The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel

I must become famous through my writing.

Whether to survive in this world or to save the heroine from her cursed fate, I ultimately needed to build up fame and funds.

“Is it because I’m so worried that I’m having such bizarre dreams?”

Early in the morning, as I sat on the bed washing my face, I talked to myself.

I dreamt of eating all sorts of delicacies prepared for me in a familiar room that seemed familiar, as if I had seen it somewhere during the night.

To have such a meal in that kind of room, how much mediation work would I need to do? Did I dream such a bizarre dream because I’m so worried and only eating tasteless hospital food that I’ve got holes in my body?

I felt like I saw something other than food, but it’s just a bizarre dream anyway. It’s a waste to think about it for too long.

A month has passed since I parted ways with Sohee.

Finally, my body has recovered to normal, and I have no trouble moving. Now, I should get out of bed and start writing.

What kind of novel should I write to become famous?

“Should I write more of ‘The Tale of Martial Heroes’?”

The first novel I wrote in this world was The Tale of Martial Heroes.

Of course, there were other works I boasted as a writer in this world, such as the collection of Joseon folktales, the conduct of Joseon women, and the fake diary, but ‘The Tale of Martial Heroes’ was the only one I could call a novel as a web novel writer.

What is a martial arts hero? My first martial arts novel was built under the pillar of martial arts fiction.

Maybe I should rewrite that novel.

Not with poor materials as before, but with stiff, clean paper and good ink so that it’s obviously a new release at a glance.

“Let’s give up on ‘The Tale of Martial Heroes’ for now.”

I thought about it for a moment, but I must put aside my attachment. I’ve confirmed it in Chilgok County, but stories of martial artists are not such a major genre in this world.

I was not lacking confidence in my writing, but if it’s really such an unpopular genre, even if I wrote a sequel, it might only appeal to a niche audience, filled with brick-sized text like some hardcore fantasy novels in real life.

It’s not that it wasn’t fun, but it became like furniture that’s just left in one corner of the house because it’s hard to read casually.

“Copying is also a problem.”

Even rewriting ‘The Tale of Martial Heroes’ posed problems. After writing the book, I needed to make copies.

It might take a long time to become famous with just one book, but if I sold several books in stores and one or two become popular, I should quickly gain fame.

Copying by hand was hard labor. It was tough and time-consuming to copy the writings of famous authors on a computer to improve my writing skills, but here, I had to do it all by hand.

Writing a book and copying at least about 30 books by myself was an enormous effort and a time-consuming task.

What if the copied books failed?

The time spent writing the book, the time to make copies, the cost of the ink used in the book, and the living expenses while writing all become a total waste of time and money.

Just thinking about it is horrifying. The effort of getting ink on my sleeves all for nothing.

In the end, I must write a book that can surely become a hit once it’s written.

“Let’s just start writing.”

A novel that can definitely make me famous, even if I have to redo it several times. I began grinding ink to write such a novel.

“Master! This is serious!”

As I was about to write a novel, a man who managed the safehouse in place of Sohee burst through the door.

He was quite a familiar face, having brought and applied medicine in place of Sohee.

“What’s the matter?”

“Pack your belongings and leave by tomorrow!”

“What? What do you mean?”

“I’ve received urgent news from the headquarters!”

Were they ordering me to be kicked out of the Salmaek?

“Could it be that they’re asking me to leave because I’m not part of the Salmaek? I’m Kang Yun-ho. I have a sibling-like relationship with the Heavenly Death Star. Didn’t Sohee make sure to inform them before she left?”

In fact, it’s not that they hadn’t hinted at it before. But they hadn’t kicked me out harshly since I needed to recover. Now that I seem recovered, are they trying to kick me out?

I must resist.

It’s a free stay; I can’t leave easily.

“I understand. So, we’ve allowed you to stay here for over a month and even treated you, haven’t we?”

“Then why are you doing this?”

“That’s because… as of today, the lease for the safehouse has ended.”

“The lease?”

Here’s what happened.

The Salmaek didn’t buy the property in Daehung County because it wasn’t a place where assassination jobs were frequent but rather just leased it. They thought the lease would be renewed and didn’t worry, but suddenly, there was a redevelopment boom in Daehung County.

The Salmaek decided to withdraw because the lease price increased, and it was difficult to find another property nearby.

“Is it impossible to extend it for another month?”

“If you want to extend it for a month, would you be willing to pay this price?”

The man from the Salmaek showed me the document with the cost of a one-month extension.

“Wow. I guess I have to leave.”

With this amount of money, I could stay in a decent business hotel with good value for two months.

“I’m sorry about this.”

“No, it’s okay. I’ll just move to a nearby inn or something.”

I didn’t want to spend money on accommodation, but I had enough to stay at an inn.

“Once you pack your belongings tomorrow, don’t just go to a nearby inn; leave Daehung County.”

The man from the Salmaek advised me seriously.

“Why? Can’t I just stay in Daehung County?”

“The Murim Alliance has dispatched an investigation team for the Sung family incident. If the storyteller present there comes to the attention of the Murim Alliance’s investigation team, it could become troublesome. It’s better to leave Daehung County.”

“Then I’ll do just that.”

The next day, I finished packing my belongings and prepared to leave the safehouse of the Salmaek.

“If you find a place to settle down for a long time, come to Salmaek.”

The manager of the safehouse explained in detail how to contact the Salmaek branch.

