MTLNOVEL Chapter 49
Chapter 49
Everyone exchanged helpless glances, but each saw amusement in the others’ eyes. Though unintended, Mo Xiaotian’s goofy demeanor eased their tension significantly.
“He’s not wrong. Treat it like a spring outing,” Mu Tieren agreed, nodding. “Let’s wander. I’ve never been in a forest.”
They chose a direction and moved forward. Forests are easy to get lost in, with no visible sun. To avoid circling, Su Bei suggested using leaf density to navigate.
Wherever there’s sunlight, trees’ north and south sides have different leaf densities. They didn’t need exact bearings, just a consistent direction.
After a short walk, Su Bei’s brow twitched, sensing something: “There’s something that way.”
Since entering the forest, he’d kept his Mental Energy active to scan around. Though draining, early danger detection was worth it.
Just now, he sensed a strange stone tablet in the left woods.
Hearing him, the group paused, looking where he pointed, but dense trees blocked any view.
Jiang Tianming’s trio, aware of advanced Mental Energy’s capabilities, quickly realized how Su Bei detected it.
To avoid annoying Su Bei with questions, Jiang Tianming said: “Really? Let’s check it out! Is it alive?”
“Not sure, but it hasn’t moved,” Su Bei shook his head. Though immobile, it could be a camouflaged Nightmare Beast.
They’d seen Nightmare Beast photos in textbooks—pitch-black creatures. But like Ability users, Nightmare Beasts had varied powers, so he couldn’t confirm its safety.
Luckily, no one was truly timid. Though uncertain, they agreed to investigate.
Pushing through tall grass and vines, bypassing trees, they reached Su Bei’s target.
It was a stone tablet.
Clearly man-made, it had a display screen.
“Looks like a task,” Jiang Tianming’s eyes lit up. He tapped the screen, which lit up with text—
“Task 14: Kill 5 Nightmare Beasts
Reward: 500 Points, Bandages ×3, Self-Heating Hotpots ×3
(The captain taps the watch face to accept. No new tasks until this is completed.)”
Reading this, they fell silent. After a moment, Lan Subing cautiously asked: “Are 500 points a lot?”
Other rewards could wait, but points were critical.
Good question, and why they were quiet. Killing five Nightmare Beasts was undoubtedly tough. Accepting this task locked them out of others, meaning they had to complete it to earn more task points.
Was the reward worth the cost? That was the key question. The teacher never said task difficulty matched rewards.
Mu Tieren shook his head, frustrated: “We’ve got no reference.”
He checked the Leaderboard: “Still empty.”
They hesitated to accept, fearing missing a big opportunity, and stalled.
Jiang Tianming made a snap decision: “As planned, let’s split. We’ll stay to decide on the task. You explore elsewhere. If you find something, send someone back. The watch map shows our location.”
A solid plan, but Wu Mingbai frowned: “Splitting so early? Other teams likely haven’t. What if we run into a full squad?”
Su Bei answered: “You and Mo Xiaotian can alter terrain. In this forest, delaying enemies briefly makes us invisible.”
If they couldn’t fight, they could flee.
With no other issues, the six split into pairs. Wu Mingbai and Su Bei led their partners in different directions. Before leaving, Su Bei glanced at everyone’s Destiny Compass pointers, then stopped Wu Mingbai: “Wu Mingbai, change direction.”
He noticed Wu Mingbai’s pointer leaned left—indicating victory—but only slightly, suggesting no great opportunities that way.
Hearing this, Wu Mingbai and Lan Subing turned, surprised, then hesitantly switched: “This way?”
They knew Su Bei could see fate and didn’t doubt his advice, especially as teammates. He had no reason to sabotage them.
Seeing Wu Mingbai’s pointer shift further left, Su Bei nodded: “Good enough.”
Wu Mingbai flashed a sunny smile: “Thanks!”
Su Bei didn’t reply, leading Mo Xiaotian in a random direction.
“North Bro! Was Wu Mingbai’s direction bad? Is ours great?” Mo Xiaotian hopped along, curious.
Honestly, Su Bei hadn’t checked. He couldn’t whip out his prized mirror to peek at his compass in this setting, could he?
Luckily, with a teammate, checking their compass sufficed.
Su Bei nodded casually: “It’s alright.”
