The Rules!?

"You'd better be prepared. As I said before, the 'Entrance Exam' is the easiest 'exam' and offers the richest rewards. If you made a profit from it, congratulations—you're already ahead of the pack. As for those who didn't seize the opportunity, you can only blame yourselves; don't blame anyone else... But! That's not set in stone. There are infinite possibilities at this university... Maybe one day, one of you will surpass the three of us. It all depends on how you seize your opportunities."

"One more thing. I think your counselor, Flame Senior, has already told you this: always remember that you're one class, and you're all classmates. No matter what grudges you have against one another, don't forget that you're Class 12-04, a collective! If you can't even stand together within your own class and insist on pulling all sorts of dirty tricks, believe me, you'll... definitely regret it!"

"Definitely regret it!"

Xiong Ba practically ground out those words through clenched teeth.

"All right, that's all I have to say. There's just one last matter: each of you will hand over 20 Study Points, divided among the three of us." Xiong Ba leaned forward. "Right now. Twenty points each, sixty in total. That's our 'pay.'"

"What?!"

The previously quiet classroom erupted into an uproar.

What were Study Points? Money, that's what!

By now, all the students knew that buying all kinds of items and exchanging points for bloodlines and abilities required Study Points—and lots of them. Most of them barely had any to begin with, just the guaranteed 200. Fourteen had even failed the exam and didn't have a single point. How were they supposed to come up with sixty? And even if they could, why should they hand over the Study Points they'd earned by risking their lives to three Teaching Assistants for no reason?

After all, having gone through Resident Evil 2, they'd learned one thing, at least: without enough strength, all you could do was wait to die!

How could they possibly be willing to hand over their Study Points?

"Senior... these Study Points are what we worked so hard to earn with our lives. How can you..." A tall girl with long, dark hair stood up and addressed Xiong Ba, summoning her courage.

"Exactly, seniors! It took us so much effort to get even a few Study Points, and we barely have any. If we give them to you, what are we supposed to do? How are we supposed to survive without exchanging them for weapons and abilities?" Du Fang stood up too, his broad frame and muscular build filling the space around him.

"And I failed the exam, so I don't have a single Study Point," said Liu Xiatian, the one the Licker had killed in an instant, as he stood up.

Xiong Ba looked at them like they were clowns and said flatly, "Did I say you could speak?"

The students fell silent. They looked at one another, then obediently sat back down and shut their mouths.

Xiong Ba gave a scornful laugh. "You think I care about your measly Study Points? How ridiculous!"

"If you don't even think twenty Study Points are worth anything, Senior, why are you making us hand them over?" Li Shuangmu asked boldly.

Xiong Ba glanced at him, then answered, "The rules! They're rules set by the upperclassmen! It's always been this way; nothing has ever changed. At least twenty points, whether you have them or not, you still have to pay. No one gets to break these rules. Unless you think you're strong enough to break them, you'd better obey. Here, only the strong can make the rules—or break them!"

Otaku suddenly snarled, "Damn it, we should've squeezed every last Study Point out of them to make up for our losses. You idiots should be grateful we didn't call Earl to suck you dry!"

"Then tell me, Senior, what happens if we don't pay?" Li Shuangmu asked suddenly.

Xiong Ba smiled. "Well, congratulations: you'll become a 'celebrity' at the 'university.' Then upperclassmen from the second year, maybe even the third, will invite you out for 'tea.' After that, the 'university's' 'Dissection Room' will have one more corpse for everyone to use in 'class'... After all, plenty of 'courses' at the university require corpses for dissection. Everyone's tired of using the 'dummy bodies' made by the 'Headmaster.' I imagine they'd be happy to try a change of flavor."

"Hiss—"

"Believe me, rookies..." Xiong Ba said. "Those who follow the rules will be left in peace. Those who break them will pay a terrible price. Until the day you're strong enough to trample any rule underfoot. There are plenty of other rules you'll have to follow at the 'university.' Now, hand them over. If you don't have enough, borrow from each other. Unless you're so cold-blooded that you don't care whether your classmates live or die."

As soon as Xiong Ba finished speaking, the quiet classroom broke into chatter.

"C-classmate, could you..."

"Sorry, I really want to help, but... I don't have many Study Points either."

"Waaah... What do I do? Can... can anyone help me..."

"Hey, pretty girl, I don't have many Study Points either. I can only spare you twenty. I really can't give you any more..."

"Y-you're going to lend them to me or not!? If you don't, I'll... I'll... Please, big brother, sir, just lend me some. Once I earn some, I'll pay you back double—no, four times over."

"Get lost! I don't even have enough for myself. What kind of idiot would lend you any?"

"Little sis, I don't have many Study Points either. I can only give you this much. Sigh, go see if someone else can help."

"Thank you... Thank you, big sis... I'll repay you someday."

"Good thing we didn't do anything reckless back then. What do you think, Bamboo Pole? If it weren't for me, wouldn't you be out begging everyone for help now?"

"Hmph!"

"Wei Ming, here, take these hundred points," Li Shuangmu said.

