A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 78

Qingqing escaped?

Hearing this news, everyone showed surprised expressions. She was detained by the Ability Government—her escape now wouldn’t that imply the Ability Government’s incompetence?

Thinking this, Si Zhaohua said as much: “How could they let her get away? Qingqing doesn’t have any escape abilities, does she? The Ability Government is too negligent!”

Su Bei raised an eyebrow, giving a meaningful look: “Yeah, she doesn’t have escape abilities, does she? Just a slightly special Ability. How could she escape?”

His words were loaded with hints. The others didn’t catch on, but Meng Huai, who had just come upstairs, understood. He looked at Su Bei scrutinizingly: “Are you saying she was rescued by ‘Black Flash’?”

Qingqing had no escape capabilities, so she couldn’t have left on her own. Controlling someone to take her out was plausible, but the Ability Government wouldn’t be so careless as to assign just one or two guards, knowing her Ability, would they? That would truly be negligence.

Ruling out the impossible, the greatest likelihood was that someone deliberately rescued her.

Su Bei’s emphasis on her “slightly special Ability” directly pointed to the motive behind her rescue.

Knowing part of ‘Black Flash’s’ goals and that the organization was always watching them, Meng Huai naturally suspected ‘Black Flash’ was behind it.

“Just a guess,” Su Bei replied candidly.

Usually, he didn’t lie, and this time, he genuinely was guessing. From reading the manga, he knew ‘Black Flash’ hadn’t given up on them and was always watching. Seeing Qingqing’s remarkable Ability, wasn’t it normal for them to be tempted?

Plus, she had thoroughly offended Zhou Renjie. After being rescued, she’d have no choice but to serve ‘Black Flash,’ with no worries about her turning back.

What Su Bei could think of, Meng Huai, after being prompted, could naturally figure out too. His eyes darkened briefly but soon returned to normal: “What are you all gathered here for?”

“We’re going out to have fun!” Mo Xiaotian said cheerfully. He was truly carefree—Qingqing’s escape didn’t dampen his enthusiasm one bit.

Watching his behavior, Su Bei found it amusing. Mo Xiaotian was part of ‘Black Flash,’ yet hearing them mention the organization, he showed no hint of unease. This was completely at odds with his usual clueless demeanor—how did he manage it?

The others, of course, didn’t think so deeply. Meng Huai chuckled, then, with lightning speed, put on a stern face: “No going out.”

“Huh? Why not!” Mo Xiaotian’s face fell instantly. He had planned to explore from one end of the city to the other!

But Meng Huai couldn’t be bothered to explain to this silly kid, looking at the others: “You all stay in the hotel and rest today. Anyone wanting to go out, report to my room.”

They had just been talking about ‘Black Flash,’ and now they weren’t allowed out. Everyone except Mo Xiaotian understood the connection. Si Zhaohua nodded immediately: “Don’t worry, Teacher, we won’t go out.”

Seeing the matter was settled, Mo Xiaotian let out a long sigh but bounced back the next second: “Then let’s play games in the room! I brought cards—wanna play?”

Su Bei and Jiang Tianming knew how to play and readily agreed. Si Zhaohua and Feng Lan, however, had never played card games and could only watch.

In the first round, sometimes fools have fool’s luck—this saying held true. Mo Xiaotian’s hand was phenomenal, winning before Su Bei or Jiang Tianming could play a single card.

Winning so decisively, Mo Xiaotian was thrilled: “Wow, I just realized I’m this good at cards! Brother Bei, Brother Jiang, do you guys not play much? No worries, a few more rounds, and you’ll get the hang of it!”

Though unintentional, his words were quite provoking. Su Bei and Jiang Tianming exchanged a glance, then tacitly looked away. Get the hang of it? Fine, let’s get the hang of it.

After a few rounds, Mo Xiaotian finally gave up: “No more, no more! My luck’s run out—I’ve lost how many rounds? Wait, why aren’t you guys calling landlord? It’s been me as landlord every time.”

