The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 404

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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 3, Episode 8

Ding—
A cloud of fluffy pink bubbles materialized above Seo Yu Baek’s head, forming a speech bubble like a wisp of cloud.

《 ♥ 35 》

When did it climb that high?
I was startled by the unexpectedly large number, but only briefly—a word appeared after the number.

《 ♥ 35 : Low Fever
(微熱)
》

…Only a doctor would choose something like that.
The keyword was so perfectly him.
Low fever—a temperature slightly elevated above normal.
Light and subtle, hovering just at the edge of some threshold, a kind of early symptom.
I masked my expression as it threatened to turn awkward with a sip of chocolate milk.
Even so, Seo Yu Baek’s gaze remained inscrutable as he watched me.
“I see. If something happens to me, who will make potions for Yeo Joo?”
“That’s exactly my point. So take responsibility.”
“Responsibility, hm.”
His voice murmured thoughtfully, and Seo Yu Baek’s affection rose once more.

《 ♥ 36 : Low Fever
(微熱)
》

“So do you feel a sense of responsibility toward me as well, Yeo Joo?”
“Well… yes, I suppose?”
I found myself nodding without thinking.
If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be so anxious about the possibility of Seo Yu Baek dying.
“Hmm.”
Seo Yu Baek tilted his head at an angle, releasing that meaningful sound.
With the movement, the hem of his white coat fluttered, and a warm, fragrant scent drifted toward me.
His appearance suggested a crisp, clean soap scent, yet the fragrance that actually reached me was far more mature and cool.
“To the point where a dream about my death keeps bothering you?”
“Yes. You know those dreams sometimes—the ones that feel oddly vivid and give you a premonition that it might actually happen.”
I spoke with genuine seriousness, my tone heavy with concern.
“So promise me, teacher. Even if such a situation comes, you won’t foolishly sacrifice your own life to save others.”
“Out of a sense of responsibility toward you?”
“If that helps at all.”
Seo Yu Baek fell silent again for a moment.
He simply stared down at my pinky finger, which I had extended to him for the promise.
“Teacher, aren’t you going to make the promise?”
“I will. I should.”
A small sigh followed the end of his words.
Then he linked his own pale finger with mine.
I hadn’t noticed when just looking, but his hand was delicate yet possessed the firm joints of an adult man’s.
“Your fingers are quite slender and small, Yeo Joo.”
“The weight of a promise has nothing to do with finger size, does it?”
I tightened my grip on my pinky finger, refusing to let Seo Yu Baek pull away.
“This is a promise between us now.”
I don’t expect that a pinky promise made like children in a hospital emergency exit, with no witnesses, will completely prevent Seo Yu Baek’s death.
But it might make him hesitate.
In that final moment, he might remember me and think, “I promised not to do this.”
My heart eased slightly, and I wiggled our still-linked fingers.
Perhaps finding it amusing, Seo Yu Baek laughed softly enough to tickle the ears of anyone listening, then whispered as if sharing a secret.
“Yeo Joo, if I die from exhaustion, it means I’ve saved hundreds of people alone.”
“Hundreds?”
I asked back, startled by such an enormous number.
Now that I thought about it, that seemed to be exactly what happened.
Seo Yu Baek’s final moments in the novel were that tragic.
“Probably. It would mean I can’t drink mana potions anymore.”
“Ah, mana potion addiction.”
“So that premonition you had about the dream becoming reality—this time it’s wrong.”
“How can you be so certain?”
“Because I’m no longer the only S-rank healer.”
Seo Yu Baek tugged my pinky finger toward himself with a light tap as he spoke.
“There’s Yeo Joo, and we have A-rank rookie healers, plus all sorts of potions that Chung Soo created. I suppose the version of me in that dream didn’t have any of those.”
“Ah.”
That was right.
The Seo Yu Baek within that final sequence had to save countless people through his own strength alone.
But not anymore.
I had sown seeds so deliberately that the very laws of causality itself had begun to activate.
So I could meet Seo Yu Baek’s gaze directly and smile with confidence.
“Besides, I’m not going to let you end up in a situation where you have to save that many people in the first place.”

