The Monster Card was the size of an ordinary card used to play cards, but it was slightly thicker and far more durable. The material – Percy had never seen or felt a material like this – was polished and bright, almost pristine. At the first glance, the Card’s frame looked silver metallic, but at the second glance, it was grayish like iron. But if Percy could tell one thing, the Monster Card wasn’t made of iron. Too much mana resided in the Monster Card. If the frame was iron, the amount of mana would have shattered the Card instantaneously.
His fingers slid gently across the well-polished Monster Card until his eyes landed on the image showing a fully-matured Gnoll. It was ghastly detailed, bewitching Percy. He couldn’t take his eyes off the Monster Card anymore.
I have a Monster Card!
Percy never expected to obtain his first Monster Card like this, but it happened. He was about to become a Cardist! A chill flushed down his spine, and goosebumps spread over his body. Percy had so many questions and doubts, but his excitement overshadowed everything – other than the noises resounding through the forest, of course.
Percy stiffened, and his happy expression turned sourer when the rustling grew louder. Something was coming.
However, instead of preparing for battle, Percy paled when he heard a giggling resound through the first.
Is that? … It doesn’t matter. I have to run!
Percy could barely contain himself anymore. He wasn’t strong enough to deal with the Archyeas, even with a Monster Card at his disposal. He was about to turn around and run back to Raewood at full speed when he glanced back at the Gnoll carcass. There was no need to think about what he was supposed to do now. Percy used [Consume] on the carcass and the Gnoll armor while rushing to the Gnoll’s blade to take it back home.
[Goods worth 328 Prosperity have been consumed.]
The Gnoll’s blade wasn’t high quality but worth a small fortune of Prosperity. According to the Ego, the Gnoll’s blade was twice as expensive as the iron dagger, which had already been upgraded to its limit using Prosperity.
The Gnoll’s blade was a scimitar. It had only one sharp edge and a pronounced curve, which made it more effective for slashing than the Gnoll’s claws. If the blade hadn’t been forged by a rookie of his work, Percy would have been impressed. However, the Gnoll’s blade wasn’t memorable for anything other than the material used to forge it. Percy didn’t recognize the material, but it had to be valuable if his Ego offered hundreds of Prosperity to [Consume] it.
He considered consuming the blade but changed his opinion in a split second. Now wasn’t the time to decide what to do with his spoils. Percy forced his mind shut to stop overthinking and dashed through the forest. His mana stirred and pushed through his body in a swift motion. A few Berserk Rabbits appeared on his track back to Raewood, but Percy ignored them. He was faster than the little bunnies and escaped their pursuit within a few minutes.
It took a while to reach Raewood – Percy had been deeper in the little forest than expected – and he was drenched in cold sweat once he arrived at his destination. The guards eyed him weirdly but didn’t say anything. They were familiar with Percy and smiled professionally at him while waving him through the gates.
Once inside, Percy took a few deep breaths.
His hand shot to his coin pouch, where the Gnoll Monster Card was located, and a tired smile blossomed on his lips once he felt it.
Today was going to be a good day.
**
Despite his mental and physical exhaustion, Percy moved forward. He didn’t really have a significant issue with his exhaustion, but gathering his thoughts was more challenging than it used to be. So much had happened, and so many things would change that his mind was overflowing with things he had to do now and countless plans for the future. Many things were about to change.
His business at the Guildhall didn’t take long. He briefly considered telling Olivia about the Paresis Doom flowers but decided against it. If other Adventurers heard about his find, they would look for it themselves. In the worst case, they would find the flowers and die harvesting them. That wasn’t what Percy wanted.
Instead of saying anything, Percy handed the Crescent Ruby Grass's Trash and Low Quality blades to the receptionist, who updated two guild missions, completing them. Olivia gave him a small coin pouch filled with copper before he left the Guildhall to look for baker Leonhard.
Percy kept the best Crescent Ruby Grass blades for the baker, whose expression changed when he saw the bushels of ruby-colored grass. Crimson spots highlighted his cheeks, and he was about to say something to Percy – probably lecture him about the wilderness’ danger – when he noticed the youth wasn’t even listening. He was absentminded and barely registered Leonhard’s expression or the baker’s heavy sigh.
