A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

This dialogue is directed at the “Comic Consciousness,” which, of course, is well aware of its own nature. With a hint of resignation, it replies, “I am merely a will born from a comic; how could I possibly conjure such things for you?”

Yet, Su Bei does not believe its words. “You are a will derived from a comic; how could you not obtain these things?”

Indeed, he had only been venting his frustrations, but if he could extract even a sliver of assistance from the other, that would be all the better.

“…”

After a long silence, the “Comic Consciousness” finally relented. “Very well, I shall help you patch a few holes, but you must refrain from speaking of this again.”

“What holes?” Su Bei asked, curiosity piqued.

The “Comic Consciousness” responded, “Your academy’s ‘Invisibility Talisman’ is quite effective, but certain individuals with special abilities can see through it. The same goes for that mask; there are ways to pierce its facade. I will help you resolve these two vulnerabilities; consider it a significant aid.”

Indeed, this was a considerable boon. Su Bei had been unaware of this fact, and ignorance could lead to peril. Should he be seen for who he truly was while oblivious, it would spell disaster. After all, he primarily intended to use these two items to communicate with members of the “Black Flash” organization.

“Of course, of course!” Su Bei was always one to adapt, and upon realizing the benefit, he immediately began to flatter, “Truly, you are the embodiment of a righteous shonen comic’s spirit—noble and just!”

This time, the “Comic Consciousness” fell silent, leaving Su Bei uncertain if his flattery had struck the right chord.

Just as he was basking in this unexpected delight, a heavy hand suddenly slapped down on his back.

“Hey—”

Su Bei almost cried out, but remembering how close he was to Qingqing and the others, he bit his tongue. Turning around, he immediately donned a fawning smile. “Teacher, you’ve arrived.”

Meng Huai regarded him with a bemused smile, “You certainly run fast, don’t you?”

“Not really,” Su Bei mumbled, “Wu Jin ran even faster than I did.”

He spoke the truth; Wu Jin was no fool. With his unique abilities, he had sensed the trouble before anyone else, realizing something was amiss. After informing him that Zhou Renjie bore the scent of affection, he had quietly slipped away.

That speed and skill were beyond even Su Bei; no wonder he had managed to escape right in front of the enemy during the team competition.

Without hesitation, Meng Huai delivered another slap, laughing as he scolded, “Are you comparing yourself to others now?”

After a moment, he slightly restrained his smile: “Not planning to get involved?”

“Not planning to,” Su Bei affirmed, shaking his head.

Meng Huai was not surprised by his decision; after more than two months together, he had a good sense of Su Bei’s character: “Alright then, since you don’t plan to get involved, let’s go watch the show together.”

With that, he grabbed the back of Su Bei’s collar and vanished in an instant.

In the blink of an eye, Su Bei found himself in another place. It was a thatched hut, bare except for a few chairs and a table.

Ye Lin, Lei Ze’en, and Wu Jin were all there, each seated on a chair. Ye Lin and Lei Ze’en held mirrors the size of a fifth-grade textbook, while Wu Jin awkwardly leaned beside Lei Ze’en, trying to follow along and look into the mirror.

Upon seeing their arrival, Lei Ze’en smiled and said, “You’re here? Su Bei, come pick a mirror to look into. Mine shows the situation on the ground, while your Teacher Ye’s shows what’s underground.”

At this, Su Bei immediately understood the situation: “Of course, we’re looking below. What’s there to see up top?”

With that, he seamlessly joined them, sitting beside Ye Lin to gaze into the mirror.

Indeed, the mirror displayed the scene of Jiang Tianming and the others battling against a Night Beast. The combat was nothing new, and Su Bei, feeling bored, withdrew his gaze to examine the mirror itself.

He had no idea what kind of artifact this was, capable of revealing the situations on both sides.

When he first grasped the purpose of this tool, he was momentarily startled. If they used this mirror to witness his actions at the end of the group battle, it would be quite the spectacle.

But then he thought, he might not know of such an artifact, but “Black Flash” certainly would. They couldn’t be so foolish as to overlook preparing for this. If they had tools that prevented others from entering alternate spaces, surely they had means to prevent others from spying as well?

