In the Main World space:
"Finally, enough energy points."
[Energy: 20,012]
Yang Tao converted the last item from his backpack's shelf into energy points. As the total surged, the upgraded abilities of the Main World unlocked once more.
"Level up!"
The moment he spoke, his twenty-thousand-plus energy points were instantly depleted, leaving a mere twelve points to his name.
The gray mist walls began to dissipate, revealing a new space.
"Moo~ Baa~ Cluck~ Oink~"
Within this newly emerged area were several blocky animals, their forms composed entirely of square units, just like in Minecraft.
"Animals… really?"
Yang Tao's gaze fixed on the Minecraft creatures. Their significance was immediately clear—though their appearance was admittedly somewhat "ugly," they were invaluable to any player.
Chickens provided eggs, which could hatch into more chicks. Sheep offered wool, useful not only as decorative blocks but also for crafting beds, allowing him to mark new respawn points.
Pigs… well, they provided pork, though that was secondary. The real treasure was the cows.
One cow and a bucket meant an endless supply of milk.
Milk could remove all buffs, positive or negative alike. Poison, slowness, wither, hunger, mining fatigue—none could withstand its cleansing power.
"No, I must protect the cows first!"
Other animals were negligible; no combination of them could match the importance of a single cow. Yang Tao retrieved wood from his backpack and crafted wooden fences at the workbench.
Erik, having witnessed the animals' appearance, remained composed. After all, he had already seen a previous upgrade—then, it had been blocky oak trees; this time, blocky animals. As for the next upgrade… could blocky humans appear? Ha!
He walked over and asked, "Yang, are these animals aggressive?"
Yang Tao chuckled at Erik's concern. "Don't worry. These animals won't attack, even if you provoke them."
Of course, this only applied to the vanilla Minecraft rules; who knew what mods might add in terms of monsters and anomalies.
Approaching the animals, Yang Tao noticed that one of the cows, seeing him, lifted its head from the grass. Its rectangular eyes, with square black pupils, regarded him with an almost "intelligent" expression.
Yang Tao couldn't help but snicker. "Why does it look dumber than in the game? Oh well, as long as it produces milk!"
He fenced in the cow and pulled an empty iron bucket from his backpack, silently thinking the words "milk." Instantly, the bucket filled with creamy white liquid.
A smile spread across Yang Tao's face.
"Last upgrade produced oak trees, this one produces animals… could the next upgrade bring monsters?"
He glanced at the energy required for the next level.
"Forty thousand?! Doubling again? Surely not…"
First 10,000, then 20,000, now 40,000—if the next jump went to 80,000, even splitting himself wouldn't suffice.
"I can't rely on mining and scavenging for energy alone…"
Suddenly, inspiration struck. I can leverage the Main World's connection to all other worlds. Acting as a middleman, a team collecting energy will be far faster than me alone.
Thinking of almond water, Yang Tao realized that some items across various worlds must contain immense energy values—far more valuable than the concrete walls of the Backrooms. With this insight, he glimpsed the path to rapid leveling.
However, his current resources were meager. He first needed to stock up—guns, ammo, medicine, food—from the Backrooms and beyond.
"Step by step. No rush."
Turning to Erik, he smiled warmly. "Erik, come taste this milk!"
Curious, the little white-haired boy approached, eyes wide at the full bucket of milk in Yang Tao's hands. "Yang, this milk… comes from that cow?"
"Yes. It's extraordinary—removes nearly all negative status effects. Far stronger than almond water. Try it!"
"Negative status effects?"
Not much of a gamer, Erik was puzzled. But trusting Yang Tao, he took the bucket. Yet seeing it full, his expression twisted in doubt:
"Do I have to drink it all?"
"Drink as much as you can…"
Observing Erik, Yang Tao noticed that after just a few sips, the bucket was empty.
"How does it feel?"
Erik licked his lips thoughtfully. "Smooth… rich…"
Yang Tao: "…"
"I mean the effect, not the taste."
"No… before I was a bit hungry, but now it's gone…"
Patting his still-flat stomach, Erik spoke seriously.
Yang Tao nodded. Erik showed no signs of poison, injury, or illness—his lack of hunger was perfectly normal.
"Milk removes hunger temporarily. You'll still need to eat, though."
He handed Erik some food purchased from the Detective Conan world.
At that moment, a door creaked open.
Yang Tao and Erik turned toward the sound. A new wooden door had appeared in the gray mist wall.
A small girl with shoulder-length brown hair timidly peeked out. Seeing the two staring at her, she nearly burst into tears.
"I-I'm sorry… for disturbing…"
She bowed deeply. Yang Tao glanced at Erik and asked, "Does this feel like a kindergarten to you?"
The girl appeared even younger than Conan, wearing a metal whistle around her neck, pajamas still on.
Yang Tao softly reassured her, "Don't be afraid, little one. We're not bad people. Are you lost?"
In a babyish, slightly trembling voice, she replied, "I'm looking for my brother… he's missing."