The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

To be honest, the atmosphere had greatly affected me.

It had been over a year since I first roamed this world as a starving, homeless barbarian.

In such a world, when someone declared they would protect me, I think a sense of relief washed over me without my realizing it.

“Follow me quietly. If you scream, it won’t be fun.”

Yoon Daehyeop pressed me with a fierce face.

Should I scream and make it uninteresting?

Kieeeek! If I screamed like the symbol of the Heavenly Horse, people would pay attention.

Of course, if I did that, I didn’t know what Yoon Daehyeop, who was holding my shoulder now, would do. Even if he stepped back, he might reappear before me at any time.

Then I should be prepared. Nursing old grudges in my heart was more vicious than fights that arose from minor disputes.

It would be fine if the Heavenly Death Star were around, but if he appeared when she wasn’t, I could end up worse off than if I just followed him now.

“May I ask what this is about?”

“You should know without asking.”

Yoon Daehyeop tightened his grip on my shoulder. Ouch! If this continued, it would be like the second season of Cheongsapa. I quickly looked for the Heavenly Death Star to ask for help.

Where had she gone? She said she would be my guard.

“Don’t scream for help. If things escalate, you’ll be the only one at a loss.”

There was a faint murderous intent in Yoon Daehyeop’s words.

“Understood.”

Has something happened to the Heavenly Death Star?

“The storyteller is going with Yoon Daehyeop.”

“Is it because of the money he just got swindled?”

“I don’t know what mischief he’s up to.”

“Ah. But Changgeomun is a righteous faction, right?”

Although a few people were secretly watching the situation, nobody actively intervened.

I decided to follow Yoon Daehyeop for now.

The place Yoon whatever-his-name-was took me was a deserted alley.

“I won’t talk long. I have my dignity too. Hand over all of today’s earnings, and I’ll overlook your rudeness.”

Yoon Daehyeop said, crossing his arms.

I thought he would immediately draw his sword, but this was unexpected.

Was it because I had the worst image of this guy? Among those who tried to rob me, he was relatively gentlemanly.

Did that signify what being from a righteous faction entailed?

Judging by his actions, he was definitely not someone deserving of the title Daehyeop, but he seemed to care a lot about his reputation, even considering those around him.

Of course, he was still a conscienceless jerk trying to rob me of all my money.

Normally, I would have had to lie flat and hand over the money, but now it was a situation worth showing some backbone.

“No! Yoon Daehyeop. That money is my daily wage for today. Are you trying to rob me like a common bandit?”

‘You’re from a righteous faction. I’m a civilian. Is it right for someone from a righteous faction to rob a civilian?’

“I understand why you did this to me today. If you were simply begging for money, I would have dismissed it as a barbarian’s whining. But how dare you make a mockery of me?”

Oh, that’s scary.

Clearly, being called to the stage and ridiculed was quite humiliating for him.

“Mockery? Your sword dance was truly wonderful. I was surprised, as were the audience and Yoon Daehyeop.”

“That’s due to my superior swordsmanship, but it doesn’t change the fact that you mocked me.”

He shamelessly polished his own image.

“If you didn’t like it, you should have just left.”

I gazed at Yoon Daehyeop with incredulity.

“Ha! What? Are you claiming this was my fault?”

Yoon whatever-his-name-was chuckled lightly at my attitude.

“Yoon Daehyeop. Since you’re skilled in swordsmanship, let’s use a swordsmanship analogy. If your opponent in a life-and-death duel attacks you with the same move twice, would you let it hit you a third time?”

What occurs once may not happen again. But what occurs twice may happen a third time. That’s common sense in combat.

“Twice might make it familiar to the eye. The third time, it won’t work.”

Some people do fall for it a third time, though.

“What if there’s a martial artist who keeps falling for it the third and even the fourth time?”

“Humph! In this martial world, such a pathetic warrior doesn’t deserve to live.”

Yoon whatever-his-name-is laughed and shook his head from side to side, imagining such a pathetic martial artist.

“In the Storyteller’s art, deception is like a martial artist’s duel of life and death. I gamble my livelihood on it every day before my audience. If there’s someone who keeps falling for the same trick without making an effort to learn, of course, I’ll go back to that person.”

That pathetic martial artist was you, you fool.

“So it’s my fault for continuously falling for it. Is that what you’re saying?”

Yoon whatever-his-name-is grasped the essence of my statement and frowned.

“The Storyteller’s tale isn’t free. I properly received payment for the story I told. If I refund the money under such a threat, who would pay for the Storyteller’s tales?”

