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

Unlike before, there was no noise. All I could see were people bowing their heads towards me.

After receiving the greetings poured out to me while looking around at them, my legs dropped. Man Do straightened his waist first, followed by others rising from their seats.

They looked at each other’s reactions and took their seats. After the situation had calmed down somewhat, the referee spoke to Nam Sojeong and then approached me.

“Young Madam. May I start the martial arts match?”

When I nodded my head once, the referee stepped back. There were no separate words or signals to start. But as he stepped back, the surroundings became quiet.

Nam Sojeong slowly drew out her sword.

The renowned sword clan, Ink Stained Nam clan.

They were the descendants of the Demonic Blood Sword God who once struck fear into both righteous and evil sects with just one sword.

Although they were now huddled under the Demon Cult, they were once descendants of those strong enough to threaten the Hyuk family.

“I heard you learned martial arts from the Young Cult Leader and the Blood Flow Thousand Wolves Corps Leader.”

I nodded at Nam Sojeong’s voice and drew out the sword made of Celestial Steel. Nam Sojeong’s eyes went to the sword and then back to me. She smiled faintly.

“May I directly confirm the martial arts you learned from the two who have never taken any disciples?”

“I’ll let you go first.”

Nam Sojeong blinked lightly and then let out a small breath. And she immediately rushed in. Her sword dug in horizontally rather than from top to bottom.

It was dangerous to tilt the center of gravity sideways while running straight, but it was that unpredictable and destructive if handled stably.

With just that one move, I could tell how deep Nam Sojeong’s martial arts were.

I quickly retreated from the direction of her swinging sword, looked around briefly, and then swung my sword towards Nam Sojeong who was rushing in again.

With a clang, my arm trembled. I felt my heart pounding at the impact. It wasn’t a fight betting our lives. But it was a dangerous match where one wrong move could break or cut something.

Normally, all of that would be scary, but not now. Rather, this weight transmitted through my hands and the air flowing over my skin was enjoyable.

I widened my eyes as I looked at Nam Sojeong, whose eyes were round as if surprised.

“That’s as far as you go.”

I forcefully drew up the energy flowing through my body. As energy was imbued into the sword and a faint plum blossom color swirled around the hilt, I parried her sword and quickly thrust.

Nam Sojeong retreated and tried to deflect my sword, swinging her sword upwards from below.

I confirmed the direction of her sword with my eyes and turned my body to move out of the range of her swinging sword, immediately moving to the side.

The foundation of the Plum Blossom Sword Technique is softness and flexibility. And the strength hidden within.

It could flexibly respond to any situation. All of this was incorporated into the total 144 forms.

‘I can win’

I didn’t know for certain how skilled Nam Sojeong was. But her path of movement, the feet following, and the flowing sword all came into view.

My senses were sharper than usual. All my senses that had become sensitive enough to even hear Nam Sojeong’s breathing were telling me where she was heading.

Only then could I understand those words that had told me I was by no means weak.

“Ugh!!”

Nam Sojeong’s shoulder was cut by the tip of my sword as she moved to the side to avoid my diagonal slash, and blood seeped out.

Nam Sojeong gritted her teeth and rushed in even more aggressively, but I wasn’t scared.

Because I had seen much scarier things than this. There were people who were threatening and frightening even without moving faster than this. Thinking of them, this was nothing.

She rushed in as if to stab me with her sword, but it was too excessive. Just as I was tensing up wondering what was happening, with a clang, Nam Sojeong threw her sword to the ground and stretched out her arms as if to grab my waist.

“Huh?!”

“She threw away her sword?!”

Voices erupted from around. It would be unthinkable for the great Ink Stained Nam clan to throw away their sword and rush in like this.

Perhaps Nam Sojeong had risen this far because such tactics had worked well.

But unfortunately, it was too much for me.

Just as she was about to grab my waist and try to take me down, I quickly retreated using footwork to create distance, then raised my sword diagonally from bottom to top.

At that moment, Nam Sojeong’s body, which had been about to pounce on me, came to an abrupt stop. She looked down at the tip of my sword stopped in front of her neck, then rolled her eyes. I smiled lightly as I looked down at her gaze looking up at me.

“It’s over.”

“…”

Nam Sojeong just stared at me silently, then straightened up from her lowered posture. I withdrew my sword after confirming she had stepped back. In the martial arts arena wrapped in silence, Nam Sojeong created distance, then bowed her head as she made a fist-palm salute to me.

“I have lost.”

At those words, the quiet surroundings seemed to stir, and then applause and cheers that started from somewhere engulfed the arena. Only then could I feel that my breathing had become rough.

“Haa…”

After taking a deep breath and exhaling to calm my ragged breathing, I looked around. The gazes of some people who had been giving me negative looks until just now had changed. I couldn’t see each and every one of them, but the cheers pouring out to me were not fake.

After looking around, I lowered my gaze and approached Nam Sojeong. I picked up the sword that had fallen to the ground and handed it to her.

“Your name was Nam Sojeong, right?”

“Yes, Young Madam.”

“You are my first martial arts opponent. You’ll be someone I’ll remember for the rest of my life.”

I smiled lightly at her as her face froze in surprise.

“Thank you for making that memory a good one. You worked hard.”

