A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 32

Seeing that no one had new questions for the moment, Meng Huai moved on to the second competition: “Now let’s talk about the team battles. Team battles involve free teaming of three to six people, with at least two classes represented. Note that one Class A student must team up with at least one Class F student. You can’t exploit loopholes like having two Class A students and one Class F student.”

Everyone burst into laughter. When they heard the first half, some quick thinkers had already considered the perfunctory method of pairing Class A with Class F. But they hadn’t expected the school to preemptively ban it, which was indeed good news for Class F students.

“The final score for team battles is calculated by dividing the team’s total points by the number of members to get an individual average score, which is then compared. So a three-person team won’t be at a disadvantage compared to a six-person team.”

“That’s not right, is it?” a student immediately questioned. “No matter how you look at it, more people have the advantage.”

Hearing this, Meng Huai sneered: “Speaking without raising your hand? Go stand at the back!”

After the unlucky student trudged to the back with a dejected look, Meng Huai explained: “More people have their benefits, and fewer people have theirs. With more people, it’s hard to avoid one or two dragging the team down. When the scores come out, the individual average might end up lower than a three-person team’s.”

After saying this, Meng Huai seemed a bit annoyed. He sat down boldly on the chair next to the podium: “The specific competition details should be posted on the campus website tonight. You can check them yourselves. I have one requirement—”

He deliberately paused for two seconds, waiting until everyone’s attention was fully on him, before continuing: “I’ll allow you to fail in the individual battles, even in the first round. But for the team battles, if any of you end up in the bottom five teams of the grade, after the monthly exam, you’ll receive my personal training.”

“How about that? Feeling touched?”

No one dared to move.

Seeing the class fall silent, Meng Huai smiled with satisfaction: “Alright, you have one week to form teams. By Friday, have your team leader submit the roster to the grade director. If you haven’t formed a team by then, you’ll be automatically assigned with others who haven’t. Dismissed!”

As soon as his last word fell, the voice of Manga Consciousness rang out: “King of Abilities has updated. Please take note to read it.”

Hearing that the manga had updated, a flash of joy passed through Su Bei’s eyes. He was worried the manga wouldn’t update until the competition started, which would delay his earlier setup.

His mental energy would only improve by the team battles, and his persona would collapse in the individual battles.

Thankfully, the author was dragging things out enough to update now. The only thing to worry about was whether the author had drawn the segment he wanted.

While Su Bei was inwardly anxious, Jiang Tianming approached: “As we agreed before, let’s team up for the monthly exam. I’m planning a six-person team: you, me, Lan Subing, Wu Mingbai, Mu Tieren, and I’ll ask Mo Xiaotian if he wants to join as the last member. What do you think?”

“Sounds good. Once you finalize the team, just let me know the roster,” Su Bei nodded outwardly, but inwardly he asked Manga Consciousness: “If I weren’t involved, who would’ve been the sixth member of this team?”

Honestly, he was quite worried about taking someone else’s spot. He couldn’t confidently deprive a character of an important appearance opportunity, possibly even their only one.

If there really was a character whose spot he took, Su Bei might consider forming a separate team with the protagonist group. He thought it through clearly—it wouldn’t matter. He could team up with Feng Lan.

As expected, Feng Lan would likely join Si Zhaohua’s team. He could hitch a ride with the antagonist team, which wouldn’t be bad.

Unaware that Su Bei was considering abandoning the protagonist team, Manga Consciousness answered honestly: “In the original manga, the monthly exam teams were set at three to five people. But because you were added, it became three to six.”

“Huh?!” This was an answer Su Bei hadn’t expected. “Did I change the manga’s setting?”

“Not exactly,” Manga Consciousness refuted. “This segment’s setting was that the participants of the previous murderer-hunting arc would team up. Originally, only five people hunted the murderer, so the setting was three to five. Now there are six, so it became three to six.”

That made sense. Su Bei suddenly understood. If that was the case, he was relieved. While joining the antagonist team was nice, it wouldn’t get as much screen time as the protagonist team.

After clarifying, he didn’t waste time and hurried back to the dorm.

Opening the app, Su Bei skimmed through the earlier plot. When he saw Jiang Tianming getting up early to head to the classroom, he let out a long breath, his purple eyes full of amusement: “Looks like I bet right.”

Manga Consciousness was thoroughly impressed: “Congratulations.”

Confirming the content he wanted was there, Su Bei relaxed completely, lazily flipping through the pages.

