Shouren’s brain rattled at the vibrations rocking on the ground. The lightning beast honed its gaze at the human boy 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?
The boy 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
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. The young boy gritted his teeth 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.
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[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.]
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“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?”
The young boy 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. The boy 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 attribute 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.]
“Sweet tamarind, 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.
The young boy 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.”
The young boy 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?”
The boy frowned. Any [Rare] Lumen Weapon would be a trump piece 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.
The young boy 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 10-year-old boy 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 the boy’s heart was conflicted.
I want to give it to grandma…
The young boy 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.
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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
1 - Card Forge
2 - Sharding
3 - Card Sacrifice
Traits:
1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]
2 - Locked
3 - Locked
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