I dragged my aching body back to the crumbling shack.
I tossed aside my soaked, heavy clothes carelessly. The old garments had become rags, soaked, torn, and filthy from the rain.
Next time I run into Mr. Wang, I should probably ask him for more old clothes.
Good thing I kept my Joseon outfit separate. It’s the only expensive piece I have. I left it at Mr. Wang’s fabric shop, and who knew it would come in handy in a situation like this?
I wiped my body roughly and laid down on the makeshift bed made of straw.
My body was screaming in pain, but my mind was clearer than ever. Is this what they mean when they say a person becomes stronger in the face of hope?
“Ending Condition”
I cried out in hope.
[Ending Condition: Capture the True Heroine.]
The green window that appeared before my eyes clearly stated the ending condition in Hangul. How long has it been since I saw Hangul? They say you shed tears for hometown food when living away from home. Just seeing Hangul moved me to the point of tears.
“Status Window, Status, System”
There was no reaction whatsoever. As expected, it only reacted to the words “ending condition.”
“Right, you’re just saying you won’t tell me how to get out of this world. I’m really, truly grateful.” sniffle
I gazed up at the leaking ceiling. Did my sarcastic words escape through that gap? I hope my taunting reached the heavens.
“To capture the true heroine, huh? This is really too much for an ending condition.”
I couldn’t help but laugh in disbelief.
True heroine. 眞 히로인. The real heroine.
In harem manga or novels, they fight over who is the true main wife, using the term true heroine. However, in dating sims, the meaning of true heroine is a bit different.
“Is there a hidden heroine?”
When the term true heroine is used in dating sims, it usually refers to a hidden heroine.
The creators market the title heroine as the representative of the work, attempting to sell the dating sim.
Even if gamers clear the title heroine, it often leads them to start a second playthrough to try and capture other heroines.
However, when trying out the game multiple times, players may discover unexpected heroines with hidden backstories or twists.
In fact, some characters might have deeper and more fulfilling stories than the title heroine.
Such characters are called true heroines.
“Aren’t there supposed to be two heroines?”
Certainly, attractive female characters would appear, even if they aren’t strictly heroines in the story. Is there a true heroine among those characters?
“But it’s not like the term true heroine is only used that way.”
There can be a true heroine even in a game with only two heroines.
If one character has too high an unlikability score, in that case, the other heroine can be seen as the true heroine.
“If someone asked who is unlikable, honestly, I’d say both.”
One’s a princess yelling “Save me!” and the other decimates her husband’s family just because she doesn’t want to get married.
But the problem is, they’re both so ridiculously beautiful that it evens out. As dating sim heroines, neither passes.
So, is it really a case of unlikability?
There’s another case where a character is considered to be the true heroine.
There might be only two heroines in the game, but if a character has a well-developed storyline, that character is called the true heroine.
“How am I supposed to know who has the significant story?”
I’ve only cleared the princess’s storyline. I haven’t cleared Murong Sang-a’s storyline. Damn this world.
It’s true I wasn’t fond of the princess’s story. However, I can’t definitively say that Murong Sang-a is the true heroine. I can’t compare since I haven’t cleared it.
“If Murong Sang-a is the true heroine, that’s a problem.”
Let’s say she suddenly appears after I’ve played dead perfectly.
“Ha ha ha. Surprise! I was actually alive all this time! Care to watch the true heroine ending with me?”
What kind of reaction would that elicit?
Would I shake with betrayal asking why she deceived me? In the worst case, she might say she won’t return my stuff and bury me right there. When someone who’s supposed to have broken up with me suddenly reappears, who knows what would happen.
Plus, I’m still a barbarian in Joseon.
When I return to the Murong Family, Murong Bi might capture me and send me to Joseon along with Murong Sang-a. I’d get my head chopped off, and Murong Sang-a would be sold as a slave under the pretense of concealing my death.
Even if Murong Sang-a is the true heroine, I can’t return to the Murong Family right now.
“The princess might be the true heroine, Murong Sang-a could be the true heroine, or even a third person might be the true heroine. What the hell am I supposed to do? Ugh.”
My mind was spiraling, and my battered body screamed out again. The bones were thankfully unbroken, so there’s that. Tonae Technique has its perks.
Even if I find out who the true heroine is, it’s still a problem.
Who would fall for a black-haired barbarian with nothing to his name?
“I can find the true heroine, but I have no way to approach her. How am I supposed to win over a heroine?”
First, I suppose I’d make her fall for me. If she loves me, will that be the end?
Nope. There’s a high chance I’d have to proceed with additional storylines. Since it’s about capturing the true heroine. Can I even do that right now?
This situation is frustrating.
My body aches, and my mind is hazy.
Hope is given, but the answer is scattered in the maze.
I’ve had enough. Let’s just sleep.
I’ll wake up and recover my body using the Tonae Technique and come to a conclusion.
I set aside my worries and lay down to rest, comforting my aching body.
—————————————–
“Hey, what happened to your eyes? Why do you look like a beggar?”
At Mr. Wang’s fabric shop. After three straight days of sleep and using the Tonae Technique to recover, I came here.
“I ran into some Cheon Sal-pa punks on the way back that day.”
“Geez, they were saying the lead guy hadn’t shown up for three whole days. So that’s what happened. Any broken bones or stabbed spots?”
“No. Just a bit swollen, but I’m mostly recovered.”
“Thank goodness for that. After the previous lead got stabbed and died, the officials were stirring up the marketplace like crazy.”
“Yeah, they didn’t use swords for some reason.”
Whether it was because of Yoon Dae-hyeop’s one remark or from the officials, I have no idea. The only silver lining is that the Cheon Sal-pa didn’t use swords.
“Glad it ended there. You must not have eaten properly for a few days, right?”
