A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 39

The next period of time, Su Bei didn’t rest but practiced controlling his Mental Energy on his bed. The book he’d read earlier had plenty of content on this, so he could manage some basic practice.

Controlling Mental Energy was similar to meditation. Though it was practice, it wasn’t too exhausting. Practicing with eyes closed all night, he woke the next day feeling as if he’d slept.

But it was still different from actual sleep. At least after a real sleep, Su Bei wouldn’t feel mentally drained. Now, his mind was filled with thoughts of having to get up without having slept, leaving him utterly exhausted.

Sighing, he got up to wash. Today, he’d face a Class A opponent. If nothing unexpected happened, he’d likely need to show his newly gained ability. It all depended on how well he’d practiced last night.

The past two days’ matches had eliminated many students, leaving just over sixty on the field today.

The third day’s rules changed significantly. First, opponents were randomly matched, no longer restricted by class divisions. Second, the matches over these two days were closed-off, with the school withholding results until the monthly exam ended.

The reasons were twofold: one, to keep some suspense for the team battle betting; two, the teachers knew that to win against strong opponents, everyone would go all out. Some things weren’t suitable for public display, so it was easier to keep it closed from the start.

Before the matches, every student signed an Ability-enforced agreement not to disclose anything about these two days’ arena events to others.

The individual battle betting would end today. Before tomorrow’s matches concluded, all participants, eliminated or not, couldn’t leave the field to prevent win-loss information from leaking.

Additionally, these two days’ matches would be decided solely by the referee’s announcement, not by one side falling off the arena, though that rule still applied with referee confirmation.

The field still had ten arenas, but they were much larger than before, each 30×30. This time, not only could the students inside not see outside, but those outside couldn’t see in either.

Mu Tieren and Wu Jin were in the first batch. Wu Jin’s face was obscured by his hair, making his expression unreadable. Mu Tieren, however, was unusually tense.

He let out a long breath, opening up to his close teammates: “Honestly, as a Class F student, making it this far is already impressive. Even if I get eliminated, I haven’t let down the Class Monitor role Teacher Meng gave me.”

Indeed, most Class F students hadn’t survived the first round. Not being part of the protagonist group, they were mostly matched against Class D students.

Though Class D students were nearly ordinary, they still easily defeated Class F students. Before the matches even began, their spirits were broken. Without the will to win, victory was near impossible.

By comparison, Mu Tieren, as Class Monitor, reaching this point was remarkable, proving Meng Huai’s good judgment.

But they all knew Mu Tieren had an unspoken “but.”

The next second, Mu Tieren looked up: “But I don’t want to just give up. Does Class F always have to lose to Class A? I don’t know, but I want to try!”

“Class Monitor, do your best,” Jiang Tianming said, avoiding blind assurances like “You’ll definitely win,” opting for a calmer, more acceptable encouragement. “None of us will give up.”

More than motivating himself, Mu Tieren wanted to inspire others.

Sure enough, hearing Jiang Tianming, Mu Tieren’s face finally showed a hint of ease.

Mo Xiaotian, beside them, instinctively joined the hype: “I’ll try hard too… huh? Is it weird for me to say that here?”

He was part of the Class A they were aiming to beat.

At that, everyone couldn’t help but laugh.

While their side was relaxed, Si Zhaohua’s group nearby wasn’t as at ease.

Zhou Renjie had no expectations for Wu Jin, who was about to compete. He didn’t think reaching the third day was impressive, just dumb luck.

“Just surrender when you get up there,” he said impatiently. “Saves time for the rest of us.”

Surprisingly, before Wu Jin could respond, Zhao Xiaoyu spoke: “The matches only move to the next round when the whole round ends. Coming out early won’t make others compete faster.”

Her words made Zhou Renjie lose face, and he snorted: “So what? You’ll all lose anyway. Early or late, it’s the same, isn’t it?”

This time, Zhao Xiaoyu didn’t argue back, just smiled silently. She’d spoken up for Wu Jin not out of kindness but because she didn’t want to surrender either. Speaking for Wu Jin now was like speaking for her future self.

Wu Jin remained as silent as ever. Honestly, if he weren’t about to compete, Zhou Renjie wouldn’t have noticed him.

At that moment, laughter from Jiang Tianming’s group came from nearby. Zhou Renjie glared at them with disdain: “No idea what they’re laughing about. Laughing that they’ll get to rest today?”

