Jack of Diamonds

Climbing up the spiral staircase of our hotel, I pick up the window key in my pocket and slowly unlock the window as I thought about the little girl taking large steps for each stair step behind me.

Althea Garcia.

Her responses to my questions are always blunt, either nodding her head or answering it in a maximum of five words. She was completely emotionless during our entire conversation, except for when I asked about her family or when I speed up my pace, to which she starts tearing up, causing me to avoid the topic and slow down.

From her sandals of different designs, to the ends of her slightly burnt one-piece dress, I judged that she must have been in a hurry to escape something related to fire. And with the sandals not having any price tag, it means that the sandals are not new, meaning it happened in her house.

What was the cause then? A villain attack perhaps? Is she from some rich family? But her clothes are only so-so....

Meh, I'll leave it for Head Priest Juan to figure out later.

Stepping inside the room, I immediately feel the cold from the left-open air-conditioner, causing me to shiver from the chilling temperature.

*ACHOO!*

What the hell?! It's freezing in here! Who left the air-con on dammit!

Behind me, Althea was looking at my direction with her head slightly raised and her eyes a little narrowed. Her eyes seemed to be saying: 'You can't handle this much?'

damn rich kid...

Oops.

She's just a kid Zach, there's no need to get angry, calm yourself...

Calming myself down, I tell Althea to close the window as I pick up the air-con remote and press the off button.

Sitting on the bed and wrapping myself with the blanket, I take a look beside me and found Althea also gazing at me with her icy blue eyes.

"...."

After staring at each other for quite some time, I was just about to tell her to get off the bed but as I remember her circumstances, I decided to let her stay beside me just this once.

Wait, now that I think about it, didn't I technically kidnap her...? Won't Head Priest Juan get arrested for this?

Meh, I'll leave it to him.

Turning on the TV for Althea to watch and snuggling the blanket a little more, I check the new stuff that's been added to the system.

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[Card Master- Master of cards.]

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"...."

Let's ignore this for the time being...

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[Store(I)- Allows storing of items in blank cards. Size limit depends on level.]

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Size limit huh? Is that why I felt that the corpse card was somewhat... how should I describe it...

Full?

So for now, the limit of each blank card is 1 person huh? Gotta take note of that...

Now next on the list of I want to check is.... Oh right, this!

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[Quirk Card- Copies and stores a person's quirk upon skin contact.]

-Stored quirk can be bestowed.

-Bestowed quirk is not permanent. Duration depends on receiver's capabilities.

-One time use.

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Reading the description, I instantly got excited about the many possibilities that this card offers.

If I could copy AFO, what would happen? Can I transfer my OFA to many people then transfer it back to me, stacking up the power?!

As I think about the versatility of this card, I feel a tug on the blanket.

"Why do you look so excited watching bad guys?" Althea pointed to the television showing people with handcuffs getting shoved into police cars.

Looking at her curious face, I just sighed and patted her head.

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[//SHOP// (12000 coins)]

> CARD GACHA | !!!STANDARD DECK!!! | (next deck: 89:59:57) | (179:59:57)

> ITEMS (Locked)

>REFUND

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Hmm... Standard deck? So all those clubs and diamonds stuff? Never really played one before....

And a gacha? Ugh, I'm having a headache just from reading the word. All those money that I spent just to get a limited SSR...

I ignore the invitation to gacha hell and move on to the next thing in line, Refund.

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[REFUND- refund duplicate cards for three fourths of their value in coins.]

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Ah, yes of course, there had to be something like this.

'Hey system, what does the card gacha give me anyway?' I mentally ask the system.

[Please focus on the CARD GACHA function to find out its uses.]

Oh right, there's that.

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[CARD GACHA- Earn skills through cards. (Rank C and above)]

-Current Deck: Standard(D-S)-

\/ ROLL /\ {Guaranteed A-rank skill card on 10th spin!}

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Its just as I thought, albeit it seems that I can't view the roster.

After thinking of some questions, I ask the system.

So C-rank and above cards can grant me skills? What about D-rank and below then?

[Affirmative. D-rank and below skills are needed in order to unlock a deck's special skill that the user will get upon collecting all cards on said deck.]

Getting excited yet again, I ask the system.

'How much for each roll?'

[1000 coins.]

So cheap!

After contemplating on whether I should spend all of my coins or not, I mentally command the system to roll 10 times.

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|| CONGRATULATIONS!! you get: ||

-(D) Three of Hearts-

-(D) Seven of Hearts-

-(D) Four of Diamonds-

-(D) Nine of Diamonds-

--(C) Jack of Diamonds--

-(D) Nine of Clubs-

-(D) Eight of Spades-

-(D) Six of Clubs-

-(D) Nine of Spades-

----(A) King of Hearts----

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That's it? Aside from the guarantee, I only got one skill?

Well, nothing new I guess.

Sighing to myself, I check one of the D-rank cards to see its effects.

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[(D) Three of Hearts- The Lovers' Triangle]

HEARTS >> 3/13

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Checking the card that I retrieved from the CARD INVENTORY where the rest of the cards are, I notice that its design is not really that different, or should I say, that it is exactly the same as the original one.

