Even Supporting Characters Are Special

Seo Joo-cheon couldn't keep the grimace off his face. The bandages wrapping his side and shoulder throbbed with every breath.

Damn. I'd kill for some painkillers right about now. Not that this era has any.

The scowl melted, without warning, into a crooked grin.

If I'd written this as a novel, the early chapters would've pulled some decent views. Nothing like a brawl right out of the gate to hook a reader.

Among web novelists, the first three chapters were everything. Fail to entertain inside that window and most readers simply left — usually after calling the thing dead boring. So writers packed those opening chapters with whatever they thought would catch a reader's eye. Sometimes the gambit backfired, the story's spine snapping under the strain of a forced hook, and the whole novel collapsed into a mess. Seo Joo-cheon had wrecked a few of his own that way: greed outrunning structure, a plot that had never been properly built ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠in the first place.

And because those early pages belonged almost entirely to the protagonist's exploits, supporting characters were left with even colder leftovers than usual. After living as an extra inside his own story for a single day, he found he actually felt sorry for them.

If I were an extra, I'd curse the author out and hex him for good measure. Wait. Don't tell me the supporting characters from my own novels cursed me into this?

He was snickering at the idle thought when Ham Cheon-yeong approached, worry written plainly across his face.

"Big Brother, we'll handle things here. You should circulate your energy."

Ham Cheon-yeong had clearly decided that Seo Joo-cheon had pushed himself too far and was starting to come unglued. Seo Joo-cheon waved him off and composed his features into something serious again.

"Did you recover anything from the Three Evils of Luoyang?"

"Would you like to see it first?"

Ham Cheon-yeong spread the spoils in front of him. A martial arts manual, its title — Phoenix Wing Embracing Heaven Art — written in a magnificent hand; three money pouches of considerable weight; and a jade porcelain bottle about the size of a fist.

Seo Joo-cheon smiled.

He had it on him after all. I was worried Jeuk Hon might have stashed it somewhere else.

He hadn't ordered the Three Evils' belongings collected on a whim. He had written Jeuk Hon, the eldest of the three, as a man who obtained a Peak Realm martial art and a spiritual medicine and rose to First-Rate on the strength of both. That was as far as the setting went. He had never specified whether Jeuk Hon carried those treasures or where he kept them, and the omission had quietly worried him. Fortunately, Jeuk Hon's personality had not matched his bulk — the man was timid enough to keep his treasures close.

The Phoenix Wing Embracing Heaven Art was a previous master's ultimate technique, a comprehensive manual covering swordsmanship, footwork, movement arts, saber forms, and even hidden weapons. If the setting in ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Seo Joo-cheon's head had held, Jeuk Hon should have divided the art with his two younger brothers. The original design had all three becoming First-Rate after sharing both the martial art and the elixir. In this world, Jeuk Hon had hoarded everything for himself — which was precisely why they had been able to beat them.

A setting error had never been so welcome.

I'll take this kind of inconsistency any day. The fateful encounter meant for the Three Evils of Luoyang ends up in the hands of the Shaanxi Four Fiends.

Seo Joo-cheon turned to his sworn siblings.

"All of you, come closer. Third Brother — make sure no one is outside."

Dokgo Ho-in left the room, checked the corridor, and came back.

"The inn is busy right now. They're disposing of the bodies and cleaning up the wreckage."

"Good enough. Listen carefully. There is a great deal in this manual that you can use — saber techniques through hidden weapons, and the movement arts and footwork are Peak Realm methods. Copy every technique you need and each of you keep a copy. Finish it all by tomorrow morning."

Because the protagonist arrives at the inn tomorrow. Once he's here, there won't be time to sit and copy anything.

He delivered the order with a grave, solemn face, and his three sworn siblings only nodded.

Seo Joo-cheon popped the stopper on the jade bottle. A fragrance of herbs so rich it was almost sweet wrapped around them, clearing the mind at a single breath.

"This is…!"

No one needed to be told. A scent that dense, that clarifying — they all knew what it meant.

Seo Joo-cheon drew the fragrance in deeply, then spoke.

"If I had to guess, this is the liquid essence of Human-Shaped Snow Ginseng."

The smell alone couldn't have told him that, but his sworn siblings believed whatever their Big Brother said. He had never once deceived them.

He gave the jade bottle a gentle shake and went on.

"There's enough here for the four of us to share. Even split, each of us should gain at least half a Gapja of internal energy. Converting it into true inner power, though, will take time. Don't rush it. Circulate whenever you can and turn it into cultivated strength. Drink it now."

"Big Brother."

Ham Cheon-yeong's voice was low. Seo Joo-cheon looked up.

"We'll divide the martial arts manual and train from it. But this elixir should be yours alone."

"Why?"

"Watching your sword today, it seemed you'd just crossed the threshold of First-Rate. If anyone needs this medicine, it's you. With this much, you might even reach the Peak Realm."

Dokgo Ho-in nodded.

"I agree with Second Brother."

"Me too."

Kang Chu-mi lifted a hand in a ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠small, decisive gesture of assent.

