Novel 1-The potential of Basic Enhancement
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/Later…/
Several hours later, Rulio and Dav returned to the Manor.
Immediately as soon as he arrived, Rulio secluded himself inside his secret room, smiling from ear to ear.
At the same time, he warned Dav:
"Dav, I've made a few purchases online, they should arrive soon. Make sure to send everything to my training room."
"Understood Young Master, if you need me for anything, call me."
"Yeah bye!"
/CLACK!/
"..."
'I've never seen the young master so excited… Could the Talent he acquired truly be…'
'No, it doesn't matter, he'll succeed regardless.'
Dav had a lot of respect for Rulio despite their diverging ages.
Rulio was different from others his age. He was very respectful, bright, and kind. For that alone, he was willing to follow and trust him.
He had been with him for his entire life, after all.
…
"IT'S TIME!" Rulio exclaimed as he turned on the lights to his private training room
Much of the space underneath the Manor had been dug out.
There was a large lab his mother used for her experiments and a training room for his father to train peacefully.
Finally, there was also a training room for Rulio. It was strong enough to resist and deal with an Expert Grade Card User.
Other things were built under the Manor, such as a bunker in case they were attacked, but they have yet to use it, nor does he hope to use it.
He turned it into his secret base long ago to play with Lin and some other friends, but now, it remains primarily deserted, maintained by the Maids and Butlers.
"Phew… Deep breaths…"
'What Card should I enhance first?'
Rulio's underground training area was divided into several sections.
The first section was the entrance, where a 'locker room' was located. It was a room full of equipment and special suits for him to wear depending on what he wished to train.
Then there was the training room itself, a large square room twenty meters long and wide.
Turning to the right after entering the training room was the Virtual training room where he could train inside virtual reality. And turning to the left was the Simulation room that allowed him to simulate lifelike enemies with the power of technology.
But he cared little for either today.
He ran to the very center of his training room where a few tables had been set.
Next to them, dozens of boxes were pilled up, spreading throughout the entire room.
Each of those boxes hauled a dozen Ether containers, and a large box with thousands of white Cards remained above the table. Waiting to be opened.
His collection of Cards he'd been training and building a connection and familiarity for the last few years with, it was finally their turn to shine.
Rulio had been preparing for today for quite some time…
"Okay… I have a few thousand Cards… But I can't use them all…"
'I collected most of these for the sake of it, I should focus on the more practical ones and rarer ones.'
'Even amidst Common and Basic Cards there was the concept of Rarity existed.'
'Rare Cards that seldom appeared, Unique versions of which few existed in the entire world… And even other more ludicrous Cards.'
'Mutated Cards, Defective Cards, Variant Cards and more.'
'Of course, the value of such Cards was… Nothing aside from what a collector determined, they were useless as they often lost in practicality and value even to most Intermediate Cards. So, they had little value in being enhanced and used in battle, they were best studied and used to decorate a collection.'
'But I've been acquiring them, one by one over the years as I believe those Cards, when enhanced with my Talent will truly shine beyond all others.'
'A good example are these…'
{Rain Water /Basic/
Type: Invocation/Ritual
Activation Cost: 1 per square meter
Effect: Conjure a small rain cloud over a small area. It won't move from its designated location.
Duration: 1 minute
Augmentation: N/A
}
'This is a basic Rain Water Card, so how about this one? It's a Mutant Version of the Card:'
{Rain Blood /Basic/
Type: Invocation/Ritual
Activation Cost: 3 per square meter
Effect: Conjure a small blood cloud over a small area. It won't move from its designated location.
The blood type is equal to that of the Card User's.
Duration: 1 minute
Augmentation: N/A
}
'A little grotesque, but it has its purpose. It's a little more expensive than water but its cost is still negligible.'
'How about this one? It's a Unique form of this Card, I found it by chance being sold at a bazaar several years ago:'
{Rain Gold /Basic/
Type: Invocation/Ritual
Activation Cost: 100 per square meter
Effect: Conjure a small golden cloud over a small area. It won't move from its designated location.
Duration: 1 second
Augmentation: N/A
}
'For a single second, the cloud will conjure about… 1 gram of gold.'
'Not helpful given its Ether Cost, it would be better just to sell it instead, especially since it has a ludicrous cost only a verified Card User would be able to conjure.'
'There are versions of this Card of higher Grades, and those Cards are extremely valuable, this one, however, is useless for the most part.'
'But what if I enhanced it?... Well, I have no intention of doing so anyhow.'
'There are better Cards to enhance… And I'll start… With this one!!'
/CRACK!/
Rulio broke a Card, manifesting it in the real world:
/Poof…/
"Meow…"
"Hello there, cutie." He said with a smile as he crouched on the ground
A very, very round Cat manifested on the ground.
{Bubble Cat /Basic/
Type: Minion
Activation Cost: 5
Effect: Conjures a small bubble cat to 'fight' for the user.
Duration: Until HP runs out
Augmentation: N/A
}
'Bubble Cat, it's a rather famous Pet among rich women. It's a "Unique" Card given that it is infrequent to appear within certain fragmented and broken realms.'
'Aside from being very cute… It's mostly useless… BUT!!'
"Bubble Cat has a 100% total Stat increase every ten enhancement Levels…"
"So enhancing it from its current state to +100 would enhance its base Stats by 1000%. And that's just its base Stats."
"As the Card itself is enhanced, the creature itself is strengthened, and the value of each Stat increases even further."
'I don't really care much about a Card's Stats since there is simply too much information to track. The Card Rule is extremely versatile, but I don't have the time to make calculations for everything I get my hands on.'
'So… It's time to enhance it.'
"There are also other aspects I'm not considering here…"
"I've spent many years with bubble cat by my side to build a strong bond with it, and I've also had it train by running on treadmills, hunting small prey, and watching documentaries of cats hunting."
"It's a little stupid, but once a Card is Enhanced considerably, it'll evolve into a new form… This isn't well known, given that most can only enhance their cards a few times, but those at the top know the truth about high levels of card enhancements."
