A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga - Chapter 79



Su Bei had known this from the start, so when he drew the big king in the first round, he felt no surprise at all.

Alongside him was Wu Jin, another unfortunate soul.

There was no need to deliberate over who would choose truth and who would choose dare. Su Bei didn’t mind the dare much, and he quickly aligned with Wu Jin, who was eager for the truth.

One of them drew a card from their phone, and the truth was intriguing—“What is the most recent lie you’ve told?”

Upon seeing the question, Wu Jin froze for a moment, then answered, but glancing at the green, gloppy bitter melon juice, he ultimately chose to respond: “…Anyway, my…”

He fell silent again. With Lan Subing’s [Word Spirit] in play, he couldn’t lie, nor could he even afford to be slightly evasive. He had initially thought to skip over a few keywords to get his point across, but now it was clear he was out of options.

With no choice left, Wu Jin gritted his teeth and finally picked up the cup, downing the green liquid in one go as if facing death. The potency of the bitter melon juice was undeniable; after finishing the cup, Wu Jin immediately collapsed to the ground, looking like a lifeless body.

The sight of him in such a state made Su Bei wary of the bitter melon juice, unable to fathom just how bitter it truly was. On the other hand, he marveled at the absurdity of this comic world; when had he ever witnessed such a display before?

Fortunately, Wu Jin didn’t foam at the mouth; otherwise, he might have suspected the juice was poisoned.

“What kind of lie could you possibly have that you can’t even say?” Wu Mingbai asked, curiosity piqued. It was hard to imagine that someone as taciturn as Wu Jin would lie to others, and that he would rather drink bitter melon juice than speak it aloud.

Hearing this, Li Shu appeared quite considerate: “Let’s not put him in a bind. This lie is probably related to us, right? Since the person being lied to is right here, Wu Jin must find it hard to voice it.”

This statement was likely true; the probability of the truth being just that was high. In an instant, everyone’s gaze turned peculiar as they looked at Wu Jin, especially Su Bei, who felt there was a 70% chance that the lie was about him.

After all, given Wu Jin’s character, he hadn’t exchanged many words with the others; the ones he spoke to the most were probably just himself and Zhao Xiaoyu. But Zhao Xiaoyu might not know Wu Jin’s secret, while he certainly did know quite a bit.

“Seems like it is so.” Su Bei cast a half-smile at Wu Jin, but alas, the other’s hair obscured his face, leaving his expression a mystery.

Shaking his head, he drew his card. For reasons unknown, both cards he pulled were sharp-edged. The dare read—“Say one comment about the person you dislike the most present.”

Su Bei: “…”

No way, this little program is deliberately stirring trouble, isn’t it?

Even if it had asked about the person he liked the most, that would have been easier to answer!

Logically, this was the moment for the crowd to stir, yet the room was steeped in silence. Everyone was curious about who Su Bei’s most disliked person was, but equally worried that it might be themselves, and thus, they dared not speak.

After a long pause, Su Bei finally devised a solution. With a plan in mind, he felt no rush, deliberately turning in a circle before everyone, raising their hearts in anticipation, before finally retrieving a mirror from his storage ring.

The mirror reflected his face, and Su Bei looked at it, casually saying, “What a handsome fellow I am!”

“Hey! Isn’t that off-topic? How could you dislike yourself?” Zhou Renjie immediately protested, “That doesn’t count, do it again!”

Su Bei turned back, a half-smile on his lips: “Who says I can’t dislike myself?”

At his words, the crowd fell silent for a moment. Many people experience self-loathing—Jiang Tianming, Wu Mingbai, Lan Subing—they all occasionally entertain such thoughts. But hearing it from Su Bei felt jarringly out of place.

He was so effortlessly charming, so wild and free-spirited; how could he possibly dislike himself?

Yet those deep purple eyes held a gravity that rendered their probing futile; they could not discern his emotions, nor could they tell if he was joking or serious.

Clearly, Su Bei had no intention of explaining, retracting the mirror: “Next.”

The next to draw was Mo Xiaotian and Jiang Tianming, proving that luck was not always reliable.

“Wow, it’s my turn!” Mo Xiaotian showed no sign of dismay at being chosen; instead, his face lit up with joy, “Dare, dare! I choose dare!”

The little program quickly flashed a dare card—“Call the person closest to you and tell them you’re in trouble.”

