The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 43

—————

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 – Episode 43

A transparent crystal suffused with a subtle blue hue glimmered even beneath the dim lighting of the workshop.
The diamond-shaped earring, suspended like a pinky fingernail, quietly exuded an extraordinary presence at first glance.
And my immediate thought was, ‘This would look absolutely perfect on Han Ji Sung.’
With his appearance, honestly, anything would suit him, but this earring seemed to have been born specifically to dangle from Han Ji Sung’s ear.
“This is so much more than I expected….”
And then I noticed it.
Jung Je Hwa’s dark eyes, uncharacteristically bright and eager, watching my reaction.
“It’s incredible. Truly, without exaggeration, it’s magnificent. How can something be this beautiful?”
“…The materials were exceptional. It seems fortune favored me after a long time.”
He spoke with modesty, yet laughter danced in the corners of his eyes.
Praise for a creator’s work is the artisan’s sustenance, after all.
“Is this the certificate of authenticity?”
I unfolded the certificate placed beside the earring.
I didn’t need to summon my information window for this.
It was an item crafted by the master of Maestro, after all.

[ Frozen Crystal Earring ( A )
: Increases the wearer’s stamina by 40%.
Craftsman – Workshop Sugar ]

“W-what… why is it 40%…?”
I was at a loss for words.
I swear, it’s not often that I find myself speechless.
That’s how shocked I was.
“And on top of that, an A-grade earring? How is this even possible?”
“With quality materials, it’s entirely feasible.”
Jung Je Hwa answered as casually as if explaining that the secret to delicious instant noodles was simply “boiling it exactly as written on the back of the package,” but this was absolutely not something anyone could accomplish.
It was nothing short of a miracle that only Jung Je Hwa could pull off.
“The A-grade condensed stone I brought you wasn’t actually A-grade.”
“Ah, you mentioned you were planning to commission someone else before bringing it here.”
Jung Je Hwa’s face momentarily showed confusion—’How did you know that?’—before he seemed to piece it together himself and nodded slowly.
‘That was close. I almost got caught revealing the Information Window skill. Good lie, past me.’
I quickly responded as if confirming his suspicion was correct.
“Yes, but how did it suddenly jump from B-grade to A-grade like this…?”
“As I mentioned, I was fortunate.”
Luck is skill, and skill is luck—that’s how it goes.
Whether it was luck or skill, I was simply delighted that I suddenly had an A-grade item to give to Han Ji Sung.
That is, until Jung Je Hwa imposed one condition.
“I have a rough idea of who you’ll give this item to, but you must keep this workshop a secret.”
“Of course.”
Now that I thought about it, the earring’s appraisal certificate listed the creator not as ‘Jung Je Hwa’ or ‘Master,’ but simply as ‘Workshop Sugar.’
‘So he still has no intention of leaving this cramped little workshop.’
And he has no intention of revealing his true identity to me either.
It didn’t matter.
I hadn’t expected that a few commissions would end Jung Je Hwa’s slump and make him trust me.
“Wow, you really are amazing, boss. Even if it’s luck, how do you create an earring like this? I can’t take my eyes off it.”
While I was in a good mood, I lavished him with more genuine praise.
And then something extraordinary happened—the world turned upside down, reality itself seemed to shift.
“…It was worth making.”
*Ding—*

《 ♥ 5 》

…The boss has lost his mind. What kind of thing is this?
Jung Je Hwa’s affinity, as bitter as it was salty, jumped up by 3 points all at once!
I seized the momentum and pulled out two items from my subspace.
“Since you’re so skilled, boss, I wanted to ask—do you also appraise items?”
“I don’t just appraise, but I can do it.”
Ah, well then.
Being an S-rank Crafting Master, he could probably do anything.
“This one came from defeating a boss monster.”
“This is….”
Whether he was using a skill or not, Jung Je Hwa, who had been gazing at the chalice for a moment, pulled out a blank appraisal form and began writing its contents with quick, practiced strokes.
I’d felt it when looking at the earring appraisal earlier, but he had surprisingly elegant handwriting.
And the paper handed to me contained the same information I had seen.

[ Sacred Relic of the Collapsed Temple ( C )
: The last remaining sacred relic of the ??? Temple. It carries the wishes of the priests who guarded the temple.
Appraiser – Workshop Sugar ]

