Chapter 336 - A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

### Chapter 336 Seizing the moment when "Manga Awareness" seemed to have some free time, Su Bei decided to ask all the questions that had been gnawing at him: "So, if I hadn't saved them, what would the author have done next?" Although he had already contemplated this scenario, his curiosity still got the better of him. "The answer isn't exactly kind..." "Manga Awareness" hesitated, not responding immediately. Hearing this, Su Bei let out a cold laugh, "Since when has this world ever been kind to me?" Well, fair point. "Manga Awareness" stopped hesitating and responded, "The author would find other ways to ensure your demise and apply even more pressure. The author doesn't want Si Zhaohua and Wu Mingbai to die. If you hadn't saved them, he would have lost the bet as well as two crucial characters, making it a lose-lose situation. An irritable author is even harder to deal with." Just as Su Bei had suspected: if he failed to save them, the challenges he'd face next would escalate from difficult to nightmarish. Conversely, if he succeeded in saving them, the author could finally let him be. "So, the next question is: what kind of wager would make the author risk the lives of Wu Mingbai and Si Zhaohua?" Given their importance, it seemed unlikely their lives would be used as a mere bet. Besides, the odds appeared stacked in the author's favor, with three friends and only one needing to survive for the author to win—essentially giving him a seventy-five percent chance of winning. What kind of stakes could tempt the author into such an unfair bet? "It's a world cornerstone," provided "Manga Awareness," revealing a surprising answer, "The cornerstone allows the work's world to materialize, becoming a place where people from the real world can visit and explore." Understanding Su Bei's confusion about its significance, it continued to explain: "Although it's possible for all original creations in the real world to generate a tangible world, very few are profitable as tourist destinations. Setting aside stability issues, qualifying a world to be realized in this way is already a huge challenge. The few capitalists holding these world cornerstones demand substantial profit, even from immensely popular works, which need to yield profits just to obtain a cornerstone." Allowing Su Bei some time to digest this, after a moment, it continued, "The author of 'King of Superpowers' has offended these people, making it nearly impossible for him to acquire a cornerstone. That's why he wasn't concerned if this world could survive after the manga ended—since it couldn't be realized anyway." So that's the temptingly high stakes: even if it can't be used for this story, it holds significant value for a future work or sale. That friend must wield considerable influence to bet a world cornerstone. Su Bei honed in on one key point: "So, does this mean our world is soon going to be visited by people?" "Yes, after this season concludes, the author will integrate the world cornerstone to activate the visitor feature," "Manga Awareness" responded promptly, enthusiastically adding, "Since you aren't a completely manga character, partly connected to the real world, you'll be able to see those readers!" Though not exactly uplifting news, it wasn't terrible either. Su Bei was curious about what real-world readers looked like: "Well, when they arrive, don't forget to let me know. I'd like to see." When the manga season concludes, he should be back at the academy, perfectly timing his encounter with the tourists. "Manga Awareness" agreed readily, offering an extra perk: "No problem! If you're interested, you could even interact with them! After all, they can hear you speak, and you can hear them." "No need," Su Bei refused decisively. Suddenly, as if struck by an idea, his eyes lit up: "Hey? Speaking of which, if they can come to our world and even have an identity to converse in the manga world, does that mean I could go to the real world too?" Typically, a manga character wanting to visit the real world does so out of curiosity. But that was never Su Bei's motivation; he wasn't someone filled with idle curiosity. Understanding Su Bei's nature, "Manga Awareness" immediately grew cautious: "What are you planning?" From its reaction, Su Bei gathered the answer he sought. His eyes brightened with mischief, and with a daring grin, he confidently declared, "To give the author a beating, of course!" On Monday, the S class was unusually subdued, stripped of its usual bustle. Everyone had dark circles under their eyes, their faces as pale as ghosts. Some even seemed to have swollen eyes, evidence of having cried for a long time. Particularly affected were Si Zhaohua and Wu Mingbai, who not only looked out of sorts but carried an air more somber than before. They staunchly believed that Su Bei’s mission to save someone meant them; in