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.
_____________________________________
[Congratulations!
You have evolved into a novice grade, earning a third Ability slot.
Note: The first step on the path to power.]
[Congratulations! You are the fourth in this world to successfully evolve into a novice grade (E) being.
Rewards: A choice between two remaining unique body modification cards, Fate is increased by 2.
Note: Each is unique in your world, bringing incomparable advantages to those bearing them.]
[Make a choice!
Unstoppable motion, Unbreakable mind.
Note: This card cannot be pulled out of the Apocalypse deck.]
Can I have more information?
…
Guess not… Hmm, going by the only clues he had—the names—the Unstoppable motion had the potential to be very good, but also a possibility to be not great at all.
After a minute of indecision, what became the tipping point was a very simple question: What would be worse, having your motion stopped, or your mind broken?
Give me the Unbreakable mind!
[Excellent choice!
You are now the holder of a unique body modification card Unbreakable mind.
Note: Your will is forever only your own.]
The world around him unfroze for a fraction of a moment before John was once again frozen in place. This time however, something was different because the world not only lost color but the very light was drained out of everything around him, slowly forming into a black System notification.
You have broken the first chain of Fate!
Take this boon and carve out your…
The notification suddenly shattered, returning the world back into color, giving John the first taste of his new body… and it was confusing.
I feel… heavier? Carefully sitting up, he moved his arms around him and tested the way his body moved.
The aftereffects of the boosted attributes were now gone, and the feedback he got was much more similar to his original body, with the exception of the added heft to every single move. Standing up, he made a slow step and was surprised by the ease he was able to move now.
It is as if my attributes were not built for the F-grade body, creating havoc and forcing me to put care into every little move, but now everything once again fits together perfectly.
Seeing the jar filled with sour juice on the nightstand next to his bed, he reached for it and took a gulp straight out of it.
Mmmmm, that's goooood. He always loved sour fruits, and the quality of meals and drinks here were beyond anything the old world could provide, offering… His stomach loudly rumbled, making him turn, and head downstairs to order a big portion of the best meal he would find.
"Hey… err, I haven't introduced myself yet, have I? My name's John." He offered a hand, which the youth took and shook.
"I am called The Slayer of Gorax'thal," he announced proudly, leaving John confused.
His shoulders slightly dipped down, and he added in a meaker voice, "I know it isn't that special, but killing a C-grade elite beast before turning sixteen is considered an honor among my tribe, you know? That was the day I changed my name from The Butcher of Moonfang and became The Slayer of Gorax'thal, and you can bet I will earn a new name before turning eighteen. I just need to get some ash, and working for Serath is the best job ever!" He now beamed, once again proud of his achievements.
Wait, what did he say? A C-grade elite and he is sixteen? Doing the mental math, he guessed that it would be colored green, the same as his stiletto card. Giving him a respectful nod, John ordered a meal called stormhawk wings on truberry sauce, promising a boost of a plus five Focus for the next twelve hours, and sat down at the nearest table.
The meat was covered in a light-yellow sauce, which steamed with heat and slowly dripped over the sides and onto the plate, making him quickly grab a knife and cut into it. The meat gently parted under his knife offering a waft of delicious smells and a perfect portion to test the taste.
Mmm, that is good, John moaned in pleasure, enjoying the unbelievably soft texture, which almost melted on his tongue and set off all the right flavors for him to enjoy.
The food cost fifteen whites, but he was curious about the special meals and wasn't disappointed, and gobbled the whole portion in under a minute. Before leaving, he got the idea to ask The-youth-with-honorable-but-too-long-name if he knew for how long he stayed in his room and got an unexpected reply. Apparently, he spent nine hours thirty-eight minutes and seventeen seconds there, making him believe it should be somewhere between six and seven o'clock in the afternoon.
Thanking him for the marvelous meal and the information, he left the inn and stepped into the darkness of his own shelter.
Oh, the cards! Apocalypse deck!
Almost forgetting, he opened up the deck and observed the changes. The first and most noticeable was the fourth slot for his main cards, and he immediately slotted the old card called Wave of force plus the uncommon Cooldown reduction. The second difference was the change to his main body, which now had a blue border instead of white, and all seven attributes were ranked as E. The last thing was the new addition to his card pile, the…
Wait, what the fuck is that?!
[The boon of &$#&*#$&#
Twists your deck into a more efficient form, granting an additional slot linked to all of your viable Abilities at the same time.
Warning: Is extremely unstable, and will dissipate after thirty minutes!]
It was a card with a black border, but white background unlike any he had seen. Should I use It? He asked himself, but already knew the answer, and willed it to be used.
The effect was immediate, as his deck twisted up, moving the three Ability cards away from the row, leaving there only his main body and a new black hole around which the Ability cards orbited like planets around the black sun.
