Aside from the advantages in earning money, high floors also had benefits when it came to spending.

Just like the four work service stations, there were also four spending facilities:

[Training Room] – Increases combat power through specialized training, including stat upgrades and skill comprehension.

[Challenge Room] – Fight fierce beasts to hone combat awareness.

[Duel Room] – Available only to players in 20th-floor and above apartments. Allows PvP battles with other Beginner Players, where the winner claims the loser’s bet in game currency.

[Apartment Mall] – Divided into [Low-End Mall] and [High-End Mall].

The Low-End Mall provided everyday food, shopping, and entertainment, similar to real life.

The High-End Mall, however, was restricted to 20th-floor residents and above.

But just entering required a 1,000-game-currency entrance fee!

Based on the top students’ analysis, the High-End Mall likely sold treasure chests or chest-related items!

Clearly, under this spending system, the 20th floor and above residents enjoyed even more privileges!

At this point, the way everyone looked at Jiang Ye became increasingly complicated.

—

Wang Lingling, a glasses-wearing girl with a mature aura, had a bit of the elegance of Eri Kisaki from Detective Conan.

Back when The Knockout was trending, some classmates even nicknamed her “Gao Qilan” or just “Lana”.

She adjusted her glasses and analyzed:

"The apartment facilities clearly encourage players to move to higher floors."

"Because higher floors earn money faster, offer better spending options, and overall accelerate player growth."

"But from what I can tell, players need time to accumulate resources before they can move up."

"Otherwise, if someone like Jiang Ye starts on a high floor from day one, the rent is just too hard to afford."

Saying this, she turned directly to Jiang Ye, calmly reassuring him:

"But Jiang Ye, don’t worry. The mutual aid group was created so that everyone could survive!"

"If we find a Survival Stone today and you truly can’t pay your rent, I am willing to exchange it for game currency to cover your first day’s rent."

—

Wang Lingling’s words sounded so firm and sincere that even the mutual aid group members were caught off guard.

Some students were already skeptical—

Wait, seriously? We’d waste a Survival Stone just to pay Jiang Ye’s rent?

If someone actually finds a Survival Stone… wouldn't Jiang Ye be getting one for free?

That’s not fair!

Jiang Ye immediately sensed the subtle shift in people’s gazes.

So did Wang Lingling.

She quickly added:

"But—this is not charity. Covering your rent is just to ensure your survival."

"So in the future, I hope you can pay it back."

"And if our mutual aid group gathers 79 Survival Stones but fails to get the 80th… then the one left without a Survival Stone will be you."

"I hope you understand that."

"Of course, if we get the chance to steal Survival Stones from veteran players, we will absolutely help you."

"After all, our ultimate goal is for everyone in the mutual aid group to survive—so we won’t give up on you so easily."

—

Her words were honest and convincing.

But Jiang Ye, ever the cold realist, wasn’t moved in the slightest.

Instead, he marveled at just how high-level Wang Lingling’s manipulation skills were!

First, she reassured him—their strongest labor force—to keep working hard all day, ensuring he generated a massive inheritance before his "inevitable death."

Second, she subtly won over the group!

Her speech wasn’t just for Jiang Ye. It was primarily for the mutual aid members.

These 18-year-old students, still inexperienced in life, would undoubtedly be deeply moved by her words!

With their natural admiration for strong leaders, they’d only grow more loyal to her.

—

Even Gao Chang, sensing that Wang Lingling’s influence in the group was far surpassing his, quickly spoke up:

"Besides Jiang Ye, does anyone else have trouble paying rent? Xu Yuewan, you only need 2,000 game currency—are you okay?"

Xu Yuewan, a top student with an independent personality, hated relying on others.

After thinking for a moment, she stubbornly replied, "If I hurry, I should be fine."

Gao Chang nodded. "Then we need to pick up the pace. Waiting around for everyone to gather is pointless."

"In my opinion, we should split up and get moving."

"You Ziyu should stay here to handle any newcomers joining the mutual aid group."

"The rest of us should start earning game currency immediately."

—

His words immediately sparked agreement:

"Yeah! We can’t keep wasting time—we need to start making money!"

"My rent is easy to cover, but I still want to save up more so I can use the spending facilities!"

"Same here! I haven’t unlocked any skills yet, so I can’t wait to train in the [Training Room]!"

"Ugh, I used to think studying was hard—but now I realize money is everything!"

"Time to get rich!"

—

But then, someone suddenly remembered—

"Wait! We still don’t know the secret to leveling up, right?"

—

At this, Wang Lingling no longer kept it a secret.

She casually explained:

"When we left our apartments, we all followed the red glow in the hallway, which led us to the Red Light Elevator."

"But did anyone try exploring the opposite direction?"

—

That question made people pause.

Lu Shen immediately spoke up:

"I did walk that way."

"But the further I went, the darker it got."

"Eventually, I couldn’t see anything—not even apartment doors or room numbers."

"I was worried about hidden dangers, so I turned back."

Other students chimed in:

"Same! I walked a bit but turned back when it got too dark."

"Wait, does that mean Sister Ling leveled up by fighting monsters in that darkness?"

"Were the monsters strong? If our combat power is too low, do we even have a chance to level up?"

—

At this, Wang Lingling’s expression turned serious.

"I did level up while exploring that area."

"But honestly? I don’t know how it happened."

"Like Lu Shen, I walked a bit but turned back because it was too dark."

"The only difference is that I have an S-tier skill—[Shadow Replica]."

"So I sent my Shadow Replica to explore instead."

"I don’t have a shared vision with my Replica, so I have no idea what it encountered."

"But then, out of nowhere, I got a notification—I had leveled up to Level 1."

"What’s even worse is that shortly after… my Shadow Replica disappeared."

"I can’t use that skill again until tomorrow."

—

Hearing this, Wang Lingling’s pained expression became apparent.

Her Shadow Replica had been meant to serve as her powerful assistant—

But now, it was dead, lost in the depths of the dark hallway.

Even with the level-up and a Black Iron Treasure Chest, the loss still stung.

Gao Chang thought for a moment, then curiously asked, "Do you have any idea how much Combat Power your Shadow Replica had?"

Wang Lingling pressed her lips together and said in a low voice, "A conservative estimate… probably around 20 Combat Power."

"Hiss…"

As soon as she said this, the entire group gasped in shock!

No one had expected that just one of Wang Lingling’s Replicas was already four to five times stronger than them!

And yet, that Replica still died!

If they had actually continued exploring that dark hallway, they probably wouldn’t have leveled up at all—they’d have been dead on the spot!

On top of that, Wang Lingling had no chance of reaching Level 2 anytime soon, since her Shadow Replica was gone.

Lu Shen also felt a chill run down his spine. "Holy sh*t! Good thing I had a bad feeling and turned back when I did—otherwise, I’d already be dead!"

But almost immediately after he finished speaking—

A sharp scream suddenly erupted from within the group!