A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 55

Sensing the baseball cap man, left alone in the house, tinkering with something, I quickly set up the Jammer and activated it.

When not disrupting, the Jammer’s electronic mode could only detect electronic activity.

Through its built-in earpiece, I soon heard the baseball cap man talking to his superior.

“Yes, the Saint hasn’t contacted me,” he said humbly, a stark contrast to his commanding presence earlier, his tone full of respect.

Saint?

I raised an eyebrow. If I was right, this Saint was Mo Xiaotian. Since he’d been with me, he hadn’t contacted them.

But Mo Xiaotian as a Saint? That sounded absurd.

The voice on the other end was low, androgynous, “It’s unrelated to the Saint. Not contacting you to avoid exposure is expected.”

“You’re right. The Saint just needs to focus on studying,” the baseball cap man agreed. He wasn’t clear on why the Saint was at the Endless Ability Academy, but it was surely a big mission, unlike his small-time antics.

“The Academy is responding. I’m preparing to capture those students early.”

“Good job. They’ll break the Different Space’s seal by the day after tomorrow at the latest. Before then, capture as many students as you have watches!” the androgynous leader ordered.

“Yes!” the baseball cap man replied firmly, then added, “The organization’s list of Academy-provided items includes a Jammer that can disrupt electronic signals. I won’t be able to contact you further.”

A cautious move, and the leader had no objections, “Fine. We sent that list to prepare you. Be careful. I have nothing else…”

As he spoke, I decisively used the Jammer to redirect the call to myself.

Mimicking the androgynous voice as best I could, I said lowly, “By the way, one more thing.”

“What?” The baseball cap man didn’t suspect anything. He wouldn’t think someone could already use a Jammer to hijack his call.

The difference between my imitation and the real voice was slight, and the phone’s distortion masked it further.

Hearing no suspicion, I sighed in relief. As a teen, I’d been fascinated by voice-changing and learned from my father, though I hadn’t used it much after my voice changed.

It came in handy now. Skills really should be versatile.

I continued in a deep voice, “Besides the Saint, there’s another hidden agent in the Academy. If needed, you can seek their help.”

“Hidden agent?” The baseball cap man was surprised, “One of ours?”

I had no intention of joining Black Lightning, so I denied it, “No, a collaborator.”

After thinking, I added, “Fire a signal flare into the sky, and they’ll come to you. But their help comes at a high cost. Best not to use it.”

I didn’t reveal my identity on the call, as Feng Lan was in the room, and I didn’t know if he was awake or unconscious. Better to be cautious.

Hearing me, the baseball cap man felt this collaborator seemed unreliable. But since his superior said they could be used at a cost, it should be fine.

All motives boil down to profit, the strongest bond. From my brief description, he formed an initial impression: a capable merchant.

After hanging up, I waited patiently. Confirming he’d turned off all electronics, I left reassured.

“Rest here for now?” I lay leisurely on a sturdy tree branch, five meters up, surrounded by dense leaves that hid me well.

As I’d said, my character was the type to vanish first when the protagonist group faced danger.

Wasn’t this a perfect chance to disappear?

Having set my hidden line, I didn’t plan to join this event. Unlike the protagonist group, who always escaped danger, I could actually die.

As a rookie Ability user, if I weren’t worried about missing a key opportunity, I’d have shattered the glass cover and left already.

I guessed the Academy had some confidence, likely ensuring most students wouldn’t be in danger. Otherwise, facing a villain invasion, they’d have evacuated those who could leave before planning a rescue.

We were just one-month-in Ability users, not ready for real missions. The Academy likely saw this as a chance to train us, hence the self-rescue setup.

Though I thought this, I wasn’t certain I’d come through unscathed. With nothing pressing, and the protagonist group sure to defeat the villains, I’d stay safe and lay low.

Maybe my spot was bad, but two hours after lying down, someone arrived.

It was Si Zhaohua.

He’d run here but was clearly exhausted, panting heavily, and hid behind the tree I was in.

The moment he hid, two adults in school uniforms chased after him. As adults, their stamina was better, and they weren’t too tired from the pursuit.

Seeing him vanish, they stopped and exchanged glances.

“Did he keep running?” One stepped forward to continue.

The other stopped him, sneering, “Vanished suddenly? He’s hiding.”

Realizing this, the first stopped. The area had a small clearing, and they weren’t far from Si Zhaohua. At his speed, he couldn’t just disappear.

