Well, people do make mistakes, and it’s plausible that Qiaogun (Pry Bar) was flustered and nervous at the time, misjudged the situation, and only realized after initiating the attack that he might not have been capable of killing the Mountain Troll single-handedly. (Mobile access:) But for Qiaogun to end up dead after releasing the vampire Edward—that strains credulity.

The vampire Edward was acquired by the Metal Mentor several world-cycles ago at a significant cost, bought from a contractor who had just left the world of Blade. Although Edward had been imprisoned for seven years and two months, leaving him severely weakened and unable to use most of his abilities, he was, undeniably, a Tier Two Legendary creature, possessing truly formidable power. Of course, unless a contractor with exceptionally high Charisma and the taming ability managed to secure him as a pet, any battle involving him would result in the spoils being "tainted," thus reducing their quality.

This was precisely why the Metal Mentor was willing to entrust the cross imprisoning Edward to Qiaogun.

Vampires are renowned for high Recovery, high Agility, and high Evasion, attributes that completely counter the clumsy Mountain Troll. Even though Edward was extremely weak and restricted from using most of his powers, it was still difficult to imagine Qiaogun being slain by the slow-moving Mountain Troll while under the vampire’s defensive protection—that was simply too absurd.

Therefore, the Metal Mentor’s greatest suspicion centered on one possibility: that someone had been secretly observing the battle, using a weapon capable of explosive burst attacks, perhaps something akin to a sniper rifle, to instantly eliminate Qiaogun! Otherwise, even if a melee-focused contractor managed to kill Qiaogun, they couldn't possibly escape the swift pursuit of the vampire Edward.

Even someone as seasoned and cunning as the Metal Mentor could not have foreseen the appearance of a monstrous anomaly like Fang Senyan. This was entirely attributable to Fang Senyan’s innate talent, Toughness, which allowed him to survive the relentless assault of a Tier Two Legendary creature for over ten minutes. Yet, humorously, if the enemy had been the Mountain Troll—a tier below the vampire—Fang Senyan would have had no choice but to flee for his life.

Having fixed this initial premise in his mind, the Metal Mentor’s primary suspicion naturally settled upon Das.

However, the Metal Mentor certainly wouldn't voice his suspicions directly. After a moment of silence, he stated:

“I understand. Thank you both for your support.”

He then signaled Geli to conduct the exchange with Fang Senyan and Das, selling them the detailed procedure for the ‘Omnipotent’ title questline. Both men let out a collective sigh of relief. Facing this seemingly young Metal Mentor always left them with an oppressive, deeply uncomfortable sensation, and they felt it was best to conclude their dealings with him as quickly as possible. But barely half a minute later, Fang Senyan and Das immediately frowned, turning their heads toward Geli with unconcealed confusion, speaking coldly:

“Excuse me, what is the meaning of this?”

The request relayed through the Nightmare Imprint demanded a purchase price of a staggering “10,000 Universal Points!”

The Metal Mentor smiled, his voice carrying the crisp resonance of metal striking metal:

“As per the agreement between you and Geli, as remuneration for what you have provided, we are selling you the detailed procedure for the Omnipotent title quests. Are there any issues?”

Das stepped forward, fury at being deceived burning in his eyes:

“It was supposed to be sold to us cheaply! Cheaply!”

The Metal Mentor replied flatly:

“Do you know the effort and cost we poured into acquiring this detailed procedure? In the Nightmare Space, we would never sell such classified information externally; even if someone purchased it, the price would certainly not be less than thirty thousand Universal Points! A selling price of ten thousand Universal Points is, in fact, quite cheap, and upon purchasing, you must also sign a non-disclosure agreement—it can only be used by yourselves.”

Das still wanted to argue, but his gaze met the Metal Mentor’s eyes—eyes that seemed mild but were as cold as iron—and he immediately fell silent. He stamped his foot once:

“Fine, fine! I’m leaving.”

The Metal Mentor merely smiled:

“Young men are always so impatient. Let me finish speaking first. Geli repeatedly mentioned that he forged deep bonds with you both through life-and-death struggles, especially you, Das, who inflicted terrifying damage on the Mountain Troll single-handedly. And the Sailor [Fang Senyan] was able to lure the Mountain Troll into the trap alone; both his courage and individual strength are top-tier! I am aware that ten thousand Universal Points is a somewhat steep price, indeed a very difficult amount for solo contractors to bear.”

Pausing here, the Metal Mentor swept his gaze across Fang Senyan and Das:

“However, there is another option. If you two simply nod your heads, we can share this entire detailed procedure with you for free. Would you care to hear it?”

“Just as I suspected,” Fang Senyan thought with a cold sneer, though his face showed excited surprise. “Oh? What option?”

