Translator: AkazaTL

Proofreader/Editor: TenebrousGaze, JWyck & Ekko

***

Chapter 112

Feng Lan nodded, confirming Su Bei’s guess. Then his brows furrowed slightly: “The Prophecy’s answer is reliable, but fate can be quite tricky sometimes.”

As someone who often made Prophecies, he naturally noticed this issue. [Prophecy] never lied, but sometimes the interpretation could be far from the truth.

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He had doubts about this Prophecy’s result. Not dying didn’t necessarily mean they’d succeed; it could just be literal. But he didn’t interpret it for Jiang Tianming and the others. Prophecies could easily backfire.

If they weren’t confident, he wouldn’t mind explaining out of camaraderie. But since they’d already drawn conclusions upon hearing it, he wasn’t going to invite trouble with his interpretation.

They wouldn’t die, so there was no rush.

Su Bei thought the same and with his omniscient perspective, saw the truth even clearer than Feng Lan, who had the actual [Prophecy] Ability.

He smiled brightly: “Then let them believe what they want. One learns more from failure than success.”

Though the final exam was important, it was just a final exam and only took place in an illusion. Failing in an illusion was far better than failing in reality.

Even the protagonist team shouldn’t have smooth sailing; they had to face setbacks. Su Bei was quite open about their upcoming failure.

But he was a bit worried. If the other “Campaign Reenactment” was completed successfully, would he actually end up at the bottom with his exam participants?

Truthfully, he didn’t care about his grades. With no elders or relatives, who was he performing for? Knowledge and strength were his; grades didn’t matter to him.

But as the manga character Su Bei, he couldn’t ignore his grades. With his persona, his grades had to be consistently good or consistently bad. Changing his grades because of others would be a bit out of character.

Though the other side might not win, pinning his hopes on their failure was unrealistic. Likewise, banking on Jiang Tianming, the true protagonist, to win was also impractical. To control his fate, he could only rely on himself.

While many examinees hadn’t been eliminated yet, he needed to find ways to milk more points.

But what did he now have to trade with others?

After thinking for a while, he couldn’t come up with anything. He shook his head, not in a hurry. It was just a final exam. Even if they lost, he’d probably still take first place. Thinking that way, it didn’t seem like a big deal.

No rush—let’s wait until Jiang Tianming’s plan is over.

Time flew by till the day before the plan’s execution. Over these days, with the examinees’ relentless efforts, the Low-Level Nightmare Beasts numbers had visibly dwindled.

The streets, once packed with marching Low-Level Nightmare Beasts, were now half-empty, showing patches of the open ground.

Several Different Spaces had been successfully sealed, though at the cost of heavy Ability User casualties. No new Nightmare Beasts would appear; they only needed to deal with the existing ones.

However, this resulted in the emergence of Mid-Level and High-Level Nightmare Beasts.

The western part of the city was completely off-limits. A High-Level Nightmare Beast wielding an Illusion-type Ability was entrenched there.

From afar, the entire west was shrouded in mist and stepping in there would land someone in the same predicament as Su Bei, back in the Different Space.

Many Ability User teams went to investigate after noticing the anomaly, but almost none of them came back out.

Su Bei’s escape back then wasn’t just because he saw through the Illusion’s essence; more crucially, he was invisible at the time!

If he hadn’t been invisible, when he was trapped in the Illusion, the High-Level Nightmare Beast would have attacked him. In an illusion, unable to observe reality with eyes or Mental Energy, being attacked would’ve been certain death for him, let alone others.

With so many examinees lost there, everyone knew it was a High-Level Nightmare Beast. Those who’d traded heavily with him knew even more about that Beast’s details.

Soon, another High-Level Nightmare Beast appeared. Perhaps because kings don’t meet, it chose the opposite, eastern part of the city to dominate. Its Ability was revealed through the Ability Users’ relentless probing.

Its Ability was simple—Teleportation. So far, no limits have been observed. It was as if it had no cooldown or distance restrictions. But since it only occupied the east, its maximum teleportation range was likely the radius of its territory.

Compared to the Illusion Nightmare Beast next door, this High-Level Nightmare Beast was much easier to handle. Teleportation was strong but could be countered by Control-Type Abilities. If it could be temporarily restrained, it could be easily killed.

So this morning, Jiang Tianming told Su Bei their plan had changed. They’d first deal with this Teleportation Nightmare Beast, then focus all forces on the other one.

Once one was killed, they’d use all their strength against the other. Originally the plan was to rely on Si Zhaohua’s Ultimate Move to handle two High-Level Nightmare Beasts, but they weren’t confident. But if he only had to deal with one, their chances of winning greatly increased.