He wasn’t lying. Mo Xiaotian’s pointer tilted slightly left. As a protagonist group member, he wouldn’t be eliminated early, so any outcome was “alright.”
He didn’t choose this less-than-ideal path on purpose. He’d subtly tested other directions earlier. Except for Wu Mingbai’s suggested path, others were mediocre.
He gave Wu Mingbai that path to reinforce his Ability’s persona.
Plus, as mentioned, as long as they didn’t get knocked out, no path was too bad.
“How’d you spot that tablet, North Bro?” Answered, Mo Xiaotian, like a “100,000 Whys,” asked anew.
Though naive, he wasn’t dumb. He knew Su Bei’s position made it impossible to see the tablet through dense foliage.
“I’ve got some special sensing tricks,” Su Bei said with a sly smile, smoothly shifting topics. “Your [Air] Ability should make you pretty perceptive, right?”
He used Mental Energy to sense surroundings, and Mo Xiaotian, controlling air, should detect things within it.
He steered the conversation to stop Mo Xiaotian’s endless questions. He wasn’t sure if it was pure curiosity or intel-gathering, but redirecting focus was wise either way.
Mo Xiaotian dropped the earlier topic, scratching his head sheepishly: “I’m not that good. I can only sense a small area.”
He gestured a small square: “Since I control a tiny space, my control’s strong, letting me make air blocks and explosion blocks.”
Clearly, he held nothing back, spilling everything to Su Bei.
This confirmed Mo Xiaotian wasn’t probing earlier—just curious. But this didn’t ease Su Bei’s guard. Mo Xiaotian’s Black Lightning ties were undeniable. He’d share this info with the organization if asked.
Su Bei realized Mo Xiaotian, like [Manga Consciousness], caused harm unwittingly, often more dangerous than deliberate villains.
“Someone’s ahead,” Su Bei halted, stopping the chatty Mo Xiaotian, crouching warily to observe.
His Mental Energy sensed six people about twenty meters ahead, moving together. Outnumbered, avoiding notice was best to prevent a messy escape.
Mo Xiaotian obediently shut up, crouching beside Su Bei in the grass. Dense foliage and trees provided perfect cover.
“Shift sideways,” Su Bei whispered. “They’re coming our way.”
They slowly moved behind another tree. Soon, a team arrived where they’d hidden.
The leader was a familiar face.
Mo Xiaotian’s eyes widened, tugging Su Bei’s sleeve, mouthing excitedly: “It’s Qi Huang!”
Indeed, it was Qi Huang, leading an all-female six-person team exploring the forest.
Suddenly, they stopped where Su Bei’s group had been. A green-braided, glasses-wearing girl adjusted her glasses, saying seriously: “Something passed through here.”
Qi Huang, trusting her teammate’s Ability, asked: “Can you tell what? Or how many?”
Whether humans or Nightmare Beasts, if few, they could fight.
The green-haired girl closed her eyes, sensing, then opened them: “Humans, I think… not many.”
“Looks like we’ve found another team,” Qi Huang smiled confidently, turning to a brown-haired girl. “Points incoming, right, Qiqi? Track where they went.”
Trouble! Their team had a tracking Ability user. Hearing Qi Huang, Su Bei’s expression shifted. Mo Xiaotian, anxious, mouthed: “What now? Run?”
Running wouldn’t work. Qi Huang’s [Flame Phoenix] was godly in this forest for attacks and tracking. Once spotted, escaping would be tough.
No one outruns spreading fire. Plus, if it came to that, others might be drawn in, trapping them.
Su Bei didn’t speak, watching the brown-haired girl sniff. His eyes lit up: “I’ve got an idea.”
…
“Will this really work?” Mo Xiaotian, huddled close to Su Bei, pale and tense, asked.
Su Bei glanced at Mo Xiaotian’s Destiny Compass, mouthing: “Relax.”
The pointer leaned well left, signaling his plan’s success.
Reassured, Mo Xiaotian calmed, staying quiet and watching with Su Bei.
The brown-haired girl sniffed, then headed straight for their hiding spot.
Mo Xiaotian’s briefly calmed heart raced again, but seeing Su Bei’s steady expression, he settled, observing silently.
The girl, Qiqi, stopped near their spot, frowned, sniffed again, then shook her head: “The scent ends here.”
