Translator: AkazaTL

Proofreader/Editor: TenebrousGaze, JWyck & Ekko

***

Chapter 111

The next day, all the entrances to the Different Spaces opened. The High-Level Nightmare Beasts were indeed waiting for this day.

Even though many Nightmare Beasts had been killed by numerous examinees who stormed the Different Spaces yesterday, when Su Bei opened the window early this morning, the streets were still teeming with Nightmare Beasts.

Of course, it wasn’t just Nightmare Beasts—there were also some brainless residents. Feng Lan’s various warnings had indeed been effective; hardly any residents had gone out in the past few days. With two or three consecutive days of warnings, almost everyone could see them, and anyone with a brain should have known to stay home and save their lives.

But there are always brainless people in this world. It’s understandable to rush out to hoard supplies upon hearing the news, but hoarding for two days and still not being satisfied, wanting to hoard on the third day—that’s just being greedy, like a snake trying to swallow an elephant.

There were also some who, after seeing nothing happen for two days, let their guard down, thinking the Prophecy wasn’t a big deal. This time, they all suffered.

The Nightmare Beasts had been coming out since the night before, but stayed hidden in the darkness, not revealing themselves. It was only when residents went out to hoard supplies in the morning, that they suddenly appeared.

In an instant, the streets were drenched in blood and screams filled the air. Su Bei was awakened by the screams and came to the window, witnessing the Nightmare Beasts tearing into humans.

Su Bei just watched quietly, with no intention of saving anyone.

Soon, a few Ability Users emerged from the sewers, starting to clear the Nightmare Beasts on the ground.

However, there weren’t many of them; most Ability Users were still clearing the Different Spaces, as the Nightmare Beasts were the main threat.

Su Bei’s Mother was also woken up, looking at the chaos outside with a heavy heart. Seeing him come out to wash up, she looked relieved: “Thank goodness we listened to your friend’s advice. Look at the mess outside—it’s terrifying!”

As she spoke, she saw a Nightmare Tiger directly knock down a pillar, startling her: “Such strength! Can our door hold up?”

Su Bei placed his hands reassuringly on his Mother’s shoulders, guiding her to her room, away from the window: “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine.”

Though Su Bei said that, his gaze fell on the door. The teachers at school had mentioned before that compared to ordinary people, Ability Users’ were more attractive to Nightmare Beasts, seeing them as a great tonic.

As long as they sensed an Ability User’s aura, even from far away, Nightmare Beasts would come rushing over.

Su Bei could clearly sense through his Mental Energy that many Nightmare Beasts were already gathered outside the door.

The pressure from his Advanced Mental Energy made them instinctively wary of approaching. However, it wouldn’t be long before their bloodlust overcame their caution, so he had to deal with them quickly.

With that thought, he casually flung out dozens of Gears, which flew out the window and drifted through the corridor windows outside. In just a moment, they cleanly killed all the Nightmare Beasts outside.

Advanced Mental Energy was just that convenient. Even without going out, he could easily sense the situation outside; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to kill the Nightmare Beasts on the other side of the door so effortlessly.

Though Su Bei easily killed the Nightmare Beasts, he didn’t feel relaxed. He knew this was just an appetizer. If the examinees were strong enough to overwhelm the Nightmare Beasts, a “small fry” like him wouldn’t have to worry about safety.

But just looking at the Nightmare Beasts swarming the streets, he could tell the candidates didn’t have that kind of strength. It was the opposite—despite the Ability Users’ preparations, first-year students were simply powerless in such a campaign.

This was understandable. Every campaign required countless powerful Ability Users to sacrifice themselves. Freshman Ability Users had only just begun to master their Abilities, barely understanding them. Even with five hundred people, how could they possibly defeat so many Nightmare Beasts?

When Su Bei heard that the winning team could gain 500 points, he had a premonition that they probably wouldn’t win. Otherwise, why would there be a 500 points reward that completely broke the balance?

Those 500 points weren’t just a reward for winning the campaign; they were a reward for creating a miracle.

But miracles aren’t so easy to create.

Speaking of which, there was Ling You in the neighboring instance. If Ling You’s Ability [Plague] were used in such a campaign, he couldn’t even imagine how much damage it would cause.

With such an Ability, perhaps the campaign in the neighboring instance could actually win? Su Bei propped his chin with his hand, tilting his head. The situation didn’t look good, but he wasn’t flustered. After all, Jiang Tianming was on his side. If the neighboring side won, they’d probably win too.

And Su Bei? He just needed to stay a carefree salted fish.

Another day passed in the blink of an eye. Su Bei sat leisurely by the floor-to-ceiling window, sipping afternoon tea while watching the Nightmare Beasts rampaging below. The situation today was even worse than yesterday. The streets were densely packed with Nightmare Beasts.

