In the end, most of them were forced to leave each one extra backpack that might not be necessary. After all, they could be present in the girl's house, especially since most of the boarders there left their things before schooling, which could be used for boys.
As a result, they were not disheartened, excited even…
Eric pushed the two batons on his backpack and turned around. They were now ready, now waiting for his instructions.
He nodded and faced forward, walking towards the gate, setting off for their new place.
…
After five minutes of walking, Eric checked his followers behind him for the nth time. He had been checking them from time to time to keep updated on their current status. As expected, the first to get weary was Andrew, followed by Nicholas.
Leonel was not exempted either, as most of his attribute points were D+ compared to Axel. Nevertheless, they should be able to arrive just in time for the sun to disappear by taking a break every now and then.
"Alright, let's take a minute break here." Eric calculated the distance. "By this pace, we should be able to arrive there for each two breaks."
Everyone nodded, placing the water jugs and water bucket on the earth. They respirate heavily, trying to relax their muscles.
Eric smiled at them and put down two water buckets. Unsurprisingly, he was perspiring. This damn body, it can't even carry mere water buckets. In fact, everyone has been observing him and they were utterly surprised.
After all, it was clear Eric was exhausted–his face was perspiring too much and given by his body framework, his body should be screaming in pain.
However, his face was indifferent, as though abusing his body was natural for him. He was calmly stretching his body to ease the pain.
Such tenacity! Such a mentality! How admirable!
As everyone was admiring him, Eric suddenly turned his head forward and frowned.
Everyone wondered what he was looking at, so they simultaneously turned their heads, staring at the other end of the road, where an intersection was present.
It was where they were heading, so it was not far from them.
"What's wrong?" Andrew asked out of curiosity.
Eric did not respond. Suddenly, a light tremor on the ground could be felt. The boys had a bad feeling about it.
Eric's face turned solemn, staring intently at the intersection of the road. Suddenly, a bulky figure emerged from the other side, walking sluggishly.
Eric and the others kept quiet, knowing how crucial being silent was. Unfortunately, lady luck was not on them, as the bulky figure turned towards them and froze when it landed its eyes on them.
When it finally faced towards them, Eric was able to scrutinize its appearance at a distance, and his expression turned grave. After all, it was beyond his limits to fight the monster.
It has a bloated, muscular frame with thick, like armor skin. Sharp bones protruded on its shoulder, back, and elbow. There were faint glowing veins of necrotic energy pulsing across its body.
It has obviously undergone an evolution, and it might not be a simple third mortal stage evolution… It might be higher than that.
As expected, Yeobui confirmed his assumption.
{Name: Bulwark Zombie
Stage: Second Mortal Stage
Abilities: Shockwave Slam
Strength: C+
Agility: C-
Durability: B-
Stamina: B-
Intelligence: D-
Remarks: This might be your first tough battle. Good luck!}
It was the first time Eric saw a B grade attribute point. Thankfully, its intelligence was D-, so it could not fully utilize its power–of course, it does not mean it was not difficult to fight it.
Eric might have D grade attribute points, but he was able to fight like he had C grade by abusing his body and fighting a hundred percent more than his assessed attribute points.
Even so, Eric was aware he would not be able to fight it alone.
He grabbed two batons and turned around, throwing them to Jasper.
Jasper's face turned ugly, and glanced at the monster in front of him. Can we even fight that monster? Why is he not afraid of it? Why does it seem like we will fight it? Shouldn't we run?
As if hearing his thoughts, Eric said, "There is no point running away. Not everyone can't outrun it. Most of us are tired, too. It is better to kill it."
The boys gasped.
"Are you sure?" Andrew asked in a worried tone. He glanced at the monster and asked with an ugly expression, "How can we even defeat it?"
"That's no brainer." Eric grinned. "We will kill it. Believe me."
Eric then put down his bag and opened it. He soon took out two kitchen knives. They were not surprised since they clearly saw him storing the kitchen knives earlier than packing his clothes.
The only reason Eric walked around with two batons was it was much better to use it as a weapon rather than the kitchen knives that could alarm even the boys and perhaps the girls later. Well, the main reason was he preferred it.
Even when they saw him taking out two kitchen knives, they were still skeptical. They glanced at the monster once again, now running at them, making the tremor more stronger, and wondered how Eric would penetrate those thick, armor-like skin.
Nevertheless, since he was their leader, they had to follow him. Eric was leading it anyway.
Eric said, "Fighting with me is up to you. In fact, I only need Jasper and Axel. However, do note that one grave mistake can end your life. So, take your time to contemplate, while I will fight it."
As soon as he instructed them to contemplate, he turned around and ran towards the bulky zombie. The latter was faster obviously, and they noticed that. Hence, they continued to wonder how Eric would defeat them.
"We have to help him," Jasper mumbled. He turned to Axel and grinned, "What's up? Why are you stunned? Were you not excited about fighting zombies?"
"Not that type of zombie…" Axel whispered.
Jasper shook his head and followed Eric. He could finally show off his martial art, Arnis.
Meanwhile, Axel stared at them in a daze. Are they idiots? However, he knew he was just being afraid. Hence, under the pressure of being stared at Nicholas, Leonel, and Andrew, he gritted his teeth and opened his backpack, grabbing a pair of brass knuckles.
They were shocked. However, they refrained from questioning him, knowing the severity of the circumstances.
Axel said, "Jasper and I will fight with the boss. You three will remain. You are only a burden to us."
He then rushed forward, wanting to hide his expression of despair while attempting to fight the bulwark zombie.