Free Web NovelChapter 5: Origin card
Locking the door shut , Leo leaned his back against the door frame , chest heaving , waiting for his racing heart to calm down.
But the rest he gained lasted only a second .
" BOOM!"
The wood shuddered violently against his spine . Whatever abomination had stalked him down from the second floor hadn’t lost him . It had already sensed his presence behind the door .
Another heavy thud rattled the hinges, accompanied by a loud roar , that made the hair on Leo’s arms stand up. The frame groaned under the pressure.
Desperate to buy himself some time , Leo planted his boots, threw his shoulder against the door, and braced his weight against the incoming barrage .
With his face pressed near the door , he squinted through the dusty glass of the peephole.
He saw the creature but this one was not like the earlier one’s he just fought . freewebnoveℓ.com
This zombie was bulkier and stronger .More alarming, however, were its eyes. Instead of the blurry vacant stare of a typical zombie, these blurry yellow eyes , had a trace of intelligence on them .
It kept on banging again and again . The edges of the doorframe started to crack .
Leo figured out that if the current situation continued to drag on then the commotion being created here might draw other terrifying creatures to his location.
He had to end this now .
He reached for the pistol gripped tightly in his right hand. Keeping his left shoulder pinned against the door, he raised the barrel, against the door . He glimpsed back through the peephole, tracking the position of the zombie’s oversized skull as it prepared for another strike. He timed the pattern, mapped the trajectory and squeezed the trigger.
"BANG!"
The enclosed hallway magnified the gunshot into a deafening roar.
Even through the door, Leo heard the bullet hit its mark . The sheer strength of the impact at point blank range threw the bulky zombie backward, sending it crashing into the opposite concrete wall.
Leo didn’t hesitate a second. He twisted the lock, yanked the door open, and stepped into the corridor
The creature was slumped against the wall, black blood leaking from a jagged hole near its temple, but its jaw was still snapping. It was disoriented, not dead.
Leo reversed his grip on his rusted iron crowbar, brought it over his shoulder, and swung it down with every ounce of strength he could muster.
"KRUNCH!"
The hooked end of the crowbar smashed into the side of the zombie’s skull.
Bone shattered , tearing away a massive chunk of the scalp and exposing the pulsing mass of the brain beneath.
Yet, the monster refused to drop. Driven by its survival instinct, the zombie unleashed a savage shriek and began thrashing blindly, its thick arms whipping through the air like clubs.
Leo leaped backward, the wind of a missed swipe whistling past his face. He recovered his footing instantly, raising the bloody crowbar again. He didn’t rush in for the kill. He watched the chaotic arc of the zombie’s swinging arms, waiting for the perfect opportunity , when its guard dropped.
Now!
With perfect precision, he drove the sharp, chiseled claw of the crowbar forward in a brutal, calculated thrust, aiming directly for the exposed wound. The metal tip pierced the fractured skull and sunk deep into the soft tissue of the brain.
With a sickening pop, the pressure inside the skull gave way. The delicate brain matter ruptured like a burst bubble, spraying dark fluid and gray sludge across the floor.
Instantly, the thrashing stopped. The zombie’s massive frame stiffened, then began to dissolve, fracturing into a cloud of shimmering, golden particles of light.
As the light faded , two objects dropped to the ground .
A Card and a thumb sized crimson crystal rolled on the floor that pulsed with a faint internal warmth .
Leo stood frozen, scanning both ends of the silent hallway.
Nothing in sight . He lunged forward, scooped up the card and the crystal, and retreated back into the room, slamming and locking the door behind him.
The moment he looked the door , the system’s notification echoed inside his head .
"Ding.... System detected that Host has completed the task."
"Host has leveled up to Lvl 1."
"System unlocking permission.... Please wait." fгeewёbnoѵel.cσm
clusters of light condensed around Leo’s palm, weaving together until a white card materialized in his hand .
Leo stared at it. The blank surface of the card began to shift, lines of light etching a perfect, lifelike portrait of his own face onto the center. In the upper left corner, a sharp Lvl 1 was printed .
"Host... the system will only explain once, so listen carefully."
"This is known as an Origin Card. Using this, you can see your status and access the system shop."
"Click on the card to know more."
Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Leo tapped the surface of the white card. The portrait dissolved, replaced by glowing rows of neat, stark text floating just above the surface.
Name – Leo Blackwood
Age – 20 years
Gender – Male
Physique – 7 (-1) (Average human = 10)
Agility – 5 (-1) (Average human = 10)
Strength – 7 (-1) (Average human = 10)
Constitution – 6 (-1) (Average human = 10)
Mental Power – (Locked)
Skills – Marksmanship Lvl 3, Crowbar Smash Lvl 0
Overview – Currently in a weakened state due to long-term malnourishment and hidden injuries.
Leo stared at the negative values next to his stats. A grim smile tugged at his lips. He was weak, exhausted, and running on fumes ,but as he looked at the card vibrating with power in his hand, he knew he finally had a fighting chance.
