A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 54

It’s known that those without watches can’t exit, making them easy to capture. Though Qi Huang was a rookie Ability user, her Ability was strong. With her around, she could protect her team. If she kept running off to check noises, she’d be vulnerable to a diversion.

Qi Huang wasn’t dumb. Hearing my words, her expression grew serious, “What do you mean?”

She wouldn’t think I was mocking her for meddling, especially since she’d just helped me.

But I didn’t answer, waving again, “Gotta go.”

Watching my carefree departure, Qi Huang didn’t stop me, just frowned, pondering my words. She didn’t know me well, but after losing to me, she’d looked into my Ability. Ai Baozhu told her it was [Destiny Gear], tied to fate…

Moments later, she stomped her foot and hurried back. Whatever my words meant, sticking with her teammates was the right move.

After leaving, I continued toward the arrow’s direction. This Different Space, supporting nearly 200 people, was quite large. Without a speed-based Ability, it’d take ages to get there on foot.

The farther southeast I went, the more something felt off. Simply put, I encountered too many Nightmare Beasts—more than double the usual amount.

In a dense forest, running into enemies wasn’t easy. I’d recovered some Mental Energy, expanding my detection range.

Thus, I sensed many Nightmare Beasts nearby. In half an hour, I found four sleeping ones and killed one, making five total.

If it were just that, I wouldn’t find it too strange. Maybe they’d always been here, undisturbed. A higher number could mean this was a tougher area.

But the issue was, these Nightmare Beasts were different from before.

Over the past two days, I’d encountered Nightmare Lizards, Nightmare Monkeys, Nightmare Snakes, and Nightmare Hornets—varied species, but all fast.

But what did I just run into? Nightmare Bears, Nightmare Pigs, Nightmare Turtles… No matter how you looked at it, these weren’t speed-focused.

Especially that Nightmare Bear—it was something else. Though Nightmare Beasts differed from regular animals and couldn’t be judged by normal standards, that bear was clearly no weakling.

Before entering, the director said all powerful Nightmare Beasts in the Different Space had been cleared. So how was there a Nightmare Bear?

After noticing the earlier beasts were speed-type, I’d guessed the Academy left them to improve students’ Ability precision. The monthly exam was for ranking and addressing weaknesses.

But these beasts clearly weren’t Academy-arranged. No way they’d set such strong ones for rookie Ability users. Even I struggled against them—others would fare worse.

If not the Academy, then who? I could only think of the mastermind.

It seemed I was right about this direction, or there wouldn’t be so many Nightmare Beasts. Knowing this, I moved more cautiously, focusing most of my Mental Energy ahead to detect enemies without being noticed.

Though I tried avoiding them, I still provoked one or two Nightmare Beasts. These were tough, and shaking or killing them took time.

By the time I reached my destination, it was dark. Luckily, I’d wisely eaten dinner on the way, or I’d be starving and in trouble.

Notably, during the individual battles, I overheard the cafeteria auntie say Nightmare Pig meat was tastier than most Nightmare Beast meat. Sadly, my cooking skills ruined it—it wasn’t as good as Mo Xiaotian’s Nightmare Monkey.

Another odd thing: aside from Qi Huang, I barely saw any students. Teleportation was random, covering the entire Different Space. Even with everyone moving, there shouldn’t be a huge area with no one.

I guessed the mastermind had an Ability or item keeping students away, preventing early exposure of their plot. It wasn’t harmful, but such a wide-ranging Ability, even if useless, was scary.

When my Mental Energy sensed a small house ahead, I crouched and stopped. A house here was definitely man-made—the Academy wouldn’t provide one for students, so it must be the mastermind’s.

I inched forward carefully until the wooden house came into view. Mental Energy could sense rough shapes, but details required eyes.

Several people in school uniforms moved around the house. Those heading out held small boxes, while those going in carried piles of watches. Clearly, the watches collected by the mission stele were being gathered here.

I didn’t know what was in the boxes those leaving carried, but I suspected it was related to the increased Nightmare Beasts.

I was too far to see their Destiny Compasses clearly. Getting closer risked detection—I couldn’t treat them like fools.

Even from a distance, I could tell these people, despite wearing school uniforms, weren’t our students.

For the individual battles, I’d memorized everyone’s faces. I knew all of Class C, D, and F, and didn’t miss Class A. I hadn’t studied Class B closely, but I could tell familiar from unfamiliar faces.

They wore uniforms to explain themselves if caught by students—they weren’t ready to reveal their intentions.

It was the second night, so their plot would likely surface tomorrow. I needed to learn something before that.

How could I get the info I wanted?

