A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

The Nightmare Star did not emerge during the day; it only appeared at night. Thus, they spent the entire day setting traps and studying how to confront it.

If Su Bei had his way, Si Zhaohua should have taken on this task; his unique ability could attract the Nightmare Beasts, perhaps luring the enemy out during the day.

As they delved deeper into their narrative, Su Bei and Wu Jin’s conversation about the “Succubus” was indeed not illustrated, yet it was clear that a secret lingered between them.

Scrolling through the barrage of comments, flipping pages at a rapid pace, Su Bei quickly grasped the keywords the readers associated with his character in this segment of the story—“knows.”

“Su Bei knows so much!”

“Is it just my imagination? It feels like Su Bei is always aware of many things beforehand.”

“The mysterious persona remains intact; where does he learn all this?”

“What little secrets do you two share? Let me in on it too!”

“…”

Reading these comments, Su Bei knew the time had come. But before that, he decided to finish the comic content; later, he would also take a glance at the current trends on the forum.

After completing the task, they rested for a day. This day’s events were not depicted in the main text, but Su Bei noticed a new comic skit had been updated, likely showcasing their game of Truth or Dare.

Next came the main event, the labyrinthine alternate space. Jiang Tianming, the first protagonist of “Powers Reign,” was already being hunted the moment he entered this strange realm.

Indeed, it wasn’t long after he arrived that he encountered someone from the “Sky Dome Ability Academy.” Normally, dealing with one opponent would be manageable, but perhaps the sounds of their battle were too loud, for just as he was about to eliminate his foe, another appeared!

This newcomer was none other than the captain of the “Sky Dome Ability Academy” team. Being a captain surely meant he had his own skills; his ability was [Stone Manipulation], and in this maze made of stone, it was clear that he would thrive.

When the fight became too overwhelming, Jiang Tianming had no choice but to flee. On his way, he ran into Li Shu, who activated the hidden traps he had set earlier, causing both of them to suffer a significant setback, yet they managed to escape successfully.

However, the people from the “Sky Dome Ability Academy” had already placed tracking devices on them, and by afternoon, they were hot on their trail, this time accompanied by some radicals. A total of six individuals relentlessly pursued them.

Su Bei shook his head in disbelief; being the protagonist was truly a grim fate! When he started school, he had indeed called the other party a jinx, and he couldn’t have been more right.

—

Next unfolds the tale of Wu Mingbai, a narrative already recounted by Zhao Xiaoyu, with little deviation from her words.

Among the trio of Lan Subing, Feng Lan, and Qi Huang, they were the luckiest compared to the first two. Their encounters were mostly with solitary ability users. Yet, by nightfall, their fortune waned, and they crossed paths with Sister Zhao.

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The same rhetoric, the same procedures, the same steps—Lan Subing and her companions were not fooled, yet they followed her, curious to uncover her true intentions.

It was only at this moment that Su Bei realized Sister Zhao belonged to the radicals. Her aim in gathering people was to probe their abilities; if one’s power was formidable, they would be welcomed into the fold, but if weak, they would be relegated to bait and labor.

Lan Subing and her friends caused a ruckus among the radicals before making their escape.

Notably, through their time together, Su Bei discovered that among the fifteen in Class S, Lan Subing was the luckiest. Perhaps due to the nature of their comic world, luck was a tangible metric.

Lan Subing was the type to hit the jackpot eight times out of ten, clearly embodying the archetype of “the lucky girl.”

Upon realizing this, Su Bei took to the forums and indeed found Lan Subing referred to as “the girl with extraordinary luck.” In the first season, she had showcased many moments of remarkable fortune. However, Su Bei had been too engrossed in the main storyline to notice.

Following her, the next luckiest was Mo Xiaotian, who embodied the principle that fools have their fortune. His cluelessness somehow shielded him from misfortune.

Then perhaps Ai Baozhu or Si Zhaohua?

Feng Lan also had decent luck, but given he had been kidnapped twice in succession, constantly targeted, even Su Bei found it hard to gauge his fortune accurately.

From the comic, it was evident that his abduction was a result of being singled out. He had sensed the impending danger five seconds early through [Prophecy], yet that danger was not something one could evade in mere seconds, so he resigned himself to fate.

The one with the worst luck was undoubtedly Su Bei, followed closely by Jiang Tianming. In Su Bei’s eyes, they firmly held the positions of the unluckiest and second unluckiest.