other words, he had declared he would die for them. The guilt they felt was unparalleled, leaving them sleep-deprived in their quest to find a way to bring someone back to life. There are numerous items for instantaneous resurrection, but those capable of restoring life after some time is nearly unheard of. The former are often mislabeled as resurrection items when they function more like defensive gear—providing means of evasion at the moment of death, such as decoys, disguises, or switches... In essence, they're about saving someone before they actually die rather than reviving the dead. Whereas the latter, bringing someone back after an interval, requires an immense cost. For instance, the scheming ancestors of the village of immortality demanded the entire village as a sacrifice to prolong their life. Because of this, such acts are deemed evil arts, shunned by the righteous path, and all related data is obliterated. Yet now, Wu Mingbai and Si Zhaohua couldn't care less about moral boundaries. If they did nothing, the burden of guilt would crush them. If only they had been more cautious, or simply less greedy, surrendering the mission—Su Bei would still be safe. Each time they pondered this, the agony was unbearable. Si Zhaohua even reached out to Elvis to inquire about reversing time. But alas, even Elvis couldn't rewind the world's time. He could only alter the time within a small radius centered on himself, far from capable of larger feats. Without Su Bei's familiar presence, no one dared glance toward his usual spot, fearing a single look would unleash a flood of tears. A peer who was vibrant just days ago had vanished without a trace. What stung even more was that this person was Su Bei! Su Bei, who had never sought their help, sometimes lending aid himself, playing the carefree rogue that made reading his emotions impossible. Such a person, assumed to care little for them, had died saving them. Their previous assumptions were dead wrong! Reflecting on how mistaken their perceptions had been compared to reality provoked insurmountable heartache. Four days had passed since that day. Yet there was no word from Su Bei. If he was alive, why wouldn’t he reach out to them? Despite verbal refusals to believe the worst, deep down, everyone feared the worst. They dreaded that Su Bei might truly be... Ironically, the only seemingly unperturbed person was Feng Lan. Though paler than usual, his unyielding gaze was fixed on the door, as if waiting for something. At that crucial moment, a refreshed Meng Huai entered. Noticing everyone's low spirits, he grinned, mounted the podium, and clapped for attention, assuming a stern demeanor: "Get a grip! Why are you moping around on a Monday? How do you expect to learn with this attitude?" "Teacher, we...” Mute from swollen eyes, Mu Tieren sought to justify their demeanor but faltered, unable to utter the name weighing on their hearts. After a moment's silence, he hung his head and promised, "We'll pull ourselves together soon." Mu Tieren believed the teacher was right; they needed to bounce back and focus on improving. That was the only way to grow strong enough to avenge Su Bei. Though Su Bei had died for them, ultimately, it was the act of eradicating the Nightmare Beast that claimed him. Mu Tieren reckoned that exterminating the beast would bring Su Bei some peace in the afterlife. Achieving that required formidable strength. The others watched Meng Huai with puzzlement, failing to comprehend his nonchalance despite a student's demise. He wasn't known for being an irresponsible teacher; how could he be so composed after losing one of his own? Had the superpower world hardened him to death, stripping away empathy? But that didn’t align with the teacher they thought they knew. Over the past few days, Qi Huang had been overwhelmed with sadness and felt an urge to stand up and contradict him, to tell Meng Huai that they couldn't possibly come to terms with their companion’s... disappearance so quickly. But respecting her teacher prevailed, and she remained silent. Ignoring their doubts and dissatisfaction, Meng Huai suppressed his amusement and gave a heavy cough, "Ahem! New week, new beginnings. Let us welcome the arrival of a new classmate." With those words, he glanced over at the door. This piqued the others' curiosity and, without having time to process it, they instinctively looked toward the entrance. At the door, a blond youth wearing sunglasses appeared, striding across the classroom with long steps. He removed his sunglasses, raised an eyebrow, and his deep purple eyes gleamed with mirth: "Hello, everyone, I'm Su Bei. Please take care of me." "Su Bei?!" The entire class was in disbelief, exclaiming together with sheer delight. Su Bei smiled leisurely and nodded, "Here I am." Within seconds, the whole class had swarmed him. Never mind personal boundaries; everyone reached out to touch him, confirming that