19 Mar 2321
Time 22:12
Location Sky Blossom City, Guild Association Mall, Card Lab
Origin cards are unique grade cards, unique to each cardholder based on their individuality. Therefore there is no definite recipe for creating an origin card.
Neither is there any definite ingredient for an origin card. But there is a fated ingredient that only the individual card apprentices can sense. Card apprentices can use this fated ingredient as conner stone for making their unique origin card.
Card apprentices have this supernatural sense when it comes to sensing their origin card's fated ingredient. There is this feeling in their heart when they encounter the fated ingredient that is fit for creating their origin card, A sense telling them to possess that said fated ingredient no matter what, it is just pure fate to find the fated ingredient fit for your origin card.
For Susan, her fated ingredient was a Black steel armour corset. So Susan's fated ingredient was hinting to create medieval female armour.
For some, the fated ingredient can be as simple as a cloth or a wooden sword and for some, it can be as impossible as legendary dragon bone marrow or phoenix tears.
"Okay, then what kind of origin card do you plan to create? So I can decide on the rest of the suitable ingredients."
After the fated ingredient is found, the remaining ingredient can be chosen based on the type of card you're going to create.
Thankfully Susan's fated ingredient was not some kind of legendary ingredient otherwise it would be very hard to find the ingredients that would go with it and not mention that they would be out of budget for a Sales representative salary.
"T-that... I don't know, I know that my fated ingredient is part of medieval armour but I don't want my origin card to be just a medieval armour."
I get what she was saying, everyone expects their origin card to be mystical and powerful but medieval armour doesn't fit those criteria.
"If you are not sure about what kind of card you want then how are we going to proceed with card creation?"
"Um... Do you have any ideas for my origin card?"
"Wait, do you trust someone whom you only meet twice to create your origin card?"
I thought you just want my help but now you want me to create the whole card for you. Whatever I did promise to create a card for you. Who am I kidding? she just got promoted to card apprentice in the afternoon, does she even know how to operate the Card creation page?
"Yes! I think you are a genius when it comes to card creation. So, please help me create my origin card?"
"Why are you in such a hurry to create an origin card? You just got promoted to card apprentice today."
"I am just a contract based staff in Guild association they can let go of me anytime. But recently few older staff had retired, opening few permanent spots. Earlier I wasn't eligible but now that I am a card apprentice I am eligible to apply. And having a good origin card could increase my chance of becoming a permanent staff."
Oh, I see! Wait, if she becomes a permanent staff of the guild association then her authority in the guild mall will increase and I will have a stronger ally. Seeing that my investment was already showing signs of progress I was motivated to help Susan.
"Okay then tell me your budget so I can decide on the rest of the suitable ingredients."
"900,000$"
Susan started working as a sales representative at the young age of 18 and now it has been 7 years since then and she has saved up to 400,000$ with hard work and dedication. As a contracted sales representative she was paid a bare minimum wage which is only enough to pay her apartment rent, but she was also given 1% of every sale she made.
One could only imagine how much hard work it took for her to save up to 400,000$ in 7 years after paying for her daily expenses.
As for the remaining 500,000$, her parents lent it to her by gathering money from selling their family house, taking personal loans and their savings. Their only daughter is their everything and they would endure any amount of hardship to see her succeed.
So, Susan had a lot riding on this one card. She couldn't call for professional help because she could barely afford the price of the remaining ingredients let alone hundreds of thousands of dollars for professional help.
Susan's years of experience as a sales representative and her woman's intuition told her that this teenager in front of her isn't simple, it was more than him being able to contract a silver grimoire. It was his eyes, they seemed to contain years of experience and wisdom.
Susan wasn't afraid of hardship, what she was really afraid of was not being able to climb higher because she is too afraid of losing what she had. Therefore without any further hesitation, she decided to bet on her intuition and experience by trusting the teenager no! the young man in front of her.
"Okay, that's not bad. Thankfully black steel is not costly so no worries. Let me think." hearing Susan's budget for her origin card, for some reason I felt guilty for spending almost 1,200,000 to creating an E rank card, is this what they call rich man's guilt but I am not rich!.
As I began musing many fantasy armours from my previous world's anime, manga, games came to my mind. Now all I had to do is to see if the materials in this world could be used to create any one of those armours within Susan's budget.
One armour fit the bill, it was an armour that would devour other armour to replicate the devoured armour's ability. This armour was tricky to use as its power depends upon the armour it had devoured. it had a lot of potential in right hands, I wonder Susan's hands is it.