At some point, Percy left the bakery to return to the Angel’s Brew Inn. He didn’t remember anything after that.
It wasn’t even sunup when he woke up. Unfortunately, his grumbling stomach didn’t care about his sleep and wanted to be fed.
You will never be satisfied, will you?
He tapped his belly and glanced at a small pouch. Snippets of memories resurfaced. Baker Leonhard gifted Percy a small batch of his newest creations before leaving the bakery. The timing was perfect. It was almost too good to be true.
Percy pounced at the pouch, opened it quickly, and found a batch of disk-shaped snacks. He stared at the disks for a while, unsure what to expect. The disks weren’t cookies, and they were hard. But Percy had yet to find a snack he disliked. Everything in Leonhard’s bakery was tasty!
He munched on one of the disks and was surprised to find a syrupy substance inside them. It was extremely sweet, yet oddly enough, it wasn’t too sweet. Percy finished one sweet disk after another until nothing was left. His stomach had been silenced!
Once his stomach was no longer a problem, Percy retrieved his spoils.
There is not much I can do with more than 100 copper coins, but the Gnoll’s blade and the Monster Card are handy. 1748 Prosperity is also enough to apply one or two enchantments on my armor or the Gnoll’s blade. But what about the Monster Card?
Percy inspected the Monster Card in detail and focused on the empty text underneath the Gnoll’s image. A different type of interface popped up before him. It was an interface that didn’t belong to his Ego.
[Gnoll – Healthy]
[Potential: Common ⭐⭐]
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
[Augmentation]
[None]
Even though he didn’t expect the Gnoll to have a special Augment, Percy was a little sad. It would have been great if he found a special Monster Card. But that was something his Ego could solve pretty easily.
His Ego was activated, conjuring tens of silverish-golden threads around the Monster Card. Some threads connected to the Gnoll’s image, while others linked with the empty descriptions. Percy willed his Ego to follow his command with some effort. He infused the silverish-golden threads into his interface, changing it slowly.
Information popped up before him as understanding dawned upon him.
[Gnoll – Healthy]
[Potential: Common ⭐⭐⭐]
[Augmentation]
[None]
[Blade Mastery⭐⭐]
[A Hunter’s Smell⭐]
[Minor Strength Boost⭐]
Several silverish-golden threads had fused into the Monster Card without changing anything, but the scenery before his eyes was pleasant enough to look at. He considered using his Prosperity to experiment with the Augmentations and the Potential but noticed quickly that he didn’t have enough Prosperity. Percy had acquired a sixth sense which revolved around his Ego. The sixth sense gave him hints of what he could do and wasn’t capable of just yet.
Unfortunately, for now, upgrading the Monster Card’s potential or adding any enhancements wasn’t possible.
Percy was happy nonetheless. The possibility of adding Augmentations would transform the Monster Card into a special Monster Card – a Card that grants the Cardist unique powers. It was similar in the town healer’s case. She’d summoned a sheep while conjuring a healing spell in a desperate attempt to rescue her husband.
The healer was a Cardist, and the sheep was one of her Monster Cards. It was a special Monster Card with a rare Healing Augmentation, transforming the Cardist into a full-fledged healer with magical abilities.
Percy could acquire similar powers now that he possessed a Monster Card. But first, he had to become a proper Cardist.
The Monster Card had to be bound to him first.
What did the books say again? Cardists store their Cards in their hearts to draw their power and summon them. That means…I have to push it into my heart?
Percy imagined tearing his chest open to press the Card into his chest and flinched. That was probably not how it worked.
He glanced at the Monster Card for a while and shrugged before pressing the Card against his naked chest. The mana within the Monster Card stirred when it came in contact with his chest. It reached out for the mana inside Percy, which surged toward the Card instantaneously.
The temperature around his chest rose slowly but steadily until Percy groaned in pain. However, he didn’t remove the Card. It hurt, but the pain felt correct. The pain felt natural and like it was supposed to be there. Percy closed his eyes and endured the pain without stopping to circulate mana through his chest to cool the fiery heat.
