SHUFFLE OF FATE: A Deckbuilding LitRPG
CHAPTER 13: CARD SHOP BARGAINS
With the F-Rank badge pinned to his chest, Kai stood before the Guild Job Board. It was a chaotic wall covered in parchment, pinned overlapping each other.
Most jobs were suicide for a rookie.
* *"Hunt the Alpha Bear - 500 Coins"* (Requires Rank D).
* *"Escort Noble Caravan"* (Requires Full Plate Armor).
Kai scanned the bottom of the board, looking for the scraps.
* *"Sewer Maintenance: Clear Slimes from Sector 7 Drainage."*
* *Reward: 10 Coins per Slime + Material Loot.*
"Slimes," Kai muttered. "Slow. Dumb. Perfect."
But he couldn't punch a slime. If his skin touched their acid, he'd lose HP rapidly. He needed a weapon, and he had exactly **50 Coins** left in his pocket.
The weapon merchant in the market square wanted 500 for a sword. That was out of the question.
Kai turned away from the shiny market district and headed deeper into the slums, down an alley that smelled of wet dog and rust. He stopped in front of a crooked shack made of corrugated iron.
A hand-painted sign hung above the door: **THE JUNK PILE**.
Kai ducked his head and entered.
The shop was a maze of shelves stacked with garbage. Broken armor, snapped staves, and piles of cards that had lost their luster. Behind the counter sat a Goblin wearing reading glasses—a rare sight.
"No refunds," the Goblin croaked, thumbing through a magazine. "You break it, you bought it. You touch it, you probably caught a disease."
"I need a weapon," Kai said, walking to the 'Bargain Bin'—a literal bucket filled with cards. "Cheap."
"Everything in the bucket is 30 coins," the Goblin said, bored. "Most of it is trash. Some of it is cursed. Good luck."
Kai dug his hand into the bucket.
* **[Broken Mop]**... No.
* **[Rusting Spoon]**... No (Too much trauma).
* **[Cursed Dagger of Itching]**... No.
His fingers brushed against something cold. He pulled it out.
It was a jagged shard of white bone, filed into a crude point and wrapped in leather strips to form a handle.
--------------------------------------------------
[Card: Bone Shiv (Degraded)]
[Rarity: Common]
[Damage: 4]
[Durability: 15/15]
[Effect: Life Steal (Heals 1 HP per hit)]
[Note: Brittle. Will break if blocked by heavy armor.]
--------------------------------------------------
"Damage is terrible," Kai analyzed. "But Life Steal? For a solo player, healing is expensive. This could save me money on potions."
It was perfect for farming weak monsters like slimes.
"I'll take this," Kai put the card on the counter. "30 coins."
He handed over the money. **[Balance: 20 Coins]**.
"Anything else?" the Goblin asked, eyes eyeing the last few coins in Kai's hand.
Kai looked around. He couldn't afford armor. He couldn't afford spells.
His eyes landed on a small box near the register. It was labeled: **"MYSTERY PACKS - 20 COINS."**
Inside were small, wax-sealed envelopes containing random cards. Usually, these were unsold stock that merchants bundled together to scam tourists. 99% of the time, it was junk.
But Kai was a Gambler class.
He felt a pull. An itch in the back of his mind.
"And one of those," Kai pointed.
The Goblin grinned, showing sharp teeth. "No refunds on gacha, kid."
Kai slapped his last 20 coins on the table. He was broke again.
He took the wax envelope and the Bone Shiv. He stepped out of the shop and into the alleyway.
"Okay," Kai whispered, holding the sealed pack. "Let's see if my Luck stat is actually working."
He tore the seal.
A single card fell into his hand.
It wasn't a weapon. It wasn't a monster. It was a copper-colored card depicting a spinning coin.
--------------------------------------------------
[Card: Gambler's Coin]
[Rarity: Uncommon (Passive)]
[Cost: 0 Aether (Always Active)]
[Effect: Coin Flip]
-- Every time you deal physical damage, a coin is flipped.
-- HEADS: Damage increased by +50%.
-- TAILS: Damage reduced by -50%.
--------------------------------------------------
Kai stared at the card.
It was a nightmare for a professional soldier. Consistency was key in combat. You needed to know exactly how much damage you would deal. A sword that sometimes dealt 10 damage and sometimes dealt 2 damage was unreliable trash.
But Kai smiled.
"High risk," he flipped the digital card between his fingers. "High reward."
With the **[Bone Shiv]** (4 Damage), a 'Tails' would mean he only dealt 2 damage. Pathetic.
But a 'Heads' would mean 6 damage. Still low, but better.
However, if he used this with a stronger weapon in the future... or combined it with the **[Wildcard]**...
"Welcome to the deck," Kai whispered.
He equipped the cards.
**Current Deck:**
1. **[Scavenger Rat]** (Tank/Distraction)
2. **[Flashbang]** (Crowd Control)
3. **[Silk Binding]** (Utility/Execution)
4. **[Bone Shiv]** (Sustain/DPS)
5. **[Gambler's Coin]** (Passive Buff/Debuff)
6. **[The Wildcard]** (The Nuke)
He was broke, hungry, and armed with a piece of bone.
"Sector 7 Slimes," Kai cracked his neck. "I'm coming for you."