Yet, as he sighed in relief, his heart also grew alert. He truly knew little about the world of abilities; although he hadn’t suffered losses before, he had been careless, treating the realm of powers as an ordinary world.

Now that he was aware of this, he needed to act cautiously moving forward, at least avoiding too much activity, lest he inadvertently caught someone’s eye.

But doing nothing was not an option; he wasn’t ready to give up just yet. Perhaps he could make use of the “Comic Consciousness”? Su Bei pondered. The “Comic Consciousness” couldn’t spoil the plot, but maybe he could ask if his actions had been seen.

“‘Close Point!’” Just as he was deep in thought, a sudden exclamation erupted from Ye Lin’s mirror.

Su Bei raised an eyebrow and looked up, and sure enough, he saw a black hole opposite Jiang Tianming and the others, with a few small Night Serpents crawling out from within.

This was the “Close Point.”

“Finally found it,” Lei Ze’en also noticed the commotion, “Looks like we can wrap things up soon.”

Upon hearing this, Meng Huai coolly replied, “Not so fast; there are still people waiting for them above.”

Su Bei cast a glance at the mirror in Lei Ze’en’s hand and couldn’t help but chuckle. Indeed, on the ground, Zhou Renjie had already begun assisting Qingqing and the others in setting traps.

Qingqing, Brother Dao, and Zhou Renjie were indeed busy laying out traps. Sister Shield’s shield ability was not merely for show; this trap was a new application developed from her powers.

It relied mainly on a series of transparent shields, forming a barrier that allowed entry but not exit. Once inside, escape was impossible. She had considered that those trapped might break through, so she reinforced it with two layers. Originally, Sister Shield had prepared so many shields for self-preservation, but unexpectedly, they ended up being used to ensnare others.

Uncertain whether Jiang Tianming and his group would emerge from the quicksand, they set two traps. One surrounded the entire quicksand; should they emerge, they would fall into a net of snares. The other was set outside, with Zhou Renjie standing within. As long as he called those few people over, they too would fall into the trap.

After completing all this, the four felt a swell of satisfaction, believing they were well-prepared.

However, Zhou Renjie knew the teachers were watching and couldn’t reveal the truth to dissuade them. So, while the others were distracted, he bowed to the air and muttered, “Teachers, please spare Qingqing; she means no harm, just wants us to help her earn a bit more money.”

Seeing this through the mirror, Su Bei burst into laughter, “I wonder how Zhou Renjie will feel when he regains his senses and realizes we witnessed this scene.”

Lei Ze’en grinned, “You little rascal, you’re quite the troublemaker.”

If he hadn’t spoken up, Zhou Renjie would have only known that the teachers had seen some of the content, but he wouldn’t have realized that Su Bei and Wu Jin had also been watching. But from Su Bei’s earlier tone, it was clear he intended to tease him.

As they spoke, they spotted Jiang Tianming and his group preparing to leave the “closed point.” Just as Feng Lan had said, there was only one path here, so there was no need to deliberate on which way to go.

“Teachers, this underground space wasn’t built by you, was it?” Su Bei asked suspiciously, surveying their surroundings.

The “closed point” was, at its core, merely a teleportation black hole appearing beneath the quicksand, thus trapped within it. It couldn’t possibly manifest as an underground labyrinth upon arrival.

Moreover, this maze not only housed nightmare beasts but also various hidden traps and mechanisms. Su Bei felt a wave of relief wash over him, glad he had decided against going down; otherwise, he would be the one suffering now.

Seeing he had figured it out, Lei Ze’en didn’t hide the truth: “Isn’t this to train you? If you don’t go down, you’re just missing out on a great training opportunity.”

Not necessary at all. Su Bei forced a smile, nudging Wu Jin, deciding to let him share the burden: “Wu Jin, the teacher is talking about you; not going down means you’ve missed a golden training opportunity.”

Wu Jin wasn’t fond of talking, but that didn’t mean he was a fool. He shot Su Bei a rare, exasperated glance: “Then let’s go together?”

Upon hearing him suggest they go down together, Su Bei immediately raised his hands in surrender, falling silent.

