SHUFFLE OF FATE: A Deckbuilding LitRPG
CHAPTER 5: BAD LUCK
Confidence is a dangerous drug. And right now, Kai was overdosing on it.
He strode through the cavern, twirling the rusted dagger card between his fingers like a poker chip. He had defeated a Level 3 Rat. He had outsmarted three Goblins. He felt unstoppable.
"The system isn't so hard," Kai mused. "You just need to know how to play the game."
The tunnel opened up into a wide, subterranean lake. Dark water lapped against the rocky shore. In the center of the path, blocking the way forward, slept a massive creature.
It looked like a boulder, until it moved.
**[Rock-Shell Turtle]**
**[Level: 4]**
**[Status: Sleeping]**
**[Passive: Heavy Armor (Reduces physical damage by 80%)]**
Kai stopped. He analyzed the enemy.
"High defense," Kai whispered. "My rusted dagger will just bounce off that shell. The rat can't bite through stone. And my Flashbang is still on cooldown for..." he checked, "...three minutes."
A smart player would sneak past. Or wait.
But Kai looked at his Aether bar: **7/12**.
He looked at the **[Wildcard]** in his deck.
"Why sneak when I can blast it?" Kai grinned. "Last time, it gave me a Magma Greatsword. If I get that again, I can turn this turtle into soup."
He stepped forward, raising his hand. The element of surprise was on his side.
"Wakey wakey, eggs and bakey," Kai announced.
He activated the **[Wildcard]**.
The familiar glitch effect tore through the air. Neon pixels swirled. The sound of digital static filled the cave. Kai braced himself for the weight of a legendary weapon. He was ready for a bazooka. A lightning bolt. A warhammer.
The light faded.
Kai stared at the object in his hand.
It was a colorful, cardboard tube with a string hanging from the bottom.
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[Card Generated: Party Popper]
[Rarity: Trash (Joke Item)]
[Damage: 0]
[Effect: Celebrates the moment.]
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Kai froze. "You... you have to be kidding me."
The Rock-Shell Turtle opened one yellow eye. It stared at Kai. It stared at the cardboard tube.
Kai pulled the string.
*Pop.*
A pathetic puff of smoke and a stream of colorful paper confetti shot out, drifting gently down onto the Turtle's nose. A tiny, sad whistle sound echoed in the massive cave.
*Fweeee...*
The Turtle blinked. It looked at the confetti on its nose. Then it looked at Kai.
It let out a roar that shook the stalactites above.
**[Combat Started!]**
"Run!" Kai screamed.
The Turtle was surprisingly fast. It retracted its head and limbs, spinning its shell like a bowling ball, and charged.
Kai dove to the right. The spinning shell smashed into the wall where he had been standing a second ago, shattering stone into shrapnel.
"Stupid RNG! Stupid system!" Kai yelled, scrambling to his feet.
He summoned his **[Rusted Dagger]**. He slashed at the Turtle's passing leg.
*Clang.*
**[Damage: 1 (Blocked)]**
"It's like hitting a tank with a toothpick!"
The Turtle spun around for another charge. Kai was backed against the dark lake. He had 5 Aether left. Flashbang was still cooling down. Wildcard had just wasted his mana for a joke.
He had to use his brain.
"Think, Kai. Heavy armor. High defense. What's the weakness?"
He looked at the spinning shell. It was heavy. Momentum was its weapon, but also its enemy.
Kai looked at the lake. Then he looked at his **[Scavenger Rat]** card.
"I hope rats can swim," Kai muttered.
He summoned the Rat. "Go! Stand by the water's edge! Make noise!"
The Rat materialized and squeaked loudly, dancing near the slippery shoreline.
The Turtle saw the new target. It revved up its spin, ignoring Kai, and aimed straight for the annoying rodent. It launched itself like a cannonball.
"Now!" Kai shouted. "Unsummon!"
At the very last second, before impact, Kai dismissed the Rat card. The summon vanished into thin air.
The Turtle hit nothing but air.
Unable to stop its momentum on the slick moss, the massive spinning shell slid past the target area and plunged straight into the dark lake.
*SPLASH!*
The heavy rock shell dragged it down instantly. Bubbles rose to the surface as the creature thrashed, too heavy to swim, sinking into the depths.
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[Enemy Defeated: Rock-Shell Turtle (Drowned)]
[EXP Gained: +60]
[Loot: none (Body unrecoverable)]
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Kai collapsed on the shore, panting. Confetti was still stuck in his hair.
He looked at the [Wildcard] in his interface.
"Never again," Kai swore. "I am never trusting you again."
The Wildcard icon seemed to glitch, blinking innocently.
Kai checked his status. He was exhausted, he had wasted mana, and he almost died because of a party pooper.
"I need a real spell," Kai grunted, standing up. "I can't keep relying on luck and gravity."
He turned away from the lake. Ahead, the cave narrowed into a finished corridor. He could see ancient brickwork.
And on the wall, carved in common tongue, was a warning:
**"AHEAD: THE GAUNTLET. TURN BACK OR FEED THE SPIDERS."**
Kai gripped his rusted dagger. "Spiders," he groaned. "Why does it always have to be spiders?"