A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 43

“Jiang Tianming,” Su Bei answered without hesitation.

Hearing his response, Lan Subing decisively followed the lead of their group’s Prophet: “Then I’ll pick Jiang Tianming too.”

Mu Tieren and Mo Xiaotian also chimed in unison, without a moment’s pause: “Jiang Tianming!”

Seeing this, Wu Mingbai pursed his lips and looked at Su Bei, grumbling: “You cheating is one thing, but you can’t drag everyone else into it!”

Lan Subing, who knew them best, walked over and extended her palm to Wu Mingbai: “Next time, do your best?”

This time, Wu Mingbai’s smile was genuine. He slapped her hand in a high-five, saying confidently: “Next time, I’ll definitely win!”

He wouldn’t let a single loss get him down. Back when he used to spar with Jiang Tianming, they had both won and lost.

This time, Jiang Tianming had hidden a trump card, catching him off guard. Wu Mingbai was certain he wouldn’t lose so easily next time.

“What about me?” Jiang Tianming also walked over, stretching out his hand to Lan Subing.

Lan Subing stepped forward and high-fived him as well: “Congratulations!”

As they celebrated, the referee approached: “The students advancing are Su Bei, Lan Subing, Si Zhaohua, and Jiang Tianming. Now, we’ll draw lots to determine the next round’s opponents.”

With that, he brought out a lottery tube containing four wooden sticks.

While Su Bei and the others drew lots, Mu Tieren asked: “Teacher, can I go back and take a shower first?”

“I’d also like to visit the infirmary,” Feng Lan added.

“There’s a School Nurse here; I’ll call her for you shortly,” the referee said, addressing Feng Lan’s request first. Then he shook his head at Mu Tieren: “You can’t leave yet. You all have to wait until the first-place winner is decided.”

Meanwhile, the others had finished drawing lots. Su Bei was matched against Si Zhaohua, and Jiang Tianming against Lan Subing.

Facing Si Zhaohua, huh? This outcome was actually quite favorable for Su Bei. As for Jiang Tianming, Su Bei could figure out his trump cards through the manga.

Rather than forcing Jiang Tianming to reveal his cards in a match, Su Bei preferred to establish his persona by exposing Si Zhaohua’s trump card.

Having Si Zhaohua and Wu Mingbai as evenly matched rivals was enough; there was no need to add himself to that mix.

Since Su Bei and Si Zhaohua were relatively unfamiliar with each other, they didn’t exchange pleasantries and simply walked onto the arena.

Having reached the finals, there was no room for carelessness. Si Zhaohua immediately activated his [Angel] Ability, transforming. He gave an elegant bow: “I’ve always been curious about what your Ability is. Now I finally get to see it.”

With a flap of his wings, a dozen feathers shot toward Su Bei like hidden weapons. Su Bei bent backward to dodge the attack, simultaneously using his Mental Energy to control five pointed Gears, launching them at Si Zhaohua as hidden weapons in return.

He hadn’t used this move against Feng Lan because Feng Lan’s ability to predict in advance would have made it ineffective, potentially exposing Su Bei’s trump card without dealing significant damage.

But against Si Zhaohua, he had no such concerns.

Facing the incoming Gears, Si Zhaohua folded his wings, easily blocking the attack, then spread them again: “It seems your attack style is quite similar to mine.”

With that, the outermost layer of feathers on his wings detached entirely, flying toward Su Bei in unison.

“You’re really not afraid of going bald,” Su Bei quipped, gauging the trajectory of the feathers and shifting his body to dodge left and right.

Having barely evaded this wave, before he could relax, Su Bei suddenly heard a whooshing sound from behind.

His pupils contracted, and he instinctively did a sideways flip to dodge. The next second, several feathers flew past where he’d been standing.

But because he dodged too hastily, two feathers grazed him. One tore through his school uniform, ripping it instantly, while the other lightly brushed his cheek, immediately drawing a streak of blood.

These feathers could act like boomerangs!

They didn’t fall to the ground after one pass but returned to Si Zhaohua’s wings, each resuming its place.

Only when all the scattered feathers had returned did Si Zhaohua flash an elegant, refined smile: “Thanks for the concern, but I won’t go bald.”

