The next day arrived.
Lian sat with the gang as usual while the teacher walked in and immediately started taking attendance.
"Sunny."
"Present."
"Nox."
"Present."
"Lian…"
No response.
"Lian…"
"Damn, is this Lian guy deaf or something?"
Wait—shit. That's me.
"P-present," he said quickly.
An awkward silence followed.
The teacher stared at him for a solid five seconds while Lian avoided eye contact like his life depended on it.
"Hmph."
The teacher turned back to the board. "We'll be revising all history topics for the semester exams once again. You'd better memorise everything and write it perfectly."
A collective groan rippled through the class.
"Oh, and one more thing," the teacher added casually. "The exam dates have been modified. They'll start the day after tomorrow."
The room froze.
"…We're fucked," Sunny whispered.
"We don't even have a week anymore," Nox muttered.
Everyone began to panic the moment they realised the exams were in one day instead of a week. Some people were already mentally preparing their funeral.
Lian leaned back almost relaxing. Not a hint of panic. He'd been in situations like this way too many times.
At this point, you're probably thinking he'd just lock in and score a perfect hundred, but no, he would fucking fail.
There was no way to absorb an entire semester's worth of material in a single day.
And since failing most subjects was almost guaranteed, his focus shifted to avoiding the worst possible outcome—expulsion.
Fortunately, the exam structure made that easy.
Written exams were 60%, practical 40%. A combined 40% was enough to pass—landing at the bottom of Class D, which is the lowest of low, but it can prevent him from getting expelled.
History. Literature. Theory-heavy subjects unique to that world—he would fail them all.
Except rune engineering.
That one was different.
The previous Lian had been an absolute genius in engineering.
Having the memories didn't mean he could summon every detail or skill. Maths formulas, exam syllabus, obscure theories—all of it floated just out of reach, blurry like a movie watched while being half asleep.
Skill inheritance had limits. Only what the previous Lian had truly mastered—what had become instinct—was fully accessible.
Even then, he could only access the memories—not the skills themselves.
To truly comprehend and use a skill, one needed a certain level of personal attainment. Without that foundation, the knowledge remained fragmented.
Fortunately, in his previous world, he had experience working with electronics and coding. That allowed him to interpret parts of Lian's memories and slowly turn them into usable skill.
If he had inherited the memories of a top dancer or painter—things Lian was terrible at—then all he would gain were fragments: the motions, the techniques, the sequence of steps.
It would be like copying a professional painter stroke for stroke from YouTube video. He could mimic the process, but not the intent behind it. The result would look like absolute shit.
He still had to spend countless hours practising to reach the previous Lian's level in engineering, grinding those inherited memories into his own—until borrowed knowledge became instinct.
Three days passed in a blur.
The written exams were finally over.
Everyone had been forced to write two exams a day. Sleep became optional. Panic became normal.
Lian stayed calm.
Too calm.
Inside the exam hall, he casually scanned the room. Everyone was suffering. Sunny had given up entirely, staring blankly at the motivational posters on the wall. Nox kept whispering to Lin Ling, who was risking his life to help him cheat—only for Nox to ask how to spell the words afterwards.
Lin Ling's face grew paler with every minute, despair slowly crushing him.
Lian looked away, he couldn't help but smile.
His friends assumed he'd secretly studied during his hospital bed rest. No one questioned it. Only Lian knew the truth—how many subjects he'd fail.
There was a one-week gap after the written exams, and the practical combat exam was already announced in advance along with other exams.
A battle royal where all four classes would be dropped into a ruined city.
And Lian already knew who his squad would be.
He knew their strengths. Their weaknesses. More importantly, he knew they'd trust him—and follow his plan without whining halfway through.
They were sitting together in the cafeteria when Nox slammed his tray down.
"We already fucked up the written exams," he said. "But who cares about that lame-ass shit?. The four of us are gonna cook everyone in the battle royal and score full marks."
Lin Ling looked at him like he'd lost brain cells.
"Are you serious? We're near the bottom of Class B. There are monsters above us. And don't even start on Class A. If we spawn near them, we're getting wiped in the first five minutes."
Nox snorted. "They're probably just nerds who can write essays."
Sunny leaned back, unfazed. "Doesn't matter. We can farm Class C and D easily. That's free points. I'm good at escaping—if we see someone scary, we run. Simple."
Lian had been listening quietly.
"I know a way," he said, "for the four of us to score a perfect hundred."
That got their attention.
He slid three attack-type runes across the table, one to each of them.
Nox raised an eyebrow. "Alright, I'm listening. But if you say power of friendship or some corny bullshit, I'm leaving the squad."
Lian leaned in suggesting, "Don't you think our odds improve if we coordinate with stronger people?"
"And how exactly do you convince someone stronger than us to cooperate?" Lin Ling asked.
"By leaving them no other choice," Lian replied calmly. "Just follow me. We're going to gang up and beat the shit out of someone."
Nox grinned. "Hell Yeah, I like where this is going."
Sunny frowned. "Are you guys serious? Who are we even targeting?"
"Kair from Class D," Lian replied.
Lin Ling stiffened. "No way. He's Sequence 2, mid-stage. The top dog bully of Class D. He'll wipe us. We're all Sequence 1 mid-stage—and you're still initial."
Nox thought it over. "If he's with his gang, we're cooked. But if he's alone… we've got a shot. Still, we need a plan. Let's hear what Lian cooked up."
Lian tapped the table. "I have a trick. Something that can cause rune activation to fail."
Lin Ling's eyes flicked to the runes in their hands. "So the three you gave us earlier—"
"—are exceptions," Lian finished. "Tuned to your fighting styles."
Sunny stood up, excitement finally winning. "Then what are we waiting for?"
Lian rose with them, expression unreadable.
--
Lian already knew where Kair would be and what he'd be doing all day. He gathered info and tracked his habits, studied his routines. By the time the exam announcement hit, Kair was already part of Lian's plan.
Information was power. With enough of it, you could exploit gaps, weaknesses—both physical and psychological.
By 6 PM, they were in the courtyard. Kair had just finished his gym session, walking in a sleeveless shirt, tall, muscular, a year older than the four of them. Strength-wise, the gap was obvious. But timing was on their side—he was alone.
The sun cast long, pleasant rays over the empty courtyard.
Kair glanced at them briefly and looked away. No business with strangers.
Lian stepped in front, blocking his path.
"Hey," he said, voice sharp and arrogant. "Why don't we join forces for the battle royale?"
Kair stopped. A smirk played on his face. "And why the hell would I do that?"
Lian's smile didn't waver. "Because you don't really have a choice."
"Nah. I'll pass," Kair said.
He grabbed Lian by the collar, yanked him close, breath hot with irritation.
"Don't fuck around with people who are way stronger than you."
He shoved Lian away.
Lian stumbled back a few steps. He straightened, brushed imaginary dust off his uniform.
Then he spoke again in an intimidating tone.
"Do you really think a loser like you can just walk away after rejecting us?"
Kair's jaw tightened. Veins popped along his neck.
"Say that again," he growled. "I dare you."
Lian said calmly. "Stop testing my patience, It wont end well for you"
Already in a foul mood from the exams, seeing a sequence-one nobody order him around pushed Kair over the edge.
He raised his hand. Rune circuits flared.
Click.
Nothing happened.
For a split second, the courtyard went dead silent.
Then pain detonated through Kair's body.