ever grandma can bake later, as long as it doesn’t tire her.

Shouren sent the image of his grandmother, Rhea, to the demonic chains. The memory should convince the demon that he wasn’t lying.

The chains paused in thought, as if considering the current deal. The flames on its metal links flared with deep emotion as it took Shouren’s memory and presented it to him again. It was the image of his grandmother.

[,na”\24%]

It was asking Shouren if this was the creator of the pies.

Umm, grandma didn’t invent the pies, but she was the one who made that specific pie you ate that day.

Shouren scratched his head in confusion. Why was he talking about pies with the demon? And why did it care so much about the pastry?

The chains nodded its links solemnly and sent another thought to Shouren.

[;gaj2-=4f’]

Must protect the pie-maker.

Huh? Protect me first, you ungrateful tenant!

Shouren’s face twitched at the blatant disregard shown to him by the chains. He was the one housing the demon in his body, and the demon cared more about his grandma than himself.

However, gradually, the corner of his lips curled up in happiness. Did that mean the chains wouldn’t hurt Rhea in the future? Could he finally reveal the chains to his grandma without fear of what the demon would do?

Alright, we’ll protect grandma— I mean, the pie-maker. Do you accept my previous terms?

Shouren wanted to laugh at the absurd situation, but the demonic chains appeared strangely serious.

The demonic chains halted mid-motion, before slowly nodding its metal links and reaching out one chain towards his hand.

Shouren let out a long breath, tension easing from his shoulders. He extended his hand to the demonic chains, but midway, he remembered the last time he touched the scorching metal. Just as he was about to pull back his hand and try for an alternate way to agree to the deal, the chains shot at him and slithered around his hand.

Shouren was in the midst of cursing out loud, but his hands were cool to the touch. The burning chains didn’t hurt his skin.

[System contract clause amended]

A blinking notification flickered over his sight.

“What’s going on?”

Shouren exclaimed in astonishment as the chains wrapped itself around his arm, curling towards his shoulder and then coiling around his entire torso. It snaked towards his other arm as well, entrapping his entire torso in a burst of hellish flames.

There was a system contract between me and the demonic chains?

Shouren’s hazel irises stared blankly at the notification. Didn’t both parties have to agree to the system contract before establishing it? However, the system notification did not mention a newly formed contract. The notification stated that an existing contract had been amended, meaning Shouren was already bound by contract to the demonic chains.

Hey, do you know anything about this?

Shouren attempted to talk to the chains, but it wasn’t listening to him. The burning metal links grew out from his chest until it constricted Shouren’s whole upper body and crossed over his neck as well. Shouren looked like he was being sealed by the burning chains. Yet, it didn’t feel unpleasant.

[Contract restrictions being lowered]

Another notification flashed before Shouren as flames engulfed his body.

Give me a break, please. I just want to sleep.

Shouren wanted to cry. In the past few hours, he’d been poisoned, left bleeding unconscious, then scratched up like a toy by the moles, and now he was being cooked alive over flames. Granted, the flames didn’t hurt him in the slightest, but the rest of ones in the list did hurt him. Shouren simply wanted to sleep and rest for the night.

The demonic chains crept around his neck, and breath by breath, crawled to his eyes. They were now hovering directly over his eyes, less than an inch away. Shouren was close to panicking before the demonic chains sent a thought.

[nga-2#_0/9]

Friend.

It then lightly tapped a spot on Shouren’s forehead, between his eyebrows, and in the next instant, Shouren’s world exploded into a cacophony of light.

[Unique trait, Corrupted Cardsmith updated]

CHAPTER 30

Shouren’s vision filled with the newly added text in his ‘Trait’ section.

Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

1. Corrupted Insight (Unlocked)

The Corrupted Cardsmith sees more than others were ever meant to. Fragments of the unknown drift into focus—revealing insights woven into cards, and even the world itself.

???

Unlike the previous description which only had ‘????’, a series of four question marks. The new description had a new unlocked skill, and the four question marks had dropped to three.

That was all because of you?

Shouren finally grasped how he’d been gaining so many insights this quickly. He had initially connected it to his E ranked Intelligence attribute, and then later its upgraded version. However, the real source of his accelerated insights was actually his first trait.

He re-read the description once again. There was something about the wording itself that Shouren felt was different from his other traits.

[‘lg/53_h]

The chains writhed around his body in a joyful ecstasy. This was the first time Shouren had seen the chains extend this fully out of his body. He could feel the happiness radiating out of the demon, as if some invisible constraints had been lifted off it.

“You really are something else, friend.”

Shouren gaped at the burning chains hanging off his arms. The metal links were tightly wrapped around his body like a crude armor while the loose two ends of the chain swirled around his forearms in excitement. He could see the hellish flames roaring over his skin, but it didn’t harm him.

[nga-2#_0/9]

Friend!

The fire on the chains flared.

I need to figure out how to unlock the rest of the trait’s locked skills. It’s the key to who the chains are and how it got into my body. There seems to be a system contract that’s binding us, but I’m completely in the dark about its terms.

The demonic chains’ flames reflected within Shouren’s hazel irises. Today, one of the shrouded mysteries regarding the chains had been unraveled. He understood why he found it easier to gain the insights related to cardsmithing compared to his grandma, despite her higher natural talent.

However, Shouren still believed the Intelligence attribute contributed slightly to that achievement. There was a notable difference in the speed of his thoughts, and he felt the change in his surroundings when his E rank Intelligence started its upgrade to D rank.

Shouren’s face twisted in uneasiness. He didn’t like that there was a system contract he was bound to where he didn’t know the terms and the clauses. Without knowing those, he would always be blind to the pitfalls.

“Yes, that’s right. We’re friends!”

Shouren reached down to the chains with both hands and tightened his fingers around the burning metal. Then he raised the chains to the air and waved it around with equal excitement, joining in on the cheerful ambiance. Whatever the future may hold, he at least knew that the demonic chains wasn’t out to hurt him on purpose. It showed Shouren the contract’s existence, and he felt the chains had also been forced into the contract without its volition.

Out of nowhere, a giant horned head popped out of the tree’s shadow and stared in confusion at the scene before it. A young human teen was dancing in a circle with burning metal chains swaying around him. Did the monster accidentally stumble upon a demonic ritual?

“Eh?”

Shouren returned the blank stare at the goat-like monster, its dark gray pupils displaying the same confusion. Was he too loud in celebrating his new friendship? The goat monster had two barbed horns curling inwards towards its skull, and a shimmering white-silver fur coat. It towered over Shouren by almost half a meter. Neither side had expected to find each other there. But the suspense didn’t hold for long.

The goat bleated with rage and charged at Shouren, its hooves crushing the blades of grass underneath.

Why are you so angry? I don’t even know you!

Shouren just wanted to get one night of peaceful sleep, and yet another monster was racing to kill him. His body still ached from his earlier battles, but he was strangely full of energy. He quickly summoned his hammer in one hand, and a Spectral Threads card in the other. Shouren didn’t have time to waste and the goat monster didn’t appear to be easy prey. He was going all out from the start.

“<Oblation Pact>”

Shouren rolled to the side, evading the goat’s stampede, and activated the Spectral Threads spell card. He winced slightly as he glanced at the side of his stomach. He didn’t come out of the dodge unscathed, and the goat’s horn made a shallow cut near his abdomen. His new Intelligence attribute wasn’t infallible.

The monster cried in fury as threads of ghostly fibers curled around its feet, halting its rampage.

Shouren burst into motion as he leaped into the air and swung his hammer straight into the back of the goat’s skull. He would finish it in the next instant.

Ting.

The hammer bounced off the monster’s skull with no damage. The monster bleated with irritation, trying to chomp onto Shouren’s hand. He had two more seconds until the Spectral Threads ran out.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Shouren bit the inside of his mouth and tossed the hammer to his other hand. Without stopping, he twisted his body backwards and swung the hammer with all his mustered strength.

Ting.

The goat’s square pupils bore down on Shouren in mockery. Did the human think he could hurt it with a puny hammer that wasn’t even a Lumen Weapon? It tried to squirm out of the ghostly threads’ imprisonment, but to no avail. There was only one more second left on the spell card, and Shouren didn’t have the lumen to cast the spell again. He was still recovering from his previous battles.

“Grandma always said that violence is bad. I’m a changed man, goat. And may peace be upon you.”

Shouren chuckled nervously as he retrieved the hammer back into his vault and bowed to the monster before he scurried away in panic. He was in no mood to train his hammer techniques on a brute that didn’t even flinch at his hardest strike. Shouren also didn’t have a boulder ready in his vault as he threw it out last time. The massive rock took too much space in his vault, and he wanted to store the monster carcasses for their lumen.

The last second was up and the ghostly threads snapped loose, dissipating around the goat monster’s hooves. The monster raised its barbed horns into the air and bleated with revenge. It charged again at Shouren, quickly closing the distance.

I’m an idiot! I ran in the wrong direction.

Shouren cursed inside his mind as he saw the rows of trees disappear behind him. In his panic-fueled escape, he ran in the direction of the open plains rather than the cover of the forest. Now, he’d given the savage goat a clear path to ram its horns into his back.

He had one last plan to get to safety, but it would cost him dearly. With no lumen inside his body, Shouren only had the Card Sacrifice left in his disposal.

I’ll distract it with a blast in its face and try to use the vault then.

But Shouren didn’t want to waste his cards for the goat monster. The dungeon was giving him a paltry single [Common] card per kill and if he used one to kill it, it would be an enormous loss. Besides, Shouren couldn’t even guarantee that the Card Sacrifice’s Lumen Bolt would faze the thick-skulled goat. It was better to run away for now.

Shouren could feel the ground vibrating under the giant goat’s charge. It was almost upon him and he was still out in the open, with no cover to hide.

Let me try this.

Shouren calmed his racing heart and concentrated on the sounds behind him. He gradually turned to face the raging goat and calculated its movements. Could he do this? It was much harder to gauge the giant goat compared to the moles. The barbed horns on its head were a lethal weapon and moved unpredictably.

There was no other choice.

Shouren crouched to the ground and took out a card in preparation. His hazel eyes glinted with resolve. After his battles today, he was no longer a complete beginner.

Watch its head…

Shouren took in a deep breath, the ground rumbling beneath him. The goat’s bleating increased in fervor once it saw the human wasn’t running. The monster tilted its horns down and rushed at Shouren with its barbed weapon aimed at him.

Don’t be hasty, Shouren. Wait for the right moment and then use the Lumen Bolt.

Shouren quelled his pounding fear and stood still at the incoming rampaging monster. He had one chance at this. Once the monster was a few inches away from him, he would blast the Lumen Bolt into its face, eliminating any chances of missing that close to it.

The goat had its giant head down and was about to collide with Shouren.

Shouren was calm as all his preparations were ready. Any moment now, he would use his last ability. Just as the goat was a mere couple of inches away, it abruptly raised its head and let out an ear-piercing bleat.

“Arghh!”

Shouren dropped the card in his hand and clutched his ears in shock. The monster had another mode of attack besides its horns? And it saved it until the last minute. It wasn’t a normal cry like the goat had let out before. It was a concentrated attack of sound waves.

Shouren gazed up at the giant goat and said sheepishly, while stopping the bleeding from his ears. He dropped the card, but he had more in his vault.

“Is this your home? Sorry, buddy, I didn’t know. I’ll leave and you can have it back. Let’s just be friends, alright?”

The goat stopped in front of Shouren, towering over him. It ignored his rambling and opened its jaw wide. It would crush the human’s skull like he had tried earlier.

[nga-2#_0/9?]

Friend?

All this time, Shouren had forgotten about the demonic chains latched around his body. It wasn’t his fault. The demonic chains wasn’t a weapon, and its role was to corrupt his other abilities. At the mention of the word ‘friend’, the burning chains spurred around him.

Two flaming chains shot from Shouren’s arms and wrapped around the goat’s jaw, preventing it from closing it shut.

The monster screamed in agony as the metal links seared into its flesh, the smell of charred flesh filling Shouren’s nose.

Shouren had been wrong the whole time.

The demonic chains was a weapon.

Only he didn’t know how to use it yet.

The chains curled around the monster’s jaw, breaking its molars with hellish heat, and its tongue burst into flames. The goat’s eyes sizzled under the smoke as it pleaded with the human.

“C-chains?”

Shouren watched in awe as the hellish flames roared over the giant goat as it let out its dying cries.

<Devourer’s Rite>: 45/100

<Devourer’s Rite>: 44/100

It’s using up the class cards.

The blinking notification alerted Shouren, and he watched the class card number in his <Devourer’s Rite> drop from 45 to 44.

Shouren was thrilled that the demonic chains could attack monsters, but if it consumed one class card to take a beast down, it wasn’t worth it in the end. He was ultimately coming out of the battle with a loss. If Shouren wasn’t suffering from the dungeon’s penalty, it could have been a viable option.

Let it go, chains!

Shouren pulled on the burning metal, telling it to stop, as he didn’t want it to use up any more class cards for a Tier 0 monster.

[*gu%0/di]

At the command, the demonic chains vibrated momentarily, hellish flames flickering in the chilly breeze, before sadly releasing their hold on the goat monster’s jaw. The crimson metal links retreated around Shouren’s arms and hung loose, waiting for any further command. The chains seemed eager to hunt for more monsters as its ends twitched to finish the dying goat.

From the ground, a weak bleat escaped the monster, its face marred with brutal burns. Flames eroded the side of its face, revealing its blackened molars and charred tongue in the open air. The monster’s square pupils were no longer visible. Instead, they were rolled back in their sockets and covered with a layer of ash.

Shouren had killed a lot of monsters in the past few months. Only hours ago, he drained the blood from the live mole monster. But now, after the initial thrill of the chains fighting had subsided, and the scene before him unsettled him a little. The giant goat whimpered and begged for its death.

Shouren knelt on the ground and brought his hand toward the dying monster. He could still feel the residual heat emitting from its scorched head. The goat wheezed out pained breaths through its ashy throat.

“I’m sorry.”

Shouren whispered as he placed his palm over the monster’s eyes. He wanted to push its eyelids down, but the flames had long since burned them away. He reached into the monster’s throat and summoned the hammer.

With one final shudder, the goat died as the hammer’s handle smashed inside its soft brain. Shouren didn’t know if he imagined it, but he thought he saw the monster exhale with gratitude at the end.

Shouren stared at the dead monster with hollow eyes.

Why do I feel so sad?

A series of conflicted thoughts raced around his mind. This was not the first time Shouren had killed a monster, and neither would it be the last. In fact, he’d probably killed monsters in a worse fashion than today, but something still nagged at his mind.

Did he kill it, or was it a result brought by the chains? He did land the final blow in the end, but the majority of the damage was done by the demonic chains. Shouren didn’t know why this bothered him. He was going to kill the goat monster regardless, so did it matter who did the most damage?

[p;e&\v3]

The demonic chains pulsed with fire, bringing Shouren’s attention to the gray luminescence enveloping around the dead monster. A [Common] card drifted in the air.

It wasn’t on my order.

Shouren finally realized why the dead goat monster’s condition bothered him. Until now, every monster he killed was because of his decision and choice. He was planning on killing the giant goat as well, but the chains acted on its own. Although it acted to protect Shouren, the outcome was that it decided for him rather than asking.

I was going to kill it anyway. Argh, why does it matter?

Shouren’s hands tightened around the burning chains. He couldn’t fault the chains for trying to protect him. After all, wasn’t that why he wanted to be friends with the demon in the first place? If in the future, Shouren was attacked by an unknown enemy, he would rather the chains protect him, rather than fault it for acting on its own.

I’m being an idiot. I need to start trusting it.

Shouren slapped his cheeks and let the frustration dissipate away. A small part of him still didn’t entirely trust the demonic chains, but if he let it cloud his future actions, he was only harming himself. If his grandma did something on her own for him, Shouren wouldn’t fault her. It was because he trusted his grandma.

“You did a good job, chains.”

Shouren pulled the chains to his face and beamed at the burning metal links. Even if the demonic chains betrayed him in the future, Shouren would accept it. You couldn’t start a friendship with mistrust from the get-go.

[nmb!0;/g]

The chains thrummed with joy, squeezing Shouren’s chest with elation.

Shouren would continue to kill in the future, and having a reliable ally guard his back was priceless. Even if he ran out of lumen, the chains would be there to fight beside him.

Well, as long as it has class cards.

Shouren glanced wistfully at his status and saw <Devourer’s Rite> only showed 44 class cards.

Now that I think of it, chains was wrapped around me for a while, but it didn’t consume the class card until it started attacking the goat monster.

Shouren grazed his fingers around the cold metal chains. Although hellish flames covered them, he didn’t feel any heat. He would need to test out the chains later and experiment to see how many times he could use the demonic chains per class card consumed.

So far, the chains had halted the monster’s movement while slowly burning its face. It didn’t kill it outright, or was it because it didn’t have enough power? The demonic chains was better than Spectral Threads in restraining the giant goat, but it appeared to lack the essential lethality.

Shouren tried to see if the [Unique] trait’s description had changed in his status, but it was the same as before.

The Corrupted Insight was previously locked, but I could still use it to see more insights. Hmm, right now, it’s like a better version of the Spectral Threads spell.

He brushed the status away and decided to figure out the chains’ abilities on his own.

Despite the chains being better at restraining a monster, Shouren still needed the Spectral Threads card for multiple reasons. He could use it in front of other people, and most importantly, he needed those cards to trade for class cards with Isola. He needed the Common class cards not only for his upgrade, but also to use the demonic chains in battle. Forging the spell card had become even more important now.

Go back inside, chains. It’s time to rest for the night.

Shouren nudged the demonic chains, and the burning metal cheerfully receded into his chest.

Is it just me, or do the chains seem more jovial now?

Shouren’s lips curled up as he snatched the gray card from the air and flipped it to read the details.

Tier 0 - Reinforce Material [Common]

Alter the density of common materials to grant it greater strength and defense. Can be applied to weapons made of common metals.

Cost: 2 lumen.

It was a card Shouren had encountered before. He used it in his first dungeon run to make the traps sturdier.

Shouren yawned as he tossed the card into his vault. He left the giant goat’s carcass behind and left the area. He didn’t feel right in partaking of its meat.

It did look delicious, though.

Shouren sucked back his drool and shook those thoughts out of his head. Discipline was more important than food.

Even if the food was a crispy, juicy, and succulent goat meat.

What if he had one small, teeny, tiny bite?

No, discipline was more important…

Shouren placed his hands over the side of his temples, preventing him from looking back at the goat monster, and ran ahead. He needed to find a new safe spot for the night.

