Chapter 31: Cards and Cards

[S-Rank Destiny, ‘Genius Actor’ has been selected.]

[Are you sure?]

Are you sure?

Yeah, I was absolutely sure.

……Damn it.

[S-Rank Destiny, ‘Genius Actor’ will be granted to ‘Gilloshian Elodie Vald’!]

[Due to insufficient slots, it will be given in card form.]

[May fortune be with you.]

To be honest, this time, my luck was annoyingly ambiguous.

If I tried to put a positive spin on it—

‘Well, at least it’s S-Rank, right?’

At the very least, it was much better luck than when I got the Slave Gladiator last time.

Based on the odds for Card Draw, S-Rank only pops up at a 5% chance.

Still, I couldn’t help but feel deflated.

‘Genius Actor.’

It was a non-combat card that couldn’t be used as immediate fighting power.

Of course, one of the Skills that unlocks later was pretty useful.

‘But not right now.’

The City Guard was still out searching for us.

There was an insanely dangerous major quest looming right in front of me.

‘Am I really going to equip this card just to try out some Method Acting Skill?’

Sure, if I really tried, maybe I could find a use for that Skill somewhere, but for now, survival came first.

When I unlocked one more Card Slot—

Only then would I be able to put this card to good use.

So even though I’d gotten an S-Rank Destiny Card, I didn’t feel reassured at all.

“……Can’t even dismantle it.”

Someone unfamiliar with this game might think this:

‘If it’s useless right now, why not just dismantle it and use it as promotion material?’

That would be completely ignoring the efficiency of promotion work.

D-Rank, Beginner Spirit Sorcerer.

D-Rank, Dog Trainer.

F-Rank, Slave Gladiator.

With this lineup of utterly trash cards, there wasn’t a single one I could use as my main.

So dismantling ‘Genius Actor’ would be a classic case of the cure being worse than the disease.

How did things end up like this?

‘It’s like someone’s playing a prank on me.’

The cards I’d been given seemed to be mocking me, each one the epitome of mediocrity.

But I couldn’t let my own choices be mediocre too.

Without hesitation, I picked out the Actor card.

‘Fine, this is an investment for the future.’

If I get an A-Rank card later, I can use this as material right away.

And if I manage to unlock another Card Slot before that, I could equip and use it myself.

There was one Stat in Gilloshian’s status that was well above average.

‘Charm Stat.’

Genius Actor was a card that drew heavily from this Stat, so it could really shine.

I can’t say for sure when that time will come, though…….

‘Maybe around level 30?’

The system started moving again.

[Play will begin in 5 seconds.]

Shuuuuuuuu!

The deconstructed background began to reassemble.

The ceiling, which had split apart to reveal the sky, restored itself, and the Bar’s floorboards came back together.

And I fell deep into thought.

Now, leaving aside ‘Genius Actor’, I needed to figure out how to make the most of the remaining cards.

‘How do I grind up these damn cards that are toying with me, and make them truly mine?’

That was what I had to figure out.

My conclusion……..

[3.]

[2.]

[1.]

“……Ha, crap. This is ridiculous.”

I let out a heavy sigh.

This isn’t even funny—how did it come to this?

The conclusion I’d come to in my head felt like a joke.

But it was the most certain way, and ironically, there was no better alternative.

I bit my lip quietly.

“Fine, let’s give it a shot.”

[0.]

[Play has resumed.]

Time returned to its normal flow.

Everything that had been disassembled snapped back into place.

As I rose from my seat, I stretched out my hand and said,

“Unequip current card.”

The system message asked me again.

[Are you sure?]

[Unequipped cards cannot be equipped again for 24 hours.]

I nodded lightly.

Slick.

The F-Rank Destiny Card ‘Slave Gladiator’ appeared on my palm.

The card, which had absorbed all my accumulated merit points, glimmered faintly.

Just like ten days ago, it was still a bottom-tier trash card.

But—

“1

Yeah, at this point, raising this card is the best option.”

I’d throw all my other cards into this trash card and raise it up.

That was the best plan.

This was the conclusion I’d reached.

The next day, it was already midday, with the sun high in the sky, when I finally called for Karls.

