After clearing away the zombies from the entire street, Wen Yu ignored the aching numbness in his hands. He dropped his fire axe, which had lost its lethality, and headed towards the Exchange Stone Pillar at the end of the street.
"Welcome to the Exchange System."
A familiar voice rang out. Ignoring the clear female voice, Wen Yu communicated with the Exchange Stone Pillar mentally, "Check points."
"Remaining points 168."
Ever since Wen Yu said goodbye to the Protector squad, he had been frantically clearing zombies along the way. Just before noon, he finally accrued over 150 points.
Wen Yu pondered for a moment and began to meticulously search through the equipment exchange list.
Eventually, he made a decision. A durable weapon was essential for protection and would certainly hasten his Evolution.
"Exchange a steel saber."
"Steel Saber: F-Class equipment, made of quality steel, possesses considerable lethality to Level 1 and lower organisms. Requires 50 points for exchange. Confirm exchange?"
"Yes."
Wen Yu didn't immediately exit the Exchange System but reopened the prop exchange option.
"Exchange Level 1 Attributeless Magic Crystal."
"Level 1 Attributeless Magic Crystal: a basic Level 1 magic crystal, can be used to enhance a Level 1 professionist's physical qualities. Requires 100 points for exchange. Confirm exchange?"
"Yes."
Having exchanged two items, Wen Yu exited the Exchange Stone Pillar, picked up the two objects from the pillar, and examined them carefully.
The steel saber didn't need much explanation. The 1.2-meter-long weapon, with its sharp blade, was evidently a finely crafted weapon produced by the Stone Pillar.
Truth be told, this type of steel saber was his constant companion in all battles in his previous life, due to its durability and inexpensive cost.
For an F-Class steel saber like this one, Wen Yu was deeply familiar with its weight, length, and sharpness. Although Soul Masters didn't typically prefer hand-to-hand combat, he would undoubtedly need a reliable and durable weapon in the short term.
The magic crystal was a thumb-sized gem, a centerpiece for human Evolution. Magic crystals could enhance physical fitness, but this involved an issue: the random generation of skills after advancement.
In his previous life, Wen Yu had become a Level 1 warrior. He had strengthened himself using Level 1 attributeless magic crystals because they cost 100 points, while Attributed Magic Crystals cost 200 points. Consequently, when he advanced to Level 2, he hadn't gained any additional skills.
It was only later that he learned that the type of magic crystal used during strengthening affected the skills one gained. Using only attributeless magic crystals during this process resulted in the most undesirable outcome: a No skill promotion. This severely hindered a professionist's growth potential.
In this life, since Wen Yu had changed his profession to the unique Soul Master, he couldn't acquire any additional skills anyway. Thus, strengthening with attributeless magic crystals wouldn't affect him adversely. It was, therefore, natural for him to advance using a Level 1 attributeless magic crystal.
He held the magic crystal in his hand, steadying his rushed breathing and letting his mind go blank. Gradually, Wen Yu could feel a cool energy slowly seeping from the magic crystal into his body.
As this cool energy continuously circulated, the once transparent attributeless magic crystal gradually shrank until it disappeared.
Wen Yu opened his eyes, feeling the surge of power within him.
Hmm, my physical quality has increased to about 1.5 times its previous level. It's the same as last time. It seems like there isn't any change due to being a special profession.
Wen Yu quickly adapted to his improved physical condition, picked up his newly exchanged steel saber, and headed towards his destination, Riverside Park.
「...」
He carefully recalled the location of Riverside Park. Mudanjiang City itself wasn't large, and Riverside Park was situated in the city center. As the only park in Mudanjiang City, it was typically very crowded.
In a post-apocalyptic world, the more bustling an area, the more zombies one would find. Wen Yu was well prepared for this.
Although he wasn't afraid of individual zombies, what if there were thousands, or even tens of thousands? Wen Yu couldn't help but shiver at the thought. Even Third-level professionists would be torn to shreds by an overwhelming tide of zombies. Therefore, before heading to the city center, Wen Yu decided to enhance his strength further.
He carefully searched nearby shops and found a Hailan House store where he changed into a new outfit.
Looking at his reflection, he noted that for professionists, undergoing a profession change would subtly alter one's physical appearance. For instance, in his previous life as a warrior, Wen Yu's muscle mass had increased significantly with his power after Evolution. While the change wasn't very noticeable at Level 1, by Level 2, his previously thin body had bulked up considerably.
Now, he observed that his height had increased by a few centimeters, and his once lanky figure had become somewhat more filled out. Notably, the Soul Beast on his shoulder added an air of mystery to him.
He gave a satisfied smile. The Soul Beast on his shoulder stared confusedly at the mirror, seemingly unable to understand why there was another Soul Beast identical to itself.
He gently stroked the Soul Beast a couple of times before turning and heading out onto the street.
In the brief time he had taken to change clothes, a large group of zombies had once again gathered on the street he had previously cleared.
Zombies, though not strong individually, were relentless. Once these monsters locked onto prey, they would pursue it to the ends of the earth, never giving up. Wen Yu was unsure how many zombies were following him, but regardless of their numbers, the ones currently before him posed no threat.
Picking up his newly exchanged steel saber, Wen Yu charged directly at them.
「...」
The dozen or so zombies posed no threat to Wen Yu. He dispatched the small group without any of them even touching his clothes.
However, one Level one zombie among them caused him a little trouble.
It was at the forefront of the pack and looked no different from an ordinary zombie, so Wen Yu hadn't initially been on guard against it.
Only when Wen Yu approached did it suddenly unleash its power, revealing a base attribute of 2 points.
But that was useless against Wen Yu's combat experience. Zombies of the same level were generally no match for professionists of the same level. Besides lacking skills, the main reason was their poor physical coordination and inability to exert their full strength.
Wen Yu decapitated the Level one zombie with three slashes of his saber, earning 10 points.
Many survivors remained in the surrounding residential buildings. Hearing the intense sounds of battle below, they all peered out of their windows.
"Please, save me!"
"Sir, don't leave! Help us!"
"Young man, I'm XXX! Save me, and I'll pay you!"
Ignoring the pleas of the weak onlookers and the corpses scattered on the ground, Wen Yu continued towards the city center.