Chapter 202

Chapter 202

The Purple-Haired Woman wasn’t surprised either. Before this operation, she’d thoroughly studied the files on the first-year Class S students of Endless Ability Academy from the “Black Flash” organization. This wasn’t my first time pulling this stunt, so she was mentally prepared.

“Trying to run? Not so easy!” As she spoke, she tossed a small silver ball into the air. The ball transformed into a massive barrier, enclosing a ten-mile radius around us.

She smirked triumphantly. Unless I could’ve bolted out in that split second, I was surely trapped now. As far as she knew, I wasn’t a speed-type Ability user, so I was already a fish in her net.

I indeed hadn’t escaped. The moment the silver light flared, I recognized her prop—“Space Lock,” a classic “Black Flash” tool.

I’d seen “Space Lock” plenty of times and knew its mechanics inside out. Having been burned by it several times, how could I not have prepared for such a powerful spatial sealing prop?

Before the silver light fully enveloped me, I pulled a crystal ball from my storage space and crushed it. As it shattered, a spherical shield covered me.

This was an “Anti-Barrier Crystal Ball.” As the name suggests, if used before a barrier fully forms, it creates an anti-barrier shield around the user. With this shield, you could walk out without being trapped by the barrier. But it couldn’t withstand attacks—if hit, the shield would break.

I’d prepared this specifically for barriers like “Space Lock.” Though its conditions were strict, it was perfect for me.

Whenever I boldly vanished at the start of an event, I couldn’t help but thank the persona I’d chosen. Being outside the protagonist group, not having to adventure with others, and staying detached felt so liberating!

Just as I sat down, the boulder moved. Startled, I sprang up and leaped back. The black boulder stretched taller, and a bewildered turtle head popped out, looking around.

It was a Nightmare Turtle.

I was speechless.

Alright, my bad. I forgot this was a Nightmare Beast world, where most black objects were Nightmare Beasts in disguise.

Sitting to the side, I started thinking about my next move. First, I had no intention of getting involved in this “Black Flash” scheme. No matter how I looked at it, this was likely a last-minute plan, since Mu Tieren’s need for a heart was sudden.

If it was a makeshift plan, it probably wasn’t some grand conspiracy, so I didn’t need to join every time. I’d only come for the Nightmare Beast world anyway.

That said, after this event, Endless Ability Academy would likely start hunting for moles again. I wondered if the two moles in the Academy could stay hidden this time.

From the Academy’s perspective, to cover up Mu Tieren’s robot identity, only a handful knew he was injured and needed a heart: Ye Lin, Meng Huai, Dr. Zhou, our entire class, and some high-ranking Academy officials I wasn’t familiar with, including Wu Di.

Among them, Dr. Zhou could likely be ruled out. He wasn’t part of the Academy, and it was a given there was a mole inside. The leak was probably from within, not from someone temporarily brought in like him. Even if Dr. Zhou was involved, that’d be for First Ability Hospital to investigate.

Meng Huai could also be cleared. He was escorting Boss Sun to the Ability Government at the time. Even if he knew Mu Tieren was critically ill, he wouldn’t know the solution, let alone leak it.

As for the Academy’s higher-ups, Endless Ability Academy had likely done several internal checks, making it unlikely for them to be the issue. So the culprit was obvious.

Either Lei Ze’en or Ye Lin, or one of the students. Or possibly both—a student and a teacher. With my omniscient perspective, I knew it was the latter.

As for which teacher was the mole, I now had a clear idea.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I gazed at the endless black-and-white world, pondering my next step. Jiang Tianming and the others were likely being taken away by the Purple-Haired Woman and wouldn’t return soon.

Should I go get a heart for Mu Tieren?

It’d be challenging, but I believed I could do it. The Invisibility Charm alone gave me a huge advantage. With Jiang Tianming and the others gone, I’d have more time to plan, making the “hundred-meter Gear shot to precisely kill a Heart Nightmare Beast” more seamless and natural.

But I was worried about one thing: without others around, would the author draw my actions in the manga? If I went through all this effort only for the manga to show me handing over the heart to Mu Tieren, that’d be a problem.

