A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

44:

Based on previous observations, they unanimously inferred that Su Bei had the ability to change outcomes, as seen in the arenas of Wu Jin and Zhao Xiaoyu. Yet, this time he lost. Despite his opponent being the temporary top of the first year, it left everyone both shocked and puzzled.

What a question! Indeed, a great question! Su Bei was initially stunned, then a wave of ecstasy surged within him. With their question, his ability to change fate seemed to be firmly established.

What do you call this? This is mutual aid! They helped him enhance his powers, and he would help them change their destinies later. Such perfect cooperation.

Su Bei, already celebrating in his heart, feigned a contrived confusion on his face: “Ah? Why use powers before the match?”

Seeing this, Wu Mingbai couldn’t help but chuckle: “Stop acting, you’re even less convincing than us.”

The remark felt familiar. Su Bei reminisced and realized it was what he had said to the protagonist group during his first false prophecy to them.

It was unexpected, like a boomerang, the words had come back to him.

This guy sure holds a grudge. Su Bei twitched the corner of his mouth, managing a forced smile: “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

Though he said so, it was tantamount to an indirect admission that he indeed possessed the ability to change fate.

Lan Subing tugged at Wu Mingbai’s sleeve, who got the hint and asked with feigned innocence: “Don’t you want to win?”

“Poor attempt at provocation,” Su Bei shook his head, and after a moment of silence, he finally responded with a half-smile, “Ever heard of ‘physician, heal thyself’?”

With that, he turned and left. The previous battle with Si Zhaohua had drained much of his energy, and he truly needed to rest. Honestly, if it weren’t for the protagonist group coming over to present him with a gift, he wouldn’t have bothered with them.

Watching his retreating figure, Lan Subing whispered, “Do you think his ‘physician, heal thyself’ means he can’t or he doesn’t want to?”

“He doesn’t want to,” Jiang Tianming pondered for a moment before speaking, “If he couldn’t use his powers on himself, he could’ve used them on Si Zhaohua instead.”

Nodding at his analysis, the others agreed it made sense. Wu Mingbai thought for a bit: “Then why doesn’t he want to use his powers in his own arena? Could there be side effects?”

“That’s unlikely,” Lan Subing shook her head, “Su Bei doesn’t seem to be reckless. He easily used his powers on Zhao Xiaoyu and Wu Jin before, which suggests there are no side effects.”

Indeed, although they weren’t exactly allies, at least for now, they all believed Su Bei had no ill intentions—perhaps he just enjoyed the drama a bit too much.

Wu Mingbai’s eyes gleamed with thought as he looked at Su Bei, resting with closed eyes under the shade of a tree: “There must be some mental hurdle he can’t get over.”

Shi Zhaohua had already entered the arena for the final match.

Outside, a few people started arguing about their victory or defeat, with both sides clearly divided, firmly believing that their side would surely win.

Not wanting to argue with them, Su Bei decisively moved next to Feng Lan, arms crossed, watching the drama unfold (single bet).

He didn’t speak, which made Feng Lan turn his head and glance at him: “Aren’t you going to guess who will win?”

Almost everyone had asked him this question just now,

perhaps because his special ability was [Prophecy].

“No need to ask,” Su Bei said nonchalantly, shaking his head, “As long as I know who will win, that’s good enough.”

This piqued Feng Lan’s interest; he knew Su Bei could often accurately predict the winner. However, he didn’t ask Su Bei who would win. For someone with the [Prophecy] ability, the future was the least necessary thing to know in advance.

Since the competition among those with special abilities was never too slow, 15 minutes passed, and Jiang Tianming emerged from the arena, carrying Shi Zhaohua in a princess hold. Despite being covered in wounds, his face was brilliantly smiling: “I won!”

At this moment, Jiang Tianming looked far more disheveled than anyone before him, with several cuts on his face, his school uniform torn and ragged, and blood seeping from several places.

The most terrifying wound was on his arm, clearly showing that the attack on Shi Zhaohua was made without holding back. The wound was a full decimeter long, with flesh turned inside out, and the bone faintly visible.

And Shi Zhaohua, in his arms, was also in a sorry state, with several wounds on his body, though far fewer than Jiang Tianming’s, but his complexion was pale, his eyes tightly closed, clearly having fainted.

Wu Mingbai was the first to react, laughing as he approached: “Well done! But is the one in your arms alright?”

As he spoke, Ai Baozhu had already rushed over, angrily demanding: “What did you do to Zhaohua?”

As she tried to take Shi Zhaohua from Jiang Tianming’s arms, she misjudged the boy’s weight and nearly stumbled, almost dropping him.

Fortunately, Jiang Tianming was quick to react and caught Shi Zhaohua in time, preventing a second injury from a teammate.

