Hengyuon Nah stood at the front of the field, his massive frame casting a long shadow across the ground.
His eyes moved slowly across the rows of students.
Then he smiled.
Not casually.
But with a kind of excitement that made several students uneasy.
"This is our third Physical Education class," he said, his voice loud and clear. "So let's make it a little tougher."
A brief pause.
Then—
"Run five laps of the track."
Silence.
Then shock.
The students stared at him.
Five laps?
The running track itself stretched nearly 700 meters per lap.
That meant—
Three and a half kilometers.
Some students instinctively swallowed.
Others exchanged nervous glances.
But no one dared to refuse.
They all remembered the first class.
The hundred push-ups.
And the extra fifty for those who failed or disobeyed.
By the time they finished that day, most of them could barely move.
No one wanted to go through that hell again.
Without wasting another second, the students began moving.
They jogged toward the track on the left side of the field, quickly spreading across the five marked lanes.
At the start—
Their pace was steady.
Controlled.
Some even tried to maintain confidence.
But that didn't last long.
By the time they completed the first lap—
Their breathing had already turned heavy.
By the second—
Several students slowed down.
Some were panting hard.
Others struggled just to keep moving.
Their stamina was nowhere near enough for this.
Still—
A few stood out.
There were students who maintained a consistent pace, their breathing stable, their steps firm.
Among them—
Xiao Ziyan.
His movements were smooth.
Efficient.
As if the distance meant nothing.
He could easily complete all five laps without any real effort.
But—
He slowed down.
Deliberately.
His steps became heavier.
His breathing slightly uneven.
An act.
He blended in with the struggling crowd.
Low profile.
That's how he wanted it.
Yet—
His face remained calm.
Not a single drop of sweat.
That alone made the act imperfect.
Then—
His foot struck something.
A small rock on the track.
His balance shifted instantly.
His body tilted forward.
Owch.
The thought flashed through his mind.
And the next moment—
He fell.
His body hit the ground, dust rising slightly around him.
The sudden fall drew attention.
Several students nearby stopped running.
"Hey—!"
"What happened?"
A few of the boys from Class-D rushed toward him.
Even Hengyuon Nah noticed the disturbance.
He was already nearby, so he reached the scene quickly.
But before anyone could help—
Xiao Ziyan pushed himself up.
He stood.
Quickly.
As if nothing had happened.
His expression—
Completely unchanged.
The same calm face as always.
He didn't even look shaken.
Then—
Hen Jao reached him.
Concern was visible on his face.
"Hey, you're bleeding," he said. "I'll take you to the nurse."
Xiao Ziyan glanced down.
His knee had been scraped.
A thin line of blood was visible.
He looked back at Hen Jao.
"It's fine," he said calmly. "I can go myself."
Before Hen Jao could insist—
A voice came from behind.
"So you got hurt."
Hengyuon Nah stood there, looking at him.
Then—
He laughed.
Loud.
Carefree.
"It happens," he said. "Go to the nurse."
He waved his hand casually toward the rest of the students.
"The rest of you—keep running."
No sympathy.
No concern.
Just instruction.
The students hesitated for a moment—
Then resumed running.
Their footsteps echoed again across the track.
Meanwhile—
Xiao Ziyan turned silently.
Without another word, he began walking toward the school building.
Toward the infirmary.
His pace was steady.
Unhurried.
As if the fall—
Had been planned.
On the ground below, the running track had already turned into a battlefield of endurance.
Most students were struggling.
Their breathing was heavy, uneven.
Their legs felt like dead weight.
By the fourth lap, many of them were no longer running properly—
They were dragging themselves forward like corpses that refused to fall.
But there was one figure who stood completely apart.
Su Qing.
Her pace was terrifyingly fast.
Her steps were light, controlled, and precise, cutting through the track with sharp efficiency.
Her breathing, though slightly heavier than before, was still stable.
Within minutes—
She completed her fifth lap.
First.
Without slowing down until the very end.
She stepped off the track and walked toward the slope between the school building and the field.
Then she sat down.
Her chest rose and fell steadily.
For the first time, signs of exhaustion appeared on her face.
But even then—
She looked composed.
Her cold eyes moved toward the track.
The rest of the students were still on their fourth lap.
Struggling.
Falling apart.
Pathetic.
Her gaze remained fixed on them.
Then—
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
Someone else had finished.
At the exact same time as her.
Her gaze shifted.
Under a nearby tree, a boy sat casually.
Lim Sudo.
His posture was relaxed.
His breathing steady.
As if running five laps meant nothing to him.
But his eyes—
They were sharp.
Dangerous.
Filled with irritation.
Suddenly—
He noticed her gaze.
His head turned.
Their eyes met.
Silence.
Neither of them looked away.
Two predators.
Measuring each other.
Testing.
Su Qing's expression didn't change.
Cold.
Unyielding.
Sudo's face, however, twisted slightly.
Annoyance.
Frustration.
Then—
"Tsk."
