A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 39

During the remaining time, Su Bei didn't rest. Instead, he practiced controlling his mental power on the bed. The book he read earlier had a lot of content on this topic, so he could manage to practice a bit.

The process of mastering mental power was similar to meditation. Although it was practice, it wasn't too exhausting. Practicing with closed eyes for an entire night made him feel like he had slept.

However, there was a difference between this and actual sleep. At least with real sleep, Su Bei wouldn't feel mentally drained upon waking up. Now, he was overwhelmed with thoughts about having to get up without having slept, leaving him mentally exhausted.

Sighing, he got up to wash. Today, he was going to battle against the opponent from Class A. If all went as expected, he would have to showcase his newly acquired abilities. It all depended on how well he practiced last night.

The competitions over the past two days had already eliminated many students. Only about sixty were left on the playground today.

The rules for the second day changed significantly. Firstly, opponents were matched randomly, without the restriction of two classes. Secondly, the competitions over these two days were closed; the school would only announce the results after the monthly exam.

The reason for this was to leave some suspense for the group battle betting and because the teachers understood that to win against strong opponents, everyone would exert their full strength. Some things were inconvenient to display publicly, so it was more convenient to close directly from the start.

Before the competition, every student signed an agreement enforced by supernatural abilities, stating they couldn't disclose any details from the two-day competition to others.

The individual battle betting phase would end today. Before the competition ended tomorrow, all participants, regardless of whether they were eliminated, couldn’t leave the playground to prevent anyone from knowing the outcome.

Additionally, the referees would have different rules to announce the winners. Simply knocking the opponent off the stage wouldn’t be enough for an automatic win, although that rule still applied but required referee confirmation.

There were still ten stages on the playground, but they were much larger than before, each measuring 30x30. Moreover, not only could the students inside not see outside, but those outside also couldn’t see in.

Mu Tieren and Wu Jin were among the first to compete. Wu Jin’s face was obscured by his hair, making it hard to see his expression. Meanwhile, Mu Tieren, who was rarely nervous, seemed a bit on edge.

Taking a deep breath, Mu Tieren confided in his familiar friends, "As a student from Class F, making it this far is already excellent. Even if I get eliminated, I haven't let down the teacher who made me class monitor."

This was true. Most Class F students hadn’t made it past the first round. Not being part of the protagonist group, they were often matched with students from Class D.

Though they could almost be considered ordinary people, they were easily defeated. Their spirits were broken before the competition even started, and without the will to win, victory was naturally elusive.

In contrast, Mu Tieren, as the class monitor, making it this far was indeed impressive, proving Meng Huai's good judgment.

However, they all knew Mu Tieren had more to say.

The next moment, Mu Tieren raised his head. “But I don’t want to give up just yet. Does Class F have to lose to Class A? I don’t know, but I want to try!”

“Good luck, class monitor.” Jiang Tianming, instead of blindly saying “You will win,” gave a more measured and encouraging response, one Mu Tieren could accept, “None of us will give up.”

Rather than motivating himself, Mu Tieren wanted to inspire others.

Sure enough, hearing Jiang Tianming’s words, Mu Tieren finally showed a bit of a relaxed expression.

Next to him, Mo Xiaotian instinctively joined in, “I will also try my best… huh? Is it inappropriate for me to say something here?”

After all, he was a member of Class A, the group they had to defeat.

Hearing this, everyone couldn’t help but laugh.

While their atmosphere was relaxed, Si Zhaohua and the others nearby weren’t as lighthearted.

Zhou Renjie had no expectations for Wu Jin, who was about to compete. He didn’t think Wu Jin making it to the second day was impressive, just that he was lucky.

“You might as well forfeit right away,” he said impatiently, “It'll save us some time.”

Surprisingly, before Wu Jin could speak, Zhao Xiaoyu interjected, “Today's competition won’t move to the next round until the entire round is over. Coming out early doesn’t let others compete faster.”

Her words embarrassed Zhou Renjie, who retorted, “So what? You’re all going to lose anyway, sooner or later doesn’t matter.”

This time, Zhao Xiaoyu didn’t argue back, only smiled. She wasn’t standing up for Wu Jin out of kindness. Zhao Xiaoyu didn’t want to lose either. Speaking up for Wu Jin now was also speaking up for herself later.

Wu Jin remained silent as always. Honestly, if not for his upcoming turn, Zhou Renjie wouldn’t even notice him.

