Chapter 163

Chapter 163 His words plunged the group into silence. Jiang Tianming’s group had only vaguely mentioned Zhou Renjie, saying “Zhou Renjie left with them,” to spare Si Zhaohua and Ai Baozhu’s feelings. Ai Baozhu hadn’t caught the implication, but Si Zhaohua clearly had, prompting his question. Even someone as oblivious as Ai Baozhu sensed something off, “‘Zhou Renjie left with them’? Who’s ‘them’?” No one answered, but she deduced it herself, “Black Flash? Zhou Renjie betrayed us?” By her last sentence, her face was full of disbelief, “How could he? Is he insane? What did Black Flash offer to make him abandon his family, his reputation, and betray us?” Her rare, shocked expression showed her disbelief. Known for her composure among Class S, even surpassing Si Zhaohua, it was no small feat to make her show such a twisted look. “It might not all be Black Flash’s temptation,” Si Zhaohua said, his earlier sadness gone, his face cold. “Dissatisfaction with the status quo could be a reason for his betrayal.” “Are you guys okay?” Lan Subing asked, concerned. They’d been so vague, yet Si Zhaohua caught on instantly. They’d planned to let the two learn about it back at school, giving them time to process. But they’d figured it out immediately, and no cover-up could hide it. To her question, Si Zhaohua seemed unaffected, calmly replying, “I’m fine. If he chose betrayal, he’s no longer our companion.” It seemed Zhou Renjie’s betrayal hadn’t stirred a ripple in his lake-blue eyes. If they hadn’t seen his earlier expression, they might’ve believed he felt nothing. No one was tactless enough to call him out. They followed his lead, dropping the topic. Ai Baozhu didn’t press further—too many had seen it; the betrayal was fact. She’d ask her parents about it back at the dorm. Wu Mingbai, smiling, changed the subject, “So, how’ve you been these past two days? Anything fun happen?” With the plot focused on them, what fun could there be here? Though Ai Baozhu was dampened by Zhou Renjie’s betrayal, like Si Zhaohua, she was raised by a great family, adept at controlling emotions. Thinking, she replied uncertainly, “Not much fun, to be honest. If I had to pick, maybe my match with Elvis.” Though it stirred some buzz on campus, it wasn’t much. Their match lacked excitement, their attitudes were unremarkable, and the outcome was predictable. Su Bei recalled something, looking at Lan Subing, “Elvis is switching classes again soon, probably to Support Track Class 1.” Though his ability suited support, Elvis rarely studied in Support Class 1. He never saw his ability as supportive—even if it was, it supported himself. Studying in Support Class had little value. To learn big-picture strategies and teammate coordination, Control Track offered the same, no need for Support Track. But to face Lan Subing, Elvis planned to stay a couple of days. [Word Spirit], also a top-tier ability, wasn’t a typical support ability. Before, he might’ve ignored it, confident in his ability. But after two draws, Elvis was more cautious, deciding to know his enemy. “Our class?” Lan Subing pointed at herself, shocked. “To fight me?” Su Bei nodded, giving her a teasing “good luck” look, “If you don’t want to pressure Jiang Tianming too much, aim for a draw or better.” Of the five exchange students at Alpha Ability Academy, three had draws. Even if the last two lost, their academy wouldn’t lose face. A win would bring glory. With two draws already, if Lan Subing drew, Jiang Tianming, competing after her, would have no pressure. But if she lost, his burden would grow. Getting his meaning, Lan Subing’s face grew serious. Wu Mingbai grinned, playfully threatening, “Trying to pressure Subing again, huh?” Jiang Tianming said directly to Lan Subing, “Ignore Su Bei’s nonsense. Whatever your result, I’ll aim to fight to a draw or win.” Lan Subing knew his pride well and nodded, “I know. I’ll do my best for a draw or win too.” Ai Baozhu glared at Su Bei, grabbing Lan Subing’s hand, “Let’s go, we’re at the dorms. We’ll wash up, and I’ll tell you about that guy’s ability.” Si Zhaohua, his mood lifted by their antics despite the earlier gloom, teased Su Bei with a faint smile, “How’s it feel to rile everyone up?” Su Bei shrugged, grinning back, “Pretty fun, isn’t it?” A few days later, Su Bei and Elvis both transferred to Lan Subing’s class. Since Elvis rarely came to Support Track, the students, less familiar with him than other classes, looked at the two curiously. But they quickly shifted to Lan Subing, realizing why Elvis, who never came, had “graced” them. Since Lan Subing’s one-against-two fight, she’d become famous at Alpha Ability Academy, on par with Su Bei. In a school with strict ability distinctions, someone like her, who could’ve joined other tracks but chose Support Track, was rare. Especially since her ability wasn’t ordinary. She had the top-tier [Word Spirit]! After learning this, the two students