Put It in Writing!

Seizing that fleeting opening, Su Wuwei poured all his strength into his blade and brought it down with brutal force. The blade swept through the Thunder Monster and Wind Scythe, its golden flames scorching the tangled storm, tearing open a gap and devouring what lay within.

After that single slash, his face had gone considerably paler.

Roaring flames surged upward. Su Wuwei turned back in shock. "You even rob Calamities?!"

Ye Buyu gave an awkward smile. "It's a mandatory payment. I can't help it."

The two stared at each other in silence.

Su Wuwei looked at the remains cast onto the ground, still wreathed in lightning and wind, then at the lifeless, pitch-black materials amid the flames.

He was overwhelmed by mixed feelings.

"This is the first time I've learned that materials formed from remains can still carry the original Calamity's abilities."

Ye Buyu pursed her lips and said something that nearly sent Su Wuwei into another frenzy:

"Do you need healing?"

The corner of Su Wuwei's eye twitched. His pale lips curved as he said emphatically, "Thank you. No."

How could anyone fall into the same trap twice!

The only ones hurt in this brief misunderstanding were the Calamities.

The Thunder Monster and Wind Scythe had died a thoroughly humiliating death. They had been perfectly happy fighting each other, only for the pair to kill them in an accidental team effort. Before dying, they had even been healed once and forced to pay for it. It was simply... an outrage against all justice.

Two monsters, four materials. Anyone would have to call that a master class in milking them dry.

Out of their brief camaraderie in battle, neither suggested parting ways, and they continued traveling together for the time being.

Su Wuwei spoke first. "Sorry I suspected you were a Calamity earlier. From what I knew, there weren't any first-tier candidates taking the exam this year. And with that strange description you gave... well..."

If not for the healing ability delivered by that bullet, he really would have tried slashing her.

One slash would tell him whether she was real or fake.

Ye Buyu scratched her cheek and expressed her understanding. In the abyss along the Third Zone's border, constant vigilance was the norm.

"I only awakened recently, and I'm not a regular Gaokao candidate. I'm a special-admission student at Four Symbols Academy. It's only been a little over half a month since I was admitted."

Su Wuwei stopped walking and took a moment to accept this. That explained it. No wonder she looked weak but was actually absurdly powerful.

Only Four Symbols Academy could produce such an outrageous Healing Type. No, what Healing Type? She was a robber, plain and simple.

She even robbed Calamities.

"Hiss..." Su Wuwei suddenly recalled a detail from earlier. "How did the Calamities know they had to pay?"

Ye Buyu thought of Little Whale in her mind. "Instinct. Calamities perceive rule-based skills more keenly than we do."

"Then do you know Mu Bingge?"

"Yes. Why?"

Su Wuwei chuckled. "If I stick with you, I'll be able to find Mu Bingge, right?"

"What are you planning? Mu might not come looking for me." Ye Buyu gave Su Wuwei a sidelong look.

He shook his head, his smile bright as sunshine. "No, she'll definitely look after you, and she'll definitely come looking for you."

"How did you reach that conclusion?"

Su Wuwei blinked. "You're new to being an Awakened, aren't you? You must not have paid much attention to news about the Awakened before, either. Otherwise, how could you not know that Mu Bingge is famous for her strong sense of responsibility?"

Ye Buyu: "..."

Tsk. That's what I get for being behind on information.

"What do you want with her?"

Su Wuwei straightened his sleeves. "To spar with her, of course. I want to see just how strong the number one on the Genius Rankings really is."

His gaze shifted toward Ye Buyu with amusement. The smile on his face was handsome, but the words that came out were utterly shameless.

"If following you around as bait will catch me the fish, why bother finding another way?"

Seeing Su Wuwei reveal his true colors, Ye Buyu rolled her eyes. She had known this guy was up to no good when he followed her. "You're not even pretending anymore."

Su Wuwei folded his hands behind his head. "Relax, it's just a normal spar. Want to team up from here? Your ability is pretty effective, and you seem to see things differently from us. You lure the enemies in, and I'll finish them off. What do you think?"

"I think it stinks," Ye Buyu protested. "You're just using me as bait, and you still have the nerve to smile."

Su Wuwei shrugged, looking utterly unbothered by life or death and ready to fight anyone who disagreed. "I think it's pretty good. You're quite useful."

"Oh, thank you so much."

Ye Buyu strode ahead in irritation. There had to be something deep in the forest. The Calamities in this area were a little too densely packed; heading farther out would be safer.

As for Su Wuwei's proposal, she rejected it outright!

She had no interest in masochism. If she accidentally kicked the bucket, this seemingly presentable bastard might not even collect her body.

"Here's a tip. There's something in the forest, and that mountain over there doesn't look simple, either. If you want a high score, hurry up and go. Stop following me."

Su Wuwei looked up. The sleeping magical beast was right before him, its suffocating pressure reaching him through his eyes. Without overwhelming strength, who would dare approach that colossal creature?

Weren't they afraid it would devour them without leaving so much as a bone fragment?

As for the forest behind them, so dark that the path was impossible to make out, it was no less dangerous.

The eyes flickering in and out of sight in the darkness, along with the trees that kept shifting their positions to lure people deeper, were like a monster lurking in the shadows, staring fixedly at these morsels of prey that had fallen from the sky.

Whether he chose the mountain or the forest, neither was something he could handle alone. Teaming up was the right answer.

Su Wuwei flashed a smile, reached out his wicked hand, and dragged Ye Buyu toward the depths of the forest. "You're right. If we want a high score, we have to take risks."

Ye Buyu's eyes widened. "Then go take risks by yourself!"

"I'm just trying to look after a fellow student. Relax. With my strength, I won't stand by and watch a Calamity beat you to death."

Ye Buyu scrambled onto a nearby tree like a koala and clung to it. "Do you even hear yourself? You blackhearted bastard! I'm not going. Stop pulling me."

Su Wuwei withdrew his hand and surrendered. "All right, all right, I won't pull you. Come down first. Anything in the Third Zone could be a Calamity in disguise. Maybe even the tree you're hugging. Come down, and then we'll talk."

Ye Buyu was momentarily speechless. She ran a hand over the dry, knobbly bark, then hugged it even tighter.

"I know better than you whether it's a Calamity. Go away."

Su Wuwei feigned sorrow, his exquisite amber eyes drooping. "Fine, we won't go. We can head to the outskirts. We can talk this over."

Ye Buyu snapped, "You, Su! You're up to no good. If you're so sincere, put it in writing!"

Su Wuwei covered his face with a hand. He gave up. How could anyone be such a remarkably original coward?

Did he really look that unreliable?

"Fine, fine, I'll put it in writing. I won't take you into danger. Just... come down."