This is an excellent training opportunity. Zombies move slowly and clumsily. Although they are very strong, with his agility, hiding from them is not difficult. Moreover, there are only two zombies—if he can take out one with a surprise attack at the start, he’ll only need to deal with the remaining one one-on-one.

　　After carefully confirming that there were no other monsters around, Ethan made up his mind, drew his short sword, and charged forward.

　　To finish off one of the zombies as quickly as possible, Ethan not only pushed his speed to the maximum, but also leapt up as he reached the zombie to add force, then slammed his shield in his left hand hard onto the zombie’s head.

　　“You have to hit zombies in the head!”

　　With one blow from the shield, the zombie was knocked down. Ethan immediately swung the short sword in his right hand, thrusting it straight at the fallen zombie’s head!

　　Having read countless novels and watched many movies, he not only had a good understanding of zombies, but also had the lessons of countless ‘predecessors’ who failed due to carelessness to warn himself.

　　So, Ethan didn’t hesitate, and once he started fighting, he didn’t overthink it! Fast, ruthless, accurate! In just an instant, he achieved the first kill of his life!

Chapter 9 Isabella

　　Having secured his first kill, Ethan wasn’t overly excited. His mind was exceptionally clear, knowing that the danger wasn’t completely over—there was still a zombie right in front of him, ready to make him its meal for the day.

　　He forcefully pulled out his short sword, and just in case, Ethan gave another slash, directly cutting off the zombie’s head beneath him.

　　The decayed body made it easier—even the hard bones had become fragile. Ethan didn’t even need to use much strength to sever the zombie’s head, then stood up to face the remaining enemy.

　　“Can’t fight head-on.”

　　A zombie’s body is stiff and its movements are slow. Correspondingly, their strength is great, far greater than Ethan’s.

　　Ethan’s body is in better shape than in his previous life, and he’s in the prime of his youth, full of energy and stamina, but strength is not his strong suit.

　　“Use agility to maneuver, and try to attack from behind.”

　　The side is a secondary option—he must absolutely avoid facing the zombie head-on.

　　With his plan set, Ethan tensed up, raised his short sword, and charged again. Midway, he suddenly changed direction, circling to the zombie’s side while making a forward-slashing motion.

　　The zombie’s movements were stiff, but its reactions weren’t slow. Its arms, which had been reaching forward, suddenly swung to the side, the whooshing sound proving just how powerful the blow was—if it hit, he might lose the ability to resist in an instant.

　　But Ethan was prepared. His forward charge was just a feint, meant to guard against the zombie’s reaction. Seeing the zombie indeed swing its arm at him, he immediately stopped his forward momentum, then used his excellent agility to dart past from a direction the zombie couldn’t reach, successfully getting to its side.

　　Taking advantage of the zombie’s inability to respond again, he slammed his round shield at the zombie’s neck.

　　That earlier strike had made him notice that the zombie’s neck was unusually fragile—maybe he could break its neck with the shield alone.

　　Things went just as Ethan expected. The zombie’s neck was indeed very fragile. Although his shield bash didn’t break the neck, it seriously injured the zombie, twisting its neck at a strange angle and affecting its control over its body, causing a momentary stiffness.

　　“Opportunity!”

　　With his mind highly focused, Ethan immediately seized this fleeting chance, following up with his short sword and thrusting it at the zombie’s head again.

　　Puff!

　　The fragile skull was pierced through by Ethan’s sword. To be safe, when he pulled out the short sword, Ethan gave another shield bash, sending the head flying before finally stopping.

　　He then quickly retreated a few steps, looked around for a while, and only relaxed a little after confirming that both zombies were truly dead.

　　“First battle, two zombies killed without injury—truly perfect.”

　　He quietly gave himself a perfect score for this fight, using this as a way to ease his highly excited emotions.

　　At the same time, he carefully recalled the details of the battle just now, summarizing some experience to improve himself.

　　“When I was highly focused just now, it seemed like every detail was crystal clear?”

　　He wasn’t sure if this was a benefit brought by his increased mental strength. If so, even if his physical strength was still a bit weak, he wouldn’t be completely defenseless.

　　Whether this was the case or not, he could experiment a few more times in the coming days, while continuing to hone his combat skills.

　　“Stay calm, and act decisively!”

　　Ethan sheathed his short sword at his waist, then carefully examined the two zombie corpses. He wanted to see if these two ‘monsters’ had ‘dropped’ any equipment or similar items for him.

　　“After all, this isn’t a game world—there’s no such thing as loot drops…”

　　He shook his head regretfully. If there were loot drops, he could hunt lone zombies nearby, and his goal of getting some good equipment would be much easier to achieve. But as it stands, this is a much more real world, and there’s still a big difference from a game.