Side Character Survival Guidelines Chapter 7
The next day, Zhu Jue and I met with that extra who is doing his job as best he could in the city. The extra is quite skilled, but running about on the roofs in complete black that is suited for the night is quite diss-worthy nonetheless. Though this is probably a fault of the author's and not of our innocent extra. He must look suspicious enough so that Zhu Jue will feel like chasing him down. While this action is kind of insulting to his intelligence but extra still does it. Now that I think about it it's quite respectable in a way too.
So we run outside of the city following after the extra who is dressed in complete blackness. He isn't running too quickly so we're not worried we'd lose him. I'm sure this extra is also well-versed in the Extra Survival Guidelines. There's quite a lot of unspoken rules and obligations in this world to be honest. There's side-characters, male deuteragonists, extras, mini-antagonist bosses, main antagonist boss series of Survival Guidelines and Shencun Guidelines… something weird got mixed in. The closer you are to the protagonist the more complicated the survival guide gets, and the more details it mandates. Though one point is consistent, that is no matter what, it is in service of the plot and the protagonist. If you went against the plot, you are likely to be eliminated by the principles. So most characters would obey them well. People like my master are the exception.
While thinking like that, Zhu Jue and I have gone all the way to the bottom of Mount Changchin. Then we follow him up the mountain like tsuntsuntsun~ Since we're following him from the back, I can see a stretch of his underpants exposed between his black pants and upper clothing. It is red in colour with white hearts all over it. Since it is way too eye-catching, I couldn't move my eyes away from it for the whole time. Our extra runs all the way to a clearing above a cliff halfway up the mountain, and salutes the empty air, “master!”
An exciting moment is here. The first boss in the early phases of the novel is going to appear! Due to the problem with updating schedules I don't know who they are yet, but settings-wise he is especially cool, imposing, wild, impressive and arrogant. And his s.e.xual preference seems to be… cough cough! This is probably a setting made up by the author as a fanservice. It's kind of like many authors of harems adding in two yuri characters in the harem to diversify the protagonist's harem. When that occurs in a harem, usually… neither female characters can make it out. But given it's not this kind of setting here, as our little Boss here is actually male, but appealing to is also a good way to attract readers of a certain demographic.
And then our 1.9m tall boss appears in front of me and Zhu Jue in a very stereotypical gay purple colour with a silver mask on his face. His upward-slanting eyes are narrowing, “what news have you got?”
“Icy Mountain Sect has sent their disciples for the investigation. Nothing else is out of the norm.”
Boss swipes his hand in the air, “how many are here?”
“Five.”
“Mm…” Our Boss thinks for a while, before suddenly pointing his sleeve in our direction. A mysterious force drags us out from behind the bushes at the same time and we crash onto the ground. The devilishly-handsome and wild boss chuckles with his eyes half-closed, “it will become 3 soon.”
I keep Zhu Jue to my back, since I'm higher ranked than him for now, it's my job to protect my junior disciple, not to mention he's the protagonist. Protagonists are important! But to be honest, he still has a shiny protagonist halo on him, so no matter how other characters die or get crippled, the protagonist will live on utilising his many lucky breaks while also having a chance to be further enhanced. It sure makes people envious when someone is treated so well like that. That said, while his rank is not as high as me, Zhu Jue probably doesn't need my protection at all. Now that I think about it it sure is depressing.
I look at our Boss here named Leng Muyu… Yes he is such a man with the devilishly-handsome and wild name. His eyes continue to be narrowed as he looks in our direction, his lips perk up lightly, “isn't there two of the rats right here?”
I feel… while this guy looked devilishly-handsome and wild, but something seems to be off somewhere. When I think about how most characters of this world have settings wildly different from their real selves, I feel this guy must be dumbly cute in reality, but it's just not showing up for now. I probe him, “can I ask for your name?”
This sentence is useless jargon like most dialogue. I've already learned of his name the moment the author updated.
“Is someone like you even worthy of knowing of my name?”
Yes I knew your name already.
He then says, “oh well, since you're going do die anyway, you might as well remember who killed you. Though even if you turn into ghosts, I'm sure you will not be able to avenge yourselves.”
He walks towards us in a devilishly-handsome and wild manner, then his devilishly-handsome and wild hand smacks onto… the bush next to my head.
He goes, “eh?”
I go, “?”
Zhu Jue goes, “o.o”
Leng Muyu changes his direction in a daze, before managing to put his hand onto my brain with his hand, “… oh, it's here.”
So our boss here is nearsighted. No wonder his gaze looked so unfocused.
