Uninhabited Island

At five in the morning, the sky was still pale.

All first-year students had gathered at the pier, wearing their uniform-issued hiking backpacks, facing a transport ship that would soon carry them to an unknown island.

The sea breeze carried a salty, damp scent that blew away the last traces of sleepiness.

"Everyone, line up by class!" the voice of teacher Sae Chabashira came through a megaphone. "Detailed rule manuals and island maps will be distributed after boarding. I repeat—this exam lasts for two weeks. During this time, the school will not intervene unless a life-threatening emergency occurs."

Her gaze swept over Class D: "All the wisdom and strength required for survival are in your own hands."

The students boarded the ship in silence. The four classes were assigned to different sections of the cabin, isolated from one another—a deliberate move by the school to prevent premature contact and intelligence exchange.

Inside the cabin, the students of Class D gathered around the map they had just received, their expressions grave.

The island was an irregular oval, covering an area of about three square kilometers.

The map marked the basic terrain: hills in the center, a freshwater stream on the east side, a rocky beach to the west, a small forest to the north, and an open sandy beach to the south.

"Our landing point is here," Yosuke Hirata said, pointing to a mark on the south side of the map. "The beach area. The advantage is easy access to water; the disadvantage is the lack of natural cover, and... it's too conspicuous."

Indeed, the beach landing site offered no concealment; other classes could see Class D's movements at a glance.

"What about the distribution of task points?" Suzune Horikita asked. She was flipping through the rule manual quickly, her brows furrowed.

The manual listed twenty task points scattered across the island. The types of tasks varied: some were simple physical challenges, some were puzzle-solving tasks, and others required teamwork.

Completing tasks earned "task points," which could be used to exchange for supplies before the end of the exam and would also count toward the class's total score.

"Three task points refresh every day, and their locations are random," Kei Karuizawa said, sharing the intelligence she had just gathered. "Class A seems to have already formulated a strategy. They intend to prioritize occupying the central hill area—it has high ground, a good view, and is close to the refresh locations of multiple task points."

"What about Class C?" Kiyotaka Ayanokoji asked.

"Ryuen's strategy is very direct," Kei's expression turned serious. "They brought only practical tools—ropes, machetes, fishing nets; there are almost no extra personal items. My people saw them practicing tying knots and setting traps in the cabin."

Practicing setting traps. The term made several students nearby shudder.

"Class B is relatively low-key, but Honami Ichinose has a wide network of connections, so they might adopt a cooperative strategy," Kei continued. "However, the most troublesome thing is... Arisu Sakayanagi from Class A didn't board the ship."

"What?" Yosuke Hirata was stunned.

"She applied for an exemption from the exam citing 'poor health,' but she stayed at school to command," Kei lowered her voice. "This means Class A has another brain outside the island. They can maintain contact with the island in some way and obtain information we don't know."

This news made the atmosphere even heavier. Class A already held a resource advantage, and now with off-site command, their edge was even greater.

"The ship will dock in twenty minutes," Kiyotaka Ayanokoji stood up. "We need to make a decision the moment we land—whether to stay on the beach to build a camp or move inland."

"Let's move," Ken Sudo said immediately. "The beach is too exposed. If there's a high tide or a storm at night, we won't even have a place to hide."

"But moving inland takes time, and we don't know the movements of the other classes," a boy named Yukimura countered. "What if Class C or Class A attacks our camp while we're moving?"

"Attack? Is that allowed by the rules?"

"The rules only say 'a certain degree of competition is allowed'; they don't explicitly forbid anything," Suzune Horikita closed the manual. "But if a class uses violent means, the school will definitely intervene... at least on the surface."

"On the surface?" Hirata was puzzled.

"It means that as long as no clear evidence is left, or it's kept within a level that doesn't 'endanger life,' many things can happen," Kiyotaka Ayanokoji said calmly. "Ryuen should know exactly where that line is."

The cabin fell into a brief silence. Everyone realized that the danger of this exam far exceeded their imagination.

Twenty minutes later, the ship docked.

Students from the four classes stepped onto the beach and began to act according to the groups divided beforehand.

Class D quickly gathered at the designated spot. Kiyotaka Ayanokoji looked around—Class A was organizing their equipment on the east side of the beach, their movements uniform and clearly well-trained; Class B was on the west side, where Honami Ichinose was smiling and talking to her classmates, the atmosphere relaxed; Class C had already split into several groups and scattered in different directions, like a pack of wolves before a hunt.

"Ryuen is watching us," Kei whispered a reminder.

Ayanokoji turned his head and sure enough, saw Kakeru Ryuen standing on a nearby reef, observing Class D through binoculars. When their eyes met in the air, Ryuen grinned and made a throat-slitting gesture.

A provocation.

"Ignore him," Ayanokoji withdrew his gaze. "According to the plan, we will split into two groups. One group, led by Hirata, will build a temporary camp on the beach; the other group, led by me, will head inland to survey the terrain and find a suitable location for a permanent camp."

"I'm going with you," Suzune Horikita said immediately.

"I'm going too," Ken Sudo stepped forward. "If there's physical labor to be done, I'm your man."

Ayanokoji nodded: "Then it's the three of us, plus..." his gaze swept over the crowd, "Ike, Yamauchi, you two come as well. We need hands to carry any potential findings."

Kanji Ike and Haruki Yamauchi, though somewhat reluctant, joined the scouting team under Hirata's persuasion.

