A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 77

Just those two words, and her face paled. But it wasn’t ineffective—a face protruded from the wall. It clearly didn’t want to emerge, looking quite ferocious.

Lan Subing seized the moment: “「Fix」”

Right after saying it, she covered her mouth, coughing violently. Using her Ability twice in a row was a significant drain. Her pale cheeks flushed unhealthily from the coughing, and she stepped back, silent.

With the face’s appearance, Su Bei finally saw the Nightmare Beast’s Destiny Compass. Nightmare Beasts’ compasses were black, but otherwise similar to humans’.

He saw that while the beast’s large pointer was down, indicating decline, the small pointer leaned left, suggesting it could still achieve short-term victory.

Su Bei raised an eyebrow, realizing things weren’t simple.

He could adjust it, shifting the small pointer right. With his current Mental Energy, it’d only cost half his reserves.

But doing good deeds anonymously wasn’t his style. They’d defeat the Nightmare Beast eventually—let the protagonist team handle it.

The others, unaware of his discovery, wouldn’t waste the opportunity Lan Subing created. All their Abilities unleashed at once, a surge of Mental Energy rushing toward the Nightmare Beast.

Using Mental Energy to destroy a Nightmare Beast felt strange, especially for Su Bei with his advanced Mental Energy. It was like his Mental Energy became a sword, striking the beast directly. In his perception, the Nightmare Beast was a mass of black mist, each attack thinning its density.

After relentless attacks, the face let out a piercing “screech—” and melted away like muddy water.

Wu Jin sensed it and nodded confidently: “It’s gone.”

He no longer felt the Nightmare Beast’s aura.

Hearing this, everyone except Su Bei sighed in relief, then grew excited. Wu Mingbai coughed, pretending to be serious as he pulled out his phone: “We’re all in the same class. Since we completed the mission, we should let the other team know.”

The others shared knowing smiles. Jiang Tianming’s team hadn’t messaged, meaning they likely hadn’t finished. This secret competition was their win.

Su Bei sighed. He hadn’t wanted to remind them, but if Wu Mingbai sent that message, the whole team—including him—would be embarrassed. He couldn’t allow that.

“Don’t send it. The mission’s probably not done,” Su Bei stopped him. “If it died that easily, why would it dare let Sister Wang and them provoke the Ability Government?”

That was one reason to suspect it wasn’t dead, but what truly convinced Su Bei was the left-leaning small pointer. Since it pointed left, it wouldn’t lose soon, so it couldn’t be dead.

He didn’t plan to reveal his Ability’s specifics, and with his persona well-established, there was no need to stress he could “see” what others couldn’t. Better to analyze logically.

His words snapped everyone to attention. Indeed, as Su Bei said, a mid-level Nightmare Beast had some intelligence. One so easily defeated would avoid the Ability Government, not invite them. It wasn’t well-hidden—others could find it as they did.

The room fell silent as they pondered Su Bei’s words. If they wanted it simple, they could just ask Su Bei what to do. Since he knew the beast wasn’t dead, he likely knew how to find it.

But with youthful pride, who’d want to rely on others for everything? Su Bei hadn’t done much this mission, but his contributions were critical. It felt like they were entirely dependent on him.

They had their pride and resolved to solve it themselves.

This was a misunderstanding—Su Bei genuinely didn’t know where the beast was, at least not with solid proof.

So even if asked, he wouldn’t answer. Silence avoided mistakes. If he was right, it wasn’t a big deal; if wrong, it’d ruin everything.

Suddenly, Si Zhaohua’s eyes lit up: “To the bedroom!”

He didn’t know where the beast was, but it wasn’t in the game room. The bedroom seemed the least likely, given evidence it couldn’t harm there. But Si Zhaohua wasn’t foolish. Having seen mid-level Nightmare Beasts before, he knew better. He guessed the seemingly impossible bedroom was the most likely.

Hearing this, Su Bei’s lips curved. Like Si Zhaohua, he thought the same. If the beast was hiding in the bedroom, it was outsmarting itself.

That was a good thing—too clever a beast would be trouble. This one could talk, threaten humans, and play tricks, already shocking for students with little experience.

