A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 64

It has to be said, this really has the atmosphere of a field trip, and everyone is quite excited in their hearts. Mo Xiaotian covered his head and giggled foolishly: "I regretted not bringing it during the team competition."

With him leading the way, the others also gradually showed off the things they had brought.

Wu Mingbai brought a dagger, lighter, compass, drinking water, and other items necessary for wilderness survival.

On top of that, Jiang Tianming also brought many hidden weapons. These were custom-made for him by the Lan family at a great cost, small and light but extremely sharp, perfectly matching Jiang Tianming's special abilities.

This was partly due to the help of Lan Subing, but also because the Lan family wanted to invest in this talented individual who could enter the S class.

Of course, Wu Mingbai also had their investment, but it was a special ability item, so naturally, it wasn't shown earlier.

Ling You specifically brought an MP3, seemingly determined to be a cool girl.

Feng Lan, Qi Huang, Si Zhaohua, and Zhou Renjie, on top of the usual items, also equipped themselves with well-configured tents, hammocks, thermos cups, etc. Having money means you can be willful.

The real 'male mother' Mu Tieren brought medicines, bandages, mosquito-repellent sachets, and other items. He said honestly: "I thought the teacher might not give us healing items, so I brought some for peace of mind."

She brought a "Confused Walkie-Talkie", a brand specifically for special ability users, usable even without a signal. It only requires a small amount of mental power to communicate with the same model within a hundred miles.

In addition, there were portable water purifiers, telescopes, etc., indeed different from what others brought but very useful.

In stark contrast was Ai Baozhu, who brought a sun hat, disinfectant wipes, skincare products, etc.

When she saw the others' incredulous looks, she argued: "With the teacher protecting us, we're definitely safe. Since we're safe, why should I prepare those things? Of course, I should prepare some essentials!"

"Right," Lan Subing whispered. Although she didn't bring these, since someone did, she naturally wanted to share, and of course, wouldn't criticize.

After showing support, she quickly changed the topic: "I brought these."

Everyone looked into the small bag she opened, which contained plastic gloves, plastic bags... but the most noticeable was a pack of masks!

"Is that really necessary?" Wu Mingbai chuckled, "There's no one else in the alternate space besides us, why wear masks?"

"That's not necessarily true," Meng Huai, who had been letting them show off, suddenly spoke, "Except for some private or newly discovered alternate space, the rest are open to all special ability users. As long as you're not afraid of death, you can apply to enter. There should be quite a few people going this time." 𝘳𝖆𝐍𝔬ВÊŚ

Even as ability users, it's impossible to only deal with nightmare beasts; sooner or later, they will have to face other people.

An alternate space with many people has an obvious advantage: it definitely won't be very dangerous, otherwise, there wouldn't be so many people.

This is a training location carefully selected by the academy for these first-year S class members, where they can interact with other mature ability users without too much danger.

Indeed, the purpose of this training is not really for them to engage in life-and-death battles in the alternate space. They've only been training for a month, what's the rush?

"Ah?" Lan Subing's eyes widened; she really didn't know this! She brought masks just in case, who knew they would really have to deal with people?@@novelbin@@

Now Lan Subing's originally cheerful mood darkened, and she seemed to lose color, silently putting on a mask and shrinking back pitifully.

At this moment, her gaze turned and she suddenly noticed that Wu Jin had also put on a mask at some point. Because his presence was so low, he was really easy to overlook. Seeing him, Lan Subing felt a bit happier; at least there's someone who can't stand it like her, right?

Thinking this, she actively called out to Wu Jin, whom no one else dared to ask: "Wu Jin, what did you bring?"

With Lan Subing's question, the others also noticed Wu Jin. With only half of each eye visible under the mask, he really looked like a weirdo.

“Mask, hat, dagger.” Wu Jinyan answered concisely. At the same time, he took a baseball cap out of his bag and put it on, pulling the long brim down in front. This time, his face was completely hidden.

Hearing her like this, Lan Subing immediately felt that she had miscalculated. If she had known earlier, she would have worn a baseball cap too—wasn’t it the perfect face-covering tool?!

But upon careful thought, she decided against it; wearing a mask is one thing, but being fully armed like Wu Jin would surely attract many strange looks.

She didn’t have Wu Jin’s low-presence ability, so it was better to stay as she was.

"I brought comic books, novels, if you're bored, you can borrow them from me," Li Shu smiled lightly as he unzipped his backpack, which indeed was full of comic books.

With their current physical fitness, carrying a bag full of books was no big deal. However, bringing such things to an alternate space for training still attracted quite a few curious looks.

