A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 76

Jiang Tianming’s side probably had intentions of gathering intelligence about us, and trusting Lan Subing’s character, he straightforwardly shared their situation.

Since the Nightmare Beast they were tasked to capture only appeared at night, they spent the daytime setting up traps.

Unlike our side, which knew almost nothing about the Nightmare Beast, they were well-informed about its appearance, abilities, and habits. It was a star-shaped Nightmare Beast—not the spherical kind like planets in the sky, but a pentagon star.

This Nightmare Beast could summon many small stars, and touching them would cause dizziness, blurred vision, and seeing stars.

It sounded like a cute ability, not at all like an evil Nightmare Beast. But prolonged contact with these golden stars would lead to complete loss of the five senses, followed by being devoured directly by the black star-shaped Nightmare Beast.

So far, five people had lost their lives to it, and two victims narrowly escaped death but were now lying at home as vegetables.

It was truly ferocious.

According to Jiang Tianming, under the control of the Ability Government, this Nightmare Beast had been active in a relatively fixed area. Their traps were well-prepared, a perfect net, and they expected to capture it tonight.

After hearing about their situation, when Jiang Tianming asked, Lan Subing, as expected, honestly shared our progress.

Since both sides had a competitive mindset, it was best to compete openly. What was the point if one side was secretive?

After she turned off her phone, Wu Mingbai couldn’t help but sigh and quietly complain: “Their side sounds way more interesting than ours.”

As a martial enthusiast, he had preferred the first mission, but the majority chose the second, so he followed. Now, hearing how dangerous and exciting the first mission was, he instantly felt tempted again.

Si Zhaohua also felt some regret, but as the team leader, he fairly said: “This mission isn’t bad either. Fighting with people is endlessly entertaining.”

At these words, everyone nodded. They hadn’t even seen the shadow of the Nightmare Beast all morning—it was indeed just fighting with people.

At this point, Lan Subing couldn’t help but feel puzzled: “Why would Sister Wang and her group want to harm us?”

Although they’d have to return the house after completing the mission, if they failed, the spots on those people’s bodies wouldn’t disappear.

Besides, they only came here because the couple voluntarily softened to the Ability Government—it wasn’t like we begged to come. If they didn’t want us here, they could’ve just not applied. Why let us come and then try to harm us?

This question baffled everyone. Even Su Bei couldn’t figure out what the couple was thinking, only guessing it likely had to do with the Nightmare Beast.

Since they discovered the bedroom they were staying in was relatively safe, they must have some unknown secret tied to the Nightmare Beast.

Li Shu said gently: “No need to overthink it. Once the Ability Government approves our actions, everything will come to light.”

By then, one [Illusion] would ensure they’d spill the truth, wouldn’t it?

After lunch, the Ability Government’s approval hadn’t arrived yet. After discussion, they split into two groups. Zhao Xiaoyu and Wu Mingbai went to the current home of the first family to check on their daughter’s condition. The rest returned to the villa to keep an eye on Sister Wang and her group.

When they returned to the villa, Sister Wang and Brother Liu were already back, staying in their bedroom. Seeing Su Bei and the others, Sister Wang eagerly asked: “We’ve been here for a while. Can we go back now?”

Compared to Zhao Xiaoyu, Si Zhaohua wasn’t great at tactful communication but knew not to alert them. He made an excuse: “Can you stay here for one more day? We think the Nightmare Beast might act at night, and since it’s already targeted you, you could help lure it out.”

Hearing this, Su Bei nearly coughed out loud. Wasn’t this blatantly saying, “I’m using you as bait”? The reasoning was sound, but it was far too cold.

More importantly, this approach wouldn’t spook them but gave the couple a perfect excuse to leave the villa.

Sure enough, the couple’s faces darkened. Brother Liu furrowed his brows, looking somewhat menacing: “What do you mean? We came here in good faith to help you, and you’re using us as bait? Meimei, let’s go. If you need us again, contact us by phone!”

With that, he grabbed Sister Wang’s hand and prepared to leave.

Naturally, the group couldn’t let them leave so easily. First, if they left, things could go wrong—if they suddenly felt something was off and fled, chasing them would be a hassle.

Second, their team was secretly competing with the other group. If they let the couple go, they’d likely fail the mission today, which would mean a high chance of losing.

