Classroom of the Elite, I Can Add Points Infinitely Chapter 14

As for why he insisted on fixing the skills he wanted to strengthen onto his panel?

That was because the personal panel, to a certain extent, served the role of organizing reinforcement point allocations into a complete system.

As long as a skill was fixed to the panel, regardless of how much Source Manipulation it previously required to strengthen, upgrading from level 0 to level 1 using the panel would only cost 1 point of Source, level 1 to level 2 would cost 2 points, level 2 to level 3 would cost 3 points, and so on...

This was the reinforcement system he had accidentally stumbled upon through his meticulous calculations.

26. Transfer Ticket, Employment Ticket, and Auditing Ticket

After working hard for several days, he was back to square one in an instant.

Seeing that only 11 points of Source remained on his personal panel, Aragaki Shun couldn't help but sigh once again; no matter how much Source one accumulated, it was never enough.

With just a slight movement of his fingers, fixing or strengthening one or two skills, the Source he had spent days or even dozens of days laboring to acquire would return to zero in mere seconds.

Fortunately, every bit of reinforcement on the panel was beneficial; these consumed Source points were not wasted in vain, but truly transformed into the foundation of his growth.

Thinking this, Aragaki Shun invested another point of Source into [Erudition]. Since it had cost him 10 points of Source to complete the fixation, he had to at least experience the effects of this skill, right?

And so--

[Erudition lv.3(0/4) → Erudition lv.3(1/4)]

Reality was not a game; it wasn't necessary to level up to manifest the growth of a skill.

At least for Aragaki Shun, even within the same level, a simple increase in experience points would still bring a significant improvement to the skill's intensity, though the quantitative change was not as dramatic as a qualitative leap.

Just like that, as the Source took effect, a cool sensation flashed through Aragaki Shun's mind. He could feel his brain becoming much lighter, and his entire being felt exceptionally refreshed, with not a hint of sleepiness.

He pulled a book from the pile on his desk and began to read slowly, following his usual reading style.

He read very seriously, because these books he had borrowed from the library were specifically chosen to enrich himself.

In his previous life, he couldn't say he liked reading, but in this life, after awakening Source Manipulation, he fully understood that every bit of knowledge he grasped could become the power that made him stronger, so reading had become his greatest hobby in his spare time.

Turning page after page, half an hour later, Aragaki Shun put down the medical book he had finished a small portion of, marked his place, and returned it to the desk.

Recalling the results of yesterday's reading, Aragaki Shun estimated that his reading efficiency had improved by about one-tenth this time.

This was the result brought by [Erudition]; it allowed Aragaki Shun to memorize new knowledge in a more suitable way and, through the organization of existing knowledge, draw inferences and better integrate new information.

After experiencing the obvious changes brought by this skill, Aragaki Shun felt a bit regretful that he didn't have extra Source, otherwise, he would definitely have upgraded this skill to lv.4, lv.5, or even higher immediately.

Skills fixed on the personal panel had no level cap; at least at this stage, Aragaki Shun could not yet touch the limits of Source.

According to his past experience, if a lv.1 skill was equivalent to a beginner apprentice and lv.3 was professional level, then a lv.4 skill was like having a base attribute of 10, belonging to the limit that a normal person could reach through hard work.

And lv.5 was a realm that only those with extraordinary talent could reach; anyone in any profession who could reach this step was enough to establish a school of thought and become a master whose name would be recorded in history.

As for anything above lv.6, he had neither possessed it nor encountered it in this world. If nothing else, it should be the point where "technique approaches the Dao," beginning to step toward the extraordinary.

Otherwise, it would be hard to explain why the Source required to upgrade from lv.5 to lv.6 suddenly doubled.

So, as expected, he still had to keep saving up Source!

Aragaki Shun sighed helplessly, took out his phone, and opened the app for his Private Points balance. A number appeared that was far too large for a freshman, and even beyond what most upperclassmen possessed--11 million Private Points.