Damn it! What merit did he possess to be so close to the main protagonist?

As her thoughts wandered, Su Bei continued reading the comic. Despite the initial trio’s storyline taking precedence, the other three teams also had their moments.

The duo of Mo Xiaotian and Ai Baozhu was a source of endless laughter—a big fool and a young lady. They were not there for training; they were there for comedy. Two lucky souls together encountered little danger, though some ill-intentioned solitary ability users quickly fell prey to Ai Baozhu’s keen insight.

Next came the trio of Si Zhaohua, Zhou Rinjie, and Mu Tieren, whose experiences were rather typical, being chased by “soldiers” and then by “cars.” It was only after watching this segment that Su Bei learned that “cars” would pursue the nearest target, while “soldiers” relentlessly hunted the first person they laid eyes upon. Those marked with “back” would not be pursued.

Lastly, there was his and Ling You’s experience, the comic focusing on their encounters with the “back” pieces. He felt he had appeared somewhat disheveled, yet it sufficed; successfully rescuing someone was enough to elicit cheers from the readers.

Had he adjusted the pointer at that moment, he would have undoubtedly appeared far more graceful, but Su Bei now felt fortunate that he had restrained himself from making that adjustment.

—

If adjustments had been made back then, the remaining mental energy would surely have been insufficient for him to twist the pointer above his head all the way to the left at the very end of yesterday. Indeed, one ought to conserve mental energy; who knows when it might be called upon for something significant?

Without a doubt, what followed was the content after everyone entered the illusion. This time, the narrative unfolded in chronological order, with the camera first focusing on Su Bei and his companions.

To Su Bei’s surprise, the casual remark he made on the homepage—“This sky seems… a bit fake?”—had actually been illustrated in the comic!

It was obvious that this line would resonate with the later revelation of “he had long known this was an illusion.”

As he scrolled down, after the scene where Si Zhao Hua, Zhou Ren Jie, Mu Tie Ren, Ling You, and Su Bei all stepped onto the staircase, the camera shifted to Si Zhao Hua, showcasing in full how he navigated the challenges.

Next came another split scene, depicting the other three, aside from Su Bei, each engaged in their own battles, indicating that they too faced challenges on every floor.

Finally, they arrived at the plot that Su Bei was most concerned about!

[A handsome youth with golden hair and violet eyes calmly stepped onto the stairs, ascending one step at a time. He hardly paused, lingering only a few seconds on each platform before continuing upward.

In stark contrast to the others, he encountered nothing at all. Yet the youth seemed unfazed, exuding an air of nonchalance as he made his way to the fifth floor.

The fifth floor resembled a bedroom, with dim yellow light casting a sense of languor over the entire room.

The youth lay down on the sofa as if returning home, effortlessly and naturally drifting into a comfortable sleep.]

It seemed there was no intention to depict him using his powers, and a satisfied smile crept across Su Bei’s face as he reopened the recently closed barrage of comments.

“???????”

“Isn’t everyone supposed to face challenges?”

“I don’t understand? Why did he encounter nothing at all?”

“…?”

“Ha ha ha, what is this? Did they go easy on Su Bei?”

“How can Su Bei sleep in this environment?”

“What about the enemies? Where is everyone?”

“High school students really have good physical resilience; they can just drop off to sleep.”

“Is it a special ability? Su Bei has used a special ability, right?”

“This ability is so powerful!”

“No, my head is getting fuzzy.”

“The more I look, the more I think Su Bei is an undercover agent. I need to go to the forum and judge this!”

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(Three-in-One)

Next, the comic panel follows Su Bei as he awakens from the illusion, capturing the dialogue between him and Meng Huai in vivid detail.

At the time of their conversation, it was actually quite peaceful; the teachers had no intention of questioning them. After all, everyone has their own methods, especially a student like Su Bei.

Yet the author deliberately heightened the tension, making their dialogue appear as if sparks were flying, swords drawn. It was as if they had already concluded that Su Bei was an undercover agent and were interrogating him.

If it weren’t for the fact that this was his own experience, Su Bei might have thought he and Meng Huai had actually gotten into a fight.

He couldn’t help but laugh in frustration; they were really trying hard to make the readers believe he was an undercover agent.

The plot continued to unfold, as Lei Ze’en informed him about the others, their experiences illustrated in the panels. However, this time only Jiang Tianming and Li Shu were depicted.

