Chapter 109
"The four classes combined have already reached 1200 points."
Aragaki Shun squinted, beginning to ponder whether there was a way to retain as many of these points as possible.
177. A rule that is unfavorable to Aragaki Shun; going to Class D to purchase goods.
After explaining the basic rules of the Uninhabited Island Exam, Hoshinomiya announced the end of his speech, disbanded the team, and allowed each class to begin internal discussions.
"This is the Guidebook, which contains some supplementary rules. Although you can get a replacement if you lose it, you will need to pay for exam points, so please keep it safe."
Led by Aragaki Shun, the members of Class A went to a shady spot to escape the sun.
Within two minutes, Chie Hoshinomiya arrived, followed by several staff members carrying various supplies.
"And this watch, everyone will be given one to wear on their wrist until the exams are over in a week. Removing it without permission will be punished."
"This is for everyone's safety. This watch not only tells time, but also has sensors to detect body temperature, pulse, or human movement, as well as a satellite positioning system."
"More importantly, the watch also has a function to communicate emergencies to the school. If you encounter any unexpected danger, be sure to press this button immediately, and the school will send the appropriate staff to the scene."
At this point, Chie Hoshinomiya, unlike her usual cheerful self, revealed an unusually serious expression.
"Exams are important, but everyone's safety is more important. Teachers don't want their students to get hurt, so please remember not to be reckless."
Aragaki Shun glanced at the teacher who posed the question with surprise, not expecting her to utter such a heartwarming remark.
"Don't worry, Hoshinomiya-sensei, Kanzaki, Ichinose, and I will keep an eye on things and make sure nothing happens to anyone."
"I believe Aragaki can do this, but you might be the one who pushes the limits the most, so just be careful in everything you do."
Hoshinomiya's face returned to its usual smile, and while everyone was still receiving the watches, she added, "The watches are completely waterproof, so you can wear them Swimming in the sea without any problem. If there's any malfunction, the exam administrators will come and replace them immediately."
After putting on the watch, Aragaki Shun casually shook it to make sure it wouldn't interfere with his daily activities before glancing at the others and asking:
"Are there any other supplementary rules? If not, we still need to start planning for this exam."
"Don't worry, the teacher hasn't explained some of the point deduction rules yet. For example, if someone in the class is absent due to an emergency or other reason, their class will have 30 points deducted."
"For example, in Class B, one student was suspended from school and could not participate in this exam, so they had to start from 270 points."
The students in Class A were immediately speechless. They knew that Sakayanagi Arisu would be transferring to their class next semester.
Unexpectedly, she was able to play such a role before this. Class B must be feeling very frustrated right now, right?
"Hiss~ Aragaki-kun, should we reconsider Classmate Sakayanagi class?"
Someone in the class raised this question.
After all, it seems completely impossible for Sakayanagi Arisu to participate in any exams that require physical fitness.
If she transfers to another class and the other student is absent again, then Class A's points will be deducted.
"It's alright. According to our rules and regulations, anyone who causes losses to the class can make up for those losses."
Aragaki Shun said nonchalantly, "Overall, the benefits of Sakayanagi joining us still outweigh the drawbacks."
The students immediately realized that they still had the fourth rule of the class, and given Sakayanagi's background, it was indeed worth it for Class A to suffer this loss.
"But the teacher has mentioned an emergency several times already, so what kind of danger could there be on this island?" Kobashi Yume suddenly raised her hand and asked, "Could there be some wild beasts or poisonous snakes on the island?"
But this time, Hoshinomiya did not answer. "I'm sorry, you'll have to find out for yourselves about that. The school doesn't allow us to reveal anything that might affect the exam results."
"Ouch~ Teacher, don't scare me! The school can't really be that heartless, can it?"
Seeing the girls looking a little scared, Aragaki Shun quickly offered words of comfort:
"Don't worry, the school is even more concerned about nothing happening than we are. There shouldn't be any overly dangerous animals on this kind of artificial island."
More importantly, Aragaki Shun's talent [Danger Sense] did not sense any threat from the island.
"The emergencies that Hoshinomiya-sensei emphasized are more likely due to environmental factors, such as falling on a mountain, drowning in the sea, or even catching a cold. Everyone should be more careful when taking action."
Of course, there is also the possibility of man-made disaster, but normally the competition among high school students should not be that severe.
Even if Ryuen really wanted to cause trouble, Aragaki Shun was confident he could teach them a lesson they wouldn't forget.
"Mmm, Aragaki is really reassuring."