Su Bei crouched on the ground, wiping the blood from his face, looking up at Si Zhaohua hovering in midair. He knew this wouldn’t do. If things continued like this, he’d only be able to take hits passively.

Even if he was destined to lose, he had to lose with style, right?

He needed to probe further.

With that thought, he flicked his hand, sending five more Gears flying. At first glance, it looked like he’d thrown them, not guided them with Mental Energy.

Due to his larger size with wings, Si Zhaohua couldn’t move quickly. For such relatively wide-ranging attacks, he typically blocked with his wings.

Seeing his defensive move, Su Bei’s eyes lit up. Whenever Si Zhaohua defended, his feathers didn’t attack. Could this be his vulnerability? If Su Bei could exploit the moment between attack and defense, could he deal effective damage?

Though Si Zhaohua wasn’t worried about losing from his elevated position, he had no intention of giving Su Bei an opening. Seeing Su Bei crouching, he immediately launched another few feathers in attack.

Su Bei rolled on the ground to dodge, then sprang up. Glancing sideways, he saw several feathers embedded slightly into the arena floor. If those hit his body…

Sucking in a breath, he immediately conjured ten more Gears, sending five directly at Si Zhaohua. As expected, Si Zhaohua took the bait, folding his wings to shield himself.

Once Si Zhaohua was fully covered, Su Bei instantly used his Mental Energy to guide the five extra Gears he’d conjured to Si Zhaohua’s neck. The moment Si Zhaohua opened his wings, he’d deliver a fatal strike!

But to his surprise, Si Zhaohua spoke with a hint of amusement: “I knew your Ability wasn’t what you showed.”

Without opening his wings, he flicked out five feathers, knocking down Su Bei’s Gears one by one.

“You can still attack while your wings are closed?” Su Bei immediately realized he’d been tricked.

Si Zhaohua’s wings slowly opened, revealing his faintly smiling face. He nodded: “Not only that, I can also see what’s happening outside while inside my wings.”

This was why he had effortlessly knocked down those five Gears without opening his wings.

Great, his earlier plan had clearly failed. Who knew how many people Si Zhaohua had deceived with this tactic? Su Bei sighed, continuing to dodge his opponent’s attacks.

This time, Si Zhaohua didn’t bother pretending. Even while using his wings to block Su Bei’s attacks, he kept launching feathers in offense.

All Su Bei could say was thank goodness Si Zhaohua couldn’t maneuver his wings too flexibly. If Si Zhaohua could also easily change positions, Su Bei might as well surrender now.

The reason he could dodge so many times was, aside from his own agility, primarily because Si Zhaohua’s position remained mostly fixed. As a result, the feathers’ initial attacks all came from one direction.

The boomerang-style attacks that followed could also be easily dodged by Su Bei, who kept his Mental Energy active.

Of course, he had to admit that his ability to dodge so effortlessly and without looking disheveled partly stemmed from his experience fighting Qi Huang. Having faced a similar attack once, the second time naturally felt much easier.

However, this was a significant challenge for Su Bei’s Mental Energy. He not only needed to use it to sense what was happening behind him but also to control it to attack his enemy.

Even though his Gears couldn’t effectively harm Si Zhaohua, he couldn’t stop this action.

If he ceased attacking Si Zhaohua, it would give his opponent more time and opportunity to attack freely. One wrong step would lead to more, and it would become nearly impossible to reorganize an effective counterattack.

While dodging, Su Bei racked his brain for a strategy. If he failed like this, he’d be reduced to a mere foil for Si Zhaohua.

Ordinary attack methods couldn’t possibly harm Si Zhaohua. To deal damage, he needed to catch him off guard. But Si Zhaohua was airborne, with a clear view of the ground. Even when protected by his wings, he could still see outside. How could Su Bei achieve the element of surprise?

Watching another wave of sharp feathers shoot toward him, Su Bei suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

This time, he didn’t dodge—or rather, he didn’t fully dodge. Instead, he deliberately let a feather graze him. As the closest feather was about to pass by his shoulder, he reached behind and grabbed it with a backhand.

