9 Rest
At that point I was already less than halfway done with my journey.
With some difficulty and help of my Perception stat, it took me 20 more minutes to safely get to my house, as I had to move slowly and stealthily.
The Perception stat was equivalent to a 6th sense, the higher the stat the higher the chance I could sense things in my surroundings.
I had also noticed a few things about the infected as I traveled.
The Rank 2 infected , that I now preferred to call R2s, were not the only danger present in the area.
A large number of Infected that I had encounter were your 'normal', everyday zombies.
Pale skin, messy face, and limping bodies, yet just as dangerous.
If they didn't limp and weren't covered in blood one could have easily mistaken them for a human being.
I wasn't sure how strong they were but they seemed weaker than an R2.
'Hopefully they ARE weaker... or I'm going to regret this.'
I was currently standing next to my house fence but there was a slight... complication.
Peering through the entrance, I could see a hand full of those 'normal' infected roaming around right out side the main door.
My heart started beating faster as dropped my bag and unsheathed my short sword.
'Kill! Kill as many infected as you can! As fast as you can! Take risks and reap the rewards~'
Aurora's words echoed in my head as I recalled the few sword techniques I had learned for fun.
Gritting my teeth and steeling my self, I waited for the right moment to strike.
The instant all four Infected turned they're backs to me, I plunged to the one that was closest and slashed down on it with all my might.
The feeling of ripping through flesh was sickening, but I had to push on.
In any normal circumstance It would be impossible to cut open a skull with just a short sword.
Maybe it was because of my stats, or maybe it was because of the sword itself, but I cut through the infect like it was butter.
{ - 178 HP damage inflicted! }
{ Crtical Hit! }
{ Rank 1 Infected killed! }
{ 1 E-Coin obtained! }
Sensing the commotion the remaining three R1s swung around and charged towards me.
I quickly retreated outside the one person entrance so I could deal with them one by one.
Side stepping and swinging downward one more time, I was able to make short work of the second one that got near me.
{ - 121 HP damage inflicted! }
{ Critical Hit! }
{ Rank 1 Infected killed! }
{ You have leveled up! }
{ Yellow Card obtained! }
The last two however, were able to come out and surround me. They were quick but uncoordinated, thus I was able to dodge them with a few swift steps.
I wasn't sure if you could get infected by just a small scratch or bite, but I sure as hell was not going to take any chances.
With rapid sword swings I managed to inflict some damage and actually severe one of their arms, but I still needed to land one solid hit each.
They didn't seem to be affected by the pain as they continuesly tried to 'get a piece' of me.
Thinking fast I grabbed the near by fence door and slammed it into one of them, while taking the opportunity and finally beheading the other.
{ - 87 HP damage inflicted! }
{ - 67 HP... }
{ - 104 HP... }
{ Rank 1 Infected killed! }
It was just a matter of time untill the last R1 died its very much deserved death.
{ - 79 HP damage inflicted! }
{ - 145 HP... }
{ Rank 1 Infected killed! }
{ Yellow Card obtained! }
{ 1 E-Coin obtained! }
I hurriedly picked up the cards, locked the fence, and ran into my house, locking the door behind me.
Sliding down with my back against the door I wiped the sweat off my forehead and took some time taking deep breaths.
'Damn, I still can't get used to it.'
Thankfully I didn't throw up this time but I still felt sick in my stomach.
It was true that I had a lot of experience hunting animals, but something about killing the infected just... didn't sit right with me.
It was mainly because I knew that just a few hours ago infected were living, breathing human beings.
But I wasn't foolish.
I needed to live, and if it ment killing former humans, I just had to get use to it.
Calming down I took a look at my loot.
'So I only leveled up once, guess it gets harder as your level increases... and these cards...?'
Item: Yellow Card
Usage: Breaking the card will grant user any Common Rank equipment ranging from weapons and armor to potions and medicine.
Taking a look at the description I quickly snapped the cards.
Similar to the bronze card there was a flash of yellow light and two item materialized in my hands.
The first was a 7-inch black and yellow combat knife. The second seemed to be a small, cubed, glass container holding some kind of red fluid.
I was hoping it was some kind of health potion, unfortunately I was wrong, yet still satisfied.
Item: Common Defence Elixir
Usage: Drinking it will allow the user to receive 10% less physical damage for 5 minutes.
I held the combat knife in my hand and after some inspection looked at its information.
Item: Combat Knife (Common Rank)
A Common Rank combat knife useful for close combat.
Agility + 1
It had a rather vague description but was still useful so I strapped it horizontally to my lower back.
'Alright the only other things I got were those two coins that are already in the system... guess I can finally rest.'
I dragged myself to the basement of my house and after locking every door behind me arrived at my tornado shelter.
Opening and locking it just like every door, I put my clothes and weapons away, and trew myself to a small bed in the corner, instantly falling asleep.
The merging process, fights, and journey had taken a huge toll on me.
At the moment sleep was the most important thing I could think of.
