Chapter 175

Chapter 175 [Fatal Protection] was Ruiya’s Ability, granting strong protection but with severe side effects after. It was great for short battles but weak in prolonged fights. "I can use it broadly, applying [Fatal Protection] to all creatures here," Ruiya said, pushing up her glasses. "I can sense the location of anything with [Fatal Protection]." That made sense. If the Nightmare Beast was in the area, Ruiya could tag it with her Ability, revealing its location. Since the skill was an indiscriminate area effect, she rarely used it. Its buffs and side effects were intense, making wide use harmful to both sides. "Then we’ll leave the area first," Oli said, knowing her Ability, urging everyone to retreat. Those unfamiliar with her were curious. Ai Baozhu asked: "What does her Ability do?" "The side effect is fainting ten minutes later, with the duration based on the amount of energy used. It lasts for at least an hour," Ruiya answered directly, sensing her question's intent. Ten minutes of power, an hour of downtime. This odd Ability killed any desire to try it. Fainting in a Different Space was no joke, even with teammates. Who’d want to be a burden? But Oli’s plan wouldn’t work. Jiang Tianming frowned: "If we all leave, what about her? Can Ruiya handle an enhanced Nightmare Beast?" Fair point. Ruiya was Support Track, with low combat power. Controlling so many corpses meant it was at least a Mid-Level Nightmare Beast. Enhanced by her Ability, Ruiya couldn’t win. Leaving her alone was sending a lamb to slaughter. Jiang Tianming, as usual, solved his own problem: "Your Ability’s faint duration depends on the target’s energy use, right? Have one person stay with Ruiya. After she casts, they escape with her. Escaping uses little energy, so the side-effect won’t last long." An hour’s faint was acceptable, and his plan was the safest option. Now, the question was—who would be the rescuer? They needed someone who could safely extract her. All eyes turned to Si Zhaohua. His Ability allowed flight, perfect for escape. Flying used minimal energy, making him ideal. Si Zhaohua knew it too, volunteering before anyone spoke: "I’ll do it." They agreed, and everyone left the graveyard, leaving the duo. Soon, Si Zhaohua flew back with Ruiya, who revealed the Nightmare Beast’s location upon landing. It was underground, as expected, but sneakier—it hid inside a corpse’s brain, shaped like a brain itself. A brain-shaped Nightmare Beast was new. Even the cool-headed Tiffany grew curious at Ruiya’s description. They returned to the graveyard, digging at Ruiya’s marked spot. Sensing its discovery, the brain Nightmare Beast made other corpses burst out, aiming to overwhelm them with numbers. But it hadn’t counted on Elvis. As the corpses emerged, he used his Ability to shove them back underground. With no obstacles for now, they quickly unearthed the marked corpse, extracting a black brain. The moment it was removed, the brain spoke: "I’m a Nightmare Beast your school deliberately keeps here. Ask your teacher if you don’t believe me." Everyone: "..." Predictable, in a way. Oli’s team was disappointed. The brain seemed like a High-Level Nightmare Beast—killing it could’ve fetched a fortune. But Jiang Tianming’s group smiled. If they couldn’t kill it, it meant a free reward was coming. Jiang Tianming called out: "Teacher, is it telling the truth?" John’s helpless voice came from above: “Don’t be fooled just because it’s been caught. Its abilities are strong, but all of them are lethal, so it’s holding back.” When they captured it, they’d agreed: they wouldn’t kill it, and the brain Nightmare Beast couldn’t fatally harm humans and had to stay here. This disappointed everyone. If true, they’d gain nothing. John had no reason to lie— the beast must have formidable powers. That made sense. A High-Level Nightmare Beast caught so easily was odd. It was just unafraid, too lazy to flee. But John didn’t let them leave empty-handed, offering a sweetener: "It’s close with a Knowledge Nightmare Beast, which has many skill books. If you get something from it, you might score some." At that, everyone’s eyes burned with interest on the brain Nightmare Beast. Hearing John, the brain sneered with an unknown voice: "I won’t say anything. Stop dreaming." "Subing, try," Jiang Tianming said to Lan Subing. She didn’t hesitate, using [Word Spirit]: "「Tell me how we can get more skill books from the Knowledge Nightmare Beast.」" Her face paled instantly, but her Mental Energy wasn’t wasted. The Ability worked, forcing the brain to answer. "Trade knowledge it hasn’t seen." After this brief reply, the brain shriveled