A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 279

Blood and meteorite fragments were entirely different, but collecting large amounts of blood without a container shared some similarity with gathering and eliminating meteorite fragments. Both involved collecting hard-to-gather things.

Though one was liquid and the other stone, we weren’t elementals but special track. Finding a way to complete this task might apply broadly.

But that likely didn’t involve us three. With our abilities, passing the exam was enough—helping with meteorites was unlikely.

So I stopped overthinking and focused on how to complete the exam.

“Ask others,” Ai Baozhu gave up, decisive. “Three people collaborating is collaboration; ten is too. Ask around—someone’s bound to have a container ability. Worst case, I pay them.”

Money talks. Ai Baozhu acted fast, weaving through the crowd before the exam started, seeking helpers.

I didn’t mind her, silently observing our surroundings. My mental energy spread slowly, showing no attack intent, just exploring.

I knew many high-level mental energy users were here, so I released mine cautiously.

As expected, my mental energy met another’s. They touched mine briefly, and I felt it only at the intersection. Afterward, their energy vanished.

I knew why—they were better at mental energy, blending it seamlessly into mine. They’d likely traced my location already.

I understood the theory but lacked the skill to match. Such finesse required time.

As I thought, the mental energy’s owner located me, raising an eyebrow at Director Li: “Your students are impressive. I found a high-level mental energy student in the special track.”

Director Li guessed who, adjusting her glasses and smiling calmly: “That’s likely a freshman S-Class student. Quite outstanding.”

“Freshman?” The red-and-black-haired woman looked surprised. “That’s remarkable. I feel out of step with the times.”

“You’re in your prime, Yuliya,” Director Li said helplessly at her friend’s self-deprecation. “If others heard the [Death Graveyard] user say that, they’d die of shame.”

Flattered, Yuliya’s eyes curved happily: “Alright, charging’s done. I’ll check for gaps. Don’t forget our deal—after the exam, tell me your Nightmare Beast findings.”

“No worries,” Director Li nodded seriously. “You’ll know soon.”

Meanwhile, before Ai Baozhu found a partner, the special track’s lead teacher arrived. He had everyone line up, then announced: “This exam is restricted to the isolation zone. Leaving disqualifies you, and a teacher will escort you out. A Nightmare Beast-attracting device is in the center—don’t damage it while killing. After meeting the exam requirements, submit your ‘test’ here and leave the Nightmare Beast world.”

After explaining, he dismissed the group, activated the central machine, and waited for Nightmare Beasts. Students spread out, positioning for optimal performance.

Some were eager, ready for the beasts. Others looked worried, unsure about killing 100 or collecting their blood.

Ai Baozhu smartly approached confident-looking students, soon returning with a purple-haired senior.

“This is Senior Hu Qin, ability [Storage Grid]. He can hold enough blood,” Ai Baozhu introduced, beaming, pleased with her find.

Hu Qin blushed, nodding shyly: “Hi, just call me Hu Qin.”

“Can [Storage Grid] hold liquids?” I asked, surprised. My storage ring couldn’t hold liquids properly, hence our dilemma.

Hu Qin explained: “My [Storage Grid] isn’t physical but… data-like. Think of a game’s inventory—each item in its own slot.”

I relaxed. If his grid’s space was sufficient, it could hold the blood. But Ling You raised another issue: “How do we retrieve it?”

Taking it out required a new container. The academy wouldn’t provide one. They couldn’t pour it on the ground—that’d ruin their scores.

“You can retrieve it bit by bit,” I said, amused, before Hu Qin could answer. “Take it slow. It’s stored slot by slot, so we pour it cup by cup. I have small containers.”

Ling You’s face lit up—she’d forgotten this, limited by typical storage items.

Seeing them grasp [Storage Grid]’s use, Hu Qin smiled, then hesitated: “But my ability has no attack power, so…”

“I promised we’d handle his 100 Nightmare Beasts,” Ai Baozhu patted her chest. “If you don’t want to kill an extra 100, we can pay instead.”