Seeing Su Bei acting uninvolved, and with Lan Subing and Wu Jin unreliable in dealing with outsiders, Li Shu grew increasingly impatient.

How annoying. He didn’t want to tangle with two scheming ordinary people. Speak lightly, and they wouldn’t be subdued; speak harshly, and they’d grow wary. It’d be easier to just use [Illusion] to control them.

With that thought, his eyes flickered, and his fingers below twitched slightly. Rules? As long as no one snitched, how would the Ability Government know?

Before he could act, Su Bei lightly tugged him, giving a warning look.

Who was Su Bei? An absolute mastermind. He’d long predicted that among the four, Li Shu would be the most restless, so he’d been secretly watching him. Seeing the hidden irritation in Li Shu’s eyes, Su Bei guessed his thoughts almost perfectly.

He didn’t meddle, but he’d never allow anyone to ruin things.

They might not know, but Su Bei was certain at least one teacher was watching them. Li Shu’s little tricks wouldn’t go unnoticed.

If no teacher were present, Su Bei wouldn’t care. Even if Li Shu got punished by the Ability Government, it’d only affect him, not the others.

To Su Bei, Li Shu was half a stranger, and he wasn’t kind enough to meddle in a stranger’s affairs.

But with teachers around, it was different. In prior lessons, it was clear they wanted the fifteen students in the class to bond, so a collective punishment system was inevitable.

If Li Shu messed up, the whole group would likely be punished. Su Bei didn’t want to suffer because of someone else’s mistake.

Receiving Su Bei’s warning, Li Shu was visibly defiant and confused. The defiance was obvious, but the confusion came from thinking he’d gotten to know Su Bei over time.

Su Bei didn’t seem like someone who meddled, so why was he suddenly warning him? Su Bei gestured for him to look at Si Zhaohua. While their eyes clashed, Si Zhaohua had already devised a plan. Dropping his earlier friendliness, he said coldly: “We were sent by the Ability Government, and we can ensure your safety. If you don’t trust the Ability Government, then don’t ask us to come. If you leave now, we’ll seal this house immediately to prevent it from harming others.”

Admittedly, when this young master got serious, he exuded an imposing aura, his aristocratic pride on full display.

His words carried deep meaning. The couple had requested the Ability Government’s help, and whatever their reasons, they definitely didn’t want the house sealed. Otherwise, they could’ve delayed, and the Ability Government would’ve handled it eventually.

That was the plan—since they couldn’t keep watching the house forever, and they couldn’t let the Nightmare Beast inside harm others.

Since they didn’t want the house sealed, Si Zhaohua’s words hit their weak spot.

“...We’re just worried about our safety,” the couple paused at the door. After a long moment, Sister Wang turned, saying reluctantly, “Besides, it doesn’t have to be us, right? Can’t you call the previous family? I remember their daughter is still alive, isn’t she?”

Her words were somewhat malicious. Li Shu smiled lightly, his tone gentle: “That girl is still very weak. Another trip here might cause problems.”

Seeing Si Zhaohua handle the situation smoothly, he felt much relieved. Realizing Su Bei had helped him, his tone softened, though he added with a smile: “We don’t mind switching people, but since you brought it up...”

Before he finished, Sister Wang quickly interrupted: “No, no, I was just saying. How could we really let a child do this?”

She wasn’t just saying it, but Li Shu’s words reminded her. If that girl got hurt here, they, who suggested it, would face public condemnation.

Both she and Brother Liu looked embarrassed, their earlier aggression gone. They were the type to bully the weak and fear the strong. Seeing the initially friendly group suddenly turn cold, they didn’t dare slack off anymore.

Soon, Wu Mingbai and Zhao Xiaoyu returned. Their expressions were heavy, clearly indicating the girl’s condition wasn’t good.

Sure enough, when asked, Zhao Xiaoyu sighed, glancing at the couple: “The spots on her body are a lighter bluish-black. She’s so weak, like she’s been sick for ages. She looks listless, and I heard she’s starting to show signs of autism.”

Hearing this, Sister Wang’s eyes flickered, and she lowered her head. Moments later, she looked up with a worried expression. Brother Liu, as usual, acted like he heard nothing.

By seven in the evening, Si Zhaohua’s phone pinged with a soft “ding”—a message from the Ability Government.

—“Action approved.”

Seeing the words “Action approved,” the group exchanged glances, sharing knowing looks. After a silent discussion with their eyes, Li Shu was chosen to act.