“Ends? How?” another girl asked, surprised. “That’s never happened before, right?”
Qi Huang frowned, asking Qiqi: “Any idea why? If needed, I’ll burn this area.”
It was a solid plan. The dense trees made hiding easy, but burning them would expose anyone.
As the hiding party, Su Bei wasn’t amused.
Luckily, Qiqi stopped her: “No need. They’re not here. The scent vanished suddenly—likely they used something like Teleportation to leave.”
The green-haired girl added: “No point setting a forest fire. It’d draw others and risk us.”
On their home planet, “environmental damage” would’ve been another reason, but not in a Different Space.
Qi Huang shared their concerns, asking Qiqi: “You’re sure no one’s hiding?”
Qiqi nodded firmly: “I’m sure. I didn’t use my Ability in the arena, so no one could’ve known it. Without prior knowledge, they couldn’t evade my tracking. They must’ve left.”
Sound logic. Qi Huang believed her, looking disappointed: “They got away fast. Let’s go find a task since we can’t eliminate anyone.”
After they left, Mo Xiaotian exhaled, then said excitedly: “North Bro, you’re amazing! They didn’t find us!”
He dispelled the air blocks he’d created: “Didn’t expect these to block Qiqi from finding us. Can air counter her Ability?”
This showed Mo Xiaotian’s intelligence. Without knowing Qiqi’s Ability, he deduced this from Su Bei’s countermeasure, showcasing sharp analysis.
Su Bei nodded, not hiding it: “Qiqi’s tracking likely relies on scent. Your fresh air blocks isolated us, cutting off our scent, so she lost our trail.”
“I see!” Mo Xiaotian got it, then asked, puzzled: “How’d you know her Ability was scent-based? Prophecy?”
Su Bei smiled without answering.
He wouldn’t admit he guessed it from Qiqi’s sniffing, a flash of insight.
If the manga showed this, it’d be his keen observation. If not, he’d let Mo Xiaotian’s guess stand.
Either way, he won.
“What’s next?” Safe from danger, a relaxed Mo Xiaotian asked, a bit lost.
Su Bei thought: “Let’s tail Qi Huang’s group. We might pick up scraps. Keep air blocks in front while tracking to mask our scent from Qiqi.”
Mo Xiaotian bounced excitedly: “Sweet! Tracking! I love spy thrillers!”
“Hope your spy thrillers aren’t 007-style,” Su Bei said, facepalming at Mo Xiaotian’s poses.
Then he remembered: “Can your Mental Energy hold up?”
Creating air blocks to encase them had left Mo Xiaotian pale, and he hadn’t recovered much. Su Bei worried he’d falter.
As expected, Mo Xiaotian’s face fell: “It’s tough… but if we only block the front, staying close should be fine.”
“Close? How close?” Su Bei asked noncommittally, trailing Qi Huang’s group from afar.
Mo Xiaotian perked up, hand on hip, arm bent into a loop: “Hug me, hug me! That’d minimize our distance!”
Su Bei sighed, pressing a hand on Mo Xiaotian’s spiky hair, ruffling it hard: “You said blocking the front’s enough. Me following you minimizes the area, right?”
Hard to fathom why he’d choose a convoluted method over the simplest.
Mo Xiaotian blinked, enlightened: “Right! That’s easiest!”
He sheepishly lowered his arm, grinning: “North Bro, you’re so smart.”
Su Bei had nothing to say, exhausted, nudging him to catch up with Qi Huang’s group.
After a bit, Su Bei checked his watch. They entered at 8:00 AM; it was now 8:30. As expected, the Leaderboard showed scores.
Three teams were listed. Si Zhaohua’s team led with 40 points, the other two had 10 each.
Known point sources: stealing, “killing,” eliminating Nightmare Beasts, completing tasks.
Stealing was unlikely; earning and losing points in thirty minutes was improbable.
Tasks were also unlikely. Su Bei had only seen one, but its rewards suggested tasks gave substantial points. Fifty was debatable, but 10 wasn’t task-derived.
So, were the 10 points from “killing” or Nightmare Beasts?
Su Bei didn’t dwell on it, realizing: “Taking that Nightmare Beast task is a sure win.”
If 10 points came from a Nightmare Beast, five would yield 50 points, but the task gave 500—a steal.
