The Terminally-Ill Side-Character Inside of a Martial Arts Novel

Chapter 123



A man who drove Hyuk Dojin to the brink of death?

I slightly opened my mouth in surprise upon hearing the voice transmission. Among the numerous people we’ve met so far, those who gave Hyuk Dojin trouble could be counted on one hand.

Except for the clearly superior Murim Alliance Leader and the Cult Leader, no one had directly pressured Hyuk Dojin.

Even during the actual attack, the Flowering Realm master could barely hold Hyuk Dojin back. The fact that there was someone who had driven him to such an extent was quite shocking.

[…He didn’t mention that.]

[Perhaps he didn’t want to worry you and didn’t want to tell you.]

I slightly rolled my eyes to examine Hyuk Dojin’s face. His expression still mixed with a sigh, but there was faint worry in his eyes. While I was examining his face, Eun Do’s voice transmission continued.

[Moreover, the Yeonwi Left Army is an elite military force composed of supreme masters. It’s on par with the Blood Flow Thousand Wolves Corps. However, with the Blood Flow Thousand Wolves Corps currently lacking in numbers and all 100 members of the Yeonwi Left Army likely present, it will surely be a problem.]

While Eun Do’s explanation continued, Hyuk Dojin exchanged a few more words with Yoo Doha. I stared blankly at Hyuk Dojin’s back, then sent another voice transmission.

[Then if Dojin and this person called Geum Hyul fought without any intervention, who would win?]

[A battle between a Flowering Realm master and a Transcendent Demonic Realm master is not something I can dare to measure. However, given the martial prowess the Young Cult Leader has shown so far, even the Left Army Commander probably wouldn’t be able to win.]

As Eun Do’s voice transmission faded, I let out a small sigh. Hyuk Dojin, who had been conversing, turned to look at me and smiled faintly.

“It’s alright. There won’t be any particular problem.”

“…”

He always smiled and said it was fine like that, so I thought it really was fine. With the reliable appearance Hyuk Dojin had shown so far, I thought anything was possible with him.

But it was an illusion. He refrained from unnecessary words because he didn’t want to worry me. And he distinguished between what he should and shouldn’t say.

Hyuk Dojin was also human and there were many impossible things. He just didn’t show it and made more effort. Probably this time too, he would refuse to run away from the fight with the Murim Alliance masters for my sake. Even if it meant eating away at his own life.

Suddenly, Namgoong Seolbyeok’s face that I saw at the inn came to mind. The man who had stabbed a sword into Hyuk Dojin’s heart.

If all of this converged into one and quietly followed that path…

“Don’t worry.”

Could I smile and say I understood to him? I couldn’t smile without knowing anything because I didn’t want him to be harmed because of me.

* * *

“They mobilized so many martial artists to find some grass in this vast plain?”

The man with a black band on his arm kept grumbling.

It had already been half a day since they started searching near the Huai River. He narrowed his brows while looking around the Huai River with eyes full of dissatisfaction.

“The Huai River isn’t some small pond in front of a house. If we’re going to search here, we should’ve brought at least ten thousand people, but only 500 in total? Isn’t this too much?”

“Stop chattering incessantly since earlier and move your hands more. Can’t you see how busy I am working while you’re playing around?”

“Oh my. Is lying down and sleeping being busy?”

“This is rest for me who worked hard. So if you’re not going to search more, stop talking and come lie down here. The river breeze is cool.”

The man with the black band looked at the man lying down leisurely looking at the sky, then chuckled and approached him, sitting down beside him. He too looked at the sky, then sprawled out flat on his back and grumbled again.

“But what’s really here anyway? They said to find some spirit herb or something… Without telling us what it looks like or its characteristics, are they telling us to find it or not to find it?”

“They’re telling us not to find it.”

“Then what’s the meaning of this search?”

The man who had just sprawled out turned to his side to look at the person speaking to him.

He stroked the beard on his chin, taking his time as if acting pompous, then spoke slowly.

“In my brilliant mind’s opinion, the meaning of this search is probably not to find something, but for surveillance or guarding, that’s what I’m saying!”

“Guarding?”

“You know, that thing. The Demon Cult bastards sneaked into the Huai River. They say there’s intelligence that they’re trying to steal that spirit herb or whatever and run away, so we rushed here to guard it. If the Demon Cult takes that precious spirit herb, it would be a big loss, so they’re desperately trying to prevent it.”

“Hmm, I see.”

The man who had been nodding his head at the explanation turned his head to look at the sky again.

With the clear sky without a single cloud and the cool breeze. This is paradise. Feeling his swaying hair, he quietly closed his eyes.

“It’s perfect weather to die.”

“Then die.”

“Wha…?!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, a voice flew from behind, followed by a flying dagger.

The dagger that stuck in his crown before the man could even react accurately cut off his breath. In a moment as brief as could be felt, two lives were lost.

Where there had been noisy chatter just moments ago, only wind and silence swirled. After a brief moment like that, Hyuk Dojin and Yoo Doha suddenly appeared.

Hyuk Dojin stared intently at the men, then jerked his chin at Yoo Doha.

Yoo Doha nodded and took off the outer garment the man with the black band was wearing. Hyuk Dojin also took off the man’s outer garment and put it on, then tied stones to the corpses and threw them into the Huai River.

Thanks to cutting off their breath precisely with the flying daggers so that the clothes wouldn’t get soaked in blood, the clothes were in pristine condition.

