The hole in the thatched door was no bigger than a grain of rice, yet Bai Yi felt as if the malice of the entire world was pouring in.
He wore an expression of fervor, as if he had discovered the pursuit of his life, the ultimate truth.
In the instant he saw It, Bai Yi felt as if he had ascended to heaven, time ceasing to flow.
The dome of heaven was woven from billions of stars, each ray of light a pure existence untouched by corruption.
The light was not blinding here; it was like liquid compassion, gently permeating every inch of space.
Crystal-like rivers meandered, reflecting a brilliance beyond color, and magnificent hymns echoed in his ears, everything beautiful and enchanting.
[Warning! Warning! Warning!]
[Directly viewing an "Unseeable" level entity, Sanity -100]
[Steel-Spine Will activated, Sanity locked at 1/100]
The voice in his ear was like thunder, jolting Bai Yi awake.
There was no heaven, only a blood-red scene before his eyes.
In the distant void floated a massive ball of flesh, its surface covered with vein-like patterns.
These patterns squirmed like living things, with dark green liquid flowing through each "vein."
More terrifying were the countless cracks on the surface of the flesh ball—these were not wounds but tens of thousands of mouths chewing.
The mouths roared incessantly, producing a cacophony. As his perspective shifted, he saw that half of the flesh ball was missing, the uneven edges looking as if they had been gnawed away.
Suddenly, the flesh ball's cries grew more anguished, and a chunk of its flesh vanished, leaving a jagged crater.
The surrounding void was filled with scattered flesh, and Bai Yi felt as if his eyes were about to explode, yet he had no control over his body.
[0]
[Exile successful!]
In the next second, Bai Yi's perspective switched back to the inside of the Shelter.
"Gah—"
His stomach convulsed violently, and the bitter taste of bile rose in his throat.
Before Bai Yi could feel any relief, searing pain shot through his entire body like an electric current.
He staggered backward, his lower back hitting the wooden table with a dull thud.
Bai Yi's spine emitted a metallic grinding sound, sharp bone ridges protruding beneath his skin, as if a steel blade was pushing up from his tailbone.
He curled up on the ground, his nails digging deep into his palms, yet not a drop of blood flowed, as all his capillaries contracted, his skin turning a bizarre bluish-gray.
"Hah... hah..."
Each breath felt like swallowing shards of glass. Bai Yi hadn't expected the so-called immense pain to be so terrifying.
With his last ounce of strength, he flipped over, and then the entire world plunged into darkness.
...
When Bai Yi regained consciousness amidst the excruciating pain, dawn was breaking.
He found himself still curled up, his back drenched in cold sweat, clinging to his rigid spine.
"Cough... cough!"
As he tried to move, a tearing pain shot from his tailbone to the top of his head. Bai Yi bit down hard on his lower lip, the taste of blood filling his mouth.
His spine felt as if it had been cast in molten steel, each breath bringing the phantom pain of metal searing his insides.
[Sanity recovering: 30/100]
The information panel in his mind informed him that it was finally over.
Bai Yi struggled to lift his head, discovering the entire room was covered in scratch marks, with dark red tissue remnants in the uneven grooves, as if repeatedly scraped by some barbed weapon.
When his gaze shifted to the table, Bai Yi's pupils contracted sharply. The wooden handle of the stone axe bore five sunken finger marks, with bits of skin clinging to the edges.
"Was it me?"
He raised his trembling right hand, finding wood splinters embedded under his nails, a belated fear washing over him.
During those dozen hours of unconsciousness, what kind of struggle had his body endured?
But then, he burst into laughter: "I survived, I survived, I won't die, I must live on!"
It wasn't until the first light of dawn that Bai Yi managed to stand up, leaning against the wall. He checked the journal and found it was already the second day.
Bai Yi noticed a dark red glow flickering in the pile of thatch by the door. Using a stick he found nearby, he poked through the pile.
There lay a fingernail-sized piece of flesh, with bits of bone attached.
"This is from yesterday..."
He wrapped the bone fragments in thatch, but upon touching them, he heard whispers. The sound was like thousands of people murmuring simultaneously in his ears.
[You see the endlessly proliferating flesh, Sanity -8]
[Sanity 22/100]
A needle-like pain surged in his mind again, but it wasn't severe.
Bai Yi was startled, nearly dropping it. Only after he stuffed the item into the storage box did the eerie whispers cease.
"Such a small piece of flesh takes up 30 units?"
Bai Yi exclaimed in surprise. Although he didn't know what it was for, his intuition told him it was something valuable.
"Ugh—this pain, it seems I need to keep my sanity above 30 in the future."
