Sister Pear, known by her codename 'Pressure,' led her team around Shell Town, meticulously searching every corner but finding nothing useful yet.

  Suddenly, the system notification echoed across the town:

  [Pyer 'Shadow' has defeated 'Nurturer (Bronze-level)' and reached level 2 first. Shell Town Level Leaderboard is now avaible!]

  Pressure and her teammates stopped in shock.

  "Wait, isn't 'Shadow' that assassin who went out alone earlier?" one of them excimed.

  "He soloed a Bronze-level boss? Impossible!"

  "But look at the leaderboard—only his name is there," another pointed out incredulously.

  Pressure clenched her bow, her expression darkening. "We couldn't handle even a basic monster as a full team. How did he manage it alone?"

  Meanwhile, at the town center, Niu Gang and Guan Xiaoya had just revived, their faces pale as they processed the reality of their lifespan halving.

  "Did someone really kill that giant spider?" Guan Xiaoya muttered in disbelief.

  "It was terrifying," Niu Gang admitted grimly. "Yet this 'Shadow' took it down alone? How powerful must he be?"

  As confusion and panic spread among Shell Town's newcomers, a young man with golden hair stood at the central square, rallying pyers:

  "Everyone, we need to form groups! The monsters outside are lethal, and soloing them seems nearly impossible—though apparently not for everyone," he added with a gnce at the leaderboard.

  Elsewhere, a muscur man named Wang Meng confidently gathered a team of hidden-css pyers, ready to venture out:

  "Stick together, and we'll dominate. I’ve got a Holy Shield skill; just focus on dealing damage."

  A separate group of gaming enthusiasts was already preparing to charge into the wilderness, eagerly discussing strategies:

  "We're pros in online games; this 'Forsaken Divinity' won't stop us! Let's grab a healer and rush the monsters."

  Far away from Shell Town, simir scenarios unfolded across thousands of towns worldwide, pyers cautiously or enthusiastically stepping into this strange new reality.

  Lin Ze, hidden once more, stood quietly by the fallen Nurturer's corpse.

  First, he absorbed the floating orb of lifespan:

  [You gained 46 days of lifespan (tradable).]

  "Good haul," he thought, satisfied.

  Then, he eagerly inspected the loot:

  [Skill Book: Greedy Hand (Bronze) - Assassin Css.]

  "Incredible!" Lin Ze's eyes sparkled with excitement. "A skill with a chance to yield extra loot—and I can evolve it further!"

  He quickly learned the skill, already envisioning the immense benefits to come.