A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga - Chapter 31

Chapter 31

With a plan in mind, Su Bei began to execute it. He first went to the library to search for books on mental power. Since the school offered courses on improving mental power, they naturally provided corresponding textbooks. However, those basic textbooks on mental power probably didn’t contain what he was looking for. Su Bei was interested in learning about advanced mental power.

However, information on advanced mental power was classified, and very few people possessed it. He searched for a long time and only found a suitable book when the moon was already high in the sky.

This was also the only book in the entire library on advanced mental power, showing how rare such books were. If it weren’t for the deep resources of the academy, which was built to train students, Su Bei wouldn’t have been able to see this book at all.

He was overjoyed and immediately began reading. Su Bei had always been a fast reader, and within two days, he had read most of the book and successfully found what he was looking for.

The book explained that, unlike basic mental power, which only amplifies abilities, advanced mental power can function as an ability in itself. When the value of mental power reaches a certain level, it can take on a tangible form.

The book gave a specific example of an advanced mental power user who could directly lift objects in front of them using mental power.

Additionally, advanced mental power has a detection function. Even being watched from a distance can be sensed by these users. The book described an experiment where a user with the “Tracking” ability activated their power to locate an advanced mental power user. The moment the ability was activated, the advanced user clearly sensed that someone was watching them.

These two features were the main visible traits of advanced mental power, while others, such as a stronger sense of the flow of one’s own abilities, were harder to detect.

For Su Bei, these two traits were enough.

He placed the book in an inconspicuous spot where it wouldn’t be overlooked and left the library.

“What have you been up to these past few days?” the voice of “Manga Awareness” suddenly asked while Su Bei was washing up in the dorm.

Although it wasn’t always active, “Manga Awareness” would occasionally check on its chosen savior. Su Bei had spent the past two days in the library, not interacting with the main characters or studying the storyline.

If it hadn’t known that Su Bei was still worried about the upcoming monthly exams, “Manga Awareness” would have thought he was slacking off.

Su Bei knew what it was asking, and while tinkering with a small craft, he replied with a smile, “You’ll find out tomorrow.”

Hearing this, “Manga Awareness” felt much more reassured. So far, most of Su Bei’s actions had been effective. Since he already had a plan, “Manga Awareness” didn’t feel the need to say much more.

The next day, at six in the morning, just before dawn, Su Bei arrived at the classroom. The academy started classes at eight, and usually, he would wake up around seven, jog for half an hour, have breakfast for another half hour, and then head to class. Today was the earliest he’d ever arrived.

The classroom was eerily quiet, with no students around. Su Bei began making preparations. Whether his plan succeeded depended on this moment.

After finishing his setup, Su Bei sat at his desk and patiently waited for the right moment.

Anyone paying close attention would notice that Jiang Tianming always arrived first in Class F, followed by class leader Mu Tieren. Whether it was due to his background or not, Jiang Tianming always got up early, which naturally meant he arrived at the classroom early.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Su Bei realized that Jiang Tianming might have arrived. He quickly positioned his phone near the door, poking the camera out just a bit. After confirming that it was indeed the person he needed, Su Bei swiftly returned to his seat.

The footsteps grew louder, and Su Bei’s ears twitched slightly. After some training, he had become highly sensitive to sounds, including footsteps. Judging by the sound, Jiang Tianming was just one step away from the doorway, where he would be able to see the podium.

Su Bei immediately spoke: “Time to test the distance.”

As he spoke, he pulled a transparent, elastic string he had previously tied to a piece of chalk sitting on the podium under the chalk box. The chalk, along the string, flew into his hand.

The footsteps outside the door abruptly stopped.

Su Bei’s lips curled ever so slightly. He knew that half of his plan had succeeded.

Pretending to be oblivious, Su Bei continued speaking: “As expected, just reaching the advanced level still makes this a bit challenging.”

Right after he said this, he put on a look of alarm and called toward the door: “Who’s there?”

No sound came from outside.

To complete the act, Su Bei continued to feign alertness, walked to the door, poked his head out, looked left and right, and, seeing no one, returned to the classroom and leisurely lay down on his desk for a nap.

When he woke up, it was already eight o’clock. After attending the first class, Su Bei noticed that Jiang Tianming and Lan Su Bing both shot him a glance before walking out together.

At that moment, Su Bei knew his plan was rock solid!

To help them find a direction for their investigation, Su Bei acted a bit lethargic for the rest of the day. After the mental power improvement class, he even asked the teacher a few trivial questions.

Having done all he could, the rest was up to the main characters.

By Friday, Su Bei checked the library and saw that the advanced mental power book he had left in the corner was gone. As expected, it had probably been taken by the main characters.

“Now do you know what I’m doing?” Su Bei suddenly asked.