"Grumble—"
A hungry growl came from his stomach, reminding Bai Yi that he hadn't eaten anything since arriving here a day and a night ago.
"I need to go out and find some food. If I just stay in the Shelter, even with the Novice Protection Period, I won't survive two days."
Bai Yi moved his body a bit, finding no major issues, so he picked up the axe. Before leaving, he paused and took the journal with him.
Looking around, Bai Yi saw the White Mist enveloping the world like solidified milk. Wisps of unknown material floated in the fog, and the trees ten meters away were reduced to twisted silhouettes.
"The visibility is so low, I hope everything goes smoothly."
He encouraged himself and stepped into the Mist.
Bai Yi moved cautiously, always alert to any sound or movement around him. But it was too quiet, not even the sound of the wind.
He circled a few hundred meters around the Shelter, finding no food.
This made him anxious. The food issue was manageable; going hungry for two days was not a big deal, just a bit of weakness.
But the water source was urgent; he hadn't had a drink in nearly two days. He had to find water today.
Feeling his body slightly dehydrated and thinking of his Talent, Bai Yi gritted his teeth and decided to explore further.
He walked in one direction, occasionally marking his surroundings.
Finally, luck smiled on him. Bai Yi heard the sound of flowing water. He quickened his pace toward the sound and found a small stream.
After tasting it to confirm it was freshwater, he finally replenished his water supply.
He then searched along the stream, finding no living animals but some wild fruits and an animal carcass.
It was a rabbit, relatively intact but already decayed, its gray fur covered with dark green mold, and translucent maggots crawling from its rotting eye sockets.
[Discovered minor contamination source (rabbit carcass), Sanity -1]
[Discovered wild fruit, non-toxic, edible]
Between the fruit and the rabbit, Bai Yi decisively chose the fruit. After eating, he picked a large pile of wild fruits to take back.
Before leaving, he thought for a moment and decided to take the rabbit by the ears as well.
During this process, Bai Yi discovered that when holding the journal, he could view item information and disassemble animal carcasses.
But he couldn't open the Forum, Plaza, or directly place items into the Shelter's storage box.
Back at the Shelter, Bai Yi had no intention of going out again, as the journal showed it was already afternoon, though he didn't know the exact time.
However, Bai Yi took a moment to browse the Forum, where a highlighted post mentioned that daylight lasted 8 hours.
He didn't have time to read further, as time was running out, and he was already a day behind others. He needed to catch up quickly to avoid being eliminated.
For the rest of the time, Bai Yi began chopping trees to collect wood. He tried using the journal to disassemble directly, but it had no effect. Only felled trees could be disassembled.
"They really leave no loopholes, even guarding against gentlemen."
Bai Yi grumbled in frustration.
The amount of wood from a tree depended on its size. Bai Yi worked all afternoon, chopping 25 units of wood.
As dusk approached, he still hadn't gathered enough wood for an upgrade.
Bai Yi glanced at the panel, [Sanity 50/100], and in the next moment, he shouted:
"Steel-Spine Will, activate!"
His spine suddenly emitted the sound of gears turning. Bai Yi felt an electric current coursing through his joints, his muscles visibly swelling.
[Steel-Spine Will activated, Sanity -40, current Sanity 10/100, 2.5x amplification obtained]
[Warning! Your Sanity is below 30, you are in Madness, you are experiencing Cognitive Distortion]
[Exemption granted]
The pain from his soul swept over him, but compared to last night, it wasn't severe; Bai Yi could barely endure it.
He raised his hand, swinging the ordinary stone axe with a whooshing sound.
Crack!
A pine tree as thick as a bowl snapped cleanly. Bai Yi looked at the neat cut and felt the exertion, his breathing gradually quickening.
He tried continuous chopping, each swing a critical hit.
In just three minutes, Bai Yi collected 20 units of wood. He could feel that this wasn't his limit; it was the axe that restricted him.
Afterward, Bai Yi didn't continue chopping trees but checked the attribute panel.
[Bai Yi: Healthy]
[Age: 30]
[Strength: 7.5/3]
[Spirit: 9]
[Constitution: 7.5/3]
[Sanity: 10/100]
...
After experimenting, Bai Yi marveled at the power of his Talent. His strength, speed, and reflexes were greatly enhanced.
He also understood why there was no agility stat; with a push of his legs, he could leap seven or eight meters in an instant.
Including sudden stops, sharp turns, and instant acceleration, all were astonishingly fast. Meanwhile, a Constitution of 7.5 allowed Bai Yi to perform these high-difficulty maneuvers with ease.
Ten minutes later, Bai Yi returned to the Shelter, satisfied. Now, the real task began.
[Shelter upgrade conditions met, upgrade?]
"Yes!"