SHUFFLE OF FATE: A Deckbuilding LitRPG
CHAPTER 11: THE SLUMS OF SECTOR 7
The city of Aethelgard was not a paradise. It was a machine, and Sector 7 was its exhaust pipe.
Kai walked through the muddy streets, his hood pulled low to hide his face. The noise was overwhelming. Street vendors shouted prices for grilled rat-meat skewers, blacksmiths hammered on cheap iron, and drunks sang off-key songs outside dilapidated taverns.
Above it all, casting a permanent shadow over the slums, loomed The Spire.
It was beautiful and cruel. The floating islands orbiting the upper levels glittered with magic lights. Up there, High Deckholders drank wine that cost more than a human life. Down here, people stabbed each other for a copper coin.
"Watch it, trash!"
A large man shoulder-checked Kai, nearly knocking him into a puddle of sewage. The man wore a badge of a local gang and had a glowing [Strength Buff] active.
Kai didn't fight back. He kept walking. He was Level 5, but in this city, a level meant nothing without money or connections.
He needed coin. Fast.
He found what he was looking for in a narrow alleyway: a shop with a sign depicting a cracked shield. **"Varg's Trading Post - We Buy Anything."**
The bell chimed as Kai stepped inside. The shop smelled of rust and old paper. Behind a caged counter sat Varg, a balding man with a mechanical eye that whirred as it zoomed in on Kai.
"We're closed for beggars," Varg grunted, not looking up from his ledger.
Kai didn't speak. He reached into his inventory—a mental space expanded by the System—and pulled out a massive, severed spider leg.
He slammed the black, chitinous limb onto the counter. It was still dripping with green ichor.
*THUD.*
Varg stopped writing. His mechanical eye spun, scanning the object.
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[Item: Leg of the Iron-Weaver]
[Material Grade: High Quality]
[Uses: Armor crafting, Poison extraction.]
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"Iron-Weaver," Varg whistled, his tone changing instantly. "Nasty business. Did you scavenge this from a dead party?"
"I hunted it," Kai lied. Technically true, but he wasn't going to admit he did it solo.
"Sure you did, kid," Varg sneered. He poked the leg with a pen. "It's damaged. The joint is cracked. And the venom sac is leaking."
"It's worth 300 coins," Kai stated, remembering the prices Silas mentioned in his journal.
Varg laughed. It was a dry, wheezing sound. "300? In the Spire, maybe. Down here? The Iron Guild takes a 40% tax. Then I have overhead. Then there's the 'cleaning fee'..."
Varg tapped his fingers on the counter. "75 coins. Take it or leave it."
Kai clenched his jaw. It was robbery. He knew it, and Varg knew it. But Kai couldn't go to the official Guild Exchange without a license.
"150," Kai countered.
"100. And I'll throw in a loaf of bread that isn't moldy."
Kai stared at the merchant. He wanted to summon his deck. He wanted to use [Silk Binding] to tie this greaseball to the ceiling. But that would bring the guards.
"Fine," Kai spat. "100."
Varg smirked. He counted out a small pile of dull copper and silver coins.
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[Trade Complete]
[Currency Obtained: 100 Aethel Coins]
[Current Balance: 100 AC]
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Kai swept the coins into his pocket and walked out. He felt dirtier than he had in the spider's nest.
With money in his pocket, Kai headed to the market district. His stomach growled, reminding him he hadn't eaten real food in days, but he had a priority.
"I need a weapon," Kai muttered. "My rusted dagger is dust. I can't fight with just a rat and a flashbang."
He approached a weapon stall. The merchant here was selling Battle Cards—cards that summoned physical weapons.
"Looking for steel?" the merchant asked. "I got swords, axes, maces."
Kai pointed to a basic card.
**[Standard Iron Sword]**
**[Damage: 10]**
**[Durability: 50/50]**
"How much?" Kai asked.
"For that beauty? 500 Coins."
Kai's heart sank. "500? It's a Common card!"
"Steel is expensive, kid. If you're broke, check the bargain bin."
The merchant pointed to a crate filled with dusty, bent cards. Kai rummaged through them.
* **[Broken Ladle]** - 5 Coins.
* **[Wooden Training Sword]** - 20 Coins.
* **[Bone Shiv]** - 150 Coins.
Kai picked up the **[Bone Shiv]**.
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[Card: Bone Shiv]
[Rarity: Common]
[Damage: 5]
[Effect: Life Steal (Heals user for 1 HP on hit)]
[Durability: 20/20]
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It was weak. The damage was half of a sword. But the *Life Steal* effect was interesting.
"150," the merchant said. "Firm price."
Kai looked at his 100 coins. He was short. He couldn't even afford the trash weapon.
He put the card back.
"I'll be back," Kai said quietly.
He walked away from the market, frustration boiling in his chest. He survived a boss fight. He survived the tutorial. But he couldn't survive the economy.
He needed a job.
He stopped in front of a large wooden building with a sign depicting two crossed swords.
**THE MERCENARY GUILD - SECTOR 7 BRANCH**
A crowd of rough-looking adventurers was gathered outside, smoking and boasting about their hunts.
Kai pulled his hood tighter. If he wanted legal money, he needed a license. And to get a license, he had to pass the exam.
"Time to get employed," Kai whispered.
He pushed open the guild doors and stepped into the noise.