Void Sword

Chen Luo would not drink unless there was a special occasion.

But to celebrate his true reunion with Su Dazhu, he had to have a drink.

Not much-just two bottles of ice-cold beer.

Watching Su Dazhu devour his food, Chen Luo felt a flicker of guilt.

Esper Ability Users ate considerably more than ordinary people, especially those with physical abilities. Every last one of them was a bottomless pit.

But how much food was there for them to eat?

Chen Luo had not known this at first. He only understood after coming into contact with other physical Esper Ability Users.

Just thinking about what it felt like to go hungry frightened Chen Luo. Su Dazhu had often given up food for him, and there was no telling how badly he had suffered from hunger in private.

Chen Luo swore that even if he went hungry himself, he would never let Su Dazhu starve again.

Watching Su Dazhu eat so happily, Chen Luo smiled like a doting father, filled with the deep satisfaction of seeing his own child get enough to eat.

With Chen Luo repeatedly urging him not to hold back, eight dishes still proved insufficient for Su Dazhu. Only after Chen Luo brought out a large platter of braised chicken was he finally completely satisfied.

Seeing Su Dazhu eat his fill made Chen Luo feel better than if he had eaten a ginseng fruit himself.

Chen Luo stood up, went to the kitchen, and took a jug of purified water out of his Ability Space to wash the zombie crystals he had collected.

Chen Luo had not counted them, but there had to be at least two hundred.

When he came out after washing them, he saw Dharma King staring at him pleadingly.

Didn't you promise me the leftovers? You didn't leave a single bite. That bottomless pit ate everything.

Smiling, Chen Luo took out a serving of braised pork for Dharma King.

It was no exaggeration to say that in a few more days, hardly anyone in the world would eat better than Dharma King, a dog.

For now, every household still had some ingredients stocked up.

Chen Luo called Su Dazhu over and handed him a handful of crystals.

"Dazhu, try absorbing the power in these crystals. They can quickly make you stronger."

Su Dazhu asked where they had come from, and Chen Luo explained with a smile that he had dug them out of zombies' heads.

Su Dazhu immediately looked disgusted. That was pretty gross.

Something occurred to Su Dazhu, and he asked in confusion, "Chen, how did you know zombies had these things in their heads?"

Chen Luo said, "When your head hurt this morning, didn't you feel something forming inside it? I figured a crystal had formed, so I wondered whether zombies might have them in their heads too."

"And sure enough, they did."

Understanding dawned on Su Dazhu, and he praised him. "Chen, you're really smart."

Chen Luo smiled. Anyone clever enough and quick on their feet could figure something like this out. It hardly counted as a secret.

Even someone who did not know could easily learn about it after coming into contact with other people.

Chen Luo said gently, "From now on, don't call me Chen. Just call me your brother."

Calling him Chen and calling him his brother were, of course, two different things.

Despite Su Dazhu's imposing size, he was actually three days younger than Chen Luo.

Su Dazhu immediately gave him a goofy grin. "Okay, big brother. I've always wanted an older brother."

Chen Luo and Su Dazhu had actually known each other for over a year. In Su Dazhu's eyes, Chen Luo was different from the other arrogant residents who would not even spare a proper glance for a security guard like him.

He was always gentle and polite, never overbearing.

It was hard for Su Dazhu not to feel fond of someone who treated him with such respect.

That was also why, in their previous life, the two had naturally teamed up after meeting again.

Chen Luo had Su Dazhu choose a room where he could absorb the crystals in peace, then went to his own room to begin absorbing them as well.

After Dharma King finished eating, Chen Luo tossed him a handful of crystals.

"Eat them one at a time. If you feel like you can't take any more, stop."

Crystals could be absorbed while held in the palm, or swallowed directly.

The difference was that holding one allowed the user to freely control whether to absorb it. Once swallowed, if the user could not withstand its energy, their body could burst in the most extreme cases, killing them.

Of course, that could never happen with the lowest-grade crystals. But these things had been dug out of zombies' heads. Wasn't eating them disgusting?

Dharma King was a dog, so he did not care.

Chen Luo lay on the bed, held a crystal in his hand, and began absorbing it.

The crystals contained a certain kind of power that could strengthen the user when absorbed. Crystals of the same attribute were the most effective.

For instance, Space crystals worked best for Chen Luo.

This power could not be absorbed without limit, either. The exact amount depended on the individual.

It was like eating. Someone with a huge appetite could eat ten large bowls of rice, while someone else could only manage half a bowl.

Those who could take in more naturally had greater talent, and their strength grew faster.

The amount of power they could absorb in one sitting would also increase as they grew stronger.

Based on his experience from his previous life, Chen Luo estimated that he could currently absorb the power of eight crystals in one sitting.

That was already a lot. Esper Ability Users with poor talent might not even be able to absorb all the power in a single crystal when they first awakened.

Each crystal contained a different amount of power, some more and some less, but the differences were small. After absorbing around twenty in total, he could probably reach the strength of a Level Two Ability User the day after tomorrow.

As he continued absorbing them, Chen Luo suddenly sat up.

"Something's wrong. I've absorbed five, so why does it feel like I've only taken in a tiny bit?"

Normally, after absorbing five crystals, Chen Luo should have felt more than half full. Now, they barely seemed to fill a gap between his teeth.

This was a good thing, of course. The more power he could absorb in one sitting, the faster his strength would grow.

Both shocked and delighted, Chen Luo resumed absorbing them.

When he reached the twenty-first crystal, a sudden pain shot through his head, though it was not as painful as his awakening that morning.

Chen Luo could hardly believe it. I reached Level Two on the very first day of the apocalypse?

In his previous life, he had not advanced until the fourteenth day.

That morning, when Chen Luo had first awakened, he could launch four Space Spheres in one sitting. Now, he could launch at least fifteen.

Their power had also increased a little.

Against zombies, this was not a transformative improvement. He could kill eleven or twelve at most, which still could not match the efficiency of a stun baton.

Putting that change aside, Chen Luo continued absorbing the crystals' power.

After he reached Level Two, the lowest-grade crystals became considerably less effective for him because their power was not pure enough.

Once he reached Level Four, the power in the lowest-grade crystals would have no effect at all. They would barely be useful for speeding up his recovery.

That was why Chen Luo could not even be bothered to collect some zombie crystals. Having enough was all that mattered.

Only after absorbing forty-two crystals did Chen Luo feel that he had reached his limit and could take in no more. Part of the reason he could absorb so many was that he had reached Level Two.

Leveling up strengthened not only his abilities, but his physique a little as well.

A King Rank Esper Ability User's physique was no worse than that of a Level Ten Flesh Esper Ability User.

Weakness was only relative.

Feeling the power inside his body, Chen Luo stood up, wondering whether he could use the Void Sword now.

Chen Luo began gathering all the power in his body into his palm, shaping it into a sword.

This sword was not invisible or colorless.

A pale white, laser-like Lightsaber formed in Chen Luo's hand.

In less than five seconds, Chen Luo collapsed onto the bed, drenched in sweat. Forcing himself to use this ability had taken far too much out of him.