The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 176

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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 176

“Non-awakened staff members… How many are we talking about?”
“Four administrative personnel, and three kitchen staff.”
I wanted to shout “Yes!” right then and there.
How many business ventures had the Justice Guild been forced to abandon simply because there was no one to handle the administrative work?
The merchandise business and aggressive marketing campaigns, not to mention the projects currently underway with Maestro—all had suffered the same fate.
Even with Han Ji Sung’s help, he was too consumed by his own research, so I’d had to temper my ambitions and only pursue what I could manage alone.
But if four seasoned administrative professionals were coming on board…!
How much money could I make?
It was as though I, who had been crawling and squirming all this time, was finally growing strong limbs.
Moreover, having three kitchen staff members was equally appealing.
Sung Yo Na had safely returned to the Dungeon, albeit briefly, so I would need to keep cooking as merely a hobby going forward.
No matter how I looked at it, these were favorable terms, but I barely managed to control my expression as my lips threatened to twitch upward.
The negotiation wasn’t over yet.
“Seven people in total.”
“They’re all competent workers.”
They would be.
But no matter how excellent the employees, inheriting all of them could become a significant burden depending on circumstances.
“If we’re accepting the Magma Guild’s debts and all their staff, we need to hand over all the guild assets as well.”
“For example?”
“All items owned by the guild excluding bound items, liquid assets, and essentially anything of value.”
“Hmm.”
Yang Hwa Yeon fell silent for a moment, thinking, then spoke.
“We’re pretty much broke, aren’t we?”
“…Is that all?”
“We spent everything we could liquidate paying off debts. We really didn’t want to be absorbed into the Sama Guild. What little assets remain… would be our supporters?”
I was taken aback, but it made sense, so I nodded.
It felt odd to call people “assets,” but to a guild, the supporters were worth exactly that much.
“So you’re agreeing to hand over all remaining items?”
“Yeah, I will.”
“But if you’ve really sold everything, that does pose a problem.”
I said this, but since I had proposed the merger first, my resolve was already set.
Yang Hwa Yeon and the Magma Guild hunters were exceptional, so they’d quickly make up the roughly 10 billion won in immediate expenditure.
‘Let’s settle it here.’
That was when I made up my mind.
When I fell silent for a moment, Yang Hwa Yeon seemed to interpret it as contemplation and made an unexpected proposal.
“I’d like you to accept the people in exchange for taking this land as collateral.”
“The land as collateral?”
I had wanted assets that belonged to the Guild.
So Yang Hwa Yeon’s personally owned Guild grounds weren’t up for negotiation.
Yet she was offering everything of hers as well.
It was to protect her Guild members.
“They’re like real family to me.”
I was growing increasingly fond of Yang Hwa Yeon.
Especially the fact that she was willing to put up land her grandparents had left her as collateral—it showed she truly understood how to take responsibility for her people.
“Collateral is a bit difficult. Would you lease the land to the Justice Guild instead?”
“Lease the land…?”
“You’ve seen the Justice Guild Building. When new members join, we’ll need to construct a new building.”
“Then…”
“We’ll need to discuss the specifics when we draw up the contract, but let’s do this. Welcome back to the Justice Guild, Hunter Yang Hwa Yeon.”
“Ha.”
Instead of smiling brightly as I’d expected, Yang Hwa Yeon let out a sigh and lowered her head.
“Is something wrong?”
“Ah. No, no, I’m fine. I just suddenly felt the tension lift.”
From the way her hand rubbed at her eyes—as if holding back tears—I could feel the full weight of the burden Yang Hwa Yeon had been carrying all this time.
“I really… wasn’t suited to be a Guild Master. I hate complicated things like management.”
As Yang Hwa Yeon opened up about what she’d been holding inside, I asked her honestly.
“But won’t you regret it? The position of Guild Master is disappearing after all.”
“I’m actually relieved. I just want to tackle Dungeons with the people I care about. And it’s not just any place—it’s the Justice Guild.”
“It’s not a completely unfamiliar place, right?”
“That too. Actually, about the Dongbaek Guild rampage incident this time. I was watching that video too.”
Yang Hwa Yeon smiled at me with a grin.
“The Justice Guild was impressive. The way you stood up to the Awakeners Association and protected a fellow Hunter seemed amazing. It’s completely different from the Sama Guild, which just does shady things behind the scenes.”
Right, right.
Kang Han is different from Sa Ma Young, that’s for sure.
As I was mentally agreeing with her, Yang Hwa Yeon pointed out something I hadn’t noticed.
“I bet there are tons of other Hunters who think the same way, not just me?”