Baozhu, who also looked down on Jiang Tianming’s group, hadn’t spoken earlier but now chimed in: “Who knows what they’re thinking? Maybe they’re dreaming they can beat us?”

Hearing this, Si Zhaohua stirred. He first glanced at the cheerful group, then quickly turned back with a cold snort: “Absolutely impossible. But that Su Bei, you’d better be careful.”

Saying this, he glanced at Feng Lan, who was detached: “Feng Lan, do you know what Su Bei’s Ability is?”

His focus on Su Bei came from knowing Feng Lan and Su Bei were closest since school started, often seen together. He trusted Feng Lan’s judgment, not believing he’d befriend an ordinary person.

Out of Class A’s top pride, Si Zhaohua hadn’t bothered with others’ Ability intel before. He only asked now on a whim.

Then, to his surprise, Feng Lan shook his head: “I don’t know. But he probably has a Prophecy ability too.”

“Prophecy ability?”

Now, Baozhu and Zhou Renjie couldn’t help but look over. They hadn’t expected Class F to have such a person. And if Feng Lan said so, Su Bei’s Prophecy ability must not be weak.

“Is that why you chose to go to Class F?” Baozhu couldn’t help but ask.

Like Si Zhaohua, she had known about Feng Lan, the young master of the Feng Family, before school started. She was surprised he was assigned to Class F, instinctively thinking his Ability might have given him some hint.

Now it seemed possible that Feng Lan had gone to Class F specifically to connect with Su Bei, another Prophecy Ability user?

To everyone’s surprise again, Feng Lan hesitated for a long time before shaking his head once more: “…I don’t know.”

This time, he didn’t add anything, clearly unwilling to say more. The others, tactful, didn’t press further, but they were all pondering the question.

If Feng Lan didn’t know whether he went to Class F for Su Bei, it likely wasn’t the case. Otherwise, after so much time together, how could he not have confirmed?

Then what was he in Class F for?

Moreover, Su Bei, with a Prophecy ability, should never have been placed in Class F by any logic, yet he chose to hide his Ability to stay there. Could his purpose be the same as Feng Lan’s? What secrets did Class F hold?

With such doubts, the first round of matches began.

Since they couldn’t see inside, everyone outside was a bit idle, only able to size each other up.

Clearly, Jiang Tianming’s mostly Class F team drew the most attention. Aside from them, Zhao Xiaoyu, and Wu Jin, no other Class F students were present.

But it wasn’t a small number. Proportionally, Class F had a higher advancement rate than Class D.

At this stage, newbie Ability users’ fights didn’t involve much strategy. In just five minutes, Mu Tieren emerged, covered in wounds. He was the second to come out, and this order filled Jiang Tianming and the others with hope.

Sure enough, Mu Tieren’s face was full of smiles: “Mission accomplished.”

On the other side, the defeated Class A student looked at Mu Tieren’s back with a complex expression, never expecting to lose. But due to the contract, he couldn’t share what happened in the arena. He could only sigh deeply and leave the field dejectedly.

Baozhu’s face was full of disbelief: “What? How did he win? Wang Lei’s Ability is [Ten Thousand Arrows], shouldn’t the referee have declared Wang Lei the winner as soon as they stepped on the stage? How could that Class F guy win?”

Zhou Renjie glared at the defeated boy, his face dark: “Such a disgrace to Class A. If I were a teacher, I’d send him to Class B after this monthly exam.”

“No need for that,” Baozhu said, frowning slightly at his words. After a month together, she could tell Zhou Renjie was serious. If not stopped, even if he couldn’t get the boy kicked out of Class A after the exam, he’d definitely lead the bullying.

Honestly, Baozhu didn’t like Zhou Renjie much, but their families were currently cooperating, and he was especially polite to her and Si Zhaohua, so she tolerated him.

Another reason was that Baozhu wasn’t sure what Si Zhaohua thought. Class A students, due to their strong Abilities, were somewhat arrogant. Unlike at their previous elite academies, where their status drew flocks of followers, here they didn’t.

Baozhu feared that driving Zhou Renjie away would leave just her and Si Zhaohua, making them look too pitiful.

But if Zhou Renjie actively bullied others, she’d definitely distance herself. Baozhu considered herself a good kid. At her old elite academy, she wouldn’t stop bullying, a “tradition,” but she’d never do it herself or want those around her to.

Just this principle was enough for those around her to praise her kindness extravagantly.

“Of course, of course, I was just saying,” Zhou Renjie replied with an awkward smile, though no one knew his true thoughts.

