Five minutes later, everyone once again gathered on the table. This was the second night they convened, as usual, before their dinner. The food was still the same and it should suffice to fill everyone's stomach after the long day of hard work.
Out of them, only Axel was still enthusiastic and full of vigor.
Eric had just sat, beside him was Zoe and Jasper. Eric earlier heard that the boys and girls decided that girls should sit on Eric's right side and the boys on the left side. Only Axel complained.
Eric turned to Zoe and furrowed his eyebrows to see her right hand was still wrapped by part of his clothes he used as a bandage.
He said, "It should already be healed."
Zoe glanced at him in surprise. She gripped her right hand tightly and was flabbergasted. She did not feel the pain anymore. The bandage was meticulously unwrapped and like a magic, the wound indeed healed.
She turned to the Emperor and had eyes full of questions.
Eric smiled. That's the sweat of the Heaven Sage physique. He recalled the Murim Leader abused it, by demanding of providing a gallon of sweat everyday. Thankfully, he did not skip his training, so he was not completely bothered.
However, Eric could only answer, "My body has undergone evolution, so my sweats can heal wounds."
At this point, they should have some suspicions about how different my body is to them. Eric even recalled most of them, even Zoe, spotted how his wounds quickly healed. Hence, he did not need to explain.
"Anyway…" He turned to them while exuding a soothing aura. "Have you already read the martial arts I gave? What do you think?"
They glanced at each other and Zoe was about to answer, but Axel beat her into it.
"Amazing! I feel like I'll be invincible if I master it! By the way, Emperor, I did not think you had foreseen it! I mean, giving us breathing techniques that have perfect affinity with the martial arts you gave later on. In addition, our ability, breathing technique, and the martial arts complemented each other!
It won't be long before we can fight like that Bulwark Zombie individually!"
He guffawed.
Eric smiled and said, "You can fight it individually if you evolve to a higher stage. However, I just found out how dangerous it is to evolve without being ready."
He did not glance at girls but he already perceived on his peripheral vision they flinched. It must have been traumatic to them but he knew if they wanted to become stronger, they would not hesitate to undergo the similar process once again.
Eric did not want to fail them. I must prevent careless mistakes. He might have been a Heavenly Sage but even God, a perfect being, made mistakes they did not foresee.
He said, "That's why I will not allow you to eat the Evolution Crystals without my permission. On the other hand, for me to allow you, you must continue to train your body and mind with breathing technique and martial arts, so you will be ready for the next evolution."
If all of their attribute points are elevated to C+ grade, I will allow them to eat the red crystal. Eric wanted to say it but he could not. They might have been lucky the first time but it won't definitely be the same the second time.
Eric smiled. "Don't worry. You have just reached the third mortal stage, so you must solidify your foundation as much as possible. Perhaps, you should be able to execute the breathing technique and the core techniques of the martial art to convince me you are ready to fight zombies and evolve to the next stage."
They nodded solemnly.
Axel said in a boastful tone, "Don't worry, Emperor. We won't disappoint you."
"That's good. Anyway, since I asked everyone to isolate themselves to be familiar with their breathing technique, for the next two days, I want you all to prepare for more people."
Their eyes widened. Eric grinned.
"Yes. I will forage for food and water, as well as more manpower. I will train them. I want to gather as many as possible. Because I want to conquer the university."
He raised his index finger and added, "One month. In one month, ready or not, we will conquer the university."
They were horrified. They recalled the university has many students, so the probability of survival was close to nil. Furthermore, since it was a home of many zombies, there should be many stronger zombies as well, perhaps even stronger than the Bulwark Zombie.
Just the thought of fighting them made them shiver. As their hair stood on ends, they simultaneously glanced at the Emperor and his face, for the first time, was grinning ear to ear. Even so, they could perceive the solemnity of his words.
He is not kidding! They thought at the same time. They gulped. If that is the case…we must…
Their eyes lit up. Get stronger!
Eric was satisfied by their response. He nodded in delight.
"Don't worry, I will create a comprehensive plan to minimize the death of our comrades as much as possible. After all, my vision is to build an Empire. For that to happen, sacrifices will be made. They will not be forgotten and the first cemetery is for them."
Their mood turned sour. The Emperor really had to talk about death and the cemetery when the event was still almost a month away from occurring. It would definitely lower their morals, but they understood what he meant to say anyway. Hence, aside from their solemn expression, their heart was still ablaze.
Empire! A haven in the apocalypse. We will become a hero alongside him if it is established.
After all, they recognized the rewards more rather than the risks.
Eric was silent for a while, giving them time to process what he had just said. After a minute, he turned to Zoe and asked, "Repeat my tasks."