A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 275

I wove through the crowd to my companions, cutting to the chase: “The teleportation array’s broken?”

Jiang Tianming wasn’t surprised I knew, sighing: “The Nightmare Beast wrecked it. We have to leave fast—Feng Lan’s prophecy says the island sinks at 5 a.m.”

I checked my phone. It was 4:30 a.m. We had half an hour to escape.

Rebuilding a teleportation array wasn’t simple—half an hour was impossible. With the array destroyed, outsiders couldn’t teleport in either, or Vixi Holy Land’s defenses would be a joke.

What was once a proud defense now trapped us. Everyone looked grim, faces full of despair.

One person sobbed: “I’m young and rich! I don’t want to die! Why is fate so cruel? Did it give me a great life just to let me die young?”

His words opened the floodgates. Others poured out their fears, sobbing and complaining.

Lan Subing, triggered by his words, looked sharply at me: “Can you change our destinies?”

I’d once used my destiny-changing ability to wipe out many Nightmare Beasts. Could I save everyone now?

The others didn’t know, but Jiang Tianming’s group had seen my strength. At Lan Subing’s words, their eyes lit up, hoping for a satisfying answer.

Change fate…

My mind stirred. I activated my ability to check everyone’s Destiny Compasses. Then I dismissed the idea.

I could change the Nightmare Beasts’ fates before because their compasses were nearly identical. Adjusting one adjusted them all.

But the pointers above these people were too varied—some showed survival, others death, some leaving, others illness. Saving everyone would drain more than two of me. I was about to refuse when I remembered something, gazing afar, then shifting to another question: “Why not ask the All-Knowing Conch?”

“We did. No answer,” Si Zhaohua said helplessly.

Ai Baozhu hit the nail on the head: “That thing probably wants us all dead. Why would it help?”

Being a Nightmare Beast, even with weak consciousness, it had some. Why miss a chance to kill so many ability users?

We’d have to rely on ourselves. I smirked: “What’s in it for me?”

“If you don’t help, you’ll die too,” Wu Mingbai said with a smile.

But I had my ways: “I’ll find a way to survive.”

I had plenty of revival items. As Destiny’s leader, borrowing from the organization’s item vault was easy—repay with missions later.

My Destiny membership was public in the manga world, with many guessing it. I didn’t need to hide my item stash and could use them freely.

The Neutral Faction’s leader stepped forward: “If you save us all, we’ll give you permanent Vixi Holy Land guest status after this. Name any other requests.”

Though Vixi Holy Land was about to collapse, their treasures and wealth gave hope for a comeback. The guest status might be less valuable but still held worth.

I didn’t care about permanent status—I’d come once and didn’t need to return. But Vixi Holy Land had treasures I wanted.

“I want the All-Knowing Conch,” I said boldly, noting only S-Class was nearby. I left no room for negotiation.

The Neutral leader’s face changed. Despite its flaws, the All-Knowing Conch was valuable. Costing a billion and a life per question, with no guaranteed answer, it still drew crowds.

It was a key item, nearly as lucrative as other activities. Only two were known in the ability world, making it highly coveted.

Especially now, with Vixi Holy Land’s potential collapse, they needed such a resource to rebuild.

Guessing their hesitation, Si Zhaohua’s icy blue eyes glinted coldly: “If we die here, do you think keeping the All-Knowing Conch will let you rebuild?”

Right! The leader realized. If so many ability users, including those with strong backgrounds, died here, even if they escaped, survival—let alone rebuilding—was unlikely.

He agreed instantly: “Fine. If you get us out safely, the All-Knowing Conch is yours.”

I nodded, satisfied, and looked at Si Zhaohua: “Can you fly me up?”

“Of course,” Si Zhaohua nodded, surprised. He grabbed my waist, white wings manifesting, and with two flaps, we soared into the air.

The sun was rising, our position perfect to see the dawn.

Overlooking the island, I finally found Vixi Holy Land’s Destiny Compass.

I could change not just people’s fates but objects’ too. I rarely used it, as it was less convenient than altering human fates, so I hadn’t explored it much.

An object’s Destiny Compass had only 12 points, each with a specific meaning, and one pointer. Now, the pointer was in the lower half, signaling the island’s doom.

