The Special Exam Begins

"Ryuuen Kakeru, you want to talk about a collaboration, don't you?"

As expected of one of Class A's rulers, his mind worked quickly, cutting straight to the chase.

After Katsuragi left, Ryuuen went back to the deck alone to feel the sea breeze. Perhaps it was Ryuuen's captivating aura, attracting attention even in the night.

Kamuro Masumi, with her long purple hair, was part of the Sakayanagi faction in Class A, essentially Sakayanagi Arisu's little attendant. Since Sakayanagi's legs weren't very mobile, she often relied on Kamuro to assist her with certain movements.

Although Kamuro appeared to be Sakayanagi's loyal subordinate, in reality, she was being threatened by Sakayanagi, who held something over her.

"Ah, the sea breeze tastes sweet now," Ryuuen quipped. The girl before him was quite pretty, tall and slender, but she rarely smiled.

"How about we discuss a collaboration too?" Kamuro walked over to Ryuuen, maintaining a distance of about three people.

"Oh, so you were tailing Katsuragi. How incompetent, Katsuragi actually didn't shake you off." Ryuuen expressed his disdain, though he was actually showing favor to the Sakayanagi faction. Kamuro wouldn't come to Ryuuen alone to discuss a collaboration; she represented Sakayanagi's intentions.

"Katsuragi is very smart, but I'm even more skilled," Kamuro said confidently.

At this point, she was still defending Katsuragi. This was the difference between other classes and Class A. Even though Class A was split into two factions, they still collectively protected the class's interests when dealing with outsiders. If Class A were to unite, it wouldn't be good for Ryuuen.

"Then let's talk. For me to abandon Katsuragi and work with Sakayanagi, you'll need to show enough sincerity." Ryuuen extended his hand to Kamuro.

"We can provide the contents of this exam."

"That's pointless. The Uninhabited Island exam is a tradition for first-year students. I already got information from the upperclassmen. You repeating it holds no value for me."

This was a lie. Ryuuen knew the exam content without even asking the upperclassmen. The reason Ryuuen hadn't suffered any setbacks so far was precisely because he had access to more information than others. This was Ryuuen's only cheat, a benefit from his transmigration.

"We can give you double the Points you got from Katsuragi!"

This was truly putting a lot on the line. However, Ryuuen also gathered from this statement that while Kamuro had tailed Katsuragi, she wasn't aware of the specifics of his deal with Katsuragi. So, he decided to play along.

"Oh, that's quite a lot of Points. Katsuragi's side demanded 20,000 Points per person from the class every month from now on. You're offering me double, which is 40,000. Can you sign a contract on Sakayanagi's behalf right now?" Ryuuen didn't think Sakayanagi would accept this condition. In reality, Ryuuen just wanted to raise the price, then slowly negotiate it down.

Unexpectedly, Kamuro actually nodded.

A trap! That was Ryuuen's first thought.

"Tell me your conditions. With such a generous reward, the price I have to pay must be considerable."

"Sakayanagi requires you to ensure Class A comes in last place in this exam, and our collaboration must continue until Sakayanagi rules the class." Kamuro conveyed Sakayanagi's message. Ryuuen had to admire the woman's audacity. He couldn't freely spend the 50,000 class Points he collected, yet Sakayanagi was ready to give away 40,000 with a wave of her hand.

Those Points indeed wouldn't be easy to get. According to Sakayanagi's conditions, he not only had to defeat Katsuragi in this exam but also assist Sakayanagi in seizing the leadership of Class A in subsequent exams. Ryuuen also noticed that his payment would only be received once Sakayanagi unified the class; otherwise, the Katsuragi faction in Class A wouldn't hand over any Points.

After a moment of thought, Ryuuen still nodded. However, this didn't mean Ryuuen was abandoning his collaboration with Katsuragi. If Sakayanagi were present, she would surely notice Ryuuen's true intentions. Unfortunately, she couldn't participate in the exam due to her physical condition, and as for Kamuro…

Ryuuen scoffed. A foolish woman, helping others count money even when being scammed.

After getting the contract from Kamuro, Ryuuen returned to his room for a good night's sleep. The days ahead wouldn't offer much peaceful rest.

The Cruise Ship arrived at its destination, and all the students gathered on the deck. Looking at the remarkably dense forest before him, Ryuuen noted several suitable locations for a base and some caves.

Facing the scenery, about half of the students in Class A were unperturbed, while the other half gathered around Katsuragi, discussing something.

The students in Class B were all clustered around Ichinose Honami, which actually limited her vision and judgment. Excessive unity isn't always beneficial.

The students in Class D scattered, leaning against the deck railings and gazing at the mountains in the distance. They truly seemed to be on a vacation, completely unaware that something was amiss.

Teacher Mashima from Class A took out a megaphone and announced to all the students: "Next, we will be conducting this semester's Special Exam. I will now explain the rules."

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

Discussions erupted from Class D, but this didn't affect Teacher Mashima's announcement.

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

This exam clearly wouldn't be that simple. As the discussions from Class D grew louder, Teacher Mashima continued to explain the rules: "Each class will be allocated 300 special Points for this exam, which can be converted into class Points after the exam. Special Points can be used during the exam to exchange for daily necessities and game items. We will now distribute the exchange manual."

As the booklets were distributed to the students, Class B and Class A also joined in the discussion, but it was clear that Teacher Mashima had not finished her announcement.

"Additionally, there is an extra rule for this exam: each class must select a leader. The leader will receive a magnetic card, and after the exam, you can guess the leaders of other classes. The remaining specific rules can be found in the exchange catalog that was just distributed. That is all."

The rules Teacher Mashima outlined contained who knows how many pitfalls. Ryuuen carefully flipped through the manual.

"Students who are unwell or severely injured and deemed unable to continue the exam will have 30 special Points deducted, and the student will withdraw from the exam."

"Polluting the environment will result in a 20-Point deduction. Missing the 8 AM or 8 PM roll call will result in a 5-Point deduction."

"Violent plunder and destructive behavior towards other classes will result in the class's disqualification from the exam."

"To ensure the physical condition of all students, all exam participants must wear school-customized waterproof electronic watches. These watches can monitor your physical condition in real-time."

Ryuuen noticed that the last page of the booklet stated: "This exam will include hidden tasks."

While Ryuuen was still looking through the rules, and other students from Class C stood behind him, waiting for his commands, the other classes had already disembarked to claim suitable bases.

After all, they would be living there for a week, so the first thing to solve was shelter, then food and drink. Only after that would they consider other exam-related issues.