A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga - Chapter 8

Chapter 8

“I want to run slowly at first to conserve energy. After all, this is just the first lap,” Su Bei said, sounding righteous, as if his real intention wasn’t to slack off.

This explanation made some sense, but Feng Lan was still a bit puzzled. “But even if you want to conserve energy, you don’t have to run this slowly, right?”

The leading group of students was not going all out either, and this was the normal speed for the early stages of a ten-lap run.

Saying this, he slowed down and, once he was running alongside Su Bei, carefully observed Su Bei’s muscular, exposed forearms. After a moment, he asked uncertainly, “Did you build those muscles with protein powder?”

With his keen eye, Feng Lan could naturally see that Su Bei’s muscles were among the best in the class. If they weren’t built with protein powder, why would he be running so slowly?

Su Bei was furious, “You can insult me, but you can’t insult the muscles I’ve worked so hard to build!”

Realizing he might have broken character, he coughed and said, “You go on ahead, don’t worry about me. I’ll finish the run.”

Hearing this, Feng Lan hesitated for a moment, then continued running alongside Su Bei instead of catching up with the leading group.

This move surprised Su Bei, but he didn’t say much. Ten laps would be difficult for him too, so it was best to talk less.

Halfway through the first lap, their homeroom teacher, Meng Huai, came down. That big guy standing there made the hesitant students quickly start running.

However, after watching them complete one lap, Meng Huai left, and the running group immediately returned to its previous loose state.

Several students switched from running to walking, and the fifty-four students in Class F naturally divided into five groups, sparsely filling the track.

By the ninth lap, they had consolidated into three groups. The first group, including the main characters, had four people, half a lap ahead of the others. The second group had eleven people, where Su Bei and Feng Lan blended in inconspicuously. The third group had twenty-one people, who were too exhausted to run but kept walking.

The remaining eighteen had left the track. Some planned to skip the task and go eat, while others stood by, intending to join in for the last lap to fake it.

Su Bei panted heavily, sweat dripping from his face to the ground. Though the weather wasn’t hot, the exercise was intense.

However, anyone familiar with running would notice that despite his heavy breathing, it was even. His pace had remained steady, indicating he still had energy left.

Next to him, Feng Lan looked even more relaxed, not even panting. This made Su Bei glance at him, thinking that the pretty boy was indeed deceptive.

He looked at the first group ahead. The worst off was Jiang Tianming, who was last among them.

No joke, even from this distance, Su Bei could faintly hear his panting. Sweating profusely and staggering, he looked ready to collapse at any moment.

Yet, he somehow managed to stay at the end of the first group.

Was it the effect of his ability? Su Bei wondered. Pure willpower couldn’t sustain him this long.

But from the first part of the manga, he seemed to be a summoner.

Then again, the manga clearly hinted at hidden potential in the protagonist’s ability, so perhaps it did have a physical enhancement function.

In the hallway, the homeroom teacher of Class A, who had just settled his students, walked out leisurely. Passing by Class F, he saw Meng Huai standing by the window and stepped in, “What are you looking at?”

He spoke with a hint of schadenfreude, patting Meng Huai’s shoulder, “You took the easy way out by teaching Class F this year, but the principal isn’t happy with you.”

Meng Huai replied indifferently, “I’ve taught several batches of Class S. Can’t I take a break? Besides, this year’s Class F has some interesting people.”

“Oh?” The Class A homeroom teacher raised an eyebrow and stood by the window, observing for a few seconds before figuring it out, “You mean that Feng family kid? He’s so far behind?”

“Not just him,” Meng Huai shook his head, “The blue-haired girl in front of him, her ability is enough for Class A. If she weren’t too socially anxious to speak, she wouldn’t be in Class F.”

The Class A homeroom teacher knew about the girl and chuckled, “You got lucky with that one. Anyone else?”

Meng Huai pointed behind her, “The black-haired boy behind her. Don’t be fooled by his appearance; he’s maintained that exhausted look for four laps and is still in the first group. Interesting, right?”

That was indeed interesting. If Meng Huai hadn’t pointed it out, even the Class A homeroom teacher, with his keen eye, would have thought Jiang Tianming had just started tiring and would soon fall behind.

But he had maintained this state for four laps, so it seemed unlikely he would fall behind.

If he had been trailing the group in that state, it could be attributed to strong willpower. But staying in the first group suggested his ability was at play.