She couldn’t attack, relying on teammates for the promise. She didn’t force us, smartly leaving an out.

We had no objections: “No problem.”

Just 400 Nightmare Beasts—Ling You alone could handle it.

One last issue remained. I tilted my head: “So how do we drain 400 Nightmare Beasts?”

The question silenced us. Hu Qin cautiously suggested: “Should I bring someone else? I have a friend who could help.”

The three of us lit up. Ai Baozhu coughed, nodding reservedly: “Fine, go. If needed, we can cover their beasts too.”

Hu Qin nodded eagerly, knowing his friend couldn’t kill 100 alone, hence his effort to include them.

As he left, I asked curiously: “Which class is that senior from?”

Storage and blood-draining abilities sounded remarkable. I was sure they weren’t from Class B or above.

Endless Ability Academy’s class divisions were clear. Class B and above were ability users capable of killing Nightmare Beasts, unless their ability was uniquely powerful, like Feng Lan’s [Prophecy]. Otherwise, non-combat abilities were relegated to lower classes. Hu Qin clearly fit this.

“Class D,” Ai Baozhu answered, glancing afar. Dust rose as a horde of Nightmare Beasts approached, drawn by the academy’s device.

So many beasts looked terrifying.

Though the special track had the second-most students after elementals, most lacked attack power, over half from Class C or below. Ai Baozhu worried her [Gorgeous Domain] couldn’t ensure safety.

Following her gaze, I shared her concern.

Ai Baozhu looked at Ling You, hopeful: “Xiaoyou, can you use [Plague] to wipe them out?”

With so many beasts, Ling You’s ability could shine.

“Hard,” Ling You shook her head, knowing her ability well. “They’re not one species.”

A single [Plague] targeted one species. She couldn’t create multiple plagues at once. She had ways to kill all animal Nightmare Beasts, like the plague, but those could infect humans too. With so many students, she couldn’t use overly effective viruses.

“Even if she could, it wouldn’t work,” I said, hands in pockets, pointing out a practical issue. “If [Plague] kills others’ prey, whose score is it?”

Fair point. Ai Baozhu sighed, deflated: “Fine, let’s fight normally.”

I didn’t wait for Hu Qin’s return—500 beasts were a big task. To leave soon, I had to act fast.

Luckily, Ling You thought the same. Leaving Ai Baozhu to activate [Gorgeous Domain] and wait, we joined the battlefield.

The attracted beasts were low-level, my reason for acting early. They were easier to kill than mid-level ones, and nearly all had blood, unlike some mid or high-level beasts.

To save time, we had to act fast.

Killing low-level beasts was easy for us. After each batch, we hauled excess beasts, including those in storage rings, to Ai Baozhu’s [Gorgeous Domain].

Thankfully, [Gorgeous Domain] didn’t deem beasts “ungorgeous,” or storage would’ve been an issue.

Leaving them unguarded outside was risky. While slacking and killing, my high-level mental energy caught sneaky movements.

Some had stealing abilities—telekinesis, earth-escaping, or invisibility. Beasts left on the ground vanished subtly, unnoticed by most.

Ai Baozhu guarded the corpses and counted, while Hu Qin and his friend handled draining and storing blood.

As our teamwork clicked, the expected danger struck—countless mountain-sized Black Giant Nightmare Beasts surrounded the academy’s stronghold like an iron wall.

With their steps, I felt the ground tremble. Even the air’s meteorite fragments floated erratically, showing their immense presence.

Everyone stopped, staring stunned, then fearful. Even in the last campaign, they hadn’t seen such a terrifying sight.

These massive beasts struggled to enter Different Spaces due to fixed portal sizes unless they shrank. In the human world, gravity limited them, halving their strength.

But in the Nightmare Beast world, they unleashed full power without shrinking. Giant Nightmare Beasts were hard to birth, but years of accumulation, with little loss in the human world, meant many existed. Now, they all attacked, encircling the stronghold.

