A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

A fifteen-year-old girl’s voice could hardly be mature; even the distortion of the phone couldn’t mask her youthful tone.

Zhao Xiaoyu confidently replied, “We’re still students. If you find us too young for your liking, we can certainly try to contact someone else.”

—

So it was said, yet she felt no worry at all. This task had been posted two months prior, and by now, no one had taken it up; surely this couple must be quite anxious. Besides them, who else could be found?

As expected, the woman hesitated again, then quickly added with a hint of flattery, “No need, no need, just you all will do. Truly, heroes emerge in youth! When I was your age, I was skipping classes to go to the internet café.”

Seeing that she was aware of the situation, Zhao Xiaoyu got straight to the point: “We’re heading towards the villa; can you come over as soon as possible?”

“The place we’re renting is a bit far from there; it might take us two hours to arrive,” the woman replied after a moment’s thought.

Zhao Xiaoyu had no objections; after all, the key to the house was in the document bag, and they could enter and check it out first: “No problem, then we’ll go in and take a look. When you arrive, you can fill us in on the details.”

While she was on the phone, everyone maintained a tacit silence, only discussing things once the call was finished.

“They don’t seem as difficult as the documents suggested?” Lan Subing expressed her confusion. Perhaps this couple had truly offended the ability government, as a significant portion of the files described their unreasonable antics.

Wu Mingbai shook his head: “Thanks to Zhao Xiaoyu.”

If Zhao Xiaoyu hadn’t initially presented the attitude that they didn’t necessarily have to take on this task, the other party wouldn’t have been so accommodating.

Zhao Xiaoyu smiled, not bothering to be modest.

Soon, they arrived at their destination—a modest villa, predominantly white in decor, the quintessential small Western-style house. It boasted a lovely little garden, appearing quite charming. If not for someone mentioning it, they might not have guessed that a mid-level nightmare beast lurked within.

Unlocking the door, a cloud of dust rushed forth. The house had not been cleaned for two months, a thin layer of dust covering the furniture.

Once it was confirmed that a mid-level nightmare beast indeed resided in this house, the ability government had sealed it with props, ensuring that even if no one was inside, the beast could not escape.

One must admit, the government was quite effective; though they disliked meddling, they certainly didn’t hold anyone back.

As they surveyed the interior, Si Zhaohua wrinkled her nose in distaste. Zhao Xiaoyu chuckled, “How about we clean up a bit first? It’s a good chance to explore the house while we’re at it.”

“A splendid suggestion,” Li Shu said gently, quickly finding the restroom and emerging with three brooms and several cloths. “I’ll take care of sweeping the living room floor; the rest, you can divide among yourselves?”

When he was normal, he seemed quite normal, appearing like a harmless, gentle young man.

“…Can I call someone to help? My driver is just outside,” Si Zhaohua said, her face showing hesitation. Earlier, while eating skewers, Su Bei hadn’t been wrong; she did have a bit of a cleanliness obsession.

That was acceptable; everyone had their own methods. Seeing no one object, she promptly called her driver in to assist with the big clean-up.

—

—

Born into a wealthy family, Lan Subing had no such troubles; she naturally joined in to help wipe the table.

Watching her deft movements, Zhao Xiaoyu, aware of her background, curiously asked, “Did your parents make you help with these chores at home?”

Lan Subing shook her head. “We have a housekeeper, but I do occasionally help with some household tasks.”

At this, she glanced at Si Zhaohua and continued, “Actually, wiping tables is something anyone can do once they get the hang of it; obsessive cleanliness is another matter.”

Meanwhile, on the second floor, Su Bei and Wu Jin were sweeping the floor. The villa had only two stories, with no attic or anything, making it quite convenient.

Currently, it was just the two of them on the second floor. After washing his hands, Wu Jin casually swept his hair back, the purple strands that had fallen forward now forming a slicked-back style, revealing his exquisite features.

Even having seen it once or twice before, Su Bei still paused for a moment before asking, “Aren’t you afraid someone will come up and see you?”

“If someone comes up, I’ll know,” Wu Jin replied, looking into the mirror. His ability was to have a low presence, so he naturally wouldn’t overlook anyone else’s presence. “Besides, it lets my beautiful face get some fresh air.”

