A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

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But soon, Su Bei realized something was amiss.

From this page of the comic, it was clear that the “himself” in the story was supposed to have died from a slit throat by a sharp weapon. Based on his memory before passing out, the death scene was where the masked man had successfully killed him with a dagger.

But the problem was that he had successfully avoided this danger. He hadn’t been harmed by the dagger, and he had even managed to subdue the assailant.

With this realization, his eyebrows arched, and a carefree smile returned to his face as he asked aloud into the void, “Is this the ending I was meant to have? You showed me all this, or rather, did you help me change my fate for a reason?”

He was supposed to meet the end depicted in the comic, but in the restroom, he suddenly shook off the daze, successfully avoiding the fatal danger.

Stepping into this space again, it wasn’t hard to guess that someone behind the scenes had helped him.

Within two seconds, a voice that sounded like a cute child echoed from all directions: “I specifically chose you, and you didn’t disappoint me. As you’ve guessed, I want you to do something for me, and in return, you’ll have a chance to change your own fate.”

“What do you want me to do?” Su Bei didn’t let the words “change your fate” cloud his judgment. His eyes still held a calmness, and he asked as if it was as casual as asking, “What do you want for lunch?”

Fortunately, the other party didn’t beat around the bush and said directly: “You must have realized by now that the world you’re in is a comic world. As a comic aimed at the general public, it naturally requires good to triumph over evil.”

Indeed, from the first installment, it was clear that this was a classic shonen comic. In such comics, the protagonist naturally needs to win.

The childlike voice sighed with an old soul’s weariness: “But it wasn’t until the world view was completely set and the comic world was created that the author suddenly realized the villainous forces were a bit too strong. If left to develop on its own, the comic world might lead to the premature death of the protagonist and the victory of the villains.”

“So, in order for the comic to pass the review and be published, I, the ‘comic consciousness,’ have chosen you to be the one to turn the plot around.”

Hearing this, Su Bei quickly pondered the deal. He would help the other side turn around a potential villainous victory, and in exchange, he would get a chance to survive.

It didn’t sound entirely fair, but he had no other choice. If he refused, considering the other party’s stance, he would probably die according to the original plot.

Rather than dying inexplicably, it was better to fight for a chance. No wonder the other party was so confident; they knew he wouldn’t refuse.

“The first question,” Su Bei asked after some thought, “Why choose me specifically?”

“Because although you were cannon fodder killed at the beginning, you are also the key character who started the second volume of ‘Supernatural as King.’ There’s a possibility for you to become an important character. A book’s important characters are fixed, and your identity is flexible. All candidates must have this trait.”

Upon hearing this, Su Bei thought for a moment and quickly understood its meaning.

As a comic that was already set, there were only a few important characters; otherwise, they would overshadow the main cast. If he were just ordinary cannon fodder, even if he escaped death, he would have no chance to become an important character.

But he was different; he was already an important character, albeit an “important character destined to die.”

In this case, if he survived, his identity would have a lot of room for maneuver.

“However, there’s one thing you need to know.” After giving him some time to think, the “comic consciousness” said, “Even if the initial trajectory is changed, your status as cannon fodder remains unchanged. So if you don’t cooperate with me, once you leave, you’ll likely die in another way soon after.”

This point was specifically raised to prevent Su Bei from reneging on the deal, agreeing first and then doing nothing afterward.

“So if I agree to cooperate with you, I won’t die?” Su Bei pointed out a key question.

“…No,” the ‘Comic Consciousness’ coughed somewhat guiltily, “you’re still cannon fodder, but you have a chance to change your identity, that is, to become a truly important character.”

Cannon fodder is meant to die, but so are important characters. Su Bei vividly remembered from the first part of the comic he had read before, a key character, quite popular too, who died in the middle-to-late stages.

The ‘Comic Consciousness’ seemed to be skirting the issue, but he didn’t pursue it. For him, shedding the cannon fodder status in the short term was enough.

From past experiences, cannon fodder would be killed off by the forced plot, but important characters probably wouldn’t.

“I understand, the third question,” Su Bei tilted his head, “What will happen to this world if I fail?”

If after his failure, the ‘Comic Consciousness’ could choose someone else to redo the task, then all would be well; he only needed to worry about himself.

But if this was a unique, mutual selection, where success or failure genuinely affected the world, then he had to seriously consider whether to accept it.

