The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 196

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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 17

“First of all, I apologize for bringing you all this work.”
I bowed my head to Team 1, gathered around the conference table.
“No, I won both auctions and suggested we clear them together….”
“If the guild master hadn’t said anything, I would have. Two A-rank Gates on clearance—of course we had to bid on them. But even so, tackling two in four days is an unreasonable schedule. So I’m apologizing in advance.”
I cut off Kang Han’s words and confessed honestly.
My heart felt lighter after laying it all out plainly.
But suddenly I worried whether Kang Han was upset with me.
So I smiled at him with an apologetic heart, and he returned a gaze full of remorse instead.
It seemed he misunderstood that I’d said something I didn’t mean because of him.
“It’ll be tiring, but it sounds fun.”
Lee Yu Chan, who’d been complaining about boredom lately, now spoke with a face where tedium couldn’t be found even if you looked hard.
“The two types are completely different anyway. One’s the Ure Dungeon, one’s the Desert Dungeon.”
“Right. They’re polar opposites, of all things.”
Everyone else seemed to agree, nodding and adding their own comments besides Han Ji Sung.
“At least both are small-scale, so that’s fortunate.”
“The Ure Dungeon has tons of rain, doesn’t it? So we shower in the Ure Dungeon and dry off in the Desert Dungeon?”
“You could use a wash.”
The twins attacked each other as naturally as breathing.
Worried they’d actually start fighting, I changed the subject.
I asked Yoo Jin Rok.
“But does it rain continuously in the Ure Dungeon with lightning strikes?”
“That’s right. So besides lightning, you also have to watch out for landslides and sinkholes.”
“…No wonder it’s A-rank.”
“Still, the monsters that appear are generally manageable, so you don’t need to worry too much.”
“What kind of creatures show up?”
“Well, that’s hard to pin down.”
Yoo Jin Rok stroked his chin as if searching his memory.
“I’ve entered the Ure Dungeon three times so far, and the monsters were different each time.”
“So to sum it up, we have to deal with unknown monsters appearing at unpredictable times and places while watching out for landslides and sinkholes in an environment with constant rain and lightning strikes.”
A hollow laugh escaped me.
I shouldn’t have been so pleased about winning the A-rank Gates at a discount.
Though the circumstances seemed somewhat different, the old saying that cheap goods are worthless wasn’t without reason.
I grew momentarily despondent at my own naiveté.
I felt genuinely sorry toward the people gathered in the Conference Room.
I needed to reflect on this.
Rising from my seat, I spoke.
“Let’s head to the Simulation Training Ground and experience the Ure Dungeon.”
What good would regret do me now?
It was far more efficient to prepare for entering the Ure Dungeon than to waste time on remorse.

* * *

The new Simulation Training Ground was exactly four times larger than the one that had been in the Underground Training Facility of the Jongno Branch.
This time too, I’d borrowed Sung Yo Na’s expertise, and she’d participated in the design from the very beginning of construction.
As a result, a Simulation Training Ground of unparalleled quality had been born—something you couldn’t find anywhere else.
The simulation deceived not just the eyes but all five senses, and it was so vivid that I sometimes had to remind myself I wasn’t actually inside a Dungeon.
And that extraordinary performance was now vividly recreating the Ure Dungeon.
“Ahhhhhhh.”
Each time raindrops struck my body, my skin stung.
At least I was grateful there was no wind.
If it was just rain like this, I might grow accustomed to it over time.
It was in that moment of half-relief.
Boom—!
“Ugh!”
Suddenly, everything flashed bright, and a deafening sound erupted as if someone had slammed a massive door right in front of my face.
In reality, only raindrops were striking my body.
But the sound was so loud my head felt completely numb.
So this was lightning.
And this was what kept striking down repeatedly.
I stood dazed for a moment, then lifted my head and waved my hand broadly to signal.
Click.
With a sound like a switch flipping down, both the rain that had been painfully striking my skin and the sky that had rumbled ceaselessly without pause vanished entirely.
Looking down, I noticed my clothes—which had been so waterlogged they felt heavy on my shoulders—had returned to their original state.
Click.
At the sound of the door opening, I looked up to see Kang Han approaching with a serious expression.