into a small, dry lump. John’s voice returned: "Alright, put it back. Don’t bother it." He wasn’t pitying the beast but knew this Nightmare Beast, despite seeming harmless, harbored deep hatred for humans, no less than others. Despite their agreement, if the brain attacked Jiang Tianming’s group recklessly, killing it afterward wouldn’t undo the loss. Jiang Tianming’s group were future Ability pillars. Trading a High-Level Nightmare Beast for their deaths would be a win from the beast’s view. For safety, it was best to steer clear. "What about the Body-Forging Grass?" Jiang Tianming asked. If they couldn’t kill the beast, the corpses wouldn’t vanish. Would they really have to behead each one and dig out the grass? Only he could stomach that. As he spoke, Body-Forging Grass sprouted densely from the ground, roughly a hundred or so, enough for everyone. After splitting it, everyone was satisfied. As it was corpse-grown, they wouldn’t eat it, but the sale money was theirs, ensuring it wouldn’t end up back with them. "Um, do you know where the Knowledge Nightmare Beast is?" Oli asked sheepishly once things settled. He hadn’t thought of it during John’s mention but now realized he didn’t know its location. Even knowing how to trade for skill books, who would they trade with? Su Bei’s group did know, but their brief rapport with Oli wasn’t enough to share. They didn’t even want to tell the Elvis' trio. "Trying to get something for nothing?" Ian teased, then seriously addressed Jiang Tianming’s group: "We can prepare knowledge the Knowledge Nightmare Beast doesn’t know, in exchange for its location." This was their plan from splitting the grass. Without finding the beast, they’d get no skill books. Sharing one book ensured some gain. Elvis' trio’s fairness pleased Jiang Tianming’s group, who shared the info. Oli’s team wasn’t so lucky. Knowledge unknown to the beast was rare, and without Tiffany’s family resources, they couldn’t even prepare their own, let alone others’. But they accepted it. Even if they found the beast, they might not have tradable knowledge. Missing skill books was regrettable, but they understood fate. After parting with Oli’s team, Su Bei’s group headed to the manor to find the Knowledge Nightmare Beast. Jiang Tianming briefed Elvis' trio on yesterday’s encounter. Having been sucked in once, the beast likely couldn’t pull them in again soon. Elvis' trio, however, were at risk. After his explanation, Si Zhaohua coughed, slightly reserved, addressing the others besides Ai Baozhu: "Got any knowledge you’re confident can trade for skill books? If not, I can sponsor some." Except Su Bei, Jiang Tianming and Lan Subing agreed. One had none, the other had some but didn’t bring them, needing Si Zhaohua’s help. As battle-tested friends, they didn’t need to be rigid—repaying later was fine. Su Bei had plenty. As Destiny’s leader, he lacked no secret knowledge. Since it was just knowledge, extracting it from Destiny’s vault was easy. At the manor’s library, the Knowledge Nightmare Beast, its last spot exposed and facing familiar faces, didn’t hide. It waited openly at the manor’s entrance. Seeing a black book on the manor’s stone table, Jiang Tianming’s group was stunned, suspecting a trick. The beast quickly dispelled their doubts, sucking Elvis' trio into the book world in one glance. After they vanished, the black book spoke calmly: "I know why you’re here. Show me the knowledge. If it’s new to me, I’ll give you a skill book as agreed." High-Level Nightmare Beasts shared vision, so it knew the brain beast’s situation. Su Bei’s five didn’t hesitate, presenting their prepared books. Hoping to trade for more, they learned each person could only trade for one, with a yearly cap of ten books. So, while they got skill books this year via the beast’s map, next year’s first-years wouldn’t, as no books would be produced. That made sense—otherwise, the academy would’ve emptied the beast’s stock long ago. After trading three skill books, the five had nothing to do. From experience, Elvis' trio would be in the book world for a while. With no other maps and needing to stay allied, they waited. "Let’s wait until 9 p.m.," Jiang Tianming said, checking the time. It was 5 p.m.