The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 279

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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 100

“Wow, the Training Grounds here are fantastic.”
Among all the training facilities I’d visited so far, the Sama Guild naturally had the best equipment.
But the Korean Awakener Association’s Training Grounds were absolutely no worse.
Not only were they reinforced with various Gate byproducts so that even high-rank Hunters could use their full strength, but unlike the Sama Guild, they were located above ground rather than underground, which made them feel considerably more pleasant.
Of course, this was made possible by the money that the Guilds had contributed for various reasons—clearance right auctions, Gate maintenance costs, and the like.
Perhaps one pane of this Training Grounds’ glass windows might even be the Justice Guild’s contribution.
With my hands clasped behind my back, I was walking around and admiring the vast Training Grounds when suddenly a loud voice rang out.
“This is Master’s work, isn’t it!”
I turned to see Shin Se Hee’s cheeks flushed as she gazed at the spear that Jung Je Hwa had lent to Kang Han in place of his own.
“I’ve seen this at the Maestro exhibition before! But why does the Kang Han Guild Master have it…!”
Smack!
Kang Han brushed away Shin Se Hee’s hand as it reached toward the spear.
That light but resolute gesture brought a brief silence.
“Ah….”
Shin Se Hee froze momentarily with her eyes wide in surprise, then quickly collected herself.
“I’m sorry. That was rude of me.”
“It’s fine.”
“But… it really is Master’s work, right?”
“Yes, it is.”
“I’m a huge Master fan, so I really wanted to touch it just once….”
Shin Se Hee murmured while fidgeting with the hilt of her own sword at her waist.
But Kang Han shook his head.
“Since it’s not my possession, I’m afraid that won’t be possible. Please inquire with the Maestro directly.”
“So the Kang Han Guild Master doesn’t own it—you’re borrowing it from the Maestro? Ah, the Justice Guild is the sponsor. I’ve been waiting for years to buy Master’s work myself.”
It made sense, since Jung Je Hwa had been in a slump for a long time before meeting me.
Up to this point, everything was understandable.
Reaching out to another Hunter’s weapon was rude, and continuing to stare intently at the spear was also impolite, but if she was truly such a devoted Master fan, it was possible.
But what came next was different.
“Then, could you perhaps put in a word with the Maestro for me?”
“Sub-guild Master Shin Se Hee, that seems like quite an unreasonable request.”
Even with Ji Jung Hwi’s warning, Shin Se Hee didn’t back down.
“If I can receive it even a few months earlier by being a bit forward, it’s not a loss. Of course, I’m not asking with just words. I can offer financial compensation or whatever else is needed.”
So she really was as straightforward as they said.
That’s completely unreasonable.
I’d actually liked Shin Se Hee in 【Sejong’s Barrier】, but I was deeply disappointed.
As expected, Kang Han’s expression had hardened into stone.
“You came here to spar, didn’t you?”
“So that’s a refusal? I understand.”
Shin Se Hee withdrew with admirable composure.
But the warm atmosphere that had filled the Training Facility just moments ago had turned bitterly cold.
It was a small mercy that an Association Staff member, upon hearing the Association Director had come personally, arrived in a frantic rush.
“Um, are you planning to use Skills during the match?”
The Association Staff member, sensing the frigid tension, posed the question cautiously.
Shin Se Hee answered immediately.
“No, I won’t be using Skills.”
That was unexpected.
I’d assumed she’d want to use every Skill at her disposal to test herself.
It seemed I wasn’t alone in that assumption—both Kang Han and the Association Director’s gazes turned toward Shin Se Hee.
Then Shin Se Hee lifted one corner of her mouth into a combative smile and spoke.
“We should test our true abilities without relying on Skills.”
Aren’t Skills part of one’s abilities?
Simply awakening a high-grade Skill doesn’t determine everything.
What truly matters is how skillfully and strategically one can deploy that Skill when it counts.
But I kept that opinion to myself.
“Without Skills, wouldn’t this just be a simple hand-to-hand combat match?”
It was Kang Han who spoke, not me.
I nodded, thinking he shared my perspective, when Shin Se Hee countered.
“How can a Skill with a fixed grade ever truly measure someone’s ability?”
Her tone carried an edge, sharp and pointed.
It felt as though some unseen button had been pressed.
Kang Han, who had been studying Shin Se Hee intently, finally spoke.
“Grade is merely a starting point, not a ceiling, Shin Se Hee, Sub-guild Master.”
“Is that so? How does it feel starting from S-grade?”
Instead of answering, Kang Han nodded quietly, then made a request to the staff member.
“Let’s activate Skill restrictions.”

