Chapter 33: Testing the Zombie Core
After all, although the description stated that it could raise the life level of certain creatures, it never specifically mentioned that the method involved swallowing it directly.
Perhaps it needed to be processed through special professions such as pharmacists before it could safely be used.
But how long would that take?
Joo Joowon was not the kind of person who enjoyed hoarding valuable items.
If he obtained something good, then naturally he wanted to use it immediately.
After all, who knew whether leaving it unused would simply end up benefiting somebody else later?
Unfortunately, the effects of the Zombie Core were far too violent.
At present, direct consumption was the only method available to him.
Joo Joowon had already tried heating the crystal over fire.
Perhaps the temperature had not been high enough, but the crystal showed absolutely no signs of melting.
The same thing happened when he placed it in water.
After repeated experiments, the only thing he discovered was that the crystal could indeed be cut apart.
And if it could be cut, then theoretically it could also be ground into powder.
After thinking carefully for a long while, Joo Joowon directly placed the Zombie Core onto a cutting board and began scraping it.
He carefully gathered the scraped powder together and stored it inside a transparent sealed bag originally meant for holding earrings.
As for the remaining Zombie Core, he stored it away once again.
Joo Joowon pulled Byeol over into his arms.
He carefully dipped a tiny amount of the crystal powder onto his fingertip before squeezing a strip of cat treat over it to cover the smell.
"Good boy, hurry and eat."
Byeol did not suspect anything.
The moment it saw Joo Joowon extend his hand toward it along with the familiar delicious scent, it immediately stretched out its little tongue and began licking eagerly.
In the past, Joo Joowon often fed it cat treats and hairball paste after meals.
Byeol was already completely used to this behavior.
Very quickly, the cat licked Joo Joowon’s finger until it became damp with saliva.
Then Byeol lifted one front paw, lightly tapped Joo Joowon’s palm, and let out a spoiled, affectionate cry.
This clearly meant Byeol wanted more.
Joo Joowon looked at the cat lovingly before squeezing out another portion.
Byeol immediately stood up, placed both front paws onto Joo Joowon’s hand, and happily licked away in enjoyment.
After roughly a minute passed, Byeol’s round cat eyes suddenly widened completely.
Its little tongue hung halfway out as its body lost balance and collapsed sideways into Joo Joowon’s arms, letting out a cracked cry.
"Meow!"
Dad! The cat treat is poisoned!
Cats were creatures with extremely high pain tolerance, so Joo Joowon could not really tell whether Byeol was in pain or not.
However, it was obvious that the cat’s limbs were no longer obeying properly.
He immediately picked Byeol up and began gently massaging the cat in a soothing manner while carefully observing its condition.
According to Joo Joowon’s understanding, the "specific lifeforms" mentioned in the Zombie Core description likely referred to only three possibilities.
Humans, zombies, and cats.
That chimera zombie had possessed obvious feline characteristics in its appearance.
Because of that, it was impossible for Zombie Core to have no connection with cats at all.
The only uncertainty was whether the connection applied to ordinary cats or zombie cats.
Fortunately, after previously experimenting with white mice, Joo Joowon’s worries regarding the Zombie Core had lessened considerably.
Whether his guesses were correct or not, the other man’s reaction had already proven at least one thing.
A person only transformed into a zombie after consuming a sufficient dosage of crystal fragments.
Before reaching that threshold, the human body was capable of resisting it.
Talking about toxicity without discussing dosage was meaningless.
Even though a cat’s physique could not compare to a human’s, consuming only a crystal fragment the size of a pinhole should not realistically be enough to transform it into a zombie.
As for Joo Joowon himself, he currently had no plans to consume the Zombie Core personally.
After all, he still possessed other methods for growing stronger.
Leveling up and obtaining equipment could both improve his strength.
There was no need for him to risk something this dangerous yet.
While holding Byeol in his arms, Joo Joowon brought over the cat’s water bowl and tried feeding it some water.
There was at least some scientific basis behind the idea of drinking water to flush toxins out.
And if even that failed, then Joo Joowon planned to force soap water into Byeol’s mouth to induce vomiting.
Back in his hometown, when cats accidentally ate rat poison, people often used this same method.
There was still a chance of survival afterward.
He had already tried his best to reduce the risk as much as possible.
Byeol was only an ordinary cat.
It had neither mutated nor evolved.
Joo Joowon simply could not think of any other method to strengthen it, which was why he had no choice but to take risks like this.
Nobody knew how many days it would take to finally reach level ten.
Likewise, the dangers he would encounter during that period remained completely unknown.
If Byeol could somehow become stronger on its own, then even if one day they became separated or if he himself died, at least the cat would still have a chance to survive.
After drinking several mouthfuls of water, Byeol’s nose became even redder.
A cat’s nose was one of the clearest indicators of its condition.
A moist pink nose represented a healthy normal state.
Meanwhile, dryness, pale whiteness, or redness all indicated problems.
Either the cat was sick, or its emotions had become too agitated and tense.
Joo Joowon held Byeol tightly in his arms, uncertain what kind of emotions he himself was feeling while waiting.
He took out the Beginner Shirt that he had previously cut full of holes but could still be used and carefully dressed Byeol in it.
During the brief half hour when the trading market had opened yesterday, Joo Joowon had managed to gather quite a bit of information that he originally failed to notice.
Since even children without player panels could still benefit from wearing equipment, then other lifeforms should theoretically benefit as well.
After all, beginner equipment did not possess any usage restrictions.
Logically speaking, any living creature should be capable of gaining effects from wearing it.
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