The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 57

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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 57

Sa Ma Young’s target was Jang Su Ho.
The moment he enters a Dungeon, he loses his reason—unable to distinguish between monsters and allies, striking out to kill indiscriminately.
And he wanted to display me, the physically weakest member of the team, falling victim to his rampage before everyone’s eyes.
That’s what he was after.
To be honest, this is a gamble for me too.
On this stage with everyone’s attention fixed upon it, I must prove to the world that Jang Su Ho is no longer a ticking time bomb for the Justice Guild.
But.
“So what? I don’t care.”
The solution is simple.
I only need to prove that Jang Su Ho is no longer an unpredictable bomb waiting to detonate.
As long as I’m here.
After all, bombs are dangerous precisely because they become weapons in the right hands.
“Justice Guild entering.”
Kang Han gave a brief report to the Awakeners Association staff member, and we—along with the camera crew—stepped into the darkness of the Gate.

* * *

“It’s an Abandoned Mine, alright.”
At Lee Yu Chan’s words, Kang Han calmly surveyed the surroundings.
Mining tools lay scattered throughout the abandoned pit, and the silence was absolute—not even the whisper of wind disturbed it.
“Jang Su Ho, come here. Let me cast some healing on you first.”
“I’m not injured.”
“You don’t know about preventive healing? Just let me do it beforehand.”
“Understood.”
Kang Han’s emerald eyes captured the sight of Yeo Joo grasping Jang Su Ho’s hand firmly.
And the camera crew recording the moment as well.
His heart grew heavy.
Last time, he had witnessed firsthand how Yeo Joo calmed Jang Su Ho.
So he didn’t doubt her abilities.
And yet.

“I don’t want to hurt anyone ever again. Please… save me, brother.”

The day Jang Su Ho first came to the Justice Guild, he was completely broken.
And it took a long time before he could smile again.
If today, he lost control once more and hurt his comrades, could Jang Su Ho ever rise again?
Just as heavy thoughts began to pile up, a loud sound jolted me awake.
Smack!
It was the sound of Yeo Joo’s palm striking Jang Su Ho’s back.
“You’re so big, but straighten those shoulders!”
“Ow! You know your hands are brutal, right? You’re a tyrant!”
“You need to get hit to come to your senses, so it’s fine.”
“Yeo Joo, well done.”
“Su Ho needs to get hit.”
The guild members had gathered around Yeo Joo and were laughing and chattering away.
A small smile had spread across my lips as well.
‘Trust.’
Trust in Yeo Joo, and in Jang Su Ho’s efforts to break free from his shackles all this time.
“Su Ho, let’s talk for a moment.”
I called Jang Su Ho over, rubbing my sore back with a smile.
“What is it, hyung?”
“You’re leading today’s raid.”
“…Me?”
The smile faded from Jang Su Ho’s face.
“Hyung, but I’m still not——”
“It’s C-rank. You’ve done it before.”
“That’s true, but…”
Jang Su Ho’s worried gaze turned toward the camera.
“This time it’s being broadcast, and maybe you should just——”
“No.”
I spoke with deliberate firmness.
“In the worst case, we can do it like last time.”
“…Last time was a bit weak. I need to attack harder.”
Even as he reluctantly answered, Jang Su Ho still spoke of the worst-case scenario.
Seeing him so dejected, I recalled what Yeo Joo had said before we entered the Gate.

“Isn’t it time Jang Su Ho stopped being called a mad dog?”

Her words were right.
And it was my responsibility—I’d been so focused on repaying debts that I hadn’t properly supported Jang Su Ho.
“Jang Su Ho.”
“Yes, hyung.”
“That’s an order.”
“…Hyung.”
An order.
Jang Su Ho had no choice, and therefore bore no responsibility for whatever outcome followed.
Kang Han placed a hand on Jang Su Ho’s shoulder.
“…Thank you.”
“Ah, we’re burning daylight! Are you two going on a date or something? Let’s get started already!”
At Yeo Joo’s sudden shout from behind, a smile returned to Jang Su Ho’s face.
And Kang Han gripped Jang Su Ho’s shoulder once more with deliberate firmness as he spoke.
“Let’s go.”