On the ground, Qingqing and the others were growing a bit impatient. There was truly no shade nearby; in the distance loomed a massive rock, but if they strayed too far, they would miss the chance to catch Jiang Tianming and his group, leaving them baking under the scorching sun.

—

But to be honest, after waiting for over an hour, Su Bei still hadn’t returned with anyone, and Qing Qing let out a sigh of relief. It seemed he truly had no intention of rescuing anyone. As for Wu Jin, well, Sister Shield and Brother Stick were already stationed at the entrance, so Qing Qing wasn’t worried.

After a while, Qing Qing cheerfully spoke up, “I’ve generated a second Cupid’s arrow!”

Such a powerful ability, of course, couldn’t be unleashed continuously; it could only be activated after a certain period. It could be saved up, but the number of accumulated arrows couldn’t be too many. Previously, Qing Qing had gathered a total of three, having already used two. With the three newly generated arrows, she currently had two left.

Brother Knife’s eyes lit up with joy: “That’s great! We can control two people then. Just need to take hold of the two strongest.”

At this, he turned to Zhou Renjie: “Who among that group is the strongest?”

Zhou Renjie ignored him; in his eyes, Brother Knife was a rival, and answering a rival’s question was simply out of the question.

Seeing this, Qing Qing helplessly repeated the earlier question. Zhou Renjie shot a glare at Brother Knife, then turned back to focus intently on Qing Qing. After a moment of thought, he answered decisively, “The ones with black hair and brown hair.”

Still, the same sentiment: he had simply fallen for Qing Qing, not lost his mind. If he mentioned Si Zhao Hua, there was no doubt that after everything was over, Qing Qing and the others wouldn’t survive. After all, even if Si Zhao Hua didn’t intervene, the Si family wouldn’t just sit idly by.

In truth, Zhou Renjie was well aware he was being controlled. After all, if he claimed to have loved Qing Qing from the start, it could be called love at first sight. But to suddenly become deeply infatuated with Qing Qing after all this time? Something felt off.

Yet his love for Qing Qing allowed him to endure it all; it was merely the control that made him fall for her, and Zhou Renjie felt he was willing. Moreover, why did Qing Qing only control him and not others? Wasn’t it because she had feelings for him?!

—

Because his mind was still intact, Zhou Renjie clearly understood that if Qing Qing controlled someone powerful like Si Zhao Hua or Feng Lan and made them lose face, then even he wouldn’t be able to protect them afterward.

So he could only reluctantly say that Jiang Tianming and Wu Mingbai were the strongest, allowing them to be controlled. Though it would mean two more extremely annoying rivals, it was better than Qing Qing’s life being threatened.

In the thatched cottage.

“Can this segment be replayed?” Su Bei’s eyes sparkled with interest. “If Jiang Tianming and Wu Mingbai see Zhou Renjie holding them in such high regard, they’d surely be thrilled.”

As the homeroom teacher, Meng Huai wasn’t entirely clear on the intricacies between them, but he could still see that the two sides were at odds.

Hearing this, he shot a glare at the troublemaker Su Bei: “You better behave, or I’ll toss you out to wander the maze.”

Su Bei made a zipping motion with his mouth and then gave an OK sign.

The drama on the ground hadn’t stopped; after receiving Zhou Renjie’s answer, Qing Qing began to plot in her mind. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of Feng Lan and suddenly frowned: “What kind of ability does this guy have? Do we need to…”

“No need!” Before she could finish her sentence, Zhou Renjie immediately interrupted her. What kind of status did Feng Lan have? He must have plenty of protective gear on him.

—

Before, during the team competition, he was taken away by “Black Flash” so early, yet nothing happened afterward, right?

And the most crucial point is, it’s one thing to be unable to control Feng Lan, but if he truly managed to control the other, the Feng family wouldn’t necessarily let Qingqing live. Even if she survived, he would surely never see her again.

Hastily dismissing these thoughts, he forced himself to calm down: “His ability is useless, and he’s not strong himself. There’s no need to waste opportunities on him. If you can’t control that brown-haired and black-haired pair later, our plan will likely fail outright.”