who’d provoked her to make a name for themselves regretted it bitterly. Had they known her ability was [Word Spirit], they wouldn’t have picked such a thankless fight. Judging by her gentle demeanor and hair/eye color, they’d assumed she was a water-element support. Who’d have thought the “soft persimmon” was a hard rock, leaving them battered? Now, not just their class but others gave them odd looks, often with clear malice. Unable to challenge them with exchange students present, they hadn’t been invited to the arena. But knowing Alpha Ability Academy’s culture, they knew once the exchange students left, they’d face constant challenges. Having shamed the school with their loss to Lan Subing, the teachers likely wouldn’t intervene. They hadn’t gotten a kind look from any teacher since, even the gentlest homeroom teacher just criticized and left them to fend for themselves. The two were already discussing transferring schools with their families. Back to Lan Subing, though she’d been informed, seeing Su Bei still thrilled her. Like Si Zhaohua, having a companion in her class felt reassuring. After class, ignoring many stares, she overcame her shyness to walk from the front to the back to chat with Su Bei. She was a bit socially anxious around Su Bei’s deskmate, Elvis, but luckily, Elvis was a gaming addict. During breaks, he was glued to his game, ignoring Lan Subing, even though she was his next opponent. Lan Subing wasn’t talkative, nor was Su Bei chatty, so they shouldn’t have had much to discuss. But the past two days’ events gave Lan Subing a desire to share with familiar faces, and Su Bei was willing to listen, so they chatted enjoyably. When mentioning Meng Huai’s [Dragon Knight] ability, Lan Subing showed Su Bei a photo she’d taken. With Jiang Tianming for scale, the black dragon was massive, about ten meters tall, looking majestic. The comic’s dragon and the real one were worlds apart. In the comic, it was just cool, but seeing it in reality hit differently, revealing its awe-inspiring presence. After showing the photo, Lan Subing asked curiously, “By the way, Su Bei, the teacher said you guessed his ability early. When did you figure it out?” “Can’t remember exactly, but after last semester’s midterms,” Su Bei replied. He had plenty of points then, so he hadn’t cared much about the 1000-point reward. Lan Subing marveled, “So impressive. Did the teacher take you to experience riding the dragon after you guessed it? It’s totally different from the flying carpet we rode here. I felt like a dragon knight myself, though balancing on its back was tough. I used my ability to stick myself on to avoid falling.” Su Bei fell silent. He wanted to ride a dragon too! As a 16-year-old, he had some dragon fantasies. Lan Subing’s casual words stabbed his heart, making him want to spit blood. He’d guessed Meng Huai’s ability first, yet he hadn’t seen or ridden the dragon. He could only see it through Lan Subing’s photo. The next chance to see Meng Huai use it to carry people was likely far off. What kind of suffering was this? After Lan Subing returned to her seat, Elvis asked Su Bei, “Your teacher’s ability is [Dragon Knight]? Was that a dragon photo she showed you?” His expression was as haughty as ever, but his sparkling eyes betrayed his excitement. Like Su Bei, he couldn’t resist a dragon’s allure. Su Bei saw through him and grinned, “Yup. Want me to show you the photo?” Meng Huai’s ability wasn’t a secret. The students didn’t know because they lacked connections, but as a teacher who’d studied at the academy for years, his ability was public. Knowing it, they didn’t need to keep it hush for Meng Huai. Elvis nodded eagerly, then, realizing he seemed too eager, added stiffly, “I just want to gauge how strong this ability is.” His tsundere nature was fully exposed. Su Bei smirked, “Since you’re gathering intel, shouldn’t you offer something in return?” Elvis' eyes widened, sizing Su Bei up. Confirming he wasn’t joking, he pondered what to give. He was genuinely curious about the dragon, and though others had photos, Su Bei was the one he knew best. Su Bei asking for a trade surprised but didn’t offend him. He’d already pegged Su Bei as someone who nickel-and-dimed. If he minded, he wouldn’t have kept interacting. His family taught him that people who openly trade benefits were more reliable than those who hid their motives. At least they were transparent. Though Elvis felt friends shouldn’t haggle over small favors—it felt odd—he knew for some, offering a trade was a sign of goodwill. Differing values were normal. As long as it didn’t cross lines, mutual respect sufficed. After thinking, he couldn’t come up with a suitable trade, but since Su Bei asked, he likely had something in mind. So, Elvis asked bluntly, “What do you want?” “There’s something I’ve been curious about,” Su Bei, as expected, had a trade ready. “Why does your ability use so little Mental Energy?” Everyone