the Su Bei standing before them was indeed real. Even though Su Bei was usually relaxed, dealing with thirteen people reaching out was overwhelming, and he took a few steps back: "Hey, hey! What's going on? Handy with the hands and arms is one thing, but chest and rear? Come on, men feel shy too, you know!" No one paid him any heed; they were all verifying in their own ways. Finally, after a couple of minutes, they stepped back. Si Zhaohua’s eyes turned red once more, and he asked, "So, what really happened at that time? You..." "You didn't see the doll I left on the ground?" Before Si Zhaohua could finish, Su Bei interjected with a puzzled look, "I used a 'Life-Saving Doll'." The "Life-Saving Doll" was a rather niche tool. Such resurrection items were usually not well-known. However, that didn’t apply to someone like Feng Lan, whose family's status as seers provided them access to a wealth of life-saving items far exceeding other families' resources. Feng Lan immediately explained the 'Life-Saving Doll' to everyone but only touched on its general capabilities, unaware of any drawbacks. After all, he couldn’t possibly memorize the specifics of every item; a basic understanding was adequate for him. After his explanation, Jiang Tianming scratched his head awkwardly, "I was just too... shocked at the time?" At that moment, all Jiang could focus on was Su Bei’s hair suddenly turning white and his body disintegrating, which left him no room to observe his surroundings, missing the doll dropping to the ground entirely. Had he noticed, with his intellect, he would have deduced that Su Bei hadn’t truly died. A brief embarrassment passed before Jiang Tianming chuckled, "Regardless, it's wonderful to see you're alive!" Hearing this sincere comment, Su Bei couldn't help but smile. "Ah, did you already know Su Bei wasn’t dead, teacher?" Qi Huang suddenly remembered something and turned to Meng Huai. Meng Huai put on an innocent face, "I only found out yesterday. Su Bei had been unable to move because of the 'Life-Saving Doll’s' drawbacks." Mentioning this, Si Zhaohua snapped back to Su Bei, "That tool wouldn’t have just a mere three-day immobility drawback, would it? What else? Tell us, maybe we can help solve it." Possessing a resurrection item himself, Si Zhaohua was well aware that such items came with significant costs. Resurrecting or similar feats always came with a price, even if they didn’t involve actual revival. Su Bei saw no need to hide it from them, as the drawback wasn't permanent, only half a year. Besides, he intended to disclose this to avoid readers' wild assumptions and thinking the drawbacks were severe. "Besides the three days of immobility, I can’t use my superpowers for the next six months," Su Bei stated the drawbacks, before sharing his plan. "So I plan to take a leave and not attend the academy for those six months. Officially, it will be a 'fake death' to prevent Nightmare Beasts from retaliating. Make sure you don't let anything slip." Using an invisibility talisman, he appeared right outside the S class. With the monitors wiped, there was no evidence left of his existence. Many Nightmare Beasts witnessed his 'death', and since the 'Life-Saving Doll' disappears ten minutes post-use, they likely wouldn't suspect a fake death. Having half a year of rest was honestly thrilling to Su Bei. Yet he refrained from showing such joy around the class, knowing these unfortunate fellows, who’d be working hard for the superpower community soon, might feel imbalanced. Discovering that Su Bei’s cost was merely half a year’s loss of powers, Si Zhaohua sighed in relief. He trusted Su Bei wasn’t lying. Having spent so much time together, he knew that when Su Bei avoided answering, he’d rather play mysteries than tell an outright lie. Despite Su Bei’s portrayed persona, the class had discerned certain truths about him, like his aversion to lies. Compared to resurrection, six months of powerless withdrawal or playing dead seemed trivial. Everyone, indulgent as they were, assured him of their secrecy. Wu Mingbai, standing at the back, made his way to the front. With seriousness, he proclaimed, “It was to save me and Zhaohua that you... almost died, wasn’t it? I’m sorry for the consequences you suffered. If there’s anything you need me to do in the future, just ask. I owe you my life.” Having analyzed that day’s events with Jiang Tianming countless times, he was aware of what Su Bei had said in his “final moments.” Even if Su Bei had jokingly demanded an apology, Wu Mingbai chose not to take it lightly. Si Zhaohua, easing from the joy of Su Bei’s survival, quickly joined in the statement, “Me too. Not just me, the Si family will remember your kindness. If you need anything within my or the family’s capacity, we will help unconditionally.” Welcoming such a fortunate offer, Su Bei didn’t refuse, mindful that he'd simply withdrawn from the manga but not the