The former was the primary protagonist, while the latter seemed to have made significant progress this time. Focusing on just the two of them was a reasonable choice to save space.

What was slightly surprising was that the comic did not reveal what they encountered on the fifth level. It only illustrated the moment Jiang Tianming stepped onto the stairs leading to the fifth floor, then cut to his awakening.

Even the readers were kept in the dark, and Su Bei began to wonder what secrets lay within.

As expected, the comic concluded with a scene where Jiang Tianming and Li Shu were about to fight. The button he brought back from the illusion drove Li Shu into a frenzy, wanting to use his special ability on him, leading to an inevitable clash.

After finishing the comic, Su Bei finally made up his mind; it was time to address his identity. In both comics, he had not shown any significant progress in strength. If he didn’t make some moves regarding his identity, he would be wasting too much time.

The comic skit was indeed about their game of truth or dare, though not everything was revealed, as they had played a round of more risqué dares. Revealing it all would be far too much.

Undoubtedly, what was shared contained plenty of points for discussion.

As Su Bei’s response echoed, the comments section erupted with excitement.

“Hahahahaha, everyone is staring at Su Bei!”

“Good heavens, am I really talking to myself like this?”

“Isn’t it, bro? You loathe yourself, yet you think you’re so handsome?”

“Narcissism and self-loathing, that’s me.”

“Does Su Bei feel self-hatred too? He can’t be doing this on purpose to avoid making a choice, can he?”

“I can faintly smell the scent of knives…”

Beyond the humor, there’s a hint of information for the readers. For instance, the issues surrounding Wu Jin, Mo Xiaotian, and Jiang Tianming.

Wu Jin has a low presence in the comic world, but in reality, she’s quite significant. Because she refuses to reveal the lie she recently told, and with Li Shu’s analysis, the comments are buzzing with guesses about who she lied to, yet no one dares to say it outright.

The main suspects are two: Su Bei and Zhao Xiaoyu. It’s no surprise; among the S class, they are the ones who have the closest relationship with Wu Jin, so it’s only logical that they would be the ones deceived.

When it was Mo Xiaotian’s turn, Su Bei perked up. The main cast, caught in the midst of it all, couldn’t see it, nor could the readers watching the comic sense anything amiss.

No one had guessed before that Mo Xiaotian would be the undercover agent. Among everyone in their class, only the duo of the main cast, Si Zhaohua and Mo Xiaotian, had never been nominated as the undercover.

Unfortunately, the comments revealed no suspicions; it was all just “hahaha.”

Su Bei could only sigh inwardly at how invincible Mo Xiaotian’s disguise was. If he hadn’t seen the black lightning mark on the back of his neck with his own eyes, he would never have suspected anything was wrong.

In the end, Jiang Tianming’s heartfelt words garnered the least reaction, after all, as the protagonist, most of his secrets had already been laid bare.

Everyone was speculating that the woman’s silhouette appearing at the end of the first season was his mother, and now they felt their assumptions were solidified. Many mother fans were feeling sorry for Jiang Tianming.

It’s known that Jiang Tianming has been an orphan since childhood, and he must yearn for familial love. His mother likely died during childbirth, which became a part of his abilities. For someone who longs for family, this is undoubtedly a heartbreaking matter, and it’s no wonder Jiang Tianming hesitated, wondering if he regretted it.

The little skit even wrote a bit of his inner voice—“The one who regrets is me, not the one who possesses abilities.”

Clearly, he understood at that moment that his mother died because of him, not because he had abilities. Therefore, he shouldn’t regret having them.

Let’s check the forum’s sentiment. Opening it up, there are plenty of posts about Li Shu, Jiang Tianming, and Su Bei, and Wu Jin has one too, but Mo Xiaotian has none.

It seems no one suspects Mo Xiaotian. Su Bei sighed; it looks like he’ll have to be the one to expose the truth.

—

First, I clicked on a few posts about myself.

“Su Bei, stairs, sleep, you understand?”

【Little Bee No.0: I truly don’t get this part of the plot. How did it become smooth sailing for Su Bei here? Where are the enemies? The Nightmares? He even ventured to the fifth level and encountered nothing at all.

And how on earth can Su Bei sleep in such circumstances? Even if he knows this is an illusion and that the way out is through sleep, I, a chronic insomniac, am genuinely impressed he can fall asleep so quickly.