Beneath them were countless oddly shaped beasts, at least mid-level, with many high-level ones.

Clearly, these high-level beasts resented and coveted Endless Ability Academy’s exam here. Eating so many ability users would boost the Nightmare Beast world’s strength.

Historically, an entire ability academy was wiped out in its early days—a tragic tale.

Learning Endless Ability Academy brought students here, the beasts united to hunt, their shared vision enabling coordination without discussion.

As students paused, the low-level beasts in [Death Graveyard] seemed guided, attacking frantically.

No choice—everyone ignored the distant threat to handle the immediate beasts.

Ai Baozhu looked away from the giants, her expression unusually grave. About to speak, she noticed: “Where’s Su Bei?!”

I’d quietly gone invisible. Though no Destiny Compass showed issues, escaping early was best. Who knew if pointers would shift? Invisibility now made later actions easier. Waiting for the beasts to arrive risked detection.

Invisible, I scanned but found no safe spots. Unable to spectate, I moved to a corner, leaning against a wall, waiting.

I couldn’t join Jiang Tianming or Wu Mingbai—who knew what danger they faced? Nor Director Li or Yuliya—prime targets for high-level beasts. With my strength, I’d get caught in crossfire. A corner was safer.

I hoped the academy held strong. If the defense broke, every student was doomed.

[Death Graveyard] had no defensive power, only reviving. Revived people had five seconds of invincibility in its generated graves.

But five seconds couldn’t fend off the beast army, so external defenses were needed.

Endless Ability Academy, daring to hold finals here, was prepared. Instantly, colorful barriers rose around [Death Graveyard], and several ability users stood at the edges, ready for intruders.

Director Li’s voice, amplified by a device, rang out: “Students, don’t worry. Continue the exam. This is part of it—can you perform under extreme stress? We’ll periodically let in beast batches, possibly with high-level ones. Beating them depends on your strength.”

As she spoke, the beasts reached the barrier. Even I, used to big scenes, felt awed.

The barrier’s top showed slivers of sky; the rest was packed with Nightmare Beasts—not small insect types but powerful high-level ones.

A single Giant Nightmare Beast was scalp-numbing; so many were overwhelming.

Observing, I pondered the crisis’ scale. If the academy fell, most students would die—a massive crisis for a manga’s end.

But 《King of Abilities》 wasn’t near its end, so the crisis wouldn’t be that big. The academy would likely hold, with only the protagonists affected.

As long as they stayed in [Death Graveyard], the beasts couldn’t touch them. The plot suggested Jiang Tianming’s group left the safe zone, facing danger.

But why?

Whatever the reason, I couldn’t stay hidden. The academy could protect us now, so I had to continue the exam.

I could skip if alone, but I had four teammates. I wasn’t one to abandon them, so I avoided teaming up. But since I did, I had to take responsibility.

“Yo~ Our busy man’s back!” Ai Baozhu said sarcastically, covering her mouth in mock surprise as I returned.

Ling You stared silently, her silence speaking volumes.

Hu Qin and his friend, unaware of my habits, looked confused and didn’t dare blame me.

I stood my ground: “Just scouting intel. What’re you thinking?”

“I thought everything,” Ai Baozhu didn’t spare me. Knowing me so well, she warned, “MissFancy warns you—don’t run without telling us, or you’re done back at school!”

Her soft threat almost made me laugh. But she could annoy me later, so I restrained myself, nodding seriously: “Don’t worry, I’ll warn you this time.”

I glanced at their Destiny Compasses—normal for a crisis, small pointers slightly right, still centered. Big pointers were in the upper half.

Luck could change anytime. Since I promised to warn them, I kept my ability active. If their small pointers shifted, I’d bolt. It’d be slower then, but the situation didn’t allow earlier escape. I’d stick to the exam.

Soon, all beasts in the barrier were cleared. The academy held, keeping high-level beasts out, calming everyone.

The next two batches were fine, but the third brought the expected accident—a beast with spatial movement ability.