What kind of sauce would go with it?

“Chains, are you sure no one can see you?”

Shouren turned his neck to the side and talked to the burning chains waving in the air. Now that he’d formed a bond with the demonic chains, Shouren felt bad for keeping it holed up inside his chest all the time. It was risky to bring it out in the outside world, but it should be fine inside the dungeon, since there was no one around besides monsters.

[p0/68*.,>]

The chains swooped down and nodded its links up and down, telling Shouren not to worry. No one except him could see it. Even if it attacked, the monsters would only feel its flames but not see its body.

“Alright, then you can watch me.”

Shouren grinned as he took out a card from his vault, along with a raw mole leg. He popped the monster meat into his mouth, freeing up both his hands for the card.

It was time to shard with his recently upgraded trait.

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 49%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 1/1 - Dimensional Vault [Rare]

Lumen: 1/20 (-5)

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: E

Intelligence: E (0.8%)

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite: 44/100>

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Veinreader [Uncommon]

3 - Lumen Weaver [Common] - 4/10 Threads

Cardsmith Recipes:

Tier 0 - Spectral Threads [Common]

CHAPTER 31

Shouren gulped down a few more morsels of the mole meat. He then opened his status to look at the recently updated text in the ‘Traits’ section.

Lumen Weaver [Common]

You can manipulate your lumen into fine threads, allowing for precise control over the lumen flow. Trait upgradeable. Current threads: 4/10

The trait is still [Common]. Also, the name and the description didn’t change at all, but only the number on the threads increased to 4.

Shouren spat out the bone and took out another chunk of the meat, keeping track of his lumen reserves increasing by the second. Last night, he’d used up his last vestiges of lumen to forge another Spectral Threads card. Now that he needed the class cards more desperately than ever, he couldn’t spare a single unit of lumen.

With the added protection from the demonic chains, Shouren didn’t have to keep the additional 5 units of lumen for emergency, and could utilize it to forge more cards.

“Chains, do you think I’m cool?”

Shouren tilted his head to the side, his hazel eyes looking seriously at the swirling flaming chains. He had been speaking out loud to the chains instead of addressing it in his mind, as he felt his new friend would appreciate it more.

At the question, the demonic chains nodded its links up and down without hesitation. The chains thought the human was asking about his temperature. To it, everything and everyone was cooler than its fire.

“I knew you were an honest guy, chains! Wait, actually, chains— are you a boy or a girl?”

Shouren tried to scratch off some of the lingering rust on the metal links, but it wouldn’t budge. Shouren had always assumed the demon was a man, but after talking more with the chains, he wasn’t sure anymore.

[‘af-9*da/g]

Don’t know.

Shouren didn’t understand what the chains said, but he sensed the emotion coming from it. It didn’t know the answer either. The flames dimmed on its body, and the metal links drooped down.

It’s probably sad because it doesn’t have all its memories. I should cheer it up.

“Eh, who cares? As long as you agree that I’m cool.”

Shouren shrugged with a carefree laugh and playfully shoved the metal links. The flames flickered back to life and, with a burst of energy, bumped into his chest, eliciting a fit of giggles.

Shouren was glad the chains initiated the system contract amendment. He was still in the dark about the contract’s details, but at least the demonic chains wasn’t his enemy anymore. If it had operated under the rules established by the contract so far, then it would similarly respect the agreement of being friends.

“Stop tickling me, chains! We need to shard cards and you said you wanted to watch.”

Shouren rolled on the ground in laughter as he tried to escape the demonic chains slithering under his skin. It didn’t help as chains was connected to his chest, and rolled along with him.

After a few minutes of friendly scrambling on the ground, Shouren finally broke free with a pant and picked up the card he dropped in the middle of the tussle.

Tier 0 - Harden Skin [Common]

Temporarily hardens the caster’s skin with lumen. Reduces physical damage.

Cost: 8 lumen per minute

Shouren’s heart stung at the thought of sharding this spell card. It was a defensive card, and was probably worth a lot of chronas. Shouren could use this card for a single time, but the exceptionally high lumen cost kept him away.

Rather than spending 8 lumen to protect himself, it was better to use that lumen to kill the monster faster. If he used up 8 lumen just for defense, he would barely have lumen left for the attacks.

But that wasn’t the real reason Shouren wanted to shard this card.

I need an insight related to the body.

Shouren thought as he held the card by its edges. Now that his Constitution was at E rank, he needed to test out the theory about upgrading attributes to D rank. Furthermore, he needed to learn more about the Constitution attribute. Unlike his Intelligence, he couldn’t see a noticeable difference in his body besides his blood flow. There had to be something he was missing.

“Don’t disturb me from now on, chains.”

Shouren gave a solemn nod to the burning chains on the side and turned his gaze back to the card.

“Veinreader… Lumen Weaver… and finally, Sharding.”

The green runic pattern emerged over his eye, followed by the four condensed lumen threads. The glowing ropes of thin amber energy curled from Shouren’s arms and descended to the card in his hand. Once he activated the sharding ability, the four lumen threads surged inside the card.

It’s fast!

Shouren watched with a thrill as the lumen threads bolted inside the card with an astonishing speed. Not only were the radiant threads fast, they were quite nimble as well. The lumen strings weaved through the channels with a smooth ease.

It didn’t take long for one lumen thread to reach the card’s frame and stabilize its structure. Shouren then had the other three glowing threads rush at the surrounding star nodes. In the blink of an eye, three nodes cracked inside the card’s veins and the threads didn’t stop there. The four lumen threads were much thinner than its previous two threads and pierced through the larger nodes effortlessly.

I think I already beat my last record. Grandma, you better get those lemon pies ready for me.

Shouren smirked as he navigated the three lumen threads inside the channels. He had already ruptured 6 star nodes and now moved towards the mid-sized nodes.

The lumen thread bounced off the mid-sized node.

Shouren furrowed his brows in concentration. Was it not enough? No, he had to try harder. One of the lumen threads hovered in front of the node and Shouren tried to condense it even thinner.

It’s even more difficult now. It’s like I’m trying to press down on an iron rod.

Shouren squeezed the lumen thread to its limits, but it still wasn’t enough to fit through the center of the star node. After splitting the lumen the second time into 4 threads, the condensed strings of energy were denser and much harder to mold than before.

Shouren could stop now as he already surpassed his previous limits, but he was adamant on charging ahead. Beads of sweat pooled around his forehead as he attempted to drive the lumen thread into the node’s center. The lone thread quivered under the pressure, and several sections on the thread bent ominously. It was shaking under Shouren’s force, but the node didn’t relent.

He then heard something cracking. Shouren’s face broke into a smile, but in the next instant, the smile rapidly faltered once he realized the crack wasn’t from the node but from the card veins itself.

The channels were breaking apart and on the verge of an impeding explosion.

Without stopping for a moment, Shouren controlled one of the idle lumen threads and wrapped it around the veins, slowing the fracture down. Then, he sent the second idle thread towards the card’s frame to burst the four gates there.

He had to finish the sharding before the card’s veins were destroyed.

Did I do something to the veins’ structure?

Shouren didn’t have time to think about where he went wrong. He had a feeling that by forcing the lumen thread into the star node, he had unintentionally moved the entire node instead of just its center. Because the node remained attached to the card, his brief, forceful movement caused the structural integrity of the channels to collapse.

Shouren bit his lips as he raced the lumen thread into the card’s frame. All the nodes in the card veins were bubbling with agitation. He only had a second left. It wasn’t enough time.

Go!

Shouren commanded his first weakened lumen thread to join the other one and hold the channels together, while the third lumen thread darted to the final gates. He brought a few more fractions of a second.

One by one, the four gates shuddered violently as the lumen thread pierced its center, shattering them in its wake.

That was dumb. I need to be more careful next time.

Shouren wiped away the sweat trickling to his eyes and stared at the glowing 10 tiny shards floating on his palm. The sharding was successful. Luckily, he made this reckless attempt after his Lumen Weaver trait upgraded to 4 lumen threads. Without the extra lumen threads to prevent the veins from rupturing, Shouren would have faced another situation with yet another card exploding in his face.

“Look at this, chains, I broke my previous record of 9 shards!”

Shouren turned to the waiting demonic chains and claimed victoriously while he displayed the luminescent tiny shards to his friend.

The burning chains snaked down to the shards in curiosity, unaware that the human had almost gotten himself killed in this casual endeavor.

Out of nowhere, a memory abruptly flickered over Shouren’s mind. It was just a few seconds ago when he was preventing the card channels from breaking apart. He noticed that the cracks along the card formed in a certain pattern. However, the cracks shifted its trajectory near his lumen threads.

Meanwhile, the chains stayed motionless before the shards. The metal links stilled completely and even the fire on its body slowed down. It seemed to contemplate something as it stared at the shards.

Shouren wasn’t sure of what he saw, but he wasn’t in the mood to repeat the earlier event. In his absentmindedness, he failed to notice the abrupt change in the demonic chains’ demeanor.

“Wish me luck, chains. Hopefully, I get the insight I want from these shards.”

Shouren pulled his hand back and took in a deep breath. It was his first time absorbing any shards after the new changes in his Intelligence attribute. It hadn’t finished its upgrade to D rank, but would there be any changes in the insights he gleaned from the wisps?

On the side, the demonic chains remained in a strange daze.

Shouren didn’t notice as his hazel eyes locked on to the shards.

He was ready.

He crushed one of the shards in his palm and instantly felt a powerful tide of energy flow into his chest and towards his class card.

What is this feeling?

In a trance, Shouren let his eyes close, the world forgotten as his head lolled skyward. He’d absorbed small shards before, and his last sharding netted him 9 pieces. However, this time, everything felt different. The stream of wisps rushed with momentum into his class card, and something else seemed to accompany them. It reminded him of the patterns in the card veins.

I-Is this the spell card’s signature!?

Shouren breathed out in wonder as he felt a distinct sensation fleeting around him. He couldn’t see its complete form, but Shouren was sure of what he saw. Enveloped around the cluster of wisps were fragments of the original spell’s signature.

I think there’s a hidden threshold after sharding a card into 10 pieces. I sharded a card into 9 pieces last time and never saw the spell’s signature around the wisps. But the signature lines are too squiggly.

Shouren reached out his hand in the empty air, trying to separate the wisps from the spell’s signature fragments. It was like someone wrote a script on parchment and then poured water over it. It was a jumble of lumen lines that Shouren struggled to decipher. Until now, he’d never seen the full form of a spell’s lumen structure inside the card. The star nodes and the veins covered those sections, preventing him from tracing its outline.

However, there were no obstructions when they were wrapped around the shards. Shouren could see the spell’s lumen structure in its raw form. If not for the distortion around the fragments, he would have been able to observe intact sections of the spell signature.

It’s the cluster of wisps that are bending the lines on the spell’s signature fragments. Because they are not uniform in an order, they are twisting the spell signature at points where they are joined together. What if I shard a card further into 20 pieces?

Shouren’s brain raced with fervor. If he was right in his approach, then if he could shard a card further down into 20 pieces, he would actually be able to see the intact spell’s signature fragment. If he could observe multiple fragments of the signature, he could possibly even discern the recipe for that card!

[Synchronization: 50%]

He deduced it had to be 20 pieces for the next threshold if the first threshold was at 10 pieces. Let alone the fact that Shouren was struggling to even get 11 shard pieces, it would be a very long time before he could reach 20 shards unless something drastically changed.

If I can get enough intact fragments of the spell’s signature, I could fit them around in its correct position like a puzzle to unravel the card’s recipe.

If Shouren could make this conjecture a reality, then in the future, he didn’t need a recipe to forge a card. He would simply need to shard the same card multiple times to memorize its spell signature. Then he could replicate the lumen structure during the forging process. Shouren didn’t think it was possible to extract the recipe by sharding a single card. Even a Tier 0 [Common] card’s internal channels were highly complicated and hard to memorize.

The channels were not simple lines on the surface, but twisted around each other in multiple dimensions, forming a complex network of veins. Shouren would have to memorize the layout from multiple angles in order to memorize the entire spell signature. He didn’t think even his D rank Intelligence in the future would be able to process those intricate patterns in a single go.

The flood of wisps continued to flow unceasingly into Shouren, overwhelming him with its potency. He felt like he could be addicted to this ethereal sensation. If absorbing the shards with 9 pieces was like having a glass of water, the 10-piece shard was akin to chugging down a heavily concentrated glass of orange juice. Both were liquids, but the latter had a powerful kick of flavor to it.

The maze of insights flashed inside Shouren’s mind, and he hastily crushed two more shards in his palm. He had to keep the stream of wisps going steady to obtain the final insight. Shouren prayed for an insight related to his constitution or body.

Huh? It’s not a new insight.

Shouren was stunned at what he saw in the maze. He wasn’t starting from a fresh location, which was an indication of a new insight, but from a familiar path in the maze he’d already been before.

This is… vibrations?

Shouren dashed through the web of insights, recognizing the surroundings. He soon gathered that it was his insight regarding vibrations he’d previously used to upgrade his trait, Lumen Weaver.

Didn’t he already obtain that insight? Why was he back here again?

Shouren quieted his mind in deep thought, as he let the wisps guide him through the maze. He consumed another pair of shards at the same time.

This is a new area of the maze I’ve never been before. Does that mean whenever I gain insights, it’s not the final destination? That would mean that there are deeper levels of insight of the same concept. Or could it be a similar insight that’s a twin of the vibration insight? No, wait, I can sense something.

Shouren halted his train of thoughts mid-way as he felt the walls of the maze gradually morphing into a shimmering light. The wisps surged past him and grazed against the walls, altering its texture.

His mind was being guided somewhere and Shouren was beginning to ‘see’ the initial traces of the new insight.

It’s not vibrations anymore… it’s compression?

[Synchronization: 51%]

Shouren reeled as the wisps shot towards him and seeped into his body. They instilled the new knowledge into him. Shouren used the insight of vibrations to help purify his lumen to make it denser, which eventually allowed him to split the 2 lumen threads into 4 threads. He’d come to that insight through the use of his hammer by understanding how its strikes worked.

However, Shouren had barely touched the surface regarding the lumen purification. Vibrations were only the starting point. In fact, he’d already stepped on the insight of compression when he was driving both his fists into each other, but his focus was tied to vibrations then.

If the vibrations pushed aside the waste on the lumen’s peripheral, then compression would hammer out the waste from within the lumen’s interior as well.

Lumen has its own layers?

Shouren shook at the new thought brought by the compression insight. It depicted lumen as a ball of energy that had multiple layers and various sections. That was why Shouren couldn’t use the vibrations to split the 4 lumen threads further. It wasn’t enough.

The wisps are slowing down.

Without hesitation, Shouren crushed three shards at once. He needed to grab the compression insight before he ran out of the wisps. Although he knew the insight was about compression, as it was on a deeper branch connected to the vibrations, some knowledge about it was still missing. He needed to reach the center of the maze to consolidate the insight.

The tsunami of new wisps rekindled his momentum, and Shouren was almost at the finishing line. The insight was solidifying within his mind. He could see a glowing green orb in the distance and Shouren was only a few more steps away from it.

No time to waste. I’ll use it all in one go.

Shouren consumed all the remaining shards at once and used it to propel himself ahead. He was going to make it. If not for the checkpoint previously set by his vibration insight, he wouldn’t have been able to get to the compression insight this quickly.

The last surge of the wisps burst behind Shouren, pushing him ahead.

His finger landed on the glowing green orb.

[Synchronization: 52%]

A halo of knowledge smashed into Shouren’s mind, revealing the core of the compression insight. The green orb highlighted the missing part of the insight, enlightening Shouren of its mysteries.

I understand.

The real world returned to Shouren as his hazel eyes opened like a dawning sky. He could see the burning chains moving around him.

“I’m back, chains! Did you miss me?”

Shouren gently nuzzled the demonic chains, no longer afraid of its hellish flames.

The chains curled around Shouren and greeted him eagerly. It asked if he was done with work for the day. The demonic chains was getting bored sitting idle and wanted to go hunt for more monsters. Shouren chuckled in response and got up on his feet, stretching his back in the process.

I wanted to get an insight related to Constitution or the body, but ended up with the 2nd level of an existing insight.

Shouren let out a sigh as he let the burning chains wrap around his arms. Nothing ever went according to his plans.

Something blinked in the corner of his vision.

[Upgrading Lumen Weaver trait in progress… 3… 2… 1]

Didn’t I just upgrade that trait yesterday!?

CHAPTER 32

“Chains, are you seeing this?”

Shouren froze, eyes wide as he read the blinking notification. He tilted his head to the demonic chains beside him. It didn’t try to eat the trait this time, but Shouren could feel the chains’ hungry gaze wash over it.

Shouren waited for the following notification confirming the upgrade, but it never came.

That’s weird.

He raised his hand before him and called out his lumen. Four tendrils of amber energy slithered around him. Nothing had changed. Then what did the notification mean?

“According to the compression insight, vibrations were an after-effect of its main function. So back then, when I was smashing my fists together, I was unintentionally already compressing the lumen together. Chains, do you know anything about the system?”

Shouren chewed on the inside of his cheek, deep in thought. The compression insight he gained today conveyed the idea of using external power to condense the lumen tighter. Unlike the vibrations insight which focused on shaving away the lighter wasteful energy on the outside, the compression insight was about compacting the energy towards the center while letting the lighter energy remain behind.

The former insight allowed Shouren to remove the superficial energy on the outer layer of the lumen, while the latter insight was a method of removing the waste energy from the depths of the lumen itself.

[,ak3!#\d4]

The demonic chains shifted uneasily at Shouren’s question. The flames sputtered for a brief second as the metal links clinked against each other.

“The contract, huh?”

Shouren instantly figured out the reason for the chains’ silence. It didn’t matter. He was merely curious about how the system worked, as there was much in the dark about matters related to when it first appeared in their world. Shouren didn’t think the demonic chains knew much about the system because its memories were fractured, but he suspected it knew more than he did. After all, it was able to talk directly through the system to him.

[85;|,me/e%]

The burning chains curled around Shouren’s shoulder. He couldn’t decipher what chains was trying to tell him, but he could sense the hesitation.

“Forget it, chains. You’re my friend now, and friends don’t put each other in difficult spots. I think I figured out why the lumen threads didn’t change yet.”

Shouren gently bumped his shoulder into the burning chains and then dragged one of its links closer to him, telling it to watch. The demonic chains curled around his forearm and waited patiently.

“I believe the system displayed that notification because I already have the knowledge of upgrading the trait, but I still need to manually use it on the lumen threads to complete the upgrade.”