It wasn’t just the streets—the rooftops, the sky, and the treetops were also occupied by numerous Nightmare Beasts, glaring around, searching for prey to sate their hunger.

This scene was undeniably shocking. With so many Nightmare Beasts, a person falling from above wouldn’t even make a splash, swallowed up in an instant.

Naturally, there were no residents on the streets anymore; all the survivors were hiding at home. Su Bei’s Mother worried. This was definitely not a long-term solution. Let alone wooden doors, even iron, silver, or gold doors might not withstand the Nightmare Beasts’ attacks.

After all, they didn’t just have powerful physical bodies; each had unique abilities.

And these were just Low-Level Nightmare Beasts!

Fortunately, the presence of Ability Users greatly drew the Nightmare Beasts’ attention. With them still attacking, the Nightmare Beasts had no mind to bother ordinary people.

Compared to plain porridge, a Manchu-Han Imperial Feast was naturally more enticing.

The Ability Users’ offensive also shifted from the sewers to the surface. The Nightmare Beasts remaining in the Different Spaces had all come out, leaving only a few behind.

Thus, only a small number of Ability Users stayed in the Different Spaces to search for the Closed Point, if only to block the Nightmare Beasts’ retreat.

This way, if people from other cities in this reality came to support later, it would be easier to manage.

However it was worth mentioning that shutting down the Closed Point was an extremely dangerous task. Completely closing it took ten minutes.

The moment the Closed Point began its closing process, all Nightmare Beasts from that Different Space would sense it immediately. Many would rush back, trying to kill the intruding Ability Users before the Closed Point was successfully closed.

If they couldn’t hold out for those ten minutes, not only would they die, but the Closed Point would reopen.

But even if they succeeded in closing it, the Nightmare Beasts wouldn’t let them leave; they’d surely kill them to vent their anger. It was a task with a slim chance of survival.

Su Bei looked at the gray sky, wondering how many examinees were left in this “Campaign Reenactment.” If there weren’t many left, he’d have to hurry and leave the house.

Even if he stayed or left, if the examinees were wiped out, the door would eventually be breached. But leaving early could at least buy Su Bei’s Mother some time of safety.

Though she was just a character in an Illusion, her care and love over these days were real. If he could leave this city, he might try to save her life.

But the problem was, Su Bei couldn’t leave. Over these days, he’d seen clearly that not only could examinees not leave the city, but even the natives couldn’t. They didn’t even seem aware of other cities’ existence. No one tried to leave and the Ability Government didn’t consider seeking external help—this was clearly an isolated island style exam.

The Ability Government, perhaps realizing the situation was completely out of control and that they couldn’t even save themselves, stopped obsessing over killing Uncle Li and his group, and also began dealing with the Nightmare Beasts.

They had some strength, surprisingly possessing a batch of Ability Items that even ordinary people could use.

For example, there was a gun-like item that required charging with Mental Energy. The Ability Government had prepared a batch long ago; no wonder they’d been so unhurried before.

After assessing the situation, they used the last TV channel broadcasting to inform the public that they’d airdrop a batch of weapons on the rooftops of buildings, calling on all citizens to take up arms and fight the Nightmare Beasts together.

This plan was good on paper. A major reason the examinees couldn’t handle the Nightmare Beast tide was the sheer numbers against them.

Five hundred Ability Users were plenty, but compared to tens of thousands of Nightmare Beasts, they were somewhat insufficient.

Adding more combat power would definitely be of help, but the losses would be equally significant.

Compared to Ability Users, whose bodies were enhanced by Mental Energy and trained daily at school, ordinary people’s bodies were far too fragile. Some fast Nightmare Beasts could easily take their lives before they could react. Firing a string of bullets, hitting even one was difficult. The cost-effectiveness ratio of lives lost to Nightmare Beasts killed was absolutely not worth it.

But there was no other way. If the whole population didn’t fight, it would likely lead to a dead end. Since death was inevitable, taking a few Nightmare Beasts with them was at least a contribution to humanity.

Of course, the Ability Government’s actions weren’t entirely useless. At least the situation was temporarily under control, with Nightmare Beasts and Ability Users reaching a stalemate on the streets. Though people kept dying, more Nightmare Beasts died.

It wasn’t exactly a great situation, but at least there was a glimmer of hope for victory.

But Su Bei wasn’t fooled by the current situation. He knew clearly that the High-Level Nightmare Beasts hadn’t appeared yet.

Forget High-Level Nightmare Beasts; even Mid-Level Nightmare Beasts had barely shown up.

