The Outcast Writer of a Martial Arts Visual Novel-Chapter 162: Inevitability - 6

No matter how grueling the night, morning always comes.

A trap set by bandits, Tang Geo-ho’s appearance, the Demonic Sect’s ambush, and the ensuing battle. It had been a long and brutal night—but in the end, we were lucky enough to see the morning sunlight.

Of course, it goes without saying that the four-leaf clover who brought us that luck... was Hwa-rin.

“Antidote! We need an antidote!”

“Move aside!”

Was it the ability of a Poisoned One? Hwa-rin touched those who had been poisoned several times, and as if she were some kind of mutant who could freely manipulate metal, she drew the poison from their bodies like it was hers to command.

“My god...”

“That’s a Poisoned One.”

“So they weren’t just a legend.”

Even I, who know next to nothing about poison arts, was amazed. So what must it feel like for those who actually deal with poison?

The people from the medical hall stared at Hwa-rin in disbelief, like a friend who everyone had bet would die single suddenly walking into a party with a ridiculously beautiful girlfriend.

“Over here! We need bandages!”

“Coming!”

I shook off my daze at Hwa-rin’s display and rushed between the wounded to help.

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“We’ll take care of the rest. Please, get some rest.”

As I bustled around assisting the medical hall members, they eventually began treating the more critical patients themselves, having recovered somewhat.

“If there’s anything I can help with, just say the word.”

I spoke apologetically while touching the spot a man had treated on me.

“We’ve already finished treating the lightly wounded. From here on, it’s best for those with proper medical knowledge to work together. You’ve been up all night—please rest a while.”

As expected of the medical hall—self-healing professionals. Honestly, saying I’d help with medicine in front of them was like a random person barging into an operating room.

“All right. But call me if you need me.”

Not wanting to get in the way, I moved off a bit—but close enough to jump back in if necessary—and found a seat.

“Taking a break?”

As I blankly watched the medical hall crew move around, Hwa-rin appeared in front of me before I realized it. Guess she was done with her part.

“Yeah.”

“I’m resting too.”

Without hesitation, Hwa-rin sat down right beside me.

There’s plenty of space, so why sit so close? I thought about telling her to move, but she looked mentally and physically drained, so I kept quiet.

We sat in silence, watching the busy movements of the medical hall members. The quiet was oddly awkward. I should say something.

“Are you a Poisoned One now?”

Everyone already knew, but I brought it up casually, like starting a morning conversation by talking about the weather.

“Yeah.”

Hwa-rin glanced at me and gave a small nod.

“Is your skin okay? When my friend became a Poisoned One, their skin melted or turned to mush...”

I asked with concern, recalling the original Tang Hwa-rin from the game.

“There were already issues with it.”

She replied, lips slightly protruding like she was annoyed.

“No, I didn’t mean it like that...”

Guess skin talk isn’t as lighthearted as weather. But I was genuinely worried.

“If you want to check, go ahead.”

She looked down at her own chest—visible just by slightly lowering her head—and said it nonchalantly. Wait. She doesn’t mean for me to unbutton her clothes, does she?

Thinking rationally, she must just mean to look at her skin. Still, my filthy mind is the problem. One glance and I can’t think straight.

“Looks like there’s no problem.”

I looked at the skin exposed under her sleeve and spoke.

“Haa...”

She let out a sigh as she looked at her own skin and my hand with a complicated expression.

“Now that I see you up close... your face looks better too.”

Now that I was looking, it really had changed. The blotches weren’t gone, but she looked much better than when we’d first set out.

“Really?”

Color returned to her face at my words.

“If you put on some makeup now, I bet guys would be lining up to flirt with you.”

Of course, she’d have to put in some work at the vanity first. Trust me—I saw a junior’s bare face in college once, and beneath that pretty face was a battlefield of acne scars.

Ah, that memory still hurts. She showed me her bare face like it was nothing, and I thought, Wow, she’s even honest with me. Is this... a green light?

But the moment a better-looking guy showed up, she panicked and ran off with her head down. I wasn’t her green light—I just wasn’t even on her radar.

