Corrupted Cardsmith : A Deck Building LitRPG Adventure, page 23
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
1 - Card Forge
2 - Sharding
3 - Card Sacrifice
Traits:
1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]
2 - Veinreader [Uncommon]
3 - Locked
Cardsmith Recipes:
Tier 0 - Spectral Threads [Common]