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At that moment, they heard laughter from Jiang Tianming and the others. Zhou Renjie shot them a disdainful look, “What’s so funny? Do they think they’ll be resting after today?”

Ai Baozhu, who also disliked Jiang Tianming’s group, chimed in, “Who knows what they’re thinking? Maybe they still dream of beating us?”

Hearing this, Si Zhaohua finally reacted. He glanced at the cheerful group, then turned back with a cold snort, “Impossible. But you all should be wary of Su Bei.”

At this point, Si Zhaohua glanced at Feng Lan, who was standing apart from the group. “Feng Lan, do you know what kind of ability Su Bei has?”

Si Zhaohua was paying attention to Su Bei because he knew that since the beginning of the school term, Feng Lan had the best relationship with Su Bei and was often seen with him. Si Zhaohua trusted Feng Lan’s judgment and didn’t believe he would befriend an ordinary person.

Out of pride as the top student in Class A, Si Zhaohua hadn’t previously inquired about others’ abilities. He had only just remembered to ask now.

To his surprise, Feng Lan shook his head. “I don’t know. But he should also have some kind of prophecy ability.”

“Prophecy ability?”

At this, Ai Baozhu and Zhou Renjie couldn’t help but look over. They hadn’t expected Class F to have such a person. And for Feng Lan to say this, Su Bei’s prophecy ability must be quite strong.

“Is that why you chose to go to Class F?” Ai Baozhu couldn’t help but ask.

Like Si Zhaohua, she had known about Feng Lan, the young master of the Feng family, even before school started. She was surprised that he was assigned to Class F and intuitively thought it might be because of something his ability revealed to him.

Now, she wondered if Feng Lan had specifically gone to Class F to interact with Su Bei, a prophecy ability user.

To everyone’s further surprise, Feng Lan hesitated for a long time before shaking his head again. “...I don’t know.”

This time, he didn’t elaborate, clearly not wanting to say more. The others, sensing this, didn’t press him further, but all began to ponder the matter.

If Feng Lan didn’t know whether he went to Class F for Su Bei, it was likely that he didn’t. Otherwise, having interacted for so long, he should have confirmed it by now.

So, why did he go to Class F?

Moreover, Su Bei, who also had a prophecy ability, shouldn’t logically be placed in Class F. Yet, he preferred to conceal his ability to be there. Could his purpose be the same as Feng Lan’s? What secret did Class F hold?

With these doubts in mind, the first round of the competition began.

Because they couldn’t see what was happening inside, everyone outside was somewhat idle, only able to observe each other.

Clearly, Jiang Tianming’s team, mostly composed of Class F students, attracted the most attention. Besides them, Zhao Xiaoyu, and Wu Jin, there were no other Class F students present.

Actually, their proportion of advancement was higher than that of Class D.

At this stage, battles between new ability users didn’t involve many techniques. In just about five minutes, Mu Tieren, covered in injuries, emerged. He was the last one to come out, filling Jiang Tianming and the others with hope.

Sure enough, Mu Tieren’s face was full of smiles. “I didn’t let you down.”

On the other side, the defeated Class A student looked complexly at Mu Tieren’s back. He couldn’t believe he had lost. Due to the contract, he couldn’t tell anyone what had happened on the stage. He could only sigh and leave the playground dejectedly.

Ai Baozhu was incredulous. “What? How did he win? Wang Lei’s ability is ‘Ten Thousand Arrows.’ As soon as they got on stage, the referee should have declared Wang Lei the winner. How could that Class F student have won?”

Zhou Renjie glared at the defeated student, his face dark. “He’s a disgrace to Class A. If I were the teacher, I’d demote him to Class B after this monthly exam.”

“That’s not necessary.” Ai Baozhu frowned slightly at his words. After a month of knowing him, she could tell Zhou Renjie was serious. If not stopped, he would likely lead the bullying against that student after the exam, even if he couldn’t get him expelled from Class A.

To be honest, Ai Baozhu didn’t particularly like Zhou Renjie, but their families were currently collaborating, and Zhou Renjie was always nice to her and Si Zhaohua, which made her reluctantly tolerate him.

Another reason was that Ai Baozhu wasn’t sure what Si Zhaohua thought. Class A students, because of their strong abilities, had some arrogance, unlike the immediate followers she had back in the aristocratic academy.

Ai Baozhu feared that if Zhou Renjie left, only she and Si Zhaohua would be left, making them seem too lonely.

However, if Zhou Renjie went on to bully others, she would definitely distance herself from him. Ai Baozhu considered herself a good person. Though she wouldn’t stop bullying in her old aristocratic academy, she wouldn’t participate or want those around her to do so.

