The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 165

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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 165

“H-how is that even… possible?”
Geum Eun Dong asked with a trembling voice.
“Think about it. Once this potion starts selling properly, how many people will visit Maestro to buy it? In other words, we’re offering you a loss leader product.”
“W-well, that’s true, but…”
“And our potion Master plans to develop this potion further. We can set different prices depending on the effects and increase sales volume. Plus, since it’s a potion that enhances concentration, not just Hunters but ordinary people will visit much more frequently.”
For a moment, silence filled the conference room.
I savored that quiet moment and glanced sideways at Kang Han sitting next to me.
‘What’s he thinking so hard about?’
While the Maestro people were busy mentally calculating my proposal, Kang Han was equally lost in thought, gazing out the window of the high-rise building.
‘Does the potion have side effects?’
That would be a problem.
Or perhaps the potion’s effects are simply too good.
“B-but even so, asking for a contract fee from the party requesting consignment sales… th-this is unprecedented.”
Geum Eun Dong shook his head as if regaining his senses.
“I see. Then so be it.”
“Y-yes?”
“I understand. Since that’s Maestro’s position, there’s nothing we can do about it.”
“Th-then…?”
“Since you can’t accept my proposal because it’s unprecedented, we have no choice. I’ll be going now. Thank you for the meeting.”
This wasn’t mere bluffing.
While Maestro is the most famous and largest, it’s not the only Crafting Guild operating a shopping mall in this country.
As an alternative, there’s Makers, the second-largest Crafting Guild,
(Makers)
and there’s also the Hunter Market with distribution networks for sales.
…Excluding the Sama Hunter Market, of course.
In short, we had nothing to lose.
“W-wait a moment!”
As I stood up from my seat, Geum Eun Dong cried out in obvious panic.
“L-let’s discuss this a bit more.”
He’s going to cry at this rate.
“Our proposal is simple. Since the concentration potion is an unprecedented product, we’re asking Maestro to provide unprecedented treatment.”
“Th-then… would you accept no consignment fee at all…?”
In the end, Geum Eun Dong backed down.
Manipulating Geum Eun Dong, who was instantly captivated by the concentration potion’s effects, was as easy as eating cold rice.
I glanced at Jung Je Hwa, who stood silently observing the situation as promised, then flashed a grin and spoke.
“Shall we begin negotiations now?”

* * *

“Hehehehe.”
Naturally, I emerged as the victor in the negotiation.
I secured an agreement to receive 10% of the potion sales revenue directly from Maestro, with no commission fees deducted.
“Having your cake and eating it too. That’s the way.”
With a single meeting, I’d generated two separate revenue streams using the concentration potion—a thoroughly satisfying outcome.
On top of that, I’d extracted 7 billion won as an exclusive distribution contract fee.
I’d originally demanded 10 billion, but when Geum Eun Dong looked like he was genuinely about to cry, I knocked it down to 7 billion.
“Now, where should I spend this money so people talk about how wisely I used it?”
As I hummed an unconscious tune and prioritized how to allocate the contract funds, I suddenly noticed that Kang Han had grown quiet.
“What’s been on your mind since earlier? It’s not a side effect of the concentration potion, is it?”
“No, nothing like that. It’s just…”
Kang Han continued, gazing up at the Maestro Building that soared skyward like a piercing needle.
“I was just thinking… I wish I could become someone as helpful to you as that someday.”
He seemed to be talking about Jung Je Hwa.
I grabbed Kang Han’s arm, who was walking half a step ahead, and stopped him.
Then I looked directly up into his green eyes and spoke.
“Why would you think such a thing?”
“Haven’t I always only received from you, Yeo Joo?”
Kang Han laughed weakly.
“I believe in repaying kindness tenfold, but I’ve received so much that I have no idea how to repay it all.”
“Merely tenfold? I’m planning to extract a hundredfold—no, a thousandfold.”
I snorted as I spoke.
“Don’t worry. You’ll be able to give me something far more tremendous than Maestro.”
“Do you think so?”
“I’ll make it happen.”
These protagonists, unaware of their own destinies.
The very person destined to save this world was growing timid over mere money.
Moreover, if we succeed in preventing the apocalypse, Justice Guild will become the greatest guild in this world.
It’s inevitable, and I’ll make it so.
“And just to be safe, I’m telling you this—don’t envy the Maestro Building. We’ll soon have a guild building that’s just as impressive.”
With the concentration-boosting elixir, money was now just a matter of time.
Of course, some investment would be necessary to make it happen.
Inside the taxi heading back to the guild, I organized my thoughts about what lay ahead.
‘For now, I should just quietly focus on making money.’

