Chương 37: 36. Great Lost of the Sea

Junk cards… what they lacked in usefulness they made up for in abundance. Other than the persistent rumors, no one knew the exact reason for their existence. They didn't bring penalties, like the curse cards did, nor were they particularly useful in trade. The exchange rate, for the most part, was a silver coin per card, so they weren't completely useless. In effect, they were no different from placeholders. The only value I saw in them was that I could use them to feed my divine blades instead of something better.

I sat on the stone floor to catch my breath. So far, I had gathered a total of eleven richesses, which also meant that I had killed as many Dream Snatchers. The fights were always the same: they would pull me into a lifelike dream, then suffer the consequences. At this point, I suspected that even the dream pup had gotten bored. The most annoying part was that there was no way around it. No matter what I did, I'd always faint before getting close to them. Even holding my breath didn't help.

All I could do was go through the motions and move on. Have you reached the bottom yet? Serp asked. More and more he was starting to sound like the annoying child in the back of a car.

"Probably," I replied, having no desire to argue.

"Have you always been a sword?" Huh? Where did that come from.

"You don't act like a sword," I said what was on my mind.

"Were you something else before you became a card?" We were all something else before we joined the Arcana, he replied with a mocking laugh. What's it to you, anyway? There was a pause. You thinking of trading me off?!

"No," I sighed. I had definitely walked into that one.

"I won't trade you." Not yet, at least.

"Just making conversation while I rest." Well, good! He said in a fashion that made it impossible to tell whether he was pissed or pleased. Probably a bit of both. Cause your other so-called weapons are complete crap! You won't survive five steps if you had to rely on them.

"Yeah, yeah…" So what if they could point about? I'm the real force here!

"You're definitely something." I stood up. From what I had last checked, the strongest monster in the pyramid had to be close, possibly on the floor below… if anything in the pyramid could be called a floor. Harlequin had chosen to go with the Egyptian design—chambers, traps, and tunnels. To my surprise, there were a lot fewer monsters than expected. Other than the Snatchers, I hadn't come across anything else. There were the participant bodies, of course.

From what I gathered, over ten groups had to have died exploring the pyramid. Anything of value had either long been taken, or had never existed in the first place, leaving only dry remains and tattered clothes behind. I took out my divine blades. Them again? Serp grumbled. Ignoring him, I made my way to the main shaft. After spending so long in the tunnels, it was difficult to imagine that there was an entire sea above. Even the aether light couldn't be seen.

In contrast, the chamber below appeared rather well-lit. Warm yellow light flickered, suggesting the presence of fire. The other new element was the presence of an actual floor. I left the Snatcher head on the edge. Swords in hand, I used my back and legs to continue my descent. Every few feet, I'd stop, listening for any sounds. The further I went, the more of the chamber became visible.

After all the Dream Snatchers, the line between dreams and reality had gotten somewhat blurred, but I strongly suspected the chamber to be real. For starters, it didn't have any treasure and a lot more decorative statues. I could also see part of a stone object—a tomb or altar—to one side. The tips of the divine blades moved down, nudging me to continue, eager to get their taste of blood. A few more steps down and I finally saw an enemy.

LOST OF THE SEA Level: 7 Cards: Gatekeeper Special: Echo Moves Weapon: Reverse Scimitar The monster itself was new, though everything else wasn't. The Gatekeeper was probably the most typical Chains card. It didn't focus too much on attacks, but rather on restricting the opponent's actions. Before I had been pulled into the Grand Arcana, I had gone to a few martial art classes that promised to achieve the same. The difference was that the card actually delivered on that promise.

A reverse scimitar and echo moves were the perfect complement to the skills. While I remained confident that I'd win in a direct fight, it wasn't going to be a cakewalk. As slowly and quietly as possible, I inched down to the end of the shaft. When I could go no further, I leaned forward, aiming to fall headfirst. The moment my head had come out of the opening, I pushed against the shaft wall, propelling myself forward. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Five of Rings.

I activated the card to strengthen my bones. Falling on the floor from such a height was painful, though it couldn't hold a candle to the jump I had done aboard the ship. Healing my legs as much as possible, I briskly turned around towards my opponent. At that moment, my heart stopped.

GREAT LOST OF THE SEA Level: 9 Cards: Gatekeeper, Eight of Chalice, Nine of Chalice Special: Echo Moves, Double Jointed Weapon: Twin Scimitars A tall male figure dressed in loose-fitting light blue garbs looked at me from the far end of the chamber. He was sitting on a throne of stone, eating exotic fruit—star fruit, potentially—from a large silver bowl. Ten feet from the throne stood another twelve just like him, only their clothes were a dull shade of beige. There no longer could be any doubt.

I had fallen into the real treasure room, and it was more than adequately guarded. Facing one Lost was bad enough. Having to deal with a whole bunch of them without a ranged weapon was borderline impossible. For over a second, we just stood there staring at each other. My sudden appearance had left them just as bewildered as I was. Any normal person would have entered the pyramid using the standard way. My mind raced as I searched for a solution. Running was a possibility.