[Jiang Tianming, as usual, got up early. Just as he reached the classroom door, he suddenly heard a voice from inside: “Perfect time to test the distance.” The next second, he saw a piece of chalk fly straight from the podium to the back of the classroom.

Alert, Jiang Tianming stood still. Then he heard the voice continue: “As expected, having just become advanced, doing this is still a bit strenuous.”

The manga showed his inner thoughts next to his head: “That voice is Su Bei?”

Then Su Bei sharply demanded, “Who’s outside?” Jiang Tianming tiptoed to the corner at top speed. After waiting a long time, he entered the classroom with the next arriving student.]

The comments were buzzing.

“Holy crap, what kind of skill is this? Nothing to do with destiny, right?”

“Su Bei’s been hiding this trick?”

“‘Just became advanced’—what does that mean? Advanced ability user?”

“Jiang Tianming didn’t even move outside. How did Su Bei sense him?”

[The plot continued. Jiang Tianming told Lan Subing about this, and the two secretly observed Su Bei. This segment used several panels to show Su Bei looking listless and sleepy all day.

When they saw him asking the Mental Energy Enhancement Class teacher questions after class, Lan Subing whispered: “Could what he did be related to mental energy?”

The two hit it off and, with Wu Mingbai, went to the library after school. They soon found a book introducing advanced mental energy, learning its two traits—manipulating objects remotely with mental energy and heightened senses.

Jiang Tianming immediately confirmed their suspicion: “Su Bei just became an advanced mental energy user!”]

Seeing this, Su Bei didn’t waste time and opened the forum. Sure enough, there were several posts about him.

“Su Bei is actually an advanced mental energy user. What other secrets is he hiding?”

“So badass, Su Bei! Strength stan in love!”

“Team battles are in the bag!”

Seeing the entire forum fully convinced he was an advanced mental energy user, Su Bei excitedly snapped his fingers: “Nailed it! Manga Consciousness, do you know when the author will update the manga next? Telling me that shouldn’t break any rules, right?”

Manga Consciousness hesitated: “…Alright. The next update should be on the second day of your individual battles. The third and fourth days will come with the team battles.”

Though Su Bei’s ideal outcome was an update before the individual battles started, he knew that would be too slow. This result wasn’t the best, but as long as he held out for the first two days, it wouldn’t affect anything.

He casually clicked into the post about team battles.

“Team battles are in the bag!”

[FlyingMotherCockroachNo.0: One [Death Summon] ability, one [Word Spirit], Wu Mingbai’s [Earth Element], and Mo Xiaotian’s air cubes are all great for surprises. Now with Su Bei’s mysteriously high mental energy, team battles are secured!

I feel like this monthly exam arc might reveal Mu Tieren’s secret. His body enhancement ability doesn’t seem to match this team. (No hate intended)]

[No.1: Hahaha, the OP’s username!]

[No.2: Didn’t notice until you pointed it out, lol!]

[No.3: The protagonists will definitely win team battles. I think this is mainly to showcase the team members’ abilities. Not just Mu Tieren—we still don’t even know what Su Bei and Mo Xiaotian’s abilities are called.]

[No.4 replying to No.3: Oh yeah, I forgot until you mentioned it.]

[No.5: I thought they’d team up with Feng Lan. Sigh, no white-haired hunk this time.]

[No.6: The three from Class A (Si Zhaohua, Baozhu, and Zhou Kaixuan) will definitely face off against Tianming’s team. They’re all Class A, so they’ll need three Class F members to comply. Blind guess: Feng Lan will join their team.]

[No.7 replying to No.6: !!!!!]

[No.8 replying to No.6: Damn, I didn’t think of that. Feng Lan’s definitely joining their team.]

[No.9: Wonder which other two from Class F will join them.]

[No.10: Looks like, barring surprises, it’ll be Jiang Tianming vs. Si Zhaohua, Lan Subing vs. Baozhu, Wu Mingbai vs. Zhou Kaixuan, Su Bei vs. Feng Lan, and the other two against unknowns. Pretty hype!]

[No.11 replying to No.10: Already hyped!]

[…]

Seeing the content in the sixth comment, Su Bei raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t thought of that earlier. Prompted by the comment, he began to ponder.

Right, they were correct. Per the rules, three Class A students needed three Class F students to form a legal team. Besides Feng Lan, which other two from Class F would join Si Zhaohua’s team?

Suddenly, two names came to mind—Zhao Xiaoyu and Wu Jin.

It wasn’t surprising he thought of them. They genuinely had a high chance of joining Si Zhaohua’s team.

