Each group had its own residential building. Likewise, every position on the football field had its own training dome, much like the attacking dome. Defenders, midfielders, and goalkeepers were all evaluated separately and ranked into Groups A, B, C, and D based on their performances.
However, the living arrangements were different. Rather than being separated by position, all players from different domes within the same rating group were housed together. Group A players lived in one building, Group B in another, and so on.
The academy's residences were large, three-story dormitories capable of accommodating youths from every position. They were far from luxurious.
The first floor contained a lounge area and a modest gym, while the second and third floors were lined with rows of beds. There were no kitchens in the dormitories, as all meals were provided by the Federation cafeteria.
Outside each building lay two small, open-air football pitches in the front yard. Every dormitory followed the same design, creating a uniform appearance throughout the academy grounds. Separate from the residential area stood the cafeteria and the main gym building, both located a short distance from the player dormitories.
Winston was taken aback to observe a gathering of young people loitering near building D, a location perched on the mountainside far from the academy's flat terrain where groups C and D were stationed; these youths were—either socializing and becoming acquainted with one another or enjoying themselves on the football field.
As he stepped inside the building, he couldn't help but notice the abundance of youths conversing, which strongly suggested that the event had the atmosphere of a house party. Winston didn't stay behind to mingle with the others on the ground floor. Instead, he headed up to the second floor and walked along the rows of beds, checking for an empty spot.
Finding that every bed was already occupied, he let out a sigh and turned to leave.
Just then, an unfamiliar voice called his name.
Winston stopped and looked toward the youth who had spoken. He studied the boy for a moment, searching his memory and wondering whether they had met before.
"Winston, no way, why are you in this group? Didn't you place second on the top scorers?" said this youth.
As Winston replied, he shifted his weight and awkwardly grinned while running a hand over the back of his head. "I scored a low rating on the massive drum test,"
"Oh, I am Jamison… Jamison Hernandez, you don't know me, but I know you… well, I was there. When you were playing against my team back in the league," Jamison said, walking down the row of beds.
"Which team were you playing for and what position do you play?"
"Left back, and the team I used to play for was Bush Hill Rangers F.C. Although I was not picked in the starting eleven, I was there when you were playing with my team,"
Jamison continued talking about all the matches Winston played and the goals he scored. W was both surprised and unsettled to learn that the youth had been following his every match. Not wanting to dwell on the subject, he glanced around the second floor and quickly changed the topic. "How many players are here in this D building?"
"I don't know, but I know that everyone who plays in different positions is here too. What score did you score?"
Without looking at Jamison—Winston quickly replied, pacing toward the second floor exit, "I scored 30,"
"For really, the way you played back in the league, I thought you would beat Sebastian," Jamison said, rubbing his chin. Observing the youth player's manner of speaking, Winston inferred that the youth already knew his score and desired Winston's affirmation.
The third floor was occupied by youths who were lying on their beds, some of whom were reading books, and others were in a state of restful sleep, with their knees positioned in an upward direction. While the bustling activity on the second floor offered a stark contrast, the third floor remained remarkably tranquil as Winston and Jamison proceeded with their walk down the rows of beds.
Jamison continued talking, eagerly informing Winston about the youths on the third floor. He seemed to know everything about them—the rating scores they had earned in the test, the positions they played, and even the teams they represented in their respective leagues.
Winston didn't take the information lightly. Despite Jamison's nonstop chatter, every detail was carefully filed away in his mind.
To an outside observer, however, it would have appeared that Winston was growing irritated with the youth's endless rambling. Arriving in the middle of the room, another youth who was playing card games called Jamison—who excused himself and walked toward those youths. When they talked, they periodically shifted their gaze toward Winston. After observing the situation, Winston resumed his walk, his eyes scanning the rows of beds in search of an unoccupied one.
Winston observed that every single bed he inspected was already occupied, and he deduced this was the case because of the presence of luggage belonging to the youths resting atop each of these beds. Upon Winston's arrival at the D building, he discovered that his suitcases had been placed in the lounge room. All the building D youths' luggage had been placed in the lounge, each piece tagged with its owner's name.
Coming into the last row of bed Winston found an empty bed near the door leading to the building's balcony. Exhausted, Winston tossed his luggage beside the bed and collapsed onto the mattress. As he dug through his pockets, his brow furrowed. That was when he realized the Federation had confiscated his phone. The Federation expressed to the youth its wish that the youth develop connections and spend time socializing with each other. And they want these youths to focus on their training.