Leaving behind her blank stare, I turned my body. As soon as I came down from the martial arts arena, Hyuk Dojin immediately ran over with a towel. I took the towel he held out and smiled as I wiped my sweat.

“How was it? Was it okay?”

Hyuk Dojin returned my smile with a grin.

“It was excellent. There were no mistakes and it was perfect.”

“That’s a relief.”

I smiled at him and turned my head. After glancing at Nam Sojeong, who was still not coming down from the stage, I sat in a chair.

I moistened my throat with the water Joo Hwarin handed me and quietly looked up at the ceiling. The sensation transmitted through my fingertips just now and my movements were still lingering in my head.

I quietly closed my eyes. In the darkness that settled, I drew the figures of Nam Sojeong and myself. Couldn’t I have done better? Wasn’t there a better choice? What should I have done if the opponent had come at me more strongly?

I kept silent as I reviewed the martial arts match once again.

* * *

After the first round of eight people was over, the second round was also easy. Beon Yuk and Man Do, who were watching the situation from above, were staring intently at Moyong Sowol, who had won this time as well.

He tilted his body crookedly and rolled his eyes following Moyong Sowol’s movements as he opened his mouth.

“She’s quite good for a daughter of the Righteous Sect. I heard all the women of prestigious families were fools obsessed with jewels and silk, indulging in luxury and pleasure… Was that not true?”

“Only ignorant fools who don’t know anything would say such things. Does she look like someone indulging in luxury and pleasure to you?”

Man Do retorted grumpily. Beon Yuk clicked his tongue and turned his head. He was looking at Man Do, who still looked like a young man, with disapproving eyes. His mouth opened slowly.

“What’s with those eyes looking at her like your granddaughter? Don’t tell me those rumors about you cherishing that daughter of the Righteous Sect so much are true?”

“Why? Is that not allowed? You do it too, so why can’t I? Besides, I’ve lived a hundred years without a single child, so is there any reason I can’t?”

“Ha! I thought your thinking had become younger after experiencing rejuvenation… but you’re still a shriveled old man inside. To see such a young girl from the Righteous Sect as your granddaughter. It’s the end of times.”

“Hey, don’t keep calling my granddaughter a girl. It’s starting to upset me.”

Man Do raised his eyebrows. Beon Yuk gaped at Man Do’s words as if dumbfounded, then narrowed his eyes. He glanced at Moyong Sowol coming down from the martial arts arena, then turned to look at him.

“Are you serious?”

“When have I ever joked?”

“…”

Beon Yuk stared intently at Man Do as if he couldn’t understand. A friend who had served as Vice Cult Leader with him. He had crossed the realm of the Transcendent Demonic Realm that Beon Yuk himself couldn’t reach, experienced a complete transformation, and then became even stronger through Great Rejuvenation.

While Beon Yuk had retired from the front lines due to weakness, Man Do was still holding that position.

The Cult Leader had told him he could retire and rest now that he had worked hard, but he emphasized that he would remain in that position even if he had to serve as a commoner.

Beon Yuk couldn’t understand his friend. Despite having worked hard enough to rest now, he was still keeping that position.

Beon Yuk’s mouth opened slowly.

“…Are you still unable to forget your niece?”

“…”

Man Do closed his mouth tightly at his words. Beon Yuk let out a long sigh.

“How could a person change like this.”

The man considered the most demonic and strong in the Demon Cult aside from the Cult Leader. He was cruel and violent, and it was said that not even a blade of grass would grow on the path he passed due to the thick demonic energy he left behind, earning him the nickname ‘Thousand-Killing Demon’.

People were more afraid when Vice Cult Leader Man Do appeared on the front lines than when the Cult Leader did, due to how cruel his methods were. To think such a man would be so bound by his niece and change like this.

“…It wasn’t your fault. Your niece’s death wasn’t because you were weak.”

Geum Soso’s death involved numerous entangled interests. The Holy Stream League and numerous prestigious families of the Demon Cult, and the Hyuk family losing its authority. And even forces that hadn’t revealed themselves. All of this was one process to welcome a new sky.

The Holy Stream League took the lead, the Cult Leader remained silent, and Geum Soso died. And the Young Cult Leader lost his mother.

“I know.”

“Then…”

“But isn’t it too absurd?”

Man Do wore a faint smile as he traced with his eyes the path of Moyong Sowol who had disappeared from view.

“We who have learned numerous martial arts and spent a hundred years training insisted it wasn’t our fault for turning our heads without taking any responsibility. In the end, the one who shouldered it all was my niece who was just in the prime of her youth. We ran away using that child, who hadn’t even learned martial arts and wasn’t expected to live long, as a sacrifice.”

“…”

“Isn’t the reason you stepped down from the Vice Cult Leader position also because you felt powerless about what happened then? The Holy Stream League and the Cliff Rivers Shin clan too… It wasn’t because we were afraid of them. It was because of that sense of powerlessness at being unable to respond to those supporting them from behind.”

Man Do closed his eyes. In the darkness that settled, he could still see his smiling niece. The corners of his lips trembled finely before closing tightly.

“I don’t want to lose to such powerlessness again. The reason I haven’t stepped down from this position is because there are still people I need to protect.”

Hyuk Dojin and Moyong Sowol.

“I have no desire to repeat the past.”

They were the last light remaining for him.