Translator: AkazaTL

Proofreader/Editor: JWyck

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Chapter 120

We glanced at each other. Our caution stemmed from not knowing their strength. As High-Level Different Space Ability Users, they could be tough to beat.

But probing was fine.

Next second, I frowned, playing delinquent: “Just ‘cause you’re a bit older? Mind your own business!”

Six Gears flew, targeting their upper, middle, and lower vitals. They weren’t pushovers, dodging swiftly. The wolf-tailed man summoned two knives, clashing with me.

The knives glowed dark purple, clearly special. Unarmed, I dodged. The necklaced man didn’t join, confident his partner wouldn’t lose, watching the show.

This was to test one’s strength. As a team, their power was likely similar—testing one was easier.

I darted through the door behind me, the wolf-tailed man in pursuit. A Gear flew at him; he dodged, and it slammed the door shut.

Blocking his ally’s view, I stopped holding back, maxing my luck with my Ability while grabbing a wooden chair for close combat.

The knife’s power was evident—slicing the chair, its cut turned black-purple, corroding with a hiss.

A strong Ability, but I’d gauged him. His strength and speed matched mine.

His corrosive weapon was tricky—if it hit, without a healer, we’d need to exit for treatment. But with absolute luck, I trusted he couldn’t touch me.

As expected, I dodged every strike, either predicting or fluking it. When he stumbled from overexertion, I seized the chance, knocking him out.

Ready to return, I heard odd noises through the door.

The necklaced man hadn’t come, likely stalled by Jiang Tianming’s group. But the room was eerily silent.

Sensing trouble, I dragged the wolf-tailed man to the next room, cautiously probing the original with Mental Energy.

What I saw shocked me. The room, meant for four, now held six!

Where’d the extra two come from?

Before I could investigate, a woman’s voice rang out: “Who’s there?”

My Mental Energy was touched, then attacked. I realized the room had another with Advanced Mental Energy!

My first Mental Energy clash, untrained, I was outmatched. I cut my Mental Energy fast and fled to other rooms.

After several, feeling safe, I analyzed.

Before I returned, Jiang Tianming’s group and the necklaced man shouldn’t have left. So, four of the six were them, two were newcomers.

Advanced Mental Energy, unless cheated like me, meant strength. Neither Jiang Tianming’s trio nor the necklaced man matched me, so they couldn’t beat the newcomers.

Given the silence, I deduced—Jiang Tianming’s group was controlled by the newcomers.

Great job, protagonist team. Their bad timing spared me. I thanked my choice to boost my luck, not their misfortune, or we’d all be caught.

Let the protagonist team take risks; I’d trail. If needed, I’d save them. Otherwise, don’t blame me for slacking.

After a wait, hearing no movement, I probed the empty room, confirming no Mental Energy lingered, then opened the door cautiously. Then, a distant door stirred.

It was the necklaced man: “Big shots, if you want items, I’ll give you mine. No need to tie me up—I can’t fight you.”

An impatient male voice replied: “Why waste words? Just kill them.”

“Why kill?” the necklaced man stammered. “Treasure fights in Different Spaces, we eat the loss. But killing gets you jailed!”

True—government ignored Different Space disputes, leaving it to skill, hard to investigate. But deaths, anywhere, were probed.

The woman from before sneered: “Still don’t get it? You saw our faces.”

The necklaced man didn’t grasp it. Jiang Tianming sighed: “Didn’t you see the entrance posters? These two are wanted criminals, killed many Ability Users!”

Wanted criminals? His words jogged my memory of the entrance posters. I hadn’t looked closely, but I could recognize faces.

Normally, you’d hide knowing they were criminals, but with their killing intent clear, concealing it was pointless.

“Wanted criminals?” the necklaced man’s voice cracked. He wasn’t a saint—earlier, he eyed Jiang Tianming’s items—but he’d never killed!

No time for shock, he pleaded: “I won’t snitch! If you want, I’ll kill, leave evidence. We’d be in the same boat—no worries, right?”

A decent plan, but the criminals scoffed: “Same boat? You think you’re our equal?”

If someone near their strength offered this, they’d consider. But a weakling like him? No need.

Jiang Tianming spoke: “Our teammate outside has a tracking Ability. Let him go, or you’ll be caught.”

The criminals’ faces soured. The woman asked: “Is your teammate the one with Advanced Mental Energy?”

“What?” the male criminal gasped. “Advanced Mental Energy? Strong, then? Their teacher?”

“I don’t know,” she shook her head. “I sensed Advanced Mental Energy probing, but they fled fast. Could be a passerby.”

The man glared at Jiang Tianming: “Speak! Was that your teammate?”

They knew it was me—my Advanced Mental Energy wasn’t a secret in S-Class. After a pause, Jiang Tianming nodded: “Probably him. He has it.”

In such moments, an external teammate’s strength deterred rash killing.

Eavesdropping with keen ears, I planned. I’d avoid capture while making my presence felt, keeping their hope alive to prevent desperate murders.

Their escape was their problem; I’d assist.

But the criminals weren’t fools. After dragging the four a distance, they had an idea: “One of you, kill this guy, or I kill you now.”

They meant the necklaced man. Killing him would tie them together—worst case, mutual destruction.

A vicious plan. The trio hesitated; the necklaced man begged: “No, please, I...”

Stammering, his eyes lit up: “I have a teammate outside! Kill me, aren’t you afraid he’ll snitch?”

The criminals’ faces darkened. They thought only one was out; now two, not allied.

They turned to Jiang Tianming: “Is he telling the truth?”

Jiang Tianming nodded, not wanting to kill, and it was true: “Our teammate and his fought in another room over a dispute.”

Now neither could die—keeping them might lure the outsiders. Exchanging glances, they grudgingly dragged the four along.

