Chapter 343 - A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 343: Helping Hand "Manga Awareness" seemed puzzled. "What are you intending to do? You can't use your superpowers right now." Hearing this, Su Bei smirked slightly and looked meaningfully at the foot of the Snow Maiden Nightmare Beast. "Who said you need superpowers to lend a hand?" Since "Manga Awareness" was aware the outcome would be the same regardless, it didn't stop Su Bei but watched him with curiosity to see what he would do. Su Bei's approach was straightforward. He took out another flying contraption to support himself, then grabbed a corner of a flying carpet, and with a precise flick, managed to slide it under the Snow Maiden Nightmare Beast's feet. Though it had been a while since he last flung a gear, the feel was still there. Even a much larger-sized flying carpet could be easily aimed accurately. As the flying carpet slid beneath the Snow Maiden Nightmare Beast, it lifted into the air, severing the continuous connection of snow flowing from the Snow Mountain to the beast due to the increased distance. Consequently, the intensity of the beast's attack dropped significantly. "Just as expected," Su Bei mused with a smile. He had suspected that the Snow Maiden Nightmare Beast's endless power stemmed from the accumulated snow on the mountain. During the assault, he had noticed the snow shifting as if in motion despite the windless conditions. Although it wasn’t clear against the pure white background, his prediction was correct — cutting off the beast's link to the snow source reduced its strength. Elvis and his team, being astute, quickly pieced together the connection. Although the situation took them by surprise, they judged the beast's weakness from the diminished power accompanying the flying carpet’s effect. "Tiffany, lift it!" Elvis ordered instantly, reversing time just as the Snow Maiden Nightmare Beast leaped off the carpet, forcibly returning it. This maneuver bought enough time for Tiffany to find her frost-resistant gear and approach the Nightmare Beast. Seeing the Snow Maiden lifted, Su Bei promptly retrieved the flying carpet. It was quite handy, and he had no intention of leaving it behind. As Ian fought the Snow Maiden, he inquired out of curiosity, "Who's helping us? Could you reveal yourself? We must thank you in person once the battle ends." After a brief wait and some thought, he attempted, "Are you the guy we had dinner with the other day?" His guess was spot on, but Su Bei merely raised an eyebrow and remained silent. When no one stepped forward or answered, nor even offered a hint, Ian realized that Su Bei preferred anonymity. Thus, he stopped probing and focused on battling the Nightmare Beast. After successfully distancing the Snow Maiden Nightmare Beast from the snow mountain, it lost most of its strength and was soon defeated by the trio. However, just as the Nightmare Beast was about to die, it suddenly erupted into a fierce black light, exploding into a shower of black snowflakes. The very next second, from the mountain peak, one could see several snow mountains, including this one, starting to avalanche. The snow rushed down at breakneck speed, quickly reaching halfway down the mountain, heading towards the city at its base. "Oh my God!" Ian exclaimed, eyes wide with panic. "What do we do? The residents at the foot of the mountain surely can't escape!" Witnessing this, Elvis immediately used his powers to reverse time. Although his ability couldn't revive the Nightmare Beast, it could temporarily revert the impact to its early stages. This meant he needed to continually expend his mental energy, repeatedly drawing back the energy waves the Nightmare Beast unleashed, maintaining the avalanche in a dynamic pause. But this was not a long-term solution, for Elvis's mental energy was limited. He paled under the strain, his silhouette topped by a giant clock as he shouted, "Quick, call the local superpower government or academy!" Ian nodded vigorously, making the call while passing the phone to Tiffany, himself dashing downhill. "You make the call. I recall there's a broadcast station nearby," he said, running to warn the residents. The reason for not sending Tiffany was her lack of communication skills and to prevent her vampire appearance from inciting panic. Reaching an optimal position, his figure flickered, vanishing from sight—a manifestation of his ability to teleport to an extent within the illustrated world. Meanwhile, Su Bei continued to coiled on his summoned flying carpet, inquiring