'There is a conspiracy where those at the top want people to struggle to raise their Grades rather than spend their time enhancing their base Cards, to the point the Card Rule has been tampered with to reduce the possibility of high enhancement Levels being achieved.'
'Of course, none of that matters to me.'
"It's time Bubble Cat, are you ready?"
"Meow…" It replied cutely as it spun around his legs
"Then get back to your Card form; it's time for some enhancement."
/LIGHT!/
A Card manifested in the air, it had the image of a fluffy cat, how cute.
"Then… Time to enhance."
There are many ways to enhance Cards, but Rulio opted for the simplest.
/Touch… Transfer!/
He held the card and began transferring energy to it in droves.
/Shine!/
{Bubble Cat +1 /Basic/
…
}
/Shine!/
{Bubble Cat +2 /Basic/
…
}
/Shine!/
{Bubble Cat +3 /Basic/
…
}
…
/SHINE!/
{Bubble Cat +20 /Basic/
…
}
[Option Unlocked]
"Not yet… I've barely even spent my own energy reserves!"
But it was clear that the consumption was increasing considerably…
…
/SHINE!/
{Bubble Cat +27 /Basic/
…
}
"Huff… That's all I can do by myself… Then…"
He moved to the side, opening one of the boxes carefully.
As soon as he saw one of the containers, he took out a small remote atop the table and pointed it at the container.
/Float!/
It began to float, being controlled by the remote.
/CLANG!/
He gently lowered it before the table before sitting next to it.
'Then… It's time now.'
/Turn…/
He turned a valve and Ether began to spread around quickly!
Ether was a white mist not visible to the naked eye, but when in great concentrations, it became something like a flowing cloud.
"Huff… This isn't so easy. But not too bad."
With one arm he drained the Ether from the container directly, and with the other, he poured it inside the Card.
He needed to be used as a medium so his Talent could take effect.
/SHINE!/
{Bubble Cat +28 /Basic/
…
}
It was working as the speed had considerably increased.
The rate of Enhancement was only limited by his own ability, nothing else.
"Huff.. Come on!"
…
/Around an hour later…/
/SHINE!/
{Bubble Cat +100 /Basic/
…
}
"F-Finally…"
/Ploft…/
Without a single shred of energy, Rulio fell to the ground, where he began to breathe rapidly, his entire self drained of every drop.
'Arg… This method sure is hard… No wonder the Mc chose to go with using expensive resources instead… It's much simpler to shove something prepackaged onto the Card then to guide raw Ether instead.'
'But the result…'
/CRACK!/
/SUMMON!/
"... ROAAARRR!"
/SHAKE!/
A creature manifested from the Ether, its roar shaking the entire training room.
/Step…/
/Growl…/
Crimson eyes with vertical slits popped from the mist like red lights in the night, staring down at him silently.
"Huff… Bubble Cat?"
/JUMP!/
"?!"
In the blink of an eye, the eyes vanished, and in the next, something fluffy was covering him, something massive…
"B-u.. pftt…Ca…t…"
"Meow…"
A massive Cat jumped onto Rulio.
Over four meters tall and Sevenish in length, a massive yellow cat with long fluffy fur nested above him.
His fur was round like the sun, and when excited, it spread all around, turning the cat like a miniature version of the sun.
"C-Cough… I can't…"
'Bubble cat! Get off me!' Rulio ordered inside his mind.
"Meow…"
/Move…/
Bubble cat moved to the side without a complaint, sitting on the ground nearby where it began to groom itself.
"Cough cough… Yellow fur… Yellow?"
'Bubble cat is usually white in color? This fur is almost golden… It's pretty.'
/Stare…/
"Woah… You've gotten so big…"
"Meow!"
The massive golden cat sat before him, it was so tall its fur bent in the ceiling, covering the lights and casting a giant shadow all around.
Looking at this majestic Cat, Rulio was quick to move on to what mattered, the Card.
"Excuse me Bubbles, I'll call you back soon."
"Meow…"
/Shine!/
With the Card in hand, he began checking its details:
{Bubble Cat +100 /Basic/
Type: Minion
Activation Cost: 10
Effect: Conjures a small bubble cat to 'fight' for the user.
Duration: Until HP runs out
Augmentation 1 -> All Attacks and Skills inflicted by Bubble Cat create stacks of Solar Corrosion, reducing the target's natural defenses, enhancing their vulnerabilities, and reducing all sources of regeneration.
While under direct Sunlight, this effect is doubled, while under direct moonlight, this effect is enhanced.
Augmentation 2 -> Bubble Cat naturally blinds all foes with its natural light, blinding them, and is by consequence resistant to all forms of inhibition and immune to blinding.
Each second while blinded functions as a Stack of Solar Corrosion.
While under direct Sunlight, this effect is doubled, while under direct moonlight, this effect is enhanced.
Augmentation 3 -> Bubble Cat's base Stats are increased by 2x under any light source, 5x under direct moonlight, and 10x under direct sunlight.
Augmentation 4 -> Changes Bubble Cat into the Cloud Seeking Cat, significantly increasing its current Stats and Abilities.
Augmentation 5 -> Changes Bubble Cat into the Sun Striking Cat, massively increasing its current Stats and Abilities.
}
/Whistle…/
"Now this is a terrifying foe… The Sun Striking Cat huh…"
'This is one of the secrets of high levels of enhancing, Card Transformations.'
'There is a chance that a Card will transform into a new form at high Augmentations. Whenever it does so, all of its previous Augumentations will change with it, becoming something anew albeit usually stronger.'
'In this case, however, there were two transformations, which is great, but at the same time sad as its previous Augmentation remains as a paved way to its higher form.'
'These transformations don't change the Card's name or Grade, but they are technically another Card completely.'
Rulio then inspected the Card's stats, and with a chuckle, he shook his head.
