NOVEL NEXT Chapter 40
Originally, the Dragon and Phoenix Society is a competition where the late-blooming disciples of each sect meet to compare their strengths before stepping into the martial world.
The fresh and naïve disciples, just starting out, couldn’t possibly match up against the fully realized masters, and excluding blood relations, there was really no way to compare who was better among the heirs of prestigious families.
‘…It’s also a chance to glimpse the future of the martial world.’
I buried my face in my hands, deep in thought.
This was also the reason Zikhart had spoken to me earlier. He knew well that if I couldn’t win in such a competition, I wouldn’t be able to face the outsiders.
‘Maybe it’s because they’re the characters I created, that they resemble me.’
I felt a chuckle bubbling up.
I’ve heard the saying that every protagonist is another ego of the writer, which is why they can’t help but be similar, but…
‘The fact that they question everything endlessly is identical.’
I never thought about hearing my own words of not being able to win against outsiders through the mouth of a protagonist.
I rested my chin on my hand and thought some more.
If Zikhart felt this way, then Kim Hyul likely noticed something odd about Bing Seolhwa as well.
Unlike the last protagonist, Kang Si Woo, who had confirmed the noise with Azazel, Kim Hyul was originally a manifestation of the kind of hero I envisioned.
‘The strength of the mind is directly tied to the strength of the body.’
This line was a twist on a line from the webtoon Seolhwa loved, “[Complete Survival],” which said, “If you want to succeed, build your endurance; willpower is just a call to action when physical strength is lacking.”
The reason why I kept making mistakes at decisive moments.
The reason returning to my original state after a defeat felt slow.
These were all said to be owing to the limits of physical strength, and it was Seolhwa who jogged with me every morning, thinking of my mental and physical health.
Looking back now, it seemed she really did care about the state of my body and mind as I locked myself away writing.
People who run only by grades tend to get easily exhausted. Ultimately, she said, to succeed, one needs to enjoy the act itself.
– “Do Hyeon, the martial and chivalrous spirit can be found even in this bleak concrete jungle. Its form and meaning are not fixed.”
This was advice that Seolhwa gave me when I was stressed out over historical accuracy in martial arts novels.
– “So then, what is martial (武) and chivalry (侠)?”
I asked while watching Seolhwa, who was wiping my sweat, smiling mischievously. I remembered lowering my head because there was nowhere else to look at her, dressed in a short tank top that revealed her belly and dolphin pants.
– “Well… it can be seen when chefs respect each other, or when writers see each other as seniors and juniors rather than competitors.”
Martial arts without defined forms and meanings speak of the dignity derived from respect.
– “Isn’t it interesting? Imagining surpassing the first novel that deeply moved you.”
At that moment, Seolhwa hinted that she viewed me as a peculiar rival. A friend, lover, colleague, and rival all in one complex relationship we held.
“Oh, you came to watch the match too? I was worried you might give up and run away.”
“…Bing Seolhwa.”
“You can just call me Seolhwa, you know.”
I couldn’t just stand by and let outsiders play with her body freely.
*
Bing Seolhwa tucked her white hair behind her ear as she sat beside me, watching the match together.
“Hey, Do Hyeon, who do you think would win if Kim Hyul faced Bi Wol right now?”
“I told you not to call them like that.”
Her voice and expressions of affection were still fresh in my memory, even to the point of occupying my dreams. I frowned at how the outsider mimicked her.
Even if they tried to imitate Seolhwa, that was still something ‘other’ than her. Getting caught up in appearances or actions would turn me into a puppet in the outsider’s hands.
“Still, at least my consciousness remains, right? Is that too harsh?”
Seeing her puff out her cheeks in a sulky manner and pouting made me feel a strange discomfort. Those were all actions she would take when upset with me.
“Why must it be Bing Seolhwa and Bing Yeon? There were plenty of others.”
I questioned the outsider who was intertwined with her. There had to be a reason for using us in such a way.
The outsider knew the original work well enough, so if they were going to exploit me and Seolhwa, wouldn’t it have been more convenient to set us up as protagonist and final boss?
If she wanted to see an ending she hadn’t seen in the original, that would be quicker.
Why?
“Because it’s more fun? Forbidden love, a relationship that shares half-blood and gets pointed at by others.”
“…What?”
“Calling you ‘oppa’ is more provocative, isn’t it? If it’s a story just for me, then I’d want it to flow the way I want it to.”
What the outsider said was shockingly blunt. It sounded like they wanted to “play with” the story the same way readers can manipulate creative works.
A true author shouldn’t be swayed by readers.
Creators are the ones who make consumers worried and move their hearts.
