A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

The moment Su Bei picked up the white paper, a line of text suddenly appeared on it—“The name of the Saint Son is”

Seeing this line, he raised an eyebrow, knowing he had found the right thing. He quickly stuffed the note into his pocket and turned to leave.

Soon, the five minutes were up, and everyone in the alternate space was teleported out together.

At that very moment, a prompt echoed in Su Bei’s ear: “The comic ‘Powers Reign’ has been updated. Please pay attention to watch.”

The comic had updated; it seemed he would be staying up late tonight.

Unless in special circumstances, the flow of time in the alternate space was consistent with the outside world. Under the starry night sky, a group of students suddenly appeared on the playground.

The teachers stationed outside were already prepared, quickly starting to take attendance. Those who were marked present first went to the other side of the playground, where another teacher was doing the registration.

Luck was on his side; the first to be called was Su Bei. Under the gaze of the crowd, he boldly shouted, “Here!” and then went over to register.

Meng Huai was also there, likely to prevent the students from causing a ruckus. When he saw Su Bei approach, he patted him hard on the back: “You just got out now, and you’re not even hurt? Well done, you’ve made me proud!”

Clearly, he thought Su Bei had participated in the battle the whole time and had protected himself from injury. Naturally, Su Bei didn’t explain; if he admitted to slacking off, the rest of the time would be unbearable.

The teacher at the registration desk was the school nurse, Teacher Ye Lin. Her eyes were gentle, and her voice soft, as if she could soothe the students’ restless hearts.

But she clearly had no effect on Su Bei, who was only half-listening to her questions, his gaze fixed intently on Teacher Ye. This was the first time he had looked at her so seriously.

Surprisingly, Ye Lin didn’t seem annoyed by his stare. She patiently waited for him to finish before softly asking, “Su Bei, may I ask what you were looking at just now?”

Su Bei pondered for a moment before asking, “Teacher, do you have any siblings?”

“Yes, I have a younger sister.” Ye Lin was momentarily taken aback, then smiled and nodded, “Why do you ask, Su Bei?”

—

Seeing her nod, Su Bei smiled as well: “It’s just that you seem so gentle, like you really know how to take care of your younger siblings.”

Ye Lin raised her hand to tuck a stray lock of hair behind her ear, deliberately adopting a stern expression: “Even if you say that, the registration still needs to be done. Now tell me, what have you been up to since you posted that special mission at the academy?”

“I’ve been evading those men in black, and in the process, I saved five people from their hands. Other than that, there’s nothing much to report,” Su Bei replied skillfully.

He didn’t mention his moments of idleness; after all, Meng Huai was still lurking behind, watching closely. But he also refrained from mentioning how he had knocked out the purple-haired girl. At that time, only Jiang Tianming and Si Zhaohua were present, and they wouldn’t rashly reveal their own secrets.

On the other hand, it was different with the five people over there. Although Zhao Xiaoyu and Mu Tieren were among them, the remaining three couldn’t all keep his secret. They had seen the gears; with just a little inquiry, they could connect the dots.

So it was better to speak openly, which would also add to his merits, preventing him from appearing idle and exposing the truth of his idleness.

“You did very well,” Ye Lin praised immediately. “Saving five people from their hands is truly remarkable. Su Bei, you shouldn’t belittle yourself. It’s a pity that with this incident, there’s no ranking; otherwise, your group would surely be at the top.”

Everyone likes to hear good words, and Su Bei smiled as he replied, “Thank you, teacher. I think so too.”

By the time she finished the registration, a considerable line had formed behind Su Bei. He glanced at the long queue and once again thanked his luck for being the first called. Then he asked, “So, teacher, can I leave now?”

“Of course.” Ye Lin nodded, allowing him to go.

From noble mtl dot com

However, before Su Bei could take a few steps, Jiang Tianming at the end of the line called out to him: “Su Bei, can I come find you later?”

What a question! Could he refuse? Su Bei sighed inwardly but ultimately nodded: “Sure.”

He didn’t want to create trouble for himself in the dead of night, but who knew what Jiang Tianming wanted to ask? If it turned out to be something useful, missing it could lead to problems.

Once back in his room, Su Bei immediately pulled out the piece of paper from his pocket. The questions on it had vanished, but that shouldn’t affect his response.

He wrote down the three characters “Mo Xiaotian,” and in the next moment, those characters disappeared, replaced by a silver, delicate ball that resembled a child’s toy, which sprang from the paper and was caught by Su Bei.

Following that, a passage appeared on the paper.

“The one who received this paper should be the collaborator mentioned, right? I’m not sure, but if I throw this paper away, it likely means I’m doomed. So if someone finds this paper and answers the question, please be sure to bring this item and the following message to 26 Mushroom Road. The ‘Black Flash’ organization will offer a generous reward:

Number 10 is incompetent, failed to complete the mission. Please recover the mission item.”

