Chapter 388 Single-Person Exam Participation
"Starting from today, you will have to choose a suitable team on your own, or you can participate as a single person. In short, the format in which you participate will be decided by your own independent thinking. That is all. If there is anything else you do not understand, you may ask questions."
Chabashira Sae glanced at the dismissal time on the wall that was about to change, casually gathered the lesson plans on the podium, and prepared to leave.
Since the specific exam rules and content had not yet been announced, everyone in Class D remained silent for a moment. Right in the middle of this heavy silence, an unexpected person slowly stood up, breaking the quiet.
"Teacher, you have omitted a crucial matter."
"Koenji, what is your question?" Chabashira Sae raised her eyes slightly.
"If a student who chooses to participate alone suffers a sudden physical indisposition during the exam, how will it be handled?" Koenji Rokusuke inquired with a seemingly serious demeanor.
However, anyone with a discerning eye knew that this guy was merely looking for an excuse not to participate in the exam. Just like the uninhabited island exam of the previous year, Koenji Rokusuke claimed to be experiencing "physical indisposition," and as a result, swam back to the ship alone by himself, practically treating everyone else as fools.
"How boring." Chabashira Sae scoffed, her tone flat yet carrying an inhuman coldness. "Even if you apply for withdrawal on the grounds of physical indisposition, there will be no special preferential treatment this year. No matter what the reason is for dropping out midway, it will consistently be judged as improper personal health management, and a penalty of 6 million private points will be imposed!"
As those words fell, the faces of everyone in the class instantly turned a few shades uglier. It wasn't that they wanted to intentionally withdraw from the exam, but because surviving in the wilderness of an uninhabited island for a full two weeks meant that the probability of catching a cold, getting a fever, or suffering an injury from outdoor activities was very high. It wasn't like they were faking being sick on purpose; getting genuinely sick and still being docked 6 million private points was simply too unfeeling!
"If the penalty points cannot be paid in full, the school will directly rule it as expulsion!" Chabashira added indifferently, followed by a subtle piece of advice: "Therefore, unless you have absolute confidence in your own strength, I suggest you all participate in the form of small groups. In team mode, even if someone suddenly experiences physical indisposition, companions can step in to help in a timely manner, thereby reducing the risk."
Her words straightforwardly guided the students toward teamwork. Most people took it to heart, but Koenji Rokusuke himself was completely indifferent. After sitting down, he took out his small mirror again and meticulously groomed his hairstyle.
"Hachiman, what do you think of this exam?" Horikita Suzune spoke up to ask.
"I don't really have any thoughts on it. Anyway, there's still more than a month left. I feel that instead of putting our minds on this, it would be better to brush up on a few more sets of exercises to cope with the final exams at the end of the month." Hikigaya did not deliberately lower his voice; he was speaking of the most correct choice for an ordinary student.
In his view, special exams could only be counted as selection schemes for Advanced Nurturing High School. Except for a few elites with the strength to break into Class A, there was absolutely no need for other people to squeeze through the crowd to fight for it. The National Center Test for University Admissions was the path that most ordinary students should take.
Unfortunately, there weren't many people in the class who could see this clearly. Or rather, most people actually knew it deep down in their hearts, but they were just unwilling to accept the tedious studying. Compared to special exams that were filled with luck and gambling, the rigorous university entrance exam system had almost zero possibility of opportunistic shortcuts.
"I see, you're right about that too." Horikita Suzune nodded, expressing her agreement with his words.
In Class D's classroom, most people focused their energy on the special exam.
"The materials indicate that for this exam, cross-class teaming with any class in the same school year is permitted." Hirata Yousuke, as always putting the class's interests first, calmly analyzed the rules. "In other words, we can integrate the excellent talents from various classes to form an elite squad."
"Exactly! This way, we can both aim for a higher ranking and share the risks of the exam." Yukimura Teruhiko immediately chimed in, actively participating in the discussion.
Although in Hikigaya's view, with Yukimura Teruhiko's academic ability, studying hard to take the university entrance exam was the proper way to go, the other party seemed to have a very strong sense of self-esteem and could not accept his identity as a Class D student. It could only be said that everyone has their own ambitions...
"Cooperating with people from other classes, will it really go smoothly? You have to know that we are competitors between classes!"
"Especially that guy Ryuen..." Sudo Ken displayed a resistant emotion.
Probably because he had previously been plotted against by Ryuen Kakeru multiple times, he harbored resentment in his heart.
Immediately afterward, he turned his spearhead toward Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, who was staying on the side without making a sound: "Ayanokouji! Say something! Don't tell me you still want to hide your strength?"
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, having his away-from-keyboard state pierced, had no choice but to state his position: "In this special exam, I will do my absolute best to make a contribution to the class."
'That is a lie!'