The naive kid couldn’t tell Su Bei and Jiang Tianming were teaming up against him, thinking it was just bad luck. Bullying a fool brought some guilt, so Su Bei relented: “Let’s switch players.”

Landlord was a simple game, universally known and loved. Si Zhaohua and Feng Lan were smart, and after watching four or five rounds, they’d grasped the rules.

Hearing Mo Xiaotian was done, Si Zhaohua, intrigued, took his spot: “I’ll play.”

This time, the three were evenly matched, trading wins. But playing landlord too long got boring, and Su Bei’s eyes gleamed: “How about we play using our Abilities?”

“How so?” Si Zhaohua asked, interested.

Su Bei gave an innocent smile: “Just don’t mind using our Abilities while playing.”

“That’s just cheating!” Jiang Tianming saw through it, then said exasperatedly, “Besides your Ability, whose Abilities here have anything to do with cards?”

That’s why he suggested it, Su Bei thought smugly. But since he was called out, he dropped it: “Let’s play something else—Truth or Dare?”

Another timeless game. Mo Xiaotian, who’d been sulking, perked up, jumping to his feet: “I’ll go get the others!”

While he gathered people, Jiang Tianming and Feng Lan explained Truth or Dare’s rules.

Soon, everyone arrived. Group bonding activities like this rarely saw refusals, especially with Mo Xiaotian inviting. Just as Su Bei didn’t bother resisting Mo Xiaotian, others found it easier to just show up.

Su Bei had already found an online Truth or Dare (no-romance version). The chosen person could draw a card from either the Truth or Dare pile and complete the task.

This version avoided awkward prompts for teens, ensuring no kissing or chocolate-stick-biting tasks appeared. This was a shonen manga, after all.

They used the same deck. The two drawing the Joker cards had to do Truth or Dare, couldn’t pick the same option, and couldn’t pick the same option consecutively.

For Truth, Lan Subing would use [Word Spirit] to ensure honesty. Refusing to answer meant drinking bitter melon juice, provided by Mu Tieren. Who knew why he brought a huge bag of bitter melon powder on a training trip?

Undoubtedly, among everyone present, Su Bei had the worst luck. Unless someone else had a “unlucky” persona, these “protagonists” were bound to have better luck than this “cannon fodder.”

Knowing this from the start, Su Bei wasn’t surprised when he drew the big Joker in the first round.

Paired with him was Wu Jin, another unlucky soul.

Deciding who took Truth or Dare was easy. Su Bei didn’t mind Dare, and Wu Jin, eager for Truth, agreed instantly.

Each drew a card from the phone. The Truth question was intriguing: “What’s the most recent lie you told?”

Seeing the question, Wu Jin froze, then answered, but glancing at the green bitter melon juice, he chose to respond: “...Anyway, my...”

He fell silent again. Under Lan Subing’s [Word Spirit], he couldn’t lie or even be slightly vague. He’d hoped to skip key details, but that was clearly impossible.

With no choice, Wu Jin gritted his teeth, grabbed the cup, and downed the green liquid like it was a death sentence. The bitter melon juice’s power was undeniable—after one cup, Wu Jin collapsed, looking like a corpse.

For him to react like that, Su Bei was both wary of the juice, unable to imagine its bitterness, and marveling at this manga world. Where else would you see such a reaction?

Good thing Wu Jin didn’t foam at the mouth, or Su Bei would’ve suspected poison.

“What lie was so bad you couldn’t even say it?” Wu Mingbai grew curious. It was hard to imagine Wu Jin, so quiet and reserved, lying to anyone, let alone refusing to speak even at the cost of bitter melon juice.

Li Shu, ever considerate, said: “Don’t push him. The lie probably involves us, and since the person he lied to is here, he can’t say it.”