If its schemes were intricate, Su Bei would say the author was nuts, and the heroes’ loss would be justified.

After all, there were supposedly high-level Nightmare Beasts as intelligent as humans, far smarter than mid-level ones.

Sure enough, seeing their confusion, Si Zhaohua explained: “I’ve seen mid-level Nightmare Beasts a few times. They’re somewhat clever but not overly so, better at executing plans than making them. Revealing the bedroom as a safe spot was likely to create a blind spot.”

“If that’s true, it’s not very smart,” Wu Mingbai laughed after hearing.

The tactic was too obvious. They might not think of it immediately, but they’d never skip checking the bedroom because it was “safe.” The plan seemed useful but was ultimately futile, only delaying death.

Leaving the game room, Sister Wang and Brother Liu sat slumped against the wall, hair disheveled, expressions grim. Brother Liu’s face was bruised, as if he’d been beaten.

Zhao Xiaoyu and Wu Jin looked fine. Seeing the group emerge, Zhao Xiaoyu asked directly: “Is it resolved?”

No one cared about the two on the ground. Si Zhaohua shook his head, recounting what happened.

Zhao Xiaoyu agreed with Si Zhaohua’s guess. Glancing at the couple, she smirked: “These two seem honest now. Wu Jin, can you handle them alone? I want to check upstairs.”

Wu Jin nodded silently. He wasn’t keen on fighting Nightmare Beasts and didn’t mind staying downstairs. He’d been slightly worried about the two, but after the fight, he knew he could handle them alone.

Hearing Zhao Xiaoyu, Sister Wang and Brother Liu looked despairing. They never expected the initially kind girl to hit so hard. And the quiet boy was no pushover either. Had they known, they wouldn’t have tried escaping and taken a beating for nothing.

They reached the bedroom, but a new issue arose—Lan Subing couldn’t use [Word Spirit] again soon. Another use would overtax her Mental Energy.

With days of training ahead, they couldn’t exhaust her. Even if she was willing, they wouldn’t agree.

After seeing the girl, Zhao Xiaoyu’s mood had soured, and she’d been quiet since returning. With a younger sister at home, she empathized with the girl’s haggard family.

Now, she sneered: “It can’t escape this house. Let’s attack each wall one by one—it’ll have to show.”

It was a good, if tedious, plan, but it’d work. With five walls including the ceiling, they could afford the effort.

Her words panicked the Nightmare Beast, which proactively protruded a face from the wall by the door. Its mouth opened and closed, pleading in a shrill, grating voice: ’Spare me, I’ll offer benefits.’

Su Bei glanced at its Destiny Compass. This time, all pointers aligned, especially the small one, which swung fully right. There’d be no more issues.

“What benefits?” Wu Mingbai’s eyes gleamed, asking with innocent curiosity.

He had no intention of sparing it but was curious what a Nightmare Beast could offer humans.

“Save people,” the Nightmare Beast replied. Unable to say much, it used the briefest words to convey its meaning.

Su Bei, amused, thought its speech resembled Wu Jin’s. He should’ve let Wu Jin hear it.

The others, less familiar with Wu Jin, didn’t share the thought. But hearing the beast, they laughed like Su Bei. Wu Mingbai feigned confusion: “Huh? But I heard from the teacher that killing a Nightmare Beast solves others’ problems too.”

They understood it meant sparing it could save the girl and others. But Ye Lin had said killing the Nightmare Beast would undo most of its lasting harm.

The beast likely thought them young and naive, trying to trick them for free.

Seeing its cunning, they lost interest in playing. If they messed up from toying around, it’d be a real joke.

Repeating the earlier steps, with prior experience, their second Mental Energy attack was smoother, easily destroying the face.

After it vanished, they looked at Su Bei. Hesitating, Si Zhaohua asked tentatively: “Is it really dead this time?”

“Guess?” Su Bei tilted his head.

Having spent time with him, they now translated his “Guess?” as confirmation, instantly relieved.

Wu Mingbai eagerly resumed his victory announcement: “I’ll tell Jiang and them the good news.”

But as he pulled out his phone, his expression froze. Moments later, he looked up slowly: “They’ve already completed their mission.”

