Chapter 2
But Su Bei quickly realized something was wrong.
From this page of the manga, it was clear that the “Su Bei” in the manga had died from having his throat slit by a sharp weapon.
Analyzing the death scene based on his memories before fainting, it meant the masked man had successfully killed him with the dagger.
But the problem was, he had successfully avoided this danger. He hadn’t been harmed by the dagger and had even subdued the attacker.
Thinking of this, his sharp eyebrows rose, and a carefree smile returned to his face. He called out to the void, “This was my original ending, right? You showed me this, or rather, you helped me change my fate—what’s your purpose?”
He was supposed to meet the manga’s ending, but in the restroom, he had suddenly shaken off that groggy state, allowing him to dodge the fatal danger.
Now, in this space, it wasn’t hard to deduce that someone behind the scenes had helped him.
Within two seconds, a cute, childlike voice echoed from all directions: “No wonder I chose you. You’re no fool. As you guessed, I want you to help me with some things, and in return, you get a chance to change your fate.”
“What do you want me to do?” Su Bei wasn’t swayed by the words “change your fate.” His eyes remained calm as he asked casually, as if merely inquiring, “What do you want for lunch?”
Fortunately, the other party didn’t beat around the bush and said directly, “You’ve probably figured it out already. The world you’re in is a manga world. As a manga aimed at the masses, it naturally needs good to triumph over evil.”
Indeed, from the first volume, it was clear this was a classic shonen manga. In a classic shonen manga, the protagonist naturally had to win.
The childlike voice sighed with an air of wisdom: “But after the world’s framework was fully established and the manga world was created, the author suddenly realized the villainous forces were a bit too strong.
If the manga world were left to develop on its own, the protagonist might die prematurely, and the villains could ultimately win.”
“So, to ensure the manga could pass review and be published, I, the ‘Manga Consciousness,’ chose you to be the one to steer the plot.”
Hearing this, Su Bei quickly weighed the deal. He would help the other party reverse the potential villain victory, and in return, they would give him a chance to survive.
It didn’t sound entirely fair, but he had no other choice. If he refused, judging by the other party’s attitude, he would likely die according to the original plot.
Rather than dying inexplicably, it was better to take a gamble. No wonder the other party seemed so confident—they knew he wouldn’t refuse.
“First question,” Su Bei said after thinking it over, “Why choose me specifically?”
“Because, although you’re a cannon fodder killed at the start, you’re also a key figure in kicking off the second volume of 《King of Abilities》. You have the potential to become an important character. The number of important characters in a manga is fixed, but your role is flexible. All candidates had to have this trait.”
Su Bei thought about it and quickly understood.
In a fully formed manga, there were only so many important characters—otherwise, they’d overshadow the main cast. If he were just an ordinary cannon fodder, even escaping death wouldn’t give him a chance to become significant.
But he was different. He was already an important character, just an “important dead one.”
In this scenario, if he survived, his role had a lot of room to maneuver.
“There’s one thing you need to know,” the “Manga Consciousness” said after giving him time to think. “Even if you change the initial trajectory, your cannon fodder status remains. If you don’t cooperate with me, you’ll likely die in another way shortly after leaving here.”
It emphasized this to prevent Su Bei from double-crossing—agreeing now but doing nothing later.
“Then if I agree to cooperate, I won’t die?” Su Bei pointed out a key issue.
“…Not exactly,” the “Manga Consciousness” coughed, sounding slightly guilty. “You’re still cannon fodder, but you have a chance to change your status—to become a true important character, as I mentioned.”
Cannon fodder would die, but important characters could die too. Su Bei clearly remembered that in the first volume of the manga, a fairly significant character with some popularity had died in the mid-to-late stages.
The “Manga Consciousness” was clearly glossing over this, but Su Bei didn’t press the point. For him, escaping his cannon fodder status in the short term was enough.
From his earlier experience, cannon fodder faced forced plot deaths, while important characters likely didn’t.
“I understand. Third question,” Su Bei tilted his head. “If I fail, what happens to this world?”
