The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 201

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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 22

What is this strange silence?
Despite meeting after so long, Kang Han and Jung Je Hwa simply stood facing each other without saying a word, when I’d expected them to greet each other warmly.
“Don’t do this in front of the entrance. Let’s go inside first.”
“…Yes, of course. Please come in.”
Kang Han moved first and opened the Guild Dining Hall door for me and Jung Je Hwa.
“Thank you.”
Jung Je Hwa entered the dining hall with polite courtesy.
“Yeo Joo, good morning!”
“Unnie! Today’s side dishes are amazing! Let’s eat quickly!”
I smiled and waved at the morning greetings coming from all around, and when I turned back, I noticed something.
“You two, why are you standing so far apart? Like you don’t know each other.”
I’d felt it even when we visited Maestro last time, but why were these two so awkward with each other?
At Sejongjak, they’d had regular contact and helped each other out.
‘Surely sharing a meal together will make this awkwardness disappear.’
After all, Koreans bond over food, don’t they?
I linked my arms through both men who were still standing there awkwardly and led them toward the serving counter.
“I’m starving. Let’s eat first.”

* * *

“Our chefs are quite skilled, aren’t they?”
“Yes, it’s very delicious.”
“It’s a bit far, but I visit often, boss.”
“Thank you. I’ll make sure to keep it up.”
Watching Jung Je Hwa’s neat hands move the spoon without pause, I felt a sense of pride even though I hadn’t prepared the meal myself.
Kang Han was the type who wasn’t picky about anything and ate well regardless.
But Jung Je Hwa, despite his large frame, had distinct preferences, and since he always got by with simple bread, I honestly worried the food might not suit his taste.
Contrary to my concerns, Jung Je Hwa ate our restaurant’s food very well.
As I watched him with a satisfied expression, a piece of perfectly deboned braised cutlassfish landed on my spoon.
“You should eat too, Yeo Joo.”
“Yes, it looks delicious.”
I placed the cutlassfish Kang Han had given me on top of my rice and took a generous bite.
Our chefs truly could prepare anything.
With that thought, I took another spoonful of rice, and as if on cue, another piece of braised cutlassfish appeared on my spoon.
This time, it came with a piece of perfectly cooked radish.
Ah, I couldn’t resist this.
I let out a delighted sound and ate it, but then I felt a sharp gaze from beside me.
Jung Je Hwa, who had been eating diligently until just moments ago, was now looking at me with a slightly hardened expression.
“What is it? Are you already full, boss?”
“That’s not it. It’s just….”
Jung Je Hwa’s gaze briefly touched Kang Han, who was sitting across from me and skillfully removing the bones from the cutlassfish.
Kang Han met Jung Je Hwa’s look without flinching.
“It doesn’t seem like Yeo Joo needs anyone’s help while eating.”
Ah, so it was strange after all.
I knew Kang Han’s tendencies, and the Justice Guild members were already accustomed to it, so they didn’t think much of it.
Embarrassed, I was about to quietly put down my spoon.
“Today we also have quail egg braised in soy sauce, which Yeo Joo likes.”
Kang Han completely ignored Jung Je Hwa and placed a round quail egg on my spoon.
“Yeo Joo has a small appetite. If I don’t take care of her like this, she won’t eat well. You wouldn’t know that, boss of the Workshop.”
There seemed to be a bit of an edge to that last remark.
It wasn’t just me who felt it—Jung Je Hwa’s expression stiffened slightly.
Grown men wouldn’t fight at the dinner table, but I thought it best to change the subject before the atmosphere got worse.
“By the way, boss, what brings you to the Guild all of a sudden?”
“Ah, I had something to give you before entering the Desert Dungeon. Go ahead and take it.”
Jung Je Hwa set down his spoon and abruptly held out a bag he’d retrieved from his Subspace.
I reflexively accepted it, but no matter how I thought about it, the last thing I’d ordered from Jung Je Hwa was only the Darkness Addiction Scanner.
Yet this bag didn’t seem to contain anything related to the Darkness Addiction Scanner.
“Open it, Yeo Joo.”
When I hesitated, Jung Je Hwa took out a small box from inside the bag and placed it in my hands. “First, thank you. But… sunglasses?”
“Well, thank you. But… sunglasses?”