* * *

“Thank you for the meal.”
Though no one was listening, I set down my spoon and offered my gratitude.
Even as Geum Eun Dong, the Sub-guild Master, was sobbing and crying out “Please come quickly, Guild Master!”, my thanks were directed toward Jung Je Hwa, who had carefully portioned out all my meals into containers and stored them in the refrigerator.
She’d even left a note specifying exactly how many seconds to microwave each one.
I would have been grateful enough if she’d just left a big pot of curry or bone broth, but this was something else entirely.
Since Kang Han and Sa Ma Young were both working late tonight, the large house felt quiet.
“Should I put in some overtime myself?”
Normally I would have washed up and collapsed straight into bed, but tonight I sat down at my desk and pulled out the large sketchbook I’d prepared.
After confirming that the doors were properly locked, I picked up my pen without hesitation.
The sketchbook’s blank pages, which had seemed vast at first, were soon filled with writing.
It was a kind of progress check.
I was organizing my tangled thoughts by dividing what had happened so far from what would happen next.
‘The Gates that erupted around the time of the sixth Dungeon Break….’
After listing out the information, I focused on grasping the context and connections between events.
Even if the process of the apocalypse itself accelerated, there would always be cause and effect.
The pages of the sketchbook turned steadily as I worked.
I was so absorbed that I lost track of time entirely.
“[Yeo Joo, what are you doing?]”
“Eek!”
Startled by the voice that suddenly came from right beside me, I threw myself over the sketchbook to shield it.
“I didn’t even hear the door open!”
“[I didn’t come through the door.]”
The casual way he answered made me almost let it slide—he was being so shameless about it.
“I told you not to use the window!”
“[It’s faster through the window.]”
“That doesn’t matter! You need to use the door! You’re not a flying insect, and every single time…!”
“[Show me what you were writing.]”
He wasn’t going to budge.
My attempt to smooth things over with nagging had failed miserably.
Though I maintained the form of a baby tiger for convenience, Na Baek Ho was no longer entirely innocent.
“Hmm, it’s not that big a deal.”
What was I even trying to say?
Sitting with his plump rear pressed against the desk, those blue eyes staring up at me so intently made my conscience sting.
But I couldn’t possibly tell him everything I’d written in the sketchbook.
I remembered the overwhelming resistance I’d felt when I’d almost revealed heaven’s secrets to Association President Ji Jung Hwi last time.
I still hadn’t uncovered why, but would it be the same this time too?
The sudden question made me pause and take a deep breath.
Then I tested my lips.
‘It seems… okay?’
If I imagined the figure before me was Association President Ji Jung Hwi, my words would catch without fail.
Even Kang Han would probably be the same.
But with Na Baek Ho, it felt different.
It felt like I could tell him.
“…Are you curious, Na Baek Ho?”
“[Yes, I’m curious.]”
Na Baek Ho nodded eagerly, and this time I hesitated for a different reason.
He’d be shocked.
He’d be frightened.
Just as my breath had caught every time I felt the end approaching with heavy footsteps, you’d feel it too, Na Baek Ho.
As I struggled to find my words, the small tiger spoke.
“[I am Na Baek Ho.]”
It was an abrupt introduction, but to me, it sounded like this:
‘I am your Familiar, the one you named.’
And before I could even fully comprehend it, I was already moving, revealing the sketchbook.
“This is… well, it’s things that are going to happen from now on.”
Despite my incomplete and unhelpful explanation, Na Baek Ho didn’t complain.
He padded over and nestled into my arms, listening quietly to what I had to say.
“Do you have any questions?”
I deliberately didn’t mention how I’d come to know these things.
So naturally, I expected him to ask about that.
Or at least, I anticipated a response like “Yeo Joo, are you talking in your sleep?”
But he simply gazed at the chaotic pages with those beautiful glass-like blue eyes, as if committing them to memory.

[ Your synchronization rate with this world has increased. ]

I was startled by a System Message that suddenly appeared, and Na Baek Ho turned to look at me.
Then he rubbed his round head against my chin and cheek.
With a soft purring sound, Na Baek Ho spoke.
“[It’s okay, Yeo Joo.]”
His voice was playful as always.
“[Still, Na Baek Ho is with Yeo Joo. We’ll be together.]”
“…Really?”
“[Yes, because I’m Na Baek Ho.]”
At the weight of his thick, large paw resting on my shoulder, I couldn’t help but smile.
I patted his plump rump and picked up the pen I had set down with my other hand.
“Look, look. There’s still something left to write at the very end here?”
I pressed each letter firmly so Na Baek Ho could read it well, filling in the bottom line.
“How is it?”
When I asked, Na Baek Ho nodded and rubbed his face against mine enthusiastically as he answered.
“[Perfect.]”
“Right, I think so too.”
I set down the pen and pulled the tiny tiger cub, no bigger than a puppy, into a tight embrace.
Whether he had played his fill on the mountain, I breathed in the scent of grass and earth from Na Baek Ho’s soft fur, holding the final sentence in my eyes for a long time.

[ Final Goal = Prevent the apocalypse and live happily for a long time with the people I love! ]

Na Baek Ho was right.
It was a perfect final goal.

* * *

The next day.
I woke up late, had a late breakfast, and headed to the Outdoor Training Ground.
It was where Kang Han spent most of his time these days, bringing the newly recruited guild members.
But as I got closer to the training ground, I felt something was off.
“Huff! Gasp!”
“Ugh, ugh.”
There were no cheerful cheers or shouts of encouragement—only rough breathing and groans echoed through the air.
I quietly dampened my footsteps and peeked my head around the corner, and the guild members sprawled across the ground immediately caught my eye.
And Kang Han, looking as pitiful as laundry fresh from a washing machine, stood over them panting for breath, his gaze cold as he spoke.
“Will you be lying around leisurely resting inside the Gate as well?”
…Who is this person?

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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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