Translator: AkazaTL

Proofreader/Editor: TenebrousGaze, JWyck & Ekko

***

Chapter 117

After resting, the long-awaited scores finally arrived. Since both Campaign Reenactments won, everyone got 500 points extra, effectively canceling each other out.

Meng Huai sent two rankings in the group chat: the joint exam’s overall list and his own class’ individual rankings.

Su Bei checked the class ranking first and smiled with satisfaction. He scored third place and correctly guessed the top ranker: Ling You.

Her [Plague] Ability killed countless Nightmare Beasts. Despite falling into a coma mid-exam, her achievements shone undeniably bright.

Ling You was the exam’s standout, with her Ability excelling in war. Su Bei had a hunch that after the term started, they wouldn’t be teaming up with her anymore.

She had proven her worth; the school would, as rumored, likely nurture her now as a trump card.

Meanwhile, Su Bei made some substantial contributions of his own, achieving third place despite slacking half the time.

He uncovered the Ability Government’s issue, found the sewers first, mapped them, faced a High-Level Nightmare Beast first, shared the map, and saved an Ability User who killed a High-Level Nightmare Beast... on top of that, he also milked others for points. If Su Bei had bothered killing Nightmare Beasts, he’d likely be second in the class.

Many insiders, like Meng Huai, Wu Di and his own classmates, were frustrated at Su Bei’s ranking, thinking he could’ve done better.

But Su Bei was content. First place was too conspicuous, while second place invited comparison to first. Third was perfect.

Jiang Tianming also scored high, taking fifth place. After all, he devised both plans to take the High-Level Nightmare Beasts down, coordinated the attack, found and escorted Uncle Li from prison, and killed countless Nightmare Beasts. Fifth was well deserved.

Si Zhaohua took sixth place for essentially killing a High-Level Nightmare Beast alone. Though Jiang Tianming’s group helped, he dealt the killing blow. They only stopped the other beasts from interfering without assisting Si Zhaohua with the kill, so he got the most points.

Those who killed the Teleportation Nightmare Beast split points, with the final striker earning slightly more.

High-Level Nightmare Beasts were valuable, especially when killed solo. Furthermore, Si Zhaohua killed many regular beasts, boosting his score.

He ranked below Jiang Tianming because he gave Su Bei a third of his points, otherwise he might have challenged the top three.

Mu Tieren was tenth place. Beyond saving teammates from a High-Level Nightmare Beast, he also killed two High-Level Nightmare Beasts with his mysterious Ability and some help. These two kills secured his spot.

Others ranked high too—even Wu Jin, the lowest ranking in class, was in the top fifty. Half the top ten were from Su Bei’s class, so they not only avoided shaming the school but shone brightly.

No wonder Meng Huai was so pleased; he’d likely predicted the scores from their performances.

With such great results, the group chat erupted in cheers. Mo Xiaotian, fifteenth, sighed: “If only my academic scores were this good.”

Everyone typed “Hahaha” in response. Jiang Tianming messaged him: “Good luck on next term’s finals.”

They weren’t tutoring him again!*

With stellar scores, everyone earned a huge amount of points. With his existing points plus the haul from scoring third place, Su Bei became the richest in S-Class.

Su Bei began taking over Destiny, after confirming his score. He studied its operations: they had a public task board where those with channels could post tasks for the intel they desired.

Rewards were paid in an organization-intern currency called Points. Task posters gave rewards to the organization, which then converted those into Points for posting. Members could then redeem their Points in the Destiny organization’s store for rewards of their choosing.

Initially, Manga Consciousness lacked rewards to give the members, relying on Su Bei using his Ability. As Destiny grew, the store’s inventory increased, making the “wish fulfillment” reward harder to get, allowing Su Bei to step back from the operations.

Now, purchasing the ultimate reward was nearly impossible, but Destiny still ran smoothly. Intel exchanges were frequent, which gave Su Bei as leader and notebook holder access to all the intel.

Undoubtedly, this was immense wealth.

It took a week to organize his Ability world intel and uncover important secrets. This included the weaknesses and hidden ties of a few big shots, which Su Bei memorized. He was sure that those would come in handy someday.**

The most critical was intel on Black Flash.

In a retaliation plan against Black Flash, a buyer asked about the leader’s weaknesses. An anonymous seller replied: he had a wife, unseen publicly for years but still alive, deeply cherished by the leader.

Reading this, Su Bei instantly thought of Mo Xiaotian’s grandparents. If he wasn’t mistaken, this referred to them.

According to Mo Xiaotian, his grandma died long ago. But this intel, likely verified through evidence, insisted she was alive.

This made Su Bei notice a detail he had overlooked. Mo Xiaotian said his grandma “left them,” not that she died.

To most people, “left” implied death, but Su Bei forgot Mo Xiaotian wasn’t normal. In a way, he was brutally honest.

So “left” might be literal—she didn’t die, just left his grandpa. Perhaps a breakup or divorce, a failed relationship?

