A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

With that, she wisely led her teammates a little further away, giving them ample space to deliberate.

“What do you all think?” Zhao Xiaoyu asked directly, knowing everyone had heard their conversation.

She was inclined to agree. As Qingqing had pointed out, they lacked the space to carry much. The largest storage ring in the school’s marketplace was only fifty square meters and was exorbitantly priced. If all went as expected, Su Bei had likely purchased the twenty-square-meter one.

Just this one snake would take up a significant amount of space; if they encountered another, they wouldn’t be able to carry anything else.

Zhao Xiaoyu’s family wasn’t poor, but they certainly weren’t wealthy—just an ordinary household. They had only one home, and both parents were salaried workers. They had already paid a hefty sum to allow her to attend the ability academy, leaving the family somewhat stretched.

After reviewing the price list provided, she found it hard to let go of such a substantial opportunity. The timing of their next venture into the alternate space was uncertain; it was better to seize this chance.

Selling that snake alone would cover Jiang Tianming’s living expenses for a year, but for her, it represented nearly half a year’s worth. If they could catch a few more, she could buy a house back in her hometown.

Yet she was also acutely aware that many present were not in need of money. From her observations, only Jiang Tianming and Wu Mingbai truly lacked funds.

—

Seeing Si Zhaohua and Ai Baozhu, they all wore expressions of indifference, clearly disliking strangers, and it was highly likely they would refuse.

If Zhao Xiaoyu were to request that they accompany her, she could indeed succeed; after all, they were classmates, and a little face-saving would be granted. But that would drain too much goodwill, and it wasn’t worth it.

She needed to persuade them, she thought, her eyes darting. “They’ve been honing their skills in the other realm for four or five years now; they must have some understanding of the ‘Closed Point.’”

As soon as these words left her lips, Si Zhaohua, who had initially been indifferent and inclined to refuse, suddenly found himself intrigued, along with the others.

Though there was a hint of selfishness in their interest, Zhao Xiaoyu’s statement was undeniably true. Even if these four had never encountered a “Closed Point,” their four to five years of experience in the other realm had surely equipped them with knowledge far beyond that of a few first-year students.

While the money didn’t concern them, the information was indeed something Si Zhaohua and the others were eager to learn.

“I think we can agree,” Si Zhaohua said immediately. Ai Baozhu and Zhou Renjie, ever followers of his lead, naturally had no objections.

Others had their own motives—some sought profit, others craved information, and some simply wished to witness the unfolding drama.

Indeed, it was Su Bei who yearned for the spectacle.

Life is full of unexpected twists, yet in this world of comics, Su Bei did not believe in the abundance of coincidences.

All coincidences were merely the unfolding of a predetermined plot.

But it mattered little; the plot was bound to unfold, and injury and bloodshed were the norms of youth tales. As long as the developments pleased him and misfortune did not befall himself, Su Bei would not intervene.

Thus, in the end, they all agreed.

Satisfied with the outcome, Zhao Xiaoyu’s lips curled into a slight smile.

Suddenly, Li Shu stepped beside her, feigning curiosity. “Sister Xiaoyu, why are you so eager to collaborate with them? Have you conferred with Sister Qingqing?”

His words insinuated that Zhao Xiaoyu had been secretly negotiating with Qingqing, which was why she spoke so favorably of them.

Cunning as he was, he had caught onto Zhao Xiaoyu’s subtle intentions; she was not merely advocating for the cooperation out of a desire for information about the “Closed Point.”

Logically, a normal person would keep such observations to themselves, for her reasoning held merit. After all, it was beneficial; there was no need to expose the underlying motives.

—

But Li Shu was clearly not a normal person, and Zhao Xiaoyu had no idea how she had provoked him to invite such revenge.

Zhao Xiaoyu was truly grinding her teeth in frustration. Was it really necessary to retaliate just because she had interrupted his conversation with Jiang Tianming a moment ago? Li Shu, were you just looking for trouble? And calling her “sister”? If she really had a brother like that, she would have beaten him to death long ago!