Su Bei didn’t say anything, just thinking of the result he saw above their heads yesterday. He’d thought the small pointer’s result referred to their final plan, but now it seemed he was wrong—it pointed to their attempt against the Teleportation Nightmare Beast.

No doubt, they’d fail. After failing, they probably wouldn’t proceed with the final plan, right? He helplessly shook his head. Man proposes, God disposes; all his earlier preparations were for nothing.

...or were they?

Suddenly, he realized something. Him going to the stadium rooftop should be a certainty; Feng Lan saw it in a future fragment, so it was likely correct.

If so, it meant the final plan would still happen.

There were two possibilities: either they’d fail to kill the Teleportation Nightmare Beast once, regroup, and try again, succeeding the second time, thus proceeding with the original plan.

Or, they would mistakenly think they succeeded the first time...

He walked to the window, looking toward the east, already silently mourning for Jiang Tianming and the others. Either way, they were in for a rough time.

As expected of the protagonist team—able to endure hardship, unlike him who couldn’t stand to endure the slightest suffering. That evening, Si Zhaohua and the others returned bringing “good news”—the Teleportation Nightmare Beast had been killed!

The method was simple: several of them went in together, luring it out.

***

This Teleportation Nightmare Beast was humanoid, like a little black figure from an anime, entirely pitch-black. Wielding a dagger, it appeared suddenly like an assassin, striking at vital points.

High-Level Nightmare Beasts were fast, and with its sudden appearance, dodging was nearly impossible. Fortunately, before entering, Wu Mingbai cleverly sealed everyone’s vital points with stone.

When the first strike failed, the Nightmare Beast vanished instantly, giving them no time to react. It then flashed several times, each attack failing to penetrate the stone and kill them, but shattering Wu Mingbai’s creations.

The Nightmare Beast appeared so quickly that as soon as he regenerated the stone, it struck again. Despite the low Mental Energy cost of making stone armor, Wu Mingbai’s Mental Energy was gradually depleting. At that rate, Wu Mingbai would be the first to give out, as he was already struggling.

Knowing they were wasting time, Lan Subing used [Word Spirit] to command that the next creature touching her would be immobilized.

Her Ability couldn’t directly kill a High-Level Nightmare Beast, but fulfilling this request was entirely feasible.

Sure enough, when the Teleportation Nightmare Beast touched her, it froze. They attacked together but found they couldn’t inflict much damage. So Zhou Renjie activated his Ability, swallowing the soon-to-be-free Nightmare Beast into his stomach and endured the abdominal pain, while he left the Teleportation Nightmare Beast’s domain with the others.

High-Level Nightmare Beasts had Domains where their strength was greatly enhanced.

That’s why the final plan was set at the city stadium in the city center, not directly confronting them.

After leaving the Teleportation Nightmare Beast’s domain, they finally killed it.

—Is what Su Bei heard from Jiang Tianming.

How to put it... Su Bei already had a hunch. I’m certain that the Teleportation High-Level Nightmare Beast isn’t dead. Not only is it not dead, but it will likely deliver a crushing blow to them during the final plan.

He immediately messaged Si Zhaohua: “Send me a selfie.”

He quickly sent one. He was probably at home, just out of the shower, his silver hair still damp, cascading behind him. He wore an expensive-looking black pajama set, exuding an air of refinement.*

Then a video call came through. Su Bei picked up and Si Zhaohua got straight to the point: “What’s with asking for a photo?”

He activated his Ability, seeing the small pointer above Si Zhaohua’s head now tilted to the lower half. He moved his fingers, chuckling: “To see if you’re dead.”

It really looked like he was about to die.

And it made sense. With their final plan, even if the Teleportation Nightmare Beast initially targeted Wu Mingbai, Lan Subing, or Zhou Renjie for revenge, it would surely be drawn to Si Zhaohua and attack him.

Hearing Su Bei’s response, Si Zhaohua laughed in exasperation: “Not dead. Disappointed?”

“Not quite,” he shrugged. “But you’re about to be.”

“What do you mean?” His relaxed expression turned serious. “Am I going to die?”

Unlike his urgency, Su Bei remained nonchalant: “You know, peering into others’ fates is quite taxing.”

Si Zhaohua looked like he wanted to punch him. When have Su Bei’s Prophecies ever been taxing? Sometimes, he even suspected they cost him nothing!

But he didn’t dwell on it, quickly calming down: “What do you want?”

Su Bei, being kind, didn’t ask for much: “One-third of your final points.”

Si Zhaohua surely had plenty of points. With a third, his grades would definitely be top-tier, even if the other side got 500 points.

