People near the entrance barely paid attention to Iris at first.
Most of them were too focused on the newly erected wooden perimeter surrounding King's Territory.
Relieved voices drifted through the evening air from different directions.
"At least monsters can't just walk inside anymore."
"We might finally sleep properly tonight."
"The Lord really protected us…"
Nobody sounded triumphant.
Only exhausted.
The wooden fence itself looked rough up close. Thick sharpened logs had been forced deep into the earth unevenly while heavy timber beams reinforced sections of the outer perimeter. Some gaps still remained between the stakes wide enough for smaller creatures to probably squeeze through. Weak, crude and temporary.
And yet after spending hours outside the territory—
Iris understood immediately why everyone looked calmer.
Even fragile protection still felt better than standing directly in front of the wilderness.
Snow wandered toward the wooden barrier curiously and sniffed one of the sharpened stakes.
Then suddenly—
"Iris!"
A familiar voice cut through the noise.
Before Iris could even react properly, someone crashed into her and wrapped both arms tightly around her shoulders.
Iris tensed instantly.
Her hand almost moved toward the dagger in her space on pure instinct before she froze.
"…Mom?"
Veronica pulled back just enough to stare at her properly.
Then immediately looked horrified.
"Why are you covered in dirt?"
Her hands moved quickly across Iris' arms and shoulders like checking for injuries.
"You're sweating, your clothes are filthy, what happened to your arm?"
The shallow scratches from earlier were still visible beneath the torn sleeve fabric.
"We thought something happened to you," Veronica said shakily. "You said you were only going to look at plants near the inner areas and then you disappeared for hours."
The rest of the group approached quickly afterward.
Caleb looked both relieved and annoyed at the same time.
"You vanished for HALF A DAY."
Henry stopped beside Veronica quietly, his gaze immediately scanning Iris for injuries without saying anything.
Benjamin noticed the scratches almost instantly.
"You fought something."
Not a question…. But a conclusion.
Snow trotted proudly toward the group afterward looking equally dirty and exhausted.
Claire blinked.
"Wait… Snow went with you?"
The white dog barked once happily.
Completely unashamed.
Iris exhaled quietly before answering.
"I got turned around while exploring farther out than I planned."
"You got lost?" Caleb stared.
"There's a map function," Iris replied calmly. "I found my way back eventually."
Veronica still looked upset.
"Don't leave like that again."
Her voice softened afterward.
"We already don't know where your brother is."
The words hit harder than Iris expected.
For a brief second, the tight pressure inside her chest returned again.
Alexander was still missing…. Still somewhere unknown inside this world.
"I'm fine," Iris said quietly.
It wasn't really an answer.
But Veronica eventually nodded anyway.
As they started walking back through the territory together, Caleb glanced toward the wooden perimeter again.
"I still can't believe that thing just appeared out of nowhere."
He sounded almost impressed.
"Like an actual game update."
Henry looked far less optimistic.
"That fence won't stop stronger monsters."
Benjamin adjusted his glasses slightly.
"Not for long."
Caleb shrugged.
"That's why they have guards, right? The fence probably just stops random attacks."
Nobody answered immediately after that.
Because after what Iris experienced outside today—
That explanation honestly sounded reasonable.
The deeper they walked into the territory, the more exhausted everyone around them appeared.
People moved slower now.
Many sat outside tents eating quietly while others simply stared toward the new perimeter fence with visible relief.
Fear still existed.
The fence had simply given it shape.
Eventually they returned to the small wooden residence they rented earlier.
The cramped atmosphere hit immediately upon entering.
Lee Wei and Vincent were crouched near one corner of the room preparing food over a small heating setup while several others rested silently against the walls looking drained from the day.
The moment Iris entered, multiple heads turned toward her.
Then toward the scratches on her sleeve.
"…You fought monsters?" Marcus asked carefully.
"A few," Iris replied.
Caleb immediately pointed toward Snow.
"He followed her outside."
That earned another shocked round of reactions.
Snow basked in the attention proudly.
"Traitor," Iris muttered quietly.
The dog wagged his tail harder.
Dinner passed more quietly afterward.
Mostly because everyone was too tired to sustain conversation for long.
The cramped wooden room gradually filled with the sounds of movement, low conversation and cooking while darkness settled completely outside.
Eventually people started pulling sleeping bags and folded blankets from their storage spaces one after another.
Caleb dropped his own sleeping bag onto the floor before laughing softly.
"Good thing we raided that camping store back at the mall."
"That was your first useful decision in days," Claire replied immediately.
"I'm appreciated nowhere in this family."
Even that weak joke still managed to lighten the atmosphere slightly.
Hours later, the room finally quieted.
One by one, people settled down across the wooden floor.
Iris lay awake a little longer than the others.
Her thoughts drifted unwillingly back toward the wilderness outside the territory.
The valley, the river in the distance, the monsters and the timer.
[Remaining Time: 2 Days 4 Hours]
Not enough.
Still not enough.
Eventually exhaustion pulled her under anyway.
***
A sharp mechanical notification shattered the silence the next morning.
[Tenant Residency Expiring in 3 Minutes.]
Several people jolted awake immediately.
"What the hell?" Caleb mumbled groggily.
Another notification appeared.
[Please Renew Residency To Maintain Occupancy.]
Everyone looked irritated almost instantly.
"We have to pay AGAIN?" Claire complained while shoving blankets back into storage.
Caleb frowned deeply.
"Wait, that doesn't even make sense. It hasn't been twenty-four hours yet."
Iris rubbed tiredly at her eyes before answering.
"Days here are longer."
That got everyone's attention.
"How long?" Benjamin asked.
"Twenty-eight hours approximately."
Caleb looked personally offended by that information.
"This world is ridiculous."
The room slowly turned chaotic afterward as everyone packed their belongings back into storage while still half asleep.
By the time they stepped outside again, most people inside the territory already seemed awake.
Several residents were moving toward the central district in large groups.
Then Nina appeared walking past them.
She blinked slightly seeing everyone standing outside looking exhausted.
"…Rough night?"
"You could say that," Caleb muttered.
Nina looked like she wanted to laugh but held it back.
"Oh right, the Lord called everyone to the square earlier."
Benjamin frowned immediately.
"For what?"
"They said it's an important announcement."
Nobody looked particularly excited hearing that.
Still, they followed the growing crowd deeper into the territory.
The closer they moved toward the center, the more organized the surroundings became.
The tents gradually disappeared.
The roads looked cleaner.
More guards became visible.
Then eventually the buildings ahead opened into a large stone-paved square crowded with residents gathering together.
And beyond it—
Iris finally saw the Lord's residence properly for the first time.
Her steps slowed slightly.
Stone walls surrounded the structure completely.
Not wooden barriers.
Not sharpened stakes.
Actual stone.
The residence itself stood elevated above the surrounding district while armed guards remained stationed visibly near the entrance.
Cleaner streets surrounded the area too.
Better maintained.
More secure.
Caleb stared openly.
"…Wait. THAT'S where the Lord lives?"
Nina nodded.
"That's the Lord's Palace."
Caleb looked back toward the wooden perimeter fence surrounding the outer territory.
Then back toward the stone walls.
"…Isn't that kind of unfair?"
A nearby resident overheard immediately and paled.
"Keep your voice down," the man warned quickly.
Caleb blinked.
"What?"
The resident lowered his voice further.
"People who cause problems get removed from the territory."
Fear.
Not loyalty.
Iris noticed the difference immediately.
Before anyone could continue speaking, movement stirred near the palace entrance.
Several guards stepped forward first.
Then Tobias himself emerged surrounded by armed guards.
The crowd quieted almost immediately.