He raised his voice, “I suggest you stop hiding and surrender. With your status, we won’t do anything to you.”

Before this operation, they’d researched notable first-year students, targeting the strong ones.

The speaker’s Ability was [Flight Suppression], not strong but highly specific, countering anyone with flight Abilities.

The smarter one chimed in, “Exactly. Your friends are already caught. If you don’t surrender, we can’t guarantee how we’ll treat them.”

Si Zhaohua, hiding behind the tree, gritted his teeth. They’d hit his exact worry. Ai Baozhu and Zhou Renjie might not escape far, and if caught, what would happen?

But he didn’t come out. He knew that if he got caught now, he’d lose all leverage. These people dared to provoke the Academy—would they fear his family?

Watching from the tree, I didn’t move. Si Zhaohua wouldn’t be in danger, and I was curious about what’d happen next.

The two waited, and seeing no one emerge, they stopped wasting time and began searching the clearing. At their pace, they’d find him soon.

With no choice, Si Zhaohua tore an Invisibility Charm to hide himself and quickly left.

After searching and finding only his tracks behind the tree, they realized they’d missed him and angrily kicked the tree.

The smarter one said, “He used an Invisibility Charm. No matter, it’s one per person. Next time we meet, he’s done.”

“Such a pity. Once the watch is off, it goes black and can’t be used. It’d be great to use their own stuff against them,” the other said wistfully, craving an Invisibility Charm for curiosity’s sake.

Invisibility was rare, and only a powerhouse like the Academy could offer so many at once.

The welfare shop was a new Academy feature to counter them. Once a watch was removed, you couldn’t access the shop or even see it.

But their organization had shared the shop’s item list in advance, so with preparation, they were hard to trick.

The other laughed, “Dream on. You think they’re idiots?”

If the Academy didn’t restrict it at all, they wouldn’t dare use it. No one’s a fool. If the Academy allowed it, they weren’t afraid of it being used. Who knew what traps were in those items?

They left together, arm in arm.

After they left, I raised an eyebrow. I’d just learned that removed watches went black.

The baseball cap man had said he knew the welfare shop’s contents because outside organization members told him.

This revealed a shocking secret: there was a mole in the Academy!

And they’d have to be involved in the shop’s design to know its contents. I didn’t believe the Academy would share that widely—it was an internal secret.

This meant there was not only a mole but one with high status.

No wonder the killer who got Sun Ming slipped in—the Academy had internal issues.

This was bad news for others, but for me, it wasn’t necessarily bad—it could be used.

Thinking this, I closed my eyes again.

As I pondered, the long-absent Manga Consciousness appeared, “You don’t need to be so cautious.”

I smiled, “About what?”

I was playing dumb. It clearly meant my refusal to join the main plot.

“You’ve already judged no one will die easily this time. What’s to fear?” Manga Consciousness asked directly. Most of my thoughts were open to it, except some. We were in the same boat—if I was wrong, it could hint at it, even if rules limited it.

Hearing this, I knew I was right. The Academy wasn’t fully prepared but had some measures for this danger.

It made sense. No matter how safe this place was, it was a Different Space full of Nightmare Beasts. For student safety, the Academy had to have backups. The watch was great, but you always need a plan B.

And it was proving useful.

I shook my head, “But what can I do?”

The individual battles had shown my abilities. Team battles were for bonding. Joining the plot now without forming ties or friendships would make me look inferior.

But forming them would make it hard to stay detached later.

This way was better—find a safe spot to rest. If something needed doing, I could join later.

Manga Consciousness wanted to ask if I didn’t care about the plot but recalled I didn’t join the hunt for Sun Ming’s killer either.

I’d been consistent, and it couldn’t persuade me otherwise.

But it didn’t warn me that, by some twist of luck, my spot was about to get eventful.

I couldn’t stay quiet.

Sure enough, Si Zhaohua returned soon after. He was smart, knowing this spot was just searched and they wouldn’t expect him to come back.

Their Ability somehow stopped him from flying. While [Angel]’s power didn’t rely on flight, for a rookie like him, it was the easiest to master and ensured safety.

Without flight, his big move could only handle one person. His wings could protect him when closed, but only from harm—not capture.

And his defense, sufficient against first-years, wasn’t enough against strong Ability users.

“What’s going on?” Si Zhaohua looked at the new missions on his watch, “The Academy’s doing?”

“Probably not,” a voice came from the forest.