knew time and destiny abilities were top-tier. Logically, rewinding time should consume Mental Energy comparable to altering fate. Even if less, it shouldn’t let Elvis use his ability so freely in battle. Su Bei had Advanced Mental Energy—a qualitative leap over regular Mental Energy. Yet Elvis, without Advanced Mental Energy, seemed to have more than Su Bei in ability usage. This suggested his ability consumed little Mental Energy. But abilities followed energy conservation. Powerful abilities required more Mental Energy as a medium. Since Elvis' time ability didn’t use much, Su Bei suspected he was overdrawing something else. From past comic plots, Su Bei noticed 《King of Abilities》’ author loved twists. He worried Elvis might be a villain and decided to probe. Unexpectedly asked this, Elvis raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t odd for someone to notice his Mental Energy use. “Hmph, so you’re curious too. Fine, I’ll tell you. I can delay my Mental Energy consumption.” “Delay Mental Energy consumption?” Su Bei’s eyes widened. Was it what he thought? If so, that was insanely overpowered. Elvis nodded proudly. Developing this was tough, but the results were stellar, “The Mental Energy I use in battle can be pushed back via my ability, released an hour later. I keep mental crystals in my dorm or bag. After a fight, I absorb their energy while paying back the Mental Energy used.” Su Bei was stunned, “...That’s a thing?” It was invincible! Like borrowing Mental Energy from the future, interest-free. As long as he didn’t overspend, he could cover it with crystals later. Su Bei guessed he could even “pay in installments.” If he used 10 Mental Energy in a fight, he could cover 3 on the spot, 3 the first hour after, recover, then cover more later, fully repaying by the fourth hour. If he could “loan” Mental Energy, “installments” were likely doable. No wonder Elvis used his ability so freely in the arena. This trick nearly eliminated consumption concerns. Damn it, why didn’t he have this? With it, he’d be unstoppable! Su Bei was genuinely jealous. He was the one with a cheat, yet Elvis' self-made “hack” seemed better. He hadn’t thought of this before. If he had, he’d have tried it on the forums. Early readers were gullible, but now, with everyone’s abilities fleshed out, fooling them was harder. With such a strong time ability, even “borrowing” Mental Energy, “borrowing” time wasn’t far-fetched. Yes, time abilities made Su Bei think of a near-universal comic trope—“longevity.” Could Elvis' ability grant him, or others, longevity? So, he asked directly, “You’ve tried borrowing Mental Energy. Ever tried borrowing life force?” “Haven’t, but I think I could,” Elvis replied. Su Bei fell silent. Perhaps because they weren’t in the comic’s plot, Alpha Ability Academy students like Ian and now Elvis didn’t see these things as dangerous. Without the comic’s interference, they might have lived free of schemes. But with the protagonist group bringing the comic’s lens, their openness gave Su Bei a bad feeling. This wasn’t baseless. In the last two updates, both Ian and Elvis appeared. Elvis was a key figure in this arc, but Ian’s minor cameo was odd. Both had abilities tied to longevity. If someone sought immortality, they’d be prime targets. In this damn comic world, more conspiracies were likely. But Su Bei didn’t bother warning Elvis. First, his thoughts were pure speculation, unprovable, and unlikely to convince anyone. Second, if such a plot arose, it’d be a major story point, preplanned by the author. His words couldn’t change it, so why stress them both? Ignoring this, [Time Hourglass]’s shown capabilities were impressive, especially its Mental Energy efficiency, far surpassing Su Bei’s ability. Thanks to this “Mental Energy loan” feature, Elvis used his ability without heavy consumption, letting him sustain multiple uses in battle with regular Mental Energy. Having gotten his answers and intel, Su Bei kept his word. He asked Lan Subing for her dragon photo and handed his phone to Elvis. They eagerly compared the black dragon to fictional ones. They were similar—winged, scaled, massive, and powerful—making one wonder if the first Western dragon designer was an Ability User who’d seen a real one. Discussing this, Su Bei curiously asked Manga Consciousness, “In your third-dimension’s shows, are dragons like this too?” It’d been a while since he’d called Manga Consciousness, so it took a moment to respond, affirming, “Yes.” In minor details, the author wouldn’t get overly creative. Overly fantastical designs in trivial areas could alienate readers, reducing immersion. So, whatever dragons were in his world, they were in the Manga. Whatever shows looked like outside, they did in the Manga World. Case closed. Su Bei got it. It wasn’t that their world’s dragon designer saw a real one—the comic author only knew this dragon form, so his comic dragons matched.