Chapter 114
After some searching, the Leader of Class A found some fishing gear, so they could fish without renting it from the school.
But the most noteworthy feature is the Cabin itself, which includes a bathroom, bedroom, kitchen, and living room, and is quite spacious enough to comfortably accommodate several people.
He'd decided; he'd stay here for the next seven days, rather than be crammed into Cave with a bunch of other people.
After making his choice with a clear conscience, Aragaki Shun left the Cabin and continued his card-swiping journey.
I don't know how many outposts there are on the island in total, but let's take over the ones that are visible first...
"We've run into each other again," Aragaki Shun Koenji Rokusuke, raising an eyebrow as he captured a hidden stronghold under the Kinoshita and watched Rokusuke Koenji rushing towards him. "How many strongholds have you taken now?"
"Are you late again?" Koenji glanced at the spot where Aragaki Shun was standing, memorized the location, and replied nonchalantly, "I've already spotted 12, but Aragaki- boy beat me to it 3 times. It seems my beauty isn't perfect yet; there's still room for improvement."
"I've now captured 15 strongholds, plus the 9 you have, and I saw that Ryuen has also captured 4, so there are now 28 strongholds that have been identified on the island."
After arriving at this number, Aragaki Shun narrowed his eyes slightly, seemingly deep in thought.
The school is located in a visible, easily discoverable location, such as Cave, river, well, or cornfield—areas suitable for setting up a camp.
There were 16 such outposts identified, and they were all surrounded by conspicuous resources, making them easy to spot.
In this regard, classes A, B, and C even conducted a resource exchange, exchanging their surplus resources for what they needed, so that all three classes could retain as many temporary points as possible.
However, after these camp-style outposts were all explored, the remaining outpost facilities were deliberately hidden by the school in very concealed places, such as under bushes buried in the forest, on riverbanks piled with rocks, or on specially carved-out slopes...
In short, the further back the outpost is, the harder it is to find, and even if you do find one, there may not be any usable resources nearby.
Fortunately, all three classes worked together; otherwise, it would have been absolutely impossible for Class A to find all the outposts within a day or two.
Even if you find them all, those remote locations are hard to clear. It would be impossible for an average high school student to clear all the locations within eight hours, even if they worked themselves to death.
Well, putting everything else aside, just considering the Cabin that Aragaki Shun chose to stay in, going up and down the cliff three times a day, he must have to be careful, otherwise it wouldn't be fun to slip on the ladder and fall straight into the sea.
How many outposts do you think there are on this island in total?
"There are 16 overtly visible camp-like outposts, and there should be no fewer more that are more hidden."
After thinking for a moment, Koenji gave his answer, "There are at least four or even more bases that haven't been discovered yet. What do you think, Aragaki- boy?"
"My approach is to search for eight hours, as much as possible. After eight hours, regardless of whether the hidden stronghold still exists, we'll just pretend it doesn't exist."
After speaking calmly, Aragaki Shun turned around and continued his journey of finding a base to swipe his card.
Since the exam officially began, the Leader of Class A has been running around the island for 3 hours, but with his superhuman physical strength and immunity to Immunity to Disease and Immunity to Poison, he doesn't have to worry about getting tired or sick.
Compared to all that, he was actually more curious about what Ryuen was doing.
He's only managed to capture four strongholds after all this time, he can't be that useless, can he?
Is he slacking off or...?
183. Ryuen, let's get hyped!; Wang Meiyu, led astray by Chihiro.
Time passed slowly, and soon it was night of the first day of the Uninhabited Island Exam.
"So, all the people from Class D have already returned to the cruise ship?"
Taking a bowl of meat porridge from Wang Meiyu, Aragaki Shun listened attentively to the intelligence gathered by Shibata Sou.
As the cake served to the three classes at the very beginning of this Special Exam, Class D, having already exhausted all its temporary points, naturally had no reason to remain on the Uninhabited Island.
The temporary scoring round and the leader guessing round were both fixed by him using the school's agreement, leaving only the capture point round as the only round where points could still be scored.
However, since Horikita Suzune has already been identified as the leader of Class D, and all three classes will guess her identity in the end, it would be pointless for the girl to try to capture the stronghold.
In short, there's nothing more that Class D can gain by staying any longer, so it's perfectly normal for them to have their fill of fun and then return to the cruise ship to rest.
"Does the number match? Surely none of them secretly stayed behind?"
Without any supplies, the rest of Class D certainly didn't have the ability to survive on this Uninhabited Island for seven days, but Aragaki Shun hadn't forgotten the Masterpiece from the White Room.
To prevent the other side from pulling any tricks, the Leader of Class A naturally had to confirm the whereabouts of the group from Class D again and again.
"That's right, I saw with my own eyes that everyone from Class D returned to the cruise ship together."
"The same goes for Ayanokoji Kiyotaka, Aragaki one you asked me to keep a close eye on; he hasn't made any other moves."
Although I don't understand why the Leader of Class A would pay attention to a student from the bottom of Class D, I just need to know that the class monitor must have a deeper meaning in doing so.