After donning the Murim Alliance warriors’ attire, including the black band on his shoulder, Hyuk Dojin turned to look at Yoo Doha. He too was wearing the same type of clothes as Hyuk Dojin.

Yoo Doha checked his own body and nodded. Hyuk Dojin also nodded briefly, then moved immediately.

The two moved quickly across the vast plain of the Huai River, walking nonchalantly whenever they saw people ahead.

At first, I was worried they might discover Yoo Doha and Hyuk Dojin and attack, but it was difficult for them to detect the two who were able to conceal their inner power and demonic energy to the extreme.

Rather, someone wearing a black band, perhaps a team leader, approached Yoo Doha first and spoke.

“The search of the upstream area is complete and we’re moving downstream. There are no other special circumstances to report.”

Thanks to them voluntarily providing information, Hyuk Dojin and Yoo Doha were able to move quickly along paths with fewer people.

Especially, thanks to them informing about the location of the Yeonwi Left Army and Geum Hyul’s whereabouts without being asked, they were able to avoid unnecessary conflicts.

“What brings you here? This area has already been searched and we’ve moved downstream.”

A martial artist blocking the path upstream stopped Hyuk Dojin. Hyuk Dojin looked at the faint traces of yellow earth visible behind him and spoke slowly.

“We left some important luggage inside and came back to retrieve it.”

“Important luggage… you say?”

He tilted his head slightly and looked at Hyuk Dojin with suspicious eyes. Finding Hyuk Dojin’s appearance with his chin and nose covered by a mask strange, he rolled his eyes to examine Hyuk Dojin’s condition.

“What kind of luggage are you referring to?”

The martial artist quietly asked while circulating his inner power, as if he sensed something.

Unlike the other martial artists, the one blocking the path took a very cautious attitude. His eyes looking at Hyuk Dojin were sharp, as if there had been orders.

Hyuk Dojin stared blankly at him and twitched his fingers.

‘Should I kill him.’

He had been avoiding taking lives as much as possible because problems would arise if the martial artists who were supposed to be standing here disappeared.

But if this fellow kept pestering him here, there was no choice. Yoo Doha seemed to have read Hyuk Dojin’s thoughts, as he glanced at Hyuk Dojin, then stepped forward as if to say he would handle it.

“What are you going to do if I tell you that?”

“What do you…?”

“We left the order document related to the search inside and are going to retrieve it, do we have to report even that to you?”

Order document? Hyuk Dojin glanced at Yoo Doha at his unexpected words. Yoo Doha turned to look at Hyuk Dojin and continued speaking.

“And what’s with that inner power you’re raising and those glaring eyes? Is this how you treat your superiors?”

“Ah, that’s not…”

“Enough, who’s your team leader? I need to meet him directly to discuss today’s events.”

As his words fell, the martial artist’s face turned pale as if blanching. The man hurriedly calmed his inner power and opened his mouth.

“I-I’m sorry. We were ordered from above to control everyone entering this area.”

“Enough with the excuses. Your attitude of obeying orders and duty should be respected, but sometimes flexibility is needed. Would you have blocked entry if it was Commander Geum Hyul trying to enter here?”

“That… wouldn’t be the case.”

“See.”

Yoo Doha chuckled and made the black band on his shoulder more visible, then patted the martial artist’s shoulder as he brushed past him.

“I’ll forget about today’s incident. But act with more flexibility next time.”

“Understood! Thank you!”

“Keep up the good work.”

Hyuk Dojin, who had been staring blankly at Yoo Doha’s back as he waved his hand and moved away, let out an empty laugh as if finding it absurd.

Hyuk Dojin shook his head slightly and followed behind him.

[Where did you learn something like that?]

[The Murim Alliance bastards usually draw clear senior-junior relationships based on useless ranks or years of service. So I acted strongly just in case, and it worked as expected. I didn’t think it would work this well though. Ah, more importantly, we’ve arrived. This is the yellow earth area located upstream that we first identified.]

Hyuk Dojin stared blankly at Yoo Doha, who was displaying talent in strange areas, then looked ahead at his voice transmission.

A wide expanse of yellow earth with grass growing abundantly on top. And beside it was the Yellow River, with a slightly cut cliff next to it and the Huai River flowing below.

[It matches the place the Young Madam mentioned.]

[Really…]

Hyuk Dojin looked around and sighed.

[It’s full of grass.]

No matter where he rolled his eyes, it was all full of grass. To find a single Five Leaf Fire Grass among this.

Hyuk Dojin sighed, feeling gloomy. Moreover, with the Murim Alliance masters overflowing, the search seemed very far-fetched.

But they say there’s always a way out even if the sky falls. In fact, thanks to the Murim Alliance taking action, the work had been reduced.

Hyuk Dojin approached the cliff side and looked down the cut slope. Grass was growing down there too. Yoo Doha also looked down the dizzying cliff and spoke slowly.

“Are you really going down?”

“We have to. If they searched that grass field perfectly and couldn’t find it, this is the only place they haven’t checked.”

“But it’s dangerous.”

“I know.”

Hyuk Dojin nodded briefly in reply, then looked at Yoo Doha. Yoo Doha tilted his head at Hyuk Dojin’s gaze looking at him.

But Hyuk Dojin just stared blankly at Yoo Doha. Yoo Doha slightly narrowed his brows, feeling something uneasy at his gaze.

“Surely not…”

“What are you doing?”

Hyuk Dojin jerked his chin towards the cliff while looking at it.

“Not going down.”

Yoo Doha’s face crumpled into a frown.

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