A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga - Chapter 77



On Jiang Tianming’s side, they seemed eager to probe for information, and trusting in Lan Subing’s character, he straightforwardly shared their situation.

The nightmare beast they were hunting only emerged at night, so during the day, they were busy setting traps.

Unlike Su Bei’s group, who knew almost nothing about the nightmare beast, Jiang Tianming’s team was well-acquainted with its appearance, abilities, and habits. It was a star-shaped nightmare beast—not the round celestial bodies in the sky, but a five-pointed star.

This nightmare beast could summon many little stars; a mere touch would leave one dizzy, eyes swirling with golden lights. It sounded like an adorable ability, nothing at all like an evil nightmare beast.

Yet, prolonged contact with these golden stars would lead to a complete loss of senses, followed by being devoured directly by the black star nightmare beast. Indeed, five people had already perished in its jaws, and two more victims had narrowly escaped with their lives, now reduced to mere vegetables lying in their homes.

Truly, it was exceedingly brutal.

According to Jiang Tianming, under the control of the supernatural government, this nightmare beast had been active in a relatively fixed area. Their traps were well-laid, and with a net cast wide, they were likely to capture it today.

After hearing about their progress, when he inquired, Lan Subing honestly shared their own status. With both sides comparing notes, it was only natural to be forthright; what was the point of being secretive?

Once she hung up the phone, Wu Ming couldn’t help but sigh, quietly complaining, “It sounds like their side is much more interesting than ours.”

As a member of the combat faction, he had initially wanted to participate in the first mission, but alas, the majority ruled, and he ended up on the second task. Now, hearing how dangerous and intriguing the first mission was, he felt a surge of longing.

Si Zhaohua also expressed some regret, but as the team leader, he fairly remarked, “This task isn’t lacking; the thrill of battling others is endless.”

Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. They had spent the entire morning without even catching a glimpse of the nightmare beast; it truly was a struggle against the light and humanity.

At this point, Lan Subing couldn’t help but voice her confusion, “Why do Wang Jie and the others want to harm us?”

Although they would return this house after completing the mission, if they failed, the spots on those people would remain unremovable.

Moreover, their arrival here was due to that couple voluntarily softening to the supernatural government; they hadn’t begged to come. If they didn’t want them here, couldn’t they simply refrain from applying? Why go through the trouble of letting them come only to harm them?

This question puzzled everyone; even Su Bei couldn’t fathom what the couple was thinking, only speculating that it might be related to the nightmare beast. Since they had discovered that the bedroom they were currently in was relatively safe, it must hold some unknown secret tied to the nightmare beast.

Li Shu gently said, “No need to overthink it. Once the supernatural government approves our actions, everything will come to light.”

At that time, with a single illusion cast, wouldn’t they be compelled to reveal the truth?

After the meal, the approval from the powers of the anomalous government had yet to arrive. They deliberated briefly and decided to split into two groups. Zhao Xiaoyu and Wu Mingbai would head to the first family’s current residence to check on their daughter’s condition. The rest would return to the villa to keep an eye on Sister Wang and the others.

Upon returning to the villa, they found Sister Wang and Brother Liu already back, lingering in their bedroom. When they saw Su Bei and the others, Sister Wang asked eagerly, “We’ve been here for a while now; can we go back?”

Compared to Zhao Xiaoyu, Si Zhaohua was not one for subtlety, but he understood the need for discretion. He had to find an excuse: “Can we stay here for a day? We think the Nightmare Beasts might act at night, and since you are their targets, you could serve as bait.”

Hearing this, Su Bei nearly choked on his breath. Wasn’t that a blatant admission of using them as bait? The reasoning was sound, yet it felt utterly inhumane.

Most importantly, while this statement wouldn’t raise alarms, it conveniently provided the couple with a justifiable reason to leave the villa.

As expected, the expressions of the man and woman soured. Brother Liu furrowed his brow, his gaze turning fierce. “What do you mean by that? We came to help you, and you want to use us as bait? Mei Mei, let’s go. If you want to contact us again, just call!”

With that, he grabbed Sister Wang’s hand, ready to storm out.

Naturally, they couldn’t let them leave so easily. First, if they left, it could lead to unforeseen complications; what if they suddenly felt something was off and tried to escape? Chasing after them would be a hassle.

Second, their group was still covertly competing with the neighboring team. If they let this couple go, the chances of completing their mission today would plummet, and that could very well lead to defeat.