* * *

The full-scale Dungeon conquest had begun.
It was quiet now, but soon the monsters would sense the guild members’ presence and emerge.
Kang Han surveyed the Abandoned Mine once more before speaking.
“It seems several are hiding in the caverns, so….”
“Ah, Guild Master, sorry to interrupt for a moment.”
Ugh, I almost forgot.
I raised one hand and began retrieving what I’d prepared from my subspace.
“Oh, a mapping item?”
“This isn’t too expensive, is it, noona?”
I was glad I’d bought it in advance after seeing the Mage Guild and Taesan Guild alliance use one last time.
I spread out the thirty-million-won empty leather-like item across the floor as I spoke.
“Expensive or not, you use it when you need to.”
“What’s gotten into the money-obsessed noona.”
“Who’s money-obsessed?”
It was expensive, certainly.
But what needed to be demonstrated in this conquest with the camera crew wasn’t just Jang Su Ho’s safety.
The image of the Justice Guild no longer drowning in debt.
Imprinting that firmly in people’s minds was equally important.

[ Beginning mapping. ]
[ 10%… 40%… 95%… 100%. ]
[ Map generation complete. ]

The completed mapping revealed a vast Dungeon divided into three zones across the map.
“It doesn’t seem to be classified as medium-sized.”
“Wow, it’s really huge!”
Han Ji Sung and Lee Yu Eul each offered their observations upon seeing the map.
The camera microphone would have picked that up too.
But to be certain, I pointed at the map and asked Kang Han.
“Wouldn’t you say this is medium-to-large?”
“The secondary and tertiary zones beyond where we are now are considerably larger, so it’s definitely not medium-sized.”
Kang Han answered with a slight furrow at the corner of his left eye—a gesture only I, standing close beside him, could discern.
The Gate Prediction Headquarters had classified this Dungeon as medium-sized, yet upon entering, it appeared to be medium-to-large.
The Gate Prediction Headquarters’ assessment was incorrect.
The camera crew stirred with unease, whispered among themselves for a moment, then asked.
“What will you do, Guild Master?”
An unexpected situation had arisen nonetheless.
A medium-to-large Dungeon was far too expansive for the Justice Guild—merely seven members even with the newly arrived Im Chung Soo—to handle alone.
It would be entirely understandable if the Justice Guild withdrew here.
And the camera crew, having entered countless Dungeons of various types, would know this fact better than anyone.
Yet after surveying the map thoroughly, Kang Han answered without hesitation.
“We’ll proceed as planned.”
I fully agreed with the decision.
Regardless of the Dungeon’s size, it was still a C-rank Gate after all.
If the Justice Guild—boasting numerous S-rank and A-rank Hunters—backed out here, our reputation would suffer.
We’d inevitably hear remarks like “The Justice Guild couldn’t help themselves after all.”
The camera crew nodded and retreated once more, resuming their filming.
I glanced at them briefly, then pointed to the map with its labyrinthine passages and asked Kang Han.
“Where should we start, Guild Master?”
Without a moment’s deliberation, Kang Han’s long fingers indicated the leftmost tunnel.
“We’ll push through clockwise.”

* * *

“Jang Su Ho, snap out of it!”
“Grrrrr….”
Jang Su Ho, drenched from head to toe in the monster’s black blood, charged toward the guild members.
“No, this can’t be happening!”
“What kind of strength is…this, cough!”
The twins who rushed forward to block him were sent flying far away with a single powerful gesture, crashing hard into the ground.
“Jang Su Ho!”
Kang Han, veins bulging in his neck as he unleashed a feeble electrical current, was utterly helpless.
“Freeze
(Freeze)
!”
From Han Ji Sung’s hands pressed against the floor, an ice sheet rushed toward Jang Su Ho’s feet at tremendous speed, but.
“Cough!”
As the caster collapsed, unable to overcome his own mana depletion and spewing blackened blood, the magic dissipated pathetically.
“Grrgh, grrrrr.”
Now that Jang Su Ho had lost even human language and been consumed by madness, nothing stood in his way.
“Kaaaaah!”
With eyes stained crimson, Jang Su Ho lunged at the two remaining non-combatants.
“Kyaaaah!”
“P-please, save us!”
The dungeon floor visible at the edge of the camera crew’s footage as they scrambled to escape was becoming increasingly drenched in blood.

“I was expecting something roughly like that. Too bad it turned out this way.”
I scratched my ear while watching the battle unfold with Jang Su Ho at the center.
“The fact that my ears keep itching means someone’s been cursing me pretty steadily.”
How absolutely perfect.

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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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