After hearing the full reports, Leon was satisfied. It seemed there was no great upheaval during his absence.
Under the curious gazes of everyone present in the meeting room, he recounted his journey. How he had killed seven second level zombies before being invited to a camp that wanted to kill him. And then, how he had massacred their entire combat force before facing their trump card—a Third Level Mutated Beast.
"Wait! A Third Level?!"
Cassie stood up in shock, unable to believe what she was hearing. The others were equally shocked. Thay had seen how dangerous second level creatures were. How much more dangerous would a creature of the Third Level be?
Unperturbed, Leon nodded nonchalantly. "Yes. Although it was strong, far stronger than I could handle, it only had low level intelligence. So I killed it."
Ye Ming couldn't help but ask, "How... did you kill it?"
"Oh that?" Leon shrugged. "I ate it alive till I killed it."
What? Ate it alive? While you fought?
Everyone could feel their brains spinning in confusion. True, they accepted that Leon was a zombie, though he wasn't like those bunch with decayed intelligence. But! Eating your enemy while you fought was totally inhuman! Even Cassie struggled to come in terms with it.
Seeing their reactions, Leon tilted his head. "Is there a problem? That was the most efficient method available. Or could you suggest something better?"
They fell silent, knowing he was right. There was really no better option than his method. Though they doubted any sane human would do that. Still, this confirmed a doubt they never voiced out.
When Leon had returned, he had behaved too human for his nature. It made them feel uneasy. However, now that he spoke about eating a being alive like it was nothing, they realized a chilling fact.
It seemed Leon's inhumanity was slowly but surely merging with his remaining humanity and rationality.
Then a question rose in their hearts. If he merged fully, what monster would be birthed?
After that, he spoke about the reward crucible he brought from the camp and also the other spoils. He omitted the meeting with Mira since none of them recognized her and it was of little significance.
"Alright. So what is our next plan after we finish the construction?"
Professor Oliver asked, gazing straight at the young man.
Leon tapped the table with a finger, contemplating something. "Since the speed of the construction has exceeded my expectations, there should be a change in plans."
"Uh, what plans exactly?" Shadow asked, curious.
"We need to increase our combat team. How many evolved do we have now?"
Amelia answered, "If we exclude you, we currently have ten first level evolved."
Leon frowned slightly. While ten first level evolved might seem much, it wasn't enough in this stage of the apocalypse.
'I should have enough crystals to get two Second Level Evolution Potions. Those who'd be given should be left to them.'
He nodded to himself, then looked at Shadow. "I need you to scout out areas in the city with large hordes of zombies. Scout for Second Level Creatures too."
The young man nodded, serious with the mission.
"Are you planning a raid?" Anna's brows furrowed. She couldn't understand his train of thoughts.
"Yes. But before that, get me all the crystals we currently have in stock. I need to purchase something."
Amelia complied and brought him a sack filled with essence crystals.
"Good."
He nodded, then disappeared into the room where he kept the Reward Crucible. Operating the system, he quickly opened the market list.
[First Level Evolution Potion - 11 Colorless Essence Crystals]
[One-Star Enchanted Steel - 13 Colorless Essence Crystals]
[Two-Star Metal Rod - 10 Yellow Essence Crystals]
[One-Star Steel Blades(2) - 16 Colorless Essence Crystals]
[Two-Star Steel Blades(2) - 18 Yellow Essence Crystals]
[Second Level Evolution Potion - 10 Yellow Essence Crystals]
[Sharpshooter Class Card - 15 Colorless Essence Crystals]
[One-Star Sword Blueprint - 20 Colorless Essence Crystals]
Looking at the prices, Leon raised a brow. The prices had indeed changed from the last time he checked.
'It's as unreliable as I remember.'
Right now, he was in a dilemma. He needed weapons, but the price of the Steel Blades meant saying bye to a Second Level Evolution Potion. Soon enough, he arrived at a conclusion.
Using all the crystals he had, he purchased several things. A Second Level Evolution Potion, the Two-Star Steel Blades, the Sharpshooter Class Card, four One-Star Enchanted Steel, two First Level Evolution Potions and the One-Star Sword Blueprint.
The blueprint was for obvious reasons. Ever since he had chosen the Smith-Weaver class, he hadn't fully invested his time into it. Now that he had evolved to the second level, he could focus on the class.
Looking at the four mass of enchanted steel before him, an idea slowly formed in his mind.
"An armor...?"
Still, he didn't want to risk wasting materials without having a proper blueprint.
"Let's make do with the swords instead."
Looking at the empty sack which previously contained crystals, his expression soured slightly.
When he returned to the conference room, the others were still there, waiting. He dropped the purchase onto the table, allowing them to scan it by themselves.
After five minutes, Professor Oliver asked a question.
"Is there a forge in this building? I can see that you seem to want to forge swords."
Leon nodded. The old man didn't have access to all the facilities in the Glass Tower so he couldn't be blamed for not knowing about the forge.
Amelia was surprised, "Hold on, you can forge weapons?"
"That is my Class."
"Ah. I see."
She was obviously surprised. Anyone would think Leon's class was related to combat, but it wasn't. Instead, it was a blacksmith.
Meanwhile, Anna turned to him, curious. "The evolution potions. Who are they to be given to?"
"Find two people we can trust with guarding the Tower while we're away."
"I understand."
After answering the questions from the others and delegating other tasks to Cassie, he took the sword blueprint and materials, then secluded himself in the forge.