The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 181

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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
Part 2, Episode 2

His deep green eyes trembled as if an earthquake had struck them.
“I apologize if I’ve been troublesome.”
“No, what are you saying?”
If he keeps talking like that, I’ll sound like the bad person here!
Unlike the other noisy tables around us, silence hung between Kang Han and me as we sat across from each other.
I was the one who voiced complaints, and I was the one reading the mood.
Now that I thought about it, that was true.
Kang Han had simply been looking after me, yet instead of thanking him, I’d ended up grumbling.
Maybe I should apologize for speaking so harshly.
Wondering if he was upset with me, I quietly checked his affection level.

《 ♥ 38 : Colleague (Protected) 》

Fortunately, his affection level remained the same as when I’d checked it a few days ago.
“….”
The awkward silence continued.
This had never happened since I’d known Kang Han.
And suddenly, I realized something.
“You’re not saying you won’t do it again, are you?”
Whether I’d struck a nerve or not, Kang Han glanced away slightly before speaking.
“I cannot lie to you, Yeo Joo.”
“Good grief.”
“And you, Yeo Joo…”
“What about me?”
“…are someone my hands keep reaching for.”
As if I were some kind of snack.
I was about to respond curtly when I closed my mouth again.
Because affection was evident in the helpless smile he wore for me.
…I’ll remove that “protected” tag soon enough.
“Good morning, you two.”
Just then, Ji Sung sat down beside me and greeted us.
Whether he had no appetite or not, all he carried was a single carton of soy milk instead of a tray.
“You look tired again today, oppa.”
“Mmm. I went to bed a bit late yesterday.”
With that, Ji Sung collapsed onto the table, bonking his forehead against it with a soft thud.
I carefully arranged his disheveled silver hair as I asked him a question.
“You really like the new research lab that much?”
“…Yeah.”
His cheek bulged slightly as he grinned sideways at me.
When we relocated from Jongno to the Dokdok Gate area, it wasn’t just the dormitory building that changed.
With the training building, administrative building, and dormitory building now separated, Ji Sung and Chung Soo’s research lab naturally became independent as well.
Located at the very top of the training building, it had grown incomparably larger compared to the cramped little room that used to be attached to the training room.
Ji Sung had even gotten a bit teary-eyed while placing books into custom-made shelves—books that had previously been stacked on the floor for lack of anywhere else to put them.
“How do you like the new training facility, Guild Master?”
My question, thrown out partly to lighten the mood, brought a smile to Kang Han’s face as well.
“It’s excellent. With the expanded space, we can now train multiple raid teams simultaneously.”
That was understandable.
The underground training facility in Jongno that Sung Yo Na had manifested through the subspace was certainly impressive.
But the training building, which received the most attention during the construction of the Justice Guild’s Dokdok branch, had been upgraded proportionally to the investment poured into it.
An entire structure spanning four basement levels and five above-ground floors dedicated entirely to training facilities—that said it all.
For the Justice Guild, which currently had only three raid teams, it was admittedly an excessive scale.
But with plans to recruit more guild members soon, and with the Justice Guild’s potential for growth still unknown, we had prepared thoroughly for the long term.
“With a good research lab in place, progress has accelerated.”
Ji Sung turned his head toward me and Kang Han as he spoke.
“That mana storage research you mentioned last time?”
“Yeah, it looks like we might succeed soon.”
“Oh.”
I responded as flatly as possible, not wanting to burden Ji Sung, but my spirit was already racing through the foothills of Muaksan, screaming with joy.
‘Yes! Finally!’
The mana storage technology Ji Sung was researching was just as revolutionary as the concentration potion that Chung Soo had developed.
“So you’d be able to accumulate mana normally and then use it when entering a gate?”
“That’s the research goal, anyway.”
If the research succeeded, many things would change.
Magic-type awakeners would no longer have to rely solely on mana potions.
They could simply use the mana they’d accumulated on their own.
I didn’t know how much capacity Ji Sung’s ‘mana storage vessel’ would have, but in dangerous high-grade dungeons, a single attack or a single barrier could change everything.
The Justice Guild’s financial situation was practically empty after pouring everything into building the new branch.
“Heh.”
“I’m currently experimenting with various mediums, and there’s a candidate with promising results.”
“I hope it works out.”
“Yeah, me too.”
Ji Sung didn’t add anything more.
He was afraid that if he spoke it aloud, it might jinx the outcome.
I understand that sentiment.
Rather than pry further, I took two plump and juicy Shine Muscat grapes from the dessert course and handed one each to Ji Sung and Kang Han.
Whether my feelings had been conveyed or not, both men let out a soft chuckle simultaneously.
“What’s your schedule like today, Yeo Joo?”
Ji Sung, who had just bitten into a Shine Muscat grape, asked me.
“Me?”
I took a sip of the warm water Kang Han had poured for me before answering.
“I need to go to the Awakeners Association today.”