Shouren raised his fists back, each arm trailing with two lumen threads and, in a flash, smashed his fists together.

Boom.

The familiar thundering sound reverberated in the area.

It’s not about what’s outside the lumen, but condensing all the lumen towards its center and into a single point.

Shouren’s hazel eyes flared with intensity as he coiled the threads around his knuckles and hammered his fists once again.

Boom.

A silent crack immediately followed under the explosion of the fists. Shouren laughed, his dark hair fluttering behind him as his hazel eyes glowed under the bright flashes of lumen colliding against each other. His bones shook under the quaking force and a minor fracture appeared on his left fist.

The demonic chains glanced at Shouren’s face with worry, before it shot towards his fist and wrapped around his knuckles.

Shouren was about to yell at the chains, but then he saw the burning chains avoided the actual knuckles where the fist made contact, and instead encircled the metal around them, to keep his bones in place.

Good job, chains!

Shouren’s face lit up with a crackle as he pommeled his fists again. Compressing the lumen was much harder than he’d initially thought. He had to keep the lumen pooled around his fists to condense as much as he could, per hit. The lumen threads had a habit of resisting that shape and tried to lean away upon contact.

Compress!

Shouren slammed the fists with reckless abandon, and sparks of amber energy recoiled around him. The threads were violently resisting for some reason. He frowned at the squirming threads. Why weren’t they splitting apart?

He was doing everything right according to the compression insight. Then why was it not working?

“Chains, I think your flames might be interfering with the compression. Let me try hammering my fists with no protection.”

Shouren turned to the burning chains and nudged it gently. Maybe the corruption was impeding the compression.

[-2f_&dja;’]

The demonic chains pressed down on Shouren’s fists, refusing to let go. It then shot its two ends of the metal links before Shouren’s face and mimicked bending them in half. It was trying to show something to him.

“You want me to bend the threads in half?”

Shouren paused mid-motion in confusion at the chains’ antics.

The demonic chains shook itself from side to side and repeated the mimicking by continuing to bend itself again.

I don’t know what it’s trying to tell me, but something is off. The insight gives me knowledge about a specific concept, but it’s still up to me to apply it how I view it. Is my visualization wrong?

Shouren watched the chains continue to twist in the air before him. The chains shouldn’t have the knowledge about the compression insight, but then why was it so adamant in trying to show him something?

“Chains, stop for a second. Tell me, are you able to read my mind?”

Shouren was curious about the extent of their connection. Could the demonic chains hear his deepest thoughts? He knew they could communicate through their minds, but that required an active projection of his thoughts. He wondered if the chains could hear his thoughts when he wasn’t trying to project it.

[+d4;’4\2f]

The burning chains rotated its metal links in confusion. It sent Shouren a memory. It was them discussing their agreement about the transfer of certain lemon cakes.

I forgot! Chains can see my memories. It probably glimpsed at the same compression knowledge I got. Did it look at it while I was receiving it or after when I was thinking about it?

Shouren brushed aside those thoughts. It was too much thinking, and he needed to concentrate on the trait now. He just had to accept that the chains could understand insights as well.

Now that I think about it, it was chains that showed me the insight that led to the upgrade of my Intelligence attribute.

“Alright, chains, I’m going to follow your lead. Slow down, and show me again.”

Shouren deduced that the chains most likely figured he was doing something wrong and was trying to maneuver him on the right path.

The flames on the chains flared with excitement once it realized Shouren was finally paying attention to it, and paused for a second, before it bend itself in half, and then without stopping, attempted to bend again. However, its body was too thick and bulky to move properly after the first bending.

“You want me to bend the lumen threads?”

It dawned within Shouren what the chains had been trying to tell him.

[vh’/e4*-0]

The demonic chains nodded with enthusiasm and poked him again. It sent another thought.

“Wait, it’s not bending… you want me to fold the threads?”

Shouren’s eyes widened as he quickly drew the lumen threads back in front of him.

The flames on the demonic chains flared radiantly in agreement.

“I get it now. I was wrong in doing the same thing as I did with the vibrations. The insights were connected, but they’re also very different. Compression needs to be focused on a single point and the threads are too loose to compress properly. I need to fold them into each other so there’s a single point of collision.”

Shouren murmured to himself and began joining the four lumen threads together. Once they were side-by-side, he joined his palms and then molded the hanging lumen rope again. He did this several times until the lumen threads resembled a ball of yarn.

Shouren didn’t try to hammer his fists again. Instead, he twisted the two edges of the threads, forcing the ball to squeeze together. The lumen yarn sizzled as flecks of energy dissipated from its center, making the ball smaller and smaller.

The demonic chains joined Shouren and increased the tension in the threads.

It was working!

Razor-thin fibers of lumen split from the four threads and merged into more refined strings. Shouren kept twisting the threads, watching the weaker fibers snap, while the stronger ones remained behind and merged with the other lumen fibers.

Minute by minute, Shouren watched in fascination as the ball of yarn transformed into a smaller bead of pristine and smooth threads.

[Trait “Lumen Weaver” upgraded]

The bead of lumen unraveled, revealing 6 glistening threads of amber energy. The new refined threads swiveled around Shouren’s arms with an eloquent grace. His hazel eyes reflected the soft glow emitting from the new lumen threads.

“Chains, I can finally modify the Spectral Threads recipe.”

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 52%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 1/1 - Dimensional Vault [Rare]

Lumen: 6/20 (-5)

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: E

Intelligence: E (0.8%)

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite: 44/100>

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Veinreader [Uncommon]

3 - Lumen Weaver [Common] - 6/10 Threads

Cardsmith Recipes:

Tier 0 - Spectral Threads [Common]

The demonic chains shook vehemently at Shouren’s statement. It didn’t want to sit idly for another few hours while Shouren fiddled around with the cards.

The chains wouldn’t have minded if he was forging class cards, but the human only crafted the useless spell cards instead. It was just glad that Shouren never bothered with the <Writ of the Forgotten> or even better if he’d forgotten about it entirely.

“But chains, aren’t you curious what we can do with a different version of Spectral Threads card? It would be so cool! And then, we can try sharding again with the 6 lumen threads.”

Shouren hugged the burning chains to his body and rubbed his head against the flames.

The demonic chains flicked Shouren’s forehead and refused profusely. It didn’t want to watch more of Shouren’s tinkering. It wanted to go out and fight. Seeing Shouren still looking at it with pleading eyes, the chains sent him a memory.

[/w3;@te*]

1. Complete the 1st floor with a ‘B’ clear rating.

It hovered in front of Shouren’s face, blasting the memory of him writing down his goal on the parchment paper.

“Tch, so strict.”

Shouren fell back on the soft grass in defeat. He raised his hand before him and inspected the numerous cuts and bruises covering his skin. His E ranked Constitution didn’t directly augment his healing, but it did help him regenerate plenty of blood to help his body recover faster. The wounds on his back and legs were still tender, but no longer in critical condition.

I really want to forge the Spectral Threads card, now that I can modify the recipe without it imploding in my face, but chains is right. My main priority is to get that ‘B’ floor clear rating for the dungeon rewards. I’m already under a penalty since it’s my 4th run, and it would be stupid not to hunt even more monsters now. I can always forge or shard the cards outside.

Shouren patted the flying chains around him, a smile leaking through. He always felt a bit lonely running the dungeon alone, and forced to hide his secrets, but it was nice to talk freely to the chains. Shouren felt like he had a partner always watching his back.

“You’re right, chains. Let’s go find some monsters. You know what, this will also give us a chance to see how long you can fight the monster with a single class card.”

Shouren bounced to his feet and stretched his back. He was still sore, but the morning sun’s rays lightened his mood. Hunting a monster would allow him to experiment more with the demonic chains’ abilities and test its limits. He was loath to waste the class cards he’d painstakingly striven to collect, but it was essential to know what chains’ limits were.

Besides, Shouren was looking forward to fighting monsters. He was enjoying swinging his hammer down, and he had a feeling he could apply the new compression insight to his weapon as well.

The burning chains danced beside Shouren, excited about their hunt. It then wrapped its flaming body around his chest and took its position, leaving two ends of its chains hanging loose from Shouren’s arms.

“Hang on tight, partner.”

Shouren lightly thumped the burning chains on his chest and dashed ahead. It was time to increase the monster tally for the floor clear.

[Floor 1 Clear Conditions: Kill 1 Tier 0 entity]

[Current Kills: 4/1]

[Updated: Kill count exceeded clear conditions. Increased floor rewards will be distributed upon exit or new floor.]

Psst, chains. Do you think you can take them on?

Shouren switched to talking to the demonic chains through his thoughts. He was currently crouched behind a few thick shrubs and inside a swamp-like area. A few steps in front of was the beginning of a shallow pond, and several water-lilies floated over the murky green water.

A group of three mid-sized toads were lazing around the pond, unaware that an intruder was stalking them at the moment. The black-reddish toads croaked silently as they enjoyed the cool swamp water.

[;wo&3*ld]

Too many.

The demonic chains shook its links in denial.

What about two of them?

Shouren tried again. He didn’t know the full capabilities of the demonic chains and if it could at least hold two of them down, he would be able to finish one of the toad monsters without the other beasts interfering.

He was currently on solid ground, but the toad monsters were inside the pond. Shouren didn’t want to enter their terrain without assurance of victory. He wouldn’t be able to evade or move properly in the water compared to the toads’ webbed limbs. So, if the burning chains could restrain two of them, he would have an easier time dispatching the monsters.

The chains refused yet again.

[-2’d>gs*e]

One.

It sent a memory to Shouren. It was the giant goat the chains had attacked last night. The chains zoomed in on the image of using its two links to tie the monster down.

You need to use both your links to hold back a monster?

Shouren scratched his cheek in understanding. Now that he thought of it, the chains actually only had two metal links emerging from his chest. They curled around his body and then each link hung below his hands. For some reason, Shouren thought the chains had multiple links coming out of his chest.

Alright, Plan A is out. If chains can’t hold off two of them, then it’s too risky for me to enter the water and fight the toads in their territory. I’ll switch to Plan D and lure them here to the ground.

Shouren shuffled around his deck of cards and prepared for the attack. Plan A was for the chains to burn them all to ashes, and Plan B was for it to hold all of them off while he smoothly killed them one by one. Shouren didn’t make a Plan C since he thought the first two plans were enough, so he opted for Plan D instead: think of a new plan.

The demonic chains sympathetically patted Shouren on the back. It sometimes doubted the E ranked Intelligence it saw on its partner’s status.

It’s alright, chains. You don’t have to feel sorry for being weak.

Shouren returned the kind gesture by patting it back, thinking the chains needed consolation. The pair of partners sunk deeper into their own misunderstandings.

Here’s Plan D, chains. I’m going to throw a rock at the monsters, luring them to me. Then, I’ll use Spectral Threads on one of them, locking it to the ground, and you follow it up with trapping the second toad. This will give me time to fight the third monster alone and kill it before the Spectral Threads spell runs out.

Shouren furrowed his brows and sent his thoughts out to the chains. Taking advantage of his higher attributes, he should be able to take the group of monsters on.

The demonic chains flared in response, its blood-thirst spreading out in the area. It was ready.

Shouren flashed a grin and bent down to pick a nearby pebble. He wanted something heavier, but this pebble would do to gain their attention. He let out a high-pitched whistle at the black-reddish toad monsters.

“When was the last time you guys brushed your teeth, you slimy punks?”

Shouren hollered at the monsters while he hurled the pebble at them.

The pebble jiggled against the toad’s gelatinous hide, bouncing off harmlessly to the ground.

The demonic chains peeked at Shouren with embarrassment from the side. Couldn’t the human come up with a better insult? It wanted to hole up back inside his chest. Also, if he could whistle to gain their attention, why humiliate himself with the pebble?

“It’s called tactics, chains.”

Shouren stated seriously as the group of three toads croaked furiously and charged at him. However, the chains could spot the reddening of Shouren’s cheeks.

Shouren gave one last glance at his full lumen reserves and drew the Spectral Threads card. He could feel the tremors on the ground as the three black toads landed in front of him, their chests puffed with murder. Did they actually understand the words earlier spouted by Shouren regarding their dental hygiene?

Take that one, chains.

Shouren burst into motion, corrupting the spell card in his hand while pointing at the largest toad for the demonic chains to imprison. Ghostly ethereal threads lunged from Shouren’s fingers and bound the closest toad to him, and the chains shot in flames at the largest toad in the back.

<Devourer’s Rite>: 44/100

<Devourer’s Rite>: 43/100

Shouren’s hazel eyes steeled in intensity as he summoned the hammer in his hand and leaped at the only unbound toad. The toad trapped by the ghostly threads growled wildly, while the larger toad bound by the burning chains croaked in agony as the hellish flames scorched its face. Shouren used his momentum and landed a clean strike on the monster’s skull.

The toad faltered for a second, its eyes rolling in its sockets. But that was all Shouren needed. He retrieved the hammer and plunged his fist straight into its mouth. An explosion of bone, blood and brain all splattered on the ground as the toad crumpled lifelessly.

The ghostly threads then shattered around the first monster. After watching its companion die, the toad opened its mouth and struck its slimy red tongue at Shouren.

It might be venom.

Shouren’s eyes widened in alarm as he broke into a roll and dodged the attack. He wasn’t going to take any chances with that mysterious slime.

Shouren still had 40 more seconds to use Spectral Threads again, but he held back. Chains was keeping the last toad locked down, so he could try his new compression insight on the hammer.

The toad doesn’t have high agility and its movements are based on its powerful hind legs. As long as I avoid its tongue, it should be easy to take down.

Shouren calculated a few scenarios in his mind before he dashed straight at the monster. He had to be careful not to take the fight too far away from the demonic chains. It was still latched onto the larger toad.

It will attack with its tongue once I enter its vicinity.

Shouren’s dark hair fluttered behind him as his hazel eyes stared ahead with concentration. He chose to run straight at the monster, to goad its attack.

And he was right.

The toad lashed its slimy tongue again at him, but Shouren was already expecting it. He shifted his body to the side, keeping his momentum unaffected. Without stopping, he drew his hammer back while twisting his mid-section and aimed the hammer below the toad’s jaw. His objective wasn’t to direct the vibrations to the monster’s brain, but to compress the flesh at a single point.

He felt bone shattering through his hammer. For the first time ever, his slender hammer delivered a powerful physical blow. The toad’s jaw cracked at the hinge, and the splintered bone pierced into the monster’s slimy tongue, drawing blood.

The toad croaked weakly, its legs giving away.

Shouren gripped his hammer tightly and aimed at the cracked jaw. The sound of the collision echoed as the toad passed out on the ground. The hammer was still not strong enough to kill outright, but Shouren had achieved his goal. He reached into the unconscious monster’s mouth and re-summoned the hammer right in its throat.

<Devourer’s Rite>: 42/100

Shouren pivoted his head to the final monster currently squirming on the ground, while hellish flames swam over its face.

It’s been a minute since the fight started, so chains uses one class card per minute. Also, why isn’t the monster dead after a minute of enduring the flames?

Shouren stepped closer to the writhing monster.

Chains, can you kill it?

He glanced at the burning chains.

The demonic chains shook itself.

[a2_3k/’;l]

Not real.

It dawned on Shouren. The fire on the demonic chains wasn’t real flames. It was burning something else inside the monster. Shouren frowned in thought. But he saw ashes and scorched marks on the giant goat yesterday.

Croak.

Just as Shouren was about to ponder further, a croaking sound sent shivers up his spine. It was because the sound didn’t come from the dying monster below him, but from his side.

Croak.

Another deep croak echoed from behind him.

Croak… Croak… Croak…

Shouren audibly gulped, whispering in dread as he watched five black toads emerge from the murky water and three more from the shrubs.

“Chains, we’re in big trouble.”

CHAPTER 33

Should I use the [Uncommon] cards?

Shouren’s fingers twitched restlessly as the black-reddish toad monsters gradually encircled him, preventing him from escaping.

The burning chains curled around Shouren’s arm, ready for the incoming monsters. It thrummed with unconstrained excitement. The moment the demonic chains unlatched from the dying toad, Shouren drove the heel of his foot into the monster’s jaw, keeping it open while he smashed his fist into its mouth. The toad’s teeth cut through the skin on his hand, but Shouren didn’t care.

He summoned the hammer inside its throat, killing it in the same fashion as the rest of its friends. The nearby toads croaked with unbridled rage at the blatant killing of their kin, and burst into motion at once.

Shouren grabbed the glowing gray card from the dead toad and hastily swiped the other 2 cards from the other two corpses as well. He gave them a quick look, and nearly lost his footing as a curse directed at the dungeon escaped his lips.

Tier 0 - Dry Skin [Common]

Instantly dry your hair and skin, repelling all moisture at once.

Cost: 1 lumen per activation.

If not for the second card, Shouren almost had the mind to ignore the angry toads and yell out his grievances to the dungeon for the loot penalty.

Tier 0 - Blade Volley [Common]

Summon three short blades of condensed lumen above you. The blades last for 60 seconds or until each one strikes a single target. Consumed blades will regenerate after 1 minute.

Cost: 3 lumen per minute.

Stop toying with me, dungeon! If you had this card, why not start with it first?

Shouren conveniently forgot that he was the one who left it until the last minute to pick up the dropped cards from the two monsters earlier.

Perfect, I don’t have to use Cinder Lance or Sonar Pulse, and can use Blade Volley instead. It can deal with three of the toads, but there’s still five more left.

Shouren’s thoughts raced in a blitz, his Intelligence attribute kicking into overdrive.

He didn’t have the 15 lumen to activate Cinder Lance, but he could use Sonar Pulse after a few minutes. However, both those spell cards were a waste on the Tier 0 Toad monsters, ignoring the fact that Shouren would have absolutely no lumen left by the end of the spell.

Blade Volley was a fortunate drop, but it still didn’t solve all his problems. It was a ‘per minute’ spell card, meaning even if he corrupted the card, he could only use it for the minute unlike the cases with the ‘per activation’ or ‘per use’ cards.

After Shouren would use the three blades, he still had to deal with the 5 monsters outnumbering him. He looked at the third and last card before tossing it inside his vault. It wasn’t going to help him in the current situation.

Tier 0 - Magnetic Pull [Common]

Attract all metallic objects in a 2 meter radius towards a chosen point.

Cost: 2 lumen per minute.

Chains, rather than binding a single monster, can you slash at their face instead? They won’t be able to see you, so we can take advantage of that to cause some chaos. Just watch my back and try to distract any attackers on my flank.