It was unknown how much time had passed, but the slowly rising sun and its bright rays illuminating his room indicated it had been a while. His entire body was drenched in sweat, which wasn’t uncommon for Percy at this point. He ignored the sweat and looked down at his chest, where he found an image of the Monster Card instead. His hand hovered above the image that had been engraved into his chest. It was the head of a Gnoll – eerily black – etched into his chest.
“Is it supposed to be like that?” Percy wondered, calling his interface.
『Percy 』
[Ego – Coin of Prosperity]
[Tier] – [Mortal-6]
—
[Gnoll(Common –⭐⭐ ) – [None]]
『Coin of Prosperity』
Prosperity: 1748
➛Consume
“It worked.”
The situation worked out in his favor. Even if there was no Augmentation to the Monster Card, a Gnoll was a powerful ally, especially for an upstart Adventurer like Percy. He rubbed the engraving on his chest and felt something stir within him when his finger trailed the mark. The corner of his eyes curled up, sensing his mana resonate with the Monster Card inside him.
He had some questions but discarded them before they could torment his mind. Maybe it would be important to find out how Monster Cards could enter a Gifted One’s body. However, one thing was for sure. It wasn’t of utmost importance right now. Learning how to use his Monster Card was more important.
He closed his eyes and willed his mana toward the Monster Card. The Card responded to his will and disappeared. Percy’s eyes shot open with a dangerous flash. The Gnoll Monster Card emerged before him and dispersed into countless mots of light at his will. The mots spread in all directions, but not for long as a strong suctioning force pulled them toward a single spot. The mots collided, clashed, and amassed before taking form.
A full-fledged adult Gnoll appeared next to Percy, sending shivers down his spine.
The hyena-headed humanoid looked like a perfect replica of the despaired Gnoll he’d killed. It was creepy…yet exhilarating.
Noticing Percy’s intense stare, the Gnoll turned to him. Percy didn’t expect the sudden move and retreated. He fell over the edge of his bed and bumped his head falling into the wall.
A groan escaped his lips, but he regained his senses momentarily. His eyes dared to the Gnoll, who had yet to move. It stared at him, waiting.
“Turn around.” Percy blurted out, and the monster turned around.
“Look at me.”
The Gnoll turned back to Percy and looked at him.
“Do you remember who you are?”
The Gnoll tilted its head.
“Are you strong?”
It nodded.
“As strong as you used to be?”
Once again, the Gnoll tilted its head. A few seconds passed before it reacted adequately. The Gnoll shook its head.
Percy tried ignoring his aching head and the goosebumps all over his body as he tested a few things. He cut the Gnoll lightly with the iron dagger, observing the creature’s reaction. When nothing happened, Percy continued and tested how far he could go. There had to be a limit to his commands and the monster’s intelligence. Percy looked out for those limitations.
Time passed slowly, and the sun rose high above the horizon, but Percy came to a final verdict.
It’s just like the books say. Monsters summoned through Cards are weaker than the norm. They’re not as intelligent as they used to be, but the Gnoll’s innate bloodthirstiness doesn’t exist anymore, either. Or is it still as bloodthirsty as before but not directed at me anymore? I’m registered as its master, and it has to do everything I order it.
They are nothing more than puppets formed from a monster’s essence. But is it really that simple?
Percy shrugged again. The probability of a Monster Card forming was pitifully low. That was also why Cardists were rare and how Percy knew so little about them.
Come to think of it, I don’t know a single Cardist other than that healer. Or…maybe there are a bunch of Cardists, but they’re keeping their Cards hidden?
It would make sense to hide their Card. Not only was a Monster Card a powerful trump, but the likelihood of procuring a Monster Card from slaying a Cardist was also significantly higher than the drop rate of a Monster Card when hunting monsters.
Percy didn’t want to turn himself into a target of greed and envy, but he was curious.
“If my Ego says the Gnoll is worth 25,000 Prosperity…how much would Erdwin offer?”