* * *

The car came to a gentle stop with a soft sound.
We had arrived at the Awakeners Association parking lot.
It was one of the new vehicles recently acquired by the Justice Guild.
We had received two minibuses from the Magma Guild for transportation during dungeon raids, but the guild members had insisted that having the guild master take a taxi for other business looked unprofessional, so this was the result of reflecting their opinions.
We arrived ten minutes earlier than scheduled, yet the parking lot was already quite full.
It seemed like every supercar in Seoul had gathered here.
Kang Han and I surveyed the parking lot filled with expensive vehicles and headed toward the elevator.
As I quietly watched the numbers change on the display, he spoke to me.
“Just in case, stay close to my side even if it feels frustrating.”
I was slightly irritated by the way Kang Han spoke to me as if I were a mischievous four-year-old, but I held back given my track record.
“Understood.”
When I obediently agreed, Kang Han’s eyes crinkled as he smiled warmly.
“Good girl.”
What the—
But before I could bristle, the elevator reached its destination and slid open smoothly.
Simultaneously, dozens of gazes turned toward us.
“It’s Kang Han.”
“The Justice Guild is here.”
“Wow, that’s Yeo Joo the healer.”
The people gathered in small groups in front of the Awakeners Association conference hall all turned to look at us at once.
They were all Hunters.
And not just any Hunters—ones with enough rank to carry themselves with authority.
That didn’t mean all of them showed us a favorable attitude.
“They’ve got some nerve showing their faces.”
“If only they weren’t S-rank…”
“Insufferable bastards.”
There were quite a few who glared at us with open hostility burning in their eyes.
‘Still, it’s better than when I was the nation’s punching bag.’
This was far more manageable than I had braced myself for.
I spoke to Kang Han with that thought in mind.
“There are quite a lot of people here.”
“It’s the day both factions are holding their first official meeting, so it makes sense. If it’s uncomfortable, would you like to step away to another place for a while? There should be a Waiting Room.”
“Hmm. No, it’s fine.”
I shook my head at Kang Han’s concerned question.
This much is nothing.
I’m Yeo Joo—I’m a woman with enough composure to handle this level of attention.
As I entered the Conference Room with people’s gazes trailing after me like a tail, a large banner hanging on the front wall came into view.

[ First Gong Gil Yeon Alliance – Jung Dong Alliance Countermeasures Meeting ]

Why is Gong Gil Yeon listed first?
A person approached me as I muttered this minor complaint.
I didn’t even need to turn around to know who it was.
“Yeo Joo, you came?”
That sweet voice calling my name as if we were close friends—it was Sa Ma Young.
Those crimson eyes that pushed everyone else away and looked only at me, combined with an allure that overflowed from every pore, looked like a flower today as well.
No matter how beautiful, plucking that flower greedily would spell disaster.
Sa Ma Young, swaying those scarlet petals, was an opium poppy.
One who had tried to sacrifice tens of thousands of people for his own purposes.
“It’s been such a long time since we’ve seen each other. I’m glad.”
I stared at Sa Ma Young, who spoke so gently as if the Pangyo incident were a distant memory, with an expressionless face.
Without showing displeasure like before, without growling.
It wasn’t that I was following the wisdom of not feeding a madman.
It was quite the opposite.
It was to properly provoke Sa Ma Young.

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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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