The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 156

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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Yeo Joo Saves the World – Episode 156

The typical food chain between birds and snakes held no meaning for Familiars.
Shadow crows would swoop down like arrows the moment they spotted a snake crawling along the ground, snatching it up.
“Shaaaa—.”
But at Baek Young’s metallic cry, the shadow crows couldn’t move an inch.
They merely fluttered their wings a couple of times where they sat, trembling with fear.
Yet at such a reaction from the monsters, Baek Young’s eyes narrowed further in anger, revealing fangs that had grown to the length of an adult’s finger.

[ ᕕ(ꐦ°᷄д°᷅)ᕗ ]

‘Let’s fight fair and square!’ Something along those lines, it seemed.
Meanwhile, Baek Ho was prowling around the perimeter of the Magma Guild members and the others.

[ (◟‸◞) ]

His gaze never left the flock of crows, as if he were protecting the people.
‘So Baek Young is on offense, and Baek Ho is on defense.’
It was remarkable how they naturally divided their roles without exchanging a single word, despite positions that contradicted their usual personalities.
I would have liked to observe the situation longer, but clearly the timing was urgent.

Baek Young (□□)
Combat Type
Imprinted to – Kang Han
Evolution Stage – Stage 1
Abilities – □□, □□□, □□….

Na Baek Ho (Baek Ho)
Combat Type
Imprinted to – Yeo Joo
Evolution Stage – Stage 1
Abilities – □□□, □□□□…..

I had orchestrated this encounter based on the assumption that their ability awakening would be triggered by contact with monsters.
But my prediction fell wide of the mark.
If that were the case, there was no reason to keep them in a situation where they might get hurt.
I called my Familiars over.
“Kang Baek Young, Na Baek Ho. Come here now.”
“Growl.”
Na Baek Ho cast a reluctant glance back at the shadow ravens before trudging over obediently.
But Baek Young was different.
“Screech—!”
Instead, it let out an even fiercer cry, as if deliberately provoking the ravens.
But that lasted only a moment.
Kang Han approached from behind Baek Young, who was still trembling its tail and taunting the flock of ravens.
“Chirp!”
“Baek Young.”
“…Whimper.”
Eventually, Baek Young lowered its head dejectedly and returned to Kang Han.
But that didn’t mean its spirit was completely broken.

[ ヾ( ·`⌓´·)ﾉﾞ ]

Refusing to even make eye contact with Kang Han, whom I had forcibly called over, the creature shrank down again.
Then it climbed up Kang Han’s sleeve and burrowed into his clothes.
It was Baek Young’s way of expressing displeasure.
“Huff.”
Finally settling at the warmest spot—Kang Han’s nape—the creature let out small, indignant whimpers.
I turned to Na Baek Ho.
“Can you shrink back down too?”
“Growl.”
Baek Ho nodded and stretched its body as if limbering up.
In the blink of an eye, it returned to the size of a small puppy.
“Yelp!”
“Whew.”
“Phew.”
The moment Baek Ho shrank back down, sighs of relief erupted from those around us.
“G-goodness, that startled me.”
“I wasn’t expecting it to suddenly grow like that.”
The Familiars, which had seemed so adorable moments before, had suddenly ballooned in size, and the shock was considerable—everyone was busy patting their chests in relief.
Kang Han spoke while stroking the area around his nape where his clothes bulged slightly.
“It seems Familiars become aggressive when they see monsters.”
“Yes. But since they’re still young, they won’t be able to mount a proper attack yet. Look—this one’s already dozing off.”
I pointed at Na Baek Ho, who had already settled onto the floor with his rear end and was nodding off.
“Baek Young seems to be asleep as well.”
Kang Han lifted his T-shirt to check something inside, then nodded in agreement.
“Na Baek Ho, want to head into the Subspace and get some rest?”
“Meow.”
Baek Ho, who had been dozing with his head bobbing as if he might topple sideways at any moment, opened his mouth wide in a yawn.
The two Familiars headed into the Subspace to rest, leaving only the humans behind.
I finished admiring the flock of shadow crows and fell into thought while watching the Hunters’ backs as they took their attacking stances.
Unfortunately, the Chronicles of the Sage didn’t cover what the conditions were for the Familiars’ evolution.
‘Judging by how they suddenly evolved when we encountered that monster, we must be getting closer to the answer.’
Should I have them engage in combat?
But seeing how they returned to their original size shortly after and couldn’t overcome their drowsiness, I thought that perhaps evolution was still premature.
‘There’s still a bit of time left.’
Thinking of the Gate we would face in a few months, I turned my gaze to the battlefield with the shadow crows that had just begun.