He was right—the truth was likely just that. Everyone’s gazes on Wu Jin turned odd, especially Su Bei’s. He figured there was a 70% chance the lie was told to him.

After all, with Wu Jin’s personality, he barely spoke to others. The most he talked to were probably Su Bei and Zhao Xiaoyu. But Zhao Xiaoyu might not know Wu Jin’s secrets, while Su Bei knew plenty.

“Sounds about right,” Su Bei said, giving Wu Jin a half-smile, though Wu Jin’s hair covered his face, hiding his expression.

Shaking his head, Su Bei drew his card. For some reason, both cards were sharp. The Dare task was: “Say one comment about the person here you dislike the most.”

Su Bei: “...”

Was this app’s tasks deliberately stirring trouble?

Why not ask about the person he liked most? That’d be easier to answer!

Normally, people would jeer, but the room was silent. Everyone was curious who Su Bei disliked most but also worried it might be them, so no one spoke.

After a long silence, Su Bei found a solution. With a plan, he relaxed, deliberately circling everyone to raise their suspense, then pulled a mirror from his storage ring.

The mirror reflected his face. Looking at it, Su Bei said easily: “Truly a very handsome person!”

“Hey! That’s cheating—you can’t dislike yourself!” Zhou Renjie shouted. “Doesn’t count, do it again!”

Su Bei turned, giving him a half-smile: “Who says I can’t dislike myself?”

His words stunned everyone. Self-loathing was common—Jiang Tianming, Wu Mingbai, Lan Subing had all felt it at times. But on Su Bei, it felt jarring.

He was so confident, so unrestrained—how could he dislike himself?

Yet his deep purple eyes were too enigmatic. Even as they probed, they couldn’t discern his emotions or tell if he was joking or serious.

Su Bei clearly had no intention of explaining, putting away the mirror: “Next.”

The next pair was Mo Xiaotian and Jiang Tianming, proving luck wasn’t entirely reliable.

“Wow, my turn!” Mo Xiaotian showed no frustration at being chosen, instead beaming. “Dare, Dare! I’m picking Dare!”

The app quickly drew a Dare card: “Call your closest person and tell them you’re in trouble.”

For a typical undercover agent, this card might cause panic or prompt them to cover later. But Mo Xiaotian, clearly not that sharp, did it without hesitation.

The response on the other end was intriguing—a somewhat aged grandfather’s voice. His first reaction was: “How did you get exposed?”

But before getting an answer, the man, clever as he was, realized Mo Xiaotian wasn’t in trouble but playing a game. He quickly covered: “How did they find out you’re a fool? Did they catch you for that?”

“Hahahahaha!” Wu Mingbai burst out laughing. “Mo Xiaotian, your family really knows you.”

The others roared with laughter, finding Mo Xiaotian’s family member both insightful and amusing, no wonder they raised a kid like him.

But Su Bei, knowing Mo Xiaotian’s identity, didn’t think so. He was certain the man’s first line was the truth—thinking Mo Xiaotian had blown his undercover identity and planning to send ‘Black Flash’ to rescue him.

Mo Xiaotian giggled, stepping aside to chat with his grandpa.

Next was Jiang Tianming. Since Mo Xiaotian boldly took Dare, he wouldn’t waste the chance to coast, choosing Truth.

But somehow, everyone seemed favored by the god of fate today, drawing odd cards. Jiang Tianming’s Truth card read: “Have you ever regretted your talents?”

“...Yes and no,” Jiang Tianming said after a long silence.

The answer was too vague, and everyone was dissatisfied. Li Shu stirred trouble: “Tianming, if you’re tired, go rest. You don’t have to play if you don’t want to.”

His words dripped with sarcasm. Jiang Tianming rolled his eyes: “I’m not. I just don’t know if I should regret...”

He paused again, then said firmly: “No regrets.”