There was not a shred of greed for the elixir in any of their eyes. What lived there was nothing but sincerity.

Once again, their loyalty warmed him through.

What kind of Unorthodox martial artists are these? I've said it before, but I really did write these characters well. I even set them to keep faith unto death. If I'd synchronized with the eldest of the Three Evils of Luoyang instead of the Shaanxi Four Fiends, I'd have been finished.

The image of Jeuk ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Hon's fleshy face rose unbidden — and with it, a realization.

Po Un's appearance is the spitting image of mine. Did I get synchronized with him because I based his looks on my own?

He had never understood why, of all people, he had landed in a supporting character — and an Unorthodox one at that. Now it almost made sense.

He drifted in the thought until the heat of their gazes yanked him back. Seo Joo-cheon shook his head.

"What meaning would there be in me reaching the Peak Realm, even the Transcendent Realm, alone? What I want is for all four of us brothers to grow strong and live well. This elder brother would far rather we all become First-Rate masters — men and women who never have to bow their pride to anyone. Haven't we had our fill of the humiliation of being Second-Rate?"

Ham Cheon-yeong looked at him with shining eyes.

"Big Brother."

Kang Chu-mi ducked her head, her voice catching.

The Big Brother who would not pick up a piece of meat until his younger siblings had eaten first. Who never slept until they were already in their beds. Who tended their wounds before his own. To the three of them, Po Un had been elder brother and older brother, father and mother besides. His face stayed cold as a rule, but they knew the place they occupied in his chest ran deeper than blood.

"You lot. It's nothing to get so emotional about. This elder brother is going to put you through far worse. Don't you dare refuse me then."

Dokgo Ho-in struck his chest with a fist.

"If Big Brother said we were going to hell, I'd follow. Don't say such a lonely thing."

"Hahaha. All right. We don't know what the future holds, so let's drink the elixir now. Swallowing it doesn't turn it into inner power on the spot. I'll say it again — you have to convert it through energy circulation whenever you have the time."

"Yes, Big Brother."

Seo Joo-cheon divided the Human-Shaped Snow Ginseng Liquid Essence among four small bowls.

"All of us, together."

The four of them drank at the same moment, then licked the bowls clean of every last drop.

Now that's realistic.

Watching his sworn siblings take the elixir, Seo Joo-cheon felt a deep, quiet satisfaction.

"Take turns circulating your energy."

"Yes, Big Brother."

"I'll look through this manual in the meantime."

While the three of them rotated through their energy circulation, Seo Joo-cheon read the Phoenix Wing Embracing Heaven Art. A warmth gathered in his dantian. Even without circulating, the elixir's energy was already seeping into every corner of his body.

Po Un has never taken an elixir this fine in his life. I'll feed you better ones still, Po Un. Just wait a little longer.

As if the body had heard him, a flush of heat rolled through Po Un's flesh.

The reason Seo Joo-cheon wanted to read the manual was to use his Fusion Creation ability. He had set the power so that inventing a new martial art from two existing ones required at least having read both. His plan was to fuse the White Serpent 72 Sword Art with the sword forms of the Phoenix Wing Embracing Heaven Art and forge something stronger.

Even I, the author, don't know what comes out when these two merge. I'm curious.

Originally, in Antagonist, fusing abilities produced a new one. What kind of martial art would be born from combining two sword arts in this world? The question genuinely interested him.

He worked through the sword forms recorded in the manual with care. When he finally lifted his head, Kang Chu-mi was the last one still seated in the lotus position. A Greater Heavenly Cycle took too long; she had likely circulated through a Lesser Heavenly Cycle instead.

Seo Joo-cheon passed the manual to Ham Cheon-yeong.

"Copy the parts you need."

"Yes, Big Brother."

Ham Cheon-yeong took out brush and ink and began to write.

Finish the copying tonight, then train the arts and convert the elixir's energy into inner power on the road to Xi'an with the protagonist. It all fits a little too neatly.

The plot was landing with such tidy convenience that even Seo Joo-cheon, the author, felt a twinge of embarrassment. Developments this perfectly timed reeked of authorial meddling — the kind of structure writers usually went out of their way to avoid. For his own sake, though, he would have taken something even more contrived.

Being the one living it and being the one writing it really are two different jobs.

He let the writer's daydream go and came back to the present.

The problem is running into a strong enemy before we actually get strong.

He had no plan for that part yet. Karma Missions were stories that ran outside his control, and they were hard to predict.

Am I going to have to lean on the protagonist after all?

He set the headache aside and activated Fusion Creation. In Antagonist, the trigger had been meditation. In this world, it would be energy circulation. If he circulated while holding both martial arts in his mind, a new school of the sword would be born.

Seo Joo-cheon settled into the lotus position. Ham Cheon-yeong turned to Dokgo Ho-in.

"Fourth Sister and Big Brother are circulating right now. No matter what happens, you don't let anyone in here."

"Yes, Second Brother."

Dokgo Ho-in stood guard more carefully than he ever had.