He clicked his tongue and turned his head away.
He couldn't accept it.
Someone matching him.
Someone tying with him.
That pissed him off more than anything.
---
Above the field—
On the second floor of the school building, inside the council president's office—
A pair of eyes observed everything.
Standing near the large window, Su Wanhai looked down at the scene unfolding below.
His gaze was calm.
Calculating.
Behind his glasses, his eyes reflected the movements of every student on the field.
After a moment, he spoke.
"How much do you know about the Dominator System?"
His voice was quiet but sharp.
From behind him, a girl's voice responded calmly.
"As much as a first-year student should know."
Su Wanhai turned slightly.
His gaze shifted toward the sofa.
Sitting there was a girl with snow-white hair and a delicate, almost unreal beauty.
Her face was calm.
Too calm.
The kind of face that could make anyone lower their guard—
If they didn't look into her eyes.
Because her eyes carried something else.
Cold intelligence.
Beside her stood another girl.
Black hair tied neatly.
Her posture straight.
Her expression serious.
She didn't sit.
She stood like a guard.
Silent.
Alert.
Su Wanhai adjusted his glasses slightly.
"Did your father tell you about it?" he asked.
The white-haired girl looked at him without changing her expression.
"Do you really think he would tell me?"
Her tone was calm.
But there was something beneath it.
A hint of distance.
Of detachment.
Su Wanhai didn't respond immediately.
Then he nodded slightly.
"Zin Shu," he said, his voice returning to neutral, "you can go back to your class."
The white-haired girl stood up gracefully.
Her name—
Zin Shu.
Without another word, she turned.
Her bodyguard followed her instantly, staying close behind.
The two of them walked toward the door and left the room quietly.
The door closed.
Silence returned.
Su Wanhai turned back toward the window.
His gaze once again fell upon Class-D.
On the struggling students.
On the few who stood out.
On the system that was slowly breaking them apart.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
Meanwhile, The infirmary on the first floor was quiet.
Too quiet compared to the chaos outside.
Xiao Ziyan sat on one of the beds, his right pant leg rolled up slightly. A clean white bandage was wrapped neatly around his knee.
The injury looked real enough.
But his posture—
Completely relaxed.
He leaned back slightly, one hand resting beside him as his thoughts drifted.
Well… I hit two birds with one stone.
A faint thought crossed his mind.
No need to run those damn five laps… and also I—
Ting!
The school bell rang.
His thoughts stopped immediately.
He glanced toward the door.
Class is over.
A second later, his expression shifted—just slightly.
"I have to pretend this hurts more than it does," he muttered under his breath.
He stood up.
Slowly.
Carefully.
He pulled his pant leg back down, covering the bandage.
Then he started walking.
A limp.
Deliberate.
Measured.
Every step calculated.
Anyone watching would think the injury was serious.
---
Inside the boys' locker room—
The door opened.
Xiao Ziyan entered.
The atmosphere inside was completely different.
The room was filled with exhausted students.
Some were sitting on benches, catching their breath.
Others were changing clothes slowly, their movements sluggish.
Sweat covered their bodies.
Shirts clung to their skin.
Their faces showed pure fatigue.
The five laps had drained them completely.
Xiao Ziyan didn't pay attention to any of it.
He walked straight toward his locker at the corner.
As he reached it and was about to open it—
A hand landed on his shoulder.
"Hey."
Hen Jao.
He had already changed back into his uniform.
His expression carried concern.
"How's your leg?" he asked politely.
Xiao Ziyan turned his head slightly.
"It's fine," he replied calmly. "No need to worry."
His tone was steady.
Convincing.
Hen Jao studied him for a second—
Then nodded.
"Alright."
Xiao Ziyan didn't say anything more.
He opened his locker, took out his uniform, and began changing.
---
A few minutes later—
He stood outside the back door of the classroom.
The same door he always used.
He adjusted his uniform slightly.
Then pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The door closed quietly behind him.
But something felt off.
The classroom wasn't noisy.
No one was chatting.
No one was distracted.
Everyone's attention was focused in one direction.
At the front.
Hen Jao stood where the teacher usually stood.
In his hand—
A sheet of paper.
His expression was serious as he read it.
Xiao Ziyan walked toward his seat without interrupting.
His steps were quiet.
He sat down.
His eyes moved toward Hen Jao.
Still calm.
Still unreadable.
But inside—
He was analyzing.
What's going on?
He turned his head slightly.
Toward the seat beside him.
Su Qing.
She was also looking forward.
Focused.
Serious.
Unlike her usual detached self.
Xiao Ziyan spoke quietly.
"What's happening?"
Su Qing didn't even look at him.
Her eyes remained fixed ahead as she replied.
"Someone placed a paper under the Hen Jao's desk."
A brief pause.
"It contains instructions."
Her tone remained cold.
"To earn Class Points."
Xiao Ziyan's gaze shifted back to the front.
To Hen Jao.
His eyes sharpened slightly.