Who Told You to Play Infinity Like This - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Zhao Qinghe was not only the class monitor but also the top student in the class.

Of course, that was in the past. Now, Lin Qiu stood in a league of her own.

After all, Chu Zhao didn’t know if her skill, “I’m Too Eager to Improve,” could be used on a test paper.

However, she felt that as long as she was given enough books, she could still crush Lin Qiu under her heel.

As soon as she stood up, she felt that familiar sensation of being watched-a 360-degree surround-sound feeling of scrutiny, just like in the dormitory.

From this moment on, every expression and every detail of her behavior would be under everyone’s gaze.

The classroom layout was tiered, with the front lower than the back. The teacher stood at the lowest point of the room.

Consequently, when Chu Zhao stood up, she was at nearly the highest point in the classroom.

Zhu Qing’an had chosen a seat that was far too far back.

The thirty-nine students were scattered across various seats, sitting in small groups of twos and threes. Chu Zhao first collected her and Zhu Qing’an’s books before moving to the neighboring seats.

At this moment, the line between the players and “them” was clear.

Upon seeing Chu Zhao, the players would submissively hand over their books. Meanwhile, “they” would look at Chu Zhao with malicious, mocking eyes.

Chu Zhao had just taken a player’s book, ignoring the other’s sympathetic gaze, when she turned her attention to a female student who was clutching her book tightly, refusing to let go. Chu Zhao said unhurriedly, “Qian Man, are you trying to cheat?”

That single sentence gave everyone the right to turn and look. Every head snapped toward them, including the teacher’s.

Qian Man: “…”

Having her name called out and becoming the center of attention for the entire class, Qian Man’s face stiffened as she released the book.

She watched Chu Zhao’s departing figure with resentment before shooting a cold glare at her Impostor roommate sitting beside her. “How does she know my name?”

The player: “…”

Good question. She wanted to know the answer to that, too.

Qian Man wasn’t finished. “Why is it that you don’t know anything?”

Zhao Qinghe’s moderate voice rang out from nearby. “No whispering during class.”

Qian Man: “…” Do you really think you’re the class monitor?

Although Zhao Qinghe’s aura was a bit strange, she definitely wasn’t the real Zhao Qinghe.

Otherwise, under normal circumstances, a heavy slap would have landed on her face by now.

Only after that would Zhao Qinghe smile and ask if she had some psychological issues and if she needed the class monitor to help provide some counseling.

Perhaps because Zhao Qinghe’s performance was so natural, or perhaps for some other reason, the rest of Chu Zhao’s book collection went quite smoothly.

At the same time, she matched the remaining players to their names one by one. A smile played on her lips, her demeanor natural from beginning to end.

In a class of thirty-nine, including herself, there were only six players.

Two males and four females.

After two days of filtering, they all appeared normal on the surface. It was only in the split second their eyes met hers that a faint, almost imperceptible spark of excitement flickered.

Who could understand their plight? These players should have met up, exchanged information, and formed a team immediately. Instead, they had been kept apart by this dungeon until now.

With more than half of the players dead or injured, they had finally seen their teammates. How could they not be excited?

Chu Zhao responded to each of them with a smile.

Whether it was because the teacher had a powerful presence, or because Zhao Qinghe could call out everyone’s name in the class, she eventually finished collecting all the books.

Their obedient and well-behaved appearance gave Chu Zhao a new perspective on the identity of a “teacher.”

Was a “teacher” more powerful than the students?

She really wanted to perform a comprehensive “Read” on them.

After collecting the books, Chu Zhao prepared to return to her seat for the exam. To her surprise, Yun Shuang’s next words were, “I’m going next door to grab a drink of water. Class monitor, proctor the exam for me.”

Chu Zhao: “?”

You?

Yun Shuang continued as if talking to herself, “Just take your test paper and write at the podium. I believe Qinghe will definitely get a good grade.”

As if blind to the look in Chu Zhao’s eyes, the woman left as gracefully as she had arrived.

Chu Zhao watched her leave the room, her mind occupied by a single thought: Teacher Yun is so capricious; she must be very wealthy.

She should look around later to see if the school had a broadcasting station.

The last time she saw Yun Shuang, the woman had said “we” were all followers of Chaos, and that their goal was to destroy this academy and find the location of the “Saint’s Heart.”

But during this meeting, her malice was barely concealed.

This didn’t feel like they were in the same faction at all; it felt more like they were in opposing factions.

She had two theories. First, Yun Shuang was testing her. She had actually been Zhao Qinghe’s teacher all along, but she simply knew more than the roommates and used more sophisticated methods-even pointing out Chu Zhao’s third main quest for unknown reasons. Second, Yun Shuang had indeed been replaced, but she wasn’t in the same faction as Chu Zhao, and her mission differed. Thus, her current behavior was merely to interfere with Chu Zhao. In this scenario, Yun Shuang could be a native or a higher-level player.
Of course, there was another possibility that Chu Zhao found highly unreliable.

