The massive gate slowly opened.
Beyond it stretched a long corridor lined with hundreds of identical white doors.
Every player looked down as a white key card appeared in their hand. Each card displayed a room number.
One by one, the survivors walked toward their assigned rooms.
Some wanted nothing more than to sleep.
Some cried quietly.
Others simply stared at the floor, still haunted by the screams from the Death Maze.
Ethan looked at the number engraved on his card before starting to walk.
"Hey."
He turned.
Maya Rios stood behind him with her arms crossed.
"Everyone's heading to their rooms," she said. "But look over there."
She pointed farther down the corridor.
A glowing sign floated above another passage.
ZONE 2 – POINT EXCHANGE
Several players were already walking toward it.
"We should check it out first," Maya said.
Ethan nodded.
"Let's go."
Renji silently followed behind them.
Alyssa and Lena exchanged glances before joining the group.
---
Zone 2 looked nothing like the White Hall.
The room was enormous.
Rows of futuristic machines stood against the walls, each glowing with blue holographic screens.
There were nearly twenty of them.
Above every machine floated a title.
Food
Weapons
Medical Supplies
Equipment
Stat Enhancement
Power Cards
Armor
Utilities
Information Exchange
Players crowded around the machines, reading every item with excitement.
Lena's eyes sparkled.
"They have real food!"
She rushed toward the Food Machine.
A hamburger.
Rice.
Fruit.
Water.
Chocolate.
Everything had a point cost.
"I can't believe it..." she whispered before buying a sandwich and a bottle of juice.
The machine opened instantly.
"It actually works!"
Alyssa smiled faintly.
"At least they're keeping us alive."
Maya was already studying the Weapon Machine.
"Guns... knives... axes..."
Renji stood silently in front of the Power Card machine.
His expression never changed.
Ethan walked slowly between each section.
Food.
Medicine.
Equipment.
Stats.
Power Cards.
Everything had a price.
"So this is where the points go..."
Suddenly—
A quiet laugh echoed behind them.
"Heh..."
Everyone turned.
A young woman with long black hair stood there, calmly flipping through a thick notebook.
She looked no older than twenty-three.
Her eyes were sharp behind thin glasses.
She smiled.
"You people are surprisingly careless."
Lena frowned.
"What do you mean?"
The girl closed her notebook.
"My name is Elizabeth."
She glanced at the shopping machines.
"You've only been thinking about spending."
She looked directly at Ethan.
"But has anyone thought about tomorrow?"
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
"...Explain."
Elizabeth sighed.
"You have points today because you survived the first game."
She stepped closer.
"But what if the next game is different?"
"What if you barely survive?"
"What if you earn almost no points?"
Silence.
She continued.
"If you spend everything now..."
"...how will you buy food tomorrow?"
"Medicine?"
"A weapon?"
"What if the next game doesn't reward enough points?"
Lena slowly lowered the sandwich in her hands.
"I... didn't think about that."
Elizabeth smiled slightly.
"Exactly."
"Survival isn't only about staying alive."
"It's about managing your resources."
She turned around.
Only then did Ethan notice four other players quietly standing behind her.
None of them spoke.
They simply followed her.
Before leaving, Elizabeth looked back one last time.
"People die because monsters kill them."
She paused.
"Smart people survive because they plan ahead."
Then she disappeared into the corridor with her group.
Silence remained.
Maya scratched the back of her head.
"I hate admitting it..."
"...but she's right."
Renji finally spoke.
"She isn't strong."
"But she's dangerous."
"She thinks several moves ahead."
Ethan watched the direction Elizabeth had gone.
"She's already building a team."
"And she chose people who listen."
Alyssa crossed her arms.
"So what do we do?"
Ethan looked at each member of his group.
Maya.
Renji.
Alyssa.
Lena.
"We don't rush."
"We don't waste points."
"We learn how this place works before making decisions."
He glanced toward the endless hallway of rooms.
"Meet me in my room in thirty minutes."
"No matter what you buy..."
"...be there."
Everyone nodded.
For the first time since arriving in the White Hall—
It no longer felt like strangers trying to survive.
It felt like the beginning...
...of a team.