The passage of time within the game world was naturally different from that in reality.
The in-game clock moved much faster—every 12 hours, the world experienced two cycles of day and night. As the difficulty escalated, nights grew considerably longer than days, making daytime precious.
Unlike Minecraft, where players can sleep through the night using a bed, this game did not allow that convenience. Nightfall meant real danger, and players had to face it head-on.
Xu Yuan watched the sky gradually darken, sensing that night was imminent. His hands never stopped moving.
First, he swiftly cleared the surrounding weeds, gathering 12 wheat seeds. Then, using a stone hoe, he tilled a patch of land near the small pond, preparing for future crops.
This was a vital part of his plan for sustainable survival.
Knowing how harsh the game's difficulty was, Xu Yuan understood that wheat would take time to grow—so for tonight's food, he relied on the apple dropped by the oak tree. As the sun dipped lower, casting a warm, golden hue across the land, the afterglow seeped through the leaves and illuminated Xu Yuan's face. The scenery was breathtaking, like a living painting.
But he had no time to linger. The looming crisis demanded his full attention and preparation.
Meanwhile, most other players still wandered in confusion. Many understood only that blocks in this world could be destroyed. They had gathered trees, dirt, and stones, but had no idea what to do with these resources.
Their slow efforts with bare hands exhausted their satiety quickly, leaving them with only 3 or 4 blocks of energy.
"How the hell do you play this game? I've been lost all day!" one player complained.
"This game is so realistic—I'm already starving, and I don't even know where to find food!" another shouted.
"Isn't this supposed to be a free-form game? Can I even eat these leaves? I'm about to die of hunger!!"
The players were overwhelmed, unable to see the danger approaching. They didn't realize that nightfall was bringing the real threat.
As darkness spread, visibility dropped to just five yards. The surrounding world plunged into an eerie, endless blackness—most players, using high-definition graphics, felt their hearts race with fear. The wilderness suddenly felt alive with threats, goosebumps rising on their skin.
From a birch tree in the shadows, a man and woman, both avatars in-game, wandered aimlessly.
"Little brother, it's so dark… I feel scared," the female character, with a coquettish tone, whispered.
"It's just a game, but this environment is pretty intense, isn't it?" the male replied, narrowing his eyes at her.
Feeling his gaze, she pretended to be shy and retorted with mock disgust, "What are you thinking? Stop!"
Suddenly, strange sounds echoed from the jungle—roars and growls that sent shivers down their spines.
"What was that…?" the girl asked nervously.
"Probably some animal," the man said calmly, trying to hide his unease. "But I'll go check it out."
Before he could move, a figure emerged—wearing a blue top and purple pants, its face and arms green, smelling foul and unsettling.
The sight of this unnatural creature stunned the man.
"I've seen you in the square," he hissed. "Who's the fool that chose such a starting character?"
"You've been following us, hiding here just to scare us?" he shouted, raising his hands.
The creature suddenly lunged, raising an arm for a blow. The man, with only 2 blocks of health remaining, was struck and instantly lost 18 health points—his life force draining rapidly.
Panicking, he turned and fled, desperately trying to escape.
Meanwhile, the girl watched in horror. A sinister green monster, growing larger behind her, sneaked closer.
A "hissing" sound filled the air, followed by an explosive "bang"—and in an instant, only logs, stones, mud, two corpses, and a deep crater remained.
This was the first night in the game—a brutal trial for the players. Many faced the wrath of zombies, skeleton archers, creepers, and spiders, all emerging with deadly intent.
Back in the real world, Xu Yuan yawed lazily.
"Even pedicures can be exhausting," he mused.
Before night fell, he had set up a simple "pedicure shop"—a term players used for the strategy of trapping monsters to kill them safely.
Zombies, skeletons, and creepers stood two blocks tall. To kill them without harm, you had to make yourself invisible to their AI—using height differences and obstacles to your advantage, and then strike when they wandered near.
Once his "shop" was ready, night descended. Soon, a zombie approached.
"One zombie, please take a seat," Xu Yuan said casually, wielding a stone sword.
In Minecraft, a stone sword deals 5 damage per hit, and zombies have 20 health points—meaning four strikes could kill one.
He calculated quickly and swung four times. But the zombie remained standing.
Surprised, Xu Yuan examined its health bar—40 points!
He blinked in disbelief.
"Forty HP?!"
This was double the usual zombie health—an unexpected twist.
While it didn't significantly hinder him, it made the fight longer. For other players, it was a nightmare: zombies that took twice as many hits to kill.
He kept swinging, focused on finishing the job. With the eighth strike, the zombie finally collapsed.
As the creature fell, the system announced:
"Congratulations to player [Steve] for the first zombie kill!"
A notification appeared in his backpack—a "title deed," a rare reward for his effort.