'It's strong, powerful. I even dare say that it's probably stronger under direct sunlight than most Expert Grade Summons, even if enhanced a few times.'
'What if I enhanced it to +120 for another Augmentation? What about +140, +160 and beyond…'
'The Main Character barely explores enhancing Cards this far in the story, merely due to a resource constriction.'
'He focused on a small set of Cards, so there isn't much information on the many aspects Cards can take at these Levels.'
'Enhancing Cards usually reduces their activation cost, but given how many times I enhanced them, it seems we arrived at the other side of the curve…'
'Not that it matters; it may look like a lot, but once I condense my Ether again and again, this value will only represent the value of a Basic Card, which is nothing someone with high-grade Ether would ever struggle with.'
'The value seems a bit arbitrary, though… Well, it's not like the activation cost means anything for a Card of this power.'
'I guess everything must be covered by the Card Rule, even if it operates at a loss to have them function.'
"It's a success either way… Then… Next."
'The day is still very long!'
Rulio was smiling from ear to ear…
He quickly found his next target, another Unique Card…
{Toy Robot /Basic/
Type: Minion
Activation Cost: 1
Effect: Manifests a tiny toy robot for one to 'fight' with.
Duration: Until HP runs out
Augmentation: N/A
}
Rulio smiled evilly.
/Shine!/
{Toy Robot +1 /Basic/
…
}
…
/Around an hour later…/
/SHINE/
{Toy Robot +100 /Basic/
…
}
/Crack!/
/LIGHT!/
Rulio wasted no time invoking his next minion, all under the gaze of the Sun Striking Cat.
/BAM!/
/CLANG CREAK CRACK!/
/CATCHING!/
/SWWWIRRM!/
/CRUNK!/
Within a cloud of pure Ether, echoes of machines rolling and creaking sounded from within.
/Step!/
/CLANG!/
A sizeable mechanical foot with dozens of cogs and mechanical suspensions.
/Light!/
Lights flashed inside its body as a low growling sound echoed from the center of its chassis…
A massive bipedal robot oozing with power, steam, and electricity coursing through its limbs, escaping into the air…
/Shine!/
A single light shone in its head, staring down at him menacingly.
"A-W-A-K-E-N-E-D!" The giant robot proclaimed as the light in the center of its head changed intensity
"Woah, you look incredible…" Rulio said with awe as he looked at the robot kneeling on the ground as it was too tall to stand
'This is more like it! A mainly Minion!!... Not that Bubble Cat isn't mainly… It's like a massive golden lion. But when its fur lifts like that… It just turns into a ball…'
"A pleasure to meet you again, partner."
"M-A-S-T-E-R!!" The robot proclaimed loudly
The robot wasn't very good at speaking, in fact, its voice sounded more like metal clashing against each other than coherent speech, but it was possible to understand… If he focused hard.
Maybe it was because it spoke slowly and he was connected to it that made him understand it so fluently, but it didn't matter much in the end.
"Meow…" Bubble cat said in an annoyed tone as it moved away from the noise
"Hum… I'll take you back for now to glance at your Card."
/Shine!/
The robot's crimson eye shone with light before it was turned into its card form again.
Like the Bubble Cat, its card form had changed. Instead of a small toy soldier in the middle, it now had a giant robot.
{Toy Robot+100 /Basic/
Type: Minion
Activation Cost: 10
Effect: Manifests a tiny toy robot for one to 'fight' with.
Duration: Until HP runs out
Augmentation 1 -> Toy Robot gains the Self Repair Ability, allowing it to mend damage by remaining stationary.
Augmentation 2 -> Toy Robot's presence on the battlefield enhances the Stats of all allied mechanical entities within a 200-meter radius. This effect persists even when Toy Robot fuses with the entity, acting as a self-buff instead.
All Stats + 50%.
Augmentation 3 -> Toy Robot can Mode Change into three different forms: Attack, Defense, and Support; each form enhances and modifies its Abilities and Stats to better fit its purpose.
Augmentation 4 -> Toy Robot gains the ability to take control and fuse with any Allied Mechanical entity on the battlefield.
While fused, both entities may act independently or directly under its control, depending on circumstances.
While fused, the Stats of both entities are shared as they become a single entity. All positive buffs are carried over, while negative buffs are cleansed.
A percentage of the total life of the mechanical entity heals Toy Robot.
If a Mechanical Entity is below 5% Health, Toy Robot may seize its functions and forcibly add it to its systems. All previous effects apply.
Augmentation 5 -> Changes Toy Robot into the Mechanical Knight, massively increasing its current Stats and Abilities.
}
"Woah… Regarding base Stats, Toy Robot cannot compare to Bubble Cat, especially when it's out in the sun…"
'But I can build a Card deck around it, make a Deck with dozens of mechanical entities and let them all fuse into Toy Robot, turning it into a monster.'
'It's potential ability is higher then Bubble Cat's but it'll take a while for its Stats to get there, after all, while under direct Sunlight, Bubble Cat's Stats skyrocket.'
'It's strenght right now is likely that of an Advanced Minion Card, with a few Robots to aid it, it would likely breach Expert…'
'Either that or I Enhance it a few more times… Hehehehehe…'
"Phew… This is… FUN!!!"
Rulio had never had so much fun in his entire life.
/Growl…/
"I'm getting hungry… Should I stop and eat something… Nah."
'NEXT CARD!'
{Skeleton Mage /Basic/
Type: Minion
Activation Cost: 20
Effect: Summons an undead Skeleton Mage to aid you in battle.
Duration: Until HP runs out
Augmentation: N/A
}
"Yes… The main character's main Card. But with a twist."
'The main character's Skeleton Mage was a Rare version of the Skeleton Mage, possessing greater firepower as it came with a full set of equipment.'
'Unfortunately, he didn't know of this fact because he couldn't tell the difference… Once again, he's a dumbass.'
'On the other hand, this one is a Rare Variant. Costing several times more than its ordinary version but possessing a much greater firepower!'
