Chapter 121

Clearly, they hadn’t expected to encounter Su Bei here, and their faces immediately lit up with surprise. However, Su Bei didn’t give them a chance to exchange pleasantries with him. He pointed at the crystals and looked at Wu Mingbai: “Do you have a way?”

The crystals were embedded in the ground, and Wu Mingbai’s Ability was [Earth Element]. In theory, he could easily dig them out.

As expected, Wu Mingbai nodded: “Yes!”

With that, he manipulated his Ability, loosening the soil around the nearest crystal. Then, Lan Subing effortlessly pulled the crystal out of the ground.

Seeing this, Su Bei grinned at the couple: “Shall we six split these crystals evenly?”

Earlier, when the couple had the numerical advantage, they hadn’t bullied others. Naturally, Su Bei wouldn’t either. But noticing their hesitant expressions, he added: “However, we won’t help you extract the crystals.”

The boy, who had just been about to bring up this topic, was silenced by Su Bei’s words and looked somewhat dejected. He knew that Su Bei’s willingness to split the crystals evenly despite their group’s advantage was already quite principled, so he could only sigh and keep quiet.

Surprisingly, his girlfriend suddenly thought of something and proposed: “How about this? I’ll give up half of our crystals to hire you to help us extract them.”

In other words, out of the six equal shares for everyone, the two of them would take only one share combined. It seemed like a loss, but it was better than getting nothing.

Su Bei looked at Wu Mingbai. Since he was the one digging out the crystals, it was naturally his call.

“Fine.” Wu Mingbai agreed without hesitation.

Since Su Bei had earlier said the six of them would split the crystals evenly, Wu Mingbai wouldn’t take the couple’s share. If they were willing to pay some crystals to hire him, it was pure profit. He had no objections.

They quickly divided the crystals, each person earning at least two hundred thousand at minimum. The couple was very satisfied, tactfully bid farewell, and left the room.

After they left, Su Bei asked about the aftermath of earlier events: “How did you escape later? Should we go out now and tell the guards at the entrance that we encountered wanted criminals?”

Sometimes, the Ability Government could only confirm that wanted criminals had fled to a Different Space but couldn’t pinpoint which one. Reporting to the guards was necessary.

Unexpectedly, after exchanging glances, Jiang Tianming said with some embarrassment: “No need... We’ll claim the bounty after they exit.”

At these words, Su Bei froze, then widened his eyes moments later: “Dead?”

Only if the criminals were dead could the bounty be claimed directly. No proof was needed; there were specialized items to detect lies and extract memories.

Jiang Tianming nodded and began recounting what happened after Su Bei left: “After you lured them away, the three of us escaped successfully. But the female criminal’s Ability had a tracking function, and she eventually found us.”

Hearing this, Su Bei understood. No wonder they believed Jiang Tianming’s claim about his companion having a tracking Ability without verification. Normally, if he were a kidnapper, he’d assume such claims were lies to save their lives. But since the criminals themselves had a tracking Ability, they instinctively believed others could too.

“But this time, we were mentally prepared to be caught, so we split up. Subing was caught first, but her Ability kept her safe temporarily. They had to leave one person to guard her, and the other came after us. We two regrouped, killed the man, and then went back to kill the woman.”

After realizing the three had escaped and Su Bei hadn’t brought anyone, the two criminals knew they’d been deceived. Furious, they dropped their caution.

Unfortunately, their attempt to kill failed, and they were counter-killed.

Honestly recounting the events, Jiang Tianming rarely showed a trace of unease. Looking at Su Bei, he hesitated for a long time before asking: “Do you think I’m cruel?”

As a student, killing was a distant concept, even for Ability users. Unlike the incident before enrollment where killing the mayor could be concealed, this had to be disclosed.

Truthfully, Jiang Tianming dreaded seeing strange looks from his friends. Though he wouldn’t doubt himself, it would still hurt.

“Me?” Su Bei pointed at himself, his face full of astonishment. “When did such a question get directed at me?”

At this, the three, who had been uneasy, burst into laughter. Right, who was Su Bei? Judging by his usual behavior, he was hardly soft-hearted.

He could probably remain indifferent to their deaths, let alone strangers’ deaths.

“I told you you’re overthinking!” Wu Mingbai rolled his eyes irritably. “If it were him, he’d do worse than you.”

Lan Subing nodded in agreement, muttering: “That’s Su Bei, after all.”

None of them thought Jiang Tianming’s killing was an issue. Imagining morally guilting Su Bei with his face for not killing was oddly bizarre.

Jiang Tianming sighed in relief, a smile spreading across his face, his dark eyes relaxed: “Alright, alright, I apologize. Let’s rest here tonight. Tomorrow, we’ll claim the bounty at the entrance! We four split the bounty, and don’t you dare refuse.”

While resting, Su Bei leaned against the wall, eyes closed, pondering the matter. He had previously deduced that Jiang Tianming’s Ability wasn’t [Object Control] but [Death Summon], summoning the dead to use their Abilities.

Today, he killed two people, so he could likely use their Abilities now.

