The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 46

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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 – Episode 46

At first, I thought he might be a natural, but looking closer, that wasn’t quite right.
Judging purely by his facial features, he had idol-like visuals.
Though his hair looked like it hadn’t seen a salon in ages, with green leaves scattered throughout, and his jeans were caked in dirt, the boy—who appeared to be around middle school age—possessed unmistakably idol-like features.
Was he a child actor stranded here after filming a survival variety show nearby?
“Who…?”
After realizing the newcomer was just a young boy, Han Ji Sung lowered his guard slightly and asked cautiously.
But the boy simply stared at us with a blank expression—or more precisely, at the pile of branches I’d been about to set ablaze.
“Sister, he’s wearing triple-striped slippers.”
It was true.
He was traversing this treacherous mountain dressed like that?
The question marks floating above the guild members’ heads multiplied.
“Looks like you folks came from Seoul, but you can’t be makin’ fires on this mountain, you know.”
His Chungcheong Province dialect was thick as molasses.
The way the dialect flowed from his youthful face with its large, deep-set eyes felt like watching a poorly dubbed broadcast.
At that, Kang Han stepped forward and explained.
“We’re hunters affiliated with the Justice Guild. We got lost and were trying to start a fire before nightfall. We apologize.”
The boy nodded once, as if accepting Kang Han’s polite apology.
But it seemed that was separate from his suspicious regard toward us, as his blunt voice posed another question.
“Hunters get lost too?”
We all had nothing to say.
Yeah, even hunters struggle to find their way on mountain paths.
Though admittedly, my presence as dead weight made the situation worse.
“You seem quite familiar with these trails. Would you be willing to help us?”
“Sure thing.”
The blank-faced boy answered surprisingly readily.
“Anyway, mountains get cold at night, so. Either follow me or don’t.”
With that, he simply took off ahead.
“Wait, student! Hold on a moment!”
I cried out urgently and hurriedly gathered the camping gear we’d laid out with the other guild members.
He stopped and stared blankly at us for a moment, then waited after all.
“Let’s go.”
The moment we stashed the tent into subspace, the boy spun around and strode off with long, sweeping steps.
Moving as if employing some kind of spatial folding technique, even the S-rank and A-rank hunters here had to lengthen their strides to keep up.
As I hurried after the boy, whose dark head was barely visible bobbing between the grass, I found myself wondering.
Am I the only one who feels this way?
‘That guy’s presence seems awfully faint.’

* * *

We arrived at our destination following the mysterious boy once the sun had completely set and stars began to emerge in the sky.
“There’s a house out here?”
Jang Su Ho whispered to me.
Under normal circumstances, I would have told him to back off, but this time I was equally bewildered.
Deep in the Mountain Village where electricity seemed questionable, a surprisingly large house stood brightly lit in solitary splendor.
If I’d been a scholar from the Joseon Dynasty, I would have suspected enchantment by a nine-tailed fox.
“Here it is.”
“Is this your home?”
“Yeah, what else? A hotel in the middle of nowhere?”
The scent of gold wafted from him.
In any case, we followed behind him as he dragged his rubber slippers across the ground and pushed open the gate.
“Grandma, Grandpa, I’m home.”
At his casual tone, as if he’d just returned from a nearby convenience store, the closed wooden door swung wide open and an elderly Grandmother emerged.
“Child, where have you been? Hmm? Are those your friends behind you?”
“Friends? I don’t have any friends. I just picked them up since they were trying to make a fire on the mountain.”
“Oh my, is that so? Please, come inside.”
“Thank you, ma’am. If it weren’t for your grandson, we would have spent the night in the mountains.”
Kang Han introduced us politely.
“We are hunters from the Justice Guild in Seoul.”
“The Justice Guild? I wonder if it’s the same Justice Guild I know.”
The warm-hearted Grandmother brightened at this and called out loudly toward the interior of the house.
“Grandpa! Come out here! We have guests from Seoul!”
In response to the Grandmother’s call, a Grandfather with snow-white hair appeared.
“Hmm? From Seoul?”
Upon seeing us filling the spacious courtyard, the Grandfather stared intently at Kang Han’s face and spoke.
“I feel like I’ve seen that face before. Are you perhaps a relative of ours?”
“They’re from the Justice Guild, dear.”
“What? The Justice Guild?”
Surprised by the Grandmother’s words, the Grandfather put on his shoes and approached Kang Han, then clapped his hands together.
“Ah, that’s right! You have Kang Myung Heon’s face written all over you!”
He then grasped both of Kang Han’s hands.
His expression was like that of someone greeting a beloved relative after a long time.
“How wonderful that such an honored guest has come to this remote village! Please, come inside! And all of you friends, come in as well!”
We suddenly became ‘the honored guest and his companions,’ and found ourselves sitting around the warm living room floor.
When they heard we hadn’t eaten yet, a generous spread of food was quickly laid out before us.
“Come on now, eat up while it’s hot.”
But everyone hesitated, their spoons hovering uncertainly over their bowls.
Everything had happened so suddenly and unexpectedly that we all seemed to be thinking, ‘Is this really okay?’
“Thank you for the meal!”
This wasn’t a memorial feast—we shouldn’t be sitting here staring blankly at the table.
I picked up my spoon first, taking a sip of the broth and bringing it to my lips.
The savory richness of the miso soup made from well-dried radish greens was pure art.
“Well then, thank you for the meal.”
Once I started eating, the others began to eat as well.
The first bite had been the hardest; after that, everyone moved their spoons eagerly, clearly famished.
Kang Han in particular, sitting beside me, emptied his bowl so quickly that Grandmother forced a refill upon him.
‘Looks picky on the surface, but turns out to be quite unpretentious.’
Throughout our meal, the elderly couple and the boy never left the living room.
The old couple seemed delighted to have guests after so long, while the boy appeared to be whittling away at something he’d dug up from the mountain, all while keeping a watchful eye on us.
As a result, I naturally ended up hearing about this family’s circumstances.
“So when the second Gate broke, you all came up to the mountain together as a family.”
“We used to live in the city. But back then, the government seemed completely helpless.”
“Thanks to the Justice Guild, our sons living in Seoul managed to survive.”
Now I understood why the elderly couple had reacted so particularly warmly when Kang Han was introduced as being from the Justice Guild.
They were people who remembered the Justice Guild from the past.
From their expressions, Kang Han and the other guild members seemed uncomfortable and embarrassed by such hospitality.
They were far more accustomed to being mocked before even introducing themselves as the “Justice Guild,” or being cursed at by people who didn’t understand.
After finishing the meal, we cleaned out an empty room and they even let us sleep there.
However, since there weren’t many blankets and pillows, I laid out the sleeping bag I’d brought and settled in.
Staring up at the dark ceiling, I pondered.
‘They’re definitely good people.’
So what was it?
Honestly, if I’d been alone, I never would have come this far.
There are various concerns, but unless Grandfather and Grandmother are S-rank hidden masters, they can’t harm us.
That’s why I followed the strangers without hesitation.
But what on earth could it be?
This feeling that there’s a blind spot I’m missing?
‘They’re absolutely not bad people.’
If anything, they were warm-hearted people who had readily invited wandering strangers into their home.
Then suddenly, Grandfather’s words came back to me—the way he’d smiled with his weathered face.