The 100,000 issued by the school at the start of the term, 700,000 earned from challenging clubs on the first day, 500,000 won from playing against Sakayanagi, 300,000 in information fees collected by Ichinose Honami from the whole class, 6.5 million won from challenging various clubs afterward, and finally, the 3 million friendly gift from the blond upperclassman.

After deducting the daily expenses and small change from these past few days, what remained was the 11 million Private Points mentioned above.

The upperclassmen seemed to have a habit of saving Private Points; at least the students in Class A and Class B of the upper years could easily produce 100,000 or 200,000 points.

That blond upperclassman, who seemed a bit too... friendly, had even sent him 3 million the moment they met without a hint of heartache, and even made an appointment with him to compete again if there was a chance.

In Aragaki Shun's eyes, this upperclassman was a rare, once-in-a-century good person; he would see if he could "farm some more gold" from him later.

Looking at the 11 million Private Points on his phone, if Aragaki Shun were to go solo, he would have already gathered more than half of the 20 million required for a class transfer.

Unfortunately, going to Class A alone to start over did not align with his expectations.

Moreover, just like how Source was spent quickly, these 11 million Private Points looked like a lot, but if he really wanted to use them, they would also be cleared out in mere seconds.

Recalling the two compensations Director Kanda had promised him and Kanzaki, Aragaki Shun did not hesitate. He swiped his finger across the phone interface twice, and a staggering 10 million Private Points evaporated just like that.

Decreasing from 11 million to a pitiful 1 million, one could say his savings dropped from eight figures to seven figures in the blink of an eye; it was simply too painful to look at.

But since he had spent so many Private Points, Aragaki Shun naturally intended to make them serve a purpose.

Because they had already negotiated, the school's response was very fast. Just a few minutes later, the items Aragaki Shun had ordered for 10 million were sent over via email:

[Transfer Ticket (One-month limited)]

--A special item that allows temporary joining of another class for one month. The user enjoys all rights of the joined class, including class points. Using this to graduate from Class A in the final month is invalid;

Because it was the school's first transaction, there was an initial discount of 1 million Private Points per ticket. Aragaki Shun bought nine at once.

[Employment Ticket (One-week limited)]

--A special item that allows the temporary employment of students from other classes to work for one's own class for one week. The rights enjoyed by the employed students should be decided through negotiation with the user.

Because it was the school's first transaction, there was an initial discount of 100,000 Private Points per ticket. Aragaki Shun also bought nine at once;

[Auditing Ticket (One-day limited)]

--A special item that allows temporary attendance of classes in other classes for one day. The user still belongs to their original class and does not enjoy any rights of the audited class.

Because it was the school's first transaction, there was an initial discount of 10,000 Private Points per ticket. Aragaki Shun bought 10 at once;

Ten million Private Points, just enough to buy these twenty-eight vouchers; as for whether it's worth it, only the future results will tell.

He had already made up his mind: tomorrow, he would go to Class D to audit classes for a day.

He wanted to see for himself exactly what kind of class could make even Koenji Rokusuke feel such utter disgust.

27. Chairman Sakayanagi is a bit embarrassed

While Aragaki Shun was immersed in taking stock of his gains from the past few days, in another part of the school, Chairman Sakayanagi was not in a good mood.

"Arisu, are you sure you won't consider resting for a while? The freshmen in this year's batch seem a bit too abnormal compared to the students Kodo Ikusei has had in the past."

Chairman Sakayanagi looked at his proud daughter with a troubled expression.

From a young age, because of the girl's frail body and congenital heart disease, while ordinary children were enjoying their childhood with friends, Sakayanagi Arisu had spent most of her time receiving treatment in hospitals.

Because the physical weakness caused by her heart condition indirectly led to difficulty in walking, the girl not only couldn't experience various sports like her peers, but even her elementary and middle school education had to be completed at home with private tutors.

Chairman Sakayanagi had always felt deeply guilty toward his daughter, believing he hadn't fulfilled his responsibilities as a father, and was always trying to find ways to compensate her.

