The Legendary Fool : A Deckbuilding LITRPG

Two hooded figures walked down the crowded street that led to the entrance of the Zelez Dungeon. The entrance was only one among many, but to the inhabitants of the Nameless District, it was the only one they had access to.

Tom and Aleph arrived after thoroughly restocking their supplies at the market situated on the Nameless District’s main drag. He had expected Aleph to be largely unaware of the prevalent market prices given her rather illustrious background, only to once again have his presumptions shattered. Not only was Aleph well-versed in the quality and standards of the Nameless District’s goods, but she also had enough confidence to haggle with the vendors.

While Tom largely relied on his Soul Card to assist him in the realm of subterfuge, Aleph had managed to blend in naturally, to the point where it made him wonder what kind of life she had lived before they had met.

Compared to the bustling atmosphere of the marketplace, the street they found themselves on was far more reserved. Groups composed of well-equipped individuals were dotted along the side of the road, clearly comfortable in their own cliques and not interested in socialising. The condition of their equipment left much to be desired, for Tom couldn’t spot a single item among the lot of them that could be considered new.

There were a few individuals that had chosen to obscure their gear with robes like Tom and Aleph had, but from the hushed whispers exchanged between the [Dungeoneers], a term used to refer to people who were either brave or foolhardy enough to make a living off dungeon explorations, it seemed that their decision to hide their appearances had drawn attention.

Aleph continued to walk forward unconcernedly, while Tom’s gaze flickered from group to group as he tried to assess the threat they posed. His vision was no longer limited to possible enemies in his line of sight, his extensive training with Aleph having taught him a lot more than just a single glyph; how to use the narrow terrain to his advantage by limiting his foe’s line of fire, possible avenues of escape and which [Deck Cards] were most suitable to the situation were all questions that Tom now considered before acting.

Combat awareness was something he no longer lacked.

And that same combat awareness told him that trouble was brewing as they continued walking towards the Zelez Dungeon’s entrance without paying much attention to the groups that were either adjusting their gear or discussing strategies in low tones. However, one group managed to catch his attention.

Five Dungeoneers that appeared to be in their mid-twenties followed in single file behind a middle-aged man clad in well-fitting armour. The long scar running across the bridge of his nose and the traces of filled-in claw marks raked upon his thick chestplate indicated that the de-facto leader of the group was no stranger to combat, to the point where Tom’s senses picked up a most definite threat from the man, albeit not anywhere near Aleph’s level.

What he found even more interesting was that the young Dungeoneers that trailed behind the man possessed something that the other groups lacked. There was a uniformity to their gait, a rhythm to their steps that seeped into their every movement. The way their hand was always positioned within an arm’s reach of their deck gauntlet, the guarded manner in which they walked and the similar length swords that hung at their sides all lead him to one conclusion— they were trained by the same person. It was not hard to extrapolate and conclude that the man who walked in the front was their master.

Tom was surprised that someone in the Nameless District would be willing to take on disciples, but ultimately he held nothing more than passing curiosity. No one interfered as the middle-aged man walked up to the Dungeon’s entrance and soon their entire group had descended into the depths.

‘So there’s no entry fee.’

The chatter around them seemed to intensify as they approached the Dungeon’s entrance, though their whispers remained indecipherable from afar.

Before they could even make contact with the mottled double-doors that guarded the entrance to the dungeon, a burly man that had a double-sided axe resting against his shoulder cut them off.

“Well, well, what do we have here? Two novices I’ve never seen before eager to run off to their deaths,” the burly dungeoneer sneered, his expression accurately conveying the contempt he felt for the duo.

Tom’s expression hardened, but he didn’t make any sudden movements. His gaze flickered from the brute to the dungeoneers watching from the sidelines, trying to see if he was acting alone or not.

“What’s it to you?” Tom retorted, letting his displeasure leak into his voice.

