A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 22

“I thought you’d go celebrate with them first,” “Manga Consciousness” said, somewhat puzzled.

“There’s definitely a plot there, right?”

Su Bei shrugged: “I said I wanted to watch the manga first. I can’t eat in peace otherwise. Plus… I need to check my ability.”

At the same moment “Manga Consciousness” told him the manga had updated, Su Bei felt a subtle change in his ability.

That was a big reason he was so eager to get back to the dorm.

Of course, another reason was that he needed to adjust his mood before joining that victory celebration. He knew 90% of his actions were driven by self-interest.

Since he couldn’t attend the celebration with a pure heart, he’d have to go with a performative mindset. And for a performance, it was better to rehearse beforehand. But there was no need to tell “Manga Consciousness” that.

Sitting on his dorm bed, Su Bei didn’t immediately check his ability to change. Instead, he opened his phone and clicked into the newly updated manga chapter.

The chapter started where the last one left off, with Sun Ming collapsing and Jiang Tianming rushing to check on him. A thought bubble showed his inner monologue: “Is this the ‘show’ Su Bei mentioned?”

Corresponding to this was his instinctive glance around to find someone, but failing to spot Su Bei, he focused on checking Sun Ming’s condition. Having seen and even caused death before, he quickly concluded—Sun Ming was dead.

The next part was plot Su Bei had lived through, so he skimmed it, focusing on scenes featuring himself or events he hadn’t experienced.

After the teachers cleared the three of them, they were let go. This segment even depicted Su Bei winking at the protagonist group, followed by Lan Subing’s later comment: “He’s so cool.”

This was an unexpected bonus for Su Bei. He hadn’t expected to be drawn into the manga during this time.

The real-time comments were going wild with “aww”s.

“Wink! It’s a wink!”

“So cool aaaaaaa!”

“Winking at girls so casually? A playboy? I like him even more!”

Seeing these comments, Su Bei’s lip twitched, and he quickly flipped to the next page.

Next was Meng Huai’s class. This wasn’t glossed over; instead, it detailed Meng Huai expelling students who slacked during yesterday’s run and his lesson on “mental exhaustion doesn’t mean physical exhaustion.”

Clearly, this class left a strong impression not only on the students but likely on readers too. From a reader’s perspective, Meng Huai successfully established his character.

The plot soon moved to the arrival of the Sun family, with Meng Huai being called away. Su Bei was questioned because of his ordinary gear, but he explained well, raising no suspicions.

The argument outside was shown through text, with two panels of Wu Mingbai lowering his head under Sun’s parents’ accusations. But the art clearly showed Wu Mingbai wasn’t meekly taking the scolding—his usual smile was gone, and his body radiated an earthy yellow glow.

To Su Bei, this deep brown glow likely represented mental energy in the manga. In the previous chapter, when Jiang Tianming and others used their abilities, they were surrounded by different colored glows.

When Su Bei used his ability in the last chapter, he also had a glow—dark gold, which he was very pleased with. That color was understated, luxurious, and meaningful, perfectly matching him.

Jiang Tianming’s was black, Lan Subing’s was blue—both perfectly reflected the link between mental energy, hair, and eye color, textbook cases.

As Jiang Tianming and Lan Subing rushed outside, the perspective shifted outdoors. The friendship, anger, and resistance were all fully captured in the manga.

As expected, the manga readers went wild. Sun’s parents were so vile that, even as grieving victims, they were hard to sympathize with.

After all, though they were victims, what had the protagonist group done wrong? They didn’t owe Sun’s parents anything, yet they were inexplicably blamed and threatened. It was hard for the protagonist group’s fans not to be furious.

After their argument with Sun’s parents ended, the manga generously gave a scene inside the classroom. It showed Su Bei’s conversation with Mu Tieren, including Su Bei’s “Jiang Tianming looks like a villain” comment and Mu Tieren’s good-guy behavior.

To readers, their conversation was packed with information. First, Su Bei—someone readers saw as having prophetic abilities—had said, “Jiang Tianming looks a lot like a novel’s villain.”

This had readers joking about breaking the fourth wall while worrying it might be a hint.

“Hahaha, a villain, really? He’s actually the protagonist!”

“Is this the author’s jab? Jiang-jiang is so unlucky. When will a shonen manga give us a lucky protagonist?”

“Am I the only one worried? Su Bei has prophetic powers! Is this a prophecy?”

“Old thief, don’t pull a ‘dragon-slaying youth becomes the dragon’ arc!”

As for Mu Tieren, his big-brother personality was a common manga trope, but Su Bei’s puzzled look at his back made readers wary.

