Chapter 5: choose
"Damn... again?" exclaimed a police officer as he surveyed the headless corpse discarded in a garbage container, several officers combing the area with two police cars stationed nearby.
"That damn psychopath strikes again..." muttered another officer, struggling to contain his nausea at the gruesome scene.
"It's been six days... that lunatic always strikes at night," murmured a third officer, frustration evident in his voice.
"Hey Michael, looks like we've got Jack the Ripper in New York," Sam quipped sarcastically to his colleague, Michael, who shot him an annoyed glance. "Hey! Don't say stupid things, Sam," Michael retorted sharply.
Sam nodded in acknowledgment, conceding, "It's just... it's been six days, and we're no closer to finding him. Feels like he vanished into thin air, like a ghost, damn crazy psychopath..."
Michael nodded grimly, agreeing, "Yeah... it's insane. Like a ghost indeed..."
Up in a building, a figure clad in a white jacket with a grotesque smile watched the aftermath of his handiwork unfold below. It was night, the darkness providing cover for his activities. Noah observed the chaos with a satisfied grin. This time, he had outdone himself. Recently, he had been targeting various locations in Queens, displaying abilities that set him apart. With a speed comparable to that of a car and the agility to leap from building to building, he was proving to be a formidable force. Although he had encountered some close calls, like the time he almost plummeted from a rooftop.
Noah glanced at the window before him, where his character profile was displayed.
[Name: Noah Williams
Age: 16
Strength: Superhuman (Blue)
Speed: Superhuman (Blue)
Intelligence: Above average/Gifted: Hacker [Card in use]
Characters: Jeff the Killer! [Card in use] ]
He tapped on the "characters" section, opening a smaller window.
[You have leveled up!
Jeff the Killer has reached level 8!
Improvements: Slightly improved strength, slightly improved speed, moderately improved senses!
Jeff the Killer: 8/10]
Noah was edging closer to reaching level 10. He had dispatched over 30 individuals across Queens, including a mutant with wings as hard as metal. Despite its resemblance to another mutant he had encountered, upon closer examination, Noah realized it wasn't the one he had been searching for.
With a sigh, Noah sprang into action, darting across rooftops with the grace of a predator. He craved something more exhilarating, more rewarding — a challenge that would push him to his limits and yield greater rewards.
Noah ran across the roofs of the buildings with great agility until he reached an interesting place: a park.
Spotting it in the distance, he decided to venture inside.
Casually strolling through the park on that beautiful night, Noah began to whistle softly, creating a decent atmosphere.
Closing his eyes, he let his senses tune into the distant sounds.
Voices reached his ears, indicating that two people were engaging in something indecent. Noah sighed inwardly at the shame of it.
He smiled and approached the source of the voices, moving slowly until he stood by a tree, where he could observe them.
It was a couple, evidently in the throes of passion. Noah heard their moans and stifled a laugh; they were quite absorbed in each other.
"Hey, this is indecent, isn't it...? You're in a park... it's a shame, the guard will have to enforce the law..." Noah whispered with a smirk.
As he approached the couple, he observed them more closely and was taken aback. This was not what he had expected.
The man appeared to be in his forties or fifties, while the girl seemed younger. Was Noah witnessing a rape...?
Listening more closely, he heard something unexpected.
"Harder...faster..." The words reached Noah's ears, and he realized it wasn't what he initially thought. It seemed consensual, but he didn't care. His goal remained the same: to eliminate them, albeit in an artistic manner.
Approaching them, he interjected, "Hey! This is a park!"
The "couple" startled, quickly rising to their feet. The man began, "I'm sorry, officer, this is just---" before Noah swiftly delivered a kick to his groin. There was a sickening crack, felt even by Noah, resonating through the universal connection among men, akin to Wi-Fi.
Doubled over in agony, the man was rendered speechless. The girl stood frozen, shock evident in her eyes. She hadn't anticipated this; she had only sought to improve her grades.
"Hey, girl, this kind of behavior is unacceptable in my park. Look at that man on the ground; he was indecent. You have your whole life ahead of you, although it's already over. Such a shame..." Noah remarked as he walked away, wiping away a fake tear.
The girl attempted to flee, but Noah swiftly grabbed her leg, pinning her hand against a tree. With a knife in hand, he stabbed through her hand, pinning it to the tree trunk.