Seeing Su Bei’s nonchalant demeanor, and knowing that Lan Subing and Wu Jin were unreliable in dealing with outsiders, Li Shu grew increasingly impatient.

How annoying! He didn’t want to get entangled with two ordinary people with ulterior motives. If he went easy on them, they wouldn’t listen; if he pressed too hard, it would only raise their suspicions. It would be better to simply use [Illusion] to control them.

As he contemplated this, his gaze flickered, and his fingers, hanging loosely, began to move subtly. As for rules? As long as no one squealed, how would the anomalous government ever know?

Before he could act, however, Su Bei tugged at him lightly, a warning glint in his eyes.

Who was Su Bei? He was sharp as a tack. He had anticipated that among the four of them, the most restless would undoubtedly be Li Shu, so he had been keeping a close watch on him. The moment he caught a glimpse of the annoyance lurking in Li Shu’s eyes, Su Bei had pieced together his thoughts.

He might not be in charge, but he would never allow anyone to ruin things.

While the others might be oblivious, he understood all too well that at least one teacher was watching them. Li Shu’s little antics could not possibly go unnoticed.

In truth, if there were no teacher present, Su Bei wouldn’t bother saying anything. Even if the anomalous government decided to punish them in the end, it would only fall on him, not implicate the others.

To Su Bei, Li Shu was merely a half-stranger; he wasn’t so kind-hearted as to meddle in the affairs of someone he barely knew.

But when it came to the teachers, it was a different matter altogether. In their previous lessons, it was clear they wanted the fifteen students to become familiar with one another, and the seating arrangement was essential for that.

Once Li Shu made a mistake, it was likely that the entire group would face punishment. Su Bei had no desire to suffer misfortune because of someone else’s blunder.

Upon receiving Su Bei’s warning, Li Shu appeared both defiant and confused. Defiance was expected, but confusion stemmed from his belief that he had come to understand Su Bei over this time; she was not one to meddle in others’ affairs. He couldn’t fathom why she would suddenly caution him.

Su Bei gestured for him to look at Si Zhao Hua. As their gazes clashed, Si Zhao Hua had already devised a strategy. He abandoned his previous amiability, his expression turning cold: “We are sent by the Ability Government, and we can guarantee your safety. If you do not trust the Ability Government, then you should not have summoned us at all. Leave now, and we will seal this house behind you, to prevent it from harming others.”

One had to admit, when this young master turned serious, he exuded a formidable presence; the pride stemming from his lineage was laid bare.

His words carried weighty implications. This couple had invited the Ability Government for a reason, and surely they did not wish for the house to be sealed. Otherwise, they could simply delay, and the Ability Government would eventually take care of it.

This had been agreed upon beforehand; after all, they could not keep watch over the place indefinitely, nor could they allow the nightmare beasts within to wreak havoc elsewhere.

Since they did not want the house sealed, Si Zhao Hua’s words struck at the couple’s vulnerability.

“… We are merely concerned for our safety.” The two paused at the door, lingering for a moment, before Sister Wang turned, her expression troubled. “Besides, it doesn’t have to be us, right? You could just call the previous tenants, couldn’t you? I remember their daughter is still alive, isn’t she?”

That remark was rather venomous. Li Shu maintained a gentle smile, his words sounding amiable: “That girl is still quite weak; coming here again might be dangerous for her.”

Seeing Si Zhao Hua handle the situation smoothly, Li Shu felt a wave of relief wash over him. He sensed that Su Bei had been helping him, and his tone became less sarcastic. He just had to add with a smile, “We wouldn’t mind a change of personnel, but since this was your suggestion…”

Before he could finish, Sister Wang quickly interrupted, “No need, no need! I was just saying that offhand; how could we really ask a child to do such a thing?”

Of course, she hadn’t said it offhandedly, but Li Shu’s words had reminded her. If that little girl were to come to harm here, they would surely be the target of public outrage.

Both she and Brother Liu wore awkward expressions now, their earlier ferocity dissipated. They were, after all, the weaker party in this confrontation, and seeing the previously amiable crowd suddenly turn hostile made them hesitant to take any further risks.

Before long, Wu Mingbai and Zhao Xiaoyu returned. Their expressions were heavy, clearly indicating that the little girl’s condition was not good.

Indeed, when everyone inquired, Zhao Xiaoyu sighed, glancing at the couple: “The marks on her body are a faint, dark blue, and she seems utterly weak, as if she has been ill for a long time. I noticed she appeared withdrawn; I’ve heard she’s showing signs of developing social anxiety.”