'On the surface, it looks like any other Skeleton Mage Card, same for the Mc's version, but it's considerably stronger. Boasting greater firepower.'
'And what I mean by that is that it goes from tickling someone to doing consistent damage… But it's still a Basic Card, so it's useless.'
'More importantly… I can't wait for its final transformation…'
Rulio's face was highly red as he smiled evilly, causing Bubble Cat to look away…
Maybe this was his true self…
/SHINE!/
{Skeleton Mage +1 /Basic/
…
}
…
/Around an hour of gruesome enhancing later…/
/SHINE!/
{Skeleton Mage +100 /Basic/
…
}
"Huff… Huff… I did it… I'm going to die…"
/GROWL!/
His stomach rumbled loudly, it requested food, right this instant!
"Fine… I'll go eat something."
He turned to look at Bubble Cat who was currently resting on the side, and said:
"Bubbles, we're leaving."
"Purr?... Meow…"
/Shine!/
Rulio took back the Card, putting it inside his silvery box.
'My first three 100+ Cards, the first of many…'
'Haaa… I can't wait to test them out…'
Rulio left his training room, leaving behind a bunch of empty Ether canisters and golden fur on the ground…
…
/… Din/
"Ahh… Sunlight.."
Rulio left the elevator leading underground, being immediately bombarded by waves of golden rays coming from an open window nearby.
'What time is it now? Almost Five?! Damn, time flew by…'
'Never late to get some lunch.'
With a smug smile, Rulio turned a few corners around the Manor, greeting the Maids and Butlers as they came before stopping by the kitchen.
He soon found his target, an old Maid with her hair pulled back into a small bun.
"Excuse me, can I get some food? Please?"
"... Now? In the middle of the Evening? We're about to begin cooking Dinner. Can't you wait a little?" The old lady said with a frown as she looked at Rulio
"Please, I spent the last three hours experimenting with my Cards and the last time I ate was a small piece of bread on the airplane…"
"Don't speak as if you didn't have any options, I'm sure you flew first Class, and they make some fine meals there, that's what you get for being picky." She said as she turned her head from him
/GROWLLL!!!/
"... I'm going to die."
"No, you're not, but I'll cut you some slack. Sit down. I'll make you a sandwich to hold on to till dinner."
"Thank you for your mercy…"
"Uhum, and you better be thankful. I know you're excited about your awakening, but remember to stay afloat. Now sit down and be a good boy."
"Yes, Ma'am!"
Like the good boy he was, Rulio went to the living room and sat down on the chair before pulling out his newest +100 Card:
{Skeleton Mage +100 /Basic/
Type: Minion
Activation Cost: 35
Effect: Summons an undead Skeleton Mage to aid you in battle.
Duration: Until HP runs out
Augmentation 1 -> Skeleton Mage's Stats +66%.
Augmentation 2 -> +30% Physical Immunity.
Augmentation 3 -> Skeleton Mage's Ether Gauge +1000%.
Augmentation 4 -> Skeleton Mage gains the Dark Arsenal Ability, increasing its repertoire of Spells.
Augmentation 5 -> Changes Skeleton Mage into the Undead Lich, greatly increasing its current Stats and Abilities.
}
'... Overall, it's not any better then Toy Soldier or Bubble Cat, but what matters here is that the Skeleton Mage became the Undead Lich.'
'It's first three abilities aren't meaningful compared to the other two, it's basically a buildup for all I know.'
'It's giving the Lich some degree of physical defenses while also increasing its Ether capacity so it can cast more Spells.'
'But what matters comes after… Dark Arsenal enhances all of its Spells while also giving it many extra Spells, so that alone is like having a dozen Cards for the price of one.'
'Then the Skeleton Mage turns into a Lich, further improving everything while transforming its previous augments into the one's show here.'
'Overall, nothing impressive, but definitely stronger then the original Skeleton Mage the Mc used. Considerably more.'
'It could be because this is a Variant Card, but I believe it has to do with what I exposed the Skeleton Lich to over the years.'
'I showed it dozens of Mages and Necromantic Spells and Cards through videos over the years, hopefully it learned a lot which was reflected on it's Abilities.'
'All Cards have personalities and grow with their experiences, however, some Cards only manifest their egos and form individualities way down the line either from lengthy periodos of use, the likes spanning multiple generations, or from Enhancing them to absurd Levels, which is something only the Mc and a few others can do.'
'Knowing full well what I would be doing in this world, I trained multiple Basic and Common Cards, especially for this day! And hopefully, it all paid out…'
'The Card itself is decent, but the true power of the Lich comes from its control over the dead… It's a highly proficient Necromancer.'
'The Lich can summon hundreds of soldiers to fight for it, and given its Enhancement Level, all of its summons would be equivalent to their +80 or above Card Forms.'
'Maybe without their Auguments, but still pretty strong.'
"If I can enhance it to +120 or even higher, this Card will show its true power…"
"Here, eat it all."
/THUD!/
All of a sudden, the elderly maid appeared with a small plate with a large steaming sandwich.
With hot cheese and ham, he could smell it from afar.
"Thank you!"
/CHOMP!/
"..."
/Chuckle…/
"Eat slowly, it's not going anywhere." She said with a small smile before turning around and returning to the kitchen
'So damn good! AH! How much I love being rich!'
/Creak… Step step…/
""Welcome Home Lord Chilmo."" The Maid said in unison in the hallway leading to the living room
"Thank you everyone, you may go back to your duties." Rulio's father said with a smile as he let the Maids take out his jacket
His mother right beside him. They soon entered the living room, where they saw Rulio quietly eating a sandwich…
His ragged appearance and tired eyes were quite unusual…
"..."
""...""
"Welcome back, son…"
"Thank you father. How was work?"
"It was…"
"Why are you all ragged like that? I know you're at home, but at least try to keep yourself tidy." His mother complained as she crossed her arms
"I was training… Then I came to eat…"
"At 5 Pm?"
