Waving at the youth behind the bar, John headed straight to his room, but suddenly stopped and turned just before reaching the stairs.
He was unsure about the state he would end up in after using the new attribute boosts, and having something to drink felt like a good idea, so he walked back and ordered a hefty jug of a sour fruit juice tasting very similar to a grapefruit.
Back in his room, he once again stripped off all his clothes with the exception of his underwear, lay on his bed, and opened the Apocalypse deck.
Huh, is that a coincidence?
He was looking at his main body card and seeing the way the attributes were sorted. Strength, Perception, and Vitality, with a second row of Dexterity, Focus, and Willpower, and in the middle was Fate.
If Strength pairs up with Dexterity to empower my movement… Perhaps Perception and Focus would hone my senses. Hmm, that would leave Vitality and Willpower… to help me deal with physical and mental health?
I'll do the Focus first.
Leaving himself no time for doubt, he pulled the card out and willed it to be used.
After waiting for a couple of seconds, and not feeling any difference, he decided to spend at least a little bit more time in bed to make sure he got acclimated to the changes. Lying there didn't give him much to do, so he observed the only noticeable item in his view, the chandelier.
As he continued to observe the chandelier from his position beneath it, John was struck by the sheer beauty and intricacy of its design. The wooden frame, upon closer inspection, revealed an array of finely detailed leaves and branches, all expertly carved with the utmost precision. Each piece of the wooden frame appeared to have been crafted with great care and attention to detail, and polished to a shine that reflected the flickering light of the crystals it used as sources of light.
Speaking of the crystals, they were an exquisite sight to behold. They dangled gracefully from the wooden frame, a stunning contrast to the dark wood that held them. Ranging in size from small and delicate to large and imposing, each one was sparkling and glittering as they caught the light. Some crystals were clear, allowing the light to pass through them and cast a soft, diffused glow across the room, others were multi-faceted and prismatic, scattering barely noticeable rainbow-colored light across the walls and ceiling.
As the chandelier gently swayed from left to right, the crystals shimmered and danced, creating a magical atmosphere that was both captivating and enchanting. The largest crystal at the center of the chandelier was particularly impressive, with its inner light glowing and pulsating like a beating heart. It appeared almost as a living, breathing thing, with a beauty that was both awe-inspiring and hypnotic.
Shaking his head, he pulled himself together, thinking that surely, enough time had already passed and nothing felt amiss, so it was time to open his deck and use the willpower card.
Apocalypse… woah, he turned on his left side and stared in amazement at what was mounted on the wall.
He was confronted with the sight of a monstrous head trophy. The creature that it once belonged to was undoubtedly a fearsome and formidable predator, as evidenced by the sheer size and menacing appearance of the trophy.
The head was a grotesque work of taxidermy, with every detail of the monster's features perfectly preserved. The fur, which appeared to be a matted shade of dark brown, was thick and rough, each strand standing on end to create a menacing texture. Scars and battle wounds crisscrossed the fur, hinting at the monster's fierce and violent nature.
The monster's head was adorned with massive jaws, filled with razor-sharp teeth that seemed capable of shredding flesh with ease. The teeth were long and jagged and appeared to be stained with blood and gore. The jaws were held open in a menacing snarl as if the animal was still alive and ready to pounce.
Its eyes were dark and empty but still seemed to exude a sense of malevolence and evil. They were sunk deep into the sockets, surrounded by folds of leathery skin that gave the impression of a soulless and monstrous beast.
Wait, what was I… Oh yeah, the Willpower card…
Pulling it out, he was about to use it but got fascinated by its art style.
He marveled at the detailed facial picture of an old man. His long, ashen-grey hair gently flowed from his head and vanished somewhere behind his frail shoulders. If he were to take a guess, the man was deep in meditation, and even though the picture was static, John could swear the man's long mustache was slightly shaking from the exhale coming out of the crooked nose above it.
His left temple was covered by a hexagonal bronze trinket with an unknown rune hinting at some deeper meanings, but leaving John uncertain about their true purpose.
While the left shoulder was naked and only covered by the hair like a rock hidden behind a waterfall, the right was covered under a…
Fuck!
Shaking his head, John finally realized the aftereffects of an increased Focus. His vision was already starting to narrow on the skull of a…
No! Focus!
Tearing his eyes away, he looked back at the card in his hand and immediately willed it to be used.
This time, the effect was mild but immediate as John was assaulted by a slowly mounting pressure on his head. The first couple of seconds were similar to the time when he was young and enjoying a holiday with his family in Croatia. There he loved to dive to the bottom of the sea at the beach and hunt for empty seashells with his younger sister.
Ah, I wonder how they are holding up. His sister was… Gahh!
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A spike of sharp pain lanced through his head, turning the feeling of pressure into a strong migraine, but luckily only lasted a few seconds, before vanishing as if it never was.
Could it be finished? John wondered, apprehensive about some unforeseen aftereffects, but a sudden System notification brought a smile to his face.
[Congratulations!
All six of your attributes have reached 20 (E) or above, and your body is about to undergo its first evolution.
You have five minutes to find a safe place before the evolution begins.