His demeanor suggests a calmness as if the sky could fall and he’d remain unfazed. First, I must say, he’s so cool! Secondly, I’m really curious—how can Su Bei not find this strange at all? Moreover, after hearing others recount their experiences upon exiting, he clearly showed no signs of surprise.

I forgot which big shot analyzed this before, but I’ve already come to believe Su Bei isn’t an undercover. Yet with today’s comic update, I’m starting to doubt again. If he’s not an undercover, how can he be so composed?】

【No.1: After finishing Si Zhao Hua’s storyline, I was curious how Su Bei would tackle these challenges, whether he’d showcase more strength. But he just breezed through… just like that…】

【No.2: I’m also curious, ah ba ah ba, is there a master to analyze this?】

【No.3: This part of the comic is truly enigmatic, and there’s no explanation in sight. I suspect this is yet another deeply buried foreshadowing.】

【No.4: “I’m with you, OP! I’ve already believed he’s not an undercover, but now it feels like he’s about to expose his identity and tear the mask off the academy?”】

【Two Little Bees No.5 (OP) replies to No.4: ()

Wuwuwu, please no! I actually like Su Bei a lot; I don’t want him to leave the main character group! That would mean no more screen time!】

? Want to read the 85th chapter (three-in-one) of “Comic Bystander’s Self-Rescue Guide” written by Tian Ran Tian Ran? Please remember the domain [()]?『Come []_to see the latest chapters_complete chapters』()

【No.6: The previous analysis claiming he’s not an undercover has already been posted, just next door.】

【No.7 replies to No.6:

I’m heading there first!】

【No.8 replies to No.6:

Thanks for the reminder!】

【……】

[No.45: Indeed, the one who started this thread has something about them; I feel reassured now.]

[No.46: I firmly believe now that Su Bei is not an undercover agent!]

[Flying Amidst the Blossoms No.46: Thread starter, we are a couple’s name, you know!]

[No.47: As long as he’s not an undercover, the merry ones shall never be enslaved! (gets hit)]

[Two Little Bees No.48 (Thread Starter) replies to Flying Amidst the Blossoms No.46: Ha ha ha ha ha, it’s true!]

[……]

[No.71: Do you think it’s possible that Su Bei could make the entire floor devoid of enemies as a result of his powers?

From his previous uses of abilities, it’s clear that Su Bei’s power must be one that can alter fate. For instance, in this latest update, he used his powers to help Si Zhao Hua escape smoothly, allowing her to join the others in entering the Black Gate.

So, it doesn’t seem too far-fetched that he could use his abilities to make the enemies leave for some reason, does it?]

[No.72 replies to No.71: That makes a lot of sense!]

[No.73 replies to No.71: You know, you might be onto something; such a possibility does exist.]

[No.74 replies to No.71: But isn’t that power a bit too strong? To have fate on your side, maxing out your luck?]

[No.75: Honestly, the reason Su Bei remains so mysterious is mainly because his powers have revealed nothing at all. I really want to know the specific method of using the [Gears of Fate]!

[……]

[No.104: I still believe Su Bei is definitely connected to the “Black Flash” organization; just because he’s not an undercover doesn’t mean he’s not related to them. What No.71 said is indeed possible, but it’s merely speculation. I think it’s more likely he already knew that “Black Flash” would pull this stunt, which is why he remains so calm.]

[No.105: I think the same as you upstairs!]

[No.106: It seems that this makes sense]

[No.107: Why not just guess that Su Bei is the undercover? The neighbor’s host speaks with reason, yet it fails to fully convince me.]

[No.108 Replying to No.104: Heroes see alike; I too believe Su Bei must be connected to the “Black Flash” organization. Otherwise, even if the old thief wanted to pull a shield for the real undercover, he wouldn’t drag in someone completely innocent, would he?]

[No.109: Damn it, when will Su Bei’s formula book be released! @Old Thief]

[No.110: Damn it, I want Su Bei’s formula book! @Old Thief]

[No.111: Damn it, are you even going to release the formula book? @Old Thief]

Perhaps straying off-topic is the fate of every building; Su Bei shook his head.

() He stepped back. A formula book? It was impossible for it to be released now. He knew that not only he, but many others harbored countless secrets. If the formula book were to be published, would every line need to read “Unknown ()”?

At this thought, he felt a chuckle rising, clicking into the “Neighbor’s Building? () ‘Come []% to see the latest chapters % complete chapters’ ()” that had been fervently discussed just moments ago.

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