It wouldn’t ruin things, but my plan to boost my strength would fall apart. With the Tri-School Competition approaching, even I couldn’t help feeling anxious. If I couldn’t improve my strength, I’d feel uneasy.

Whatever, thinking about it now was pointless. I shook my head and stood up. Whether the author drew it or not, I had to do it. If I did, there was a 50% chance it’d be included. If I didn’t, it was zero.

But… I looked at the area covered by the silver light. The known Heart Nightmare Beast gathering spot was sealed by “Space Lock.” What now?

There were two options. First, wait here until “Black Flash” took Jiang Tianming and the others away, and the barrier would vanish. Second, find another Heart Nightmare Beast gathering spot, kill one, and take its heart.

The first option had issues. I wasn’t sure when “Black Flash” would leave. If they stayed, I’d be wasting time here.

If Jiang Tianming and the others resolved the “Black Flash” crisis inside the barrier and brought back the Heart Nightmare Beast, this update would have nothing to do with me.

Even if “Black Flash” did take them away as predicted, it wasn’t foolproof. Who’s to say they wouldn’t leave someone at the Heart Nightmare Beast spot to ambush me?

A little thought made it clear: with everyone else taken by “Black Flash,” if I wanted to save Mu Tieren, I’d likely continue the mission. This known Heart Nightmare Beast spot would be my best bet.

To catch me, the Purple-Haired Woman might leave a small group to wait. If I showed up, I’d be nabbed instantly.

This option was too risky; I didn’t dare bet on it. But the second option had its own glaring issue—where would I find another Heart Nightmare Beast?

High-Level Nightmare Beasts were rare, and Heart Nightmare Beasts were just one type. Finding a specific species in the vast Nightmare Beast world was incredibly difficult.

For safety, I could only go with the second option: find a new Heart Nightmare Beast group.

This spot could be a backup. If I searched for two days and found nothing, I could return and figure out how to kill a Heart Nightmare Beast here.

By then, even if the Purple-Haired Woman left people to guard, they’d likely be less vigilant, making it easier for me to act.

Turning around, I wandered aimlessly forward, thinking about how to find another Nightmare Beast group. Even with maxed-out luck, I doubted I’d stumble upon a lone Heart Nightmare Beast.

With one group of Heart Nightmare Beasts here, there likely wouldn’t be another of the same species within hundreds of miles. I needed to go as far as possible.

But a new problem arose. As a human with just two legs, even with peak physical condition, walking non-stop for a day and night, how far could I go?

And wandering aimlessly like this, even if I went far, I might not encounter a Heart Nightmare Beast.

With that thought, I stopped again. The first option had safety issues, but the second, while theoretically possible, was practically unfeasible.

I needed another way. Sighing, I rubbed my temples, pondering.

Finding a new Heart Nightmare Beast gathering spot on my own wouldn’t work—unless they came to me.

Make them come to me?

Suddenly, my eyes lit up. I had a slightly shady but doubly beneficial idea!

With a plan in mind, I wasn’t in a rush anymore. I found a spot far from the incident site and ate a late-night snack—or maybe an early breakfast. After eating, feeling re-energized, I continued.

Thanks to an Ability user’s high Mental Energy, I wasn’t too tired despite two sleepless days. The constant stream of Mental Energy kept me alert as long as I didn’t want to sleep.

This spot was far from Jiang Tianming and the others. I brazenly activated my Ability, scanning all nearby Nightmare Beasts. My purple eyes flashed gold, and countless Destiny Compasses, large and small, appeared in my vision. My Invisibility Charm had worn off, making me visible. Coupled with my reckless Ability use, I instantly drew a horde of Nightmare Beasts.

This was exactly my goal. I manipulated my Gears, effortlessly reaping the lives of low-level Nightmare Beasts. Mid-Level ones were tougher, but they only required more Mental Energy.

When I couldn’t hold out, I’d use an Invisibility Charm to vanish, stop using my Ability, and slip out of sight. During this time, I’d recover my Mental Energy, then re-emerge to fight.

