If it had been anyone else, they wouldn’t have escaped such a ferocious assault.
But unfortunately for the beast, today it had run into He Huan.
As the dark-night leopard lunged at her, she didn’t panic. Her body floated backward lightly, like a leaf drifting on an autumn breeze, and she slipped past its deadly charge.
In that instant, she even caught the reek of blood wafting from the predator’s open jaws.
“Roar!”
Only when it landed did the leopard realize what this hateful human had done.
The stone axe that had been in He Huan’s hand smashed down just as they passed each other, driving straight into one of its eyes.
The eyeball burst with a sickening pop. Bone split beneath the blow, revealing a ghastly patch of white skull.
Howling, the leopard writhed on the ground in agony, blood flooding from its ruined face. It lifted its head, searching frantically for its foe.
But He Huan was already gone. The place she had been standing only moments before was empty, as if she’d never been there at all.
The beast staggered upright, pain burning through it, eyes darting around with desperate vigilance.
And then—whoosh!
A sharp gust cut down from above.
The leopard glanced up. Too late.
A searing light slammed into its face. This time, it couldn’t even scream.
Because He Huan had leapt onto its back, ramming a blazing torch straight down its gullet.
The flames roared in its throat. The dark-night leopard convulsed, thrashing wildly, flinging itself about in blind fury.
But no matter how it flailed, He Huan always slipped just out of reach, circling behind it again and again, driving her stone axe into its back and skull with ruthless precision.
Man and beast battled fiercely, their struggle edging closer and closer to her ramshackle shelter.
Between strikes, He Huan’s eyes flicked toward it.
The roof was gone. Only three crooked walls remained, swaying like candles in the wind, one push away from collapse.
I can’t let this fight get too close, she thought. If that shelter is smashed, I’ll lose everything.
But just as the thought crossed her mind, the dying leopard surged with sudden vigor, as though in one last burst of life. Rolling to the side, it sprang at her from an angle.
Her body reacted faster than her mind. She raised her leg and kicked, heel smashing into its throat.
The blow landed square.
She had used her full strength. The leopard was already near death. Neither side won the clash—pain shot up her leg, hot and sharp from fresh claw wounds.
But the beast was hurled back, flying in an arc through the air.
And that was when she realized—
“Damn it! Wrong direction!”
She lunged forward, reaching to grab it, but her fingers only closed on air.
A heavy shadow crashed down—straight toward her shelter.
Crash!
[Congratulations! You have slain a Level 4 Dark-Night Leopard!]
[Loot acquired: Intact Fur ×1]
[Loot acquired: Fresh Leopard Meat (500g ×8)]
The system chimes still rang in her ears as she stared at the ruins where her shelter had stood.
It had collapsed under the leopard’s final impact, reduced to nothing but rubble.
The sound of splintering wood was like hearing her pension vanish, her inheritance slip away—a devastating loss.
Expressionless, she stood before the wreckage. Too drained even to be sad.
Believe it or not, she thought numbly, I really did have a house just now.
[Five minutes until Silent Midnight descends. Residents not yet inside a shelter must return immediately.]
Trouble never comes alone.
Reality gave her no time to grieve; the cold reminder came mercilessly. Death was already at her door.
Without hesitation, He Huan snapped open the construction interface and chose the fastest option: Level 1 Wooden House.
[Level 1 Wooden House: The most basic shelter, upgraded from the initial hut. Provides minimal protection during Silent Midnight. Construction time: 5 minutes.]
[Required: Wood ×50, Straw ×2]
Thankfully, she had just enough in her pack.
On the ground where her old shelter had fallen, a hammer and saw icon appeared. Dust rose, forming a hazy barrier she couldn’t step through.
Her heart trembled with awe.
Up until now, this whole world had felt unreal. But here—a house could be built like this? Five minutes, and she’d have a brand-new home?
It was absurd. It was magical.
For the first time, she thought maybe this strange, brutal world wasn’t entirely without its charms.
But as the timer ticked down, another alert jolted her:
[Silent Midnight will soon descend. Players outside a shelter must return at once. Countdown begins: 59…]
He Huan glanced at her building timer—56 seconds.
That meant she’d have only two seconds, at most, to get inside after it finished.
If she failed—
Already, the air was growing bitterly cold. The chill stung her skin. A sharp, metallic stench wafted through the air.
She turned back.
The wilderness behind her had vanished, swallowed by darkness. A rolling wall of black fog surged closer with each passing heartbeat, reeking of blood and menace.
Silent Midnight was coming.
Her eyes locked on the half-finished house. If she couldn’t get inside the instant it was done, the fog would devour her.
[Silent Midnight countdown: 33]
[Shelter completion: 30]
…
[Countdown: 15]
[Shelter: 12]
…
[Countdown: 10]
[Shelter: 7]
…
She was already standing directly before the forming doorway. Behind her, the fog pressed close, so near she could feel it leering at her back like a predator savoring its meal.
But He Huan’s face remained calm.
She waited, watching the outline of the door take shape within the swirling construction mist.
When the counter hit zero, she moved. Lightning-fast, she lunged forward.
[Countdown: 2]
Her pale, slender fingers closed on the handle just as the fog swallowed the spot where she’d stood.
[Countdown: 1]
She yanked it open and darted inside.
The black haze surged with her, brushing against her clothes as it spilled toward the door.
[Countdown: 0]
She slammed it shut.
A violent impact shook the wood immediately, rattling the fresh walls. The door groaned as if about to splinter.
Something in that fog was furious.
The enraged pounding echoed like a storm. But the crude wooden house held firm, unmoving against the onslaught.
At last, He Huan leaned back against the door, chest rising and falling. Slowly, the certainty settled in: she was safe.
Her heart finally unclenched.
Only then did she take in the interior of her new home.
Barely a dozen square meters, yet far sturdier than her ruined starter shelter.
Rough-hewn planks formed the walls and floor. The roof was layered bark. To the west stood a door and window, tightly sealed against the screaming night wind.
In the center of the hut burned a small firepit, flames crackling, casting warmth and light through the cramped space. Safety.
In the far corner sat a crude wooden chest, with a thin mat of straw laid beside it for sleeping.
Before she could check the chest, her wristband vibrated.
[Your listed item has been sold. Please collect your payment.]
wannaberecluse On SRTT Chapter 98.2