"I… Was hungry."
"Dear… Don't poke the kid, he just awakened…"
His father then turned to Rulio again:
"So… I heard from your bodyguard that you locked yourself inside your training room once you returned… What was that all about?"
"I… 'Gulp!'... Haa… Was enhancing Cards."
"Enhancing… Cards?"
"Yes, with the help of my new Talent."
"Your third Talent?" His mother asked as she approached him
"No, I used my Third Talent to get this one."
"What?... Do you mean by that?"
"My Third Talent, Exchange Pact allowed me to copy any Talent I desired and make it mine, so I went to get the Talent I wanted."
""?!?!""
"What?! You're telling me that your third Talent… Was an Omni Copying Talent?!"
His father didn't know if he should be proud or scared of his son.
"Yes. I knew immediately how terrible that Talent was for my safety, so I went outside to get rid of it."
"Huu… Okay. But from what I heard, you planned for this trip in advance…"
"Correct, I planned to go acquire the Talent I had my eyes on regardless of whatever Talents I awakened yesterday, but in the end, my problems solved themselves."
"I… See… Great, that's really excellent." His father said with a smile as he let out a sigh of relief
"Then what was the Talent you acquired in its place? No, before that, did you tell that to anyone else?"
"No, only you two and Dav. Honestly, I wasn't planning to tell you two either, but it kind of happened, so here we are."
""...""
His parents looked at each other momentarily before returning to Rulio as he finished devouring his sandwich, complex emotions brewing in their eyes.
"So? Are you telling it to us or not?" His mother asked as she crossed her arms
"No problem, my Talent allows me to enhance Basic and Common Cards without the chance of failure."
"... And?" His mother asked as she touched her forehead, feeling somewhat faint
"That's about it."
"..."
His father said nothing as his expression darkened, knowing full well what his wife was feeling right now…
"So you went to another city… To acquire a talent that lets you enhance your basic cards?"
"..."
Rulio turned to look at them with an annoyed expression, so he got up from his seat and said:
"Let's go to your training room since you're full of doubts. I'll show you what my Talent can do."
"Rullio!... Sigh… What's happening?"
"... He should be getting on his rebellious phase, you know, he's been too ruly for too long. It's about time he began doing something naughty."
"Dear! He's potentially destroying his own future!"
"Is he now?... Dear, do you know what his Talent meant?"
"..."
"Right, you do… It's best he got rid of it… For everyone's sake."
"Whatever the Talent he acquired was, it didn't matter, as in the end, he already had everything it took to rise in society."
"Even without his third Talent, we can turn him into an Expert before he turns 20… No, maybe even a Master."
"... You think so? I'm worried that…"
"No… As long as he gets the approval from your father, everything will be fine."
"... Right, everything will."
Rulio's father nodded before going after him, he wanted to see where his son's confidence came from.
…
/Fwoosh!/
"You're here father." Rulio said as he sat on a chair in the middle of his father's training room
The room was very similar to Rulio's training room, the only visible difference being its size.
It was forty by forty by ten, a massive structure indeed.
"Aren't you going to put on the appropriate gear?" Rulio asked as he looked at his father in his work clothes
He wore a polo-style shirt and brown pants; aside from that, he was barefoot. Completely relaxed.
"I could say the same, I may be old, but your old man isn't that far down yet."
"I know, but I won't be fighting here today."
"Hm? Who will then?"
"Bubble Cat."
"Bubble… Cat? That little fluffy cat you bought a few years ago?"
"Yeah. I enhanced it."
"Son… If you want to play, just say it, but don't joke around like that. Your mother doesn't like it…"
"I'm not joking." Rulio replied in a deep tone as he looked at his father
"Here, I'll show you. Come forth, Sun Striking Cat."
/CRACK!/
/SHAAAAA!!!/
"Hm?!"
Rulio activated the card, and a powerful wave of Ether washed over the room.
/ROAAARR!/
/PUSH!/
Suddenly, a mighty roar pushed aside the entire wave of Ether, and a massive golden lion appeared from within.
"What?!"
As the Golden Lion stepped before him, Rullio's father quickly realized this might not be a challenge he could take without ripping his shirt a little.
"... So? How expensive are the clothes you're wearing?"
"... My shirt's pretty affordable, but I like it very much." He said with a smile as he walked back to the changing room
"..."
Rulio patiently waited for his father to return.
…
"Alright, let's get this started."
It was evident that he was a little excited as well.
A spar with his child, just as his father had done with him when he became a Card User, and something his father had done with his grandfather as well…
Something that had gone by generations, and it was finally his turn.
"First… Is that really the Bubble Cat? Bubbles as you called it?"
"Yes."
"But how?"
"How else? With my Talent."
"A Talent can't do this much, the Ether emanating from it is equal to that of an Advanced Minion if not stronger."
"I know, it can get stronger too."
"What?"
"Heh, interested now? How about you see for yourself what it can do before I show you the Card itself?"
"... Very well. Are we doing a Card Duel or…"
"A Standard Spar, I hate Card Duels."
Card Duels were special fights overseen by the Card Rule, it was one of the many ways Card Users could make use of to dispel their wrongs with one another.
It was a fight method where each User was given a turn and they alternated between one another to fight, they were given arbitrary Stats such as "Hit Points" and "Total Energy" during the fight.
Certain cards' effects changed if they entered a Card Duel. Rulio could see what would change if he expanded the options on his Cards, but he couldn't bother to do so as he hated Card Duels.
It was one of the biggest inconsistencies in the early story of the Novel and realistically speaking, it was super boring.
Instead of seeing massive beasts fighting and warriors struggling to win, they saw two buffons slapping each other as they were given their turns until one of them fell flat.
There was no other way to explain it.
"Very well then. For the sake of this fight I'll make use of my Advanced Cards solely."
"That's quite rought isn't it, I'm just a Basic Card User aren't I?" Rulio teased as he smiled widely
"As if, with a Card like that I'd better shoot myself in the foot before fighting it with Intermediate Cards only… Now, enough of this."
