Sister Lizi's code name is 'Yali'.
She and her four teammates are searching the town thoroughly, leaving no corner unchecked.
But there's no sign of anything useful.
Suddenly...
Yang Shung reached level 2, and the system notification for the town's level ranking appeared, stunning Yali's team.
"What's going on? Sister Lizi, is this 'Shadow' the person who went out alone?"
"Did he really level up to 2 so quickly?"
"Didn't he kill a bronze-level BOSS on his own?"
"We can barely take down regular monsters, but he kills a bronze BOSS by himself? How is that possible?"
"But the system prompt seems accurate..."
"He must have joined a team, right?"
"No, look at the ranking! There's only one name, 'Shadow'!"
On the level ranking list of Shell Town, only 'Shadow' stood alone at the top.
This left the Yali team shocked.
"Ah, no way…"
Sister Yali, holding a longbow, stood frozen, her eyes wide.
She'd experienced how powerful the monsters outside were. Her team of five had been easily killed by a level 1 monster without even managing to deal significant damage.
But now…
The "Shadow" she thought would fail had taken down a bronze-level BOSS alone.
"This doesn't make sense!"
Sister Yali was starting to question everything.
...
Yang Shung's team, Niu Gang and Guan Xiaoya, had just been resurrected in the center of town.
The system notified them that they had lost half of their lifespan.
They had 40-50 years, but now only around 20.
They exchanged uneasy glances.
Guan Xiaoya's face turned pale. "Niu Gang, do you think this lifespan deduction is real?"
Niu Gang shook his head. "No way. This can't be true. There's no way something like this exists."
Guan Xiaoya looked troubled. "But... we just fell asleep, and now we're here. This doesn't feel like a dream. If it's a game, it's way too real."
Niu Gang was unsure now too.
At that moment, the system announced Yang Shung had killed the "Nurturer" and leveled up to 2!
"Wait… Someone killed the two-and-a-half-meter spider?"
"Who is this 'Shadow'? He killed the giant spider?"
"Impossible, there were still more than ten smaller spiders around it..."
Niu Gang and Guan Xiaoya couldn't believe it.
They had been powerless in front of that spider.
But 'Shadow' had killed it alone!
Seeing only "Shadow" at the top of the leaderboard, they realized he must have done it on his own.
The shock kept growing.
...
More players started arriving at the Land of the Gods Abandoned after they fell asleep.
The population of Shell Town quickly hit 500.
The town square was filled with new players in black robes.
Some players, confused, approached others for answers.
But no one had a clue.
A few players, however, sensed something was off.
A young man with bleached blonde hair stood in the square, waving his arms and shouting.
"Everyone, we all fell asleep and woke up here, in this so-called 'Abandoned Land of the Gods'!"
"We can't log out now. The system says we gain lifespan by killing monsters, but if we die, we lose half of it."
"Regardless of if it's true, we should stick together. It's safer in a group."
"Anyone who wants to join me, come sign up and tell me your class."
Some players listened, while others ignored him.
In another corner of the town, a group of six—three men and three women—formed a team.
Their leader was a big, burly man named Wang Meng.
Wang Meng glanced at the square from afar, ignoring the shouting blond player.
He turned to his team. "In this messed-up game, we might as well treat it like a normal one. If we kill monsters and level up, it won't harm us."
"As for lifespan, we just need to be careful. I'm a Holy Shield Warrior with an invincible skill. I can protect you while you focus on dealing damage."
Wang Meng had carefully picked his teammates for their hidden skills, ensuring they'd be a strong team.
Meanwhile, some online gamers had formed their own teams in Shell Town.
"Damn, this game is perfect for us to show off!"
"Let's go!"
"We might not be good at real life, but when it comes to games, we're unstoppable!"
"In this game, the maximum team size is six. We still need one more person."
"Let's find a pretty girl to be our healer."
...
It wasn't just Shell Town.
Thousands of towns were filling with players who had all fallen asleep and woken up in the land abandoned by the gods.
Across the world—Daxia, North America, the West—players were confused when they first entered.
Some players, sensing the danger, chose to be cautious.