Just this principle alone was enough for those around her to praise her kindness.

“Of course, of course, I was just saying.” Zhou Renjie immediately responded with an embarrassed smile to her warning. But what he really thought, no one knew.

Unaware of their conversation, Si Zhaohua suddenly spoke. “That Class F student probably won because he’s likely a melee-type ability user. Wang Lei can’t do much when approached, which worked against him.”

Ai Baozhu was immediately drawn to this explanation and nodded in agreement. “I thought his win was just luck. Any other Class A student wouldn’t have let him win.”

“Anyway, there are two more rounds today. I don’t believe he can last until tomorrow!” Zhou Renjie declared confidently. “And apart from him, I doubt any other Class F student can win.”

Just as Zhou Renjie finished speaking, the result of Wu Jin's match came in. Wu Jin’s opponent from Class C emerged first, making it clear that Wu Jin had won. However, Wu Jin was holding his arm and bending over, looking quite injured. His opponent was also in pain, clutching his own arm.

Zhou Renjie was at a loss for words.

Even he hadn’t expected his earlier statement to be contradicted so quickly, especially by someone from his own team.

"How did you win?" he asked in shock.

It was one thing for Mu Tieren to win; after all, he looked tall, strong, and full of energy. But Wu Jin?

To be honest, Zhou Renjie had found it surprising that Wu Jin had even made it through the first two days. Not only did he pass those tests, but he also defeated a Class C student today. Although Zhou Renjie didn’t think much of Class C, they were still far stronger than Class F.

So how did Wu Jin manage to win?

However, Wu Jin simply shook his head in silence, without saying a word. Bound by a contract, he knew it was best not to answer. Shortly after his exit, the school medics came and took both him and his opponent away.

On the other side, Jiang Tianming and his team noticed Wu Jin's victory. Unlike Zhou Renjie, they weren’t very surprised. From the first day of the competition, it was clear that Wu Jin was a thoughtful person. While his chances of winning were low, they were never zero.

Su Bei, Mo Xiaotian, Feng Lan, Zhao Xiaoyu, and Zhou Renjie all had their matches in the second round. Once the first-round contestants exited, the second round began.

Not interested in listening to their pep talks, Su Bei headed to the arena first. Once inside, everything outside the 30x30 meter platform turned into a white mist. Only the area within the platform remained normal.

Shortly after he entered, his opponent stepped up as well. She was a pretty girl with red hair and eyes, exuding an intense aura. It was almost certain she was a fire ability user.

After stepping onto the platform, the girl sighed as she looked at Su Bei, leaving him puzzled about her intentions.

“Hello, I’m your opponent this time, Qi Huang,” the girl greeted him amicably, though Su Bei had no intention of replying. She continued, “It’s not easy for someone from Class F to make it this far. If I weren’t your opponent, I might have hoped for your victory. Unfortunately…”

Hearing this, Su Bei understood. She was confident in her victory and was giving her “victory speech” in advance.

Most people would be angry hearing such words, but not Su Bei. On the contrary, he was rather happy.

Qi Huang’s confidence, bordering on arrogance, was good news for him. His ability was useless in combat, and without a mistake from his opponent, he had no chance of winning.

He liked it when overconfidence led to mistakes.

With this in mind, he sighed, pretending to lament his bad luck.

Qi Huang expected this reaction and slightly raised her chin. “Out of respect for you, I will tell you my ability. I hope you can hold out a little longer.”

Su Bei looked up at her, sincerely saying, “Thank you, you’re a good person.”

Not catching the sarcasm, Qi Huang nodded in approval. “Even though you say that, I still won’t let you win. My ability is [Flame Phoenix]. I can currently summon a small phoenix to fight alongside me. Don’t underestimate it; it has multiple skills like fire-breathing, high temperature, and fireball technique. Just it alone is enough to handle you.”

Who would dare underestimate it! Su Bei nearly laughed bitterly. This was the kind of ability that placed someone in Class A? He had thought Si Zhaohua was an exception, but it turned out to be the norm.

Having said enough, Qi Huang waved her right hand, summoning a fiery red phoenix phantom next to her.

As soon as the phoenix appeared, Su Bei could feel the temperature of the entire platform rise, indicating how hot the phoenix was.

If this thing got close to him, he would probably be immediately declared defeated.

With this thought, Su Bei started running.

