A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 274

At that moment, a team of fully armed ability users stormed up from the staircase, heading straight for our room.

“Damn it, it’s because of him!” Jiang Tianming quickly glanced at the dead man, realizing the reason for their approach. They likely sensed his death due to leaking secrets.

We hadn’t anticipated that his betrayal would not only cause his death but also expose our location. If we’d known, we never would’ve interrogated him in our room.

These cascading traps caught us off guard. We clearly lacked vigilance against ability-based tactics. But it was too late for regrets—finding a way to avoid capture was the priority.

We couldn’t afford to be caught by Vixi Holy Land’s people now; whether we’d leave the island alive was questionable. Si Zhaohua swiftly pulled out a blank scroll from his storage space: “This is the ‘Storage Painting.’ It can hide us all, but to get out, someone needs to tear it from the outside.”

“Give it to me,” I said, holding an Invisibility Charm between my fingers. “Where do you want to come out?”

“Somewhere safe, ideally without cameras,” Jiang Tianming answered immediately. Everyone trusted the charm’s effectiveness, and they had no objections to my volunteering. They felt reassured leaving the scroll with me.

But there was another issue. Lan Subing asked anxiously: “What about Ai Baozhu?”

She’d gone to shower and was probably lathering her hair, making a quick exit impossible.

“What can we do? Wrap her in a towel and shove her in,” I shrugged, then handed Lan Subing an Invisibility Charm. “Or let her use this before going in.”

With no other options, everyone entered the “Storage Painting.” Lan Subing went to the bathroom, dragged Ai Baozhu in, and I followed, picking up the scroll and applying an Invisibility Charm to myself.

Just as I finished, the room’s door was kicked open.

“Search quickly! The signal points here!” the lead captain shouted, stepping in first. The doorway cleared, and a small squad filed in, scouring the room.

The corpse in the living room was spotted immediately. The guards recognized him as the one who died from leaking secrets, transmitting our location.

“Report! There’s water in the bathroom; the enemy just left!” someone shouted from the bathroom.

The group rushed in, confirming the signs. Ai Baozhu’s shower traces were obvious, and the bathroom’s warmth and steam suggested a recent departure.

“You two stay. You two check the tourists’ identities for this room. The rest, follow me to pursue!” The captain pushed the door open and left.

I slipped out behind them, heading to the library.

The library had cameras, but its bathroom didn’t. More importantly, there was a window in the back leading to a small, unmonitored path.

I’d discovered this while studying here the past few days. My main goal in coming to the library was to use it as a safe house; learning was secondary. Naturally, I’d paid attention to useful escape routes.

Bringing them here was already more than generous. What they did next to continue their investigation was their problem.

I didn’t even drop my invisibility when tearing the scroll. Seeing them emerge safely, I left straight for my planned destination, the Holy Spirit Skyward Banyan.

Returning was out of the question. Though it was Ai Baozhu’s room, we were a group. If the others vanished, I couldn’t stay unscathed without suspicion. Going back would be walking into a trap.

As an exclusive activity for honored guests, the Holy Spirit Skyward Banyan had few tourists today, just a couple scattered under the tree, acting like green lightbulbs.

I didn’t disturb them, leaping onto the tree like a cat, silent. I slipped into the leaves, found a suitable spot, and began training my mental energy.

Though a one-time item, the Holy Spirit Skyward Banyan couldn’t greatly boost mental energy after the first use. But it remained a prime spot for mental training. I hadn’t fully integrated my recent gains, so this was a good chance to do so.

That night, I slept in the tree. As expected, no one checked here all day. From dinnertime, I sensed the island under lockdown. Patrols with glowing lanterns—likely ability-crafted with strong illumination—roamed everywhere.

I noticed they had a slight see-through effect. Fortunately, the Holy Spirit Skyward Banyan’s dense foliage and inherent abilities kept me hidden.

Overall, the protagonist group didn’t cause much trouble after we split. They were likely still investigating. If they progressed smoothly, Vixi Holy Land might erupt into chaos tomorrow.

Chaos was good. Without it, how could we escape?

To leave now, we needed to make tourists feel unsafe. A mass exodus would be our chance to slip away.

Of course, I knew Jiang Tianming’s group wouldn’t leave until they’d uncovered everything. That’s what made them the protagonists.

But they didn’t want to leave—I did! Who’d want to stay in such a dangerous place? Logically, I could wait for them to resolve everything and leave together, but I was worried.

I never doubted their destructive potential. In a closed, isolated place like Vixi Holy Land, if they unleashed their full chaos, I doubted I’d escape in the end.