The archway leading outside was unprotected. The only issue was that it was as far from me as it was from the Lost. Also, there was no telling whether there wasn't a trap there. In my experience, a chamber this large was bound to have trap sections. Even if it didn't, I wouldn't want to be sandwiched between the creatures here and those inevitably beyond the entrance. Out of nowhere, my glance fell on one of the nearby statues.

It stood there, eight feet tall, depicting something between a triton and a siren with four arms. In the past, I would have barely caught my attention. Yet, now, a single question came to mind: what if? Unlike the rest of the room, the statues were made of white marble. That guaranteed nothing, yet I would be an idiot not to check for certain. Both blades vanished from hands as I put them into the inventory. All the Lost sprang into action.

Misreading my intentions, they rushed towards the exit with the goal of blocking my escape. I, on the other hand, rushed towards the statue. Come on! Come on! Come on! I took a gold coin and pressed it against the statue.

"Silver!" it demanded.

"Feed me silver." Shit! It was nice to know that the statue would be of use, though not that it requires specifically silver. Reaching deep into my pockets, I grabbed whatever coins I felt and shoved them into it. Across the chamber, the Lost had figured out what I was up to and were dashing my way. Their movement lacked any fluidity, as if I were watching a stop-animation. Coins fell to the ground as all the gold was rejected.

"You have given me silver," the statue moved.

"Protect me!" I ordered as I ran away from the monsters. From memory, I knew that I had enough free silver for at least one more statue. Coins rattled behind me, but that was the least of my concerns. As long as I remained alive, I could always gather them later. Clinging sounds filled the air. Far faster than I expected, the statue had leaped in the Losts' path. It didn't have a weapon, but it didn't need one. Its strength, combined with its stone nature, was enough to tear one of the unfortunate attackers in two.

Several of the ones remaining attempted to wound it with their swords, but the blades bounced off with no effect. Keeping an eye on the fight, I shoved another handful of coins into the second statue. I could feel the contents of my hand lighten as most of the coins disappeared. I was just about to reach for more when the statue moved.

"Is that enough?" I asked, ready to leap away if needed. The incident of the two elephants was still in the back of my mind. If the statues in the chamber were as picky as those in the first trial, things would get a lot more complicated.

"You have given me silver," the statue announced, moving past me.

"That I did." I nodded with a mental sigh of relief. At last, things were starting to look up. Drawing out my divine blades, I focused my attention on the fight. From what I could see, three of the Lost had been ripped apart, bloody parts tossed to the floor. The first statue was engaging five more, but already the limitations were starting to show. Three of his four arms remained completely motionless as if encased in plaster.

That was the strength of the Gatekeeper card: render a person incapable of performing a specific action. No one knew exactly how the skills worked. It wasn't physical, but it wasn't magic either. A participant who had studied psychology, had floated the idea that the skill tricked a person's mind into not doing the particular action out of some deep-rooted fear. Most of the stuff he blabbered about was complete crap, though maybe he was onto something regarding this.

When I had the skill used on me, I had had to constantly come up with new strikes, since my arm refused to perform the ones I had been using up until then. With the second statue joining in, the tide turned decisively in my favor. Although more numerous, the Lost found themselves in an unwinnable situation. Two of them were instantly snatched up from the floor, then had their spines snapped. The resulting deaths freed one of the first statue's arms, which it immediately used to grab another victim by the throat.

Only five Lost remained. There were more statues in the room, allowing me to bring in more reinforcements. I decided to save my silver. Also, the statues still concerned me. When I first learned the silver trick during my last run, I had instantly tried it out on the first statue I had come across. Nothing had happened. The statue hadn't consumed my coins; it hadn't spoken, nor had it given any indication that it was anything other than a large stone decoration.

On the other side of the room, the Great Lost stood up from his throne. With the calm and authority of a sovereign, he began walking forward. A pair of marble scimitars appeared in his hands, each coated with aether threads. I could see the magical shine from here. These were no ordinary weapons. I wouldn't be surprised if they had the power to slice through stone. Twenty feet from the center of the room, he stopped and pulled his left foot back, entering an archer stance. Fucking hell!

Immediately, I drew the blades from my inventory and activated the Five of Chains. The Great Lost's blades crisscrossed as he performed a wide horizontal slash. A pair of aether threads shot forward. Propelled by the force of the strike, they sliced through flesh and stone as if they were passing through paper. In that single instant, both statues had been severed in two, along with all five of the lesser minions. The attack didn't stop there, continuing straight at me without a moment's delay.

Sparks burst in front of me as the strike came into contact with my weapons. I could feel the force pushing me back. Only thanks to the Boots of Swiftness and my reinforced bones did I manage to hold my ground. I won't let you! Using all my strength, I pushed forward. The aether threads stopped. The moment they did, the strength of the attack abruptly vanished. Thread strike, I thought as I glared at my enemy. Between us, statue and body fragments landed on the floor, clearing the room for a duel.

"Serp," I said.

"You'll still get your treats, but you're missing this fight out."