“You’re right,” The burly man replied with a shrug. “What you do with your life is none of my business. But…. surely you weren’t planning on entering the Zelez Dungeon without paying the entrance fee?” The burly man tightened his grip over his axe, his tone coming across as menacing.

‘So that’s what this is.’

Tom knew that the Nameless District was a land of opportunists and glory seekers, but blatant extortion went a little beyond his expectations.

Tom began to size the man up, intentionally exaggerating his head movements.

“Are you a Royal Knight?” Tom asked, loudly enough for all in the nearby vicinity to hear him.

“....What?” The burly man almost stumbled upon his words, clearly taken aback by the novel line of questioning.

“If you’re asking me for an entrance fee, surely you must be a Royal Knight. From my understanding of the Academic City, only Royal Knights are entrusted with such administrative tasks, after all?” A sly grin made its way onto his face as Tom pressed the burly man further, clearly having no intention to relent.

“What are you blabbering ab-,” The burly man snapped, clearly trying to change the topic forcefully.

“Oh?” Tom cocked his head mockingly. “So you’re not a Royal Knight. Guess I don’t need to hold back then.”

Before the burly man had a chance to protest, Tom outstretched his [Revenant Claw] towards the side. Three water arrows were shot out in quick succession, his target a group of three dungeoneers that had been watching the plot unfold with barely contained smiles. They were also maintaining a combat stance and their posture betrayed their intentions.

Each water arrow struck the Dungeoneers squarely in the chest, sending them crashing into the backside of a residence. Two of them seemed to faint on impact, lying among shattered wood and rubble while the third desperately tried to regain the breath knocked out of his lungs after landing upon his backside. The wooden hut naturally couldn’t sustain such an impact and a second later the whole structure collapsed onto itself.

Given that they had superhuman stats, the trio was likely fine, albeit Tom could bet that it was more than just their body that had taken a bruising.

The burly man’s expression turned to one of absolute rage and humiliation after he realised what happened. Tom had attacked without warning or any hint that he was about to resort to violence, leaving the onlookers stunned.

“You damn coward!” The burly man furiously bellowed as he brought his great-axe down, too infuriated to care about the consequences.

‘Slow and choreographed movements,’ Tom thought to himself as he sidestepped the attack.

A loud bang rang out as the greataxe bit deeply into the earth, leaving even Tom a little surprised by the sheer force behind it.

‘The weapon’s clearly too heavy for his stats. But, at least he’s not all stupid.’

The greataxe was only a diversion for the real offensive and indeed, it had done well to hide the icy blue glow emanating from the burly man’s free hand.

Tom once again pointed his [Revenant Claw] forward, sending a flame lance careening outward.

As soon as the ice shard in the brute’s hand was fully materialised, it was met by a flame lance that completely enveloped it.

“Argh!” The burly man let out an agonised cry. “My hand!” he cried again as he tried to generate more frost to cool the area of impact.

There was no hesitation in Tom’s movements as he sent an Earth Bullet crashing into the burly man’s abdomen, causing him to keel over onto the ground.

“Do you know what the punishment for impersonating a Royal Knight is?” Tom asked, his tone tinged with disgust.

The burly man met his gaze with fear in his eyes, his mind unable to puzzle together the sequence of events.

How could a newbie to the Nameless District crush an entire team by himself, without taking any damage. A thought sparked in his head, his mind making the connection with a baseless rumour he had heard a few months ago and casually dismissed. Word had it that Zakeran’s team had been wiped by a lone traveller that had come from the Noble District. Back then, he had laughed the matter off, but….

Lowering his tone to a whisper, so that only the burly man could hear him, Tom spoke,

“Death.”

A second later, the [Revenant Claw] smashed into the man’s cheek, knocking him into unconsciousness.

Silence reigned among the other Dungeoneers that were waiting to enter the Zelez Dungeon, their incessant chatter quelled by Tom’s actions.

Without exchanging any further comments, Tom and Aleph stepped inside the sixth sector of the Zelez Dungeon.