His bold demand clearly shocked him: “One-third? I’d rather quit now; my final score might be higher this way.”

Su Bei shrugged: “Then it depends on how much you trust yourself.”

If he believed he could kill the other High-Level Nightmare Beast and win, trading with Su Bei would still be profitable. After all, he hadn’t earned many points yet.

But if he lacked confidence, quitting now would cut his losses.

Though Su Bei seemed to leave the choice to Si Zhaohua, his confident demeanor made it clear that he was certain of his prediction.

Seeing Su Bei’s attitude, Si Zhaohua’s teeth itched with irritation. But he suddenly remembered something: “But Feng Lan’s Prophecy said we won’t die.”

Then he considered another possibility: “Am I not dying because of the plan?”

Su Bei shook his head. He checked Si Zhaohua’s Destiny Compass precisely because he suspected he’d die in the plan. His cause of death was almost certain.

After thinking, he said with a half-smile: “Maybe his Prophecy includes you agreeing to my offer?”

Si Zhaohua was speechless—it was possible. After hesitating, he asked: “Can I pay with Ability Items or real-world money after we get out?”

Su Bei shook his head lightly: “A life precious to you should be traded with something important to you.”

Ability Items were useful, and he knew Si Zhaohua wouldn’t offer junk. But firstly, he needed points more now; he already had a batch of items and wasn’t in a rush for more.

Secondly, as he had said, saving a life should involve trading something significant to the saved. If it’s merely valuable but unimportant to him, it’d lower Su Bei’s standards.

Si Zhaohua was always decisive. Seeing that Su Bei wouldn’t change his mind, he nodded firmly: “I agree.”

As Su Bei expected, the highly confident Si Zhaohua believed he could earn more points by staying. He wouldn’t quit so early, especially knowing he could survive.

On the day of the final plan, Su Bei arrived early at the stadium’s rooftop. It wasn’t empty; there were many chairs and miscellaneous items.

He went to the spot he’d chosen last time—a prime location with a good view. Turning left, he could see the stadium’s perimeter; turning right, he could see inside. A high wall provided cover, making it hard to be spotted.

Checking the time, it was 4:00 PM. Their operation was set for 5:00 PM. Arriving a whole hour early—who would dare claim Su Bei wasn’t dedicated?

Soon, Jiang Tianming and the others arrived. Si Zhaohua entered the stadium alone, while the others spread out around it. Their positions were strategic, evenly dividing the stadium’s perimeter.

Lan Subing slipped into a nearby office building, preparing to use [Word Spirit] for some assassinations.

Qi Huang sprinkled gasoline that she obtained from other examinees around the area. Fire Element combined with gasoline resulted in maximum damage.

Jiang Tianming entered a souvenir shop near the stadium that was filled with various goods, perfect for his [Object Control] Ability.

Zhou Renjie, looking weak and rubbing his stomach, seemed like he’d been starving all day.

Wu Mingbai raised earth walls at everyone’s positions, making it easier for them to maneuver later.

With everyone hiding at home and few residential buildings nearby, there were only a few stray Nightmare Beasts in the vicinity of the stadium, which were quickly eliminated during the preparations.

Everyone was ready. At the appointed time, Si Zhaohua activated his Ability. A pair of massive white wings appeared behind him. With a flap, he soared into the air, hovering mid-sky.

Su Bei adjusted his angle slightly, using the high wall to shield himself so he wouldn’t be spotted too soon.

It wasn’t his time to appear yet.

Standing high, he could see far. From a distance, he could see the surrounding Nightmare Beasts rushing toward the stadium in unison, as if summoned. Even the farthest ones in his view were heading this way, showing how strong Si Zhaohua’s pull was.

The first wave of Nightmare Beasts arrived, and the battle began. S-Class students were no slouches, quickly intercepting them. But after the first batch, a second came. Soon, the stadium’s perimeter was swarmed with Nightmare Beasts.

A few slipped into the stadium, but Si Zhaohua was prepared and killed them easily. Though his target was a High-Level Nightmare Beast, taking out small fry was simple and wouldn’t cost him too much Mental Energy.

After the appetizer, Mid-Level Nightmare Beasts appeared. Unlike Low-Level ones, which could be killed en masse, Mid-Level Nightmare Beasts had varied Abilities and forms, requiring significant effort to handle alone.

This showed the advantage of their positioning. They weren’t too far apart and could coordinate easily.

Wu Mingbai raised an earth pillar under Zhou Renjie, lifting him into the air to digest the Nightmare Beasts in his stomach. Once the Low-Level ones were digested, he could swallow two Mid-Level ones in one go.