Arranging for Sakayanagi Arisu to enroll in Kodo Ikusei was also because he thought his daughter had never experienced "going to school," a right that belonged to every ordinary person.

Elementary and middle school were already in the past, and he could hardly change that, but high school was still an opportunity; otherwise, even if her heart condition were cured in the future and she returned to a healthy life, the girl might still harbor great regrets in her memories.

In any case, Kodo Ikusei Senior High School was right under his nose, and with him keeping an eye on things, there shouldn't be any problems.

So, seeing that Arisu's physical recovery was going well—at least enough for her to move around slowly in her daily life—Chairman Sakayanagi arranged for her to enter Class A as a freshman.

Heaven is my witness, he admitted that he did have selfish motives in this regard, but he only let Arisu enter Class A because he believed that the students in Class A from previous years had the best discipline and the highest quality, and putting Arisu in Class A simply gave him more peace of mind.

As for the so-called benefits after graduating from Class A, as the dignified Chairman of Kodo Ikusei Senior High School, did he really need to arrange such things for his own daughter?

By placing Arisu in Class A, he was only thinking about letting the girl experience a normal high school campus life more easily; if she could make one or two friends and show more joyful smiles on her face, he would be even more gratified.

This was just a small wish as a father.

Unexpectedly, it was precisely in this year that a few freshmen with terrifyingly high initiative appeared, taking this matter directly to the Board of Directors.

And given the identities of those people, the Board of Directors couldn't pretend not to see it even if they wanted to, leaving him in a particularly sorry state these past few days.

Under these circumstances, Kodo Ikusei Senior High School was no longer suitable for Arisu to experience campus life; those people didn't even give him, the Chairman, any face, let alone the Chairman's daughter.

So, even though he felt it was unlikely that his daughter, who had always had a mind of her own, would just back down, he still tried to persuade her to go home and rest for a while, even offering to arrange for her to join the next year's intake.

"No, Father."

Then, as a matter of course, Sakayanagi Arisu rejected the proposal, cleanly and decisively.

"If I were to run away like this, I would never be able to hold my head up in front of that man again, and I would even look down on myself."

Leaning on her cane, the petite, white-haired girl exuding an ethereal and fragile aura was inexplicably strong at this moment. "I am a genius, after all; that is what you have told me since I was a child. Are you asking me to flee before a battle when facing a respectable opponent? That would bring shame to the name of a genius!"

"So that's how it is? Sigh~"

Chairman Sakayanagi sighed helplessly, but this was a situation he had expected; he knew his daughter, and naturally, he knew the chances of her agreeing were one in ten thousand.

The reason he still asked was merely because, in his heart as a father pitying his daughter, he still harbored that sliver of hope.

"Then you will have to rely on yourself from now on. The Board of Directors is watching closely; starting tomorrow, I will no longer have the authority to interfere with the exams of this year's freshmen."

Although it wasn't for the sake of the treatment after graduating from Class A, regardless of his intentions, the fact that he had abused his power in the class placement of this year's freshmen would not change.

The Chairman was well aware of this point.

Although he was confident that his daughter was absolutely superior to everyone else in Class A, Arisu had never attended elementary or middle school, and all the information the school had about her came from him. Coupled with her obvious physical disability, if she were placed according to the rules of previous years, it would already be lucky if she weren't assigned to Class D.

But how could the Chairman let his daughter enter that class full of defective products!

No one knew better than him, the highest authority in the school, how terrible the Class D students of previous years were.

If Arisu were allowed to enter Class D, he might not be watching closely one day, and that group of students might create a "big surprise" for her.

One must know that Arisu's condition was a heart disease, which was most sensitive to shock, and Class D never lacked those impulsive, hot-headed eccentrics who acted without considering the consequences.

If an accident really happened, what could he do even if he exhausted all means to retaliate afterward?

The same logic applied to Class C.

As for Class B, it was because it was closest to Class A and the competition was the most intense.

The Chairman wanted his daughter's life at school to be easier, so arranging her directly into Class A was the most appropriate choice.