Note: The disorientation, pain, and bad coordination will fade in the following hour after reaching an E grade.]
Feeling safe enough, he remained in his bed and closed his eyes. He was still feeling the aftereffects of the short migraine, and the light in the room was making him dizzy, so spending the next five minutes with his eyes closed seemed like a good idea.
Losing himself in his thoughts, he spent an unknown amount of time just lying on his back before slowly opening his eyes, and finding himself somewhere else.
He was floating a meter above a white marble floor similar to the one of his own shelter, however, looking around made him realize the environment wasn't similar at all. Where his shelter was floating in the middle of nothingness, here he was surrounded by a breathtaking view of uncountable amounts of stars, twisted galaxies, and dozens of other space phenomena.
Unconsciously, he tried to whistle in appreciation, but was shocked to figure out… he couldn't. He was… what was he? Looking around in panic, he couldn't see himself—his body—anywhere. He couldn't feel, nor touch because he had no hands to touch with. He… how did he see then? He had no idea. He could float, and somehow perceive his surroundings, but that was all he could do here… wait, maybe that pedestal over there could offer him some guidance. Once again looking around, he noticed the slab of marble was actually circle-shaped with a diameter of eight meters, and there were six pedestals spread around the edge.
Floating to the one in front of him, the shape was nondescript, and the only eye-catching feature was the card placed on its flat top.
[Strength
The unwavering power within, driving you to overcome challenges, push your limits, and rise to new heights]
Hmm, interesting, he thought and reached out with his mind. The moment he touched it, the card turned into a golden light that shot into the middle of his platform, and with a bright flash left behind a levitating humanoid form built entirely of semi-translucent muscles.
Turning around he floated to the pedestal directly opposite, already expecting what he would find there.
[Dexterity
The nimble ability to maneuver through life's obstacles with grace and precision]
Reaching out, a similar sequence of events followed, adding tendons and ligaments into the mix. After that, John floated to the one on the right side of Strength, finding another card of the set.
[Perception
The keen insight to see beyond the surface, to discern hidden truths and uncover new perspectives, unlocking the potential for growth and discovery]
This time, the figure gained skin, eyes, nose, ears, and mouth, but everything still stayed semi-translucent allowing him to observe all the layers of human anatomy.
After observing the greenish eyes and its face structure, John suddenly froze.
Is this body modeled after me? He never saw himself bald so it took him longer to notice, but now he was certain. This… whatever it was, was slowly rebuilding his body.
Feeling unnerved, he decided to get this over with and see the result as soon as possible.
On the opposite side of Perception was as expected, Focus.
[Focus
The power of the mind, enabling you to cut through distractions and hone in on what truly matters, unleashing your full potential and achieving greatness]
Smiling at the catchy description, he reached out, waiting for what change would this bring. After the flash, the body on display was filled with hundreds of bluish lines spanning from his head into all the body parts, creating miniature connections across the whole frame.
Is that my nervous system?
Moving on, he walked to the one holding Vitality.
[Vitality
The pulsing energy that fuels your body, inspiring you to embrace life's adventures with vigor and enthusiasm, and empowering you to thrive in all that you do]
This time, his body became filled with organs, and veins, creating cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, and all the other internal systems leaving only two body parts missing, and one should be fixed right about… now.
[Willpower
The inner might that shields your minds from doubt and fear, empowering you to stand firm in your convictions and navigate life's challenges with unwavering resolve]
Just as he expected, the thing missing between his ears—the brain—was now filled out.
What about the bones though?
Before he even finished the thought, a pulse spread out from the floating body, slowly starting to fill the missing bones with some different grayish substance, but suddenly, John felt that something was wrong.
Looking around, he couldn't see anything off, but the feeling of wrongness kept worsening by the second, making him wildly float around, expecting an unseen predator to jump in at any moment.
There is no danger around here! He mentally screamed, desperate as the feeling was approaching the same horror as his near visit to the tree house.
Wait, what if it's not a danger of harm but instead of missing out on something important…
Stopping the panicked flailing, he carefully observed the changes in the body in front of him. The organs and all the important bits seemed to be there… even his… no time to joke around…
What is it?
The grey substance already filled over half of his skeletal structure, leaving behind pristine bones with dull metallic color.
Think John! What am I missing?
Could it be? He suddenly realized his obvious mistake, something Al'drul kept hinting at, but refusing to say outright. When he got here, he was in the middle—where his body was now floating—and surrounded by six pedestals corresponding to six attributes.
And in the middle of them, but connected to each one… was Fate.
The moment he figured it out, it was as if something clicked, and suddenly, there was a seventh card gently floating above the body's head.
[Fate
To hold this card is to take Fate by the reins and carve your own path]
Quickly reaching out, the card crumbled and turned into a very bright silver spark, which slowly descended down, through the body's head, neck, and into the middle of its chest. There it settled, turning into a new, unknown organ pulsing in beat with his heart, and emitting translucent waves through the whole body.
With that, the sense of desperation vanished, and only a couple of seconds later a violent tug jerked his floating consciousness inside, making him temporarily black out.
He regained consciousness a second later on the inn's bed, and with a slew of System notifications vying for his attention.