"I'll give you the first move."
"Sure, blind him Bubbles."
'I need to change his name soon…'
/SHINE!!/
"?!"
Bubbles raised his fur into the shape of the sun, and like a stadium light, it shone so brightly Rulio's father vanished within.
"..."
The light also affected Rulio, albeit it didn't debuff him. However, he was ready for it nonetheless.
He had a pair of advanced sun goggles on his eyes, protecting him from the absurd light the cat was producing.
/Hiss…/
At that moment, as his father was blinded and surprised, the cat pounced forward, it's claws shining in a faint golden hue.
/CLAWS!/
/EVADE!/
/SLAM!/
Rulio's father barely evaded the attack by jumping to the right at the last moment, causing Bubbles to strike the ground heavily.
Increasing one's Grade as a Card User wasn't merely about energy, it was about physical power as well.
To keep up with the ever-increasing power of their Cards, the Users needed to be strong enough to withstand them and also give others if necessary.
To Rulio's father, even if the light was strong and the cat was fast, he could still react and evade in time.
But it didn't mean he wasn't surprised.
'If I wasn't an Expert Grade User… If I wasn't ready for it… I would've died to that attack.'
'There aren't many Advanced Users out there that can survive this… And he said it can grow stronger? Impressive.'
He also noticed the burning sunlight on his skin, corroding his body every moment.
The notification on his profile also helped, but he had no time to read it as the next attack was fast coming!
/SWIPE!/
/SWIPE!/
/BITE!/
/SLAM!/
"MEOW!"
It's opponent's constant evading was getting on its nerves, so the Sun Striking Cat prepared it's strongest attack!
Although slightly lazy by nature, having withheld most of its powers so far, it finally decided to show another one of its powers, and this time, its strongest one!
/BURN!/
"Well then…"
A massive ball of fire began to gather above the Sun Striking Cat's head, hot enough to cause the metal over their heads to turn red.
"MEOW!!!"
/THROW!/
The immense fireball was thrown at Rulio's father, causing him to snicker as he pulled out a Card from his collection…
/SLASH!/
/SLASH!/
An invisible slash parted the fireball into two pieces, and a second slash parted it into four slices!
"!"
/JUMP!/
Barely on time, the Sun Striking Cat evaded the slashes by jumping away, but from the beginning, the slashes weren't being aimed at it.
/CUT!/
The two strikes collided against the ceiling, leaving slight marks behind.
/Fwoosh…/
The fireballs dissipated under a strange power; unbeknownst to them, he used another Card.
"... I lost. Damn…"
"No, I lost… You forced me to use an Expert Card. It's your win… And that Cat's…" Rulio's father said with a sigh as he scratched the back of his head
'Man, my first spar with my son and I lost?...'
He was disappointed.
"Wait, so that strike…"
"It was one of my main Strike Cards, the second attack was due to my Talent, you know it, you have it as well." He said with a tint of pride
"The second Card I used dispersed the fire in the room since I didn't want to be covered in ashes."
"It's your win. Excellent work."
"I barely did anything… Praise Bubbles!"
"..."
It severely hurt his pride to concede to a Bubble Cat Card, and his son seemed hellbent on reminding him of that.
Despite everything he did to raise him… How could he be so cruel?
"Meow…"
Meanwhile, the Bubble Cat laid it's head on the ground, breathing quickly as it recovered its breath.
That attack cost a lot of stamina, it wasn't something it could pull off so easily in an environment without proper sunlight.
"Rest now, Bubbles."
/Shine!/
"... Here, father, the Card."
"This is the true potential of my Talent."
"... Let's take a look, it can't hurt."
'At the very least, I can tell the Talent has its use. But I still don't understand it.'
'How can a basic Card become… This?'
Many theories in his mind, he took the card… And his mouth opened in shock!
"... Son. What am I looking at here?"
"My Card."
"No, that's not it…"
"My Talent lets me Enhance Basic Cards without the risk of them breaking, as long as I have energy and a mastery of the process, I can continuously Enhance them without a care."
"From the first to the twentieth Enhancement, all they way to what's on your hand. That's the value of this Talent."
"It doesn't matter if its a Basic Card, if we make a graph, even a Basic Card will compare to a Master or even Grandmaster Card eventually, be it after 100 Enhancements, 200, or more. I can keep going, forever."
"What you see are the true power of Cards, not just basic ones in general but for all."
"The further you Enhance a Card, the stronger it gets, not linearly, but its exponentially increasing. Its Augments strengthen, become more Complex, and eventually, the Card goes over a qualitative improvement that enhances all of its previous qualities."
"Most people can barely enhance their Cards to +10, much less +20, so this isn't very well known, maybe I'm the first person to have ever done such a thing consistently."
"Everything I'm telling you I figured out this afternoon, and I'm sure I can do more than this. Much more."
"The only thing I ask is for you to believe me."
Rulio had practiced this speech more than once, but a certain degree, he was speaking from his heart.
He wanted to involve his parents and friends in his life, but at the same time, he needed to hide things from them, for his and their sake.
But for as long as he could share… He would, in due time.
"Son… Ha… It's not about that."
"I'll always support you and help you make the decisions you feel are correct for your future; that's the job of a parent."
"What I'm asking here is… I need to understand what this Card in my Hand means."
"It means my Talent is fucking awesome."
"Language there, don't let your mother hear you talking like that… But yeah, it's fucking awesome." He said with a chuckle as he gave Rulio his Card back
"Alright, I think I understand what you want to do, so tell me, what are your plans now?"
"My plans? For now… I was planning on experimenting with raising multiple Cards to +100."
"How long will that take? What about the cost?"
His father was very pragmatic, if he could shove something into a graph, he would.
He loved them.
"Well… I didn't use any resources, but I can compare in terms of Ether Tanks."
"Ether Tanks?... Ah! I see, you were transferring the Ether directly to the card… Smart. It's cost-efficient."
