Chapter 3
In the infirmary.
Leaning against the pillow on his bed, Su Bei's school uniform hung loosely on him as he quietly gazed out the window, looking deeply focused.
But if anyone looked closely, they'd notice his eyes weren't really focused on anything; he was clearly lost in thought.
He was deep in contemplation.
Since waking up, he had pieced together everything that had happened.
A teacher had found him unconscious in the bathroom and had urgently brought him to the infirmary. The diagnosis? Low blood sugar—nothing rest wouldn't fix.
So now, Su Bei was resting in the infirmary. He could return to class after the opening ceremony.
Taking advantage of this time, he needed to sort through the flood of new information and map out the best course of action.
By the time he returned to class, it would be his official debut. First impressions were crucial; they'd even partially determine his popularity in the early stages.
But he needed more than just an attention-grabbing entrance; he had to establish a character—a persona that would suit his plans moving forward.
What kind of persona should it be?
For Su Bei, this wasn't difficult. He figured the persona should be that of a "mysterious person with a powerful ability."
The strong ability would boost his standing, and the mysterious angle would allow him to expand his character as the story unfolded.
As for playing the "mystery man," that part was easy. He had seen enough criminals with his dad to know how they loved to play the mystery card, saying things that sounded meaningful but were incomprehensible.
Su Bei knew this act well.
The harder part was deciding on his powerful ability.
Strong abilities were easy to imagine, like [Summoning Meteors], [Creating Black Holes], or [Stopping Time]… but he couldn't claim something like that at first glance.
If he walked up to the protagonist and said, "Hey, my ability is stopping time," he'd be called out immediately.
After all, protagonist Jiang Tianming wasn't an idiot. Why would someone with [Time Stop] be in F-Class? Just a quick question to the teacher would reveal his lie, leaving him no room to maneuver.
Besides, as a regular civilian, Su Bei was unfamiliar with the true limits of abilities. What if what he thought was powerful seemed basic to those in the know? If he exposed his "trump card" too early, he'd lose any further opportunities.
So, staying mysterious was the best move.
Additionally, he realized that his made-up ability would need to relate to gears. For now, he couldn't immediately make readers believe in his power, so his [Gears] ability wouldn't change just yet.
To avoid suspicion, his invented power would have to involve gears somehow, letting him keep up the illusion.
An ability that would let him play the mystery man, had growth potential, and involved gears… what could that be?
Suddenly, Su Bei's eyes lit up.
[Fate Gears]—it was perfect! It matched all his requirements. Given that he could see this world's plot, he was indeed deeply connected to fate.
Now that he had a clear idea, the next step was to think about his character's positioning and how to make a strong first impression on readers.
The "Comic Consciousness" had already warned Su Bei that while he'd escaped the initial plot-kill, his "cannon fodder" status still loomed over him like a Damocles sword.
In other words, he still had a high chance of dying. In fact, if any scene required someone to die, he was likely to be the one.
So he needed to solidify his role quickly, ideally placing himself in a position that the comic couldn't just kill off.
It's common knowledge that being friends with the protagonist doesn't guarantee survival. Wasn't there a character in the first volume who had helped the protagonist significantly, only to die a few chapters later? And these days, shonen manga loved their "everyone's dead" endings.
If being a good guy wasn't safe, maybe a villain would be.
Villains get defeated but don't often die outright. If he could control his villain role well—earning enough interest from readers, keeping the protagonist from killing him outright, and having potential for redemption—his survival odds would go up significantly!
With that thought, Su Bei pulled the needle from his hand without hesitation. Ignoring the blood that surfaced, he jumped off the bed and walked straight to the bathroom.
If he wanted to be a memorable character, he'd need to use his appearance to his advantage.
"Su Bei, are you still here?"
Soon, a gentle voice called from outside. It was the nurse, returning after explaining Su Bei's fainting episode.
"I'm here!" Su Bei quickly stepped out of the bathroom, droplets of water still on his face. The strands of hair on his forehead, dampened by water, were pushed up, revealing a smooth, clean look that was both fresh and handsome.
A droplet slid down his sharp, straight nose, briefly pooling at the tip before he casually wiped it away with his hand. "What's up, teacher?"
The nurse, surprised by his sudden question, pulled her gaze back, mentally reminding herself that the "Endless Abilities Academy" never lacked handsome faces. At 30 years old, she felt both captivated and annoyed by this reaction, missing the glint of slyness in Su Bei's eyes.