"Teacher, what do you think of what Li Shu brought?" Wu Mingbai asked curiously, knowing that Mo Xiaotian was scolded for bringing snacks earlier, isn't this not much different from snacks?

Knowing he wasn't up to any good, Meng Huai gave him a dirty look: "Li Shu's ability requires it; he needs ample imagination."

For abilities like illusion, if you need to construct your own illusions, you indeed need a lot of imagination. So it's for his ability, no wonder Li Shu brought these.

"Eh? Su Bei, why didn't you bring anything?" Mo Xiaotian's eyes widened in surprise as he looked at Su Bei, only just noticing this.

It's not that Su Bei's presence is low; in fact, his presence has always been high, and no one in the S class can ignore him.

The reason no one noticed he didn't bring a bag earlier was mainly because he was leaning against the wall. If Mo Xiaotian hadn’t been bored and observed carefully for a while, he really wouldn’t have noticed.

Hearing this, Su Bei shrugged and raised his right hand.

His hand was pale with distinct knuckles, and his fingers were long, to the extent that they could be hand models. His ring finger now bore a silver ring, adding an inexplicable allure.

Qi Huang was the first to recognize it immediately blurting out: "Storage ring?"

Su Bei, seeing that someone recognized it, calmly nodded: "Exchanged from the school's point mall."

After the individual battles, he indeed made a huge profit, earning more than 5,000 points. If the event hadn’t ended on the last day of the individual competition, he could have at least doubled his points.

Many previously unavailable items were bought by him with a wave of his hand.

Besides this twenty-square-meter storage ring worth 1000 points, he also bought several invisibility charms used in the team competition earlier. These aren't cheap, 200 points each.

There was also a 1,000-point "Transformation Mask (Imitation)", which allowed the wearer to change their appearance. In theory, this item was extremely useful—there was no way it should only cost 1,000 points.

But as an imitation, it can only store three appearances. That means wearing this mask allows only three transformations, and after storing them, they can't be changed. Hence, the price is much cheaper.

Su Bei doesn't mind; three is already enough, he doesn't need many. After obtaining the mask, he immediately stored an image of a figure fully wrapped in a black robe. It was taller and thinner than him, looking like an elongated shadow.

The face was just a mass of black mist. In a way, this was actually a bold approach—there was no disguise at all. After all, not disguising oneself while using a disguise was also a form of disguise.

This image was specifically for cooperating with the "Black Lightning" organization,so he wasn’t worried about others knowing it was a fake identity. Changing faces when going out was completely normal, wasn’t it? Especially when cooperating with such an organization.

As long as Su Bei "casually" reveals that he exchanged for the "Transformation Mask" when with the protagonist group, it's not hard for readers to guess that the collaborator is himself.

"Are you all ready?" Seeing they had finished chatting, Meng Huai led them to the library, then exited through the back door.

This door was always locked, and since Su Bei had visited the library multiple times before, he had naturally noticed it. He hadn’t expected to get a chance to come here now—just the right opportunity to satisfy his curiosity.

Behind the door was a very spacious room. Inside the room stood a circular archway formed by blue light, surrounded by two maintenance machines.

School nurse Ye Lin and a chubby male teacher they hadn’t met before were standing in the room. As soon as the students entered, the male teacher smiled and said, "So this is the S-Class of this year? Hello, I’m Lei Ze’en, one of the teachers responsible for your training this time. You can call me Teacher Lei."

Ye Lin gently brushed the green braid hanging over her chest and introduced warmly, "Teacher Lei is a third-year teacher. His ability combines support and defense, making him one of the academy’s top backup specialists!"

"Wow, that’s amazing!" Mo Xiaotian exclaimed enthusiastically, then curiously asked, "So, what’s Teacher Lei’s ability?"

"It’s [Teleportation]," Lei Ze’en answered himself. "I can teleport to fixed points or random locations. This blue portal is created using my ability."

This was indeed a powerful support skill. While they didn’t yet know the range or duration of his teleportation, given Ye Lin’s high praise, it was clear that his ability was formidable.

"What about the defensive aspect?" After thinking for a moment, Ai Baozhu also grew curious.

The next second, Lei Ze’en calmly replied, "During teleportation, the person being teleported is in a state of absolute defense."

Su Bei raised an eyebrow and whispered to Feng Lan beside him, "It seems like the teacher has been waiting for this question for a long time."

This wasn’t far from the truth. Lei Ze’en had answered almost immediately after Ai Baozhu asked, as if he had been anxiously waiting for the question.

Although Su Bei spoke softly, his voice carried in the spacious room. To preserve her colleague’s dignity, Ye Lin turned her face away, trying hard not to laugh.