Indeed, he was starting to get narcissistic again, but with a face like his, he wasn’t wrong. Su Bei chuckled lightly, then turned to the matter at hand. “Have you sensed where the Nightmare Beast is?”

Wu Jin shook his head. “I can only sense it when the Nightmare Beast uses its abilities.”

At this, Su Bei raised an eyebrow. Had he guessed wrong? Was Wu Jin’s perception of the Nightmare Beast not based on emotions? Otherwise, why would it need to use its abilities first?!

—

Su Bei said nothing, merely gazing silently at the compass atop his head in the mirror. Both the large and small pointers were undoubtedly veering in the right direction.

Being with the main group had its advantages; he didn’t have to worry about the pointers straying into unfavorable territory. Moreover, this was just a minor case. Unless the two antagonists he had seen yesterday—the “Sky Vault Ability Academy” and the “Black Flash” organization—decided to stir up trouble, there shouldn’t be any major issues. If it weren’t for this being his first trial, he wouldn’t even dare to guarantee that such a plot could make it into a comic.

That said, would they come to cause trouble? Su Bei suddenly pondered this question. The trial activity lasted a week, and today was only the second day; logically, there was no need for them to interfere.

Forget it, he thought. After wiping the coffee table, Su Bei sat down to relax. Wu Jin joined him, also taking a break.

If his hair hadn’t been swept back, he would never have engaged in such a potentially attention-grabbing activity. But now that it was, Wu Jin couldn’t help but complain, “Why is there not a single person who can help me with chores for the sake of my beautiful face?”

It was one thing if others couldn’t see, but wasn’t there someone right next to him who could?

With this thought, he turned to Su Bei. “If we both just sit here, when they come up, they’ll have something to say about us. Can you bear to watch me get scolded?”

Su Bei instinctively glanced at his face, his mind momentarily blank. Such a beautiful face, if it were to show a look of grievance, would truly be a waste.

—

But in the next moment, his mind jolted awake as if pricked by a needle, accompanied by a thought—please, let it be a grievance, for his grievance was better than his own suffering.

Su Bei shook his head sharply, fully regaining his composure. His gaze, sharp as a sword, turned toward Wu Jin, yet he remained silent.

At that moment, Wu Jin appeared flustered, hesitant to speak, but upon seeing Su Bei regain his senses, he exclaimed in delight, “You’re back to yourself! That’s wonderful!”

Seeing this, Su Bei finally asked, “What just happened?”

After a moment of hesitation, Wu Jin chose to speak the truth: “Actually, my ability isn’t ‘Silence is Silence,’ but ‘Succubus.’ This face of mine is the best tool for seduction, but I can’t control this bloodline ability well, often charming others involuntarily. That’s one of the reasons I chose to cover my face before.”

‘Succubus’… Hearing this term, even Su Bei couldn’t help but pause. Such a power was rather strange, wasn’t it? It felt so out of place in a youthful tale!

Fortunately, the earlier encounter with Qingqing’s Cupid arrow had broadened Su Bei’s horizons, so he quickly calmed down, recalling Wu Jin’s words. Suddenly, he discovered an intriguing point: “Bloodline ability? What is that?”

Wu Jin hadn’t expected Su Bei to grasp the crux so well. He opened his mouth, then had no choice but to explain, “It’s a type of ability; those who awaken it will have a bloodline, like werewolf bloodlines, elf bloodlines, succubus bloodlines…”

“Then isn’t Si Zhaohua’s ‘Angel’ ability also a bloodline ability?” Su Bei asked curiously. He had looked up Si Zhaohua’s ability before, and the term ‘bloodline ability’ hadn’t been mentioned.

As expected, Wu Jin shook his head: “Bloodline abilities can be inherited, but ‘Angel’ shouldn’t be inheritable.”

Inherited? Su Bei suddenly recalled Wu Jin’s backdoor dealings, thinking of Principal Wu Di sharing the same surname as Wu Jin. He couldn’t help but show a strange expression: “Then isn’t the principal also—”

“No!” Before he could finish, Wu Jin hurriedly denied it, “He’s not! If my dad hears you say that, it’ll be a disaster.”

Wu Jin had no intention of hiding his relationship with the principal; after all, he had already revealed so many secrets in front of Su Bei. Revealing one more wouldn’t matter.

