Chapter 278

The principle behind many resurrection items is to capture a person’s soul before it dissipates after death. Then, a replica of the physical body is created, and the soul is installed into it, thus reviving the person.

However, the powerful magnetic field of the Nightmare Beast World could extract the deceased’s grievances from their soul, transforming them into Nightmare Beasts. A soul with its grievances extracted is incomplete and naturally cannot be resurrected through such items.

The resurrection items Su Bei had possessed this very drawback. While the ‘Destiny’ organization did have items without this issue, they were finite consumables, best left unused if possible. Therefore, rather than relying on resurrection items, he much preferred to avoid any mishaps here.

“Teacher, do you have an item that can teleport me directly back to the academy?” Su Bei whispered to Lei Ze’en at the very end of the line as everyone was queuing up to enter the Nightmare Beast World.

Hearing this question, Lei Ze’en raised an eyebrow. Meng Huai had specifically told him about Su Bei and instructed him to pay close attention, ensuring he didn’t suddenly vanish. If he did, Lei Ze’en was to be on high alert immediately, and it would be best to gather all the S-Class students.

With such a warning, Su Bei’s current request seemed highly intriguing. Lei Ze’en asked bluntly, “Did you foresee something with your ability?”

Su Bei thought for a moment and didn’t hide it. “This exam won’t be a peaceful one.”

Lei Ze’en wasn’t surprised to hear this. It would be stranger if things went smoothly when bringing so many rookie Ability users into the Nightmare Beast World. However, for this final exam, Endless Ability Academy had deployed almost its entire staff, equipped with all sorts of items and measures, with him providing support on the side. Logically, the students’ safety should be guaranteed.

But seeing Su Bei’s expression, the danger must be significant enough to affect them; otherwise, he wouldn’t be asking for a safeguard in advance.

“Can you see what specific dangers there are? Or who is orchestrating it?” Thinking of this, Lei Ze’en’s brow furrowed as he pressed on.

Su Bei shook his head. He was just deducing based on common manga tropes. Besides, the Destiny Compasses above everyone’s heads were in their normal positions, offering no clues. But Su Bei was certain that this final exam would not proceed smoothly; otherwise, it would be a waste of the flag Zhou Renjie had planted.

Upon hearing this, Lei Ze’en sighed. “Alright, I understand. Take this.”

He pulled a round piece of paper from the small satchel he carried. A formation was drawn on it, but because it was so small, it looked almost cute.

After Su Bei took the paper, he explained, “This is a self-made teleportation item. Tearing it will instantly return you to the academy. However, if there’s a seal in the vicinity, the item is likely to fail.”

This was also why he insisted on personally accompanying the team. Items could be countered, but as an Ability user with the Teleportation ability, very few things could restrain him. His presence was safer than any item.

“Do you think I need to prepare one for everyone else in the class?” Lei Ze’en asked hesitantly. The paper he had just given Su Bei was something he had made casually, and it was the only one. Making more for the other S-Class students would consume a significant amount of time and Mental Energy, hence his hesitation.

“No need,” Su Bei decisively stopped him.

What a joke! If everyone in the S-Class had one, it would definitely become useless! The author would surely ban the item. It could only serve its purpose if only a very small number of people possessed it.

Although he might not even need to use it and just wanted a precautionary safeguard, a safeguard had to be effective. Once everyone had it, it would surely cease to be a safeguard.

Facing Lei Ze’en’s puzzled gaze, Su Bei coughed, feeling slightly guilty. “It would be useless if they had it.”

Though spoken with selfish intent, it wasn’t logically wrong. No matter what, Jiang Tianming and the others would inevitably be caught up in the events. Having this item or not would make no difference.

He said only this and refused to explain why it would be useless for the others. Although Lei Ze’en didn’t know the reason for Su Bei’s silence, it seemed he wasn’t lying, so he didn’t press further.

He looked worriedly at the queue slowly entering the Nightmare Beast World and sighed silently. He then instructed the approaching class president, Mu Tieren, “I’m going to find the principal to report the situation first. After you go in, don’t wander off. Stick with the group, and I’ll come find you in a bit.”

Mu Tieren nodded earnestly. “Got it, teacher. I’ll watch over everyone.”

As the only class president who wasn’t prone to causing trouble, Mu Tieren’s promise was clearly more convincing than others’. Lei Ze’en patted his shoulder in satisfaction and turned to leave.

As soon as he left, Qi Huang curiously came over and asked, “What did you just say to the teacher?”

She had seen it clearly. Su Bei and Lei Ze’en had said something at the back of the line, which prompted Lei Ze’en to suddenly decide to find the principal. And anything that would make him seek out the principal couldn’t be a small matter.

