The only problem was that Beihai didn't seem to have any use for this kind of information. If he wanted to keep a low profile, there was no way he could use it to his advantage without drawing attention to himself.
After all, the school had issued everyone these Terminals. Who knew whether the school could control them? It was just like taking online classes in middle school: the teacher could monitor every computer from the main one.
If he sold information through the Terminal, anyone who added him as a friend would be able to see his location, unless he stayed anonymous.
The moment he told anyone about a deal, the school would trace it back to him. This was a bit of a headache.
The best way to handle the problem was not to get involved. He should spend carefully; the main reason he'd come here was still to attend class.
Just then, the system's voice rang out.
"Host has been promoted to high school and entered the final three-year sprint.
"Host has never slacked off in his studies and has always been sprinting, yet the results have been less than satisfactory. Perhaps we have to admit that people are not equal; they are different.
"Mind Sharing has been specially activated. Want to experience the mind of a top student? Make a binding trade. This is a fair deal."
The system's sudden prompt caught Beihai by surprise. Until now, he'd only been getting traits. Was this a pleasant surprise?
Still, the system wasn't wrong. Sometimes, in a field you weren't good at, you could rack your brains and still struggle to make any progress. Beihai had been caught in the rat race, even filling his notebooks with notes during class. He had all kinds of pens: ones for writing Chinese, ones for writing math.
Yet somehow, he'd become someone who looked like he was working the hardest while actually just putting on a show. But Beihai knew all too well how hard he'd tried.
Some people said that high achievers seemed to spend their time playing around, but worked harder than anyone behind the scenes. Those who appeared to be working hard, meanwhile, were actually wasting their time. But was that really how things worked?
He had to admit he wasn't good at this. Take Gauss, for example. Born in the same year as Gauss, was he even the same species as a human being?
Everyone had the same brain, and there were all kinds of hardworking people. But in Gauss's eyes, there was no question that they were just insignificant bugs.
The system's words made Beihai clench his fist, yet he had no choice but to admit they were true. He'd tested it himself.
In his previous life, he'd been bad at studying but good at shady tricks. It was the same in this life. Even when he deliberately tried to avoid those habits, it didn't make much difference.
"If I could use my dirty tricks or my brains, what would I have to worry about? I can recite all the English subtitles on websites by heart, and I've typed out plenty of them. But when it comes to the exam papers, my mind just ties itself in knots."
After a brief grumble, Beihai went to the school's official forum to look for suitable prey.
First, he made himself anonymous, then changed his name just in case. It was a deal, and Beihai was confident there was nothing he couldn't do.
Unless he was asked to take an exam and rank first in the whole school—that was a bit unrealistic. Anything else, he'd take care of.
After thinking it over, he decided to call himself Agent 17, since he had this ability and would be contacting people online. It was also a way to remember his previous life. Wait, why was that what he wanted to remember?
He hurriedly shook his head, casting his muddled thoughts aside, then typed out a message and sent it. Since this was a deal, both sides had to benefit.
"50,000 Personal Points, and I'll tell you plenty of unexpected secrets. For 100,000 points, I'll do one thing for you. For 1,000,000 points, you get the Buyout Right, but even if you give me orders, you'll still have to pay the 50,000 or 100,000."
He looked it over and decided it should be fine. That was probably the most a student in the same year could afford.
Some geniuses liked to be aloof, after all. It was normal for them to keep to themselves. And the remaining 1,000,000 points would mean mobilizing the whole class.
That would definitely be a genius, too. So why not look for second- or third-years?
Because they were about to graduate. Once they left the school, who knew whether Mind Sharing would still work?
Back in his dorm, he imagined how much Mind Sharing could improve him. Was a genius's brain really that good?
As he was thinking, his Terminal suddenly vibrated. A message chimed in, and Beihai instinctively looked at the screen.
He was a little surprised, and pleased, too. There weren't many people with good judgment in this world. Whatever the reason, someone had noticed his post as soon as he'd put it up. Beihai decided to chat with them a little more.
"Who's got such a good eye?"
The message was short.
[Is something wrong? We can meet up. I can lend you some points, but you'll have to pay me back.]
The message was brief, but the other person hadn't hidden her name at all. Beihai glanced at the chat window in the upper-left corner. The name read Honami Ichinose.
Beihai was surprised. She seemed like a genuinely good person. Wasn't she a little too kind?
Around the same time, perhaps because people had noticed his forum post, others besides Honami Ichinose also tried to contact Beihai. But everything had to be first come, first served.
So he drafted a reply and sent it.
[I'm not in any trouble. On the contrary, I can help you, or even your whole class, in ways you wouldn't expect. For example, I can tell you the truth about this school.]
The online icon on the Terminal changed to "typing." Was she thinking it over, or was she surprised?
[Huh?]
After the message came through, 50,000 points followed.
[So is this a deposit?]
Looking at the message, Beihai could practically picture her not taking him seriously, probably thinking it was a joke.
And, in fact, that was exactly what Honami Ichinose thought. If the forum post had asked for over 100,000 points, or even more than 50,000, she might not have lent them so readily. But 50,000 was a number she could accept, and could easily afford. Even if she really got scammed, she'd just treat it as a lesson learned.
In plain terms, she was a saint, not a holier-than-thou hypocrite.
Beihai didn't think that deeply about it. He just thought she was a bit of a naive sweetheart. But what did it matter to him? He only needed to be the clever one.
Since she'd sent over 50,000 points, Beihai didn't hesitate. He sent the recording from his Terminal.
[I suggest listening to this recording after you get back to your dorm. Don't let anyone else hear it. After all, you paid for it with your points, so it belongs to you. You don't want others getting it for free.
"Of course, you've already bought it, so the right to use it is yours. This is just a small suggestion from me.]
As soon as the deal was done, Mind Sharing abruptly opened a screen and established a connection.
Beihai took a look and saw that her IQ was as high as 90. Considering how naive and sweet she seemed, she'd be easy to handle. He clicked to confirm the connection, confident that she'd come back to him for more deals.
She was kind and easy to get along with, so she must have a lot of friends.
Since he now had the option to bind with someone, Beihai deleted his forum post. He ignored all the other people who'd contacted him.
Before you continue