Was Mu Tieren really just a simple good guy?

Seeing this plot make it into the manga, Su Bei felt his efforts hadn’t been in vain. He’d deliberately acted out that scene, and the author didn’t let him down. He could already imagine the heated forum discussions this would spark, as the comments showed.

The manga continued. Jiang Tianming and Lan Subing returned, fuming, and sought out Su Bei. The scene where Su Bei gave his suggestion was shown to readers unchanged.

The comments on this part weren’t entirely unified. A small group felt Su Bei was too cold-blooded. Sun’s parents were already suffering, yet he suggested something so ruthless, practically corrupting the protagonist group.

But far more found it exhilarating. Compared to the typical shonen manga themes of “forgiveness, understanding, tolerance,” Su Bei’s “shocking” suggestion in the manga world and Jiang Tianming and Lan Subing’s immediate acceptance felt fresh and satisfying.

[To follow Su Bei’s suggestion, the protagonist group decided to split tasks, working to ruin the Sun family’s company while searching for the killer.]

Now came the detective hired by the school, who, as expected, wasn’t much help. To Su Bei, his biggest contribution was introducing the concept of “Ability Suppression.”

Feeling the pressure, the protagonist group tried to recruit Su Bei, but he refused with an intriguing reason—

“If a spectator steps onto the stage, they become the performer. That… would be boring.”

To Su Bei’s delight, the manga didn’t waste his half-true, half-acted performance, capturing his lonely expression after saying this.

Though it was drawn a bit darkly—not like a solitary observer but more like a world-weary mastermind.

Su Bei: “…”

Fine, as long as it sparked readers’ imagination.

As expected, readers went wild with comments at this scene.

“Su Bei’s drama-watcher persona stands strong!”

“Stubbornly seeing himself as an observer? Feels like a flag. I bet he’ll get dragged into the plot by the protagonists eventually!”

“What’s with that expression? Is Su Bei actually a villain? Why do I feel like he orchestrated this?”

“So cool, so cool! I want to swoon over every Su Bei scene!”

[After Su Bei’s refusal, the protagonist group began investigating around the school. The first to join was Mu Tieren. The good-guy class monitor used his authority to help them question a few classmates, then, worried for their safety and able to skip some classes, naturally joined their investigation.

The next to join was Mo Xiaotian. The manga showed he initially came to find Su Bei. But with his warm, harmless personality, he quickly bonded with the protagonist group and learned about their predicament.

So, Mo Xiaotian eagerly chose to join the investigation, not just to satisfy his curiosity but to uphold his sense of justice. In a way, he was the quintessential shonen manga protagonist.]

But Su Bei saw something readers didn’t. Mo Xiaotian’s involvement wasn’t entirely coincidental. On the day of the incident, while heading back to the dorms, Mo Xiaotian had stopped Su Bei to ask about the cafeteria events.

In the manga, Mo Xiaotian also casually brought up the cafeteria incident a few times at the start, which opened the conversation.

This made sense—being from the same organization as the killer, it was normal for him to want to get involved in the case.

Oddly, though, aside from that initial bit, Mo Xiaotian didn’t do anything deliberate in the rest of the plot. He was genuinely helping with the investigation, and though his scatterbrained nature often caused mix-ups, it didn’t seem like intentional stalling.

Plus, when Su Bei was held hostage, Mo Xiaotian played a big role in capturing the killer. If Su Bei didn’t know his identity, he might not have noticed that slight oddity.

[Amid the noisy, comedic daily antics, the protagonist group’s meticulous investigation gradually narrowed the killer’s scope, finally locking it to the cafeteria staff.

Right before they entered the cafeteria, Su Bei sent a message. It took up a full panel—“Don’t forget the hint I gave you. I’d be sad if you didn’t use it.”]

The comments erupted again.

“Ohhh! I almost forgot about that hint!”

“It’s red flames, right? No idea what it means.”

“I came back from later pages, and all I can say is Su Bei is the GOAT!”

“Really love a strategic hottie who, even without participating the whole time, still manages to steal the show at critical moments.”

“How did Su Bei send that message at the perfect time? Is he monitoring the protagonist group?”

The comment about “Su Bei monitoring the protagonist group” caught his interest. Su Bei hadn’t expected that, because the manga didn’t show Mo Xiaotian telling him they were heading to the cafeteria, it would spark such a misunderstanding.

But this kind of misunderstanding wasn’t bad. Maybe he could use it.

Next was the protagonist group’s investigation in the cafeteria. It included not only their inner thoughts but also, after the purplish-red-eyed chef became a suspect, his own inner monologue, clearly not hiding that he was the killer.

