Chapter 341 - A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

### Chapter 341: Journey to the Arctic During his travels, the manga churned out new content at an impressive pace. Su Bei, however, was less concerned about this until the finale and focused intently on honing his superpowers. If he waited until his abilities returned to start researching new powers, it would undoubtedly be too late. Even for the most formidable superpower user, developing a powerful new skill in just a couple of months without any shortcuts would be an immense challenge. He needed to preemptively plan which direction to explore next and what specifics to focus on, so that once his powers were reinstated, he'd be able to dive right in seamlessly. Despite this, Su Bei wasn't overly anxious. Indeed, to him, stagnation equated to regression, but unlike the main cast constantly entangled in the plot, his progress held less weight. As such, throughout his travels, he only pondered his growth during his hotel stays or bus rides. The remainder of his time was spent immersing himself in the local sights, enjoying the scenery and freeing his mind of any burdens. The next destination was the Arctic. Upon landing, Su Bei shivered violently and immediately activated his warming gadget. The cold was far more biting than he'd imagined, with the icy wind freezing his cheeks instantly. Frankly, if he hadn't had the gadget, even the mesmerizing landscape wouldn't have been enough to entice him to endure such harshness. "I'm here with good news and bad news; which would you like to hear first?" As he was about to head to his pre-booked lodging, Manga Awareness chimed in unexpectedly. Su Bei felt a sense of foreboding. "What's the bad news?" Rather than sweet then bitter, he preferred the bitter first followed by the sweet. "The bad news is, an acquaintance of yours will be arriving soon." It didn't wait for his response before clarifying, "I only just found out. I didn't intentionally keep you in the dark." Su Bei waved dismissively, signaling it to reveal the good news. Manga Awareness seemed more confident as it relayed the good news, "The good news is, it's not the main cast arriving." That truly was good news; if the main cast were involved, it would certainly indicate plot development. But since it wasn't them, there was a chance the location wouldn't play a role in the storyline. After all, his acquaintances weren't limited to just his classmates from Class S. "So who's coming?" Su Bei asked, now curious. "It's Elvis, Ian, and Tiffany from 'Alpha Superpower High.' They've come for a mission to eliminate an Advanced Nightmare Beast over on that snowy peak." Manga Awareness elaborated further, "Yes, the one you're pointing at. Just steer clear of that direction." Su Bei frowned upon hearing there was an Advanced Nightmare Beast nearby. He'd chosen the Arctic for his final travel stop under the assumption it wouldn't harbor any Nightmare Beasts. While the rest of the world was teetering on chaos, he thought spending time here would be a safe bet. Now knowing there's an Advanced Nightmare Beast nearby and his acquaintances coming for it, he couldn't help but question his decision. "Is there any plot here?" After some thought, he asked the question lurking in his mind. Concerning the plot, Manga Awareness hesitated briefly before responding, "There might be, but not much. This serves as a prelude to a later plotline." It stopped there, clearly unwilling to divulge further plot details. Though Su Bei had detached himself from the main storyline, having left the academy miles away, he could still easily influence the narrative if he wished. To prevent him from taking unintended actions, some things were best left unsaid. Su Bei wasn't bothered by Manga Awareness's reticence. If this was merely a prelude, then the crisis likely wouldn't escalate significantly, allowing him to remain uninvolved. Wait a minute..." He suddenly grew wary, "Does this 'prelude' hint at something like a massacre?" These are recurring motifs in manga plotlines: the protagonist arrives at a city that suffered or was about to suffer such a fate to uncover shocking secrets. "No, no," Manga Awareness quickly reassured, "There are still important supporting characters here." Su Bei conceded that it made sense; it'd be improbable for all three characters like Elvis to perish. With those concerns eased, Su Bei entered his hotel room, booked under a pseudonym, briefly tidied up his belongings, and then sprawled onto the bed with a sigh, "Let's hope nothing spills over here." "Are you planning on meeting them?" Manga Awareness inquired with interest. Su