“Just that this exam won’t be peaceful,” Su Bei answered lazily. “Are you ready for a Nightmare Beast World battle royale, my friends?”

It would either be the Black Flash Organization causing trouble or the Nightmare Beasts themselves. But regardless of which it was, the main characters were bound to be hunted, so it wasn’t wrong to call it a battle royale.

As soon as he said this, everyone’s attention was immediately drawn to him. A battle royale sounded very dangerous. However, when they tried to ask for more details, Su Bei refused to answer.

Only Feng Lan asked nothing. After a glance at him, he directly used his ability to make a prophecy. A moment later, Feng Lan opened his eyes again, his expression already grim.

It was worth noting that using his Prophecy ability was now much more convenient if he only wanted a general outcome. He no longer needed to sit cross-legged, close his eyes, and meditate. He just needed to consume some Mental Energy, and a premonition-like feeling would quickly rise in his mind. However, obtaining a specific visual result was still very troublesome.

Seeing his grim expression, Jiang Tianming frowned and asked, “Is it very dangerous?”

“Very dangerous.” Feng Lan nodded affirmatively. In that instant, he had felt a strong sense of crisis.

Hearing him say so too, Zhao Xiaoyu immediately grew nervous. “Then let’s quickly tell the teacher and see if we can stop this competition. What if something really happens since it’s so dangerous?”

Of course, she was mainly concerned for her own safety. Zhao Xiaoyu had no desire to die inexplicably in an exam.

Jiang Tianming shook his head rationally, though not because he wanted to continue taking the risk. “Let’s wait for Teacher Lei to come back and see what he says. After knowing about Su Bei’s prediction, Teacher Lei will probably advise the academy to halt the final exam.”

Su Bei didn’t stop their attempt. But he knew very well that the school would never cancel this final exam. Otherwise, what would the author draw?

Before long, Lei Ze’en returned. Compared to his worried expression when he left, he looked much better now. Seeing everyone looking at him, he knew they had probably learned of Su Bei’s prophecy and offered a reassuring smile. “Don’t worry, everyone. The academy has invited the current strongest defense-type Ability user. As long as you don’t leave the exam grounds, there will be absolutely no danger.”

Jiang Tianming and the others were still confused by these words, but Su Bei and those with a deep understanding of the Ability World had already guessed who he was talking about.

Ai Baozhu’s eyes widened slightly. “Teacher, are you talking about Ms. Yulia?”

“That’s her.” Lei Ze’en nodded with a smile. “The academy really went all out this time. Now you can rest assured, right?”

“I am, I am!” Ai Baozhu clutched her chest, her eyes filled with excitement. “Can I see Ms. Yulia in person? It would be even better if I could get an autograph!”

As a defense-type Ability user herself, Ai Baozhu deeply admired this world’s strongest defense-type Ability user. She was a complete fangirl.

It wasn’t just her; Zhou Renjie, who also had defensive capabilities, was extremely excited. While Si Zhaohua, Qi Huang, and Feng Lan weren’t as thrilled as the two of them, they were still full of surprise.

Lei Ze’en completely understood her excitement but shrugged helplessly. “I don’t know either. I just found out that Ms. Yulia was invited.”

“Who is this Ms. Yulia you’re talking about?” Zhao Xiaoyu asked as she took out her phone to search on the official Ability user website.

Ai Baozhu proudly introduced her, “She’s a defense-type Ability user whose ability is Death Graveyard. This ability has appeared a few times in history, and other users treated it as a special type, using it as an offensive tool. Only Yulia! She pioneered a brand new way to use Death Graveyard. As long as you die within the graveyard’s range, you can be infinitely resurrected by consuming Mental Energy! She’s the strongest defense-type Ability user today!”

That’s right, this was why Yulia could become the strongest defense-type Ability user. It had to be said that her development of the ability was truly ingenious. Anyone hearing the name ‘Death Graveyard’ would probably think it was a special-type ability used for offense, just like Jiang Tianming’s Death Call.

But Yulia didn’t play by the rules, developing the ability in a defensive direction. In the end, she managed to unleash its greatest potential. As long as her Mental Energy wasn’t depleted, anyone who died within her ability’s range could be resurrected continuously.

To date, the coverage of Yulia’s Death Graveyard was as large as a city. And without a doubt, she was a possessor of Advanced Mental Energy.

One of Yulia’s most famous feats was when she protected the residents of an entire city, allowing all of them to survive an isolated Nightmare Beast invasion until reinforcements arrived.

Su Bei knew so much about her because there was an undisclosed piece of information about Yulia in the ‘Destiny’ organization’s database: her ability could also resurrect herself. However, if her personal grave was destroyed before she revived, Yulia could be killed permanently.