Qi Huang wasn’t in a hurry, letting Su Bei run a few steps before lazily saying, “Go.”

As soon as she spoke, the phoenix flapped its wings and flew straight toward Su Bei. Qi Huang thought this would ensure her easy victory, but she quickly realized a problem.

Su Bei was running too fast, and while the phoenix could fly, its speed wasn’t great, only managing to circle behind him.

Seeing this, Qi Huang frowned. Not wanting to waste time, she shouted, “Fireball Technique!”

The next second, Su Bei felt heat behind him. He turned his head while running, seeing the phoenix open its beak, forming a fist-sized fireball inside.

Su Bei was startled. Although Qi Huang had mentioned that her phoenix could use fireball techniques, he hadn’t expected her to actually be able to do it! And judging by Qi Huang's calm expression, this skill was probably not a one-time thing.

He absolutely couldn’t get hit by that fireball! Gritting his teeth, Su Bei sped up and ran towards Qi Huang. If he could get close enough, the phoenix might hesitate to attack for fear of hitting its master.

However, Qi Huang wasn’t an idiot. Seeing Su Bei running towards her, she knew exactly what he was planning.

If the phoenix were more advanced, it wouldn’t harm Qi Huang as its master. But in its current low-level state, it wasn’t that precise. So the moment Qi Huang realized Su Bei's intention, the red-haired girl turned and ran.

She was fully aware that Su Bei couldn’t outrun the fireball once it was launched. She just needed to hold on until the phoenix accumulated enough energy.

Seeing Qi Huang start running too, Su Bei couldn't help but sigh inwardly. If this were a simple race, he would catch up to her in no time. But the fireball behind him wouldn’t give him that chance.

He needed a new strategy.

He continued running forward, pretending not to change his plan. Meanwhile, he focused his newly acquired mental power on the phoenix's fireball behind him.

Through his mental perception, he sensed the fireball growing larger. Just as it was about to launch, in a split second, Su Bei made a decisive move. He turned and dived towards the back of the fire phoenix.

The next second, the fireball landed exactly where he would have been if he’d kept running.

Without pausing, Su Bei got up and ran in the opposite direction. The fire phoenix, having missed its mark, couldn't use its skill again immediately and had to continue chasing him.

“You might have dodged once, but you won’t dodge a second time,” Qi Huang shouted, finally showing some urgency as she saw her fireball miss. “Next time, we’ll be prepared, and you’ll be dead. If you don’t want to get hurt, surrender now!”

Of course, Su Bei ignored such a call for surrender. But he knew Qi Huang was right. His backward dive could only be used once. Next time, they would be prepared.

He needed to use his mental power. Without it, he couldn’t defeat the fire phoenix. As he kept running, Su Bei racked his brain for a solution.

What could he do with his mental power? He could sense the entire arena, move small objects, and create simple tactile sensations.

None of these seemed useful in combat!

Suddenly, Su Bei's eyes lit up. He changed direction and charged towards Qi Huang again.

Seeing his actions, Qi Huang was puzzled. She knew she would be harmed by the fireball but not by the phoenix’s heat. Su Bei couldn’t defeat her immediately, and if she entangled him for just a moment, the phoenix would arrive.

Though confused, Qi Huang assumed Su Bei had lost his mind. She stood unafraid as he ran towards her, ready to grab him and let the phoenix finish him off.

To avoid being knocked off the platform by a direct charge, Qi Huang even moved a few steps forward.

Her thinking was correct; if she stayed vigilant and focused on entangling Su Bei, he wouldn't stand a chance. She only needed to hold him for a second for the phoenix to arrive.

But Su Bei was betting she couldn’t hold him for that second.

Just a meter away from Qi Huang’s outstretched arm, Su Bei suddenly spoke, “You’ve lost. I’ve placed a weapon at your vital spot.”

As soon as he said this, Qi Huang instinctively felt something cold against the back of her neck.

Feeling threatened, Qi Huang turned her head.

In that moment, her vulnerable back was fully exposed to Su Bei.

Su Bei didn’t waste the carefully calculated opportunity. He immediately delivered a sharp hand chop to the back of Qi Huang’s neck!

“Ugh…” Qi Huang felt a wave of darkness before collapsing.

As she lost consciousness, the phoenix that had almost reached Su Bei vanished suddenly.

Ignoring the burning pain on his back, Su Bei chuckled, “I won, right?”

The referee came onto the platform and, seeing that Qi Huang was truly incapacitated, nodded, “Qi Huang versus Su Bei, Su Bei wins.”