The Metal Mentor fixed his gaze directly on Das:

“Join us!”

Geli added earnestly:

“You both saw it—our Symbiosis Guild suffered a traitor in Qiaogun, resulting in heavy casualties among our melee specialists. We are in dire need of strong individuals like you both right now! Furthermore, the Symbiosis Guild is currently planning a major operation! If we succeed before the Banks Gang, the profits will be immense!”

Fang Senyan’s expression remained hesitant, though he clearly seemed moved. Geli pressed on:

“You both know that new members in other organizations must undergo a three-world probationary period, during which most of their earnings are forfeited. Because we have shared life and death, I am willing to guarantee you; you would become full members immediately. Sailor, aren't you currently working on the milestone of feeding fifty Gnomes? Once you join the Guild, you can hire others to assist you, either through exchange or by paying Universal Points. Moreover, to my knowledge, four others are currently pursuing the ‘Omnipotent’ title quests! Working on that series of tasks together will naturally double our efficiency!”

Hearing this, Fang Senyan couldn't help but rub his hands together in delighted surprise:

“If I join, what are the conditions?”

The Metal Mentor hadn't been focusing on Fang Senyan, but they were truly short on melee contractors. He was about to say there were no extra conditions, but being inherently suspicious, a thought struck him:

“Qiaogun shared your previous personal attribute profile with me. However, I require you to grant me full access to view all your basic abilities—I assure you absolute confidentiality—but remember one thing: any form of concealment is useless against me!”

Fang Senyan replied with perfect directness:

“No problem!”

The Metal Mentor’s reasoning was simple. He suspected the killer of Qiaogun possessed powerful extreme-range attack capabilities, enabling them to kill Qiaogun without being subsequently eliminated by the vampire. Currently, only firearms or magic provided such potent long-range power. In the Nightmare Space, mastering either path would necessitate a distinct emphasis on certain basic abilities.

Just as in the real world where ‘the foundation determines the height of the tower,’ the Space places great importance on basic attributes. The Metal Mentor had once seen a scroll for the ultimate attack spell from the Harry Potter world: Avada Kedavra. Simply using that scroll required a minimum of Basic Prayer LV12, Basic Meditation LV12, Advanced Mana Control LV10, and Dark Magic Mastery LV7, among others! Let alone the basic requirements needed to master the spell itself?

Thus, in the Metal Mentor’s mind, if Fang Senyan was the one who killed Qiaogun and was now feigning weakness, then the one who mastered formidable ranged combat skills must have one of his core distant combat stats—Basic Ranged Combat, Basic Prayer, or Basic Meditation—exceptionally high, reaching LV7 or above!

When Fang Senyan designated the Metal Mentor and granted access to his basic abilities, the Mentor didn't rush to look. Instead, he produced a wand. He muttered an incantation while simultaneously tossing a handful of glittering powder into the air with his right hand. This powder was the catalyst, compounded from bat guano, the teeth of the deceased, ten grams of silicon dioxide, and three grams of metronidazole, ground together. As the powder formed a large puff in the air, the Metal Mentor pointed his wand at it!

The powder instantly let out a thump, a sound much like a firework exploding overhead. The difference was that fireworks disperse outwards, while this powder rapidly coalesced inward, quickly forming an eye of bizarre shape.

The eyeball was about the size of a fist, possessing an enormous black pupil surrounded by only a thin ring of white sclera. It floated slowly toward Fang Senyan’s face and began to scrutinize the basic ability data he had shared.

The Metal Mentor stated coldly:

“The perception of the Eye of Truth is capped at the world limit of 50 points, so you should dispel any camouflage you have immediately. Otherwise, escaping the Eye’s search will be absolutely impossible!”

Fang Senyan looked genuinely surprised and innocent:

“Why would I need camouflage?”

Indeed, Fang Senyan’s true secrets lay in his personal attributes, innate talents, and personal equipment. His basic abilities, however, were being shared openly as required. His forthright and righteous response only served to quell the Metal Mentor’s lingering suspicion.

Although mentally concluding that Fang Senyan was unlikely to be hiding anything, the Metal Mentor still beckoned the Eye of Truth closer, then peered into it, carefully reading the basic ability data it relayed about Fang Senyan.

“Hmm, Basic Melee LV2, Basic Footwork LV4, Basic Endurance LV2. Oh, and this rather rare advanced skill, Grappling Combat Specialization LV2—that explains how you survived under the Mountain Troll.”

The Metal Mentor displayed an expression combining sudden realization and appreciation. Due to Qiaogun’s betrayal, the Symbiosis Guild had suffered devastating losses among contractors skilled in melee combat. The advanced skill Fang Senyan had learned, Grappling Combat Specialization, was quite excellent and significantly bolstered his survivability.