knowingly, "So is this the point where the main storyline picks up?" "Manga Awareness" confirmed, "Yes, the main group will arrive soon. Want to greet them?" "Certainly not," Su Bei declined without hesitation, "I'm taking a complete step back for now. Besides, this part won't be illustrated in the manga, will it?" Since the author's design was for his dramatic appearance at the climax, there's no point showing him now. Less is more. Su Bei chose to remain unseen to prevent being detected by adversaries. As predicted, given the remoteness of the Arctic and everyone's busy schedules, the task fell to Jiang Tianming and others, assisted by teleportation master Lei Ze'en, to execute. Only they could reach the Arctic timely. For anyone else, by the time they arrived, it would be too late. No matter how Elvis conserved his energy, he couldn't hold out for hours. The team collaborated frenetically, with this mission primarily belonging to Ai Baozhu, who managed to hold several mountain avalanches at bay through her Gorgeous Domain. She developed the ability to conduct her powers in parallel, creating five Gorgeous Domains simultaneously at different locations. Su Bei had assumed her progress would lie in defensive strength, not the quantity of defenses. Five Gorgeous Domains, placed far apart, certainly demonstrated an impressive evolution. But this time, the evolution of the main characters' powers was in breadth, indicating a vast-scale public battle in the future. After stabilizing the avalanches and evacuating the populace, the four overseeing from the summit discussed what occurred before the avalanches. Owing to the urgency and Tiffany's reticence, crucial details were overlooked. Even the superpower government only knew about the advanced Nightmare Beast’s death and subsequent avalanche, with Elvis and team temporarily containing the situation and calling for immediate support. Jiang Tianming and his team arrived in the dark about the enormous avalanche the Nightmare Beast triggered and how the trio managed to defeat it. The former question was easily answered, but the latter— "You're saying, while battling the beast, a flying carpet appeared and revealed its weakness?" Ai Baozhu repeated incredulously. Elvis gave her a cold, regal glance, "No need for deceit here." Though his words held truth, the tale was wild. Did the Arctic have sage monks stepping in unexpectedly? Lan Subing silently mused. She restrained Ai Baozhu, who was about to retort, and asked wearily, "Did you see where the flying carpet vanished?" "It disappeared mid-air." Tiffany answered, easing potential conflict. In mid-air? Could it be a fairy godmother lent a helping hand? Lan Subing prepared to comment but was subtly stopped by Jiang Tianming. Puzzled, she turned, finding Jiang Tianming exchanging an odd look, signaling her to cease questioning. Though unaware of the reason, Lan Subing heeded her comrade's advice, falling silent. Once Elvis and the others departed, Jiang Tianming shared, "If I'm not mistaken, Su Bei should be in the Arctic by now." Startled, Lan Subing's eyes widened, "You mean—" Such mid-air appearances and assistance fits Su Bei's modus operandi. Could he be here? Jiang Tianming confirmed with a nod, "I think so, but since he didn't reveal himself, let's not seek him out." With the dangers outside keenly known, Su Bei, a powerless superpower user, discovered alive, would surely face peril. "You're right," Lan Subing agreed, "though it's clear Elvis's group remains uninformed about his survival." Indeed, with ample time alone earlier, had Su Bei wanted to reveal himself, he would've done so post-battle. His actions showed clear intent to remain hidden. Although it seemed a bit inappropriate to feel that way, Lan Subing was indeed a little happy. Su Bei hadn't hidden his survival from them; his feigned death scheme only began after he had revealed himself to them. Doesn't this mean they hold a significant place in Su Bei’s life? Jiang Tianming cleared his throat. "Then let's not discuss it further." What they didn't realize was that Su Bei was floating cross-legged mid-air, watching their conversation with amusement. He hadn't expected Jiang Tianming to be so astute, directly guessing it was Su Bei who lent a hand. However, they were unaware that instead of leaving right after helping, he lingered to watch the unfolding drama. To be honest, if he hadn't wanted to maintain his anonymity, he might have rushed to urge those two to leave already. Really, it was freezing up there in the Arctic sky!