The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 230

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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 51

Hundreds of wasps—perhaps more—each the size of a basketball descended upon us simultaneously, and even I couldn’t stand against such an onslaught.
Following pure instinct, I squeezed my eyes shut and pressed myself against Kang Han’s back, bracing for the agony that would come.
They said it was neurotoxin.
Would there even be time to feel pain?
Would death come instantly?
Yet as these terrifying thoughts cascaded through my mind, no pain came.
Uuuuuuung—
I cautiously opened my eyes, listening to the monster’s wing-beats growing ever louder.
But the surroundings were far too dark.
And the temperature had risen sharply, making it unbearably hot.
When I straightened my hunched body slightly, I saw Kang Han gripping his dagger with both hands, forming a barrier of electrical current to hold back the swarm.
Crack— Crackle—
With each spark that flew, my vision brightened momentarily.
And in that light, what I saw was—
Snap snap snap snap.
Hundreds of gaping mouths pressed against the wall of Kang Han’s electrical dome, snapping frantically.
“Damn it.”
I couldn’t help but curse.
My body shuddered involuntarily, and I desperately wished I could just lose consciousness.
Hearing my profanity, Kang Han intensified the current around his dagger and expanded the dome further.
Screech—! Screech!
Those that had embedded their teeth in the dome were charred black by the electrical current, but their places were immediately filled by others.
Throughout this chaos, Ji Jung Hwi remained standing in perfect stillness.
With his eyes gently closed, he looked like someone completely unaware of the hundreds of monsters swarming to kill him.
Then, at some point, the ear-splitting sound of wings began to fade.
Kang Han no longer needed to hold them back with his electrical barrier.
The wasps gradually retreated, forming a circular formation in the air.
Buuuung—
The threatening buzz of their wings had become noticeably gentler.
I turned to look and saw that Ji Jung Hwi had opened his eyes, now gazing at the wasps.
His eyes, devoid of any white, were completely black—more like a monster’s than a human’s.
Wherever Ji Jung Hwi’s gaze moved, the massive swarm of wasps swayed gently in response.
It was like flowers blooming across a field, rustling softly in the breeze.
“This is… a psychic-type hunter.”
Psychic-type hunters were as rare as healers.
And I understood why.
There couldn’t be many awakeners with such overwhelming power.
There was no need to fight while bleeding and breaking bones.
Now that Ji Jung Hwi had dominated the minds of hundreds of wasps, a single gesture from him could make the swarm attack Kang Han and me, or turn them against each other to tear themselves apart.
Buuuuung—
That was when I heard a loud wing sound unlike anything before.

[ Zeta Hill Queen Hornet ( B )
: The queen that leads the hornets. ]

When the queen—incomparably larger than the ordinary hornet monsters—revealed herself, unrest rippled through the swarm.
The hornet monsters that had been dancing and swarming moments ago began to waver nervously again, and some individuals even broke formation as if in rebellion.
Kang Han, preparing for an emergency, generated sharp electricity in his free hand, the one not holding the Silent Spear.
He didn’t attack the queen hornet first.
It was because I could sense that Ji Jung Hwi was engaged in an invisible battle for dominance.
The queen hornet, her body too large for swift movement, didn’t rush forward to attack.
She merely circled her own territory warily, letting out a chilling screech like nails on a chalkboard toward her subjects stolen by the intruder.
“Keeek!”
It was a brief command, but its effect on the swarm was profound.
Uuuung—!
The sound of the swarm’s wings became threatening once more.
Kang Han, who had been preparing to attack, dispersed the lightning he’d formed and pulled me close again.
He was ready to create a dome of electrical current like before to block any assault if necessary.
But Kang Han never had to use his ability again.
Thick veins bulged on Ji Jung Hwi’s forehead, and black tears began to flow along the corners of his deep eyes.
‘He’s not going berserk, is he?’
Worried, I checked, but Ji Jung Hwi’s darkness addiction rate was still only at 60%.
Which meant.
Uuuuung—
With a subtle shift in the sound of their wings, the swarm reformed into a circle and changed direction in unison.
Toward where the queen hornet was.
“Keeek! Keeeek!”
The queen shrieked in panic, trying to cry out louder, but it had no effect anymore.
If anything, her cries seemed to agitate the swarm further, and more of them began grinding their jaws threateningly.
And the moment Ji Jung Hwi’s gaze turned toward the queen hornet.
Buuuuung—!
Hundreds of wasps rushed toward their own queen.
“Keeee, kiiii…”
The Queen Wasp’s screams didn’t last long.
From some point onward, there was only one sound echoing relentlessly.
Crunch, crunch, crunch.
It was the sound of the Zeta Hill wasps’ powerful mandibles working as they devoured their own queen.

