A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

19:

“Is it because you don’t want to get too involved with the protagonist group?” “Comic Consciousness” asked with some worry. It feared that its guess was correct, that Su Bei really intended to abandon the world after surviving the crisis.

According to the plot, the world’s destruction would take at least ten years. That is to say, if he shed his cannon fodder status, even without saving the world, Su Bei could live freely for ten years—a guaranteed profit without loss.

Hearing the worry in “Comic Consciousness,” Su Bei explained, “It’s not that I don’t want to interact with the protagonist group, but rather, I don’t want to be disliked by the readers.”

He didn’t care about being liked by the readers, but being disliked was unacceptable. Su Bei, a forum-goer himself, certainly understood the readers’ habits.

For characters they liked, any action was acceptable, and every move was scrutinized under a microscope for deeper meaning. For characters they were indifferent to but related to the plot, they were willing to analyze objectively.

But for characters they disliked…

The Riddler? Clearly pretentious!

Helping the protagonist? The author’s ploy to let him leech off the plot for popularity!

Powerful abilities? Forced cheats that are useless!

In short, disliked characters need no analysis; cursing them is enough!

And this was the exact opposite of Su Bei’s goal, so he would never allow himself to be disliked by the readers and fall into such a predicament.

“But joining the protagonist group would give you more screen time, more popularity. How could you be disliked?” “Comic Consciousness” couldn’t understand, “Very few people dislike Jiang Tianming and the other two.”

After all, as protagonists, they were bound to have their moments in the spotlight. And being on the side of justice, even without poking at people’s sore spots, they generally wouldn’t be disliked.

Hearing this, Su Bei chuckled lightly: “Do you really think joining the protagonist group will be accepted by everyone?”

“Isn’t it so?”

Shaking his head, he said confidently, “How about we make a bet? Someone will definitely join the protagonist group in this Sun Ming incident. Let’s wait for the incident to end and see the forum’s reaction to these new members. If there are no negative reviews, I’ll join the protagonist group in the next incident. If there are, you’ll stop giving me suggestions.”

Clearly, Su Bei was bluffing, but “Comic Consciousness” was no fool and immediately realized, “That’s not right, you have too much of an advantage. Even Jiang Tianming has haters on the forum! If anyone dislikes the new members, you win. So what’s the point of competing? Let’s just say you’ve won!”

His little scheme exposed, Su Bei wasn’t annoyed and touched his nose, “Then let’s change it a bit. How many are preparing to join the protagonist group this time? Two?”

“How did you know?” “Comic Consciousness” asked, surprised.

Su Bei did not answer the question, but confidently said, “If these two people together are disliked by more than 10% of the forum members, then consider it my win.”

10% is certainly not a small number. If indeed so many people dislike them, then “Comic Consciousness” would have to admit its misunderstanding of the readers.

Thus, it agreed, “Fine, but you can’t start your own threads to set the tone.”

The two struck a deal, and Su Bei walked towards the class with ease, continuing as he went, “Besides, there’s another reason I can’t join the investigation.”

“Comic Consciousness” was puzzled again, “Why is that? Are you bad at investigating? But from what I’ve learned about your life, your father should have trained you.”

Su Bei sighed, “I’ve seen the killer.”

Hearing this, “Comic Consciousness” finally connected the dots, “I see! Then you definitely can’t join them!”

Even though it was just a glance through a mask, Su Bei had faced the killer directly. If the killer realized Su Bei was also searching for him, he might very well strike again.

And Su Bei’s death at the hands of the killer was a predestined line of fate, which, although now severed, could be fatal if the killer decided to act again, with the likelihood of his death nearly a certainty.

Having reached a consensus on this matter, Su Bei asked another question, “By the way, I should have made some impression on the readers by now, when will my special ability change?”

With a flip of his palm, a common gear appeared in the center of his hand.

Three days had passed since the first comic was released, yet his special ability remained unchanged. If the cycle of change for his ability was longer than he thought, or if it required other factors, then he would have to reevaluate his plan.

“You’ll have to wait until the next comic update to settle the overall data from the last update,” “Comic Consciousness” replied, “In the real world, comics update weekly, but in the comic world, the timing is uncertain.”

Su Bei pondered and asked, “Are all the comics about the same length?”

“More or less.”

It seems, then, without any surprises, the next chapter of the comic would begin after the Sun Ming incident is resolved.

Despite the first chapter of the comic covering only one day’s events, a lot happened in that day. This included, but was not limited to, the opening ceremony, a series of events upon entering the class, the running plot, conversations in the infirmary with the school doctor, conflicts with Si Zhaohua and his group, interactions with Su Bei before dinner, and discovering a dead body in the cafeteria…

It’s clear that the author’s main approach is to provide substantial content, never skimping on the story.