Shouren instructed the demonic chains as he grabbed a chunk of snake meat and wolfed it down. He had to be careful to avoid their slimy tongues. Shouren wasn’t going to repeat the same mistake he made with the python earlier. He would much rather sustain a cut or an open wound than any kind of venom or poisonous substance.

The toads are not as agile as the mole monsters, and if I’m careful, I can dodge most of their attacks. They have me surrounded, but chains and I can spear through one of them to break the encircling to escape.

Shouren side-stepped as one of the toad’s tongue struck the empty air where he was standing an instant ago. He corrupted the Blade Volley spell card in haste, as three shimmering small blades condensed in the air above him.

In the background, he heard another toad yelping in alarm as the burning chains smacked it across the eyes. The monster glared around him, trying to deduce if its siblings had hit him.

Do I have to aim with the blades?

Shouren was in the middle of contemplating how the spell card worked, when one of the blades diced through the air and pierced into one of the nearby toad’s skull with a dim flash.

Croa—

The monster couldn’t even finish its cry before the light faded from its eyes.

Under the sound of air being sliced, the remaining two blades waltzed through the air and struck their own targets, bringing another two toads down with them.

“If only I had another one of those cards.”

Shouren watched in sheer awe as the blades easily took care of those three monsters, greatly easing the pressure on him and chains. No wonder combat classes were in a league of their own. Shouren could only imagine someone equipping Blade Volley into their spell card slot and having the spell kill the monsters for you.

That card should have been worth a lot of chronas…

Tears pooled in Shouren’s eyes at the potential loss, but the roaring flames on the demonic chains brought him back into focus. Chains had just thwarted another monster from latching onto Shouren’s ankle.

<Devourer’s Rite>: 41/100

Another minute had passed and despite chains not imprisoning any monster, it was still consuming class cards for the quick slashes. After the three toads slumped lifelessly to the ground, the remaining toads closed in on Shouren, tightening the gap brought by their fallen siblings.

Shouren ducked as another monster swiped its slimy tongue at him. He wanted to swing his hammer, but there was no room to build the momentum as the toads kept bombarding him with their slimy strikes. Combined with his Intelligence attribute and the burning chains covering his flanks, Shouren kept the monster at bay. However, he was going to lose the fight soon if he didn’t do something.

Evading wasn’t enough if he couldn’t take them down. He could also sense the toads were adapting to his movements and his E rank Intelligence wasn’t able to keep track of so many monsters at once.

Hells!

Shouren cursed as he slipped on a patch of slime and the hammer broke loose from his hand.

One of the toad’s dark eyes glinted savagely as it hurled its tongue at the human.

“CROOGHH!”

The monster howled in agony as something invisible wrapped around its tongue and seared the flesh with blackened, scorched marks.

Thanks, cha⁠—!

Shouren froze abruptly as a sharp, stinging pain wrecked across his arm.

One of the toads chomped on his arm, its pungent, slimy saliva spreading over his exposed skin. A surge of fury enveloped Shouren, and he smashed his other fist straight into the toad’s eyeball and kicked the rest of its body with his feet, trying to break free.

The monster yelped as it let go of Shouren’s arm, but another toad took the opening and bit down on his neck. Shouren growled in a mix of rage and panic, which alerted the demonic chains, and the burning metal links released the other monster and pinned the toad on its partner’s neck.

Shouren watched the skin on his arm bubble with boiling blisters, and the similar sensation spread on his neck where the monster bit him.

It’s acidic!

Shouren took the brief respite provided by the chains and got back on his feet. The acid was slowly eating away at his skin, but fortunately, it didn’t dissolve into his nerves and blood like the python’s venom did. He was grateful the toads had weak jaw strength, as they couldn’t sink their teeth deeper into his neck.

<Devourer’s Rite>: 40/100

We need to make a run for it, chains.

Shouren sent the silent command to the demonic chains as he rolled on the ground, trying to get away from the monsters’ onslaught. They were more ferocious in their attacks, knowing the human was close to his limits.

Shouren cursed as another toad’s slimy tongue grazed his elbow, leaving another line of boiled blisters there. He scanned his vault in desperate hope to find something. He scoured through the deck of cards and lamented at their lumen cost. Shouren couldn’t use any of them with his current lumen reserves. Even Sonar Pulse was out of the question after he used more lumen for activating Blade Volley.

There, I can use that!

Shouren grabbed the card with force once he read the lumen cost. This might be his only escape option.

“Glimmer Skin!”

Corruption radiated from the gray card as Shouren activated its ability.

Tier 0 - Glimmer Skin [Common]

Coat the caster’s skin in a shimmer that catches and scatters ambient light, making it harder to detect them.

Cost: 1 lumen per minute

This spell card wasn’t amazing, like the Hide Presence spell card, but it was all Shouren had to use right now to avoid the monster’s detection.

Shouren’s figure instantly became shrouded with hazy light as his body shimmered with the nearby light rays. The toads blinked in confusion at the human’s sudden disappearance.

Let’s go, chains.

Shouren crouched to the ground and quietly tried to sneak through the gap between the monsters. Meanwhile, the five toads croaked at each other, their snouts sniffing the air.

Shouren was in the middle of crawling past the toads when one of them leaned down and sniffed at the back of his neck.

Shouren saw the monster’s eyes widen in realization.

It can smell its own saliva!

The other toad monsters quickly sensed the disturbance and unleashed a rain of tongue attacks near Shouren, preventing him from breaking free of their encirclement.

Why are these guys so smart all of a sudden?

Shouren bit his lips, trying not to scream as one of the slimy tongues grazed past his cheek, the acid fumes drifting into his eye before he shut his right eyelid in response. Not only did the toad monsters attack near his location, they also struck near the gap that Shouren was planning on charging through. It’s like they already expected he would try to make a run for it.

Shouren was back in the center, while the monsters continued hailing their assault on the ground to their sides, and occasionally sniffing below them. If it were a human, they would have already noticed the strange mass of refracted light near Shouren’s location, but luckily, the toad monsters’ eyesights were inferior. Although they couldn’t spot Shouren’s location, their nostrils could still detect his scent if he came near them.

This is weird. How are they coordinating so well? I thought Tier 0 monsters were dumb? Actually, this whole situation is throwing me off. If the toads had the time to encircle me, why didn’t they stop me from killing the three monsters earlier?

Shouren racked his brain for an answer, ignoring the new blisters boiling on his cheek. Starting from the python, to the moles, and to the giant goat monster. All of them posed more of a challenge than any other time Shouren entered the dungeon floor. Did the monsters get trickier after the 4th run?

He had 43 more seconds left on the Glimmer Skin spell before it ran out. Shouren needed to find a way to break free before the count hit zero. He hastily grabbed a chunk of the python’s tail and munched down on the raw monster meat.

Lumen: 7

Lumen: 8

Shouren delved back into his vault, scrambling to find something he could use as he gulped more monster meat to replenish his lumen reserves.

I don’t have enough lumen right now for any of the [Uncommon] spell cards. I could use Spectral Threads again to lock down one of the toads and then leap over it. Chains could distract the nearby monsters while I dash ahead.

Shouren flipped through the cards in his vault once again. He had powerful cards, but his measly lumen capacity was the biggest barrier to using them right now.

No, that won’t work. The toads are not that agile, but they have powerful legs and could chase me down in a single leap.

Even if Shouren broke free of the encirclement, the toads could still bridge the distance between them. If only he had the Hide Presence card, he could sneak out of here unscathed.

35 more seconds left.

Shouren’s fingers stilled at the card on the side of the vault. He’d seen this card before Glimmer Skin, but didn’t think it would help him in his current predicament.

Tier 0 - Balanced Footing [Common]

Enhances caster’s perception of their body weight distribution for better mobility and balance. Utility spell card with universal class compatibility.

Cost: 1 lumen per second

Should I swap it with my Dimensional Vault [Rare] card?

Shouren’s thoughts sped in urgency. His biggest obstacle right now was to avoid the toads’ acidic attacks, and the Balanced Footing card could help him in exactly that. If he could avoid all five of the monsters’ pincer tongue attacks, then he could finally start to take them down one by one. This would allow him to use his E ranked Intelligence to concentrate on fewer enemies.

I can’t. If I swap it with my vault, then all its contents would be on the ground, including the [Rare] card itself. I can’t let the toads eat it in the chaos.

Shouren shook his head. Swapping the Balanced Footing card was out of the option. Just as he was about to return it to its original place, Shouren froze in thought.

What if I shard it?

It was a crazy idea to shard a card in the middle of battle, with five savage toads boring down on you, but as the seconds trickled down, Shouren was beginning to see this as his only path ahead.

If he could obtain a movement-type insight from the card, it could be his key to escape the situation.

It doesn’t work that way, though. Last time, I wanted a body or constitution related insight, but got one connected to lumen instead. There’s no guarantee that sharding this card would give me a movement-type insight.

Sweat trickled down Shouren’s face as he contemplated his decision. He only had 20 seconds left. He had to make the choice now.

Chains, can you help me decide?

Shouren sent his memories to the demonic chains hovering by his side. Throughout this whole time, the burning chains had been silently watching the toads in case they charged at Shouren.

[/a5*4$2%]

Fight.

The demonic chains thrummed in response, the hellish embers flaring over the crimson metal links.

What does that mean? Should I shard the card or not?

Shouren furrowed his brows at the chains’ answer.

The chains squeezed itself around Shouren’s chest and forearms.

[/a5*4$2%]

Fight.

It sent a memory to the human. It was Shouren recklessly fighting against the venomous python, and then the pair of moles, and flashes of his battles with various monsters in the dungeon.

[/a5*4$2%]

Fight.

It stared at Shouren, with its flames pulsing in an even rhythm. Its meaning was clear: just fight.

Chains, I don’t know if you’re really smart or just an idiot like me.

Shouren’s face relaxed as a chuckle cracked from his lips. The demonic chains was telling him to stop overthinking every decision, and to simply fight. If sharding the card would let him fight better, then shard it. If not sharding it would make him fight better, then don’t shard it. It was so easy.

15 seconds left.

Shouren’s hazel eyes flashed as the Veinreader trait activated, and the green runes appeared over his eye. Immediately after, 6 sturdy lumen wires coalesced around his arms and shot towards the Balanced Footing card in his hand.

I’ll fight with everything I have.

Shouren sent his lumen crashing into the card. He allocated 1 lumen wire to stabilize the card frame and another one to hold the card veins in place. The remaining 4 lumen wires pierced through every star node on its path, shattering them into lumen dust.

10 seconds left.

Shouren already cracked the largest nodes and moved to the mid-sized ones. The new lumen wires were already bulldozing through the nodes that his previous 4 lumen threads failed to penetrate.

3 nodes… 5 nodes… 6 nodes… 8 nodes…

I think the order of the nodes means something.

Shouren was beginning to notice a pattern with the sharding. Whenever he shattered a node, it formed a crack within the card veins, and that eventually decided the final shape of the shard pieces. Could he manipulate the breaking of the shard pieces by changing the order of the nodes he destroyed?

5 seconds left.

No time, I need to finish the sharding now!

Shouren could’ve tried to destroy more star nodes, but he was out of time. He sent the lumen wires racing to the final star gates to shatter the last 4 nodes.

It’s done.

Shouren glanced down at his palm. Sitting there, 12 small, brightly glowing shard pieces floated over his hand.

3 seconds left.

Without any hesitation, Shouren crushed all 12 shards at once. He didn’t have any time to consume them one by one. He could hear the restless croaking of the toad monsters arguing amongst themselves. It appeared some of them wanted to rush to the center after getting tired of waiting. They didn’t know that the human’s spell card was almost running out.

Chains, cover me.

Shouren closed his eyes as the surge of wisps rampaged through his body. The burning chains swirled around him, covering its metal over Shouren’s heart and his other vital organs. It wouldn’t let the monsters kill its partner.

Veins popped out of Shouren’s skin as the tide of wisps from all 12 shards flood into him. The maze of insights flickered inside Shouren’s mind once again. This time, however, it was significantly different.

There were three starting paths before him, and he could see the general distance of its finish line. Shouren was in a hurry and didn’t think further about what this new change in the maze was. He decisively picked the insight with the shortest distance. He couldn’t risk not obtaining any insight at this junction. He had a feeling the longer path insight would be more powerful, but it would also need more shards to fuel the journey. If the 12 shards fell short, he would have gambled everything for nothing.

He bolted through the maze, allowing the wisps to guide him to the finish line. The 12 shards propelled him with a violent burst.

0 seconds left.

The mass of hazy light slowly dissipated away, revealing Shouren’s body to the toads. The monsters croaked with glee and launched their attacks at once, their acidic tongues fuming through the air.

The demonic chains blocked two of the attacks aimed at Shouren’s face, but the rest landed on him. The acid ate through his shirt, and a trail of boiling blisters emerged on his chest and lower abdomen. Another line of blisters popped on his left knee.

<Devourer’s Rite>: 39/100

Shouren’s face twisted in pain, but his eyes remained closed. He was still locked inside the maze of insights.

The five toads glanced at each other, wondering why the human wasn’t moving. Was he dead already? No, he remained upright, and again the mysterious power deflected some of their attacks.

Croakkk!

One toad growled and sent an instruction to its siblings. The monsters croaked in agreement as the muscles on their hind legs contracted with suspense. They were all about to charge in unison. The human wasn’t moving, and this was the best time to attack at once.

The flames on the demonic chains pulsed nervously as it kept nudging Shouren. It didn’t think it could protect him from a full frontal assault. The ground quaked as all five toads pounced on Shouren’s still form. The demonic chains moved into the air, its scorching metal links trembling in worry.

The toads all opened their jaws in the air and shot their acidic tongues at Shouren, covering all angles, so the human couldn’t escape. The demonic chains froze in the center. They were all fatal attacks targeting Shouren’s head, and it couldn’t block them all.

The air cracked as the hail of acidic attacks neared Shouren.

It’s alright, chains. I got it from here.

Shouren’s eyes flashed open, the corner of his lips curling up. He didn’t even need to wait for the blinking notification. He already knew his newly unlocked power.

[Unlocking new Trait in progress… 3… 2… 1]

CHAPTER 34

“You guys are really annoying, you know that?”

Shouren stared directly at the second incoming wave of the toads’ acidic tongues. His hazel eyes remained unflinching as he calmly stood in his spot. The demonic chains quivered with excitement on the side. It already saw what trait its partner unlocked.

“But I do have to thank you slimy frogs for putting me in this situation. If not for you, I wouldn’t be able to confirm whether pumpkin-head’s words were true or not.”

Shouren tilted his head to the side, narrowly dodging one of the attacks, while he twisted his shoulders to evade another strike. He kept nimbly side-stepping the attacks, his movements a stark contrast to just a few seconds ago.

The toad monsters croaked in indignation, seeing the human dodge their barrage of attacks. Shouren’s face lit up with a smile as he dashed ahead to the group of monsters. He held out his empty hand, and in the next instant, a slender hammer popped into his grip.

“Thanks to you, I now have my 4th trait and know Rubin wasn’t lying.”

Shouren leaned his body back, allowing one of the monster’s attacks to glide through the empty air. He then curled the hammer sideways and smashed the toad’s lower jaw. The blunt force wasn’t enough to kill the monster, but Shouren wasn’t done yet. He danced through the onslaught of slimy tongue attacks and kept raining his hammer down on that single toad, repeatedly drilling into its jaw from every angle.

The toad let out a weak croak, its eyes rolling back in their sockets. Meanwhile, the rest of the monsters roared in confused rage. How was the human dodging all their attacks?

“Got you.”

Shouren grabbed the concussed toad’s head with one hand and thrust his other fist into its open mouth. The hammer was already summoned back into his vault. He ducked his head and saw another toad attack to try to stop him, but it was too late. An explosion of blood, flesh, and bones splattered onto the verdant grass.

The monster in his grip slumped to the ground, its lifeless eyes staring blankly at the sky.

“Chains… I can finally fight.”

Shouren flashed a bloody grin to the swaying burning chains around him, as the dead monster’s splattered blood dripped from his face. He glanced at his blinking notification in the corner of his vision.

[New Trait “Neurokinetic Surge” unlocked]

Neurokinetic Surge [Rare]

Your body passively senses the momentum of nearby objects and beings within a 1-meter radius. The faster something moves, the sharper your reflexes and speed become in response.

Shouren’s new trait finally allowed him to engage in close-quarters combat with multiple enemies. While his Intelligence attribute aided in predicting a monster’s trajectory, he couldn’t rely on it when he was dealing with multiple enemies and attacks from various positions. However, his new trait alerted him of any incoming attacks, simultaneously boosting his reflexes and body speed to evade the strikes.

Whenever a projectile or attack got within 1 meter of Shouren, his nerves would burst into motion, and his instincts moved his body on their own. It was a surreal feeling to get used to, but Shouren was rapidly getting adept at it. That was the primary advantage of having a trait. It merged with your body.

I thought the shortest path in the maze of insights meant it was going to be a weaker trait, but I might have been wrong.

Shouren spat out the monster blood trickling into his mouth and bolted to another toad, his stained hammer trailing behind him.

Shouren grasped why the maze of insights was so different this time. It was because Neurokinetic Surge was a combination of his multiple insights. It drew from his insight about nerves that led to his Intelligence upgrade, then his insight regarding both compression and vibrations. The new [Rare] trait was a fusion of all those insights with the movement insight Shouren gleaned from the Balanced Footing card.

The movement insight he obtained from the utility card was quite average. It gave him knowledge of how to efficiently move his body while conserving stamina. On its own, it wouldn’t have helped Shouren much. However, once all those insights came together in resonance, it gave birth to the Neurokinetic Surge [Rare].

The trait embedded a new network into Shouren. His nerves acted of their own volition, creating an automatic system that alerted Shouren of any moving attacks. There were limitation to the trait, as Shouren could only react once the attack was inside the 1 meter radius. Another condition was that the attack had to have enough momentum for his nerves to detect.

If the attack was really slow, his trait wouldn’t trigger. That wasn’t concerning because if an attack was indeed that slow, Shouren could dodge it without relying on the trait. However, the opposite was also true. If the attack had an overwhelming amount of momentum, exceeding his nervous system’s capacity, the trait would fizzle out.

Shouren didn’t know the exact maximum momentum his nerves could handle, but he felt it was tied to his E-ranked Intelligence, as that attribute was the source of his insight regarding the nerves.

Shouren’s hammer pierced through another toad’s skull, sending shivers up the remaining three monsters.

“Are you scared? Why don’t you attack me all at once?”

Shouren flicked the hammer, cleaning it of the monster’s brain matter. He goaded the three toads to resume their attacks.

I need them to attack me or my trait won’t trigger.