His response clearly held a story. The “talents” on the card, to their classmates, naturally meant “Abilities,” their greatest gift. Jiang Tianming was unsure if he regretted his Ability? Why? Few Ability users regretted having one, even if it was weak. And his was far from weak.

This round slightly dampened the mood. The earlier rounds were too intense, with many drawing tough cards. Fearing embarrassment, people gradually left after a few more rounds.

In the evening, Ye Lin came to ask if they were willing to train with Skydome Ability Academy’s students in the same Different Space, without interfering with each other.

Hearing this, everyone understood Skydome’s intent—they wanted a showdown!

Naturally, no one objected. Many were eager to compete and knock Skydome’s arrogance down a peg. The matter was settled.

Rest days passed quickly. Early the next morning, the fifteen S-Class students packed, ready for the next Different Space.

They didn’t need much—just the same gear as before. Before heading out, Lei Ze’en solemnly briefed them on the Different Space: “This Different Space is unlike any you’ve seen. We want you here to experience higher difficulty and broaden your horizons. Not all Different Spaces are natural landscapes.”

Not natural landscapes? What could it be? Everyone showed puzzled expressions.

But Teacher Lei clearly wasn’t revealing more, continuing: “The two Different Spaces you’ve been to had ordinary Nightmare Beasts. This one will definitely have mid-level Nightmare Beasts, so be extremely careful.”

Then came heavier news: “Due to this Different Space’s nature, you’ll be randomly teleported upon entry and may not meet each other. The only way out is to find the exit.”

As he spoke, Ye Lin handed each a watch, looking identical to the ones from the team battle.

After she finished, Lei Ze’en explained: “You’ve used these before, so I won’t elaborate. They work like in the team battle, but smashing the glass won’t send you out. It only sends a distress signal and activates a protective shield.”

Seeing the watch, their nerves, tense from the dangerous journey, eased slightly. Though it couldn’t save them directly, the shield was reassuring. With teachers watching outside, help should arrive quickly after a signal.

“Teacher, do we have any missions this time?” Mu Tieren, thinking of the team battle, naturally asked about tasks.

Lei Ze’en shook his head: “Just come out safely, and you’ve completed the training. The watch’s map won’t show the exit, only your positions.”

Fearing they didn’t understand, Ye Lin added: “This Different Space is quite difficult, so we hope you’ll team up with one or two classmates as soon as possible.”

Her expression was gentle but grave, earnestly warning: “Once activated, the watch’s shield locks in place at the activation point. The space inside can fit three people snugly. If you find teammates, you’ll have two chances to use the shield, buying more time.”

This meant a team of three was ideal—three shields could hold for a while, likely enough for teachers’ rescue.

Realizing this, everyone nodded, showing they understood Ye Lin’s words. Though some had lone-wolf personalities, they weren’t foolish.

Ye Lin made it clear—teaming up was much safer. Unless they were absolutely sure of their safety, they wouldn’t refuse to team up.

Seeing they listened, Ye Lin sighed in relief. Meng Huai teased: “When will you stop being such a worrier?”

Ye Lin glared at him, exasperated: “Say something yourself.”

Meng Huai did have something to say, looking at them seriously: “One thing—kindness is good, but don’t be overly charitable out there.”

This Different Space would likely have other Ability users. Unlike last time, where a group could deter ill-intentioned people, Meng Huai was warning them not to meddle or trust others too easily.

With everything said, the teachers wasted no more time. Lei Ze’en had everyone circle around him, then activated his Ability. A circular formation appeared under his feet, enveloping everyone. The light grew brighter, and the next second, Su Bei felt a dizzy spell, his body swaying before stabilizing.

Opening his eyes, he was in a completely unfamiliar place.

It was a house’s living room, but small. With fifteen students and three teachers, it felt cramped. It didn’t need to be so tight, but two hefty figures didn’t help.

“Lei Ze’en! Get out!” Meng Huai shouted at the chubby man beside him.