After being absent for a long time, the “Manga Awareness” reappeared: “Aren’t you afraid that everything you’re doing won’t even make it into the Manga, making it all a waste of effort?”

“I am,” Su Bei answered honestly.

If the Manga didn’t depict the protagonist team investigating his abnormality, it would be a big problem. He had already portrayed himself as a person with advanced mental powers in front of the protagonist team. If the Manga didn’t cover this and his mental power didn’t actually improve, there would be a much higher chance that his act would be exposed.

“But I have no choice,” he chuckled lightly, with a slightly nonchalant tone, “Isn’t life just one big gamble?”

If he succeeded, it would be an incredible leap forward. Even if he failed, it didn’t matter—as long as the cost wasn’t death, he didn’t mind putting himself on the line.

Seeing him like this, the “Manga Awareness” seemed to suddenly understand why Su Bei had a 3% chance of success compared to others.

Because he was crazy enough.

Normally, Su Bei had a lazy and detached demeanor, whether acting or in everyday life, as if he didn’t really care about anything.

Even though he had the desire to become stronger, the “Manga Awareness” could feel that, if not for the need to save the world, his desire to become stronger wasn’t particularly intense.

Thinking this, it couldn’t help but ask, “Have you thought about what you’ll do if you succeed in reversing the balance between good and evil?”

Su Bei hadn’t seriously considered this question. After all, he didn’t have much confidence in completing the task successfully. The 3% success rate indicated that this task was nearly impossible for him, let alone thinking about what would happen afterward.

But since the “Manga Awareness” asked, Su Bei didn’t mind thinking about it. After all, it didn’t hurt to fantasize.

“Maybe I’ll open a hardware store,” he half-jokingly said, “It’s a beginning and an end”

As expected, the “Manga Awareness” understood. Su Bei really had no obsession with powers, money, or influence; otherwise, he wouldn’t still be thinking about opening a simple hardware store even after saving the world.

It couldn’t help but sigh and didn’t say anything more.

Su Bei didn’t know what the “Manga Awareness” was thinking, but if he did, he would definitely say that it was overestimating him. He wasn’t a saint without desires—at the very least, he wouldn’t pass up benefits that rightfully belonged to him.

It was just that Su Bei wasn’t sure if, after everything was truly resolved and the balance between good and evil was restored, his powers gained through the Manga would still exist.

Su Bei liked to assume the worst. If his powers ceased to exist, he would just go back to his original plan. After all, he had gained a life, so he wouldn’t have any regrets.

Time quickly flew by, and it was now the third week of the new school year. During the last self-study period on Monday, Meng Huai suddenly walked in.

He usually didn’t appear in the classroom outside of class time, so many people had already started guessing why he was there.

As expected, Meng Huai got straight to the point: “You all know there’s a monthly exam at the end of the month, right? Let me explain the process for this exam.”

After hearing what he had to say, the students in the class immediately became excited. They had been curious about this for a long time, and now they were finally getting answers. Suddenly, many of them started whispering and discussing the topic with their classmates, creating a noisy atmosphere.

Meng Huai’s forehead twitched slightly, and he picked up a piece of chalk with a faint smile.

Almost instantly, the classroom fell silent. No one wanted to test Meng Huai’s accuracy in throwing chalk. Missing out on the exam details because they got knocked out would be a huge loss.

Seeing that everyone had quieted down, Meng Huai nodded in satisfaction, “This monthly exam will be divided into two parts: individual battles and team battles.”

“Let’s start with the individual battles. It’s simple—arena matches. The first person to leave the arena or the one who the referee declares the loser will be out. The winner moves on to the next round. The individual battles will last three to four days. If you lose, you can take a break before the team battles.”

Individual battles, huh… Su Bei suppressed the urge to frown. His abilities were of no help in individual battles, so he would have to rely entirely on himself. Dealing with students from Class D or C might not be too difficult; he was skilled in combat techniques, and against those whose abilities weren’t strong or who weren’t adept at using them, he had a good chance of winning.

But if he ended up facing someone from Class A and lost early on, it would risk exposing his façade.

Clearly, he wasn’t the only one worried about luck. A classmate immediately raised their hand, “Teacher, are the individual battles randomly matched? If we run into someone from Class A, do we have to surrender right away?”

Meng Huai shook his head, “While I do think it’s better to lose early and take a break, the school has considered this issue. For the first two days of the matches, each class will face opponents no more than two levels higher. In other words, at most, you’ll face students from Class C. The third day is when everything opens up.”

Upon hearing this, Su Bei sighed in relief. Although Class C abilities were already quite powerful, he wasn’t too worried about dealing with those who weren’t proficient in using them.

Note: Hey guys! Sorry I haven’t been able to post lately, I’ve been feeling a bit sick. Thanks for your patience!