A Guide for Background Characters to Survive in a Manga

Chapter 29

After finishing the Manga, Su Bei checked the forum.

Since this chapter had less content and was more about everyday life, there weren't many analysis posts on the forum. Most of the posts were either fan pages dedicated to individual characters or shipping posts.

The previously popular ships included not just the trio being mixed together but also Mo Xiaotian x Wu Mingbai, Su Bei x Mo Xiaotian, and Su Bei x Feng Lan.

Especially the Su Bei x Feng Lan ship, even though there wasn't much interaction between the two in the Manga, many fans had noticed that in the corners of the panels, Su Bei and Feng Lan were often seen sticking together.

With one having white hair and the other blond, their silhouettes were recognizable even as stick figures.

But after this chapter was released, the Su Bei x Jiang Tianming ship suddenly gained popularity, and there was even a post shipping Su Bei x Lan Subing.

Su Bei was stunned. He had always enjoyed reading Manga, but he didn’t pay attention to the shipping aspect. Who would have thought these fans were so crazy? Even though it was understandable for the others, how could there be a ship between him and Lan Subing?

All it took was one money transfer for them to start shipping? The problem was that he wasn’t the only one who transferred money to Lan Subing!

With a "Nothing can happen" mindset, Su Bei quickly clicked on one of the few analysis posts available.

[InvertedCola no.0]: In The King of Superpower, many new characters have appeared. I wonder if the author did this on purpose, but it feels like some of them were introduced as comparison groups.

Yes, I’m talking about Wu Mingbai and Mo Xiaotian, as well as Su Bei and Feng Lan. The former pair shows an interesting contrast in personality, while the latter differs in their abilities.

Su Bei and Feng Lan both exhibit prediction abilities, but it's obvious the author wouldn't assign the same ability to two characters in the same class, so I’ve analyzed it carefully.

[no.1]: Waiting.

[no.2]: Waiting for the master’s analysis.

[no.3]: Grabbing a small stool.

[no.4]: I also think their abilities must be different, but I haven’t paid close attention.

[no.5]: OP, why not just post the entire analysis at once?

[no.6]: I’m getting impatient.

[...]

[InvertedCola no.21 (OP)]: I'm here, I’m here. Continuing from the main post, the first difference is in timing. Feng Lan said his ability can only make a precise prediction once a month, and other times it's random. Meanwhile, the interval between Su Bei’s two predictions wasn’t long, at least definitely shorter than Feng Lan's.

Next is the difference in the method of prediction. Feng Lan explicitly mentioned that his ability is [Prophecy], while Su Bei said his ability is [Gears]. From the subsequent storyline, it's clear that Su Bei uses gears to make predictions. So what about Feng Lan? I speculate that he might have a way to predict directly without relying on other objects.

The most important difference is in the content of the predictions.

[no.22]: That was a long paragraph.

[no.23]: First, I must worship the expert.

[no.24]: Finally, the next part is out!

[no.25 reply to no.21]: Did you forget to include something?

[no.26]: The last part only has one sentence. Could you elaborate?

[no.27]: Master, only telling half the story will bring retribution!

[no.28]: How are the predictions different? Finish typing, please!

[...]

[InvertedCola no.45 (OP)]: It’s because you all kept rushing me that I thought I’d post a bit first to ease your minds. Now I’ve finished typing it all.

Su Bei has made two predictions already, and you should have noticed that his predictions are for "people"—either individuals or groups. However, the content of his predictions can only guarantee a connection to the subject, but not what exactly will happen.

Feng Lan is different. Did you notice when Wu Mingbai asked him for help, he replied, "I can’t help you find out who the killer is"?

If you analyze this sentence closely, you’ll see the difference from Su Bei. It seems Feng Lan doesn't predict for "people" but rather for "events." If he had more chances, he could predict the killer's identity. This is a significant distinction from Su Bei.

[no.46]: Impressive.

[no.47]: That really seems to be the case. The OP’s analysis is spot on.

[no.48]: I didn’t notice any of the three differences, haha. Awkward but polite smile.jpg

[no.49]: So, Feng Lan can predict specific things, while Su Bei can only predict people-related content. It seems Feng Lan is stronger, doesn’t it?

[no.50 reply to no.49]: In terms of prediction, that’s true. After all, Feng Lan’s ability is [Prophecy], and no one can beat him in that area. But when you look at it overall, it’s not necessarily the case. At least, Su Bei's prediction frequency is definitely higher than Feng Lan's.

[no.51]: OP is amazing!

[no.52]: How can you analyze so much? Am I the only one who loses their brain as soon as I start reading the Manga?

[no.53]: Even though there are many differences, their abilities still seem very similar, right?