If so, the grandpa still clinging to her was likely researching ways to win her back.

Su Bei’s brows furrowed deeply. If this was the plot, he would lose respect for this story.

Chasing love was an acceptable motive for minor villains who were quickly beaten, but for a major villain? Others might not care, but he found it inadequate.

Failing to win over your beloved, showed you lack charm. Forcing your beloved to stay with you, showed you lack character. A big, bad villain being obsessed with romance makes them look pathetic.***

Such a plot point would drag the quality of the whole Manga down.

As such, Su Bei decided to investigate. Mo Xiaotian’s grandpa wouldn’t hide his nature at home. Someone desperate to trap someone that doesn’t love them would show flaws in his daily life. He took a cab to get close to Mo Xiaotian’s house, found a blind spot without cameras, used an Invisibility Charm, and entered.

His home was in the suburbs, a rustic courtyard with acres of farmland—projecting the image of a simple farmer’s home.

Su Bei easily scaled the wall, while hearing Mo Xiaotian’s cheerful voice. Rounding a corner, he saw him picking beans while a white-haired old man, the same man that came for him to the Campus Festival, reclined on a rocking chair.

Mo Xiaotian was animatedly sharing stories from school: “Grandpa, sending me to Endless Ability Academy was so right! I never knew school could be this fun!”

His grandpa smiled warmly: “I should send all you kids to the academy. Can’t let your talents waste with an old geezer like me, right?”

“No way!” Mo Xiaotian’s smile vanished, replying seriously. “Grandpa’s teaching is the best. I could learn tons at home too!”

Su Bei, watching their banter, couldn’t see this grandpa as evil. From this exchange, it was hard to believe he was a villainous organization’s big boss.

Was he misunderstanding something?

As doubt crept in, the air shimmered. Two black-clad figures, a man and a woman, appeared before the old man, bowing in unison: “Master.”

They bowed again to Mo Xiaotian: “Young Master.”

The old man retained his kind smile: “How did it go?”

The woman answered first, smug: “Done. Just wait for them to reach ‘headquarters,’ and they’ll receive our special gift.”

Su Bei’s heart jolted. Before break, Meng Huai told him that they had found Black Flash’s headquarters. Was it a trap?

After her, the man grumbled: “Do we really need to expose our hard-built headquarters to hit them?”

The old man stayed silent, his smile fading, giving him a faint glance.

That glance alone made the man tremble, apologizing: “Forgive me, Master. I spoke out of turn.”

Mo Xiaotian scratched his head, puzzled: “Uncle Chen, why’re you always so nervous around Grandpa? He won’t scold you.”

At this, the old man and woman fixed their eyes on Uncle Chen, their expressions unreadable. But it was clear—if he slipped up in front of Mo Xiaotian, harsh punishment awaited.

Under their intense gazes, Uncle Chen forced a smile: “I’m just like that, nervous with everyone.”

Fearing more questions, he shifted topics: “If we catch teachers this time, do we follow the same procedure? They’re not like regular Ability Users—it might not work with them.”

The old man nodded, his voice gentle but words chilling: “Those willing to serve us receive courtesy. Those unwilling have their own place.”

Both understood, smirking knowingly. The woman flattered: “It’s their blessing to contribute to our great experiment.”

Though unclear what “place” or “experiment” meant, Su Bei mentally quipped: “How about receiving that blessing yourself?”

It didn’t sound like anything good, so spare yourself the lofty talk.

He was curious what they meant, but they vanished after a few words, giving him no chance to track them.

Thinking, he headed to the house for clues. But as he neared, the old man stared directly in his direction: “Why not show yourself, sir?”

Almost instantly, Mo Xiaotian reacted, forming eight air cubes around Su Bei’s former position to imprison him.

Why several small cubes instead of one large? Su Bei had explained that to Mo Xiaotian during training: with Mo Xiaotian’s current strength large cubes were too fragile to trap someone, so it was better to use small ones as they were a lot sturdier.

Su Bei hadn’t expected a training tip he had given to be used against him.

He sighed, looking away. Luckily he reacted faster than Mo Xiaotian, retreating when the old man’s expression shifted, avoiding the attack. He hadn’t spoken despite Su Bei eavesdropping for so long, but sensed him when he got close—distance was the issue.

Su Bei got careless—the old man was an organization leader, surely equipped with items. His Manga Consciousness-improved Invisibility Charms were handy, but he shouldn’t have been so bold!

Now, the intel he overheard was compromised. Knowing someone eavesdropped, they would alter their plans.

He was frustrated; Mo Xiaotian was furious: “Who’s here? Grandpa...”

Before he finished, his grandpa interrupted him with a smile: “Xiaotian, what did I teach you? Don’t let anger cloud your mind. What’s the first step?”

He sounded like a doting grandfather teaching his grandson, while hiding his true nature. Though it seemed that he was genuinely kind to Mo Xiaotian.

Mo Xiaotian’s anger vanished, answering obediently: “Find a solution. I’ve sealed the courtyard with my Ability!”