Repeating this cycle, by the time I used up my third Invisibility Charm, I finally attracted a High-Level Nightmare Beast. It was an incredibly thin creature, looking like a sheet of black A4 paper.

At first, I didn’t recognize it as a High-Level Nightmare Beast. I watched the thin black paper float toward me, then suddenly flare up, expanding several times its size and engulfing me in one go.

I was confused.

After attacking with my Gears inside for a bit without even scratching it, I had my answer: “You’re a High-Level Nightmare Beast, aren’t you?”

With my current attack strength, damaging a paper-type Mid-Level Nightmare Beast would be easy. If I couldn’t, it had to be a higher level.

The Black Paper Nightmare Beast didn’t hide it: “You’re here to die, aren’t you?”

It genuinely thought so. A seemingly underage Ability user, alone in the Nightmare Beast world, slaughtering recklessly. If it hadn’t observed for so long to confirm no one was guarding him, it would’ve thought I was bait set by cunning humans.

Even now, it was full of doubts, suspecting I had some scheme. Otherwise, how could I be so calm after recognizing it as a High-Level Nightmare Beast?

“I’m here to help you,” I said, comfortably sitting cross-legged in its “stomach,” leisurely responding. This gloomy place kept my mood low, and when I wasn’t in a good mood, I needed to rest, not wasting a shred of energy.

At that, the Black Paper Nightmare Beast scoffed: “You think I’m a fool? If you know I’m a High-Level Nightmare Beast, you should know I have intelligence no less than a human’s. What could a human like you do for us Nightmare Beasts?”

Ignoring its question, I countered: “You know there’s a Heart Nightmare Beast gathering spot nearby, right?”

With their species right here, it wasn’t exactly a secret.

Without waiting for a reply, I continued: “They’re about to be wiped out.”

That got the Black Paper Nightmare Beast’s attention. It might not care much about other Nightmare Beasts, but a force capable of wiping out a group of High-Level Nightmare Beasts entering the Nightmare Beast world—while it, a High-Level Nightmare Beast with shared vision, knew nothing—was enough to alarm it.

“What did you say? You dare lie to my face!” Logic told it I was lying. It hadn’t seen anyone causing a stir in the Nightmare Beast world, and from a motive perspective, humans had no reason to go all out to eliminate Heart Nightmare Beasts.

Humans didn’t proactively come to the Nightmare Beast world to exterminate Nightmare Beasts. The ones in the real world and Different Spaces already drained their energy. Why would they bother stirring up trouble in the Nightmare Beasts’ lair?

Thus, humans coming to pick a fight usually had two motives: profit, like with Knowledge Nightmare Beasts, which drew swarms of humans the moment they appeared; or revenge, where a powerful family, attacked by Nightmare Beasts, brought their whole clan to settle the score.

Heart Nightmare Beasts didn’t fit the first motive. Sure, they offered humans great benefits, but those lasted only ten minutes. Even for a “Perfect Heart,” humans would at most sneak in to kill one or two, not slaughter them all. That’d be like killing the goose that lays golden eggs—except the eggs were fleeting.

Was it revenge? Nightmare Beasts out in the world inevitably killed humans. Offending someone powerful was possible.

“If I’m lying, have the Heart Nightmare Beasts check for themselves,” I said, unfazed by its challenge.

The Black Paper Nightmare Beast paused: “How do they check?”

Thanks to shared vision, the Heart Nightmare Beasts heard me and began frantically urging it to ask for details. This was a case of better safe than sorry. Though unlikely, what if I was telling the truth?

I said calmly: “Simple. Tell them to walk outward. If they can go beyond ten miles, I lose.”

That was the basis of my bold claim. “Black Flash” had used “Space Lock” to seal the area, surely encompassing the entire Heart Nightmare Beast gathering spot.

Once the Heart Nightmare Beasts found themselves trapped, they’d instinctively believe me. If not to kill them, why trap them with a prop?

