Chapter 76: The Noble
The speed of drawing cards was very fast. After more than ten minutes, Ian lay on the bed, turned over, and then desperately banged his head against the pillow.
It wasn't out of excitement, but regret!
Ten consecutive draws wouldn't yield a five-star card. Getting a complete four-star orange card was already the best possible outcome. So, after drawing Yasuo's card, Ian thought his luck had finally turned, and he wanted to seize the moment for another round.
And what was the final result?
For others, a single draw could create a miracle, while ten consecutive draws could ruin a life. But for him, even a single draw couldn't produce a miracle, and ten consecutive draws directly turned him into a pauper!
A total of 29 ten-draw sessions, meaning 290 draw opportunities. Everything he obtained was summarized as follows: Breakthrough Stones x860, Breakthrough Stones x710, Refined Iron x225, Magic Crystals x182. Together, they synthesized four pieces of equipment, just enough to complete the Knight Set and equip it on Yasuo's card.
Beyond that, the complete cards he obtained were eleven in total: Yasuo (four-star, from League of Legends), one Dong Zhang (three-star, from The King of Fighters), one Suiseiseki (three-star, from Rozen Maiden). These three were the only ones at three-star level or above; the remaining eight were all two-star cards.
Of course, that wasn't all. Ian also drew quite a few card fragments of various star levels. Among them, the ones that caught his attention the most were the cards from League of Legends.
Ian had known for a long time that ten consecutive draws could yield four-star card fragments. But across so many draws, he noticed that characters from League of Legends appeared quite frequently, and all of them were at the four-star level!
He asked the system and learned that, because they came from a competitive game, cards at Yasuo's level were all four-star without exception. This series of cards had no five-star, no one-, two-, or three-star, and no bond attributes. Their growth attributes were slightly higher than other four-star card series as compensation.
After so many draws, the only card he could actually use was one. The Dong Zhang card was a physical combat card, requiring corresponding physical combat skill levels to use its many techniques. The Suiseiseki card required psychic skills, and specifically advanced psychic skills!
As for the exclusive treasure fragments Ian wanted, quite a few had appeared, but they were all scattered here and there, impossible to piece together and synthesize.
This was why he was so frustrated he wanted to bang his head against the wall. Twenty-seven million Berry, and in the end, all he got was this miscellaneous pile of junk. This damn system was practically devouring people without spitting out the bones! At this rate, if he wanted to upgrade all his cards into a luxurious five-star deck, he'd probably have to sink several billion Berry into it!
Having system assistance was a good thing, but having bad luck in drawing good items was a huge problem.
After venting for a while, Ian dejectedly asked the system, "Hey, since there's a card shop, is there an exclusive treasure shop? Relying on draws like this, when will I ever get high-level exclusive treasures?"
However, the system replied, "There is no exclusive treasure shop, but exclusive treasures can be swapped."
Ian was stunned. This was the first time he'd heard the system say this. He hadn't found an exclusive treasure shop in the system interface before, and the system wouldn't answer unless asked. So Ian had always assumed there wasn't one. If it weren't for the issue with the Sword Saint Longsword this time and his failure to piece together any exclusive treasures from draws, he wouldn't have thought to ask this question.
Cursing the system inwardly a few times, Ian asked curiously, "How does this swapping work?"
"Swapping exclusive treasures of the same star level costs 5,000 diamonds each time!" the system replied. "Swapping for a higher star level costs 50,000 diamonds each time. The result of each swap is random."
"..." Ian was speechless for a moment. Damn it, no matter how you put it, you're eyeing the over 19 million Berry I still have left, aren't you?
50,000 diamonds for one swap, and the result is random. Can you be any more of a scam!?
Ian hesitated for a long time but finally gritted his teeth and decided to give it a try. Logically speaking, the Sword Saint Longsword only had a small dent, which wouldn't affect its use. But this damage to the weapon had given Ian a warning.
Arlong's single Water Shot could damage his weapon. Once he entered the Grand Line, there would be plenty of people far stronger than Arlong. And since Ian specialized in swordsmanship, with all his skills and abilities focused on his sword, if he continued using the three-star Sword Saint Longsword and it got completely destroyed like Tashigi's sword someday, he'd be in serious trouble.
So, either he didn't swap, or he swapped for something better.
He then opened his inventory, took out the remaining 19 million Berry, and recharged it all. Including the system's bonus, he obtained over 100,000 diamonds, just enough for two swaps.
When he confirmed the high-level swap, the Sword Saint Longsword in his mind turned into a beam of light and disappeared. At the same time, the longsword in his hand vanished as well.
A moment later, a new weapon appeared.
The moment he saw the weapon, Ian felt terrible. It was actually a long spear!
From Dynasty Warriors, Zhao Yun's signature weapon, the four-star Dragon Gall Spear!
Oh my god, completely unusable!
Ian finally realized what the system meant by "random." There were countless characters in the card library. Aside from those without exclusive treasures, there were still many characters who had them. Swapping randomly among so many exclusive treasures could yield any kind of weapon.
One more try! Ian gritted his teeth and chose to swap again. If no suitable weapon appeared this time, he'd have to make do with any ordinary sword for a while.
But just as the second flash of light faded, Ian stared in shock at the newly appeared exclusive treasure.
A sword! It was actually a sword!?