Rather than face danger later, I’d leave while it was still safe.

But ultimately, leaving depended on their actions. I sighed lightly. Staying out of the plot had its downsides—I couldn’t influence much as a bystander. But every loss came with gains. For convenience and safety, I was fine with this drawback.

Lying in the tree, I pondered the man’s last words before his explosive death—they were “creating a god.”

First, the term was very “manga,” so I didn’t doubt I misheard.

Since the dead man was a Radical, there were two possibilities: either the “creating a god” plan was the Radicals’, or it was Vixi Holy Land’s shared plan, with Radicals and Conservatives differing on execution.

I leaned toward the latter. “Creating a god” sounded grand. If both factions had separate plans, the Conservatives’ would need to match it in scale to compete.

But that wasn’t easy. Devising another grand plan was hard and tricky to balance. Given the 《King of Abilities》 author’s laziness, I doubted he’d bother. Since both scenarios had similar outcomes without affecting the plot’s direction, he’d pick the simpler one.

Moreover, based on my earlier findings, the Radicals and Conservatives shared something that let them superficially clash while jointly ostracizing the Neutral Faction.

If that shared thing was the “creating a god” plan, it made sense. The Neutrals were ostracized for opposing it.

Following this logic, Vixi Holy Land’s known actions for the “creating a god” plan were two: the constant draining of physical stats and the presence of Nightmare Beasts.

How were these connected to “creating a god”?

Pondering, my eyelids grew heavy, and I drifted into sleep.

The next day, the island remained under lockdown, stricter than before. Beyond the constant patrols, I saw twice as many guards outside the Holy Spirit Skyward Banyan.

But tourists continued their activities, suggesting Vixi Holy Land didn’t want this leaking. Understandable—if tourists knew about a fugitive murderer, they’d demand to leave, and the situation would spiral.

From the tree, I casually listened to the tourists below. They weren’t fools; how could they miss Vixi Holy Land’s changes?

“What did those thieves steal to make Vixi Holy Land so vigilant?” a short-haired woman asked curiously. “I asked customer service, but they dodged, giving no info.”

Her companion, with a side part, was equally curious but more covetous: “Must be a priceless treasure. Vixi Holy Land’s full of them. If we catch the thief first…”

Getting the treasure directly would be best; if not, turning them in for a reward wasn’t bad.

A man in a floral shirt scoffed: “You really believe it’s thieves?”

“What do you mean?” The two looked at him, startled. They’d had doubts—would mere thieves warrant such a response?

Seeing their attention, the floral shirt man felt smug. He wasn’t a true “honored guest,” just an ordinary ability user who’d bought a one-time guest pass.

Permanent guest identities could be leased, up to five times a year, with extra fees upon entry. He’d saved for years to afford a three-day pass. Being looked at by likely wealthy guests with such eager eyes thrilled him.

He coughed deliberately, acting serious: “Think about it. If it was theft, they’d be searching house to house. But they’re clearly guarding against something. Preventing another theft? Then they’d only reinforce storage areas, not everywhere.”

His logic made sense, and the others looked thoughtful.

“Could bad people have infiltrated?” the short-haired woman speculated. “If so, they must be formidable to make Vixi Holy Land so cautious. Should we leave?”

Good question! I grinned from the tree, eyes expectant. Spread this idea, spark an exodus, and let me slip out!

But the floral shirt crushed my hopes. He didn’t want his expensive three-day trip to end after one day—sellers wouldn’t refund.

He persuaded them, using his silver tongue to dissuade them from leaving. Their success was partly because they didn’t really want to leave.

First, they trusted Vixi Holy Land’s strength. Second, leaving now might offend a major power unnecessarily.

Seeing them agree, I looked disappointed. Missing a chance to leave early—how could I not be upset?

The morning passed quietly, but I didn’t relax. The quieter it was, the more I suspected the protagonists were up to something big.

Sure enough, just after noon, a loud boom echoed. In the distance, Vixi Holy Land’s government building collapsed.

From my perch, through the dense leaves, I saw dust rising. It seemed the foundation failed, causing a bottom-up collapse without affecting other areas.

It had to be Wu Mingbai’s doing. I understood immediately. Making such a big move meant things might end by tomorrow at the latest.

After the collapse, the Holy Spirit Skyward Banyan emptied. Not just here—everywhere was deserted. The guards left to assist at the government building.

As expected of the protagonists—efficient. I was curious what they’d uncovered about the “creating a god” plan.

Soon, fighting broke out. Jiang Tianming’s group had blown up the government building; if Vixi Holy Land couldn’t find them, they were incompetent.

