The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel-Chapter 238: Bidding - 1

A bank balance is a working man’s stamina.

Unless you’re into some masochistic playstyle, no one goes running into boss fights with 1 HP.

One day, you might get struck by some random major illness and have to cough up the treatment bill. Or you’ll need to go to the dentist—something that used to be scary as a kid, but now scares you because of the cost.

Your salary increases in a slow arithmetic progression, but housing prices rise exponentially. So you have to set money aside for your next move.

And on top of that, one day you might be hit with a surprise limited-time gacha rush. Please, future me, I beg you. Curse you, past me. You’ll end up screaming and spending anyway.

If you’re responsible for your own life now, you need to always maintain that stamina bar called a bank balance—just in case.

I opened the ledger in the attic drawer.

Back when money just brushed against my account before disappearing into debt payments—those days were still fresh. But compared to the early days of Daseogak, my current stamina stat was looking pretty solid on paper.

The problem? A printing press is a massive, heavy-hitting expense. A full-on critical hit to the knees.

“If I want to expand, I need to open a Daseogak branch.”

Just because I published one novel doesn’t mean the Nine Sects cheer, the Unorthodox Sects tremble, and the Demonic Sect panics overnight.

Hubei Province alone is twice the size of South Korea—and it’s just one of many similar-sized administrative regions in the Central Plains. You’d run out of fingers and toes trying to count them all.

If I want to become famous, it’s not enough to toss one book into the Central Plains—I have to expand the branches and spread Storm of the Tang Clan through them.

“First step, set up a print shop.”

Instead of just ordering pre-cast lead alloy types, I’ll make them myself and keep the press running non-stop with a proper, professional printing facility.

“If I set up a print shop in Yichang, I can launch Daseogak branches all along the Yangtze River and expand my reach.”

Yichang is the second-largest city in Hubei and sits along the Yangtze’s current. And the Yangtze connects not just to Sichuan, Hubei, Anhui, and Jiangsu—but also influences the whole southern region.

I’ll launch branches along the Yangtze and only let them sell books produced at my own print shop.

Like a franchise HQ supplying raw materials to its branches, I’ll secure direct control over the network. I can even supply labor through the work-study program.

A bank balance is a working man’s stamina.

For an average office worker, it’s best to stay healthy and maintain that stamina.

But I’m not average.

I have to expand the business.

I need more Fame Points. I need more money.

For the women who fight against fate. To find the true heroine.

Now’s the time to burn that stamina.

----------

“Going to a supplier? Take me with you.”

A few days later, Im Ha-yeon stopped me as I was heading out to bid for the government auctioned printing press.

“It’s not even lunchtime yet. A manager should stay on site.”

Are you just trying to skip work? If you’re gonna pull this ‘tagging along with the boss’ move, at least get more seniority under your belt first.

“I’m not the only one training for management duties, you know. Besides, there’s an issue with one of the deliveries.”

She handed me a pouch of coffee beans as she spoke.

“What kind of issue?”

“It smells musty, and the crema’s not right. I think they either sent old stock or made a mistake—we need to check.”

“Smells normal to me...”

I sniffed the beans and tilted my head. It did smell a bit off, but was it really that serious?

“See? You don’t even know. That’s why a professional needs to come along.”

“Fine. Let’s go together.”

She did get formal °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° training in the arts, after all—probably knows her stuff.

“Hehe. Unni, going out with the manager again?”

Ha So-so squinted at Im Ha-yeon, teasing as she watched her get ready.

“It’s for work!”

Ha-yeon muttered quickly, avoiding So-so’s gaze like she felt guilty sneaking out during peak hours.

“Manager! You better buy Ha-yeon unni a nice dinner later!”

“It’s not like that!”

No need to act like I just proposed or something.

“Let’s go.”

Leaving behind my slightly bruised pride, I stepped outside with Im Ha-yeon.

She kept glancing up at me as we walked, then finally said:

“...You know it’s not like that, right?”

I know. I do.

----------

“Sorry about that!”

Turns out, Ha-yeon was right. The supplier had mixed some old inventory in with the new batch.

“If it happens again, we’ll take our business elsewhere.”

I scowled at them. We order in bulk every month, and this is how they play it?

“Sorry, sorry! We’ll knock 20% off the next shipment!”

With profuse apologies and promises to never let it happen again, we headed back into the street.

“Told you I was right.”

Ha-yeon puffed her chest with pride like she was about to float off the ground without even needing footwork techniques.