But since they didn’t know where the Nightmare Beast was, they decided to take the couple out of the villa before acting.

After some thought, Li Shu said gently: “This room is indeed dangerous. You can step outside for a bit.”

Hearing they could leave, Sister Wang and Brother Liu didn’t hesitate, quickly following the group to open the door and walk out.

Once outside, Lan Subing immediately closed the door, and Li Shu made his move. Dealing with ordinary people didn’t require close contact. He cast an [Illusion] from a distance, easily putting the two into a dazed state.

“What illusion did you create?” Wu Mingbai, unusually curious, asked. He rarely spoke to Li Shu politely unless an enemy was present.

But when their gazes fell on Lan Subing, whose water-blue eyes sparkled behind him, they understood.

Li Shu closed his eyes, smirking: “I preset an underworld illusion. Hope they enjoy it.”

His illusions were divided into preset and real-time. The former was, of course, more refined and realistic. But he could only store three preset illusions for now.

The latter required on-the-spot creation, which was much harder. He had to quickly build scenes, characters, and dialogue, and tie them to the target’s memories. If the target lacked such memories, it was hard to fool them.

Soon, whatever Sister Wang and Brother Liu saw in the illusion made them cry and confess everything.

“Wuwuwu, we’re sorry! We were just afraid of dying! That ghost thing threatened to kill us instantly if we didn’t obey! We haven’t harmed anyone, please let us go!”

Li Shu asked slowly: “Explain your deal with it in detail from start to finish. I want to see if it matches our records.”

Sister Wang hurriedly explained: “We first saw that thing three months after moving in. Spots started appearing on our bodies, and we panicked, wanting to call the Ability Government. But a face suddenly bulged out from a wall, threatening us to obey or it’d kill us right then.”

“The game room wall?” Li Shu interrupted.

Sister Wang wasn’t surprised he knew—after all, the King of Hell should know everything. She nodded eagerly: “Yes, yes, that’s the one!”

“Go on.”

“Then it threatened us to bring more people in—the more, the safer we’d be. Brother Liu and I discussed and started renovating the house. With workers coming and going, it met its demands.” Her voice grew quieter, clearly aware their actions were wrong.

Brother Liu, crying, defended: “If we didn’t do it, we’d die. We had no choice.” “Even if those workers didn’t get spots,” Li Shu wanted to ask but, to maintain his all-knowing King of Hell persona, added sternly, “that doesn’t mean you didn’t harm them! You think I don’t know what happened to them?”

“They’re better off than us!” Brother Liu said excitedly. “At least they didn’t have to die right away.”

Not dying right away meant they’d die later. It seemed the workers’ illnesses would manifest with a delay.

Sister Wang quickly pulled him, fearing he’d anger the King of Hell, and continued: “Maybe it was satisfied, so it told us the bedroom directly above the game room was safer than other places. We moved there.”

Only one thing remained: “Then recently, it told us we could call the Ability Government.”

Hearing this, everyone’s hearts sank. For the Nightmare Beast to issue such an order, there were only two possibilities. Either it was confident in fighting Ability users, or it believed it could deceive the Ability Government and continue its freedom after inspection.

Either way, they knew things had gotten trickier.

Having learned the truth, Li Shu paused his role-playing and looked at the others: “What’s next?”

It was a good question. Si Zhaohua thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up: “Let them act in a play.”

Soon, the villa’s front door was pushed open again. Sister Wang and Brother Liu looked uneasy, their faces slightly pale.

They exchanged glances, and after a moment of silence, Sister Wang said: “Those Ability users went to eat. Let’s quickly ask the great lord what to do next!”

Brother Liu nodded immediately: “Yeah, we need to ask. Let’s go.”

In the game room, Sister Wang faced the back wall: “Lord, we’d like to ask what to do next. Should we find a way to drive these Ability users away?”

The wall bulged in the middle, forming a one-meter-tall human face. Its mouth opened and closed, scolding: “Bring them back!”

Outside the villa.

Hearing the voice through the call, Wu Mingbai made a strange expression: “That voice is too weird!”

Lan Subing nodded slightly in agreement: “Like multiple walls rubbing together.”

It was harsh and grating, and it was impressive the couple didn’t show any reaction in that cramped room.

When they first heard Sister Wang say this Nightmare Beast could talk, they were shocked, even suspecting human involvement. Now it seemed fine—this Nightmare Beast didn’t truly speak but mimicked speech through other means.

