Chapter 2: The Campus Goddess, Exuding Unparalleled Grace

Aside from this matter, the students had also gathered some useful information.

First, the dormitory building had ten floors, with twenty units per floor. It was co-ed but with separate rooms for males and females.

Second, only those with private dorms were considered homeowners; the rest were tenants. Staying in another’s dorm for over an hour would cause suffocation.

Third, certain areas contained game items.

“It seems that the early stage of the game involves venturing out to collect supplies, but that contradicts my Nightmare Lord ability. Also, the distinction between homeowners and tenants hasn’t really shown itself yet…”

Getting special approval from the school for a single-person dorm was no easy feat. He had this privilege purely because his nightmare-inducing appearance made it unsuitable for others to live with him.

Xu Lang pondered briefly and opened the dorm information on his personal panel.

[Owner: Xu Lang]
[Dorm Level: 0]
[Area: 30]
[Tenants: 0/2]
[Facilities: worn wooden door, desolate nightmare bed, chandelier]

After reviewing it, Xu Lang pulled the covers over himself and immediately fell asleep!

For some reason, ever since entering this dorm survival game, he was able to sleep well.

...

[Zombie Invasion Countdown: 45 minutes 32 seconds]

“I've actually slept this long.”

Xu Lang quickly got up.

The outside world was no longer as noisy; it had grown somewhat quiet.

Out of habit, he opened the chatroom, only to be shocked by the message he saw.

Another murder had occurred!

And it was player-on-player violence!

The killer was Wang Ao.

This guy was the star of the school's sports team, with impressive height and build. While searching the teaching building with others, he found a Level 1 door blueprint. A dispute broke out with a companion, and in the heat of the moment, he killed him.

Though there had been several physical altercations that day, this was undoubtedly the most severe.

It took some time before it was discovered. By then, Wang Ao had already fled back to his dorm and upgraded the door.

Now he was holed up in Dorm 86, shouting recklessly.

[86 Wang Ao: The apocalypse is here—who cares about your damn orders!]
[86 Wang Ao: Idiots, we all have double rooms. You have to kill the other person to become the owner and remodel the dorm. That’s the hidden rule. If you don’t understand the game, don’t play!]

[86 Wang Ao: My door’s defense is now 12. Your attacks aren’t strong enough to wear down its durability. Don’t waste your efforts!]
[86 Wang Ao: Come on, who dares? I’ll take you one-on-one!]

Wang Ao was highly agitated, spamming trash talk in the chatroom and audibly roaring.

If anyone really wanted to act, they could break in.

But after that, they’d have to face a madman.

No one was willing to do it!

After all, he had killed someone!

“No wonder Sun Shiwang was utterly defeated. Sometimes, people really are worse than pigs,” Xu Lang murmured, frowning.

This guy had already gained the upper hand.

The survival game countdown wasn’t over yet, but the competition between players had long since begun.

Scavenging for supplies was the first round of competition!

Not everyone was as lucky as Wang Ao to find an upgrade blueprint. Many were lucky just to have a piece of stiff cardboard strapped on.

Xu Lang silently closed the chatroom and checked what he had gained from sleeping.

[Basic Nightmare Coins: 40, Conversion Rate 10%, 8 hours yielded 44 Nightmare Coins]
[Total Nightmare Coins: 44]

The Nightmare bed’s extra 10% conversion rate gave him only 4 more coins.

Ten Nightmare Coins were enough to upgrade a door. Wang Ao killed someone over a Level 1 blueprint, while Xu Lang could upgrade four doors just by sleeping.

Thinking of this disparity, Xu Lang couldn’t help but smirk.

However, he didn’t immediately upgrade his door. Instead, he opened the newbie gift pack.

[Received: Whole Wheat Bread x3, Broken Water Dispenser x1]

The icons of the two items appeared in empty slots in his backpack. The three whole wheat breads were stacked together, occupying only one slot.

...

[Whole Wheat Bread]
[Type: Food]
[Level: 0]
[Satiation: 30]
[Upgrade Requirement: 5 Nightmare Coins]
[Description: If rationed carefully, one piece can last a whole day. Just a bit hard to swallow.]

One whole wheat bread was about the size of Xu Lang’s two fists. It was definitely enough to eat for a day—practically an apocalypse essential.

Moreover, food could be upgraded!

Xu Lang’s eyes lit up as he checked the other item’s attributes.

[Broken Water Dispenser]
[Type: Facility]
[Level: 1]
[Water Capacity: 0/10 liters]
[Durability: 1/25 (cannot be repaired)]
[Disassembly Yields: Plastic x7, Filter x1]
[Upgrade Requirement: 65 Nightmare Coins]
[Description: Wow, this is a rare Level 1 item—the newbie gift pack’s Level 1 item. The odds are like winning the lottery… Though it’s a piece of junk now, you have to admit your luck is really, really bad!]

Xu Lang felt mocked by the description.

But he remained completely unfazed, even a bit delighted.

Bed, food, water, door!

Now he could truly relax and develop—only a phone was missing for a full shut-in lifestyle!

His only concern was whether the water dispenser would be full once upgraded.

As Xu Lang was planning how to spend the Nightmare Coins, footsteps suddenly echoed in the corridor.

Knock, knock!

Someone knocked on the door.

Then, a sweet voice called out:

“Xu Lang, are you home?”

Xu Lang peeked through the peephole and saw a tall, stylish blonde girl standing outside.

She wore a baseball cap, her graceful cheek contours shaded beneath its brim. Thick black stockings covered her slender long legs, with a flash of white socks peeking above her leather shoes—utterly captivating.

[Name: Cao Yaxuan]
[Status: A crawler likely to die at any moment]
[Room Number: 20 (Tenant)]
[Comfort Level: 96 (Can increase Nightmare Coin conversion rate by 96%)]