If from “killing,” it showed regular actions earned few points. “Killing” was 10; Nightmare Beasts might max at 100. The task was still a good deal.
Perhaps by coincidence, as Su Bei thought this, the Tasks tab lit up with a red dot. Checking, Jiang Tianming had accepted the task.
Their progress was (0/5).
Following Su Bei’s gaze, Mo Xiaotian saw the update, whispering in surprise: “Jiang Jiang took the task! Should we ditch tracking and hunt Nightmare Beasts?”
“Know where they are?” Su Bei countered.
Mo Xiaotian shook his head, clueless. Su Bei shrugged: “Then keep following them. We’re wandering anyway.”
As they spoke, a girl’s scream came from ahead: “Ah! What’s that?”
Su Bei’s brow rose, turning: “Looks like their luck’s good.”
Trees blocked their view, but Su Bei’s Mental Energy cheated, sensing even from a distance.
Opposite Qi Huang’s group was a living creature, oddly shaped, like an upright lizard.
It attacked!
Su Bei’s heart raced, deciding: “Let’s get closer. They’re fighting, so they won’t notice us.”
They crept forward silently, reaching prime viewing seats. The creature, pitch-black like coal, flickered, trying to approach Qi Huang’s group.
Undoubtedly a Nightmare Beast, likely a Nightmare Lizard by its appearance.
“Its Ability is Teleportation?” Mo Xiaotian asked, unsure, watching it appear beside Qi Huang, then the green-haired girl.
Su Bei wasn’t certain, but if it was Teleportation, it’d be a tough foe.
Due to its Ability, the Nightmare Beast showed no strain against six opponents, nearly tripping up Qi Huang’s group.
Teleportation was strong against novice Ability users still mastering their powers. Even against a stationary target, they’d struggle to hit accurately, let alone a teleporter.
Good thing the Nightmare Lizard lacked attack power, or someone would’ve been hurt.
During this, Su Bei identified everyone’s Abilities.
Qi Huang’s was [Flame Phoenix]. Here, she showed new tricks unseen in the arena. Without summoning the phoenix, she could use some of its skills, like fireballs.
The green-braided girl’s Ability was likely vine control, fitting the forest perfectly.
Qiqi’s Ability seemed non-offensive, unused so far. But Su Bei noticed she always detected the Nightmare Beast’s teleportation spots first, likely her Ability.
The other three had Abilities for summoning bows, monkeys, and hair attacks.
All decent, with attack power except Qiqi, who could surely self-preserve.
Moreover, Su Bei noticed Qi Huang’s team was oddly suited for this forest Different Space, perhaps by luck.
Fire-based Qi Huang, wood-based green-haired girl, and monkey-summoning girl—three of six synergized with the environment.
On the field, Qi Huang’s face darkened as a teammate was knocked down, her calf bloodied. She snapped: “Xiao Lin, seal this area to trap the Nightmare Lizard. Can you?”
Xiao Lin, the green-haired girl, glanced at Qi Huang, nodding firmly without dissuading: “No problem!”
Qi Huang’s lips curled into a beautiful but cold smile, her eyes blazing: “Good. Everyone but Xiao Lin, fall back slowly. I’m burning this forest!”
She lacked AoE skills normally, but in this dense forest, even a fireball could act as one.
If single-target attacks missed, she’d see if burning the forest could kill it!
“North Bro, what now? Run?” Mo Xiaotian reacted instantly to Qi Huang’s words.
If she burned the forest, they’d be trapped. Leaving now was their only shot.
But Su Bei didn’t flee, studying the darting Nightmare Beast: “Still think its Ability is Teleportation?”
Mo Xiaotian paused, following his gaze: “Isn’t it?”
Then, as if realizing something, he added: “You mean its landing spots are always the same?”
Indeed, Mo Xiaotian noticed it too. Unlike the fighters, they, as observers, saw more details.
Though the Nightmare Lizard moved flashily, its landing spots were fixed at five.
From a spectator’s view, this was clear, but for Qi Huang’s group, spotting this in the chaos was tough.
Su Bei nodded: “Since it’s not random Teleportation, we can hit it.”
If it could teleport freely, Su Bei’s Gears couldn’t harm it. Unless faster than it, it’d teleport away from attacks.
This was Qi Huang’s group’s dilemma.
