The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 203

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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 24

“Ugh, it’s so hot.”
To feel such oppressive heat the moment I opened my eyes—it was unbearable.
Even as I tossed and turned, yearning for more sleep, my brow furrowed in discomfort.
But then, from somewhere, a gentle breeze drifted across me.
It was just the right amount of wind to lift my spirits.
Had I left a fan running while I slept?
Though I’d heard that sleeping with a fan on could be fatal.
I forced my eyelids open—they felt as heavy as if glued shut.
Through my blurred vision, I made out the silhouette of someone fanning me with a wide-brimmed hat.
“…Kang Han?”
“You’re awake?”
“Mm. What happened… oh, right. We entered the Dungeon.”
As the fog of sleep lifted, fragmented memories began to resurface one by one.
“Is Ji Sung okay?”
“Yes. He’s been detoxified safely, and after drinking a stamina potion, he’s resting now.”
“Thank goodness.”
Then curiosity stirred within me.
“How long was I asleep?”
“Just over five hours.”
“I must have needed it. I feel a bit better now.”
“Sleep a bit more. Your complexion still doesn’t look good.”
“Mm. Maybe I will.”
I didn’t protest.
Though far better than when I’d collapsed, I was still exhausted enough to groan—sleep was exactly what I needed.
And so, without realizing it, I drifted off again.
When I opened my eyes once more, that gentle breeze continued to caress my skin.

* * *

Fifth day inside the Dungeon.
Ji Sung and I rose after taking sufficient rest, brushing the sand from our clothes.
With our rear guard operational again, it was time to deal with the boss monster.
Hoping we wouldn’t need to return to Base Camp, we packed away the tent and all camping supplies.
“By the way, Guild Master.”
“Yes, Yeo Joo?”
“That boss monster—whether it’s a centipede or a scorpion or something. They say it’s incredibly cunning. It hides and ambushes. It seems like it’ll be extremely difficult to handle.”
“This time, I’ll take the front lines. Su Ho and Professor Lee will swap positions to protect the rear.”
“Right. Professor Lee mentioned he’s faced scorpion-type monsters before, didn’t he?”
“It must be daunting to face an A-rank monster, yet he readily agreed to do so.”
“That’s fortunate. Still, Professor Lee won’t have to directly clash with that monster, right?”
“He’ll prioritize defense over offense and provide support.”
“If it’s Professor Lee, we can trust him.”
I felt relieved at heart.
Last time, Ji Sung’s condition from the boss monster’s poison had been dire.
“Guild Master, don’t get close—just throw lightning spears from a distance. Understood?”
Kang Han smiled broadly at my words.
“I’ll do my best to manage that.”
“Don’t try—do it.”
As Kang Han and I bickered back and forth, we arrived at the boss monster’s domain.
It was slightly offset toward the upper portion from the center.
“Yeo Joo, Ji Sung, and Su Ho—wait here. The rest of us will advance deeper toward the center.”
Following Kang Han’s orders, five of us ventured deeper into the boss’s territory.
But something felt wrong from that point onward.
Kang Han said something to the other four, then began walking alone.
“What? Why is he going in alone… What is he doing!”
I cried out before I could stop myself.
Kang Han suddenly drew a dagger and slashed his own left arm with the blade.
Crimson blood soon began dripping steadily onto the desert sand.
I instinctively tried to walk inward to treat Kang Han’s wound.
If he hadn’t raised his right hand to stop me, as if he already knew what I was thinking.
“That damned fool…”
“Han is calling the monster out right now.”
Ji Sung spoke in a calm voice to me, who was grinding my teeth in frustration.
“The monster is drawn by the scent of human blood?”
“Humans are nothing but prey before monsters, after all.”
“Even so, that’s too much.”
Where in the world would anyone use such a crude method?
So this was what he meant by taking the front lines himself.
Fortunately, the natural healing ability of an S-rank combat-type shone through once again.
As the blood that had been streaming down began to clot, it shifted to dripping in sparse droplets.
At that precise moment, something massive erupted from the sand-stained earth—the very ground darkened by Kang Han’s blood—sending up a whirlwind of sand.
“SHRIEEEEEK!!”
The moment Kang Han safely retreated, the creature shrieked—a centipede bearing a scorpion-like tail.

[ Sand Centipede Scolki ( A )
: Master of the Desert Dungeon. ]

It was so colossal that despite the considerable distance between us, I could distinctly see each of the hundreds of legs sprouting across its entire body.
An instinctive revulsion washed over me, and my skin crawled with goosebumps.
“Ugh. Uhhh.”
“Just close your eyes, Yeo Joo.”
Ji Sung, whose hair was rippling with the flow of mana as he began his skill incantation, spoke to me.
“No. I need to watch carefully.”
If I were going to avoid this just because it was frightening and repulsive, I would have stayed in the Tent today.
“SHRIEEEK!”
Fortunately, the battle seemed to be progressing smoothly.
Without anyone being injured or poisoned, they were methodically dealing large and small wounds to the giant centipede, advancing their strategy with caution.
Thanks to that, I even had the leisure to chat with Jang Su Ho.
“Jang Su Ho, in your opinion—does that look more like a centipede or a scorpion?”
“It has a venomous stinger on its tail. Isn’t it a scorpion?”
“But it has way too many legs. That’s definitely a centipede.”
“Still, it mostly attacks with its tail though.”
“…I suppose so?”
Now that he mentioned it, that did seem to be the case too.
Whether it was a centipede or a scorpion, I couldn’t see why it mattered, so I shrugged my shoulders.
“Su Ho.”
Ji Sung, having finished his skill incantation, called out to Jang Su Ho.
He said they planned to launch an area-of-effect attack to restrict the boss monster’s movements.
To maximize accuracy even slightly, Jang Su Ho escorted Ji Sung a few more steps toward the center of the arena.
“Ice Spear.”
With Ji Sung’s chant, dozens of sharp ice spikes shot toward the boss monster.
“SHRIEE, SHRIEK!”
The centipede, struck squarely in the torso by one of them, twisted its entire body and shrieked.
It had attacked so cowardly from behind, tormenting Ji Sung so much—serves it right.
“SHRIEE, SHRIEEEEEK!”
The mortally wounded boss monster continued to emit tearing shrieks.
Had there been other monsters nearby, that sound alone would have been enough to summon them.
“Wait a moment.”
The conversation I’d had with Jang Su Ho moments earlier flashed through my mind.
“Jang Su Ho, in your opinion—does that thing look more like a centipede or a scorpion?”
I pulled up the boss monster’s information again.

[ Sand Centipede Skolki ( A )
: Master of the Desert Dungeon. ]

A centipede.
The system had classified that monster as a ‘centipede.’
And when Lee Yu Chan explained how Han Ji Sung had been injured, he’d mentioned it.
A monster that disappeared underground and then reappeared had suddenly attacked from behind.
‘What if those two weren’t the same individual?’
That suspicion had just crossed my mind.
Crash—!
Only a few paces away from where I stood.
“Kieeeek!!”
Another centipede burst forth from the ground.

[ Sand Centipede Stuki ( A )
: Master of the Desert Dungeon. ]

Using its tail as a brace, it launched itself high into the air, then lunged at me with its maw wide open. I stood there stupidly, a realization dawning on me.
Ah, that’s right.
Centipedes travel in mated pairs.
“Keeek!”
The creature’s hideous shriek pierced the air at close range.
But I felt no pain.
My eyes, which had instinctively squeezed shut, opened to narrow slits.
A figure stood between me and the centipede.
“…Jang Su Ho?”

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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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