Putting it back in the inventory, I check another one for its description.

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[(D) Nine of Diamonds- The Justice Clerk]

DIAMONDS >> 3/13

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And another one.

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[(D) Nine of Clubs- The Adventurer]

CLUBS >> 2/13

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'So each card has a different title, but what do they mean?' I asked, intrigued by them.

[The user will know in due time.]

'What do you mean?'

[The user's level is below the required qualifications of this information.]

I see, so its still too early huh.

Well, not like it matters for now anyways.

Nevermind that, next on the list is the C-rank card.

Curious about what skill I'm going to get, I commanded the system to make it appear.

In front of me, a card enveloped in a green light appeared before said light slowly dispersed and the card plopped down on the bed.

Picking up the card, I noticed that, same as the others, the design of the card is the same as the ones I knew from Earth.

A sad-looking man with chin length golden hair, its ends slightly rolled up. He was wearing a red renaissance hat with a golden leaf on its side. His aristocratic clothing of red with blue and unique rectangular scepter with a triangular top made him look like a noble from the medieval times.

In short, like I said, exactly the same as the ones on Earth.

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[(C) Jack of Diamonds- The Enterprising Trader]

-Views the memories of The Enterprising Trader.

-May learn the skill {(C) Appraise}.

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'Views the memories? So the skill's not something intuitive? And why 'may'? Is there a chance that I won't get the skill?'

From all the mangas that I've read and animes that I've watched, the skills that they have are either from years of practice or something that they suddenly find out, something intuitive.

Well, its not like I have read and watched a lot so I don't really know that much.

[Yes. The System will only provide what is needed. Learning a skill depends on the user's capabilities.]

So it's like that. Good thing I wished to be talented in this life then..

'So how do I activate this thing?'

[The user must hold the card and think 'absorb' with the intention to absorb the memories contained within.]

'Do I need to prepare some stuff?'

[The user will lose consciousness for a few minutes. The System suggests to lay down and relax.]

'I'll lose consciousness? is that safe?'

Though I have read that losing consciousness happens at some point in someone's life, it has never happened to me before.

[The user may experience a slight headache after regaining consciousness due to absorbing memories, however it will be gone after a few minutes.]

So its safe. But before that, I check out what the A-rank skill is all about first.

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[(A) King of Hearts- King Charles, The Suicide King]

-Live as King Charles for a year.

-May learn the skill {(A) Sacrifice}.

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Oi oi wait a minute here.

'So you're telling me that I will possess someone for a year?'

[Affirmative.]

Guess I'm not learning an A-rank skill anytime soon then.

I'm not even sure on how to 'live my life to the fullest' yet and I have to possess someone else? And a king at that? Someone who's responsible for hundreds of thousands of people?

Not ready for that yet, no thanks.

Plus the words 'suicide' and 'sacrifice' don't really sit well with me.

Moving on, I pat the confused Althea on the head one more time and said,

"I'm going to sleep for a minute, wake me up when someone comes okay?"

Though it seemed like she wanted to ask something, I just ignored her response, laid down on my back, and closed my eyes.

Cards appearing and disappearing so suddenly must have been somewhat shocking for a 4-year old, so I can understand why she would be curious.

Doing nothing for the past 4 years must have really taken a toll on me, becoming so excited that I forgot to check my surroundings first.

Anyways, closing my eyes, I begin to wonder on what would I see in The Enterprising Trader's memories.

'Absorb!'

***

Opening my eyes, I find myself blinded by light.

In front of me is a flat-screen television, showing nothing but a bright light that illuminates the surrounding area of darkness.

Looking around, I also see a bean bag chair and an assortment of foods and drinks on a table.

"What is this?"

[This place is the inside of the user's soul.]

"My soul? Then why is it empty?"

[The inside of a person's soul represent their creed, desires, ambitions, fears, and what they are as a person.]

Hearing that, I became enraged.

"Are you telling me that I'm empty inside?! I'm not some emo 14-year old kid you know?! I have some desires and ambitions as well!" I said, insulted by the system's words.

[Please elaborate further.]

The system dryly said.

"Why do you think I wished to be handsome, to be talented?! It's because... It's because of...… huh...?"

Why did I want to be handsome and talented again?

[It's because it was what others would do if they were in your place.] The system said in a sudden change of tone.

[Don't get me mistaken, its not that you don't have desires or ambitions. Your desires just come from your mind, not from your heart.]

[Desires and ambitions from the mind alone are not genuine, they are expectations.]

[Your fear of not getting left behind, of being alone made you subconsciously like what others deem as ideal. You let society place its expectations on you. It's expectations of you to be average.]

[As a result, being average has become the desire of your mind. If its something everyone else likes, you like it as well. If that something becomes hated, you will hate it as well.]

[Desires and ambitions from the mind alone are temporary. Only if you add your heart to it will it become eternal.]

Right as the system said that, it became silent again as only the sound of television can be heard.

'Desires and ambitions from the mind alone are temporary. Only if you add your heart to it will it become eternal.'

I thought about what the system, if it can still be called like that, said and fell into a deep contemplation.

The sound from the television faded away as I ponder.