Shouren clicked his tongue as he waited for the toads. Another drawback of his latest trait was that the speed and reflexes boost only got activated if someone was attacking or throwing a projectile at him.

The three monsters’ eyes turned bloodshot at the sight of the dead corpses of their siblings lying scattered around. Their throats bulged in rage as they mustered their most potent acid from the depths of their stomachs.

I can’t wait until my next bout with pumpkin-head. I want to see who has the better combat trait.

Shouren’s lips curled up as he charged at the three monsters. Although the Neurokinetic Surge wasn’t explicitly a combat trait, it essentially functioned as one. Rubin also had a movement-type trait that let him fight multiple monsters with his dagger alone. Shouren had never been able to push Rubin to his limit, so he couldn’t gauge who had the better trait among them.

Yet, he looked forward to the day he’d see the silly blonde teen.

Shouren’s hazel eyes pulsed with an electrifying glimmer as the Neurokinetic Surge activated. The monsters rained their acidic attacks on him. The toads were slow to move and their acidic tongue attacks were further weighed down with slime. Shouren easily swished through the incoming strikes, relishing the surge of speed coursing through his body. He wanted to delve deeper into how the new trait worked, but he needed to take care of the last few toads.

I need a better hammer.

Shouren swung his hammer into the toads, bashing the surface of its metal head into the monsters’ skulls. Now that he had a trait that augmented his movement, his offensive capabilities were the major detriment to his combat.

Shouren fought all three toads at once. His hammer would smash into one toad, while his other fist drove into another monster. He would summon and re-summon the hammer, alternating between his two hands, as he added in kicks to the hailing assault. The more Shouren got accustomed to the trait, the better his instincts became. He no longer feared getting close to the monsters. Each time they tried to fight back, his trait would trigger and boost his reflexes again.

The demonic chains cheered Shouren from the side, its burning metal flaring each time he switched the hammer from one hand to another. The chains amused itself by guessing in which hand the hammer would appear next.

Two toads faltered, their bodies swaggering dizzily at the same time. Shouren didn’t let the chance go to waste. He plunged both his fists into the monsters’ mouths.

Like fireworks, one skull after another burst into a bloody explosion as the hammer flickered between the inside of their heads. Shouren’s hands dripped with viscous blood as he winked at the last toad.

“That’s payback for ambushing me.”

Shouren slowly walked towards the last monster. The toad let out a whimpering croak, its beady eyes darting back and forth from the two dead corpses around it. It then watched with fear as the human neared. It just witnessed the lone human slaughter all its siblings, and now he was walking towards it, bathed in its kin’s blood.

“Hmm, but I also need to thank you for my new trait. What should I do, chains?”

The human stopped and talked to the empty air beside him.

Seeing that the human’s attention was diverted, the toad glanced around and got ready to escape. Suddenly, a heavy hand latched onto the top of its skull.

“Where are you going? Chains said that you still need to pay me back for these blisters.”

Shouren whispered savagely as he pointed at the numerous blisters etched over his exposed skin. The toad didn’t comprehend the words, but it sensed the air thicken with bloodlust.

Shouren struck with a crisp crack. The toad crumpled to the ground, the light fading from its eyes. Previous hammer blows had already weakened its skull before Shouren’s last attack finally cratered the bone.

“That… was fun.”

Shouren’s heart pounded against his chest with a mix of relief and excitement. He’d sustained a few injuries, but he’d actually come out alive against 11 monsters. And he didn’t have to hide behind traps to kill them. He went toe-to-toe with them. Well, he did cheat a bit with chains.

That reminded Shouren to check how many class cards the demonic chains had used up in today’s battle.

<Devourer’s Rite>: 39/100

Oh no.

The number of class cards he’d consumed in this battle quickly drowned any elation from the victory.

Shouren sighed as his eyes passed over all the dead monster corpses sprawled around him. 11 glowing gray cards floated over the carcasses.

“Hopefully, we’ll get some nice cards today, chains.”

Shouren plucked the hovering gray card from the toad just beneath him. However, he saw the corner of his vision was still blinking. Did he miss a few notifications?

He opened it.

[Synchronization: 53%]

[Synchronization: 54%]

[Synchronization: 55%]

[Synchronization: 56%]

[Synchronization: 57%]

[Synchronization: 58%]

[Synchronization: 59%]

My synchronization increased to 59%?

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 59%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 1/1 - Dimensional Vault [Rare]

Lumen: 9/20 (-5)

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: E

Intelligence: E (0.8%)

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite: 39/100>

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Veinreader [Uncommon]

3 - Lumen Weaver [Common] - 6/10 Threads

4 - Neurokinetic Surge [Rare]

Cardsmith Recipes:

Tier 0 - Spectral Threads [Common]

“That’s a 7% increase from my previous 52% synchronization.”

Shouren stared blankly at the dead toad’s corpse on the ground. Sharding a card into 12 pieces actually increased the synchronization by that much?

He was sure the synchronization would drop after he absorbed a few more similarly sized shards, but it was still unfathomable that Shouren was already at such a high synchronization rate. It wasn’t even that long since his awakening, and he was close to reaching the 80% mark for the Tier 1 evolution.

Unlike other Tier 0 Cardists that were absorbing 4-piece shards, Shouren was lavishly indulging in 12-piece shards. And the difference between them was becoming more apparent as his synchronization surged ahead.

“Chains, do you think something bad will happen if my synchronization keeps exploding like this?”

Shouren scratched his cheek with worry as he turned to the swaying burning chains wrapped around him.

[d*9-/jf’\]

Hurry.

The demonic chains sent a small wave of vibrations to Shouren through their link, urging him to leave the area. It sent the previous memory of the toads ambushing him in this area. The chains was telling to not to dawdle here in the swamps, where monsters could hide below the water. It completely ignored Shouren’s question about the rise of his synchronization.

Why was the human worried about his power increasing? So pointless.

“Don’t worry, chains. I can finally fight!”

Shouren thumped his own chest, his face beaming with pride. His new trait, Neurokinetic Surge changed everything. Shouren finally had the reflexes and the knowledge of how to move in combat.

The flames on the demonic chains flared as it sent Shouren a very recent memory. It was a memory of how he looked like right now. Angry blisters spread across his exposed skin, and his clothes were tattered in places. It was indeed a very sorry sight, and instilled little confidence within the demonic chains.

It was telling Shouren that he could still be hurt.

That was before the trait, chains…

Shouren grumbled inside his mind, but didn’t voice it out. The toad monsters weren’t a good match-up to test the limits of his Neurokinetic Surge trait. They didn’t have explosive or unpredictable movements to push his trait to its utmost capacity.

Shouren touched the dead toad, and it disappeared without a trace. One by one, he went over to the monster carcasses and stored them inside his vault after plucking the dropped cards. He stopped collecting the monster corpses after the 6th one as he didn’t want to over-crowd his vault. However, he continued to pick up the remaining cards.

Shouren’s face lit up with each gray card he grabbed, his sense of loss from using up so many of his cards in the last fight gradually simmering down. He already recouped some of his losses with the 2 new [Common] class cards.

Tier 0 - Alchemist [Common]

Tier 0 - Tailor [Common]

Both were decent class cards, with the Alchemist [Common] with a slightly higher price tag. It didn’t matter in the end as Shouren was going to throw them both to chains as a snack.

Tier 0 - Misfire Cry [Common]

Deal sound damage to a random target— including allies.

Cost: 1 lumen per cry.

Tier 0 - Sturdy Bones [Common]

Reinforces the caster’s bones with thick lumen, preventing any fractures or cracks.

Cost: 2 lumen per minute.

Tier 0 - Falcon’s Eye [Common]

Temporarily enhances the caster’s vision, allowing to see greater distances.

Cost: 3 lumen per minute.

“It’s that useless card again which I sharded for Rubin.”

Shouren paused briefly as he held a familiar spell card. He recalled sharding the Misfire Cry [Common] spell card for Rubin, and thinking, who would use a card that hurt your own allies?

“This actually would have helped me a lot in the last fight.”

Shouren admitted begrudgingly as he tossed that card into his vault. The spell had a very low lumen cost and he could have used it to deter the toads’ greater numbers. In a solo fight, this spell card could come in handy.

“The other two cards are quite decent as well.”

Shouren muttered to himself as he read through their descriptions. Sturdy Bones wouldn’t help him that much in a fight, but it was a good card to glean insights from. On the other hand, Falcon’s Eye could help Shouren scout the dungeon floor faster.

Actually, the insights from that card could be very useful as well.

Shouren furrowed his brows together. After acquiring the Neurokinetic Surge trait, he was starting to change his perspective on how he used cards. He could save them to use in a fight, or he could take the chance for a compatible insight instead.

Even if that insight didn’t prove useful or immediately unlock a trait, it could still be worth it in the future. Neurokinetic Surge was proof that multiple insights could combine together for a rarer trait.

“I can’t believe it dropped again! I’ve been waiting for another one to drop for ages. Chains, do you remember this card!?”

Suddenly, Shouren’s hand froze on a certain card. On the side, the demonic chains leaned over to see which card its partner was talking about.

Tier 0 - Hide Presence [Common]

Remove all traces of your presence. Affects only Tier 0.

Cost: 2 lumen per minute.

“It’s not just one…”

There was another identical card right behind it. Two of the toad monsters had dropped the exact same card after their death, and it was a card Shouren had been eager to find.

If Shouren had the Hide Presence card in the last ambush, he could have easily escaped the monsters’ encirclement. However, then he wouldn’t have been forced into a desperate situation which ultimately unlocked the Neurokinetic Surge trait. Regardless, having a Hide Presence card meant that he effectively had an escape card at his disposal. Or, a card that let him freely assassinate a lone monster like the bear in his first dungeon run.

And he had 2 Hide Presence spell cards this time.

I’m feeling more confident about staying longer in the dungeon now that I have this back in my deck.

Shouren chuckled as he carefully placed the 2 Hide Presence cards in his vault. It was this specific card that allowed him to hide from the lightning beast and eventually exit the dungeon. He was still on his second day inside the dungeon floor, and didn’t have to worry about that godly hidden boss monster for a long time.

Tier 0 - Power Boost [Common]

Minor increase in Strength.

Cost: 3 lumen per minute.

Tier 0 - Ice Bolt [Common]

Launch a small icicle projectile that has a slight chance of freezing targets.

Cost: 3 lumen per bolt.

Tier 0 - Acid Whip [Common]

Strike targets with an acid-infused whip that deals a minor acidic affliction.

Cost: 3 lumen per whip.

Shouren shuffled through the last three cards and nodded in appreciation. It wasn’t a bad haul, and most of the cards dropped were offensive spell cards. He now had more options to attack if he encountered another ambush again.

“Let’s go, chains. I’ll feed you the class cards once we find a safe spot.”

Shouren playfully patted the burning chains on his chest as he scanned the area to make sure he missed nothing.

Tap. Tap.

The demonic chains poked its burning links into Shouren’s forearm, tugging him towards a pair of toad carcasses laying on top of each other.

“We have enough monster meat, chains. Besides, I don’t think the toads’ hides are that valuable.”

Shouren raised his eyes at the demonic chains and resisted its pull.

[cn#8%$\l;]

Card.

It sent a memory of a floating gray card to Shouren.

“Huh? Did I miss something?”

Shouren glanced around to check if he missed a card on the ground.

“3… 5… 8… 11. I killed 11 monsters in total.”

Shouren counted the discarded toad corpses outside and the ones inside his vault.

He then counted the cards he collected.

“I’m missing a card. Is that what you were trying to tell me, chains?”

Shouren’s hazel eyes widened in understanding as he dashed to the pair of dead toads chains had been pointing at. He rolled the slimy monster on the top, and it flopped lifelessly to the side, revealing a dim glow from the hidden gray card lodged in the crook between the two monsters.

Shouren gingerly picked up the 11th card that he’d almost left behind.

Tier 0 - Cardsmith Class [Common]

“I think I had two more of these in my vault as well.”

Shouren scoured inside his vault, locating the other 2 Cardsmith class cards he’d saved. He now had three of them. The demonic chains thrummed with excitement at the 3 additional class cards.

“No chains, these are for sharding. Not food.”

Shouren wrested the cards away from the demonic chains’ grip as the burning metal crept hungrily towards the class cards. Shouren had completely forgotten to shard the Cardsmith class cards. The insights he’d get from his own class card should be helpful for his existing abilities. Now that he could shard cards into more than 10 pieces, maybe it was for the best that he’d forgotten about the class cards until now.

The demonic chains turned its burning body away in a pout at Shouren’s refusal to let it munch on the class cards.

“Don’t sulk, chains. I really need these cards. Hey, don’t forget I have the other 2 class cards I saved for you. Let’s leave this place and you can eat them to your heart’s content.”

Shouren chuckled as he rolled the burning chains around his forearms and gave the monster corpses one last glance. He needed to find a safe place to recuperate his wounds. All these cards, and not a single heal card had ever dropped for him. Shouren didn’t count Link of Vitality [Common] as a heal card since it required another person’s consent to draw their health.

“I should be close to a ‘B+’ floor clear rating.”

Shouren opened his status and saw the updated list for his monster kills.

[Floor 1 Clear Conditions: Kill 1 Tier 0 entity]

[Current Kills: 15/1]

[Updated: Kill count exceeded clear conditions. Increased floor rewards will be distributed upon exit or new floor.]

Good, the system confirmed that there will be increased floor rewards. Despite the dungeon’s penalty, I should still receive some nice rewards at the end of the floor.

Shouren sighed with relief inwardly. He turned around to trace his old tracks and picked an alternative route to take, away from the swamp.

It was only his second day, and he was already making good progress. It should be fine if he took a day to focus on his class abilities. After unlocking his latest trait, Shouren felt a greater push to unravel more insights. He recalled his grandmother’s advice as well.

Rhea told him to concentrate on sharding as many cards as possible and to bring his synchronization to 80%. Following his recent development with the insights, Shouren felt his grandma was right about a lot of things.

He needed to change his plans a bit. He would start with sharding the 3 Cardsmith class cards. Shouren had a feeling that sharding his own class card would be different than the other cards.

The demonic chains smacked the back of Shouren’s head in annoyance, urging him to allow it to devour the Cardsmith class cards as well. Shouren laughed and tickled the demonic chains in response. Its attacks no longer hurt or burned him anymore.

Shouren raced through the trees as the sun set in the horizon’s background. There was a single thought floating inside his mind.

What insights would he gain from sharding his own class card?

CHAPTER 35

The bright morning light rays cascaded over the lush green forest, bathing the dungeon floor with its warm radiance.

Standing alone in an area obscured by the countless rows of trees, a young human teen watched as links of burning metal chains hungrily devoured a pair of gray class cards.

<Devourer’s Rite>: 40/100

<Devourer’s Rite>: 41/100

“Chains… how about we take some rest today so I can recover my injuries? You don’t want these blisters to get worse, right?”

Shouren laughed nervously as he pointed at his swollen blisters plastered all over his body. Last night’s wounds wrought by the toads didn’t sting Shouren anymore, and they were already showing signs of recovery. However, his intention wasn’t to rest today. It was to convince the demonic chains to let him spend the day sharding his cards.

Chains got easily bored whenever Shouren got absorbed in sharding or forging cards, and he was sure it would throw a tantrum and spam memories of him writing down his goal to kill monsters in the dungeon.

Shouren enjoyed fighting together with chains, but there was a small growing dread festering inside him. He didn’t know where it was coming from, but Shouren felt a deep urgency creeping over him.

Was it last night?

Shouren tried to find the source of that uneasiness, but nothing came to the front of his mind. It was purely his gut telling him that he needed to shard those three Cardsmith class cards as soon as possible. Shouren also wanted to resume his experimentation with modifying the recipe for the Spectral Threads card, but sharding was a higher priority for now.

The demonic chains gulped the last part of the gray card and moved around Shouren, examining his wounds.

[0*2-/dg’5]

It appeared to agree hesitantly that the injuries did need more time to heal.

“See? I wasn’t lying. Well, now that we both agree… let’s just enjoy the nice weather.”

Shouren let out a low whistle and laid back on the soft grass, watching the serene sky drifting above. The demonic chains thrummed with happiness and joined Shouren, curled up around his arms.

Shouren squinted and peeked with one eye open. Chains bought the ruse. Its burning metal links shuffled peacefully beside him.

I think chains just gets lonely when I’m sharding cards.

Shouren thought warmly with a gentle smile playing on the corner of his lips as he watched the demonic chains slumber on the fresh grass. It wasn’t that it disliked sharding or forging. Those tasks simply took Shouren’s mind away, leaving a void in their communication. He was the only one chains could talk to, making it feel lonely whenever Shouren’s mind was engaged in something else.

Alright, chains will notice the moment I shard. I’ll finish it quick so we can play after.

Shouren silently took out the 3 Cardsmith [Common] class cards from his vault. He was going to shard them one by one without a break.

Activating his Veinreader and Lumen Weaver traits, Shouren shot the amber lumen wires into the first card. He could hear chains rustling beside him.

In smooth practiced movements, Shouren sent 2 lumen wires to stabilize both the card frame and the veins. Then, without pausing the momentum, he pierced through the largest star nodes in a blitz. They were no longer an obstacle for the current Shouren. Even the next smaller nodes were shattered in a trail of lumen dust.

3… 4… 7… 8…

In a mere few seconds, Shouren had blasted through 8 of the star nodes. However, when he moved to the even smaller nodes, his lumen wires encountered resistance once again.

12 nodes is my limit? I thought I could push to at least 13 or 14 nodes.

Shouren was now familiar with the process and knew not to push past the nodes’ resistance. Combined with 4 nodes in the card’s frame and the 8 nodes he destroyed in the card veins, his total nodes was stuck at 12. He had the standby lumen wires stabilizing the card frame and veins, but he didn’t want to risk the card exploding by forcing the lumen wires. Other Tier 0 Cardists would have slapped Shouren silly if they witnessed him complaining of about ‘only’ getting 12 shards.

Shouren rushed the lumen wires to the card’s frame and completed the sharding process. He could sense the demonic chains quietly glaring at him from the side, but he pushed ahead and sharded the remaining 2 class cards as well. He couldn’t stop now.

36 pieces of shards were stacked over his palm. It was the most number of shards Shouren ever held at once. If he had given them to chains, he would have been closer to upgrading his class card to [Uncommon], but he opted to shard them instead. Shouren would soon know if he made the right choice or not.

“Absorb.”

Shouren closed his hazel eyes and crushed the first shard. He wanted to take it slow to observe the differences in consuming shards of his existing class card.

“Argh.”