* * *

That evening.
As I ate dinner with the television playing mindlessly in the background, a breaking news alert flashed across the bottom of the screen.

[ BREAKING NEWS ] Ansan City Dungeon Victim Fantasia Guild Hunter Kim Min Jung Shows Signs of Recovery After 2 Years

It felt as though this world was lashing me with a whip.
Demanding I work harder.
And Sung Yo Na, who had just emerged from the kitchen carrying a large bowl brimming with salad, read the breaking news as well.
Crash!
The bowl slipped from Sung Yo Na’s hands and shattered against the floor with a deafening clang.
“Min… Min Jung unnie…”
Fear, shock, joy.
Such a diverse tapestry of emotions flickered across Sung Yo Na’s bright face.
The broadcast had now paused the regular news and switched to a live feed from outside the Korean Awakener Hospital.

[ “Fantasia Guild Master Sung Ro Sa has just arrived at the Korean Awakener Hospital. He displays a stern expression upon hearing news of his colleague who had been in a coma for so long. Meanwhile, it remains unclear whether Hunter Kim Min Jung has fully regained consciousness, and many citizens are awaiting an official statement from Fantasia Guild and the Korean Awakener Hospital…” ]

I rose quietly and approached Sung Yo Na, stepping around the broken shards.
“Yo Na.”
“Yeo Joo unnie, Min Jung unnie…”
“Yeah, I saw it too.”
“Then… then does that mean I can finally…”
“It might.”
If Hunter Kim Min Jung—the one who had gone berserk inside the dungeon—awakened from her coma, then Sung Yo Na could finally clear her name.
She could be freed from the fugitive’s fate of having killed so many people and disappeared, and from the pointed fingers of those who didn’t know the truth.
Yet Sung Yo Na, reading and rereading that single line of breaking news with trembling eyes, could not simply rejoice.
Rather, she could not allow herself to.
I steadied her by grasping her faintly trembling shoulders and spoke gently.
“She hasn’t fully awakened yet, so you rest in your room for now. I’ll look into it further.”

* * *

“So what’s the current situation?”
Sung Ro Sa asked Seo Yu Baek, the director of the Awakened Healer Hospital, with a sharp edge to his voice.
“Hunter Kim Min Jung, who had been in an unexplained state of sleep until now, is showing signs of a rampage.”
“A rampage?”
Sung Ro Sa, standing near the hospital bed and looking down at Hunter Kim Min Jung, turned to Seo Yu Baek at the word “rampage.”
“The monitor on the right side of the bed is an Awakener rampage response monitor.”
Following Seo Yu Baek’s finger, Sung Ro Sa’s gaze shifted.
The monitor, drawing a jagged graph sharp as needles, flashed red continuously.
It resembled a silent scream from an old friend, and Sung Ro Sa clenched his teeth.
“I heard there were signs of recovery.”
“Compared to the past two years when there were no vital signs and her body’s time had stopped, her condition has indeed improved.”
Seo Yu Baek answered while rubbing his forehead.
Whether it came from Fantasia Guild or the hospital, rumors about Hunter Kim Min Jung had leaked to the press—that was the problem.
He had only provided updates on the patient’s condition changes to Sung Ro Sa, who was registered as her emergency guardian, yet the situation had spiraled out of control.
Having moved without a moment to rest since dawn, Seo Yu Baek ignored the throbbing headache and continued speaking to fulfill his duty as a doctor.
“Based on the current graph, rampage symptoms are expected to manifest within 24 hours. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that Hunter Kim Min Jung may return to her previous state afterward.”
“So essentially, you know nothing.”
Sung Ro Sa irritably brushed back his hair.
Then he spoke to Seo Yu Baek.
“She’s an important person to me and to Fantasia Guild.”
While no patient was unimportant, considering the scandals that continued to follow them even now that Fantasia Guild had become one of the top five guilds, Seo Yu Baek could understand Sung Ro Sa’s feelings.
“Understood. Then please spend time comfortably with the patient.”
Seo Yu Baek gave a brief greeting and left the hospital room.
“Sigh. There goes my home visit.”
Since it was unclear when Hunter Kim Min Jung would rampage, he had to wait at the hospital for at least 24 hours.
Seo Yu Baek quickened his pace toward the director’s office, thinking he might catch a brief moment of sleep.
Just then, his phone rang in the pocket of his white coat.
Bzzzzt—
With a tired face, Seo Yu Baek checked the caller’s name and smiled faintly before pressing the answer button.
“Yes, Yeo Joo. It’s been a while.”

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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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