Upon hearing this, Sister Wang’s eyes flickered, and she lowered her head. After a moment, she raised it again, worry etched on her face. Brother Liu, however, remained as indifferent as ever, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.

As night fell at seven o’clock, Si Zhao Hua’s phone emitted a soft “ding”—a message from the Ability Government had arrived.

—“Operation approved.”

Seeing the words “Action Approved,” the group exchanged glances, a silent understanding passing among them. After a brief, unspoken deliberation on who would take the lead, it was Li Shu who emerged as the chosen one.

Yet, due to their uncertainty about the location of the Nightmare Beast, they decided to wait until they could safely lead it away from the villa before making their move.

After a moment’s thought, Li Shu spoke gently, “However, it is indeed dangerous in this room. You all may step outside for a while.”

Upon hearing they could leave, Sister Wang and Brother Liu had no objections, quickly following the others to the door and stepping out.

As soon as they were outside, Lan Subing promptly shut the door, and Li Shu began his work. There was no need to approach the ordinary people directly; with a flick of his wrist, he cast an illusion, effortlessly plunging the two into a state of dazed stupor.

↑Return to Top↑

“What kind of illusion did you create?” Wu Ming asked, his curiosity piqued. It was rare for him to engage Li Shu in conversation unless there was an external threat.

However, when his gaze fell upon the pair of shimmering aquamarine eyes belonging to Lan Subing, the others understood.

Li Shu closed his eyes, a smirk playing on his lips. “I preset a hellish illusion, hoping they will enjoy themselves.”

The illusions he could conjure were divided into preset and instantaneous. The former was, of course, more intricate and lifelike. Yet, he could only store three preset illusions at a time.

The latter required immediate creation, which was considerably more challenging. Not only did he need to swiftly construct the scene and dialogue, but he also had to intertwine it with the target’s memories; otherwise, if the target had no such recollection, it would be difficult to ensnare them.

What Sister Wang and Brother Liu saw within the illusion remained a mystery, but soon enough, both were weeping and confessing.

“Woo woo woo, we’re sorry! We were just scared for our lives! That ghostly thing threatened us with immediate death if we didn’t obey! We haven’t harmed anyone, please let us go!”

Li Shu asked slowly, “Detail your dealings from start to finish. I want to see if there are discrepancies with our records.”

Sister Wang hurriedly recounted, “The first time we encountered that thing was three months after we moved in. We started developing green spots on our skin, panicking and wanting to call the Ability Government. Suddenly, a face protruded from the wall, threatening us to obey its commands, or it would send us to our deaths right then and there.”

“The wall in the game room?” Li Shu interrupted.

Sister Wang was not surprised he knew about this; after all, he was the King of Hell, and it was only natural for him to be informed. She nodded vigorously, “Yes, yes, that’s the one!”

“Continue.”

“Then it threatened us to bring more people in; the more, the safer we would be. Brother Liu and I discussed it and decided to renovate the house. With so many workers coming and going, we indeed met its demands.” At this point, Sister Wang’s voice dropped, clearly aware that what they had done was wrong.

—

Beside them, Liu Ge lamented, “If we don’t comply, it’s our death—there’s truly no other way.”

“Though those workers didn’t show any signs of illness,” Li Shu wanted to question this, but to uphold the image of the all-knowing King of Hell, he added sternly, “that doesn’t mean you haven’t harmed anyone! Do you really think I’m unaware of what’s happened to those people?”

“They’re better off than us!” Liu Ge exclaimed, his voice rising. “At least they don’t have to die right away.”

Not having to die right away meant they would die eventually. It seemed the ailments within those workers would merely delay their eruption.

Sister Wang quickly tugged at him, fearing he might provoke the King of Hell, and hurriedly continued, “Perhaps it felt satisfied? It revealed to us that the bedroom directly above is safer than the others, so we moved there.”

Only one thing remained: “Then, some time ago, it told us we could invite people from the Ability Government.”

At this, a heavy silence fell over the group. The nightmare beast daring to issue such a command could mean only two things: either it had gained the power to confront the Abilities, or it was confident it could deceive the Ability Government and remain free after their inspection.

But in either case, they knew things had become more complicated.

Having grasped the situation, Li Shu paused his role-playing and glanced at the others. “What do we do next?”

That was a good question. Si Zhao Hua pondered for a moment, then suddenly his eyes lit up. “Let’s have them put on a show.”

Before long, the villa’s door creaked open again. Sister Wang and Liu Ge wore slightly unnatural expressions, their faces pale.