Shouren groaned. The veins on his neck popped violently over his skin, followed by the muscles in his entire body spasming uncontrollably. He wanted to open his eyes, but his body betrayed his command.

What was happening?

Shouren felt a barrage of wisps crashing into his heart at once. This was not the energy of a single shard piece. He felt a cool liquid dissolve into his palm, where the 36 shards originally rested.

Are all 36 shards entering my body at once!?

Shouren thought with horror as his body twisted in contortion and Shouren felt his mind dislodge from his body. Something was pulling his consciousness away from his body.

Before Shouren could stop it, the darkness and chaos blinked away, replaced with an abrupt quietness. He was standing by himself in the forest. Was this the dungeon or somewhere else? It seemed eerily similar to the tutorial floor, but Shouren that the forest felt more ‘real’ now.

No, this isn’t real.

Shouren raised his translucent hands, with ghostly silver smoke emitting from his fingertips. He tried to touch his chest, but his smoky hand simply passed through the rest of his smoky body.

Boom.

Shouren promptly swiveled his head to the source of that sound. Where a few seconds ago, his surroundings were empty, Shouren now spotted a huddled figure of a 17-year-old teenager. Unlike Shouren, the mysterious teenager’s body was not made of ghostly silver smoke. He was ‘real’.

“Hey!”

Shouren flew over to him while yelling, but the mysterious teenager didn’t even spare Shouren a single glance. It was as if he couldn’t even see his smoky figure.

He’s a Cardsmith!

Now that Shouren was closer to the teenager, he finally realized what the source of that sound was. The teenager was forging a card in the forest! Shouren scrutinized the mysterious teen. He wore simple, yet elegant, black robes with delicate green-gold embroidery stitched around the hems. Shouren was sure the fabric itself must have been quite expensive, as he’d never seen such quality in his town.

The mysterious teen had one of his palms open, while his other hand held some kind of glowing carving tool.

Boom.

Without the mysterious teen raising his other hand, the lumen crawled from his open palm and condensed slowly into the outline of a card frame.

He’s not using compression or vibrations to forge a card!?

Shouren watched in fascination as the mysterious teenager used his lumen to condense itself into a card frame. This was unlike any other technique Shouren had ever heard of. What kind of insights did this mysterious teenager have?

The teenager mumbled something in an archaic language as he took a complete blue card from his chest. Was he from a neighboring kingdom? Shouren had never heard that language before. He tried to peek at what the [Rare] card was, but the mysterious teenager blocked Shouren’s vision as he elegantly tapped the surface of the blue card.

Everything happened in a flash. The moment the sharp tip of the carving tool made contact with the [Rare] card, countless hazy lumen hooks dug into the card veins and pulled a hazy mass out of it.

Did he just pull the entire card veins out? No, the channels are still there… wait, he’s absorbing it.

Shouren felt the silver smoke around him tremble in agitation. His entire knowledge regarding cards was crumbing before him. The mysterious teenager had just sharded the [Rare] card. However, it was unlike any sharding Shouren had ever thought was conceivable.

The mysterious teenager didn’t break the card into multiple pieces. Instead, he sharded the card without breaking its frame and only took a single large section from the veins. Shouren thought the smaller the shard, the higher the rewards. But the mysterious teenager sharded a single giant piece from the card. He didn’t crack the nodes one by one like Shouren did. Instead, he simply plucked the shard out of the card. Was it because of the mysterious teenager’s insight or the carving tool in his hand?

Shouren watched the giant shard dissipate into the mysterious teenager’s body as he closed his eyes with a satisfied nod. His face relaxed as if he was fathoming something. Then, while his eyes were still closed, his hand with the carving tool moved over to the empty card frame floating on his palm.

In a radiant glow of sapphire light, the mysterious teenager’s hand danced through the air, slashing through the pouring of new lumen into empty card frame. Gradually, the lumen turned a bright blue as it swished around the frame, creating new veins. The fresh lumen joined the recently constructed veins and merged, its color turning the same blue as the card.

What kind of forging is this?

Shouren stared mutely. By now, it dawned on him that he was inside an illusion. This was nothing like the maze of insights he’d usually appear in whenever he absorbed shards. The question remained: why was he in this illusion?

However, for now, Shouren stood transfixed at the sight before him. He wanted to memorize everything he was witnessing right now. The mysterious teenager was only older than him by a few years, and could already forge [Rare] cards.

The carving tool swished through the air, guiding the blue lumen and making precise incisions within the card whenever the lumen flowed out of the channel. The mysterious teenager’s face was bent over the card, the shadows from the blue lumen hiding his features.

Slowly, the card frame filled with the new blue lumen and soon, it pulsed brightly as a shimmer passed through its surface. It was the final seal. The [Rare] card was complete.

I-It’s the same card.

Shouren whispered in disbelief. He thought the mysterious teenager was forging another [Rare] card. Instead, he actually forged the same exact card from earlier. Shouren didn’t read the description on the previous card, but as a Cardsmith, he was familiar with a card’s structure. It was the same card.

It wasn’t just a simple shard piece. He actually sharded the card’s spell signature out of it.

Shouren’s smoky body quivered as he traced through his memories of a few minutes ago. Shouren’s last insight already gave him a clue that shards could extract fragments of the card’s spell signature, but seeing it in reality sent shockwaves through Shouren.

If he could copy that technique, would he be able to forge any card he absorbed?

Just as Shouren’s thoughts were racing through his mind, the glow from the [Rare] card faded, and the shadows receded from the mysterious teenager’s face. He smiled at the freshly forged card and tilted his head to the sky.

The illusion began to crack as the nearby forest distorted in space. Shouren’s smoky body stood still as his gaze remained locked on the mysterious teenager.

Shouren’s hazel eyes palpitated with emotion. He could finally see the face of the mysterious teenager.

Similar pair of hazel eyes stared at the sky above.

Shouren stared in astonishment at the familiar hazel-green eyes, the same as his grandmother, Rhea. And a mirror of his own hazel eyes.

The illusion around the forest splintered like glass, its cracks tearing through the fabric of reality, and froze the mysterious teen in space. The illusion shattered into vignettes, anchoring Shouren’s smoky body in the center.

Who is he? He has the same eyes as me and grandma. Did we have family members in other kingdoms? Or is it just a coincidence that he has the same colored eyes as us?

Shouren mused in wonder. It was possible that the mysterious teen was someone unrelated to him, as his features differed somewhat from Shouren. The mysterious teen had sharp cheekbones and a wider jaw than both Shouren or Rhea.

Shouren didn’t think his grandma would hide the existence of other family members from him. He knew how important family and heritage were for Rhea.

Then, the mysterious teen was most likely someone random.

But why did he appear inside Shouren’s mind?

A loud crack echoed in the air. The image of the mysterious teen vibrated with a faint pulse, and the previously intact illusion of the mysterious teen shattered into countless fragments. Shouren felt a powerful gust of air smash into his body while the nearby broken illusion shards stormed around him.

Should I run?

Shouren’s heart in the real world thumped against his chest as he felt something monumental was about to happen. Unlike card shards, the illusion shards looked menacingly dangerous.

Shouren’s hazel eyes bore into the specks of illusion shards that were once part of the mysterious teen. There was a reason why he was here in this illusion rather than the normal web of insights. If he ran now, there was a chance he would never be able to come here again.

“You looked really cool forging that card, big brother! Now, pass it onto me, and I’ll show you the peak of coolness!”

Shouren flashed a grin, and shouted at the sparkling remnants of the mysterious teen. He didn’t know if the specks could hear him, but Shouren’s hazel eyes glinted with a challenge. The Cardsmith skill displayed by the mysterious teen was something that he’d never thought was possible, and it ignited a silent fire raging inside him.

The storm of illusion shards raged with frenzy, creating a looming cyclone over Shouren’s smoky figure.

“You’re the first person I’ve ever called big brother. Not even pumpkin-head got that privilege.”

Shouren chuckled, ignoring the brooding tempest of shards encircling him, and continued.

“I don’t have a habit of calling strangers I meet as my big brother, but you showed me something amazing today. You know, I never wanted to be a Cardsmith. In fact, I hated the mere thought of it. But, over the past weeks, I’ve changed my mind about it.”

The forest was gone, replaced with pitch darkness. Only the storm of illusion shards remained around Shouren.

“Cardsmiths are cool. No one else can do what we can. I’m too weak right now to show everyone how cool Cardsmiths can actually be. But one day, I will. Don’t take it the wrong way, big brother, but I think I can be cooler than you.”

Shouren laughed cheekily, the smoky silver tendrils fluttering around him. He felt happy talking to the mysterious teen for some reason. From the illusion, the older teen gave off a quiet and calm aura, compared to Shouren’s brash and reckless demeanor.

Normally, Shouren would balk at calling someone else big brother. Growing up in the slums, he didn’t trust others easily. Deep in his heart, Shouren had a feeling that the mysterious teen was smiling at him.

Grandma would have liked you.

Shouren’s eyes flared with excitement, and ignoring all danger signals, he shot straight into the storm of illusion shards. If Rubin was here right now, he would have once again doubted if Shouren actually had E ranked Intelligence or not.

The torrent of illusion shards savagely tore through his smoky body, ripping out pieces out of Shouren. Despite his smoky body being torn to shreds, Shouren kept his eyes fixed at the core of the storm, where the mysterious teen’s fragments hovered. The illusion shards were inflicting real mental pain inside Shouren. He could feel his mind being scratched by invisible claws.

Shouren raised his smoky arm, feeling the illusion shards slice through it.

“You are not real, are you, big brother?”

Now that he was in the crux of the illusion storm, Shouren finally realized a few things. The illusions were all condensed wisps. Each time the illusion shard cut through this body, it left a residual memory of the card. The same as whenever Shouren absorbed wisps into his class card.

Was the mysterious teen a construct created by the Cardsmith class cards? But why was there a memory of a human stored inside a card?

Suddenly, a gentle whisper breezed past Shouren.

“Huh?”

Shouren looked above in confusion. The illusion shards continued to tear into him. Did he imagine it?

[Synchronization: 60%]

[Synchronization: 61%]

Before Shouren could think any further, he sensed his synchronization rapidly increasing. The illusion shards dissolved into him whenever it touched an already open wound on his smoky body. The fragments of shards brought a surge of new insights with them.

An outflow of knowledge streamed into Shouren as the web of insights flashed within his vision. However, it wasn’t just a single maze this time. There were several mazes interconnected with one another.

[Synchronization: 62%]

It’s not just one insight?

Shouren winced in pain as the illusion shards forced multiple insights into him at the same time. This was why he wanted to absorb the shards one by one. Consuming 36 shards at once was taking a toll on his mind. Fortunately, his E ranked Intelligence was dampening most of the strain on his brain.

[Synchronization: 63%]

The illusion shards, or the condensed wisps, dragged Shouren through maze routes, shooting through the twists and turns. It seemed he was already close to getting this particular insight. The illusion shards swiftly navigated Shouren to the end of the maze and right in front of a pale yellow orb.

He didn’t even have to touch the orb as the insight burst right into him.

But the illusion shards didn’t stop there. It forcefully yanked Shouren into the next maze.

It’s an insight about card stability.

Shouren was in the middle of gathering the memories of the new insight, but the illusion shards propelled him to the next maze.

[Synchronization: 64%]

[Synchronization: 65%]

When the synchronization reached 65%, Shouren felt a throttle in the illusion shards’ movement before it resumed its pace and continued along the maze.

I think it used up all the shards from the first Cardsmith class card.

Shouren sensed the disruption was because the wisps ran out of energy, and it was using shards from the second card now.

My synchronization is rising too fast! Is this the difference between sharding other cards and the Cardsmith class card? I think the bigger reason is because I sharded the card into 12 pieces rather than the usual 4 like others.

Shouren felt his class card pulsing inside his chest. The last 12-piece shard had increased his synchronization by 7% and this time, it increased it by another 6%. Its effectiveness was diminishing each time, but it was still an alarming amount of synchronization gained in such a short time.

[Synchronization: 66%]

[Synchronization: 67%]

Already, Shouren could see the second teal orb in the distance. The energy from the second Cardsmith card shards bridled the illusion shards. He felt like a passenger as the wisps drove him to the insights. Contrary to how Shouren would normally gain the insights, this time, it felt like the wisps themselves were guiding him to the insights instead of the other way around.

[Synchronization: 68%]

What could this insight be?

Shouren finally reached the end of the second maze, and just like the last orb, the teal orb rushed straight into him. Knowledge about the second insight bloomed inside his mind. A painful pang ringed within Shouren’s mind as his nerves trembled under the weight of absorbing multiple insights at once.

The journey to the second insight had used up a lot more shard energy than the first one.

It’s an insight about a card’s… architecture?

Shouren wanted to take his time to absorb the memories of the new insight, but the illusion shards didn’t wait for him. They immediately plunged him into the next maze.

[Synchronization: 69%]

[Synchronization: 70%]

Another throttle passed through the wisps in a wave. The shards from the second Cardsmith class card were also depleted, and he was now on the final third card. The second card only increased Shouren’s synchronization by 5%. If the pattern was linear, then the third card would push his synchronization by an additional 4%

[Synchronization: 71%]

[Synchronization: 72%]

Shouren’s nerves blitzed through his brain, trying to index the new insights. However, the fragments of the new insights refused to merge completely into him. It was as if it was missing a binding catalyst.

Hurry.

Shouren grit his teeth and endured the agony racking through his mind. This was probably why the illusion shards were rushing through the mazes. They were a set of a grand insight and had to be comprehended together.

Stability… Architecture… and…

The path of the third maze was much longer than the last two, and Shouren could sense that the wisps would soon run out of energy from the shards.

[Synchronization: 73%]

Shouren could spot a hazy black orb in the distance, but he didn’t think he would make it. The illusion shards were noticeably getting dimmer.

I’m not going to make it.

Shouren’s eyes bore into the black orb 30 meters away from him.

[Synchronization: 74%]

Another throttle wave shimmered over the illusion shards. It had used up all the shards from the three Cardsmith class cards.

No!

Shouren didn’t think he could hold the two volatile insights together if he didn’t absorb the third insight in time. Just as he thought all hope was lost, a warm whisper tingled through the back of Shouren’s ear.

The illusion shards reignited in a frenzy.

[Synchronization: 75%]

Shouren was 20 meters away from the black orb.

Where are the illusion shards getting their energy from?

Shouren knew the wisps needed energy to move, and it had already used up his 36 shards.

[Synchronization: 76%]

The black orb was only 10 meters away. Shouren could see it shake with eagerness.

3 meters… 2 meters… 1 meter…

The shadow of the black orb danced the moment Shouren was in front of it, and without hesitation, it smashed into his chest.

As soon as the black orb appeared inside him, it triggered a chain reaction. The three insights now swirled inside his mind. The multi-colored orbs glided against each other in orbit as they began to fuse into a single grand orb. It was the largest insight Shouren had ever seen. It towered over the insight that unlocked his latest trait, Neurokinetic Surge.

The agonizing pangs shooting through Shouren’s mind simmered down as the colossal orb slowly fused into him.

A serene river of knowledge trickled into Shouren. He thought the colossal insight would push his mind to the utmost limit, but it was gentle instead. The stream of knowledge pooled into Shouren, instilling a technique that had long disappeared from the world.

In the real world, Shouren’s chest shone brightly as his class card pounded against his flesh.

As the seconds ticked by, Shouren completely absorbed the colossal orb.

[Synchronization: 77%]

And then Shouren’s world exploded.

A pair of hazel-green eyes flashed open.

[d=6-^/hw’;]

The demonic chains wrapped itself around the teen in worry once it noticed he was awake.

Shouren stared down at the glowing class card inside his chest, and then his hands. He finally had the name of the insight he obtained today.

Card Schema.

Shouren’s fingers quivered as the burning chains tightened around his body. He seemed in a daze as he slowly brought his hand to his chest, where his class card thrummed in greeting.

“Chains, I think I can now learn the recipe from a card itself.”

CHAPTER 36

[=0a/n7#h]

The demonic chains, blazing with angry flames, glared accusingly at Shouren. It repeatedly whipped its body against Shouren, sending the hellish embers scattering in the air.

“Sorry about that, chains. I had an epiphany all of a sudden and needed to quickly get that insight before I lost it. But, look, I learned a skill that would let me steal card recipes!”

Shouren exclaimed while he tried to dodge the chains’ attacks. It displayed its annoyance at being tricked. It clearly saw Shouren sharding the cards in advance, meaning it wasn’t a random epiphany and he deliberately sought the insight from the cards.

None of the strikes actually hurt Shouren, so he gently grabbed the burning chains and hugged it close to his chest.

“I really am sorry, chains. I can’t explain the feeling, but I had to shard those cards soon. I wasn’t trying to intentionally hurt you.” Shouren whispered softly, feeling the burning chains quiver within his embrace.

Their relationship started off on a rocky note with the demonic chains first trying to attack Shouren and then later, Shouren not trusting it. But their bond seemed to have deepened after the change in their contract, and Shouren could sense more emotions through their link. Chains would get anxiety whenever his mind was focused elsewhere. It was a like a kid going through separation anxiety.

“We’re friends, chains. I promise we’ll always be friends.”

Shouren smiled as he placed his forehead on the burning metal. Regardless of what happened in the future, he would fight to keep the current chains. He wouldn’t let the demonic chains’ siblings corrupt it or erode their bond. It was because of chains that Shouren came out alive from the toads’ ambush. It had guarded him and protected his back.

It deserved to be treated like a true friend.

The demonic chains trembled with emotion. It hesitantly sent Shouren a message through their bond.

[nga-2#_0/9?]

Friend?

“Always.”

Shouren grinned as he playfully bumped his forehead against the burning chains. Chains swooped around his arms and chest, and tightly wrapped itself around Shouren.

“You’re going to suffocate me, chains!”

Shouren’s laugh echoed in the dark forest, joining the dancing flames around him. He took this time to get familiar with his latest insight.

Card Schema is a grand insight made up of three smaller ones. I think this was how the mysterious big brother replicated the [Rare] card.

Shouren’s brows crinkled in thought as he replayed his memories. He was still confused how he entered that illusion realm with the shards, but he’d need more class cards to experiment again. The mysterious teen’s Cardsmith abilities were at a much higher level than Shouren had ever seen before.

The grand insight, Card Schema was ancient. Shouren had never heard of anyone being able to get recipes from the cards themselves. Otherwise, recipe scrolls wouldn’t have been so widely sought after.

I wonder what makes the insights unlock traits or simply remain as insights?

Shouren pondered why he didn’t unlock a trait this time. He found the system difficult to understand.