Instantly, a bloody gash appeared in his palm. Ignoring the stinging pain, Su Bei didn’t even flinch, conjuring a Gear in his palm and attaching it tightly beneath the feather.

Soon, Si Zhaohua had thrown most of the feathers from his wings and chose to recall them.

He couldn’t release too many feathers at once. While that would make it impossible for Su Bei to dodge them all, it would also leave him without protection.

Compared to Su Bei, a mutual loss would undoubtedly hurt Si Zhaohua more. So, he planned to wear Su Bei down slowly. Dodging these feathers was no easy task, and from Su Bei’s increasingly pale face, it was clear his stamina was taking a hit.

When Su Bei’s stamina was depleted, Si Zhaohua would claim victory.

Seeing the feathers slowly float back toward the airborne boy, Su Bei let go, allowing the feather in his hand to fly up. At the same time, under his Mental Energy’s control, the Gear clung tightly beneath the feather, floating up with it.

To distract Si Zhaohua, he deliberately threw a few Gears as interference. These Gears only grazed by, not aimed to actually harm Si Zhaohua, to avoid him blocking with his wings at this critical moment.

As expected, Si Zhaohua had no guard against his own feathers. After dodging the Gears by shifting slightly, he easily let the feather with the “undercover” Gear return to its place.

Suppressing his excitement, Su Bei threw five more Gears. This time, they weren’t grazing shots but aimed straight for Si Zhaohua’s face. He wanted to force Si Zhaohua to shield his face with his wings.

Seeing the threat of a headshot, Si Zhaohua immediately folded his wings to protect himself.

The moment he fully closed them, the Gear hidden within suddenly sprang into action, its sharp tip shooting toward Si Zhaohua’s throat.

Once contact was made, Su Bei would undoubtedly be declared the winner. As for whether Si Zhaohua would be injured, he wasn’t worried. The school wasn’t foolish; they surely had ample protective measures in place.

“Ugh!”

The next second, a pained grunt echoed. The figure in midair plummeted rapidly. Unfortunately, even as he fell, those wings tightly protected the person inside, leaving Su Bei no chance to follow up.

The referee didn’t step onto the arena, and Su Bei’s heart sank. He knew his plan had likely failed. Unfortunately, he couldn’t sense the situation inside the wings with his Mental Energy, and the Gear had already “lost contact.”

Soon, the wings opened, revealing the scene inside—

Si Zhaohua’s face was dark, blood dripping from his chin. He held a Gear in his hand, slowly looking up at Su Bei: “Very close. You almost succeeded.”

Indeed, it was just a hair’s breadth away. At that moment, within the safety of his wings, Si Zhaohua had completely let his guard down. But he suddenly sensed something amiss with his wings. The next second, he saw a Gear speeding toward him.

In a panic, he couldn’t react otherwise and instinctively ducked his head. This duck saved him from a fatal hit, taking the attack on his chin instead.

This was the first time in Si Zhaohua’s life that he’d faced such a severe attack. While he felt lingering fear, he wasn’t particularly angry. Being hit was his own fault for being outplayed by Su Bei. Getting outsmarted in a school arena was far better than in a real battlefield.

For the first time, he took this opponent seriously, solemnly calling his name: “Su Bei, you’re impressive. Next, I’ll use my strongest move to show my respect for you. [Holy Judgment]—”

Su Bei: “?”

When they left the arena, Su Bei’s face was sour, while Si Zhaohua was pale and visibly drained. Both were battle-worn, with injuries on their faces.

But the atmosphere between them was noticeably better than before entering the arena. Si Zhaohua had shed much of his earlier arrogance, and though Su Bei’s expression wasn’t great, his willingness to walk side by side with Si Zhaohua showed his stance.

“What… are you two imitating me and Zhou Renjie?” Mu Tieren asked uncertainly, looking at them. He wasn’t referring to their improved rapport but their states—one with a sour face, the other weak.

Baozhu had already rushed over to support Si Zhaohua: “Zhaohua, are you okay?”

Si Zhaohua glanced at her: “Not calling me Young Master Si anymore?”

Baozhu’s face flushed—truly turning tomato-red—and she snapped in embarrassment: “Don’t you think calling you Young Master Si sounds cool?”