Thinking of this, the Class A homeroom teacher couldn’t help but ask, “What’s his ability?”

If it were a physical enhancement ability, he wouldn’t be in Class F.

Meng Huai wasn’t surprised by this question and answered meaningfully, “I don’t know.”

“Don’t know?”

“When the academy tested him, no ability was detected. But the scanner confirmed that he does have an ability.” Meng Huai had clearly looked into this special case.

This answer made the Class A homeroom teacher twitch his lips. “This kid has some bad luck, huh? Did you find out the reason?”

“Not yet. We’ll ask tomorrow. He won’t be able to hide it for long.”

After saying this, Meng Huai continued, “The Feng family kid, for some reason, insisted on joining Class F. You know their family’s situation; it’s hard not to think of…”

“Prophecy ability, right?” The Class A homeroom teacher was also well-acquainted with the Feng family, or rather, the whole faculty of the Ability Academy knew about this family with their special talents.

He scanned each student and mumbled, “Sending the next head of the family here, I wonder for whom.”

“I suspect it might be the one next to him,” Meng Huai said, watching the students on the track.

Hearing this, the Class A homeroom teacher immediately focused on Su Bei. “The blond kid?”

As the Class A homeroom teacher, his vision was sharp. He hadn’t noticed earlier, but upon closer inspection, he saw the inconsistency. “This kid isn’t giving it his all, is he? Slacking off right under your nose?”

Detecting the teasing tone, Meng Huai scoffed, “Not just that. He’s also dragging the Feng family kid into slacking off.”

Before the other man could burst into laughter, Meng Huai continued, “Su Bei, parents deceased, no close relatives or friends, yet he became friends with the Feng family’s young master on the first day of school.”

The Feng family members were notoriously aloof, possibly due to their abilities. Even newly awakened ability users exuded an intimidating aura that kept most people at a distance.

To make friends with Feng Lan at first sight, either Su Bei had some exceptional skill, or Feng Lan had some specific intention.

“But that’s not enough to support your theory, is it? Maybe they just hit it off,” the Class A homeroom teacher, knowing Meng Huai’s thoroughness, queried.

Indeed, Meng Huai took out his phone and played a surveillance clip, adjusting it as he spoke, “I just took a look at the surveillance from when I wasn’t around. Look at what I found.”

The footage showed Su Bei’s earlier conversation with Jiang Tianming.

“…the unluckiest person this year? What is this? A prophecy? Is his ability also related to prophecies?” After watching the video, the Class A homeroom teacher asked several questions in a row, musing, “That would explain the Feng family’s interest.”

The Feng family was known for producing prophecy ability users, and many newly awakened prophecy users would join the family to develop their talents further.

However, prophecy abilities were extremely rare. Even the Feng family, with those who had joined them, had fewer than twenty members with this ability.

If they foresaw the emergence of a new prophecy ability user, it would be normal for them to reach out.

“No, his ability is ‘Gears.’ The only thing it does is produce gears.” Meng Huai said this with a look of expectation for the other man’s reaction.

The Class A homeroom teacher didn’t disappoint, his eyes widened in disbelief. “How is that possible? Then how could he say something like that?”

Meng Huai’s eyes gleamed, “That’s why I said it’s interesting, isn’t it?”

Knowing Meng Huai wouldn’t joke about such matters, the Class A homeroom teacher adjusted his glasses. “Could he be bluffing? No, that wouldn’t make sense. Do you mean his registered ability is fake?”

This matched Meng Huai’s theory. “Very likely.”

“But if that’s the case, his choice of ability is too careless.” The Class A homeroom teacher couldn’t help but criticize.

‘Gears’ sounded like the sort of weak ability that would be assigned to a character destined to die early in a manga.

“He isn’t putting much effort into acting either,” Meng Huai pointed out to the student slacking off on the field. “Besides, making such a statement on the first day of school indicates he wasn’t planning to hide.”

“You’re right,” the Class A homeroom teacher agreed. “So what’s your plan?”

Meng Huai crossed his arms, looking relaxed, “Just let things play out naturally.”

After the long ten laps, Jiang Tianming collapsed as soon as he crossed the finish line. Lan Su Bing wanted to help him but was too exhausted. Despite her strong ability, she hadn’t exercised much before, and completing ten laps at high speed was her limit.

Fortunately, a boy with orange hair came over energetically, and after understanding the situation, he hoisted Jiang Tianming over his shoulder like a sack and carried him away.