Chapter 192: Mystery and Future
I accessed the status, and immediately a notification appeared.
[You have leveled up to level 7!]
[Indra has leveled up to 5!]
[New skill has been unlocked!]
Finally! After using Indra for more than a month, it had finally reached level 5. It felt like a long time. Among all my cards, Indra was essentially my best weapon. I had grown very comfortable using it. However, after encountering several powerful foes recently, it somehow felt lacking. And this came at the right moment.
I took a look at Indra's details.
---
[Indra]
Rarity: Super Rare
Card Type: Weapon (Gunblade)
Class Compatibility: Mage-based classes
Current Level: 5/20
Indra, forged to embody the essence of pure spellfire. Every spell cast through its core doubles in ferocity, molded to the will of its master. A true weapon of arcane supremacy.
Stats:
ATK: + 75
MAG ATK: + 180
AGI: +50
INT: +110
---
Skills:
1 ) Arcane Conductor
Type: Passive
Effect: Amplifies all magic damage dealt by the wielder by 100% while Indra is equipped.
2) Arc Burst Combo
Type: Active (Physical/Magic Hybrid)
Effect: Deliver a melee slash empowered with mana, followed by a gunshot. Element of the slash and gunshot adapts to the most recently cast spell.
Cost: 55 Mana
Cooldown: 30 seconds
3) Required Level 10
4) Required Level 15
5) Required Level 20
---
Perfect! Finally, there's a skill to utilize the blade form of Indra. Up until now, I rarely used the blade form unless it was to unleash [Dash Slash]. But now, I have a more powerful skill. Plus, it is imbued with elemental damage, making it very useful with my magic based classes.
"By the way, I already opened the level up rewards without waiting for you. They're just so so anyway. You don't need to check them," Bob said.
I didn't believe him, so I checked the rewards from the level up pack anyway, which we receive every time we level up.
---
[Noise Damp Boots]
Rank: Uncommon
Type: Boots
Stats:
DEF: -10
AGI: +20
Made from enchanted dark leather that reduces footstep sounds by 40%.
Equipped: Bob
---
[Gripbound Dagger]
Rank: Uncommon
Type: Weapon - Dagger
Level: 1 / 5
Stats:
STR: +5
AGI: +35
Skills:
Lethal Precision (passive)
-slightly increases the chance of critical strikes
Equipped: Bob
---
[Ring of Shieldbearer]
Rank: Rare
Type: Accessories
Stats:
DEF: +50
HP Regen: 10 HP per second
Skills:
Shieldbearer Oath (passive)
-enhances the effect of defensive skills by 50%
Equipped: Bob
---
I took a glance at Bob. All the cards were currently equipped by him.
"What do you mean by so-so? All these cards are great. You said that just because you want to hoard all of them, right?"
"Hehe. Do you want any of them?" Bob made an annoyingly cute face.
"Not all of them have good synergy with my magic based style, so you can take them all."
Suddenly, my eyes locked onto a dark colored card in my [Cards] section.
---
[V of Cups]
Rarity: ???
Type: ???
???
---
"Another unknown card. I must have obtained it after defeating Azul. And this time, it's Cups. The last one we got from Daria was II of Wands, right?" I said as I placed both cards on the floor. Each of them emitted a faint black mist, though not as intense as when they were used by their previous owners.
"Yeah. Look, don't you see the pattern? I think they're like tarot cards. Cups and Wands. The other two must be Swords and Pentacles," Bob said.
"You know, there are seventy eight tarot cards in total. Twenty two major arcana and fifty six minor arcana. Each of them has its own meaning and interpretation, usually used by fortune tellers. Do you think we need to collect all of them?" Bob continued. Occult stuff like this was really his thing. I had some knowledge about tarot cards, but honestly, I didn't really trust this kind of thing. The future is not something that can be predicted. That's what I believe.
"Then what do these cards actually mean? From what we know, each of them has the power to transform someone into something like a demon. And both of them said their lord gave them that power. It sounds very creepy." A chill ran down my spine. "What do you think will happen if we collect all of them?"
"Maybe we'll become godlike beings?!" Bob said.
"Is that even possible? I don't think so," I protested. But somehow, my mind drifted back to the dream I had earlier. Twenty five figures floating, majestic yet menacing at the same time. Could it be related to these tarot cards? But the major arcana only has twenty two cards, not twenty five. Maybe it was something else after all.
I stored the cards away. There was no way to know anything for sure right now. For now, I just needed to be careful. If someone like Azul could become absurdly strong with only a minor arcana card, then what about someone with a major one? I shook my head and tried to push the thought aside.
"But dude! Honestly, I'm really amazed by your growth right now. The way you finished Azul with Hero Grace combined with other classes, it was epic! I'm so jealous!" Bob said.
"It's nothing. It was just a spur of the moment. I didn't really think much at that time. I just wanted to save…"
"…the princess!" Bob cut in.
"N-no! What are you talking about? Whatever, I'm going to take a shower first. It's already late." I stood up.
"Go quickly. After this, we'll plan our preparations for the tournament."
---
At that moment, in the middle of the road in front of Alan and Bob's room, several figures stood under cloaked hoods. One of them looked up toward the window of the two men's room. Under the faint light of the flame beside the road, a pair of green eyes was revealed beneath the hood.
After a while, they lowered their heads and walked away, blending into the busy street filled with people.
Like Alan said, no one can predict the future.
But one thing was certain. When this group eventually crossed paths with Alan and Bob, it would lead to an event on a scale far greater than anything the duo had ever experienced before.