[Vision Protection Sunglasses (A)
: Protects the wearer’s eyes from harsh sunlight.]

Can I really wear sunglasses into a Dungeon?
I don’t see why not.
Turning these thoughts over in my mind, I opened the boxes one by one.

[Wide-Brimmed Sun Hat (B)
: A hat with body temperature regulation function.]
[Water Purification Tablet (C)
: Converts oasis water from the Desert Dungeon into drinking water.]
[Single-Person Tent (A)
: A tent that maintains internal temperature regardless of weather.]

“This is like a Desert Dungeon survival kit.”
“I prepared it with that intention. If I don’t look after you, I’m certain you’ll only take care of everyone else.”
…Didn’t Kang Han say something similar just a moment ago?
“Thank you, President. I’ll use them well. Thanks to you, I’ll be able to navigate the Desert Dungeon comfortably.”
“Still, it won’t be easy. Many combat-type Hunters fall ill after clearing the Desert Dungeon. So I’m counting on you, Guild Master Kang Han.”
“….”
Kang Han looked at the items before me with a complicated expression before finally opening his mouth.
“Understood.”
…Jung Je Hwa’s actions seemed to have touched a sore spot for Kang Han.
But if I tried to comfort him now, it would only wound his pride further.
I was pondering how to soothe him later when—
“And about that item you requested last time.”
“The item I asked you to make… Could it be that one? That one?”
The Darkness Scanner.
“Yes, that one. There’s been some progress. Would you stop by the Secret Workshop soon?”
“Really?! That’s amazing. You’re a genius, President.”
That’s Jung Je Hwa for you.
It had only been a short time since I’d asked him to develop the Darkness Scanner, yet he’d already made progress.
But as Kang Han listened to our conversation, he casually asked me.
“What item did you request?”
“Oh, that’s… well, it’s….”
Kang Han still doesn’t know the truth about Darkness addiction.
Or that I possess a skill to purify Darkness.
As I hesitated without answering, Kang Han watched me for a moment before shaking his head.
“If it was a difficult question, I apologize. You don’t have to answer. Let’s finish eating quickly. Otherwise, we’ll get full again and won’t be able to eat.”
I felt terrible about inadvertently excluding Jung Je Hwa from our conversation.
Tap.
Kang Han was smiling as if nothing was wrong, but when he placed the braised cutlassfish on my spoon, his hand seemed noticeably weaker than before.
‘I suppose I’ll need to tell Kang Han about this soon.’
With that thought, I chewed on the braised cutlassfish.

* * *

Thanks to Jung Je Hwa gifting me a survival kit for the Desert Dungeon, there wasn’t much I needed to prepare separately.
I only packed Im Chung Soo’s stamina-boosting elixir and a few general stamina potions.
“00:35 hours, entering the Justice Guild Gate.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
After making the standard report to the Association Staff, we passed through the Gate with the camera crew.
The moment I took my first breath inside, my feet sank into the sand, and I couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
“This is no joke.”
We’d only just stepped through the black Gate, yet a suffocating wave of heat immediately pressed against my face.
I’d been to the bitterly cold Glacier Dungeon and the humid Jungle Dungeon.
But I’d never experienced such a shocking climate shift before.
“Even in the uniform, it’s hot?”
Jang Su Ho fluttered his clothes as he spoke.
“How many degrees is it in here?”
“Just a moment, let me check….”
In response to Han Ji Sung’s question, Sung Yo Na pulled out a dungeon thermometer and fell silent for a moment.
“…It reads 45.5 degrees.”
“That explains it.”
“No wonder it’s so hot.”
Everyone clicked their tongues at the staggering temperature.
Without a proper breeze, the direct sunlight beating down from above made the perceived temperature feel even higher.
“We need to finish this quickly and get out. We can’t stay long in this.”
I shook my head and pulled out my mapping item.
In the Ure Dungeon, the terrain was visible at a glance, but the Desert Dungeon was different.
Beyond the sand dunes that curved like ridges across the endless expanse of desert, I couldn’t see what lay ahead.
As if an invisible hand were drawing a map, the mapping item began to activate.
And when the map was finally complete, a heavy silence fell once more.
“There’s… no oasis?”

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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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