[no.54 reply to no.53]: That’s true. I also think their prediction abilities overlap too much. What’s the point of minor distinctions if their functions are essentially the same? Why not combine their abilities into one person? Wouldn’t that be more convenient?

[no.55]: +1

[no.56]: +2

[no.57]: +3

[no.58]: +4

[...]

[no.71]: Does anyone seriously think Su Bei’s only ability is predicting? He’s obviously hiding something else. Could something like a Fate Compass really only be used for predictions?

[no.72]: The person above is right. In fact, I think both of them are hiding something. Feng Lan managed to become the head of his family with his awakened ability alone—could it really be just a prediction ability with no self-defense potential?

[no.73]: Even without any additional abilities, I think it makes sense to keep them separate. If their prediction abilities were combined in one person, that individual would be too powerful—definitely S-class.

[no.74 reply to no.72]: A word to awaken the dreamer!

[no.75]: Hurry up, you old thief!

[no.76]: Hurry up, you old thief!

[no.77]: Hurry up, you old thief!

[...]

This post once again triggered some anxiety in Su Bei. He knew how to differentiate himself from Feng Lan—by turning passive actions into active ones. Instead of just predicting, he needed to actually change others' fates. That way, no reader would say such things again.

But the problem was, how could he show the readers that he had the power to forcibly change someone’s fate and thereby alter their impression of his ability?

Most of the information from before the first season of the Manga had already been used up. The only usable information Su Bei had left was: Mo Xiaotian’s identity, Jiang Tianming’s ability secret, and one uncertain piece of information—that Zhao Xiaoyu (the first person to introduce herself) and Wu Jin (the last person to run laps) might not be ordinary.

Out of these three pieces of information, which one could he use?

After thinking for a moment, Su Bei asked, "Can I directly tell Jiang Tianming and the others about Mo Xiaotian being an undercover agent?"

Although revealing this might slightly break his character, if he could do it, he would at least have a trump card. Once the readers saw that he knew Mo Xiaotian’s identity, even if his ability didn’t gain a new branch, it would at least strengthen the existing one.

Unexpectedly, and yet not surprisingly, "Manga Awareness" immediately rejected the idea: "No, if you reveal this secret prematurely, even I won’t be able to protect you."

The Manga's plot had already deviated significantly from the original outline, and even though I can influence a part of the author’s consciousness, I can’t cover this up.

"If that happens, you’ll be killed by the plot, and Jiang Tianming will lose this memory under the author’s control, with none of it being shown in the Manga."

To be honest, Su Bei wasn’t too disappointed with this answer; he had already suspected as much. This was why he didn’t believe everyone in the Manga world had their own consciousness—they could be easily manipulated by the author.

With a sigh, he temporarily abandoned this line of thought and began pondering the other two clues. But soon, Su Bei found himself irritated again, rubbing his hair in frustration.

Jiang Tianming’s ability had issues, but Su Bei only had a vague understanding of it from the Manga. Telling Jiang Tianming that he knew there was something wrong with his ability might indeed add a mysterious plot point, but it wouldn’t help his current predicament. On the contrary, it might make him lose a trump card.

As for Zhao Xiaoyu, there was even less to say—that was just his speculation. Although he was very confident in his guess, even if he was right, what could he do besides getting closer to those two?

Calming himself down, Su Bei closed his eyes and forced himself to relax. Perhaps it was because he realized again that this was a Manga world that he felt a bit anxious.

There was no need to rush. At least he still had a week to prepare. And even if he couldn’t improve his abilities before the monthly exam, it wouldn’t matter. After all, if he couldn’t save the world, the worst outcome would be the same as it was at the start—death. Every day he lived now was a bonus. The killer was already dead, so even if he did nothing, he could live another ten years.

Given that, what was there to be anxious about?

Only do as much work as you’re paid for. They killed him, then revived him, gave him a slight advantage, and expected him to save the world. If he still got anxious under such circumstances, he wouldn’t even respect himself.

After silently repeating this a few times, his impatience completely subsided. Su Bei reconsidered the few clues he had.

There are no useless clues, only useless persons.

These three clues might be useless if revealed directly, but if kept hidden, they might yield unexpected results.

Before knowing the content of the monthly exam, there wasn’t much he could do. Teaming up with the protagonist group had already reserved enough screen time for him later. He had done his best to achieve his maximum potential; the rest was just about adapting to whatever came his way.

But what if everything went wrong, and he was eliminated in the first round?

Su Bei tilted his head in thought for a moment.

Then there’s only one thing to do: activate the second personality!

Note: Happy weekend, everyone! 🎉 We're celebrating with a double update since I finally got a no-overtime week! Let’s enjoy this together!

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