“Squeezing, squeezing!” Lei Ze’en, red-faced from the crush, finally pushed his way out. With him gone, the space opened up, and everyone filed out.

This time, the teachers didn’t take them to a hotel but directly to the plaza outside the Different Space. Unlike the desert Different Space, there were very few people waiting—only a handful.

Qi Huang, noticing the difference, asked curiously: “Why so few people?”

Ai Baozhu gave a haughty look: “Because there aren’t many Ability users who can handle mid-level Nightmare Beasts.”

Though her tone was arrogant, the teachers didn’t contradict her. As she said, with fewer capable of entering this Different Space, the plaza was sparse.

Ability users weren’t numerous, but across the country, there were over 50,000 graduated ones. Yet, only about 10,000 could handle mid-level Nightmare Beasts.

This profession heavily favored talent. Si Zhaohua, Su Bei, Qi Huang, though first-years, could already do things many Ability users never would in a lifetime.

But handling mid-level Nightmare Beasts wasn’t easy for them. Most of these fifteen couldn’t take one on alone—their previous missions were group efforts.

Normally, gradual progress would suffice, with more missions for practice. But with the dire situation, the Academy had to push them harder.

By coincidence or not, they ran into Skydome Ability Academy’s group. Since they’d agreed to train together, the encounter wasn’t surprising.

Perhaps scolded by their teachers, Skydome’s students didn’t provoke or taunt this time, staying quiet, only glaring venomously at Jiang Tianming and the others. As the saying goes, barking dogs don’t bite—likely, they wouldn’t have peace in the Different Space.

The process was quiet—registering, buying tickets, queuing. As Su Bei, the last from Endless Ability Academy, was about to enter, Skydome’s team leader said softly with a smile: “Hope you make it out alive.”

Su Bei didn’t respond. He wasn’t one for verbal sparring. Who wouldn’t make it out would be clear inside the Different Space.

Stepping into the black hole, the scene changed instantly. Unexpectedly, Su Bei faced high walls ahead and behind, with paths only to the left and right.

The walls were towering, craning his neck gave the sense they were endless. Su Bei estimated at least ten meters.

He didn’t move immediately, instead checking his watch’s map interface. The other dots were far, except one relatively close.

Might as well head that way. With that, Su Bei started moving. The other side seemed to have the same idea—the red dot began moving toward him. Following the left path, he hit a wall at the end, but there were exits on both sides.

After walking a bit, Su Bei realized—this was a maze!

A Different Space as a maze was unexpected but quite interesting. Wasn’t this a freebie for Si Zhaohua? He could just fly up and survey the layout.

But in such a deep maze, how could he find the exit? Wander aimlessly? That’d be too time-consuming and exhausting.

And now, Su Bei had a bad feeling. Being a maze, he might not easily meet teammates.

Sure enough, after ten minutes of effort to align two dots on the map, he found no teammate—just a high wall. Undoubtedly, the wall blocked them.

“Who’s on the other side? Can you hear me?” Su Bei shouted, hoping for a response. If they could hear, it’d mean the wall wasn’t too soundproof, making things slightly easier, if only a bit.

He waited, but no reply came. The red dot didn’t move, showing the other person was also trying to communicate.

This highlighted Zhao Xiaoyu’s foresight. Before coming, she’d brought Ability-user-exclusive walkie-talkies, linked to all of S-Class. Turning it on, anyone could speak to the whole class.

Knowing they’d be scattered in this Different Space, she’d given everyone one. Su Bei flipped the switch and asked: “Who’s on my other side?”

Ling You quickly replied: “It’s me.”

Su Bei decided instantly: “Stay there. I’ll see if I can loop around to you.”

“Okay,” Ling You agreed. Her Ability was highly destructive but less effective one-on-one. Su Bei’s strength was undeniable—teaming up with him would make her safer.

Note :

Looking For a volunteer proofreader/editor. Dm/Ping AkazaTL on Discord.