—four hours wasn’t long. The exit opened at midnight, so they needed to reach the clock tower early to scout, or risk ambushes. The book world, where they’d spent half a day, was explained to Elvis' trio. With plot knowledge, unless they messed up, four hours was enough to clear. His timing was spot-on. With less than twenty minutes to 9 p.m., Ian’s trio fell from the air with a “thud.” Only Ian actually crashed. Elvis adjusted his time flow, falling slowly to land easily. Tiffany, a flying vampire, descended gracefully. Ian, on the ground, glared at the poised duo: "Seriously, no one considered my dignity? This is isolation, right?" Elvis and Tiffany glanced at him—Su Bei read it as “git gud.” Notably, despite Ian’s rough landing, he gained the most. Su Bei had felt the book world’s Ability resembled Ian’s, both pulling others into a small world, possibly with plots. Thus, though Ian’s Ability was lower-level, his sharp mind thrived in the advanced world, reaping huge Ability insights. It was like a masterclass in his Ability. Ian was too absorbed to talk, focused on processing his gains, hoping to develop new skills to rival the Knowledge Nightmare Beast. Amid the chatter, they reached the clock tower’s vicinity. Before getting close, Su Bei’s Mental Energy sensed many Ability users ahead. If only he could use an Invisibility Charm to slip out. Bathed in countless gazes again, they were used to it. Whispers surrounded them, shocked at their alliance. "The rumors are true? Elvis' team joined the exchange students!" "How’s anyone supposed to compete? They’re not here to rob too, are they?" "Wonder how much they got..." "Whatever, I’ve got nothing to lose! They teamed up, fine—I’ll rob them anyway!" "Let them be smug. They’re everyone’s target now, right?" The chatter was endless, and few gazes on Jiang Tianming’s group were friendly. Even without rumors, their strength guaranteed big hauls, making them targets for those with little to show. With nothing to lose, the empty-handed saw no risk in elimination. Why not take a shot? A slim chance could turn nothing into a fortune and earn teacher praise. A no-loss deal. Su Bei’s group allied with Elvis' trio anticipating this mindset. But while their alliance deterred some, it made others more covetous. "Looks like a fight’s unavoidable," Ian sighed. Elvis snorted: "Good, bring it on." A chance to fight a crowd was exactly what he wanted. Even if they weren’t strong, their numbers posed a challenge. It was 11:30 p.m., half an hour until the gate opened. Seeing the predatory crowd, Su Bei blinked, ready to slip away. Before he took two steps, Si Zhaohua grabbed him: "Where are you going?" "Just a stroll. I’ll be back when the gate opens," Su Bei said, unfazed, as if caught fleeing was nothing. Ai Baozhu scoffed: "You’re not planning to sit back, let us fight, and return when it’s over, are you?" That was exactly his plan, though not entirely. He wanted to wait until the gate opened to return, using his Ability to leave easily, whether a fight happened or not. Fighting now, before the gate, was just a waste of energy. Unashamed, he replied: "You can come with me. Wait until the gate opens, then return. Easy." Before anyone responded, a 1.9-meter-tall boy from the hostile crowd spoke: "Can you stop talking to yourselves? Once you’re in the clock tower, you’re not leaving. Unless you eliminate us all, you’re leaving your stuff here." Many stood behind him, gathered at some point. Su Bei noticed the gate was sealed by silver light, likely an Ability. No escape. His eyes drooped in annoyance. Searching his memory, he found no trace of this boy. Without hesitation, he activated his Ability. The large pointer slid to “Injured,” and a Gear easily cut a bloody gash on the boy’s neck. Su Bei smirked, his eyes cold: "In that case, you’re eliminated first." The move stunned everyone, leaving them frozen. The boy’s bold taunt showed he was a leader, or at least high-ranking. Yet, he was taken down before reacting, making others wary. By his Ability, the boy should’ve dodged the Gear, but under Su Bei’s hand, he seemed unable to try. Such a eerie Ability was terrifying. In this leaderless moment, another figure stepped up: "He took out one—can he take us all? Together, they can’t cover everything!" He launched at Si Zhaohua, unleashing vine attacks. With someone leading, others followed, sparking a massive brawl between the two sides. It wasn’t just them. Unlucky passersby, neither with the tall boy nor Jiang Tianming’s group, were dragged in. They were furious. Unlike the tall boy’s empty-handed crew, they had resources and no intent to fight, wanting only to leave with their gains. Caught in the fray with the gate locked, they huddled in corners, defending and striking back at accidental hits. The clock tower’s interior became a dazzling chaos of red, green, and blue skills. Furniture was hurled as weapons, pure pandemonium. Meanwhile, Su Bei, the chaos' instigator, slipped into the crowd, maxing his luck with his Ability. Barely noticed, he reached the top floor.