Meng Huai, however, had no such restraint. He laughed heartily, "Hahahaha, Old Lei, how does it feel to have your true nature exposed by a first-year student?"

Lei Ze’en maintained a stiff expression of calm and pretended not to hear him. "Once we step through this door, we’ll appear in the outer hall of the alternate space. Before we enter, there are a few things we need to go over."

He then turned to Ye Lin, "Xiao Ye, you handle the introduction part."

After saying this, he tightly wrapped his arm around Meng Huai’s neck, smiling but speaking through gritted teeth, "Come on, let’s step outside for a chat."

Seeing everyone’s attention completely focused on them, Ye Lin coughed heavily, "Alright, ignore them. Everyone, look here. The alternate space we’re going to this time is a state-owned open alternate space. Anyone can enter after paying a small fee and registering. The school has covered the fee, and we’ve handled the registration. What you need to do is learn how things work, as you’ll have many opportunities to enter alternate spaces on your own in the future."

This was true. Unless they planned to leave the ability world entirely, as ability users, they would inevitably need to enter alternate spaces. The general process was to graduate from the academy, register their identities, and then start taking on missions.

Completing missions to eliminate nightmare beasts in disaster-stricken areas or alternate spaces could earn them a decent income, which was the primary source of income for most ability users.

Even though they were only in their first year of high school, they were already stepping out of the ivory tower of the academy. Jiang Tianming suddenly asked, "Was it the same for previous S-Classes? Did they go to external alternate spaces in their first year?"

Hearing this, Ye Lin pursed her lips, nodding and then shaking her head, "They usually went on this training mission during the summer break between their first and second years."

Then, she smiled her usual gentle smile, "But since you’ve been targeted by 'Black Lightning,' your learning pace has been accelerated."

There was a logical flaw in this statement. Some people, like Su Bei, quickly realized this. While their pace had indeed accelerated after being targeted by "Black Lightning," it wasn’t their learning pace that had changed.

The real countermeasure taken in response to this incident was the early establishment of the S-Class, using its resources to protect them. Logically, since the S-Class had been established, its teaching pace should have remained consistent with previous years.

But now, it was clear that their teaching pace was much faster. What exactly was the rush?

While Su Bei was pondering this, Meng Huai and Lei Ze’en returned. On the surface, they looked the same as before they left, but from their movements, Su Bei’s sharp eyes noticed that Meng Huai’s waist seemed to be injured, and Lei Ze’en’s leg had likely been kicked.

Feeling Su Bei’s scrutinizing gaze, Meng Huai glared at him. Su Bei wisely chose to lower his eyes and play dumb.

"Are we done here?" Lei Ze’en asked Ye Lin.

Ye Lin nodded, "Actually, there’s not much to say. You’ll understand once you’re there."

"That’s true. When we went back then, our teachers didn’t explain much either," Lei Ze’en said, stroking his chin. "Just one thing—stick close to the teachers, and don’t pick fights for no reason."

"Were you all classmates, teachers?" Driven by curiosity, Lan Subing, who rarely spoke in the presence of strangers, asked softly.

Thanks to the monthly exam, her social anxiety had indeed improved a lot, and she could now use her [Voice Command] ability. But whenever strangers were around, she still tended to stay quiet.

"Yes, we were classmates," Lei Ze’en said happily. "And we’ve been in the same class since we entered the Ability Academy!"

Hearing this, Lan Subing’s eyes sparkled, "No wonder the teachers seem to get along so well."

Meng Huai, standing nearby, snorted coldly but didn’t refute. Ye Lin glanced at him with a smile. She knew Meng Huai wasn’t the tsundere type—he was just a bit embarrassed.

Thinking this, Ye Lin said with amusement, "Don’t let their current behavior fool you. They didn’t get along at all back in the beginning."

"How so?" Lan Subing immediately followed up, and the others also pricked up their ears, eager to hear about their teachers’ past.

"Ahem!" Meng Huai coughed heavily, trying to cut off her revelation.

Lei Ze’en also leaned closer to Ye Lin and pleaded, "Xiao Ye, don’t expose our past like that. We were just young and foolish back then~"

Ye Lin, unusually playful, let out a soft "hmph" and shrugged at Lan Subing, "That’s another story. Right now, we’re focusing on your story."

After saying this, she pressed a button on the machine, "Alright, it’s getting late. Let’s head out now. I’ll go ahead to receive you."

Once Ye Lin stepped through the blue archway, Meng Huai herded Su Bei and the others through one by one, like driving ducks.