Si Zhaohua smiled without responding.

Su Bei, walking beside Si Zhaohua, finally couldn’t take it anymore: “That’s super cringey. Also, I think he’s not okay. After the monthly exam, take him to get his head checked.”

Baozhu: “?”

She froze, looked at Su Bei, then at Si Zhaohua, suddenly recalling a crucial question she’d forgotten to ask in her concern: “Who won?”

Before, she would never have doubted Si Zhaohua’s victory. But their conditions were too confusing—both with injured faces, Si Zhaohua so weak.

Honestly, Baozhu knew Si Zhaohua’s Ability. To her, it was already unbelievable that Su Bei could injure him, so unbelievable that she couldn’t be sure of the match’s outcome.

Mo Xiaotian and the others crowded over, all curious about the result.

“I won,” Si Zhaohua answered.

Before Baozhu could breathe a sigh of relief, Su Bei coolly added: “But he’s definitely going to lose the next round.”

“Why?” Baozhu asked instinctively.

Su Bei sneered, mimicking Si Zhaohua’s earlier tone: “‘[Holy Judgment]’!”

The answer was so unexpected that Baozhu took a moment to process it, then widened her eyes in shock, exclaiming: “You used that move?!”

“What move, what move?” Mo Xiaotian eagerly joined in. “The one he was forced to use that day?”

Si Zhaohua nodded: “He’s strong. I didn’t want to lose.”

The implication was that, in his view, without his ultimate move, he might have lost.

Even Baozhu, who idolized Si Zhaohua unconditionally, didn’t refute this. She knew that if Su Bei could injure Si Zhaohua once under his near-invincible defense, he could do it again.

And Si Zhaohua’s injury was in a delicate spot—between his neck and chin. It didn’t take much to realize the wound was meant for his throat, only dodged at the last moment.

“What about the finals?” Baozhu couldn’t help but worry. She knew that after using his ultimate move, Si Zhaohua’s Mental Energy would be completely drained. Let alone using it again, even activating his Ability would be taxing.

Si Zhaohua wasn’t too concerned: “Lan Subing’s [Word Spirit] can’t affect me…”

Before he could finish, Su Bei interrupted: “Jiang Tianming. The winner will be Jiang Tianming.”

Both froze, then exchanged a glance, recalling what Feng Lan had said about Su Bei possibly having prophetic abilities.

But Baozhu couldn’t understand: “How’s that possible? Can Jiang Tianming resist [Word Spirit]?”

Though she looked down on Lan Subing, she was well aware of the power of her Ability. After all, she herself had been eliminated by [Word Spirit], and the feeling of utter powerlessness still lingered.

Su Bei didn’t respond. He only knew the outcome; as for how Jiang Tianming would win, that would only be clear after reading the manga.

After a moment’s silence, Si Zhaohua chose to believe him: “Then it’s even simpler. Even if I can only use my Ability minimally, I can easily defeat Jiang Tianming.”

Looking at his confident demeanor, Su Bei could hardly bear to watch. Wu Mingbai outright sneered: “Nice dream, but our team will be taking that first place!”

Si Zhaohua ignored Wu Mingbai’s provocation and continued to Su Bei: “Your physical skills are impressive. Have you been training since you were young?”

He was arguably the first to truly face Su Bei’s physical prowess. If he didn’t know Su Bei’s Ability, he might have thought it was related to physical combat.

Su Bei nodded.

“How strong?” Baozhu asked curiously. She knew Si Zhaohua well and understood that for Su Bei to earn such praise, his physical skills must be exceptional.

Sure enough, Si Zhaohua slowly uttered four words: “First among freshmen.”

As he spoke, Jiang Tianming and Lan Subing walked out together. Both were good-natured with friends and didn’t play games, directly announcing the result.

Jiang Tianming: “I won.”

Seeing everyone’s knowing expressions, not a single person showing surprise, Jiang Tianming paused. He first looked at Si Zhaohua’s group, puzzled why they didn’t question him.

Then, he suddenly showed understanding, his gaze shifting to Su Bei: “You… guessed it?”

Su Bei nodded: “Congratulations.”

