【No.1: Su Bei colluding with Nightmare Beasts??? No way.】 【No.2: OP’s got a conspiracy theory vibe.】 【No.3: I also think Su Bei’s been weird, but colluding with Beasts? That’s slander.】 【No.4: OP’s a Su Bei anti, huh?】 【No.5: I think he’s more likely tied to Black Flash.】 【YouAreMeWhoAmINo.6 (OP) replying to No.4: I’m not. Pure rational analysis.】 But purpose-wise, don’t forget what key intel they got in the shopping center.】 【No.42 replying to No.41: You mean Su Bei lured them to hear the way to wipe out Nightmare Beasts?】 【No.43: That makes sense! But if so, why not just tell them?】 【No.44 replying to No.43: Maybe ability limits? Like saying it causes backlash? Didn’t Su Bei and Feng Lan say stuff like that?】 【No.45: Would Su Bei go to such lengths? I feel he’s the type to know how to wipe out Beasts but keep quiet, letting others figure it out.】 【No.46: Hahahaha, that’s brutal.】 【No.99: Wait, remember Su Bei’s talk with Ling You? His goal’s humanity’s longevity! Could that mean the way to wipe out Nightmare Beasts?】 【No.100 replying to No.99: You woke me up, sis!】 【No.101 replying to No.99: Su Bei’s a good guy?!】 【No.102: So Su Bei’s goal aligns with Black Flash—they both want to wipe out Beasts.】 【No.103 replying to No.102: The good guys want that too.】 【No.104: Everyone’s goal is the same—Beasts are humanity’s enemy. Different people choose different paths. The Ability Government and Black Flash took opposite routes.】 【No.105 replying to No.104: What about Su Bei? Which side is he?】 【No.106 replying to No.105: Maybe the good guys, maybe a third party, but I believe he’s not Black Flash.】 Reading the thread, I sighed in relief. Though the OP wasn’t kind, thinking I colluded with Beasts—tantamount to treason in King of Abilities’ world—most readers didn’t agree. Those who did pieced together the truth from context, not rashly labeling me a villain. I had to thank my earlier honesty with Ling You, revealing my true goal. It was a backup plan that paid off. Without it, I might’ve been suspected. Overall, no one turned against me. In fact, linking this to my pursuit of humanity’s longevity made many see me as a good guy. Rubbing my temples, I wondered if this was good or bad. Law-breaking villains could die, but so could good guys. Early-dying “white moonlight” characters weren’t rare. Pure good guys, if not protagonists, often didn’t last. So, even without a villain role, I needed to consider ties to Black Flash. Only if readers saw me as a morally gray, ultra-strong figure would they resist my death. If trouble hit, I could use the forum and my Prophet account to revive. What a tiring day, I thought, lying on my bed. I knew it wouldn’t be ordinary, but not this wild. I thought it’d be the task’s end, but it was a crisis' start. Solving the world’s crisis only led to the author’s threat. As I’d thought when this manga began, only when King of Abilities ended would I be truly free. Until then, as a character under the author’s pen, important or not, true freedom was elusive. With that, I asked Manga Consciousness: “Has the author planned the manga’s ending?” “It was supposed to be wiping out Black Flash,” it replied instantly. “But now, it’s probably wiping out Nightmare Beasts.” I nodded knowingly. Wiping out Beasts was a bigger goal than Black Flash, naturally becoming the ending’s focus. I’d thought once the elimination method was set, I’d be done. Now, for my life and freedom, I had to keep pushing to help the author finish the manga. Once it ended, he’d likely leave me alone. The next day was mundane. Calling anything mundane in a campaign’s main battlefield was a luxury, but compared to yesterday, it was uneventful. Fearing we were targeted, we stayed near the hotel, clearing Beasts outside the safe zone. Oddly, despite our relentless clearing, Beasts remained abundant. With so many, they could’ve fought ability users head-on. Why stick to killing civilians? As they say, overwhelming force trumps tricks. With enough power, schemes weren’t needed. Even if they couldn’t beat the Ability Government, it’d be better than their current plan. Realistically, civilians were too numerous to kill off, especially when only one in thousands of low-level Beasts escaped. Civilians couldn’t kill Beasts, but they could trap them. Low-level Beasts, mostly powerless animals, could be caught with nets. One killing three or four people was impressive. I had a hunch their surface plan wasn’t the real one. They had another goal—unclear what, but I’d likely learn soon. Sure enough, the next day, trouble hit. The campaign had three Different Space Gates, Suqi City’s the largest. But today, ten more appeared nationwide. Ten gates at once was huge globally, let alone in one country. The world was shocked, and nations sent aid. If one fell, others would follow, so despite past grudges, unity prevailed. Suqi City’s Beasts switched tactics overnight, from breaking out to attacking ability users. Investigations revealed the escaped Beasts weren’t killing civilians but sacrificing to open gates—a new method that caught humans off guard. But what I noticed, the Ability Government did too. They’d anticipated this, failing to stop it but preparing well. When the gates appeared, the government organized aid to each city. My group was split up as support. Not just us—due to the sheer number of Beasts, other first-years weren’t spared, joining the fight. Though they could barely contribute, killing low-level Beasts helped. For our safety, the government sent us in small teams, not solo. With familiar classmates, safety increased. Since we were students, they let us form our own teams of three or four, report them, and get assignments. Naturally, we grouped with friends. The protagonist trio—Jiang Tianming, Lan Subing, Wu Mingbai—was fixed. Si Zhaohua and Ai Baozhu paired up. Mo Xiaotian and Mu Tieren teamed up. That left Qi Huang, Wu Jin, Li Shu, and me to choose. Wu Jin and Qi Huang joined Mu Tieren’s group—Wu Jin for the Class Monitor’s reliability, Qi Huang for their need of an Attack Track. Li Shu wanted Jiang Tianming’s group but was rejected, so he joined Si Zhaohua’s. Thıs text ıs hosted at 𝙣𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙡⚫𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⚫𝘯𝘦𝘵 