The only difference was the Workshop’s name at the very bottom.
“Sometimes there are pieces of information we can’t fully read like this.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Perhaps they’re information not yet permitted to humanity.”
Now, this fellow’s quite perceptive, isn’t he?
As time passes, those garbled characters currently marked with ‘?’ will eventually reveal their true nature.
Then people will gradually come to know the truth.
“What about this one?”
“It’s a machete. A blade used like a sickle in the jungle, but….”
Jung Je Hwa’s eyes narrowed as he spoke in his usual calm manner.
The reason was obvious.
“It appears there’s already a user inscribed upon it.”
“What exactly is an inscription?”
I asked because I genuinely didn’t know this either.
“This machete has chosen its own master.”
At Jung Je Hwa’s answer, several scenes from the Chronicles of King Sejong suddenly made sense to me.
Kang Han, Sa Ma Young, and many hunters had episodes where they came to possess inscribed weapons.
So that’s what it was.
“Inscription isn’t a common occurrence, is it?”
“Good items often have this property. They test those who possess them, and if they’re worthy, they inscribe themselves.”
“But this one wasn’t an item to begin with—it was just a blade lying on the dungeon floor?”
“You mean it wasn’t an item from the start?”
“One of our guild members picked it up in a dungeon and used it, but once we came out, it seemed to have become an item.”
“An object from inside the Dungeon has transformed into an item….”
Jung Je Hwa, who had been lost in thought for a moment, continued speaking.
“That’s my first time hearing of such a case. It’s remarkable.”
Though his tone didn’t sound particularly amazed.
Yet it seemed he was sincere, for Jung Je Hwa examined Lee Yu Eul’s Jungle Machete for quite some time before writing up an appraisal certificate.
“Then that’s 300,000 won for the earring crafting balance, and how much should I pay you for the two appraisal certificates?”
“I’m not a professional appraiser, so I won’t accept payment.”
“…Boss, if you do that, my conscience will bother me.”
Usually, skilled appraisers charge several hundred thousand won per certificate as standard.
And yet he wouldn’t accept a single won!
I’m fine with it though!
“Instead, the condition is that if you come across interesting materials like the crystal in the future, you’ll entrust their crafting to me.”
He was proposing we continue doing business together.
I readily grasped Jung Je Hwa’s right hand and shook it firmly, then broached the real reason I’d come here today.
“Since you mentioned crafting, I wanted to show you something.”
What I pulled from my subspace was a large piece of cloth with dark crimson bloodstains messily scattered across it.

[ ?? Collapsed Temple Priest’s Robe Sleeve ( ? )
: The torn hem of the High Priest who protected the ?? Collapsed Temple until the very end. ]

It was one of the items I’d obtained after defeating the crocodile in the early stages of clearing the Guerrilla Gate.
It was covered entirely in question marks, but I had a feeling about it.
Wasn’t it the universal rule that priest-related items had effects on mental fortitude?
And at this point in time, Jung Je Hwa was the only person on Earth capable of crafting an item from such a question-mark-laden material.
Sure enough.
The moment Jung Je Hwa saw the cloth I’d spread out on the workbench, his eyes changed.
“Yeo Joo, you always bring such fascinating items.”
And even in Jung Je Hwa’s status window, which I’d been watching just in case, a change occurred.

Jung Je Hwa S
1. Alchemy ( S )
2. Genius ( S )
3. Sensitive Fingertips ( S )
4. Intuition ( A )
Abnormal Status – Depression, Darkness Addiction 35%
Equipped Items – Stamina Enhancement Necklace ( S ), Magnifying Glass ( S )….

The ‘Mannerism’ status ailment had completely disappeared from the status window.
Now Jung Je Hwa, the master genius, would no longer be powerless, trapped in boredom and lethargy.
A chill ran down my spine.
Beyond the status window, Jung Je Hwa’s dark eyes gleamed with an eerie brilliance.
Ding—
At the same time, his affection increased.

《 ♥ 10 》

Depression still lingered, but one thing I was certain of.
The Jung Je Hwa freed from mannerism would be completely different from the gloomy person I’d known until now.

* * *

After assigning Jung Je Hwa a new request, I headed to the National Awakener Hospital.
I had an outpatient appointment scheduled with Seo Yu Baek.
I’d even bought a fruit basket with good intentions.
The moment I stepped into the consultation room, I regretted it.
I should have just cancelled the appointment.
“Do you understand, Yeo Joo? You must always prioritize your own health first.”
“Yes, yes.”
Was this person always such a nag?
I felt like my ears might bleed.
So without thinking, I spoke in a somewhat sullen tone.
“Please remember what you just told me, Doctor.”
In the future, during the sixth Dungeon Break, Seo Yu Baek—an S-rank Healer—would completely exhaust himself healing civilian casualties and die.
Of course, now that I’m here, I won’t let that happen.
“Are you concerned about me?”
“Why are you so surprised? Like you’ve never been worried about before.”
“…That’s not quite it, but it’s an unusual feeling.”
“And here. Please eat plenty of vitamins and stay healthy.”
I placed the fruit basket I’d prepared on Seo Yu Baek’s desk.
Take care of yourself, sir.
He gazed at the colorful pile of fruit for a moment, then leaned back in his chair and laughed.
“Didn’t you say you had no interest except in the Justice Guild?”
“That’s separate. I want to be on good terms with you, Doctor.”
The more S-ranks I know, the better!
Of course, there’s Yoo Myung Hwa who seems somewhat broken, and Sa Ma Young who’s a villain himself—but everyone else who’ll become S-rank again.
“You want to be on good terms with me.”
“Yes.”
Seo Yu Baek stared at me over the rim of his glasses and asked.
“What would you like to do if we became closer?”
He was asking so directly?
Noticing how Seo Yu Baek’s smile had faded slightly, I quickly racked my brain for an answer.
“Well, we could drink coffee together, visit nice places.”
Like a Dungeon, for example?
“And eat delicious food.”
Unfortunately, since we’re different genders, we couldn’t go to the sauna together.
But if we became close, maybe later when my guild members got injured, I could confidently say it.
That I’m friends with the director of this hospital! We even eat meals together!
“Hmm.”
Seo Yu Baek traced his lips—where a subtle smile had returned—with a pale finger and spoke.
“That’s problematic.”
“Why not!”
“Because you’re too young, Yeo Joo.”
Seo Yu Baek smiled softly.

—————

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

—————