A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 59

[The Purple-Haired Woman’s attacks were fierce, but Jiang Tianming and Si Zhaohua weren’t pushovers. Their abilities could function independently, letting their bodies dodge while attacking.

They bickered while fighting, like a pair of comedic rivals.

But how could the enemy let them have it easy? The Purple-Haired Woman wielded her whip expertly, deflecting their attacks while striking back.

Seeing they couldn’t hit her directly, they exchanged a glance, silently agreeing to target the whip. As a weapon, it couldn’t defend itself, making it an easier target.

They focused on one spot. If they broke the whip, she’d take a heavy blow.

Seeing their shift, the battle-hardened Purple-Haired Woman realized their intent, growing frustrated. It was indeed a weakness—she couldn’t protect her ability well.

No more delays! She surged her mental energy, enlarging the whip, and swung it—slicing half the canopy off a nearby tree!

To everyone’s shock, a handsome blond boy stood on the branch.

The air froze. Recognizing Su Bei, Jiang Tianming and Si Zhaohua were stunned.

Why was Su Bei here?

The Purple-Haired Woman didn’t know him, only eyeing the sudden variable warily.

The blond boy’s lips curved up, but his purple eyes held no trace of a smile, staring straight at her. “Oops, I’ve been found.”

The words were so eerie that, despite his youthful appearance, she didn’t dare relax, watching him cautiously.

The blond boy raised his hand, casually snapping his fingers.

As she felt confused, a sharp, needle-like pain stabbed her brain.

She clutched her head in horror, staring at her broken whip. How did it break!

In her final moment before fainting, she had one thought—What kind of ability is this?]

Seeing this, Su Bei nodded, satisfied. The comic portrayed him with high flair, not showing why the whip broke, adding mystery to his ability.

If readers knew he only nudged the whip’s break after Jiang Tianming’s efforts, his flair wouldn’t drop, but the boost would be less.

It seemed, whatever the author thought of him, they wouldn’t let his established persona collapse unless he sabotaged himself.

As his persona solidified and popularity grew, the author, to retain fans, would omit unnecessary details within reason. A good sign—the author’s help saved him from excessive caution.

Unsurprisingly, such a highlight sparked reader screams.

“Aaaaaaaah!”

“So cool, I’m tired of saying it.”

“Help, how is Su Bei this cool!”

“Killed me with coolness!”

“What ability? It’s fate!”

“This ability is so strong. He didn’t use it at all in the individual battle?”

“Su Bei always hits my XP.”

“No way? Too cool!”

“I’ve followed the whole story, yet I’m asking the same question as the Purple-Haired Woman…”

***

In the real world, someone was reading this chapter alongside Su Bei.

Xiao Zhao, drawn in by King of Abilities’ second season, quickly became a protagonist team stan. Forums buzzed that the team battle would deepen bonds, and she was hyped.

Seeing the group’s playful start, Xiao Zhao clutched her face happily. “So nice, daily life is the best!”

Her friend, back with two milk teas, saw her odd pose and leaned in curiously. “What’re you reading?”

“King of Abilities!” Xiao Zhao winked hard. “Babe, won’t you take my rec? Every character is super charming, I swear!”

“Nope,” her friend set down the tea, crossing her arms. “You know I’m swamped. I’m working—you read your comic.”

Seeing her friend open her laptop and type furiously, Xiao Zhao pouted but didn’t disturb her.

After the Mission Stele, the group split. Xiao Zhao was bummed about losing the big ensemble, but soon found the paired groups sparked fun dynamics.

They regrouped, and the conspiracy emerged. Xiao Zhao gasped. “Hiss!”

“What’s up?” her friend looked up.

Xiao Zhao’s face crumpled. “Villains are stirring trouble. As a team stan, I hate this—who knows who’ll get hurt? I’ll cry for any of them.”

Her friend, uninterested, returned to work, mumbling, “It’s fine, you’ll get used to it after a few cries.”

Xiao Zhao: “…”

She flipped her friend off and kept reading. Jiang Tianming and Si Zhaohua fought the Purple-Haired Woman. As she worried for them and secretly shipped, her eyes widened: Why was Su Bei here?

In the comic, the dashing blond boy was proud and mysterious, effortlessly defeating the Purple-Haired Woman with unmatched strength.

At her fainting scene, Xiao Zhao covered her mouth, squealing, “Ah!”

“Now what?” her friend asked, exasperated.

Xiao Zhao looked up slowly, eyes sparkling, dazed with awe. “…I think I’m becoming a solo stan.”

***

Su Bei, unaware of his new fans, kept reading. The next panel showed Jiang Tianming and Si Zhaohua’s chibi selves gaping, quite amusing.

Next, they questioned why he was there. Su Bei hadn’t thought much of it then, but from the comic’s view, his truthful answers seemed so flippant.

If he didn’t know the truth, he’d think he was spouting nonsense.

The plot reached Si Zhaohua arguing with him—or rather, Si Zhaohua unilaterally raging, only to be calmed by Su Bei’s two sentences.