Shouren brushed away his doubts and took out a stack of cards from his vault. He plucked a [Common] gray card from the stack and set the rest aside. Next to him, the demonic chains rustled at the movement and peeked at what was going on.

Tier 0 - Freshen Cloth [Common]

Clean and de-wrinkle any fabric or garment

Cost: 1 lumen per use

It was a card Shouren didn’t particularly care for as he doubted even sharding it would amount to much. He had kept this card as something he could sell later on.

I’ll try Card Schema on this card.

Shouren’s hazel eyes twinkled with excitement as a cluster of lumen wires coalesced around him. The demonic chains curiously watched the unfolding scene.

The six amber lumen wires charged into the card, with one wire heading straight to stabilize the card frame and the vein network.

Card Schema consisted of three main phases.

The first phase was related to the stability of the card. Shouren would have to use his lumen to keep the card frame and veins fixed in place. He was quite familiar with this technique, having used it for a long time for sharding. However, the new insight gave him a fresh perspective.

He didn’t need to use one lumen wire for the card frame and another lumen wire for the card veins. Shouren only had to use a single lumen wire to stabilize the entire card.

The first lumen wire crisscrossed around the card, sealing it entirely with a series of glowing knots. Even if Shouren destroyed the nodes in the veins or the frame, that single lumen wire was enough to stabilize the card from exploding.

“The second step is the hardest part.”

Shouren’s eyes flashed as he gazed intensely at the card’s veins.

The second phase involved destroying the star nodes around the spell’s signature while keeping the nodes inside intact. This would shard a single piece from the card containing the full signature. If he accidentally destroyed a node inside the signature, Card Schema wouldn’t be able to extract the spell. Only the nodes on the outside had to be shattered.

“I can’t use this card.”

Shouren clicked his tongue in disappointment. He could see there were really small star nodes outside the Freshen Cloth’s spell signature, and his lumen wires weren’t thin enough to destroy nodes of that size.

He had to wait until his Lumen Weaver trait upgraded a few more times.

“Why am I so unlucky, chains?”

Shouren sighed as he retrieved the lumen wires from the card and tossed it back into his vault. He really wanted to try Card Schema to get recipes from the cards, but he was already facing a major obstacle.

Let me check the other cards.

Just as Shouren was about to give up, a passing thought struck him and he decided to check his other cards as well. As long as he could find a card which only had large or medium-sized nodes on the edges of the veins, he could use Card Schema to extract the recipe.

That was probably why the mysterious teenager used that carving tool.

“No, this one only has the small nodes… this one won’t work as well… Ooh! This has medium-siz—never mind, there’s a single really small node on the corner…”

Shouren shuffled through his cards. He couldn’t pick any [Uncommon] cards, as it would fail in the third phase.

The third phase was about assimilating the card’s lumen. It was the process of turning the original card’s lumen into the milder amber lumen that Cardists stored in their body. Back in the illusion, the mysterious teen had smoothly absorbed the [Rare] card’s blue energy into him. Shouren could do that as well now, but he was limited by his lumen capacity.

According to the Card Schema insight, for a [Common] card, he would need the same amount of lumen as its cost to extract the signature. For the Freshen Cloth [Common], Shouren would only need 1 lumen to extract the spell and absorb it.

However, the formula changed for an [Uncommon] card. If Shouren wanted to extract the recipe of the Cinder Lance [Uncommon] card, he would need twice the lumen of the listed cost. Cinder Lance required 15 lumen to activate, so Shouren needed to have 30 lumen to extract its spell signature and then convert its green energy into amber. The formula would change once again for [Rare] cards. He would need 4 times the lumen cost to extract the recipe from blue cards. For [Epic] cards, he would need an absurd 8 times the lumen cost.

Shouren simply didn’t have the lumen to use Card Schema on higher cards. His lumen capacity would increase again either once his class card or his Intelligence attribute upgraded again. Until then, he was constricted to only [Common] cards.

Could I replicate the Dimensional Vault card?

Shouren’s eyes widened as he rapidly emptied out his vault and unequipped the [Rare] card. The utility card only had a meager cost of 5 lumen, and Shouren had exactly 20 lumen capacity.

“It was too good to be true.”

Shouren shook his head wistfully as he re-equipped the [Rare] card and put his items back in the vault. The [Rare] card had only extremely small nodes on the edges and it would be impossible to extract the spell signature even if he had the lumen for it.

Shouren was already dreaming of the millions of chronas he would have if he could sell a steady supply of the [Rare] card.

He resumed his search for a suitable spell card for the Card Schema.

“Why do none of them have only large or medium-sized nodes on the edges? This one is a dud… this one as well… th—huh?”

Shouren abruptly froze mid-sentence. He finally found a card that he could extract the recipe from.

Tier 0 - Hide Presence [Common]

Remove all traces of your presence. Affects only Tier 0.

Cost: 2 lumen per minute.

Is this fate? Out of all the cards, this is the only one that I can use Card Schema on.

Shouren stared blankly at the spell card in his hand. He recalled so many times when he’d wished he had a Hide Presence card, but it would never drop from a monster since the first time. Then, the moment it dropped from the toads, he gained an insight that let him extract recipes from a card, and this card was the only suitable one in his entire deck.

What is this feeling?

Shouren clutched the card tighter in his hand as he glanced up at the night sky. He’d been feeling this uncomfortable sensation for a while now. It was the same urgency that pushed him to shard the Cardsmith class cards, and now those same invisible strings were guiding him to the spell card in his hand.

Is it because of this?

Shouren opened his status and paused at a certain description.

Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

1. Corrupted Insight (Unlocked)

The Corrupted Cardsmith sees more than others were ever meant to. Fragments of the unknown drift into focus—revealing insights woven into cards, and even the world itself.

???

He couldn’t figure it out, but it seemed too coincidental that Hide Presence was the only spell card that fit the current criteria. The demonic chains curled around Shouren’s hand, poking its metal links towards him. It was asking why he stood frozen in place.

“I’m alright, chains.”

Shouren ran his other hand through his dark hair as he took in a deep breath. The corner of his lips curled up as he winked at the burning chains.

“Ready to see something amazing, partner? I think our days of being ambushed are far behind us.”

The demonic chains cheered, the flames on its body swimming around Shouren’s chest.

“Card Schema.”

Shouren summoned his lumen wires once again and the radiant amber energy burst inside the Hide Presence card. Once it was stabilized, Shouren sent his remaining lumen threads along the card veins’ edges, destroying all the large and medium-sized star nodes in their path.

The glow of lumen simmered around Shouren’s body as he calmly controlled the lumen wires. One by one, the star nodes shattered into dust. After a few seconds, the whole card pulsed with a volatile energy, but the first lumen wire kept it at bay, preventing the card’s channels from collapsing. Gradually, a large shard started to separate itself from the card.

Shouren’s irises flashed. Everything was going to plan, and the card didn’t show any signs of exploding. A gray light seeped from the giant shard as it slowly rose up in the card. Before the shard made a clean partition, the leftover card frame shimmered as a wave passed through it and it broke into luminescent gray particles of energy. The particles then fused into the giant shard, causing a slight tremor rippling over the shard.

The spell signature had successfully been extracted.

Nervously, Shouren extended a hand towards the enormous floating shard.

Please don’t explode.

He prayed, as inch by inch, his hand moved toward the shard.

Shouren’s finger touched the gray shard.

A burst of air smashed into Shouren’s face, sending his hair fluttering behind him. A tsunami of gray lumen trampled into his body, raging from his fingers and into his chest, where his class card lay. He watched as his lumen trickled down by 2 units as the trail of gray energy assimilated with his amber lumen. It was the same feeling as when he used the recipe scroll in the past. New information about the card was being injected into him.

[New card recipe detected. Indexing new recipe in status.]

A notification blinked in Shouren’s sight. He promptly opened his status and scrolled to the bottom.

Status

Name: Shouren

Tier: 0 [Synchronization: 77%]

Class: Cardsmith [Common]

Spell Card Slots: 1/1 - Dimensional Vault [Rare]

Lumen: 13/20 (-5)

Strength: F

Agility: F

Constitution: E

Intelligence: E (0.8%)

Class Abilities <Corrupted>:

1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>

2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite: 41/100>

3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>

Traits:

1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

2 - Veinreader [Uncommon]

3 - Lumen Weaver [Common] - 6/10 Threads

4 - Neurokinetic Surge [Rare]

Cardsmith Recipes:

Tier 0 - Spectral Threads [Common]

Tier 0 - Hide Presence [Common]

“It’s there… It’s actually there!”

Shouren dropped to his knees, his shoulders sagging with relief. It wasn’t a dream. He really got the recipe of the Hide Presence spell card. He would no longer have to fear any Tier 0 monster as long as he had this spell card in his arsenal.

His corrupted abilities defied the rules of the system, but they had one fundamental flaw. It consumed or devoured the cards, leaving nothing behind for Shouren. But now, he finally had a path where he could grow the cards instead of destroying them.

“Chains, we’re going to be unstoppable now.”

Shouren pumped his fist into the air, the dawn’s cool breeze grazing past his skin. Shouren didn’t even notice that it was already the next day, and he’d stayed up the whole night. It seemed he was inside the illusion much longer than he thought.

The demonic chains trailed around Shouren’s arm, joining its partner’s celebration.

Crackle.

The sound of thunder reverberated from the cracks in the sky. Shouren’s entire body stilled as a tendril of fear flashed across his face. He slowly tilted his head above.

A bolt of lightning struck an inch away from his foot, rupturing the grass into a burst of flames. Something dripped from his cheek and splashed onto the burning grass, dissipating into smoke.

It was his blood.

His Neurokinetic Surge trait couldn’t even register the lightning’s momentum.

The demonic chains instantly snapped into Shouren’s neck and pulled him away just as another bolt of lightning smashed into the ground right where he was a second ago.

“W-why is it here now?”

Shouren mumbled to himself in a daze, as arcs of golden lighting spewed all around him. It didn’t make any sense. It had only been three days inside the dungeon, and he should still have four more days left until it hit a week. Then why was that monster here now?

With each flap of its powerful golden wings, gusts filled with sparks of lightning crackled around the colossal flying monster.

It was the lightning beast.

Chains slammed into his chest, propelling Shouren back and barely evading the lightning bolt aimed at his head. The burning chains then slapped Shouren across his face, rattling him awake.

[‘s-5dg\et#]

The demonic chains urged him to focus on their enemy.

Dammit. I’m being an idiot. Doesn’t matter how the lightning beast spawned right now. I need to run before it kills me.

Shouren lasered his gaze on the lightning beast above. He felt the chains tug on his arm, and he patted it to let it know that he was fine now.

Neurokinetic Surge doesn’t work on the lightning. I need to exit the dungeon. This is not a fight I can take on. Thankfully, I have an extra Hide Presence spell card.

Shouren broke into a run, zig-zagging across the terrain to prevent the lightning beast from locking down on his position. Chains hugged closely to his back, vibrating its links to let Shouren know whenever the lightning beast attacked.

“<Oblation Pact>”

Shouren reached into his vault and hastily activated his corrupted ability. The last remaining Hide Presence spell card dissolved as the spell rushed into Shouren’s body, eliminating all traces of him.

60 seconds.

59 seconds.

Phew. I should be able to exit the dungeon now.

Shouren opened his status and was about to leave the floor when his hand froze.

[Floor 1 Clear Conditions: Kill 1 Tier 0 entity]

[Current Kills: 15/1]

[Updated: Kill count exceeded clear conditions. Increased floor rewards will be distributed upon exit or new floor.]

[Exit: Yes/No]

[Enter Floor 2: Yes/No]

The number of kills might not even be enough for a “C+” rating.

Shouren paused at the “Yes/No” option. With only 15 monster kills, it was 1 fewer than his first dungeon run where he achieved a “C+” rating. There was a possibility that he would get a further lower rating if the dungeon applied the penalty here as well.

58 seconds.

You’re really messing with me, aren’t you, dungeon?

Shouren laughed sardonically as he stared at the ground below him. Meanwhile, the lightning beast continued to rampage around the surroundings in an effort to locate Shouren. He recalled telling chains that their days of being ambushed were over, and the dungeon responded by throwing the lightning beast at them.

Wait. I remember now. It was back when I passed out after killing the venomous python, and waking up to my Intelligence attribute in the middle of upgrading.

Shouren’s eyes flickered in understanding. That was the source of why he had been feeling that uneasy urgency inside him.

Back then, Shouren wasn’t unconscious for only a few hours like he’d initially thought. Rather, he was passed out for days!

55 seconds.

If I leave now, then all of my time spent to get the final floor rewards would be wasted. What if the dungeon increases the penalty further for my 5th run?

Shouren clenched his fist, his veins bulging with tension. He didn’t want to leave with only 15 monster kills. At the same time, he didn’t have the firepower to contest the looming lightning beast.

Do I not?

Shouren halted. His eyes trailed down to his arms, where the burning chains thrummed warmly, its flames swaying along with the serene wind.

Lumen: 11/20 (-5)

Vague hints of a plan began formulating inside Shouren’s mind. It was a preposterous plan. One slight mistake would blast his body to ashes.

He sent his thoughts to the demonic chains. It was a vital part of his strategy. In response, chains nodded with visible bloodthirst. It wanted to hunt the massive lightning bird as well.

51 seconds.

Don’t let me die, chains. Grandma won’t bake any lemon pies for you if you let me die, alright?

Shouren grinned teasingly as he closed his status and removed his hand from pressing the exit tab. The burning chains swirled around him, preparing for the plan. It gave Shouren a dry look, as if stating he would have long entered the afterlife if it wasn’t for it. The demonic chains shook with hunger at the mention of the priceless ‘lemon pie’. The lightning beast had to die in order for chains to taste the lemon pie again.

A Cardsmith always has to be calm, potato… think before you move, and only move after you’ve thought everything.

The same memory of his grandma instructing him about sharding resurfaced again in Shouren’s mind. It was followed by another recent memory of Rhea.

Remember this, little potato. A Cardsmith’s true path is always rooted in creation, not destruction.

You might be wrong about that one, grandma.

Shouren’s steely hazel eyes zeroed in on the flying lightning beast. The bird’s golden metallic feathers raced with crackling lightning as the monster bombarded the ground with violent bolts of lightning. Its beak opened as it let out an ear-piercing screech, venting out its frustration at the cowardly human.

48 seconds.

Ready, partner?

Shouren sent his thought out to the demonic chains.

[f=2d/>dt3]

Ready.

Shouren then burst into motion toward the boss monster, his hands moving in a blur.

“Spectral Threads!”

Lumen: 6/20 (-5)

From the shadows, ghostly ethereal threads shot from Shouren’s fingers and latched onto the lightning beast’s claws. The boss monster screeched in confusion, flapping its wings to get away from the invisible enemy. However, the ethereal threads crept towards its wings and bound its limbs in a vise grip.

Got you.

Shouren smirked as the lightning beast tumbled to the ground with a resounding crash. The imprisoned boss monster purged out a hail of lightning bolts at the ghostly threads, but to no avail. It was bound completely by the spell. 2 seconds had already passed.

But that was enough for Shouren.

Go, chains!

Two links of burning chains shot from Shouren’s arms and coiled around the lightning beast’s avian head. Shouren was already dashing at the bound boss monster, his hammer in tow.

“SCREEEEE!”

Suddenly, the lightning beast exploded in a gut-wrenching cry. Its mighty golden eyes howled in agony as scorched marks bore into its feathery skin.

All the lightning in the sky, the air, and the ground abruptly dissipated in a snap. The world fell silent, save for the lightning beast’s pitiful whimpering.

“Chains… did you do something?”

Shouren stopped his charge, staring in confusion at the lightning beast. The monstrous beast was spasming on the ground, the white of its eyes turning red in distress. However, the shocking thing was that all lightning in the vicinity had died down all of a sudden. The lightning had even disappeared from the boss monster’s body.

[vq9=/’\de]

The demonic chains mentally shrugged. It didn’t know what was going on as well.

26 seconds.

Step by step, Shouren walked over to the thrashing lightning beast on the ground. His E ranked Intelligence was racing ahead.

It’s the same as all the monsters whenever chains grabbed them. I knew it was strange that chains would only use up the class cards when it bound the monster, but it’s been out in the open with me for days and didn’t use any energy.

Shouren was standing right in front of the boss monster. He tilted his head up to look at the writhing beast.

17 seconds.

<Devourer’s Rite>: 40/100

I thought chains was using the class cards to burn the monsters, but besides a shallow burn mark, none of the monsters actually died because of its flames. That part always confused me. If it wasn’t burning the monsters, what were the class cards being used for?

Shouren took out a chunk of toad meat and bit through a large mouthful of the lumen-infused flesh. He took a few more bites, swallowing the raw meat down and then ate several more mouthfuls.

4 seconds.

Lumen: 9/20 (-5)

The Hide Presence spell wore off, revealing Shouren’s figure. But the lightning beast didn’t even notice the human. Shouren chewed through another chunk of toad meat, his lumen gradually ticking up.

“Chains, you really don’t know how amazing you are, do you?”

Shouren finally figured out what chains’ other ability was. It was not as simple as locking down a monster.

From the start, the demonic chains abilities were tied to one thing:

Corruption.

Inside Shouren, it manifested by corrupting his existing abilities and traits, altering them into something heaven-defying.

Lumen: 12/20 (-5)

You’re not burning the monster, chains. You’re corrupting its abilities. Your fire is burning it on the inside and preventing it from using any abilities.

Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]

1. Corrupted Insight (Unlocked)

The Corrupted Cardsmith sees more than others were ever meant to. Fragments of the unknown drift into focus—revealing insights woven into cards, and even the world itself.

2. Corrupted Bastille (Unlocked)

The Corrupted Cardsmith is the overseer of the penitentiary. The fate of your enemies is yours to judge. Let the world await for your impending judgment.

??

Shouren ignored the blinking notification and took a card out from his vault. It was one of his first cards he’d ever owned. All this time, he’d never used it.

It was a green card.

Tier 0 - Sonar Pulse [Uncommon]

Discharge a powerful wave condensed of invisible sonar vibrations. Ignores all armor.

Cost: 12 lumen per wave.

Shouren stepped closer to the screeching boss monster and raised his hand over its head.

“Sonar Pulse.”

The [Uncommon] card cracked into lumen dust, sending bursts of green waves toward Shouren’s hand. The sonar waves condensed in front of his palm, rapidly rotating as it absorbed more and more sound waves from the area.

Shouren’s hand trembled under the force, and his ears began to bleed from the sheer pressure brought by the sound vibrations. His skin showed signs of rupturing near his knuckles as the overbearing [Uncommon] spell card devoured all 12 of his lumen.