That was the idea that Yun Shuang really was on their side, but the Kin of the Chaos Faction were simply chaotic by nature. They might sacrifice a teammate just because they were happy-or unhappy-doing so even if there was no benefit at all. In common parlance, they were just… brain-dead.

She might need to find a suitable opportunity to use [Reading] on Yun Shuang.

Maybe she could take her roommates to ask the teacher for advice after class?

Recalling Li Qingyin’s words, Chu Zhao turned her head and declared, “The exam begins.”

Li Qingyin had said that the proctor wasn’t actually a teacher, and certainly wasn’t Zhao Qinghe. It was the ‘Edict’.

To avoid any further complications, she immediately attempted to trigger the will of the Edict.

Almost the second she finished speaking, an invisible sense of monitoring appeared over everyone’s heads, like a heavy shackle pressing down on them.

Some of the ‘people’ who were about to move immediately sat back down.

A light screen appeared along with it, visible to everyone.

[Edict]

[1. Candidates are forbidden from whispering to one another;
2. During the examination, candidates may not leave their seats;
3. Candidates may not peek at or copy others’ exam papers;
4. Candidates may not use any communication tools;
5. Candidates must ensure all information in the information column is true; proxy testing is forbidden;
6. Exam papers must be clean and tidy; handwriting must be clear and valid; no smudging or corrections are allowed;
7. Candidates’ exam scores must not be lower than 60 points.

(Exam duration: 60 minutes)]

Chu Zhao scanned the list quickly, her heart sinking slightly.

These were the rules for candidates, but there were no rules for the proctor.

This meant… her status here was still that of a candidate, yet because of her role as the so-called proctor, she couldn’t access the exam paper and pen at her own seat.

Chu Zhao paused for a moment, then whispered, “Edict above, this is my seat.”

Following her voice, the invisible majesty intensified for an instant, but He returned to normal a moment later.

Chu Zhao’s exam paper and pen automatically appeared on the lectern. Clearly, the Edict had agreed to recognize the lectern as her seat.

Glancing at the paper, Chu Zhao found the questions surprisingly simple.

Even if she couldn’t get a perfect score like the original Zhao Qinghe, scoring at least sixty wouldn’t be a problem for her.

Thinking back on the Edict, Chu Zhao’s gaze lingered on the information column.

The first four rules were fairly common requirements, but the last three… those were worth pondering.

You couldn’t fail, you couldn’t have any corrections on the paper, and… you had to confirm the information was true and not use a proxy.

Chu Zhao instinctively felt this was a trap.

She looked at the information column. It asked for the usual: name, class, and a portrait.

Zhao Qinghe’s appearance had already automatically manifested in the portrait section.

Before writing down the name, Chu Zhao performed a [Reading] on the exam paper.

[A blank exam paper]

[An exam paper is to a Scholar what the Codex is to the Edict, or a weapon is to War.

Scholars enjoy using perfect scores to expound upon the Truth.]

Blank?

It didn’t count as having an owner even with the portrait?

Chu Zhao was about to pick up the pen when she suddenly stopped.

Since [Reading] worked, what about [Writing]?

Without picking up the pen, Chu Zhao stared at the information column. A second later, the name ‘Zhao Qinghe’ appeared in the name slot, faster than if she had written it by hand.

[Writing] was also a success.

So, would answers produced by [Writing] be recognized by the Edict?

After writing the class name, Chu Zhao used [Reading] again.

[A blank exam paper belonging to Zhao Qinghe]

Chu Zhao: “…”

She suspected that her skills weren’t just limited by her own knowledge, but that some existence she wasn’t aware of was involved.

Chu Zhao had been forced from the highest point at the back of the classroom to the very front, the lowest point. Theoretically, she was taking the exam under the watchful eyes of everyone.

Since her powers as a [Scholar] could be used, what about the Aberrants themselves?

Who knew what powers they possessed.

Even if they weren’t allowed to speak or leave their seats, did that mean they couldn’t cause trouble?

Chu Zhao remained on high alert as she began the exam.

Since it was her first time, she naturally had to be cautious.

Midway through, she took a moment to perform a [Reading].

[A Zhao Qinghe exam paper with a score of 37]

[A loathsome score.]

Chu Zhao: “?”

Huh?

Wait, [Reading] could grade the paper itself?

Chu Zhao accelerated her [Writing] speed.

Meanwhile, Jin Xiao was attempting to modify Zhao Qinghe’s exam paper.

Her ability was rather unique and very suitable for cheating.

She could see other people’s papers, modify them, and ensure the victims never noticed the changes.

Of course, the unfortunate part was that her modifications didn’t count as ‘smudging’ or ‘corrections’ certified by the Edict.
But now, she had discovered something that piqued her interest.

