CHAPTER 136

Chapter 136

A High-Level Nightmare Beast? Hearing that the school had captured one for their study, everyone showed surprised expressions. It was a High-Level Nightmare Beast, after all! As expected of an ability academy—capable of securing something like that.

They had indeed seen High-Level Nightmare Beasts before, not just seen but killed them. Jiang Tianming and his group had even interacted closely with one. But leading a study? That was a first.

The bell for the end of class rang, and Meng Huai promptly concluded his lecture. As soon as he left, the classroom buzzed with excitement.

“I wonder if this High-Level Nightmare Beast looks good,” Ai Baozhu said, resting her chin in her hands while talking to Si Zhaohua. “It’d be great if it’s a handsome guy.”

“What would you do if it’s a handsome guy?” Si Zhaohua asked, amused.

Ai Baozhu replied confidently: “Appreciate it, of course. Studying a handsome guy is way better than studying some dark, murky thing.”

Her words struck a chord with the girls. Qi Huang nodded solemnly: “I’m fine with a pretty lady too. Honestly, I’m curious how something pitch-black turns into a handsome guy or beauty.”

“Good features look good in any color,” Lan Subing commented softly. “But we haven’t encountered many humanoid High-Level Nightmare Beasts before…” At this, everyone fell silent.

Indeed, though High-Level Nightmare Beasts could take human form, among the many they’d seen, only the Little Black Figure from the [Campaign Reenactment] was humanoid, and it lacked features.

Sensing her hopes fading, Ai Baozhu quickly changed the topic before despair set in: “By the way, what protective items are you bringing?”

“No need, right? The teacher probably just mentioned it casually. The academy’s safety measures are solid. We’re not the first class to experiment with a High-Level Nightmare Beast,” Mu Tieren answered logically.

Meng Huai had said “newly caught,” implying there was an older one before, likely unusable now, hence the new capture.

But Su Bei thought of something else. Mu Tieren’s judgment was correct—the academy had surely held similar classes before, so it was unlikely anything would go wrong.

Yet Meng Huai’s words weren’t said for no reason; they felt like a warning. If Su Bei weren’t certain Meng Huai wasn’t a mole, he’d suspect the teacher was a traitor, hinting out of guilt.

Regardless, since Meng Huai had warned them, Su Bei would prepare.

On the first day of school, with students’ minds still scattered, teachers usually didn’t cover critical content. After some small talk and discussing the winter break homework, class ended.

Near dismissal, Meng Huai returned to address the Feng Family incident: “The red wine antidote is still in development, but its effects are clear. It’s not just addictive—it amplifies the dark side of one’s heart. Learn from this. Don’t eat outside food if you can avoid it. This time it was wine, so you got lucky. Next time, if it’s a regular drink, will you fall for it?”

Meng Huai was right. Their escape was only because the poison was in wine. If it had been something else, someone would’ve been affected.

But poisoning the wine wasn’t entirely the author’s plot armor for the protagonists. People’s tastes vary; no matter the dish, someone might not eat it.

Wine, however, was different. Tasting wine is a social etiquette, and few refuse, especially low-alcohol red wine.

So, the red wine was indeed the best choice.

After Meng Huai announced dismissal, Su Bei looked curiously at Si Zhaohua: “By the way, how did your father avoid trouble?”

Su Bei had guessed early that Si’s Father wouldn’t be affected. Getting poisoned, especially with an addictive toxin, at someone else’s banquet would be a huge loss of face. 𝙧ÀNОBËS̈

As a father, his loss of face would affect Si Zhaohua. So, it was likely Si’s Father would be fine. But knowing this, Su Bei was still curious how he escaped.

“I found a chance to tip my father off about the Feng Family issue. He never eats outside food anyway, so he didn’t fall for it and later joined the familiar Feng Family elders,” Si Zhaohua explained.

Su Bei understood. Others might have similar habits, but they either trusted the Feng Family or lacked the power to defy workplace norms.

When the host called for a toast, could they refuse? They had to drink.

“What about you, Feng Lan? Did this affect your family much?” Seeing Su Bei ask about that day, Zhao Xiaoyu spoke up.

Feng Lan didn’t hide anything, nodding: “There’s definitely an impact. The Feng Family won’t hold such events for years. But as long as we keep producing prophecy abilities, the impact won’t be too great.”

Everyone got it. The Feng Family thrived on prophecy, not these events. As long as their core strength remained, they wouldn’t decline.

The next morning, the third period was Meng Huai’s class—two periods dedicated to learning about High-Level Nightmare Beasts.

Upon entering, Su Bei saw a massive cage, over human height, beside the podium, covered with a red cloth, hiding its contents.

Meng Huai arrived early, likely to prevent anyone from peeking and causing trouble. It was a High-Level Nightmare Beast, after all—even with safety measures, he couldn’t relax without watching.