This meant he’d need to check the wanted list closely after leaving. It would surely list the two criminals’ Abilities. Jiang Tianming hadn’t grown stronger in a while, and Su Bei had nearly forgotten this Ability. Unexpectedly, it strengthened at such a moment.

The next three days passed calmly. Though there were occasional Mid-Level Nightmare Beast attacks and conflicts with other Ability users, their group of four faced no major issues.

On the fifth day, the final day of their 100-hour training, they had stayed in the Different Space for four days and three nights. One more day, and they could leave that evening.

Besides finding the Mental Crystal Room on the first day, they luckily stumbled upon a kitchen with many foods, some with special effects—like sudden acceleration, increased strength, or temporary night vision.

Some Ability users could make food with special effects, but they hadn’t met any. This was their first time. The feeling of speed after eating a biscuit was intriguing, and the four stored plenty in their Storage Bags, discarding Nightmare Beast corpses to make space.

Early on the fifth day, Jiang Tianming checked the map: “Let’s head back today. One day should get us to the entrance.”

Though they’d traveled four days, they hadn’t gone straight, taking detours. A direct return without delays would take about a day.

This was Jiang Tianming’s deliberate route planning, ensuring the return wouldn’t pass through previous rooms, avoiding waste.

“Oh, this room!” Upon entering a room, Lan Subing’s eyes widened, and she exclaimed softly.

The others also looked surprised. Wu Mingbai walked to a bookshelf, eyeing the packed books: “Is this a small library?”

But that wasn’t the most shocking part. The ceiling was adorned with clouds, and Jiang Tianming frowned: “Are those real clouds? Cloudy weather hasn’t been recorded, has it?”

The Weather Different Space had only four recorded weather types. If the clouds were real, this would be an unrecorded fifth weather!

Hearing this, Wu Mingbai shifted his gaze from the books to the ceiling, hesitantly confirming: “They seem like real clouds, not artificial.”

Discovering new weather could yield significant rewards upon reporting, likely beyond just money. The three showed delighted expressions, except Su Bei.

Su Bei stared at the clouds for a while before slowly saying: “Not clouds.”

At this, the three turned to him. Jiang Tianming immediately asked: “If not clouds, then what?”

Without turning, Su Bei kept staring at the clouds, finally saying: “If I’m not mistaken, you’re the High-Level Nightmare Beast of this Different Space, aren’t you?”

His words struck like thunder, instantly darkening the trio’s expressions. They huddled together, warily eyeing the clouds on the ceiling.

As soon as he spoke, a black cloud hidden among the white ones drifted slowly toward them. A voice, sounding like a little girl’s, emerged from within, cheerful: “You’re so smart! How did you know my identity?”

How did he know? Because he clearly saw the Destiny Compass within the cloud. With that present, it suggested the clouds were a living entity. In a Weather Different Space, a strange lifeform shaped like clouds made it hard not to suspect.

But he had no intention of revealing the truth, merely tilting his head toward the bookshelf: “Do you like reading?”

By then, Jiang Tianming caught on, examining the books closely. Before the cloud could respond, he said with some surprise: “You like learning about humans, don’t you?”

Most of the books were human-related—history, sociology, psychology—clearly aimed at studying humans.

The black cloud spun lively in place: “Correct! Since you’re so good at guessing, let’s play a guessing game!”

Truthfully, they didn’t want to play games with a Nightmare Beast, even if it seemed non-hostile. The Academy had repeatedly warned that Nightmare Beasts harbored natural malice toward humans. No matter the reason, they couldn’t soften, especially toward High-Level Nightmare Beasts.

With human-like intelligence, High-Level Nightmare Beasts could employ human tactics and even feign emotions. Many powerful Ability users had perished due to momentary leniency.

But as a High-Level Nightmare Beast, even if it reportedly lacked offensive power, the four didn’t dare leave rashly. Finding this room showed how unreliable human exploration of this Different Space was. Who knew what this Beast could do? A lightning strike could doom them all.

With that in mind, Jiang Tianming nodded: “We’ll play, but since we have other things to do, we can only play for five minutes. After that, you must let us leave this Different Space safely.”

“Five minutes?” The black cloud sounded dissatisfied. “No way. What if you stall? How about this: you only need to answer three questions correctly.”

“First, explain the rules of this ‘guessing game,’” Wu Mingbai said promptly.

At the mention of the game, the cloud Beast perked up: “Alright! I’ll ask a question about myself. If you all answer correctly, I’ll give you a small gift. If you get any question wrong, you’ll become my nourishment.”

Saying the cruelest words in the most innocent tone sent chills through the four. They truly felt the Academy’s warning about Nightmare Beasts’ “natural malice toward humans.” Indeed, it was immense malice.

If losing meant death, tying the game to their lives made even a lighthearted game joyless. But it could help them learn more about this High-Level Nightmare Beast, which wasn’t entirely bad.

This was the time to negotiate. Jiang Tianming unhesitatingly sought more benefits: “The difficulty’s too high. We don’t know you—how can we guess correctly? This isn’t a game. If you want to kill us, just do it. Don’t torment us like this.”

His words made sense. Though the cloud Beast genuinely harbored deep malice toward humans, it also genuinely wanted to play and didn’t want a joyless game.