If an ordinary undercover agent saw such a card, they might panic or try to cover up when making the call. But Mo Xiaotian clearly lacked that foresight, and without hesitation, he followed through.

The response from the other end of the phone was intriguingly layered, a voice tinged with age, that of a grandfather. His first reaction was to ask, “How could it be exposed?”

But before an answer could come, the man, quick-witted, realized that Mo Xiaotian must not be in trouble, but rather playing a game. He swiftly corrected himself, “How did they find out you’re a fool? Did they capture you for that?”

“Ha ha ha ha ha!” Wu Mingbai burst into laughter, “Mo Xiaotian, your family knows you too well.”

Laughter erupted among the others, amused by how well Mo Xiaotian’s parents understood him, and what an interesting parent they must be to raise a child with such a personality.

But Su Bei, who knew Mo Xiaotian’s true identity, thought differently. He understood that the man’s first question was likely the truth; he genuinely believed Mo Xiaotian had exposed his undercover identity and wanted to send someone from the “Black Flash” organization to rescue him.

Mo Xiaotian chuckled foolishly, wandering off to chat with his grandfather.

Next was Jiang Tianming. Since Mo Xiaotian had boldly chosen to take a big risk, he wouldn’t waste this chance to coast along and opted for a truth card.

Yet, it seemed that today, fate had favored everyone, as each person’s card was rather peculiar. Jiang Tianming drew a truth card that read—“Have you ever regretted your talents?”

“…Yes and no.” After a long silence, Jiang Tianming finally replied.

The answer felt too evasive, and sure enough, dissatisfaction rippled through the group. This time, it was Li Shu stirring the pot: “Tianming, if you’re tired, you can just go rest in your room. You don’t have to play if you don’t want to.”

His words dripped with sarcasm, and Jiang Tianming rolled his eyes: “I’m not tired; I just don’t know if I should regret…”

He fell silent again for a moment before finally asserting, “No regrets.”

Clearly, his answer held a story. The talent referenced in the card was naturally understood by the classmates as “superpowers,” after all, that was their greatest talent. Jiang Tianming wasn’t sure if he regretted having his powers. But why? It was rare for a superpowered individual to regret their abilities, even if those powers were lackluster. Moreover, his powers were not bad at all.

This round slightly dulled everyone’s enthusiasm, mainly because the previous rounds had been so bizarre, with many drawing less-than-favorable cards. Afraid of embarrassing themselves, they gradually dispersed after a few more rounds.

In the evening, Ye Lin approached everyone, asking if they were willing to train alongside students from the “Sky Dome Superpower Academy.” Both groups would enter the same alternate space but would not interfere with each other.

Upon hearing this, everyone understood the intention of the “Sky Dome Superpower Academy”—they wanted to challenge them!

Naturally, no one objected; many were eager to compete and put the academy’s arrogance in check. Thus, the plan was set.

Rest time always slipped away in an instant. Early the next morning, the fifteen members of Class S packed their belongings, ready to head to the next alternate space.

But in truth, there was nothing much to prepare, just the same old things.

Before they departed, Rezehn spoke gravely to the group about the specifics of the next alternate realm: “This realm is unlike any you have encountered before. The reason I brought you here is twofold: first, to experience a greater challenge; second, to broaden your horizons. Not all alternate spaces are defined by natural landscapes.”

Not defined by natural landscapes? What could that possibly mean? A wave of confusion washed over the group, their expressions mirroring one another.

But Teacher Rezehn clearly had no intention of revealing more just yet. He continued, “In the two alternate realms you’ve traversed before, you faced only ordinary Nightmares. In this realm, however, you will undoubtedly encounter Intermediate Nightmares, so you must exercise utmost caution.”

Then came the more weighty news: “Due to the unique nature of this realm, upon entry, you will be randomly teleported. You may not encounter one another. The only way to exit this realm is to find the exit.”

As he spoke, Ye Lin handed each person a watch, which, at first glance, looked identical to the ones they had used during their group battles.

Once she finished distributing them, Rezehn added, “You’ve used these before, so I won’t elaborate on their functions. They serve a similar purpose to those in the group battles, but they cannot shatter the glass dome to whisk you out of the realm. Instead, they can immediately send a distress signal and create a protective shield around you.”

Seeing the watch, the tension that had gripped the group due to the impending peril eased slightly. While the watch couldn’t directly rescue them from the realm, the ability to raise a protective shield at a critical moment was still a comfort. With the teachers watching from outside, once the watch sent out a distress signal, help would likely arrive swiftly.

