Chapter 344 - A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 344 With current matters resolved, Su Bei was truly living a life isolated from worldly disputes. From the continuous stream of updates on the superpower website, it was clear now that various humans collaborating with Nightmare Beasts aimed to sabotage the defenses of different countries across the globe incessantly. Many defenses they destroyed would take quite some time to repair. The obvious consequence of this is that when the Nightmare Beasts launch a full-scale attack, a significant portion of those defenses will be far from fully restored. However, the government is helpless against them. All they can do now is maintain a defensive stance, for there's no perpetual guard against persistent thievery. The reckless endeavors of the Nightmare Beasts and insurgents render them unstoppable. Despite this, everyone's attitude remains surprisingly optimistic. All are aware that as long as they endure this final onslaught, humanity will firmly grasp victory. Though this impending attack will undoubtedly be grueling, the tantalizing carrot hanging in front spurs everyone on with motivation. The plot of the manga was updated again, this time laying the groundwork for the finale of its second season. After months of inactivity, Su Bei finally experienced his release. He regained his superpowers and mental strength, feeling his vigor and capabilities return. After reacquainting himself with abilities he hadn't used for several months, Su Bei began developing based on his previous inspirations. Though the exact timeline to the finale was unknown, it certainly wouldn't exceed two months. He needed to quickly research new abilities to astonish everyone when the time came. "You know, with your current powers, you’re already equipped to make a significant impact in the finale, so there’s no rush to develop new abilities," advised the "Manga Awareness" after noticing Su Bei's relentless research throughout the day. Su Bei shook his head, "With no school and no danger, it’s the perfect time to research. I’m not doing this to shine in the finale but for life beyond it." What he wished to research was a method to convert fate into causality. Causality was always a form of fate, but if mastered, it could change both the past and future. Currently, Su Bei could only change the future, and this change was not stable. Although the large pointer's direction was clear, the same position could lead to multiple possibilities. Take the commonly used "departure" point: leaving this house is "departure," leaving this town is "departure," and leaving this world is also "departure." Therefore, each time he adjusted the pointer, there was always an element of gambling involved, differing only in probability. Moreover, although the large pointer had more than twelve points, Su Bei discovered through exploration that many small points were somewhat repetitive, merely increasing his precision slightly. As for the compass's lower half, it was yet unexplored, primarily due to being fraught with death fates, too risky to test even with Nightmare Beasts. Thus, Su Bei opted to develop his abilities in a different direction. Since his mental power did not support a broader range of abilities, he could only delve deeper into their depth. Digging deeper into superpowers was indeed a daunting task. Yet, fortunately for Su Bei, he had previously gained inspiration for superpowers and had long mapped out a research path, so his research proceeded fairly smoothly. By the middle of the fourth month since his feigned death, Su Bei successfully developed a new ability. "I hereby name it 'Causality Correction'!" he declared with a sense of accomplishment, gazing at the brand-new Fate Compass. Having witnessed the entire process, "Manga Awareness" played a clapping sound effect by Su Bei's ear: "Congratulations, congratulations, this new ability is indeed powerful." It wasn't just flattery; Su Bei's new ability was truly formidable, capable of twisting time and reversing causality. "Causality Correction," as the name suggests, can amend the cause and effect of any event. Whether by altering the cause to change the effect or vice versa, it could be done. However, this Causality Correction could not genuinely alter fate; it could only modify it. For instance, if Little Red had an apple-induced allergy yesterday, the allergy result could not be changed, but the cause of the allergy and prior events could be altered. In other words, he could go back in time and induce Little Red's allergy through another method. The change in method would naturally influence the result, such as applying medication to induce her allergy in the past and then administering an antidote upon returning to the present, thereby directly ending her allergy. Similarly, if Little Red died in the past, as long as he could return in time to give her a revival item, a resurrection effect could be achieved. Here, "in time" means delivering the item within its usable duration. After all, changing the past would still leave the present unchanged. Little Red would remain deceased in the present unless the revival item could be used, allowing her to resurrect. Yet, actions must stay within the scope of a single causality line. Any behavior must adhere to this line. Following the apple allergy example, it means appearing only at two specific timelines: Little Red eating the apple and becoming allergic. The more time points involved in this causality, the further he can reverse time. Once out of