Perhaps because the calming was so quick, though Su Bei knew Si Zhaohua was genuinely mad and a misstep could’ve ended their friendship, the comic made it look like teenage pettiness.

Su Bei’s final line, “Sometimes victory isn’t a good thing,” sparked wild reader speculation.

“Su Bei and Si Zhaohua are kinda shippable, can I say that?”

“Isn’t Si Zhaohua’s canon pair Jiang Tianming?”

“Isn’t Jiang Tianming’s canon pair Wu Mingbai?”

“Isn’t Si Zhaohua’s canon pair Ai Baozhu?”

“Isn’t Ai Baozhu’s canon pair Lan Subing?”

“Is Zhou Renjie absent because he doesn’t deserve a pair?”

“Suddenly noticed everyone’s name is three characters!”

“CP fanatics have taken over the comments.”

“What did Su Bei mean?”

“‘Sometimes victory isn’t a good thing’? Is he saying Si Zhaohua and Jiang Tianming’s win might lead to bad outcomes?”

“Nooo! Is this setting up a tragic foreshadowing?”

Flipping down, Su Bei saw the plot after his departure.

[Not long after Su Bei left, the Purple-Haired Woman woke. Jiang Tianming and Si Zhaohua tried to extract info about “Black Flash”’s mission.

She wouldn’t betray her organization, not even threatening release, just sneering, “Don’t waste effort on me. Kill or torture, do what you want!”

Shonen protagonists couldn’t treat captives too harshly, but Jiang Tianming and Si Zhaohua weren’t soft. Jiang Tianming told Si Zhaohua he’d be back, then left.

Alone with her, Si Zhaohua’s expression was cold, rubbing his whip-lashed wrist. “We can’t do much, but the academy can. Talk now, and you’ll suffer less outside.”

She laughed smugly. “Outside? You think we’d let so many in without a backup plan?”

Si Zhaohua sensed the issue. “Black Flash” was known for secrecy. If so many members were caught, the organization would face massive trouble.

Confident they couldn’t touch her, she revealed the truth. “We entered as clones. Death or leaving the different space returns us to our real bodies.”

She smirked mockingly. “Or did you think two newbies could fight me so long?”

As a veteran ability user, even with poor physical skills, her ability alone could’ve caught these novices quickly. If her real body was here, their attacks wouldn’t have scratched her.

Si Zhaohua understood. No wonder the enemies felt weak. For “Black Flash”’s elaborate scheme, why send weaklings? This was why.]

Seeing this, Su Bei had an epiphany. Like Si Zhaohua, he’d sensed via mental energy that the black-clad people weren’t too strong.

They were stronger than first-years but not unbeatable. Unless “Black Flash” was out of members, it made no sense to send them.

Now, it was clear: besides “Black Flash” underestimating first-years, they’d used clones for safety. A cautious move, he had to admit.

But the baseball cap man was far stronger, likely entering in his real body, a deadman willing to die if the mission failed.

Good news for Su Bei—if he was dead, no one would know Su Bei faked being his superior to create an identity until he revealed himself.

Soon, Jiang Tianming returned with a pink-haired boy named Li Shu.

Li Shu?

Su Bei recalled the name. He was Jiang Tianming’s opponent in an individual battle round, ability unknown but able to make opponents forfeit.

This guy? Su Bei grew curious about his ability. With the individual battles over, though the final day’s results weren’t out, abilities didn’t need hiding.

Li Shu didn’t state his ability, just smiled gently and pressed the Purple-Haired Woman’s head.

In the comic, pink energy flowed from his palm into her head.

[Soon, she went from wary to dazed, muttering, “Yes, I know my mission. I need to capture…”

Before finishing, she showed extreme pain. Her eyes snapped open, bound hands clenching, then relaxing. Her body melted into a pool of blood, like ice cream.]

“Whoa, classic villain organization,” Su Bei murmured, suddenly alert. The story had been a peaceful shonen, lulling his guard. This scene jolted him—“Black Flash” was no joke.

Though the melted Purple-Haired Woman was a clone, her pain was vivid. With such brutal secrecy measures, they’d be even crueler to enemies.

He needed to rethink his dark thread, Su Bei thought. To contact “Black Flash,” he’d need thorough preparation and enough trump cards. One misstep could doom him.

On another note, Li Shu’s ability was intriguing. It likely created illusions or affected cognition, making her unwittingly reveal truths.

This explained his individual battle forfeits—making opponents think he was too strong.

A terrifying ability. Su Bei felt it might be similar to Wu Jin’s second persona’s ability.

Before leaving, Li Shu reminded Jiang Tianming of their agreement. Though unclear what it was, Su Bei found Li Shu’s personality odd.

Jiang Tianming’s segment ended, and the comic shifted to Lan Subing and Wu Mingbai. They were lucky, evading pursuit, helping classmates, and overhearing two enemies.

They learned Feng Lan was captured early in the team battle. His defenses prevented harm, but one enemy said, “Feng Lan’s been in the house so long, who knows what he’s heard? We must take him.”