world. Besides, considering the price paid to save them, getting something in return seemed only fair. Not demanding reciprocity wasn’t in his nature. After some thought, he candidly requested, "The first favor I need is for you to ensure the academy doesn’t hold my half-year leave against me, and I refuse to make up the credits upon return." Seeing his nod, Wu Mingbai and Si Zhaohua's expressions lightened. Yet listening to his straightforward demand, both couldn't help but laugh. They’d been worried for no reason: Su Bei wasn’t the type to give selflessly. That familiar, consistent nature endeared him to them even more. Ai Baozhu chuckled and nudged Si Zhaohua, “This is your domain now.” “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it,” Si Zhaohua nodded. Though troublesome, he feared more about being of no help. Meanwhile, Meng Huai couldn’t stay still: "Hey, hey, I’m still the teacher here! Isn’t openly discussing backdoor favors a bit much right in front of me?" “They’re reasonable requests, Sir. I will handle it,” Si Zhaohua replied with a polite smile, quite officially. Seeing this, Meng Huai shook his head in exasperation but left it be, so long as it didn’t trouble him. Having fully accepted that Su Bei was fine, the class was eager to ask more questions before he left. Lan Subing was the first to speak: “Did you know we’d face danger ahead and prepare the revival item, planning its use back then?” True to their assumptions, Su Bei indeed disliked lying. He shook his head and candidly said, “The item was prepared well in advance. Your fate... it changed unexpectedly.” Thinking about it, he realized he’d forgotten to ask “Manga Awareness” why that had happened. Given the author's reaction, it was clear he didn’t want Wu Mingbai and Si Zhaohua dead, so how did such a storyline come to be? Surely, it wasn’t just to test him? Su Bei doubted his influence over the author was that significant. Although targeted, the plot wasn't drastically altered. Jotting this down, Su Bei continued, “When I discovered the mission couldn’t proceed and they both might die, I resorted to desperate measures. Even for me, my mental power was quite depleted.” “You’re short on mental power too, huh?” Qi Huang remarked, having assumed Su Bei’s mental energy was boundless. Jiang Tianming probably had an inkling about why Su Bei’s mental power was low, likely the two cornerstones on their side. With four Advanced Nightmare Beasts patrolling the stone forest, even though he helped shoulder the burden, eliminating the rest must’ve drained substantial resources. Who could've predicted the turn of events later on? What Jiang Tianming didn't realize was that the protagonist group's aura warranted extra mental energy to alter their fates. He assumed Su Bei was already drained from previous exertions and had to eliminate the two Nightmare Beasts tailing Wu Mingbai and rewrite their destinies, leading to a shortage of mental power. "What are your plans going forward?" Zhao Xiaoyu asked, curious about what Su Bei intended to do during this six-month break from school. The others looked over eagerly; the idea of skipping school held immense appeal for students. Su Bei had actually pondered this yesterday: "I plan to travel abroad. Originally, I intended to go after graduation, but now seems like an opportune moment." Given the volatile environment of the protagonist's country and an impending period of frequent storyline mishaps, his best bet would be to seek refuge abroad and enjoy some sightseeing. Hearing that he planned to travel, Zhao Xiaoyu couldn’t help but feel a flicker of envy. She wasn’t naive; she understood that the superpower community would be anything but peaceful. If given the chance, she’d love to travel and avoid these dangers too. Unfortunately, that wasn't possible. Not to mention her status as a student, merely accepting the academy’s financial support meant she couldn't leave freely at such a time. Gaining benefits comes with responsibilities, something Zhao Xiaoyu understood and accepted completely. "When will you be back?" It was Feng Lan who asked this, with a hint of reluctance in his eyes; for him, this was quite an emotional display. Despite knowing that Su Bei would return in six months, he couldn’t help but ask. Su Bei wasn’t surprised by the question and after calculating, he replied, "Next semester. By then, I should be more or less recovered." "See you next semester, then?" Jiang Tianming extended a fist towards Su Bei. Others understood his gesture and also extended their fists. Su Bei's purple eyes sparkled with amusement, and he smirked, lightly tapping each fist in turn, "Until next time!" ### Author's Note: With his crisis resolved once and for all, Su Bei’s main storyline concludes here. What follows is the epilogue, continuing from Su Bei's perspective as the manga's main storyline extends. Once that's told, we’ll enter the side story content.