It was worth mentioning that earlier, an unwise Mid-Level Nightmare Beast came to his house. It seemed to be targeting lone Ability Users who refused to fight, thinking they were easy prey.

But was he, Su Bei, a soft persimmon? With a slight adjustment of the pointers above Su Bei’s household’s heads, he easily sent it packing.

Just as he finished a few pastries and was about to check the situation on his phone, he suddenly received a private message.

“Ding!”

Opening it, he saw it was from Jiang Tianming: “Su Bei, we’re planning to use Si Zhaohua’s Ultimate Move to eliminate High-Level Nightmare Beasts. You in?”

Si Zhaohua’s Ultimate Move? Su Bei jogged his memory, recalling a distant memory. If he remembered correctly, the ultimate move Jiang Tianming mentioned was probably the one Si Zhaohua used during the individual battle in the monthly exam.

The first time was at an opponent’s request, but it was interrupted by a teacher right at the start.

The second time... the second time was used on himself, breaking his defenses for quite a while.

That Ability was indeed powerful; even now, half a year later, he still felt there was no escape.

But he was also very clear that his current Abilities were far from matching High-Level Nightmare Beasts. In the previous Illusion in the Different Space, even with Advanced Mental Energy, he couldn’t see through their Abilities at all.

Could Si Zhaohua’s Ultimate Move really defeat High-Level Nightmare Beasts? And more than one at that?

After thinking, he typed a question: “What’s your plan?”

“You know Si Zhaohua’s Uniqueness already. The higher the level of the Nightmare Beast is, the more they’re attracted to him. We plan to have him use his Ability at the city stadium, and once the High-Level Nightmare Beasts are drawn over, we’ll take them down in one fell swoop.”

After drawing the outline, Jiang Tianming followed with the details: “His skill can judge up to three individuals in his range at once. We’ll block the other Nightmare Beasts outside and he’ll wait inside for the High-Level Nightmare Beasts to arrive.”

Su Bei wasn’t surprised why, even with so many Nightmare Beasts outside, they were fixated on the toughest High-Level ones. This was a scored exam, after all; it was obvious that High-Level Nightmare Beasts gave more points, probably a lot more than others.

They probably realized this campaign couldn’t be won, so to earn points, they had to take a different approach.

Sure enough, another message came soon, this time from Si Zhaohua: “You’ve seen Ling You’s Ability firsthand. If the examinees in the other ‘Campaign Reenactment’ really win 500 points through Ling You’s Ability, even you might end up at the bottom with us, right?”

“No worries, you guys will be there to cushion my fall,” Su Bei replied, unfazed.

Si Zhaohua sent a speechless emoji: “We’re planning to claw back some points by killing High-Level Nightmare Beasts. If you don’t join, we might surpass you.”

“So you and Jiang Tianming are working together?”, he asked with interest. These two were notoriously at odds with each other; their cooperation could only mean the final exam’s pressure was immense.

Si Zhaohua immediately clarified: “It’s just a temporary collaboration.”

Clearly, he knew no amount of explanation would change the fact. He quickly added: “So, are you joining our operation or not?”

At the same time, Jiang Tianming messaged: “So, you coming?”

I must say, both of them inviting me at the same time gives off a weirdly synchronized vibe.

But this operation...

Su Bei didn’t think it was reliable, at least not with the current plan. So he replied to both: “Send me a photo.”

Neither Jiang Tianming nor Si Zhaohua understood what he meant, but they quickly sent selfies.

Su Bei activated his Ability on the photos, seeing the Destiny Compasses above their heads. That’s right! Despite not finding chances to boost his strength through Manga Consciousness, he had made some progress with his Ability.

Now, he could activate it through photos.

The pointers above Jiang Tianming and Si Zhaohua’s heads were strikingly consistent, the small pointer predictably pointing far to the right.

No doubt, their operation would fail, and fail miserably at that.

After thinking, he replied: “I’ll join, but don’t assign me tasks. I’ll show up when the time’s right.”

Jiang Tianming replied first, concise as ever without pressing further: “Good.”

Si Zhaohua sent a question mark, then warned: “You’d better not show up at the end just to say your role was to celebrate for us.”

Su Bei just smiled without responding.

Closing the phone, he told his mother that he was going to take a nap. Then he locked the door and jumped out the window.

Diving into the Nightmare Beast tide, Su Bei was almost instantly surrounded. But in a flash, several metallic gleaming objects cut through the tide, clearing a small space in an instant.

His mastery of Gears was now impeccable, striking vital points with precision. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to jump down like that.

His actions clearly startled the surrounding Nightmare Beasts. Low-Level Nightmare Beasts weren’t very intelligent, like wild animals. But even animals know to avoid fighting stronger foes unless necessary. If he didn’t attack them, they would steer clear of him. The occasional one or two Beasts that approached were easily dealt with.

