The Test That Kills

The college entrance exam began, and I waited nervously for the papers to be handed out.

Just as I was about to take the test paper from the invigilator, a floating line of text suddenly drifted across my vision.

[Don't take it. The paper is coated with deadly poison. You'll die the moment you touch it.]

Before my mind could even process what was happening, pure survival instinct made my hand jerk back.

The paper slipped from my grasp and fell to the ground.

I stiffly met with the invigilator's lifeless, mechanical eyes. He stared at me without blinking, then slowly bent down, picked up the test paper, flipped it over, and placed it back on my desk.

"Good luck on your exam."

His cold voice snapped me out of the fear brought on by that strange message.

Just as I was starting to think that it was nothing more than nerves playing tricks on my eyes, the exam hall speakers started playing instructions.

"The listening test will now begin. Please mark your answers on the corresponding answer sheet. The papers will be collected in 15 minutes. Anyone who fails to submit on time will be eliminated!"

A wave of terror instantly overwhelmed me.

[Looks like the supporting female lead, Jessie Love, got lucky and passed the first stage, but the top scorer is destined to be the female lead, Rachel Sharp. Jessie's just a side character. She surely can't pass through the second stage.]

[What a pity! If only Jessie's results were a little worse, she wouldn't have been written into a certain-death ending.]

[Dude, there's nothing to pity. If Jessie doesn't die, how could Rachel be the top scorer? If Rachel doesn't become the top scorer, how will she overcome the obstacles from the family of the male lead, Timothy Handler, and end up with him?]

If my guesses were right, I was a supporting female lead in a novel. However, due to my good grades, I became an obstacle in the female lead's path to love and glory.

In order for Rachel Sharp and Timothy Handler to end up happily ever after, I had to die in an accident, according to the script.

However, something did not add up.

The person who had always been second place behind me was clearly a guy. He had already received multiple college offers through competitions and did not even take the college entrance exam.

I had heard of Rachel and Timothy before. They were the couple whose grades came in at the bottom. No matter what, Rachel would never be the top scorer.

Before I could get more information from the floating messages before me, the listening test started.

Out of sheer habit, my top-scorer instincts kicked in, and I subconsciously answered every question on the paper.

However, when it came time to fill in the answer sheet, I hesitated.

The invigilator walked over to me and asked impatiently, "Why aren't you filling in your answer sheet?"

He looked a little maniacal. His eyes were reddened and puffed up so much that his eyeballs seemed like they were about to pop.

I was worried he was going to force me to do it the very next second, so I decided to act first.

"Sir, I accidentally splashed some water on my answer sheet. Can I get a new one?"

The moment I spoke, it was as if someone had pressed a pause button on him. He glanced at the paper, hesitated for a long moment, then finally handed me a new one.

I let out a breath of relief. As I flipped open the new paper and began filling in the answer sheet, another line of comments drifted across my vision.

[She seems pretty cautious, but it's a pity. The power of the plot is beyond her imagination.]

A sense of unease rose sharply in my heart.

Before I could react, a stabbing pain came from my heart. I lowered my head to see blood dripping from the corner of my mouth onto the test papers.

Right before I lost my consciousness, I saw floating comments once more.

[Jessie probably didn't expect that anything that passed through the invigilator's hands was covered in poison. No matter how cautious she was, she's doomed.]

[Jessie is finally dead. Does that mean Rachel and Timothy can finally start their lovey-dovey relationship?]

[Am I the only one who feels sorry for Jessie? If she hadn't died, she could've become a great doctor. Unlike Rachel, although she got into a top college, she ended up being a housewife.]

…

When I opened my eyes once more, I was back at the entrance exam venue, just about to accept the test papers from the invigilator.

I quickly bent down to pretend to tie my shoelace, smoothly passing through the first stage.

While I bent down, I finally understood what was happening to me.

I had been reborn. If I did not take any action, I would die in the next 15 minutes.

I did not dare to bet how many lives I had to use. All I could do was to try my best to avoid the deathly crisis looming over me.

Based on the information from the floating comments in my past life, I knew that I could not touch anything that the invigilator had touched. That meant that I had to find another way to get my test papers.

At that thought, I raised my hand to be excused to the restroom, even though the listening test had just begun.

The invigilator stared at me and nodded stiffly.

Leaving the exam venue, I sighed in relief. I had made the right decision.

When the exam rules were announced earlier, something felt off. The instructions only emphasized one rule, that we had to submit our paper after finishing. There was no mention of cheating or even leaving for the restroom.

That meant only one thing. In the exam, as long as you did not break that one rule, everything else was allowed.

At that thought, I first tried running to the school gates. There were a lot of people around there, so it would be easy to ask for help.

However, before I could get out of the building's vicinity, a shrill alarm blared from my body.

Instantly, identical invigilators stepped out of every classroom.