To prevent Ai Baozhu from pouncing again, Jiang Tianming quickly explained: “He fainted from overusing his mental powers.”

Of course, he tactfully omitted the fact that his own final blow was the last straw that broke the camel’s back. If he mentioned that, Ai Baozhu would probably come at him with fury.

Lan Subing and Wu Mingbai stood to the left and right of Jiang Tianming, like two guardians, to prevent Ai Baozhu from causing further trouble.

Though late, Mo Xiaotian from the atmosphere group finally arrived: “Brother Jiang is so awesome! First place! The first for Class F! Why wasn’t I assigned to Class F!”

The Ironwood man pressed his large hand on the boy’s head: “You can still apply to the teacher after the monthly exam.”

“But by then, you all should be in Class A, and I’ll be going to Class F. Wouldn’t that mean missing you again?” Mo Xiaotian argued with rare logic, then laughed brightly, “I’ll be waiting for you in Class A!”

At that moment, the referee came over with the beautiful school doctor. Through their time together, they had come to know each other. The school doctor’s name was Ye Lin, and her ability was the “Spring of Life,” a pool of water with healing properties.

Ye Lin handed a cup of pale green water to everyone present, the life water she created with her ability. However, the amount of water in the cups varied depending on the severity of the injuries.

After distributing the water to everyone, Ye Lin cautioned, “The life spring water I’ve given you can only heal physical injuries; you’ll need to recover your mental strength on your own. The team battle starts in two days, so rest well until then.”

Once she finished speaking, the referee sternly announced, “Today’s match results must not be disclosed to anyone. Violators will lose their qualification to compete. Official information will be posted on the website the day before the monthly exam, so don’t forget to check.”

After a thought, considering these students were the future pillars of the school, he added, “The team battle will involve fighting shadow beasts, which you haven’t learned about yet, right? Don’t forget to look up the information.”

“Thank you, teacher!” Knowing this was a hidden message, everyone expressed their gratitude.

The referee nodded, said no more, and left with Ye Lin.

At that moment, Si Zhaohua in Jiang Tianming’s arms suddenly fluttered his eyelids and quickly opened his eyes, revealing his golden pupils. He first looked around in confusion, and upon realizing he was in the arms of his arch-enemy, his pupils dilated, and he began to struggle fiercely.

Jiang Tianming, not wanting him to fall, reluctantly set him down: “Can’t you stay still for a moment?”

Si Zhaohua laughed in exasperation, still unclear about the situation, but instinctively retorted, “Who asked you to hold me?”

“If I don’t hold you, should I leave you alone on the stage?” Jiang Tianming said mockingly, then suddenly remembered that Su Bei seemed to have done this several times already, coughed, and added, “It’s the finals, after all. I might as well show a bit of humanitarian spirit.”

Hearing this, Si Zhaohua straightened his clothes and snorted coldly, but ultimately remained silent. His previous disdain, aside from the clash of auras, also stemmed from his belief that Jiang Tianming was weak.

But through the recent match, he realized he had misunderstood the other.

Although Si Zhaohua believed his defeat was because he had already used his most powerful skill in the battle against Su Bei, the fact that he had to use that skill at all was a testament to its strength.

However, prejudices can’t be eliminated instantly, and besides, he and Jiang Tianming genuinely clashed in aura. Moreover, having lost the finals, Si Zhaohua’s attitude was still poor.

To be honest, even though he was now fully awake, the fact that he had truly lost was still incredibly hard for him to believe. Si Zhaohua had never failed before; he excelled in every aspect, and this was his first taste of not being first.

Ai Baozhu, who knew him well, was worried about him and glared at Jiang Tianming and the others in shared animosity.

Shi Zhaohua shook his head, downing the Elixir of Life in one gulp. Once his complexion improved slightly, he issued a new challenge to Jiang Tianming: “I may have lost the individual battle, but in the team fight, victory will surely be ours.”

He was a man of immense pride. Though vexed by his defeat, he would never deny it. In his eyes, those who failed and yet refused to admit it were the true weaklings.

But acknowledging this defeat didn’t mean he saw himself as inferior to Jiang Tianming. He would prove his strength in the team battle and reclaim the title of the top newcomer at the Supernatural Academy!

“I secured the first place in the individual battle, and I will do the same in the team battle,” Jiang Tianming declared, undaunted, facing him head-on.

The next second, a notification for “Comic Sense” rang in Su Bei’s ears: “King of Abilities has been updated, please check it out.”

Updated? It seems the author finally decided to divide the monthly test into three parts. Undoubtedly, this was good news. Su Bei could already feel certain changes within him.

His ability seemed to have undergone another modification.

A wondrous sensation caused Su Bei’s eyes to flicker, and he spoke proactively: “Since the match is over, I’ll take my leave now.”

