Inferior Infected has been slain. +1 Soul Essence
Inferior Infected has been slain. +1 Soul Essence +1 Common Card Shard
A Card Shard? What is that? Am I playing lego now? Xavier wondered as he picked up a small snippet of a white Card. It looked like it would form the frame of a Common Card.
He brushed his thumb over the smooth, glossy surface and continued to inspect it for a little while. Xavier even held it up, and turned it over a few times, wondering if there were any more hidden details to it. But it just looked like an ordinary white piece of a Card, probably a corner piece.
Common Card Shard 1/10
From the looks of it Card Shards could be assembled to form a complete Card. That was a little bit different from what Xavier expected to receive as a drop from the Infected, but he was not dissatisfied. Receiving something was always better than nothing.
Xavier was not sure where to put the Card Shard because it could always fall out of his pockets but he didn’t have a much more secure place to store it right now. So he pocketed the Card Shard before turning to his mother.
Silvia was still staring at the Infected she had killed with wide eyes. Her lips trembled in horror due to the danger she had just been in, and her hand holding the katana fell limply to her side, the katana clanging on the wooden floor. She put her hands on her mouth and seemed to sway a bit but her body calmed down a little.
Mark rushed over to his wife to check on her, only to see that her eyes kept darting from the severed head of the Infected and a white Card that conjured next to the Infected. The white Card was a Common Card with a picture that showed a small figure roaring loudly.
“Two Soul Essences and a Common Card…” Silvia mumbled once she regained her senses. She bent down and picked up the Common Card, inspecting it with trembling hands.
“Huh… So that’s a Common Card. Isn’t that a double-edged sword?” Silvia mumbled after she read through the information that appeared in her vision. She showed the Common Card to her husband and Xavier, who frowned deeply as they read through the information displayed in front of them.
Bravery
Common - Level 1(0%)
Utility
Passive
No Requirement
Effect – Converts a portion of fear and hesitation into courage.
–
Conversion rate according to Card Level.
“Courage is great, but too much courage seems like a bad thing. Especially since it turns fear and hesitation into courage. You would have to be in danger to feel fear and hesitation, in the first place. This Card…I don’t know what to make of it,” Mark mumbled, looking at his wife skeptically.
Meanwhile, Xavier gave it a shrug, “The effect shouldn’t be powerful right now. And courage is something everyone needs in times like these. If we’re too hesitant and afraid to get moving, those important to us might sustain injuries. They may even die if we hesitate too much. So I think this Card will be useful for now. If the effect overwhelms you when the Card Level gets too high for your liking, you can simply remove the Card.”
“Can you remove Cards connected to the Classless Deck?” Silvia asked, catching Xavier off guard.
“Eh…I guess? It should be feasible, probably…” He responded, just to open his Card Deck and reach out for Dash.
Remove Dash Level 1? Y/N?
Take into consideration that removing a Card may damage your Soul. Once damaged, the Soul will require a certain period of time to heal.
No new Cards can be connected to the Deck while the Soul is damaged; otherwise, the injury may worsen. The higher the Card Level and Quality, the higher the probability of sustaining harm.
Removing a Card may damage the Card.
“Urgh. It looks like you can remove Cards. But the downside is that the Soul might sustain a backlash. I don’t know how high the probability is, but I guess removing Common Cards at a low level should be fine. The Card might get damaged though,” Xavier read aloud, the cogs in his mind turning.
“If you don’t want the Card, I will take it.”
Silvia looked at her son and regarded him for a second. Her mind was rattling even after she made her decision.
“I think I need courage the most right now. I don’t like to acknowledge this, but the two of you are much calmer than me. I cannot go on like this…”
Analyzing herself critically was nothing new for Silvia. Nonetheless, Xavier was glad that his mother was not delusional and hoped that everything would be alright the next time she woke up. His mother accepted that the world had changed and that she had to change if she wanted to survive.
She put Bravery in her Card Deck and felt the passive effect of the Common Card right off the bat.
“It feels a little weird, but it’s not a bad feeling,” She mumbled, then turned to her husband and son, “Let’s pack up and search for my mother! We need to move before it’s completely dark. The earthquake must have trashed the street lamps. We won’t see anything at night if that’s the case.”
Xavier grinned seeing the change in her mother’s behavior. It was subtle but still notable. Xavier attributed it to the card and felt relieved that she made the right choice.
“How about I stay on the first floor on guard against uninvited guests like the boars while you pick up as much food and other necessities from the cellar? I already filled a backpack but it won’t be enough if we have to rely on our stock for a long time,” Xavier proposed.
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His mother was about to reject leaving him alone on the first floor because more Infected might arrive at any time, but Mark nodded his head.
“That sounds like a good idea. You are currently the strongest. Your Card will help you kill the Infected and retreat if too many attack simultaneously. Just shout loudly to alert us if something happens while we’re downstairs,” He said before rushing downstairs.
Xavier nodded before tightening his hold over the ruby katana’s hilt. He saw his mother stand around for a few seconds before noticing that she broke into a sweat.
Did she use her Soul Essences? He wondered but didn’t ask.
Silvia noticed Xavier’s raised eyebrow and answered, seeing how confused he was. “I put my Soul Essences into the Star of Agility. I need to be faster than the Infected to kill them.” Or to run from them.
His mother threw a smile at her dear son before she went downstairs, following her husband to collect as many goods as they could carry in a handful of hiking backpacks.
Xavier blinked his eyes and moved to the kitchen. He looked out of the kitchen window to have a good view of the street. Except for one flickering lamp, casting an eerie glow on the surroundings, all others were either broken or had smashed to the ground. In the dim glow, he could faintly make out the narrow street he often used to drive.