"Hmm, so that means the only students from Class D left on the island are Xiao Mei and Suzune."
Aragaki Shun looked at the cold beauty with long, straight black hair and the girl with blue hair in twin tails. Both of them were destined to join Class A, and staying together on the Uninhabited Island would make it easier for them to integrate into the Class A group.
With those two excluded, Class D is now completely out of the running in this exam.
It's not surprising, Ayanokoji. You can't make bricks without straw. No matter what Ayanokouji's true identity is, since he didn't step up to take charge of Class D from the beginning, the current situation is no longer up to him.
Unless he abandons his previous persona and participates in the Special Exam in his own name in a high-profile manner, he can only follow the crowd and return to the cruise ship.
"With one variable eliminated— Class B, under the command of Koenji and Katsuragi, shouldn't be resorting to underhanded tactics—that leaves only Ryuen..."
After assessing the current situation, Aragaki Shun quickly finished his dinner, and took the opportunity to praise Wang Meiyu, who was looking at him expectantly.
"This meat porridge tastes great. I heard it was made by you and everyone else, Xiao Mei. I never knew you had such good cooking skills."
"Hehe~ I learned the cooking methods from my hometown from my mom, I'm glad you like them, Aragaki-kun."
A satisfied smile spread across Wang Meiyu's face. She felt that secretly studying cooking skills during this time had been the right thing to do, and she finally had the opportunity to show off her abilities.
Seeing this, Shiranami Chihiro sipped the meat porridge in her bowl, her face showing a subtle mix of resentment and frustration.
But then, as if a lightbulb went off in the girl's head, she suddenly felt light and cheerful again.
After giving Wang Meiyu a thoughtful once-over, Chihiro blinked and thought that since Yume and Xiao Asako were moving so slowly, she shouldn't blame her for giving the opportunity to others.
This cook looks like a rather insecure and timid girl. As Aragaki-kun's official girlfriend, she feels that she must get along very well with him.
Shiina Hiyori simply watched quietly, inwardly marveling at Shun-kun's daily life, which seemed just like that of a protagonist in a novel. She wondered what role she herself would play in it.
Unaware of what the girls were thinking, Aragaki Shun checked the time and, confirming that eight hours were almost up, immediately patted his behind and stood up. "I'm going to do the second round of check-ins. Ichinose, arrange the people taking turns on night watch. After we've captured the base, I'll go straight to the Cabin to rest."
"By the way, could you please go over and help me tidy up Chihiro? This round of check-ins will probably take me a few more hours. If you feel sleepy, go to bed early. You don't need to wait for me."
"I understand!" Ichinose Honami nodded first, as organizing the division of labor among the class was her job.
The pink-haired girl hesitated for a moment, and seeing that Aragaki Shun was about to leave, she couldn't help but ask the question that was on her mind.
"Are you sure it's okay? I remember there are a few hidden strongholds later on that I only found half an hour ago. If I want to wait until they're occupied before I can farm them for the second round, it'll take at least seven and a half hours, right?"
Each time you check in, the occupied stronghold can only be checked in a second time after eight hours.
However, with an eight-hour cycle, the check-in times for those outposts vary. Some are within an hour, some are between one and two hours, and some are not found and occupied until the seventh hour.
In this situation, Aragaki Shun, as the leader, would have to occupy all of these strongholds, and each round of check-ins would take more than seven hours.
Having to complete three rounds of check-ins a day, with less than two hours of rest in total each day, would be too much for even the strongest person to handle, right?
"I understand what you mean." Aragaki Shun explained nonchalantly, "Don't worry, I'll only use the first three hours of each round of check-ins. As for the remaining strongholds that haven't finished occupying, I'll let Koenji and Ryuen Kakeru fight for them."
"As long as I try to keep the base points in the first year, there will always be opportunities to get them from Class B and Class C in the future. I'm not going to risk my life for these few points."
Based on his previous conversations with Koenji, he had determined that there were a total of 40 outposts on this Uninhabited Island.
If a first-year student can max out all the stronghold points, the final score will be an absolutely astonishing number.
But Class A has already gained enough from this exam, and Aragaki Shun doesn't want to exhaust himself just to gain one or two points.
In any case, most of the 40 strongholds were found within three hours, and the Leader of Class A felt that he didn't need to be too greedy. As long as he could occupy more than 20 of them each round, that would be enough.
After explaining his plans and calming the emotions of the Class A members, Aragaki Shun quickly left the Cave camp with the Key Card.
Watching the boy's figure disappear, Wang Meiyu withdrew her lingering gaze and was about to get up and walk around when, unexpectedly, a similarly petite figure suddenly approached her.
"Whoa!"
The blue-haired girl with pigtails was startled and took two steps back.
Perhaps the girl wouldn't react this way to other people, but she had just been swooning over the man she liked, and then his girlfriend showed up. Who wouldn't be shocked by that?
"Chihiro, is there something you want to tell me?" Feeling a little guilty, Wang Meiyu didn't dare to look Shiranami Chihiro in the eye. She subconsciously looked left and right, as if trying to find a way to escape.
