The system uses more stamina the faster you run, - depending on the carried load. It doesn't offer a switch between sprinting or jogging though. The logs only show how much stamina it costs to move at different speeds after the fact.

Thus it takes some practice to find the right rhythm, - not too fast to tire me out, but a comfortable pace that can take me far. While it's sensible to sprint like your life depended on it during emergencies, it's taxing on the body.

Three stamina for a minute-long dash which wouldn't even take me far. Especially in the woods, while dodging the obstacles and fighting the uneven ground. The backpack's description revealed first, how the game differentiates between the movement speeds.

As it's impossible to sprint with more than twenty kilos on my back, it also costs more in stamina. There aren't sharp limits on what is what though. Like people in real life who all walk at different paces, the system doesn't have a temp-o-mat either.

And here's the catch. It might feel like a nice pace, but if CineMraft decides that I go too fast, the character will lose breath. Running too slow is also a problem when the distances are so large and time is of the essence.

So let's dedicate The next half kilometer to the eastern spawn points to science. It's all about the character's endurance and the limited stamina points. Starting with a pace that's still fast but comfortable, see how much the system subtracts in a minute.

The weight didn't change since my previous sprint so the results should be comparable. Wait, what's in my inventory anyway? There was some loot that the bandit was kind to gift me after his failed attempt on my life but what was it exactly?

The bow and the lack of arrows are obvious, but there's more. A silver coin, that's a great start. There's a forearm protector without stats, and it's locked behind the tenth level. These things are weirding me out, what's going on with the bandits?

All their boots and swords and everything are either paywalled or level-locked. Are they overpowered, or do they need some specific skill or class to equip them? At first, their plus-six sword looked great, but it's not that special when the rusty one also does plus-five.

So why are they locked? It's tempting to open the browser and run a Boogle search, even after saying it's a bad idea. Anything that can draw my attention away from the minimap's counter out here could lead to my death.

Well, looking through the inventory should be only done in moderation too. It's easy to get distracted, especially for me. Okay, take a mental note to check this out later, within the village, and try not to forget it like everything else. What else is here?

He didn't drop a sword or dagger, nor those heavy shields, but there is an amulet that looks interesting. Of course, it's locked behind a level too, but at least the description is visible. It gives a plus one to perception, which should be one of the main attributes.

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So did he wear this to spot his targets sooner? He was an archer so it would make sense. Are these things common? Are they magical? It's like those items Little Red showed off, - and they cost a fortune. The only difference is that those gave her more Exp and this increases a stat.

Their boots also gave a dexterity bonus, - which sounds odd, considering you wear them on your feet, not on your hands. What will my stats look like once I reach level ten? Is plus-one a lot, or are these garbage-tier drops?

There was that Wroddit post that mentioned the crafter with plus-four items. Someone ganked the poor guy and he dropped them with ten thousand Exp. They said they were worth thousands of platinum, so it does sound high-level.

It's not like I know the exchange rate for platinum, it's yet another thing to look up and it's easy to forget about. Is there an artifact that helps with memory? Even if it's only inside the game, that would make my life much easier.

For example, how long did I run until now? The whole point of this experiment is to check the pace and stamina, and the character is already at the spawn. This is hopeless. Well, I'm not out of breath and got here before realizing it, so it's fine.

The log says I lost one and a half stamina every minute, so it didn't count as a sprint. It took me about three minutes to run that half kilometer, the issue is that I don't know the exact distance or the span. Well, shit. Next time, next time for sure.

At least the area is clear, the inventory organized, and four zombies hang around the clearing. It's great that less skeletons spawn lately, and crap, that's another thing that bugs my mind. Wroddit, or even the NPCs never mentioned them, and they were everywhere.

"Hello, can I interest you guys in a quick slaughter?" They would act like the eyes of these slow and dumb mobs while laying down suppressive fire. Their bones almost broke my wooden sword, and their arrows made me bleed. Life is easier without them.

[You killed a Zombie +30 Exp.]

You can walk right up in the face of these undead, and they won't react until the first strike. Okay, sure, they dropped so many arrows, though they are the worst in the game. Still, their bows are better than the training ones.

Unless there are dozens, the zombies pose no challenge without skeleton support. Their first reaction is so slow that the second one goes down before they can scratch my shield. Oh, right, parrying without that is another thing to practice, in case it breaks again.

[You killed a Zombie +30 Exp.]

They don't try to evade or run, all they do is flank, and good luck with it, when only two remain. Okay, let's lower the shield, and focus on blocking their claws with the blade instead. It's much more difficult since holding that piece of wood up already defends half my side.

The sword has to be on the move at all times though, covering a much smaller area. These guys are the ideal training partners, moving this slow and sluggish. Hmm. I found another downside to blocking without a shield, - I can't keep them at bay.

They can't push me when it's up, but leaning against a sword the same way would be asking for trouble. This goes on to show that they're overpowered for defense. Relying on them is easy, so if it breaks, that's like a lifeline taken away.

There must be a backup for those cases, something to defend myself, and it is to practice. It doesn't matter how much the feds try to rush leveling up, you have to start somewhere. Premium users might get this from the start, and the system helps with self-defense.

Not me though, I have to do everything the hard way.