Mo Xiaotian was circling the cage curiously: “Teacher, is this the High-Level Nightmare Beast? Why isn’t it talking?”

At this, a sly smile flashed across Meng Huai’s face, but it vanished instantly, returning to his stern expression: “Of course, it’s controlled. It’ll talk once the cloth is lifted.”

Was there something wrong with this Nightmare Beast’s voice? Su Bei, seated, pondered silently. He’d noticed Meng Huai’s odd expression, sparking suspicion.

No, he had to prepare. Meng Huai wasn’t a nurturing teacher. Ignoring such clear suspicion would be blind.

With that, Su Bei sneaked to the bathroom, wetted paper into small balls, wrung them dry, and made makeshift earplugs.

He returned just as the bell rang.

Meng Huai stood by the cage: “You’ve probably guessed—this is the High-Level Nightmare Beast I mentioned. You seem curious, so let’s have someone lift the cloth.”

Being fifteen or sixteen, the students were eager for class activities. Many raised their hands, except Su Bei, who suspected trouble, and a few reserved classmates.

“Jiang Tianming, you do it,” Meng Huai said casually, picking someone close.

Jiang Tianming pulled off the cloth, revealing the Nightmare Beast in the metal cage. Instantly, everyone gasped!

No wonder—it was a mermaid!

Its pitch-black mermaid tail curled in a sizable tank, scales distinct and glossy. Its seaweed-like hair was inky, exuding mystery.

Its face had features, carved like perfect black jade, every detail exquisite. As Lan Subing said yesterday, good features looked good in any color.

Almost instantly, Su Bei thought he heard enchanting music. But like seeing Phoenix Legend and recalling their songs, hearing a siren’s song upon seeing a mermaid seemed normal.

Wait! Normal? What was normal?

Thanks to his Advanced Mental Energy, Su Bei instantly spotted the flaw in his logic. He recalled Phoenix Legend’s songs because he’d heard them. But this siren’s song? He’d never heard it, so why did it come to mind?

Only he noticed. Others looked mildly entranced, oblivious to the song’s oddity.

Hold on—someone else noticed. Su Bei glanced at Wu Jin, who caught his look and nodded.

Su Bei understood—Wu Jin was unaffected too. The song was clearly a charm type, and with Wu Jin’s [Succubus] ability, he wouldn’t fall for it.

But… seeing Wu Jin’s calm, unconcerned look, Su Bei put on his earplugs, then used Mental Energy to pass Wu Jin a note: “Did the principal catch this Nightmare Beast?”

Wu Jin, lacking that skill, nodded, confirming Su Bei’s guess.

As expected. This mermaid’s charm ability seemed tailored for Wu Jin, and his calm demeanor suggested he’d seen it before.

“Hiss!” Suddenly, a chalk piece hit Su Bei accurately. Despite sensing it with Mental Energy, he couldn’t dodge.

Looking up, Meng Huai smirked, his warning clear—he didn’t want Su Bei revealing the truth. He wanted Jiang Tianming and the others to figure it out themselves.

Su Bei had no objections; he preferred it this way.

“Wow, Teacher, is this really a High-Level Nightmare Beast?” Qi Huang asked skeptically, eyeing the statue-like mermaid with closed eyes.

Meng Huai snapped his fingers. The mermaid’s eyelashes trembled, and it slowly opened its eyes—inky, without whites, slightly eerie.

It didn’t move much, just flipped its tail and stayed still.

Meng Huai began a standard introduction, not detailing its ability but covering basic High-Level Nightmare Beast knowledge.

Though basic, it was new to Su Bei and the others. Not what they expected, but they listened eagerly.

Meng Huai explained that a Nightmare Beast’s ability often tied to its appearance. Their death usually left a corpse and an ability item, but sometimes no corpse.

When killing a High-Level one, a one-hit kill was best, as some had self-destruct abilities, taking Ability Users with them.

At this, he glared at Su Bei’s group of four. They knew why—if the cloud Nightmare Beast had self-destructed, they’d be ash now.

The four gave sheepish smiles. They hadn’t known. Shonen manga thrived on hot-blooded recklessness, even for the calm Jiang Tianming.

But a lesson learned meant no repeat mistakes.

After a full period, Meng Huai paused his eloquent lecture: “Break for now. Use the bathroom if needed; we’ll continue next period.”

He left, “kindly” closing the door.

The moment he did, the classroom changed. Students, previously attentive, moved toward the cage as if bewitched.

Su Bei blinked, looking at the unmoving Wu Jin: “Who do you think it’ll attack first if they release it?”

Wu Jin paused, then uncertainly pointed at himself: “Us…?”

Su Bei faked a smile, heading for the back door: “You know, and you’re still here waiting to die?”

At the door, he pulled—and his face changed: “It’s locked.”

If the back door was locked, the front was too. Su Bei scanned the room, then went to the window. Luckily, Meng Huai hadn’t gone all out—the window wasn’t locked. He pushed it open and jumped out.

