After killing the 2 lesser zombies Joseph confirmed that you don't need to destroy the brain of the zombies to kill them, and how it worked was like video games to kill a zombie you need to deal a fixed amount of damage it doesn't matter whether you kill them by poking them 100 times or decapitating them.
At first, when he tried to snap the neck of the male zombie he didn't do that expecting to kill him he did it just so it would become easier for him to destroy the brain since the zombie wouldn't be able to move with its spinal cord destroyed but to his surprise, it dropped dead after its neck was destroyed.
Joseph was determined to evolve as much as possible before the time limit was over and knowing this fact would make it easier for him.
[You don't need to worry you still have more than 9 hours and 20 minutes left]
Can you stop reading my mind it's creepy?
[you meanie it's not like I want to read your mind if I don't do it how can I communicate with you and help you humph...]
Joseph sighed.. he didn't know what to say the only thing he had left in this apocalyptic world was his privacy and even that was taken from him.
Joseph wondered around looking for more and more zombies to kill when he reached what seemed like the way towards the exit he saw that a zombie had fallen to the ground its hands and legs were trampled its back was broken leading to it looking like a rug similar to those of animals that reach people had a disgusting sight to see it seemed like it had happened due to a stamped caused by survivors there were several similar bodies on the ground but they were all dead seemingly died before becoming a zombie well although disgusting it was free crystal core Joseph didn't complain and walked forward killing the zombie and taking the crystal he moved on, on his way he found several more deformed zombie who had suffered the same fate he took all the crystal cores with a satisfied expression.
[wow you are soooooo lucky you already have 12 crystal cores 18 to go and you will finally evolve hehe]
Seeing how Joseph was in deep thoughts Godiva made several attempts trying to make him talk but her attempts were in vain while she was wondering what to do Joseph asked her what will happen after he evolved to a full-fledged zombie
[well nothing much happens during your first evolution you will just regain your lost stats but still be unable to use mana you need to reach your first Evolution rank]
Joseph was satisfied with the answer after all if as she said even if his weakened state was near average humans then his stats before becoming a zombie would help him overpower the other zombies who had just evolved from being a lesser zombie to a zombie.
Joseph moved forward wondering what would happen after he reached the first rank, after all, no matter how many times he asked, Godiva said the same thing that she couldn't give him an answer he needs to find that out on his own.
When Joseph asked why she told him about the gods and dungeons even if she cants about something as simple as rank 1 evolution she said I gave you that information upon the request of the gods after all you are an interesting test subject in their eyes.
Joseph wasn't happy about hearing that he was just a test subject in the eyes of the gods and how they treated earth but he was too weak to complain and living a life where he had to constantly bow to the strong he knew the only way to complain is to become an existence that holds enough power that no one would dare to look down on but he was still far from that level.
Joseph moved forward fighting lesser zombies for a bit over 1 hour and he had 37 crystal cores the reason why he was able to gather that many crystals even though he didn't enter the concert area was because some survivors managed to kill some zombies before dying he didn't complain he went to a secluded area and asked Godiva about how he can use the crystals.
[if you put them in the inventory I will be able to use them and evolve you or you can just simply eat them]
With a dumbfounded expression, Joseph said I had an inventory all this time and you didn't tell me anything about it I had to put them in my boxers because my pockets were full you know?
she didn't dare tell him how she was having fun watching him struggle to carry the crystals and eventually putting them inside his boxers.
[You didn't ask me about it it's not like I have to tell you everything, you need to ask me if you want to know something pf.. ehem]
Wait were you laughing?
[I'm a system incapable of human emotions sir]
Godiva replied with a weird robotic expression
yeah yeah you are right Joseph didn't want to waste any more time and stopped the argument.
Can you pls start the evolution or whatever thingy it's getting annoying with how my body is feeling?
Joseph said with an extremely annoyed expression.
[jeez you can be a bit kinder you know it's not like your heart will stop if you are nicer to me]
[Evolution will commence in 10 seconds it will take 30 seconds for you to evolve your body will be shut down temporarily]
10 seconds later Joseph felt a pain far greater than anything he had experienced before he felt like his body is being torn apart his head was hurting like several countries were having an all-out war inside his brain.
After 30 seconds that felt like an entire lifetime to Joseph, everything was finished and all the pain was gone his body was lighter than it was before the apocalypse he felt way stronger than he ever was.
[Hory shet that I didn't expect this to happen]
After hearing Godiva's confused voice Joseph asked her about what had happened
[well this... you see you were an anomaly, to begin with, there weren't any zombies in the history of the universe that naturally retained sanity and remembered their lives as human unless a third party was involved]
Joseph was even more annoyed from the fact that gods gave him this system it was obvious he was an anomaly, to begin with, and since something crucial had happened he didn't waste more time after all he only had a little over 8 hours left till the all-out war of zombies started.
Godiva was dawdling it was the first time as an all-knowing system something like this had happened to her.