“Teacher, do we have any tasks for this trip?” Mu Tieren naturally thought of the tasks when group battles were mentioned.

Rezehn shook his head. “As long as you emerge safely, that will count as completing this trial. The watch’s map will not indicate where the exit is; it will only show your respective locations.”

Perhaps fearing they hadn’t understood, Ye Lin added, “Given the higher difficulty of this realm, we hope you can quickly regroup with one or two classmates after entering.”

Her expression was gentle yet serious, sincerely advising them: “Once the watch’s protective shield is activated, it will remain fixed at the activation point, and the enclosed space can accommodate three people. So, if you find your teammates, even in the face of danger, you will have two opportunities to activate the shield, allowing you to endure a little longer.”

With that in mind, it seemed best for a small team to gather three people; three shields could buy them enough time to await the teachers’ rescue.

Understanding this, the group nodded in agreement, acknowledging Ye Lin’s words. Though some among them had a lone wolf disposition, they were not blind to reason.

Ye Lin had made her point clear; teaming up with classmates would be much safer. In a situation where their safety could not be guaranteed, they would not reject the idea of joining forces with others.

Seeing they had grasped her message, Ye Lin let out a sigh of relief. Meng Huai chuckled, “When will you learn to ease your worries?”

Ye Lin shot him a glare, retorting, “You should say something too.”

Meng Huai indeed had something to say, looking sternly at the group: “I’ll say this: kindness is a virtue, but don’t let it lead you astray when you’re out in the world.”

This realm would surely host other ability users, unlike last time, where a crowd could scare off many with ill intentions. Meng Huai was warning them not to meddle in others’ affairs and not to accept kindness blindly.

Having said all that needed to be said, the teachers wasted no more time. Rezehn instructed everyone to form a circle around him, then activated his ability. A circular formation suddenly appeared beneath his feet, enveloping them all. The light of the formation grew brighter, and in the next moment, Su Bei felt a dizzying sensation wash over his mind, his body swaying slightly before he steadied himself.

When he opened his eyes again, he found himself in a place entirely unfamiliar.

This was still a living room, but it was small, and with fifteen students and three teachers crammed inside, it felt particularly tight. It didn’t have to be so cramped, but two heavyweight figures among them made it so.

From noble mtl dot com

“Reizen! Get out of my way!” Meng Huai shouted at the chubby guy beside him.

“It’s crowded, it’s crowded!” Reizen, his face flushed, struggled for a long while before finally squeezing out. As soon as he exited, the space opened up considerably, and everyone began to file out one after another.

This time, the teachers didn’t take them to any hotel but led them directly to a square on the outskirts of the alternate space. Unlike the desert realm they had visited before, there were very few people waiting here, only a handful scattered about.

Qihuang, noticing the difference, curiously asked, “Why are there so few people?”

Ai Baozhu wore a proud expression, “Of course, it’s because there aren’t that many ability users who can handle intermediate nightmare beasts.”

Though her words dripped with arrogance, the teachers didn’t refute her. Just as Ai Baozhu said, the number of people who could enter this alternate space was limited, which explained the sparse crowd in the square.

The number of ability users wasn’t small, with over fifty thousand graduates nationwide. Yet among these, only about ten thousand could contend with intermediate nightmare beasts.

This profession was heavily reliant on talent; like Si Zhaohua, Su Bei, and Qihuang, even as first-years, they could accomplish feats that many ability users would never achieve in their lifetimes.

However, facing intermediate nightmare beasts was no small feat for them. At least the vast majority of the fifteen could not take on an intermediate nightmare beast alone; their previous missions had all been undertaken as a group.

Logically speaking, it would be best to proceed step by step, allowing them to take on more tasks for training. But the situation was dire, and the academy had no choice but to hasten their growth.

As luck would have it, they encountered the group from the “Sky Vault Ability Academy” again. They had already agreed to train together, so it wasn’t surprising to run into them now.

Perhaps due to the teachers’ earlier reprimands, this time those individuals were not making various provocations; instead, they remained quiet, casting venomous glances at Jiang Tianming and the others. As the saying goes, a barking dog seldom bites; surely this time in the alternate space, they wouldn’t remain peaceful.

