When night fell, Park Sam-chang immediately took the Mushroom Cows and hid inside the dirt house.
In the game, you couldn't feel it.
But actually living in a house built from dirt made the smell of soil unmistakable.
The room was cramped, and he had to make sure the Mushroom Cows didn't get killed by monsters, so Park Sam-chang had no choice but to press himself against the wall.
It felt as though two burly men had forced him to the ground.
The difference was that the things pinning him down weren't men, but two cows—and they were entirely willing.
In theory, Park Sam-chang could spend the night in bed. But the thought of falling asleep hugging a cow was more than he could stomach.
The Block World was just too bizarre. Animals only needed two things to produce offspring. If he really slept with a cow...
Who knew what kind of deformed abomination might result?
Besides, he couldn't withstand two cows pressing down on his scrawny frame. The safest choice was to stay put.
"Monsters have spawned on Mushroom Island!"
Watching the zombies appear outside the house, Park Sam-chang was glad he'd chosen to hide inside.
Mushroom Island wasn't supposed to spawn monsters. It was meant to be a very safe place to live.
And now monsters were appearing here too!
Large Civilization was terrifying, all right!
"Good thing Smida saw this coming and went inside early!"
"That was close! The zombies nearly blocked the door!"
"Too bad there aren't any weapons on the island. There's no way to kill monsters and compete for rank."
"It's the first trial. A high ranking is bound to come with benefits!"
"Forget it. Surviving is enough. There'll definitely be chances to grow stronger later!"
"Right. At least he's not like certain contestants who think they're amazing just because they made a Stone Generator!"
"It's already pitch-black, and he still hasn't gone inside to hide. He's asking to die!"
"He doesn't have a single piece of equipment. He has no idea how terrifying the night is!"
Everyone knew that a higher rank meant better rewards, but most contestants knew their limits.
Until they had armor, weapons, and enough food stocked up, they chose to lie low.
Only people like Mark and Jet, who had plenty of resources and were strong themselves, dared to go all out.
Park Sam-chang's room really was cramped, but through the window he could look toward the floating island across from him.
Even though Gu Yu had finished building a stone house, he still hadn't gone inside. Instead, he was standing on the island, staring blankly into space.
"Gu Yu's definitely arrogant. He thinks making Stone Weapons means he can kill zombies."
"He's deliberately staying outside to boost his ranking!"
A cold smile played at Park Sam-chang's lips.
What an ignorant fool!
Stone Weapons did more damage than wooden ones. So what?
Night never brought just a single zombie!
Without armor, what would he do if skeletons showed up?
Of all the players who had entered the Block World, skeletons were the ones they feared most!
Their bows had an extremely long range, and they had an endless supply of arrows, as if they could conjure them out of thin air.
Players were often riddled with arrows and left with barely any health before they could even get close!
Only after the Free Nation developed bows and arrows did they finally have some means of fighting back.
Setting aside the question of how bows and arrows were made—a top secret of the Free Nation that couldn't possibly be leaked so casually—where would Gu Yu find the materials to make a bow and arrows at this early stage?
And there was no need to mention the kind of monster that might spawn at night!
Just thinking about it made Park Sam-chang shiver.
"No. It's only the first day. Even Large Civilization couldn't possibly spawn one..."
Trying to reassure himself that he wouldn't run into that kind of monster, Park Sam-chang shrank in on himself a little.
Squished against him, the two Mushroom Cows protested with a series of moos, then pressed even harder.
Their weight must have been several tons—there was no way Park Sam-chang could push back. His breath caught, and it took a moment for him to recover.
"Huff, huff..."
He hurriedly took two deep breaths so he wouldn't suffocate.
The room was cramped, and the Mushroom Cows were squeezing him, but at least the monsters couldn't bother him.
Without equipment or food, there was no way he could survive with only a Stone Sword.
He would watch Gu Yu get torn apart by monsters with his own eyes!
But time passed, little by little, as Park Sam-chang watched.
Mushroom Island had long since filled with monsters, which roamed everywhere and crowded every corner. Yet on the unprotected floating island...
Not a single zombie appeared.
It was just like daytime!
"Something's not right. Where are the monsters?"
"Mark's killed seven or eight zombies already. Why hasn't a single zombie appeared on the floating island?"
"Park Sam-chang must have at least a dozen monsters outside, right?"
"Something's wrong. Definitely wrong!"
"How could this happen?"
Following Park Sam-chang's point of view, the audience voiced their confusion.
Monsters were bound to spawn at night, whether or not the contestants were being tested.
Given the size of the floating island, there should have been more than a dozen zombies by now.
After taking a closer look, Dean Qi was the first to notice.
"No, it's not that no monsters have spawned. They just haven't spawned on the floating island!"
Since night had fallen, Gu Yu had spent most of his time staring blankly into space, only occasionally turning to glance at the stone house.
Those few glances were what tipped Dean Qi off.
"The zombies all spawned inside the little stone house!"
"He already knew monsters would appear there!"
Eyes wide, Dean Qi found it incomprehensible.
Why wouldn't the zombies appear on the floating island, but only inside the stone house?
Why was this happening? What exactly had Gu Yu done?!
The floating island.
From a distance, Gu Yu could see what was happening on Mushroom Island.
Skeletons and zombies covered the ground. Monsters had taken over the entire island.
"Is this because of the trial? Are there monsters on Mushroom Island too?"
"Then what about the platform..."
Holding the Stone Sword he'd just crafted, Gu Yu looked toward the Monster Spawning Platform he'd built out of stone.
Through the half-block gap, he could clearly see that it was now full of skeletons and zombies.
He took the Stone Sword outside the room. The monsters sensed a player approaching.
"Ugh!"
The zombies raised their arms slightly, and the skeletons lifted their bows.
They all entered combat mode and began tracking him!
Their ferocity laid bare, Gu Yu could clearly sense the killing intent coming from the zombies.
This was his first time facing monsters from the Block World directly, and their rotten stench hit him in the face.
"Way more thrilling than the game!"
No wonder so many people were afraid. Without the Steve Physique, dealing with them really would be a hassle for ordinary people.
But still...
The zombies clearly wanted to charge out and tear Gu Yu apart, but the blocks held them back.
With nothing beneath them for support, the solid stone floated in midair in a way that made perfect sense according to the laws of blocks, trapping all the zombies inside the stone house.
"Ugh! Ugh! Ugh!"
All the zombies could do was rage helplessly.
At that moment, Gu Yu only had to take his Stone Sword and swing it through the half-block gap.
[-5!]
[-5!]
[-5!]
[-5!]
Unable to reach Gu Yu, the zombies died after just four strikes.
A dozen or so zombies turned into piles of Rotten Flesh and experience in the blink of an eye!
"Is he cheating?"
"Come on, man!"
"Everyone else is fighting for their lives, and he just one-shots them?"
"Huh?"
"I think I'm still dreaming. Try punching me and see if it hurts."
"Holy crap, that hurts! What's wrong with you, bro?"
"I can feel pain. So I'm really not dreaming!"
Before you continue