A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga - Chapter 316 : Chapter 316
Translator: AkazaTL
Proofreader/Editor: JWyck
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Chapter 316
As the Earth Element light orbs continuously poured into his body, Wu Mingbai realized what the guardian god’s “final blessing” was. It was undeniably a touching and exhilarating gift—he could clearly feel himself growing stronger.
While he was explaining to Ai Baozhu and the others what had happened, I, who had been absent for a while, finally reappeared. Seeing the message from EastSouthWest in the manga, readers erupted in excitement.
But what truly sent the comments into a frenzy was the moment I appeared with the king.
“The king’s not dead!”
“I knew Su Bei had a reason for disappearing for so long!”
“Wow, has anyone noticed that Mingbai’s eyes got red?”
“I thought Mingbai would lose his newfound family, but Su Bei saved him!”
“Who gets the epicness of showing up at the critical moment?”
“Su Bei, you’re the coolest!”
Seeing the comments’ reactions, I finally relaxed. My screen time in this chapter was indeed short, but as long as it was impactful, once was enough.
Next came the tug-of-war between Wu Mingbai, the king, and the queen, who soon arrived after getting the news and joined in persuading Wu Mingbai to stay.
First, as a Yafei prince, it made no sense to return to school knowing his identity. Second, with the guardian god’s full power, he was essentially a new guardian god. Letting him go risked either his death or a lack of attachment to Yafei—a huge loss for the kingdom.
But Wu Mingbai was resolute, giving an irrefutable reason: “Staying in Yafei, I can’t fully absorb the guardian god’s energy. You can’t let me face real crises.”
Having read the manga, I knew Wu Mingbai’s claim was nonsense. The guardian god never said he needed life-or-death crises to absorb the energy. Fighting Nightmare Beasts sped it up, but he’d absorb it eventually regardless.
In this manga world, only Wu Mingbai and I knew the conversation’s content. So, despite their doubts and reluctance, the king and queen had to let him go.
For both his sake and the kingdom’s, fully absorbing the energy was essential.
After settling this, Wu Mingbai asked with concern why the king had been missing. The manga showed my rescue in a flashback.
The most discussed part was when I knocked out the king, who wanted to save Wu Mingbai from danger. The comments had varied takes.
“Su Bei’s such a hardcore chaos-lover.”
“The king’s a pretty good dad—happy for Mingbai.”
“He just straight-up knocked out the king? That’s a king!”
“This really is a big opportunity for Mingbai.”
“Can’t tell if Su Bei knocked out the king for Mingbai’s good or just to watch the drama.”
My actions should’ve been controversial, but the comments barely criticized me. After all, Wu Mingbai himself would rather grow stronger than be protected under the guise of his safety.
Life safety mattered, but his wishes shouldn’t be ignored. Especially since I called it an “opportunity”—a term that, despite danger, was undeniably positive.
After I left, the plot shifted to the conspiracy against Wu Mingbai. The Nightmare Beasts and Black Flash acted together, though not under one banner. The former sought revenge; the latter claimed research.
Black Flash’s claim was only internal for now—they hadn’t revealed knowing Wu Mingbai absorbed the guardian god’s energy. After all, their mole in Yafei’s guard was hard-won, and exposing it before the mission ended would hinder their plans.
The reason this claim circulated was that Black Flash’s leader feared members thinking they were allied with Nightmare Beasts, so he deliberately spread the research excuse.
Their targeting wasn’t just sending high-level Nightmare Beasts to chase Jiang Tianming’s group. With so many strong Ability users around, even luring them to a corner wouldn’t delay much. And Jiang Tianming’s group was strong enough to handle high-level Nightmare Beasts—sending a few was like serving them dinner.
Their real plan was using these Nightmare Beasts to draw away their protectors, then having Black Flash members abduct Wu Mingbai.
The plan went smoothly. With the Nightmare Beasts intentionally showing flaws, Ability users, thinking they could find their lair, followed. They weren’t brainless, leaving a few Defense Track Ability users to protect Jiang Tianming’s group.
But Black Flash anticipated this, bringing an Ability user with [Defense Suppression], which, as the name suggested, blocked all defensive actions within its range.
With this, the unprotected protagonist group couldn’t escape. Gong Yuzhi, in a dazzling purple qipao, used her hypnosis Ability to take them away.
That was the chapter’s end.
“They got taken just like that? Yafei’s useless.”
“Gong Yuzhi’s the classic beautiful villain.”
“Hypnosis is terrifying.”
“Wait, didn’t Si Zhaohua say they had defense items? How’d they all get controlled?”
“What about Jiang Jiang’s nullification Ability?”
No wonder the group went silent today—they’d been captured. I realized, my suspicions confirmed.
But I noticed a detail: unlike the others with blank, lifeless eyes under hypnosis, Jiang Tianming and Wu Jin’s eyes glinted.
Barring surprises, they likely weren’t hypnotized. Jiang Tianming’s nullification Ability, if used in time, could block Gong Yuzhi’s hypnosis. Wu Jin’s [Succubus] Ability, a sort of hypnosis ancestor, could also resist to some extent.
