The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 342

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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 163

As I emerged from the Gate, the morning sun was already climbing high into the sky.
Yet there was something else that pierced through my sleep-deprived haze.
“Daily Today News! Can we get an interview?”
“We’re from Daily Today!”
“It won’t take long! Just give us a quick comment!”
A swarm of reporters who had been camped outside the Gate came rushing toward us.
“Ah, reporters! You need to request interviews through proper channels!”
“How did they even know we’d be here?”
My guild members gently pushed back the reporters who were shoving cameras in our faces, their expressions puzzled.
I said nothing and simply gazed toward the Awakeners Association tent.
Sure enough, the staff member who had greeted us last night with a tired face was clearly avoiding my gaze.
‘As expected.’
I smiled at the reporters, hoping the bribe they’d given this overworked bureaucrat would at least ease their conscience.
“What brings such busy people all the way out here?”
“This morning, Muwoon Guild announced they’ve recruited a new member. Were you aware of this?”
“I was in the Gate all night and just came out, so of course I didn’t know. Who is it?”
A new guild member at this point, with the quarterfinals just days away?
Curious, one of the reporters showed me a video.
At the center of a press conference reminiscent of a famous athlete’s signing ceremony stood a man with light brown hair.
Who was that?
“Wait, isn’t that Bae Do Yoon?”
“Jang Su Ho, do you know who he is?”
“Vaguely? He was with some guild before. Anyway, he’s a light-attribute mage!”
“…Light attribute?”
The only light-attribute mage Hunter I knew was Sung Ro Sa.
In any case, Shin Se Hee, the vice-guild leader of Muwoon who held Bae Do Yoon like a trophy at her side, took the microphone.

[ “We would appreciate your blessings as Bae Do Yoon, whom we have worked to recruit for a long time, begins his new career with Muwoon.”
“Did you happen to see Sa Ma Young’s interview yesterday?” ]

At the very first question that erupted the moment the Q&A began, Shin Se Hee nodded while maintaining her smile.

[ “Yes, I saw it. Well, it’s just Guild Master Sa Ma Young’s personal opinion, so I respect it.” ]
“Not only Guild Master Sa Ma Young, but recently public opinion has been leaning toward Justice Guild’s victory in the upcoming quarterfinals. What are your thoughts on this?”
“It’s true that Justice Guild has been showing good performance lately. However, I don’t think they compare to us at Muwoon, who have steadfastly protected Busan all these years without wavering.”
“But unlike Justice Guild, which has multiple S-rank Hunters, isn’t Muwoon entirely composed of A-rank Hunters?” ]

I recalled the first place I met Shin Se Hee—when I came to receive a potion for treating external injuries.
She seemed to react sensitively to the topic of rank back then too.

[ “Which media outlet are you from, reporter?”
“I’m with Daily Today.” ]

That name sounded familiar from earlier.
The reporter showing us the phone screen was definitely the same one.
‘So they came swarming because of this?’
They were desperately trying to extract some provocative comment from Justice Guild.
Pretending not to notice their transparent intentions, I turned my gaze back to the screen.

[ “Isn’t there a difference even among S-rank Hunters, reporter?” ]

It was a short sentence, but the meaning Shin Se Hee conveyed was crystal clear.
The S-rank Hunters of Justice Guild, including Kang Han, weren’t true S-ranks.

[ “Of course, it’s true that Justice Guild has been performing well lately, but towers built in haste crumble easily. I happened to meet Guild Master Kang Han once before, and he said ‘rank isn’t everything.’ I’d like to return those exact words to Justice Guild.” ]

