Devil in Class 1-D

Year 2 Chapter 7.5 - Rules

Mashima: There are two ways in which you can collect points.

Mashima-sensei start to explain.

Mashima: The first method by which you can collect points is via the ‘Basic Movement’ rule. The island has been divided into a total of one hundred areas, and you will be instructed to head to specific areas at regular intervals. For example, let’s say that the starting point is Area D9, where the port is located, but Area C8 has been designated as your destination. The groups that arrive first will receive an ‘Early Bird Reward,’ with the first group who arrives there being awarded ten points. The second group to arrive will receive five points. The third group to arrive will receive three points. In addition, everyone who arrives at the designated area within the specified timeframe will be given an equal ‘Arrival Bonus’ award, in the amount of one point per person. For example, let’s say that a three-person group arrives at a designated area first. They would receive ten points for the Early Bird Bonus, and in addition, they would receive three points for the Arrival Bonus. As you can see from this example, it’s possible to earn thirteen points all at once this way. If we were talking about a two-person group, they would get two points for the Arrival Bonus, so their total would be twelve points.

It was possible that some groups might do some reckless things in order to get first place. But we weren’t competing in a city; we were doing this on an uninhabited island. It was easy to predict that there would be few flat paths and many obstacles in our way.

It was even possible that injuries could occur due to unforeseen circumstances.

Mashima: Designated destination areas for the Basic Movement system will be announced three times on the first and final days of the exam period, but four times for the other twelve days. Goal times are from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m., and 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Then there will be a two-hour break, followed by additional times from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., and 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

So, this was a system where we would earn points by reaching designated areas during each of the set two-hour time periods. It sounded like the school administrators were taking into consideration the dangers of moving about when it was dark, since the last segment ended at 5 p.m.

Mashima: Something you must keep in mind: if you fail to reach the designated area three times in a row, your group will lose a point. And the penalty gets more severe each additional time you fail to reach a designated area by an additional one point every time. The fourth consecutive time you fail to arrive at the area, you’ll lose two points. The fifth consecutive time you fail to arrive, you’ll lose three points, and so on.  However, should a group manage to break this streak, their penalty counter will be reset.

So, that meant that if people ran out of stamina or if they found themselves stuck, they wouldn’t be able to get to the areas that they needed to reach and they would continuously lose the points that they had collected.

Mashima: Regarding the issue of reaching the areas, though. Your group will be safe if at least one person from your group reaches the area in time. In other words, this means that it’s not necessary for all members of a group to reach the designated areas. However, the Arrival Bonus will still only be distributed based on the number of people who reach the designated area.

The students started to murmur among themselves a bit when they heard that part.

Suppose, for the sake of argument, that just one person from a particular group managed to reach the designated area. That meant that their group would only be awarded one point for the Arrival Bonus, but the group wouldn’t be hit with the penalties that came with failing to reach the area at all. This meant that when it came to collecting points, simply having more people in your group gave you an overwhelming advantage.