《 ♥ 41 : Ally (Protected) 》

Floating above my head were these affinity balloons, fluffy and billowing.
“How does it feel?”
As he asked, his hand gently brushed back my bangs, and concern was written all over the gesture.
“I realized I should treat the guild leader better.”
“Suddenly?”
“I just experienced what it’s like to be a monster caught by the guild leader. Crack, boom!”
“Sigh.”
Realizing I was joking, Kang Han let out a small, relieved sigh.
“It seems you’re alright. Thank goodness.”
“I’m not alright! Lightning suddenly came crashing down with a boom!”
“The dungeon we’re about to enter might be even worse than what you just experienced.”
Kang Han spoke in a quiet voice.
“Don’t be upset and listen. Yeo Joo, are you perhaps thinking of staying outside the Gate…?”
“Earplugs! I don’t care about anything else, but I think we definitely need to buy earplugs.”
I cut off Kang Han’s words entirely.
“And what else might we need? Well, we still have to sleep at night, so a tent and water and….”
I deliberately left Kang Han behind and walked out of the Simulation Training Ground alone, making a list of supplies on my phone.
What good is a healer outside the Gate anyway? Why would he leave me behind?
Ever since the “protected person” keyword attached itself to me, he’s been acting like a mother bird.
But I’m not Kang Han’s chick.
I’m his colleague.
Kang Han seemed to read the intent behind my actions, gave a wry smile, and followed me out.
“I’m sorry.”
He’s good at apologizing, at least.
“That’s enough.”
I shot back sharply before continuing to walk and spoke again.
“Let’s go clear the Gate.”

* * *

“This is so much better than the simulation.”
That was my first impression upon entering the Ure Dungeon, an A-rank Gate on Ganghwa Island.
It’s raining, but the rainfall is lighter than what I experienced in the preview, and the frequency of lightning strikes is far less.
This is manageable.
I poked at the noise-canceling earplugs I’d received via early morning delivery this morning, thinking to myself.

[ Noise-Canceling Earplugs ( C )
: Conversation OK, Noise NO!
Your ears are precious, after all. ]

I couldn’t completely block out the sound of thunder, but the psychological effect was undeniable.
At least I didn’t need to flinch at lightning anymore.
I tugged gently at the hem of Kang Han’s clothes as he stood beside me and asked.
“Do monsters really wander around in rain like this?”
Instead of answering my question, Kang Han gazed out at the distant plains.
“Yeah, there’s one.”
Following his gaze, I couldn’t see clearly through the rain, but something was moving sluggishly in the distance.
“But it’s… pretty big.”
If it looked that large from this distance, how massive must it actually be?
I felt my courage draining before we even engaged.
“That’s probably the boss. So here’s what we’ll do.”
Kang Han’s finger traced a wide arc along the endless forest that surrounded the plains.
“We circle around, reduce the monster count as much as possible, and then clear the boss.”
The members of Justice Guild’s Clearing Team 1, including myself, nodded in agreement.
One by one, we began preparing for combat.
Jang Su Ho drew out his eternal steel shield, while Lee Yu Chan slung his massive bow across his back.
There was something almost sacred in the movements of Lee Yu Eul, who drew her machete and sliced through the raindrops with a whoosh, and Yoo Jin Rok, who secured his dagger at his waist and flicked the rain-laden blade of his spear with a sharp gesture.
“This time, I’ll be able to conserve a lot of mana.”
Han Ji Sung smiled as he transformed the endless downpour into sharp, needle-like ice.
While everyone prepared for battle with such impressive displays, I simply retrieved two bottles of Chung Soo’s tonic from my Subspace and stuffed one into each pocket of my uniform.
What’s so special about being a healer?
As long as everyone stays alive, that’s all that matters.
I pretended to brush away the wet strands of hair clinging to my cheeks while checking if the broadcast camera was capturing Justice Guild properly.
Sure enough.
The camera was filming Kang Han from closer than I expected.
Kang Han, who hadn’t even drawn his weapon, simply extended his hand into empty air.
Or more precisely, every time his long fingers traced through the void, brilliant golden electricity crackled and surged upward.

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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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