"But it's time-consuming, taxing on me, and above all, it's bulky…" Rulio replied as he shook his head
"Those matter little at the end of the day, I've been training for decades to breach Master, if you can do so with a few weeks… No, days of experimenting, then what's there to complain about? So stop whining."
"But still, the cost?"
"Well… About a dozen or two Advanced Cards… Probably closer to a full functional Advanced Deck, more towards a beginner who just crossed over."
"So that for one 100+ Card… The price is rather good, you're exchanging a bunch of small Cards for one good one, and the result so far is quite good, even stronger..."
"But you lose versatility."
"And? I can just raise more Cards, until I have a full deck."
"Right, but that's expensive."
"Is it?"
"... Not really. But you need to learn how to manage money, otherwise, you'll burn through it."
"Of course, still, I at least have a sure path to improvement. As long as I have resources, I can improve these Cards past +100 and create true monster Cards."
"If I can trigger another evolution on Bubble Car, it's strenth will definitely breach Master Grade as long as it's under the Sun. Then I can recoup my loses overtime."
"Hmm… You're right. But the Cost of increasing a Card past that should be high, right?"
"I would say it would take about twice what it took from +1 to +100 to raise it from that to +110… If I add everything up… Maybe it'll cost me a full Expert Deck to raise one Card to +150/160…"
"... That's already a bit expensive, but we can afford a few for experimentation." His father said as he scratched his chin
"If we're going to do that, we need to choose a few high-potential Cards that will guarantee our investment back."
"But father, that goes against the very idea of my Talent, which is to bring the HIDDEN potential within Basic Cards, how can we choose "surefire" cards from them?"
"Maybe a weaker +100 Card will grow in power once it becomes +160 with a few more Augumentations."
"That's true, son, but I'm not refusing that idea altogether, as long as we can get a few samples, maybe predicting their value will become simpler…"
"Was this the sole Card you Enhanced?"
"No, I also Enhanced these two…" He said as he showed his Cards to his father
"Hm… Toy Robot and Skeleton Mage… Good picks, I can see why you chose them… They all Minions, though?"
"Minions tend to be the best choices for Card Users in general, and each of these Minions has an entire arsenal of abilities to supplement me, so I found them to be proper choices."
"Good thinking… But why is this Card dark?" He asked as he looked at the Skeleton Wizard Card
"That's because I have yet to summon it after I Enhanced it."
"Oh? How about we do it then?"
"... Sure."
'Shit… If this Summon looks like the way I imagined it to be… This is bad.'
"Before we do it though, can you make me a favor?"
"Ask away. It's not a favor to help you brat."
"Well… Can you use some of your connections to look for Rare and Unique Basic and Common Cards? Variants do too."
"Oh, that?... Are these Cards also…"
"Yes, they're rarer than their common counterparts. Bubble Cat is just a Unique Card, even though it's just a rare drop from a few specific places…"
"I can take a look around. It should be easy to find a few promising Cards."
"Be discrete, please."
"Why?"
"Because… My Talent's pretty great, right? Wouldn't people be intimidated if they learned about it? I want to keep it a secret as much as possible."
"... Very well. Keeping a few hidden Aces isn't too bad."
"As for the Cards, I do remember Old Xang having a small Card Collection, maybe he knows who to contact to get some of those Cards, we may even get our hands on Historic or even Exclusive Cards."
"Some of my friends also…"
But Rulio wasn't paying attention anymore.
"!"
'Right, how could I forget that… The Card Rule often creates Cards out of its own volition for unique Events and Historical figures, it also makes Exclusive Cards. But they're more Unique then Unique Cards as literally only one or two exist in the whole world.'
'That doesn't mean they're better, though… Still, maybe those Cards could hold hidden potential… It doesn't cost much to raise one to +100 anyway.'
"... I'll have to check on my associates later. What else? Aside from the Cards?"
"For my Grade… I think that if I spend a week or so training, I should Condense my Ether and become an Intermediate User. I can probably become an Advanced User within a few months after. Probably within this year even."
"My Grade doesn't matter much, given my Cards are basic, but it shouldn't be too difficult for me to follow the traditional path regarding that."
"That's good. I was talking with your mother about the resources. We can talk about those in detail once you get there."
"Sure, in a timeline sense… I was planning on making an Intermediate Grade Deck for the City Competition at the end of the year, and then prepare for the National Competition the Year after and get my feet in one of the top Class Card Universities."
"I'd use my time there to advance my Grade while exploring the limits of my Tallent and by the time I graduate in my 20s, I was planning to go to the Border to look for Ancient Realms and their treasures in the hopes of Evolving my Basic Cards and Talent."
"Oho… That's a good plan. Evolving Cards… Right, why didn't I think of that…"
"I should be able to get my hands on some Evolving materials, they're super rare and there are none on the market, but with the right connections, finding a low grade one that works on Basic Cards should be possible."
"That way, you can raise your Enhanced Cards to Intermediate ones, boosting their power even further."
"That's the goal." Rulio said with a nod as he smiled
"Still, I can't use my Cards in the open, so that's the idea of raising a solid Intermediate Deck, my other Cards are for emergencies or when I'm inside a Fragmented Realm."
"Because of their nature… I was planning on going mostly solo."
"Hm… That's dangerous, even for you."
What were Scattered and Fragmented Realms? It's simple.
As Ether flows in the other, it naturally converges into some places, these places then slowly transform, and their Flora and Fauna mutate, becoming Ether-touched.
These locations overflowing with Ether are then called "Wildlands," and essentially, the entire world is composed of Wildlands.
Likely over 95% of the world is like that. However, not all creatures transform as nature balances itself out where normal creatures are at the bottom, and Ether-touched entities are at the top.
These locations are the simplest form of treasure lands that can be found outside.
Scattered and Fragmented Realms are similar, however, they are created and spread around the world through the guide and command of the Card Rule.