Upon hearing this, Qingqing, reassured that Zhou Renjie wouldn’t betray her, quickly abandoned her earlier intention: “Then forget it, just knock him out, so he doesn’t scare anyone with his noise later.”

Zhou Renjie dared not let her knock the other out and immediately said, “I’ll do it, I’ll do it!”

With that, he stepped beside Feng Lan, feigning a strike with his hand, while whispering in his ear, “Just pretend to be unconscious for a bit.”

Feng Lan didn’t make it difficult for him and obediently closed his eyes.

Watching this scene in the mirror, Meng Huai smirked slightly, “He’s quite clever.”

Knowing he was referring to Zhou Renjie, Ye Lin sighed, “It’s unfortunate; you’re not allowed to tease him about this afterward.”

The ground lay still for the moment, and their underground journey was nearing its end. Jiang Tianming and the others reached the end of the path, successfully climbing up through a hole, supported by Mo Xiaotian’s air block.

Their position was not far from the quicksand, but it wasn’t visible at a glance. Once on the desert surface, Mo Xiaotian looked around, “So where is the quicksand? We won’t end up lost from Bei Ge and the others, will we?”

“I can fly up high to take a look.” If it wasn’t too far, he could easily spot them from above.

“That would be too conspicuous; if others see, they might come over.” Wu Mingbai shook his head, “I brought a compass.”

He took out the compass and easily found the direction of north. But knowing where north was wasn’t enough; they needed to pinpoint the exact location of the quicksand.

After a moment of recollection, Jiang Tianming confidently spoke, “Follow me. If the direction we fell was right above the quicksand, I should be able to find its location.”

With that, he took a bold step forward.

Before long, they indeed spotted Zhou Renjie and the others. However, what puzzled them was that out of the nine who should have been on the ground, only five remained, and among them, there was only one from the Ability Academy.

The unusual situation calmed the excitement that had surged in them from completing their task. Si Zhaohua called out to Zhou Renjie, “Where are Baozhu and the others?”

Zhou Renjie replied with a natural expression, “They went to the restroom; Shield Sister went with Baozhu.”

Hearing this, Si Zhaohua let out a sigh of relief. He was a bit worried that Ai Baozhu would encounter danger alone, but with a defensive Shield Sister, he felt less anxious.

Not right!

Suddenly, Si Zhaohua realized a problem. With Ai Baozhu’s level of cleanliness, would she really use the toilet here?

As far as he knew, to avoid losing this person, Ai Baozhu, who usually loved to drink water, had only taken a single sip since entering this strange space. Would she really go to the toilet, or would she go with someone else?

Si Zhaohua didn’t believe it, but he couldn’t understand why Zhou Renjie would lie to him.

Zhao Xiaoyu, equally skeptical, didn’t think Wu Jin was the type to go to the toilet with others either.

The group exchanged glances, each with their own calculations brewing in their minds.

Wu Mingbai poked at the still oblivious Mo Xiaotian: “You go first.”

If it weren’t for his deliberate ploy to set up Mo Xiaotian, it was mainly because, compared to the others who had already sensed something was off, Mo Xiaotian’s confusion would appear the most normal.

At his words, Mo Xiaotian seemed to pause for a moment, then obediently walked to the front. Cheerfully, he strolled ahead, greeting Zhou Renjie: “We found it! We can go back now!”

Zhou Renjie said nothing, merely gesturing for them to come closer. After all, he liked Qingqing; he couldn’t betray her by directly exposing this conspiracy. What if Qingqing stopped liking him? Even if it was for her own good, he had to consider her feelings.

Beside him, Qingqing smiled and said, “How was your haul down there? You got so many Nightmares before; if you could snag a few more, we could definitely sell them for a good price when we get back.”

“Just when I need to go to the toilet, where did they go?” Zhao Xiaoyu asked.

Qingqing’s expression stiffened for a moment: “I don’t know where they went, but they must have found a hidden spot. When they come back, we can ask. Just hold on a bit, okay?”

At her words, Zhao Xiaoyu regarded her thoughtfully, then turned to Zhou Renjie: “Why are you holding your stomach? You need to go too?”