26 Mushroom Road.

Excitement flickered in Su Bei’s eyes; without a doubt, this was an address that could connect him to the “Black Flash” organization. Once he successfully misled the readers and secured a genuine identity of collaboration with the “Black Flash,” he could head to this address.

—

What is this little silver sphere, one might wonder?

Su Bei lifted the silver sphere, cradling it in his hands. It was a finely crafted object, a hollow silver ball encasing a solid little orb within. It appeared less like a tool of supernatural prowess and more like a toy for the children of the affluent.

The man in the duckbill cap claimed it was a mission artifact, implying that this object was intricately tied to the task of capturing them students during this group battle, and that its significance was paramount.

From what Su Bei could discern about the machinations at play in this incident, there were four key elements: first, preventing those inside from escaping while keeping outsiders at bay; second, the preemptive abduction of Feng Lan; third, the alteration of the stone tablet’s mission; and fourth, ensuring that others could not detect the location of the base under normal circumstances.

The first was certainly impossible; otherwise, the base wouldn’t have exploded, allowing everyone to escape. The latter three, however, were all plausible.

Yet, Su Bei was at a loss as to how to utilize this artifact. Even if he understood its function, it would be of no help. With that thought, he carefully stowed the little silver sphere in the innermost compartment of his suitcase, resolving to purchase a hidden compartment the next day.

In comics, novels, and dramas, there are often plots where a suitcase is accidentally knocked over, leading to the exposure of secrets. Su Bei had no intention of repeating that mistake, allowing the people of this world to suspect him as an undercover agent. Evidence was one thing, but concrete proof was an entirely different matter.

If the readers were to learn of this, they would surely exclaim, “How thrilling!” But if his classmates or teachers were to find out, he would be doomed.

“Knock, knock, knock!”

Not long after he finished packing, a knock echoed at the door. Su Bei approached and opened it, and as expected, Jiang Tianming stood outside.

He had come alone, his expression seemingly calm, yet there was an indescribable air about him.

Once Su Bei ushered him inside and closed the door, Jiang Tianming spoke directly, “I saw you up in the tree when I was escaping, but when I returned, you were gone. Where have you been during this time?”

“Are you… interrogating me?” Su Bei felt a tightening in his chest, though his face wore a half-smile as he regarded Jiang Tianming.

He hadn’t anticipated that Jiang Tianming had actually seen him in the tree, and that he had come back to look for him. It was indeed a surprise, but this little twist did not leave Su Bei feeling guilty.

He had been invisible throughout the mission; there was no way anyone could have seen him. He had also dispelled his invisibility in time when leaving the alternate space, leaving no trace.

Thus, he had no reason to feel guilty, nor did he need to explain himself.

“No, I’m just curious.” Jiang Tianming shook his head, genuinely not having considered doubting Su Bei, as there was nothing to warrant suspicion. “You’ve been disappearing these past few days, as if you were on some secret mission.”

Is this the protagonist’s intuition? Su Bei raised an eyebrow, responding with a mix of truth and jest, “Perhaps fate has simply tasked me with slacking off.”

At this, Jiang Tianming’s eyes took on a deadpan expression: “Even fate would be angered by such slander, wouldn’t it?”

He turned to leave, but suddenly remembered something and turned back: “By the way, Mu Tieren and Zhao Xiaoyu asked me to thank you. It’s too late for them to come today, but they’ll come to express their gratitude in person tomorrow.”

This referred to the time when Su Bei had saved them.

“Got it.” Su Bei nodded and saw him out.

After leaving Su Bei’s room, Jiang Tianming did not immediately depart; instead, he lingered for a moment. He still had questions—if Su Bei wanted to slack off, why not just leave the alternate space? Where had he vanished to in the end?

But Su Bei always had many secrets, so when Jiang Tianming sensed that the other did not wish to answer, he refrained from pressing further.

In the room, Su Bei let out a long sigh. Indeed, he wanted to cultivate another identity, but for now, being suspected by readers was one thing; being doubted by the main cast was another. After all, the third dimension’s hand could not reach the second, but it was easy for those in the same world to investigate him.

Forget it, let’s just check the comic updates first. Although the update time was short, the content was certainly plentiful. After all, it was an entire team battle.

The comic began with the scene of gathering on the playground, everyone receiving their watches and entering the portal. After a light-hearted plot, the first mission stone tablet appeared, and they ultimately decided to split into groups.

As expected, the story followed Jiang Tianming’s actions. Since he needed to take on this mission, Jiang Tianming and Mu Tieren did not wander far, just exploring the vicinity to see if they could stumble upon something.