Chie Hoshinomiya gave a thumbs-up to the Leader of Class A, encouraging him, "Make good use of those temporary points, and after seven days, everyone should come back safe and sound!"
"Next, please turn to the Guidebook that has been handed out. The last page lists the other deduction review items."
"Take a look at these rules first. They are very important information, and applying them flexibly may greatly help you in the exam."
The last page states: [Those who meet the following conditions will be subject to the prescribed penalties.]
--[Article 1: Students who are visibly unwell or seriously injured and are deemed by the school to be unable to continue taking the exam will have 30 points deducted. Furthermore, the student will be withdrawn from the exam.]
--[Article 2: 20 points will be deducted for each instance of environmental pollution discovered.]
--[Article 3: Five points will be deducted from each person for absence from the daily roll call at 8:00 AM and 8:00 PM.]
--[Article 4: If a student commits acts of violence, looting, or damage to equipment against other classes, the class to which the student belongs will immediately be disqualified, and all Private Points of the individual involved will be confiscated.]
There are a total of four deduction rules. Class B was affected by the first rule, which resulted in a deduction of 30 points from the start.
When he saw the fourth rule, Aragaki Shun's expression shifted, realizing that this rule was most disadvantageous to him.
If he is framed, not only will Class A lose his eligibility to take the exam, but his accumulated 30 million Private Points will also be completely wiped out.
The latter is far more important than the former; if other classes want to deal with him, they will probably focus their efforts on this aspect.
It seems we need to take precautions in advance...
With these thoughts in mind, Aragaki Shun looked at Hoshinomiya and said, "I understand the general situation, but I still have two questions."
"First, is it possible to get a negative score on this exam? What happens if the score is temporarily reset to zero?"
"No," Hoshinomiya shook his head, "This situation will only increase the number of people dropping out of the exam. Once the temporary points reach zero, they won't be deducted anymore."
"Okay, I understand. So where is the roll call location each time?"
"For this exam, the school stipulated that the homeroom teacher must stay with the class until the exam is over."
Hoshinomiya sighed, adopting a helpless expression. "You guys choose your campsite first, and I'll set up a base nearby. I won't have any rest for the next seven days either."
"By the way, the camp cannot be changed arbitrarily without a legitimate reason. From now on, we will gather there for every roll call, so please think carefully before making any decisions."
Therefore, the first step is to find a suitable campsite for the class of forty-one people.
Although Chie Hoshinomiya will also be going along, she should be in a supervisory role, and also help exchange supplies. Anyway, she doesn't need to be supported by Class A.
"Since we're on the topic of strongholds, let me talk about the last additional rule."
To the surprise of the Class A students, Hoshinomiya-sensei pointed around the island and dropped another important piece of information.
"The school has set up several outposts on the island; you can find out the exact number yourselves."
"The key point is that these strongholds have a mechanism called [Possession Rights]. The class that occupies a stronghold can use the resources within it at will, and they will also receive an extra point for each capture."
"However, remember that each time you occupy a stronghold, it is only valid for eight hours. Once the time is up, you will need to occupy it again. If another class takes it first during this period, your class will lose the Possession Rights the stronghold."
There were even extra points! Everyone in Class A was astonished.
"What's the use of these extra points? Can they be used to exchange for supplies or...?"
Hoshinomiya simply shook her head, "Extra points cannot be used during the exam, but they can still be counted towards the Class Evaluation Points after the exam."
Each time a stronghold is cleared, it gives 1 point. The strongholds are refreshed every eight hours. It is currently August 1st, close to noon. By the time the exam ends at noon on August 7th, clearing a stronghold will provide the class with approximately 19 points.
In this way, if there are enough strongholds on the island, a class could potentially gain hundreds of points by farming strongholds.
The students in Class A quickly calculated the score, their eyes shining like light bulbs.
"In that case, we need to try to capture as many strongholds as possible. Let's send people out to search now, otherwise it will be troublesome if the other three classes get there first."
Seeing Shibata Sou's burning enthusiasm, Aragaki Shun, who had been flipping through the Guidebook, had no choice but to step in and pour cold water on his enthusiasm.
"Wait a minute, the school won't give us such an easy test. Capturing a stronghold is dangerous; one wrong move and all our efforts will be in vain."
Unfold the Guidebook; the rules regarding outposts are quite detailed:
--[Article 1: A special Key Card is required to capture a stronghold.]
--[Article 2: You will receive one point for each captured stronghold. You may use the captured strongholds freely.]
