Chapter 83

Chapter 83 "Changed species?" Zhou Renjie gaped, then immediately turned to Ling You. "These don’t seem to eat corpses. Do you have any other viruses that can deal with them?" Unfortunately, Ling You was out of options: "No." She could acquire plague viruses in two ways. The first was collecting viruses from the real world, storing them in her Ability. These required physical contact and an understanding of their mechanics to use, and they consumed a lot of Mental Energy. The second was through cultivation and insight, where her Ability automatically generated viruses. Some existed in reality, others were unheard of. These required little Mental Energy and had varied applications. The virus Ling You used earlier was one she’d comprehended, effective against all insects. In real life, plague viruses that could devastate insects were nearly nonexistent. To fill this gap, Ling You had specifically worked on insect-related plagues, but she’d only prepared this one. "Then we’ll hold out a bit longer and go inside," Si Zhaohua said, attacking with his torch while reminding them, "Don’t use Abilities. We’ll likely need them in the castle. Save your Mental Energy." The others agreed, sticking to torches for attacks. The bugs kept coming, and the torches became less effective. Si Zhaohua and I hid behind Mu Tieren’s Shield, which sheltered the remaining three. Luckily, the bugs attacked whoever was closest, lacking the intelligence to bypass the Shield and target those behind it. After another half-hour stalemate, the Shield hadn’t cracked, but the others were losing patience. The Nightmare Bugs had piled up half a meter high in front of the Shield. The newest ones at the top were palm-sized, clawing and snapping, making the three inside look ashen. "I can’t take it... ugh! I’m gonna puke!" Zhou Renjie dry-heaved, shutting his eyes. "If the Shield cracks, these bugs won’t just swarm our faces, right?" None of us had seen a Shield break. If it cracked gradually, we’d have time to escape. But if it shattered suddenly, we’d be done for. With so many bugs clinging to the Shield, if it broke, they’d surge onto us by inertia. The three inside would bear the brunt. At this, even the stoic Ling You paled. Forget faces—she couldn’t handle them on her body! "To the castle," she said, turning to the two behind her. Neither I nor the others wanted to face that scenario, so we nodded. While the three in front drew the bugs’ attention, we stepped to the castle door. "Creak—" By sheer coincidence, the moment we arrived, the door slowly opened. Lights inside lit up layer by layer, turning the place brightly illuminated. Si Zhaohua’s face darkened. He’d known there was a trap, but seeing it so blatantly laid out still sank his heart. "Come quick!" Once Mu Tieren’s group reached the door, the five of us entered together. "Bang!" The door slammed shut behind us. Si Zhaohua and the others jumped. Zhou Renjie rushed to open it, but it wouldn’t budge. "We’re trapped?!" he cried. "What else? Did they lure us here for a cozy night’s rest?" I said lazily, pulling a lollipop from my Storage Bag, unwrapping it, and popping it in my mouth. The lack of Mental Energy and rest left me drained. I needed sugar to keep my brain sharp. Seeing the others stare silently, I offered generously: "Want some?" I thought they’d refuse, but surprisingly, each took one, depleting my once-plentiful stock. Five of us, each with a lollipop in our mouths, made for a comical scene. After sucking on it for a bit, the sugar revived me. I finally had the energy to observe our surroundings. The castle hall was opulently decorated, all gold and grandeur. It was empty—no people, no creatures, no supplies. Just a vast, hollow space. The only notable feature was at the back: five narrow staircases, each wide enough for one person. A sign beside them read, "Each staircase allows only one person to pass." The others noticed the sign too. Zhou Renjie scoffed: "Only one person? What if I take two people up one?" Before anyone could react, he boldly stepped onto a staircase. His hefty frame barely squeezed through. "Are you nuts?" Si Zhaohua, startled by his recklessness, shouted, "Get down!" Zhou Renjie shrugged: "Nothing’s happened, see?" Still, he listened to Si Zhaohua and started descending. But as he reached the last step to return to the ground, he seemed to hit something. "Ow!" Zhou Renjie clutched his forehead, puzzled, looking ahead. The space was empty—what had he hit? He reached out, eyes widening: "There’s a transparent wall here!" Si Zhaohua felt it too, confirming the invisible barrier. He sighed helplessly: "Looks like it’s really one person per staircase." Too bad we learned it through someone’s trial. Zhou Renjie wailed: "If I’d known, I wouldn’t have gone up! Now what?" "Everyone pick a staircase and go up," I said decisively. "Lingering outside drew a swarm of bugs. Who knows what’s waiting if we stay in this hall?" They couldn’t argue with that. Still, we lingered a bit, hoping the teachers might arrive at a critical moment. Until a few bugs crawled in under the door, we knew we couldn’t wait. Each chose a staircase and climbed. Before they left, I’d checked everyone’s Destiny Compasses. Their pointers, big and small, were fine. Once they were gone, I took out a mirror to check my own. My small pointer was slightly left but very centered. Thinking it over, I