Therefore, he surmised that the second chapter would hinge on the resolution of the incident.

The news was neither good nor bad, but it certainly wasn’t a disaster. He had never intended to be part of this plot; the change in his abilities, or lack thereof, would not make much of a difference.

However, considering he didn’t know when the third chapter of the comic would start, it would be best to reinforce the impression of his abilities in the second chapter.

That is to say, he couldn’t completely abstain from the process of Jiang Tianming and the others searching for the murderer. At the very least, after the appearance of the murderer, he had to clarify his previous predictions, making sure the readers understood the validity of his prophecies.

With a plan in mind, Su Bei began to attend classes with ease. Although he had been exposed to a few superpowered individuals through his father, it was only a handful, and his understanding of their world was not profound.

For a newcomer with abilities, attending the Superpower Academy was precisely for this learning, so the classes were very useful to him.

It might not be apparent from his appearance, but Su Bei was indeed a top student, ranking at the very top of his grade.

Despite the content of the studies being entirely different now, the methods of learning were generally transferable. With his clever mind and excellent physical strength, Su Bei had left a deep impression on his classmates within a short week—if not for his lackluster abilities, Su Bei would never have been a student in Class F. Moreover, even with such weak abilities, Su Bei might leave Class F solely based on his own capabilities.

Of course, this was the impression Su Bei intended to create.

Before the school year started, he planned to be an invisible presence in the class. Not intending to become a superpowered individual, he only wanted to gain some relevant knowledge at this school and had no plans to interact with others.

But after a series of events, his thoughts were forced to change. To capture the attention of the comic’s readers and thus change his own abilities, being low-key was absolutely not an option.

Besides being high-profile in front of the protagonist, it was crucial to leave an effective impression on the other ordinary classmates.

This way, when something happened, his words would carry a certain authority, persuading most classmates to listen to him.

If such a plot could appear in the comic, it would not only build his charisma but might also suggest new functions for his abilities through implication.

The next class was physical training, and Meng Huai arrived in the classroom early. Due to the intimidation from the start of the school year and his robust physique, he, the class teacher, had a strong presence in Class F. Seeing him standing on the podium, although it was break time, the students all sat obediently in their seats, looking like good children.

—Except for a certain blond in the corner.

Looking at Su Bei, who was lounging lazily in the corner without proper sitting posture, Meng Huai, who had been forced to attend a meeting all morning, clicked his tongue in annoyance.

“Su Bei, you’ll lead the running later.”

Leading the run was a thankless task; run too fast, and the students lagging behind would complain. Run too slow, and not only would he tire himself out, but Meng Huai would also be dissatisfied. It was a no-win situation.

Generally, those with good stamina took turns leading the run. Being directly named like today was clearly a targeted move.

Su Bei, the innocent victim, sat with a wooden expression, glancing at the wooden dummy’s spot, unsurprisingly finding an empty seat. Clearly, the class president had gone to help Jiang Tianming and the others with their investigation again.

During the time he devoted himself to learning how to establish a persona, class leader Mu Tie Ren and A class’s Mo Xiao Tian successfully infiltrated the protagonist group, joining them in the investigation of the murderer.

Mu Tie Ren, as the class leader of F class and a warm-hearted person by nature, naturally chose to help his classmates. Meng Huai granted him certain permissions, allowing him to skip his classes to investigate.

Of course, the main reason for granting such permissions was that early-stage training was of little use to Mu Tie Ren. His superpower was physical enhancement, and basic running exercises were nothing more than a light drizzle to him.

Meanwhile, Mo Xiao Tian from A class quietly blended into the protagonist group. It seems that the genuine, sunny, and cheerful ‘little sun’ type is always irresistible in the comic world. Although he was completely unrelated to the matter and didn’t have the time to come out of class, he still got involved in the main storyline.

Su Bei didn’t ask him about this part of the content. After all, he should be able to see it when reading the comics later, so there was no need to ask. Moreover, by not asking, he could maintain a persona of being well-informed in the future.

After leading the team to run ten laps and performing a set of military boxing, it was time for free activities on the playground. Su Bei and Feng Lan were just looking for a place to rest when they saw Wu Ming Bai approaching from afar.

His target was clear. Upon seeing Su Bei and Feng Lan, he walked straight over: “Su Bei, long time no see! Do you have a chance to do a reading for me today?”

This was someone looking for a freebie. Su Bei lazily lifted his eyes: “You might as well ask this person next to me, a bona fide prophet by trade.”