They registered quietly, bought tickets quietly, and queued quietly. It wasn’t until the last one from the ability academy, Su Bei, was about to step through the entrance that the captain of the “Sky Vault Ability Academy” whispered with a smile, “Hope you all make it out alive.”

Su Bei didn’t respond; he wasn’t one to seek trouble with words. Who would be the one unable to survive would soon be revealed once they entered the alternate space.

As he stepped into the black hole, the scene before him shifted abruptly. To his surprise, both the front and back were high walls, with paths only to the left and right.

The walls were towering, so high that even craning his neck, he felt he couldn’t see the top. Su Bei estimated they were at least ten meters high.

He didn’t act immediately but instead glanced at his watch, opening the map interface. The other points were not close, but one was relatively nearer.

—

Then let’s head this way, Su Bei thought, and began to move. The same thought crossed his mind as he saw the small red dot on the opposite side start to shift toward him. He followed the left path, only to find a wall at the end, though there were exits on both sides.

After wandering for a while, Su Bei realized—this is a labyrinth!

He hadn’t expected an alternate space to take the form of a maze; it was quite intriguing, to say the least. Was this a gift for Si Zhao Hua? After all, he could simply take to the skies and survey the others from above.

But how could one find an exit in such a profound maze? Aimless wandering? That would be far too time-consuming and exhausting, wouldn’t it?

Moreover, Su Bei now had a rather ominous premonition. Since this was a labyrinth, it was unlikely he would reunite with his teammates smoothly.

Sure enough, after spending ten minutes painstakingly aligning the two small dots on the map, he found no sign of his so-called teammates—only a towering wall before him. Undoubtedly, they were blocked by this wall.

“Who’s on the other side? Can you hear me?” Su Bei shouted, hoping for a response. If they could hear him, at least it would prove the wall wasn’t soundproof, making communication somewhat easier, though not by much.

Unfortunately, after waiting for what felt like an eternity, there was no reply from the other side. Yet, the small red dot on the map remained, indicating that the person on the other side was also trying to find a way to communicate with him.

At this moment, Zhao Xiao Yu’s foresight shone through. She had brought along special walkie-talkies for the ability users before they arrived, connecting everyone in Class S. As long as one turned on the switch and spoke into it, the entire class could hear.

Upon learning that they would be scattered in this alternate space, she had distributed a walkie-talkie to each person. Su Bei flipped the switch and directly asked, “Who’s on the other side?”

Soon, Ling You replied, “It’s me.”

Su Bei decisively said, “Stay right there, don’t move. I’ll see if I can find a way around to reach you.”

“Okay.” Ling You had no objections. Her abilities were quite lethal, but they were indeed less effective against individuals. Su Bei’s strength was unquestionable; reuniting with him would ensure her safety as well.

—

After taking a long detour and choosing the wrong paths three times, Su Bei finally turned a corner, only to find a high wall waiting for him.

At last, Su Bei broke down.

Resolutely, he pulled out a mirror, gazing at the top of his head, and nudged the small pointer that had been leaning left even further to the left.

In an instant, his face paled slightly. Logically, in a dangerous alternate space, one should conserve mental energy, but this damned path had left Su Bei too weary to care.

Once adjusted, he chose a new route and began to move forward again. This time, his expended mental energy did not go to waste; half an hour after entering the alternate space, Su Bei finally succeeded in encountering Ling You.

The moment he saw her, Ling You let out a sigh of relief. Beside her lay a black Nightmare Tiger, already collapsed on the ground, its body covered in a mass of red, blister-like growths, looking exceedingly terrifying.

—

“Your ability?” Su Bei raised an eyebrow.

Ling You nodded, noticing that the other’s gaze lingered on the corpse. Since the two would be working together, she added a few more words: “My ability, [Plague], doesn’t kill enemies quickly, but it can weaken them rapidly.”

Upon hearing this, Su Bei immediately understood: “So this nightmare tiger, you killed it after making it very weak? This herpes is also a product of [Plague]?”

“Yes.”

This ability was indeed powerful, and contrary to what Ling You had said before, it was not as ineffective against a single target. Just by seeing her kill a nightmare tiger alone, it was clear that the weakening effect of this ability was substantial.

After answering, Ling You glanced at her watch and said coldly, “Others are far away.”

Su Bei also checked his watch, confirming it was true. From the earlier experience of searching for Ling You, he had roughly grasped the map scale, allowing him to easily see that the others were not close to them.

