The crowd gradually dispersed from the entrance plaza.
Some students hurried toward the task hut, eager to start earning points immediately. Others rushed toward the training halls, curious about the facilities they had only just heard about.
But most—
Moved toward the Dormitory Registration Hall.
Zael, Lily, and Zane joined the flow.
The building stood near the center of the camp, a large stone structure with several glowing terminals placed along the walls. Above the entrance, a simple sign read:
Residence Allocation
Zane stretched as they approached.
"Alright."
"Let's see how rich we are."
Zael lifted his wrist slightly.
The watch interface flickered to life.
A new line had appeared beneath his status panel.
Points: 537
Beside him—
Zane checked his own.
Points: 521
He grinned.
"Nice."
Lily glanced at hers as well.
Points: 418
She nodded faintly.
"Still decent."
They had gathered most of their points during the entrance trial.
Monster kills.
Collected watches.
Resource finds.
Many students had lost everything during fights or ambushes.
They hadn't.
Which put them far ahead.
But when they stepped inside the registration hall—
The mood immediately changed.
Students crowded around the terminals.
And the reactions weren't happy.
"Fifty points for that?!"
"You're joking!"
"That's just for a week!"
Zael walked closer to one of the display panels.
The pricing list appeared.
---
Accommodation Options
Closet Capsule — 50 points / month
Shared Bunk Room — 120 points / month
Two-Person Apartment — 180 points / month
Three-Bedroom Villa — 300 points / month
Luxury Courtyard Residence — 600 points / month
---
Zane whistled.
"Damn."
"Even sleeping is expensive."
Nearby, a group of students looked pale.
One boy muttered under his breath.
"…I only have fifty."
Another groaned.
"That barely gets food for a day."
Because below the accommodation list—
Another panel showed canteen prices.
Basic Meal — 15 points
Nutrition Pack — 25 points
Enhanced Recovery Meal — 40 points
Zane rubbed his chin.
"Yeah… okay."
"Now I understand why they said points are everything."
Most students only had around 50 points.
Just enough to rent a tiny capsule for a month—
Or buy food for a few days.
Nothing more.
Meanwhile—
Zael and his team stood there with over five hundred points each.
Lily spoke calmly.
"We should pool resources."
Zane nodded immediately.
"Obviously."
They checked the pricing again.
The three-bedroom villa caught his eye.
"Three hundred points."
He pointed.
"Split three ways, that's one hundred each."
Lily nodded.
"And we keep the rest for training or equipment."
Zael agreed.
"There's no restriction on cohabitation."
That part had already been confirmed on the system panel.
No rules separated male and female dorms.
The camp cared about performance, not social norms.
Zane grinned.
"Well then."
"Villa life it is."
A few nearby students overheard and turned to look.
Some of them stared in disbelief.
"Did he say villa?"
"They have that many points?"
Zael ignored them.
He walked up to one of the terminals and placed his watch against the scanning panel.
The system responded immediately.
Accommodation Selected: Three-Bedroom Villa
Cost: 300 Points
Confirm Payment?
Zael glanced at Lily and Zane.
They both nodded.
He tapped confirm.
The system deducted the points instantly.
Remaining Points: 437
A moment later—
Three small metallic key tokens emerged from the terminal.
Zane grabbed one.
"Nice."
The screen displayed their address.
Residence Area: Outer Courtyard District
Villa Unit: C-17
A small map appeared, marking the location.
Lily studied it quickly.
"Five minutes from the gravity training hall."
"And eight minutes from the task hut."
Zane blinked.
"…You memorized that already?"
She shrugged.
"Efficient positioning matters."
Zael picked up the final key.
"Let's see what three hundred points buys us."
They left the registration hall.
Behind them—
Several students stared quietly.
One boy whispered.
"…How many points did they have?"
Another muttered bitterly.
"Enough to live comfortably."
Meanwhile—
Most students were still arguing with the terminals.
Trying to decide whether to spend their last fifty points on a tiny sleeping capsule—
Or food.
Because the brutal reality of the training camp had already begun.
Without points—
Even survival here was expensive.
---
Five minutes later—
Zael, Lily, and Zane arrived at the Outer Courtyard District.
The buildings here were completely different from the cramped dormitories near the entrance.
Small villas stood neatly arranged along quiet stone paths.
Each one had a small courtyard, clean stone walls, and privacy barriers.
Zane stopped in front of Villa C-17.
"…Okay."
He looked impressed.
"I'm officially convinced this place runs on capitalism."
Zael opened the door.
Inside—
A comfortable living area greeted them.
Three separate bedrooms.
A training meditation room.
A small kitchen area.
And even a private courtyard outside.
