Chapter 15
Zhao Xiaoyu’s Ability sounded intriguing. As the first to introduce, she didn’t specify its function, clearly hiding something, and influenced later introductions.
Mu Tieren was jovial, eager to help, a righteous big brother. Su Bei figured he’d interact often with the protagonist trio, earning more screentime.
Wu Jin was unremarkable but stood out for his gloomy, silent demeanor, contrasting with ordinary classmates.
From Su Bei’s manga experience, such characters often had dedicated arcs.
As most classmates settled, Su Bei took a deep breath. Unless something went wrong, his moment was coming.
Though confident, he felt nervous until his scene appeared. If the author skipped him, his efforts were wasted. With the next update unknown, an unchanged Ability would hinder his facade.
Thankfully, the author didn’t disappoint. His crafted scene made it in.
The scene was from Jiang Tianming’s perspective, feeling watched, looking to the door, spotting a handsome boy.
Whether due to filters or doorway shadows, the blond hair and purple eyes, typically vibrant, looked dark, like a predator in the shadows. It didn’t detract from his looks, adding mystery.
But as the boy entered, the darkness vanished, replaced by Feng Lan-level stunning. Sunlight on golden hair seemed to light the classroom.
An omniscient perspective followed, showing Su Bei walking straight to Jiang Tianming, standing before him, then a close-up face shot.
[Golden hair gleamed like gold, dazzling in sunlight. His chiseled face brimmed with intrigue, his bold smile unrestrained, deep purple eyes speckled with starlight.
“On behalf of fate, I salute you, this batch’s unluckiest soul~”]
Real-time comments exploded.
“Wife! My destined wife!”
“Old thief, you draw guys too well.”
“On behalf of fate, I salute you, this batch’s unluckiest soul!”
“So chuuni, I love it!”
The scene ended, and Su Bei, seeing the comments, exhaled, smiling satisfied.
He was set. His manga visuals alone guaranteed discussion.
The artist was skilled. A 2D manga felt more vivid than real life. His impromptu acting hadn’t been perfect, but the manga rendered it flawlessly, capturing his intended vibe.
Anyone would buy him as a mysterious thrill-seeker.
Next was Jiang Tianming’s inner thoughts, questioning Su Bei’s motives and guessing his identity.
Seeing Jiang Tianming speculate they knew his parents, Su Bei nearly choked.
What logic?
Their exchange done, Meng Huai appeared. His physique—explosive muscles, broad shoulders, narrow waist—was sketched in bold lines, exuding dominance, like a tiger patrolling its turf.
The manga paced quickly. Class introductions were glossed over in a six-panel grid, followed by Meng Huai calling them trash and ordering ten laps.
Students filed out, the camera lingering on a grand shot of the teaching building and field.
The academy’s building was European castle-style, grand and mysterious. Sadly, first-years couldn’t go upstairs, so the upper floors were unknown, though the ground floor resembled normal schools.
The field was “vast.” Hearing 1,600 meters per lap, one could imagine its scale—people looked like ants from above.
Su Bei hadn’t expected the running scene to reveal a bombshell—Jiang Tianming’s Ability was off!
[Due to social anxiety, Lan Subing rarely used her Ability. Before running, she whispered [Word Spirit] to herself: “Tianming and I can easily run ten laps.”
Her untrained Ability couldn’t control two people. Persuaded by Jiang Tianming, she boosted only herself. Jiang Tianming ran on pure effort.
His stamina wasn’t great, tiring by the fourth lap.
A shadow appeared behind him—the female figure from the first manga who helped defeat the big boss, resembling him. Her presence seemed to fuel Jiang Tianming, letting him run two more laps.
Two laps later, he was spent, stumbling but refusing to fall back. The figure half-carried him, fading fast.
Two more laps, she vanished.]
Curious how Jiang Tianming managed the final two laps, Su Bei’s eyes widened. Another shadow appeared behind him.
It was none other than the final boss he defeated in the first manga!
A shocking revelation.
“Death Summon, Death Summon… I see?” Muttering Jiang Tianming’s Ability, Su Bei’s eyes cleared.
He finally grasped [Death Summon]’s true power: it let the male lead collect souls of those he killed, summoning them for his use.