But with only five fixed spots, it was manageable. Set attacks at all five, and it’d die wherever it appeared!
Mo Xiaotian got it, eyes shining: “We stealing the kill?”
Surprised by his excitement, Su Bei had no time to probe, clarifying: “First, it’s not stealing. They can’t beat it; we’re ‘helping.’”
He instructed: “Prep air blocks to hide us. After my sneak attack, we bolt, got it?”
“Got it!” Mo Xiaotian said eagerly.
Su Bei readied ten sharp-tipped Gears, using Mental Energy to move them in pairs along the ground to the five spots.
Qi Huang’s group, retreating cautiously, didn’t notice his moves.
Soon, Su Bei’s setup was ready, and Qi Huang’s team had backed off a distance.
To keep the Nightmare Lizard from chasing, Qi Huang launched dense attacks to pin it.
This gave Su Bei the perfect window. After a few seconds, syncing with Qi Huang’s fireball rhythm, he raised the Gears the moment she fired.
As expected, the Nightmare Lizard appeared at one spot. Though pitch-black, it was flesh and blood. Unprepared, it fell to Su Bei’s strike.
The sharp Gear sliced its throat, black oil-like blood spraying. It collapsed, dead.
Su Bei didn’t hesitate, whispering: “Run!”
He and Mo Xiaotian fled the scene.
Normally, Qi Huang’s group would’ve noticed the forest’s odd movement. But the sudden death of the Nightmare Beast distracted them, missing the culprits’ escape.
“Phew! So thrilling!” After running a mile, Mo Xiaotian stopped, panting, cheeks flushed, still buzzing.
Su Bei, the mastermind, was calm, checking his watch. Seeing the task progress at (1/5), he nodded: “Killing a Nightmare Beast auto-counts.”
He wondered how it sensed their kill and counted so fast.
A question for the teacher later. For now, he had another: “I thought you’d object to this.”
He addressed Mo Xiaotian.
In Su Bei’s view, ignoring his background, Mo Xiaotian fit a shonen protagonist mold—sunny, passionate, just, a light to dark souls.
He’d prepared to part ways if Mo Xiaotian opposed “stealing,” creating a focal plot.
But Mo Xiaotian not only didn’t object—he seemed eager. What was that about?
“Why object?” Mo Xiaotian scratched his head, puzzled. “The rules allow point stealing. Why care about a monster?”
Solid logic! Su Bei hadn’t considered that.
This was a chance to probe. With a glint in his eye, he asked: “If there were no point-stealing rule, and that Nightmare Beast was nearly dead, but I chose to steal the kill for our task, what would you do?”
Expecting hesitation, Su Bei was shocked when Mo Xiaotian said instantly: “Help you steal.”
Genuinely surprised, Su Bei asked: “Why?”
“Because we’re teammates!” Mo Xiaotian’s words carried righteous conviction. “If it’s good for the team, I’m in.”
“Even if it goes against your principles?”
“Not quite,” Mo Xiaotian said honestly, shaking his head. “At least, I wouldn’t harm teammates.”
To an outsider, his words were touching. He seemed an ideal teammate—moral, team-first, with a line at harming allies.
Su Bei had no doubt this scene in the manga would win Mo Xiaotian fans. Protagonist fans would love this righteous archetype.
But those fans wouldn’t know Mo Xiaotian’s “teammates” weren’t Jiang Tianming’s group. He meant Black Lightning—his true allies.
In other words, if Black Lightning ordered him to harm the protagonist group, Mo Xiaotian, even reluctantly, would comply.
Suppressing his exasperation, Su Bei sighed lightly, not angry at Mo Xiaotian’s villain role. Patting his head, he said: “Don’t think too highly of teammates…”
A Black Lightning spy in the protagonist group—could that end well? At best, exposed and abandoned. At worst, betrayed by Black Lightning.
Without waiting for a reply, he shifted topics: “Killing the Nightmare Beast gave no points. Seems accepting this task blocks other point sources.”
“Huh?” Mo Xiaotian’s attention shifted. “Then we gotta finish fast, or we’re losing out!”
Without the task done, eliminating others wouldn’t earn points. Compared to Nightmare Beasts, Mo Xiaotian preferred fighting humans.
No need to rush, Su Bei thought. Who knew what’d happen next? With inevitable surprises, current points might mean nothing.