A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

4:

After uttering those words, Su Bei did not linger. Suppressing the last bit of his shame, he quickly walked to the last row by the window. There was a perfect spot, second from the end.

The back row by the window, the king’s homeland.

The reason for not taking the last seat was that it was already occupied. A white-haired boy was there, dozing off on the desk.

White hair + corner + sleepiness, it was a full stack of buffs. According to Su Bei’s years of reading comics, this white-haired boy was definitely not ordinary.

He chose this spot for two reasons: first, to create the illusion for the readers that he was a big shot, and second, to make contact with this true big shot.

In case the other party and the protagonist group made a move, he would be the first to know.

However, he did not attempt to wake the other, for haste makes waste. Besides, there were other matters to attend to now.

Rubbing his slightly warm ears and listening to the “comic consciousness” broadcast in his ear, Su Bei finally put away the embarrassment from uttering the shameful line, raising an eyebrow in surprise: “You’re saying the comic has started updating?”

“It’s the prologue.” “Comic consciousness” replied, “After all, the new season is about to start, it needs a bit of a warm-up.”

The real world.

“Ding!” Lin Xue opened her phone and saw the message her friend had sent her.

From noble mtl dot come

“Xiao Xue, have you seen it? ‘Supernatural as King’ has updated!”

She was stunned, her eyes widening: “The second season has started updating so soon? There was no news before!”

After a brief reply to her friend, she immediately opened the comic app and indeed saw the green update sign on ‘Supernatural as King’.

Fumbling to click open, Lin Xue murmurs with a mix of disappointment and relief, “It’s just the trailer.”

Upon entering the “trailer” section, a full-screen color illustration catches her eye.

“Old Thief’s artistry has improved,” Lin Xue praises, instinctively saving the image before delving into the details.

The background of this illustration must be the playground of the Supernatural Academy. Jiang Tianming and his two companions, absent for an entire autumn, naturally take center stage in the colorful image. They sit close together, smiles gracing their faces.

Having read the first season of the comic, Lin Xue can’t help but smile knowingly, recalling how wary they were of each other at the beginning, a stark contrast to now.

They’ve become good friends, how wonderful.

After observing the familiar trio, Lin Xue’s gaze shifts to the other characters in the promotional image. The picture is filled with various students: a red-haired boy with a radiant smile, a burly and robust teacher, a short-haired girl reading a book, a white-haired passerby poking someone…

Lin Xue can’t help but gasp at the sheer amount of information.

Excitement sparkles in her eyes; there had been rumors that the second season would introduce many handsome and beautiful new characters, and it seems they might be true!

Suddenly, Lin Xue’s attention is drawn to a corner of the comic. Under the shade of a tree, a blurry golden-haired figure leans against the trunk, seemingly looking in the direction of the main group.

This slightly dim and blurry spot is easy to overlook, but once noticed, it stands in sharp contrast to the other bright and dazzling characters.

Could this be a key character in the plot?!

Feeling like she’s stumbled upon a secret, Lin Xue’s eyes widen with excitement. She quickly circles the figure, screenshots it, and sends it to her friend: “Su Su! Look at this person, I feel there’s something special about him!”

Soon, she receives a puzzled reply: “What’s so special? At first glance, this looks like a background character, why else would they be drawn so small?”

“But look, he’s watching the main characters!” Lin Xue insists.

Her friend responds: “You can’t even see his eyes, how do you know who he’s looking at?”

“But he’s handsome!” Lin Xue offers another reason, “Even though he’s just a vague little dot, look at that posture! Look at that aura!”

Her friend: “…”

Her friend: “This person doesn’t appear in the trailer. I know you’re eager, but don’t rush it.”

Upon seeing the reply, Lin Xue pouted in dissatisfaction, quickly finishing the preview. It told of the protagonist group’s daily life during the summer vacation and some rumors about the academy.

As expected, no blonde characters made an appearance.

“Hmph, I still trust my intuition,” Lin Xue hummed softly, “He will definitely appear!”

On the other side, Su Bei had also finished watching the latest update.

There was good news and bad news. The bad news was that after his microscope-like detailed observation, he found only one instance of his figure in all the new content.

The good news was that this figure appeared on the promotional page.

Compared to the main content of the preview, the promotional page for the second season was definitely more eye-catching.