Just like how I had drawn Seolhwa into my story.
“Unbelievable. You’re playing with Seolhwa’s life for such a trivial reason? Like it’s some toy?”
I couldn’t agree with the outsider’s view, understanding better than anyone that this was a mindset only someone who wasn’t an author could have.
“You’ve already engaged in forbidden love in the real world, what’s so new about this?”
Bing Seolhwa slowly blinked her left eye and continued. As she said, we engaged in a secret relationship as our social standings didn’t match.
Her father opposed passionately when he found out about our meetings, leading to her moving out to live with me.
“If that hadn’t happened, I wouldn’t have been in that car accident.”
The overlapping voices of the two reached my ears. Seolhwa’s voice and a deep woman’s voice reprimanded me.
All the conversations we had amidst the cheers of the crowd were small enough that no one else could hear.
“…You little bastard.”
A pitiful novelist living in a slum, and a talented author from a wealthy family.
The only commonality that could bind us was that we both wrote.
“Are you mad? Don’t be like that; let’s just watch the match. They’re like our children, aren’t they?”
“……”
I trembled my fist. If I caused a scene here, it’d give her the justification she needed.
Currently, my characters were feeling disillusioned about facing the final bosses.
“Such a pathetic ploy.”
It was clearly a provocation.
I stopped trying to get up from my seat and continued watching the match. Bing Seolhwa widened her eyes in surprise.
“So, you thought Kim Hyul could win with the Three Talented Sword Method? The opponent is a master who stands on the level of Six Harmonies Fist.”
“It’s strange to label martial arts as first-rate or second-rate. In a world where strength is determined by the sum of inner energy, why are there still so many who haven’t reached the legendary levels?”
The martial arts novel I wrote, “[King of Diamond Fist]“, was written when I was quite young; it had a low-power setting.
Even if they were peak masters from classic martial arts, they still qualified as strong.
I simply hadn’t familiarized myself with the newer trends.
“You have a point. What’s important in martial arts novels is enlightenment, after all.”
Bing Seolhwa hid her laughter as she elegantly opened her fan. Bi Wol’s sword strikes punctured through the opponent’s openings sharply.
To avoid shedding blood as much as possible, she typically broke or discarded her sword, using the hilt to strike at the opponent’s vital points, opting to suppress rather than kill.
“The Heavenly Demon in the original work didn’t appear like that.”
Seeing this, Bing Seolhwa clicked her tongue in disappointment. In the original novel, the description was of someone untouchable, clad in a shroud of blood.
“Still clinging to the original work, huh?”
“No, precisely, I wanted to see the two creators, who are the same as you, fight.”
“So you intended to lay hands on my disciples.”
“Right, if you were burning with revenge and aimed to kill me, a completely new ending would unfold, wouldn’t it?”
Now I understood better. No matter how much of the outsider’s influence was at play, the flow had already changed from the original.
“Unfortunately, that won’t happen.”
“Why do you think so? Your precious lover has already fallen into the hands of an outsider, and the protagonists are all leashed to me, after all?”
“I’ll stop it.”
I stated calmly, filled with conviction. I had managed to overcome Seolhwa in the original work, after all.
“Hmm, so that’s why you’ve made sure Kim Hyul practices the Three Talented Sword Method relying as little as possible on martial and chivalrous ways? Because he needs to adapt to any situation?”
“This arena is an illusion. If you cling too tightly to the stage, the first to fall will be you.”
I recited the words of a contestant I had seen in a cooking competition in my lifetime.
I remembered the moment when an unpolished cook rose to the top once more, intent on capturing that glory.
If someone got fooled by mere appearances and missed something vital, no one here could guarantee victory.
“I’ve already trained Kim Hyul in Diamond Indestructible and arranged for him to meet with his master. Do you really think he can win?”
“Of course. Such superficiality aside, the truest martial essence (武) begins with the aesthetics of simplicity.”
In this light, dissecting the novels often termed as “Yi-Pan-So” was surprisingly reflective of the author’s prowess.
The traces of thought that emerged to create pure enjoyment, the mechanisms that provide catharsis, the sharp design, and the guaranteed fun that characters bring—these can only be understood from the author’s perspective.
“What I taught Bi Wol was solely that.”
Making something fun even from a common theme—that was what I believed was true prowess.
*
Meanwhile, while Bing Yeon and Seolhwa chatted in the audience, a stir began to arise in the waiting area where the participants were.
“It’s been a while. Si Woo.”
“…Azazel?”
Suddenly, the protagonists of “[I Got Trapped in a Game]” and the final boss, Azazel, faced each other.
It was as if fate itself had orchestrated their meeting.