Si Zhaohua and his group were arrogant. Though bound by the rules to include three Class F students, aside from Feng Lan, whose background they knew, they wouldn’t take other Class F students seriously.

In that case, it didn’t matter who they picked.

Zhao Xiaoyu was smart. If she saw Si Zhaohua’s group recruiting Feng Lan, she might proactively approach them with another person to recommend herself. Bringing someone along would, of course, make things easier for Si Zhaohua’s group by filling the roster at once.

In this scenario, the choice of companion was crucial. Zhao Xiaoyu wasn’t someone content with the status quo or just waiting to be carried. Her best choice was to bring someone who wouldn’t steal her spotlight.

Clearly, the low-profile Wu Jin was an excellent choice.

Notably, Su Bei strongly suspected Wu Jin’s ability was [Low Presence]. How else could he be so easily overlooked even when Su Bei deliberately paid attention to him?

In the evening, Su Bei received the team roster from Lan Subing, along with a friend request recommendation. Only then did he realize he hadn’t added Jiang Tianming as a friend. Not just Jiang Tianming—he hadn’t even added Feng Lan.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to or had reservations. It was just unnecessary. They were in the same school, class, and dorm. Anything could be discussed in person. Normally, they were busy training and studying, leaving no time for chatting.

After adding Jiang Tianming, Su Bei checked the grade’s group chat, which had been created at the start of the term. It was quite lively, with people chatting often.

Su Bei had a side account in the group. Spotting an admin named “Endless Ability Academy Campus Wall,” he added them with his side account.

At this hour, most students were on their phones, and Campus Wall quickly accepted his friend request. Su Bei’s fingers swiftly typed, cutting straight to the question he wanted to know.

[ConcreteHeartSeal: Got any intel on first-year students’ abilities?]

[Endless Ability Academy Campus Wall: Sweetie, you know quality! I’ve got all kinds of info here—it just depends on whether you have enough points to buy.]

[Endless Ability Academy Campus Wall: CatWink.jpg]

[ConcreteHeartSeal: How many points for the intel I want?]

[Endless Ability Academy Campus Wall: The intel is class-specific. Class A is 500 points, Class B is 100, Class C is 50, Class D is 40. If you buy two classes, I’ll throw in Class F’s info for free.]

[ConcreteHeartSeal: I don’t need Class F’s info. Can you lower the price for the others?]

[Endless Ability Academy Campus Wall: Haha, my bad.jpg]

[Endless Ability Academy Campus Wall: Not really, sweetie.]

[ConcreteHeartSeal: Is your info guaranteed accurate?]

[Endless Ability Academy Campus Wall: I have special channels for this insider info. At least it matches their enrollment records.]

[ConcreteHeartSeal: How do I pay? I don’t want to reveal my identity.]

[Endless Ability Academy Campus Wall: Sweetie, you can go anonymous on the official site.]

Su Bei: ?

He genuinely didn’t know this. Hearing it, he quickly logged in and checked. Sure enough, he found an anonymous option in the settings of his profile.

[ConcreteHeartSeal: I want Class C and Class D.]

It wasn’t that he valued Class C and Class D highly—it was just that he could only afford these two classes’ info. If he chose Class B, he wouldn’t get Class F’s info and might risk flipping in the first two days of individual battles.

As long as he didn’t flip in the first two days, he’d essentially completed the minimum goal, ensuring his persona didn’t collapse spectacularly.

Plus, Su Bei really needed Class F’s ability data. First, to verify the accuracy of Campus Wall’s info. Second, to better understand his classmates.

[Endless Ability Academy Campus Wall: Got it~ Search for Campus Wall on the official site, pay 90 points, then send me a screenshot!]

[Endless Ability Academy Campus Wall: Hug.jpg]

[Endless Ability Academy Campus Wall: Oh, sweetie, do you still need Class F’s info?]

[ConcreteHeartSeal: Yes.]

[Endless Ability Academy Campus Wall: Alrighty~]

After completing all the procedures, “Endless Ability Academy Campus Wall” sent Su Bei three compressed files as promised.

[Endless Ability Academy Campus Wall: Class C Ability Intel.docx]

[Endless Ability Academy Campus Wall: Class D Ability Intel.docx]

[Endless Ability Academy Campus Wall: Class F Ability Intel.docx]

[Endless Ability Academy Campus Wall: Pleasure doing business, sweetie. Looking forward to your next visit!]