Because the ability was related to resurrection, he had paid special attention to it.

After learning that Endless Ability Academy had invited Yulia, Feng Lan, instead of feeling relieved, frowned even more tightly. “If even she is here, why can I still sense danger?”

This question stunned everyone. Indeed, with such a powerful defense-type Ability user providing protection, how could Feng Lan still predict danger?

Suddenly remembering something, Lei Ze’en asked, “Is the danger you predicted something that everyone entering the Nightmare Beast World will face, or is it a danger only you will face?”

“It should be a danger that I will face.” Between the two options, Feng Lan gave a third answer. “I didn’t predict what would happen to others, but I saw a dangerous scene.”

“Then can you use your Prophecy ability fully right now?” Lei Ze’en asked. As a teacher, he had some understanding of Feng Lan’s ability.

However, Feng Lan shook his head, rejecting the proposal. “I can’t. This matter involves me.”

He paused, taking several more steps forward with the queue. When the line stopped again, he continued to explain, “If I want to change my future, I can’t prophesize too deeply.”

Prophecy could easily cloud one’s judgment, especially since his ability was Prophecy itself. He had to be extra cautious with prophecies involving himself, or he could easily fall into the whirlpool of fate.

If he didn’t use Prophecy any further now, he could most likely avoid the danger he had just sensed by simply taking leave from the final exam. But if he delved deeper into the prophecy, he might face great danger even if he took leave, ultimately fulfilling the prophecy’s content.

After he finished speaking, Lei Ze’en, truly befitting his role as a teacher, sighed and nodded while others were still bewildered. “I understand.”

He understood Feng Lan’s meaning. It wasn’t that he couldn’t continue to use Prophecy, but that for his own safety, it was better not to. Since that was the case, he certainly wouldn’t force Feng Lan and even considerately asked, “Do you want to request leave now? If it’s just one or two people, I don’t think the academy will refuse.”

He was now aware of the academy’s purpose for insisting on holding the final exam in the Nightmare Beast World and even specially inviting the defense master Yulia for it. Thus, he knew the academy would not easily suspend the plan.

But while others couldn’t take leave, it was not a problem for Feng Lan. It was impossible for his ability to achieve the objective anyway, so taking leave wouldn’t be an issue.

“…Yes.” After a long hesitation, Feng Lan finally nodded, choosing to give up on this final exam. He had to be responsible for himself and his family. A wise man avoids unnecessary danger; in a situation known to be dangerous to oneself, a qualified prophet would never take the risk personally. This was the first thing the Feng Family had taught him.

Lei Ze’en wasn’t surprised by his choice and turned to help him process the leave request. On his way, he was still pondering what Feng Lan had said. He had only sensed danger for himself.

This implied two possibilities: either only he was in danger, or others were in danger as well. The second possibility could be further divided into two scenarios. The first was that even Yulia couldn’t withstand the upcoming danger. The second was that some students would run out of Yulia’s defensive range and encounter danger.

If he were leading any other team, Lei Ze’en wouldn’t have thought this way. But he was leading this year’s first-year S-Class. As the best friend of their homeroom teacher, he knew the nature of these kids all too well.

Therefore, as soon as he returned, Lei Ze’en sternly warned the group about to enter the Nightmare Beast World, “You are not allowed to leave the domain of the Death Graveyard for the entire duration of the exam. If there’s any reason you absolutely must go out, you must inform a teacher. Understood?”

Everyone nodded obediently, putting on an excellent show of compliance.

Upon entering the Nightmare Beast World, since no one present was a first-timer, there wasn’t that shocking impact. Coupled with their mental preparation, no problems arose, though everyone’s mood instantly soured. Then again, their moods were already bad before entering, so it didn’t seem to make much of a difference.

They were teleported to a stronghold established by Endless Ability Academy in the Nightmare Beast World. The difficulty of building a safe zone here was imaginable; only large organizations with numerous members, like the academy or the government, had such capabilities.

They lined up in their previous formation on the open ground of the safe zone. The dean of students held a microphone and announced, “Next, we will distribute the exam requirements and content. After receiving your rule sheets, please proceed to the corresponding colored area and line up. Then, follow your team leaders to the exam location.”

Team leaders used their abilities to distribute the rule sheets one by one according to the names on them. Su Bei caught the red paper floating in front of him, which contained the exam rules for the special-type students.

He read the rules on the paper as he walked towards the red area. The exam content for the special-type was simple: eliminate one hundred Nightmare Beasts, regardless of their strength, and collect all their blood at the end.

Nightmare Beast blood was a rather useless substance. It was inedible and even poisonous. Apart from a few specific Ability users who might need it, the rest would just discard it as waste.