Wait, the reporter said something strange, so why are they turning it back on us?
Besides, that’s not what Kang Han meant that day.
When Shin Se Hee suggested a sparring match using only pure martial arts, excluding skills with varying power based on rank, I said it to encourage her in my own way.
And you didn’t lose in that sparring match either, did you, Shin Se Hee?
No excessive competitiveness, no greed for the weapons Master created.
I thought it was just a mistake born from her honest nature and let it slide.
It seemed I had misjudged her character.
“What do you think about this?”
Once the press conference footage ended, the reporter who had pocketed their phone asked with keen interest.
They must have come all this way expecting Justice Guild to explode in anger after being caught off guard like this.
That way, they could bundle it with Shin Se Hee’s remarks and broadcast a sensational scene to the public.
But the reporters outside the Gate didn’t know something crucial.
“Goodness.”
“Muwoon really….”
The junior members shook their heads and sighed.
The other guild members’ reactions weren’t much different.
Then they naturally turned their gaze toward Kang Han.
That overwhelming force they had just witnessed firsthand.

“But at this rate, couldn’t you just go to the quarterfinals alone, hyung?”

Jang Su Ho’s thoughts were shared by everyone else.
But Muwoon’s sub-guild leader, caught in the reporter’s trap, had gone and spouted trash talk like that in public.
Rather than anger, I could only feel sympathy.
Kang Han, standing at the center of all the gazes turning toward him, opened his mouth.
“I believe Muwoon Guild is an organization that has long fulfilled its responsibilities and duties as hunters.”
The reporters’ eager eyes fixed solely on Kang Han’s lips.
“Justice Guild also takes pride in its history and tradition. So I’m expecting this will be a good match.”
“But didn’t Sub-guild Leader Shin Se Hee make remarks that disrespected Justice Guild? Don’t you have any comment on that?”
“I’m sorry to say, but I think I’ll have to repeat what I said that day. Rank is merely a starting point, not a limit.”
Kang Han’s green eyes gleamed with unusual clarity as he smiled with ease.
“What does that mean?”
“You’ll be able to confirm it directly once the match begins. I’ll take my leave now.”
After finishing his words, Kang Han wrapped his arm around my shoulder protectively and headed toward the bus.
The reporters clamored around Kang Han trying to extract one more statement, but his lips remained sealed.
I walked silently alongside him.
It was because of the light-attribute mage Muwoon Guild had recently recruited.
What type of Dungeon the Competition Arena would be was classified information.
I’m a vessel, so I knew, but how did Muwoon find out and recruit a light-attribute hunter?
‘Something smells fishy.’

* * *

The quarterfinal match was drawing near—just four days away.
I was currently riding the subway toward Gangnam.
Since I’d decided to participate in this match myself, there were certain items I needed to acquire.
Fortunately, most of them were available through online shopping, but the most crucial item required me to go in person.
The store was located at the Sa Ma Hunter Market.
While Maestro in Jamsil specialized in high-end items crafted by master artisans, the Sa Ma Hunter Market in Gangnam focused on mid-to-low-range items that were easily accessible to the general public.
“Ugh, what a hassle.”
I was already regretting my ambitious decision to take the subway instead of a taxi, thinking it would double as exercise.
The pulled-down hat and mask I wore to avoid being recognized were uncomfortable.
They were concealment items I’d found useful on several occasions.
Once had been enough when I visited the Sa Ma Guild last time and strange rumors spread about whether I was switching guilds or not.
The rhythmic swaying of the train had lulled me into drowsiness, but only for a moment.
As the scenery brightened, I opened my eyes to see the Han River flowing past the window.
‘This is why I love living in Seoul.’
I was gazing blankly at the fleeting landscape before the train descended back into the dim underground.
[ “Dongbaek, Fantasia, and Justice.” ]
The middle-aged man sitting next to me, who’d been dozing like I was, must have accidentally pressed something on his phone—Sa Ma Young’s voice suddenly poured out.
“Whoa, you startled me!”
Why did you press it and then react like that?
I was the one who got the real fright.
Thanks to that, my drowsiness vanished completely.
Now what was I supposed to do to pass the time?
As I straightened my posture, the conversation of some students standing near the doors caught my attention.
“Hey, who did you bet on for the quarterfinals?”

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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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