Chapter 11: Stronger

As Carter's eyes closed and as the five of clubs 'Recovery' did it's work, he didn't know that the two of clubs 'enchanced punch' and 'enchanced Speed' that were branded to his fist and feet showed itself and shone a subtle glow.

But soon disappeared and disintegrated to thin air.

______

Carter groaned as his eyelashes quivered, he opened his eyes as the layout of a bathroom revealed itself to him.

His eyes though opened wide as he turned his head towards his shoulder.

His whole uper torse was soaked with blood, but strangely enough, aside from the lingering pain and the fatigue, he didn't feel anything more drastic.

Carter stood up as he looked at the bathroom mirror and took off his upper shirt that was more or less bloodied and ripped.

Damn!

Carter's eyes squinted, there in the reflection was his lean and somewhat slightly mascular body.

He didn't expect the transformation of consuming the club cards to be so apparent. His body before consuming those cards were thin, very thin. He looked like a stick, there weren't muscles at all and more or less it was all bones.

But now...he actually looked like a model with that physique. Though it really couldn't be considered as super muscular or buff, it had a certain appeal to it. The muscles were defined but only to the extent that it looked more sexy rather than buffed.

Aside from that, what really caught Carter's attention was his now lean torso, more specifically, his left shoulder and his left arm.

They were fine, Carter tried stretching his left arm and aside from the lingering pain and the somewhat feeling of heaviness when he exerted force from it, it was ultimately fine.

It was crushed, it could barely muster strength before but now he could move it and even exert some power that should have been impossible considering the state it was in.

Damn!

Carter touched his left shoulder, it was healed yes but there were bite marks that remained.

It proof that what had happened between his encounter with the vicious beast that had killed dozens of people in the building was real.

Proof of him overcoming odds, overcoming his death and remaining alive.

Carter clutched his left shoulder, the scar looked really cool but it was also a living proof that he was weak. He was still so weak. It was a wake up call that told him he could never be too complacent and needed more strength as the world as it currently was — something that was indifferent not only to him but also to everybody else.

What he needed the most with how the world was right now was, of course, strength, power!

He needed those to survive, and inorder to gain power, he need to kill beasts, gain those cards and along with it, skills they contain, by doing so, he would be able to increase his chances of survival.

He could never be too complacent, he could very well die just because of an accidental encounter with a powerful vicious beast.

He needed to be able to fight against the odds and survive through his grit and his sharp mind, whether it be by escaping or using any means necessary to be able to face off those monsters.

He needed to collect those cards and gain the skills they contain to be able to fend off any unfortunately and unforseen circumstances he would find himself into in the near future.

If Carter learned one thing with his fight with the beast, it was that he had to use everything he has in his arsenal when facing an opponent.

Carter resolved himself, looking at the mirror.

He had to get stronger.

The world was now was akin to a jungle, with the rule of — survival of the fittest.

Be the predator rather than the prey!

Carter showed a vicious grin, "Fck those beasts, they think they can outsmart us humans! Nothing but beasts in the end."

Carter lowered his head as he looked around and felt every inch of his upper body, damn! He could barely believe that after everything he went through, with his body almost breaking out and reaching it's limits, it was still able to move right now.

Aside from the lingering fatigue and the visible scars on his shoulder, he could say that his body was in an optimal state — despite being that his left arm and shoulder was beyond crushed under the maws and clutches of that massive cat beast.

However, fortune seemed to have been on his side as the beast died and it returned as the great skill known as 'Recovery' that healed his body whilst he collapsed.

Thankfully he had managed to activate it before he completely got knocked out.

Hooooo...

"I need to get stronger!"

For him to grow stronger, he had to get out of this building first. With the structure of the building being elevated, the stairs leading down could only be found out right outside the lobby entrance.

He had to go back there but now that the beast that had blocked his way and made him turn back was dead, he could leisurely exit the building now, of course that didn't mean that his cautiousness would be any lower.

He still had to remain cautious for any unforseen incidents, remembering what had happened in the elevator, Carter could only shiver.

Carter though frowned, he remembered whilst he was being chased by the beast, he had thrown the bag — that contained his source of food, at it in hopes it would slow it down even for a moment.

He had managed to see the moment it was ripped to pieces just by one swing of the beasts deadly claws.

There goes his food.

A clear goal entered Carter's mind now.

After exiting this building, he had to go find food that he would be able to carry and stack on some essentials as well.

Carter looked around the bathroom, he was looking for anything he would find useful.

His knife and his food, all were gone. He had to look for things he would be able to make use of now that he was finally gonna be able to get out of this building and walk the ground of the outside world.