Could he really shoulder the responsibility of saving the world?

After all, the two of them were about to become grasshoppers on the same rope, and the ‘Comic Consciousness’ didn’t hide it from him: “It depends on what the comic author decides to do.”

“How so?”

“If he chooses to continue writing smoothly, letting the villain win in the end, then this world will naturally continue to develop. But if he dumb downs the logic to let the protagonist cheat and win, then this world will collapse, and the comic will lose its soul.”

When the characters in the comic can’t save themselves, everything depends on the author’s choice.

However, the ‘Comic Consciousness’ answer also clarified another issue, Su Bei asked, “So there’s no second chance? Once you’ve chosen me, you can’t choose anyone else?”

“That’s right, there’s only one chance to choose. The comic will start its official serialization in the real world next week.”

Hearing this, a solemn look flashed in Su Bei’s eyes. He certainly wanted to survive, but if it meant living with the responsibility of a world on his shoulders, Su Bei wasn’t so keen.

After all, once he failed, no matter how the author decided, the people of this world would suffer. Either they would be destroyed outright, or they would live in a hell ruled by the villain.

Rather than that, he’d prefer to die now, at least it would be a relief.

Perhaps sensing his hesitation, the ‘Comic Consciousness’ became a bit anxious and coaxed in a childlike voice, “You are the person I’ve calculated to have the highest success rate, and it’s multiple times higher than the other candidates.”

At this point, it paused, seemingly reluctant to say, “…If you don’t take on this task, this world is almost certain to collapse. But if you do, there’s still a glimmer of hope. So you don’t need to bear too much psychological burden.”

—

It must be said, those words indeed soothed Su Bei. Lifting his eyelids, he asked with a hint of curiosity, “May I inquire about the success rates you’ve predicted for me and the other candidates?”

“You’re at 3%, while the others don’t even reach 0.1%.”

The “Comic Consciousness” was at a loss; it did wish for more reliable candidates so that even if only one choice could be made, it could be selective.

But the problem was that the other candidates simply didn’t measure up. Those smarter than Su Bei lacked his charm, and those more handsome… well, in fact, there was no one more handsome than Su Bei among them.

He truly was blessed with exceptional looks, his golden hair like waves of wheat, crowning a face pale and handsome. A stray lock of hair on the left was playfully braided, exuding a carefree charm.

His eyes were a deep purple, mysterious and profound. When he glanced at someone, his pupils seemed to draw them into a narrow, deep vortex.

When he smiled, his phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, his lips curving up, roguishly handsome and sly. When his brows arched, there was an added sense of wicked indulgence. Dressed in the special grey-blue uniform of the Superpower Academy, he was strikingly dashing—a rare character who could easily play both hero and villain.

From the experience of the “Comic Consciousness,” drawn from years of comic authors galloping through forums, such a face, once debuted in a comic, would never lack fans.

The stark data disparity left Su Bei momentarily stunned, then a thoughtful expression flickered through his eyes. It seemed, just as the “Comic Consciousness” had said, he was the prime candidate.

That is to say, theirs was a relationship of mutual assistance, not one where he owed favors unilaterally. With this realization, he needn’t bear any psychological burden.

With this thought, Su Bei relaxed, lazily laughing, “I indeed wish to collaborate with you, but what gave you the illusion that I could change the course of the world?”

After all, his superpower was merely the ability to produce gears—insignificant, making no difference in the world of the superpowered, where he was but a bottom-tier existence.

Su Bei didn’t feel inferior because of this. Superpowered individuals were a minority in this world; he was just someone with a weaker power, not weak in character. What was there to feel inferior about?

Whether one had superpowers or not, whatever the nature of those powers, life remained the same.

But to use this power to save the world? That seemed unlikely. In fact, Su Bei only wished to stay away from all danger and live an honest life as an ordinary person.

The “Comic Consciousness” was, of course, aware of this: “I will naturally give you a ‘golden finger,’ but how you use it is up to you.”

“So what is my ‘golden finger’?” Su Bei asked, a rare urgency in his voice, already imagining the incredible ‘golden fingers’ of comic book heroes.

A powerful superpower? A game-breaking system? Guidance from a sage? Any of these would be enough to stir the heart of a 15-year-old boy.

“Your ‘golden finger’ is—when the comic readers fully believe the information you provide, that information will become reality!”

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