Su Bei was the fourth to enter. Stepping through the light gate felt no different from walking through an ordinary door.

As soon as he stepped out, it was as if he had entered another dimension. The outside world was suddenly bustling with noise—vendors calling out, people chatting, and the clamor of a crowded place.

Ye Lin stood not far from the door, with the others who had already come out. Su Bei walked over to Jiang Tianming and turned around to see that he had just exited through the door of an ordinary-looking house.

"So, this teleportation is anchored to this door?" Su Bei asked curiously.

Ye Lin nodded, "It can be anchored to a specific location or a specific door. Teacher Lei’s ability is very flexible. This time, it’s anchored to this door. Exiting through it won’t draw too much attention."

Indeed, at first glance, it seemed as if they were just residents of the house, stepping out naturally. Of course, that wouldn’t attract attention.

However, when a full 18 people walked out of the same house, it was hard not to notice. A tall, thin man approached with an enthusiastic smile, "Hello, teachers. Are you from the Ability Academy bringing students for training?"

There wasn’t just one "Infinite Abilities Academy"; there were three in total. On the surface, there was no distinction in strength, as ability users were rare. Generally, as long as someone had an ability, they would be accepted, regardless of its strength.

For example, Su Bei’s initial [Gear] ability hadn’t been looked down upon either.

However, from the fact that they were able to train the world's number one ability user and that this person even came here to serve as the principal, it’s clear that the hidden number one academy is actually their own "Infinite Abilities Academy". Otherwise, students like Si Zhaohua wouldn’t have come here.

It wasn’t unusual for second and third-year students to be brought to alternate spaces for training by their teachers.

Ye Lin, standing at the front, had a good guess about the man’s intentions, "We’ve already prepared a map of this alternate space."

Hearing this, the man’s enthusiastic smile faltered slightly but quickly recovered, "Being well-prepared is a good thing. Do you need a place to stay? I can recommend a cheap inn. It’s only a ten-minute walk from the alternate space, and I can get you a 20% discount."

Ye Lin thought about it. They hadn’t booked a place in advance, as there were usually plenty of rooms available. Since someone was recommending one, it wouldn’t hurt to take a look.

"Then take us to see it," she nodded. "If the environment is good and the price is reasonable, we’ll book it."

"Great, great!" The man was overjoyed and immediately led the way.

The inn he mentioned wasn’t far. The streets were lively, filled with small vendors. Aside from food stalls, there were also stalls selling supplies, dried nightmare beast meat, abilities tools, and more…

There were many things they hadn’t seen before. Since becoming ability users, they had mostly stayed within the academy, so everything here felt fresh and exciting.

Seeing their reactions, Lei Ze’en chuckled, "If you’ve brought money, we can let you explore a bit after we come out of the alternate space tonight."

"Wait, we’re coming out today?" Mu Tieren asked in surprise. He had assumed they’d be staying in the alternate space for a long time, like during the team competition.

If they could come out, that would be ideal. Surviving in the wild wasn’t comfortable, and while he had mentally prepared for hardship, avoiding it was still preferable.

"Of course. Why do you think we’re booking an inn now?" Lei Ze’en explained. "This alternate space is much more dangerous than the one you went to during the team competition. Even with our protection, it’s best to come out before nightfall."

Hearing this promise, Mo Xiaotian and Ai Baozhu were the happiest. One loved bustling crowds, and the other loved shopping. Both were eagerly looking forward to the evening.

Su Bei blinked, "This is starting to feel more and more like a field trip."

Si Zhaohua, standing nearby, couldn’t help but laugh, "True. I remember field trips often followed this routine—playing in the morning and exploring on our own in the evening."

"Your morning won’t be for playing," Lei Ze’en interjected with a grin. "Even with our protection, we won’t intervene unless you encounter a danger you truly can’t handle."

Perhaps reminded by his words, Meng Huai, who had been walking casually, suddenly spoke up, "By the way, you 15 should start arranging your formation. Think about how you’ll act if you encounter danger. It’s best to split into two teams, as we might separate later."

With so many of them, failing to plan ahead could lead to chaos during an emergency, with potential accidents or friendly fire. However, splitting up wasn’t guaranteed—it was just a precaution. This arrangement could last throughout the entire training period.

Hearing that they needed to split into two teams, everyone instinctively moved toward the people they were more familiar with. If they had to group up, it was naturally better to stick with those they knew.

Seeing their intentions, Ye Lin shook her head and said gently but firmly, "Never mind, we’ll assign the groups. Many of you will be classmates for three years. It’s important to get familiar with each other."

Note: Thank you for all the support you’ve given me—it truly means a lot to me!

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