As someone who had lived through six years of the apocalypse and was reborn, he naturally knew that to improve one's cultivation in the apocalypse, there were shortcuts besides diligent practice.
One path was to collect crystal cores from the brains of zombies. These cores were somewhat similar to those in ability users' brains, both formed by absorbing external energy, but they weren't energy cultivated by oneself. Moreover, the energy in zombie cores was somewhat violent and contained impurities, with only a small portion being absorbable by the human body.
Thus, for an ability user to advance by consuming zombie cores, it might work in the early stages, but later on, it required caution. The higher the level of the zombies, the higher the level of their cores, and the more impurities they contained. The best approach was to absorb the core's energy and then take time to expel the impurities from one's body.
Otherwise, it would inevitably cause trouble for future advancements. The second path, once discovered, became sought after by all ability users – that was to draw energy from natural energy stones to enhance their abilities!
These naturally occurring energy stones were rare, but they were completely different from the crystal cores in zombies. The reason for their formation was unclear, just like the arrival of the apocalypse itself, as if something had caused these energy stones to mutate.
Perhaps because they were inherently sourced from nature, the energy they absorbed was also purer and more abundant than that from zombie cores. It was later discovered that ability users could directly absorb the energy from these stones to use for themselves. If the energy stone was large enough and their luck was good, it might even trigger a change in their abilities, though the chances were extremely slim. Still, energy stones drove all ability users wild with desire.
After all, in the apocalypse, strength equated to survival and power. No one didn't want absolute strength. Even if the energy stones didn't catalyze their abilities to change, they could at least unconditionally enhance them. Plus, having an energy stone nearby in times of dire need allowed them to quickly replenish their depleted abilities through absorption, providing an additional lifeline in the apocalypse.
The mere fact that energy stones offered this advantage was enough to make people go crazy. Unfortunately, the occurrence of these stones was not frequent, so they couldn't lead to mass power upgrades, but their rarity made every rumor of their appearance a cause for fierce competition.
Especially in the fifth year of the apocalypse, the prolonged, harsh conditions made the need for strength even more urgent, and the ongoing zombie evolution left people feeling increasingly insecure, so the desire to obtain energy stones to boost one's abilities was almost universal among ability users.
Therefore, whenever energy stones appeared later in the apocalypse, battles ensued. In fact, Park Su died during an attempt to seize an energy stone with another mercenary group. Sadly, as someone suited for logistical support with not strong enough personal abilities, he never even saw an energy stone in person until his death.
Although he hadn't seen a real energy stone in his past life, it didn't mean he wasn't interested in them. On the contrary, his pursuit of power made him pay close attention to their formation. Had his abilities been strong enough, he would have definitely tried to seize one.
In this life, knowing there was an energy stone in City S, how could he not be tempted? He was well aware that even if he utilized zombie cores for cultivation before others caught on, with his cultivation speed and his support abilities, he still might not match up to those who awakened later and had explosive combat abilities!
Thus, no matter how dangerous, he had to obtain this energy stone! It was only when no one was paying attention to it that he had a chance, wasn't it?
He had been keeping an eye on this energy stone even before the apocalypse, located in the museum of City S. It was in his third year after entering the S base that he learned about it. At that time, the base sent many people to seize the stone because the higher-ups in S base valued it greatly. Park Su had followed a mercenary group in the hopes of picking up some benefits or supplies from City S.
It was precisely because of this that he was fortunate enough to witness the battle for the energy stone, nearly becoming collateral damage. The stone was eventually secured by someone from the S base, and not long after it was brought back, news spread that the base leader's ability had advanced from the fourth to the fifth level.
This left a profound impression on Park Su regarding the energy stone. He knew that the stone had actually formed much earlier, likely around the same time zombies began to appear.
In fact, before the apocalypse, he had specifically searched the museum for signs of the energy stone but found nothing significant. However, the determined Park Su still marked out the museum's layout and stones or jade that could potentially transform into energy stones.
He was clear that once everyone knew about the energy stones, he wouldn't have the ability to compete with the stronger ability users. His only chance was to claim it at the earliest possible moment. At this point, the only energy stone he knew about in close proximity was this one.
Therefore, despite the danger, he had to go, and the sooner, the better. He forced himself, feeling dizzy, to drive the shortest route to the museum.
Luckily, the museum at night was deserted. He parked his car near the side entrance of the museum and locked the doors, waiting for his body to recover from the painful awakening of his abilities so he could swiftly enter the museum to retrieve the energy stone.
The awakening of abilities was excruciating, with the whole body heating up and feeling weak, headaches pounding, and Park Su's ability to remain conscious until reaching the museum was a testament to his strong will. Now, slumped in the driver's seat, he looked as if he had just been fished out of water. He kept reminding himself to stay alert, knowing that his current location was not safe, as the time needed for ability awakening was much longer than that for zombies.
He hoped this place would allow him to safely awaken his abilities, so he could be confident in seizing the energy stone. He closed his eyes, silently feeling the changes in his body, trying to hold on, but his consciousness gradually blurred. After some unknown amount of time, he finally felt the pain and heat dissipating, and his spirit returning. He knew he had passed this hurdle.
Opening his eyes, he saw that the sky outside was just beginning to lighten. He took a deep breath, circulated his newly awakened ability, and unsurprisingly saw a faint green light in his palm. Indeed, it was wood-based, unchanged even after his rebirth.
He cautiously observed the situation outside. The museum was spacious enough for him to see to the end with a single glance, and it was still eerily silent, with nothing unusual. However, Park Su's heart was still pounding fast. He knew this was just the surface calm. At this hour, there would likely be only a few guards or security personnel inside, with no visitors, but he couldn't be sure if they were still alive.
Since he had awakened the same wood-based ability as in his past life, it could only mean that the world had undergone another change. He dared not relax, pulling out the dagger he had prepared from under the passenger seat, covering his face with a mask, and nervously opened the car door, slowly approaching the museum.
As expected, when he reached the entrance, he saw that the guard room was empty, but the air was thick with the smell of blood, indicating that a gruesome human-on-human event had taken place. This confirmed his suspicion that he hadn't been transported back to before the apocalypse, also signaling that there might be quite a few zombies in the museum. He tightened his grip on his dagger and entered the museum.
The museum was quiet, so quiet that Park Su could hear only his heartbeat and footsteps. However, when he saw the broken glass door before entering, he knew something was definitely inside. He moved cautiously, and as he approached a corner, he felt a sudden tension. A figure lunged at him. Park Su, already on high alert, quickly sidestepped, causing the zombie to miss its target.
The zombie staggered, turned around, enraged and craving for flesh, and lunged at Park Su again. In the dim emergency lighting, Park Su saw the zombie's appearance. Apart from the bloodstained guard uniform and its now entirely black eyes, it still looked like a human, but its bloodthirsty demeanor and the constant growling from its throat told Park Su that this was no longer a living person.