Her screams were muffled by Noah's hand over her mouth, as per his usual method.
"Hey... I want to try something, inspired by a movie I saw..." Noah grinned, the idea sparked by a distant memory, though he couldn't recall the film's title, only the scene.
Procuring a large branch from another tree, Noah approached the girl, a sense of anticipation in his eyes. "Ready...?"
The girl looked at him with terror, unable to scream as panic consumed her.
Ignoring her pleas, Noah quipped, "Here comes the plane!" before thrusting the branch into her stomach. She began vomiting blood uncontrollably, attempting to scream but failing.
"Well, it turned out quite well, I suppose..." Noah murmured, feeling a tinge of disappointment.
Suddenly, he spotted the man who had suffered his blow running in the distance, leaving behind a trail of blood.
Noah grinned and gave chase. Despite the man's agonizing pain, Noah caught up easily, delivering a swift punch to his shoulder. The older man screamed in agony as he collapsed to the ground, bones broken.
Noah approached the man and observed his futile attempt to stand, noting the broken bones protruding from his arm. Without uttering a word, Noah simply regarded him, moving his jaw slightly, a silent gesture of contemplation. The older man met his gaze with confusion and fear.
Running his finger along his chin slowly, Noah remained silent as the older man's screams pierced the air, a testament to his fear and agony. The pain gnawed at his senses, consuming him. With a hint of anger, Noah retorted, "You interrupted my mewing session... how inconsiderate..."
Grasping the man's face firmly, Noah effortlessly lifted him as if weightless, his strength remarkable. Despite the man's attempts to scream, Noah delivered a swift, gentle blow to his neck, rendering him unable to breathe. Boredom setting in, Noah decided to enact a scene reminiscent of Batman and Bane.
Positioning the man's back against his leg, Noah quipped with a smile, "See you, bab-- I mean, Batman..." With force, he slammed the man against his leg, feeling the spine snap under the pressure. The man remained silent, writhing in agony, his neck or vocal cords presumably shattered.
With a nonchalant remark of "Well, this was fun...", Noah seized the man's head and flung it to the ground, the sickening sound of breaking bones echoing in the air. Noah glanced at the lifeless body of the older man, his head now sunken in death.
Noah gazed at the lifeless body on the floor and muttered, "Shit, I love movies..."
A smile graced his lips as an unexpected window materialized before him. Noah hadn't anticipated leveling up so swiftly.
"[You've recreated a scene from a comic! You have received double experience!
You have risen to level 9!
Jeff the Killer: 9/10!
Improvements: Slightly improved strength, slightly improved speed, moderately improved senses!]"
"Great, this is pretty good. If I recreate more scenes from comics or movies, I could earn more experience...?" Noah pondered with interest.
With a determined sigh, he declared, "Today, I will reach level 10... today will be the day..."
Noah's smile widened as he darted through the park, eager to encounter more individuals, perhaps even mutants.
However, the search proved unfruitful, and boredom crept in. Noah decided to utilize his superhuman strength to scale the buildings and traverse them once more. As he dashed along, a distant gunshot caught his attention. "Yes... guns. Finally!!"
Racing towards the source, leaping effortlessly between buildings, Noah arrived at an urban area. Unfamiliar with Queens, even in his past life, he paid little mind, though he acknowledged that encountering Spider-Man would pose a significant threat.
Observing a skirmish in an abandoned building, Noah grinned. "Wow, I didn't know places like this existed. Perfect... today, I'll level up and acquire another card..."
With absurd agility, he entered through a broken window. Amidst the chaos of screams, insults, and gunfire, Noah's curiosity was piqued. "Can I dodge bullets...?" he mused, though he opted not to test it at that moment.
Strolling through the building, Noah noted graffiti, broken glass, and discarded syringes littering the floor. Upon spotting a man reloading his gun, Noah sprang into action, seizing him by the face and slamming him against the wall with tremendous force. The man's skull crumpled under the impact, leaving him dead.
As Noah retrieved the gun, excitement gleamed in his eyes. "Great! How about some John Wick vibes...?" he remarked eagerly, loading the magazine and preparing the weapon.
