The Legendary Fool

144:

“Status,” Tom commanded.

[Name: Synrak Veralis (Thomas Lowe)

Age: 18

Soul Card: The Flame [Level 6] (The Fool [Level 17])

Feats: Nether Slayer I, Invictus, Unyielding Slayer

Statistics:

Physical: 50 (+4)

Mental: 50 (+4)

Soul Power: 116/116 (135-5-5-2-2-2-3)

Free Points: 30

Skill Upgrade Point: 0

Deck Cards:

1. Mirror World (Rare) Level 6

Abilities: Mirror Dimension Level 5, Greater Reflection Level 2

2. Shadow Wraith (Rare) Level 1

Ability: Umbral Forge Level 1

3. Lifeblood (Uncommon), Level 11

Ability: Augmentation Level 7 , Blood Scion Level 4

4. Aura Shift (Uncommon), Level 5

Ability: Mass Increase Level 1, Mass Decrease Level 5

5. Frost Link (Uncommon), Level 1

Ability: Bind Level 1

6. The Flame (Common), Level 6

Ability: Ember Level 6

7. Water Propulsion (Common), Level 6

Ability: Torrent Level 6

8. Earth’s Vitality (Common), Level 7

Ability: Heal Level 7]

Tom had been prioritizing The Fool’s growth for a while now and just one look at his list of deck cards was all that was needed to show just how heavily his experience distribution was skewed in favor of his ephemeral card.

Of course, Tom didn’t regret his decision. No matter how powerful a deck card was, it remained an external source of power. Not in the sense that it could be taken from him— for even his Soul Card could be torn asunder from his chest, if he were to fall in battle. No, a Soul card was an internal source of power in the sense that every level provided him with Free Points that he could use to strengthen himself, on top of the Skill Upgrade Points.

But now, Tom needed an incredible amount of experience to get to the next level and it was a requirement that would keep progressively increasing. The returns he would get in comparison to the experience invested had fallen drastically and unless Tom kept seeking out opponents more and more powerful than Zeth, he suspected that he would stagnate below level 20 on his soul card for a while.

That was fine.

Tom had been holding out for a powerful deck. And while he was sure that his current lineup wasn’t enough to take him to the top of the tower, he was still willing to bet good coin or rather, card fragments, on the notion that it would hold up against most parties unless he’d seriously underestimated the prevalence of Rare cards on the first floor.

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Now, Tom just had to level his deck.

He could almost see the synergies unfolding before his eyes and a part of him wanted to rush out and accept a flurry of Nexus Quests so he could get some much needed experience in the tanks.

That part of him was mercilessly shut down, as memories of his fight with Zeth bubbled up in his consciousness. The master of the shadow guild had left them quite the lesson, one that they would not be forgetting anytime soon. Had it been Zirel who was skewered in Zeth’s opening salvo, no Total Recall card would’ve saved his life.

Had Tom not had Maya to clue him in on his opponent’s motivations and some of his skills, they would’ve most likely walked out of that fight with casualties.

No, they would challenge the Nexus Quests. But that would come after Tom was done with his preparations.

Tom used The Flame’s Ember ability to set the notes he had made earlier and torn from his notebook aflame. Then, he shoved the charred remains of the paper in his inventory. No telling what manner of cards people could have in the tower and Tom couldn’t afford to have anyone reading that he was in possession of two Rares outside of his Soul Card.

Then, he reached for his inventory and pulled out the Rare Artifact he had won from his battle against Zeth.

Tom couldn’t help but marvel as pulled out the icy-blue longsword by it’s stubby hilt that came with a knuckle-guard for balance. What should’ve been a two-handed weapon had been co opted into a very niche one-handed artifact, but Tom wasn’t complaining.

[Auto-Analyzing…

Blade ownership uncontested. Increasing appraisal rank by two grades…

Warrior’s Shardsong, Rare

Requirements: 32 Physical, 22 Proprioception

Description: An unconventional weapon artifact designed for a specific type of warrior, Warrior’s Shardsong invites its enemies to engage in a symphony of metal on metal, every clash only serving to empower its own tempo. The Warrior’s Shardsong seeks the perfect crescendo, unleashing a wave of scything frost energy that is born out of a combination of kinetic energy from both or multiple parties.

Weapon Skills:

1. Lighten: Greatly reduces the weight of the weapon when wielded by a climber who meets Warrior’s Shardsong’s requirements.
2. Perfect Conversion: Any blow from an enemy that connects with Warrior’s Shardsong along with the strength inputted in by the wielder is converted into frost energy at a lossless rate. The wielder can choose to deploy the frost scythe anytime after Warrior’s Shardsong reaches 5% of its total capacity.]

Tom didn’t hesitate as he activated Frost Link’s passive ability, Bind. Almost immediately, he could feel a connection between himself and the eccentric yet beautiful longsword. With Lighten active, he could lift the blade without any effort and swing it in a gentle motion without his arm so much so as quivering from the effort.

The weapon was powerful enough to be deserving of the Rare classification, but Tom wasn’t done just yet.

Binding to Frost Link was a move that would bring in long-term gains. While it was true that there was a very real overlap between Warrior’s Shardsong and Frost Link, Tom could use it to his advantage and that made it a powerful overlap.

Even with eyes closed, Bind let him sense the weapon. Tom even placed it on the floor and decided to walk around a little while continuing to keep his eyes closed. He could still sense it no problem and he suspected that would be the case unless the distance between himself and the blade crossed a certain threshold.

That benefit alone was worth keeping Frost Link around, but there was more. Tom could choose to build up the kinetic to frost energy while engaging with his enemy, before he decided to give them a surprise and activate the greedy frost that leaps from weapon to armor and flesh.

He wasn’t sure how powerful the card’s ability would be at the uncommon grade, but catching an enemy by surprise was not to be underestimated. Then he could finish them off with Warrior’s Shardsong’s converted attack, an attack that he knew to be powerful. Zeth had not managed anywhere near full capacity and yet he had been forced to dodge that crescent of ice.

At full strength, Tom himself wasn’t sure how much more powerful it would be.

But he wasn’t done yet, no.

Although in an ideal world, he’d get to wait before reaping the benefits of investing in The Fool and unlocking it’s new sub-skill, Tom decided that he would rather have a juiced up Rare weapon now, while he was still new and unfamiliar with the Aerinaculumn.

No matter how rare a weapon was, it would do him no good if he died before he got to use it.

It was time to test Sub-skill: Object Permanence.