However, it was worth mentioning that Li Shu calling her “sister” did make some logical sense. When they had asked about birthdays earlier, Li Shu turned out to be the youngest among them all. He was born in December, and he wasn’t even fifteen yet.

Thinking of his age, Zhao Xiaoyu silently reminded herself not to bicker with a little brat, suppressing her inner fury. She took a deep breath and said half-jokingly, “Yeah, we agreed on it. She’s giving me a million to trick you all into teaming up with them.”

Upon hearing this, everyone burst into laughter. A trust crisis had quietly been resolved.

Li Shu pouted but didn’t say anything further.

After a month of interaction, he had also discerned the personalities of his classmates. Regardless of gender, they were all immune to his previous sharp words and teasing.

It was fine that he had discovered Zhao Xiaoyu’s flaw, but after her explanation, if he continued to press the issue, others would likely ignore him.

So annoying! Were all the people in class like this lately? Either they were smart or they didn’t like to talk; the only fool among them was thoroughly foolish. This made Li Shu, who usually enjoyed stirring up trouble, feel quite bored!

His gaze shifted, landing on Jiang Tianming. A spark of interest ignited. Thankfully, there was still someone fun in class. Li Shu licked his lips; he really wanted to know what Jiang Tianming’s secret was…

Upon learning that they had agreed to her request, Qingqing displayed a happy expression. The other two in the team were also quite pleased, while the buzz-cut guy remained fixated on Qingqing, completely indifferent to everything else.

After deciding to team up, they introduced themselves, but all used fake names. The buzz-cut guy was called Brother Dao, the girl with the shield was Sister Dun, and the man with the stick was Brother Gun.

After hearing their names, everyone was left speechless: “…”

Though they knew these were fake names, the sheer lack of effort was eye-opening. In this light, the name “Qingqing,” which they had previously thought was quite fake, turned out to be the most sincere among the four!

“We’ll head north from here,” Jiang Tianming laid down the rules, “We’re not fixated on finding the Nightmare Beasts. If any of you decide to change course midway, we can settle up then.”

He had also seen the price list that Qingqing had handed over, and it was similar to what he had seen in the market before; it didn’t seem like a scam.

“North?” Sister Dun looked curiously at the direction of the sun, “What’s up north?”

Jiang Tianming naturally wouldn’t directly say that there was likely a “Closed Point” up north. He didn’t know these people well enough to expose his side’s intentions. He suspected that discovering a “Closed Point” would yield a good reward; wealth could easily sway hearts, and he didn’t want to risk everything over a careless remark.

So Jiang Tianming calmly replied, “Nothing. We just want to traverse the异空间 and see what we encounter by heading in one direction.”

Upon hearing this, Sister Dun chuckled, “You haven’t been to the异空间 many times, have you? Newcomers always have all sorts of curiosities.”

She paused, turning to Brother Stick: “What foolish things did they do the last few times they came?”

Brother Stick, unwilling to lose face, feigned ignorance: “Ah? Haven’t we always been wise and mighty? When have we ever done something foolish?”

What a shameless thing to say! Sister Shield shot him a glare, then turned back: “Ignore him. We all had our rookie days. Since you’re curious, let’s not spoil the surprise. Let’s go together!”

In the blink of an eye, noon arrived, and everyone gathered in the shadow of a massive stone to prepare for lunch. After walking under the blazing sun for the entire morning and dispatching quite a few Nightmares, their stomachs were already growling.

Mo Xiaotian, Brother Knife, and Sister Shield went off to roast snake meat, while the others sat on the ground to rest.

“Why does it feel like we’re not even close to finishing?” Ai Baozhu pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the sweat from her forehead, and while she was at it, reapplied sunscreen to her exposed skin.

“If you want to reach the edge of this alternate space, you’ll probably have to walk for a long while yet,” Qingqing said with a smile. “This alternate space doesn’t seem small at all.”