* * *

After five battles concluded, we decided to set up tents and rest in that location.
The Magma Guild members applauded enthusiastically as camping gear poured out from the spacious Subspaces unique to S-rank Hunters like Han Ji Sung and Kang Han.
“This is the first time we’ve camped this seriously inside a Dungeon!”
“Grilling meat and eating it makes it feel like we’re playing rather than working, and I love it!”
“At this rate, I’m going to get sleepy.”
I answered Jung Yi Do’s murmur as he rubbed his slightly wrinkled eyes.
“If you’re sleepy, you can sleep. That’s why we set up all these tents.”
“Is that so…?”
“A guild with two S-ranks and an A-rank healer really is different. You’ve got breathing room.”
“Right, I’m jealous. Honestly, when we enter a Gate, it’s hard for us to lie down and sleep for hours.”
I simply nodded quietly at the conversation between Shin Dan Ju and Shin Dan Bi.
The Justice Guild’s Dungeon conquest certainly had a leisurely aspect to it.
Even though each guild member had various handicaps, it was possible because their basic stats were superior.
Plus, there was my existence as an A-rank healer, essentially a high-capacity auxiliary battery, and we couldn’t forget Im Chung Soo’s absurdly powerful tonics.
I pulled out another pack of meat from the cooler and placed it on the brazier, then asked Yang Hwa Yeon.
“So how do you usually take breaks?”
“Well. We light a fire in the middle and camp. We take turns with one person standing watch every hour.”
“That must be really exhausting.”
“Oh, don’t even mention it. Though we’re a bit better off since we don’t tackle anything above B-rank. From what I hear about guilds that go into A-rank and above, they can’t sleep properly—they just sit and catch a few winks because they never know when or where monsters might attack.”
“That’s right. We learned that in school. From A-rank Gates onward, monsters aren’t fixed in one location.”
Lee Yu Chan shuddered as if the mere thought repulsed him and chimed in.
“Ooh, the bespectacled kid. Looks like you’re paying attention in class.”
“Well, I’m actually an honor student.”
As the conversation dragged on and the fire in the brazier weakened, more and more people began retreating into their tents to sleep.
After a few hours had passed, only Kang Han and I remained before the flames.
There wasn’t much conversation between us.
I simply killed time by summoning Baek Young and Baek Ho, gently stroking them.
Why won’t he just go to sleep?
He really should get some rest.
Eventually, I couldn’t contain my impatience and asked.
“Aren’t you going to head inside, Guild Master?”
“Someone needs to keep watch outside. If you’re tired, go ahead and get some rest, Yeo Joo.”
Ah, needlessly conscientious as always.
“I’m not sleepy right now anyway. So Baek Ho and I will take the first watch, and you should go in first, Guild Master.”
“Why?”
“What do you mean?”
“Why do you keep trying to get me to sleep, Yeo Joo?”
His perception was sharp, that one.
I shrugged my shoulders and tried to make my face as harmless as possible.
“If you’re not tired, then don’t worry about it.”
Then Kang Han let out a low chuckle.
“If I got tired this easily, I’d have to turn in my S-rank badge.”
Right, must be nice being S-rank.
I swallowed the sigh threatening to escape.
This was problematic.
My plan was falling apart.
It was a fatal oversight not accounting for Kang Han’s iron constitution.
I should have gotten a hunter-exclusive sleeping draught or something beforehand.
In the end, my own stamina gave out first.
I considered secretly drinking one of Chung Soo’s potions, but Kang Han was staring directly at me from across the fire, making that impossible.
Why is he staring so intently?
I was enduring the urge to abandon everything and collapse into sleep when he spoke.
“Being here by the fire like this reminds me of the day I first met you, Yeo Joo.”
“The day we first met?”
“The Labor Market, before we entered the Mansu Mountain Dungeon. Don’t you remember?”
“Oh, right. Of course I remember.”
I’d panicked thinking he’d caught me visiting that illegal fighting arena.
“You were staring at the fire back then too. Do you like watching flames?”
“No, not particularly.”
Kang Han hesitated for a moment before carefully opening his mouth.
“Actually, back then what I was really looking at was….”
That’s when it happened.
“Ssshhhhh—!”
“Kyaaow!”
Baek Young and Baek Ho cried out in unison, their eyes snapping open simultaneously.
And in that instant, pitch-black darkness engulfed the surroundings.
‘It’s here!’
Just as I felt a mix of anticipation and my mind beginning to fog at the arrival of what I’d been waiting for, a system message materialized before my eyes.

[ Detected attack from Monster ‘Nightmare (C)’. ]
[ ‘Absolute Defense Necklace II (S)’ successfully blocked the non-physical attack. ]

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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