When someone entered the room, mistaking Noah for his friend he swiftly aimed and fired, delivering a perfect headshot. "Perfect and... epic," Noah murmured with satisfaction.
Grabbing another gun from the fallen foe, Noah surged out of the room, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He descended the stairs and opened fire on a group below, swiftly dispatching four individuals.
"Sense of madness... activate..." Noah whispered, feeling a surge of energy pulse through him. With a manic grin, he ran, laughed, and fired at anything that moved, embracing the chaos.
In slow motion, he dodged incoming bullets with uncanny agility, leaving onlookers in awe. "He is... a monster!! RUN!!" they cried out in fear.
"Yes... yes!! RUN, DAMN ASSHOLES!" Noah shouted gleefully, charging towards them with unparalleled strength. With each shot fired, he reveled in the destruction, a force of nature unleashed upon the building's inhabitants.
///
Noah spotted a boy around his age amidst the chaos, seemingly caught up in the turmoil of his own volition. "Poor boy... poor boy... it's a shame this is your last day..." Noah muttered, taking aim and firing. The boy crumpled to the ground, blood spilling from the gunshot wound.
Surveying the carnage around him - dead bodies, throats torn apart, individuals sliced in half, even one seemingly mauled by a wild beast, entrails spilling out - Noah's eyes gleamed with ecstasy. "Yes... I feel... so... free..." he murmured, reveling in the madness.
Suddenly, Noah's body felt overwhelmingly heavy, causing him to stagger and nearly collapse. As he sat on the ground, exhaustion washing over him, he reflected on the power of his newfound ability. "Damn... so tired. That ability is incredible. It even allowed me to dodge bullets... I felt like Neo from The Matrix..."
His gaze fell upon a familiar window materializing before him.
"[You have leveled up!
You have reached level 10!
Improvements: Output moderately improved, speed moderately improved, direction significantly increased.
New skill acquired: "The Psychopath"
You have acquired a new card!]"
Proudly, Noah activated the new skill.
"[The Psychopath: This ability allows you to enter a state where you continue fighting regardless of pain, fear, etc. It grants a slight boost to the green level, but only lasts for about 5 minutes.]"
"Damn... how powerful. Reaching the green level that easily...? I wonder what a green level can accomplish... Can it demolish buildings or something...? Because if that's the case, I might stand a chance against Spider-Man..." Noah muttered with a tired smile.
Noah rose from the ground with effort, passing by the dozens of corpses strewn about, some of them mere teenagers.
"Yeah... a big XP farm..." he muttered with a smile as he exited the abandoned building.
Fatigue weighed heavily on him as he trudged through the area, pulling out his phone to set the address for home.
"I'm a bit far from the apartment... but I think I'll make it... Once I get home, I'll check out the new card..." Noah murmured wearily, though the excitement of the new card lingered in his mind.
Despite his exhaustion, Noah ran towards his house, eager to rest.
Upon arriving, he entered through the window once more, deactivated his card, and collapsed onto his bed, the fatigue lingering even after deactivating the card.
With a sleepy yawn, Noah mumbled, "What a great day... Now, let's see this beauty."
A window materialized before him, displaying new information.
"[You've obtained a new card!
Information: For obtaining this card in a short period of time, you will be rewarded with an exclusive privilege!
Killer: Killer is a special category of powerful beings with a vast variety, including numerous subcategories.
Subcategories: Classic Killer, Intelligent Killer, Genius Killer, Supergenius Killer, Semi-Human Killer, Strategic Killer, Supernatural Killer, etc.
Monsters: This category encompasses a wide range of creatures, with dozens or even hundreds of monsters included, along with various subcategories.
Subcategory: Animal Monster, Intelligent Monster, Supernatural Monster, Alien Monster, Ghostly Monster, Mythological Monster, Series Monster, Comic Book Monster, Huge Monster, Divine Monster, Dimensional Monster, etc.
Warning: Until now, categories were limited to blue cards. Most subcategories will be significantly restricted in power and speed according to the card's color!
Choose a category!]"
Noah grumbled in annoyance, "I hate choosing... Seems like I'm going to be pondering this for a while..."
"Murderer looks interesting... but monsters are also tempting... Damn, this is complicated, especially since it's a privilege to choose..." Noah muttered, contemplating the possibilities before him.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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