Each planet had its own moons in the forms of all the linked cards, changing the whole deck into a complicated marvel of cosmic movements.
Hmm, how do I… There!
He unlinked one of the uncommon Affinity effect cards and placed it into the black hole, making it absorb the card and form dark links to the two minion cards with the Affinity tag. This also kicked the second Affinity effect card out of the orbit and moved it into the pile of unused cards.
Marvelous, he observed the way everything moved there, before remembering the previous reason he opened the deck, pulling out the second new card.
[Unbreakable mind
Can be linked with the main body card, granting immunity to all mind-controlling effects, and significant resistance to all mind-altering effects]
The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.
That was exactly what he hoped for, and he immediately linked it to his main body, adding another new red-colored moon to his deck. Done with the changes, he turned toward the arch and stepped outside.
As he left the abandoned shop he was hit by the complicated mix of sounds and smells, but this time it was much easier to understand and ignore those he didn't want to sense.
The other thing he noticed was the ease he could see in the dark. Sure, the whole shelter was filled with light from the braziers spread around like the old street lights, but even the empty buildings were now easier to see into, making him smile.
Not perfect, but doable. Maybe I can finally go out and hunt at night.
Seeing a familiar face coming out of the Zagratix's hoard, he sped up and caught up to him in a couple of quick steps.
"Hey Josh, how are you doing?"
"Well enough," he replied with a grunt. "It's been another mess today. The survivors at the Saint Ann's church and at Albert hypermarket to the south failed the defense, and the majority of those that made it out alive are now here with us."
Frowning, John asked, "how many made it out alive?"
"Twenty-six from the church and sixty from Albert. The majority of them are middle-aged, which is good for our shelter, but… yeah…" Josh shook his head in sadness.
"How many people do we have currently here?" John wondered out loud.
"A lot… Last time I heard, it was over one thousand and another five hundred staying outside. Anyway… I've got to go, good luck John."
Nodding, he also wished Josh good luck and headed to the old hotel.
What is that?
A new building came into his view from behind the Desperate fool's inn's side. Maybe calling the three by two meters large interactive screen a building was a stretch, but the design clearly indicated an alien construction, making John walk in front of it.
Now standing close, he would best describe the screen as a surface of a pond. It was crystal-clear, but every now and then someone would place his palm into the screen, making it ripple, and him act as if he was reading some unseen text.
Deciding to give it a try, he placed his palm into the screen, making a short list to pop out.
[Welcome to the challenge board!
You may have only one challenge active, but be aware that some require payment upfront to be taken or prevent all drops from the targeted opponents until it is successfully completed or failed.
The rewards are paid immediately upon completion.
* Crushing the brains
* Breaking the skulls
* Wiping out the packs
* Ending the zone guardian
More challenges will be added at a later date.
Daily challenges available: 2/2]
Intrigued, he focused on the first challenge, opening further information.
[Crushing the brains
Easy: Contribute to the kills of 25 Zombies while delivering at least 5 killing blows.
Rewards: 50% more total white ash from the targeted opponents.
Moderate: Contribute to the kills of 50 Zombies while delivering at least 15 killing blows.
Rewards: 100% more total white ash from the targeted opponents.
Hard: Contribute to the kills of 150 Zombies while delivering at least 50 killing blows.
Rewards: 150% more total white ash from the targeted opponents.
Very hard: Contribute to the kills of 500 Zombies while delivering at least 200 killing blows.
Rewards: 250% more total white ash from the targeted opponents.
Warning: You may begin the challenge at will by starting its one-hour countdown for successful completion.]
Ohh, this is useful, he thought, already imagining rewards he would be able to obtain.
Let's see the second one!
[Breaking the bones
Easy: Contribute to the kills of 10 Skeletons while delivering at least 2 killing blows.
Rewards: 50% more total white ash from the targeted opponents.
Moderate: Contribute to the kills of 20 Skeletons while delivering at least 5 killing blows.
Rewards: 100% more total white ash from the targeted opponents.
Hard: Contribute to the kills of 50 Skeletons while delivering at least 10 killing blows.
Rewards: 150% more total white ash from the targeted opponents.
Very hard: Contribute to the kills of 150 Skeletons while delivering at least 30 killing blows.
Rewards: 250% more total white ash from the targeted opponents.
Warning: You may begin the challenge at will by starting its one-hour countdown for successful completion.]
Yeah, the exact same… What about the packs?
[Wiping out the packs
Easy: Contribute to the kills of 4 Rothounds while delivering at least 1 killing blow.
Rewards: 50% more total blue ash from the targeted opponents.
Moderate: Contribute to the kills of 10 Rothounds while delivering at least 2 killing blows.
