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Yang Tao sprinted through Level 3, encountering some solo Wanderers and groups of a few, but he paid them no mind, at most saving a Wanderer from a Hound's maw, leaving rumors of a new Entity in Level 2.
"These Smilers, when I wasn't looking for them, they'd appear in droves, but now that I am, they're hiding so deep."
He wandered for at least half a day, encountering some Smilers during that time, but after he incapacitated them with door panels and obsidian, he counted their teeth and found none were female Smilers, which made him wonder if the Frowner was misleading him.
Just then, Yang Tao, who was gnawing on a Golden Radish, suddenly stopped. A wooden door had appeared on the wall beside him.
He knew that there were basically no doors in Level 3; if there were, they were usually exits from Level 3.
"A wooden door? If you enter a door marked 'Office' in Level 3, you go to Level 4. Where does a wooden door lead?"
With so many levels, it was normal for Yang Tao not to remember clearly. He glanced at the dark tunnel: "Time for a change of scenery. Maybe Level 3 doesn't have female Smilers at all..."
Having made up his mind, he no longer hesitated. He walked to the wooden door, and music drifted from within. He hadn't heard the song before, but its style was very much like 1950s or 1960s Western music.
He reached out and pushed open the wooden door. What greeted his eyes was an enormous indoor ice rink.
There weren't any rampant Entities inside. Yang Tao strode through the wooden door, and music entirely different from before entered his ears, dispelling the various noises he'd heard in the previous levels. He looked around, carefully observing his surroundings.
"Is this? Level 31 'The Roller Rink'?"
The only information Yang Tao could recall about an ice rink was Level 31.
Level 31 "The Roller Rink"
Survival Difficulty: Class 1
Safe, Secure, Minimal Entity Count
Level 31 is a roller rink styled after the 1990s. Unlike other levels that are spatially infinite, this level appears to loop.
Most Wanderers eventually arrive at the level's roller rink area, while arriving at the arcade area is rare. The roller rink area is the largest and safest area of this level, although the level as a whole is inherently safe.
The only Entities in this level are Facelings and Hounds, as well as an Entity known as the "Coach" within this level.
Yang Tao looked at the giant ice rink. It had a strong 1980s vibe, with many colored lights on the ceiling illuminating the entire rink. Within the incredibly vast space, there were even a few Wanderers rollerblading.
"What time is it that they still have the leisure to go rollerblading?!"
Just then, a man in a striped coach's uniform with short brown hair walked towards him.
From his body, he looked no different from a human. The only difference was that he had no facial features; his face was smooth and blank.
This was the special Entity 'Coach' located in Level 31. In reality, he was a Faceling, an extremely special and very intelligent Faceling.
Entity Number 9: Faceling
Facelings are a general term for humans without facial organs who wander the Backrooms.
Facelings come in different types, each with varying danger levels.
They are one of the most common Entities in the Backrooms, and also one of the first few types of Entities you are likely to encounter.
Although various types of Facelings have emerged since their discovery, the most common forms of Facelings are divided into two types: "Adult Facelings" and "Juvenile Facelings."
Among them, Juvenile Facelings are highly aggressive.
Facelings are the result of the Barren Effect acting on humans, causing them to become a part of the Backrooms rather than transforming into an Entity.
Initially, it causes memory loss and a numbness towards the usual sense of unease within the Backrooms. Wanderers accept the Backrooms as if it were the real world, and then eventually lose their faces and become Facelings.
The 'Coach' approached Yang Tao. Although he couldn't see its expression, Yang Tao could still feel the goodwill radiating from him, as well as the green-bordered health bar above his head.
The other party pulled a notebook from his pocket, flipped open a page, and neatly written in black ink was:
Do you want to learn to rollerblade?
Yang Tao looked at the words and nodded with a smile, saying, "Yes, I'd appreciate that."
If you accept the 'Coach's' invitation, he will give you a pair of rollerblades that fit your size and explain how to live safely on this level.
He didn't care much about the introduction on how to live on this level, but getting a free pair of rollerblades was quite nice.
Led by the 'Coach,' Yang Tao arrived at the designated rental area and received a brand new pair of rollerblades.
The shelves in the changing area were filled with rollerblades of various styles and sizes. Among them, a particular pair on the shelf caught his attention. The style and color of the rollerblades were somewhat unusual... like a fresh human foot with the skin completely peeled off and made into the shape of a shoe.
This was a pair of rollerblades that looked like they could be worn by a Skin Stealer. Yang Tao knew about them; touching them would transport you to 'Level 0, The Lobby.'
"It'd be quite something if a Wanderer, after all that effort to get here, were to foolishly touch those shoes and end up back in Level 0."
Even someone who made it from Level 0 to 31 couldn't guarantee they'd safely return here.
Yang Tao chatted with the Faceling 'Coach' while changing his shoes. He couldn't ask the Faceling questions about the Backrooms itself, as this would cause the Faceling great pain and make him refuse to converse with him.
Yang Tao wasn't someone who lacked social graces.
"Coach, are you married? Do you have children? Is the pressure high?"
Coach: "..."
After teasing the Faceling 'Coach' for a while, Yang Tao entered the roller rink and headed towards those few Wanderers.
There were no special markings on them. This situation could only mean one thing: they were Wanderers living in Level 31, relying on its abundant food.
The number of people like them on this level was not small.
After all, the number of Entities in Level 31 is very small, and there are only two types: Hounds and Facelings. Besides these, there are no other Entities.
"Friends, I just arrived. Could you tell me about the situation on this level?"
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