scope or with causality broken, the correction fails, and spent mental power isn't refunded. Most importantly, this ability hardly consumes mental power. While it rewinds to the past, predetermined fate remains unchanged, consuming mental power solely at the time reversal points. However, the cooldown is quite lengthy, taking ten days per use—the longest among all his abilities. The same causality cannot be corrected twice; a failed correction counts as a correction attempt. Notably, the highest rewind limit is his birth—sixteen years ago. Before that, he didn’t exist on the causality line, so naturally, he can’t go back. While not designed for combat, this skill is unexpectedly advantageous. Employing it at pivotal moments can decisively overturn situations. Most crucially, fate-based powers are notoriously difficult to defend against. When he returns to the past to modify causality, what can those existing in the present do about it? Probably only time-related powers, like those of Elvis, could offer any countermeasures, though he hasn't achieved that yet. For now, this ability isn't needed, but Su Bei isn't worried. Unless Jiang Tianming and his companions leave the academy before the third season, there'll be plenty of opportunities to use his superpowers—no need to fret about having no chance to showcase them. Having developed a new superpower, Su Bei was in high spirits. The following days were spent indulging in activities, appearing to want to compensate for the days lost. Since Jiang Tianming and the others swiftly dealt with the avalanche, tourism remained unaffected, and Su Bei thoroughly enjoyed himself. However, staying here long-term feels akin to prolonged residence in the Nightmare Beast world, mildly uncomfortable. It's cold, sparsely populated, and the scenery lacks variety. A brief stay is refreshing, but lingering too long invites boredom. Just as Su Bei pondered whether to seize an opportunity to leave, he received an invitation from the main storyline. The message was from Principal Wu Di, sent via the "Fate" organization's notebook. In short, it cordially invited the leader of the "Fate" organization to participate in the grand battle, hoping he could contribute to the human effort during the conflict. “Looking for the leader of the ‘Fate’ organization?” Su Bei raised an eyebrow upon seeing the message. “Was this also part of the author's design?” No one knew better than Su Bei and "Manga Awareness" that he was the leader of the "Fate" organization. The author undoubtedly had knowledge of this as well. “The author intends to use this revelation to shock the readers, but it’s entirely up to you. If you wish not to disclose this identity, you may refuse and attend as an elite member instead,” explained "Manga Awareness." Su Bei could choose to reveal his leadership for added hype, though not doing so wouldn’t cause significant trouble. Truth be told, if his leadership identity were disclosed, it might even pose some complications for the author. Both choices have their advantages and drawbacks, so naturally, the decision lies with Su Bei. After some thought, Su Bei decided participation was essential. Even though the "Fate" organization is a neutral entity, it firmly stands on the side of humanity. If they were to abstain from the decisive battle against the Nightmare Beasts, their status would undoubtedly diminish afterward. The world won’t cease to operate just because the manga ends; he would continue living here. The "Fate" organization is Su Bei's most significant card and must be well-managed. Thus, attending such collective events is mandatory. Not only attending, but he must also make significant contributions to prove his worth. This was Su Bei's true reason for agreeing to the author's request. He cared little for trends in the real world; tangible benefits in the manga world were his priority. As for publicly declaring himself as the organization's leader, it seemed initially there are no apparent benefits. He’s still a student, required to study two more years at the academy. Revealing his identity could bring endless trouble and harassment. Moreover, the organization he belongs to isn't exactly a righteous institution; it's a neutral intelligence organization! If his identity as the leader were made public, the entire organization would be put at risk. After all, even if they don't understand the inner workings of the organization, it's reasonable to assume that, as the leader, he would possess valuable resources and possibly all the organization's intelligence. Capturing him would be nothing but advantageous for any party involved. However, if only the readers were aware of or could guess this fact, it would greatly benefit him. Once they discover his remarkable identity, any extraordinary abilities Su Bei displays thereafter would likely be accepted by the readers. After all, being an organization leader, it's only natural for him to be somewhat exceptional, right? Moreover, letting the readers know wouldn't harm him; it's purely beneficial. Previously, some readers might have questioned if he was of royal descent. But now, it's different—what royal lineage would vanish for four or five chapters in a comic? Su Bei wasn't concerned about any misunderstanding from the readers. Having formed an idea, he needed to meticulously plan the execution. He planned to appear in the manga world as Su Bei, a member of the “Fate” organization, while simultaneously allowing readers outside the manga to deduce that he is the leader of the “Fate” organization.