burned through my remaining Mental Energy, leaving just enough to function, and shifted my small pointer to the far left. Notably, moving a pointer from right to left consumed far more Mental Energy than nudging it further left. Barring accidents, I should breeze through this stage. Having read plenty of shonen manga, I knew these villain-crafted stages were meant to push the protagonist group’s growth. But I didn’t need that. As a character skirting the edge of justice, my role was to be mysterious and powerful. Growth was irrelevant. If I fought enemies like the others, I’d lose my edge. Plus, judging by my pointer’s position, I worried I’d end up looking pathetic this time. Mental exhaustion was minor; collapsing my persona was a bigger deal! Besides, I didn’t need villain-driven growth. Manga and forums were enough. After adjusting, I strolled up leisurely, turning a corner to the second floor. It was a large platform with a sofa and a coffee table. The table held a fruit platter, but only a few apple slices remained. Where was everyone? I looked around, confirmed no one was there, and continued upward. The second floor was empty, as were the third and fourth. The fifth was the top floor, and unsurprisingly, it was empty too. But it was cozy, like a place to rest. Trusting my far-left pointer, I boldly curled up on the sofa and fell asleep. "Wake up? Wake up?" A gentle female voice jolted me awake. I opened my eyes to see Ye Lin, her face full of worry and surprise. Puzzled, I sat up, realizing I was back in yesterday’s inn. Beside me was the unconscious Feng Lan. "Teacher, what’s going on?" I asked, confused. Ye Lin frowned, seeming puzzled herself. She sighed, about to speak, when two people entered, interrupting her. It was Meng Huai and Lei Ze’en. Lei Ze’en was mid-sentence: "This is up to them. If they don’t wake up, we can’t do much outside... Su Bei? You’re awake already!" Seeing me sitting up, Lei Ze’en exclaimed in shock. Meng Huai looked equally surprised, glancing at Ye Lin. Ye Lin shook her head: "Just now, I saw Su Bei stir, like he was about to wake, so I called out tentatively. And he actually woke up." From their bits of conversation, I pieced together what had happened and interjected, “Was that an illusion?” Ye Lin nodded. I immediately put on an act: "As expected." Acting required nailing every detail. I was sure this line, if in the manga, would spark a huge reaction on the forums. The others had no clue what the calm me was thinking. Meng Huai asked sternly: "Tell us what happened in the illusion. How’d you get out?" The illusion events were straightforward. I quickly recounted them, up to climbing the staircase and sleeping on the top floor. The three teachers fell silent. Ye Lin spoke first: "You got out because you fell asleep in the illusion, automatically exiting it." She added appreciatively: "But you’d already guessed that, right?" She inferred this from my actions and earlier reactions. Otherwise, how could someone sleep in such a dangerous place? What kind of nerve would that take? I nodded, shamelessly taking credit. If I was going to act, I’d go all in. Whatever the manga author drew, I could explain. "If there was no one the whole way... what was the point of dragging you there? To scare you?" Lei Ze’en asked, baffled. Meng Huai, who’d figured it out, sneered and asked me: "How’d you do it?" He was certain the platforms in the castle were meant to have enemies. The others were likely fighting them, unable to escape. I must’ve done something to make the enemies vanish, allowing me to leave smoothly. But I wasn’t about to spill the truth. I wanted to see how the manga would depict it. If it showed me using my Ability, I’d see if I could exaggerate its power. If it didn’t, I’d steer the narrative toward “Su Bei knew Black Flash’s plan all along.” The former would boost my mystique, but my persona was already solid, so it’d only slightly enhance my Ability’s perceived strength, with uncertain gains. The latter was different. If the manga didn’t show my Ability, I’d use my Prophet account to tie myself to Black Flash directly through this event. My thoughts wandered briefly. Noticing Meng Huai’s sharp gaze, I snapped back, flashing an innocent look: "Maybe I got lucky?" Meng Huai rolled his eyes unapologetically and smacked my head: "Keep your little schemes to yourself." I just grinned, staying silent. Thinking it over, I asked about the others: "Teacher, why are Feng Lan and them like this too?" "How should I know? We’ll have to ask them," Meng Huai said grumpily, sitting down. "When you sent the distress signal, we rushed over. By then, you’d already entered the illusion through the Black Gate. We couldn’t do anything, so we brought you back and went for the others." Lei Ze’en added: "This was likely Black Flash’s doing, so we decided to end this event." Meng Huai nodded, continuing: "But when we got there, the others were in the same state as you. They weren’t sent into the illusion by a Black Gate, though—it was modified tokens." Black Flash didn’t just alter the exit but also the tokens in the Different Space? A thought flashed through my mind, but it was too quick to grasp. Couldn’t help it—my Mental Energy was too drained. Even if it was all an illusion, the Mental Energy loss was real. I yawned: "Teacher, I want to rest." "Then rest," Ye Lin said gently. "It’s late, and you must