Others, like Yang Shung, had already started gaining an edge.
"Level 2. The leaderboard's up. 1 point of reputation gained."
Yang Shung barely glanced at the system notification. More reputation was always good, but it didn't matter much yet.
In front of him lay the body of the bronze-level 'Nurturer,' and Yang Shung was ready to harvest.
He extended his hand and drew in the grayish light orb hovering over the spider's corpse.
[You have gained 46 days of lifespan (tradable).]
The small BOSS had more lifespan than ten normal monsters combined.
Normally, a group would need to fight a BOSS like this. Dividing the lifespan among a team, no one would get much.
But Yang Shung had killed it alone.
Next, he collected three trophies from the BOSS.
One of the items, a skill book, caught his eye.
"This is jackpot!"
[Skill Book·Hand of Greed (Bronze): Assassin skill. After learning, it grants a 20% chance of extra loot from monster corpses. Requirements: Level 1.]
The chances were small, but...
Yang Shung knew he could evolve this skill.
He quickly ordered the first evolution.
[You have consumed 1 evolution point, and 2 points remain.]
[Hand of Greed (Bronze → Silver): Assassin skill. Increases chance of extra loot from monster corpses from 20% → 40%.]
The skill's chance increased by 20%.
"Let's keep going."
Yang Shung used the next two points to evolve it further.
[You have consumed 2 evolution points, and 0 points remain.]
[Hand of Greed (Silver → Gold): Assassin skill. Increases chance of extra loot from monster corpses from 40% → 70%.]
A huge upgrade—now a 70% chance.
Yang Shung smiled. "Imagine getting double the loot every time."
He couldn't evolve it again just yet, but the thought of it was exciting.
Now, with stealth still active, Yang Shung aimed at the Nurturer's body again and used the Hand of Greed.
A golden hand emerged, reaching for the monster's corpse.
[Skill 'Hand of Greed' was successful!]
[You have gained 2 evolution points!]
[You have gained 46 days of life (tradable).]
Three more items dropped from the BOSS.
"Success!"
"The 70% rate isn't lying."
"Good thing it's not some ridiculous game mechanic."
Yang Shung laughed.
He got more evolution points and lifespan—both vital.
The dropped items weren't as valuable to him.
He inspected the assassin weapon.
[Corrosion Dagger (Bronze): Attack +35, Agility +4. Equipment requirements: Level 1.]
A good upgrade, doubling his attack.
He replaced his old short blade.
Now his total attack reached 50!
Yang Shung's stealth skill boosted his damage even further, so he wasn't too concerned about the equipment for now.
"It's time to clear out the monsters."
With 12 spiders still crawling near the BOSS body, Yang Shung had no intention of letting them escape.
He darted from the shadows, slashing one spider in the abdomen, killing it instantly.
The other spiders reacted, but before they could attack, Yang Shung vanished again.
His stealth gave him the upper hand early on.
...
Meanwhile, back in the real world, Blue Star!
Daxia, Jianghai Normal University.
Qin Xiaoyou and her best friend Chu Yan were in class when something strange happened.
A boy in their class was sleeping at his desk.
And as he slept…
His body turned translucent, almost ghostly.
"Whoa! Brother Wei, what's happening to you?" His roommate screamed.
Everyone gathered around, shocked by the boy's strange state.
The teacher, who was lecturing passionately, paused and looked at the boy, confused.
People tried to touch him, but their hands passed right through his body.
It was like he wasn't there at all.
The class gasped, anxiety written across their faces.
"Xiaoyou, what's going on with Zhang Wei?"
Chu Yan, with short hair, pulled Qin Xiaoyou to the front of the class, her eyes wide.
Qin Xiaoyou frowned.
She was elegant and delicate, her long skirt giving her a graceful appearance. Though many admired her, she didn't let it distract her.
From her seat, she peered over the crowd to see the strange sight.
The boy, Zhang Wei, was lying face-down, his body glowing with a semi-transparent, illusory light.
Qin Xiaoyou sat back down, pulling out her phone to search for answers.
Soon, she found online posts about similar incidents—people sleeping and turning into the same ghostly state