He rubs my head and ruins my hairdo, making me a bit unhappy. My hair is long and it's troublesome to smooth it with a comb. Also, a man's head is not for others to rub. So I smack his hand away and stare at him. Boss still looks a bit displeased, saying, “it's not going to cost you anything to let me rub it.”
Though he retracts his hand dejected, “oh well, since you'll be dying here anyhow.”
Neither the author nor the plot will allow it, and I'm sure the antagonist here knows. He's probably running through his dialogue.
So antagonist waves his hand decisively, and Zhu Jue and I hug each other as we roll into a ball rolling down the cliff next to us. When I am feeling the weightlessness in the air I can see the boss. I can't tell his expression given he has a mask on, but he keeps looking at us in silence. I feel like he looks familiar in some sense.
Though I don't have time to think so much. While this cliff is not especially tall it's still quite a drop. I know Zhu Jue won't be dying given he's under the protection of the protagonist halo, but he will be hurt nonetheless. I hug Zhu Jue out of reflex since he's smaller than me. Now he's mostly stuck in my embrace, his big round eyes looking at me unblinkingly.
The fall is not going to be long, though, unlike in some novels where there would even be enough time for a love confession in the air, nor am I the female protagonist that needs that time. Speaking of which… falling down a cliff with the protagonist… isn't that usually the female lead's part? Why is it given to me this time?
But the protagonist who the author entrusted (?) to me must still be taken care of.
While thinking like that, we crash onto a small platform in the middle of the fall. There's a cave that just screams mysterious right next to us.
I know how this is the plot. You see, since the martial arts movie based on Jin Yong, there must be one such mysterious cave next to where protagonist fell. There will also be the life's work of some cultivator of the long past in it, maybe it's a secret technique, maybe it's a secret treasure, maybe it's a secret medicine, maybe all of the above. Anyway that predecessor went down a cliff and made such a hole before they died, and then they make all these disguises in front of the entrance, and then put all these traps inside, and then go die in the deepest corners of it. Their souls can't enter reincarnation either, and they will have to wait for the protagonist over here, perhaps they have an unfulfilled wish they need the protagonist for and for that reason they give all kinds of resources to them, and they have a certain chance to end up as the master of the protagonist. Given our protagonist already has a master (despite his unmasterly ways), this part might not be there. Now that I think about it, these predecessors of these cliffs have it hard as well. Though characters in this world all have their hardships, so it's not like anyone can laugh about anyone else, really.
Currently, the protagonist and I have landed right on top of such a cave. Unfortunately, my landing has failed and my left leg has probably snapped, and there's blood all over the place, making me a bit disgusted. Zhu Jue also reacts, looking at my leg in shock after climbing back up from me. In terms of the plot, he should have been hurt by now, but now the wounds have landed onto me instead. He only has scratches on him. Given the problems with my wounds, I think I'm unable to walk now. I thought for a moment before telling Zhu Jue, “can you enter the hole alone?”
“Shixiong?”
I point to my leg, saying, “I can't go in with you now.” It actually hurts a lot. I can't help but sound like gasping for air while tlaking.
Zhu Jue says immediately, “no! I can't leave you here!”
Why are you still acting like a saint in this situation? Go and pilfer whatever the predecessors left for you, maybe there's a secret medicine in there.
But I can't say that out loud right now, so I look at Zhu Jue with dead-fish eyes. So Zhu Jue says, almost sounding as if crying, “… but…”
“No buts. You won't abandon me here, will you?”
“No, I won't, but I'll worry…”
“Do you think there's any possibility of us leaving here besides using this cave?” Don't talk about flying with a sword. Since there has been a traffic accident when I lent mine to 77 and 77 was ok but the sword broke in half. Now we don't have any options for travelling, not to mention Zhu Jue doesn't even know how to fly.
The protagonist lowers his head thinking for a moment, before raising his head again, “I'll carry you!”
“Ah?”
“I'll carry you inside; I won't leave you here.”
After saying that the protagonist resolutely carries me on his back.
“… Um, Jue?”
“Mm?”
“I think I can still work this out?”
“… What?”
“If you don't stop the bleeding I'm going to faint…” due to anaemia.
Author's notes: Side Character Shencun Guidelines:
The first time is given to the protagonist's hand;
the second time is given to the protagonist's mouth;
the third time is together with the protagonist.
Whether the hole needs to be sacrificed depends on the Top and Bottom settings.
The last time before death is dedicated to the protagonist;
the last time or for more times after that after death is dedicated to the protagonist in accordance with how perverted they are;
no matter how many times there are they must all be dedicated to the protagonist.
TL's notes: The novel is already half-finished! Oh, don't worry, as far as I can recall this novel does have proper closure.