From morning to noon, they killed a few Nightmare Beasts, eating prepared sandwiches for lunch.

I regretted pre-writing my reflection, detailing finding this space, killing beasts, navigating weather rooms, and generic gains.

Based on Weather Different Space intel, it was foolproof.

Then this happened. I shuddered imagining Meng Huai reading others’ tales of braving spaces and battling criminals while mine was serene.

Shivering, I kept trailing. I’d ditched the wolf-tailed man, paying a passing Ability User to escort him out.

Left here, he’d be fine with Ability Users but doomed against Nightmare Beasts.

Jiang Tianming’s group wasn’t idle. Being controlled wasn’t sustainable—the criminals’ patience would wane. My probes would eventually tip them off, endangering the captives.

Their Abilities—a control type and a strong attack type—were unbeatable. How could they escape?

Notably, the necklaced man was killed mercilessly en route. I kept signaling, but his teammate didn’t.

The criminals realized his teammate was either dead or indifferent, so they showed no mercy.

The students witnessed the criminals’ brutality firsthand.

“What’s this?” Entering another room, I noticed dirt clumps forming words on the floor.

Three words: Make Some Trouble.

Wu Mingbai’s message, urging a commotion—perhaps a diversion?

After pondering, I had a plan.

Using Dream Bubble, I created fake people. Lacking intelligence and immune to attacks, they cost little Mental Energy.

I led them to a room one wall from the criminals, speaking just loud enough: “Yeah, two wanted criminals, together. I’ve got tracking skills—they’re close. The bounty’s ours if you follow me.”

A fake under my control asked: “But we haven’t seen their faces?”

“No worries. I haven’t either, but those with my teammates are the criminals. I don’t want the bounty—just save my people,” I said boldly.

I sensed a cautious Mental Energy probe. Without my heightened alertness, I’d have missed it.

It swept over me and my fakes. Like in the Illusion, where I couldn’t discern item authenticity, their Mental Energy couldn’t tell my fakes were false.

The woman, retracting her probe, panicked: “What now? We can’t fight that many.”

They were strong, but not enough for a ten-on-two in a High-Level Different Space.

The male criminal, anxious, growled: “Kill them and run. Nobody knows our faces!”

Before the woman replied, Jiang Tianming countered: “I said our teammate has tracking. If we die, he’ll help the police hunt you.”

Wu Mingbai added: “He just wants to save us, not the bounty. Release us, and we won’t let them pursue.”

The man laughed: “Think we’re idiots? You say no pursuit, and it’s done?”

“How about this,” Jiang Tianming said. “Hide us to fool them. Our teammate hasn’t seen you, nor have others checked the posters. After, we’ll negotiate with him. How’s that?”

The woman asked skeptically: “His tracking has a cooldown?”

“It does. He used it finding us; it’s on cooldown, or he’d know you were next door,” Jiang Tianming reasoned convincingly.

They bought it, finding his plan best. My overheard talk confirmed I relied on teammates to identify them. Hiding the teammates could dodge a search.

The woman reapplied control, and they stuffed the four into another room, moving closer to me to divert. The man warned: “No tricks, or you’re dead when we return!”

I’d shifted positions, not aiming to save Jiang Tianming’s group.

First, the complex terrain made finding their room hard. Second, their call for trouble implied an escape plan. No need for me to risk it—I’d wait.

I was in a bedroom with light hail, sweeping ice off the mattress, propping my umbrella overhead, and resting comfortably on the bed.

Not ideal for overnight, but fine for a brief wait. Close to their last spot, I hoped they’d find me.

Checking my luck, it was neutral. Post-adjustment, the small pointer stayed there briefly.

Boosting luck again could reunite us, but my Mental Energy was low.

Fighting the wolf-tailed man used little, but fakes drained much. With half left, another use would hinder fighting enemies.

Resting until three-quarters recovered, it was 8 PM. I left to find a sleep spot.

Alone, I’d leave, but I sensed Jiang Tianming’s group wouldn’t. Leaving now meant fewer hours, requiring a solo return. Better to stay.

Call it good or bad luck, I found a room full of mental crystals, but as I entered, the opposite door opened.

A man and woman, early twenties, likely recent graduates, stepped in.

Fresh graduates in a High-Level Different Space were likely A or B-Class. Assessing, I stood firm, eyeing them.

Maybe without Jiang Tianming’s group, I met normal people. The woman spoke: “Three of us—split the room’s resources?”

I had no issue. Alone, I might not beat them; their offer to split was my gain.

Unbeknownst to me, my nod relieved them. They judged my strength as I did theirs—a teen alone in a High-Level Different Space was S-Class, likely top-tier.

Such prodigies had strong Abilities. Though two and older, they didn’t dare provoke me. Mental crystals were tempting, but not worth the risk.

But seeing the floor sprouting mental crystals, the couple froze. How to harvest? Pull them like radishes?

I was equally stumped. I knew how—I’d mined crystals in Apogod’s space. Not expert, but a room’s worth was doable.

The issue: where’s the pickaxe? Even in that mine, I didn’t dig bare-handed.

Feeling fortune’s malice, I sensed the pain of untouchable treasure.

“Anyone conjure a pickaxe?” I asked bluntly.

“...”

A suffocating silence. We stared, then I gave up, sitting in a corner. No weather here—maybe someone with a pickaxe would show?

The couple wouldn’t leave, trying to pull crystals by hand. Ability Users were strong; maybe it’d work? But they underestimated the task, exhausting themselves fruitlessly.

Resigned, they sat diagonally across, mimicking me. Leaving was unthinkable—wait for someone with tools.

After a while, the door opened again. My eyes lit up: “You’re here.”

It was Jiang Tianming’s trio.

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