Mr. Wang gestured towards the food he had set aside in the shop.
“Looks like you ordered lunch.”
Though the sun had risen for a bit, it wasn’t lunchtime yet.
If you could spare me some lunch to take, I’d appreciate it. I definitely felt hunger after not having eaten properly for three days.
“I’m not having lunch. Just my usual brunch.”
“……Pardon?”
What did he say? I became momentarily dazed by the unexpected term.
“Don’t you know brunch? You eat between breakfast and lunch.”
“Isn’t that commonly called a late breakfast?”
Can’t we compromise with at least calling it a late breakfast?
“Late breakfast? Sure, who uses that term anymore? This friend, you’re speaking well but using old Joseon terms.”
“Ha ha… I didn’t learn the word brunch when I studied the language of Central Plains in Joseon.”
With the dozens of martial arts novels I’ve read, where the heck did the word brunch come from?
“Anyway, there’s a tavern just ahead. They have a brunch time sale, which means they sell breakfast leftovers at a discount for lunch. I ordered a lot since I’ve been busy during lunchtime. Come in and eat together.”
Mr. Wang waved for me to enter his fabric shop.
“Yes, I’ll be grateful for the meal.”
Sure, brunch or time sale, what does it matter? Free food is the best.
————————————-
“So, does that mean we’re starting on the lead’s work today? Can you hand me the old robes together?”
After finishing the meal, Mr. Wang handed me the old clothes he had.
“I don’t think I can work for a while, Mr. Wang. Would it be possible to introduce me to a paper shop you’re familiar with?”
“A paper shop? Do you need to buy some paper?”
“Yes, I need to purchase some recycled paper and writing tools.”
Recycled paper means low-quality paper. While it’s cheaper, it’s not as good as regular paper.
“What do you need recycled paper for?”
“I’m thinking of writing a book.”
That was the conclusion I had drawn over the past three days.
I don’t know who the true heroine is, nor do I know how to approach her. But when the ending condition window popped up, a message appeared.
[You have achieved the minimum reputation score. The ending condition is now open.]
Reputation score and money score.
These are the scores I need to achieve to approach the princess and Murong Sang-a in the story. One of the reasons I cursed this game was because of this.
What happens if the protagonist clears the main story with the princess without caring about the reputation score?
She leaves the protagonist. Then she marries another man with a higher reputation score.
Seriously, how can it be that you look at someone so affectionately and just disappear?
I would understand it if a low reputation score closed off the main story. But how can they progress the main story regardless of the reputation score, only with the endings differing?
She even sent wedding invitations to the protagonist.
What a typical kick to the gut.
But since I fell into this world, that fact became a source of hope.
Even though I don’t know who the true heroine is, even in the second playthrough, the game UI won’t change. So, the importance of these scores for seeing the ending doesn’t change.
Searching for the true heroine feels so vague. How am I supposed to find out who the true heroine is in this vast Central Plains? But money and reputation, those aren’t ambiguous.
Even if I don’t find the true heroine, if I accumulate money and reputation, she will surely come to find me someday.
“A book? Are you trying to write a storybook?”
“Yes, I want to try writing a storybook.”
Even if I travel around the country as a storyteller, I’d only be a lead that’s somewhat acclaimed by the county or province.
Would that be enough to rake in the reputation score needed to capture the true heroine?
I have no idea. The only thing I’m certain of is that no martial arts novel calls a mere storyteller renowned, even surpassing the greatest swordsmen or martial arts leaders.
“A Joseon storyteller writing a storybook… I’m indeed curious.”
After much thought, the conclusion circled back to a novel.
Of course, that doesn’t change the fact that I can’t make money right away from writing a book.
But isn’t reputation different?
These stories in this world are hard and lack fun. Most of them are either biographies of great figures or written for moral lessons.
Once a book becomes popular, it will spread widely on its own. My reputation can resonate from my place.
I’ll build my reputation and wealth through a novel.
And thus, the true heroine will arrive.
Currently, that’s the only attempt I can make to capture the true heroine.
“Yes, if I write well, I’ll show it to you.”
“Okay. If you go out of the fabric shop and head right, there’s a paper shop run by Yang family. If you say I introduced you, they’ll give you a discount.”
“Yes, thank you.”
I thanked Mr. Wang and left the fabric shop.
————————————-
“I’ve scraped together every last bit, and this is all I got?”
Using Mr. Wang’s introduction, my negotiation skills, and the money I had buried in the corner of the shack.
All I managed to get was this suspicious looking paper – I couldn’t tell if it was food or just junk. Not even enough to buy recycled paper, ending up with this inferior recycled paper infused with weeds.
A brush on the verge of falling apart. I even had to use a random stone to grind since I couldn’t find an inkstone.
“Looks like I can barely make one book.”
This yellowish, poor-quality paper. The residue is abundant, and the ink is pale.
That’s all it takes to create a single book.
With that, I’d gain fame throughout the country?
A smirk escaped me.
I know it’s a foolish thing to do.
I’m aware I’m a fool blindly following a flickering light in the pitch-black darkness.
Even though I’ve crossed into this world, it’s still a solid reality.
And I seriously think I can raise my reputation from just writing a single book? If someone up there is watching me, they must be laughing.
But right now, I just want to cling to this small hope.
Living without hope isn’t living; it’s decaying away.
I don’t want to rot away in this world.
This irrational act seems to give me hope.
Just like how I found solace in writing webnovels after being exhausted from my job.
I write to avoid rotting.
The words I pour out in search of hope in this thrown-away world.
So, what should I write to find hope in this world?
“Let’s write a martial arts novel.”
A martial arts dating sim world without any real martial spirit.
The towering peak of martial arts.
A Mount Wu protagonist.
The theme is.
“What is Martial Spirit?”
