Unmoving bodies were sprawled all over the concrete street. Blood flowed through the numerous cracks in the street like tiny streams, painting the road red. Intestines and broken, mutilated body parts could be found in every corner of the street.

Xavier could even find a bunch of body parts hanging down from a tree. It was not a spooky Halloween decoration, but it certainly looked like it.

The hunters were breathing heavily after the battle but it was not yet over.. Everyone decided to invest their Soul Essences into the Foundation Star of Energy to increase their Stamina and Energy as much as possible.

Xavier didn't have to do that just yet. He didn't use as much Stamina and Energy as the others. His Foundation Star of Energy was already at the Novice rank unlike the hunters and Leyla. They were about to reach the Novice rank but none of them looked like their Foundation was upgraded from Inferior to Novice.

Leyla grasped her chest tightly, sweat pouring down her temples like crazy. He wondered what was going on with her. Leyla’s face turned red and her breathing grew rougher with every passing second. Her body temperature increased and it looked like her skin was exuding smoke.

Upgrading her Foundation of Energy should cool her body, not turn her into a living torch. Did Leyla upgrade two Foundation Stars simultaneously?

It looked like Leyla was trying to upgrade multiple Foundation Stars simultaneously to allow her to integrate more Soul Essences into the Foundation Stars later. Xavier and the others talked about this for quite a while before they departed. Xavier shared his experiences of upgrading the Foundation Stars to the Novice rank in great detail.

Upgrading his Vitality and Strength had been the most painful. Energy was rather cooling, but also painful in the area of his abdomen. Dexterity hurt his wrists and lower arms the most, and Agility made him immobile for an hour. However, the most important aspect was that upgrading Foundation Stars was easier to endure, the stronger your Foundation.

Xavier noticed that clearly when he upgraded the Foundation Star of Dexterity. He expected it to be worse, but the upgrade was completed rather quickly and without leaving a sour aftertaste. He was not negatively affected in the slightest. If anything, Xavier quickly adapted to the changes in his body.

That is also why he hoped that the hunters could upgrade as many Foundation Stars as possible in the next few hours. They had to be as strong as Goblin Warriors – preferably stronger…a lot stronger – if they wanted to deal with the Monster Gate.

Xavier was not an exception to that. He had to grow much stronger.

Integrate five Soul Essences into the Star of Wisdom. Y/N?

He agreed to the integration of five Soul Essences and waited for the upgrade to start. Wisdom was upgraded to 9/10, missing only a single Soul Essence to upgrade it to the Novice rank. But that was fine. Xavier wanted to experience the ‘normal’ upgrade of integrating Soul Essences into the Star of Wisdom first.

Xavier’s eyes dilated as the integration began. A throbbing pain spread through his brain as the changes took place. It felt like something invaded his brain and began to forcefully start moving things around. Xavier could tell that nothing like that was happening in his brain through his perception, but the sensation was weird. What was going on?

The pain in his head didn’t stop Xavier from thinking and thinking and…thinking. On the contrary, his thinking process accelerated as the throbbing pain intensified. He groaned in pain and started to analyze his situation at a shocking speed, surprising himself.

The Foundation Star of Wisdom shouldn’t be directly related to intelligence. However, it might influence one’s intelligence by unlocking or expanding the utility of the brain. If the entire apocalypse follows the principles of a messed up game, Wisdom should be related to quick thinking and the ability to memorize something.

It won’t be directly related to intelligence but there might be a somewhat passive and subtle connection. It reflects my insights and the ability to make wise decisions…probably? I can also detect more hidden information by observing others…and the energy coursing through me feels easier to perceive. I can perceive the surrounding energy much better now as well. That is great!

Xavier regretted not upgrading his Wisdom Star much earlier. He used Air Bullets three times in quick succession and released the Air Bullets around him.

The Air Bullets were still as fast and destructive as before but Xavier had a much easier time conjuring and releasing the Air Bullets in the blink of an eye. His cognitive abilities seemed to be increasing significantly.