“A true expert, no doubt. If it weren’t for you, we might’ve served subpar snacks to Daseogak customers.”

“Hmph! These are Du Eung-hyang–branded treats, you know. Can’t serve anything less than perfect.”

“I’ll buy you a good dinner later.”

“Th—thanks... I mean, no! I don’t need it, you sly snake!”

Looks like So-so’s teasing flashed through her mind. She squinted at me and quickly backpedaled.

“If you don’t want it, fine. Let’s move on to the next stop.”

“Where are we going now?”

“To the government office.”

I gestured with my chin toward the distant building. Her face went pale.

What now?

She looked at me like a betrayed child whose parents said they were getting him pork cutlet but secretly took him to the dentist instead.

“...You’re not planning to sell me off, are you?”

----------

“Hurry up and come in.”

“Uuugh. Just a sec. Let me breathe first. Huff... puff...”

Seriously, this girl... always a mess in the weirdest ways.

Runaway courtesan, daughter of the Shadowless Phantom Thief, (alleged) thief.

If even one of those things were confirmed, the government office might just turn her into a living wind instrument.

She hesitated so long that I had to grab her sleeve and drag her in myself.

“Is this the right place?”

I expected a crowd since the auction was only open during this specific window. But... it was empty. Did I mess up?

It felt like showing up to a college exam ten minutes early only to realize... you're in the wrong building.

“Here for the printing press auction?”

A man who looked like a government clerk stood from his desk and asked.

“Yes. Is this the right place to register?”

“Put your info in this jar, and we’ll contact you later. But... are you sure you want to?”

He glanced toward the corner of the room and grimaced slightly.

“Huh?”

I followed his gaze—there were a few martial artists staring holes through me.

“Haah... anyway, just put it in the jar.”

The clerk showed me the inside of the jar—only one envelope sat at the bottom.

What is this? That sigh. That warning. Super suspicious.

Judging by the setup, those guys glaring at me are connected to all this.

My brain immediately ran the comparisons. Unknown risks, but this is the only day to apply.

The press in question is in good condition and priced reasonably.

If I miss this chance, it’ll be a critical hit to Daseogak’s finances.

“I’ll submit a bid.”

I decided quickly. This is my home turf. If I flinch at this, I’ve got no business doing business.

“Someone will visit to verify your identity. Submit your bid amount by this time next week.”

I nodded, then pulled Im Ha-yeon—still watching the martial artists nervously—back out of the building.

----------

"We’re being followed."

Not long after we stepped out of the government office, Im Ha-yeon leaned close and whispered quietly.

“Those guys from earlier?” 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

“Yes. Behind us on the left. And there are more coming from ahead.”

“Into the alley!”

As if we’d practiced for it, Ha-yeon and I broke into a full sprint toward the alley.

“They’re running!”

“Catch them!”

Huff, huff!

Following Ha-yeon through the narrow path, I was gasping for air in no time.

“You’ve trained in martial arts, so why can’t you use light footwork?!”

“I don’t have enough internal energy...”

Then give me some pills or shut up. And stop parkouring like a thief—just running down the alley is hard enough to keep up with.

“Ugh! Seriously! ...Fine! Get on my back!”

Ha-yeon stomped her foot, flustered, then crouched and offered her back.

“That won’t be necessary.”

Appreciated, but not needed.

“Huh?”

“We’re surrounded.”

----------

Huff... huff... wheeze...

Moments after the encirclement tightened, a man in his early twenties stumbled onto the scene, completely out of breath.

Guy looks like he’s never touched exercise in his life, and judging by his face, probably built the Great Wall between himself and studying too.

“Sir, breathe. Deep breaths.”

“I-I’m fine! Hey—you punks! Where the hell did you crawl out from?!”

The rich brat, still wheezing, pointed and shouted at us.

“...”

“Black hair? Some barbarian bastard? Hey? Don’t speak Central Plains’ tongue? Ha! Fuck. Anyone here understand what this barbarian is saying? Wait. That bitch next to you isn’t a barbarian, is she?”

“...Who are you?”

Act scared and they’ll only push harder. I calmly asked the panicked brat.

“What, you can speak just fine! I’m Jeon Gil-san of Ten-Thousand Gold Bookstore!”

“Jeon Gil-san of Ten-Thousand Gold Bookstore?”

Who the hell is that? Felt like one of those reality shows where they dramatically reveal a celebrity’s face... and you still have no clue who they are.

