Chapter 28: Another Level-Up

Odin quickly switched on the bulb after entering the cabin. He breathed a sigh of relief when the artificial light illuminated the otherwise dim living room space the next instant. It seemed that the descent of the apocalypse had only affected the mobile networks and possibly the radio waves but not the power supply. So, with the electricity still on, they wouldn't have to resort to using firewood for cooking and keeping themselves warm in the near future.

"Carol! Bella!" Odin called out while matching further into the living room. "I'm back."

"Is that you, Odin?" Carol's voice resounded from behind the storage room's door the next moment.

"Yes, it's me," Odin said, removing his face mask. "You can come out. It's safe now."

"Thank God," Carol's voice sounded again, and the storage room's door creaked open. Immediately, the two sisters walked out and strolled into the living room.

Odin breathed another sigh of relief after confirming that they were indeed okay. Aside from their pale faces and feverish-glassy eyes, they seemed healthy without visible blemishes on their garments and exposed skin. They obviously hadn't faced any difficulties while hiding inside the cabin.

"Oh my God, Odin!" Carol exclaimed after setting her eyes on Odin. "What happened to you? You're bathed in blood, and you reek! Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Odin said with a smile. "I just got some dirt on my clothes while killing zombies. I'll be back to normal after taking a shower."

"Odin!" Bella, the younger sister, called out as her big brown eyes narrowed slightly. "There's a scary uncle and a beautiful big sister behind you."

"Don't worry," Odin said, smiling at the young girl. "I invited them in. Come; let me introduce you."

He motioned for Bella and Carol to step forward. "These two are Iris and Christian. They were working as guards at the resort before the disaster. They'll be staying near us for the next few days. Say hello to them."

A round of introductions immediately followed as the girls acquainted themselves with the two guards. They talked for a few minutes, and soon, Bella warmed up to Iris, who surprisingly seemed to have a natural charm towards children. And as expected, the young girl kept her distance from the scary-looking Christian Blaze.

On the other hand, Carol remained guarded and didn't interact much with the two strangers. After the brief introductions, she stood on the side and stayed silent the entire time. She was like a spectator viewing a play from the sidelines.

"I need to talk to my sisters alone," Odin said to the two guards after the brief session of interaction. "Give us a few minutes."

"No problem," Christian readily agreed. "We'll step out for a moment so that you can talk."

"That won't be necessary," Odin said, shaking his head. "Stay here in the living room, and we'll carry out our discussion in the bedroom. Don't forget that staying out is risky, especially with the zombies roaming the resort."

"I feel useless," Christian said with a sigh. "I can't even step out because of the fear of zombies!"

"Better that than dying miserably to those human-flesh-eating monsters," Odin stated before turning around and walking towards the bedroom's door. "Carol! Bella! Follow me. We need to talk."

He switched on the light, and the girls immediately followed him into the room. He shut the door behind them to prevent the two guards from eavesdropping. He couldn't allow any risk of what he was about to discuss leaking out to a third party.

"Bella! Carol! Listen carefully," Odin whispered after the three of them had huddled together beside the large bed in the cabin's bedroom. "No matter what happens in the future, don't tell any other person about what happened to mom, and do not tell anyone that a powerful entity saved her. Otherwise, all our lives will be in danger. Do you get what I'm saying?" He looked at the faces of the two sisters closely.

"Don't worry," Carol was the first to reply. "I will definitely not tell anyone else as this concerns mom." She then turned toward her sister. "Bella! You also have to keep this our little secret. Don't tell Iris or any other person about mom. Okay?"

Bella nodded. "I promise. I'll keep everything about mom a secret."

"Good girl," Odin said to Bella. "If anyone asks, you can choose to say that we separated from mom before the descent of the apocalypse. But do not mention anything else. Okay?"

Both sisters nodded.

"Excellent," Odin said, patting their shoulders. "You can head back to the living room for now. Both Iris and Christian seem like good people. Try to get along with them as they'll be responsible for your safety when I'm away."

"You're leaving again?" Carol's expression darkened.

Odin let out a slow breath and nodded. "I have to head out and kill all the zombies around the resort. Otherwise, they'll evolve and become more powerful. And that'll spell doom for us."

Carol met his gaze and said, "Remember to be careful when you're out there. Don't let anything happen to you."

"I know what's at stake," Odin replied solemnly. "Don't worry. For now, first head to the living room. I need to make some preparations before heading out."

Carol glanced at him for a few seconds, seemingly as if she wanted to say something else. But eventually, she shook her head before turning toward her younger sister. "Bella, let's go. It seems like Odin needs some time alone." She then led her sister by the hand out of the room before shutting the door behind her.

Odin let out a silent sigh and shook his head. He could tell that his sisters were still terrified by the prospect of losing their mom. But he couldn't afford to spend time comforting them as he still had to ensure that the resort was secure.

"Let's level up first," he thought. "As long as I become powerful enough, all this suffering will pass."

Odin shook his head to clear his mind and summoned the Origin Order's interface. After exterminating the survivors who had turned into zombies, he had obtained enough origin points to level up. He'd only chosen not to due to the circumstances at the time. But now, within the safety of his cabin and away from the scrutinizing eyes of both Iris and Christian, there was nothing stopping him. He could finally advance to another evolutionary level.

