Chapter 44

  After Shouren mentally tapped on the exit option, he was once again back in the familiar white room. Another notification flashed in his vision.

  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.

  These were all 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.

  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.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  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.

  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. Tier 0 monsters were unevolved and couldn’t infuse lumen into their attacks.

  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, boy? 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 boy’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 boy’s confusion. She then put her palms together and pleaded with Shouren.

  “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 had 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 the boy.

  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.”

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