‘We lend our sword at a fair price after payment is made.’

‘My sword is the property of our faction. If I give away my sword for nothing, who will pay for our faction’s swords?’

Those were the words I had heard that day. The more I thought about them, the angrier I became.

I threw those very words back at Yoon Daehyeop.

“Hahaha! You’re throwing my own words back at me? I see now! I must have really offended you, you barbarian.”

Yoon whatever-his-name-is laughed uproariously, his mirth echoing through the alley. But his eyes weren’t smiling.

“Hey, barbarian.”

After his laughter subsided, Yoon whatever-his-name-is instantly became serious and lowered his voice.

“Yes.”

Breathing became difficult. Was this the murderous intent of a martial artist?

“Am I a joke to you?”

Yoon whatever-his-name-is took a step toward me. It was only one step, but it felt as oppressive as standing before a judge in the underworld.

Yoon whatever-his-name-was’s hand, previously crossed in his arms, now rested at his waist. It seemed he was ready to draw his sword.

“Yoon Daehyeop. You claimed that as a member of the righteous faction, you wouldn’t swing your sword at commoners. Are you about to swing your sword at a commoner now?”

Just as a person without a driving license was automatically excluded from discussions about who would drive during a summer vacation with friends, someone from a righteous faction should not brandish a sword at commoners.

That was the bare minimum standard.

And I was not a martial artist.

In this cursed martial arts world, my weakness could be used as a strength here.

“Why are commoners called ‘mincho’ (民草)? Because, like grass that is trampled, they remain silent. Have you ever seen grass seeking revenge?”

“I haven’t.”

Even the proverb ‘결초보은’ (returning a favor for tying grass) suggested that someone else tied the grass.

“The moment a commoner seeks revenge on a martial artist, they are no longer merely a commoner. They have entered the martial world. And you sought revenge on me today. Are you still just a simple commoner?”

I found myself momentarily speechless at his logic, not because it was absurd.

On the contrary, it was a flawless argument.

When does the protagonist of a martial arts novel, who has lost their parents to a martial artist, become a martial artist? Was it when they learned martial arts or stepped into the Jianghu? Neither.

Even without even a trace of internal energy, the moment they decided to seek revenge on a martial artist, they became one.

Though I claimed to be a commoner, in Yoon Daehyeop’s eyes, I appeared as a martial artist who had brandished the blade of revenge against him.

“Yoon Daehyeop. Just as you rightfully disregarded my misfortune that day, today I also did what I had to do, and rightfully so.”

With a serious demeanor, I spoke to Yoon Daehyeop, my expression firm.

Of course, the action I took today to make him look foolish was indeed revenge. But if Yoon Daehyeop considered my actions as revenge, then he must also acknowledge one thing.

What he did that day constituted an injustice, something a member of a righteous faction should never do. If he admits this, then it’s acceptable to call my actions today revenge.

But he claimed what happened that day was right. Therefore, my actions today as the Storyteller were also justified.

“Interesting logic. Alright! What I did that day was right, and what you did today could be right as well. Then, according to your reasoning, it’s not revenge.”

“So then…”

“But you know, if you’re going to make such a claim, you should at least have some strength to back it up. Do you think I’m an easy target, always listening to your nonsense? Do you believe that by spewing such words, you’ll make me forgive you for making a fool of me?”

Ultimately, it was about power. No matter how sharp a three-inch tongue may be, it could still be severed by a sword.

He couldn’t counter the logic, so he simply chose to take offense. Yeah, that’s easier.

Yoon Daehyeop grasped the scabbard of the sword in its sheath.

Was he actually going to draw it?

“Yoon Daehyeop. Only your pride is wounded, but until this moment, we’ve both been acting rightly, so there is no grudge (恩怨) between us. If my words have upset you, I apologize. But if you draw that sword, then today, a real grudge will be born.”

I extended an apology, a daring one from someone weaker.

Be satisfied with just that.

“Ha ha! You claim you’re more than a commoner, and you think you’ve ascended to the ranks of true martial artists? How preposterous, for someone of your stature to lecture me!”

He was not willing to accept the ultimatum.

Yoon Daehyeop’s grip on the sword tightened. The moment he drew the blade, the neck that had asked me about my morning would curse me for spouting platitudes.

But that did not happen.

It absolutely could not happen.

“Stop.”

Unbeknownst to Yoon Daehyeop, Sohee had been behind him from the start.

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