Si Zhaohua was also discussing the distance with Su Bei and Jiang Tianming: “The teacher said we’ll be returning to the inn tonight, so the ‘closure point’ can’t be too far.”

That much was true. Jiang Tianming nodded: “And we only need to discover the ‘closure point.’ So, the test for us should be our observation skills?”

After they spoke, they both turned to Su Bei: “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

Su Bei, deep in thought, replied: “I was wondering, this alternate space has been around for a year. With such a long time without anyone finding the ‘closure point,’ and the teachers managed to find it in just a month, they clearly believe we can find it too. This ‘closure point’ must have something special about it.”

What he said made sense. So far, no tools or abilities had emerged in the ability realm that could accurately locate a “closure point.” It was all reliant on manual searching.

A year without discovery was enough to indicate that this alternate space’s “closure point” was well hidden. The teachers must have found some obvious marker within a month.

All these speculations were sound, but the question remained—“How do you know this alternate space has been open for a year?”

Before coming here, they had no idea which alternate space they were heading to, and such information was clearly not something one could find online. So everyone was in the dark about this alternate space, not even knowing the terrain inside, let alone its establishment time.

Su Bei shrugged, appearing indifferent: “Who knows where I got that information?”

Hearing this, the other two stopped asking. After all, if he didn’t want to say, pressing further would yield nothing.

Yet Jiang Tianming continued to ponder this question. Logically, Su Bei should have obtained this information through his abilities, just as he always did.

But if that were the case, he should have answered with a casual “guess” like before, rather than claiming he got it from another source.

“Other channels,” those were the paths that diverged from the norm, not ones accessed through supernatural abilities.

But if it wasn’t through such powers, how did he come by this information?

Watching the two figures retreat to find their respective companions, Su Bei lowered his gaze, absently toying with the silver ring on his finger. After a moment, a sly smile crept onto his lips, a glimmer of mischief.

Within the storage space of that silver ring, aside from the snake meat and a few talismans, lay a magazine, stark and unexpected.

If Jiang Tianming and the others were to see the name emblazoned on that magazine, they would likely be left speechless.

For the magazine was titled—“Guide to the Otherworldly Spaces of the Shahu Sea.”

While they were deep in discussion, on the other side, Qingqing and her trio were busily exchanging tidbits of knowledge about these otherworldly realms.

Zhao Xiaoyu, sharp as a whip, deftly steered the conversation toward the “Closed Points.” Though their collaboration wasn’t aimed at this, now that it had been mentioned, they had to put on a show.

“It’s rather embarrassing to admit, but we’ve only seen a ‘Closed Point’ once in the past four or five years,” Qingqing said with a hint of resignation, “and that was back in school, under the guidance of our teacher.”

Beside her, Sister Dun chimed in, “Exactly! So, you see, there’s no need for such curiosity. Your teachers will often seek opportunities to show you things, to broaden your horizons. For instance, ‘Closed Points’—as far as I know, most schools will find a chance to let students observe them within three years.”

Zhao Xiaoyu and Wu Mingbai exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with bitterness. It wasn’t curiosity that drove them; it was compulsion.

Now they understood why today’s task had unfolded as it did—likely to allow them to witness a “Closed Point” firsthand. But while other schools had teachers guiding their students, why were they expected to seek it out themselves?

Despite their grumbling, everyone knew the teachers had their best interests at heart, so they had to diligently complete the task.

Zhao Xiaoyu naturally adopted a playful tone, “But who knows how long it’ll be before our teacher takes us! I want to learn about it in advance! What was that ‘Closed Point’ you saw like, sister?”

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With such a question posed, Sister Dun had no reason to refuse: “When we went, it was to an ice-glacier terrain in an otherworldly space. That was a place where a ‘Closed Point’ had long been discovered, so it was easy to see. The ‘Closed Point’ was nestled deep within a chasm.”

