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

The man opened his mouth with a relaxed expression.

“It’s been a while, but you’re not going to hug me now? I’m disappointed.”

With a hearty laugh, the man’s voice made me look up at Hyuk Dojin again. He silently stared at the man, then slowly, very slowly, opened his mouth.

But before his voice could flow, the man’s mouth opened first.

“She resembles her, doesn’t she?”

At his words, Hyuk Dojin’s eyes flashed open. His stiff expression softened. The man lightly smiled at Hyuk Dojin’s change of expression and turned his gaze towards me.

Naturally, I shrank back from his gaze turned upon me.

Since elder Do Seokhwi, all outsiders had entered my range of caution. So if this man was from Demon Cult, I thought he must be a dangerous person.

Reacting to me, Hyuk Dojin reached out and lightly pulled my shoulder.

“Hoo…”

“It’s okay.”

Stopping, Hyuk Dojin took a step forward as if to protect me. Then he looked at the man in front and said:

“He’s not a dangerous person.”

I silently looked up at Hyuk Dojin, then turned my gaze to the man. Hyuk Dojin also turned his head following my gaze and lightly said.

“When did you arrive, Martial Uncle?” (tl/n: can be translated as well as Uncle-Master, but commonly known as the Chinese term ‘Shishu’, younger apprentice-brother of the speaker’s Master, non-blood relative.)

Martial Uncle?

“I just came back today after receiving word from the Cult Leader. He lamented so much about all the things happening, I was held up for an hour.”

“You should have sent word, I would have come to escort you…”

“It’s my hobby to come and go quietly. And suddenly appearing allows me to surprise people too.”

The man called Martial Uncle smiled gracefully, neatly pushing back his loosened hair before rolling his eyes. His gaze lightly landed on me.

“Seems my sudden appearance startled you.”

At his words, Hyuk Dojin turned his gaze towards me. He twisted his body askew to clear the line of sight with the man, then said in a low voice:

“Sowol, this is my Martial Uncle, this person is also the same as my teacher.”

“Whether Martial Uncle or teacher, the Young Cult Leader can call me whatever he wants. You can just call me Man Do comfortably, young lady Moyong.”

“…”

I couldn’t say anything at the man introducing himself as Man Do. The only Man Do I knew was one person.

“Vice Cult Leader Man Do…?”

The one and only Vice Cult Leader of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, over 100 years old, appearing in the novel.

The man called Man Do lightly laughed as if embarrassed at my muttering and shook his head.

“It’s just a fancy title. A Vice Cult Leader who doesn’t actually do anything is just an empty shell. I’ll have to rely on young lady Sowol’s favor from now on.”

At his joking words, I urgently looked at Hyuk Dojin, unsure how to react.

Why does the over 100-year-old elder look as young as Hyuk Dojin? What’s going on?

Seeing my gaze demanding an explanation, Hyuk Dojin let out a low sigh and said:

“I understand the confusion. I also had a hard time adjusting when I first saw him.”

He looked back at Man Do. Man Do smiled broadly at Hyuk Dojin’s gaze and gave an explanation.

“I was fortunate to achieve enlightenment and attain the realm of the Supreme Demon at a young age. In that process, I experienced rejuvenation.”

“…Can rejuvenation alone make someone that young?”

I knew that upon reaching the ultimate realm, one could be reborn youthful through rejuvenation. But I never thought it could make an over 100-year-old elder look like a young man…

Staring blankly at him, Hyuk Dojin answered my unasked question.

“He has long been well-versed in facial transformation techniques. Even before his actual rejuvenation, he often went about in that appearance.”

“Heh heh, it was all by chance.”

Now that he mentioned it, his laughter also sounded experienced. His hearty laugh suited someone who could stroke their goatee and play board games.

Man Do smiled kindly and turned his body.

“Anyway, it’s been so long, aren’t you going to offer me a cup of tea?”

“Ah… You haven’t changed at all from the past.”

“Do you think I’d change much with however many more years I live here?”

“I heard that line 10 years ago too.”

It was rare to see Hyuk Dojin grumbling like this. As I silently watched his side profile, a voice came from the front.

“Young lady Sowol should join us too. I’d appreciate it if you could be a conversation partner for this old man.”

“Pardon?”

“Living in the remote mountains, sometimes I long to converse with people when I come down. So it would be nice if you could be my conversation partner.”

“Ah… well…”

I pursed my lips and rolled my eyes. A conversation partner… From the start, I wasn’t very sociable and not known for being a good conversationalist.

For someone who often gets told they’re boring, being a conversation partner was a burden. I subtly threw Hyuk Dojin a look asking for help as I shifted my eyes towards him.

Receiving my gaze, he let out a soft sigh, nodded, then slowly opened his mouth.

“To be the Martial Uncle’s conversation partner, I…”

“If you’ll be this old man’s conversation partner, I’ll tell you stories about the Young Cult Leader from his childhood. How about it?”

“…What kind of thing are you saying, Martial Uncle!”