The two exchanged glances, silence hanging between them, until Sister Wang said, “Those few Ability users went to eat. We should quickly ask the deity what we should do now!”

Liu Ge nodded eagerly. “Yes, we need to ask. Let’s hurry.”

Arriving at the game room, Sister Wang faced the wall at the back. “Deity, we wish to ask what we should do next. Should we find a way to drive those Ability users away?”

From the wall, a face protruded, about a meter high, its mouth opening and closing in reprimand: “Bring them back!”

Outside the villa.

Listening to the voice on the call, Wu Ming displayed a strange expression. “That voice is just too bizarre!”

Lan Subing nodded in agreement, her head bobbing slightly. “It sounds like many walls rubbing against each other, creating that tone.”

It was an unpleasant and jarring sound, yet the couple in the shabby room showed no sign of discomfort.

—

Originally, when Sister Wang mentioned that this nightmare beast could speak, they were all quite astonished, even doubting whether there had been human intervention. Now, it seemed clear: this nightmare beast did not truly possess the ability to speak; it merely managed to produce sounds that resembled speech through other means.

“Can you sense the presence of the nightmare beast now?” Si Zhao Hua turned to Wu Jin and asked.

Wu Jin nodded affirmatively. “Yes, I suspect the form of this nightmare beast is a wall.”

The entire wall was saturated with the beast’s repugnant scent.

“Then can’t we just destroy this wall?” Lan Su Bing inquired.

Zhao Xiao Yu shook her head. “That wall seems to be a load-bearing wall of this villa, right? The ability government probably doesn’t want to demolish this place; otherwise, they wouldn’t have sent us here.”

If simply destroying the villa could solve the problem, it wouldn’t have taken so long for anyone to respond. After all, demolishing an ordinary house is quite easy, and there’s no need to enter and take on risks.

So what should they do? The group exchanged glances, suddenly realizing they had no effective means to deal with this intermediate nightmare beast.

Nightmare beasts generally have weaknesses; their anatomy is similar to that of ordinary wild animals, making their brains and hearts critical points. However, intermediate nightmare beasts do not follow this rule; their fatal points vary.

But surely they couldn’t just stab at the wall with daggers? It was clear that while the physical form of the nightmare beast appeared to be that wall in the game room, its weakness might not be located there, especially since it could obviously roam about in other rooms.

Fortunately, they had all been studying for quite some time, and knowledge about dealing with nightmare beasts was etched in their minds. Si Zhao Hua stated plainly, “Then let’s use mental power to send it to the afterlife.”

Aside from directly annihilating the physical form of the nightmare beast, using mental power to eliminate it was also a viable method, especially against intermediate and advanced nightmare beasts; this was a common approach.

To control the opponent and attack directly with mental power. For ordinary ability users, this was quite challenging and required the use of their abilities. For instance, Li Shu could use [Illusion] to envelop that wall, amplifying his mental power for a full-force attack.

In truth, this was not much different from a regular attack; it merely required a significantly greater infusion of mental power into the ordinary strike.

As for Su Bei, she faced no such dilemma; her advanced mental power allowed for the visualization of mental energy, enabling direct attacks.

“But with us here, it shouldn’t show itself, right?” Wu Ming Bai frowned and asked. The beast clearly did not wish to reveal itself before them at the moment, so even if they approached, they wouldn’t be able to draw it out, let alone control it.

“I can give it a try,” Lan Su Bing said timidly, raising her hand. She wasn’t sure if her [Word Spirit] could compel the nightmare beast to reveal itself. However, at least when facing the beast, she didn’t suffer from social anxiety, and her ability would naturally be more effective.

This was indeed a method; after all, they didn’t need to worry about startling the beast now. The physical form of this intermediate nightmare beast was that wall, so it couldn’t escape.

The few of them directly entered the game room, sending Sister Wang and Brother Liu outside, while Wu Jin and Zhao Xiao Yu stood guard. Their mental powers were somewhat weaker compared to the others, which might not inflict significant damage on the nightmare beast, but they could still be put to good use.

Though Wu Jin had always been somewhat inconspicuous, he had trained alongside them for many days, and his combat prowess was sufficient. As for Zhao Xiao Yu, her current training focus was on physical techniques, making her fighting skills superior to many in the class.

Despite the fact that the other party consisted of two adults, one of whom was a burly man, the duo was not only skilled in combat but also had their physical abilities significantly enhanced by their powers. They were more than capable of handling two ordinary people.