I didn’t know their strength, but infiltrating the Academy’s core suggested they weren’t weak. Even if they were, I couldn’t just knock one out. If someone vanished, the others would be on guard.

Got it!

Suddenly, my eyes lit up. I slowly retreated. If I recalled correctly, I’d passed a Nightmare Rabbit on the way. It was fast, naturally, but not strong—likely a native of this Different Space. Catching it could be useful.

“Finally caught it!” Holding the black rabbit by its ears, I sighed in relief.

This Nightmare Rabbit wasn’t strong. Besides speed, its only perk was jumping high. Threatened by my Gears, it calmed down easily.

Thanks to the speed-type Nightmare Beasts I’d faced, I’d honed my skills. Without that practice, I might not have caught it. The Academy’s training worked.

Holding the rabbit, I returned to my spot and deliberately used a Gear to rustle nearby bushes.

“What’s that noise!” Someone sharp-eared heard it and instantly went on alert. Three or four people rushed out of the house, fully armed, cautiously approaching.

When they were close, I released the rabbit, letting it hop out.

Seeing it, they relaxed, “Pfft, just a Nightmare Rabbit. Take it for a snack.”

They didn’t suspect it was a deliberate distraction. How could a first-year rookie catch a Nightmare Rabbit instantly to cover their tracks?

One used an Ability, conjuring a rope to bind the rabbit tightly. He grabbed its ears, and they headed back, laughing and joking.

As they turned, I squinted and finally saw the black lightning tattoo on their necks.

It was the Black Lightning organization!

No doubt, this was good news. With the plot forming, it was better to face a known organization than an unknown one. So far, this seemed the manga’s main antagonist group.

I knew two things about them. One, I discovered Mo Xiaotian was secretly a member. Two, from the manga, they were plotting something.

The latter was useless unless I could guess their plan. Who didn’t know an organization had plans?

The former, though, I could use. If handled well, I might infiltrate them.

But I needed a plan. The real world wasn’t as gullible as manga readers. Without the dimensional wall’s filter, they wouldn’t believe just anything.

I placed a few Trigger-Type Gears in nearby bushes.

These were my new invention. If they touched someone’s fate aura I’d already predicted, they’d stay put. But if a stranger’s aura touched them, they’d vanish. So, they’d stay for Jiang Tianming and the others but disappear for others.

It wasn’t hard—just leave a wisp of Mental Energy on them. I’d just predicted Jiang Tianming’s group, so making these was easy.

I did this on a whim. The protagonist group would come here eventually. If they found my Gears and it got drawn in the manga, it’d naturally lead readers to question my identity.

If they didn’t find them, no loss—I’d think of other plans.

After a moment, I cautiously sent my Mental Energy into the house to sense what was inside.

This was risky. If someone with high-level Mental Energy was there, they’d detect me instantly.

Unlike me, who got high-level Mental Energy through a Cheat, others earned it through hard training, so their strength would far surpass mine. If detected at this range, I couldn’t escape.

But with the watch’s instant exit, I wasn’t too worried. I’d left my breadcrumbs; early withdrawal wasn’t a big deal.

My Mental Energy slowly entered the house, undetected. Besides the few who left, three black-clad people remained.

If I wasn’t mistaken, the most authoritative was a man in a baseball cap. Compared to the others, he felt the most dangerous—a high-level Ability user’s pressure on a rookie.

From their general movements, he seemed to be talking on a walkie-talkie. The other two were staring at something, maybe a screen.

Another person was tied up in a corner. If I was right, it was likely Feng Lan.

If it was him, he was in a pitiful state. Here for a monthly exam, only to be kidnapped right away for two or three days. That’d drive anyone crazy.

But there was good news: Feng Lan was unharmed. Though bound, my Mental Energy sensed no injuries on him. This suggested two things: the enemy hadn’t tortured him, and he hadn’t submitted.

He probably had some protective item. Otherwise, I couldn’t fathom why the Black Lightning organization didn’t harm or mind-control him.

If they could snatch him the moment we entered the Different Space, they’d prepared extensively. Normally, they wouldn’t just neutralize his role—they’d use him if possible.

Not torturing him might be to avoid fully antagonizing Feng Lan and the Feng Family. But not mind-controlling him was odd. Such Abilities were rare, but I didn’t believe a villain group lacked them.

There was nothing else notable in the room.

After gathering intel, I prepared to retreat. It was dark, and while that made sneaking easier, the enemy wasn’t stupid—they’d heighten defenses.

As a rookie, I shouldn’t challenge their lines now. Rescuing Feng Lan? Out of the question. That was the protagonist group’s job—I wasn’t that reckless.