No wonder he was the male lead—this Ability was insane, at least Class A worthy. Could summoned souls use their original Abilities? If so, it was overpowered.
Suddenly, Su Bei remembered something, pausing the manga to flip to the first manga’s end.
[At the first season’s close, the male lead sat on a hospital bed, staring at his palm, murmuring: “The third.”]
He hadn’t understood “the third” then. Now, did it mean he could perform [Death Summon] three times?
The first female figure, Su Bei guessed, was Jiang Tianming’s mother or kin. The second was the first manga’s big boss.
Who was the third?
Frowning, he reopened the second manga, reading on patiently.
[After the male lead finished, the scene cut to the classroom. Meng Huai and a stranger stood by the window, watching them run, giving balanced critiques of each featured character.]
From this, Su Bei learned Meng Huai’s assessment of him.
Perfect—this was the outcome he wanted. If readers followed this thread, he’d soon reshape his Ability.
The comment section agreed.
“Knew the hot teacher was no pushover!”
“What’s Feng Lan’s deal?”
“Haha, does Subing know she’s a steal?”
“Meng Huai: Jiang Tianming’s stealing my act.”
“Slacker’s Su Bei, right? Nice, fits the thrill-seeker vibe.”
“Parents dead? Pity. Thrill-seeker? Pity withdrawn.”
“Lowkey shipping Bei-Feng.”
“Whoa, Su Bei’s Ability is [Gear]? Not even hiding it.”
Lunch was skimmed, sprinkled with the protagonist trio’s thoughts on Su Bei.
They also met Si Zhaohua’s trio, sparking conflict.
Unlike Su Bei’s encounter, Si Zhaohua wasn’t cordial with the protagonists, letting Baozhu mock them and arrogantly warning them about the month-end grade-wide exam after Wu Mingbai’s retort.
Reading this, Su Bei was puzzled. Did Si Zhaohua dumb down facing the protagonists? He’d been polite when Baozhu mocked Su Bei, even making her apologize.
No, wait.
Su Bei realized Si Zhaohua wasn’t apologizing to him but to Feng Lan, respecting his high status. Commoners like Su Bei and the protagonist trio got no such courtesy, though Su Bei, with Feng Lan, hadn’t felt the arrogance then.
Dinner time arrived, and Su Bei reappeared. Whether intentional, shadows covered half his face when the protagonists noticed his tailing, giving him a villainous vibe.
This worked—after choosing to engage Mo Xiaotian, Su Bei aimed for a morally ambiguous persona.
His Ability showcase followed, drawn to his liking.
[The gear’s conjuring had special effects, an ornate gear in a deep purple-to-black vortex, exuding mystery. The gear-to-purple-red-smoke transformation had starry effects, looking like a true shift, not a chemical reaction.]
Su Bei couldn’t resist calling “Manga Consciousness”: “Why’d the author draw it like this? My act wasn’t that smooth, was it?”
He knew his “Ability” was a chemical trick, riddled with flaws, not the seamless display in the manga.
“The artist beautifies scenes. Notice no one’s acne or blemishes are drawn? Like a magician’s trick isn’t shown with flaws, same here,” “Manga Consciousness” explained.
Su Bei got it. The artist didn’t care about his method, only crafting engaging, aesthetic plots. It wasn’t favoritism, just standard practice.
Nearing the end, the protagonist trio entered the cafeteria, sitting by the victim. Wu Mingbai’s nudge toppled him, vivid blood on his chest and floor starkly drawn.
The final panel showed the ashen victim collapsed, a bystander screaming in fear, and the protagonist trio frowning in shock.
Chapter one ended.
A perfect cliffhanger.
Su Bei, relaxed, closed the manga and opened the forum.
As expected, with the new season’s update, the forum buzzed. Of the eight hot posts, two mentioned him by name, and one was surely about him.
[Feng Lan, Su Bei, Si Zhaohua—three new heartthrob hunks! Old thief, you’re killing me, I’m falling again! (Bites handkerchief) [hot]]
[Discuss: Are Su Bei and Feng Lan both prophecy-type Abilities? [hot]]
[On behalf of fate, I salute you, this batch’s unluckiest soul! [hot]]
These posts favored Su Bei, but the analysis posts drew him more than the fangirling one.
Skipping the thirst, he clicked the second thread.