[Endless Ability Academy Campus Wall: CatBow.jpg]

Looking at the three files, Su Bei thought for a moment and opened the Class F intel first. As expected, it listed the names, photos, and ability details of Class F students. Su Bei’s ability was recorded as:

[Gear]: Can manifest gears (suspected to have prophecy ability)

Jiang Tianming’s entry, meanwhile, was just a question mark.

After reviewing the data, Su Bei nodded with satisfaction. The intel seemed quite accurate and wasn’t fabricated. He specifically checked Wu Jin’s ability, which was listed as [Silence Is Silence], meaning low presence when not speaking.

Su Bei: “…”

Gotta say, this ability would suit Lan Subing perfectly. If she had an ability that let her avoid speaking, she’d probably be thrilled.

Speaking of Lan Subing, Su Bei suddenly remembered something and messaged her privately.

[EastSouthWest: You there? Need some intel?]

[SilentYetPassionate66: CatPeek.jpg]

[SilentYetPassionate66: What intel?]

[EastSouthWest: Class C and D ability intel, highly accurate.]

[SilentYetPassionate66: ??? How’d you get that?]

[EastSouthWest: Found a channel. Just say if you want it or not. I’m planning to sell to others to recoup some points.]

[SilentYetPassionate66: Want want want! How many points?]

[EastSouthWest: Depends if you want exclusive rights. Exclusive is 60 points. Non-exclusive, no sharing, is 20 points.]

[SilentYetPassionate66: You’re selling to Tianming and Mingbai too?]

[EastSouthWest: Of course.]

[SilentYetPassionate66: I’ll buy it for 50 points, share only with Tianming and Mingbai. That okay?]

Seeing this proposal, Su Bei hesitated but nodded.

[EastSouthWest: Fine. Send me the points.]

Lan Subing didn’t doubt his words and quickly sent 50 points. Su Bei sent her the files as promised.

Then he opened the official site to check the latest public announcements, namely the monthly exam details.

Most of the content had been covered by the teacher, but some hadn’t been mentioned, like the rule against killing, which was common sense.

Additionally, during individual battles, referees could proactively declare a loss in certain cases, such as when an attack neared a vital area.

Team battles would take place in a secret realm controlled by the school, with Nightmare Beasts present. Each student would wear a watch, and pressing its button would instantly teleport them out of the realm. That was all mentioned, but the specifics of team battle mechanics weren’t disclosed.

Lastly, the exam rewards: For individual battles, first place got 1000 points, second got 700, third got 500, 4th to 10th got 200, 10th to 20th got 100, and 20th to 50th got 50 each. No rewards beyond that.

For team battles, the first-place team’s members each got 500 points, with the team’s MVP getting an extra fifth of the individual reward, or 100 points.

Second-place team members got 200 points each, third got 100, and 4th to 10th got 50. These teams’ MVPs also got a fifth of their respective team’s individual reward. No rewards beyond that.

MVPs were determined by teachers based on actual performance.

The next day in class, Su Bei proactively asked other classmates if they wanted the intel. He wasn’t asking blindly but targeted those with ambition to leave Class F in this exam, ensuring affirmative responses.

He wasn’t greedy. After earning back 100 points, he stopped selling. After all, this was someone else’s intel. Selling too much might upset the source, which wouldn’t be worth it.

The last buyer paid for exclusive rights, so Su Bei earned an extra 50 points. He didn’t care if they resold it, only asking that his identity not be exposed.

Over the next few days, to familiarize himself with faces, Su Bei casually visited the Class C and D classroom entrances. These two classes had the most students, split into four classes with 160 people total.

160 people wasn’t a small number. If he didn’t memorize them now, he might not recall their abilities in time during the competition. Su Bei knew he couldn’t rely on his ability to defeat opponents yet, only his raw strength, so knowing his enemies and preparing in advance was crucial.

On Sunday, the official site launched a new section for the monthly exam called “Arena Betting.” This section would run throughout the exam, focusing on betting on wins and losses.

Like sports betting, for individual battles, except the last day, the section would announce the next day’s matchups a day in advance. Students could bet points on who would win before the matches started. For team battles, they’d bet directly on which team would win.

Su Bei was very interested in this event, though he strongly suspected the school created it to collect points. Everyone knew gambling ensured the house never lost, no matter who won. But that didn’t matter.

Knowing this was a manga world, he was certain betting on the protagonists would earn him a fortune. He currently had 175 points. By the exam’s end, he had a feeling he’d strike it rich.

With everything ready, amid restless anticipation, the highly awaited monthly exam finally arrived!