“You too?”

As I was reminiscing, Hwa-rin looked up at me and asked.

“Huh?”

“You too?”

“Oh—uh, yeah.”

I answered vaguely in confusion.

“What’s that half-assed response?”

That’s the flustered kind of reaction, thank you very much. What’s gotten into her?

My internal green light detector was lighting up for the first time in forever. Of course, it’s always had a 100% failure rate, so not very useful.

Maybe we’ve just been through too much in one night. Physically and mentally drained...

“We don’t know when the enemy might return! Move quickly!”

Just as I was pondering what to say, a sharp yell came from the medical hall leader. Amazing he’s still standing, let alone leading, with those injuries.

“Miss Hwa-rin. We regret to inform you that we can’t transport your mother’s body.”

As Hwa-rin and I turned toward the medical leader, one of the crew approached with an apologetic look to report on the handling of her mother’s corpse.

“Okay. Please cremate her with the others.”

“Yes, we’ll proceed like the rest of the fallen.”

The crew member nodded and returned to his duties.

“You okay?”

I asked Hwa-rin as she silently watched him walk away.

“...Can’t be a burden.”

She mumbled, clearly weighed down.

There’s nothing I could say. No matter how bad their relationship was, watching her mother die must have been a shock. Clumsy comfort could hurt more.

As I struggled to figure out what to do, I felt weight on my shoulder. Instinctively, like dodging a drunk man leaning on me in the subway, I nudged it off.

Hwa-rin immediately glared at me, her eyes narrowing like daggers. Sorry—I’ve never dealt with this before. I shifted and made space for her on my shoulder.

She leaned her head against me again.

“Hang in there.”

“I’m not sad... It’s just a weird feeling. Those bastards ruined everything.”

“Only good things will happen from now on.”

Should I pat her? Carefully, I reached around and pulled her in by the shoulder. I felt her flinch awkwardly, but at least she didn’t pull away.

“Ahem.”

“Youth, huh.”

“Can’t even complain in peace.”

The medical crew awkwardly cleared their throats and stole glances at us.

Now I’m embarrassed. Hwa-rin, too, seemed flustered and scooted away.

“Hwa-rin.”

To lighten the mood and ask what I’d really been wondering, I spoke.

“Yeah?”

“Back there... that Poisoned Killing Zone thing...”

“KYAAAARGH!!”

Hwa-rin shrieked like a pterodactyl and sprang up the moment I mentioned it.

“Heheheh!”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her burning red face.

“D-Don’t laugh!”

“Pfft—hahaha!”

Dear Daseohoe readers, you won’t believe this—but Hwa-rin actually used a Poisoned Killing Zone!

“YAAAAAH! I SAID STOP LAUGHING!”

She grabbed my shoulders and shook me violently. I looked like one of those floppy inflatable dancers outside a newly opened store, still laughing uncontrollably.

“Screw it. I should just die.”

She muttered with a hollow expression as I continued to laugh. Come on, don’t say that—you just survived all that chaos.

I finally calmed my laughter and spoke up.

“Hwa-rin, you were seriously amazing. That martial art you used—it was way cooler than anything I’d imagined.”

“R-Really? I was cool?”

Her lips curled into a shy grin. Yeah. Anyone would agree—it was a badass moment. She probably wanted to brag a little, too.

“I didn’t expect you to go full-on with the dramatic lines though.”

“Uuuuugh!”

Her face flushed scarlet again. So cute when she’s embarrassed—I almost want to tease her more.

“I didn’t hear the line clearly from back there. Can you say it again for me, up close?”

“Yun-ho. You seriously wanna die?”

“With the Poisoned Killing Zone?”

“YAAAAAAAH!!”

“Hahahahahahaha!”

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

“Ahem.”

Just as Hwa-rin kept shaking my shoulder so hard I thought my neck might launch into orbit, the medical hall members approached us.

“What’s going on?”

“Miss Hwa-rin, that martial art you just used—was it from the Tang Clan?”