Si Zhaohua, who hadn’t paid attention to their conversation, suddenly spoke: “That Class F guy probably won because he’s likely a close-combat Ability user. Wang Lei has little resistance once approached, perfectly countered by him.”

Baozhu’s attention was immediately drawn, nodding in agreement: “I knew his win was just luck. If it was any other Class A student, he wouldn’t have won.”

“There are two more rounds today anyway. I don’t believe he’ll make it to tomorrow!” Zhou Renjie said confidently. “And aside from him, no other Class F will win.”

Just as he finished, Wu Jin’s arena match result came out. Wu Jin’s Class C opponent emerged first, meaning Wu Jin won. But he was clutching one arm, hunched over, clearly badly injured.

His opponent, also in pain, was clutching an arm too.

Zhou Renjie: “…”

Even he hadn’t expected his words to be slapped in the face so soon, and by someone from his own team.

“How did you win?” he asked, shocked.

Mu Tieren’s win was one thing—big, strong, full of spirit, it was understandable.

But Wu Jin?

Honestly, Zhou Renjie found it unbelievable he’d passed the first two days. Yet not only did he pass, he defeated a Class C student today. Though Zhou Renjie didn’t think much of Class C, it was surely stronger than Class F, right?

How did he win?

But Wu Jin just silently shook his head, saying nothing. Bound by the contract, his silence was correct. Soon after emerging, the School Nurse took him and his opponent away.

On the other side, Jiang Tianming and the others also noticed Wu Jin’s victory. Unlike Zhou Renjie’s group, they weren’t too surprised. From the first day’s matches, they could tell Wu Jin was someone with ideas. His chances of winning were low, but never zero.

Su Bei, Mo Xiaotian, Feng Lan, Zhao Xiaoyu, and Zhou Renjie were all in the second round. After the first round’s contestants emerged, it was time for the second.

Not in the mood to listen to their mutual encouragement, Su Bei took the lead and walked toward the arena. Once inside, everything outside turned into white fog. Only the 30×30-meter arena remained normal.

Not long after he stepped up, his opponent arrived. She was a rather pretty girl with red hair and red eyes, exuding a fiery intensity. If nothing unexpected happened, she was almost certainly a fire-type Ability user.

After stepping onto the stage, the girl looked at Su Bei and sighed, leaving him utterly confused about her intentions.

“Hello, I’m your opponent this time, Qi Huang,” the girl said, fairly amicably, without giving Su Bei a chance to respond. She continued, “It’s not easy for Class F to make it this far. If I weren’t your opponent, I’d probably hope you’d win. Unfortunately…”

Hearing this, Su Bei immediately understood. It seemed she was very confident in her victory, delivering a “victory speech” in advance.

If an average person heard this, they’d likely feel angry. But Su Bei didn’t. On the contrary, he was quite pleased.

For Qi Huang to say such things before the match’s outcome was decided showed confidence bordering on arrogance. This was good news for him. His Ability was currently useless in combat, so if his opponent didn’t slip up, he had no chance of winning.

Arrogance was great—he loved watching overconfident people lose everything.

Thinking this, he deliberately sighed, feigning disappointment at his bad luck.

His reaction was entirely within Qi Huang’s expectations. She slightly raised her chin: “Out of respect for you, I’ll tell you my Ability. I hope you can hold on a bit longer.”

Su Bei immediately looked up at her, saying sincerely: “Thank you, you’re really a good person.”

Completely missing the sarcasm, Qi Huang nodded approvingly: “Even if you say that, I won’t let you win. My Ability is [Flame Phoenix]. I can currently summon a small phoenix to fight alongside me. Don’t underestimate this phoenix—it has multiple skills like fire-breathing, high heat, and fireball. It alone is enough to deal with you.”

Who would dare underestimate it? Su Bei nearly gave a bitter smile. Was this the kind of Ability that got into Class A? He’d thought Si Zhaohua was an exception, but it seemed to be the norm.

Having said her piece, feeling she’d been fair, Qi Huang waved her right hand, and a fiery red phoenix shadow appeared beside her.

The moment the phoenix appeared, Su Bei could clearly feel the air in the entire arena heat up, hinting at the intense temperature of the phoenix.

If that thing got close, he’d probably be declared the loser instantly, right?

Thinking this, Su Bei started running with long strides.

Qi Huang wasn’t in a hurry, even leisurely letting Su Bei run a few steps before saying lightly: “Go.”