“Heheh, why not? You’ll be tying the knot as spouse soon anyway, so it wouldn’t be bad to open up my bundle of tales from the past as entertainment.”

“Why do my past stories have to become entertainment?”

“Don’t dwell on such things. Let’s go.”

I blankly watched the back of the youth – no, the over 100-year-old elder Man Do as he broadly smiled and turned away.

Hyuk Dojin was looking at Man Do with a troubled expression. When our eyes met, he turned his head towards me.

“I’m sorry. The situation has taken an awkward turn. If you’re tired, you can go back and rest first. I’ll handle my Martial Uncle, so don’t feel obligated.”

His gentle words seemed considerate, but looking into his eyes, it didn’t seem to be just that. Unlike his words, his eyes conveyed an earnest wish that I go back and rest.

I wonder what he was like as a child for this to happen. I tilted my head looking at him, then smiled faintly.

“I’m fine.”

“Huh?”

“I told you earlier, didn’t I? That my physical condition isn’t bad today. Unless it’s really pushing it, I think I can manage being the Vice Cult Leader’s conversation partner for a little while.”

“Sowol…?”

He must have thought I’d go back to my room to rest, as he muttered with a blank look at my answer. Hyuk Dojin then hurriedly opened his eyes wide.

“You don’t have to push yourself. I’ll handle it…”

“Let’s go quickly, Young Cult Leader.”

Man Do’s voice came from where he had walked ahead. Thanks to that, Hyuk Dojin’s words trying to persuade me were cut off midway. As his brow furrowed slightly, I moved forward with a light smile.

“Let’s go, Hyuk Dojin.”

* * *

Man Do sat around the table, sipping tea with a satisfied smile.

“Hmm, the tea tastes good. It seems the Young Cult Leader’s taste matches my own.”

“Don’t say such horrible things and just hurry up and drink your tea, Martial Uncle.”

On the other hand, Hyuk Dojin, who had been looking at him with displeased eyes, replied curtly, but Man Do wasn’t an easy-going person. He put down his teacup and slowly spoke with an air of feigned sadness, letting his eyes go soft.

“Haha, you used to come running and demand I hug you when I told you not to do that, but now you treat me like an old man in the back room, telling me to disappear quickly… Did you hear that, young lady Moyong?”

“Ha… haha.”

If the elderly man with a long beard like an immortal had asked, I would have nodded. But since Man Do was mimicking an old man while his appearance was slightly older than Hyuk Dojin at first glance, I couldn’t help but laugh.

As I averted my gaze with a nervous expression, Man Do shook his head.

“Even though he acts so sullen now, he used to be quite cute. He caused a lot of trouble too.”

“Trouble…?”

“Martial Uncle… are you making up stories?”

“Making up stories? I’m telling the truth, Young Cult Leader. If I recite stories related to the Young Cult Leader, a month wouldn’t be enough. You caused so much mischief…”

“Martial Uncle!”

Hyuk Dojin, who usually maintained his composure, rarely fretted nervously. I looked at Hyuk Dojin curiously, as I’ve seen quite a few different versions of him since Man Do showed up, and he glanced at me and let out a sigh with an embarrassed face.

He straightened his posture and smoothed back his hair. On the other hand, Man Do leisurely tilted his cup, no matter what he said.

After glancing back and forth between the two, I tilted my head slightly.

What is their relationship? Based on him calling the other ‘Martial Uncle’, it seems like he received some teachings from him… Is he a martial arts master? But he also mentioned someone like a teacher earlier, so he doesn’t seem to be a master.

As I rubbed the teacup in my hand with my fingers, I spoke quietly,

“Vice Cult Leader.”

“Please, call me Man Do.”

I nodded and opened my mouth again.

“Man Do. If it’s not rude, may I ask what your relationship with Hyuk Dojin is?”

“Hmm…”

“Sowol, why are you suddenly…”

Hyuk Dojin opened his mouth urgently with a flustered expression, but Man Do’s voice came out faster than his after collecting his thoughts.

“As the Young Cult Leader said, you could say I’m his Martial Uncle. Ever since he was young, I was in charge of teaching him basic cultivation education, excluding martial arts. In the Demon Cult, we cannot have a master-disciple relationship except for imparting martial arts, so we’re called Martial Uncles.”

“I see… I understand.”

I glanced sideways at Hyuk Dojin, who was staring at Man Do with a stiff face. As he was biting his lips as if anxious, I felt perplexed when a voice came from in front of me.

“And I was also Soso’s godfather.”

“Soso?”

I tilted my head at the unfamiliar name. Man Do raised an eyebrow at my reaction. He slowly looked at Hyuk Dojin.

Following Man Do’s gaze, my eyes also slowly turned. Hyuk Dojin stared at Man Do for a while, then sighed and closed his eyes. He spoke softly as he looked at me.

“Geum Soso was my mother’s name.”

Hyuk Dojin’s mouth was drawn into a straight line.

“…It’s the name of someone who no longer exists in this world.”