Chapter 14: The World of Aberrant Beasts and Ancient Powers

Leaving a certain woman surnamed Tian out of her mind, Lin Xi, pulling Bai Li along, continued their tour of the Weichangzhe branch.

“Speaking of which, although the different types of 異獸 (TL Note: A type of supernatural beast or monster) were briefly mentioned in class, they haven’t been explained in detail yet, have they?”

“Indeed, that’s correct.”

Past lessons primarily focused on how to use abilities and related knowledge, including precautions and principles.

Information regarding 異獸, however, was scarce, almost nonexistent.

Such knowledge was typically only accessible to those who became Weichangzhe members or joined other official organizations.

“Heh heh~ Then allow me to explain.”

A smug expression bloomed on Lin Xi’s face as she pointed to the 異獸 information display screen within the Weichangzhe branch and began her explanation.

“Just like ability users, 異獸 are also categorized by strength using ranks like F, E, D, and so on.

They also possess various types, such as support types adept at assistance or annihilation types with astonishing destructive power.

Their appearances, too, are incredibly diverse, with some even resembling chimeras formed from the fusion of countless creatures.”

“Mm, I have indeed heard some of this.”

In truth, Bai Li hadn’t learned this through classes, but rather through her interactions with the very 異獸 under her command.

Observing creatures ranging from werewolves to demons, and even Cthulhu-esque entities, it was clear: 異獸 were truly bizarre and diverse.

Would you believe some even wore mage robes yet engaged in close-quarters combat with a stick?

As for their strength, Bai Li didn’t even consider them a threat.

However, for most ability users in the current era, each and every one of them would be a formidable foe.

And the reason for that was…

“Because the physical structures of 異獸 diverge so vastly from humans, it’s only natural that we cannot view them through the lens of our own common sense.

What would be a severe injury for us—a lost limb, for instance—might be nothing more than a minor scratch for an 異獸.

Of course, after our awakening, we too have diverged from normal humans in many respects.

It is precisely this distinction that typically necessitates several ability users of the same rank to stably subjugate a single 異獸.

Not to mention, without beacon towers (TL Note: 光柱装置, ‘light pillar devices,’ structures that provide buffs and suppress otherworldly energy), 異獸 can naturally invade this world, causing human strength to wane while theirs increases.

This, perhaps, is why past battles against 異獸 were so exceptionally brutal.”

If the beacon towers that humanity constructed—those light-pillar devices in various cities designed to provide buffs to people—were transforming the surrounding areas into humanity’s home ground, then the energy emanating from the 異獸 was, conversely, elevating the otherworldly concentration index, thereby turning this world into *their* domain.

While the ostensible purpose of beacon towers was to enhance human strength, their greatest function was, in fact, to suppress the otherworldly concentration index within a certain range to a low level, preventing the surrounding areas from being encroached upon by the otherworldly realm.

And just as beacon towers provided buffs to humans, the otherworldly realm (TL Note: 异界, ‘different world’ or ‘otherworld’) functioned similarly for 異獸.

In the past, not long after the Otherworld converged with this realm, technological development stagnated, and humanity’s living space and conditions were severely constrained.

It was only with the emergence of technologies like beacon towers and a host of powerful ability users that the front lines were gradually pushed back.

However, the sacrifices made were incredibly tragic.

Numerous promising ability users fell prematurely on the front lines, and even the most powerful ability users suffered devastating casualties, before most of the lost territories could be reclaimed from the clutches of the 異獸.

Due to such large-scale campaigns, people from all corners of the world gathered to collectively fend off the enemy.

From that point onward, the concept of nations gradually faded from this world, transforming into a unified entity known as “Humanity.”

This is why Tiangong City (TL Note: 天宫市, ‘Heavenly Palace City’) has no strict “owning nation” in the traditional sense.

Of course, even having coalesced into a single entity, differences in culture and other aspects still persisted.

Yet, compared to the past, this was an unprecedented sight.

Regarding this hard-won peace, forged by countless predecessors who tirelessly pushed forward, few desired to shatter it.

Even the 異獸 defeated in the war largely chose to retreat into seclusion, coexisting peacefully with humanity.

Thus, it is observable that those currently engaged in combat are primarily new-generation ability users and 異獸, whose strength has significantly declined compared to earlier eras.

“In the current era, a C-rank is already considered a pinnacle existence; one might not even appear across several cities.

A B-rank, meanwhile, represents the apex of the apex.

Ranks above that are mere legends, confined to textbooks.

Though rumors suggest some individuals have lived until the present day, such as [Gaia] (TL Note: 盖娅, ‘Gaiya’), capable of creating new continents with a mere wave of their hand; [Infinite Mech] (TL Note: 无限神机, ‘Wuxian Shenji’), able to transform into robots tens of meters tall or more; and [The Librarian] (TL Note: 图书管理员, ‘Tushuguanliyuan’), possessing the power to manifest abilities from books they’ve read, among others.”

The titles Lin Xi mentioned belonged to powerful individuals who were once active many years ago but have since vanished without a trace.

They were also known as “Humanity’s Last Line of Defense.”

Even if the people from several cities banded together, they wouldn’t be able to defeat even one of these individuals.

“Speaking of which, since those individuals possess strength capable of causing continental-scale effects with just a flick of their wrist, why don’t their battles necessarily result in severe destruction?”

For Bai Li, this was a rather important matter.

After all, while her current power didn’t quite reach *that* level, a serious fight could still result in several streets being annihilated.

At that point, it would become difficult for her to conceal her identity.

“As for that… I don’t know the specifics myself, but I’ve heard from people who occasionally visit from headquarters that they seem to concentrate their power during combat, preventing too much of its force from leaking out.

Additionally, some rely on certain methods to envelop the battlefield within a special space, ensuring the aftershocks of battle do not affect the outside world.”

“I see.”

After listening to Lin Xi’s explanation, Bai Li also seemed to recall something, and replied while deep in thought.

However, Lin Xi noticed Bai Li’s absentmindedness, and the excited expression she had worn while explaining turned into a frown of displeasure.

“Xiao Bai (TL Note: 小白, ‘Little Bai,’ an affectionate nickname), are you always this inattentive in class?”

“Hm… what? No…”

Being suddenly called out like that, even Bai Li became a little flustered.

After all, her inattentiveness in class usually occurred after Lin Xi had left.

More precisely, it was only when Lin Xi was present that she would feign an attentive demeanor, while actually observing Lin Xi’s every move.

If she were to be exposed, things would not be ideal, in many respects.

Little did she know, Lin Xi had actually been aware all along, and was merely trying to tease her.

Having finished her teasing, Lin Xi returned to their original topic.

“However, for those at our level, with the improved building material reinforcement technology and defense systems available now, even if we lose a little control, it won’t cause any significant damage.”

“That’s true…”

“No, merely that isn’t enough.”

Just as Lin Xi and Bai Li were conversing, a third voice echoed from behind them.