The six-person squad quickly left the beach and headed toward the interior of the island.

Inland, at the edge of the jungle.

Less than ten minutes after leaving the beach, the environment had completely changed.

Dense tropical vegetation blocked most of the sunlight, and the air became humid and sweltering.

Underfoot was soft, humus-rich soil, and various insects buzzed in their ears.

"This place... can people really live here?" Haruki Yamauchi asked, panting as he wiped away sweat.

"Keep moving forward, we should be able to find a more open area," Kiyotaka Ayanokoji walked in the lead, his [Insight (Beginner)] running at full capacity, analyzing the surrounding environment.

There were wild animal tracks on the ground—wild boars, not large in size. There were bird nests in the trees, which meant there might be bird eggs as a food source. The sound of running water came from afar, indicating a freshwater source was nearby.

"Watch your step," Suzune Horikita suddenly warned. "There are vines; it's easy to trip."

Her powers of observation were indeed sharp. Ayanokoji noted that while Horikita was not skilled at wilderness survival, her analytical abilities and vigilance were both high.

After walking for another twenty minutes or so, they arrived at a relatively open clearing in the woods.

The clearing was about the size of half a basketball court, the ground was level, and it was surrounded by trees on three sides, with one side facing a small stream.

Most importantly, there were several large rocks in the center of the clearing that could be used for sitting or as a natural barrier for the campsite.

"This place is good." Ken Sudo set down his backpack. "There's a water source, shelter, and the terrain is relatively hidden."

Ayanokoji looked around, evaluating in his mind: Water source is about fifty meters away, convenient for fetching but not so close as to cause dampness; trees provide natural cover and a source of firewood; the clearing has limited visibility, but conversely, it won't be easily discovered...

"Agreed." He made his decision. "We will establish the permanent camp here."

"But how are we going to bring everyone over?" Kanji Ike asked. "Some of the girls might not be able to walk this far, and we still need to transport the supplies."

This was a practical problem. The temporary camp on the beach had the initially issued tents and supplies, and moving everything would require a significant amount of manpower and time.

"Transfer in batches," Ayanokoji said. "First, move the essential supplies—tools, some food, and medical kits. Personnel will also be moved in batches; those with better stamina will come over first to build the camp, and those with less stamina will be moved later."

"Then I'll go back and notify Hirata now," Sudo volunteered.

"Wait." Ayanokoji stopped him. "It's not safe for you to go back alone. Horikita, go with him. Keep an eye out on the way, and if you see traces of other classes, hide immediately."

Horikita nodded, not objecting to this arrangement.

After the two left, Ayanokoji looked at the remaining Ike and Yamauchi: "We'll clear the campsite first. Ike, you're responsible for collecting dry branches for firewood; Yamauchi, come with me to move these rocks to the edge of the camp to make a simple windbreak."

"Why build a windbreak?" Yamauchi asked, confused. "The weather looks great."

"Just in case." Ayanokoji didn't elaborate and began to work.

The strength and control brought by [Combat Mastery (Master Level)] allowed him to easily move those seemingly heavy rocks. Watching this, Yamauchi's eyes widened.

"Ayanokoji... you're so strong."

"I've trained," Ayanokoji replied briefly.

The two began to work. An hour later, the prototype of the camp had already taken shape: a semicircular barrier made of stones, a level patch of ground cleared in the middle, and a small pile of firewood stacked up.

Just then, the system's notification sound rang in Ayanokoji's mind.

[Ding! Detected that the host is establishing a wilderness camp, triggering skill unlock conditions.]

[Wilderness Survival Knowledge (Basic) unlocked successfully!]

[Currently mastered: camp site selection, simple shelter construction, water purification, basic trap making.]

A massive amount of knowledge flooded into his mind instantly. Ayanokoji stopped his movements and closed his eyes to digest the information.

"Ayanokoji? Are you okay?" Yamauchi asked with concern.

"I'm fine." Ayanokoji opened his eyes. "Just thinking about what to do next."

He walked to the stream and observed the current. The stream was clear, but wilderness water sources must be boiled before they can be consumed.

"We need a container to boil water..." he pondered. "There's only one military canteen in the issued supplies, which isn't enough for the whole class."

"We can build a stove with stones and then use the metal lunch boxes to boil water." A voice came from behind him.

Ayanokoji turned back and saw that Horikita and Sudo had returned, followed by Yosuke Hirata and a few other students.

"Hirata? Why are you here?" Ayanokoji asked.

"Kei and the others are watching the camp over there, so I came to help," Hirata said with a smile. "And I brought some good things."

He opened his backpack, which contained not only more tools but also several collapsible water bags and a small pack of water purification tablets.

"These are?"

"Kei exchanged them in advance using her personal points," Hirata explained. "She said that since we knew we would be doing wilderness survival, she made some preparations. She also exchanged for some fishing line and hooks, which can be used for fishing."

Smart. Ayanokoji praised her in his heart. Although Kei Karuizawa might appear to be just a fashionable socialite girl on the surface, her initiative and foresight were truly outstanding.

"Then, let's speed up the progress." Ayanokoji began to assign tasks. "Sudo, take a few people to cut some thick branches; we need to build a simple canopy. Hirata, you're responsible for building the stove and preparing to boil water. Horikita, come with me to check the surroundings to ensure there are no dangerous factors."

"Dangerous factors?" Horikita frowned.

"Wild beasts, poisonous plants, and also..." Ayanokoji paused, "scouts from other classes."