Level 1: The Habitable Zone
Survival Difficulty: Class 1 (Safe, Stable, Minimal Entities)
Description: Level 1 is a sprawling, seemingly endless warehouse complex. It is characterized by concrete floors and walls, exposed rebar, and a low-hanging fog that clings to the ground.
The puddles scattered across the concrete were formed by the condensation of this mysterious mist. Sylas had only been standing clear of the water for a few seconds before his damp clothes were suddenly dry again—another perk of his digitized state.
He looked down at the shallow pools, barely a centimeter deep, and chuckled. "Is this what passes for a water landing here?"
In Minecraft, the physics were absolute: no matter the height of the fall, as long as Steve landed in even a pixel of water, he was immune to all fall damage. "It's a bit of a stretch," he muttered, "but I'll take it."
Scanning his surroundings, Sylas noted that Level 1 was a significant upgrade from the yellow hell of Level 0. This floor featured a consistent supply of electricity and running water. With the right precautions, a Wanderer could survive here indefinitely. The architecture was more varied, too, boasting stairs, elevators, and isolated storage rooms.
In the distance, a metal shelf bolted against a concrete pillar caught his eye. A lone cardboard box sat upon it. Sylas approached with a predator's caution, but after a moment of observation, he detected no threat.
He paused. Before committing to a deep dive into Level 1, he needed to secure his path. If he were to die and respawn, he didn't want to find himself back at square one in the yellow maze of Level 0.
"Time to set a waypoint," Sylas whispered.
At his command, a pixelated oak door manifested out of thin air. He pushed it open and stepped back into his misty pocket dimension.
Eri, who had been resting on the gray floor, looked up in shock. "You're back already?"
Sylas checked his status bars. The moment he entered his "Main World," his health and hunger began to tick upward rapidly. It seemed this space operated on Peaceful Mode.
"How do you feel?" Sylas asked.
"Better," Eri replied, though his voice was thin. "Just... starving. Did you find a way out? Another Level?"
"I found Level 1," Sylas said.
Eri looked blank, his brow furrowed in confusion. "Level 1? What does that mean?"
Sylas stopped mid-stride. "You don't know the Level designations? How can you say you're from Level 0 but not know about the others? What organization do you work for?"
Sylas had assumed Eri was a member of The M.E.G., but the man's ignorance suggested a different origin story.
"I'm an operative for the ASync Foundation," Eri explained quickly. "We were sent to explore the 'Project KV31' space. We called it the 'Backrooms' or 'Level 0' based on some graffiti and scattered notes we found. Our researchers suspected other dimensions existed, but they haven't been confirmed yet."
Sylas felt a headache forming. The Backrooms lore is a mess.
In the multiverse of urban legends, The M.E.G. was a grassroots survivalist group formed by trapped Wanderers. ASync, however, was a corporate entity from the Frontrooms that had punched a hole into the dimension to exploit it—potentially for real estate development. The two lores didn't usually mix, but here they were, colliding in his presence.
"Whatever," Sylas muttered. "Whether it's a corporate experiment or a cosmic accident doesn't change my goal. I mine, I exchange, I grow. The scale of these Levels is infinite anyway; digging up a few chunks won't hurt the ecosystem."
"Eri, hold the door open for me. I'm going back to Level 1 to scavenge."
Eri stood up, his legs shaking from hunger, but he complied. As Sylas turned to leave, he realized the wall of his Overworld now held two doors.
One for each Level, Sylas noted. Efficient.
As per his instructions, Eri stood by the door to ensure it didn't shut automatically, staring out into the warehouse with wide, fearful eyes.
Sylas walked to the shelf and opened the cardboard box. Inside were two gray thermoses, a flashlight, and a slice of cake that looked surprisingly fresh. He didn't waste time inspecting them; he swept them into his Inventory with a flick of his wrist.
He turned to leave, then hesitated. His gaze fell on the metal shelf itself.
He pulled out his Stone Pickaxe. "Almost forgot the scrap metal."
Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
The shelf was considerably hardier than the yellow walls of Level 0. Cracks spread across its surface slowly, resisting his efforts. But as a qualified "Steve," Sylas knew that everything had a breaking point.
Clang!
The shelf shattered into miniature floating blocks and flew into his body. Content with his haul, Sylas returned to the Overworld, and Eri slammed the door shut behind him.
Sylas opened his UI to check the loot:
[Almond Water (Gray Thermos)]
Effect: Restores 10 Hunger, 10 Saturation.
Value: 20 Energy.
[Flashlight]
Value: 1 Energy.
[Delicious Cake]
Value: 1 Energy.
[Metal Shelf (Raw Material)]
Value: 2 Energy.
"The Almond Water actually restores hunger?" Sylas's eyes lit up.
In the Backrooms, Almond Water was the ultimate survival resource. Found in four varieties—Gray, Red, Blue, and Green—it was more than just hydration; it was high-calorie nutrition and a psychological stabilizer.
"Eri, catch!"
Sylas tossed one of the gray thermoses to the starving man. Eri fumbled it, looking at the container with suspicion. "What is this?"
"Almond Water," Sylas explained, helping himself to a bite of the cake. "It's the hard currency of this world. It'll stop your stomach from eating itself and fix your fried nerves. Drink up."
Eri took a sip. His eyes widened as the warmth hit his chest, the calories immediately flooding his system. Sylas watched him, his mind already calculating the next move. If Level 1 had loot spawns like this, he wouldn't just be surviving—he'd be a High-Roller in a world of beggars.