be exhausted. Sleep well. Don’t worry about the others—the teachers will find a way to save them." I thought to myself, I’m not worried. The next second, Meng Huai voiced my thoughts: "He’s not worried!" But despite saying that, Meng Huai wasn’t actually upset. Everyone had their own personality. They’d only known each other for two or three months—how could they expect everyone to be like family? Especially me, with my clearly aloof nature. No need to judge. Even Meng Huai himself only had two friends among his classmates back then. Utterly exhausted, I didn’t bother saying more and fell asleep. The next day, I woke up at 2 p.m. Glancing beside me, Feng Lan was still out. My stomach growled, so I got up, washed, and ate a late lunch. The inn didn’t serve lunch, but there was a restaurant nearby. On my way back, I ran into Lei Ze’en returning from outside. Remembering last night, I asked curiously: "Teacher Lei, is it really up to them now?" I wanted to know if the school had any contingency measures for this. If they did, it’d be fine. The enemy was in the dark, we were in the light. A momentary lapse letting the enemy exploit a gap was normal. As long as there was a fix, it meant both sides were at least evenly matched. But if there was no fix, that’d be trouble. With the enemy in the dark and no countermeasures, we’d be sitting ducks. Luckily, it wasn’t the worst case. Lei Ze’en nodded: "Of course, but it’ll take three days. After that, we can pull them out of the illusion." Three days? By then, the dish would be cold! I grumbled inwardly but knew this was already impressive. Breaking someone else’s illusion wasn’t easy, especially one crafted by a skilled Ability user. Three days was fast. Plus, it wasn’t useless. If the enemy’s goal was to trap us in the illusion, pulling us out was a win. In a manga world, the school actually helping the protagonist group would be unscientific. Confirming the school could still hold its own against Black Flash, I went back to my carefree slacking. Honestly, before the final showdown, I couldn’t muster much worry for the protagonist group. As expected, by afternoon, the others gradually woke. The first was Li Shu. Coincidentally, I was with Ye Lin in his room when it happened. Li Shu’s eyes snapped open, his face pale as paper, but his eyes shone. “So this is illusion magic!” "Li Shu, you’re awake?" Ye Lin said, delighted. She checked him with her Ability, confirmed he was fine, and left to fetch the other teachers. I stayed: "What’s illusion magic?" Probably caught up in his excitement, Li Shu answered directly: "True illusion magic blends reality and illusion. It doesn’t need to be meticulous!" I understood. Not only had he broken the illusion, but he’d gained insight. His Ability was [Illusion], so this test was tailor-made for him. As he finished, Meng Huai and the others entered, questioning how Li Shu entered the illusion and what he encountered. He was with Jiang Tianming. While being chased, they ran into an "elephant" token that could phase through walls, knocking them out. When they woke, they were in the illusion. Their early experiences were similar to ours, but their castle had only two staircases. The first floor had several massive Nightmare Beasts with some mental resistance, rendering his illusion magic less effective, forcing him to fight physically. After dealing with them, the second floor had a gaudily made-up man with an illusion magic Ability. They clashed, and Li Shu lost at first, trapped in the man’s illusion. But he found a flaw, woke up, defeated the man, and realized the entire world might be an illusion. As an [Illusion] ability user who could create illusions, Li Shu was well-versed in them. After breaking the illusion, he didn’t climb any higher. Instead, he jumped from the third-floor window and returned to the entry point to locate the formation core The formation core was an illusion’s anchor, always an inanimate object, with unpredictable location and shape. We hadn’t learned this yet, as we hadn’t reached the unit on Ability types. Lei Ze’en whispered this to me during Li Shu’s account. Among the S Class, probably only Li Shu, with his [Illusion] Ability, knew this. Sure enough, the formation core was a tender green vine under the cliff. He tore it off and escaped. "But how’d you know the formation core was at the starting point?" I asked curiously. Li Shu looked weak but explained gently: "The larger the illusion, the more Mental Energy it consumes. If the outside path was useless, why not spawn us directly in the castle hall?" Got it! I realized I hadn’t thought it through. It wasn’t hard to figure out. Slowly, the others woke. Their accounts confirmed they faced challenges on each floor. Two floors involved illusion magic, and one targeted their Abilities. Notably, among those awake, except me, none reached the fifth floor. Except Li Shu, who left on the third, the rest broke the illusion on the fourth. Five were still unconscious: the initial protagonist trio, Si Zhaohua, and, surprisingly, Zhou Renjie. How did he mix in with them? It felt odd... Looking at his sleeping form, I raised an eyebrow, giving a knowing look. No one else had been to the fifth floor, but I’d gone unobstructed. To me, that floor wasn’t for fighting—it seemed more like a place for talking. Note : Looking For a volunteer proofreader/editor. Dm/Ping AkazaTL on Discord.