Unfortunately, his position on the promotional page was very inconspicuous, tucked away in a shady corner. If not for his noticeable blonde hair, he might not have been able to find himself.

Su Bei knew why he appeared there; he was the character who died at the beginning of the comic. Although a minor character, he was still important enough to be given a spot that was almost unnoticeable and wouldn’t affect the composition. Ordinary people wouldn’t pay attention to him, and after his death, it could serve as an easter egg joke…

“At least I made an appearance,” he sighed, consoling himself.

He opened the forum, and with the release of the preview, the long-silent forum boiled over like water set to flame.

“The second season is finally starting!”

【Holy Flame Meow Meow Sect No.0:

From summer to winter, the wait has been so bitter! But at last, I see the dawn! Charge into the second season!】

【Nightlight Comics No.1: So looking forward to it!】

【Coca no Pepsi No.2: I can’t believe the update notification, this preview even made it to the trending searches, the old thief still has it!】

【I Don’t Fluff Posts No.3: I propose a goal, the preview today, the main content tomorrow! Who agrees, who disagrees?】

(To avoid fluff posts, the following floor owners need not add their names.)

【…】

【No.32: The daily life during the summer vacation killed me with laughter, Bingbing’s family is really rich, taking everyone straight to the seaside for a vacation.】

【No.33: Envy made tears stream down from the corner of my mouth. I too wish for a wealthy lady friend!】

【No.34: To directly invite a psychic to share their experiences at the Psychic Academy, truly the move of a financial tycoon.】

【No.35: Sparrow food, who would have thought the Psychic Academy would sort classes by psychic levels? Why am I even more thrilled?】

【……】

【No.70: The old thief’s promotional page artwork is really good this time. My son hardly ever showed such a relaxed smile in the first season.】

【No.71: Look at this artistry, no wonder they’re the hottest comic right now.】

【No.72: So many new characters on the promotional page, I’m already looking forward to it!】

【No.73: Clearly lots of handsome men and beautiful women, some of my friends have already started betting on the new hot characters.】

【No.74: There’s a white-haired handsome guy inside, he really hits me in the feels! White hair etched into my DNA!】

【No.75: Hehehe pecs hehehe perky butt hehehe sizzle sizzle】

After he finished speaking, Su Bei keenly noticed that many eyes were drawn to them, with quite a few people covertly paying attention to their conversation.

It was quite normal. He hadn’t lowered his voice when he spoke that sentence, and surely many in the class had heard it, naturally curious about what he meant.

“It was just a joke,” Su Bei said, half-lying on the desk, propping his chin with one hand, smiling at the other person with an innocent face, but in reality, he was mischievous and cunning. “You didn’t take it seriously, did you?”

Jiang Tianming, the popular manga protagonist, faced such a nearly provocative “prank” without showing the slightest sign of anger.

He just looked deeply at Su Bei, then shrugged his shoulders: “I misunderstood, the joke is quite interesting.”

Then he continued, “We’re going to be classmates for three more years in the future, can we get to know each other? My name is Jiang Tianming.”

“Su Bei.”

After getting his name, Jiang Tianming didn’t hesitate and went straight back.

Watching his retreating figure, Su Bei slightly curled the corner of his mouth. Jiang Tianming’s phrase “We’re going to be classmates for three more years,” was very interesting.

If Su Bei harbored malice towards him, then that sentence was a warning. But if Su Bei was indifferent or well-intentioned, then it would be understood as an overture.

Truly a rational male lead.

He was curious about what the other person was thinking now. Su Bei was sure Jiang Tianming didn’t believe his explanation. But he didn’t dwell on it, indeed a very smart person.

In the first part of the manga, besides being rational, calm, and unsparing, Jiang Tianming had another less noticeable but reader-favorite trait — he was scheming.

This guy, when facing a brainless provocation from a rich second-generation in a factory’s broadcasting room, deliberately pressed the horn switch, letting the rich second-generation’s disdain and misdeeds towards the workers be heard by everyone, leading to a workers’ uprising.

It was indeed satisfying to read this part in the manga, but in real life, Su Bei didn’t want to be the target of the other’s scheming.

He knew that Jiang Tianming’s polite demeanor was merely because he was unsure of Su Bei’s background. So he must not let the other know he was just talking big, or else he’d be in big trouble.

He muttered to himself: “Being a liar doesn’t feel good, I need to make it a reality soon.”