Then a commotion broke out in the inn, and Seo Joo-cheon frowned and opened his eyes. Curses, the sounds of a brawl, tables and chairs coming apart — there was no meditating through that. He sighed.

"This isn't going to work. I'll go outside and find somewhere quiet."

"Big Brother, why not wait until tomorrow?"

"No. Once I've decided, it's better to do it now."

Taking the chance while he had it would sit better with him.

"Second Brother, come with me."

"Yes, Big Brother."

Outside the inn, curfew had emptied the streets. The two of them headed for the woods.

"That spot should do."

Ham Cheon-yeong pointed to a reasonably dense stretch of forest.

"That'll work. Stand guard, Second Brother."

"Yes, Big Brother."

The moment Seo Joo-cheon tried to sink into meditation, the rain began.

"Well. Isn't that something."

He let out a helpless, incredulous laugh. The rain thickened into a hard, driving sheet. Ham Cheon-yeong looked just as nonplussed, then spotted the gate tower behind Seo Joo-cheon's head.

"Big Brother, let's try over there. A gate tower will keep the rain off."

"Let's."

They weren't kidding about never finding a thing the moment you actually needed it. There was no Guandi Temple in sight, not even a roadside shrine, and the only roof close enough to matter was the gate tower. They approached and found it attached to the village gate.

"Big Brother, the garrison soldiers have all withdrawn. You should be able to circulate here without being disturbed."

"Good."

This time, with nothing in the way, Seo Joo-cheon sank quietly into meditation and began Fusion Creation.

Thanks to Po Un, the energy circulation ran itself; Seo Joo-cheon barely had to think about it. The elixir's energy flowed through the body's lesser meridians and began, slowly, to gather in his dantian.

The spiritual energy in this Human-Shaped Snow Ginseng Liquid Essence is stronger than I expected. I just accumulated nearly ten years' worth of internal energy and there's still a great deal left in my body.

He had named it Human-Shaped Snow Ginseng Liquid Essence so readers would understand it at a glance. He had not, as the author, realized the medicine would be this potent in reality. In a word, it had been far too much elixir for the Three Evils of Luoyang.

Next time I write something, I need to assign spiritual medicines more carefully. You can't just slap any treasure onto a character and expect it to hold up.

He left the elixir's energy to accumulate along his meridians and turned his mind, in earnest, to the two martial arts.

Like a sleek serpent — the unrestrained, wandering forms of the White Serpent 72 Sword Art, the blade's tip tracing shapes that slipped between triangles and squares. And the sacred, wondrous current of a phoenix's sword, a blade that soared on colossal wings and seemed to fly beyond time and space itself.

The instant both sword arts stood clear in his mind, he imagined them becoming one. The two forms, hanging before him like holograms, flowed together, and the current of the blade changed into something strange and new. Light burst inside his skull, and letters branded themselves into his consciousness.

If he had been the one naming it, Seo Joo-cheon thought, he would never have chosen something so gaudy and childish. Divine Sword of Creation was a terrible name.

Then he read the explanation, and astonishment wiped the complaint away.

This sword art could govern time and space. And the forms themselves were simple.

The most staggering of the three was the Third Form, Future Time-Space. With only these three forms of the Divine Sword of Creation, a man would be invincible under heaven.

It felt as though the gods had taken pity on him for being this work's author and handed him a portion of the buffs meant for the protagonist.

Reading a little further, though, he found the familiar truth: great power came with great restriction. Time Dilation Authority could be used without One Gapja of internal energy, but its duration was short. It needed a full Gapja to function properly. Retrograde Time-Space required Two Gapja. Future Time-Space required Three.

None of this was his setting. There was no one to complain to.

Who even wrote this? If you don't have the internal energy, you might go your whole life without ever using the Second and Third Forms.

The thought made him angry.

Damn it. Is there not a single ability in this world you just get, no strings attached?

As a writer, you were supposed to avoid dumping unearned power on a character. As the person living it, that principle no longer mattered in the slightest.

Still, for now, being able to use Time Dilation Authority after obtaining One Gapja of internal energy was more than he had any right to expect. If he could wield even that one form freely, it would be a stronger force than mastering a Peak Realm martial art.

Stop time and space with Time Dilation Authority, then attack with the White Serpent sword and the Phoenix sword. No one would be able to stand against that.

He had not been in this world long, and already he held this much power. That alone was something to thank the heavens for.

Once I raise my internal energy and master all three forms of the Divine Sword of Creation, I won't even envy the protagonist.

The thought brought the smile back to his face.

At first he had simply been delighted that a time-related martial art had come out of the fusion. Once the glow faded, a suspicion surfaced.

Why a time art? Why the Divine Sword of Creation?

Puzzled, he glanced around the gate tower — and then he understood, a sound of recognition catching in his throat.

"Ah. That's why."

A water clock had been installed in the gate tower. In this era, the water clock measured the day's passage and announced the hours to the townsfolk.

I attempted Fusion Creation in a place with a water clock, so a time-related martial art — the Divine Sword of Creation — was born.

With that, he felt he had a decent grasp of how Fusion Creation actually worked.