A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 48

In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived, and the six members of Jiang Tianming’s team gathered once again. With the group competition starting tomorrow, they needed to familiarize themselves with each other's abilities. After all, it would be ridiculous if they ended up getting hindered by their teammates rather than the opposing side.

Mo Xiaotian introduced himself first: “My ability is [Air] which allows me to create air blocks and adjust the pressure within them to cause explosions.”

Ah, so that’s how the explosions happened, thought Su Bei. Meanwhile, those who hadn’t seen Mo Xiaotian in action over the past couple of days were clearly surprised.

Lan Subing’s eyes widened as she asked, “You can make air explode? How strong is it?”

“Not very,” Mo Xiaotian said with a sigh. “Here, let me show you.”

He raised his hand, summoning an air block. From this, it was clear how adept he was with this skill, as he included a handful of sand within the block to outline its edges for visibility.

Su Bei suddenly asked, “If you used an air block around someone’s head, could you deprive them of air and win by suffocation?”

The others lit up at the idea. This method could be quite effective for carbon-based life forms that needed to breathe.

Unfortunately, Mo Xiaotian shook his head. “I’ve tried different methods with my ability,” he said. “When I adjust the air pressure inside a block, the block can’t move.”

Just then, the sand in the air block stopped moving and floated mid-air. Mo Xiaotian said, “I’ve adjusted the pressure now—it’s ready to explode. Anyone want to try it?”

Everyone: "....."

Everyone took a step back. Wu Mingbai conjured a small mound of earth beside the block and said, “Just blow that up.”

Mo Xiaotian chuckled, activating the explosion.

"Bang!"

With a loud pop, the earth mound scattered slightly, though only half of it was blown apart.

Wu Mingbai immediately assessed, “If it exploded beside someone’s head, it might disfigure them, but that’s about it.”

The head is a strong yet fragile place. Even if the air block exploded nearby, it wouldn’t be life-threatening—just enough to cause disfigurement, showing that its power is pretty average, penetrating only the skin and muscle without reaching the bone.

“Can you make another one for me to see?” Jiang Tianming asked. “If you change the pressure inside, does it feel different?”

Mo Xiaotian nodded honestly, looking frustrated, and mumbled complaints about his skill. “Yeah, when I first developed this ability, I thought it would be really powerful. Turns out it’s hard to hit anyone with it. And even if I want to hit someone, I can’t get too close, or they’ll sense it. Each explosion block takes ten seconds to set up, so for it to hurt anyone, the opponent must not spot the block and must stay close enough during the explosion, or else it’s too weak.”

As he rattled off all the drawbacks in one breath, everyone’s expressions shifted from concern to shock, and finally to indifference. Wasn’t this guy a bit too honest? They’d just been opponents the day before; even though they were now teammates, it wasn’t necessary to reveal everything, was it?

Finally, the big brother, Mu Tieren, stepped forward and covered Mo Xiaotian’s mouth. “Alright, alright, you’ve said enough.”

At the edge of the group, Su Bei looked on curiously as Mo Xiaotian struggled. He wondered how someone like this had developed such an open personality.

From the marking on the back of Mo Xiaotian’s neck, Su Bei could tell he was part of the Black Lightning organization. But how could someone so innocent act as an undercover agent for a villainous group?

To prevent him from spilling more secrets, Jiang Tianming quickly introduced a new topic: “My ability is [Object Control] I can manipulate mobile objects, with difficulty depending on the object’s weight.”

“Can you control a person, like move my arm?” Mo Xiaotian asked, waving his arm in curiosity.

Jiang Tianming had actually experimented with this before and said, “If a person is unconscious, though it’s difficult, I can control them. But if they’re awake, I can’t.”

His ability sounded similar to high-level telekinesis, as both required mental power to manipulate objects. However, his ability used an ability as a medium, making it less mentally draining than telekinesis.

Unlike Mo Xiaotian, Jiang Tianming didn’t reveal much. He only shared part of his ability’s capabilities, hiding the fact that he could also manipulate others' abilities. This approach was more typical, as most people kept some cards hidden to surprise others when needed.

Next, Wu Mingbai said, “My ability is [Earth Element], allowing me to create various types of soil, and now I can even produce some stone.”

He also kept his explanation brief, since his power had little to hide apart from its limitations demonstrated in previous competitions.

