Level Up

The next early morning, after Cheng Xiaoyu sent his younger sister to school, he headed to the air-raid shelter in Bocheng.

The air-raid shelter was located in a secluded area, with not many people around.

He stood at the entrance. Having completed his daily training missions, his stats had improved significantly. Even if he couldn't defeat the demons inside, escaping would be no problem.

Taking a deep breath, Cheng Xiaoyu took out the [Beginner Limited-Time Dungeon Key]. As the key emitted a slight electric current, a floating keyhole immediately appeared before his eyes.

He was slightly stunned, then slowly inserted the key and turned it.

Instantly, the entrance to the air-raid shelter in front of him emitted a strong electric current, covering the entire entrance. It was as if a blue membrane had been plated onto it, and the key in his hand also vanished without a trace.

Cheng Xiaoyu's pupils contracted, and he took a few steps back. His gaze then became firm, and he strode forward.

As he passed through this blue membrane, the system's notification lit up.

[Notification]

[You have entered a limited-time dungeon]

A slight movement came from behind him. Cheng Xiaoyu turned around and saw that the entrance had sealed up like ice, making it impossible to leave.

"So that's how it is, similar to another other-dimensional space..."

He punched the hard entrance, his brow furrowed, and he scratched his hair in frustration.

"Sigh, I originally planned to run if I couldn't win, but now I can't even run away. It seems the exit won't open until I clear this dungeon."

[Notification]

[You cannot leave the limited-time dungeon. Please defeat the BOSS or use a Return Stone]

Cheng Xiaoyu nodded in understanding and looked down at the dim space below. He then followed the slope downwards, heading deeper in.

He observed his surroundings. It was largely similar to the abandoned scene at the hospital before. It could be considered the same other-dimensional space.

Suddenly, there was a slight movement from the ventilation duct above, and then three round, black shadows fell down, their scarlet pupils fixed on the uninvited guest.

"Giant-Eyed Stinky Rats?!"

Cheng Xiaoyu looked at the three black shadows before him, a hint of vigilance in his eyes. However, these three Giant-Eyed Stinky Rats were scaled down, not as large as the original ones.

Even so, he didn't dare to be careless. He reached into his [Item Inventory] and drew out a long saber.

After understanding it, the system was indeed just like a game. The item inventory inside could store many things, essentially acting as spatial storage.

This long saber was a Demon-Slaying Tool he had specifically sought out at the Second-hand Magic Market. It should be sufficient to deal with some Servant-level demons.

One Giant-Eyed Stinky Rat charged forward, opening its sharp mouth to bite off Cheng Xiaoyu's head.

Cheng Xiaoyu's gaze sharpened. He first lowered his body to dodge, then turned and, seizing the gap as the Giant-Eyed Stinky Rat landed, tightly gripped his long saber and fiercely thrust it down.

Blood sprayed from the Giant-Eyed Stinky Rat's body, and blood flowed ceaselessly from its mouth. Cheng Xiaoyu didn't hesitate, stabbing towards its eyes again, completely cutting off any possibility of survival.

Seeing this, the other two Giant-Eyed Stinky Rats roared and charged. Cheng Xiaoyu didn't hesitate at all, swinging his long saber and slashing. A few swift attacks resolved the immediate crisis.

Adjusting his breathing, he looked at the three corpses on the ground, finding it hard to believe they were his doing.

Suddenly, a gust of wind sounded by his ear. Cheng Xiaoyu instantly broke out in a cold sweat – it was a strong premonition of death!

Immediately, he flashed and rolled away. Fixing his gaze, he saw a miniature Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf standing in his original position, baring its steel teeth at him.

Cheng Xiaoyu stared at the Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf before him and found his legs trembling uncontrollably. He forcefully pounded his trembling thighs.

Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf... is it because of the shadow of that near-death experience last time that I'm a little scared?

He took a deep breath, understanding that if he didn't conquer his fear here, it might leave a lasting shadow. He had to kill this Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf!

"Roar!"

The Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf wouldn't give him a chance. It brandished its sharp claws and charged at him with extreme speed.

Seeing this, Cheng Xiaoyu quickly rolled away to dodge. He instinctively performed a backflip, then braced himself with both hands on the ground and spun to jump into the air, finally landing behind the Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf.

Huh, my body feels much lighter...

He felt the changes in his body and watched the Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf charge again. After a moment of thought, he slightly sidestepped to dodge while simultaneously clenching his right fist and swiftly striking its head, sending it flying.

The Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf rolled on the ground, roaring a few times with bared teeth, clearly enraged.

Cheng Xiaoyu clenched his fists. It was also the first time he clearly felt the change in his own strength. Now, his strength was enough to send a Servant-level Demon flying.

Seeing this, he gripped his long saber again and charged. With the confidence from the previous encounter, he finished off the Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf in a flash this time.

After finishing, Cheng Xiaoyu sat on the ground and looked at his status panel. He had now advanced from Level 1 to Level 2, and his five attribute points had each increased by 1.

As expected, although the Daily Task could add 3 points to his Attribute Value, it wasn't as fast as gaining experience from real combat by killing demons!

While other abilities were improving, the one he could feel the most clearly was Strength. His control over his body was simply too strong!

So I really am getting stronger...

Cheng Xiaoyu sighed and stood up. It was just killing a few Small Demons; it was too much to get carried away like this.

He walked to the corpse of the Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf and squatted down. The System immediately gave feedback.

[Item]

[Steel Tooth of the Demon Wolf]

Cheng Xiaoyu had just taken the Steel Tooth of the Demon Wolf from his Item Inventory when the Shop interface popped up.

Unfortunately, his level was too low to see what items were sold in the Shop. He figured they must be some kind of magic equipment or rare materials. However, the items he obtained could be sold for Gold Coins, which was the only way to purchase items in the Shop. He just didn't know how much Cash they would fetch.

"Roar..."

Hearing the sound, Cheng Xiaoyu turned around. His gaze pierced the darkness and saw two Steel-Toothed Demon Wolves slowly approaching him.

Now that he had overcome his fear and was clear about his own strength, he naturally wouldn't be afraid of anything.

Immediately, Cheng Xiaoyu swept his leg to knock away the Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf that rushed at him, and swung his long saber horizontally at the other Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf.

"Clang!"

A metallic collision sound rang out. The Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf directly bit the sweeping blade with its hard teeth, and the long saber was momentarily stuck between its fangs.

Seeing this, Cheng Xiaoyu's gaze sharpened. He instantly applied force with both hands gripping the saber hilt, the muscles in his Arms bulging. The blade directly pierced the Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf's body, cutting it into two bloody halves.

The other Steel-Toothed Demon Wolf couldn't escape its fate either. He killed it on the spot with a few slashes.