Zane dropped onto the couch immediately.
"This."
He pointed around the room.
"This was worth every point."
Lily walked to one of the windows and looked out toward the distant mountains.
Her voice was calm.
"This is only the beginning."
Because outside the camp walls—
The wilderness stretched endlessly.
Filled with monsters.
Resources.
And dangers far greater than the entrance trial.
Zael stood silently in the center of the room.
Thinking.
About the strange state he had entered earlier.
About the Child of Dao class.
About the training halls.
And about the mountains beyond the camp.
The system might not recognize that state yet.
But he had felt it.
And he knew one thing for certain.
If he could reach that state again—
His strength would change completely.
Zael looked toward the distant wilderness.
Tomorrow—
They would start earning points again.
And hunting monsters in that wilderness.
Because the real training camp life—
Had officially begun.
------
The villa slowly settled into silence.
Zane had already claimed the couch like it was his personal throne, stretching across it with both arms behind his head.
"This place is perfect," he declared lazily. "Private house, training camp outside, monsters in the wilderness… honestly, this is better than prison."
Zael ignored him.
He stood in the small meditation room at the back of the villa, feeling the flow of Qi inside his body. The energy circulated calmly through his meridians, steady and controlled.
But no matter how many times he tried—
That strange state from the battle with Karl refused to return.
He could still remember it clearly.
The wind.
The ground.
The living pulse of the forest.
Everything had felt connected.
But now?
Nothing.
Zael exhaled slowly and let the thought go.
For now.
Meanwhile—
Lily was inspecting the villa carefully.
Three bedrooms.
A shared living room.
A small courtyard outside.
Basic but clean.
Efficient.
Just as she was about to close the front door—
Knock.
Three light taps.
Lily paused.
Zane raised an eyebrow from the couch.
"…Already?"
Zael walked out from the meditation room.
Lily opened the door.
Standing outside was a girl with long white hair that fell past her shoulders. Her eyes were calm, almost silver in color.
The wind moved slightly around her.
She looked about the same age as them.
But there was something… strangely quiet about her presence.
Like the air naturally made space for her.
The girl gave a small polite smile.
"Hello."
Her voice was soft but clear.
"My name is Aurelia."
She pointed lightly toward the neighboring villa down the stone path.
"I just moved into the villa next door."
Zane leaned sideways from the couch so he could see the doorway.
"…Well that was fast."
Aurelia continued calmly.
"I thought it would be polite to introduce myself to my neighbors."
Her eyes briefly moved past Lily—
Landing on Zael for a fraction of a second.
Then returning.
"I hope we get along during training."
Lily studied her quietly.
"Lily."
She gestured behind her.
"That's Zael."
"And Zane."
Zane waved lazily.
"Hello mysterious white-haired neighbor."
Aurelia gave a small nod.
"Nice to meet you."
For a moment it seemed like she might say something else.
But she didn't.
Instead she simply stepped back from the door.
"I won't disturb you any longer."
Her expression remained calm.
"I just wanted to say hello."
Then she turned and began walking back down the stone path.
The neighboring villa's door opened as she approached.
She stepped inside and closed it quietly.
The courtyard returned to silence.
Zane blinked.
"…That was polite."
Lily closed the door slowly.
"Very."
But her eyes were slightly thoughtful.
Zael said nothing.
Because for a brief moment—
When Aurelia's gaze had met his—
He had felt something faint.
A strange, subtle fluctuation in the air.
Almost like space itself had rippled slightly.
But when he focused on it—
The sensation was already gone.
Zane stretched again.
"Well."
He yawned.
"Cool neighbor."
Then he grinned.
"Also white hair."
"That means she's probably strong."
Lily didn't disagree.
Because students capable of renting villas on the first day—
Were rarely ordinary.
Outside—
Inside the neighboring villa—
Aurelia stood by her window quietly.
Her gaze drifted toward Villa C-17.
Toward Zael.
Her fingers lightly touched the window frame.
"…Child of Dao."
She whispered softly.
Her talent had reacted again when she stood near him.
Even stronger than before.
Which meant her earlier conclusion was correct.
Zane wasn't the anomaly.
Zael was.
Aurelia's eyes shimmered slightly with curiosity.
Because the ancient record she had read once described something similar.
A cultivator who moved in harmony with the world itself.
A person who wasn't bound by ordinary systems.
Someone who walked the Dao.
She leaned back slightly.
A faint smile forming.
"Interesting."
Outside the villas—
The training camp lights slowly turned on as evening approached.
Students were settling into their new lives.
Planning tasks.
Planning training.
Planning alliances.
Because tomorrow—
The competition for points, power, and survival inside the camp would truly begin.