The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 311

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

Yeo Joo Saves the World
Part 2, Episode 132

Back when the Justice Guild’s coffers were as barren as a sun-baked rice paddy, I obtained a key from the Glacier Dungeon—an intentional acquisition.
Deliberate and calculated.
Afterward, while mining the Flame Dungeon after clearing it, I happened to use that key to open a chest.
A fortunate accident.
This compass was the item that lay inside that chest.
“Land of Dreams.”
Kang Han murmured the information inscribed on the golden compass with an enigmatic expression.
“Please take this.”
I pressed the compass into Kang Han’s hand, then grasped it and walked closer toward the building, asking him a question.
“What’s your dream, Guild Master?”
“My dream, you ask?”
Kang Han fell silent for a moment at the unexpected question, his gaze growing distant before he answered.
“Perhaps… for all of us to live happily together?”
He had a surprisingly sentimental side.
Yet it was so characteristically Kang Han that I could only nod in agreement.
After all, happiness has always been the hardest thing to achieve.
“And what of you, Yeo Joo?”
“Me…”
Without thinking, a laugh escaped me alongside my imagination.
“One ton of gold bars. With all the taxes properly handled, of course.”
“…One ton.”
“I’ve held stacks of bills before, so this time I want to experience holding gold bars.”
Kang Han stared at me in disbelief before letting out a soft chuckle.
“That’s very much like you, Yeo Joo. I like it.”
“But it’s too ordinary, isn’t it? Hmm, I think it’s right that you take the compass in with you after all.”
“Take it in? Where?”
“There.”
Kang Han turned to follow my pointing finger, then came to an abrupt halt.
“Surely… that’s not a Gate?”
“It does look a bit different.”
The Gate rippling before the entrance of the 63-Story Building differed greatly from the Gates we had grown accustomed to seeing.
Unlike the ordinary Gates that split through empty air like a knife wound, this one undulated in a perfect circle.
And above all, rather than the squid-ink black we knew, it shimmered with the golden hue of molten pure gold.
“So this is… the Land of Dreams?”
“Well, I suppose something like that exists.”
“If there’s a Golden Dungeon, a Gate connected to it would probably look like this.”
Kang Han let out a hollow laugh before something dawned on him, and he spoke.
“But there’s no reaction from the people around us.”
“As expected of our Guild Master.”
These people of this world were already accustomed to Gates.
Normally, if a Gate suddenly opened on the side of a street in Yeouido, people would scream and run away or crowd around with their phones out, recording videos.
But the pedestrians walking down the street remained calm.
“Could it be that other people can’t see it?”
“That’s right. It’s a Gate that only those carrying this compass can see.”
“It’s not… dangerous, is it?”
Kang Han asked me in a low voice.
There was no way he was afraid of the Gate.
“Why? Are you trying to leave me behind if it’s dangerous?”
“…You’re only quick to pick up on things at times like this.”
I spoke with a rather menacing tone to Kang Han, who muttered while turning his head slightly to the side.
“The more dangerous a place is, the more desperately you need to keep your healer close! Just try leaving me behind somewhere dangerous.”
“I have no such intention. I’d rather not hear what Yeo Joo would say to me.”
“Good that you understand. So shall we go in?”
Kang Han looked at the hand I extended for a moment before taking it firmly.
His thick, solid hand conveyed a sense of security the moment I grasped it.
As we crossed the street and walked toward the golden Gate, a few people’s gazes lingered on us briefly, but not for long.
As we drew near, the Gate pulled us in as if drawing us toward it.
Before my entire body was completely engulfed in the rippling golden mass, I spoke to Kang Han.
“See you later, Kang Han.”

* * *

“Yeo Joo! Wake up! You’re going to be late!”
A voice I’d missed so deeply stirred me awake.
I pulled the blanket that had slipped halfway down back over myself as I answered.
“Mmm, just a little longer…”
“Still not getting up?”
Smack!
A sharp hand came down on my backside hard enough to jolt me fully awake.
“Ow! What was that?!”
“What do you think? It’s your mother!”
“…Mom?”
I forced my swollen eyes open, and there stood my angry mother.
She’d finished all her preparations for work, her makeup complete, and the fierce light in her eyes made her look even more intimidating.
“Mom, what are you doing here…?”
“You’re still sleeping? Why else? You asked me to wake you up so you wouldn’t be late today!”
“Oh…”
I suppose I did ask her that.
But why did she look so unfamiliar to me?
I threw off the blanket and sat up, continuing to stare up at my mother’s face.
It was definitely my mother, yet it felt like I hadn’t seen her in forever.
“Yeo Joo, are you hurt somewhere?”
As I gazed at her intently, concern washed across her face.
Then a cool hand touched my forehead, and my heart swelled with emotion.
“No, I think I was just having a dream. You weren’t there, and everything felt so difficult.”
I couldn’t quite remember it all, but it had been a long dream.
Terrifying and lonely enough to steal my breath away.
Yet it wasn’t entirely a nightmare either.
Sometimes it had been incredibly joyful and fun.
Then I caught sight of the family photo on my nightstand and suddenly remembered something, so I asked my mother.
“Dad! Where’s Dad?”
“Your father left for work ages ago! Now that you’re awake, hurry up and get moving. Today’s your first day at the Justice Guild!”
“Oh, that’s right!”
My mind snapped into focus.
I rushed into the Restroom and splashed my face with cold water, patting both my cheeks sharply to shake off the drowsiness.
Get your head straight, Yeo Joo.
You can’t show up looking confused on your first day!