"Here are mine too. Sigh, if it weren't for me, you wouldn't have..." Yin Kuang sighed.

Wang Ning also handed Wei Ming a hundred Study Points.

Wei Ming's eyes reddened with gratitude. "Thank you. Thank you so much. If I get the chance, I'll pay you back."

The students pooled their points, and at last, one by one, they handed them over to the Teaching Assistant Trio. But it seemed not everyone had paid yet.

Xiong Ba said coldly, "What about the other five?"

At that, five pale-faced people stood up, trembling.

Four were men and one was a woman. Among them were Xiao Zhang and Liu Xiatian, along with two other boys. The woman was a nonconformist with a face like a ghost. Her face was caked with so much powder she looked as if she'd been painted like a wall; whenever she cried or made a scene, the makeup ran off. Her wine-red, teased-up hair looked like a chicken's nest, and she had a nose ring. She was so ugly that after seeing her once, no one wanted to look at her again. No wonder nobody had lent her any Study Points.

"So, what are you going to do?" Xiong Ba asked calmly.

Liu Xiatian kept glancing toward Li Shuangmu and the others, pleading with his eyes. It was a painful sight—but why? Because he wouldn't ask! Whether he was ashamed or simply couldn't bring himself to ask for help, he hadn't tried to borrow Study Points from Li Shuangmu and the others. He just kept looking over, as if waiting for someone to hand him the points?!

As for Xiao Zhang, he clenched his fists tightly, as if struggling with himself. Then he suddenly bit his lip, squeezed his eyes shut, and shouted as if venting his frustration, "Whoever lends me sixty points, I, Xiao Zhang, will owe them my life! Please!!"

The other two boys looked at each other, sharing their plight. Their smiles were fearful, bitter, and desolate—they'd already begged enough. They didn't want to go on begging like beggars. At this point, the only thing left to do seemed to be wait for the upperclassmen's final judgment!

Just then, the nonconformist girl with the teased-up hair suddenly slammed her hand on the desk and shrieked, "If I die, I'll haunt you all! I curse you with my soul! May you die horribly and never be reborn!!" Her voice pierced their eardrums like a banshee's scream.

A cold wind swept through the classroom...

Was this what it meant to be... weak?

Bow down to rules made by the strong and beg for mercy like a dog?

Hateful?

Pitiful?

Sigh-worthy?

Despicable?

Perhaps the only answer was—

You're too weak!!

At that moment, the Teaching Assistant Trio watched the "performance" below as if they were watching a show. Every now and then, they exchanged glances, their eyes filled with nothing but disdain and contempt.

"A bunch of pitiful people..."

Yin Kuang sighed inwardly. With a thought, he sent thirty Study Points to each of the four, and sixty to Xiao Zhang. After all, sixty points to buy a life was worth it, any way you looked at it!

That was 180 points in all, the most he was willing to give. He wouldn't give any more. His Study Points were hard-won too, earned at the risk of his life. Even though they were classmates, he had no reason to pay for everyone out of his own pocket.

It was true that people had hearts, but those hearts were selfish too.

Yin Kuang felt that as long as he could live with himself, that was enough.

The instant Xiao Zhang received the sixty Study Points, a wave of joy washed over his face. He looked around, trying to figure out who this "Yin Kuang" was. Unfortunately, everyone assumed he was asking to borrow points, so nobody looked his way. Xiao Zhang had no way of telling who "Yin Kuang" was, but that didn't stop him from remembering the name. "Sixty points for a life. I, Xiao Zhang, won't forget this!"

Then he sent the sixty Study Points to the three Teaching Assistants and sat down with his head lowered.

But four people were still standing. They were still short thirty points.

The oppressive atmosphere was almost enough to leave everyone in the classroom gasping for air. The four in particular were drenched in sweat, their clothes soaked through.

Were they really going to just watch them die?!

"Sigh!"

Li Shuangmu sighed and stood up. "How many points are you short?"

"Thirty!!"

Like drowning people grabbing a lifeline, they seized it with all their might, whether or not it could save them. They shouted almost in unison.

Li Shuangmu sent thirty Study Points to each of them with a thought. "Pay me back when you have them. I don't expect you to pay back extra—just thirty."

"Thank you, Brother Li! Thank you, Brother Li!"

They were all immensely grateful. Thirty points might not seem like much, but it could save their lives.

Li Shuangmu waved his hand and sat back down with a sigh. No one knew what he was sighing about, but he looked thoroughly dispirited.

Xiong Ba clapped his hands. "All right, next, head to your dorms. The 'Headmaster' should have already put some information into your brains. Then come back here at five this afternoon, and I'll take you to the 'cafeteria.' Make sure you clean yourselves up and look lively. Don't act as if your parents just died! Let me tell you, the 'cafeteria' isn't just a place to eat! You'll meet the third-year seniors there. If you leave a bad impression on them, heh heh!!"

After that, Xiong Ba beckoned to Ji Wen and Otaku, and the three of them left the classroom. The classroom door, which had been impossible to open until then, swung open easily.