But Jiang Tianming didn’t show he was unaffected, pretending to be hypnotized and following Gong Yuzhi. Wu Jin, also feigning hypnosis, lagged at the back, seizing a chance to slip away with his low presence.
Black Flash wasn’t incompetent—Gong Yuzhi noticed within a minute and sent people after him.
By now, Wu Jin was likely clashing with pursuers.
Time to save someone. I decided quickly. Wu Jin escaped alone, outside the main plot, so saving him wouldn’t affect the storyline and was likely doable.
My rescue wouldn’t be too out-of-character since I warned promptly. What did that imply? That I knew exactly what happened to Jiang Tianming’s group but didn’t alert Meng Huai to save them during or before the event, only saving the lone Wu Jin.
That alone was peak chaos-lover.
After some thought, I didn’t call Wu Jin but contacted Meng Huai: “Hey, Teacher? Have you noticed Jiang Tianming and the others are missing?”
“I have,” Meng Huai replied gravely, then smartly asked, “What do you know?”
As our class teacher, he knew me well. My call now meant I’d foreseen their disappearance and had something to tell him.
Exactly so. Checking Wu Jin’s escape direction in the manga, I said directly: “Teacher, head east with your Ability to pick up Wu Jin. He’s dodging Black Flash pursuers.”
I called Meng Huai and asked him to use his Ability to intimidate. Him flying on his dragon would scare off the pursuers unless they wanted to die with Wu Jin.
Getting my point, Meng Huai summoned his usual black dragon, donning his Ability’s black armor, and soared into the sky with gusto.
Hearing the dragon’s roar over the phone, I relaxed, about to hang up when Meng Huai asked: “If you know where Wu Jin is, you should know where the others are, right?”
Sorry, I didn’t. I replied confidently: “Even Destiny isn’t omnipotent.”
Seeing he wouldn’t get answers, Meng Huai, used to this, didn’t press but instructed concisely: “Contact Old Lei to prepare a teleportation array.”
I was happy to help with that. Hanging up, I called Lei Ze’en, briefly explaining the situation.
Lei Ze’en hadn’t expected Black Flash’s involvement, sighing before dutifully setting up the array, then asking: “By the way, did your Teacher Meng tell you we’re cutting five students this semester?”
Lei Ze’en was more polite than Meng Huai, who called him “Old Lei” in front of students, while Lei Ze’en minded Meng Huai’s image, saying “your Teacher Meng.”
But I wasn’t focused on that—my mind was on Lei Ze’en’s words.
We were losing students?
Memory jogged, I recalled the director’s words when I joined S-Class: only ten students could stay.
I’d thought some, like Zhao Xiaoyu, Mu Tieren, Zhou Renjie, or Mo Xiaotian, would naturally drop out, so I hadn’t dwelt on it.
But later plot developments made me think this setting had been butterflied away.
Zhao Xiaoyu’s [Happiness] was a Nightmare Beast-killing machine, sufficient to stay in S-Class despite being less effective against humans.
Mu Tieren, since that incident, hadn’t been tested, but I saw him turn his arm into a machine gun to attack Nightmare Beasts—similar to Wei Yuexi’s [Arms Dealer]. Studying under a world competition-level Ability user proved his strength.
Zhou Renjie, already S-Class material and not a real traitor, had no issue staying.
I thought everyone had changed enough to stay, so S-Class wouldn’t lose anyone. But the Academy hadn’t changed its mind. Who’d be the five to leave?
Stunned, my voice was slightly hoarse: “No one’s mentioned it. Any insider info, Teacher?”
If five left, their friendships would inevitably be affected, no matter how magnanimous they were. Once split into different classes, interactions would dwindle.
Though my bond with S-Class wasn’t deep, I saw them as friends. This news naturally stung.
“No insider info,” Lei Ze’en laughed. “It’s based on strength. You’ve got guesses, right?”
I raised an eyebrow, my earlier emotions fading, and said meaningfully: “Teacher, you gave yourself away…”
A pause, then Lei Ze’en’s helpless voice: “My acting’s that bad? Where’d I slip?”
Confirmed, I relaxed: “With your personality, knowing five of us would be cut, you wouldn’t be this casual.”
Lei Ze’en was sentimental. After a year together, losing five students would weigh on him, even just as a teacher.
Yet he laughed while saying it—clearly something was off. Not just me—anyone in our class could’ve spotted it, just a matter of when.
Accepting the critique, Lei Ze’en said: “I’ll be careful next time. But don’t leak our talk to your classmates. If the Academy’s plan gets out, your Teacher Meng will mock me.”
“Of course,” I nodded, in a good mood. “I want to see this play out.”
Thanks to Teacher Meng’s intel, barring surprises, the next or next-next manga update would let my Prophet account shine on the forum.
An hour later, I got Wu Jin’s message.
[EndlessSilence: Thanks, I’m home.]
[EastSouthWest: If you’re really grateful, write my 2,000-word summer homework for Teacher.]
[EndlessSilence: …]
[EndlessSilence: Not that grateful.]
Seeing the last message, I sent a speechless emoji and closed the chat.