After thinking, it revised the rules: “Each of you can guess one answer. If one is correct, you pass the round. How’s that?”

The new rules were much better. Jiang Tianming didn’t push further, raising another issue: “You can’t ask questions without answers. If you do, it counts as us completing a question. The gifts after each correct answer must benefit us.”

Jiang Tianming’s thoroughness impressed even Su Bei. Truly the protagonist—Su Bei hadn’t even thought of the gift issue.

Indeed, humans saw gifts as good, but Nightmare Beasts might not. If the Beast played word traps without prior agreement, they could suffer greatly.

The cloud Beast grew visibly impatient, faint lightning flickering beneath its dark mass: “So annoying! Why so many demands?”

“To you, it’s just a game, but to us, it’s life and death,” Jiang Tianming said calmly, even smiling faintly despite the threat. “So I have to be cautious.”

“Fine, fine. No more issues, right?” The cloud bobbed up and down, showing its irritation.

Finding no further issues, Jiang Tianming glanced at the others. Seeing they had nothing to say, he nodded: “Alright. We’ll sign a Contract, then you ask.”

He couldn’t trust the Beast to keep its word without a binding Ability Contract. He quickly produced one.

Seeing him agree, the lightning in the cloud vanished. It brushed the Contract, imprinting its aura: “First question! Why are there so many books here?”

“Can we discuss?” Lan Subing raised her hand cautiously.

The Beast had no objections: “Sure.”

The four huddled together. Lan Subing spoke first: “Could it be to study us to better rule the world?”

As mentioned, the books were human-related, many well-read, likely to understand humans.

“No, I think it’s simpler—just interested in human-related books,” Wu Mingbai said, glancing at the lively black cloud, offering his guess.

Both made sense, but Jiang Tianming proposed another possibility, close to Wu Mingbai’s but distinct: “It may not only have these books. Other types might be in other rooms. So it’s not necessarily about human books—maybe it just loves reading.”

Unable to convince each other, the three turned to Su Bei. He slowly shifted his gaze from the well-read books, saying softly: “How does a cloud flip through books?”

At this, the three froze. Right! The Beast was a black cloud, likely without limbs like hands. Yet most books showed signs of repeated reading, suggesting the reader wasn’t this black cloud.

Prompted by him, Lan Subing noticed something off: “If it read so many books, why does it still act so childish?”

This wasn’t character bias—books, especially human-study ones, should increase one’s knowledge. Yet the Beast consistently showed a childlike demeanor, unlike a well-read being.

Jiang Tianming suddenly realized: “These books aren’t for it but for people it trapped here.”

He’d just grasped that if the Beast wanted to understand humans, capturing them for direct study was better than reading.

Undoubtedly, it had trapped people in this room. Combined with Su Bei’s words, Jiang Tianming understood. The books were placed to keep trapped humans from boredom, not for the High-Level Nightmare Beast.

The others agreed this was the most plausible guess and told the cloud Beast.

As expected, they were correct: “Congratulations! You’re great at solving puzzles. These books are indeed for you to read. If you fail, I can be merciful and not kill you, as long as you stay and keep me company.”

No thanks—being trapped here, losing freedom, was worse than death for Su Bei. He valued freedom above life, which was why, when Manga Consciousness first approached him, he wasn’t thrilled or eager to save himself.

He didn’t want to be eternally confined for self-preservation.

“Now, second question: what’s my true form?” The black cloud bounced twice, asking cheerfully.

This question silenced the four. They’d assumed the Beast’s true form was the black cloud, but since it asked, it likely wasn’t.

It could be a trick to mess with them, with the simple answer being the black cloud. But no one dared bet—losing meant death or loss of freedom.

They huddled again. Jiang Tianming spoke first: “It controls weather, so its true form must be weather-related.”

Undeniably, Wu Mingbai added: “And likely a weather that encompasses most weathers.”

Sunny? But sunny was already a room weather.

The sky itself? Anyone with basic knowledge knew the sky was just Earth’s atmosphere. The answer couldn’t be the atmosphere—that’s too abstract!

As they speculated, Lan Subing suddenly suggested: “What if... it’s a white cloud? Or just a cloud.”

This dawned on her. The room was filled with white clouds, but since the High-Level Nightmare Beast appeared as a black cloud, they’d assumed that was its form, dismissing clouds entirely.

But if the correct answer was a cloud, it fit the Beast’s mischievous nature. Only someone as imaginative as Lan Subing could think of this so quickly.

With three chances, Jiang Tianming didn’t mind her trying. The answer sounded plausible, and they felt it might be true.

“My answer is a cloud!”

Perhaps due to Lan Subing’s usual luck, she actually guessed correctly. Not only were the four surprised, but the Beast was too.

“...You got it right,” it said through gritted teeth.

Unlike the first time, their quick correct guess clearly exceeded the cloud Beast’s expectations. The unexpected outcome sparked crackling lightning on it, its voice lowering with frustration: “Guessing so fast—how boring! But you’ll never get the last question!”

Regaining its smugness, it asked cheerfully, like a child: “Third question: do you think I’ll kill you?”

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