Jiang Tianming studied Su Bei, immediately noticing the wound on his face. Thinking of the injury on Si Zhaohua’s face earlier, he finally remembered to ask a key question: “So, who’s my opponent in the next round?”

“It’s Si Zhaohua,” Su Bei answered calmly. He had calmed down now, but thinking back to that moment, it still felt absurd. Why bother? Su Bei thought. After his attack failed, he had virtually no chance of winning. He was ready to give up, but Si Zhaohua suddenly used his ultimate move.

But now, it didn’t seem entirely bad. Unlike the time Si Zhaohua was forced to use his ultimate, this time—perhaps because it was a proper match—the referee didn’t stop him immediately. Only when [Holy Judgment] was about to fully unleash did the referee appear with a large shield, blocking the attack.

Because of this, aside from the final strike, Su Bei had fully experienced the effects of [Holy Judgment].

When Si Zhaohua shouted those words, Su Bei felt completely locked onto. The lock was inescapable, and whether due to the skill’s overwhelming suppression, he had no desire to dodge, only able to stand and await judgment.

Though he didn’t try to escape, every cell in his body screamed danger. Su Bei was certain that if the skill hit him, he’d almost certainly die.

Among novice Ability users, such a skill was a complete dimensional crush.

Thinking this, he couldn’t help but ask inwardly: “Using [Holy Judgment] at this moment—could he have been influenced by the author’s whims?”

If Si Zhaohua had saved this skill for the finals, Su Bei couldn’t imagine how Jiang Tianming could win.

Of course, even if that were the truth, he wouldn’t blame Jiang Tianming in his heart. They were all tools of the author’s pen; there was no point in one laughing at another.

[Manga Consciousness] was, as always, prompt: “No, even if he hadn’t used the skill, Jiang Tianming would have defeated him.”

Of course, what it really wanted to say was that even if the author had manipulated Si Zhaohua into using his ultimate, the goal was to ensure his victory.

[Manga Consciousness] couldn’t fathom why Su Bei acted as if Si Zhaohua could easily win without his ultimate. Wasn’t it Su Bei himself who had injured Si Zhaohua and nearly eliminated him?

In fact, that moment was the author’s interference. Si Zhaohua had to win, so he dodged that attack. Otherwise, Su Bei would have been the victor.

Though [Manga Consciousness] said this, Su Bei found it hard to believe: “How could he win? He only has three summonable dead, right? The first-season BOSS who can control objects, a woman who looks a lot like him—probably his mother—and someone who hasn’t appeared yet. Is there anyone among them who could block that guy’s ultimate?”

Honestly, that would be a bit too far-fetched. At least for now, Jiang Tianming’s [Death Summon] Ability didn’t seem to operate beyond his own capacity.

Take the first-season BOSS, for example. Their object-control ability was extremely powerful, capable of manipulating objects far heavier than themselves. But Jiang Tianming only used this Ability to control small, light objects, somewhat resembling his advanced Mental Energy.

Thus, Su Bei had always speculated that while Jiang Tianming could wield the Abilities of the summoned dead through [Death Summon], he could only use the portions he could control, not as powerfully as the dead had in life.

And as he’d said, Si Zhaohua’s [Holy Judgment] was on a different level from novice Ability users. They simply couldn’t withstand it.

“Who said you can only block it head-on? You could also…” Halfway through, [Manga Consciousness] suddenly realized it might be spoiling and promptly shut up.

Su Bei raised an eyebrow, tactfully not pressing further, but his mind began mulling over what [Manga Consciousness] had said.

Not just blocking it? Then how else could it be countered?

Suddenly, a spark flashed in Su Bei’s mind, and he thought of a possibility.

“…”

If that were true, his expression grew complicated: “That’s truly a protagonist’s signature move.”

[Manga Consciousness] didn’t know what Su Bei had guessed to say that, but it didn’t dare ask, slinking away silently.

When Su Bei snapped back to reality, Jiang Tianming and the others had walked up to him. Having just finished a match, they could rest before the next one, and during this time, they had some questions for Su Bei.

“Why didn’t you use your Ability before the match?” Jiang Tianming asked hesitantly.