In the game room, Si Zhaohua unleashed his ability, “Angel.” Logically, his wings were large, making it difficult to maneuver in such a cramped space. Yet, over the past month, he had made considerable progress, now able to control his wings and maintain a compact form.

As they gazed at the wings behind Si Zhaohua, which were no larger than two palms, the atmosphere, though serious, couldn’t help but lift the corners of their mouths. They had never imagined that controlling their expressions could be such a challenging endeavor.

“Pfft!” The first to crack was Lan Subing, who burst into laughter.

With one person leading the charge, the others soon followed, unable to contain themselves, clutching their stomachs as they roared with laughter.

Su Bei, quick on the draw, whipped out his phone to snap a picture. This time, he had the foresight to turn off the flash, escaping detection and successfully capturing this moment of embarrassment.

What had begun as teasing glances Si Zhaohua could barely tolerate turned into full-blown irritation when someone laughed out loud: “What’s so funny? If it weren’t for giving you more space, would I need to do this?”

Everyone quickly composed themselves, trying to soothe him. Li Shu gently remarked, “It’s quite adorable, really. Much more approachable than big wings.”

“The last thing I need is to be approachable.” Si Zhaohua huffed, glancing at Lan Subing, who had been the first to laugh and was now huddled in a corner like a mushroom, a hint of exasperation in his voice. “Just use your ability already.”

Lan Subing straightened up, pulling down her scarf, cleared her throat, and directed her power at the wall: “‘Appear!’”

At just those two words, her face paled. Fortunately, it wasn’t without effect; a face protruded from the wall. It was clear that this face did not wish to emerge, looking quite grotesque.

Seizing the moment, Lan Subing pressed on: “‘Freeze!’”

As soon as she uttered the word, she clamped her mouth shut and coughed violently. Using her powers twice in quick succession took a toll on her, and her pale cheeks flushed with an unhealthy hue as she stepped back, falling silent.

With the appearance of this face, Su Bei finally caught sight of the fate compass belonging to this nightmare beast. The compass was black, while the others resembled those of humans.

Though the large pointer pointed downward, indicating despair, the small pointer leaned to the left, suggesting that it could still achieve victory in the short term.

Su Bei raised an eyebrow, realizing that the situation was more complex than it seemed.

He could directly adjust it, shifting the small pointer to the right. With his current mental strength, he could easily accomplish this, expending no more than half of his energy.

However, he had no intention of performing a nameless good deed; after all, the goal was to eliminate this nightmare beast, leaving the main characters to their busy work.

The others, unaware of his discovery, were eager to capitalize on the opportunity Lan Subing had painstakingly created. In an instant, everyone unleashed their powers, a torrent of mental energy surging toward the nightmare beast.

The sensation of vanquishing the nightmare beast with mental power was nothing short of extraordinary, especially for Su Bei, who possessed advanced psychic abilities. It felt as if his mind had transformed into a blade, piercing straight toward the beast. In his perception, the creature appeared more like a swirling mass of black mist, each strike gradually sapping the density of that fog.

The group launched a relentless barrage of attacks, and at last, a human face emitted a piercing wail, “Eek—,” dissolving into the air like mud and water.

Wu Jin paused to sense the atmosphere, then nodded affirmatively. “It’s gone.”

He no longer detected the beast’s presence.

At this, everyone except Su Bei let out a sigh of relief, quickly bubbling with excitement. Wu Ming coughed theatrically, adopting a serious demeanor as he pulled out his phone. “We’re all in the same class. Now that we’ve completed our task, we ought to inform the other team.”

The others exchanged knowing smiles; Jiang Tianming and his group hadn’t sent any messages, which meant they likely hadn’t finished their task. This time, it seemed the secret competition had ended in their favor.

Su Bei sighed. He hadn’t intended to remind them, but if Wu Ming sent the message, the entire group would be embarrassed, himself included. Su Bei couldn’t allow that to happen.

“Don’t send it yet; the task probably isn’t complete,” Su Bei interjected. “If it were that easy to kill, how could they dare provoke the powers that be?”

This was indeed one reason to suspect the beast was still alive, but what truly confirmed it for Su Bei was the small pointer that had shifted to the left. A leftward tilt indicated that it wouldn’t be defeated anytime soon, and thus, it couldn’t possibly be dead.

For now, Su Bei had no intention of revealing the specifics of his abilities. His persona had already taken root, and there was no need to emphasize that he could “see” what others could not; it was better to analyze the situation seriously.