Hearing this, Wu Ming Bai turned to look at Feng Lan. Although not in F class, he knew that Feng Lan possessed the [Prophecy] ability. They had discussed seeking his help before, but compared to the drama-loving Su Bei, Feng Lan was obviously harder to approach.

Besides, they already had some leads on the matter, so there was no need to seek him out.

However, since Su Bei had spoken, it was a good opportunity to test the waters. Wu Ming Bai’s eyes twinkled with curiosity as he asked: “Really? You have the [Prophecy] ability? That’s amazing! Can you do a reading for me?”

Previously, Su Bei had inquired about Feng Lan’s ability usage in the cafeteria. His chances for specific predictions this month were already used up, and any further use of his mental power could only yield random predictions. Therefore, he couldn’t help.

As expected, Feng Lan shook his head slowly like a turtle. He was well aware of what Wu Ming Bai and his group were up to and said directly: “I can’t help you guys figure out who the murderer is.”

Wu Ming Bai wasn’t surprised by the refusal, but he deliberately showed a disappointed expression: “Can’t we make it happen even if we pay a price?”

As he said this, he couldn’t help but glance at the blond young man watching the drama nearby. Although both individuals possessed prophetic abilities, they gave off entirely different vibes.

Feng Lan seemed like an inscrutable sage, not easily giving prophecies to others. In contrast, Su Bei looked as if he could put on sunglasses and set up a fortune-telling stall under a bridge.

Just like before, Feng Lan calmly stated: “My chances for specific predictions this month are gone, and I can only use them again next month. Even then, getting me to [Prophecy] is not that easy.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Ming Bai’s interest was piqued: “How can I get you to do a prophecy for me next month?”

Su Bei also looked over, equally curious about the question. The price for seeking a prophecy from him was enough amusement, so what would be the price for seeking a prophecy from Feng Lan?

“It’s expensive,” Feng Lan replied. There was no hint of boasting in his voice, just a plain statement of fact.

“Besides that…” He hesitated for a moment, shook his head, and said no more.

Clearly, there was another way to gain the rare “Prophecy” ability for oneself, aside from bringing sufficient benefits to his family. However, the specifics of that method remained unknown.

Understanding his reluctance to elaborate, Wu Ming did not press further. Instead, he pondered Feng Lan’s previous response and quickly spotted a loophole: “But if you don’t clarify what the other method is, what happens if someone achieves it unknowingly?”

“Then I will take the initiative to perform a ‘Prophecy’ for them.”

Wu Ming nodded thoughtfully, bid a warm farewell, and without hesitation, turned and left.

After his departure, Su Bei propped his chin, watching Feng Lan, who had somehow produced a book from nowhere. Feng Lan read calmly, seemingly unaffected by Su Bei’s gaze.

In the end, Su Bei didn’t speak up. With secrets of his own, how could he demand others to reveal theirs?

When the bell rang for the end of class, the two returned to the classroom as if nothing had happened.

Back at his seat, Su Bei contemplated the recent events. Feng Lan’s reluctance to disclose the other method implied he wished for others to achieve the condition on their own.

What kind of condition required spontaneity, where deliberate effort was counterproductive?

It had to be something the protagonists were likely to accomplish. Without thinking, it was clear that in the story that followed the comics, the protagonists would surely meet the condition and gain Feng Lan’s assistance.

Could it be becoming friends with him? Or perhaps offering him help?

Don’t assume the former has been achieved by Su Bei; he saw the truth clearly. Despite often being seen together, he and Feng Lan were hardly true friends, at best, just meal companions.

As for making friends? The other party was unaware, but Su Bei had no intention of doing so.

His current ties with the Ability Academy, whether with Jiang Tianming, Lan Subing, Feng Lan, or anyone else, were all deliberately forged for benefit.

One must have some principles, after all. Those with ulterior motives do not deserve friendship.

Time away from the main storyline always passed quickly. By the second week of school, Su Bei had finally made his way to the library. The Ability Academy had a library, and it was vast, with an extensive collection of books.

His goal was clear: to find books about destiny.

Indeed, it is “Fate,” not “Prophecy.”

Su Bei only learned in the recent Ability Understanding class that the ability of “Fate” encompasses “Prophecy,” with “Fate” covering a broader scope.

But a wider range doesn’t necessarily mean stronger. Like “Summoning,” although it’s a broad category of abilities, the strength varies greatly due to the differences in summoned entities.

Apart from the subset of prophecy, the fate-type abilities are not only scarce in number but also wildly varied.

In “The Little Things About Abilities—Fate,” many known fate-related abilities are listed, including “Tripping.” As the name suggests, it allows one to make a person trip after casting the ability.