After two hours, the Nightmare Beasts thinned out, and I started a fire to rest.

Lying on a leaf bed, I closed my eyes, thinking about the situation. The Black Lightning organization was causing trouble in the Different Space, and the Academy would find out eventually.

With student eliminations suddenly dropping, anyone with sense would notice. Plus, I’d sent someone to tell Teacher Meng Huai about Feng Lan’s disappearance—they’d investigate.

Though I knew in this manga world, the Academy rarely helped at critical moments, they’d at least offer some aid once aware.

Thinking this, sleepiness overtook me, and I drifted off.

The next morning, my biological clock woke me at dawn. Rubbing my eyes, I instinctively checked my watch.

The moment my gaze landed on it, I twitched my mouth. The familiar interface was gone, replaced by a glaring red warning frame with bold red text.

—“Under no circumstances surrender your watch! Check the latest missions immediately!”

Yesterday, I wondered when the Academy would notice. They responded today. I opened the mission tab, and sure enough, several new missions were highlighted in red at the top.

“Special Mission 1: Without harming classmates, find [those you know] without watches, gather them in a safe place, and protect them.

Reward: 500 points/person”

“Special Mission 2: Students with watches, beware of unfamiliar faces in the forest. If possible, team up with classmates to take them down. (Enemies are very strong. If you can’t handle them, shatter the glass cover to leave immediately.)

Reward: 2000 points/person”

“Welfare Mission 1: Free item shop opened. Exchange items as needed.

Reward: None”

Seeing the welfare mission, my eyes lit up. The Academy was stepping up. They couldn’t enter the Different Space yet, so they were helping this way.

Any help was good. I returned to the main interface and saw a new icon labeled “Item Shop.”

Clicking it, there were only ten items, but each was useful:

“10-Minute Invisibility Charm (Limit 1)”

“Walkie-Talkie (Pair)”

“Jammer (Disrupts Abilities and electronic signals)”

“Fireball Charm (Limit 5)”

“Micro Bomb (Limit 1, 37 in stock)”

“Nightmare Beast Repellent Powder”

“10-Cubic-Meter Storage Bag (Limit 1)”

“Healing Potion”

“…”

(Items must be returned after leaving the Different Space.)

There were also ropes, daggers, and other unlimited common items.

Seeing so many goodies, I quickly exchanged for several. Invisibility Charm was a must, the Jammer was useful, five Fireball Charms, one Micro Bomb, and the Storage Bag—free, so no regrets.

Each time I exchanged, a small spatial wormhole appeared, delivering the items.

Soon, a pile of items sat before me.

I picked up the Jammer first. I’d never seen one and needed to study it.

It was the size of a head, like a miniaturized telegraph with an antenna.

Knowing students hadn’t seen this, it came with a user manual.

I read it carefully and quickly understood. Simply put, turning the knob disrupted all signals within 100 meters, including Ability and electronic signals.

For Ability signals, it caused random issues for everyone in range. Some Abilities would stutter like a dry pen, others would misfire completely.

But you had to watch the display’s gauge. If it neared the limit, you had to stop, or the Jammer would crack and fail. The gauge’s progress depended on the total Ability strength.

Disrupting electronic signals was easier. As an Ability-based item, it handled electronics effortlessly.

Next, I checked the Micro Bomb, another small black box, palm-sized, with a manual.

The manual said it could be set as a trigger or timed bomb. Its explosion range was small but powerful enough to kill. Diagrams clarified its use.

The Academy clearly wanted students to use it to kill enemies—the manual was far more detailed than the Jammer’s.

Charms were simple—just tear to activate.

The Storage Bag was a small, antique-looking pouch, half a palm in size, with an elastic cord to tie to the waist.

I didn’t doubt its space, but could such a small opening hold large items? I pulled it open, and like magic, the tiny mouth stretched wider and wider, beyond my arm’s reach. “Worthy of an Ability,” I marveled, quickly storing the larger items. Charms went in my pocket for easy access.

It was early, just 6 a.m., so others likely weren’t awake. The protagonist group would probably head to the villain’s base soon. I had to use this time to do something.

Returning to the wooden house, having been there yesterday, I was familiar with the route. Maybe due to the Academy’s new missions, the house was crowded now—ten people.

The baseball cap man, likely the leader, was speaking. With a wave, everyone filed out.

This time, they carried nothing, but their aura was intense. Even from afar, I could feel their excitement.

What were they up to? Not collecting watches like yesterday—their demeanor was different.

I guessed the Academy’s message alerted them—they were going hard.