This was a sign of Low-Level Nightmare Beasts’ limited intelligence. If they swarmed him, no matter how strong Su Bei was, he would surely die. Of course, he jumped down knowing they wouldn’t attack him after witnessing his strength.

He made his way to the city stadium. The plan hadn’t started yet, so naturally no one was there. He strolled inside and wandered a couple of rounds.

The place was spacious, ideal for fighting, but not for escaping.

As expected, Jiang Tianming and his group were set to fail. Su Bei’s job was to save them, give them a chance for a second fight, and secure his 500 points.

But in a place like this, how could he save them?

He circled the stadium’s exterior, finding an external staircase leading to the rooftop.

The rooftop? He suddenly recalled Feng Lan’s Prophecy. He said he saw Su Bei slacking off and watching the show on a rooftop in a future fragment. And it wasn’t a building’s rooftop.

Didn’t that perfectly match the current situation?

Looking down from the rooftop, the stadium’s central area was open-air. From here, he could see both the inside and outside.

Finding a suitable spot on the rooftop, he sat cross-legged and began taking inventory of his usable items. This was the final exam, a joint exam of three schools. He wasn’t sure of much, but he was certain their performance inside the illusion would be visible outside.

Thus, he absolutely couldn’t use items that gave his secrets away.

Of course, that didn’t mean he could only use items from the Campus Store. Who said he didn’t have his own items? That said, besides the items from the academy, he had only acquired a few from his trade with Black Flash’s people on Mushroom Road.

Those items would surely be recognized by the Black Flash Organization, exposing his identity; thus, he couldn’t use them.

Wait, maybe it wasn’t the case!

Suddenly, an item flashed in his mind—“Fixed-Point Teleportation”!

The bonus Zheng Yun gave him was actually a trap that would expose the user’s identity upon use. After Manga Consciousness refined it, however, the item no longer had that flaw, becoming a true teleportation tool.

He’d carefully asked about its usage before. To use it, a fixed point needed to be set in advance, with the item teleporting instantly to that fixed point. It could teleport not just the user, but also anyone they were touching.

To reuse it afterwards, the fixed point just needed to be canceled.

This item was perfect for the situation, allowing Su Bei to instantly take them to safety. But there was a problem—how could he take everyone at once?

The only one who could fly, Si Zhaohua, would be targeted, as the plan’s centerpiece, making a fly-and-carry plan unfeasible.

Jumping down invisibly to save them? That wouldn’t work either; the area would be swarmed with Nightmare Beasts, not a place for invisibility.

With only one item, he had only one chance to grab everyone and take them all away...

Suddenly, another idea struck him.

Perhaps he only needed to save one person!

It was known that only Si Zhaohua would face the High-Level Nightmare Beasts directly. The others, for safety and to block regular Nightmare Beasts, would be outside the stadium.

In other words, the truly isolated and critical one was Si Zhaohua.

With a plan in mind, he took out his phone and messaged Si Zhaohua: “Is it possible for your Ability to suddenly attract a massive number of Nightmare Beasts? More than your usual Ability’s pull?”

When he climbed back into his room through the window, Si Zhaohua finally found time to reply: “Right after I turn off my Ability, probably. My body still carries the scent of the [Angel] Ability, but without it active, I seem weak. My family tested it; during that time, even Nightmare Beasts that can’t see me go mad and rush over.”

After replying, he asked: “What’s up? You actually don’t know something?”

He ignored his last remark and didn’t answer his question: “Got it. Don’t forget to remind me the day before the plan starts.”

Su Bei was worried he’d miss the timing—that’d be a joke.

“The plan’s set for the day after tomorrow. We’ll clear some Nightmare Beasts in the next few days,” Si Zhaohua told him directly. Such plans were typically kept secret; the fewer who knew, the better. High-Level Nightmare Beasts were highly intelligent and might counter them if they learned of their plan.

But with him, there was no need for secrecy.

The day after tomorrow—there was plenty of time to slack off. Su Bei stretched, and as he opened the door, ran into Feng Lan returning. He got straight to the point: “You know about their plan?”

Su Bei raised an eyebrow, understanding: “They asked you for a Prophecy?”

With a Prophet like him around, it’d be foolish not to ask before acting. He’d probably do the same.

Feng Lan wasn’t surprised he guessed it and nodded: “My Prophecy says they won’t die.”

That was obvious—they were the protagonist team, after all. Plus, Su Bei was there to back them up. He smirked, as if thinking of a joke: “They don’t think the plan will succeed just because of that, do they?”

NOTE :

Write a Review on Novel Updates for a Bonus Chapter.