Leonard braced himself and refused to scare himself with his own thoughts.
The game mentioned that daytime was relatively safe, and only at night would danger truly emerge.
He turned on the bathroom faucet, clear water gushed out.
Thankfully, the water supply was still on!
Leonard rolled up his sleeves and washed his hands, arms, and face thoroughly. As for the bloodstains on his body, he had no choice but to endure them for now.
A shattered mirror opposite him reflected his damp face, just over twenty, short and sharp hair, clean-cut and handsome, with especially well-defined features.
After freshening up, Leonard looked around, checking if there was anything useful he could take.
Taking whatever he could had become second nature to him.
This was a dormitory survival game.
The dormitory was just the setting.
Survival was the real objective.
Leonard searched the bathroom and collected some soap and toilet paper.
Just as he was about to leave, something caught his eye, a neatly folded piece of paper in the trash can.
There was no used tissue in the bin, only that single sheet.
Leonard immediately realized it might be useful.
If it had been dirty, he wouldn't have touched it.
But since it was clean, he had to take a look.
He bent down, picked it up, unfolded it and his eyes lit up.
[Weapon Blueprint: Spear found. Equipment Blueprint: Wooden Shield found. Upgrade Blueprints: Level 2 Door, Level 3 Door found.]
Crafting blueprints!
Only with clear recipes could he use the workbench to craft items.
Otherwise, it was all guesswork.
Leonard opened the blueprints.
He discovered he had all the materials needed to make the spear:
A fruit knife, a wooden stick, duct tape, and a box of parts.
The blueprint also mentioned some materials could be substituted.
For example, the fruit knife could be replaced with a dagger, butterfly knife, or scissors.
The other two blueprints were for making a wooden shield and upgrading the door.
The wooden shield was straightforward.
The door upgrade required: Level 1 door, duct tape, nails, parts box, and wood.
Since this was a dorm survival game, upgrading the dorm was clearly crucial.
There were two directions for upgrading:
One was strengthening oneself.
The other was upgrading the dorm.
Both were essential.
"For safety, I'd better craft the weapon, shield and door before nightfall,"
"Then I can hide inside and wait out the night!"
With a plan in mind, Leonard headed back to his dorm to craft the weapon.
On the way back, he ran into the same group of people from earlier.
They were still discussing how to escape.
"The front door on the first floor is sealed. We can't get out. The windows won't open either. It's all foggy outside.We can't see anything."
"Are we really going to be trapped here for four days?"
"Don't give up. We'll get out. Worst case, we break the front door down."
As they spoke, they saw Leonard approaching. To them, he was an oddity.
While everyone else was panicking and trying to figure a way out, he was rummaging through rooms picking up junk.
Was he insane?
Did he really think this was just a game?
There was no reasoning with someone like that.
Leonard kept close to the wall, wanting nothing to do with them, and returned to his room under their stares, closing the door behind him.
The muscle-bound guy in the group, frustrated from being trapped, shifted his anger onto Leonard.
"Do you think he might know something?"
In their tense and anxious state, the others quickly chimed in:
"It's possible. He's way too suspicious!"
"If there's a mastermind behind this, maybe he's a plant."
"He was covered in blood earlier and had a knife, maybe he just killed someone. He's dangerous!"
"Yeah, he's a threat. We should tie him up and interrogate him, see if we can get anything out of him."
Their suspicions escalated quickly.
The muscle guy, encouraged by the group, became even more aggressive.
Eyes gleaming with hostility, he clenched his fists until his knuckles cracked. Then he marched to Leonard's door.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The muscle guy pounded on the door.
"Hey! Open up! I want to talk!"
"If you don't come out, I'll just wait here! You're not going anywhere!"
"Damn it! Open the damn door or I'm kicking it down!"
Inside the dorm,the noise from outside made Leonard frown.
He had already set up his workbench inside, leaving just enough space to move around.
He spread the blueprint on the table and began adding the materials one by one:
Fruit knife, wooden stick, duct tape, parts box.
[Crafting weapon: Spear (Level 2). Success rate: 98%. Crafting in progress…]
Leonard's body moved on its own, his hands worked so fast they were a blur.
The materials spun in his hands, assembling swiftly.
[Success! Crafted Level 2 Weapon: Spear ×1. Proficiency +1. Proficiency system unlocked.]
A new section for crafting proficiency appeared on Leonard's personal interface, though its purpose was still unclear.
On the table now rested a long spear.
A wooden stick for the shaft, a fruit knife at the tip, secured tightly with tape and parts.
It actually looked pretty decent.
Leonard picked it up, and a screen popped up:
[Obtained Weapon: Spear (Level 2)]
Spear
Level: 2
Type: Weapon
Attribute: Physical
Attack Power: 12
Durability: 20/20
Description: The spear is an ancient weapon. Holding it awakens the primal hunting instinct buried deep in your body. Never forget, humanity survived through battle.
"Finally, something that resembles a real weapon."
Leonard tested the spear. The dorm was too cramped to swing it properly, so he couldn't practice.
He had no training in martial arts. His only option was brute force.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The muscle guy outside grew more and more aggressive, now kicking the door.
It was just a wooden door.
Each kick brought up damage numbers.
[Durability -1]
[Room Door Durability: 29/30]
[Durability -1]
[Room Door Durability: 28/30]
He kept kicking.
Every few hits shaved off more durability.
At this rate, the door wouldn't last long.
"Come out! Hiding won't save you! I'm a fitness coach. I'll break this door down in no time!"
The muscle guy shouted.
BANG! BANG! BANG!
On and on the pounding continued.
Leonard's face darkened as he stared at the door.
He used to work in a mortuary, watching death come and go every day.
He had pondered the difference between life and death.
In the end, he reached a conclusion:
The difference didn't matter.
What mattered was they were dead and he was alive.
Leonard took action.
He stashed the workbench and bedside table into his dimensional backpack, clearing space.
Then he walked to the door and peeked through the peephole, locking in on the guy's position.
Gripping the spear tightly, he adjusted his angle.
He took a deep breath. Then cracked the door open just a little.
"Finally opened it, huh? You're gonna regret it, asshole!"
The muscle guy cursed and reached to pull the door open.
Only to be met with a flash of cold steel aimed straight at him!