Rewards: 100% more total blue ash from the targeted opponents.
Hard: Contribute to the kills of 20 Rothounds while delivering at least 3 killing blows.
Rewards: 150% more total blue ash from the targeted opponents.
Very hard: Contribute to the kills of 29 Rothounds and one Rothound Alpha while delivering at least 5 killing blows.
Rewards: 250% more total blue ash from the targeted opponents.
Warning: You may begin the challenge at will by starting its three-hour countdown for successful completion.]
At first, the requirements seemed like another exact copy, but the last difficulty, and the duration were different. Having three hours instead of one would turn this into a marathon over a sprint, but the participation on the Alpha made it impossible for him.
No, not impossible, he suddenly thought with a smile. Difficult, risky, but doable. He would use the pack of twelve plus alpha, gain credit for as many as possible, and then attempt to get the remaining kills outside.
Not interested in the fourth one, he made up his mind, and picked Very hard Wiping out the packs, and Very hard Crushing the brains, which came out in the forms of single-use cards easily stored inside his deck. This changed his daily challenges available to zero, making him step away from the screen and think about how to increase the odds of the upcoming hunt more in his favor.
The five hundred zombies should be doable if I get to the city outskirts, but the hounds… hmm… making a small checklist, he was able to come up with three points. Firstly, he would do a quick visit to Al'drul and buy the best night vision card available, secondly, he would speak to Marcus about offering him the half before the siege to save up on time, and lastly, he would buy himself a medium shield. With his increased Strength, it should offer a significant increase in protection without a noticeable difference in mobility, making it worth the investment.
Quickly running back into his favorite broom closet, he summoned the arch and quickly walked into the obsidian merchant's store.
"Hey Al'drul, I could use your advice. I am planning on going out at night, and am in need of a reliable night vision card. Do you have any recommendations for me?"
"Hmm, an Ability or a body modification?"
"Definitely a body modification. I can't spend a valuable slot for a flashlight," John joked, making Al'drul also raise a corner of his mouth in amusement.
After a snap, three cards appeared on his counter, making him sweep his hand in an inviting gesture, "take your pick."
[Night vision
…]
[Dark vision
…]
[Nightstalker's awareness
Can be linked with main body card to grant dark vision and keener reactions to any unexpected movements in your field of view.]
"How much are they?" John asked, quickly reading the names of the first two and the whole description of the third.
With another snap, three price tags appeared above them, showing five-fifty, seven-fifty, and one thousand two hundred.
Damnit, this ruins my previous plan, but the third card will be worth it.
Using both remaining yellows, he sent the payment through, and got two blues back as change, leaving him with seven blues and one-o-five whites.
With a quick wave and thanks, he ran out, continued through the arch, and straight for the Zagratix's hoard.
The selection of shields there was almost endless, and he soon found a white kite shield with a red star painted on the front for two hundred, making him almost broke, but very well prepared for the quickly approaching fight.
The last thing on the list was the proposal to Marcus, which was now forced to be changed into an excuse and a promise of payment after his return.
Finding him ended up being much easier than expected because after asking around, he was pointed toward the inn, where he found him finishing his dinner, and nodded at him as he closed in.
"Hey Marcus, can I have a quick word?"
"John, you are a surprisingly difficult person to find. Come, let's talk in my room." He finished the remaining food in two massive gulps and motioned for John to follow with his meaty hand.
"I also have something to ask. The council voted that we need our people to get used to more difficult fights, so you see… They want you to leave the Deathfiend to the rest of us this time, so that we can test our coordination and tactics against a more difficult foe."
Stopping in the middle of the stairs, John frowned.
"Are you implying you don't want me to have the killing blow?"
"What? Of course not! I tried to convince them otherwise, but you know how it is… And to be honest, the others need to learn how to… let's talk about this somewhere more private." Marcus attempted to guide John away and not cause a commotion in the middle of the stairs.
"You know what? Sure, I was actually looking for you to talk about my plan to go out right after the siege, so this way I can leave immediately after the Rothounds and save a few more minutes."
"You what?" Asked Marcus, clearly confused about the direction the conversation suddenly took.
With a wave of his hand, John turned, but before leaving chuckled and added a small tip, "a little warning though, my contribution in the last two kills was over seventy percent… So good luck, because you all are going to need it."
Leaving Marcus stumped at the top of the stairs, he left the inn and headed straight to the hotel with the old clock.
He actually believed that Marcus tried talking for him, but at the same time wasn't stupid to believe that they weren't trying to limit his impact during the siege and increase their earnings and contributions over his own.
He also wasn't just leaving them all to die because of his pettiness, as he was certain that they would be able to take it down eventually. How many of them would die during the fight though? That, he knew not.