It was a sword (or katana) with very smooth lines. The hilt was white, the guard was ordinary, but the blade emitted a dazzling silver-white light. This was the first time Ian had seen a weapon that felt cold and sharp just by looking at it. The metallic chill wasn't something any ordinary blade could possess.
Instantly, Ian felt this wasn't an ordinary weapon. Sure enough, when he examined it closely, he discovered it was the Enma Sword!
Card Vergil's Exclusive Treasure
Level: Four-star, Upgradeable
Strength: 80
Speed: 120
Destructive Power: 40%
Getting this result on the second swap wasn't entirely due to Ian's luck. Swords were, after all, mainstream weapons, so the chance of randomly getting one was quite high. Still, Ian was very pleased. At least he wouldn't have to embarrassingly use an ordinary weapon anymore.
When Ian equipped the Enma Sword, it materialized in his hand. It was about 1.3 meters long, very comfortable for Ian, and extremely light—almost weightless in his hand. It came with a sheath, finally freeing Ian from the awkwardness of having to carry the Sword Saint Longsword on his back. He could now hold the weapon in his hand anytime, anywhere.
Drawing the blade, a dazzling flash of sword light instantly spread through the room. Though it was just a brief glint, Ian could feel its aura. He gently swung the sword, and the blade grazed the bedside lamp. With a snap, the solid wood lamp stand was cut cleanly and fell off.
Ian's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at the smooth cut. Was this sword really that sharp!? He felt like he hadn't used any force at all, so how did it achieve this effect?
It was completely different from the Sword Saint Longsword. That sword emphasized weight, suitable for heavy slashing. But the Enma Sword was different. Its light, agile blade had little weight, so to achieve better destructive power, its sharpness was naturally higher.
Standing by the bed, Ian tried using Yasuo's Wind Wall skill. The Enma Sword in his hand instantly left its sheath, sending an arc of light forward. The next second, an invisible wall of wind appeared. The powerful gusts sent all the scattered items in Ian's room tumbling down.
Hearing the commotion, the maid outside hesitated for a moment before opening Ian's door to check. She saw his room in complete disarray.
She stood dumbfounded at the door, unsure of what had happened. Ian had already sheathed his sword and said to her, "It's nothing. Come tidy up tomorrow morning."
Watching the maid close the door and leave, Ian frowned.
He had tested the Wind Wall and could use it, but for some reason, it felt a bit awkward.
Yasuo's card's Wind Wall required Expert-level Swordsmanship but didn't demand any psychic skill level. At first, Ian didn't notice any issues. But after using the move, he realized it didn't consume any psychic power at all. The swirling wind was purely created by unique sword techniques!
This was truly astonishing. Achieving this with just sword techniques alone? Before witnessing it, Ian couldn't have imagined it.
It was only then that Ian fully understood. His breakthrough to Expert-level Swordsmanship had actually been driven by his psychic energy. It didn't mean his swordsmanship had truly reached the expert level.
A swordsman, a true swordsman, must achieve effects through pure sword techniques that would normally require psychic power. Only then could they be called a swordsman.
It seemed he couldn't slack off on his sword practice from now on.
Interrupted by the maid, Ian couldn't continue testing. The room looked like it had been hit by a gale, a complete mess. Ian thought about tidying up but decided against it. He was about to sleep anyway, and as long as the bed wasn't messy, it was fine...
The next morning, Ian woke up. It was around five or six o'clock. After washing up, he went to the deck to train.
But when he got to the deck, he found the merchant crew already untying the ropes and raising the anchor, preparing to set sail.
The ship's captain, Bill, was standing on the deck, smoking a pipe and directing the sailors. Ian walked over and asked, "Leaving this early?"
"Of course!" Bill smiled at him. "We might be delayed for a while at the entrance to the Grand Line, so it's better to head out early."
Ian was a bit puzzled but didn't ask further. He left navigation to the experienced crew. His job was just to ensure the ship's safety.
The deck was crowded, so Ian had no space to train. He stood by the railing, watching other merchant ships busy at the dock. Just then, a well-dressed, flamboyant man boarded Ian's ship. Seeing Ian idling around, the man immediately shouted, "Damn it! Are you slacking off? Get to work! Do you think I hired you to stand around like this!?"
Ian looked at the man in confusion. He had a cane in his hand and a tall top hat on his head, looking every bit like a noble. But he had no manners at all, pointing at Ian and cursing, spittle flying everywhere.
"Do you have a problem?" Ian frowned at him. "I'm not a sailor. What work do I have to do!?"
The noble-looking man was taken aback. Captain Bill, hearing the commotion, quickly came over to explain, "Mr. Roland Gale, you might be mistaken. This young man is our ship's guard, not a sailor."
Hearing this, Roland Gale snorted and said, "Even if he's not a sailor, how did you hire him? A young kid like this—what ability does he have to be a guard? Are you entrusting my safety to someone like him?"
"No, no!" Bill quickly said. "There are other guards on the ship, not just him."
"That's more like it!" Roland Gale snorted, tapped his cane on the deck, boarded the ship without acknowledging anyone, and went straight to his cabin.
After he left, Ian asked Bill with a displeased expression, "Who's that guy? Why's he so irritable so early in the morning?"
Bill smiled bitterly and said, "He's a noble from the Goa Kingdom. Three of the ships in this merchant fleet belong to his company. This is his company's first voyage to the Grand Line, so he's worried and wants to come along to see for himself. You know how it is—the Goa Kingdom always produces these arrogant types."