Honestly, when Su Bei saw Jiang Tianming notice the killer just by his eye color, he was genuinely touched. He hadn’t expected the protagonist group to catch the color secret in the “purplish-red smoke” hint. Figuring out the killer’s ability was smoke would’ve been good enough.

He’d planned to mention it after the case was solved to still build his persona in front of readers.

But his hint was far less impactful than their direct discovery. Jiang Tianming spotted it early and locked onto the killer via eye color, making Su Bei’s hint seem even more crucial.

When they used the ability-testing machine, failed to detect the killer’s ability, and immediately connected it to “Ability Suppression,” Su Bei wanted to applaud them.

“Such great teammates!” he couldn’t help but exclaim, finally understanding how a good teammate could make efforts twice as effective.

The following events were ones he’d experienced. Surprisingly, the manga boldly included his conversation with the killer before the protagonist group arrived.

At the time, his mind was full of “screw it” thoughts. But in the manga, even he felt the version of himself depicted was utterly fearless.

[The blond boy, clearly the one being held hostage, seemed like the mastermind of it all. In contrast, the kidnapper appeared more panicked than the hostage.

“You’re not scared?” In the panel, the kidnapper’s dagger pressed against the blond boy’s pale neck, his voice stern but shaky. Yet, comparing their expressions, anyone would feel a jarring disconnect—wasn’t Su Bei the one holding the kidnapper hostage?

The next panel was a full shot of Su Bei, his demeanor relaxed, his expression open: “Scared? I’m terrified.”]

Admittedly, this lazy, cheeky, mastermind vibe really hit readers’ sweet spot. Though Su Bei, reviewing via the manga, only thought he’d been oddly punchable, the comments told a different story.

“So cool, Bei-bro!”

“Cool’s just one word, and I’ll say it once.”

“What’re you scared of? The kidnapper’s the one who’s really scared, hahahahaha!”

“He’s killing me with that coolness aaaaa!”

“Why’s he not scared? Even if his ability’s strong, he’s still a newbie, right? Could he actually beat the killer?”

“Hahahahaha, I came back from later pages, hahahahaha!”

“This scene’s so good! Screenshot for my wallpaper.”

Next was Jiang Tianming and the others arriving to rescue him. Curious about their abilities, Su Bei watched this part closely.

[Clearly, Jiang Tianming’s group was working as a team. Jiang Tianming distracted the killer by chatting with Su Bei and negotiating;

Mu Tieren used his tall frame to block the killer’s view of the others’ subtle movements;

Lan Subing used [Word Spirit] to say “anxious,” making the killer slightly more agitated. Due to the power gap, she could only affect him minimally;

Wu Mingbai used [Earth Element] to subtly raise a small mound under the killer’s feet as he rushed forward, tripping him;

Finally, Mo Xiaotian—his ability’s specifics unclear—created an invisible cube in the air. The killer, tripping, crashed into it, giving Su Bei the chance to escape.]

Most readers cheered for the protagonist group’s seamless teamwork and were thrilled Jiang Tianming’s trio made new friends.

But the comments showed a small group couldn’t accept the new members, especially Mo Xiaotian.

Mu Tieren was fine—his big-brother vibe didn’t steal the spotlight and supported the group, avoiding hate.

But Mo Xiaotian was different. His little sun personality won many fans but also drew plenty of haters. Those who liked him found his goofiness cute; those who didn’t thought he just dragged the team down.

Plus, at least outwardly, Mo Xiaotian and Wu Mingbai had similar personas, which annoyed some of Wu Mingbai’s fans.

Seeing Mo Xiaotian play a big role in the rescue, a few comments called him a “nepo baby,” accusing the author of forcing spotlight on him.

Seeing these, Su Bei raised an eyebrow and said: “Our bet—can we settle it now?”

He’d bet with “Manga Consciousness” that the new characters wouldn’t get high approval.

After a pause, “Manga Consciousness” replied: “You won.”

Though the manga had just updated, the trend was clear. Mu Tieren hadn’t drawn much negativity, but Mo Xiaotian alone had already surpassed 10%, let alone both together.

Realizing it had been presumptuous, “ makeshift admitted: “Fine, I don’t fully understand readers. I won’t meddle with your judgment anymore.”

Hearing this, Su Bei quietly sighed in relief. With this promise, he wouldn’t have to worry about “Manga Consciousness”’s unconscious nudging, which was more concerning than malice.

He continued reading. The chapter ended with Meng Huai telling everyone, “Good job.”

But Su Bei keenly noticed a critical detail hidden in the panel.