They were extremely lucky that their home hadn’t been completely razed to the ground like some of their neighbors’ houses. Puddles of muddy water dotted the street where he saw broken cars lying abandoned and trees uprooted.
I should get used to this sight..
No Infected was heading their way though a few were roaming the street aimlessly. Therefore, Xavier used his last two Soul Essences to make good use of them.
Integrate two Soul Essence into the Star of Agility. Y/N?
“Yes.” Xavier answered, and the two Soul Essences from his finances disappeared near-instantaneously. The familiar warmth returned, and his Star of Agility increased to 9/10. Only one more Soul Essence and the Star of Agility would be completed.
He was not certain what would happen afterward, but Xavier guessed that his Agility would undergo a qualitative change. The Inferior quality of his Star of Agility would probably reach the next level.
Once his parents returned from the cellar, Xavier walked back to the living room. No more Infected attacked them, but there were many Infected on the street. It looked like more people than expected had died and turned.
That was a bit frustrating, but Xavier was not too worried about Inferior Infected anymore. His Agility stat was almost twice as high as before and he had Dash at his disposal. As long as he didn’t lower his guard no Inferior Infected should be fast enough to reach him before Xavier beheaded them.
Mark swung the hunting rifle across his back. He made sure that the twine of the rifle was tight enough and picked up a few daggers and the steel longsword with the best quality.
“Looks like some of my treasures will get a little bit dirty in the future. I don’t really want to abandon the rest…but there is nothing I can do for you…” He sighed and looked longingly at the weapons he would be forced to leave behind.
Since he couldn’t store everything in his backpack, Mark had been forced to take the best weapons with him, leaving the others to collect dust and rust in the future, “I hope someone finds you and makes use of your greatness. If not, I will return for all of you when it’s not as dangerous anymore!”
Xavier and Silvia exchanged a glance and shook their heads before returning their attention to the task at hand. They maintained silence while Mark bid goodbye to his prized possessions. All of a sudden, Mark regained his vigor and he raised his hand as if punching the air.
“Finally my treasures will be quenched in blood!”
Startled, Xavier looked at his father and was certain that something was wrong with him, but it was not as if that was something new. His father seemed excited about the future, which was enough for his mother to roll her eyes.
“You married him,” Xavier said, giving his mother a reality check. His mother stared daggers at him, but Xavier could only chuckle in response.
“Let’s leave,” Silvia announced, grasping the Damascus steel katana tightly and stepping out of one of the gaping holes in the living room. She looked left and right before inching closer to the street.
Xavier followed his mother. In just a few strides, he took the lead with his mother close on his heels.
“Dad, you should kill some infected as long as you have time. Mom has already improved her Star of Agility,” Xavier suggested Mark, who looked at Silvia for a moment. He then fell in steps beside Xavier.
While carrying their hiking backpacks that were filled to the brim, everyone felt a little bit burdened. The weight of the hiking backpacks was definitely higher than anything they had ever carried on their backs in the last few years. Mark and Silvia struggled a little due to the heavy weight.
But, Xavier didn’t seem worried as he stepped onto the driveway outside their house. Two Infected heard his steps in the driveway and they started walking towards him.
This time Xavier was ready. He kicked the ground, grasped the ruby katana tightly, and dashed forward. He didn’t unleash the power of his Card right away, but tried to run as fast as possible. His movement speed was much faster than ever despite the heavy hiking backpack weighing him down.
Xavier appeared in front of the first Infected and swung the ruby katana horizontally. The Infected’s head flung through the air and its corpse fell forward. Xavier stepped aside just in time with a nimble step before using the accumulated momentum of his swing to initiate a second attack right after.
The second Infected in the driveway lost its head shortly after the first and two notifications appeared in Xavier’s sight.
Inferior Infected has been slain. +1 Soul Essence
Inferior Infected has been slain. +1 Soul Essence
No Common Card or Card Shards had been dropped, but he was still getting Soul Essences. That was pretty good.
He instinctively wanted to integrate one Soul Essence to upgrade his Star of Agility to the next level, but he didn’t do so.
Xavier had no idea the qualitative change in his Agility would affect him to what extent, or what exactly would happen to him. Maybe he would be unable to fight for a while. He was clueless in that regard so he didn’t feel like risking it right now.
Thus, instead of increasing the Star of Agility, Xavier used his Soul Essences somewhere else.
Integrate two Soul Essence into the Star of Energy. Y/N?
“Yes!”
Even though Xavier was not certain whether the Star of Energy indicated some other type of energy, he hoped that his Stamina would receive a boost.
Vitality might increase his Stamina as well, but Vitality in games was usually used as a stat that reflected one’s resilience and endurance to withstand stress and recover from injuries or ailments.
This left only the Star of Energy as a potential Foundation Star to increase his Stamina.
Hopefully, this will increase my Stamina. That way, I can use Dash more often without feeling too drained.
Xavier felt a rush of heat spread through his body. However, there was also something else, something foreign he never felt before. It was a slightly cooling sensation that took root near his stomach. Xavier couldn’t accurately describe the feeling, but he could tell that he was not as exhausted as before.
My Stamina must have increased. Was that the cooling feeling, or was that something else? Maybe that was some sort of magical energy that can be used to conjure spells. Is that even possible? Magic. Does it exist now that the world has turned crazy?
Xavier was not sure but he could tell that he would find out whether magic truly existed or not soon enough.
But before that he and his family had to eliminate a few more Infected.
His grandmother was still waiting for them…hopefully.