A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

But soon Su Bei realized something was wrong.

From this page of the comic, it was clear that the "him" in the comic should have been killed by having his throat cut with a sharp weapon. Analyzing the death scene based on his memories before he lost consciousness, it was evident that the masked man had successfully killed him with the knife.

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

Thinking of this, his eyebrows furrowed, but then a carefree smile reappeared on his face as he shouted into the void, “This was supposed to be my original fate, right? What’s your purpose in showing me this or helping me change my fate?”

He was supposed to meet the fate described in the comic, but he had suddenly snapped out of his dazed state in the bathroom and managed to avoid the deadly danger.

Now, finding himself in this space, it wasn't hard to deduce that someone behind the scenes had helped him.

A couple of seconds later, a cute child's voice echoed from all directions, “I didn’t choose you in vain. You’re not a fool. As you guessed, I want you to do something for me. In return, you have the opportunity to change your fate.”

“What do you want me to do?” Su Bei wasn’t swayed by the promise of "changing fate." His eyes remained calm as he casually asked, as if inquiring about lunch plans.

Fortunately, the other party didn't beat around the bush, directly saying, “You must have realized by now that your world is a comic world. As a comic intended for a wide audience, evil must not triumph over good.”

Indeed, it was evident from the first volume that this was a classic shonen manga. In such stories, the protagonist had to win.

The child-like voice sighed in an old-fashioned manner, “But after the world and its rules were fully established, the author realized the villains were too strong. Left to its own devices, the comic world might lead to the protagonist’s premature death and the villains' ultimate victory.”

“To ensure the comic can be approved and published smoothly, I, the 'Comic Awareness,' chose you to correct the storyline.”

Upon hearing this, Su Bei quickly contemplated the deal. He would help reverse the villains' potential victory, and in return, he would get a chance to survive.

Although it didn’t seem entirely fair, he had no other choice. If he refused, it was clear that he would meet his original fate.

Rather than dying inexplicably, it was better to take a gamble. It was no wonder the other party was so confident, knowing he wouldn’t refuse.

“First question.” After thinking it through, Su Bei asked, “Why did you choose me?”

“Because although you’re initially a cannon fodder destined to die, you’re also a key character in starting the second volume of ‘Superpower King.’ You have the potential to become an important character. A book has a fixed number of key characters, and your identity is flexible. All candidates must have this trait.”

Hearing this, Su Bei thought for a moment and quickly understood.

As an established comic, the number of important characters was limited. If he were just an ordinary cannon fodder, even escaping death wouldn’t give him a chance to become important.

But he was different. He was inherently an important character, though the “important death character.”

In this case, if he survived, his identity had much room for development.

“However, there’s one thing you need to know.” After giving him some time to think, the "Comic Awareness" continued, “Even if you change your initial fate, your identity as cannon fodder remains. So if you don’t cooperate with me, you’ll likely die in another way soon after.”

This point was brought up specifically to prevent Su Bei from reneging on the deal after agreeing.

“So, if I agree to cooperate, I won’t die?” Su Bei pinpointed a critical question.

“…No.” The "Comic Awareness" coughed somewhat guiltily, “You’re still cannon fodder, but you have a chance to change your identity, becoming a truly important character.”

Cannon fodder characters die, but key characters can also die. Su Bei remembered clearly that in the first volume of the comic, a relatively important and popular character died in the later stages.

The "Comic Awareness" was obviously being evasive, but Su Bei didn’t pursue it. For him, it was enough to temporarily shed his cannon fodder identity.

From his previous experiences, it seemed that cannon fodder characters were forced into scripted deaths, while key characters likely weren’t.

“I understand. Third question.” Su Bei tilted his head, “If I fail, what will happen to this world?”

If the "Comic Awareness" could choose someone else to redo the task after his failure, then he only needed to consider himself.

But if this was a one-time mutual choice, where success or failure directly impacted the world, he needed to seriously consider whether to accept the task.

Can he really bear the heavy responsibility of saving the world?

After all, they were about to be tied together in this venture, so the "Comic Awareness" didn't hide anything from him: "It depends on what the comic author decides to do."

“What do you mean?”

“If the author chooses to continue writing as planned and lets the villains win, then this world will develop naturally in that direction. But if he forces the plot to dumb down the logic to let the protagonist win, then this world will collapse, and the comic will lose its soul.”

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

However, the "Comic Awareness" also revealed 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. The comic will officially start serialization in the real world next week.”

Upon hearing this, a trace of seriousness flashed in Su Bei's eyes. He certainly wanted to live, but if he had to bear the responsibility of an entire world to do so, he wasn't so keen.

After all, if he failed, regardless of the author's decision, the people in this world would not fare well. They would either face direct destruction or live in a hell ruled by villains.

Rather than that, he'd prefer to die now and at least have some peace.

Sensing his concerns, the "Comic Awareness" anxiously used a childlike voice to persuade him, “You're already the person with the highest success rate in my calculations, and it's twice as high as the other candidates.”

It paused here, seemingly reluctant to admit, “…If you don't take on this task, this world will almost certainly collapse. But if you do, there’s a glimmer of hope. So you don't need to bear too much psychological burden.”

These words indeed comforted Su Bei to some extent. He raised his eyes, somewhat curious, and asked, “Can I ask what my success rate is compared to the other candidates?”

“You have a 3, while the others don't even reach 0.1.”

The "Comic Awareness" had no choice. It wished there were more reliable candidates, so even if it could only choose once, it could at least have options.

But the problem was that the other candidates were simply not up to par. Those smarter than Su Bei weren’t as handsome, and those more handsome…well, none of the other candidates were more handsome than Su Bei.

He indeed had an exceptional appearance, with golden hair like a wheat field surrounding a fair and handsome face. A section of hair on the left was braided, giving him a playful look.

His eyes were deep purple, mysterious and profound. When he looked at someone, his pupils seemed like narrow whirlpools ready to draw them in.

When he smiled, his phoenix eyes squinted slightly, and his lips curved up, giving him a roguishly handsome look. When his brows furrowed, he had a more sinister charm. Wearing the special gray-blue uniform of the Superpower Academy made him even more striking. He could easily play either a hero or a villain.

Based on the years of experience the "Comic Awareness" had gleaned from the comic author’s forum adventures, a face like his would surely attract fans as soon as it appeared in the comic.

The obvious data discrepancy made Su Bei pause, then a thoughtful look flashed in his eyes. It seemed, as the "Comic Awareness" said, he was indeed the best choice.

This meant they were in a mutually beneficial relationship, not one where he owed the other party a favor, so he needn't feel any psychological burden.

Thinking of this, Su Bei relaxed and lazily smiled, “I do want to cooperate with you, but what makes you think I can change the world's trajectory?”

After all, his superpower was just to create gears, which made little difference in the world of superpowers, placing him at the lowest tier.

Su Bei didn’t feel inferior because of this. Superpowered individuals were rare in this world. He just had a weak ability, which didn't mean he was weak or of poor character. Why should he feel inferior?

Whether one had powers or not, and what kind of powers they had, didn't change the fact that they were all people living their lives.

But to use this power to save the world seemed impossible. In fact, Su Bei just wanted to stay away from danger and live a normal life.

The "Comic Awareness" of course knew this: “I will naturally give you a cheat ability, but how you use it is up to you.”

“So what is my cheat ability?” Su Bei, unusually eager, asked, thinking of the many powerful cheat abilities in comics.

A strong superpower? A hacked system? Guidance from a master? Any of these would be enough to make a 15-year-old’s heart race.

“Your cheat ability is—when comic readers completely believe the information you provide, that information will become reality.”