Knowing he wasn’t lying, Su Bei tilted his head: “So you inherited it from your mother…”

“Hey, don’t ask. Anyway, my succubus bloodline is inherited.” Wu Jin wore a pained expression, yet even with such a face, he remained strikingly handsome.

Su Bei raised an eyebrow, deciding not to press further. However, not asking didn’t stop him from thinking that Wu Jin’s earlier reaction was certainly suspicious.

If his mother or any other relatives had the ‘Succubus’ ability, Wu Jin wouldn’t need to act this way; he could simply state it.

The reason he acted like this was likely because his relatives didn’t possess the ‘Succubus’ ability, and there was something odd about his own power.

With the information Su Bei had gathered so far, he had reached his limit. He planned to investigate bloodline abilities further once he returned; perhaps he would uncover some unexpected surprises.

He did not ask, and it was Wu Jin’s turn to inquire, his beautiful face alight with curiosity: “How did you manage to shake off my allure so quickly just now?”

He hurriedly added, “Not that I’m prying into your secrets; you don’t have to share if you don’t want to. It’s just that I’ve rarely encountered someone who could so swiftly escape my charm without any warning, so I’m quite surprised.”

Su Bei waved his hand dismissively, signaling it was nothing, then replied, “Perhaps it’s because I possess advanced mental strength.”

Advanced mental strength stands apart from ordinary mental strength, especially when facing psychic abilities; those with ordinary mental powers find it difficult to control those with advanced abilities.

To be honest, for Wu Jin to enchant him for even two seconds was quite impressive.

“Advanced mental strength?” Wu Jin was taken aback. Coming from a prestigious background, he knew well how difficult it was to attain such power; at this age, it marked one as a genius among geniuses.

Su Bei nodded, showing no intent to conceal this from Wu Jin. First, advanced mental strength was not much of a secret; he had already misled Jiang Tianming and informed Meng Huai, so telling Wu Jin was of little consequence.

Secondly, Su Bei understood that reciprocity was essential for friendship; it made no sense for Wu Jin to spill secret after secret while he remained silent. It would be harder to extract anything from the other in the future.

As they conversed, Si Zhaohua and the others finished tidying up the first floor and prepared to head upstairs. Sensing the commotion below, Wu Jin quickly covered his face with his hair, adopting a guise of inconspicuousness. He then picked up a rag and began to wipe the windows, trying to salvage the situation.

Su Bei remained lazily seated, toying with a common gear in his hands.

Thus, when the others ascended, they beheld this scene: Wu Jin diligently scrubbing the windows, while Su Bei lounged like a lord on the coffee table, fiddling with the gear. Almost instantly, Lan Subing couldn’t help but exclaim, “Cinderella and her wicked stepmother!”

The group: “…”

To be fair, it was quite fitting; Wu Mingbai let out a laugh, “Pfft!”

“Unless you could at least pretend to be working while slacking off?” Si Zhaohua chuckled in exasperation, “Is it really appropriate for Wu Jin to do all the work?”

With a hint of resignation, he directed his driver to assist Su Bei with his share of the chores, then glanced at the coffee table, confirming it was indeed clean enough before sitting beside Su Bei. “You’re not telling me this coffee table is the only thing you’ve wiped down, are you?”

He had to admit, he guessed correctly. Su Bei coughed, refusing to answer the question, and swiftly changed the subject: “Who says I haven’t done anything? I’ve actually discovered a clue.”

“A clue?” Si Zhaohua asked, and the others turned their attention to him.

Su Bei pointed toward a room near the staircase: “That’s the couple’s room, and it was also the room of the older brother from that family at the beginning. In this entire villa, only this room and the two bathrooms on each floor have not undergone any changes in usage.”

The villa had two stories, with a total of six rooms—three on the first floor and three on the second. Each floor had a bathroom, and the first floor also housed a kitchen.

It turned out that in this household, aside from the grandfather who lived on the first floor for the sake of convenience, the remaining members occupied all the rooms on the second floor. The other two rooms on the first floor served as a guest room and a storage space.

Because this couple had only moved in a little over half a year ago, many traces of their presence had not been completely erased, so Su Bei could see everything with just a quick glance.