One of the group asked Hwa-rin directly.

“It’s a technique Yun-ho and I created together.”

“Then... did you really use the Poisoned Killing Zone from Storm of the Tang Clan?”

“Uhh... yes.”

Hwa-rin nodded slightly, looking a bit embarrassed. The murmuring around us grew.

“I told you! I heard it clearly!”

“So it was actually a usable martial art!”

“Miss Hwa-rin! The moment you shouted ‘Poisoned! Killing! Zone!’ I knew we had won!”

“Indeed, Miss Tang is the living embodiment of Tang Jeong himself!”

“If that technique was something you prepared together... then is the final move reserved for Volume 3?!”

“A-Ah, no. That’s...”

Hwa-rin looked visibly flustered, clearly unaccustomed to such passionate attention.

Regardless of her reaction, the medical hall members cried out in joyful frenzy, directed entirely at her.

“The line you shouted so boldly in front of the Demonic Sect! The same line Tang Jeong once said—could we hear it just one more time?”

“I almost cried when I heard it. Please, just once more!”

“Ugh...”

She could have refused, and that would’ve been that—but maybe she just wasn’t used to being the # Nоvеlight # center of such positive attention.

“W-Welcome... to my Poisoned Killing Zone.”

And just like that... she updated her black history.

“Oooooooohhhh!”

“Poisoned! Killing! Zone!”

“Hwa-rin! Say it like this—‘I am a butterfly walking through the dark. Welcome to my Poisoned Killing Zone!’”

Come on, Hwa-rin. If we’re already updating your cringe archive, might as well upgrade it too.

“Ohhh, what a line! Was that written by Master Ho-pil specifically for Miss Hwa-rin?”

“Yes! That line is perfect for her!”

“I agree wholeheartedly!”

“Storm of the Tang Clan! Storm of the Tang Clan!”

“Poisoned Killing Zone!”

“Poisoned! Killing! Zone!”

“You’re all so dead!!”

At last, Hwa-rin couldn’t take it anymore and exploded.

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As the cleanup wrapped up, the medical hall leader approached Hwa-rin.

“May I perform a diagnosis?”

He seemed to want to check her condition now that she had become a Poisoned One.

“Of course.”

When Hwa-rin offered her wrist, the medical hall leader checked her pulse.

Only a moment passed. Just a short reading—and suddenly, his face darkened with severity.

“Th-This is...! Fetch the herbs! Over there, now!”

“What’s going on?!”

What is it? I immediately asked the leader.

“Child, sit in the lotus position and begin observing your inner state!”

The medical hall leader ignored me completely and urgently called out to Hwa-rin.

“Huh? Okay...”

Confused, Hwa-rin quickly folded her legs and closed her eyes.

“Everyone! Move back at least fifty paces!”

At his shout, all the crew around them stepped far back. Something’s definitely wrong.

“Huh?”

Suddenly, as if realizing something, Hwa-rin opened her eyes wide and looked toward the medical hall leader.

“There’s no time to be shocked! Focus, child! Pull all the poison into one spot!”

“I can’t!”

Hwa-rin’s voice trembled with urgency.

“Is it impossible? If the poison won’t respond to the pull of the Poison Pellet, then bind it to the pellet as tightly as you can! Hurry!”

“Yes!”

Eyes closed again, she began focusing while still in the lotus position.

Something’s gone wrong with the poison. She wasn’t fully stabilized as a Poisoned One?

A heavy silence pressed around her. Time seemed to blur.

Then, with a pained expression, Hwa-rin opened her eyes and searched for someone.

Her gaze landed on me. She gave a sad smile.

“Yun-ho... sorry. Looks like I failed too.”

And then... she collapsed.

“Hwa-rin!”

“It’s still dangerous! Don’t come any closer!”

“What’s going on?!”

She was fine just moments ago! Why is she collapsing now?!

I barely stopped myself from running over and shouted at the medical hall leader.

He looked at the two of us, his face grim, and finally spoke.

“To save this child... we must go to the Sichuan Tang Clan. Immediately.”