--[Article 3: Unauthorized use of a stronghold occupied by another class will be penalized with fifty points.]
--[Article 4: Only those who have become leaders are permitted to use Key Card.]
--[Article 5: Leaders cannot be replaced without a legitimate reason.]
The above five points are the general rules; the following are the specific challenges set by the school.
At the end of the seventh day of the exam, all four classes will be given the right to guess the leaders of the other classes.
If you guess correctly, you will gain 50 points for each class you guess correctly. However, if the class whose leader is guessed is wrong, not only will they lose 50 points, but they will also lose all the extra points they gained by capturing strongholds.
Of course, to prevent guessers from randomly filling in a few names and hoping for a lucky guess, the school also has restrictions on this right.
That means that if you guess wrong, for every class you guess incorrectly, your class will have 50 points deducted.
"In other words, in the most extreme case, you guess the other three classes all wrong, and then the leader of your own class is correctly guessed by all three classes simultaneously..."
"In this way, not only will the base points become invalid, but 300 exam-specific points will also be deducted. Even if you try to save every penny, you'll still end up with zero points."
After hearing Aragaki Shun describe the worst-case scenario, the expressions of the students in Class A all became serious.
"This means we can no longer occupy strongholds at will; we must find a way to conceal the leader's identity."
Chie Hoshinomiya agreed, "That's right. Whether to occupy multiple strongholds, and whether to guess the leader on the last day of the exam—these are all things that need careful consideration."
"If you don't want to take unnecessary risks, you can skip these two steps; the school doesn't require it."
But how could I possibly give up!
The points you can earn in this exam come from three main sources: 300 temporary points provided by the school, points earned from capturing strongholds, and points earned from guessing the leader.
If you give up on the last two steps at once, what's the difference between that and admitting defeat outright?
While pondering these three steps, recalling the school's announcement before disembarking, and reviewing the rules in the Guidebook several times, Aragaki Shun quickly came up with a plan to win by leveraging the overall momentum and hard power.
He looked up, his gaze somewhat hurried, towards Chie Hoshinomiya:
"Hoshinomiya-sensei, if there are no other rules, I'm about to begin."
"That's all. From now on, all you need to do is tell me the leader's name, and I'll make Key Card and send them to you."
Hoshinomiya smiled at first, then, as if she had thought of something, her expression suddenly turned extremely disgusted.
"Oh, right, the school also provided each classroom with a portable toilet. I'll have to teach you how to use it."
Seeing Hoshinomiya dejectedly take out a pile of cardboard boxes from the supplies, many girls in Class A looked rather unhappy, and the boys felt equally embarrassed.
Ah, this isn't unbearable, but isn't it a bit...?
Upon Aragaki Shun immediately stopped her and led a group of students out of the classroom.
"Ichinose the boys, come with me to Class D to move supplies."
An army is raised for a thousand days, but used for only one.
He supported Karuizawa Kei in establishing the Aragaki Faction in Class D, and he also had to support her with tens of thousands of Private Points every month. These investments were not for nothing.
Hopefully, these people will be sensible and let him make a proper purchase.
178. Wang Meiyu decisively betrayed him; letting the meat rot in the pot.
When Aragaki Shun led the Class A members to the Class D assembly point, they saw the group arguing over the makeshift toilet.
"No way! I absolutely can't do it on a cardboard box!"
"It's just a toilet, what's wrong with holding it in? It's not something worth arguing about, Shinohara."
"Don't joke around, this has nothing to do with boys, right? Cardboard box toilets? I absolutely cannot accept that!"
Led by Shinohara Satsuki, the girls expressed their disapproval of the cardboard boxes and demanded that they use their exam points to get a more formal restroom.
"I absolutely can't handle things like paper and cardboard boxes! Besides, there might be guys around, right? It's disgusting!"
The boys in Class D, on the other hand, preferred to be patient and save more temporary points, trying to suppress unnecessary spending as much as possible.
"What?! I can't accept you treating us like freaks. Points are meant to be used in crucial moments; it'll be terrible if we don't conserve them now!"
By the time Aragaki Shun arrived, the conflict among the group had escalated to the point where the two opposing viewpoints were almost tearing the entire Class D apart, leaving Yosuke Hirata, Kushida Kikyo, and others in the middle with a major headache.
Upon seeing this, Aragaki Shun did not choose to stop and watch the show, but instead simply stepped forward to interrupt their farce.
"It seems you haven't figured out how to spend the next seven days. Since you find this exam too difficult, how about making a deal with Class A?"