“I have [physical enhancement] as you all know." Mu Tieren, grinning broadly and looked at Su Bei on the side, "Why don't we have a fight? this way you can also feel my strength firsthand.”

Unexpectedly called out, Su Bei, the master of slacking, flatly refused, “No.”

He had two reasons: first, he didn’t want to waste energy sparring with someone, and second, he didn’t want to risk losing. Even though he wasn’t necessarily weaker than Mu Tieren, the possibility of failure was enough to make him decline.

If he lost, readers would no longer see him as the top martial artist among the freshmen, which would be a huge blow to his reputation—something he had no reason to risk.

Mu Tieren, seeing Su Bei’s refusal, didn’t press further and just sighed. “Alright, but I can lift six times my own weight now,” he declared.

Currently, the world record for lifting weight is around three times a person’s body weight. With Abilities, most can reach around three times as well. Mu Tieren lifting six times was indeed remarkable.

The impressive part wasn’t just the number, but the fact that, with an ability assigned to F-Class, he’d achieved this level.

Jiang Tianming then glanced at Lan Subing, who introduced her ability quietly, “My power is [Voice Command], which allows my words to become reality. However, because I have severe social anxiety, I can only use this when there aren’t many people around. If there are too many, I can’t speak.”

The pairing of her power with social anxiety struck Su Bei as an interesting limitation, a detail he appreciated as clever on the author’s part.

Finally, it was Su Bei’s turn. With a snap of his fingers, a gear appeared in his hand. “I have [Gear of Destiny], allowing me to control gears and predict fate.”

Unlike the others, Su Bei made it quite clear he was hiding something. Though everyone knew he could alter destiny, he didn’t elaborate on that. In theory, his secrecy could have been criticized, but since all the team members were concealing aspects of their powers, no one dared call him out.

Jiang Tianming cleared his throat and proposed, “Although we don’t know the exact format of tomorrow’s team competition, we might need to split up. Since we have six people, why not form pairs now?”

Everyone agreed and began choosing partners. Wu Mingbai paired with Lan Subing, since he could create an earthen wall to provide a secluded space, making it easier for her to use her voice-based ability. Jiang Tianming teamed up with Mu Tieren, while Su Bei joined Mo Xiaotian, balancing their physical and non-physical strengths.

Once paired, Jiang Tianming put his hand out, saying, “Good luck in the team competition?”

Everyone stacked their hands together, raising them with a cheer of “Come on!”

The next morning at 7 AM, all the freshmen assembled on the field with their backpacks, as instructed by the school. Inside, as per the school’s guidelines, each pack contained a bottle of water and a roll of tissue paper. The team competition was about to begin, and everyone was required to participate.

Aside from the first-year students, many unfamiliar faces appeared on the field, also wearing school uniforms, though in slightly different colors. Most guessed these were upperclassmen, likely returning to school as the first-year monthly exams wrapped up.

As in any school, upperclassmen seemed curious about the freshmen. They surrounded the field, chatting in small groups, watching the first-years like animals in a zoo. It was apparent they had some information about the newcomers, with many clustered around F-Class, pointing and whispering about Jiang Tianming and his group. Although they didn’t know the exact rankings, F-Class making it to the final day was impressive enough to attract attention.

Most felt a bit awkward under the watchful eyes of the upperclassmen, except Lan Subing. For her, the attention was almost unbearable—she felt overwhelmed. Jiang Tianming and Wu Mingbai, understanding her discomfort, instinctively positioned themselves to block her from view.

Su Bei, with his heightened senses, overheard the crowd’s comments clearly:

"These new students don’t seem too great if A-Class lost to F-Class."

"I think the school’s at fault—putting strong talents in F-Class. That test machine must be outdated!"

"And hey, aren’t the new students quite good-looking? Blonde, white hair, black, brown… I feel like I’m in an otome game!"

"Obviously this feels like a harem selection; I’m thinking of casually trying out a little sister-brother romance—what do you all think?”

Su Bei blinked, choosing to ignore what he’d heard.

He blinked, pretending he hadn’t heard a thing.

Soon, the dean took the stage. The first-year dean was a woman in her 30s, fitting Su Bei's stereotypical image of a strict educator—her hair neatly in a bun, glasses perched on her nose, with a stern expression.

There was no doubt that, to hold a position as dean at an academy for those with special abilities, she possessed a powerful ability herself. Rumor had it that Director Li’s special ability was called [Teaching and Learning] allowing her to help herself or others learn new abilities.

