The building they entered today had clearly once been an apartment complex.
Signs of everyday life were everywhere.
After stepping into one of the apartments, Ethan Carter rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
Beside him, Natasha Romanoff noticed his expression.
"Commander, something wrong?"
"I was thinking..."
"When we found that gun store yesterday, I assumed this abandoned city was somewhere like America."
"But these apartments..."
"They look almost exactly like the ones I used to live in."
He laughed to himself.
"Then again, this isn’t Earth."
"I guess a city with mixed architecture isn’t that strange."
Thud!
Before he’d even finished speaking, a heavy impact echoed behind them.
Ethan and Natasha spun around.
Brutus had slammed one massive paw against the wall.
Just as Ethan wondered what the tiger was doing, a shape slowly became visible beneath its paw.
It was a chameleon over two feet long.
Its camouflage had failed the instant Brutus pinned it down.
A System notification appeared.
[Phantom Chameleon (Tier 1)]
[Uses adaptive camouflage to blend perfectly into its surroundings, making it virtually invisible.]
"So it can actually turn invisible..."
"And it’s marked as hostile."
"If Brutus hadn’t spotted it..."
"We probably would’ve walked right into an ambush."
Ever since gaining Nature’s Affinity, Ethan had discovered that monster names appeared in different colors.
Red names indicated highly aggressive monsters.
Even with Nature’s Affinity, they’d attack without hesitation.
Yellow names belonged to neutral creatures.
As long as he stayed out of their territory and didn’t provoke them, they generally ignored him.
Blue names represented peaceful creatures—usually herbivores—that cared only about eating unless attacked first.
Brutus had controlled his strength perfectly.
One swipe had killed the Phantom Chameleon instantly while leaving the body largely intact.
Although cracks spread across the wall, the building itself remained stable.
The muffled impact also wasn’t loud enough to attract larger monsters.
"Nice work, Brutus."
Ethan immediately stored the corpse inside his inventory.
The tiger proudly raised his head, clearly pleased with the praise.
After searching the apartment, Ethan found a first-aid kit containing various emergency medical supplies.
Like the food they’d found previously, none of the medicine displayed expiration dates.
As long as the System confirmed it was usable, he trusted it.
Later they entered a luxurious penthouse apartment.
The moment Ethan stepped inside...
Something felt wrong.
It was too clean.
Previously looted locations usually still contained something worth taking.
Especially blueprints and crystals—items only players could actually use.
The world’s original inhabitants had apparently ignored them.
Here, however...
Every storage cabinet stood empty.
Drawers had been cleaned out.
Closets were bare.
Even the safe had already been opened.
Natasha lowered her voice.
"Commander..."
"I think another player searched this place before us."
"I was thinking the same thing."
"The only question is..."
"Are they still inside the building?"
Even as he spoke, Ethan carefully scanned every corner.
"Commander."
Natasha pointed toward the carpet.
A small tear was visible.
Looking closer, Ethan noticed the surrounding fabric was slightly darker.
Old blood.
"There was a fight here."
"But almost no signs of a struggle."
"Whoever did this killed the monster almost instantly."
"Judging from the cut..."
"It was probably a throwing knife or a combat knife."
"Even if it was only a weaker monster..."
"It proves the person has real combat experience."
"They’re definitely not an average survivor."
"Agreed."
Natasha continued examining the room.
"They also deliberately erased their tracks."
"Even I can’t determine where they went."
"They’re extremely careful."
"I understand."
Ethan nodded before turning toward Brutus.
"Stay alert."
"If you notice anything unusual, let me know immediately."
Brutus answered with a low growl, confidently accepting the assignment.
After searching one more apartment without finding anything useful, Ethan finally gave up.
"Let’s move."
"They got here before us."
"There’s no point wasting any more time."
"Yes, Commander."
Although the apartment building yielded very little, they still ended the day with a worthwhile prize.
On the way back through the city, Brutus successfully ambushed a giant boar-like monster.
Judging by its enormous size...
Even with Brutus’s enormous appetite, the meat would probably last them two weeks.
As Ethan, Natasha, and Brutus disappeared into the distance...
A pair of eyes continued watching them from deep within the shadows.
Only after they had completely vanished did Lena Frost quietly step into the open.
"A silent crossbow..."
"Two pistols..."
"Two experienced fighters..."
"And a freaking saber-toothed tiger as a pet?"
"Is this guy cheating?"
After complaining internally, she began reevaluating her plans.
"So this is obviously his hunting territory."
"I can’t stay here anymore."
"If I do, sooner or later he’ll find me."
"I’m confident I can avoid him..."
"And maybe even the woman."
"But that tiger..."
Remembering Brutus crushing the giant boar’s skull with a single swipe...
Lena shivered.
With her slim build, she doubted she’d survive even being brushed by the tiger’s tail.
Completely unaware that his mere presence had scared another player away, Ethan returned to his cabin eager to examine the day’s loot.
After processing both the Phantom Chameleon and the Earth Boar, he obtained a large amount of fresh meat.
Unfortunately...
Neither monster dropped a core.
Brutus would have to wait a little longer for another power boost.
Using the crafting bench, Ethan made a large wooden feeding bowl before tossing nearly forty pounds of raw meat into it.
The moment he placed it in front of Brutus, the tiger hugged the bowl between his enormous paws and happily began devouring the fresh meat.
Unlike humans, the prehistoric predator clearly preferred raw meat over anything cooked.
While eating grilled meat that Natasha had prepared, Ethan browsed both the Regional Chat and the Marketplace, looking for anything useful.
Before long...
Something caught his eye.
Someone was selling an item capable of upgrading shelters.
[Shelter Upgrade Blueprint (Lv.2) — Collect the required materials to upgrade a Level 1 shelter.]
[After upgrading, the shelter expands to approximately 2,000 square feet, gains additional defensive strength, and includes several quality-of-life furnishings.]
Although he couldn’t upgrade immediately, Ethan doubted the required materials would be too difficult to gather.
He immediately contacted the seller.
"How much for the blueprint?"
"Twenty loaves of bread and ten liters of water."
Ethan rolled his eyes.
The seller was asking far too much.
"Too expensive."
"I’ll pass."
The reply came almost instantly.
"Hey, wait! We can negotiate!"
"You didn’t even try bargaining!"
"Ten loaves of bread."
"I’ll throw in two bottles of water."
"I’m not in a hurry to get the blueprint anyway."
"Deal."
Apparently terrified of losing the sale altogether, the seller accepted immediately.
A moment later, the trade was complete.
As Ethan looked at the blueprint now resting inside his inventory...
The corner of his mouth twitched involuntarily.
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