The strange oil lamp lit up automatically.
The dim, reddish lamplight spilled into every corner of the wooden cabin.
Jiang Lin looked out the window.
Mist enveloped the cabin, stopping about half a meter outside the wooden cabin's light.
Nothing could be seen outside; the gray mist began to turn black.
As far as the eye could see, only an all-consuming blackness remained.
Jiang Lin closed the wooden window and latched the bolt.
The inexplicable sense of dread receded, and the feeling of being watched disappeared with it.
Only then was he certain that something in the mist had indeed been watching him!
But nothing had happened when he entered the mist during the day. Perhaps it was the 'novice protection period' the System mentioned?
Looking at the upgraded wooden cabin and the lit oil lamp, Jiang Lin felt much more at ease.
He took out the Thorny Wooden Club, held it in his hand, and lay down on the wooden bed.
Little Axe seemed to be asleep, motionless in the corner.
The Red Tendril Cup was already full of water, about one cup every half hour, which was more than enough drinking water.
His eyelids began to feel heavy; a day of nervous tension and exhaustion plunged him into sleep... In a daze.
He vaguely heard a knock at the door!
Thump-thump!
Jiang Lin woke up with a start!
He was a bit muddled.
Thump-thump!
The sound came from the wooden door, and cold sweat instantly drenched his back.
Jiang Lin instinctively gripped the Thorny Wooden Club in his hand.
Was this place haunted too?
He looked at the corner of the wooden cabin; Little Axe was still, sleeping like a pig.
The oil lamp's light covered the entire wooden cabin, which was utterly silent.
Thump-thump, thump-thump!
Whatever was outside seemed impatient, knocking violently.
Jiang Lin's heart pounded, and his legs felt weak as he shuffled off the bed, staying close to the bed as he moved towards Little Axe.
He clutched the wooden club tightly with both hands, veins visibly bulging.
One step... two steps... Just as Jiang Lin was about to get close to Little Axe.
The knocking stopped... He waited for a long while, confirming there was no more movement.
Jiang Lin finally let out a sigh of relief.
The wooden door wasn't sturdy, and the thing hadn't broken in, proving it couldn't.
Whatever the reason, it truly couldn't enter on its own.
It might be because of the oil lamp, or perhaps the novice protection period.
It was a false alarm.
But this incident also served as a warning to Jiang Lin: he couldn't sleep so soundly anymore; he needed to remain vigilant at all times.
He glanced at the 'deeply sleeping' Little Axe and dismissed the idea of waking him up.
He checked the time; it was 2 AM.
Jiang Lin sat back on the wooden bed and opened the regional chat.
【Channel 10068 (9523 / 10000)】
In just a few hours, the number of people had decreased by 300!
Perhaps a few idiots didn't go home before dark, but it was impossible for hundreds of them to all be idiots.
This meant 300 people had died in their wooden cabins.
“It seems the shelter isn't absolutely safe either.”
Jiang Lin felt a chill of fear, and at the same time, he was glad he had upgraded his wooden cabin and obtained the oil lamp.
After this, he couldn't sleep, so he decided to see what everyone was chatting about.
Ning Yuxuan: So scary, something was clawing at my window, thankfully it seemed to give up.
Xu Qian: I just saw a red eye looking at me through a crack in the wood. What do I do, my pants are wet?
Jiang Li: Give them to me, I'll wash them for you.
Someone: The person above has a really heavy taste.
+1
... 'It seems I'm not the only one who encountered the weirdness in the mist.'
Jiang Lin ignored those attempts at finding humor in their misery, only marveling at humanity's strong adaptability.
He roughly scanned the chat; all sorts of encounters were reported, but those who could speak had already escaped danger.
As for those who couldn't speak, their fate was obvious.
“Tomorrow, I must find a way to upgrade the shelter again.” Jiang Lin made up his mind.
The shelter was the basic guarantee of survival; this was the top priority.
Suddenly, an idea flashed through Jiang Lin's mind, and he opened his personal panel.