* * *

The early stages of the match proceeded without incident.
It was a process of exchanging attacks and gauging each other’s abilities.
But that was short-lived. Shin Se Hee, who had been moving slowly and watching for an opening, struck first.
Unlike the probing exchange, the blade she swung with full force carried a weighty power that none of the Muwoon Guild members could properly defend against.
I expected that Kang Han, being S-rank, wouldn’t take the blow without resistance, but at minimum he would struggle to block the attack.
Clang—!
Yet as the sharp metallic ring echoed, it was Shin Se Hee who stumbled backward.
The numbness radiating from her grip on the sword hilt spread throughout her entire arm.
It wasn’t as though I had never sparred with an S-rank before.
For the past several years, my joy had been deliberately traveling to Seoul to meet Yoo Myung Hwa of the Dongbaek Guild and testing our training progress against each other.
But sparring with Kang Han felt like facing a wall itself.
And as the match continued, I felt it with bone-deep clarity.
It wasn’t merely a difference in raw power.
It was a difference in technique.
Screech—!
In that brief moment as I adjusted my grip, Kang Han’s curved spear blade drew toward my sword edge like a magnet.
Gritting my teeth to avoid being pulled along, I twisted the blade free and lowered my body to close the distance.
It was a common tactic when facing those who wielded long-reach weapons like spears.
In such a position, the opponent would have no choice but to retreat.
And in that moment, I intended to exploit the opening that would appear.
But the situation did not unfold as I had anticipated.
Kang Han switched his grip, grasping the spear shaft firmly, and thrust the weapon directly at me as I rushed forward.
The formula of “close in and attack against a spear user” instantly lost all meaning.
“Hah!”
Drawing a sharp breath, I barely pulled my upper body back as the pointed tip grazed past my face.
And before I could regain my balance, the opposite end of the spear—its blunt butt—came flying at me.
The speed and force with which Kang Han stepped forward and rotated his upper body struck me with such intensity that it was already more threatening than the blade itself.
Thud!
In the end, it was I who retreated, not Kang Han.
The distance I had barely closed opened up again, now favoring Kang Han.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—!
The curved blade of the long spear bore down with fierce momentum, seeking every opening in my defense.
Clang! Crash!
I swung my sword desperately to defend, but I could not block every attack that poured down like rain.
Splash!
Finally, as the spear carved into my side, my shoulder grazed against it and blood sprayed forth.
Once a wound serious enough to draw blood had been inflicted, the match was over.
“Let’s stop here.”
As Kang Han spoke those words and set aside his spear, I stood motionless, gripping the wound on my shoulder.
I had lost without even managing to launch a proper attack.
Even without relying on skills, I was completely overwhelmed in both raw power and technique.
Shin Se Hee, who slowly raised her head, was smiling.
She was enjoying herself.
When was the last time she’d drawn blood during a sparring match?
Facing a formidable opponent after so long, her blood was boiling with excitement.
“Let’s go again. Actually, just two more rounds.”
Shin Se Hee slowly switched the sword she’d been holding in her right hand to her left.
She never imagined she’d be using her left hand outside a Gate, much less against a person.
It was at that moment, as raw fighting spirit emanated from Shin Se Hee and Kang Han slightly furrowed his brow while adjusting his grip on his spear, that—
“Hold on.”
Ji Jung Hwi, the Association Director, lightly interjected between the two who looked ready to clash weapons at any second.
“Why not continue this in the next Guild Tournament?”

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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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