“Hey? Why don’t we go celebrate? Our team has achieved a complete victory!” Mo Xiaotian exclaimed with wide eyes.

Indeed, that was the case. Everyone in their group was in the top ten, a feat that could truly be called a complete victory.

Celebrate? With such a useless ability to achieve today’s results, it indeed seemed like a cause for celebration. But Su Bei wasn’t in the mood to celebrate; he wanted to thoroughly research his new ability.

If he wasn’t mistaken, the only thing that could change at this moment was the foreshadowing he had left behind.

Perhaps this time, he could unlock the chance to change his destiny.

Seeing his reluctance, Mu Tie, ever considerate, suggested, “Let’s celebrate later. I’d like to take a shower first.”

“We also need to replenish our mental energy,” Jiang Tianming agreed, nodding. There was no rush to celebrate. The team battle was still ahead, waiting for them. “Popping champagne mid-game could lead to a turnover.”

In the end, everyone unanimously decided to wait until the monthly test was over before discussing celebrations.

From noble mtl dot come

Back in the dormitory, Su Bei didn’t even bother to check the comic. Instead, he immediately began to explore the new changes in his ability.

Looking in the mirror, Su Bei noticed a slight alteration in the Destiny Compass above his head. The central needle of the compass had multiplied, now featuring one large and one small.

The larger one, which had always been there, represented significant events the owner faced. Since Su Bei first saw this needle, its position had barely changed, only moving slightly each time he successfully altered his ability through the forum.

And the small pointer is new; Su Bei reasonably surmises that it represents minor events in the owner’s life, such as the victory of a match.

This is consistent with his previous performance in the comics, after all, the large pointer wouldn’t be detailed enough to display such trivial matters, so logically, another pointer was necessary.

Furthermore, around the periphery of both pointers, there’s an added ring resembling the indentations of a gear.

Or rather, it’s clearly a place meant for gears.

Following his instincts, Su Bei conjured a gear he had never seen before. The pattern on the gear was spiral, dizzying to look at even with a glance.

This gear… seemed to fit perfectly with the compass pointer’s outer gear?

Thinking this, Su Bei tentatively placed the gear around the small pointer’s periphery, and it actually worked! As he turned the gear, the needle above his head began to rotate as well.

Su Bei’s eyes widened, he didn’t dare to tempt fate, carefully adjusting the pointer back to its original direction.

He knew the pointer represented the direction of destiny, and now that he could turn it with the gear, didn’t it mean he could truly change his own and others’ fates?

However, it was clear that changing fate consumed a great deal of mental energy. Just turning it slightly, without even fully implementing the change, Su Bei felt his mental energy drained by half. It would probably take most of his mental energy to enact a real change.

And the large pointer, without even trying, Su Bei could clearly sense that changing its direction would likely require all his mental energy.

Keep in mind, he is a high-level mental power user!

Su Bei couldn’t help but sigh. That wasn’t even the worst part; the worst was that he didn’t know

() which way to turn the gear. He had been busy with the monthly exams and hadn’t properly studied the compass of fate.

But then again, it seems he had yet to explore another function.

Su Bei took down the gear he had just placed on the compass of fate above his head, rotated it, and the pointer began to move once again!

In other words, as long as his gear had been installed once, he could continuously control the installed pointer, even if it was removed.

This ability, combined with his high-level mental power, was nothing short of miraculous! He could discreetly attach the gear to someone else’s compass of fate with his high-level mental power and then take it back, subsequently altering their fate in secret.

Hmm? Why does it sound like he’s planning to stealthily curse someone?

The direction in which the pointer should be turned wasn’t something that could be figured out in a short time. With more than a day left, Su Bei decided to open the comic and read the content of this issue.

The latest comic update begins with the third day of individual battles, the first match being between Mu Tie Ren and Wu Jin.

Before the match, the dialogue between Jiang Tianming’s side and Wu Mingbai’s side was fully depicted in the comic. One side was filled with positive energy, encouraging each other, while the other side was oppressive and mocking, making for a stark contrast.

“Jiang Jiang is so good at comforting people! With that said, the class monitor immediately looks less nervous.”

“Hahaha, Mo Xiaotian really is the life of the party!”

“I hate this fatso! What has Class F done to you?”

“This group is so cold.”

“Zhao Xiaoyu is actually willing to speak up for Wu Jin? I’m starting to see her in a new light.”

“Zhao Xiaoyu doesn’t want to give up, does she?”

“The contrast between the two groups is so clear. Even though Jiang Jiang and his team seem weaker, I’d also like to join such a team with a good atmosphere.”

Perhaps because Wu Jin is going to lose the next match, the author still gave some scenes to portray this one.