“I don’t think I’ll need to ask someone to kill for me.”

“Ha-ha! That’s not it. It’s so that Number 5 knows where you’re living.”

“I’ll keep that in mind then.”

I thought Sohee wouldn’t know where I lived until I became famous, but if there’s such a way, it couldn’t be better.

“Now that we’re parting, let me give you one piece of life advice.”

The manager of the safehouse, like a boss who suddenly got serious about life during a drinking session, told me,

“Yes, I’ll take it to heart.”

“There’s no such thing as marriage leave or retirement in the Salmaek.”

“That must be tough.”

The Salmaek, with its need to lease and all, seemed to be a surprisingly good small enterprise. Perhaps it’s a family-like good small business because the people are nice.

“But there is retirement due to pregnancy, so keep that in mind.”

“Excuse me?”

“If you’re determined, don’t worry about the process or procedures and just go for it. Got it?”

The manager patted my shoulder a few times as if to encourage me, then disappeared.

Well, I roughly got what he’s saying, but we’re not quite there yet.

I left Daehung County and, after traveling for ten days with a merchant caravan, arrived in another county.

“Welcome!”

As I entered the inn for a meal, a server greeted me.

“What’s good and cheap to eat here?”

If this were a martial arts novel, I might have opted for noodles and dumplings. Since each inn boasts its own specialty, inquiring can be a hassle.

“Pork stir-fry and pork cutlet are our best sellers!”

Indeed, in the martial arts world, pork stir-fry and pork cutlets reign supreme.

Could there possibly be an inn that specializes in noodles, dumplings, and bamboo leaf liquor?

“How much?”

Thinking positively, my luck in selecting inns seemed fortuitous. The inn’s specialties aligned with the two dishes that office workers adored.

“Pork stir-fry is 35 copper coins! Pork cutlet is 40 copper coins!”

Back in Chilgok County, a robust hangover soup brimming with broth and meat cost 30 copper coins, which made the prices here seem steep. Thus, the best value for money here was likely soup with rice.

“Pork stir-fry. I’ll have one.”

“Yes. That will be 35 copper coins upfront.”

I retrieved the money from my purse, paid, and settled into a chair.

Ten days have elapsed.

While practicing martial arts has indeed enhanced my physical strength to roughly Kang Yun-ho + 2 levels, a ten-day trek remained draining.

Having traveled this far from Daehung County, I should no longer face any troublesome matters related to the Sung family incident.

Perhaps it’s time to cease my travels and consider settling here to write for an extended period.

“Your pork stir-fry is ready!”

Lost in thought, I hadn’t noticed the server bringing over the pork stir-fry.

That was swift. The true essence of pork stir-fry lies in its quick serving time. However, there was something peculiar about the pork stir-fry placed before me.

“Server, it appears there’s been a mix-up with the order?”

Fortunately, it wasn’t the debacle of needing to order rice separately when trying pork stir-fry at a new establishment.

I sometimes think that places not serving rice with pork stir-fry should be noted down somewhere. It’s ridiculous to order pork stir-fry, thinking the price was reasonable, only to find out rice cost extra.

This inn’s pork stir-fry came with both rice and pork, but there was something I hadn’t ordered.

“Ah! Are you talking about the fried egg?”

“Yeah. I didn’t order this.”

“This is a service we offer to first-time visitors or regulars at our inn!”

“Ah… a service.”

I barely managed to suppress the urge to facepalm.

I tried not to nitpick about the food since I’m used to it, but they use the term “service” in this world too. Ha. Really. Service in a martial arts setting.

“Enjoy your meal and please order again if you like it!”

The server cheerfully said goodbye and went back to their spot.

I brought my chopsticks to the food with a bemused expression.

Today’s meal.

Pork stir-fry in a martial arts visual novel.

Smoky and delicious.

I felt like writing “Would repurchase” in a review.

“It’s been a week since your room payment is overdue! When will you pay?”

“I said I’ll pay!”

“The people you were traveling with have all disappeared, and you’ve been alone for more than a week now. Are you really going to pay?”

After a satisfying meal, sitting back with a glass of water, I heard a man and a woman arguing upstairs.

The woman must be behind on her room payment.

Having been late on rent during my college days, I know that feeling.

Waiting another week for my part-time job pay while avoiding the landlady to avoid awkwardness, either working part-time or studying in the library and only returning to my room late at night.

“Pay now! Where’s your purse?”

“Don’t touch my clothes!”

“What, what the! This woman. Why is her skin color like this? Shit! Is she infected with a plague?”

“What! That woman!”

People upstairs were rapidly becoming agitated.

“What. Someone infected with a contagious disease is staying at the inn?”

I was content with my meal and had been contemplating a long-term stay to write at this inn, but it seems I’ll have to reconsider. Someone infected with a plague, coughing at this very moment? I need to leave before I hear any more.

I quickly rose to depart and glanced toward the source of the disturbance.

The inn was shaped like a ‘ㅁ’, with the middle open to the sky, making it easy to locate the cause of the uproar.

I noticed a group of men crowded on one side and a woman with a look of injustice, bowing her head.

Huh? That’s her.

“Shit. I said it’s not contagious…”

Purple hair parted down the middle. Sharp eyes. A rebellious appearance. A different skin tone beginning from the lower jaw.

The woman I had encountered by chance at the Sung family event.

A character from a martial arts visual novel.

Unmistakably hers. Tang Hwarin.

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