Wu Mingbai got the idea to fake capture to infiltrate the enemy.

Wu Mingbai and Lan Subing joined Jiang Tianming’s group. The next day, seeing the ultimate mission, Wu Mingbai shared his plan. They agreed and strategized.

The lens shifted to Mu Tieren. He started with Mo Xiaotian but got separated during pursuit.

Seeing Zhao Xiaoyu’s group, he joined them, only to encounter two black-clad men capturing them.

Wu Jin, with [Silence Is Silence], slipped away unnoticed. Mu Tieren fought fiercely, and with everyone’s effort, they took down one enemy but were exhausted, captured by the other.

As the group’s strongest, Mu Tieren could’ve escaped, but with others hostage, he surrendered.

Due to “killed” allies, the enemies treated captives poorly, especially Mu Tieren, who was heavily injured. But Zhao Xiaoyu’s high emotional intelligence and charming talk eased their hostility.

So that’s why others looked at Mu Tieren with guilt and Zhao Xiaoyu with admiration.

Then Su Bei came to save them. The comic didn’t show his deal with Wu Jin, only depicting the rescue from Zhao Xiaoyu and Mu Tieren’s perspectives.

Several gears rushing the enemy took a full panel—anyone but a fool would know it was Su Bei, the only one with gear-related abilities.

Wu Jin later confirmed Su Bei’s role but didn’t mention their deal.

Su Bei’s eyes glinted. The author wasn’t ready to spotlight Wu Jin, giving him room to plan how to use this.

He wouldn’t expose Wu Jin’s secrets—since the author didn’t want it now, he wouldn’t oppose them.

Su Bei just wanted to react optimally when Wu Jin’s secrets were revealed.

The next plot barely involved Su Bei. Jiang Tianming, Lan Subing, and Wu Mingbai got captured intentionally, meeting Feng Lan. Feng Lan had learned many secrets, pinpointing the base’s destruction target, saving time.

Ai Baozhu was also captured. The heiress showed no captive awareness, demanding water and cushions. Her status kept the black-clad men from being too harsh.

Si Zhaohua had worried for her, but Su Bei could only say he underestimated Ai Baozhu. She didn’t suffer at all.

She expertly used her family’s influence, dancing on the edge of their anger to secure the best treatment for herself and friends.

Per the plan, Jiang Tianming provoked the baseball cap man to distract him. Wu Mingbai planted bombs. Lan Subing rescued people. Si Zhaohua lured away perimeter guards.

After planting the bombs, as they neared detonation, they escaped under Invisibility Charms.

The scene showed the baseball cap man, despair on his face post-explosion. Knowing the mission failed, as the real body, he had to die to protect the organization’s secrets.

A flashback showed Su Bei, disguised as his superior, giving instructions.

Then the baseball cap man reached the clearing with Jiang Tianming, produced a white paper, placed the silver orb in it, and hid it in the grass.

After, academy teachers arrived, attacking him. Though poisoned, he fought, and they battled westward.

[The final scene: a pair of white sneakers stepped into the clearing, a voice from above saying, “Where’s the item?”]

Seeing this, Su Bei raised an eyebrow. Clearly, this wasn’t him. He’d used an Invisibility Charm, and this person appeared openly, not saying that line.

He guessed it was Mo Xiaotian. In the final plot, Mo Xiaotian was nearly absent, likely pursuing a dark thread.

He hadn’t sought the baseball cap man earlier, but that didn’t mean he didn’t later. How else would Mo Xiaotian know the signal flare’s meaning?

Readers likely believed “Black Flash” had a “collaborator” in the school. Mo Xiaotian, the “Saint,” seeing the item gone, would also believe in this “collaborator.”

The next update would likely show Jiang Tianming’s discovery. Many would suspect Su Bei as the sneaker’s owner.

Not good. Su Bei frowned. A villain identity was thrilling for readers, but this was a hot-blooded shonen manga.

Readers identified with the heroes. After brief excitement over his villainy, they’d worry for the protagonists, as he’d be a traitor among them.

Then, except for villain fans, most would turn against him. Su Bei didn’t need many fans, but too many haters would hope him weaker, hindering his growth.

He needed more decoys. Classic comic tropes offered villain/spy/culprit trios. When readers obsessed over guessing the villain, his popularity would rise.

The protagonist trio couldn’t be decoys, but Mo Xiaotian and Mu Tieren were good choices. Zhou Renjie could also fit.

Su Bei guessed the author shared this idea. In the final team effort, Zhou Renjie, Mo Xiaotian, and he were absent.

If he was right, the author intended them as suspects for the sneaker’s owner.

With a plan, Su Bei summarized his team battle secrets: Si Zhaohua’s ability attracted Nightmare Beasts, Wu Jin’s second persona and stunning face, Mo Xiaotian as “Black Flash”’s Saint, and 26 Mushroom Road to contact “Black Flash.”

This team battle was a goldmine. His nearly depleted secrets were replenished.

Besides contacting “Black Flash,” his short-term goals were met. Su Bei decided to check the forums for new ideas.