“Can you sense the Nightmare Beast’s presence now?” Si Zhaohua asked Wu Jin.

Wu Jin nodded confidently: “Yes, I suspect this Nightmare Beast’s form is a wall.”

The entire wall reeked of the Nightmare Beast’s repulsive aura.

“Then why not destroy the wall?” Lan Subing asked.

Zhao Xiaoyu shook her head: “That wall seems to be a load-bearing one, right? The Ability Government probably doesn’t want to destroy the villa, or they wouldn’t have sent us.”

If destroying the villa solved the problem, the mission wouldn’t have gone unclaimed for so long. Demolishing an ordinary house was easy and didn’t require taking risks.

So what should they do? They exchanged glances, suddenly realizing they lacked effective means to deal with a mid-level Nightmare Beast.

Nightmare Beasts typically had weaknesses, similar to ordinary animals, with the brain or heart as fatal points. But mid-level Nightmare Beasts didn’t follow this rule—their fatal points varied.

They couldn’t just stab the entire wall with daggers, could they? While the Nightmare Beast’s main body seemed to be the game room wall, its weak point might not be there, especially since it could clearly move to other rooms.

Fortunately, they’d studied for so long that Nightmare Beast knowledge was ingrained in their minds. Si Zhaohua said bluntly: “Then let’s use Mental Energy to send it to the afterlife.”

Besides destroying the Nightmare Beast’s body, using Mental Energy to eliminate it was another method, especially common for mid- and high-level Nightmare Beasts.

Control the target and attack directly with Mental Energy. Ordinary Ability users found this hard and needed to combine it with their Abilities. For example, Li Shu could use [Illusion] to envelop the wall, amplifying Mental Energy for a full-force attack.

It wasn’t much different from a regular attack, just with significantly boosted Mental Energy.

Su Bei had no such issue—his advanced Mental Energy could manifest directly, allowing straightforward attacks.

“But with us here, it probably won’t show up, right?” Wu Mingbai frowned. The beast clearly didn’t want to reveal itself yet, so even going there wouldn’t draw it out, let alone control it.

“I can try,” Lan Subing said timidly, raising her hand. She wasn’t sure if her [Word Spirit] could force the Nightmare Beast to appear. But at least with Nightmare Beasts, she wasn’t socially anxious, so her Ability would be more effective.

It was indeed a method, and they no longer needed to worry about alerting the enemy. This mid-level Nightmare Beast’s body was the wall—it couldn’t escape.

They entered the game room, sending Sister Wang and Brother Liu out, leaving Wu Jin and Zhao Xiaoyu to guard outside. Their Mental Energy was weaker compared to the others, so they might not harm the Nightmare Beast much, but they could still be useful.

Though Wu Jin often had no presence, he’d trained with them for so long, and his combat skills were sufficient. Zhao Xiaoyu was even better—her training focused on physical techniques, and her fighting skills surpassed many in the class.

Despite facing two adults, including a burly man, their superior combat skills and enhanced physical abilities from their Abilities made handling two ordinary people easy.

In the game room, Si Zhaohua activated his [Angel] Ability. Normally, his wings were large and unwieldy in tight spaces. But over the past month, he’d improved, now able to control his wings to a smaller size.

Seeing the palm-sized wings behind Si Zhaohua, despite the serious occasion, everyone’s lips twitched. They never imagined controlling their smiles could be so hard.

“Pfft!” Lan Subing was the first to crack, laughing out loud.

With someone breaking the ice, the others couldn’t hold back, clutching their stomachs and laughing.

Su Bei, quick on the draw, pulled out his phone and snapped a photo, wisely turning off the flash this time. No one noticed, and he successfully captured this dark history.

Si Zhaohua could tolerate teasing glances, but laughter pushed him over the edge: “What’s so funny! If I didn’t shrink them to give you more space, would I need to do this?”

They quickly stifled their laughter to appease him. Li Shu said gently: “It’s cute this way, more approachable than big wings.”

“I don’t need to be approachable,” Si Zhaohua snorted, looking at Lan Subing, who’d laughed first and was now shrinking in the corner like a mushroom. Helplessly, he said, “Hurry and use your Ability.”

Lan Subing got serious, pulled down her scarf, coughed, and directed her Ability at the wall: “「Appear」”