Chapter 113 | The Otherworld Journey That Starts From a Slime

Walking into the forest, Nan looked at the eager Zhang Ye and couldn’t help but ask, “What are you planning to do?”

There was a specific craft to setting trap magic circles. Nan had undergone specialized training for it, but he was more curious to see how Zhang Ye would handle it.

Zhang Ye chuckled. “Since we can’t join the pursuit, we need to use traps to trip up our classmates so the golems can catch them.”

“The more we catch, the more extra rewards we get. But at the end of the day, we have to consider their feelings. We can’t just catch everyone, right?”

“That’s why I call this the Life-and-Death Strategy!” Zhang Ye said, holding up a finger.

“Life-and-Death?” Nan was stunned.

Zhang Ye nodded and waved his hand, instant-casting magic circles. Dozens of trap magic circles immediately appeared on the ground—ice, thunder, earth, fire... there was everything. Nan’s eyelids twitched at the sight.

Does this guy really have attribute restrictions?

Furthermore, the magic circles Zhang Ye set didn't leak a single trace of mana; they were perfectly hidden. Even with Divine Sense, one might not necessarily detect them.

However, Zhang Ye then waved his hand, and each magic circle began to leak a tiny sliver of mana. This was the first way out he left for his classmates.

Zhang Ye said slowly, “I’ve controlled the leakage of the traps’ mana signatures. As long as they’re paying a bit of attention, they should be able to sense them.”

“And then...”

With another wave of his hand, a small flower sprouted around each trap.

Zhang Ye stepped over one of the flowers and injected mana into it. A hole opened in the ground, and he slipped inside. The soil then automatically covered the opening, and another small flower grew over it.

A moment later, Zhang Ye crawled out. “These traps will be mixed with escape tunnels.”

“The tunnels are connected underground with many exits. This is the second way out I’ve set for them.”

“If they can find these tunnels, they’ll have a high chance of escaping the golems’ pursuit.”

“You could say it’s a fifty-fifty chance between life and death.” Zhang Ye smiled slightly. “As for setting traps in specific locations... don't bother. Instead of finding high-traffic areas, it’s better to just fill the entire forest with traps!”

Nan’s eyes widened, and then he shook his head. “The scale is too large. You won't have enough mana.”

Zhang Ye laughed loudly. “The one thing I’m never short on is mana.”

He waved his hand and said, “Let’s go, Nan. Time to set the traps. You leave some traces on them so the others won't be completely blind. If they’re even slightly cautious, they should be able to avoid them.”

Nan followed and asked, “Why do this? Wouldn't the rewards be higher if we caught everyone?”

Zhang Ye smiled. “That’s true, but we’d be isolated.”

He looked at Nan. “On the path to becoming stronger, we can’t always be alone. We need friends eventually.”

“If we set traps without leaving any room and cause the whole class to be caught, how will they look at us afterward?”

“They’ll harbor resentment toward us. To the point that they’ll instinctively interpret everything we do with malice.”

“In short, they’ll find us annoying.”

“If that happens, our prestige as Class Monitor and Vice Monitor will be gone.”

“Catching them all might get us more rewards and show off our strength, increasing our reputation, but compared to the true nature of our classmates, those things aren't worth mentioning.”

“Their nature?” Nan was puzzled.

Zhang Ye laughed. “Their nature as geniuses.”

“They’re all geniuses, proud and arrogant. If we show off without restraint and prove we’re stronger than them, they’ll likely resent us, and we’ll be ostracized.”

“But if we leave a way out in these traps, they’ll feel like we’re helping them instead. Their favorability of us will increase rather than decrease.”

“Like in the secret realm, when I took your Soul Essence Lamp, didn't you want to kill me?”

Nan nodded. At that time, he really had wanted to kill Zhang Ye.

“But what about after I gave it back?” Zhang Ye smiled. “Your attitude improved quite a bit, didn't it?”

“At least we aren't enemies.”

Nan opened his mouth to speak but ultimately just nodded.

He didn't want to admit it, but it was the truth.

Even though Zhang Ye was the one who stole it and then returned it, Nan’s hatred for him had been completely washed away. Not only that, but he had even felt a bit of gratitude toward Zhang Ye at the time.

If not for him, Nan wouldn't have been able to take first place.

Even Nan himself didn't understand how such a complex psychological shift had happened.

“It all comes down to this principle. There’s an old saying: always leave a way out for others.”

“We’ll all be classmates from now on, so we should help each other whenever we can.”

“Don’t forget, you’re a genius, and they’re geniuses too. They’ll all be powerful experts in the future.”

“Do you think some magic crystals now are better, or a future friend who is a powerhouse?”

“Unless you reach the absolute peak, one person’s strength can never compare to the strength of a group.”

“It’s always better to have more friends.”

“What if someone is two-faced?” Nan suddenly asked.

Zhang Ye smiled. “I won't let someone like that be my friend. Trust me, I’m a good judge of character.”

“Alright, hurry up. We only have half a Silverglass.” Zhang Ye waved and headed deeper into the forest, setting magic circles and escape tunnels wherever he went.

Seeing this, Nan immediately followed.

For the rest of the way, Zhang Ye set the trap magic circles while Nan left traces on the traps and escape tunnels to make them more noticeable.

“Ah... that’s about it.” Zhang Ye crouched on a tree branch and stretched. To cover the entire forest area with traps and escape tunnels, the two of them had moved at full speed, setting traps everywhere they went at a frantic pace of a hundred meters per second.

It was a good thing they were fast and could use instant-cast magic; otherwise, it would have taken forever to cover such a large area.

“Here, have some juice.” Zhang Ye pulled two cups of juice from his ring and gave the first to Nan.

“You’re a softhearted fool,” Nan said suddenly after taking the juice.

Zhang Ye blinked and then shook his head. “ I’m not a softhearted fool. I just like doing things that make everyone happy.”

Nan begged to differ.

Then why don't you do something to make me happy?

“People like you don't live long,” Nan said.

Zhang Ye was startled. “You don't have to curse me like that, do you?”

Nan shook his head. “It’s not a curse, it’s a fact. Softhearted fools like you don't live long.”

Zhang Ye shook his head. “I told you, I’m not a softhearted fool. And do you really think I’m stupid?”

Nan nodded. “Yes.”

“...” Zhang Ye was speechless. “How could you think that?”

Nan didn't answer him.

After a long while, he asked, “If someone wanted to kill you, what would you do? Would you leave a way out and give them a chance to live?”

Zhang Ye laughed. “How could that be? If someone really wants to kill me, I’ll consider all the factors before deciding whether to kill them or not. I wouldn't just be a naive saint and go soft on them.”

“I’m being very rational with you.”

“The moment I came to this world, I knew my mindset had to change.”

“If someone really becomes my enemy, I’m not going to just stand there and take it.” At this point, Zhang Ye looked up at the sky. “For anyone or anything that truly threatens me or the people around me, I will use every ounce of my power and everything I have to... nip them in the bud!”

“Then why didn't you kill me?” Nan looked at him and asked suddenly.

Zhang Ye said as if it were obvious, “Why would I kill you? I don't think you can pose a threat to me.”

Nan: “...”

He felt offended. He immediately drew his blade and cut the branch Zhang Ye was sitting on. Zhang Ye let out a cry and fell straight down.

A moment later, he jumped back up with a sheepish grin, then said seriously, “However, before a threat is confirmed, I will also do everything in my power to turn all potential enemies into friends.”