As she spoke, she turned to Brother Gun for confirmation, “I’m not mistaken, am I?”

“Not mistaken at all.” Brother Gun chuckled, “That ‘Closed Point’ was quite fascinating; it was born in a rather unfortunate location, sealed away in ice. At first glance, one might think that block of ice was black.”

The “Closed Point,” like the entrance they had come through, took the form of a black hole. However, its size could vary, sometimes so small it was nearly imperceptible.

—

At his words, Qingqing stirred with distant memories: “Yes, precisely because of that, the other realm has never been plagued by Night Beasts. After all, the entrance has been sealed, and the Night Beasts cannot emerge at all. You can go back and ask the teacher; that realm should still be open even now. If the academy cannot find other ‘closure points’ in time, they might bring students here for a visit.”

At this point, she seemed to suddenly recall an important question: “By the way, where is your teacher?”

These few were clearly students; students venturing into the other realm for training must be led by a teacher.

Outside, Wu Mingbai always wore a naive and lively demeanor, and he answered without hesitation: “The teacher thinks this realm isn’t too challenging for us, and is just waiting for us at the entrance.”

This guy, with his usual mischief, was testing them even if Qingqing and the others were merely passersby. He deliberately mentioned that the teacher was not nearby; if they truly harbored ill intentions, they would easily be caught in the act.

Moreover, the truth couldn’t be revealed anyway; any excuse would suffice.

Zhao Xiaoyu blinked, not refuting him.

Upon hearing Wu Mingbai’s response, Qingqing’s gaze flickered. If it were someone else saying this, she would suspect they were wary of them. But Wu Mingbai appeared utterly guileless, so Qingqing didn’t dwell on it too much.

She smiled and said, “Your teacher must trust you quite a bit; you must be the academy’s elite, right? Teachers like ours stick close, fearing we might get into trouble.”

“Elite? It’s not that impressive…” Wu Mingbai feigned shyness, tilting his head with a smile. The brown-haired boy’s expression was perfectly fitting, refreshing and endearing.

Behind Qingqing, Jiang Tianming and Lan Subing exchanged gestures of mock retching.

Qingqing’s eyes sparkled with amusement as she confidently declared, “You must be elite, from Class A, right?”

“Mm.” Wu Mingbai nodded, “I was lucky to be placed there; I should be the worst in our class.”

Hearing him say this, Qingqing offered a round of consolation, while behind her, Brother Dao’s temper flared, casting an angry glare at the fawning Wu Mingbai.

Su Bei watched from a distance, sensing that Brother Dao was on the verge of losing control. After all, although Wu Mingbai was still underage, he was only five or six years younger than Qingqing, and there was no telling what opportunities might arise. Brother Dao, currently infatuated with Qingqing, naturally felt a sense of crisis.

Suddenly, Brother Dao stumbled slightly, pressing his temple and blinking hard.

Sitting beside him, Brother Gun expertly steadied him, showing no sign of concern: “You alright?”

Brother Dao quickly recovered, nodding: “I’m fine now.”

Exchanging a glance with Qingqing, he then turned his furious gaze back to Wu Mingbai, a picture of intense jealousy.

—

But from a distance, Su Bei watched, feeling that the current expression was somewhat feigned. Just moments ago, it had been genuine emotion; now, it seemed more like a performance.

Was he warned by Qingqing?

As he pondered this, Wu Jin, who had been lurking in the corner like a mushroom, suddenly approached: “It’s gone.”

What’s gone? Su Bei was momentarily taken aback, then quickly realized. If nothing had gone awry, Wu Jin must be referring to the “affection” that Brother Dao had been under. Qingqing’s Cupid skill had worn off.

Well, that was quite a stretch of time. From nine in the morning to one in the afternoon, a full four hours had passed.

Now things were getting interesting. Su Bei watched Brother Dao’s act, raising an eyebrow slightly.

Clearly no longer under the influence of the ability, yet he still pretended to be fond of Qingqing. Was this to conceal the uniqueness of Qingqing’s power?