Wu Jin, with his head lowered, walked into the arena. His opponent was a Class C superpower user. Being assigned to Class C generally means one has a certain combat capability with their superpower. Having just been briefed by Zhao Xiaoyu, Wu Jin knew this person’s superpower was “Corrosive Poison.”

Sure enough, the boy took out a bottle of purple potion and mocked without restraint, “I don’t know how a Class F like you has made it this far, but if you don’t want to suffer the pain of disfigurement, I advise you to get lost quickly!”

He had made it to the third day solely with this poison. Although he could only produce one bottle at the moment, as long as someone dared to approach him, he would not hesitate to splash the poison. Once the opponent was in agony, he would easily knock them off the stage.

In the arena, unless the opponent had the ability to become invisible, it was really hard not to hit such a big target.

He had won all six matches so easily, which gave the boy endless confidence. He now felt that being assigned to Class C was beneath his talents. With his superpower, even those in Class A might not be able to beat him.

Therefore, he naturally looked down on his Class F opponent, considering them nothing more than a free point.

Wu Jin did not respond, but spoke softly to avoid triggering his superpower, and walked towards him without hesitation.

Seeing him dare to come over, the opponent was not soft-hearted at all and directly splashed the purple potion onto him.

“Sizzle sizzle sizzle sizzle!”

A pungent odor wafted through the air, accompanied by the sound of flesh being corroded. Despite Wu Jin’s best efforts to dodge and even intentionally lowering his presence as he approached, some of the liquid still splashed onto him. Fortunately, he had shielded his face with his arm in advance, and the corrosive liquid only reached his arm.

But even so, the intense pain was almost unbearable. The flesh on his arm that had been touched by the poison was completely corroded, revealing the stark white bones beneath.

Sweat immediately flooded Wu Jin’s forehead, and with a pained expression, he clutched his arm, nearly collapsing to the ground, unable to stand steady.

His opponent, however, showed no sympathy, instead revealing a satisfied smile: “You dare to confront me? This is your fate!”

After saying this, he approached, ready to throw this person, who he deemed no longer capable of resistance, off the platform. But just as he got close, he was suddenly firmly grasped by the wrist by another hand, unscathed.

The opponent’s expression instantly turned to surprise: “How can you…”

Before he could finish his sentence, Wu Jin used this grip to stand up again.

“You’ve actually injured my flawless skin, and I’m very angry. I’ll take this victory as compensation,” he said.

As he spoke, he first took the bottle of corrosive poison from his opponent’s hand and poured it onto his right hand.

“Hisss!”

Although there was only a little bit of poison left, it still elicited a scream of agony from his opponent. After completing this step, Wu Jin did not hesitate to drag his opponent to the edge of the platform and then pushed him off with a shove.

Standing on the platform, he looked down from his high vantage point at the fog below, then lowered his gaze, his rarely exposed light gray eyes seeming to shimmer brilliantly: “Don’t let me get hurt again next time.”

At this point in the story, the live comments exploded.

“What the heck is this???”

“Wu Jin is not simple at all…”

“That opponent is too much, how can a classmate be so hurtful!”

“Why doesn’t the opponent resist at all?”

“It seems Wu Jin has a secret.”

“‘Flawless skin’???”

“Wu Jin is out of character, isn’t he?”

“Look at those peach blossom eyes! I’m certain that once Wu Jin sweeps his hair back, he’ll be a total heartthrob!”

Forget the barrage of comments, Su Bei was utterly shocked by this part of the story. Was that still the Wu Jin he knew?

It was clear from the comic that Wu Jin’s transformation occurred after he was injured and fell to the ground. From that point on, his entire being was enveloped in a faint grey glow with a metallic sheen.

Su Bei guessed this was the comic’s way of showing his change, rather than a display of psychic power. After all, the faint grey glow of Wu Jin’s superpower had never had a metallic quality before.

And indeed, Wu Jin’s behavior after the change was different; he seemed to have become somewhat… narcissistic?

When Su Bei saw the phrase “a flawless vessel,” he nearly spat out his water, also clearly recognizing the difference between before and after. The original Wu Jin, as he knew him, would never say such a thing.

Moreover, at the end, the comic deliberately depicted Wu Jin’s eyes. Those light grey eyes, previously dull and lusterless, suddenly sparkled with life at that moment.

The injured Wu Jin had indeed changed a lot, and not just in personality. It seemed his superpower had also altered.

Su Bei noticed something puzzling – after he grabbed his opponent’s wrist, the opponent never struggled. If the lack of struggle was due to surprise at first, that explanation was somewhat reasonable. But when Wu Jin poured the corrosive liquid on the opponent’s wound and there was still no struggle, that was very odd.

And—

Su Bei zoomed in on the comic, observing the opponent’s pupils closely. Despite the small size of the images, he could vaguely make out that the person’s pupils seemed to be heart-shaped?!