She actually couldn’t change Zhao Qinghe’s test paper.

She had tried to change the name to ‘Jin Xiao’, but she failed.

Every character the other girl wrote seemed frozen in place; no matter what she did, she couldn’t modify them.

To test this, Jin Xiao specifically altered a few other people’s papers.

Well… she could still change those Impostors’ papers however she pleased, and she could do it without them ever noticing.

But Zhao Qinghe-she still couldn’t touch her work.

Jin Xiao was starting to feel a bit stubborn about it.

Chu Zhao felt nothing. Instead, she was writing at a furious pace, pouring all her knowledge onto the test paper.

Once she finished writing, she used [Reading] again.

[A test paper belonging to Zhao Qinghe, score: 87]

[A rather unlikable score.]

Chu Zhao: “?”

Huh?

Only an 87?

Could she change it?

She attempted to use [Writing] for the second time.

The pressure of the ‘Edict’ did not appear, which meant her [Writing] did not count as defacing the test paper.

At this moment, rows of neat characters were clearly visible on the paper. Although she hadn’t touched a pen from start to finish, Chu Zhao’s test paper was perfect.

Clearly, for a Scholar, [Writing] was far more useful than a pen.

Subsequently, Chu Zhao conducted a sweeping review of the paper.

She strove for perfection.

[A test paper belonging to Zhao Qinghe, score: 98]

[A rather unlikable score.]

Chu Zhao: “?”

She continued her troubleshooting.

[A test paper belonging to Jin Xiao, score: 100]

[A qualified Apprentice Scholar… but far too stupid.]

Chu Zhao suddenly looked at the name column and discovered that at some point, the three characters for ‘Zhao Qinghe’ she had written had inexplicably turned into ‘Jin Xiao’.

Chu Zhao: “?”

Do you have a death wish?

How dare she change the test paper she had worked so hard on!

Chu Zhao changed the name back, her gaze drifting ominously toward a certain girl sitting at the very edge of the first row.

The other girl looked back and gave her a provocative smile.

Chu Zhao remembered Lin Qiu mentioning this name in the group chat.

She said Jin Xiao had cheated again.

This was a veteran.

She actually possessed this kind of ability; no wonder she made Lin Qiu so angry.

Jin Xiao didn’t look at Zhao Qinghe again, fearing she might trigger the will of the ‘Edict’, but that didn’t mean she stopped trying to change Zhao Qinghe’s name.

While her ability was strong, she couldn’t hide it from her own kind. Rewriting their names would easily lead to her getting ganged up on, so she usually just relied on plagiarism to get by.

Compared to Zhao Qinghe, she usually chose to copy from Lin Qiu.

Because of this, in the minds of classmates who didn’t know the truth, she was a study god just like Lin Qiu-the best of the best students.

As long as it was a situation where her ability could be used, her score would be identical to the best student’s. The ‘Edict’ had no way to determine if she was cheating.

This time, because she was so focused on trying to change Zhao Qinghe’s name, she had even forgotten to copy from Lin Qiu.

Seeing Lin Qiu put down her pen, Jin Xiao stopped playing around for the moment and went to copy Lin Qiu’s paper first.

Lin Qiu’s face turned cold almost instantly, her eyes filled with frost.

In just a few breaths, old grudges and new hatred surged into her heart.

On that pale face, her eyes burned an eerie red.

Her taboo had been recklessly touched, yet not only could she not retaliate right now, she had to forcibly suppress her instincts to avoid violating the will of the ‘Edict’.

She was driven mad with hatred, the veins on her wrists bulging.

Lin Qiu’s rationality was once again scorched by the flames of madness, repeating her nightmare, dragged into the abyss of Chaos and despair.

Chu Zhao hadn’t noticed this yet.

With her eyes lowered, she attempted to use [Writing] on a test paper outside her field of vision.

She failed.

Chu Zhao thought for two seconds, her lips moving slightly as she kept her head down.

“I’m Too Eager to Improve…”

She didn’t make a sound, but in that moment, Chu Zhao’s vision underwent a massive change.

She immediately looked at Jin Xiao’s test paper and saw her writing furiously; the answers were clearly the same as her own.

In that instant, Chu Zhao’s fury flared up.

Not only did she dare to change her name, she dared to copy her test!

[Writing] activated.

[Jin Nanxiao]

Chu Zhao went on a spree, rewriting the other girl’s test paper at will, changing every correct answer to a wrong one.

Right then, the ‘Edict’ announced the time.

[Five minutes remaining in the examination. Candidates, please finish your answers as quickly as possible and check your name information.]

Jin Xiao finally finished copying. She looked back and scanned her work with satisfaction.

Perfect, done in one go. Then, in the next second, she froze.

Who changed her test paper?!