[You killed a Zombie +30 Exp.]

"Whoops, sorry." It's funny how only by defending against their claws, they still kill themselves on my blade after a while. So their arms have a low Res value, and they waste their hitpoints on attacking the sword. The shield couldn't do this.

Well even if it's not the same, I could bash their face with it. It gives no passive damage in defense though, so parrying comes with its advantages too. At least, when using it against unarmed opponents. The more you learn.

It won't work in PVP as the players carry weapons too, or aren't dumb enough to punch a naked blade. Unless they are, - I can't be the only one who runs into the stupidest situations head first. This will still happen for a while, knowing myself.

At least this wasn't the case when fighting the trees in the village's groove. Cutting them with my fist did hurt even with the ten percent pain setting, but it didn't cause damage. I'm curious if fighting zombies like that would be viable, or spell certain death on me.

Would they deal the same on my arms during a block as elsewhere? No, no, let's not test this out for now. After the tenth level, if there is nothing better to do. Sword practice makes much more sense, and staying alive by any means.

A big downside of using it for parrying is that it also depletes stamina, even if less than the strikes. It makes sense since the blade has to intercept the punches. It's almost like I have to attack their attacks, instead of defending against them.

Holding up the shield did most of the work by itself, although what if that needs some energy too? The iron shield was so heavy it was a pain to keep up and my arm got tired. It might depend on the weight and the amount of movement, rather than the weapon's type.

The larger ones need to move less to intercept a strike, so it's less tiring. A lighter weapon is easier to use too, which balances things out. The dagger has to shift more than a rusty blade, but it's also lighter.

The different shields cover the same area though, and both move less. The main difference is that one's too heavy, and the other might break. All it took was a few dozen zombies, and the training shield was gone. And Tank destroyed it alone, and even faster.

"All right, thank you for the practice." It's not a good idea to waste all my strength when another spawn is nearby. He goes down with an elegant stab aimed at the heart and turns into pixels. Scrolling through the logs shows he took twelve damage in a single swing.

Also, no parries used the same force. Could it depend on the damage it blocks or the speed of the attack? No, wait! The sword also has a plus-three Res value, way lower than the shield's. So does it make it a worse choice in combat, or does it count as an attack that doubles it?

There is so much more to test and ten more things distract me before I'm done with one. Okay, next spawn, and practice defense against more opponents. At least that's the plan, but the clearing swarms with skeletons.

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Nope. Not today.

My stash is already to the brim with their bows and crappy arrows, and there's no way to knock away their shots. Or is there? That would be a cool practice but not with my non-existent skills. Well, it's jogging practice then.

First to my stash to unload everything but the shield, sword, potions, and the camo cloak, then to the bandit camp. That bedroll might add bonuses to recovery speed, and if a tent can fit into my carry capacity, let's take one for fun too.

With one eye fixed on the clock and soul counter below the minimap, the other checks the logs. Since both places are in my bookmarks and show the exact distances this will be true science. There will be no extra weights holding me back on my way there.

Pick a comfortable tempo and see how much stamina it costs. Measuring the time should give me a clear picture of my speed and 'fuel consumption'. The only thing that might screws the experiment is the dark.

Even after taking notes on the cycle of this world, it's still surprising how fast the night falls. Since it's a hauling run, taking the oil lamp would only weigh me down, and take up valuable inventory space. At least the area is familiar, so there won't be nasty surprises on the way.

Changing the capes from green to black is a far better idea, though it only occurs to me once already on the way. It's fine, whether it's day or night, the forest is the forest so the green camo should work all the same.

Despite the worsening visibility, the time to beat is two thirty for the five hundred meters. This won't set a world record, but it's also nothing to feel bad about. The loot is still here, tucked away under the half-disassembled tentas as I left it.

The second batch should still have promising items including a tent and a bedroll. Those two alone are eighteen kilos, and the limit is forty, the system doesn't allow running above that. I should have brought that sprinter backpack for the extra ten percent bonus.

Even if it's only four kilos, they have bows and arrows for days, and better ones than the skeletons drop. Why collect those when bandits have plus-three bows with the plus-three arrows? They even left quite a few behind.

That extra ten percent could mean two bows of four quiver's worth of arrows. They didn't drop the quivers themselves, but what if they don't use them? That bandit who almost gave me a heart attack during the previous ambush was the first who used his bow.

All right, I decided. Let's pack up these bows and arrows first, then the bedroll and tent, and sell the others on the Origin market. Wrodditors warned against using it but they shouldn't be worth that much anyway.

Some of the food already spoiled and it still didn't disappear. It might be trouble if they start to smell and draw wildlife or other players here. There isn't much left here that could be worth taking though so let's pack up these, and leave the rest for good.

A bite from the meal that didn't spoil for the road, and it's time to measure my way back. There are almost exactly forty kilos in the backpack, and while the game lets me run with it, it's way more difficult. Holy shit, my legs are about to fall off.

Forget three stamina points a minute, it subtracts four for a regular run... I can't... It must be exponential. Fifteen kilos doesn't affect my pace, but this forty has me spit my lungs out after two minutes. Crap...

Does the same pace count as a sprint now, because the weight limit surpassed that category? So... Many... Questions... And not enough oxygen.

[Status effect: Exhaustion.]

And the stash is still about a hundred meters away.