He tilted his head, seeing me covered head to toe in dirt.

“You said you were going out since morning. Did you play in the dirt or something?”

“Something like that. I had a reason.”

“……Playing in the dirt?”

“Enough about that, I have an important favor to ask.”

“Give your order, Sir.”

“This time, we need to buy weapons.”

I listed everything I needed, and Karls nodded.

“Daggers, arrows……. Hmm, got it. But for the longsword, do you just want the sturdiest one possible?”

“Yeah, that’s most important. Check it thoroughly, in the name of a 6-Star Knight. Don’t get ripped off.”

“I learned not to get ripped off at the Order of Knights, so don’t worry, Sir.”

“You’d better not get ripped off.”

“But why are you buying three swords? You’re still carrying my sword, aren’t you?”

“Ah, I’ll give it back now.”

I unfastened the ‘Ordinary Knight’s Sword’ from my waist and handed it to him, and Karls looked puzzled.

“…Why are you making me nervous, Your Highness?”

I flashed him a grin.

“It’s a good enough sword to face Marquis Reith with, but it’d be a waste if I broke it while training, right?”

“Pardon? Are you saying—?”

“I’m going to use a real sword now.”

“……!”

“I don’t want to wreck your sword just because I’m training, you know?”

From now on, I was determined to set Gilloshian’s path for good.

‘Since it’s come to this, I’ll raise him properly and intensely.’

Strong and tenacious enough to survive in any field at this stage!

I planned to raise Gilloshian into a powerful and persistent gladiator.

‘And I’ve just acquired Haewoo Swordsmanship, too.’

As with most Eastern skills introduced into a Western world, Haewoo Swordsmanship was one of the most powerful sword arts among S-Ranks.

But isn’t it too inefficient to raise an F-Rank?

Any player who’d mastered would know: by the time you get to the Second Card Draw, you have to make some decisions.

‘Will I abandon this character, or keep raising it?’

If I’m going to keep raising it, which path should I take…

It was time to choose my path for sure.

Couldn’t I just aim for a third Shuffle?

‘…That requires reaching level 20, but it’d be too late to decide my path by then.’

Especially with the crazy meta where I was rampaging through enemy lines, waiting any longer would be fatal.

So, whether it turned out well or not, my conclusion was to push forward with Slave Gladiator for now.

Some people might not understand this choice.

I’d just discarded the D-Rank ‘Apprentice Mage’ at the last Shuffle.

And I still had another D-Rank ‘Beginner Spirit Sorcerer’ in my inventory.

Yet I was determined to raise an F-Rank? Why?

The reason was simple.

‘Honestly, D-Rank and F-Rank are six of one, half a dozen of the other.’

In other words, it’s like comparing acorns.

So, I figured Slave Gladiator was actually the more efficient option.

I’d already accumulated merit points, and I had a decent sword technique for a gladiator.

‘……The real problem is me.’

Yeah, as always, I was the problem.

To be honest, I’d never liked fighting on the front lines.

‘Wasn’t I always a ranged DPS main?’

The character I’d been raising right before falling into this world, ‘Jjamppong-flavored Mandarin.’

That character was also a ranged mage specialized in damage dealing and healing.

So I’d been hoping for a chance to switch to a mage class…

‘But that’s out the window now.’

Well, it can’t be helped.

I sorted out my feelings quickly.

This damned Card Draw was, quite literally, just a Card Draw.

If everything always went my way, wouldn’t that be nice?

But that’s not how Card Draws—or Shuffles—work.

You have to be humble in the face of what you can’t change.

‘Accept the fate you’re given, and do what you can now.’

I nodded at Karls.

“Take Thomson with you. If Master insists on coming along, talk him out of it.”

“How should I do that?”

“Just tell him it’s dangerous outside the blanket. He’ll probably blush and say ‘alright’.”

“Oh, yes, understood.”

It bothered me that City Guard patrols were getting stricter, but with forged IDs, it shouldn’t be a problem.

I’d been out and about just fine yesterday, hadn’t I?

Once I saw Karls and Thomson leave, I took a seat in a corner of the dining hall.

“All right, let’s do this.”

For some reason, I felt nervous.