By the time they returned to the hotel, it was dark, but not as dark as Si Zhaohua and the others’ faces. Thinking they’d succeeded only to fail at the last step wasn’t easy for anyone to accept.

They’d been certain they’d completed the mission faster, but the other team beat them by a hair, and only by a hair, leaving them unconvinced.

In stark contrast were Jiang Tianming and his team, all smiling. Even the calm Ling You and composed Feng Lan looked in good spirits.

Probably the only one without a competitive streak was Mo Xiaotian. He was as excited as a puppy back from playing outside. Su Bei could almost see a wildly wagging tail behind him: “Our mission was so thrilling! But so fun! I want to take missions like this next time!”

Though he hadn’t thought about competing, Mo Xiaotian instinctively stood before Su Bei, who seemed the calmest.

Su Bei was indeed calm. He had no intention of vying for first with Jiang Tianming’s team. As the true protagonist, Jiang Tianming’s odds of winning were naturally higher.

Before he could speak, Meng Huai and two others came downstairs. Ye Lin smiled gently: “You all did well this time. No mistakes in the missions. Rest tomorrow, and the day after, we’ll head to a new Different Space. Now, get some rest—staying up late stunts your growth.”

She then herded them back to their rooms like lambs, before returning to her own, sitting down, and looking at her two colleagues and friends with a hesitant expression: “We’ve scouted that Different Space before, and it’s indeed dangerous. Are we really sending them there?”

“Of course,” Meng Huai replied without hesitation. “That level of danger is just right for them, and with us watching, they’ll be fine. We just need to be cautious of ‘Black Flash’ meddling.”

“The Academy’s investigation says they’re researching something. The last team battle was to capture more Ability users for their experiments,” Lei Ze’en shared the school’s findings about the ‘Black Flash’ organization. “No idea what they’re studying.”

At this, their expressions grew serious. Ye Lin asked worriedly: “The school still hasn’t figured out their research goals? We can’t prepare defenses without that.”

“We just can’t let them take our students,” Meng Huai said firmly. “Be extra careful the day after tomorrow. I have a feeling they’ll stir trouble again.”

After the serious talk, it was time for something lighter. Lei Ze’en smiled: “By the way, did you hear? Skydome Ability Academy wants their students to train with ours. The Academy asked for our thoughts.”

“Hmph!” Meng Huai sneered. “I’m sure my students will be fine in that Different Space, but theirs? Not so much. Big eyes, small stomach—courting death.”

Lei Ze’en shared his view, grinning with squinted eyes: “So, your decision?”

Though phrased as a question, he already knew Meng Huai’s answer.

“Agree, of course,” Meng Huai said, unsurprisingly. It wasn’t his students, so if they wanted to court death, he’d generously let them.

The only relatively just one, Ye Lin, frowned slightly: “That’s not right. The teachers’ sins shouldn’t fall on the students.”

Lei Ze’en rubbed his chubby face, smiling meaningfully: “You think those students don’t know about their decisions? Some come from good families. Their teachers would inform them before making such choices.”

If they didn’t, the school would bear full blame if something happened. But if informed, responsibility could be shared. Likely, those students were eager to compete with Endless Ability Academy, agreeing to the joint training.

Knowing this made sense, Ye Lin paused before劝说ing: “Kids don’t know better.”

“Then they should face the consequences,” Meng Huai said casually, leaning back on the sofa, playing with Ye Lin’s hair. “If you really object, I’ll refuse.”

Though he enjoyed the drama, he wouldn’t ignore his companion’s advice.

Ye Lin didn’t want to dampen her friend’s mood. After thinking, she replied: “Skydome Ability Academy’s teachers will likely watch their students as closely as we do. Though that Different Space is dangerous, they might not get hurt. But let’s tell our students tomorrow—it’s their matter, so let them decide.”

Meanwhile, in Su Bei’s room, he and Feng Lan had washed up and were ready for bed.

Lying down, Su Bei curiously turned to Feng Lan’s direction: “Did you feel involved today?”