Everything I needed to do was done—whatever came next wasn’t my concern. Stretching lazily, I opened the forum. After reading the manga, I’d contacted Meng Huai to save Wu Jin, so I hadn’t checked it yet.
With my minimal screen time, useful forum posts were scarce. I found only one.
“What’s the deeper meaning of Su Bei saving the king?”
[FlyingMotherCockroachNo.0: Su Bei’s actions are either for his benefit or to watch drama. The king staying alive isn’t much of a show—sure, watching him scold his kids is fun, but those princes and princesses aren’t evil, so it’s just mildly amusing.
To me, the king’s death and Yafei’s chaos would be better drama. So when Su Bei brought him out, I thought he wanted to cozy up to the king.
But in the flashback, Su Bei knocked him out, defying his wishes, then left—probably back home—showing no intent to cozy up.
So what’s his gain?]
[No.1: Never thought of it that way.]
[No.2: Yeah, why’d Su Bei save him? He didn’t even save Jiang Jiang’s group.]
[No.3 replying to No.2: Hahaha, sounds a bit jealous.]
[No.4: Isn’t Su Bei always impulsive? Saving someone doesn’t seem out-of-character.]
[No.5 replying to No.4: Reality can be illogical, but manga usually follows character logic. It doesn’t seem out-of-character, but what’s the logic? Why’d Su Bei save the king? Not because he felt bad Mingbai just found his dad and would lose him, right?]
[No.6: Definitely not for Yafei’s people.]
[ … ]
[No.41: Maybe it’s a Destiny organization task? For someone like the Yafei king, there might be a permanent rescue mission in Destiny. Saving him at a critical moment could complete it for big rewards.]
[No.42 replying to No.41: So reasonable, I buy it.]
[No.43 replying to No.41: Thinking from Destiny’s angle? Impressive, didn’t see that coming.]
[No.44: Could be. Floor 41’s a genius.]
[ … ]
[No.68: One benefit for Su Bei: the king alive means no national chaos, letting him leave smoothly. If the king died, sparking a throne dispute with Nightmare Beasts and Black Flash causing trouble, could he leave so easily?]
[No.69 replying to No.68: True, then Wu Mingbai’s friends would likely be detained first to threaten him.]
[No.70: Su Bei says a small favor avoids bigger trouble—why not?]
[No.71: Another benefit: Su Bei’s on good terms with Wu Mingbai (relatively). As long as Wu Mingbai’s status in Yafei holds, Su Bei doesn’t need to worry about lacking Yafei’s help when needed. A king father versus sibling kings makes a huge difference for Wu Mingbai’s status. So, saving the king makes sense.]
[No.72 replying to No.71: Nah, that’s overthinking.]
[No.73 replying to No.71: What would Su Bei need Yafei’s help for? He doesn’t even care about the king. If he wanted Yafei’s support, banking on being the king’s savior would be better than relying on Wu Mingbai.]
[No.74 replying to No.73: Exactly. Does Su Bei need anyone’s help? Especially a far-off Yafei king. The author might not even revisit this arc.]
[ … ]
[No.102: Don’t you think the ‘opportunity’ Su Bei mentioned is key to why he saved the king? If the king died, Wu Mingbai couldn’t have fully absorbed the guardian god’s energy. The king stopping Andrew’s attack let Wu Mingbai secure the full opportunity.
To ensure this, Su Bei saved the king, knocked him out, and brought him out at the critical moment.
From his actions, doesn’t it seem like Su Bei cares a lot about Wu Mingbai getting this opportunity?]
[No.103 replying to No.104: Seems like it, but that’s not Su Bei’s character, caring about a teammate’s growth, right?]
[No.105 replying to No.104: That’s why it feels off.]
[No.106 replying to No.105: Maybe he saw a future where Wu Mingbai not absorbing the energy would harm him.]
Some readers had wild imaginations, and some were pretty accurate. But without key info, their guesses were harmless.
After browsing, bored and not wanting to study, I lounged in a chair, reflecting on recent events.
The manga had three plot-driving lines besides the protagonist group: the protagonists, Black Flash, and Nightmare Beasts.
From Destiny’s info, some protagonists suspected Black Flash was collaborating with Nightmare Beasts, meaning investigations were starting. With deliberate probing, Black Flash couldn’t hide long.
For Black Flash, their leader’s corruption shifted their goal from eliminating Nightmare Beasts to humans, even allying with Nightmare Beasts.
I wasn’t sure how many in Black Flash knew this, but from circulating rumors, most were unaware.
As for the Nightmare Beasts, changes in their world directly drove their actions, explaining their sudden move against the Earth Element guardian god.
These changes tied to the protagonists, as Manga Consciousness noted—the author was preparing to eliminate Nightmare Beasts.
I’d been focused on the Nightmare Beast line. Though Black Flash could destroy the world, they were part of the author’s planned plot, with solutions likely prepared. The real headache was the Nightmare Beasts—outside the author’s expectations.
Though Manga Consciousness said the author was determined to resolve this, as my ongoing mission, I couldn’t help but care.