“Don’t know Ten-Thousand Gold Bookstore? What a dumb barbarian bastard. Wait, are you just running errands for your master?”

“What did you just say?!”

“Calm down.”

I stopped Im Ha-yeon with my arm. Barbarian insults? That's basically morning greetings by now.

“Hey, barbarian. Tell your master this: Jeon Gil-san from the Ten-Thousand Gold Bookstore in Wuchang is after that printing press. So drop out of the bidding.”

“The Ten-Thousand Gold Bookstore from Wuchang is going for the printing press?”

“Hah, fuck. This barbarian brat keeps running his mouth short. Is that what your master taught you? This won’t do.”

Gil-san glared at me and raised his hand.

At his signal, the thugs began to move, eyes full of menace.

So they’re actually going to get physical.

“Step back.”

Ha-yeon revealed her white leg through the slit in her cheongsam, ready to unleash her signature footwork.

“I can back you up.”

I reached for a throwing knife inside my sleeve.

Maybe because we didn’t flinch, the thugs grew more tense and started closing the distance slowly.

Where do I hit to completely incapacitate them in one shot?

While tension filled the air and both sides weighed their moves—

Fweeeeep!

“Chief! The people who left the office just headed that way!”

A sharp whistle pierced the alley.

“Shit! You tell your master clearly! Let’s go!”

Jeon Gil-san cursed and vanished down a side alley.

“You seriously bid on the printing press Ten-Thousand Gold Bookstore was aiming for? Are you insane?!”

The bookstore owner burst into Daseogak and immediately blew up at me.

“So this was already known? Who are those guys?”

“You don’t know Ten-Thousand Gold Bookstore? It’s the biggest name in Hubei, backed by the Ten-Thousand Gold Merchant Guild. They’re known for sponsoring writers and monopolizing book supply—just like how Daseogak has Ho-pil.”

“I think I’ve seen the name around before.”

Yeah, during my rounds across Hubei, I remember spotting it a few times.

“The guy who showed up here in Yichang is the grandson of Elder Jang from the Merchant Guild. He came here with some thugs recently and told me not to bid for the press. Scared the hell out of me.”

The owner trembled at the memory.

“And the government’s just letting them monopolize public auctions like that? What the hell?”

“It’s tricky. Officially, the authorities can’t interfere in bids. And Ten-Thousand Gold Bookstore’s money comes from the Merchant Guild—they assumed they’d get a good deal out of it. Probably took a little under-the-table money too.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“That brat’s a real piece of work, but you don’t want to mess with him. Ten-Thousand Gold Bookstore’s got serious pull in Hubei.”

“Then how come they don’t have a branch in Yichang?”

“Because this place is here.”

He pointed at the ground.

“Daseogak?”

“Baek Ga-jang and the Ten-Thousand Guild Master are childhood friends. That’s why Ten-Thousand Gold never opened shop here.”

“Ahh.”

So it was a ‘don’t mess with your friend’s turf’ situation. No wonder the owner hadn’t warned me about them until now.

“We smaller stores benefit from it. But seriously—be careful.”

“Those Wuchang bastards came all this way just because the press was cheap...”

As absurd as it was, I had to admit—the price was damn tempting.

“What kind of bumpkin town has a bookstore this big?”

While I was thinking, a familiar voice reached my ears.

“Probably because Ten-Thousand Gold Bookstore isn’t here.”

Wait... those bastards again?

“Hey! Bring out your manager!”

“What’s going on here?”

The loudmouths were the same ones from earlier.

“Eh? That barbarian from before? You work here?”

“I asked what’s going on.”

“Not you, barbarian. Get the manager out here.”

Jeon Gil-san waved me off with a lazy flick of the hand.

“I’m right here.”

“...You’re the manager?”

“...”

“But the owner of Daseogak has purple hair... This is awkward.”

Jeon Gil-san—or whatever punk he is—looked around, finally realizing what was happening, like someone recognizing the job interviewer they just ignored on the subway.

“I asked what’s going on.”

“Fuck me...”

What, did he learn manners from the Demonic Sect? Huffing like that right to my face—what the hell do you want?

“We’re from Ten-Thousand Gold Bookstore.”

Finally, one of his flunkies stepped in like he was the proper escort.

“Yeah, got that loud and clear earlier. So?”

The man hesitated, looking a bit cornered, before finally saying something unexpected:

“We’d like you to arrange a meeting with Ho-pil.”