Apocalypse Transmigration - The Card Captor System

Leo stepped into the abandoned apartment complex, the hood of his Robe of Shroud pulled low over his face. Black Reaper’s Gauntlets covered both his hands, and several throwing knives rested comfortably between his fingers.

He peered down the dark corridor ahead. A faint growl echoed from deeper inside the building, followed by a second raspy snarl. The corner of Leo’s lips curled upward.

”Looks like I won’t have to search for long.”

He closed his eyes and activated Void Sense. The world shifted. He felt the faint ripples in the surrounding space. Five... no, eight. Eight creatures lurked nearby. Their movements were crude and predictable. Zombies.

Leo opened his eyes.

”Let’s see how much stronger I’ve become.”

He took a step forward. The moment he crossed into the corridor, a zombie lunged from a nearby doorway. Its rotten jaws stretched wide, clawing for his throat.

Leo didn’t even break his stride. He merely tilted his head, letting the creature’s claws pass harmlessly by his face. In the same breath, his right hand shot forward.

CRACK!

The Reaper’s Gauntlet slammed into the monster’s skull. A hidden blade snapped out from the metal plating.

PSSTH!

The steel pierced straight through the zombie’s head. The body crumpled to the floor like a puppet with cut strings.

Leo kept walking. A heavy footstep sounded behind his back. Without bothering to turn, he flicked his wrist.

WHOOSH!

A throwing knife sailed backward.

PFFT!

The blade buried itself right between the attacker’s eyes. The creature folded to the ground.

Leo drew another knife from his belt. Three more zombies rushed him from the far end of the hall. He planted his feet. His eyes narrowed as the trio leapt into the air, aiming to pin him down.

Leo’s fingers danced.

WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!

Three daggers flashed through the dim light.

PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!

Each blade found a home in a different forehead. All three bodies crashed hard against the concrete.

Leo glanced at his palm.

”Not bad.”

His accuracy wasn’t just a byproduct of his new physical stats. The Weapon Master skill was doing exactly what its description promised. After years of handling countless weapons, tossing a blade felt as natural as breathing.

But now, his very foundation had changed. His reactions were sharper, his perception crystal clear, and his steps felt weightless. Most importantly—his body no longer felt tethered by mortal limits.

A deafening roar rattled the walls behind him. Leo spun around. A massive mutant zombie charged down the hall, its muscular frame shattering a wooden door into splinters on its way.

BOOM!

The floor tiles cracked beneath its heavy footfalls.

Leo stood his ground. He raised his right hand, drawing out a steady stream of black power around the Reaper’s Gauntlet. Void Edge. A thin layer of dark energy coated the metal.

The mutant swung an enormous fist. Leo stepped into the strike, throwing his own punch to meet the beast’s attack head-on.

BOOOOM!

A violent shockwave tore through the tight space. The giant zombie staggered back, its massive arm trembling under the impact.

Leo’s feet remained firmly planted.

CRACK!

The thick bones in the monster’s arm splintered. Using the momentum, Leo twisted his hips and drove his free fist straight into its chest.

BOOM!

The creature launched backward, crashing through the exterior wall and tumbling out into the open air.

Leo strolled through the fresh hole in the plaster. As the mutant struggled to stand, Leo arrived at its side. The gauntlet’s hidden blade slid out.

PSSTH!

A single swipe across the neck, and the beast’s head separated cleanly from its shoulders.

Leo looked down at the remains.

”Stage 1...”

He clenched his fist.

”Superhuman.”

A faint smile appeared beneath his hood.

”So this is the difference.”

He scanned the scattered bodies and let out a sigh.

”These guys aren’t enough to test my skills anymore.”

He paused.

”Well...”

”Let’s just farm some cards.”

With a shrug, Leo swept through the rest of the apartment complex. The next hour was a complete massacre. Normal variants, crawlers, runners, spitters, and even a few more mutants—none of them lasted more than a few heartbeats.

A well-placed throwing knife often ended fights before the targets even got close. Other times, Leo just walked forward and caved their skulls in with his gauntlets. Whenever a larger pack tried to surround him, a single Void Pull shattered their formation, dragging them helplessly into his striking range.

By the end of the hour, the entire building fell silent. Leo stood alone amidst piles of the dead. He looked down the empty hallways.

”It seems like no more zombies are coming.”

He stretched his arms.

”I’ve completely cleared the place.”

”Alright...”

”Let’s get to work.”

Leo crouched beside the nearest corpse and drove a hunting knife into its skull. With a twist of his wrist, he pried out a small nucleus crystal. He moved to the next body and repeated the grim chore. Then another. And another.

Just as he started digging into the third one, the system’s flat voice echoed inside his mind.

[Host...]

There was a rare pause.

[The System is having difficulty understanding something.]

Leo stopped digging.

”What?”

[Did you develop some kind of strange fetish while the System was upgrading?]

Leo’s expression twitched.

”What are you talking about?”

[Host, why are you collecting the nucleus crystals like this?]

Leo scoffed.

”Then what?”

”Let you collect them so you can charge me that exorbitant commission?”

”You can keep dreaming.”

The system shot back without missing a beat.

[Host, don’t take the System for a fool like you are.]

[Why are you manually extracting the crystals from the zombies?]

[All you need to do is will the Origin Card to collect them.]

[It will automatically absorb nucleus crystals within a one-meter radius.]

The knife in Leo’s hand stopped dead. He remained completely frozen for a few long seconds. Then, he calmly went back to prying out the crystal.

”Of course I know that.”

”This is good exercise.”

”I enjoy doing it.”

The system fell silent. A moment passed before it spoke again.

[Host, if you didn’t know, then you didn’t know.]

[There is no need to let your pride make you waste time.]

Leo wiped his hands and stood up.

”Alright.”

”If you insist, then out of respect for you, I’ll agree to your method.”

The system went quiet again. Several long seconds ticked by. Then—

[Host...]

Leo raised an eyebrow.

”What?”

[You have changed.]

Leo frowned.

”What do you mean?”

Another brief pause.

[You are more shameless now.]

Leo’s expression darkened.

”...”

For once, he had absolutely no response.