His knees shook as the ball of condensed sonar vibrations palpitated in the air. Just as Shouren thought he could no longer hold it, the [Uncommon] spell launched savagely at the lightning beast, shattering the air with its velocity.

A deafening boom tore through the air, splattering warm, bloody flesh and bone fragments all over the surroundings.

The demonic chains quietly slithered back around Shouren’s arms. It could feel its partner’s heart pounding against his chest. Shouren’s breathing quickened when he saw a faint golden glow emit from the headless lightning beast’s body.

The golden glow intensified and gathered to a single point in the air. Gradually, the brilliant light morphed purple, and two balls of purple light descended to the ground.

The light around the first purple ball crumbled, revealing an aged, dark-green scroll. However, Shouren’s eyes were glued to the second purple halo. He could already see the outline of its content before the light receded.

It was a card.

A purple card.

[Detecting death of hidden boss monster. Dungeon floor 1 complete. Initiating forceful exit]

Shouren panicked. The dungeon floor was closing? He could see the exit portal growing beside him. Shouren grabbed both the card and the scroll in haste. Just a fraction of a second after he placed them inside his vault, the dungeon ejected him to the familiar white room.

CHAPTER 37

[Congratulations on clearing Floor 1]

[Awarded with 1 [Common] card for normal clear. Additional 1 [Common] card awarded for Solo clear]

[Conditions for increased rewards met. Floor 1 clear rating “C-”. Select 1 additional reward from below]

[1. 10 common cards [Common] - Get a bundle of random 10 [Common] cards]

[2. 3,000 chronas [Common] - Obtain a small purse of chronas]

[3. 3 lumen potions [Uncommon] - Acquire 3 [Common] grade lumen potions]

Shouren ruefully skimmed over the final floor rewards. He expected that the dungeon would reduce his rewards because of the penalty, and seeing his current choices, Shouren couldn’t help but be disappointed.

None of the three options could compare to the rewards from his first dungeon run.

[Updated! Hidden clear conditions met. Modifying floor rewards…]

Suddenly, a new series of notifications flashed before Shouren.

[Congratulations on clearing Floor 1 and defeating the hidden boss monster]

[Awarded with 1 [Common] card for normal clear. Additional 1 [Common] card awarded for Solo clear]

[Conditions for increased and hidden rewards met. Floor 1 clear rating “S”. Select 1 additional reward from below:]

[1. Synchronization Boost [Epic] - Boost class card’s synchronization by 10-15%. Cannot exceed 80%]

[2. Random Tier 0 Card [Epic] - Obtain a random Tier 0 [Epic] spell card]

[3. Extra Spell Slot [Legendary] - Unlock an additional Spell Slot in your status]

Shouren stopped breathing for a moment. Killing the lightning beast had changed his final floor rewards as well. He had a feeling that the boss monster should have been impossible for a Tier 0 like him to kill.

Maybe someone at Tier 0 with an [Epic] or [Legendary] class card would have been able to fight against the boss monster, but not someone with a [Common] class card like Shouren. In the end, it was all because of the demonic chains corrupting the lightning beast’s abilities that Shouren could deliver the final blow.

Taking in a deep breath, Shouren scanned over the three options. The first option already made him excited until he read the last part of its description. He then moved to the second option on the list.

“I want it.”

Shouren almost selected the second option. The allure of an [Epic] card was that enticing. Until now, the most valuable card in his arsenal was the Dimensional Vault [Rare], and that card had already proven its worth multiple times over.

Didn’t he have a purple card of his own?

I’m wondering what the two items the lightning beast dropped were.

Shouren paused as he reached into his vault. The first was the dark-green scroll.

Random Tier 0 Recipe [Uncommon]

Last time, he got his first recipe scroll through the floor rewards, and this time, he got one from a monster itself. Shouren wanted to open the scroll right then, but he held himself back. His grandma would want to see it as well.

Shouren turned his attention to the second item. The purple card.

Tier 0 - Lightning Arc [Epic]

Unleash continuous arcs of lightning, striking all enemies within a 5-meter radius.

Cost: 25 lumen every 5 seconds

Shouren balked at the lumen cost, but the spell itself was extraordinary. He would be like a miniature version of the lightning beast, hurling lightning all around him. The enormous lumen cost showed that only someone with at least an [Epic] class card could use it, even for a minute. The current Shouren wouldn’t even be able to use <Oblation Pact> on this card with his maximum lumen capacity of 20 units.

Shouren put both items back in his vault. He needed to make his choice and exit outside. The dungeon had already forcibly removed him from the floor and he didn’t want to linger until he was safe back in his home.

He finally glanced at the last option on the list. The only ever [Legendary] option he’d gotten.

“Why can’t you let me pick two of them?”

Shouren complained to the dungeon, but only loud silence answered him. The third option didn’t need any more details. The moment Shouren saw it, he knew he had to take it. A Tier 0 [Epic] card was incredible, but it paled in comparison to having an additional spell slot.

[Remaining time: 59… 58… 57…]

Out of nowhere, the dungeon started a countdown.

“Dungeon, did I kidnap your daughter or something?”

Shouren muttered under his breath as he scratched his cheek in confusion. It was the first time the dungeon implemented a countdown in the reward room.

“I already made my choice.”

Shouren shrugged his shoulders and tapped on the third option. He was afraid the dungeon would stop him from leaving if he delayed any further.

Shouren felt an invisible pressure press around his class card. Before he could check his status, the white room flashed, ejecting Shouren back to the outside world.

Chains, remember to behave in front of grandma, alright?

Shouren sent his thought out to the demonic chains. After much reluctance, chains agreed to return back into his chest. Although no one could see it, Shouren didn’t want to risk it by blatantly parading it out in the open. He didn’t know if higher tiered Cardists could see chains, and he didn’t want to find it out the hard way.

Shouren was looking forward to showing Rhea all his loot from the dungeon, and especially the recipe scroll and the extra spell slot.

[‘f=2fa;’\2]

The demonic chains shuffled inside Shouren with uncontainable excitement. It was going to meet the pie-maker!

Shouren stifled his laughter. He didn’t want the passerbys to think he was someone deranged. His house was at the end of the next street and he would reach his door soon.

After a few more minutes of the demonic chains bouncing with anticipation inside, Shouren finally arrived before the familiar shack. With a cheerful smile, he was about to yell out for his grandma when he abruptly felt chains rustle inside with a warning.

A feeling of dread shivered through his spine.

Something was wrong.

He could feel his Corrupted Insight warning him again. Chains threatened to come out while urging Shouren to escape. There was danger inside.

Grandma.

The wave of dread was rapidly replaced with a wrathful rage. His grandma was in danger.

Shouren slapped his chest, quelling the demonic chains. They won’t run. There was someone inside they had to protect at all costs. Shouren swarmed the chains with memories of Rhea, her taking care of him, her sacrifice so he could eat every day, her struggle to give him shelter, and her desperation to protect him when the entire world churned them away.

Chains stilled at the rush of memories surging into it from Shouren. It quieted down inside Shouren’s chest. The weight of those emotions overwhelmed it.

[g>r2/nd^a]

The demonic chains pulsed. It would protect friend’s family.

Shouren nodded with relief as he grabbed the broken door and opened it.

The room was drenched in darkness.

“You’re late, Thalin… or should I call you Shouren instead?”

A sweet voice laughed as Shouren stepped inside.

Shouren felt a wave of fury crash into his body, but he forcefully suppressed it. He needed answers for why this woman was here.

“Virelle.”

He seethed through his teeth.

“Why so angry, little friend? I only came to check up on you and see why you were late for our appointment.”

Virelle chuckled playfully, flashing a pleasant grin at Shouren.

“If you wanted to check up on me, then why is there a dagger to my grandma’s throat?”

Shouren bit his tongue, trying to calm the fear and rage clashing inside him. Rhea was bound with ropes, tied against a chair and a gag wrapped around her mouth. If not for the subtle rising and sinking movement of her frail chest, Shouren would have recklessly pounced at Virelle. His grandma was alive, but unconscious.

Shouren closed his eyes for a moment. He had to focus on getting him and Rhea out of this situation. He opened his hazel eyes and turned to the young nun.

“What do you want from me?”

By now, Shouren realized Virelle had approached him with an ulterior motive. But nothing added up. As a Tier 1, she could have easily killed him whenever she wanted. Why go through all these lengths to bring him into the dungeon or hold his grandma as hostage?

“I’ll forgive you for lying to my face about your name, kid. If you had just come to the dungeon like we agreed, then all this mess could have been avoided.”

Virelle traced the sharp dagger’s edge along Rhea’s neck. Shouren was close to losing it when he saw the blade around his grandma’s neck, but he needed to know why the nun was after him.

“Alright, playtime is over. I don’t actually want to kill your grandmother, Shouren. It’s just a job and I rather we just get it over with. All you need to do is take this Memory Shelf spell card and store a copy of your memories of the last two months inside it.”

Virelle took out an unassuming green card from her pouch and tossed it to Shouren.

Shouren caught it mid-air while keeping his hazel eyes locked onto Virelle. He would not let her out of his sight as long as she held that dagger to his grandma’s neck.

“That card doesn’t work without the target’s consent, so please go ahead and use it. After you’re done, I’ll wipe your and your lovely grandma’s memories of today and you both can live a happily ever after.”

Virelle leaned on the chair binding Rhea and gestured for Shouren to hurry.

“Why do you want some slum kid’s memories? You can see around you, right? I live in this rundown place, and you think I have something valuable with me?”

Shouren laughed mockingly, turning the green card over in his hand. Simultaneously, he sent a thought out to the demonic chains.

Chains, do you think you can corrupt a Tier 1’s abilities?

The demonic chains replied.

[a’d6_3’/dt]

Don’t know.

“Well, not like you’d remember this. Besides, a smart kid like you will not go through with it unless you know the reason, so here it is. The Sunspire guild is looking for a lost shard, kid. For some strange reason, the shard vanished when coming through the dungeon portal and the guild has been scrambling for clues of its whereabout ever since.”

Virelle calmly told Shouren, her hand never leaving from the unconscious Rhea.

“All of this for a shard!? And why was I the target? I’ve never encountered any members of the Sunspire guild.”

Shouren was utterly baffled at the situation. The crazy nun was threatening to kill him and his grandma for some shard? If not for the blade held against Rhea’s neck, Shouren would have thought he was hallucinating this day.

“You were just one of the tens of random tips the guild received. Also, it’s not some random shard, Shouren.”

Virelle shrugged nonchalantly before her eyes darkened towards the end of her sentence. She then held Shouren’s gaze.

“It’s a shard of one of the 10 Thronebound cards.”

Virelle’s words caused Shouren to freeze. No, it wasn’t him that froze. It was chains inside him.

The demonic chains was trembling uncontrollably.

Chains?

The demonic chains sent a few shaky thoughts.

It knew that word. Thronebound.

It was one of its names.

Shouren’s heart thumped against his chest. It finally dawned on him. The shard Virelle, and Sunspire was searching for, was chains all along.

Chains was actually a shard of a card.

One of the 10 Thronebound cards.

Shouren had never heard of that name until today, but his gut was telling him that he couldn’t let Virelle know about chains. At all costs.

“Now that you heard the reason, you better use the card, Shouren. Here’s a little motivation for you. Don’t worry, I’m a healer, so I’ll take care of it once you use the card.”

Seeing Shouren not moving, Virelle pressed the dagger harder into Rhea’s skin, drawing a thick line of blood. The old lady choked as blood seeped out from her artery.

All hell broke loose.

“CHAINS!”

Shouren roared and exploded towards Virelle. In his arms, the burning chains clawed towards the young nun. Virelle’s eyes flickered with horror. She could see the demonic chains. And before she could use her E ranked Agility to get away, the burning chains latched around her throat in a vise.

<Devourer’s Rite>: 39/100

<Devourer’s Rite>: 38/100

<Devourer’s Rite>: 37/100

Virelle screamed in fear as her class card refused to activate and all her system abilities glitched before her.

Shouren dashed at the bound Rhea and quickly activated the Link of Vitality [Uncommon] card. The green card eroded to dust as he sent his own health into his grandmother. Rhea still hadn’t woken up from her slumber, but the wound on her neck rapidly stitched tight.

<Devourer’s Rite>: 36/100

<Devourer’s Rite>: 35/100

Instead of consuming one class card per minute, chains was using up one class card every second.

<Devourer’s Rite>: 34/100

Seeing that his grandma’s breathing was finally steady, albeit weakly, Shouren picked up the fallen dagger from the floor and stood up.

He sauntered toward the whimpering Virelle on the floor.

<Devourer’s Rite>: 33/100

<Devourer’s Rite>: 32/100

He didn’t care about the loss of his class cards. Nothing mattered to him right now. Except one thing.

Virelle tried to kill his grandma.

<Devourer’s Rite>: 31/100

“Y-yo-u ha-av-e i-it!?”

Virelle stuttered in despair. Seeing the shadow of the burning chains, she already had an inkling of the grave error she made today. This whole time, the shard of the Thronebound card they were looking for was with a lowly slum kid.

A Cardsmith always has to be calm, potato… think before you move, and only move after you’ve thought everything.

[Synchronization: 78%]

A boiling rage crashed inside Shouren. His hazel eyes pierced into Virelle.

<Devourer’s Rite>: 30/100

<Devourer’s Rite>: 29/100

“You shouldn’t have hurt my grandma.”

Shouren bent down, bringing his bloodshot eyes to Virelle.

“She always told me to be calm. That Cardsmiths always had to be calm. I tried, Virelle… but I can’t. My grandma is too kind for this world. She thinks everyone should have a second chance.”

Shouren raised the dagger, the blade’s sheen reflecting in Virelle’s scared irises. A look of terror crept into her face as Shouren kept whispering, his voice barely audible in the dark room.

“I admire my grandma, and she’ll always be the better Cardsmith between us…”

[Synchronization: 79%]

“That’s a good thing. Because you see, Virelle. I’m not really a Cardsmith…”

Shouren muttered as he slid the dagger into Virelle’s throat. A shadow flickered across Shouren’s face as he buried the weapon to the hilt inside the woman’s flesh.

Virelle silently choked on her blood, life draining away as the light in her eyes gradually dimmed.

Shouren dropped the blood-stained dagger to the ground, as he slowly stood up with his back to the door.

“I’m a Corrupted Cardsmith.”

[Synchronization: 80%]

He stood still as a tide of notifications flashed around him.

[Reached minimum Class Card Synchronization threshold]

[Tier 1 Evolution Unlocked]

[Enter Chamber of Ascendance?]

[Yes/No]

EPILOGUE

In a dark mausoleum, three figures made their way along the dimly lit marble corridor. The sparsely spread fire torches flickered on the side, casting a crowd of shadows.

Two of the figures’ footsteps clicked against the floor, the metal echoes ricocheting within the resounding silence. The two golden-armored men walked quietly behind the man adorned in plan white robes.

The three men walked mutely until they finally stopped before a massive, bejeweled door. The man in white robes raised his hand, and the two golden-armored men stepped back, each moved to the opposing sides of the door, and then turned around with their backs to the wall.

The man in white robes pressed his palm on the large bejeweled door. A wave of multi-colored light glimmered over the surface of the door, and it gracefully swayed open. The man in white robes stepped inside the chamber, and the door close behind him, leaving the two armored men outside.

Darkness filled the chamber, but the man in white robes seemed to know where he was going.

“Your Excellency.”

The man in white robes knelt on the floor, his head firmly staring down.

Seconds dragged on, but the man remained still in position.

Right then, an orange-gold light flashed before him and a lean, wiry old man stepped out of the portal. Splotches of green ichor covered his frame, leaking the faint aroma of monster blood. Thick, densely corded muscles bulged out of his wiry frame as the old man’s upper body was bare, save for the dark-golden gauntlets on his fists.

The old man had a very average height, neither tall nor short. His bushy gray brows scowled in irritation as the wrinkles around his flat nose scrunched up in distaste. The old man tilted his head to the side and spat crudely on the marble floor. The green monster blood dripped onto the once-pristine marble floor.

“Did you recover it?”

The old man’s orange-gold irises glared down at the kneeling man in white robes. His long gray hair fluttered behind him. His chest glowed as burning golden quakes of energy exploded out, rattling the marble walls in the chamber.

“Not yet, Your E-Excellency.”

The man in white robes shivered as the overbearing lumen of the Archbishop smashed into him. He was only lucky that the Archbishop wasn’t trying to kill him. The might of a Tier 6 was not something a lowly bishop like him could contend against.

The two paladins outside closed their eyes in fear. This was the fourth time the Archbishop had ordered a report of the missing artifact, and the guild had no fresh leads.

Noticing the rage boiling around the Archbishop, the man in white robes stuttered quickly.

“Your Excellency, we did confirm that the two Starhaven hounds, Isola Brightvale and Thalin Noctis, returned to the 20th floor.”

The Archbishop paused. The golden lumen simmered down, receding into his chest. His orange-golden irises glowered as he let out a booming laugh.

“Is that supposed to be news?”

The Archbishop grabbed onto the man’s skull, his gauntlet savagely pressing down on the bone.

The man in white robes trembled, but didn’t try to break free. He tightly shut his eyes while beads of sweat pooled around his temples.

“Get lost, and don’t report to me unless you actually find the Thronebound shard’s whereabout.”

The Archbishop growled in frustration as he released his subordinate. The man in white robes nodded in relief as he got up and rushed to the door.

Once the man in white robes shut the bejeweled door behind him, only the Archbishop remained in the dark chamber.

“Starhaven most probably didn’t find it yet. If they did, that idiot space buffoon wouldn’t have stayed still. I still have time.”

The old man then walked over to the wall. His golden class card vibrated inside his chest, and suddenly, the marble on the wall shifted. Rows of tiles clacked against each other, revealing a small glass box floating in the cavity.

The Archbishop’s orange-golden irises glowed as he stared at the glass-encased box. Tendrils of hellish flames crashed against the glass exterior. Deep within the core of the flames, something pulsed like a living heartbeat.

It was a radiant black shard wrapped around enflamed demonic chains.

THE STORY WILL CONTINUE IN

Corrupted Cardsmith Book 2

Thank you for reading the Corrupted Cardsmith

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Also In Series

Corrupted Cardsmith Book 1

Corrupted Cardsmith Book 2

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AFTERWORD

Corrupted Cardsmith Book 2 is set to be released on 26th November 2025.

You can Pre-Order Book 2 by clicking the link below:

Corrupted Cardsmith Book 2

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