【Name: Jiang Lin】
【Talent: Aberration (Unique)】
【Physique: 8】
【Sanity: 14】
【Stamina: 85 / 100】
【Spirit Energy: 50 / 50】
【Overall Rating: Unranked】
Spirit Energy should have refreshed at midnight, and stamina recovered with rest. (For easier reading, higher tiers will recover automatically.)
Sanity had increased by 2 points. Could it be because he had used Aberration twice?
However, no one in the regional chat had mentioned Sanity increasing.
Unable to figure it out, he didn't dwell on the matter.
Today's two uses of Aberration had refreshed. He had an idea: what would happen if he aberrated the wooden cabin?
【Aberration: Can aberrate and upgrade any item. The same item can only be aberrated once. The effect depends on the Spirit Energy invested. Limited to 2 uses per day.】
An upgraded wooden cabin shouldn't count as the same item, meaning if he used the System to upgrade it, changing the shelter's essence, he might be able to use Aberration again.
He'd bet on it!
As soon as it was light tomorrow, he would aberrate the wooden cabin. Even if the effect wasn't ideal, he could still collect materials to upgrade the wooden cabin and return it to its original state.
He hoped everything would go as smoothly as he envisioned.
As for the other Aberration, Jiang Lin decided to use it on the pickaxe.
With Little Axe as a precedent, Jiang Lin was full of confidence in aberrating the pickaxe.
He took out the Crude Pickaxe.
Aberration activated! 25 Spirit Energy overflowed.
The familiar wriggling began on the pickaxe's surface, and eight iron-black things drilled out.
They were spider legs! Made of iron!
【Aberrated Crude Pickaxe, obtained Eight-Spider Pickaxe】
【Eight-Spider Pickaxe: Tier 2, a pickaxe that has undergone unknown changes, capable of automatically collecting mineral resources, with considerable combat power.】
Perfect!
Its appearance was as unkempt as ever, but its practicality was beyond words!
“I'll call you Little Pick!” Jiang Lin expertly named his new companion.
Little Pick tapped two of his spider legs, and six spider legs dug deep into the ground.
Sharp!
Jiang Lin had no doubt these spider legs could pierce him.
Little Pick was Tier 2, and his combat power was even judged as considerable by the System.
Compared to Little Axe, his combat power should be considered strong.
At least fighting seven or eight of him wouldn't be a problem.
Jiang Lin didn't even know how to break Little Pick's defense; Little Axe's tentacles were soft, which was a weakness.
Little Pick, however, was hard all over.
He could fight and mine; simply perfect!
“Guard me!”
Jiang Lin smiled as he lay on the bed, making a joke.
Little Pick's spider legs seemed to pause, then, as if understanding something, he quietly sat down by the bed.
A surge of security!
Seeing this, Jiang Lin felt a great sense of peace, finally able to sleep soundly... 【Congratulations, Survivor, on completing a full day. A new day is about to begin. Please maintain your sanity and diligence, and continue to build your shelter.】
【The survival challenge will become increasingly difficult, but crisis also contains opportunities. Perhaps you can try to explore deeper; constant evasion may not be a good thing.】
【Wishing you a smooth survival!】
Jiang Lin woke up to the System's notifications.
He checked the time: 8:55 AM.
Everything in the cabin was as it had been before he slept. Little Axe seemed to have woken up, extending his tentacles, seemingly observing his new companion.
Jiang Lin noticed that Little Axe's broken tentacle had already grown back by about half.
At this rate, it should be fully regrown before tomorrow.
After some planning, Jiang Lin decided to have Little Axe chop trees, while he and Little Pick went to dig for stones and crystals.
A Tier 2 combat power should be sufficient for self-defense.
He had entered the mist yesterday and gained some experience, and some people in the regional chat had also successfully returned from the mist.
Since the System mentioned a novice protection period, there shouldn't be dangers around that a Tier 2 couldn't handle.
The resources around the wooden cabin were simply not enough to upgrade the shelter; to upgrade, he had to enter the mist.
Jiang Lin felt this was also the System's encouragement; it was encouraging survivors to explore, even if it meant risking their lives.
Was it because there would be crises more deadly than the mist later on?
In just that short while, it became light.
Jiang Lin looked at the wooden cabin and rubbed his hands.