* * *

The next day.
After arranging to meet at the Secret Workshop accessible through the Sugar Workshop with Jung Je Hwa, I arrived at the Maestro Building.
As I walked along the familiar path through the underground shopping center, I organized my thoughts.

“I’m sure there are plenty of other hunters who think the same way, not just me.”

Sa Ma Young seemed to be dividing Awakeners and non-Awakeners to gather his own forces.
However, beyond the size he’d built through aggressive acquisitions, it was still unclear how many Awakeners truly shared Sa Ma Young’s vision for the Sama Guild.
But I couldn’t simply sit idle waiting for a clearer picture to emerge.
“I need to do my part too.”
I took a deep breath and knocked on the Workshop door.
“Boss, I’m here.”
A moment later, Jung Je Hwa opened the Workshop door and greeted me.
“Yeo Joo, how have you been?”
His eyes immediately drifted toward the necklace I was wearing.
He was checking whether I’d needed to use the absolute defense necklace.
“I’ve been well. Is it alright if I take a look at the Secret Workshop?”
“Of course. You’re always welcome here, Yeo Joo.”
Jung Je Hwa led me toward the Secret Workshop.
Once the door connecting to the Workshop closed and we were alone, Jung Je Hwa spoke.
“To be honest, I didn’t sleep well last night.”
“Why? Did something happen?”
“No, it’s just that I had a strong premonition that whatever reason you wanted to meet must be something very important.”
Everyone around me seemed to have sharp intuition.
Since he’d brought it up, I nodded honestly.
“That’s right. I came today to request an item crafting commission from you.”
“It’s been a while. I’m looking forward to it.”
Unlike Jung Je Hwa, who smiled with anticipation, I couldn’t smile along with him.
Sensing something was amiss, he tilted his head and examined my face.
“Yeo Joo, are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m just a bit nervous.”
I took a short breath before speaking.
“There’s been a lot of talk about the rampage incidents lately. Do you know what causes rampages?”
“Rampage…”
Jung Je Hwa paused to think before answering.
“I’m not sure. I always thought it was something like a sickness that Awakeners occasionally suffer from.”
As expected, Jung Je Hwa hadn’t grasped the truth yet.
In the novel, his creation of the Darkness Measurement Device came much later.
“Is that not it?”
“It is similar to that. When fatigue accumulates in a person, they develop a sickness, much like that.”
Jung Je Hwa’s deep brown eyes fixed on me.
“It seems you know what exactly accumulates to cause a rampage.”
I nodded and answered.
“Gates—more precisely, inside Dungeons, there exists a substance called ‘Darkness.’ It’s found in the materials and mana stones that come from Dungeons. And Darkness causes addiction. The body can endure it up to a certain point, but once the addiction level exceeds the threshold, a rampage occurs. In other words, rampage is a symptom of Darkness addiction.”
“Darkness addiction….”
“Of course, the threshold varies from person to person. Some people are more sensitive to darkness than others. Those individuals experience rampage more frequently.”
“There are certainly Awakeners like that. So is the reason high-rank Hunters cause rampages so often because they enter Dungeons more frequently?”
Jung Je Hwa, as expected.
Despite my brief explanation, his comprehension was swift.
“Exactly. For example, retired Hunters show significantly lower rampage frequencies.”
“But where did you learn all this information, Yeo Joo?”
Instead of answering, I took Jung Je Hwa’s hand.
Then, after checking the numbers displayed on his status window, I spoke.
“As I mentioned before, even those who handle Dungeon products can become addicted to darkness. Your darkness addiction rate is currently at 89%, President. You haven’t been feeling well lately, have you? I suspect you’ve even considered that you might rampage if you’re not careful.”
“How did you….”
“It’s my skill. I can see the darkness addiction rate of others. And.”

[ Skill ‘Darkness Purification’ is activated. ]
[ Purification efficiency increases due to special constitution 【 Muse 】. ]
[ Purification efficiency increases due to high affinity. ]
[ Effective purification succeeded! ]
[ Jung Je Hwa’s darkness addiction rate: 20% ]

“You should feel much better now, shouldn’t you?”
“This is….”
“This is also my skill. The ability to purify darkness addiction in others.”

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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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