The glint of cold light came from the tip of the spear.
Just one door away at such close range. It could strike true even with eyes closed.
Thud!
The spear pierced the muscular man's chest.
The moment it landed, Leonard withdrew it, spraying blood as he launched a second strike.
Thud!
Once again, the chest.
Stabbed twice in quick succession, the muscular man finally reacted, shock flashing across his face.
He never expected Leonard, inside the room, to be so ruthless...
But this was only the beginning.
Within seconds, Leonard's expression remained cold as he repeated the same motion again and again:
Withdraw. Strike. Withdraw. Strike.
Thud!
This time it plunged into the stomach. Blood was already flowing from the earlier wounds.
Thud!
Another hit to the stomach—an easy, large target with a satisfying resistance.
Thud!
This strike was riskier. It went for the neck. His aim was off, but still managed to tear flesh.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The remaining stabs were random. Accuracy no longer mattered.
Leonard noticed each attack consumed "Stamina."
Each hit displayed a damage number, ranging from 15 to 30.
The enemy only had 100 HP to begin with the damage had already far exceeded that.
The muscular man's eyes bulged. Blood foamed from his mouth as he let out garbled sounds.
He staggered a few steps before collapsing to the ground.
They had only suspected Leonard had killed before.
Now, their doubt was silenced by his own actions.
And it proved one thing.
Don't push someone too far.
The others nearby saw the body fall, blood staining the floor, and chaos erupted.
"Ahhh!"
"Murder! Someone's been killed!"
"Help! Someone's killing people!"
They scattered like startled birds.
One collapsed to the floor, face pale with fear.
Another bolted without looking back.
In times of peace, killing feels like something from another world.
To witness one person take another's life—that kind of shock is indescribable.
To do it with your own hands? Even more so.
Leonard's vision blurred, the world doubling around him.
It all felt like a surreal dream.
Did I just kill someone?
Is this real?
He struggled to accept the reality as he stepped to the doorway, looking down at the corpse and the spreading pool of red.
The irony is he had even gained experience from the kill.
[Target eliminated. Gained 5 EXP. 10 EXP needed to reach next level.]
Killing a level-1 human yielded 5 points.
Two more kills, and Leonard would level up.
Sometimes, the abyss lies just beneath your feet.
One step forward and there's no turning back.
"You forced me."
Leonard muttered coldly, staring at the blood-soaked body.
That man had stormed in with a group, ready to start trouble.
If Leonard had shown weakness, the consequences would have been disastrous.
So he made his move, fierce and final.
Some things, once they happen, can't be undone.
This was the first time.
But it won't be the last.
In the administrator chat group, Leonard's act of killing drew attention and high praise.
[Hahaha, finally someone has died! How can a survival game be real without death?]
[I'm really starting to like Zore. Decisive and ruthless enough.]
[Hope he makes it far.]
Meanwhile, the player group chat was in an uproar.
Many people confirmed what had happened:
[Someone killed a person. I saw it with my own eyes!]
[It was the guy in Room 815!]
[Everyone, stay away from the person in 815. He's a complete lunatic.]
While discussing the murder, someone also shared another piece of intel:
Someone had smashed a wooden chair and obtained one unit of wood.
Though not as exciting as a murder, that information caught Leonard's attention because he desperately needed wood!
Crafting a wooden shield or upgrading his door to level 2 required wood.
Until now, Leonard hadn't managed to collect a single piece.
"So that's how you get wood. Just smash a chair?"
"Makes sense."
With a goal in mind, Leonard shook off the shadow of killing and perked up.
Now wasn't the time to dwell on emotions.
Waste time, and he might be the next corpse.
Leonard headed out with his gear, locking his door behind him.
He glanced at the body at his doorstep. It was a problem.
What if the corpse attracted zombies?
It was fresh, after all.
To zombies, that might be...delicious.
So Leonard dragged the body into an empty dorm across the hall.
Then he began scavenging for wood.
In one dorm, he found a wooden chair and immediately started smashing it against the floor.
It was tough work. The chair was sturdy. He had to slam it countless times before it finally broke.
The broken chair automatically turned into a bundle of wood on the ground.
Leonard picked it up and stored it in his dimensional backpack.
At last, he had some wood!
"Seems like the regular chat can drop useful intel sometimes. I'll have to watch both channels," Leonard thought.
But one bundle wasn't nearly enough.
He kept searching. Whenever he saw a chair, he smashed it, turning into a chair destroyer.
During this, other players passed through the corridor. They kept their distance and secretly used the system's camera function to snap photos of Leonard.
Great. Now he was famous.
His photo got posted in the public chat.
His face was now labeled: murderer.
And everyone knew where his dorm was.
That pissed Leonard off.
"Creeping around just to secretly take photos of me?"
Becoming the "dangerous guy" had its pros and cons.
The good: others were too afraid to mess with him.
The bad: his base had been exposed—easy to raid.
That meant Leonard couldn't stray far from his dorm.
"Whatever. I'll keep moving at my own pace."
Leonard continued gathering wood.
Back in the admin chat, someone brought him up again and revealed a key piece of information:
[Zore's method of gathering wood is too slow. If he gets the fire axe that's available on every floor, he can chop chairs in seconds.]
[Yeah, the fire axe is the best tool and weapon right now. Great against zombies. Definitely a beginner's god-tier item.]
[Way better than that homemade spear of his.]
Leonard was lurking again and caught the info.
Fire axe!
He frowned. They mentioned it was useful but not where it was.
"Fire axe… fire axe…"
Suddenly, his eyes lit up.
How could he be so stupid?
Of course! It had to be in the fire box!
That's why they said every floor had one.
Leonard switched back to acting mode, pretending to casually search the hallway.
He walked past the fire box, then circled back like he'd just thought of something.
Then he opened it.
Inside, a bright red fire axe!
Beginner's god-tier item?
Mine now.
Leonard grabbed the axe. A stat screen popped up:
Fire Axe
Level: 2
Type: Weapon/Tool
Attribute: Physical
Attack Power: 13
Durability: 25/25
Description: One swing to rule them all. Chop with the blade, smash with the back. Trust me, you're going to love it!