Within the cavernous emptiness of Level 1's abandoned warehouse, Yang Tao refrained this time from tearing down the walls. Instead, his focus turned to the metallic veins of the place—pipes, shelves, and scattered girders.
Bang, bang, bang…
The overhead pipes still carried traces of water, but each time he ruptured them, the liquid vanished within seconds. Whether siphoned away by some unseen force or merely remnants of long-stagnant condensation, he could not tell.
Yang Tao dismantled pipe after pipe with boyish delight.
"Far more satisfying than mining in Minecraft."
Level 1 stretched on without end, and so too did its pipes. To the average wanderer, dismantling such things would be drudgery. To Yang Tao, it was nothing less than the effortless plucking of coins from the ground.
"Repair durability!"
At his command, the nearly-broken [Iron Pickaxe] shimmered back to full strength.
Zzzzt…
A crackling surge of static filled the air. Ahead, the lights flickered twice, then went dark.
Yang Tao leapt down from his improvised platform. Before his boots even touched the ground, an [Iron Axe] and a crude-looking [Shield] had appeared in his hands.
Level 1 might be considered habitable compared to other realms, but everything was relative. A sudden blackout was rarely trivial. It could herald new supplies—or an entity.
His pulse sharpened.
"Damn… a Smiler."
From the shadows emerged a glowing grin, rows of jagged teeth gleaming like sickle-blades. A pair of luminescent white eyes floated above it. This was the most common predator of Level 1.
The official designation was Smiler—Yang Tao, with mordant humor, preferred to call it Nightmare Smile.
They possessed an unsettling grin, teeth honed like knives, and eyes like pale lanterns. Their true bodies were veiled, invisible to the naked human eye. Drawn irresistibly to light, they pursued any glow within sight. One could throw a shining object to mislead them, or else maintain unbroken eye contact while retreating slowly. Certain repellents—Smiler Spray, for instance—could drive them off or render them insensible for a time.
But Yang Tao had no such concoctions. And truthfully, he was curious.
"Hey, bastard!"
The crude taunt worked. The Smiler's focus snapped toward him.
He rapped his shield with the iron axe. In an instant, the creature lunged forward, its glowing grin and eyes streaking from the darkness, its phantom body still hidden. Yet the motion of mouth and eyes betrayed its bulk.
"Holy—bigger than I thought."
The maw alone was wide enough to snap off his head with a single bite.
Clang!
He raised his shield just in time, the impact reverberating through his arm. Swiftly, he countered, axe arcing into the thing's face. For a heartbeat, its body flared red, briefly revealed—a grotesque frame, four or five meters long, limbs warped unnaturally—before fading once more.
Again, an attack from the side—again, the shield absorbed the blow.
"Cheap tricks. No wonder no wanderer survives you. Luckily, I'm not so easy."
Yang Tao pressed his assault. His shield could intercept all frontal physical strikes—even blows meant for head, legs, or flanks, so long as they fell within its reach. Only non-physical, shield-breaking, or overpowered attacks could harm him directly.
The Smiler had none of those.
He struck again, the axe biting into that ghastly grin.
-7 (moderate defense detected)
The rhythm of impact and damage was almost musical.
Clang—-7Clang—clang—-7
"Repair!"
The battered shield mended instantly, energy restoring its durability to perfection.
[HP: 4/74]
Seventy-four hit points—far more taxing than the wire-creature with its paltry forty. Each incremental rise in strength multiplied the challenge.
"Die already!"
His final swing cleaved into its teeth. With a grotesque snap, one fang tore loose, spinning through the air before clattering to the floor.
The attacks ceased. Distant lights flickered back to life. Exp orbs surged into his body, pushing him to Level 6.
Exhaling hard, Yang Tao muttered, "Tough bastard. Plenty of health, plenty of experience. If only I knew their spawn patterns… imagine a Smiler farm."
But such fantasies were absurd. Entities here were no mindless mobs; many possessed intelligence exceeding humanity's. Even the Smilers had clans, cryptic languages, and sworn enemies.
He glanced down at the severed head, shaking his own.
"Any ordinary person would've died on the spot."
Hidden strikes, unnatural speed, inhuman strength—indeed, a perfect wanderer-killer.
Its mouth, too, was no idle ornament; the beast had tried biting him several times, only to be thwarted by his shield.
Crouching, Yang Tao traced a finger along his axe's edge, gaze lingering on the still-glowing teeth.
"These fangs… not bad."
Crunch—crack—
Ten minutes later, the Smiler's corpse lay toothless, stripped clean, and stashed into his inventory. Better safe than sorry; unlike the virus-like wire-creature, this one seemed harvestable.
His eyes shifted to the corner where the blackout had begun. A cardboard box waited, as though placed for him alone.
Inside—
[Gray Almond Water][Flashlight Batteries][18+ Erotic Magazine][Weaponizable Bread][Socks]
Aside from the two bottles of almond water, it was all little more than trash.