This is a fate-type ability, adding a “tripping” fate to the target of the ability. This shows the disparity among fate-type abilities.

Su Bei naturally wouldn’t choose such an ability for himself. His goal is to have an ability category as broad as Feng Lan’s, to achieve the highest limit. Therefore, not reading and expanding his knowledge is not an option.

As an ordinary person who has lived for fifteen years, his understanding of abilities is too limited.

Now, having just become an ability user, his superficial abilities are easy to fabricate. But as everyone develops their abilities later on, if he still sticks to learning only the basic knowledge, he’ll easily give himself away.

Thinking this, Su Bei looks at the book in his hands and lets out a long sigh. He had initially planned to slack off at school, but now he’s been dragged into these troublesome matters.

It’s all the fault of the author and that damn murderer!

The author is currently out of reach, so he can only seek out the bad luck of that murderer.

The protagonist group has been searching for the murderer, lacking any evidence, they can only start by looking for students with useful abilities on campus, asking them to use their abilities to create clues.

Their investigation has progressed to narrowing down the specific range of the murderer, who must be someone from the cafeteria. That is to say, the identity of the murderer is among the cafeteria aunties, chefs, and janitors.

“Bro Bei, we’re going to observe the cafeteria staff now! See you later!” Watching Jiang Tianming and the others packing up, about to leave, Mo Xiaotian’s droopy puppy eyes sparkle as he quickly finishes his last words to Su Bei and follows them.

For an ordinary 15-year-old boy, solving a case is simply too exciting!

No wonder he’s so invested. ()

The information Su Bei had received before was also from his mouth, and of course, he didn’t reveal their progress because he’s a blabbermouth. After all, Mo Xiaotian may be naive and sweet, but he’s not that careless.

The reason he told Su Bei everything without reservation is entirely Jiang Tianming’s instruction. Su Bei is also aware of the reasons Jiang Tianming had him do this: one is to fulfill the duty of letting Su Bei watch the drama, and the second is the hope, more or less, of getting more clues from Su Bei.

After they left, Su Bei checked the time and estimated they should have reached the cafeteria by now. He took out his phone and sent a message to Jiang Tianming: “Don’t forget the hint I gave you earlier. I’ll be really sad if you didn’t use it.”

The message was soon marked as read, but there was no reply.

At the entrance of the cafeteria, Jiang Tianming turned off his phone. Wu Mingbai, noticing his actions, asked with curiosity, “Who messaged you?”

“Su Bei,” Jiang Tianming shook his phone, his expression more relaxed than before, his brows slightly unfurled, “He reminded us not to forget his earlier hint.”

Upon hearing this, Wu Mingbai quickly grasped the meaning, “Does he mean that the hint about the purple-red smoke could help us find the murderer?”

Lan Subing, who overheard their conversation, speculated further, “Could it be that he has deciphered his own prophecy and knows who the murderer is?”

—Otherwise, there was no reason for him to send such a message.

Jiang Tianming nodded, sharing the same thought, which was also why he felt a bit more at ease now.

The murderer was definitely in the cafeteria, and while they bore the mission to find the person, they also faced potential life-threatening danger. Initially, this had made him very nervous. But knowing there was a safety net, even someone as cautious as Jiang Tianming couldn’t help but relax a little.

However, Jiang Tianming soon realized this mindset was not good. Relying on others for everything would lead to disaster sooner or later. Moreover, this way of thinking was not conducive to solving their problems. So, he refocused and turned to Lan Subing, “How are things going outside?”

Two days ago, they had successfully stolen the phones of Sun Ming’s parents and their bodyguards. And the Lan family had begun to move, targeting the Sun family based on the information they had gathered.

They hadn’t told Mutie Ren and Mo Xiaotian about this, as the revenge plan was unrelated to them; there was no need to drag them into this mess. The school was already dissatisfied with Sun’s parents for threatening the students and naturally did not provide them with new phones in time.

Sun’s parents clearly did not grasp the severity of the situation. They thought they had merely lost their phones and did not consider other possibilities. Although they were unhappy with the school’s attitude, they did not make a fuss. After all, they only needed to stay at the school for one more week; they could simply replace the phones later.

Everything was proceeding as planned, and whether it would succeed depended on the feedback from outside.

“The groundwork has been laid, and Dad says there’s a high chance of success,” Lan Subing’s face showed a rare hint of excitement. She was very angry when Wu Mingbai was treated so poorly, and as his friend, she was happy to help avenge him, especially in such a satisfying way.

At the eye of the storm, Wu Mingbai grinned broadly, a seemingly kind-hearted expression that, to those who knew him well, seemed to sprout a pair of little devil horns: “Let’s give them a surprise when they leave the school!”!

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