Final Challenge

At six o'clock in the morning, when the first ray of sunlight pierced through the forest mist, Class D's camp was already bustling with activity.

Today was the fourth day of the special exam, and also the decisive day—they were heading to the island center to find that legendary special supply point.

Hanyu Xiuyi stood at the camp center, making a final check of the supply distribution. After yesterday's setbacks, everyone understood the importance of this action. No one complained, no one slacked off; each person was doing their own job.

"Hanyu." Hirata Yousuke walked over, his blond hair shining in the morning light. "Everyone's ready. As you requested, we've split into four groups of ten, with uniform supply distribution."

"Good." Hanyu nodded. "Group leaders, confirm communication equipment."

"Group 1 confirmed." Sudo Ken raised his walkie-talkie, his red hair like a flame.

"Group 2 confirmed." Kushida Kikyo smiled sweetly, her shoulder-length short hair gently swaying with the movement.

"Group 3 confirmed." Yukimura Teruhiko adjusted his glasses.

"Group 4 confirmed." Horikita Suzune nodded coolly, her black long straight hair fluttering slightly in the morning breeze.

"Move out!" Hanyu ordered.

The team of forty marched into the forest in full force. Unlike the previous two days, this time they weren't exploring separately but advancing as a whole toward the same goal.

After about an hour of walking, the team arrived at the place where the ambush occurred yesterday. Hanyu stopped and carefully observed the surroundings.

"It's quiet here." Ayanokoji Kiyonaga walked up beside him. "But too quiet."

"An ambush?"

"I don't know." Ayanokoji said. "But if it's Ryuen, he wouldn't give up the chance to retaliate here."

Hanyu thought for a few seconds, then made a decision: "Change the route. Don't take the valley, take the ridge."

"The ridge path is harder to traverse." Yukimura reminded.

"But the view is open, and it's harder to be ambushed." Hanyu said. "Besides, we need to train our ability to march in complex terrain."

The team turned toward the ridge. The path was indeed harder, but as Hanyu said, the view was open, allowing them to see the surroundings clearly.

When they reached the mountainside, Sudo Ken, walking at the front of the team, suddenly stopped.

"Situation!" he shouted in a low voice. "There's... someone up ahead!"

Everyone immediately went on alert. Hanyu hurried forward and looked through the trees ahead.

On the other side of the ridge was a relatively flat clearing. Standing in the clearing were over a dozen people—Class B students. Leading them was that girl with light pink long hair, Ichinose Honami.

"Ichinose?" Hanyu was somewhat surprised.

Ichinose also spotted them and showed a surprised smile. "Hanyu! Great, you're here too!"

The two classes converged on the ridge. Ichinose explained that Class B had also found clues about the special supply point and was heading to the island center.

"But we ran into some trouble last night." Ichinose's smile carried a hint of helplessness. "A few classmates got lost during night travel, which wasted a lot of time."

"Need help?" Hanyu asked.

"No, no, we've already handled it." Ichinose waved her hand. "But... if we could advance together, it might be safer. After all, this island is still a bit dangerous."

Hanyu looked at Horikita. Horikita gave a slight nod, indicating agreement.

"Alright." Hanyu said. "We'll advance together."

The two classes merged and continued forward in full force. Along the way, Ichinose and Hanyu walked at the front of the team, exchanging their findings.

"Class C seemed to be active in the western island yesterday." Ichinose said. "We found their camp, but it was already empty."

"They're looking for the special supply point." Hanyu said. "And they probably already know the location."

"Then we need to speed up." Ichinose's gaze was determined. "We can't let Class C take the lead."

By noon, the team finally reached the island center. It was a relatively open valley, with a huge cave at the center—exactly the location marked on the map as the special supply point.

But there were already people in front of the cave.

Class C's forty members were neatly lined up before the cave, led by none other than Ryuen Sho. Seeing Class D and Class B appear together, a flicker of surprise crossed his face, but it quickly returned to that signature dangerous smile.

"Oh, quite the gathering." Ryuen said loudly. "Two classes joining forces? Interesting."

"Ryuen, what are you trying to do?" Ichinose stepped forward, her tone firm.

"Do?" Ryuen laughed. "Naturally, I'm here to take the special reward. But since you're all here, how about... we play a game?"

"What game?"

"Simple." Ryuen pointed at the cave behind him. "Inside this special supply point, there are three boxes. Each box contains rewards of different values—the best one is worth three million points, the second is two million, and the worst is one million. But each class can only send one person in, and they can only take one box."

He scanned the crowd. "That means four classes, three boxes. One class will always return empty-handed."

"That's not fair!" someone from Class B protested.

"That's the rule." Ryuen shrugged. "Of course, you can choose not to participate. But then, all the boxes go to Class C."

