Apocalypse Descends: I Win Effortlessly by Turning Trash into Treasure

As she drew closer and saw the ghastly state of the deceased, the thick stench of blood assailed her nostrils, and Perry Yates couldn’t help but frown.

She had seen from a distance that the man had died horribly, but it was only upon closer inspection that she realized ”horrible” didn’t begin to cover it. There were even bite marks on the corpse.

Of course, Perry Yates was in no mood to mourn the dead. After all, a creature that could kill one of them without a sound—and even devour part of the body—was hiding right in their midst. How could they not be terrified?

If it had decided to kill all of them yesterday instead of just one, would they have been just as powerless to resist?

A shiver ran down Perry Yates’s spine at the thought. ’This is absolutely terrifying.’

After composing herself, Perry Yates began her routine questioning. ”What happened? How did he die?”

”We don’t know,” Nicole Fortune said. ”When we woke up this morning, we just saw Zachary Yardley lying on the ground, dead in such an awful way.”

No one here was a first-time player. While they weren’t completely immune to the sight of death, they weren’t about to turn pale and collapse from fright.

It was just that the manner of his death was so gruesome. The most terrifying part was that it had happened right next to them, yet none of them had heard a single thing.

”How much longer until the game ends?” Nicole Fortune asked, looking at Perry Yates.

”If my calculations are correct, today is the thirtieth day—the final day. But as for the exact time, I’m not sure.”

So, if they were lucky, they could be leaving soon. If not, they might have to wait another ten or twenty hours.

”Judging by the wounds, his body was torn open by sharp claws while he was still alive,” Dylan Adler said after examining the body. ”He must have been in agony before he died.”

”In agony? I don’t think so. Look, there isn’t a single sign of a struggle on the ground.” Perry Yates glanced around. Other than their own footprints, there were indeed no other marks.

Zachary Yardley’s body was even free of dust, aside from the blood from his wounds.

’Either someone cleaned up after he died—but it’s impossible that they’d leave no trace at all—or he simply never struggled.’

Just then, Perry Yates thought she saw something. Deep inside Zachary Yardley’s body, something seemed to be hidden behind the half-eaten viscera.

Just as Perry Yates was about to reach out and see what it was, a hand darted out from the side and snatched the object up first.

Wiping the blood from its surface revealed a five-star card, shimmering with a golden light.

The woman who had grabbed the card stared with wide eyes, her expression a mask of pure excitement. ”Five-star... a five-star card! I got a five-star card!”

She was so excited that her voice trembled as she spoke.

Watching from the side, Nicole Fortune and the others could barely contain the envy and jealousy in their eyes.

”Hmph, what’s there to show off? If we’re being honest, the one who spotted it first was Miss Yates over there. You were just quicker to grab it.”

”I only noticed there might be something there; I wasn’t sure what it was. As for this five-star card, whoever gets it, gets it.” As she spoke, Perry Yates took a few steps back to show she had no designs on the card, her expression all but screaming ’Stay away from me.’

Seeing Perry Yates be so sensible, the player who had picked up the card revealed a satisfied smile.

”She’s right. You did discover the card first, after all. I won’t take advantage. Take these as compensation.”

With that, the woman reached into her pocket and tossed everything she had, including her Space Backpack, to Perry Yates.

Perry Yates caught the Space Backpack, not missing the flicker of regret that flashed in the other woman’s eyes.

’Trying to look generous, but realizing you overdid it, huh?’

Perry Yates didn’t bother with false modesty. It was a freebie, after all—it would be a waste not to take it.

She just gave the other woman a small smile and said, ”Well, thank you.”

The woman, who had been expecting Perry Yates to politely refuse, was taken aback. But she couldn’t very well take back what she’d offered, so she had no choice but to swallow her pride. ’Besides,’ she thought, ’everything in that Space Backpack combined isn’t worth as much as this five-star card in my hand.’

’Once I get back, I can do what the owner of The Card Tavern does and rent this five-star card to the Survival Game Administration. Then I’ll have a never-ending supply of cards.’

With the appearance of the five-star card, everyone forgot all about Zachary Yardley’s death. They could only curse themselves for not being faster, and their gazes toward the female player turned hostile.

After all, that’s just human nature—it’s not about having too little, but about someone else having more.

Perry Yates led Dylan Adler to a quiet place to rest.

”Are you really okay with just handing over a five-star card like that?”

”You know, that was a five-star card! On all of Cerulea, besides The Card Tavern, almost no one has one. They’re all in the hands of various governments, and even the number of countries that possess them can be counted on one hand.”

Dylan Adler couldn’t believe Perry Yates was truly willing to let a five-star card go to someone else.

”Who said it was a five-star card?”

Perry Yates glanced at Dylan Adler and ultimately decided to tell him the truth.

”What do you mean? Are you saying it wasn’t a five-star card?” Dylan Adler was stunned.

Perry Yates thought for a moment. ”It is a five-star card,” she said, ”but not an ordinary one. You know the steward at The Card Tavern, right?”

Dylan Adler didn’t know why Perry Yates was bringing up the steward from The Card Tavern, but he nodded anyway.

”I heard the owner of The Card Tavern say that the steward is also a five-star card. But not all Character Cards are as obedient as he is.”

Hearing this, Dylan Adler recalled the five-star card from before. The front depicted a person—or, to be more precise, a monster covered in fangs.

”That card... if my identification items were correct, it should be the final version of the Monster Book. No one can predict what will happen when it’s used. Besides, why do you think that card appeared inside a dead man’s stomach?”

As she finished speaking, Dylan Adler suddenly felt the hairs on his arms stand on end.

”If you knew the card was dangerous, why didn’t you stop her?”