This was originally just a small matter, but someone among the freshmen had to take it seriously, and the few who did were people who really couldn't be ignored.

In the end, he had to engage in a trade of interests within the Board of Directors to successfully suppress the matter, but he would have to avoid suspicion in the freshman assessments from now on.

"Isn't that even better?"

Facing her old father's display of worry, the girl only revealed a carefree and confident smile.

"I took the initiative and occupied the advantage at the start, and Aragaki-kun countered with a decisive and sharp strike that hit the vital point. It really is beautiful; he directly dismantled my biggest trump card."

Sakayanagi Arisu sighed at the tenacity of her opponent.

As the daughter of a politician and a genius chess player who pursued victory by any means necessary, she would not be constrained by so-called rules and fairness.

A sufficiently brilliant chess player cannot only consider the situation on the board; sometimes, factors off the board are the key to locking in the victory.

Clearly, Aragaki Shun was well-versed in this principle, which was why he had so swiftly driven her father from the position of the question-setter.

"The thought of such a sharp opponent for the next three years fills me with joy. Father, you only need to block his moves from outside the chessboard; please don't go ruining my fun on purpose."

"Being able to reasonably utilize the resources at one's disposal is a manifestation of talent. Councilor Aragaki truly has an excellent successor; it is quite enviable."

Although he had been left in a rather sorry state by Aragaki Shun over the past few days, the Chairman still acknowledged the boy's capabilities.

He could use his status to bend the rules, and naturally, the other party could counter in kind; it was simply a matter of each side relying on their own methods, and he wasn't petty enough to hold a grudge against a young man for that.

However, regarding Arisu's request to block the boy's moves from outside the chessboard, the Chairman felt a bit awkward.

He wondered if that compensation counted...

28. Sakayanagi Arisu wants to take complete control of Class A

"...Father, you aren't trying to tell me that you can't even handle such a small request, are you?"

Seeing the awkward expression on her father's face, Sakayanagi Arisu's eyes sharpened, and a faint, ominous premonition surfaced in her heart. "Could it be that he has prepared some other surprise from outside the school that even you find difficult to block?"

"It hasn't reached that point. I am, after all, still the Chairman of Kodo Ikusei Senior High School, the nominal highest authority of this institution. While the Aragaki Family wields significant power, they cannot interfere with the internal affairs of Kodo Ikusei."

Chairman Sakayanagi was very confident in this regard.

The background of the Sakayanagi Family was not to be trifled with. Internal exchanges within the Advanced Nurturing High School Council were one thing, but for other external forces to interfere with Kodo Ikusei, they would have to reach a benefit exchange with the political powers backing him and then temporarily oust him from his position as Chairman—otherwise, they shouldn't even dream of it.

Whether the Aragaki Family could pull that off was hard to say, but even if they could, would they really be so bored as to pay such a massive price just for the sake of competition between a few high school students?

The reason Chairman Sakayanagi had been left in such a sorry state by the little one from the Aragaki Family this time was because he had engaged in favoritism first and been caught by the Council, making it a struggle internal to Kodo Ikusei.

But even though his power to interfere with the first-year exams had been restricted as a result, Chairman Sakayanagi remained confident that as long as he was on his home turf at Kodo Ikusei, if he couldn't engage in favoritism, then other board members or external forces certainly wouldn't be able to stir up trouble either.

"I cannot provide you with any further assistance, but I can guarantee that other students, just like you, will not be permitted to receive support outside of the rules."

Although Chairman Sakayanagi spoke with absolute certainty, and the young girl believed her father would definitely help her keep an eye out for any improper methods used by others, the more he emphasized this, the stronger the sense of unease in her heart became.

"...Methods outside the rules are not permitted; in other words, as long as it complies with the school regulations of Kodo Ikusei, it is acceptable?"

"Yes. The purpose of Kodo Ikusei is to cultivate more excellent talent; therefore, the school encourages students to deeply explore their own various possibilities within the framework of the school regulations."

The Chairman seemed to be hinting at something, yet he also seemed to have said nothing at all.