After sleeping for a few hours, Winston awoke near the end of the day, at which point he began to survey the vast expanse of the room. Some youths were sleeping, and some were reading books they had in their belongings.
As Winston stepped out onto the balcony, he surveyed the field below, observing a group of youths engaged in practice sessions and others participating in casual matches. As Winston rested his weight on the cool steel railing, his gaze was fixed upon the youths who were engaged in a friendly match. He rested on the cool steel railing until the eagerness to join the youth took over. With a sigh, Winston pushed his weight off the cool steel railing and decided to head down to the football field.
Taking out his training cleats, Winston walked downstairs. As he settled himself on the last step and proceeded to put on his cleats, he overheard the sound of a shouting youngster, which prompted him to redirect his attention and observe the youth who had been engaged in outdoor activities now entering the residence.
A middle-aged man with pale skin stood in the center of the lounge. He wore a dark-blue tracksuit with twin stripes running down the sides and carried a clipboard behind his back. His hair was cut short, and he appeared to be in his forties.
The man remained silent, merely observing the youths as they filed into the room.
Until he cleared his throat. "Good evening, young lads. Congratulations on making it into Group D. Although you're currently in the lowest group, you still have every opportunity to climb the rankings and reach the higher groups.
"Oh, and you can call me Instructor Smith." Instructor Smith waited and scanned every youth's face.
And he continued, "I'll be the caretaker of this building. Any challenges involving residents of this building will be reported through me. And if you need anything, don't hesitate to come and see me.
"Alright, that's all for now. Tomorrow, all of you must report to the same dome where you took your test.
"The curfew is 7:00 p.m. Everyone must be back in the building by then. Dinner is served at 6:00 p.m., breakfast at 6:00 a.m., and lunch at 12:00 noon. If you miss a meal, you'll have to wait until the next serving.
"Dome training runs from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. After that, you're free to train on your own or spend your time however you see fit until dinner.
"One last thing. Attendance will be taken every morning and evening. If you're absent when I mark the register, you'll receive a strike. Accumulate three strikes, and one point will be deducted from your rating." With that instructor Smith walked out the room.
The youths looked at each other and started murmuring—when one youth peeked at the door. Instructor Smith was already some distance from Building D. Before leaving, he had pointed toward the bell hanging near the entrance and then glanced at his wristwatch.
The youths exchanged looks, quickly concluding that the bell would be used to signal curfew.
Seeing that Instructor Smith hadn't rung it, Winston decided he still had time. Without hesitation, he headed toward the training grounds.
Winston started by kicking the ball into the small goalpost. Of course, he was not alone; there were some youths who occupied half of the field. While he was training by himself, he happened to look around and observe that some of the other youth players had companions training with them, but this observation did not in any way discourage or dissuade Winston from continuing his solitary efforts.
He persisted with the drills, continuing his training without any interruptions until a noticeable sensation of fatigue began to set in. While he was certainly feeling fatigued, it wasn't the kind of exhaustion that would lead to collapse; rather, it manifested as a noticeable tightness in his chest.
Good thing Winston awakened his Nethen Essence because the Nethen Essence quickly restored his energy.
The Nethen essence, being on the first level, possesses the capability to rapidly revitalize Winston after he engages in minor tasks that leave him feeling depleted.
However, when faced with significant challenges that demand Winston to exert himself to the utmost, the Nethen essence necessitates a recovery period, typically ranging from a day to a week, to completely replenish his energy reserves.
Hence, after choosing a bed, Winston managed to sleep for an hour. The reason he could not rest earlier was the Nethen Essence, which had kept his body and mind in a constant state of unrest.
Before the breakthrough, the Nethen Essence had been trapped within Winston's abdomen, circulating in a single area instead of flowing properly through the channels of his body. Under normal circumstances, it would have spread throughout his internal pathways, but the Core System had intervened and stabilized it.
Had the Core System failed to do so, the concentrated essence might have torn his body apart from within.
To keep the Nethen Essence under control during those days leading up to the breakthrough, the Core System continuously released tiny streams of essence throughout his body. While this prevented a catastrophic buildup, it came with a drawback—it constantly stimulated his body, disrupting his sleep schedule and making proper rest nearly impossible.