Chapter 5: Danger in the Darkness

Lin Weifeng, Player ID 953.

Before entering the game, he had attended a martial arts school; he knew several sets of boxing and kicking techniques and could also wield a sword.

He had been in fights and had spent time in lockup; he was a ruthless fighter.

While searching for crates today, he had been lucky enough to pull a common-quality longsword.

This sent his confidence skyrocketing. He killed two rabbits and even found their burrow.

Barring any accidents, he wouldn't have to worry about food for the next few days.

However, he didn't know how to use a pot or start a fire, and he couldn't stand the thought of eating raw rabbit meat.

After dark, he heard the roars of wild beasts. Instead of being afraid, he felt excited.

Since this was a game, killing beasts would surely result in loot, right? Perhaps he would find the pot he needed?

Therefore, while other players stayed obediently inside their houses, he insisted on heading out to explore!

Lin Weifeng wasn't stupid; he emptied his backpack, grabbed his sword, and prepared for a grand fray.

It was only when he stepped out of the house that he realized.

It was dark!

It was incredibly dark!

The temperature drop compared to the daytime was massive; wearing only a tracksuit, he could clearly feel the biting chill.

The moment he stepped out, regret set in.

But then he thought about the big talk he had already posted in the chat channel—if he went back now, wouldn't people laugh him to death?

Face was more important than anything else!

With that thought, he zipped his jacket all the way to the top and hunched his shoulders as he walked forward.

After a few steps, his eyes seemed to gradually adjust to the darkness, allowing him to vaguely see the silhouettes of trees.

What he didn't know was that behind him, in the pitch-black darkness, a shadow was writhing almost imperceptibly, exerting an intense sense of oppression.

The whistling wind swept through, swirling up a few withered leaves, sounding exceptionally piercing in the silence.

A rustling sound came from a corner, followed immediately by a pair of eerie green eyes flashing in the dark.

Lin Weifeng didn't seem to notice and continued walking forward.

The blurred figure was strange and distorted, flickering in and out of sight, appearing to be some kind of indescribable creature.

It was extremely fast, yet it moved through the darkness soundlessly, quickly closing in on Lin Weifeng.

Suddenly, he spun around and thrust his sword. He could clearly feel the blade stop as it pierced the monster!

"Heh, I knew you'd try to sneak attack me." A smug smile inevitably appeared on Lin Weifeng's face.

Although he still couldn't see the monster's face clearly, Lin Weifeng gave it no chance to counterattack.

He pulled out the sword and slashed hard!

He thought the monster would slow down due to the injury.

To his surprise, the pain only served to stimulate the creature.

"ROAR!"

The cry nearly pierced Lin Weifeng's eardrums. His body instantly froze, unable to move.

Oh no!

The hair on Lin Weifeng's body stood on end, and his heart felt like it was about to leap out of his chest.

But the monster lunged forward violently, opened its bloody maw, and snapped his neck in one go!

"AAAAAAAH!"

His shrill scream tore through the silence.

His health dropped to zero instantly. In the darkness, only the sickening sound of the monster chewing remained.

Lin Weifeng was not the only person out during the restless night.

In another location, a tall man ignored the system warnings, opened his door, and merged into the night.

Unlike Lin Weifeng, the tall man held a blood-red longblade instead of a sword.

The red was so vivid it looked as if it had just finished drinking blood; the blade was incredibly sharp, still glinting with a cold light in the darkness.

Any observant person could tell this blade was not of common quality.

The tall man was luckier than Lin Weifeng; instead of a thin tracksuit, he wore a windbreaker that could block the biting cold wind.

Despite the darkness, he moved as if he could see, avoiding pits underfoot and trees in his path.

As the cold wind howled, the monster's movements were masked by the sound of the wind.

The monster didn't take the man seriously at all, opening its mouth wide to swallow him whole!

Suddenly!

A streak of red light sliced through the darkness with a "swish."

With a single strike, the blade hit the monster's neck dead center, dealing 1,000 damage!

Amidst an indignant roar, the monster vanished into thin air, leaving only a few glowing items on the ground.

The man's face showed neither joy nor sorrow; only his eyes held a bottomless coldness and sharpness.

He seemed very familiar with this monster, striking its vital point for an instant kill.

He bent down and picked up the loot.

The system notification soon appeared in the chat channel.

[Congratulations! You have obtained: 5 packs of compressed biscuits, 2 boxes of windproof matches, 1 pair of abrasion-resistant gloves, and 1 set of kitchen utensils.]

The most precious item was actually the set of kitchen utensils, which included pots, bowls, and ladles; as long as there were ingredients, he could cook for himself.

Without a second glance, the man moved on to find his next target.

A monster that could easily kill an adult man seemed weaker than a rabbit in front of him.

From the moment night fell at 6:00 PM, the man had only eaten one meal; the rest of his time was spent killing monsters in the dark.

He had lost count of how many he had killed.

He only knew that the system notifications kept appearing in the chat channel.

His 20 inventory slots were quickly filled.

He tossed aside most of the common-quality equipment.

He only picked things up if they were Bronze grade or higher.

There was only one exception: a bracelet made of gemstones.

On Blue Star, it would be worth a fortune.

But in the game, it was merely common-quality equipment with simple attributes.

[HP +20]

Yet, the man carefully placed it in the first slot of his backpack, fearing he might accidentally drop it.

The battle continued until after 11:00 PM.

The night, once filled with countless terrifying sounds, had now become deathly silent.

Only the roars of beasts could be heard from far away.

If one didn't listen closely, they wouldn't hear anything at all.

The man finally stopped and returned to his small hut.

The food, water, and daily necessities that other players would consider precious were tossed carelessly onto the ground by him.

Only the bracelet was held in his hand, being rubbed incessantly.

His gaze was somewhat wandering, as if he were immersed in his own world of thought.

Suddenly, a faint smile slowly surfaced on his face.

His originally cold and stern features became exceptionally soft under the influence of this smile.

It also brought a touch of warmth to the silent night.

"A pity the trading system isn't open yet, otherwise..."

The man felt a hint of regret, but his thoughts quickly returned to reality.

"Junjun should like it."

He remembered that when Junjun was a child, she loved shiny things most of all.

But after so many years, would giving her this gift be too meager?

Maybe he should just forget it. The man put the bracelet away.

In his previous life, he hadn't been able to participate in the closed beta; all the information had been given to him by a friend.

This time, he wanted to try a different path.

***

Having spent a sleepless night, Ning Yun had thought she wouldn't be able to sleep on her first night in the game.

Perhaps because she had been so tired yesterday, she fell asleep the moment she hit the ground, and her sleep quality was excellent.

It was now only around 8:00 AM.

She got up, stretched, ate a brown sugar steamed bun, took a few sips of water, and ate an apple.

Only when she was full would she have the strength to go out and look for crates.

She had already made her plan for the day: search for crates in the morning and chop wood in the afternoon.

She intended to upgrade her thatched hut within these two days!