“Collect Nightmare Beast blood?” By the time they reached the red area, most people had already read the rules and were discussing it amongst themselves.

Ling You and Ai Baozhu, who came over with Su Bei, were both completely bewildered. Ai Baozhu couldn’t help but complain, “Wait, isn’t this exam question specifically targeting me?”

As a defense-type Ability user, let alone collecting blood, just killing one hundred Nightmare Beasts would be difficult for her.

Killing 100 low-tier Nightmare Beasts in the real world would be easy. No matter how unsuitable Ai Baozhu’s ability was for offense, she was a genuine S-Class student. Her physical skills alone were enough to easily handle low-tier Nightmare Beasts.

But this was the Nightmare Beast World, where the beasts were a whole lot stronger than in reality. Furthermore, if too many low-tier Nightmare Beasts were eliminated, intermediate or even advanced ones would surely come to investigate. Therefore, eliminating 100 Nightmare Beasts was already a very difficult task for her.

Seeing her worried frown, Su Bei looked at the exam rules again, then looked up. “The rules don’t prohibit students from helping each other.”

At these words, not just Ai Baozhu, but even Ling You couldn’t help but widen her eyes. Her light purple irises were filled with confusion as they met Su Bei’s smiling dark purple ones, as if silently asking, “Is that allowed?”

Ai Baozhu, however, had no such reservations. After a brief shock, her eyes lit up. “You’re right! The academy didn’t forbid us from helping each other!”

Conventionally, a final exam was something you had to do on your own; helping each other was called cheating. But this exam specifically provided rules, and since the rules didn’t say they couldn’t help each other, they could very well interpret it as being allowed.

Even if the academy criticized them after finding out, it wouldn’t matter. It was the academy’s oversight. The worst-case scenario would be a re-test; they probably wouldn’t be given a failing grade directly.

With help, Ai Baozhu wasn’t afraid anymore. Whether it was Ling You or Su Bei, eliminating Nightmare Beasts was easy for them. Ai Baozhu could just coast to victory with them.

“But how do we collect the blood?” Regaining her composure, Ling You calmly raised the question.

They had learned the skill of bleeding Nightmare Beasts. After all, their blood was poisonous, and bleeding was an essential step to eat their meat in the wild. The academy had a dedicated class teaching these interdimensional survival skills. Even the most cleanliness-obsessed Ai Baozhu could successfully bleed them while wearing gloves.

But bleeding one or two Nightmare Beasts was entirely different from bleeding a hundred. Anyone could do the former, but just the thought of the latter made their scalps tingle.

Ai Baozhu crossed her arms, her eyes filled with disgust. “I’m definitely not going to bleed a hundred Nightmare Beasts one by one. If there isn’t a better way, I’d rather give up on this exam.”

Although the Ai family valued their children’s academic performance, they weren’t completely unreasonable. They valued practical application more than just rigidly demanding good grades. For an exam question like this, Ai Baozhu was sure even her own parents would find it baffling.

Such a baffling task that offered no personal improvement, on top of triggering Ai Baozhu’s mysophobia—if she were to drop out, she’d at most be nagged for a couple of days, and it wouldn’t be a big deal.

However, despite saying so, she still looked very anxious. It was just the national culture; school and exams were a huge deal. If one could take the exam smoothly and knew they would get a good grade, no one would want to drop out.

“Let’s think about a container first,” Su Bei said. He didn’t have a particularly good method at the moment either. He was very clean and efficient at bleeding; a single cut with his gears on a few major arteries of a Nightmare Beast, and the blood would drain quickly. But this was a hundred Nightmare Beasts. How much time would that take!

Regarding a container, the group fell into contemplation again. The exam required them to submit evidence of having eliminated one hundred Nightmare Beasts and having bled them all in one go.

Proving they had killed a hundred Nightmare Beasts wasn’t difficult, but to prove they had been completely bled, the best way was to bring the blood itself. A container to hold the blood of a hundred Nightmare Beasts would have to be huge, and none of them had a habit of carrying large containers. Moreover, the rules clearly stated to bring evidence, so having a companion or an Ability user with a lie-detecting skill vouch for them wouldn’t work. The situation reached a stalemate.

“If only there was a way to compress all that blood,” Ai Baozhu sighed, letting her imagination run wild. “Then we could compress all the blood into a small block and let the academy analyze its components themselves.”

Her idea was actually feasible. Although the three of them didn’t have a relevant ability, it was highly likely someone present did.

However, her words made Su Bei think of something else. He seemed to understand the purpose of this exam question. Endless Ability Academy was really going to great lengths to completely eradicate the meteorite fragments.