A Tyrant's Will

Volume 3: Chapter 3.1 - The Outbreak of War

By the third day on the deserted island, we reached a turning point. After adopting Hirata's proposals, the constant shouting and complaints gradually disappeared. For the first time since the exam began, Class D showed signs of stability. Ike and the others managed to catch some fish, and even drinking from the river no longer met any resistance. Thanks to the fruit our classmates had gathered, we conserved more points than expected. Against all odds, Class D was making it through this test.

Currently, we'd spent a total of 80 points. If things continued at this pace, we would end the test with quite a few points left over. Compared to the state Class D had been in at the beginning, the numbers were nothing short of phenomenal. Even Yukimura, who had resisted the most early on, raised no complaints. For the moment, everyone was satisfied with the results.

Now that things had mostly settled down, I finally had the freedom to explore on my own. I borrowed a ballpoint pen, slipped it into my pocket along with the folded map I'd drawn earlier, and left base camp.

I was beginning to understand this test more clearly. If I had to break it down, I'd say 75 percent of it was defensive, focused on whether a class could establish cooperative relationships. The remaining quarter was offensive, evaluating whether you had the ability to scout around and gather information.

By this point, we had a general grasp of each class's plans. While Class D had established its base around the river, Class C had centered their activities around the cave. The appeal of that location went beyond mere shelter from the elements; the site itself carried significance. Since it was also the class we knew the least about, I decided to do some investigating of my own and headed toward their base camp.

As I moved through the forest, the faint sound of ocean waves reached my ears. I picked up the pace and forced my way through the trees toward the coast.

"Whoa..."

I applied the brakes just in time, coming to a full stop at the edge of a cliff.

"I definitely saw something from the ship. It was below here."

Several facilities came into view, clustered close to the cave. There didn't appear to be any obvious detour, but as I followed the cliffside, I noticed a ladder hidden in a blind spot. It was the kind of thing you would miss at first glance.

Gripping the ladder tightly, I tested its stability. It held firm, so I carefully climbed down to the base of the cliff.

Not long after, I discovered a small hut. Near the entrance stood a device, clear proof that this location counted as a designated spot. When I peered through the window, I spotted fishing tackles inside. In other words, occupying this spot meant you could fish freely, without needing to borrow equipment from the school.

When I checked the device to see whether the spot had been claimed, the words Class C were displayed on the screen. They still had two hours remaining. Katsuragi and the others must have come here immediately after securing the cave and taken possession of the area.

You would never have known this spot existed unless you'd noticed it from the boat. The hut was tucked directly beneath the cliff, making it impossible for anyone in the surrounding area to see what was happening inside.

Since there didn't seem to be anything else of note, I climbed the ladder back up the cliff.

"When we circled around the island, I saw a tower over there."

There was another facility I wanted to investigate. However, I quickly realized something. Katsuragi was likely planning to renew control of the hut as soon as the rights of exclusive possession expired, as this would allow him to continue accumulating bonus points. That meant someone from Class C would almost certainly return to reclaim the spot once the two hours were up.