“Let’s find an exit. I doubt this place relies solely on luck; there must be some clues to the exit.” As Su Bei spoke, his gaze suddenly shifted to the nightmare tiger.

Could the clues be on these nightmare beasts?

With this thought, he looked at Ling You: “Can I touch this nightmare tiger now?”

He didn’t want to casually touch it and end up infected with a virus.

Ling You nodded slightly: “Yes.”

With her affirmative response, Su Bei immediately approached with a dagger to dissect it. The school had a practical class each week teaching how to dissect nightmare beasts, so although he was inexperienced, his technique was not entirely wrong.

Unfortunately, even after completely dissecting the nightmare tiger, Su Bei found nothing of interest. However, he did collect the tiger’s claws and teeth; these were quite valuable in the nightmare beast market. The tiger skin would have been expensive too, but unfortunately, it was now covered in herpes and clearly unusable.

“Let’s just wander for now and make some marks along the way.” With no other choice, Su Bei said. He had started marking the walls consciously as soon as he realized he was in a maze.

Ling You had no objections and followed him as they began to wander aimlessly. They hadn’t gone far when they unexpectedly ran into two students from the “Sky Dome Ability Academy.”

Wasn’t this a case of enemies crossing paths? As soon as they recognized the two, the other pair immediately wore mocking expressions and strode over, as if afraid they might escape. Su Bei and Ling You exchanged glances, neither showing any intention of leaving.

When they reached him, one of the boys in a blue sweatshirt said in a sarcastic tone, “Oh, isn’t this someone from the ‘Endless Ability Academy’? What a coincidence!”

Ling You naturally had no intention of responding to them, while Su Bei smiled faintly and nodded: “Indeed, a coincidence.”

Perhaps provoked by the nonchalant attitude of the two, the boy in the blue hoodie said firmly, “Since we’ve crossed paths, let’s stick together. It’s safer that way, don’t you think?”

As he spoke the last line, a malicious grin spread across his face. Without needing to think, Su Bei could guess that these two intended to use them as bait. Should danger arise, they would throw the two of them out to absorb the blow.

It was a game they could play; after all, who would be the one to take the hit was still uncertain. With that thought in mind, Su Bei felt justified in holding the same perspective—after all, it was merely a matter of whose strength would prevail.

But before he could respond, Ling You frowned and rejected the offer outright: “No.”

She was a lone wolf by nature, and given the dangers of this alternate space, teaming up with classmates was one thing, but joining forces with ill-intentioned strangers from other schools was entirely unnecessary.

The two across from them clearly hadn’t anticipated a refusal, or perhaps they simply didn’t believe that Su Bei and Ling You would dare to turn them down. After all, how formidable could two lower-grade students be in their eyes?

Upon hearing Ling You’s dismissive words, the other boy in the fisherman’s hat grew furious: “I think you’re just looking for—”

Before he could finish, the boy in the blue hoodie interrupted him, grinning as he threatened Su Bei and Ling You: “We’re only trying to help you by teaming up for your protection. If you refuse, we’ll have no choice but to ensure your safety by eliminating you ourselves.”

Both parties were here for training, and naturally, they were under the protection of their schools. If they could force them to activate their protective measures, it would effectively mean their elimination.

This time, Su Bei remained silent, waiting for Ling You’s decision. She, of course, rejected them again, and this time her refusal was swift and decisive. She struck out, a wisp of pale green smoke billowing toward the faces of the two boys.

Then, with a leap, she delivered a powerful kick that sent the boy in the blue hoodie flying, crashing hard against the wall.

With her taking action, Su Bei was not one to back down. He aimed a similar kick at the boy in the fisherman’s hat, but instead of sending him flying, he yanked him back and executed a shoulder throw, slamming him to the ground and pinning his hands behind his back, then casually sitting on him.

This move effectively cut off any chance of retaliation from the fisherman’s hat boy, but the boy in the blue hoodie was still on his feet. Trained in school, he quickly recovered from the surprise of being kicked and charged toward Su Bei to rescue his teammate without hesitation.

But Ling You would not grant him such an opportunity. She stepped forward to engage him directly. Her training had primarily focused on mental strength, so her physical skills hadn’t been honed to a particularly strong level, and given her age, she was not quite a match for the boy in the blue hoodie in terms of technique and physique.

Yet, she had already taken the initiative to use her abilities. The boy in the hoodie soon found himself growing weaker with each exchange, a cough rising in his throat.