"How do you like that?!"
[You killed a Zombie +30 Exp.]
The aim's off, and the second monster takes two strikes to go down.
While the third manages to land a hit first, it only costs two hears instead of four.
This armor's a game-changer, and after the mock duel in the tutorial, they no longer seem that tough.
The avatar moves faster than before, thanks to the adrenaline. The shield blocks most of their claws as they surround me.
It's more difficult to use it than holding it up. The premium players might have the luxury of having their avatar fight for them, but not this one. That would be too easy.
The system expects me to duel like a pro fencer, and move in ways this body never did before.
Tank taught what he could though you can't expect a miracle so soon.
Still, these mobs are way less scary after that sparring match, and the first scratch didn't hurt as much as his mace.
The pain setting is lower than in the previous encounter and visibility is better. No darkness or that stupid red effect.
They'll go down before they can take advantage of their numbers, and back me into a corner.
This is the real Jazz, fighting with confidence.
It's easier to cut one down to step over them than to climb over the fence when there's nowhere else to go.
Whether a wooden sword or a real one, this does them in, and the next popup marks the third enemy down. With this, there are only two left.
[You killed a Zombie +30 Exp.]
"Try to flank now, fuckers!"
Their claw bounces off the shield and a head's lobbed off in response.
Imagine if it was a blade made of steel; it's easy to cut their rotten flesh even with the wood, yet they smell horrible. And where is the message?
I stomp on the body without missing a beat and it finally dissolves.
Don't tell me it's not enough to decapitate them.
These weaklings can survive some unbelievable stuff, and then die to these boots. The crystal is visible, and four lies on the ground already.
[You killed a Zombie +30 Exp.]
The last one poses no real threat, feeling slow when the character isn't on his last legs.
It was easy for them while the avatar struggled with blurred vision and everything.
There's no time to play around though. It's a good thing they're dead because they have no survival instincts.
[You killed a Zombie +30 Exp.]
"Well, that was easy."
It's disappointing after all the preparation and fear from them.
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And it took what, a minute?
Only fifteen hundred and ninety-five left to kill. And it looks like their crystals stack in the inventory as money does.
"They'll turn into coins soon."
Once the task details are open the Poison Flower lights up a few meters away.
This is one more down, so let's head for the next spawn point.
It's the closest target, then ratting is next, another spawn, and the pharmacy. It's a tight schedule, and running all the way isn't an option.
These buggers could overwhelm the character if it exhausts himself.
There won't be any excess weight carried around either.
They haven't dropped anything other than their crystals, which are a few grams each.
Everything's great so far, this plan could work.
The next point is about a hundred meters away behind the tree line.
Someone already beat me to it, because the place is empty, and with the map, there can be no mistake.
They even left the crystals behind, - whether they didn't know about it, or were too lazy to pick them up.
Three copper isn't much when a healing potion costs a hundred.
The Exp would have been better for me too.
The crystals end up in the inventory anyway, and let's move on to the first ratting errand.
It's in the house beyond the fence.
[Adventurer Guild F-rank Quest: Rat Infested Basement. Importance: Low. Difficulty: Easy. Progress: 0/12. Reward: 10 Copper and 100 Exp. Common Rats infested a villager's house. Kill all twelve of them, and have him confirm the job, (6/6 hours left).]
Yes, ten copper for the whole thing is even worse.
The hundred experience points are what I'm here for. How much will the rodents give?
The house's owner waves, standing at the entrance. He acts surprised that the avatar appears from behind.
"Ah, traveler, did the Guild send you?"
He asks, wearing the most stereotypical medieval villager garments.
It's like the default starting gear, a dirty white shirt, black trousers, sandals, and a straw hat.
He sports an impressive mustache though, that could make Baldie jealous.
It doesn't look like the selectable characters, he's much more normal.
You know, like a real human being, rather than an anime protagonist from a fantasy.
Even if the way he acts is closer to that bugged-out merchant NPC.
He has a blank stare and fails to look at me while talking.
"These rats infested my basement and even bit my dog. I can't get rid of them, would you help me?"
What a monotone voice. The text-to-speech app that ran on that salvaged PC generated better emotions. And that was an open beta lightweight version.
"Sure thing, where are they?"
Let's hope the mission doesn't want me to search for them.
When the Container Park had a rat infestation they hid themselves like ninjas.
You'd see one run across the alleys, dive into the trash, and vanish once you tried to find them.
The old man heads to the basement, which would trigger a few red flags in real life.
It's a relief that the place has twelve red-eyed, vicious rodents waiting in plain sight.
They are even larger than the real ones but don't excel at the only thing they do. Hiding.
"Okay, who dies first?"
They look ugly, and out of place in this immaculate basement.
None of this looks realistic, the devs never saw a rat-infested room, and it's all the better. The critters attempt to swarm before reaching the bottom.
It looks hilarious because they can't scale the ladder for some reason.
The villager holds a torch above, looking scared.
I release the stairs and drop half a meter, making an unfortunate rat burst.
The sound effects are on point and terrifying.
[You killed a Common Rat +5 Exp.]
"Yikes, I don't want my shoe to smell."
Kicking away the next one, another message pops up.
Yeah, the devs should have looked into how real animals work.
They are much tougher than this, can bite your fingers off, and won't burst from a gentle touch. And the five experience points are an insult.
If they don't raise the standings fast so Selena can give better jobs, it's a waste to deal with them.
Every strike, even the glancing hits results in a popup, and the twelve rats are gone in a flash.
This was the opposite of immersive and made me uncomfortable after fighting zombies.
If this is how it works on low levels to grind Exp, that explains why people sneer at 'ratting'.