As soon as she spoke, the fire phoenix flapped its wings and charged straight at Su Bei. Qi Huang thought this would easily secure her victory, but she soon noticed a problem—Su Bei’s running speed was too fast. The phoenix, still small, though capable of flight, wasn’t quick and could only chase Su Bei in circles.

Seeing this, Qi Huang frowned, not wanting to drag it out, and shouted: “Fireball!”

The next second, Su Bei felt a heat behind him. Glancing back while running, he saw the fire phoenix’s beak open wide, a fist-sized fireball gradually forming inside.

Su Bei’s heart jolted. Though Qi Huang had mentioned the phoenix’s fireball skill, he hadn’t expected she could actually use it! And judging by her still-normal expression, this skill likely wasn’t a one-time use.

He absolutely couldn’t get hit by it! Gritting his teeth, Su Bei sped up, running toward Qi Huang. If he could get close to her, the phoenix might hesitate to attack.

But Qi Huang wasn’t foolish. Seeing Su Bei coming for her, she understood his plan.

If the phoenix were more advanced, it wouldn’t harm its master, Qi Huang. But at its current low level, the moment she saw Su Bei trying to redirect the danger, the red-haired girl turned and ran.

She knew Su Bei couldn’t outrun an active fireball. She just had to hold out until the phoenix’s energy was fully charged.

Seeing Qi Huang run too, Su Bei couldn’t help but lament inwardly. If this were a running race, he’d catch her soon. But the fireball behind him clearly wouldn’t give him that chance.

He needed a different approach.

He kept running forward, pretending he hadn’t changed his strategy. But the Mental Energy he’d barely mastered last night was locked onto the phoenix’s fireball behind him.

In his Mental Energy’s perception, the fireball grew larger. The second before it was about to launch, in a flash of inspiration, Su Bei made a snap decision. He spun around and dove forward, sliding behind the fire phoenix.

The next second, the fireball hit exactly where he would’ve been if he’d kept running.

No time to rest, Su Bei got up and ran in the opposite direction. The fire phoenix, having missed its shot, couldn’t use the skill again for now and could only try to chase him.

“You dodged once, but you won’t dodge a second time,” Qi Huang said, finally growing anxious as her fireball missed.

She shouted, “Next time, we’ll be ready, and you’re done. If you don’t want to get hurt, surrender now!”

Su Bei naturally ignored such surrender demands. But he knew Qi Huang was right. His reverse slide could only work once; the second time, they’d be prepared.

Mental Energy—he had to use it now. He couldn’t beat the fire phoenix on his own. Running with his head down, he racked his brain. What could he do with Mental Energy? Sense the entire field, move small objects, create simple tactile sensations.

But sensing the field had no attack power, moving objects was limited to tiny ones, and creating sensations couldn’t even nudge someone slightly.

At first glance, none seemed useful!

Suddenly, Su Bei’s eyes flashed, and he turned around, sprinting toward Qi Huang again.

Seeing his actions, Qi Huang was puzzled. She could be harmed by the fireball but not by the phoenix’s heat. Su Bei coming her way wouldn’t subdue her quickly. And once she held him, the phoenix would arrive in moments.

Though confused, Qi Huang assumed Su Bei had lost his head. Facing the boy charging at her, she stood fearless, ready to grab him and let the phoenix deliver the final blow.

To avoid being knocked off the arena by his charge, she even stepped forward a few paces.

Her thinking wasn’t wrong. If Qi Huang stayed fully alert, focused only on holding Su Bei, he’d have no way to counter her. She just needed to hold on for a second, and the phoenix would arrive.

But Su Bei was betting she couldn’t hold that second.

A meter before her arm could touch him, Su Bei suddenly spoke: “You’ve lost. I’ve placed a weapon at your vital point.”

Sure enough, before his words fully landed, Qi Huang felt something cold press against the back of her neck.

Attacked in such a dangerous spot, Qi Huang instinctively turned her head.

And that turn exposed her vulnerable back to Su Bei.

How could Su Bei waste this carefully calculated, hard-won opportunity? He immediately struck a hand chop hard on the back of Qi Huang’s neck!

“Ugh…” Qi Huang’s vision went dark, her body went limp, and she collapsed.

The moment she lost consciousness, the fire phoenix, its claws nearly touching Su Bei, suddenly vanished.

Ignoring the faint burning pain on his back, Su Bei chuckled lightly: “I won, right?”

The referee came onto the stage, seeing Qi Huang truly incapacitated, and nodded: “Qi Huang versus Su Bei, Su Bei wins.”