The girl with short, white hair immediately stepped forward and grabbed Wang Meiyu's hand. "Wait a minute, Xiao Mei, come with me to the Cabin. It's getting late, and it's not safe for me to go alone."
"Huh? Me?" Her pupils contracted sharply. Just as she was about to make an excuse to run away, she heard this invitation that was too much for her to handle. Wang Meiyu opened her mouth, only to find that her mind went completely blank.
My love rival invited me to her and her boyfriend's private room?
Is this... is this really true?
Could she be trying to make me watch her and Aragaki-kun get intimate so she can finally give up on him?
"Wake up and party!"
Three hours passed quickly. After taking over 21 strongholds, Aragaki Shun ran to Class C's camp as if it were empty, told the students on night watch, and went straight to pull Ryuen Kakeru out of the tent.
"What exactly do you want to do, you bastard?"
Ryuen, whose sleep had been disturbed, looked extremely annoyed. He had only just lain down when this bastard suddenly showed up. Couldn't a man get any sleep?
"Nothing serious, I just wanted to let you know that in this second round of checkpoints, I've already captured 21 strongholds, Koenji has also captured 7. There are 12 strongholds left, and the capture period will gradually end over the next 5 hours."
"Look how good I am to you, I've specially reserved so many points for you. As the leader of Class C, how can you fall asleep so easily at a time like this?"
Looking at the Ryuen, which was preparing for something, with a half-smile, Aragaki Shun's gaze was quite amused.
This Tyrant of Class C has always been known for his bravery and ruthlessness, and he always deliberately causes trouble for others.
In this Special Exam, the other side was surprisingly unenthusiastic about capturing the stronghold... There's no doubt that this person is secretly plotting something sinister.
"I remember you only captured 6 strongholds in the first round, right?"
"That won't do. If the students in Class C find out, they'll think I'm ganging up on you with Koenji."
Upon hearing this, Ryuen Kakeru's face darkened, realizing that his idea of conserving his energy was completely futile.
Although he didn't manage to capture many strongholds in the first round, he personally visited all 40 locations and drew up a detailed route map.
The main problem is that this kind of intelligence is also very difficult to hide. The island is only so big, and the three classes, with more than 120 people scattered in various places, will definitely expose the location of the stronghold if the three leaders openly swipe their cards.
With this in mind, Aragaki Shun decided to share information with the two of them so that they could find all the hidden strongholds as soon as possible.
If possible, Ryuen would like to operate openly and normally while secretly advancing its plans.
However, his physical strength was no match for those two monsters, Aragaki Shun Koenji. After spending eight hours running around and exploring all the locations of the strongholds, he had to stop and rest for a while before he had enough energy to continue his mission.
Now that this bastard has come knocking on his door, Ryuen's first thought is to ignore everything and go back to his tent to continue sleeping.
But after thinking about it, if he didn't take action, Aragaki Shun and the rest of Class C might ask him to withdraw from the exam and then change the leader... After all, withdrawing from the exam only deducts 30 temporary points, while if he could fill all 12 bases, he could get at least 200 Class Evaluation Points.
After much deliberation, Ryuen finally decided to refrain from doing so.
This Uninhabited Island Exam is a perfect opportunity, and I can't afford to act impulsively and give people away, causing the plan to fall apart.
"Get out! Get out! Get out! You bastard, you're actually willing to give up the remaining 12 strongholds? It seems your capacity is only this much."
Ryuen adopted an arrogant expression, "Don't underestimate your enemy like that, you'll regret it later!"
"Sorry! At least I don't see that possibility in you."
Aragaki Shun smiled, turned around, and left Class C's camp.
He came here only to keep an eye on the state of Ryuen and gather some intelligence. As for whether the other side actually went to attack those 12 strongholds... that's not really that important.
Even if no one occupies it, it only means you'll lose 12 points.
When the next round of eight hours comes, the occupation time of these 12 strongholds will be reset to zero. At that time, he will only need to check in for the first three hours for all 40 strongholds, which will be more convenient for him.
With a gloomy expression, Ryuen Kakeru watched as Aragaki Shun's figure disappeared. He glanced at the rest of the class, said nothing, and ran off to claim the stronghold.
In his eyes, the entire Class C was like a sieve, with countless people acting as that guy's spies.
For this reason, Ryuen did not tell anyone about this plan. Before it was officially launched, even Ishizaki Daichi and Yamada Albert did not know what he was secretly plotting.
It's a bit of a shame that Aragaki didn't try to maximize his score.
Otherwise, as long as the opponent is allowed to clear 40 strongholds each round without giving him enough time to rest, by the night of the sixth day, I can...
Three hours meant three hours. After harassing Ryuen with Class C, Aragaki Shun decisively returned to the rest Cabin directly below the cliff.
It's already past 9 p. m. On the island, students can't bring their phones to the exam and there are no other forms of entertainment. Normally, the only option for students is to go to bed early.
Therefore, when Aragaki Shun entered the Cabin and found it completely dark with no lights, he wasn't really surprised.