“Not… well, maybe a little. I’ll wait until we get back,” Zhou Renjie replied, feeling awkward at the question, lowering his hands helplessly. To be honest, he wasn’t quite sure if Si Zhaohua and the others had noticed something was off, but he felt a nagging sense of unease.

As they hesitated to approach, Qingqing began to suspect they might have discovered something. But she dared not say much; after considering her strategy, she decided to lower their guard first. Otherwise, it would be difficult to manage so many people.

If all else failed, she could jump into the quicksand and escape, leaving behind these free henchmen. Since these people could come up from beneath the quicksand, she could too. And once they followed her into the quicksand, they would immediately be trapped by the snares set around it.

This was the advantage of having two traps set up; it made her less passive. Qingqing moved away from the originally planned trap location, walking to the edge of the quicksand, looking down with a seemingly natural demeanor: “Did you really just go down there? What’s it like beneath the quicksand?”

Jiang Tianming and the others dared not act rashly; who knew where Ai Baozhu and the others had hidden? They had two people missing from their team, and if they caught Qingqing and Brother Dao, it would be troublesome if those two managed to escape with their companions.

—

With such thoughts, they hurried over, yet all instinctively avoided the small patch of ground where Qingqing and the others had just stood. Lan Subing kindly tugged at the carefree Mo Xiaotian, preventing him from stepping forward.

Jiang Tianming and the others were naturally unaware of the trap set by Qingqing, but it was clear to them that if a conspiracy awaited, Qingqing’s lingering presence was surely to ensnare them all.

Though the means were unknown, it was always better to keep a distance.

Yet Si Zhaohua could not fathom what was truly going on with Zhou Renjie. After approaching, he stood beside the other, hoping for a proactive explanation.

Zhou Renjie patted his belly, casting a glance at Si Zhaohua, a bitter smile gracing his lips.

After leaving Su Bei, he had immediately concealed Ai Baozhu within himself, driven by a mind still clouded, filled with the need to obey Qingqing’s commands.

Moreover, having Ai Baozhu inside at least ensured some safety; earlier, Ai Baozhu had clashed with Qingqing, and he feared Qingqing might act rashly, leaving him no chance to remedy the situation.

Observing his actions, Si Zhaohua reacted, suddenly widening his eyes in shock. Could Ai Baozhu be inside him? Zhou Renjie was risking his life!

Zhou Renjie maintained his bitter smile; he had no other choice—this was the best method. As for whether Ai Baozhu would go mad afterward, that was a concern for another time.

With that thought, he secretly gestured to the others, signaling them to act directly. He could not harm Qingqing, nor could he betray her and tarnish his image in her eyes; he had to rely on his teammates.

Once they captured Qingqing, he would plead for her.

Watching their movements in the mirror, Su Bei shook his head in regret. It was all rather dull; knowing the teachers were present certainly took the thrill out of it.

Meng Huai shared this sentiment. Initially, he had been pleased that Jiang Tianming and the others faced such treacherous foes, believing it would grant the students some valuable experience.

But clearly, their presence had significantly diminished the danger posed by the enemy.

“Shall we not follow them tomorrow?” Meng Huai was the first to speak, deciding to adjust the training plan. “Let them fend for themselves.”

At this, Ye Lin stood up, vehemently rejecting the proposal: “That’s far too dangerous! What if something happens to them?”

Meng Huai scoffed, “Is there any danger-free path for those with abilities? If we keep hovering like overprotective mothers, when will they ever grow?”

“Let’s not even mention that; just consider the families behind Si Zhaohua and the others. If anything happens to them, can you handle it? Even if you could, the academy wouldn’t agree.” Ye Lin posed the most pressing question, laying it bare.

However, Meng Huai was unfazed, leaning back with a carefree demeanor: “Haven’t you heard? In the field, military orders are not to be questioned.”

“You!” Ye Lin was left speechless, frustration bubbling within her.

—

“Quiet, quiet.” This time it was Rezehn playing the peacemaker. “How about we head back and draft a waiver for them to sign? If they refuse, we’ll just keep training; if they sign, they can handle it themselves.”