The earlier plot was relatively mundane, so Su Bei skipped over it. This time, he focused on two aspects: one was the plot concerning himself, and the other was the storyline following the “Black Flash” organization’s initiation of action.

As a multi-character comic, the lens could not remain solely on Jiang Tianming. After they finished battling a group of classmates, the scene shifted to Wu Mingbai and Lan Subing, and finally to Su Bei and Mo Xiaotian.

Their segment was somewhat lackluster, merely showcasing a glimpse of Mo Xiaotian’s childhood, establishing his character. The plot involving battling the Nightmare Monkey was also brushed over.

However, it was worth noting that when Su Bei uttered the line, “Don’t think too highly of your companions…” the bullet comments exploded.

“Ahhh! I see the foreshadowing!”

“Ahhh! I sense the knife!”

“What does this mean? Was Su Bei betrayed by a companion before?”

“I smell the scent of a knife.”

“Is he talking about himself? Warning Mo Xiaotian not to think too highly of him.”

No one guessed the true meaning behind Su Bei’s actions, but without a god’s-eye view, they likely could not have fathomed it.

The ensuing encounter with Si Zhao Hua and the others could barely be considered a foreshadowing.

As the scene shifted back to Su Bei, it was already the moment he met Zhao Xiao Yu and Wu Jin.

Watching Zhao Xiao Yu lead a throng, attempting to play the victim to ensnare Mo Xiao Tian as their free bodyguard, only to be casually rebuffed by Su Bei, the barrage of comments flew by at lightning speed.

“Wow, Miss Zhao Xiao Yu really has such leadership skills.”

“Is she trying to bring along more from Class F for the monthly exam, hoping for more scapegoats?”

“Tea words, tea phrases—got it!”

“Goodness, Mo Xiao Tian is practically in tears.”

“Hahahahahaha!”

“I give this push and pull full marks.”

“Mo Xiao Tian: So that’s how it is! (sudden realization.jpg)”

Su Bei’s inquiry about Feng Lan’s whereabouts was also depicted, and aside from a small group exclaiming “I ship it,” the rest were engrossed in discussing the plot.

From the comments, it was clear that the seasoned readers had sensed trouble brewing in this group battle; otherwise, there was no reason for Feng Lan to vanish so suddenly.

The next perspective followed Zhao Xiao Yu, capturing her dialogue with Wu Jin, causing Su Bei to raise an eyebrow.

As expected, Wu Jin was particularly sensitive to emotions.

At this point, Su Bei’s mind conjured that exquisite face, recalling their conversation in the otherworldly space. He temporarily closed the comic, pressing his temples in thought.

He had previously believed Wu Jin to possess a dual personality—two distinct personas, each with differing traits and abilities.

Yet, Wu Jin had denied the existence of such duality; he must not have been lying. Thus, the two abilities displayed in the comic warranted deeper investigation.

Was this person inherently gifted with two abilities, or were they merely two different manifestations of a single power?

After pondering, Su Bei decisively messaged Meng Huai. When faced with academic dilemmas, one must consult the teacher; after all, he was still a student, wasn’t he?

Southeast West: Is the teacher there? Can a person possess two different powers at the same time?

After a moment, Meng Huai replied.

Disturber Die: … Why do you ask this?

Southeast West: I discovered someone with a power that is quite extraordinary; the two uses are vastly different, leading me to suspect they might have two powers.

Disturber Die: Currently, there are no natural cases of a single person possessing multiple powers.

No natural cases? Does that mean a modified person could potentially have two powers at once?

Su Bei keenly sensed the implication in the other’s words, but was Wu Jin truly a modified being?

Forget it, there’s too little information. Better to continue reading the comic.

Zhao Xiaoyu’s reason for gathering these F-class students was indeed to use them as shields. Whenever enemies approached, she would swiftly lead everyone to flee. Positioned slightly towards the back, she ensured that no matter from which direction the enemy came, they would never catch her, only those students closer to the front.

After escaping danger, Zhao Xiaoyu began her healing, her comfort reaching MAX levels. Not only did no one notice her ulterior motives, but the people in the group were especially grateful to her.

Seeing this scene, even Su Bei had to admit that Zhao Xiaoyu was quite skilled. By the time classes resumed tomorrow, her reputation in F-class would likely surpass that of the class leader, Mu Tieren.

The next scene returned to Jiang Tianming, who was being chased alongside Mu Tieren, fleeing while counterattacking. However, after the individual battles of the monthly exam, each student had, to some extent, improved their combat abilities. Unless the two of them decided to fight to the death against their pursuers, they would at most eliminate one or two enemies; those who were to be hunted would still be hunted.

