NOVEL NEXT 6: Deck Card
Tom cautiously walked towards the [Ankra Beast’s] carcass, one hand resting upon the bark of the tree, ready to yank himself back if the [Divine System] had lied and the beast was still alive.
So far, the [Divine System] hadn’t given him much of a reason to trust it.
The hilt of his bloodied rapier was the first thing that entered his line of sight and Tom instinctively found himself tracing his gaze down its length.
The [Ankra Beast] lay still on the grassy floor, the tall grass drenched with its foul-smelling yellow blood. A wave of nausea threatened to overwhelm Tom, but he grit his teeth and forced himself forward.
The hard part was done, and what came next might improve his odds of survival.
He couldn’t chicken out now.
Tom gingerly stepped forward, one foot after the next, slowly approaching the beast’s unmoving carcass.
[You have successfully slayed a Level 1 Ankara Beast. Its Soul has separated from its Soul Card. Would you like to absorb its Soul Experience?]
‘Soul Experience? Absorb?’ Tom weighed the words in his mind, an uncomfortable uncertainty washing over him. Though he didn’t know the specifics, part of it seemed obvious enough— if he said yes, he would absorb a portion of the [Ankra Beast’s] soul.
The beast had tried to kill him, yes, but something about the whole idea made him feel sick. It felt… morally wrong. But… could the soul survive without the body in the first place?
Tom didn’t know.
But did he really have a choice? He was in an unfamiliar land full of monsters he had never seen before and the only weapon he had was a regular old sword and a magic card that wasn’t capable of anything except fucking him over.
Could he afford to take the moral highground?
This reward might make the difference between life and death.
“Yes,” Tom finally replied, averting his gaze elsewhere. A white, misty aura flowed from the beast’s carcass to his own body, enveloping him in a sensation that felt enriching, nourishing and rejuvenating all that the same time.
[Your Soul Card has received 150 experience. Experience required till next level: 4850.]
[The Divine System will automatically absorb Soul Experience upon each kill from now on.]
[Would you like to Loot the carcass?]
“Yes,” Tom replied again, this time as a thought instead of speaking it aloud.
[You have received a Level 1 [The Flame] card. Would you like to [Feed] this [Common] ranked card to your Soul Card?]
“What? Fuck no!” Tom whispered with excitement as his grubby hands reached out for red card that floated above the beast’s carcass, gently cupping it with both his hands.
The card was a simple one, with orange embossing, a red background and the symbol of a small fire painted in the center with a vivid orange.
[Would you like to add [The Flame] to your Deck Cards? Doing so will deduct temporarily 1 Soul Power for the duration you have it added to your deck.]
Tom glanced at his own [Soul Power] stat, noting that he had 35/35 available. Losing one couldn’t do him much harm, not that he knew what it did in the first place.
“Add it,” Tom commanded.
[Name: Thomas Lowe.
Age: 18
Soul Card: The Fool [Level 1].
Statistics:
Physical: 6
Mental: 9
Proprioception: 5
Soul Power: 34/34
Deck Cards:
1. The Flame [Common]: Level 1.
Cost: 1 SP
Ability:
Ember Level 1: Release a small, concentrated burst of hot flames that drain 1 SP for every thirty seconds of continuous use. ]
[Congratulations! You have equipped your first Deck Card.]
[You may now divide Soul Experience between your Soul Card and your Deck Cards. Please note that you do not get additional stat rewards for levelling up your Deck Card.]
A flurry of thoughts ran through Tom’s mind, something about the whole thing seeming a little off to him.
He had killed a Level 1 monster and his [Soul Card: The Fool] had also been Level 1. Why then did it only amount to 1/50th of the experience needed to reach Level 2? If he had interpreted correctly, he would get to add more Physical, Mental and Proprioception points if he got to the next level.
An ominous thought came to his mind, and out of desperation Tom just decided to ask the Divine System itself, “How much soul experience do I need to get The Flame card to the next level?”
Another blue screen metamorphosed in front of him.
[Experience required till next level: 100.]
‘Fuck,” Tom winced, falling into thought while maintaining a tab on his surroundings. He had to choose fast.
“Put it all in my [Deck Card: The Flame] for now,” he ultimately chose to ignore [The Fool] card for now. The extra stats would be nice, sure, but that wouldn’t matter if he died before reaching that point.
[Preference acknowledged.]
[A Common Ankra Bone Dagger has been deposited in your inventory.]
[Ankra Beast Meat x2 has been deposited in your inventory].
Tom watched as the [Ankra Beast’s] carcass began to deflate before gently being enveloped by the soft earth beneath it. It’s soul, it’s bones even its meat… Tom had taken it all. A wave of guilt washed over him anew, the bile in his stomach rising.
The next moment, Tom began to heave over his lunch all over the grass.
“Fu…ck…,” Tom thought, getting a glimpse before the deflated carcass was enveloped entirely by the Earth beneath it.
His thoughts meandered, going in directions he didn’t want them to.
Would his remains too suffer the same grisly end if he lost a battle and consequently, his life? What if another [Player] killed him instead of a monster? Would they absorb his soul, add its strength to their own?
The idea alone was enough to make even the bravest of men shudder a little in horror. Death was terrifying, but atleast it brought oblivion. What of one’s soul been stolen though?
Tom hurriedly shook his head.
He needed to get the fuck out of here.
The [Ankra Beast]’s carcass was gone, but his rapier still lay there, having sunk a little deeper into the ground, it’s length beginning to warp a little, but it was still functional.
He grabbed it and began to sprint away, hoping that he would be able to escape the consequences of the commotion he’d caused.
Soon, Tom's distant silhoutte vanished amongst the forest's intimidatingly tall trees.