SHUFFLE OF FATE: A Deckbuilding LitRPG
CHAPTER 3: GRAVE ROBBERY
The adrenaline began to fade, replaced by a dull ache in Kai's ribs. He leaned against the damp cave wall, taking deep breaths to steady his racing heart.
"Status," Kai commanded hoarsely.
The blue window shimmered into existence.
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[Name: Kai]
[Level: 2]
[HP: 25/60 (Healing...)]
[Aether: 12/12]
[Deck Capacity: 1/10]
[Available Attribute Points: 3]
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"Level up healed me halfway," Kai noted, rubbing his bruised side. "Better than nothing."
He looked at the [Attribute Points]. In a normal RPG, a warrior would dump these points into Strength. A mage would choose Intelligence.
Kai looked at the glitching [Wildcard] icon in his deck slot.
"If my life depends on a slot machine," Kai muttered, "I better learn how to count cards."
He tapped the **[Luck]** attribute.
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[Attribute Selected: Luck]
[+3 Points Added]
[Current Luck: 8 (Average)]
[Note: Luck slightly influences RNG outcomes and critical hit rates.]
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"Maybe that will stop me from getting a spoon next time," he sighed.
Kai pushed himself off the wall and limped toward the pile of ash left by the Scavenger Rat. Amidst the grey dust, a small, rectangular object glowed with a faint white light.
He picked it up. It was a card.
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[Card: Scavenger Rat]
[Rarity: Common]
[Type: Unit]
[Cost: 2 Aether]
[Stats: 2 ATK / 2 HP]
[Effect: Passive - Keen Smell. Can detect hidden traps nearby.]
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"A rat," Kai said flatly. "I just killed a rat to get a rat."
It wasn't powerful, but it was *stable*. Unlike the Wildcard, if he played this, he knew exactly what he would get. He tapped the card against his chest. It dissolved into light and entered his internal storage.
[Deck: 2/10 Cards]
Kai then turned his attention to the skeleton in the corner—the poor soul who had given him the Wildcard. Now that the adrenaline was gone, Kai felt a pang of sympathy.
"Sorry, friend," Kai whispered, kneeling beside the bones. "You don't need your gear anymore. I do."
He rummaged through the adventurer's rotten leather pouch. Most of the items had decayed into useless sludge, but metal survived.
Hidden beneath the ribcage, Kai found a sheathed dagger. The leather sheath was moldy, but the blade inside was iron. Pitted with rust, yes, but sharp enough to cut a throat.
As soon as he touched it, the system recognized it as a potential card.
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[Item Detected: Rusted Iron Dagger]
[Convert to Card? (Y/N)]
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"Yes."
The dagger glowed and flattened, transforming into a card in his hand.
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[Card: Rusted Dagger]
[Rarity: Common]
[Type: Weapon]
[Cost: 1 Aether]
[Damage: 3 + Bleed Effect]
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"A weapon for 1 Aether," Kai nodded approvingly. "Cheap. Reliable."
He continued searching. In the skeleton's clenched left hand, he found one last card. This one looked different. It was cracked down the middle, and the color was a faded, dirty yellow.
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[Card: Flashbang (Defective)]
[Rarity: Common (Damaged)]
[Type: Spell]
[Cost: 2 Aether]
[Effect: Blinds ALL units in a 10-meter radius for 5 seconds.]
[Warning: Friendly Fire enabled. Close your eyes before casting!]
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Kai smirked. "A dirty trick. I like it."
He added it to his deck.
Now, he had four cards. It wasn't much—a deck made of trash, rust, and glitches. But it was *his* deck.
He opened the **[Deck Editor]** feature.
A holographic row of slots appeared. He arranged them mentally.
1. **[Rusted Dagger]**: For close combat.
2. **[Scavenger Rat]**: For distraction or trap detection.
3. **[Flashbang]**: For escaping impossible situations.
4. **[The Wildcard]**: The nuclear option. Only to be used when death is certain.
Kai stood up. He felt different. Ten minutes ago, he was a miner waiting to die. Now, he was a [Player].
He looked up at the fissure in the ceiling where he had fallen from. It was too high to climb back up. The only way was forward, deeper into the unknown caverns.
"Okay," Kai rolled his shoulders, wincing slightly. "Let's see where this tunnel goes."
He summoned the **[Rusted Dagger]**. The card materialized into the physical weapon in his grip. It felt heavy. It felt real.
Kai stepped over the skeleton and walked into the darkness.