Just when they were exhausted and had resolved to fight with no retreat, a rustling sound emerged from the grass. The two tensed up, fearing the enemy had caught up so quickly, only to see Su Bei and another person emerge from the underbrush.

“…”

Gazing at the four chibi figures on the phone screen, each with a row of crows flying overhead, Su Bei couldn’t help but chuckle softly.

Flipping through a few more pages, they soon reached the plot of the second task stone tablet (pseudo). Handing over a watch would yield a reward of five thousand points, a temptation that turned the eyes of everyone present, except for Su Bei, into the shape of copper coins.

Though tempted, everyone was astute enough to sense something amiss. Even Wu Mingbai and his companion, who had just arrived, became alert the moment they heard about the task.

Moreover, with Su Bei’s observation of the “Doom” verification, any discerning person would recognize that this task was problematic.

It wasn’t until Su Bei guided everyone through a few questions, leading them to realize that escaping the alternate space almost solely depended on the watch, that they finally pieced together all the anomalies and understood the crux of the issue.

The barrage of comments erupted like a boiling cauldron.

“Here it comes, here it comes, the conspiracy unfolds!”

“Those who handed in their watches, they can’t all die, right?”

“Can’t this shonen manga have a few less deaths? Wuwuwu, that green-haired one is kinda cute.”

“To the one who said the green-haired one is cute, you must be really hungry.”

“Everyone’s so clever! Can I just say, if it were me, I’d be rushing to take the mission, lest someone else snatch the next layer of rewards?”

“A smart protagonist group, yay! (Mo Xiaotian: ?)”

“Su Bei seems to be so calm all the time…”

“Things are about to get interesting!”

“Why do I feel like Su Bei knows something?”

Then came the scene where Su Bei predicted fate, the glaring arrow almost laid the answer bare, leaving no room for guesswork.

But clearly, the readers did not share this sentiment; they insisted that the arrow must hold deeper secrets. They speculated on its meaning from various angles—its color (black), size, shape—yet no one considered the possibility that the direction it pointed might be flawed.

Watching these wild guesses, Su Bei couldn’t help but twitch his lips.

The comic’s plot continued to unfold, and since Su Bei chose to separate from the protagonist group, he was nearly absent for a long stretch.

Yet perhaps because the author deemed him part of the main cast, it felt wrong to let him vanish entirely; he was granted a scene where he reminded Qi Huang not to stray from their teammate who had removed their watch.

When the special mission for the next day was announced, even the dullest among them should have figured it out, especially the protagonist group who had anticipated it.

They had initially planned to go together, thinking it would be safer that way. But with more people, the target grew larger, and soon several unfamiliar figures in school uniforms attempted to join them.

Though it had only been a month since school started, and the protagonist group couldn’t possibly recognize every face among the hundreds in their grade, some familiarity was still possible. With so many strangers approaching and the hint of a special mission, everyone naturally grew wary.

As they fought and fled, by the time they finally shook off their pursuers, they had all scattered in different directions.

This time, the focus shifted to others for a while, before finally landing on Jiang Tianming. He moved through the grass, hearing sounds ahead, and then met up with Si Zhaohua.

Two figures engaged in conversation stirred the barrage of comments into a frenzy; when they decided to join forces, everyone knew these two would inevitably become friends. Though Su Bei had witnessed the live performance, seeing it through the lens of the comic offered an entirely new sensation.

Until the arrival of the violet-haired woman shattered this harmonious scene. ! ↑Back to Top↑

The violet-haired woman’s attack was formidable, but Jiang Tianming and Si Zhaohua were no pushovers. Both wielded abilities that allowed them to separate their essence from their bodies; while their bodies evaded, their powers could still strike.

As they fought, they exchanged banter, resembling a pair of playful adversaries.

Yet how could the enemy allow them such ease? The violet-haired woman skillfully wielded her whip, deflecting their assaults while still having the strength to counterattack.

Seeing that the enemy could not strike back, the two exchanged a glance, a thought passing between them, and they began to target the whip in unison. It was difficult for a whip to defend itself, making it far easier to attack.

They focused on a single point; once they succeeded in breaking the whip, the violet-haired woman would surely suffer a grievous blow.

Watching Jiang Tianming shift their strategy, the battle-hardened violet-haired woman realized their intent, a flicker of frustration crossing her face. This was indeed one of her weaknesses; she struggled to protect her own abilities effectively.

No more time to waste! The violet-haired woman immediately summoned her mental energy, enlarging the whip and swinging it with force—she cleaved half the treetop nearby!

What no one expected was that a strikingly handsome blonde youth stood upon the branches.

The air thickened with tension as Jiang Tianming and Si Zhaohua recognized the golden-haired boy as Su Bei, their expressions frozen in shock.