It might not be the best idea to run, but it's almost midnight in this world, and that's when the monsters respawn.
If I make it there fast and get lucky, there will be two sets of zombies to kill.
While that would mean more experience, the first point is empty.
The second one has archers with eyes glowing in the dark, and no tree line to hide behind.
They fire on sight, and the avatar dashes at them with the shield equipped.
It's down low, which might look silly even if the armor protects the top.
It would be bad to get another leg wound and start bleeding since the pharmacy is quite a ways from here.
If only the Health part of the tutorial explained how to treat wounds instead of giving a meal.
Once the main quest is no longer an issue, let's mention it to Tank.
No good, the mission is to reach the tenth level, which will lock out of the training grounds.
Such a bullshit rule, why is that even a thing?
Anyway, skeletons, right here and now. They still lob arrows at me, and glowing eyes or not, they can't shoot for shit in the dark.
The guard turns into a weapon once they are at arm's reach.
Funny as it sounds, that's the more efficient one, as the wooden stick would break on their tough bones.
That's the difference between a Res of one or five, as it has a steel binding, and the training sword is only wood.
Apart from the bonus gift armor, the shield's the most decent gear from the tutorial.
And that monster Tank broke one in seconds. Here, it breaks skeleton necks instead, and they drop like flies, offering no challenge.
It's two less than before, and they no longer surprise me.
[You killed a Skeleton +30 Exp.]
A quadruple message pops up, and one finally drops his bow too.
It's another stack of arrows and some bones until the inventory fills up with more useless junk.
Their bow seems better than the one from the training grounds, it has a plus-two base damage, which is odd.
So their median damage was three after all, and they kept getting bad rolls?
And that means using their bow with the training arrows, ranged attacks would be plus four.
Except, there is nothing worth shooting at. The next wave spawns while fiddling with their loot.
It's zombies again, and six of them.
They appear in every direction, and one holds a sword, that's new.
It's better to equip mine too, and break out of their encirclement before they realise I'm here.
Aiming at the armed one first, he goes down dropping it.
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The temptation is big to pick it up right away and try it out on the other five, except they won't stand around idling.
Since the kill message didn't pop up, he's still alive, so is it possible to drop loot even before dying? Let's make sure to hold onto stuff tight.
[You killed a Zombie +30 Exp.]
A kick in his head rights that mistake, and the other five go on a rampage.
Not as you'd expect, they fight for the blade on the ground, even turning around.
What the hell's going on? Is that thing so valuable, or do they hope it would defeat me?
Let's find out later and strike them down while it distracts them.
The next attack goes to the winner of that wrestle to make sure they can't use it, and he dies in one hit.
The message confirms it too, and the weapon disappears with him, forever gone.
"Damn it, I wanted to see the stats."
This complaint grabs their attention. With nothing else to fight for, the remaining four stumbles towards me.
So it's random what drops and what doesn't. If you pick up something and die, it can disappear into the void, bullshit mechanics.
The zombie's claws can't get through the guard. I'm getting better at using it in its intended role, and it's like double-wielding.
Block with the shield, strike with the blade, and when they don't expect it, punch them with the offhand again. With that, one more goes down.
[You killed a Zombie +30 Exp.]
While the remaining three try to flank, they're too late.
It could have worked if they hadn't fought over that sword and still had the numbers, but they are easy pickings now.
A stab through the chest knocks one out, and the guard keeps the rest at bay.
One behind manages a glancing hit, and nothing goes through the armor.
With a turn and its momentum, his head flies off, and knowing they can survive that, a punch with the shield follows.
Only one more to go, and he does what no mob has done before.
He tries to run.
"Wow, when did you guys develop survival instincts?"
It's still a zombie, and their pace is a slow stumble at best.
Showing his back, he's an easy target, and one well-aimed strike brings him down like the rest.
Let's not let the guard down, that's how I almost died before.
The loot won't reappear; they only dropped their crystals which is a shame.
There's the other spawn point, it should have new monsters too, so there's still hope.
They're a one-minute walk from each other, right outside the village.
The minimap shows no one else, neither a dot nor a number, so they're as good as mine.
They spot me first for once, and two arrows bounce off the guard.
It's a mixed spawn. This is only the second this has happened, and the first was deadly.
Two skeletons and three zombies should be a walk in the park now.
The archers seem more dangerous, except the zombies are in the way.
Are they using an actual formation, or is it sheer coincidence? They can't be that smart, right?
The first row will block the second in a melee, so it shouldn't matter.
And even if they don't, the shield can deal with most arrows.
There is a very subtle ping as the number on the minimap jumps from zero to three, then four.
Are they players? NPCs? Bandits or gankers?
This indicator is useful but won't elaborate on where or what they are.
Whenever you think you got used to fights and have everything covered, this happens.
Something unexpected gives you an adrenaline rush, and the hard choice to stand or run.
It's distracting long enough for the zombies to reach me, and they almost get through the guard.
Right, focus. Multitasking sucks and there is no helping it.
Keep that guard up at all times since the system won't fight for me, and they give no pause to think.
Screw it, if they want the mob Exp, they have to pry it out from these cold dead hands.
Kill a zombie or two instead of debating it, then hide if needed.
CineMraft is a fast-paced game where split seconds decide the outcome.
So more fighting, less thinking.
[You killed a Zombie +30 Exp.]
Where are they? The numbers stay the same and they won't show up.
How much was the range of this minimap again?
A claw reaches the armor and does one damage.
Shit, you can't ignore what's in front either.
The shield knocks them back and a stab kills one more.
[You killed a Zombie +30 Exp.]