I, without hesitation, teamed with Jiang Tianming’s trio. Normally, I’d avoid the protagonist team—obviously, they’d trigger plots. Who’d want that trouble? But now, I needed plot to prove I was against Beasts. I could be Black Flash, but never a Beast ally. This was a perfect chance. Killing enough Beasts would let readers defend me if suspicions arose. I could’ve used my Prophet account to clear things, but I wasn’t touching it soon, especially not for myself. The author noticed me and wanted to gauge reader reactions to remove me. Prophet couldn’t be too active. If noticed, my past posts—carelessly revealing insider info for credibility—could get it banned. Those past posts, meant to save time, were now a liability. I couldn’t use Prophet for now. Losing it would cost me a major forum influence and a trump card, making me passive. So, I stayed quiet. No one was too surprised I joined Jiang Tianming’s group. Each team had someone I was close to, and they didn’t know who the protagonists were, so my choice seemed reasonable. Student tasks weren’t assigned immediately—we stayed in Suqi City, clearing Beasts. This gave strong ability users time to scout the ten gates’ dangers before we joined. A day later, the three teams were sent to different cities, each with data on the city’s Beasts and tasks. “Moyun City, gate outside the city—pretty lucky,” Lan Subing said, reading the paper. With walls and a small entrance, it was safer than others. Wu Mingbai nodded: “We just guard the gate. Seems easy.” But Jiang Tianming frowned: “No strong ability users assigned here. Other teams’ data mentioned big players in their cities. Ours has the fewest.” “It’s considered safe,” I said, unsurprised. If it was heavily guarded, the protagonist team wouldn’t be sent. Their mood sobered. No strong ability users meant no backup. The government would send help if needed, but there’d be a delay—we’d have to hold out. Jiang Tianming hoped the Beasts wouldn’t notice Moyun City. We didn’t fear danger but didn’t want to be in it constantly. Near Moyun City’s outskirts, seeing the scene, we all gasped, including me. Dense Nightmare Beasts swarmed the walls, a black mass obscuring the gate. Flying ones harassed above, non-flying ones climbed over each other. It was like a zombie siege—anyone would feel fear. Moyun City’s name echoed a poem: “Black clouds press the city, threatening to crush it.” We were on a giant paper airplane, a creation of a paper-folding ability user, flying autonomously like a drone helicopter. For cities with gates outside, only flying transports could safely reach the interior. The outskirts were Beast-swarmed—breaking through was nearly impossible. “So many…” Lan Subing’s pupils shrank. I felt heavy too, dreading facing so many Beasts. I wanted to strangle the author in the third dimension. I should’ve been able to relax by now! From this angle, we saw countless Beasts and ability users fighting on the walls. Group-attack users cleared swathes, but against the horde, humans looked tiny. Seeing a new flying object, the wall’s defenders tensed but relaxed upon recognizing the paper airplane—a government transport signaling reinforcements. Reinforcements were vital here, with few strong ability users. Not just here—all ten cities needed more. An ability user waiting for reinforcements shielded the airplane from Beasts, but it only protected the craft, not us. Luckily, we weren’t pushovers. Low-level and even flying mid-level Beasts’ attacks were nothing. Lan Subing alone could handle them. Seeing us dispatch the harassment, the wall’s ability users relaxed, their eyes lighting up. If we were strong, we’d ease their burden. Our performance suggested strong abilities. The airplane wobbled to the city center, where a designated spot awaited reinforcements. The waiting group was eager, but seeing us, they froze. The large airplane and high altitude hid our appearances earlier. Now they saw—not what they hoped. We were clearly minors, about fifteen or sixteen, obviously forced into battle. No wonder they were disappointed—what help could students offer? But some were knowledgeable. A short-haired woman, after a brief pause, looked shocked: “I’ve seen you! You’re this year’s Tri-School Competition winners!” The competition’s strong contestants and exciting matches left an impression, and she recognized us instantly. Her words eased the others. Tri-School competitors were academy elites. Even first-years were formidable. Talent always trumped effort in the ability world. Some started higher than others’ endpoints. “I remember too—these guys were amazing!” Another who’d watched recalled, excited. “Your ability’s Word Spirit, you’re Destiny-type, you make earthquakes, and you’ve got multiple abilities!” He pointed us out, proud: “Good memory, right?” We nodded, confirming his accuracy. The group fully relaxed. The government hadn’t sent clueless kids but real elites. Students or not, strong abilities were enough. Their leader stepped forward, pointing at egg tarts on the table: “Eat to recharge. I’ll brief you, then you’re on the walls. I’m Chen Ze.” With time tight, they couldn’t give us newbies rest—we had to fight soon. We nodded, grabbing snacks we liked. We weren’t hungry, but snacks were a nice treat. “The gate outside leads to a grassland map. Strong ability users assigned here are inside, facing High-Level Beasts, so our outer defenses are weak,” Chen Ze explained fluently. “The Beasts from this gate are mostly grassland creatures—horses, cows, sheep for weaker ones; lion and dog Nightmare Beasts for stronger.” He sipped water: “There are bigger ones, like Nightmare Elephants. Luckily, the gate’s small, so large Beasts come last to avoid delaying others. We’re using this, going in to take out High-Level Beasts first.” If large Beasts got out, it’d be trouble, especially with civilians in the city. They’d cause massive casualties. “If you’ve got group-attack abilities, tell the commander on the wall—he’ll place you right. Otherwise, you’ll be support.” Facing hordes of low- and mid-level Beasts, single-target attacks were less useful unless a High-Level Beast broke through. Group attacks were key.