The Card System gathers and controls the natural flow of Ether in the world, and as it feels fit, it creates these "worlds" by folding space or, sometimes, isolating massive regions within a small enclosure.
Fragmented Realms, however, are places that have been either broken or transformed by Humans, sometimes even other creatures…
Once one becomes a Card Master, they can also have access to "Land Cards" which can effect the environment in the way they desire.
They can shape these Cards and fuse them together to create these unique realms, and once they die, if no one else maintains them, it's said the Card Rule takes the Realms and shoves it elsewhere, if not, the realm collapses on its own.
If the realms don't collapse, they may stay uncovered for years, decades, centuries, or even longer, eventually becoming the most dangerous of them all: Ancient/Forgotten Realms filled with dangers from centuries of accumulation.
Some Realms can grow independently after their masters die, becoming massive lands the size of continents with their megafauna that has evolved rapidly due to the Ether concentrations.
These realms can usually be found by following the Ether traces in the atmosphere, but since the world is so unpredictable, it's almost impossible to use this method reliably.
And above all, these types of realms now all exclusively exist in the Wildlands between nations and countries.
The end of each nation is usually called "The Border" and its where Humans protect their cities from invasion of creatures and other entities as they're attracted to the Ether movements caused by the Card Rule.
The Card Rule was created by Humans to serve them, and it obviously put them first before the rest, as such, the movements it creates can be felt by beasts who will unconsciously follow it.
Beasts will usually cause no harm as animals can be very fearful of things they've never seen before, such as Human cities and Humans themselves, but they can also get enraged and end up rampaging through the land, causing irreparable damage.
Preventing them from invading is the best course of action.
Rulio's plan for the border was to find a few such Forgotten realms and use them for training as he gathered resources until he reached the ultimate stage, also known as Zenith!
The peak of Humanity, Zenith! As long as he could grow his Cards to this point, there was little for him to fear.
The Mc's supposed past life was at the end of this Stage, but he died before he could make the transition to the next stage of Human ascension.
He reincarnated, becoming Ling Zeng.
As for Rulio, he planned to do it all under the veil of darkness and a mask, even if those old farts could feel what he was planning to do with their incredible Cards, it would be far too late by then!
Or so he planned…
"I won't tell you what to do, but you should try to find people you can trust. Cards can do that for you, but Basic Cards are susceptible to many forms of higher-grade suppression; it's too risky to rely on them."
"There are people with talents who can prevent other users from invoking cards from a certain grade or lower. What can you do against them?"
"I'm… Planning for that…"
'Right, in the original stories, such people appeared, and the Mc always had a hard time against them before winning through plot armor.'
'I know a few ways to avoid them, but I can't do so for them all. Talents and Cards are, after all, endless.'
'I'll have to think about those people. I can't live in fear of them…'
"Don't be so down, we can't protect ourselves from everything, it is the cost of specializing, everyone does it, me your mother, your grandparents, we all die."
"But we have people to rely on if such happens, and you need to find someone you can rely on as well, so they can help you through the mud when you find yourself trapped."
"... Yeah."
'Teammates… Do I have the luxury for that?'
'The Mc had friends, but they came and went along his story as he grew strong rapidly, most of those who remained close by on his path were his lovers.'
'But can I trust others? The Novel's story was one-sided, protected by the power of plot, I can't rely on that.'
"Anyhow, I guess we're done here? I'll return to my training room and Enhance a few more Cards, Dav should be outside handling a few purchases I made." Rulio said as he turned around and began walking away
"We can talk more about this later with mother…"
"Wait, there's something we have yet to discuss."
"..."
'Shit…'
"It's all good you're putting so much thought into this, but you need some practical experience."
"I'll book a pass for a few small-scale, Intermediate Secret realms. So go train a little, collect some materials, and get used to the life of an Active Card User."
"The best way to understand what your Cards and Deck lack is by having practical fights. It's what you need the most now."
"And I have an idea, although we'll leave it for later… I'll book a pass to the Platinum Falls."
"The Platinum Falls?"
The Platinum Falls is an Ancient Realm pacified and transformed into a training/tourism attraction.
It's a massive realm between multiple large cities where an enormous amount of Ether flows through before returning to Nature.
They are famed for their Ether Falls, as Ether is so abundant in the Realm that if precipitates in rain and condenses into massive rivers that fuse together to make one singular mega waterfall.
However, the Ether in the region is exceptionally rough, and only a GrandMaster can absorb and purify it directly. Still, GrandMasters don't need so much Ether to train as they try to reach the Zenith.
In fact, most people think being a Master is the limit; Grandmasters are the Super of the Super for them, much less what's above that.
The region is located within several large cities and territories, so no one can effectively hog the Ether alone, so it was instead turned into something for the young generation to train in.
They can partially absorb the Ether in the atmosphere to train, its not very practical as it takes time, but at least its "free".
"You should find a way to purify the rough, liquid Ether. There are Cards for that, and I believe there should be a Basic Card with such a function out there."
"And once it is Enhanced by a certain degree, it'll likely serve you very well. If there isn't, you'll have to make one."
"With such a card in hand, you can directly use the Ether Falls to enhance cards without having to care about processing them, or at the very least, it should work in theory."
"You'll have to test that out yourself."
"... Woah, thats… Actually a great idea."
"##! You think your old man can't think?"
"No, no! I'm impressed you adapted so quickly to it!"
"You have to be flexible when you become an Expert. Otherwise, you'll be stuck in the realm your entire life… Now, go make some experiments or something, see if my idea makes sense."
"Sure! If I can create a Card that can handle Ether for me… But it's still a question if my Talent will activate, if it does…"
Rulio ran away hastily, eager to make some experiments, leaving his father with a small smile behind.
"I was once like that too… Maybe I should talk with my old man once I have the time, he dotes on Rulio quite a bit, if he learns about this…"
He frowned.
"Did I forget something?"
Thankfully, he didn't bat an eye for his son's escapade…
…
.
.
.
Notes