Exam Begins

"Ryuuen Kakeru, you came looking for me to discuss cooperation, didn't you?"

As expected of one of Class A's rulers—he was quick on the uptake. That saved them from wasting words.

After Katsuragi left, Ryuuen returned to the deck alone to enjoy the sea breeze. Perhaps Ryuuen's aura was simply too alluring; even in the darkness of night, he drew the eyes of the opposite sex.

Kamuro Masumi, a purple-haired member of Sakayanagi's faction in Class A, was considered Sakayanagi Arisu's little attendant. Since Sakayanagi's legs were not very convenient, she often relied on Kamuro to handle part of her affairs.

Though Kamuro appeared to be Sakayanagi's loyal subordinate, Sakayanagi actually held leverage over her and used it to threaten her.

"Ah, even the sea breeze has turned sweet." Ryuuen teased her. The girl before him was quite pretty, tall and slender, though she rarely smiled.

"How about we discuss cooperation as well?" Kamuro walked over to Ryuuen, stopping three people's widths away.

"As well? Looks like you followed Katsuragi. How incompetent. Katsuragi actually failed to shake you off." Ryuuen spoke with disdain, though he was actually extending goodwill toward Sakayanagi's faction. Kamuro would not have come to negotiate with him on her own; she represented Sakayanagi's intentions.

"Katsuragi is clever. I'm just better than he is." Kamuro sounded highly confident.

She was still defending Katsuragi at a time like this. That was the difference between Class A and the other classes. Although Class A had split into two factions, they still unanimously protected the class's interests against outsiders. If Class A were ever unified, it would not be good news for Ryuuen.

"Then let's talk. If you want me to abandon Katsuragi and work with Sakayanagi, you'll have to show enough sincerity." Ryuuen held out his hand to Kamuro.

"We can provide the details of this exam."

"Meaningless. The Uninhabited Island Exam is a tradition for every first year class. I've already gotten information from the upperclassmen. Repeating it has no value to me."

That was a lie. Even without asking upperclassmen, Ryuuen knew the exam's contents. The reason he had never suffered a setback until now was because he knew more than others. That was the sole advantage granted by his transmigrated soul.

"We can give you twice the points you got from Katsuragi!"

They were truly willing to pay a steep price. However, Ryuuen also learned from that statement that although Kamuro had followed Katsuragi, she did not know the details of his deal with him. So he decided to play along.

"Oh? That's quite a lot of points. Katsuragi's side is asking every person in the class to pay me 20,000 points each month from now on. If you're giving me twice that, it'll be 40,000. Can you represent Sakayanagi and sign a contract with me right now?" Ryuuen did not believe Sakayanagi would accept those terms. In truth, he merely wanted to raise the price first, then bargain it down slowly.

Unexpectedly, Kamuro nodded.

This is a trap! That was Ryuuen's first thought.

"Tell me your conditions. With such generous compensation, the price I have to pay can't be small."

"Sakayanagi wants you to ensure Class A comes in last in this exam. At the same time, our cooperation must continue until Sakayanagi takes control of the class." Kamuro conveyed Sakayanagi's message. Even Ryuuen had to admire that woman's boldness. He could not freely squander even the 50,000 points in class funds he collected, yet Sakayanagi could wave a hand and give away 40,000.

These points would indeed not be easy to earn. Under Sakayanagi's conditions, he would not only have to defeat Katsuragi in this exam, but also assist Sakayanagi in taking the throne as Class A's ruler in later exams. Ryuuen also noticed one thing: he would receive his compensation only after Sakayanagi unified the class. Otherwise, Katsuragi's faction in Class A would never hand over the points.

After pondering for a moment, Ryuuen still nodded. But that did not mean he had given up his cooperation with Katsuragi. If Sakayanagi had been present, she definitely would have noticed something suspicious about him. Unfortunately, because of her physical condition, she could not participate in the exam. As for Kamuro before him...

Ryuuen scoffed. What a foolish woman—she had been tricked and was still helping count someone else's money.

After obtaining the contract from Kamuro, Ryuuen returned to his room. He needed a good night's sleep; there would be no peaceful rest in the days ahead.

The Cruise Ship reached its destination, and all the students gathered on the deck. Looking at the remarkably orderly forest before them, Ryuuen noted several suitable places for campsites and caves.

Faced with the scenery before them, about half of Class A remained unmoved, while the other half gathered around Katsuragi to discuss something.

Everyone in Class B surrounded Ichinose Honami instead. That actually limited Ichinose's field of vision and judgment. Excessive unity was not always a good thing.

The students of Class D scattered about, leaning against the deck railings and gazing at the mountain scenery in the distance. They really thought they were here on a trip, completely unaware that something was off.

Teacher Mashima of Class A took out a loudspeaker and addressed all the students. "Next, we will be conducting this semester's Special Exam. I will now explain the rules."

"A Special Exam? What kind of Special Exam? What's going on?"

Discussion rose from Class D, but it did not affect Mashima's speech.

"The exam will last one week and end at noon seven days from now. The content of the exam is group survival on the Uninhabited Island. For this Special Exam, each class may receive two tents, two flashlights, one box of matches, and an unlimited supply of sunscreen."

The exam was clearly not going to be that simple. As the discussion in Class D grew louder, Mashima continued explaining the rules. "Each class will receive 300 Special points for this exam. They can be converted into Class Points after the exam ends. Special points can be exchanged for daily necessities and game items during the exam. Exchange manuals will now be distributed."

As the booklets were handed to the students, Class B and Class A joined the discussion. But Teacher Mashima was clearly not finished speaking.

"In addition, this exam has one supplementary rule. Each class must choose a leader. The leader will receive a Magnetic Card. After the exam ends, you may guess the leaders of the other classes. The remaining detailed rules can be found in the exchange catalog just distributed. That is all."

Mashima's rules concealed who knew how many traps. Ryuuen carefully flipped through the manual.

"Any student judged unable to continue the exam due to illness or serious injury will have thirty Special points deducted, and will withdraw from the exam."

"Polluting the environment will result in a deduction of twenty points. Missing the roll calls at 8:00 a.m. or 8:00 p.m. will result in a deduction of five points."

"Any violent plundering or sabotage against another class will result in the class being disqualified from the exam."

"To ensure the health of all students, every student taking the exam must wear a school-issued waterproof electronic watch. This watch can monitor your physical condition in real time."

Ryuuen noticed a line on the final page of the booklet: "Hidden missions will be arranged for this exam."

While Ryuuen was still reading the rules and the other Class C students stood behind him waiting for his orders, the other classes had already disembarked to compete for suitable bases.

After all, they would be living here for a week. The first problem to solve was shelter, followed by food and water. Only after that would they consider the other matters of the exam.