Sister Li Zi's code name was "Yali."
She and her four teammates were searching the town, determined to leave no corner unchecked.
But so far, they hadn't found anything.
Just then...
Yang Shung had reached level 2, and the system's prompt about the town's ranking list made the five members of Team Yali stop in their tracks.
"What's going on? Sister Li Zi, this 'Shadow'—is he the one who went out alone?"
"It looks like... he reached level 2 already?"
"Wait, the most important thing is that he killed a bronze-level small BOSS, right?"
"We can barely handle regular monsters, but he killed a bronze BOSS on his own?! What a joke!"
"But this system prompt can't be wrong..."
"He must have formed a team, right?"
"No, look at the ranking list! There's only one name on the list!"
On the level ranking list of Shell Town, only "Shadow" was listed, standing alone.
The five members of Yali were stunned.
"Ah, this..."
Sister Li Zi, holding her longbow, stood frozen in shock.
She knew how strong the monsters were outside. Her team had tried to hunt a low-level monster and got killed before they even dealt any damage.
But now...
This "Shadow" had killed a bronze-level BOSS alone?
"This doesn't make sense!"
Sister Li Zi couldn't believe it.
---
Yang Gang and Guan Xiaoya had just resurrected in the middle of town.
The system informed them their lifespan had been halved.
They used to have 40 to 50 years, but now they had just over 20.
Their expressions soured.
Guan Xiaoya's face was pale: "Yang Gang, do you think this lifespan reduction is real?"
Yang Gang shook his head: "Impossible. There's no way something like this can be true."
Guan Xiaoya looked conflicted: "But we just fell asleep... how did we end up in this place? If this isn't a dream... then this game is way too real."
Yang Gang wasn't so sure anymore.
Just then, the system's reminder about Yang Shung killing the 'Nurturer' and reaching level 2 echoed in their minds!
They were stunned.
"Wait, what? That two-and-a-half-meter spider was killed by someone?"
"Who is this 'Shadow'? How could he kill that huge spider?"
"Impossible... there were more than ten small spiders with it!"
Yang Gang and Guan Xiaoya were in disbelief.
They had been powerless in front of the giant spider.
But this "Shadow" had killed it?
The fact that only one "Shadow" was on the leaderboard made them guess that this Shadow had slain the Nurturer alone.
They were in shock.
---
More and more players appeared in the Land of the Gods Abandoned, having fallen asleep and arrived in the game.
The population of Shell Town quickly hit 500.
The town square was packed with new players wearing black robes.
Some players immediately started asking questions, trying to understand what was happening.
But no one had answers.
Most were confused, but a few started realizing things weren't simple.
A young man with dyed blonde hair was waving his arms and shouting in the square:
"Everyone, we fell asleep and woke up in this so-called 'Abandoned Land of the Gods'."
"We can't leave now. The system says we gain lifespan from killing monsters, and it gets halved when we die."
"Whether it's true or not, we should all avoid going out alone."
"Many players have been killed by monsters outside and lost their lives..."
"I suggest forming a team to explore together for safety."
"Anyone who wants to join me, come sign up and tell me your profession."
Some players listened, while others ignored him.
Elsewhere in the town, six players—three men and three women—had already formed a team.
The leader, a burly man, was strong and imposing.
His name was Wang Meng.
Wang Meng glanced toward the square, where the blonde player was shouting, and dismissed it.
He spoke to his team: "This strange game... we might as well treat it like a normal one. We'll go out, kill monsters, level up—simple. The lifespan issue isn't a big deal, just be careful not to die."
"I'm a Holy Shield Warrior. I have a skill that makes me invincible for a short time, so I can protect you. Just focus on dealing damage."
Wang Meng's team was made up of hidden professions, carefully selected to be powerful.
Meanwhile, in Shell Town, a group of internet-addicted teens who often teamed up for points in other games had entered the God Abandoned game together.
"Damn, this game is our time to shine!"
"Let's go, go, go!"
"We might not be great at everything, but when it comes to games, no one can beat us five brothers!"
"Max team size is six, so we need one more person."
"Let's find a pretty girl. We need a healer, right?"
---
It wasn't just Shell Town.
Thousands of towns now existed, with more players gathering in each.
They were all humans who had fallen asleep at the same time, their consciousness sent to the Land of the Gods Abandoned.
From Daxia to North America, even to the West...
When players first entered the game, they were mostly confused.
Some took a cautious approach, while others tried to dive in headfirst.
The strong players had already started gaining an edge.
For example... Yang Shung!
"Level 2 opens the leaderboard and gives 1 reputation point."
Yang Shung glanced at the system prompt and didn't pay it much mind.
Reputation was useful, sure. It could help him buy high-level items later on.
He stood in front of the dead bronze-level Nurturer, hidden in stealth, preparing to harvest.
First up—lifespan!
Yang Shung reached out, absorbing the gray-white orb of light floating near the spider's body.
---
[You have gained 46 days of lifespan (tradable).]
---
A small BOSS was worth the lifespan of more than ten regular monsters!
Normally, a BOSS like this would take several strong teams to defeat, and the lifespan would be divided between them.
But since Yang Shung killed it alone, the rewards were plentiful.
Next, Yang Shung retrieved three trophies from the BOSS's body.
One of the skill books caught his attention.
"This is a jackpot!"
---
[Skill Book·Hand of Greed (Bronze): Assassin skill book. After learning, it can be used on monster corpses, with a 20% chance of getting extra loot. Learning requirements: Level 1.]
---
A 20% chance didn't seem too high, but the important part was...
Yang Shung could evolve this skill!