Now, the brother’s room had transformed into the couple’s bedroom, while the other rooms were used as a storage room and a guest room, respectively. The grandfather’s room had been converted into a game room.

Thus, as Su Bei had said, in this entire villa, only the bathroom and this master bedroom remained unchanged.

Zhao Xiaoyu’s eyes flickered, quickly grasping his meaning: “Are you saying there’s something wrong with this room?”

The bathroom was not something that could be easily swapped out, so it naturally didn’t count.

Su Bei remained noncommittal, allowing them to step into the three rooms to take a look. Once everyone had entered, Wu Jin approached, whispering in accusation, “You set me up.”

Just moments ago, it was seeing Su Bei shamelessly slacking off that had prompted Wu Jin to join in. He had thought they were accomplices, only to realize now that Su Bei had already found the clues, fearless and confident, while he was left to play the fool.

Su Bei shot him a glance: “You stood up and pretended to be serious the moment they came up; I didn’t expose you.”

Of course, at that moment, Wu Jin had indeed tried to pull him into the act, but Su Bei had simply ignored him.

It didn’t take long for them to finish inspecting the three rooms, and Si Zhaohua was the first to sense something amiss: “Why aren’t they using the largest master bedroom in the middle?”

A quick look around made it clear that among the three rooms upstairs, the one in the center was undoubtedly the most spacious.

“Maybe it’s because that room was originally occupied by the previous couple, and they don’t want to live in a place where another couple has stayed?” Zhao Xiaoyu speculated uncertainly. Indeed, there were couples who preferred not to dwell in spaces once inhabited by others.

Li Shu turned to Su Bei, smiling gently: “Is this what you wanted us to see? What does it have to do with what you said earlier?”

Si Zhaohua returned to his seat, continuing along his line of thought: “You think there’s something wrong with this room? But if I remember correctly, your brother who lived here hasn’t had any issues.”

If it were the sister’s or grandfather’s room, perhaps he would share Su Bei’s suspicions. But since it was the brother’s room, the notion that something was wrong could be largely dismissed.

Su Bei blinked but did not refute. What he didn’t say was that every time he approached this bedroom, the little hand of the clock would always shift slightly to the left.

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There was no doubt that this room had issues, but just as Si Zhaohua had said, for the time being, Su Bei had no idea what those issues might be.

“By the way, I also noticed something quite strange,” Lan Subing raised her hand and spoke softly, “They actually renovated the house?”

This was something she only realized after Su Bei had spoken those words, just as Su Bei had said, the rooms within this villa had been almost entirely transformed.

Yet according to the original purchase contract, if this matter were to be resolved by the ability government, the house would have to be returned. Once returned, although the money spent on the house would be refunded in full, the costs of renovation would certainly not be.

Given this, how could this couple dare to undertake such ostentatious renovations? Were they not afraid of regretting it later?

Indeed, this was a question. Si Zhaohua pondered, “Let’s ask them when they arrive.”

“By the way, Wu Jin, have you sensed the presence of the Nightmare Beast?” Zhao Xiaoyu asked curiously, recalling Wu Jin’s earlier claim of being able to detect it.

Wu Jin shook his head. “No, I can only sense it once it appears or uses its abilities.”

Upon hearing this, no one was surprised. Li Shu spoke softly, “Should we call the first family and ask about their situation?”

After a moment’s thought, Si Zhaohua declined. “The information they provided is already quite detailed; I wouldn’t know what else to ask.”

As they were conversing, a noise came from downstairs. Zhao Xiaoyu smiled and stood up. “Looks like that couple has arrived; I’ll go down to greet them.”

The others followed her down, and indeed, they saw a man and a woman. The woman’s face was pale, her shoulder-length hair framed her features, and she wore a thick down jacket, wrapped tightly in a scarf.

The man, equally pale, wore matching outfits with her, though he lacked a scarf. A small, light blue circular mark adorned his neck, likely a result of the Nightmare Beast in the house.

Somewhat unexpectedly, Su Bei thought. The information previously gleaned suggested that these two had been left with no choice but to seek the ability government for help.

Yet at present, they seemed to be in decent spirits. Though their faces were pale, they did not exude a sense of life-threatening distress.