Being first-years, their classroom was on the ground floor, making escape easy. After Wu Jin jumped out, they closed the window.

Meanwhile, the cage was opened. The mermaid, no longer calm, smashed the tank with a tail flick, flooding the classroom with water.

Outside, Su Bei sensed the actions inside with Mental Energy.

The mermaid tried opening the door, but Endless Ability Academy’s doors weren’t so easy, even for a High-Level Nightmare Beast.

It then controlled Jiang Tianming’s group to open it, but their efforts failed. Like Su Bei, it thought of the window, but unlike their smooth escape, the window wouldn’t open now.

Seeing this, Su Bei knew it was under the teachers’ control. Class was over for him. Smiling at Wu Jin: “Let’s eat.”

Wu Jin glanced hesitantly at the classroom but nodded. As Su Bei guessed, he’d seen this Nightmare Beast during the break, using it to train his ability.

Its strength was weak, relying only on its charming song. With teachers watching, nothing would go wrong, so staying was pointless. Lunch with Su Bei made more sense.

Arriving early, the Point System Cafeteria was quiet. Su Bei and Wu Jin ate heartily. Su Bei was no longer the poor student needing others’ treats to afford it. Not having cafeteria food in a while, he ordered a feast to honor the new semester.

Whispers rose around them. Like Su Bei, many first-years now had points to spare. After a semester of exams—monthly, midterm, final—and teacher rewards, most had saved some. The cafeteria was far livelier than at the semester’s start.

But ordering so much without flinching, like Su Bei, stood out. Eyes fell on him, and upon recognizing him, whispers grew.

“Who’s that? Points to burn?” Girl A.

“Seems like… S Class' Su Bei? Third in the three-school final exam!”

“No way! It’s him? No wonder he’s got so many points!”

After last semester, even Wu Jin and Lan Subing could ignore such attention, let alone Su Bei.

Ignoring the stares, he ate leisurely. As he and Wu Jin left, they ran into the bedraggled S Class group arriving to eat.

Their faces changed, ready to retreat to the cafeteria. But the others wouldn’t let them off.

“You two didn’t warn us at all!” Ai Baozhu said through gritted teeth. Her shoes and socks were soaked, her neat braid a mess—rarely so disheveled.

Su Bei shifted blame: “I wanted to, but the teacher wouldn’t let me.”

Wanting to warn was a lie, but the teacher’s prohibition was true. So, he wasn’t lying—warning was impossible either way.

Everyone understood. Meng Huai wanted them to learn a lesson, not letting early detectors ruin his plan.

Though they complained, they didn’t truly blame Su Bei and Wu Jin. Jiang Tianming said calmly: “It was our carelessness. The teacher hinted yesterday.”

He’d told them to bring protective items, clearly suggesting the Nightmare Beast would cause trouble. But they trusted the school too much, dismissing it as routine.

Li Shu looked at Su Bei: “Did you catch Teacher Meng’s hint yesterday?”

His words were loaded, implying if Su Bei understood Meng Huai’s hint, he had time to warn others.

This guy, always cloaked in gentleness, saying snide things. Su Bei rolled his eyes: “I realized when the teacher said the Nightmare Beast ‘could talk once the cloth was lifted.’”

At this, everyone reacted. Yes, that was another clear hint. Missing both meant they deserved the lesson.

Wu Jin stayed silent, unlike Su Bei. He was genuinely guilty. Though Meng Huai forbade him from warning Jiang Tianming’s group, this mermaid was his training partner. Even without warning, he could’ve helped.

But knowing Meng Huai was right—they needed a lesson to stay vigilant—he held back. Logically right, emotionally guilty.

“You two didn’t have to escape and eat here,” Zhou Renjie muttered, equally disheveled, his face worse than others’. From “escape,” Su Bei knew he wasn’t joking like the others but genuinely upset.

Su Bei understood why Zhou Renjie looked so bad. It wasn’t his first time being charmed. In a desert Different Space, he’d been charmed and embarrassed himself.

Though most of the class fell this time, it was his second. Zhou Renjie, proud and face-conscious, felt more humiliated.

He’d likely decided to get anti-charm items from home that weekend.

“With teachers watching, you’d be fine,” Su Bei replied.

He didn’t seem angry, smiling amicably, but his words weren’t polite: “I get your powerless rage, but blaming me for your incompetence? I’m not that understanding.” “I…” Zhou Renjie was speechless.

Si Zhaohua sighed softly. Blaming a classmate showed Zhou Renjie’s immaturity; targeting Su Bei, whom he couldn’t handle, was a lapse in judgment.

Sometimes Si Zhaohua didn’t want to intervene, but their childhood bond held: “He’s still out of it, not thinking clearly.”

Su Bei knew it was an excuse but gave Si Zhaohua face. Glancing at Zhou Renjie, he nodded to the group: “We’re off.”