Bei understood it was referring to Elvis and the others. He shook his head, "No need." Elvis and his group weren't like Jiang Tianming and his peers. There wasn't much emotional attachment, and for superpower users, death wasn't uncommon. Hearing of his death would sadden them for a while at most. But it was different with his classmates from Class S. His death could deeply affect them, and since they bore the responsibility of saving the world, he couldn't just sit by as they faltered under unnecessary emotional burdens. After a tiring morning flight, with lunch taken onboard, Su Bei—whose mental faculties, due to the sealed mental power, were below average—slept deeply, waking only in the evening. Famished, he made his way downstairs to the hotel's restaurant. Stepping out of the elevator, he was suddenly greeted by three familiar figures. Su Bei: "Oh?" Manga Awareness: "Oh?" Su Bei instinctively sidestepped back into the elevator, quickly pressing the floor button to return upstairs. Once the elevator doors closed, he puzzledly asked, "Why are they here? Was this the author's doing?" The Advanced Nightmare Beast's location pointed out earlier by Manga Awareness seemed deceptively close, yet in reality, it lay far beyond. Logically, there should be other lodgings closer to the mountain. How did Elvis and the others end up at the same hotel? Manga Awareness hadn't expected this either. "I'll check; I'm not sure what happened." Being the will of the world, it quickly discovered the reason, returning shortly, "It was a coincidence, not a deliberate arrangement by the author. First, there are no hotels around the mountain. Second, they chose a more distant hotel to avoid their belongings being affected during the mission against the Advanced Nightmare Beast. Why this hotel specifically? Well, that might just be your bad luck." Su Bei: "..." He'd forgotten about his innate bad luck debuff. Spending so much time with Jiang Tianming had made him attribute past misfortunes to Jiang. Now reminded, he realized his own luck wasn't great to begin with. After checking nearby hotel options on his phone, Su Bei decided against a room change. Besides the non-refundable policy, the nearest alternative hotel was inconveniently distant—which quickly extinguished any desire to move. Through the journey, Su Bei wore the "Disguise Mask (Pseudo)," taking on the appearance he'd used before as 'Yan Nan.' Elvis and his group hadn't seen this disguise, so even if he passed by them directly, they wouldn’t recognize him. Reassured by this thought, Su Bei nonchalantly returned downstairs for his meal. The hotel restaurant was on the first floor, and Elvis's group was dining there as well. Ignoring them, Su Bei ordered noodle soup and found a quiet spot to enjoy his meal. To his surprise, though they didn’t recognize him, they approached, led by Ian. "Hello?" Ian tilted his head perceptively. The quintessential extrovert, Ian approached confidently, his curiosity undeterred by their differing nationalities or the possibility Su Bei might not understand him. Su Bei calmly nodded, replying fluently in a foreign language, "Hello." Surprised at the effortless communication, Ian brightened, "Mind if we join you? We're peers and both lucky enough to travel during school term; surely we have tons to talk about." Su Bei glanced briefly at Elvis and Tiffany, who stood protectively on either side like sentinels, before stifling a chuckle, "Well, your companions don't seem too eager to share a table." "They’re thrilled, really," Ian insisted confidently, oblivious to their identical indifferent expressions. Nevertheless, Tiffany and Elvis didn’t refute Ian’s claim, and obediently joined Su Bei, hinting at the close camaraderie typical of a main cast subset. "Are you a superpower user?" Ian asked curiously before their food arrived. He quickly added, "After all, normal students should be in school at this time. Only superpower users would be out on tasks." It was only upon hearing this that Su Bei realized there was more to Ian's approach than mere extroversion; he was subtly probing him. It made sense, though. Having come so far for a mission, they would have done their homework on the surroundings. The Arctic didn't have many Nightmare Beasts; otherwise, Manga Awareness would have warned him not to come. Traveling such a distance for a task wouldn't be for something minor. In their eyes, the Advanced Nightmare Beast here was their designated target, so what business did Su Bei have here? Given the recent surge in human betrayals and collaborations with Nightmare Beasts, it was natural for them to harbor suspicions.