The others clearly shared this curiosity. Zhao Xiaoyu asked with concern, “Miss Wang, are you both feeling alright? I heard you were tormented by the Nightmare Beast in this house, which forced you to move out.”

The woman smiled and shook her head. “You can just call me Sister Wang; he’s your Brother Liu. We’re actually fine, it’s not that serious. We just felt there was something strange about this house and didn’t dare to stay any longer. After moving out, we’ve felt a bit better.”

What she said was met with skepticism. If they truly had such foresight, they wouldn’t have bought a house that had dropped in price so drastically.

However, it was also possible that the situation wasn’t as dire as it seemed; perhaps someone from the ability government simply disliked this couple and spread rumors about them. Where there are people, there are always undercurrents.

As they observed the couple, the two were also sizing them up. Su Bei and the others were merely fifteen, appearing youthful. Yet the couple showed no signs of disdain; rather, their attitude grew warmer.

After some pleasantries, Zhao Xiaoyu led the two to sit on the sofa and then posed their earlier question: “There are three bedrooms upstairs; why don’t you move into the master bedroom? Isn’t there more space there?”

“Ah, this.” Sister Wang tucked her hair behind her ear, “The original owner of this house lived there. I don’t want to sleep in a room where couples have been.”

Her reasoning was quite sound, aligning with their speculations. Zhao Xiaoyu continued to inquire, “We’ve already wandered around the house and noticed that many of the facilities seem to have been renovated.”

At this, she feigned indignation, “You even installed a game room; it must have cost quite a bit, right? If the original owner doesn’t reimburse you for the renovations when you return the house, wouldn’t that be a huge loss?”

Upon hearing this, Sister Wang paused for a moment, her expression turning somewhat sorrowful. “We didn’t really think much of it at the time. Who would believe that such things exist in this world before encountering them? We thought we were getting a bargain, spending a little to buy a big house, and the leftover money could go towards some nice renovations. But they weren’t lying; this house really does have problems…”

Sitting beside her, Brother Liu handed her a tissue, taking the initiative to speak, “Guess we were just unlucky; trying to save a little ended up costing us a lot.”

With all explanations in place, the group ceased their inquiries and began asking about the Nightmares: “Have you encountered any strange occurrences during your time living in the house? Aside from what’s happened to you personally.”

Nightmares typically have a physical form; living in the same house for an extended period might allow one to see them.

The two pondered for a moment before shaking their heads in unison. “No, this house has been perfectly normal. Are you sure there’s really such a monster? I feel like our issues are more like something caused by radiation.”

It seemed they were still reluctant to believe in the existence of Nightmares.

“When did the spots first appear on you?” Si Zhaohua asked directly, eager to cut through the delay. “Where did you notice them?”

“It was in the third month after we moved in. We mentioned this to your people before. The previous tenants warned us about this issue before they left, so we were on alert as soon as it appeared.” Sister Wang replied, “We first went to the hospital for a check-up, but nothing came up. Then we started disinfecting the house… but that didn’t help either.”

Brother Liu interjected, “During that time, he really turned the house upside down, but nothing was found. We stayed a bit longer, but when it became unbearable, we finally moved out.”

“Can we take a look at the spots on you?” Ling You suddenly spoke up. Her initiating conversation surprised everyone, but it was understandable.

Ling You’s abilities were related to plagues and diseases; while she couldn’t identify every ailment, she could at least discern whether it was a disease or not.

Checking this was quite necessary; curse-related abilities and disease-related ones, or other types, are fundamentally different. Intermediate Nightmares can take on various forms, and generally, their appearance is linked to their abilities. For instance, a Nightmare with cooling powers might appear as a block of ice.

Identifying the other’s abilities would also help in better discerning the Nightmare’s appearance.

At this, Sister Wang glanced at Brother Liu, then stood up with a smile. “Let’s go to our room; it feels a bit awkward to show it in the living room.”

With that, she tugged at Brother Liu’s collar, playfully chiding, “I told you to wear a scarf! You really don’t care about yourself.”

Brother Liu touched his neck, a sheepish smile on his face, and followed Sister Wang as they hurried upstairs.

“They really have a good relationship, don’t they?” Lan Subing, trailing behind the others, touched her scarf and whispered softly, “But is it really this cold today?”