Si Zhaohua spun around like a startled cat, seeing Jiang Tianming, whom he never got along with, step out. He’d clearly lost his teammates too.

Seeing a familiar face, even one he didn’t like, Si Zhaohua sighed in relief, then frowned, “How do you know?”

Jiang Tianming didn’t hide it, “You know about Sun Ming from Class F being killed at school?”

Si Zhaohua nodded, “Yes.”

It wasn’t a big deal, but the cafeteria was locked down, and many students knew. Plus, the Si Family checked on his safety, so he couldn’t miss it.

Seeing him nod, Jiang Tianming continued, “The killer had a black lightning tattoo on their neck. I just saw the same mark on these enemies.”

If they were Academy-arranged for a test, they wouldn’t have that mark. Clearly, this was a real enemy invasion.

Si Zhaohua’s face darkened. If they dared kill at school, they’d be even bolder here, making our situation more dangerous.

“Black Lightning…” Si Zhaohua felt he’d heard something related.

He soon recalled. As an old Ability family, the Si Family knew many secrets, and as young master, he knew some.

But the answer didn’t cheer him up—his face grew grimmer, “I know who they are. They’re ‘Black Flash.’”

“What’s ‘Black Flash’?” Jiang Tianming hadn’t heard the name.

I perked up from the tree. I’d been curious about this organization. The only antagonist group so far was Black Flash, and the imbalance of good and evil was tied to them.

But the manga was new, and though Black Flash was linked to the last case, details were vague, and I knew little.

Now, with someone in the know, I’d get some answers.

When Si Zhaohua returned, I’d been annoyed at picking a bad spot, as an important character like him would trigger plot points.

But it was the plot I needed, so I stopped complaining.

“‘Black Flash’ is an Ability user organization, existing for years. It started as a scholarly group founded by a scientist Ability user, marked by a black lightning tattoo on members’ necks. Later, it faded from public view.”

Si Zhaohua shared common knowledge first, then the insider info, “But I once overheard they’re still active, just underground. The elders spoke of them with disgust, so I suspect they’re doing evil research.”

Though a guess, I believed it 80%. Scientists in manga often went astray. In the manga I’d read, eight out of ten had villainous scientists.

The human body held many secrets, and scientists researching it easily went wrong.

I didn’t know what Black Flash aimed to research, but based on experience, villainous scientists often wanted to eliminate privilege. I suspected they aimed to awaken Abilities in all humans or make all Ability users vanish.

From Mo Xiaotian’s attitude, the former seemed more likely.

But not necessarily. Such a standard plot wouldn’t cause an imbalance. I didn’t know the real world’s manga, but I figured it was similar to this one.

Good stories followed a rise, turn, and resolution. Themes, settings, and characters might vary, but the core was similar.

Why did other stories have justice prevail, but this author’s balance collapsed and flipped? Even without eating pork, you’d see pigs run.

I guessed the author had a “stroke of genius,” adding a fresh twist that caused issues.

While I pondered, the two below kept talking. Hearing Si Zhaohua’s intel, Jiang Tianming frowned, “So, trapping us here might be for some experiment.”

Si Zhaohua agreed, “I suspect so. Human experiments are never fully stopped, especially since we have Abilities.”

If we were caught, we’d face a grim fate.

“What items did you exchange?” Jiang Tianming asked suddenly.

Caught off guard, Si Zhaohua understood, raising an eyebrow, “You want to do the mission?”

If not for the mission, there was no need to exchange items. He knew Jiang Tianming’s question implied cooperation.

Jiang Tianming rolled his eyes, “You didn’t leave either, did you?”

Those with watches who stayed were aiming for the special missions. If before it was for points, now it was to save everyone.

Unlike Si Zhaohua, he was blunt when not facing enemies, which Si Zhaohua found off-putting. But Si Zhaohua’s aloofness annoyed him too.

In this crisis, they could trust each other. Jiang Tianming was direct, “Cooperate?”

Si Zhaohua was slightly surprised but realized they needed to stick together. He nodded reservedly, “Cooperate.”

Watching from the tree, I sighed to Manga Consciousness, “I loved these protagonist-friendship bonds in shonen manga, rewatching favorites multiple times. Didn’t expect to see a live version.”

The classic arc of rivals turning friends wasn’t new, but seeing it in reality felt dramatic. Truly a manga world.

Since entering the Academy and learning this was a manga world, I hadn’t read shonen manga. After this, I’d buy some to study the tropes.