In direct combat, Jiang Tianming’s group was at a disadvantage. Young and strong against peers, they struggled against a major power’s ability users.

But soon, I noticed it wasn’t just them against natives. Some natives fought each other—likely the Neutral Faction.

Perhaps the author thought the island wasn’t chaotic enough. Soon, Nightmare Beasts joined in. From my high vantage point, I saw clearly. At first, they targeted Jiang Tianming’s group and the Neutrals, but then they attacked indiscriminately.

This was expected. Nightmare Beasts wouldn’t truly cooperate with humans. It was like negotiating with a tiger for its skin—once they saw profit, they’d tear up any agreement.

Vixi Holy Land was a strategic prize. As the meteorite’s landing site, its resources benefited both humans and Nightmare Beasts.

If Nightmare Beasts controlled it, even for a few weeks, their strength could rise a level. Unlike Vixi Holy Land’s humans, who limited resource use to avoid depletion, Nightmare Beasts would flood in to exploit it.

This was the real world—ability users wouldn’t let Nightmare Beasts occupy Vixi Island long. They’d use it up or destroy it.

The humans collaborating with Nightmare Beasts didn’t anticipate their betrayal, caught off guard. Worse, the beasts had somehow brought a massive swarm to the island, becoming the dominant force.

Faction disputes—Radicals, Conservatives, Neutrals—dissolved. It became humans versus Nightmare Beasts. Everyone united against them.

With the protagonists around, I wasn’t worried about the outcome—it was destined. I stayed comfortably in the tree, waiting for the crisis to end. Then I could claim I fought Nightmare Beasts too. No witnesses, so I could say what I wanted.

As the tide turned, with everyone cooperating, the Nightmare Beasts were retreating, and victory was near—then a stronger one appeared.

This Nightmare Turtle was as big as a small mountain. Elephants were child’s play compared to it. Even from afar, I felt its enormity.

Its strength matched its size. Attacks barely scratched it, doing no damage.

This was predictable. Turtle-type Nightmare Beasts were known for defense. One this massive likely needed an equally massive attack to harm it, which no one present could manage.

Vixi Holy Land realized the severity, setting aside pride to seek external aid. But the Nightmare Turtle sat on the church with the teleportation array. Without it, no one could enter, and help couldn’t come.

Undoubtedly, it was time for the protagonists to save the day.

I didn’t bother watching—everything would be in the manga. Yawning, I shifted positions in the tree. The fight was long, starting in the afternoon and now deep into the night.

From manga experience, this turtle was likely the final hurdle. Defeating it would end the crisis. If I was right, per typical manga tropes, the turtle’s defeat would come at dawn.

Manga tropes were predictable. Though plots varied, pacing had similarities. This allowed me to stay ahead.

Since the fight would end at dawn, and it was now 11 p.m., with sunrise at 5 a.m., I could sleep for about five hours.

Adequate sleep was crucial. I set an alarm and dozed off in the tree, pleased at coasting through the event while others fought, feeling like a god.

But I underestimated the plot’s chaos—or forgot it. Sleeping, I suddenly felt violent shaking. In such a dangerous place, my sleep was light. The shaking woke me instantly. The Holy Spirit Skyward Banyan was trembling.

Not just the tree—the entire Vixi Holy Land shook. Buildings teetered, debris fell intermittently, a familiar scene from the underground world’s earthquake.

But this wasn’t just an earthquake. The island was tilting, likely to flip and sink into the sea soon.

Don’t forget, the nearby sea was the Forbidden Sea—a natural defense now turned into our burial ground. If the island flipped, we’d sink with no trace.

I quickly turned to where the Nightmare Turtle was. The beast, once dominating the island, was gone. This wasn’t good news. A corpse would be better—its absence meant it was causing trouble elsewhere.

Checking the sky, it was just dawning—the time I predicted the event would end. An earthquake at the climax meant the final plot was escaping the island.

I understood, jumping down to find the protagonists. Acting alone now risked the author killing me off. Sticking with them was safer. If anyone could find a way off, it was them.

During an earthquake, most would seek open ground for safety. But since we needed to escape Vixi Holy Land, not sink with it, I headed for the church, assuming the turtle’s absence meant the teleportation array was usable again.

At the church entrance, a crowd gathered. Jiang Tianming and the others were there, even at the forefront due to their earlier feats.

Seeing them, my heart sank. Their expressions weren’t good—something was wrong with the array.

“Su Bei?” Feng Lan’s sharp eyes spotted me, his golden hair standing out. Hearing him, others looked over, surprised.