"Nothing serious, I just noticed the needle was removed and wanted to make sure you were okay," the nurse replied, her gaze landing on the spot on his hand that was still bleeding slightly. She was startled. "What happened here?"
Seeing her reaction, Su Bei raised an eyebrow briefly, but the surprise faded quickly. He laughed sheepishly, "I was in a rush to get to the bathroom…"
With a sigh, the nurse gave him a look before guiding him back to the bed, fixing the needle with far less patience than before.
Su Bei obediently let her work, lowering his eyes to stare at his hand, his long lashes veiling his thoughts.
The nurse's reaction had given him something interesting to consider.
The "Endless Abilities Academy" was widely regarded as one of the safest places. After all, it was the nation's only institution for training new abilities users, guarded by top talent, making it the safest place around.
Yet, her reaction made it seem as though she feared he had encountered something dangerous. Her instinctual response was worth pondering.
Could it be that she knew of potential dangers within the school?
This line of thinking made Su Bei reconsider the nurse's role; perhaps it was one worth paying closer attention to.
Raising his eyes, a hint of amusement flickered in his violet gaze as he casually asked, "How long have you been at the academy, teacher?"
"A little over a year, not quite two," the nurse replied, focused on bandaging his hand.
"That's quite short—guess you wouldn't know any academy secrets yet," Su Bei sighed with an exaggerated note of disappointment.
The nurse lifted her head, eyes narrowing as she looked at him. "What academy secrets? Tell me what you want to know."
Su Bei gave a friendly smile, "I just want to know what our homeroom teacher is like—any quirks or pet peeves?"
Amused, the nurse shook her head. "That's all? Who's your homeroom teacher? I haven't been here long, but I do know a bit about stuff like that."
"I think it's Mr. Wang Jianguo, right? He's teaching F-Class," Su Bei replied, as if uncertain.
In truth, he remembered the name clearly. The announcement board at the school gate had listed the F-Class teacher as Meng Huai.
He'd said it wrong on purpose, just to reinforce the nurse's impression of his class.
As expected, the nurse shook her head, a bit exasperated, "You got it wrong; F-Class is taught by Mr. Meng Huai. Make sure you remember it this time. He's very mild-mannered…"
Su Bei appeared deeply attentive as she described Mr. Meng, subtly shifting toward the edge of the bed until his bag, which had been at the edge, tipped over. He quickly grabbed it, allowing it to fall silently to the floor.
Soon, noises filtered in from outside the window. The nurse came over to remove the needle and handed him a cotton swab. "The ceremony's over; it's the perfect time to head back to class."
Su Bei casually pressed the cotton swab to his hand, then tossed it into the trash with a wave. "See you later, teacher!"
With a smile, she replied, "Hopefully, we won't see each other again."
After all, seeing her meant he'd be hurt.
"We'll see." He tossed the line offhandedly, then sped off.
The nurse shook her head, smiling, and thought nothing more of it.
**
Taking his time, Su Bei walked through the first-floor corridor of the academic building, glancing into his class through the back window.
The back window gave him a view of nearly everyone in the class. Almost instantly, Su Bei's gaze landed on a black-haired boy.
Jiang Tianming, with black hair and eyes, was a rare sight in a world where colorful hair was the norm. He also had a steady aura that set him apart from the background characters. Even seated in the fourth row by the door—a relatively inconspicuous spot—he stood out immediately.
To his right was a girl with long, waist-length blue hair, whose figure hinted at her elegance. It was clear she was beautiful, as easily distinguished from the background characters as the protagonist. This had to be Lan Su Bing, a member of the protagonist's group.
In the previous chapter, the young heiress had requested to join F-Class to be near the protagonist, citing her inability to speak as a reason for her switch.
Spotting an ideal entrance position, Su Bei's eyes flashed with a confident smile as he adjusted his expression and approached the main door.
Reaching the door, he glanced around the room with an air of importance, locking eyes with Jiang Tianming. With a casual stride, he walked over, a practiced smile—perfected in the infirmary mirror—lighting up his face. He lifted two fingers to his temple, then threw them outward in a stylish salute as he delivered his pre-prepared line.
In Jiang Tianming's eyes, it appeared like this—
Sunlight poured through the window, illuminating the boy's golden hair, making him seem as if he were glowing.
He smiled with a bold, carefree charm, yet his deep purple eyes held a solemn intensity. Though his words seemed playful, there was a strange sincerity to them—
"In the name of fate, I salute you—the unluckiest of the unlucky in this year's class!"