The throbbing pain in his head eased up after some time, however, his brain was still rattling like crazy. Numerous thoughts flashed through his head, followed by two notifications that appeared in front of him once again.

Goblin Warrior has been slain. +3 Soul Essence +1 Common Card

Bonus Mission 1 –Exterminate 200 Goblins– has been completed. Rewards can be collected at any time!

While the first message was something Xavier had seen already, the latter was something he missed noticing earlier.

“Collect rewards,” Xavier mumbled, hoping that a reward would manifest in front of him.

However, nothing happened at first.

Xavier gave it a shrug and collected the Common Card that had dropped from the Goblin Warrior. In the meantime, the hunters searched the Goblins for Common Card Shards. A single Common Card could change their combat prowess drastically.

Sharpness

Common - Level 1(0%)

Weapon Enhancement

Active

Requires Energy to be used

Effect – Sharpens your Weapon

Sharpness’ potency depends on the Weapon Material

–

Degree of Sharpness adjusts to Card Level

Energy Consumption decreases according to Card Level

“Ohoo,” Xavier murmured once he was done reading through the Card’s information. He was not sure how great Sharpness’ effect was but he imagined cutting through a Goblin Warrior’s hide, flesh and bones with a single strike using Sharpness and the ruby katana.

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The ruby katana was forged using a very unique material. It could cut through a Goblin Warrior without having to use a Card to amplify its power. Applying Sharpness onto the ruby katana would turn it into an even more terrifying weapon than it was already.

Xavier’s hands moved subconsciously and before he registered what happened the Common Card disappeared inside his Card Deck.

Weapon Enhancement Card has been linked to your Deck. Please prepare yourself for the Influx of Information!

A stream of information entered Xavier’s mind, telling him about the basic utilization of Sharpness. The information included a rough indicator of its strength and how much energy it would consume. It was not much, but more than enough to start working with.

Just as the influx of information stopped, Xavier noticed a speck of light in front of him. The speck of light was radiant and expanded rapidly. Xavier’s energy stirred as he looked straight at the radiant light. His eyes didn’t hurt, but he instinctively closed his eyes nonetheless.

Was there something?

Xavier was pretty sure he saw something within the radiant light. He stretched his hands out and grasped something; a Card.

Despite being surrounded by bright light the card did not burn his fingers when he reached for it. In fact, the Card was cold to the touch. Curious, he held it close and inspected the Card. Like all others, it had a smooth texture and a glossy finish. However, it was bronze in color. It shone in the faint light from one of the lamps flickering dimly.

For a card so small, the details were quite intricate. Faint lines were running along the edge of the card that reminded him of some ancient symbols, probably runes, but he could not be sure. And right in the center of the Card was a pair of eyes unlike anything he had seen before. The eyes were not human and neither did they seem to belong to any animal he could think of.

Xavier’s best guess was that the eyes belonged to some ancient being who seemed to be watching over the bearer of the card with a sharp, piercing gaze. The pupils were dilated and the irises subtly reflected the dim light as if the being was staring into your soul through them.

The reward dropped from the Hidden Mission’s first bonus task was not an ordinary Common Card!

Reward has been collected. Congratulations! Uncommon Card ‘Nightvision’ has been acquired!

His reward was an Uncommon Card. His first Uncommon Card, at that!

Nightvision

Uncommon - Level 1(0%)

Body Enhancement/Spell

Passive/Active

Requires Energy to be used

Effect – Passive: Enhances eyesight and allows the user to see at night – small range

Active: Consumes Energy to enhance the User’s eyesight at day and night

–

Energy consumption decreases according to Card Level.

Effects increase according to Card Level

Active effect duration extends according to Card Level

“Perfect!” Xavier exclaimed.

His remark pulled the attention of the hunters toward him. They saw the Card in his hand along with its bronze sheen and approached him with hurried steps.

“Is that an Uncommon Card?” Mark asked, his eyes darting from his son to the bronze Card.

“It is. Nightvision. It’s pretty dope,” Xavier responded before displaying the Card’s description to everyone else.