As long as they didn’t talk to “Black Flash,” they wouldn’t realize I was lying. And, as expected, Nightmare Beasts, already deeply hostile to humans, wouldn’t negotiate politely with “Black Flash” after learning of a plot to kill them.

That meant I could say whatever I wanted.

The verification was indeed simple. The Black Paper Nightmare Beast threatened: “If you’re lying, no god can save you.”

“And if I’m telling the truth?” I asked.

That stumped it. On one hand, its deep malice toward humans made it reluctant to let me go. On the other, Nightmare Beasts didn’t have a “repay kindness” code, especially with humans—if they could kill, they would. But I seemed to know a lot about the enemy targeting the Heart Nightmare Beasts. If I was right, the Heart Nightmare Beasts likely wouldn’t allow it to kill me.

As for the chance I was lying? It thought that unlikely unless I was truly suicidal.

Since the truth would soon come out, it asked curiously: “Why help Nightmare Beasts?”

“The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” I replied with inner calm but a smiling face.

The Black Paper Nightmare Beast got it. I must have a grudge against whoever was targeting the Heart Nightmare Beasts, so I wanted to sabotage their plan.

Soon, it got the Heart Nightmare Beasts’ response, confirming they were trapped, and asked: “Do you know how to free them? If you tell me, I’ll let you go.”

It thought this was already lenient, expecting me to gratefully spill the method. But I didn’t budge, even scoffing: “You don’t really think I can’t leave, do you?”

That stunned the Black Paper Nightmare Beast. It had been wondering how I dared lure it here, and now, hearing this, it felt a “just as I suspected” moment.

The Heart Nightmare Beasts, meanwhile, were frantic. They felt the sky was falling, facing inexplicable extinction. Without my warning, they hadn’t even noticed their entire territory was enclosed by a barrier.

Nightmare Beasts were living beings. The higher their level, the more intelligent and unwilling to die they were.

Receiving their relayed message, the Black Paper Nightmare Beast asked: “What do you want?”

Good question… My smile froze. I realized I was stuck. I’d planned to use this to boost my strength, but now it seemed I could easily get a “Perfect Heart.” How was I supposed to improve my strength then?

But I couldn’t refuse either. My gut told me this segment had a high chance of making it into the manga. If I ignored the easy option of taking the heart and asked for something else, only to later take a heart by force, it’d be too illogical—both in terms of the event and my persona.

So, with a calm facade but a bleeding heart, I said: “I want a ‘Perfect Heart.’ That’s all you’re worth, isn’t it?”

One “Perfect Heart” required a Heart Nightmare Beast’s life, but compared to the whole clan, it was negligible. I wasn’t worried they’d refuse.

Sure enough, after a pause, the Black Paper Nightmare Beast released me from its “stomach”: “They agreed.”

I nodded, pulling a contract paper from my storage space: “You recognize this, right?”

High-Level Nightmare Beasts naturally did. This was a contract paper with Ability-backed enforcement. Once signed, it was binding, and violators would be punished.

Seeing they recognized it, I quickly wrote the terms: I’d provide the method to prevent the Heart Nightmare Beasts’ extinction, and they’d give me a “Perfect Heart” with ten minutes’ usability immediately after I provided the solution. If the Nightmare Beasts breached, their entire clan would perish. If I breached, I’d die.

“This contract’s a bit unfair, isn’t it? The penalties for breaching are completely unequal,” the Black Paper Nightmare Beast said after reading.

I feigned surprise: “Oh? Are we equals? I thought you needed me.”

The Black Paper Nightmare Beast was speechless.

It had no comeback. They did need me. Whether I could escape its control was uncertain, but the Heart Nightmare Beasts’ impending doom was certain. With their agreement, it nodded, accepting the contract.

For this contract to take effect, the entire Heart Nightmare Beast clan had to sign, as it involved multiple parties. A single signature wouldn’t do.

Nightmare Beasts had their methods. After the Black Paper Nightmare Beast took the contract, dense marks soon appeared on it, a faint golden glow signaling its activation.

I gave the Black Paper Nightmare Beast a thoughtful look. This remote signing ability was likely its power, tied to paper, it seemed.