Hikigaya thought to himself. This guy had probably concluded that someone from the White Room would come to snipe him, and since hiding low-profile was already impossible, he could only put on a show of exerting effort. While claiming out loud to contribute to the class, once an accident occurred, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka would definitely sell out the class decisively to seek self-preservation.
However, this wasn't something he should care about anyway.
After school.
Hikigaya packed his school bag and went to the Martial Arts Club for the first time in a while to perform physical training.
"Hachiman, you're here." Ibuki Mio waved to greet him.
To his slight surprise, Ryuen Kakeru, Albert, and Ishizaki Daichi had also come.
"Yo~ Dead-fish eyes. Coming over to practice martial arts right after school, are you planning to slaughter everyone in all directions in the uninhabited island exam?" Ryuen Kakeru's lips curled into a cold smile, his tone carrying a probing edge.
"Ryuen, don't think everyone is like you, with their heads full of driving a career." Hikigaya lightheartedly denied it. "I just want to lie flat."
"Tch~ Who knows what you're thinking, you guy full of lies." Ryuen curled his lip, expressing his disbelief.
"So, what exactly did you come to see me to talk about?" Hikigaya didn't bother to beat around the bush with the other party.
"You, form a team with us." Ryuen's eyes shone brightly, his tone domineering and certain. "With our strength, sweeping through all classes in the entire school year is practically a piece of cake."
"What kind of bargaining chip can you bring out?" Hikigaya didn't refuse immediately; he asked back with a calm tone.
"Oh? Saying it like that, are you really interested in joining us?" Ryuen's expression shifted. He didn't seem to expect that Hikigaya would accept so easily, and immediately pressed on to ask: "What do you want?"
"I won't ask for too much from you, just this number." Hikigaya opened up five fingers.
"500,000? Although it's a bit much, if everyone scrapes it together, it's not unacceptable." Ishizaki Daichi's face showed some heartache, but he bit his teeth and endured it.
"Shut up, Ishizaki! Doing that makes us look very small-minded!" Ryuen kicked his subordinate in irritation. Immediately after, he looked at Hikigaya, his face not looking very good either: "I say, Dead-fish eyes, you opening your mouth for 5 million right off the bat, isn't your appetite a bit too big? You have to know that the reward for first place is only 1 million private points. Asking for five times the reward right from the start, do you think you're calling the landlord in a card game?"
Facing Ryuen's bargaining, Hikigaya's attitude remained tough: "I remember that for first place, besides being able to obtain 1 million private points, one can also obtain 300 class points. 300 class points can accumulate 5 million in just a few months; the value of the two cannot be discussed in the same breath. In short, you want class points, and I want private points—this is a win-win!"
Hikigaya finally added one more sentence, his tone certain: "I want this number, no bargaining."
Ryuen looked full of annoyance: "You, you've really fallen into the eyes of money!"
Hikigaya shook his head: "You don't know the cost of firewood and rice until you run a household. Ryuen, you don't understand."
"Tch! Stop trying to act profound in front of me!" Ryuen looked full of disdain. "Don't think I don't know what you're thinking. Gathering so much money, isn't it just to support a few more women!"
"You—you are talking pure nonsense!" Hikigaya's voice sounded a little guilty.
"Humph! Hachiman, do you dare to say you don't have even a tiny bit of fantasy?" Ibuki Mio glared at him.
Hikigaya was instantly rendered speechless.
"Haha!"
Seeing Hikigaya suffer a setback, Ryuen laughed very wantonly. "It looks like Ibuki and Shiina have both been taken down by you already. Since you're one of our own, why don't you just transfer directly over to our class. When you get married after graduation, I guarantee I'll give you a big red envelope!"
Hikigaya rummaged out a set of training clothes from the club and threw it forcefully onto Ryuen's face.
"Liking to babble so much doesn't fit your hoodlum persona. Ryuen, aren't you going to fight for first place? Let me see your capacity!"
Ryuen narrowed his eyes and readily expressed his acceptance: "Just right! I've wanted to have a good fight with you for a long time anyway! Also, Ishizaki, Albert, you two go and practice well too."
Ishizaki Daichi and Albert went ahead to challenge other members of the Martial Arts Club.
On the ring, Hikigaya and Ryuen confronted each other. Without any redundant opening remarks, both sides started off with fist-to-fist collisions! The two had no obvious gap in power and speed.
Ryuen held a certain advantage in fighting experience. Seeing the right timing, he executed a sweeping kick, successfully tripping Hikigaya to the ground. Ryuen pursued the victory and swung his fist to strike.
An ordinary person falling down usually needed a brief few seconds of buffer before being able to stand up. But Hikigaya didn't have even half a second of stagnation; supporting himself with one hand on the ground, he executed a side kick, solidly striking Ryuen's chest.