For a mission like capturing a mid-level Nightmare Beast, Feng Lan’s [Prophecy] Ability seemed hard to utilize. But seeing his good mood earlier, Su Bei guessed he’d played a significant role.

Sure enough, Feng Lan turned to face him, nodding: “I used Prophecy Fragments to find its weakness.”

“Prophecy Fragments” was a new ability Feng Lan developed, allowing him to occasionally glimpse future scenes related to a question.

But Su Bei was surprised: “This ability can find an enemy’s weakness?”

If so, Feng Lan’s ability was far more useful than he’d thought. But how could seeing future fragments reveal an enemy’s weakness?

The air fell silent for a moment before Feng Lan replied: “Because in that Prophecy Fragment, I saw the future us defeating the Nightmare Beast by finding its weakness.”

At this, Su Bei fell silent too, the room turning so quiet a pin drop could be heard.

It was a deeply thought-provoking matter. After a while, Su Bei asked: “In that Prophecy Fragment, what triggered you to find the Nightmare Beast’s weakness?”

As if expecting the question, Feng Lan answered almost instantly: “I don’t know. The fragment showed us using the weakness to kill the Nightmare Beast.”

The air fell silent again.

Su Bei pondered the information—a question of fate and causal loops. If their future selves found the weakness because Feng Lan saw the Prophecy Fragment, it was a closed loop. Feng Lan saw the weakness in the fragment, leading them to find it and kill the beast, enabling past Feng Lan to see it in the fragment.

Such a loop was both terrifying and fascinating, inescapable yet offering a glimpse of fate.

For someone slightly obsessive, they might dive into it, becoming a disciple of fate.

But neither Su Bei nor Feng Lan were like that. Unless they dedicated their lives to studying it, pondering it was pointless. And they clearly weren’t the type to waste time on it.

So, after a brief silence, Su Bei smiled: “You’d better talk to your past self often. Maybe one day you’ll chat with your future self in a Destiny Fragment.”

Feng Lan: “...”

Even though he didn’t expect Su Bei to be fazed by the potential closed loop of fate, he was speechless at this response.

But seeing Su Bei unbothered, he relaxed. His Ability was just [Prophecy], so fate’s loops didn’t affect him much.

But Su Bei’s Ability was [Destiny Gear], directly tied to fate. Feng Lan shared this to prevent Su Bei from developing odd ideas, like thinking fate was meaningless.

Better to find out now than later. At school, if Su Bei got stuck, the teachers could help adjust his mindset.

But he’d overthought—Su Bei’s ability to alter fate, both through his Ability and the manga, gave him enough confidence. Even if fate was a closed loop, he believed he could tear a hole in it!

The next day was for rest. Su Bei planned to be a shut-in, staying at the hotel all day, passing time with manga.

But at ten in the morning, Mo Xiaotian knocked: “Su Bei, Feng Lan! Come out and explore! We haven’t properly toured this place yet.”

Su Bei sighed, putting down his manga, and looked at Feng Lan: “Going?”

Mo Xiaotian wasn’t one to give up easily. If Su Bei refused, he’d likely nag for hours. Better to just go along.

Feng Lan didn’t care where they went. With an invitation, he nodded and opened the door.

Surprisingly, Si Zhaohua and Jiang Tianming were at the door too, here to update on mission follow-ups.

Si Zhaohua looked at Su Bei, shaking his phone: “The mission contact said the girl has fully recovered and can return to school after some rest. Sister Wang and Brother Liu, for aiding the Nightmare Beast, have been detained by the Ability Government. Their punishment is still undecided.”

Jiang Tianming mentioned another matter: “By the way, the group from the other day, Qingqing and them, were also detained by the Ability Government.”

The follow-up was mostly satisfactory. Su Bei was only curious about one thing: “What punishment did Qingqing get?”

Qingqing had thoroughly offended Zhou Renjie, causing him major embarrassment. Su Bei was surprised she was still alive.

“Still under discussion,” Si Zhaohua, more informed, replied. The Zhou family wasn’t satisfied with the Ability Government’s punishment, and they were still negotiating.

“Ding!”

Just then, his phone pinged with a notification. Si Zhaohua looked down, his face stunned: “Qingqing escaped!”