* * *

I returned to Mii Village after saying my farewells to the elders.
This time, however, I didn’t need to rely on the Village Community Center.
“Come in.”
Hunter Ji Jung Hwi had stepped out of his home to invite Kang Han inside.
“Thank you for having us.”
“Me too.”
Following Kang Han into Ji Jung Hwi’s home, I found it cleaner than expected—yet strangely austere.
The sparse furnishings, despite him having lived here for over a year, looked less like a home and more like a temporary lodging.
After guiding us to the Living Room, Hunter Ji Jung Hwi surprisingly offered coffee as well.
“Ah, I was just thinking I needed some caffeine. I’ll enjoy this.”
I accepted the warm mug of coffee gratefully and spoke.
The tension that had gripped my body throughout the Guerrilla Dungeon seemed to melt away with just a few sips of the warm brew.
It seemed I’d need to repay him for the coffee.
I set the mug down on the table and extended my hand toward Hunter Ji Jung Hwi.
“Your Darkness addiction rate is hovering right around 70%, you know? That’s a number that deeply concerns me, so would you mind lending me your hand for a moment?”
“…Let me trouble you.”
“Oh, just a moment.”
I retrieved one of Chung Soo’s tonics from my Subspace and quickly drank it.
Now I was invincible.
Since I’d already drawn the blade, I lowered Hunter Ji Jung Hwi’s addiction rate down to 30%.
There was also a calculated kindness in this act—a desire to make a good impression given the terrifying nature of the mental system I’d witnessed in the dungeon moments ago.
“All done.”
“…Your physical condition is definitely different.”
Hunter Ji Jung Hwi flexed and relaxed the hand that had held mine, speaking with wonder.
Then I fastened the scanner bracelet I’d brought to his wrist.
“This is still a prototype, but it should be helpful. It’s an item that displays your Darkness addiction rate through color—like a traffic light with green, orange, and red signals.”
“You’ve been developing items like this too.”
“Of course. With just this, we can completely prevent the misfortune of hunters entering dungeons thinking they’re merely unwell, only to go berserk.”
“You’re trying to genuinely transform the hunter industry.”
“Exactly. So now, please come back to the Awakeners Association.”
“….”
“You never actually retired anyway. You’ve continued as a hunter while using a false identity. I’m simply asking you to change your stage of activity back to the Association—not into Guerrilla Gates, but to where Hunter Ji Jung Hwi is truly needed.”
The fact that he didn’t immediately refuse my proposal was itself a hopeful response.
I decided to blow more air into the small embers that were beginning to glow.
“The Jeollanam-do Branch lacks support, doesn’t it? You can tell just from the fact that a single Association Staff member was guarding the Gate entrance, even though it’s a Gate that opened in a rural area. If you become Association Director again, you could solve those kinds of problems directly.”
Ji Jung Hwi’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
I knew this part would work.
After drinking his coffee in silence for a moment, Ji Jung Hwi opened his mouth heavily.
“I have no intention of making decisions favorable to the Jung Dong Alliance.”
“I know, and I’m not asking for that. I just need someone to provide balance. Trauma treatment potions are one thing, and there’s genuinely so much the Awakeners Association needs to do going forward.”
My tone came out quite composed, but truthfully, I was anxious.
Time was truly running out now.
Now that Double Dungeons have begun appearing, the changes to Gates will accelerate rapidly.
If the Awakeners Association stumbles and loses its footing amid all this, I didn’t even want to imagine how the repercussions would come back.
“You were good at it. Even though you haven’t been a hunter for long, I’ve heard multiple times how capable Ji Jung Hwi as Association Director was. The only problem was the rampage that occurred like seizures because of darkness addiction, but you don’t need to worry about that anymore.”
“That skill you mentioned. Can it be used anytime, on anyone?”
“Yes, there are differences in efficiency, but it’s possible on anyone.”
“And you know what causes those differences in efficiency?”
It was a question that asked what he was curious about without crossing the line.
Very much like Ji Jung Hwi.
“Yes. Should I explain?”
“If you can.”
“You just need to trust me. The more you trust me, the higher the efficiency becomes.”
…I absolutely couldn’t call it favorability.
After hearing my answer, Ji Jung Hwi looked at me with a peculiar expression for a moment, then nodded.
“I’ll think about it again.”
When someone like Ji Jung Hwi says “I’ll think about it,” it means something entirely different from when I casually say “let’s grab a meal sometime” as an empty promise.
I swallowed the cheer that was about to burst out and quickly nodded obediently.

* * *

Kang Han, who had been gazing up at the round moon visible through the window, quietly rose to his feet.
After a simple dinner, Yeo Joo fell into a deep sleep not long after Ji Jung Hwi laid out the bedding in the living room.
With her soft breathing audible right beside me, sleep was utterly impossible.

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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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