'Damn! Almost forgot about this dead-fish eye's damage-resistant constitution!'
Ryuen clutched his stifled chest and took a few steps back. Hikigaya stepped forward quickly, swinging fists left and right at his face. Ryuen raised both arms to protect his face, parrying a few times.
Taking advantage of the flaw where the opponent's arms blocked his vision, Hikigaya quickly bent down, hugged the opponent's waist, and vigorously lifted the opponent's entire body up.
"Bang!"
A heavy body slam crashed Ryuen onto the ground.
"Cough, cough..." A trace of pain flashed between Ryuen's brows, but his eyes were still full of fighting spirit.
"Are you trying to say that what decides victory or defeat is not just power, but also willpower?" Hikigaya took a step ahead and spoke out the other party's inner thoughts.
"Humph! Well said! As long as I still have a breath left, I will entangle you until death!" Ryuen stood up again, his face full of a ferocious smile.
"Very good, Ryuen. As an artificial intelligence punching bag, you're still quite decent." Hikigaya clenched his fists and continued forward to attack.
After half an hour... Ryuen lay completely on the ground, unable to move. Hikigaya leaned his back against the ring's railing, sweating like rain.
"It seems that physical endurance is still slightly superior to spiritual willpower."
"Tsk~ stop being smug here... One day, I will definitely knock you down!" Ryuen now had only his mouth left that remained tough.
"If you don't mind, you can continue to come tomorrow."
"Come then, do you think I'm afraid of you?"
The two made an agreement. From that day forward, until the special exam arrived, they would regularly go to the Martial Arts Club after school every day to conduct sparring and training.
Time flashed forward to July, welcoming the final exams of the first semester of the second school year. Everyone's thoughts were on the upcoming uninhabited island exam, so they inevitably became somewhat lax in their studies.
Just three days before the start of the exams, the people of Class D hurriedly held a study session, frantically memorizing books and brushing up on questions.
See, this was putting the cart before the horse.
Hikigaya originally thought that for this final exam, quite a few people would fail. But surprisingly, the difficulty of the exam questions for this written test was easier than ever before. It could be clearly felt that the school administration was making it easy. As a result, across all three school years, every single class passed completely, and there was not a single dropout!
Hikigaya wouldn't simply think that the school would be this kind-hearted. This felt more like the calm before the storm... For instance, this time's uninhabited island special exam would likely produce a large number of dropouts! Deliberately lowering the difficulty of the final exam was nothing more than keeping more students—to be precise, "expulsion reserves."
This school is indeed the most disgusting!!!
At the final homeroom meeting, Chabashira-sensei could finally announce the detailed rules of the uninhabited island exam.
[Grouping Rules]
Early preparation: Form small teams, maximum of 3 people. During the exam: Small teams merge with other small teams to form a large group of up to 6 people. Gender restrictions: Large groups must meet specific gender ratios (e.g., 1~3 males + 1~3 females, etc.).
[Points Acquisition Methods]
Designated Area Movement (Map Running): Arrive at the designated area within the specified time. 1st place gets 10 points, 2nd place 5 points, 3rd place 3 points, 4th~10th place 1 point.
Task Challenges (Individual Battles): Complete various tasks appearing randomly on the island (knowledge quizzes, sports competitions, etc.). Final Day Bonus (Sprint Phase): All points scored on the final day receive a double bonus.
[Reward and Punishment Mechanism]
1st Place: 300 Class Points, 1 million Private Points, Special Protection Point 2nd Place: 200 Class Points, 500,000 Private Points 3rd Place: 100 Class Points, 300,000 Private Points Top 50%: 60,000 Private Points Top 70%: 10,000 Private Points Bottom 30%: Equally deducted from all classes in the lower-ranking school year. Bottom 5 Groups: Entire group is expelled, or pays 6 million points. Roll Call Penalty: Failure to attend morning and evening roll call (8:00) results in a 5-point deduction each time.
[Special Card System (1 card per person, tradable)]
Advance: Points possessed at the start of the exam can be multiplied by 1.5. Halving: Private points payment is halved when punished. Piggyback: Obtain half of the private point rewards of a designated group. Insurance: Obtain a 1-day recovery buffer upon disqualification due to poor physical condition. Reinforcement: Can join a group as the 7th person. Invalidation: Private points payment becomes 0 when punished. Trial: Class point rewards are multiplied by 1.5, but failing to enter the top 30% will result in expulsion. Solo Flight: Participate in the exam alone, private point rewards are multiplied by 2.
"A coincidence?
Or rather, a bait deliberately fed to me?"
Looking at the [Solo Flight] card in his hand, Hikigaya seriously suspected that this was intentionally assigned to him by the school authorities, with the purpose of inducing him to participate in the exam as a single person.
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