[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. The boy 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, the boy 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 the dark-haired boy’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 gave Shouren a serious look, waiting until the younger boy acknowledged with a nod, which elicited a wink from the blonde teen.
“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
1 - Card Forge
2 - Sharding
3 - Card Sacrifice
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
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.
The boy 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.”
The boy 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. Donkey’s balls, I 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 the older teen.
“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. The boy 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. The boy wanted to cry on the inside. He 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 boy.
“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 the boy 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 boy 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.
Seeing that the boy 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
1 - Card Forge
2 - Sharding
3 - Card Sacrifice
Traits:
1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]
2 - Locked
3 - Locked
Cardsmith Recipes:
Tier 0 - Spectral Threads [Common]
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