The old man nodded approvingly but shook his head: “Quick reaction, but can this really trap them?”

Seeing his unhurried demeanor, dread surged in Su Bei. He realized that he had reacted too slowly. When he saw his expression change, he should’ve teleported away, not just dodge Mo Xiaotian’s attack.

Sure enough, the old man said: “I’ve used Space Lock to seal this area. Even with wings, they can’t escape.”

Space Lock? Su Bei smiled bitterly. He knew this item—it was the small silver ball he had returned to Black Flash. What a twist of fate-the item he gave them was used against him now!

Before he returned the item, he studied its effects. Space Lock sealed the space around it, blocking Teleportation Abilities and items within its range.

The only way out was for the item to stop being used.

What now? He only had invisibility protecting him now. If he was trapped, he would be a sitting duck—a wide-range attack would reveal him.

What can I do? Am I really going to die here?

If a protagonist team member were in his shoes, he wouldn’t be worried. With the protagonist halo, they would never die so easily, turning danger into safety.

But Su Bei was different. Though part of the protagonist team, Manga Consciousness had told him that even now his initial cannon-fodder status meant he had no protagonist halo. If he messed up, he could actually die.

Even maxing luck now wouldn’t help. Luck could save you in clutch moments, but not always. In this situation, he couldn’t see a way for luck to get him out.

Maybe if the old man dropped dead on the spot.

He did have a way to kill him quickly—tweak the old man’s large pointer downward. If he died, Mo Xiaotian couldn’t swiftly take the Space Lock’s control, letting Su Bei escape.

But he knew it was impossible. He lacked a protagonist halo, but that didn’t mean the villain lacked a villain halo. As a main villain, he couldn’t be killed so easily by Su Bei.

Logic said it wouldn’t work, but he wouldn’t give up without trying. He activated his Ability, only to see the expected yet surprising—there was nothing above the old man’s head.

Why nothing? Did he have a specific counter to Su Bei’s Ability type, an immunity item, or... an Ability?

Su Bei’s mind raced with possibilities. Whatever it was, targeting the old man was a no-go.

His gaze shifted to Mo Xiaotian. Even if the grandpa was immune, Mo Xiaotian wasn’t!

He realized then that he was focusing too much on the old man’s calm and mature reaction, assuming that he would stay calm if Mo Xiaotian was hurt and not allow Su Bei to escape.

Something else he had overlooked: Mo Xiaotian’s sickness, injury or suffering might not faze his grandfather, but what if his life was endangered?

Su Bei knew Mo Xiaotian had a protagonist halo. Like the old man, even if he meant to kill him it likely wouldn’t work. But the old man didn’t know that.

If he truly cared for Mo Xiaotian or if Mo Xiaotian was as valuable as Su Bei thought, he’d be forced to yield to Su Bei’s threat.

As he finished this thought, the grandpa threatened him firmly with his aged voice: “I don’t know who you are, but you see the situation you are in. Surrender now and you might survive. Keep resisting...”

Su Bei snapped back from his thoughts, ignored him and unhesitatingly adjusted Mo Xiaotian’s pointers. He moved the large pointer to 3 o’clock—illness—and shifting his already right-leaning small pointer further right.

Adjusting within the same direction (up to up, right to right) wasn’t too taxing. Although he had moved the large pointer, he still had plenty of mental energy.

With his remaining Mental Energy, he could adjust the small pointer three more times or adjust one large and one small pointer.

Two seconds after adjusting, Mo Xiaotian clutched his stomach and cried out: “Ah! My stomach!”

The pain was intense; he crouched, sweat beading on his forehead instantly.

The grandpa lost his calm, showing panic and worry, his expression chilling: “Do you intend to fight Black Flash to the death?”

But would Su Bei heed his threat? He unhesitatingly cranked Mo Xiaotian’s small pointer to the far right, showing no regard for their bond as classmates. Normally, they were classmates, but with Mo Xiaotian in the enemy camp, they were foes.

Against enemies, especially those out to kill him, he would never show mercy.

He had considered two options but gave himself only one. If this threat failed, he would take Mo Xiaotian down with him.

The small pointer couldn’t reach the Compass’ lower half. For a quick death, only the large pointer worked. Moving it from top to bottom took immense Mental Energy, possibly even life force with Su Bei’s current reserves. If he wasted more Mental Energy, even with life force it might not be possible anymore.

So Su Bei had decided: if he was not released, he would take Mo Xiaotian with him.

_______________________

*Ekko-Note: All his classmates have learned, that no good deed goes unpunished, lol

**Ekko-Note: So when I wrote this, I just pictured Su Bei as Mickey Mouse saying “This is a surprise Tool that will help us later!”

*** Ekko-Note: So my brother reminded me, that comic Thanos is actually pathetic (according to Su Bei)

Wyck-Note: Su Bei’s going to change the genre at this rate.

NOTE :

Write a Review on Novel Updates for a Bonus Chapter.