Earlier, they had been worried that it would take too long to complete the three steps of their plan, but with Nightvision everything would change drastically. Not only would Xavier be able to hunt at night thanks to Nightvision, it was also possible for them to adjust the steps of their plan accordingly.

The passive effect was a tad weaker but it was a good thing that it didn’t drain any energy. Xavier could level up the Card without having to use it actively all the time. That was pretty good as well. He looked at the hunters and shook his head inconspicuously. The others might have been good hunters in the past but their prime-time was over.

Xavier and Leyla were probably the only ones who could fight properly at night. Leyla was an Archer and her combat prowess was highly restricted to the pulling force of her bow and the use of her Cards. Thus, Xavier didn’t even consider giving away the Uncommon Card.

He put it in his Deck and initiated the link.

Body Enhancement/Spell Card has been linked to your Deck. Please prepare for the Influx of Information!

The influx of information was a bit more intense than usual. Xavier could immediately sense that the Uncommon Card was far more potent and that the passive effect of Nightvision took effect immediately. It did not only allow him to see at night, but improved his overall eyesight as well, after all!

The world around Xavier grew sharper. The world swam into focus with an exceptional clarity making his head buzz. From the rainbow of colors inside the water drops idly spraying from a sprinkler over a now abandoned bed of grass to the varying shades of green in a leaf of a large tree a few meters away from him, he could see the minute details of everything.

It was as daunting as it was fascinating. All the worries of survival and leveling up ceased to exist for the time being as he let his senses adapt to the influx of information his sight was providing him.

For as far as he could see, it was as if he had now unlocked a hidden world. He could see layers upon layers of textures, colors and how the light refracted after falling on each thing it could reach. Goosebumps appeared on his skin when he realized the marvel of something as simple as sight that he had since he was born.

If a Card for vision could enhance his eyesight to such an extent, he could only imagine what would happen if he found Cards that would heighten the perception of his other senses. He could only hope he would be strong enough to not be overwhelmed by the sensory overload at that time.

Once Xavier got the hang of the new sensation he broke into a smile.

“Uncommon Cards are amazing!” He told his father, who pressed his lips together, “In that case, you should give me the next one you get hold of.”

Xavier chuckled lightly and suppressed saying ‘Not before I give Mom some better Cards.’

His mother gave him Minor Regeneration as a gift. The Card’s effect was not extraordinarily overpowered, but it was a good Common Card. Xavier could tell that his Stamina and Energy replenished a bit faster than before.

As long as he leveled up the Card it would grow stronger and replenish more Stamina and Energy in a short duration.

“Alright alright. How about we get back to business?” Mark clapped his hands to gain everyone’s attention. He pointed over to a small group of survivors, who were vigilantly looking from left to right. They had that forever tense and scared look in their eyes, something he had gotten accustomed to seeing among humans over the past weeks.

Yet, every time he saw that look, he would feel both gutted and annoyed at what the world had come to. Humans used to be the most advanced species on the planet, but now they were scurrying around like cockroaches, getting killed by beasts and Infected with not even half their intelligence.

Xavier saw a man peek out of the doors, clutching the door tightly. “It is alright, you are safe for now.” He tried to reassure the man who looked at him intently, wondering if the unknown young man was trustworthy.

Xavier understood the internal conflict going on in the man’s head. He was probably the one in charge in that house and based on the way the others were waiting for his approval, Xavier’s guess seemed to be correct.

The old man nodded slowly at him and then raised his wrinkly hand to signal the others to step out as well. The curtains rustled as more people stepped out of the safety of their homes and onto the patio outside.

All of them looked sickly pale and there were bags under their eyes. Xavier also noticed that each of them was carrying a backpack stuffed with essentials.

Now that they’d killed most monsters in the street their group could save the survivors. Some had already left their houses when the commotion died down, whereas others remained in their houses. Xavier saw a little child look out of a window from the second floor of a house further away. The little child was pulled back hurriedly, but the little fellow still managed to wave at Xavier.

“The first batch of survivors is coming…the first of many,” Leyla mumbled, only for Xavier to mumbled,

“...hopefully…”