Changing an object’s fate depended on its size, consuming more mental energy for larger ones. Vixi Holy Land’s size meant a huge drain. Luckily, I’d slept, and my mental energy was at its peak.

I mobilized my mental energy, slowly shifting the island’s pointer to the upper half. Mental energy poured out like a tide, my face paling instantly.

Changing such a large object’s fate was costly. My mental energy dropped to a tenth of its peak. Thanks to recent training at the Holy Spirit Skyward Banyan, I managed. Before coming to Vixi Holy Land, this would’ve knocked me out.

Go big or go home—since I was acting, I’d make it grand. With my remaining mental energy, I activated an instant skill.

Snapping my fingers dramatically: “Now, witness the miracle!”

Crash!

A whale, half the island’s size, leaped from the sea, crashing onto the rising side. The tilting island, on the verge of collapse, was balanced by the whale’s weight.

The whale didn’t strand, knocking off a chunk of land before returning to the sea. It seemed accidental, yet perfectly timed to save us.

“…Is Vixi Island safe?” The Neutral leader’s jaw dropped, disbelief overwhelming him. He never imagined surviving, let alone saving the island.

Someone stomped the ground, checking around, then smiled joyfully: “It’s really fine! The island’s stable, no more tilting!”

“We’re saved!” Someone shouted, and everyone cheered, venting fear and joy.

Jiang Tianming’s group smiled too, even the stoic Ling You showing a faint smile.

Crash!

The whale leaped again, a powerful water spout shooting from its head, refracting a beautiful rainbow in the sunlight!

“Look, a rainbow!”

The rising sun, rare rainbow, majestic whale, and perilous experience filled everyone with joy. No one spoke, quietly admiring the breathtaking scene, certain they’d never forget it.

“Is this your doing too?” Si Zhaohua asked curiously after a moment, still in the air.

I was watching the rainbow, smiling and shaking my head: “It’s destiny’s arrangement.”

Clearly, the author added the rainbow for the event’s end. Whether my help was planned was unclear.

But I loved the scene, forgiving the author for a second.

The Manga Consciousness chimed: “《King of Abilities》 has updated. Please check.”

With Vixi Holy Land safe, the teleportation array was quickly repaired. Two hours later, we left, returning to the school gate.

“Finally back!” Ai Baozhu sighed, exuding post-crisis laziness. “I’m resting. I haven’t slept well; my skin’s dull.”

She touched her face, then looked at Lan Subing and Ling You: “Bingbing, Xiaoyou, let’s head back?”

After an all-nighter, Lan Subing and Ling You were exhausted, nodding to the others before joining Ai Baozhu to the girls’ dorm.

“I’m reporting our Vixi Holy Land experience to the homeroom teacher,” Mu Tieren said reliably. “The authorities need to handle their actions.”

Though we’d faced hardship together, Vixi Holy Land’s crimes couldn’t be ignored. Draining tourists’ stats was tolerable, but collaborating with Nightmare Beasts was unforgivable and needed reporting.

No one stopped him; in fact, they were relieved. No one wanted the hassle.

Especially Jiang Tianming, who’d often taken this role. He knew how sour Teacher Meng’s face got hearing they’d caused trouble. He didn’t want to face that stepmotherly glare.

After the four left, the rest headed to the boys’ dorm. Si Zhaohua recalled something, looking at Feng Lan: “Didn’t you predict the island would sink?”

“I predict destinies, but he changes them,” Feng Lan pointed at me. Prophecies aimed to alter futures, though changing an island’s destruction was typically hard.

“I see,” Si Zhaohua understood. “Su Bei’s ability is incredible.”

His words resonated. Changing destinies, reversing futures—my ability rivaled any top-tier one.

I didn’t think much of their praise, casually waving and opening my dorm door: “I’m here. See you tomorrow.”

Back in my dorm, I didn’t check the manga but slept. The mental energy drain at Vixi Holy Land was heavy; I’d been holding on to stay conscious.

Oddly, my mental energy never seemed enough. Each time I boosted it, the consumption grew too.

Waking in the afternoon, starving after missing breakfast and lunch, I grabbed snacks from my storage ring to fill up, then started the manga.

The previous chapter covered the island-wide Radical-Conservative conflict. This one picked up with Jiang Tianming’s group returning to the hotel, then joining me at Ai Baozhu’s room.