If he failed and the “Manga Consciousness” could choose someone else to restart the task, then all would be well, and he only needed to worry about himself.
But if this was a one-time, mutual choice where success or failure genuinely affected the world, he’d have to seriously consider whether to accept.
Could he really bear the responsibility of saving the world?
Since they were about to be tied together, the “Manga Consciousness” didn’t hide anything: “That depends on what the manga author does.”
“How so?”
“If he chooses to keep writing and lets the villains win, the world will continue as is. But if he forces the protagonist to win by lowering logic and giving them plot armor, the world will collapse, and the manga will lose its soul.”
When the manga’s characters couldn’t save themselves, everything depended on the author’s choice.
But the “Manga Consciousness’” answer also revealed another issue. Su Bei asked, “So there’s no second chance? After choosing me, you can’t pick someone else?”
“Correct. There’s only one chance to choose. The manga starts serializing in the real world next week.”
At this, a trace of gravity flashed in Su Bei’s eyes. He wanted to live, but if living meant carrying the weight of an entire world, he wasn’t so sure.
If he failed, no matter what the author chose, the people of this world would suffer. They’d either be destroyed outright or live in a hell ruled by villains.
In that case, he’d rather die now and at least go out easily.
Sensing his hesitation, the “Manga Consciousness” hurriedly reassured him in its childlike voice: “You’re already the candidate with the highest success rate I’ve calculated—far above the others.”
It paused, seemingly reluctant to admit, “…If you don’t take this task, the world is almost certainly doomed. But if you accept, there’s still a sliver of hope. So you don’t need to feel too much pressure.”
Admittedly, this calmed Su Bei. He raised his eyelids, asking curiously, “Can I ask what my success rate is compared to the other candidates in your calculations?”
“You’re at 3%, while the others are less than 0.1%.”
The “Manga Consciousness” was at its wits’ end. It wished it had more reliable candidates so it could at least have options, even with only one choice.
But the other candidates were simply inadequate. Those smarter than Su Bei weren’t as handsome, and those handsomer… well, there weren’t any handsomer than Su Bei among the candidates.
He was undeniably striking, with golden hair like waves of wheat framing a fair, handsome face. A lock of hair on the left was braided, adding a playful, carefree charm.
His deep purple eyes were mysterious and profound, their pupils like narrow whirlpools that seemed to pull people in at a glance.
When he smiled, his phoenix eyes narrowed slightly, his lips curving into a roguish, cunning grin. When his brows lifted, he exuded a devilish allure.
In the grey-blue uniform of the Ability Academy, he was strikingly charismatic—a rare figure who could effortlessly play either a hero or a villain.
From the “Manga Consciousness’” experience, drawn from the manga author’s years of navigating forums, a face like that would instantly win fans the moment it appeared in the manga.
The stark data difference made Su Bei pause briefly, a thoughtful look crossing his eyes. It seemed, as the “Manga Consciousness” said, he was the best choice.
In other words, they were mutually helping each other, not him owing a one-sided favor. That meant he didn’t need to feel burdened.
With this in mind, Su Bei relaxed, chuckling lazily, “I do want to cooperate with you, but what makes you think I can change the course of the world?”
After all, his ability was merely conjuring gears—barely useful, placing him at the bottom of the ability user hierarchy.
Su Bei wasn’t insecure about this. Ability users were a minority, and his ability being weak didn’t mean he was lacking in character. Why should he feel inferior?
Whether he had an ability or what kind it was, he’d live and be himself all the same.
But using this ability to save the world? That was unlikely. In fact, Su Bei just wanted to steer clear of danger and live as an ordinary person.
The “Manga Consciousness” knew this: “I’ll naturally give you a cheat, but how you use it depends on you.”
“So what’s my cheat?” Su Bei asked, a rare eagerness in his voice, already imagining the overpowered protagonist cheats from manga.
A powerful ability? A game-breaking system? Guidance from a master? Any of these would thrill a fifteen-year-old.
“Your cheat is this: when manga readers fully believe the information you provide, that information becomes reality.”