Daman
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[CC] Chapter 34
🕑 Added 2025-05-12 13:22:02 +0000 UTCScritch. Scratch.
Shouren woke up to rough grating noises bombarding his ears. When the boy 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 the younger boy 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 the boy about his circumstances or ask why he had never attended the school. The older teen could already make a vague guess after becoming familiar with the boy’s personality.
“What is this garbage handwriting?”
Shouren squinted his eyes, struggling to read what Rubin had etched into the ground. The older teen 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 the younger boy’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 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. The boy 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, the boy would have been zapped to death. Shouren wasn’t an idiot. Until he mustered a plan with a 90% success rate, he 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 the older teen.
“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 the older blonde teen.
“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. The boy didn’t care about sacrificing a card to use his ability.
His hazel eyes quivered with quiet fury.
Rubin was about to smack the boy but froze mid-way when he saw the tears pooling around the edges of the boy’s eyes. The older teen 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 childish face. He forgot the kid was barely 10-years old.
Shouren took in rapid gulps of air as he tried to calm his pounding heart. Rubin stood patiently waiting. After what seemed like hours, the boy 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 the boy’s 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 the boy 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 the boy’s hazel eyes. For an instant, Rubin thought he saw a flicker of fiendish crimson chains wrapped around the boy’s skinny body, but they quickly vanished when he blinked.
Blazing hells, 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 the boy, 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.
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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 <Corrupted>:
1 - Card Forge <Writ of the Forgotten>
2 - Sharding <Devourer’s Rite>
3 - Card Sacrifice <Oblation Pact>
Traits:
1 - Corrupted Cardsmith [Unique]
2 - Veinreader [Uncommon]
3 - Locked
Cardsmith Recipes:
Tier 0 - Spectral Threads [Common]