+++

“This is the Justice Guild Headquarters.”
I gazed up at the Justice Guild Building towering majestically over the bustling Gwanghwamun Intersection, crowded with people and vehicles alike.
After graduating university and submitting applications to various companies, I underwent a routine health check without much thought—and received an Awakener classification.
Since an Awakening was suspected, I couldn’t apply to regular companies until my rank was confirmed, so I went to the Awakener Association for testing.
Honestly, it was a hassle.
From what I’d read online, most people were ranked D or E class anyway, so it wouldn’t amount to much.
But the scanning results came back: A-rank Healer, just like that.
From that moment on, I had to turn off my phone for a while to escape the flood of guild recruitment offers.
I chose the Justice Guild primarily for the high salary and the prestige of the “Justice Guild” name itself.
There’s an old saying that even a servant should serve in a nobleman’s house—and it wasn’t without reason.
My parents enthusiastically recommended the Justice Guild as well.
They insisted it was South Korea’s representative guild, after all.
To be honest, I agonized over the choice between the Sama Guild and the Justice Guild right up until the end, but ultimately I chose the Justice Guild.
Something about the Sama Guild just felt off to me.
Over the past three months, I completed my new employee training at the Justice Guild Training Center located in Gimpo.
And today was finally my first day of proper work at the headquarters.
“Alright, let’s do this, Yeo Joo.”
I checked my appearance one last time and stepped into the Justice Guild.
I’d seen the first-floor lobby a few times in photos and videos, but the actual space was far more massive and magnificent than I’d imagined.
Particularly striking was the enormous wall screen spanning several stories high, where dazzling photos of Justice Guild Hunters cycled endlessly, commanding attention, while the fragrant aroma of coffee from the franchise cafe bustling with employees filled the air.
My heart fluttered with excitement as I was about to explore the surroundings a bit more, when I heard someone calling my name.
“You’re Healer Yeo Joo, right?”
A strikingly beautiful woman with long, wavy black hair was smiling at me.
She was Yang Hwa Yeon, a Hunter that every South Korean citizen knew.
“Oh, yes! Hello.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Yang Hwa Yeon, and I’ll be mentoring Healer Yeo Joo for a while.”
“Thank you so much!”
As I bowed politely, Yang Hwa Yeon burst into laughter.
“You don’t need to be so nervous! Hunters tend to be pretty laid-back, and you’ll figure that out soon enough.”
“Is… that so?”
“Since we’re on the subject, should we drop the formalities? Unless we’re on broadcast or in public, everyone just calls each other by casual terms like ‘unnie’ or ‘oppa.'”
“Oh… please, feel free to speak casually! I’ll just take my time adjusting.”
“Sure, then. Anyway, Team 1, which you and I belong to, is on the 20th floor, so shall we head up?”
“Yes!”
Even during the brief time it took to scan my employee badge and head toward the elevator, Yang Hwa Yeon was busy returning greetings from people.
Seeing how well she got along not just with Hunters but with regular office staff, I found myself nodding in approval.
It’s natural for everyone to want to befriend someone who’s both beautiful and has a good personality.
In turn, I also got to know a few people myself.
“This is Healer Yeo Joo, who just joined our team.”
“Hello!”
“Finally, Team 1 is getting a healer! Nice to meet you, Healer Yeo Joo!”
As we exchanged greetings in the midst of the commotion, the elevator we’d been waiting for arrived and the doors slid open.
A few people who appeared to have come up from the underground parking lot were already inside.
“Hwa Yeon, it’s been a while?”
“Guild Master!”
A small sound escaped me.
I nearly cried out, “That’s Kang Young Won, the Hunter!”
The sight of Kang Young Won, the Guild Master of the Justice Guild, dressed in a sharp suit, smiling brightly at Yang Hwa Yeon, felt surreal.
And beside Kang Young Won stood a man whose black suit fit his skin as naturally as a second layer.
When I turned my gaze toward him out of curiosity, I met a pair of piercing green eyes fixed directly on me.

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————