“My goodness, what luck our little one has, meeting such fine people in the mountains.”

…What was that?

* * *

Whatever happens, happens.
After a hearty meal and a deep sleep in a warm place, I figured the answers would come when the time was right.
The moment dawn broke, we finished preparing to head back into the mountains.
“Once you finish that mining business or whatever, you must come back and eat with us again. I’ll prepare something delicious.”
“Yes, Grandmother. Thank you so much.”
“Sigh, these young people work so hard to protect us ordinary folk.”
Grandmother grasped each of our hands tightly, her expression filled with worry and sympathy.
“But I’m not sure where the Gate is located.”
“I know where it is.”
The voice that suddenly interjected belonged to that boy from yesterday.
When had he even come outside?
I wasn’t the only one who hadn’t noticed the boy’s presence.
The twins and Jang Su Ho, as well as S-rank hunters Han Ji Sung and Kang Han, all visibly flinched for a moment.
‘Interesting. Look at him.’
Yesterday I’d casually thought his presence was faint, but it seemed I wasn’t the only one who felt that way.
“Is that so? Then the boy will guide us and come back?”
“Hey! I’m not a boy!”
The way he got angry at being called a boy confirmed he definitely was one.
“We’ll be back, Grandmother and Grandfather!”
I bowed to the elderly couple who were seeing us off in front of the yard.
Since the mining rights had a time limit, I planned to handle the urgent matters first and return to ask them various questions.
It was absolutely not because of the free delicious food.
We diligently followed the boy’s lead, just as we had yesterday.
As the day grew brighter, the boy’s silhouette ahead became increasingly visible.
Though there seemed to be no actual path, following behind him revealed smooth rocks or flat ground between trees that were easy to traverse.
“He moves like a squirrel.”
“What did you say?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
Do wild squirrels naturally have such keen hearing?
After walking for nearly an hour, we arrived at the Gate.
The Gate, which rippled between two massive trees that stood out even from a distance, might have been completely invisible on a dark night.
A boundary fence marked with the Awakeners Association’s emblem stood near the Gate, but it was so rusted it might as well not have been there.
“Thank you, precious one… I mean, student. Now go back home. Your Grandmother and Grandfather must be worried.”
“What are you talking about?”
The boy stared at me blankly.
“I have things to do inside too.”
As he said this, he pulled something out of what appeared to be empty air.
“A sack?”
Wait, didn’t that guy just use a subspace ability?!
“At this rate, the sun’s going to set.”
“You… are you an Awakener?”
“Well, something like that.”
Something like that? What does that even mean?
After possessing Sejong Mak, I’m genuinely startled for the first time in ages.
“Hey, kid.”
The moment those words slip out unbidden, the creature’s large eyes narrow menacingly.
“Wait, what’s your name?”
“Why are you asking for someone else’s name?”
“Because I don’t like calling you kid.”
At that, the idol-faced golden boy reluctantly speaks.
“…Im Chung Soo. That’s my name.”
This is insane.
I absolutely have to post this on the Hunter community later.
The title would be something like: [Went camping and found an S-rank Potion Master—here’s the full story].
Yeah, something like that.

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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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