I took a sip of water from the glass on the table, then laid out my cards.

F-Rank Slave Gladiator.

D-Rank Beginner Spirit Sorcerer.

D-Rank Dog Trainer.

I spread them out in order and recalled what Chero had told me.

‘Promotion always uses the card on the left as the base! Got it?’

The whiskey-soaked old man had hammered that in several times.

Of course, I already knew that well.

‘Card in the left hand is the target for promotion, card in the right hand is the material.’

My goal now was to raise the F-Rank two steps up, to C-Rank.

Then the ‘Slave Gladiator’ would become a ‘Prisoner Gladiator’, and then a ‘Mercenary Gladiator.’

A Destiny Card that passes through lower ranks inherits its Skills and merit points, so its performance improves drastically.

.Will I actually pull it off?

‘Who knows.’

Card promotion is entirely based on probability.

No matter how much I know about this world, I can’t control scratch-off tickets.

‘All I can do is recognize which lottery has the best odds and pick that one.’

That’s the best I can do.

Without delay, I got to work.

It felt awkward doing this by hand instead of with a mouse, but the steps were simple.

First, I tore a D-Rank card in two.

Specifically, the ‘Beginner Spirit Sorcerer.’

There was a reason I started with this instead of the ‘Dog Trainer.’

Anyway, I grabbed the torn pieces in my right hand, and pressed them to the Slave Gladiator in my left hand……

[F-Rank Destiny, ‘Slave Gladiator’ is attempting promotion!]

[Success rate: ‘Quite High’!]

Promotion had begun.

With a pounding heart, I watched as the colors of the cards swirled together.

That ‘Quite High’ success rate meant about 70%.

‘In other words, the odds are in my favor!’

So, shouldn’t it succeed?

Wouldn’t that mean it would jump straight to D-Rank ‘Prisoner Gladiator’?

But of course, my wishful thinking didn’t come true so easily.

[F-Rank Destiny, ‘Slave Gladiator’ promotion failed!]

..Of course.

I’ve never seen it work on the first try, honestly.

Grinding my teeth, I grabbed another piece of material.

And in the next moment—

[F-Rank Destiny, ‘Slave Gladiator’ promotion succeeded, becoming D-Rank Destiny, ‘Prisoner Gladiator’!]

Success, at last!

“Kkiiyaaachaa!”

I let out a weird cheer, and over at another table, Lucard looked up from wiping down the surface.

“Huh? Something happen?”

“Ah, n-no. Just coming down with a bit of a cold, that’s all.”

I coughed and waved my hand dismissively.

Why was I sweating bullets over something like this…….

Still, the fact that I’d finally escaped the trash tier, embarrassing as it was, made me genuinely emotional.

‘Seriously, I’m finally D-Rank now?’

After a brief moment of elation, I immediately picked up the ‘Dog Trainer.’

Now it was time to feed a D-Rank to a D-Rank.

‘So this time, the success rate should drop to about 50%.’

[D-Rank Destiny, ‘Prisoner Gladiator’ is attempting promotion!]

[Success rate: ‘Extremely High’!]

But the odds were reversed: ‘Extremely High.’

That meant over 85%.

Even higher than when I used material on the F-Rank.

‘Of course! I deserved some reward for all the hard work I put in this morning!’

Right up until I sent Karls on his errand, I’d been running around the area, quite literally ‘dogging’ it.

I’d equipped the ‘Dog Trainer’ card and played enthusiastically with all the stray puppies in the city.

They all loved the ‘Belly Rub’ Skill so much…….

‘Anyway, doing that let the Destiny Card accumulate more merit points.’

If I unequip the card in that state, the merit points get factored into the promotion, boosting the success rate.

In other words, it becomes much better material.

That’s why I spent the morning rolling around with every dog in town.

‘And I even chugged mana potions like crazy.’

And the result—

[D-Rank Destiny, ‘Prisoner Gladiator’ promotion succeeded, becoming C-Rank Destiny, ‘Mercenary Gladiator’!]

Done.

I finally succeeded in reaching C-Rank, even if it’s nothing special!

Wahahahaha!

Why am I so happy that my eyes are sweating?