With a swift motion, Alexander lifted the wooden plank. Beneath it, a ladder descended into darkness. He peered down into the dim underground chamber, where two zombies were struggling to climb the steep ladder—they stood no chance. "You guys really know how to hide," he muttered with a smirk. Without hesitation, he leaped down. The basement wasn't very deep, and as he jumped, he perfectly gauged the angle. Just as the two zombies gaped with their mouths agape, waiting for him to walk right into their trap, he kicked off with both feet—each foot connecting with the head of a zombie. The impact sent both creatures sprawling, and using the momentum from his kick, Alexander landed steadily.
Immediately, he drew his weapons. With his right hand, his dagger pierced the neck of the zombie that was struggling to rise—"DEATH" flashed in bold above its head. With his left hand, he swung his hammer to slam down the other zombie that had barely managed to get up, then followed up by driving his dagger into its neck. Although he felt considerable resistance, his strength prevailed, and he forced the dagger through—another flash of "DEATH."
"Phew," he exhaled. In a fluid sequence, he had instantly dispatched both zombies, earning 2 XP. Pulling his dagger from one of the zombie's necks, he realized that the blade had dulled from repeated use—no surprise, as his ordinary dagger had already claimed several lives. With a casual toss, he discarded it. "I hope I can snag a more suitable weapon drop soon," he mused. Sure, you can fight zombies bare-handed, but it's a real pain.
Peeling open the corpses, he found a card and a long, cyan-colored blade lying inside. "Damn, must be my lucky mouth," he exclaimed in astonishment—he really was getting whatever he desired. First, he picked up the card and discovered it was [Two Fragrant Steamed Buns]—a perfect extra snack for tonight's steak dinner.
Then, with eager anticipation, he retrieved the long blade.
[Tang Blade] – Bronze-Grade WeaponA standard military knife from the Tang Dynasty of the Dragon Kingdom, approximately 70 centimeters long. It features armor-piercing capability and notable durability.Attributes: +1 Strength; reduces an enemy's defense by 10%; gradually self-repairs blade damage after combat.
"I knew it—it looks familiar," Alexander murmured. This was a region-specific standard weapon; such weapons vary by country—here in the Dragon Kingdom, you get Tang blades, Mo blades, Guan blades, etc., while in neighboring islands you'd find katanas or naginatas. Standard gear like this would be available in shops later, so it wasn't particularly rare. But at this stage, acquiring a bronze-grade Tang Blade was like adding wings to a tiger. No longer would he have to rely on a short dagger for close combat—wielding a Tang Blade for mid-range slashes would dramatically boost his zombie-killing speed.
Alexander stored the Tang Blade in his inventory and then climbed back up the ladder. There were only ten minutes left to dispatch the final four zombies.
Having thoroughly cleared the inn of zombies, he opened the inn's door. This road was rather secluded—otherwise, such an inn wouldn't be set up here. Alexander observed that nearby, six zombies were meandering about, while at a distant road junction, about seven or eight zombies were congregated. He stamped his foot lightly and whistled. After ten years of dealing with zombies, he had learned to control the volume of his whistle to attract precisely the ones he desired. Sure enough, under the perfect note of his whistle, the six nearby zombies began moving toward him, while the group farther away remained still.
He retrieved the Tang Blade from his inventory and waited for the approaching zombies. As they neared, drawn by the "scent" of an easy kill, they brandished their claws and quickened their pace. Alexander stepped back a few paces and re-entered the inn—not because he was afraid, but because the narrow corridor at the entrance was ideal for close-quarters combat. Although he was confident he could take on the six zombies at the door, there was always the small chance that one might lunge in unexpectedly from the side and bite him.
Alexander's cautious nature dictated that he eliminate any chance of mishaps. Sure enough, the narrow entrance hampered the zombies' advance; two of them tried to enter simultaneously and ended up wedged in the doorway, blocking any behind them.
"Damn, I really overestimated the zombies' IQ on day one," he muttered, rubbing his head. In his previous life, on the first day of the apocalypse, Alexander had hidden in his dorm room wallowing in despair—he hadn't even encountered zombies back then. By the next day, some zombies had leveled up to 2 and were no longer so dumb.
Looking at the two zombies jammed in the doorframe, Alexander stepped forward "considerately" to help them out—by which he meant he ended their misery. A flash of his blade later, both zombies' heads fell to the ground. He retrieved his Tang Blade and was astonished to see that not a drop of blood stained its edge, nor was there any sign of a nick."Excellent—the quality of this blade is absolutely top-notch," he praised. Even the same type of equipment can vary in quality, and there was no doubt that his Tang Blade was of the highest caliber. A good blade deserves a matching technique, after all.
Alexander then decided to showcase one of the many sword techniques he'd mastered in his previous life. He kicked the two headless corpses out of the doorway to clear a path. Then, two more zombies charged in from behind and also became wedged in the doorway."Hey—you four must be from the same family, huh?" Alexander quipped wearily. Despite his joke, he efficiently used one swift slash to crush the heads of the two intruders. Two perfectly round heads tumbled inside the doorway. Wow—at his feet lay four neatly arranged heads.
[Congratulations to player "Yazī" for successfully killing a zombie, earning 1 XP and 1 coin][Congratulations, you have advanced to Level 3 and earned 1 free attribute point][Player "Yazī" needs 30 more XP to reach the next level]
Yes—he had leveled up! Alexander then kicked aside the two corpses still blocking the door. Spotting a lone zombie daring enough to charge in on its own, he almost felt a tear well up—finally, an opponent with a modicum of intelligence! As a sign of respect for a worthy adversary, his Tang Blade traced a beautiful arc in the air before slashing into the zombie's arm. Following the line of its arm, he lifted his blade upward, slicing the zombie's chin from below—cleaving its face cleanly in two.