"Origin Order," Odin expressed himself telepathically while crossing his legs on the floor. "I wish to level up now."

"DING"

A melodic chime rang within his mind as glowing lines of blood-red text flickered before his vision.

-----

[The Host has chosen to level up now]

[40 Origin points have been deducted]

[Level-Up Commencing...]

-----

Odin immediately felt the familiar warm current streaming through his body before flowing along his spine and drilling into his brain. Then another chime rang in his head as more notifications from the Origin Order appeared before his vision.

-----

[You have leveled up. Your current evolutionary level is Level 3]

[Level-up Reward: +1 unassigned attribute point]

[Current Origin Points: 4/80]

-----

"Now, how should I utilize the attribute point?"

Odin sank into a state of contemplation after reading the notification. Then, after recalling how he'd exhausted himself and almost run out of breath after battling a few zombies, he made a choice without hesitation.

"Allocate the unassigned attribute point to Physique."

Odin braced himself after giving the mental command. The next moment, he felt much more alive than ever as a comfortable feeling of endless stamina and strength saturated his body. He quickly glanced at the interface and noticed that his unassigned attribute points had returned to zero while his physique attribute had increased from 3.9 to 4.9.

"Sweet."

Odin could feel his body quickly recovering from its state of exhaustion after the warm current made another round through his body. And when the weird feeling of leveling up passed, it was as if he'd been resting the entire morning. His mind was sharp, and his spirits high. He even discerned that his spatial sense was more potent than usual.

"As expected," Odin thought, "Strengthening my physique should also boost my vitality and stamina. My resistance against diseases should have increased, and I should now be able to last longer during fights."

Odin rose from the ground with his machete in hand. He started executing a few chops and slashes there, in the bedroom, to acclimatize himself to his new physique.

His abnormally high spirit attribute worked wonders, and he quickly perfected his control over his body again. His machete moves soon became more potent as they flashed through the air. They left afterimages as he performed a sort of blade dance around the tight space of the bedroom.

"This should be enough."

An easy, relaxed smile outlined Odin's face as he stopped his workout. There wasn't a single bead of sweat on his forehead, even after training with the machete for more than ten minutes. He even had a feeling that he could still run a twenty-six-mile marathon without breaking a sweat. After enhancing his physique, his stamina and endurance attributes were just that potent.

"Time to kill off all the zombies in the resort."

Odin didn't continue dilly-dallying in the room after the level-up. He opened his backpack and quickly picked a few supplies, including spare magazines and Aunt Lucy's Kel-Tec magnum. He then exited the bedroom and marched back into the living room.

"Are you ready to head out now?" Iris asked after noticing him. She'd been talking to Bella but stopped when Odin stepped into the living room.

Odin smiled and nodded. "I'll move out now. Here is the gun and two spare magazines. As we agreed, I'll let you borrow them for a while." He stepped forward and shoved the weapon and ammo into her hands.

"A Kel-Tec PMR-30," Iris mumbled as she received the gun and spare magazines. She quickly shoved the magazines inside the pockets of her combat pants before drawing back the gun's slide to check the chamber.

Odin observed her actions before asking, "Is the gun to your liking? Are you able to use it easily if there is an emergency?"

"This will do," Iris said, meeting Odin's gaze. "But you do own a lot of guns! I already saw a desert eagle and another Kel-Tec magnum on your belt. Now, there's also this handgun. Are you one of those gun enthusiasts that are always collecting various types of guns?"

Odin smiled and shook his head. "I acquired the weapons only recently to protect myself and my family against the threat of mutated creatures."

"I see," Iris said and returned her attention to the gun. "As long as we remain in the cabin, I'll be able to ensure the safety of your sisters with this gun. You can be at ease and go and complete your mission."

"Thanks," Odin said before turning towards Christian. The old gentleman had leaned against the wall while glancing at the ceiling with a blank stare. He seemed to be worried about something.

"Christian!" Odin called out to attract his attention.

"Yes, what is it?"

The older gentleman appeared startled and immediately pivoted his attention on Odin. His eyes, which seemed lifeless a moment ago, immediately exuded a fierce light. It was as if he'd turned from a human into a ferocious beast within seconds.

Odin's eyes narrowed. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Christian replied as a soft smile outlined his face. "I was only thinking about something unpleasant a few minutes ago. Sorry if I alarmed you."

"No problem," Odin said before pointing at his spare machete lying on the table. "You can use the machete as your weapon for the time being. When moving around the resort, I'll try to find the weapons of your colleagues and bring them to you. Then, you'll no longer have to move around unarmed."

"Thanks," Christian replied before stepping forward and picking up the machete. "Go; do what you have to do. We'll keep your sisters safe while you are away."

Odin nodded and turned towards the two sisters seated on a sofa at the far end of the living room. They were abnormally silent as they glanced at him with worried expressions.

"Bella! Carol!" Odin said, his voice softening. "I'm heading out for a few minutes and will be back before you know it. Don't give Christian and Iris any hard time. Okay?"

The sisters nodded without saying anything.

Odin gave them one last deep glance before turning around and heading out of the cabin. He was finally ready to exterminate all the zombies in the resort so as to ensure the safety of his loved ones.