Among the items redeemable with enough points was a tutoring session with Director Li.

Without wasting time, the instructor introduced the group event: “This time, you’ll all be sent into an alternate space.”

“Alternate space?!” The crowd buzzed with surprise.

Alternate spaces were pathways for Nightmares to enter the Earth, where they’d wait until the spaces overlapped with the outside world to wreak havoc. Although the origin of Nightmares was still unknown, alternate spaces were notoriously dangerous.

Knowing the apprehension this news might bring, the instructor reassured them: “No need to worry. This space has been cleared of dangerous creatures, and each of you will receive a watch. Break the cover, and you’ll be instantly transported out. If you’re in fatal danger, the watch will also transport you out automatically.”

This safety measure eased many minds. Being able to leave at any moment made the whole event seem less daunting.

Once everyone received a watch, the instructor continued, “You’ve likely noticed the number on your watch. That’s your points. The final ranking will be based on each group’s total points.”

“You’ll earn points by defeating Nightmares, eliminating opponents, and completing tasks, which are scattered randomly in the space. The watches can also transfer points to another by tapping two watches together,” she said, adding an unexpected smile, “And yes, stealing points from others is allowed. If you’re worried about losing your points, break the watch to exit early.”

Allowing point-stealing? They really were stirring up chaos! Su Bei raised an eyebrow, already imagining how wild this gteam competition would be.

The dean on stage ignored the impact of the new rule on the students and continued, “This watch has more features than what I just explained. You can explore them yourselves.”

“You’ll be in the alternate space for up to three days, after which we’ll transport you out. During this time, you’ll need to find your own food and water. If anyone manages to eliminate all the beasts or defeat all other teams, the alternate space will automatically close, and you can leave early.”

While that sounded promising, it was almost impossible for first-year students to clear out all the beasts, even with some already eliminated. Also, taking out every other team was unlikely. Unless the space was very small, hiding would be easy for anyone who didn’t want to be found.

Su Bei felt relaxed at the thought of a three-day survival test. He’d trained with his father for survival training, so if the terrain wasn’t exceptionally difficult, he could easily manage. Jiang Tianming and Wu Mingbai also wouldn’t struggle. The teams had been split wisely, with each strong member leading a group, so Su Bei’s squad wasn’t likely to face survival issues.

After explaining the rules, Director Li raised her hand, and a black gate rose beside the platform, its interior pitch dark and impossible to see through.

“Now, when I call your team leader’s name, bring your team through this gate. You’ll be randomly transported to a location within the alternate space.”

“First group, Jiang Tianming.”

Hearing his name first, Jiang Tianming was momentarily surprised. He quickly signaled his group of six, and under everyone’s gaze, they entered the dark gate.

Upon entry, no one felt dizzy, just a sudden darkness before they reappeared in the alternate space. Su Bei checked his group to ensure everyone was present, then began to survey the surroundings.

They appeared to be in a dense forest, where towering trees blocked out sunlight, making navigation difficult. The thick layers of trees showed why it was so easy to get lost in a forest.

This place, however, was eerily silent. There were no birds, only the rustling of leaves, and Su Bei guessed this was due to the nature of this realm as a habitat for nightmares that destroyed anything with life force, leaving no room for birds or other wildlife.

With the area looking safe, Su Bei examined his watch. It was touchscreen, showing not only time and points but also features like “Map,” “Rankings,” and “Tasks.” The map showed five red dots and one green one, likely representing him and his teammates.

Jiang Tianming, the natural leader, quickly took charge. “It’s early, so let’s stick together and see if we encounter any tasks or beasts. We’ll split up according to yesterday’s groups if needed. Any objections?”

The team nodded, none speaking. The sudden, dangerous setting left everyone feeling a bit tense. Even Su Bei, experienced as he was with survival training, couldn’t guarantee safety here.

One person, however, stood out from the rest—Mo Xiaotian looked around, clearly thrilled, his bright red hair waving in the wind like flames. “I’ve never been to a big forest before!” he exclaimed, taking a deep breath. “The air is so fresh!”

Amused, Wu Mingbai teased, “You think this is a vacation?”

Mo Xiaotian nodded, enlightened, “You’re right! It’s like the school’s giving us a free trip. Isn’t that nice of them?”

Everyone: “…”

Is he a fool?

Note: The ability of Lan Subing has been renamed from [Word Spirit] to [Voice Command].

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