Hanyu Xiuyi thought quickly. The rules Ryuen described should be accurate—a special supply point could indeed be set up that way. But the question was, why would Ryuen voluntarily tell them? That wasn't like him.

"Hanyu, what do we do?" Ichinose asked in a low voice.

"Send someone in." Hanyu said. "But before that, we need to make sure Ryuen isn't playing tricks."

He walked up to Ryuen. "We want to inspect the cave first."

"Sure." Ryuen agreed surprisingly readily.

Hanyu led a few people into the cave. The cave wasn't large, and in the center sat three sealed boxes, each bearing the school emblem and a serial number. No traps or mechanisms were found.

"The boxes are fine." Hanyu announced as he came out. "But we need to decide the order for picking them first."

"Draw lots." Ryuen said. "The fairest way."

The representatives of the four classes gathered to draw. The results: Class A first, Class D second, Class B third, Class C fourth.

"This order..." Yukimura Teruhiko adjusted his glasses. "It's the worst for Class C. Going in last means taking whatever's left."

"That's exactly why Ryuen agreed to draw lots." Hanyu said. "He wanted to gamble."

Class A's representative was Katsuragi Kohei. The tall boy walked into the cave and quickly came out with a box. Opening it revealed—the one worth two million points.

Class B's representative was Ichinose. She went in and chose the second box—worth one million points.

Now it was Class D's turn.

"Hanyu, go for it!" Karuizawa Kei shouted.

"You've gotta get a good one!" Sudo Ken clenched his fists.

Hanyu Xiuyi walked into the cave. Only one box remained inside—the one worth three million points. But just as he was about to pick it up, he suddenly noticed a note tucked underneath.

He pulled out the note. On it was a single line: "The true reward is not the points in the boxes."

What did that mean?

Hanyu thought for a few seconds, then made a decision that surprised everyone—he didn't take the last box. Instead, he walked out of the cave, returning empty-handed.

"You, you didn't take anything?" Hirata asked in shock.

"No, I took something more important." Hanyu showed the note to everyone.

The note was passed around among the classes. Everyone fell into thought.

Just then, Ayanokoji Kiyonaga suddenly spoke. "I understand. The true reward is information."

"Information?" Horikita frowned.

"This note tells us that the value of a special supply point isn't in the surface-level point reward, but in the information it conveys." Ayanokoji said. "Maybe the school wants to teach us through this exam that sometimes giving up immediate gains leads to a greater harvest."

No sooner had he spoken than a mechanical grinding sound came from inside the cave. Everyone tensed up, but what happened next stunned them all—the stone wall of the cave slowly slid open, revealing a much larger space.

Inside sat four boxes, each labeled with a class name.

"This is..." Ichinose gasped, covering her mouth.

A broadcast sounded: "Congratulations on passing the final trial of the special supply point. In the four boxes, each class has a corresponding reward—one million base points. Additionally, the first student to find and correctly interpret the note receives an extra 500,000 points as a personal reward."

Class D's students froze for a few seconds, then erupted into deafening cheers.

"Long live Hanyu!"

"That's incredible!"

"This is the real reward!"

Hanyu Xiuyi watched his cheering classmates and, for once, allowed a rare smile. He glanced at Ayanokoji, that ordinary-looking classmate who still showed little expression, but the corner of his mouth seemed to curl up just slightly.

Just then, Ryuen Sho walked up to him.

"You won this time." Ryuen said, his tone unreadable. "But next time, I'll win it back."

"Anytime." Hanyu replied calmly.

They locked eyes for a few seconds, then Ryuen turned and left. Class C followed him, disappearing into the forest.

Class A and Class B also departed one by one, carrying their rewards. Before leaving, Ichinose waved at Hanyu. "Hanyu, thanks for this time! Let's cooperate again next chance!"

Only Class D remained in the valley. The students excitedly discussed their next plans, some already calculating how many points they'd get.

"Hanyu," Hirata Yousuke walked over, "what do we do next?"

Hanyu Xiuyi looked at the note in his hand, then at his cheering classmates, and finally gazed toward the distant sea.

"Head back to camp." He said. "Get a good night's rest. Tomorrow... we'll be the victors."

The sun set in the west, golden afterglow spilling across the valley. Class D's students, laden with their spoils and joy, set out on the path back to camp.

Hanyu Xiuyi walked among them, feeling true ease for the first time.

On the last day of the special exam, nothing could stop them anymore.

And all of this was because they had united.

He looked at Horikita Suzune beside him—that cold girl had a rare smile on her face. He looked at Sudo Ken, clumsily talking to Sakura Airi. He looked at Ayanokoji Kiyonaga, still quietly walking at the edge of the group.

Class D was no longer the class looked down upon.

They were proving their worth in their own way.

And this was only the beginning.