Ai Baozhu’s discovery made things murky again. Nightmare Beasts and stat drains sounded problematic, but we couldn’t pin it all on the Radicals now.

Next was my kidnapping scene. My invisibility was depicted as a blur, observing the teleportation process, timing the strike, knocking out the native, and applying an Invisibility Charm to escape. The author cleverly showed my plan in a few panels.

The princess carry of the unlucky extra was drawn too, and as expected, the comments loved it.

“When can I experience Su Bei’s princess carry?”

“First, the princess carry is suave. Second, why carry a grown man?”

“Elegance never goes out of style.”

“Our Bei has strength and skill.”

“Soul-swap with this unlucky guy; I want Su Bei’s princess carry too.”

Seeing the man’s explosive death again, I pursed my lips, feeling a strange pang. I’d been startled then, too shocked to think deeply. But revisiting it, how similar was he to the old me? Both manga cannon fodder.

They died too easily, mere accidents. The author didn’t care about their waiting families or unfinished business. The plot needed a death, so they died.

That’s the manga world. I couldn’t blame or change the author. I could only hope to end this manga soon, so no one could control our fates.

The plot moved to my solo departure, with the others evading pursuit while investigating.

A large group was too noticeable, so they split up. One group went to the government building for clues, the other wandered, hoping to grab another native for questioning.

The protagonists had their aura. The wandering group saved a boy, gaining access to a rare Neutral Faction home, staying there overnight.

The government building group tracked a key figure, overhearing critical Conservative intel, realizing Lin Qi’s group wasn’t innocent either—Radicals and Conservatives were colluding.

Recalling I’d found clues through observation alone, I felt a pang. But I rallied—matching the protagonists’ results with just my wits was my own skill.

From the manga, Vixi Holy Land’s Radicals and Conservatives weren’t as we thought. The Radicals were as expected, draining ability users’ stats to pool into one person for “creating a god.”

The Conservatives were different, epitomizing “Conservatives think Radicals are too conservative.” They collaborated with Nightmare Beasts, letting them ravage the mainland so their god could save everyone, elevating Vixi Holy Land’s status.

The “creating a god” plan had two steps. First, create the ability world’s top figure, believing Vixi Holy Land lacked a supreme powerhouse for dominance.

Second, make this figure world-renowned, elevating their status alongside it.

The Neutral Faction was innocent for not participating or supporting either side. But not entirely—they knew both plans yet stayed silent, a form of complicity called “reaping the benefits.”

The frequent Radical-Conservative fights were Vixi Holy Land’s insurance. If one faction’s misdeeds were exposed, the blame could be shifted entirely to them, letting the other half escape as “innocent.” Their discord was well-known, ensuring at least half remained untarnished.

A cunning plan, seemingly foolproof. But they met the protagonists, dooming it.

The government building held an item that absorbed and stored ability users’ stats, so Wu Mingbai’s group planned its collapse.

I thought this part would be skippable, but flipping through, I noticed something odd—Jiang Tianming disappeared for a while.

From Lan Subing’s group killing Vixi Holy Land members, to Wu Mingbai collapsing the building, to the Nightmare Beast invasion, Jiang Tianming was absent and unmentioned. The focus was on Wu Mingbai, Lan Subing, Si Zhaohua, Ai Baozhu, Mu Tieren, Ling You, and Feng Lan—no Jiang Tianming.

Only after fighting the Nightmare Beasts did he reappear, seamlessly rejoining the group, as if he’d never left.

No one, not even Wu Mingbai or Lan Subing, questioned his absence.

If I hadn’t flipped quickly and noticed his face missing, I might not have caught this detail.

If anyone else vanished, I wouldn’t care—multiple characters were in the plot, and the author forgetting one or two was normal.

But Jiang Tianming? The top protagonist of 《King of Abilities》? The author wouldn’t forget him. His prolonged absence, with the author deliberately covering it with other characters, suggested a hidden plot.

As they say, a quiet child is up to mischief. Jiang Tianming’s long absence made me suspect the author was planting a seed.

What could he have been doing?

Reviewing his disappearance, I found no anomalies. He vanished when the group split to handle enemies. Could he have been captured?

All his secrets were revealed. What else would the author hide?