Chapter 18
Rhea sighed and continued.
“One of the greatest mysterious 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. For most people, they can only enter the Chamber after they reach 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?
The young boy hesitated. If his conjecture turned out to be untrue, then he’d have given his grandmother false hope. Would the elderly lady 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 the boy 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?
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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 loathed 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.
Donkey’s balls, she called me by my name. Grandma is sure about this.
Shouren groaned inwardly. Rhea was serious about this.
“I… understand, grandma.”
The young boy relented, eliciting a radiant smile from the elderly lady.
“There’s my cute and obedient potato!”
Rhea rubbed her cheeks happily against the obviously disgruntled boy.
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.
The boy 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?”
The boy 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. The elderly lady 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 the 10-year-old boy 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 over beside the elderly lady.
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 the young boy.
“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.
The young boy 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 the young boy’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.
The boy stood up with a long stretch, glancing at the outside world through the bright glass.
“It’s time to go to the market today.”
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