The composition showed the students facing the camera, Meng Huai with his back to it, and behind him, the vine cage. The killer, also facing away, had struggled earlier, causing his collar to slip down, revealing a black lightning mark on the back of his neck.

Clearly, this was foreshadowing.

After finishing the manga, Su Bei went straight to the forum.

Every manga update brought a surge of forum traffic, and this was no exception. The forum was buzzing, with posts popping up everywhere and plenty of hot threads.

Su Bei’s eyes landed on one post, feeling inexplicably that it might relate to him.

Polaris Assemble!

[BeiBroMyGodNo.0: Specially changed my name for Bei-bro. Join us Polaris fans, and you’re an OG Su Bei stan! Blond, purple-eyed hottie—invest now, no regrets!

SuBeiWink.jpg]

[No.1: Su Bei in this chapter is so cool. I didn’t feel much in the first chapter, but after the second, I’m hooked. That vibe of barely participating but having insane presence—I’m obsessed!]

[No.2: Purple eyes are my kink, blond hair’s my kink. Meeting a guy who hits all my kinks, I’m in love.]

[No.3: So Su Bei’s fans are called Polaris? Finally found my tribe. This name’s awesome!]

[BeiBroMyGodNo.4 (OP) replying to No.3:

BigEyeBoy’s already set up a super topic, and the name came from there. Come join!]

[No.5: There’s a super topic already? I’m in!]

[…]

[No.23: I died laughing at the end. Who’d have thought Su Bei’s “self-rescue” plan was that?

SuBeiYellingTeacherSaveMe.jpg

MengHuaiHeadBonk.jpg]

[No.24 replying to No.23:

That part was hilarious, but thinking deeper, it’s kinda chilling, right? How did Su Bei know about the school’s protective measures?

From his behavior, he clearly knew from the start, or he wouldn’t have been so fearless facing the killer.

But the other students obviously didn’t know, and the school’s defenses weren’t active from the beginning. They only kicked in after the killer was found, escaped, and Meng Huai fiddled with his phone.

From the defenses activating to Su Bei getting nabbed, it was maybe ten minutes, if that. How did Su Bei get that info so fast?]

[No.25: Too many words, I’ll trust the guy above.]

[No.26: Yeah, now that you mention it, Su Bei’s info source does seem weird.]

[No.27: No.24, you’re amazing. I didn’t notice anything off.]

[No.28: Hold on, why assume the school didn’t activate defenses right after Sun Ming’s death? No proof says it was Meng Huai’s message that triggered it, right?]

[No.29 replying to No.28:

No.24’s right—the school activated it after the message. Look here.

MengHuaiChargingKiller.jpg

This scene clearly shows Meng Huai using his speed to rush between the killer and Wu Mingbai before the attack.

If the school’s defenses were already on, he’d have teleported, not run.]

[No.30: Wow, wow, wow, forum detective alert!]

[No.31 replying to No.29:

I’m convinced, that analysis holds up. So Su Bei getting the info that fast is really odd…

Of course, that doesn’t stop me from liking him. A behind-the-scenes mastermind? That’s even hotter!]

[…]

Seeing the discussion veer elsewhere, Su Bei raised an eyebrow and decided to jump in. In the second chapter, he hadn’t shown new abilities, only reinforcing readers’ impression of his [Prophecy]-like ability.

But he wasn’t satisfied. Each ability change required the next manga update. If he did nothing now, his ability wouldn’t shift much by the next chapter.

That pace was too slow. Only by strengthening his ability quickly could he plan ahead. So, before the next chapter, he’d better give readers new ideas about his ability.

Su Bei started a new thread.

Let’s Discuss Su Bei’s Info Sources

[ProphetNo.0: Based on the second chapter’s manga content, I believe Su Bei has a hidden intelligence source.

Three reasons lead to this conclusion:

Su Bei sent Jiang Tianming a message the second before he entered the cafeteria.

If he didn’t know Jiang Tianming was already there, he wouldn’t have sent it.

Su Bei knew yelling “Teacher, save me” would save him.

This means he knew the school had activated protective measures. But those were triggered by Meng Huai’s message after the killer escaped, in such a short window. Without a special info source, how could he know?

Su Bei was “coincidentally” caught by the killer.

Let’s look at when Su Bei was grabbed. The manga showed him facing away from the killer, holding a book, running toward the library. After getting the message, he, who’d just left the library, immediately tried to return.

But the library’s location is remote, unlikely to be found first. Logically, he had no reason to rush.

So, I speculate he somehow knew the killer was heading his way, prompting his urgency to return.

AbilityAcademyMap.jpg

Each point alone might seem flimsy, explainable as “coincidence.” But all three together? Too many coincidences become certainty.]