If one thought simply, such concealment was merely a caution against strangers. But if one thought more deeply, was their subterfuge meant to achieve something?

Both interpretations made sense, but Su Bei had never been one to shy away from assuming the worst of strangers.

Best to keep an eye on them, he decided, releasing his mental energy to envelop the four of them. He didn’t mind them stirring up trouble, but only as long as it didn’t fall back on him.

If he truly became filled with affection for the other party, his carefully crafted persona would shatter.

After finishing their meal and enduring the most unbearable part of the afternoon, they continued forward as the sun began to relent. Since Zhao Xiaoyu had already provided an explanation, even though they were still heading north, Qingqing and the others found nothing strange about it.

Along the way, aside from dealing with the Nightmares, they encountered many other teams of ability users. However, due to their large numbers, those teams dared not approach, lest they attract trouble.

As the sun dipped low, the orange-red twilight painted the sky, and the lines of poetry about solitary smoke in the desert and the sun setting over the long river became vividly real.

After a full day of travel, even with the enhanced physical prowess of ability users, fatigue began to set in.

With their energy waning, they ceased their playful bickering and walked forward in silence.

“Ah!”

A sudden exclamation jolted everyone back to alertness.

They turned toward the source of the sound, only to find Zhou Renjie had sunk into the sand.

It was quicksand!

Zhou Renjie found himself half-submerged, sinking deeper with each passing moment.

Quicksand is not uncommon in the desert; for an ordinary person, it could easily become a grave, swallowing them whole if they lack the experience of seasoned explorers.

Yet, those with abilities are clearly not ordinary. Even when faced with peril, they often remain more composed than the average soul, their powers lending them a steadiness in the face of danger.

After a brief scream and a flurry of struggles, Zhou Renjie finally calmed himself, ceasing his frantic movements, though his weight still dragged him slowly downward.

“What do we do?” he asked, a hint of panic in his voice, turning to Wu Mingbai. “Your ability is [Earth Element]. Can you control this quicksand?”

At that moment, Wu Mingbai set aside their previous grievances. Though they had their differences, it had not yet escalated to a desire for each other’s demise.

Wu Mingbai attempted to wield his powers to manipulate the sand. Logically, with his [Earth Element], parting this quicksand should have been a simple task.

But to his surprise, he could only manage to stabilize the sand, preventing Zhou Renjie from sinking further. Rescuing him outright was beyond his reach.

Feeling his powers significantly weakened, he furrowed his brow. “Something’s off. Is it the sheer force of the quicksand? I can’t control all the sand that makes it up.”

“What do we do then?” Zhou Renjie exclaimed, fear creeping into his voice. He wanted to question whether Wu Mingbai was deliberately leaving him to his fate, but he held back, wary of further antagonizing him.

Mu Tieren, having learned a fair bit about survival in the wild, quickly directed, “Don’t make any sudden movements. Shift your body side to side, step lightly to shake the sand off, and slowly work your way up.”

With no other options, Zhou Renjie followed his advice, moving cautiously. Wu Mingbai coordinated with him, manipulating the sand to facilitate his escape.

This method proved effective. After a long half-hour, Zhou Renjie finally emerged, drenched in sweat, his face flushed with exhaustion. He quickly distanced himself from the quicksand, collapsing onto the ground, gasping for breath.

Seeing him safely out, everyone finally exhaled in relief. Si Zhaohua pondered aloud, “Let him rest for a bit, then we can take a detour and continue forward?”

No one objected; the sun was not too harsh, and a brief respite seemed reasonable. Sitting on the ground, Jiang Tianming turned to Wu Mingbai, curiosity etched on his face. “What did it feel like when you were controlling the sand? Why couldn’t you manage it?”

He was well aware of Wu Mingbai’s training with his abilities. For standard earth elements like existing sand or ordinary soil, Wu Mingbai’s control was nothing short of masterful.