Qi Huang coated Jiang Tianming’s controlled objects with flames, boosting his attack power and giving him chances to support her.

From the rooftop, Su Bei felt mixed feelings. Without his knowledge, the protagonist’s team had grown so much. Truly worthy of being protagonists—perhaps only such people could be protagonists?

Suddenly, his Mental Energy sensed something approaching, but he couldn’t pinpoint its location. He immediately knew what was up, used an Invisibility Charm and sat down right in front of Si Zhaohua.

The High-Level Nightmare Beast was coming; the real show inside the stadium was about to begin.

Without Advanced Mental Energy, Si Zhaohua couldn’t sense the High-Level Nightmare Beast’s arrival as quickly as he did.

But Nightmare Beasts always carried an unpleasant aura. Sensing it, Si Zhaohua decisively folded his wings, wrapping himself tightly in them.

The next second, a sharp attack struck his wing shield.

Even with Su Bei’s Mental Energy fully open, he couldn’t sense the attacker’s presence.

It was the Illusion Nightmare Beast.

Its Ability was undeniably formidable. With the support of Illusions it could approach and attack enemies easily. When enemies tried to fight back, they’d find no trace of it, making retaliation impossible.

Unfortunately for this Nightmare Beast, Si Zhaohua’s skill was its perfect counter.

Confirming the attacker was there, Si Zhaohua didn’t hesitate and activated his Ultimate Move: “Holy Judgment—”

As he enunciated each word, the sky changed dramatically. Sand and stones spun around him without wind, the foggy white sky cleared, revealing a dazzling sun.

It was 6:00 PM, yet the sun shone like it was noon, blazing brightly. Sacred golden light radiated directly onto an area in front of Si Zhaohua.

Under the sunlight, the uncanny had nowhere to hide. A pitch-black, iridescently shimmering bubble appeared in both Si Zhaohua’s and Su Bei’s view.

That was the High-Level Nightmare Beast’s true form!

Though the Bubble Nightmare Beast didn’t move, Su Bei, having experienced “Holy Judgment,” knew it wasn’t that it didn’t want to—it couldn’t move under this Ability.

Then Si Zhaohua’s emotionless voice rang out again: “I judge you guilty.”

Almost as soon as the words fell, the golden light flashed. The Bubble Nightmare Beast, enveloped in light, seemed to suffer immense shock, trembling violently.

Suddenly!

“Bang!”

The bubble burst, and everything returned to normal.

Su Bei watched in awe. With his Ability, he could tell that the Bubble Nightmare Beast was truly eliminated. Si Zhaohua’s hidden Ultimate Move was incredible, easily dispatching a High-Level Nightmare Beast.

Though “easily” wasn’t entirely accurate—as the golden light faded, Si Zhaohua’s face was pale as paper, utterly weak, as if a breeze could topple him. Using this skill had drained all his Mental Energy.

Knowing his moment had come, Su Bei adjusted his compass’ small pointer to the far left and Si Zhaohua’s to the top.

It was worth noting that, as mentioned before, moving a pointer from far right to far left consumed more Mental Energy than from left to further left. Moving it from down to up consumed even more than from right to left. Reversing life and death cost Su Bei half his Mental Energy.

After adjusting, he flung a Gear toward Si Zhaohua.

The moment he threw it, chaos erupted! A little black figure suddenly appeared behind Si Zhaohua, who was about to land. Its dagger slashing viciously at his neck, poised to take him out.

“Ting!”

A crisp metallic clash rang out. The dagger hit the Gear and was deflected.

The startled small black figure vanished instantly.

It all happened so fast, almost in the blink of an eye. Si Zhaohua, still processing, heard Su Bei’s voice from above: “Turn off your Ability.”

Instinctively retracting his [Angel] Ability he looked up, seeing Su Bei sitting on the rooftop edge, one leg bent, the other dangling leisurely from it, looking down at him.

Si Zhaohua was shocked. Why was he here? When did he arrive?

Meeting his stunned gaze, Su Bei leaped from the rooftop, using a pillar to land smoothly on the ground.

With Si Zhaohua’s allure to Nightmare Beasts now heightened, many had broken through the exhausted Jiang Tianming and others’ blockade, rushing into the stadium.

Su Bei crouched before him, going on eye-level with the kneeling Si Zhaohua. He grabbed his wrist and raised an eyebrow: “Life-saving plus an escape—how’s that? Worth the price?”

At the same time, “Fixed-Point Teleportation, activate!”

They both vanished from the spot.

__________________

*Ekko-Note: The author trying to Rizz up the readers, lol.

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