The Female Lead Saves the World - Chapter 8

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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 8

The Dungeon located on Mansu Mountain was a cave-type Dungeon.
Passing through the Gate, I suddenly found myself inside the bedrock of the mountain.
I’d been worried it might suddenly turn into a jungle or some brutally frozen glacier.
But despite being a cave, it had no moisture, and with what felt like artificial lighting illuminating it just right, the environment was surprisingly conducive to work—aside from the dust and scattered stone fragments.
And most importantly, what truly boosted my pickaxe work was this:
“Heh heh. Money, money.”
Whenever I broke through the hard Dungeon walls, small mana stones would occasionally tumble out.
Since it was a C-rank Dungeon, they weren’t high-grade or particularly large, but outside the Dungeon, even a single one would fetch anywhere from tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of won.
Constantly swinging the pickaxe was naturally exhausting.
But having awakened as an A-rank, my stamina had improved noticeably, and my strength had increased considerably—more importantly, this work suited me perfectly.
“Phew, this is the most fun I’ve had since that sweet potato harvesting experience.”
This one’s worth 500,000 won, that one’s 300,000 won.
Sure, I’m just earning daily wages, but there’s also an incentive bonus, they said.
That’s why I—Kang Han—am doing this work.
To pay off the interest on hundreds of billions in debt.
Mining as a laborer with guaranteed daily wages is far more reliable than attempting uncertain Dungeon raids.
‘Besides, there’s no reason to include the Justice Guild in any joint operations.’
Kang Han had ventured far deeper into the Dungeon, away from where I and the others were working, digging alone.
“Let’s eat!”
The Team Leader called out loudly.
“Food, everyone!”
True to his name, the Team Leader pulled out proper lunch boxes from his large bag, one for each person.
We naturally settled into a circle at a spot some distance from the active work area.
Everyone except Kang Han.
“Oh, jackpot. Pork cutlet.”
I figured I’d try talking to him after we finished eating.
Without overthinking it, I took a big bite of the pork cutlet.
That’s when a man who’d been particularly deferential to the Team Leader spoke up.
“Oh, right. Did you hear? An A-rank Healer just appeared.”
“Cough!”
Why is my story coming up here?
“I heard about that too. The Hunter community and the aspiring Hunter community were in an uproar about it yesterday.”
There’s a community exclusive to Hunters?!
“It wasn’t just the community—it made the news too.”
It made the news?!
“What, what did it say?”
I asked while chewing through my pork cutlet.
“Something about it, but they can’t reveal personal information so they didn’t disclose her identity….”
Team Leader scratched his chin, which was covered in thick stubble, as he continued.
“Apparently, she’s a woman in her twenties and an A-rank Healer, and since a Healer appeared for the first time in three years, everyone’s going crazy. All Four Major Guilds have expressed interest in recruiting her.”
“Expressed interest in recruiting?”
That’s why I kept getting calls and texts from unknown numbers yesterday.
I blocked them all, thinking they were voice phishing scams.
“But why are you doing this dangerous work? What’s your awakened ability?”
A man around my age who had been slurping his food next to me suddenly asked.
“Well, it’s for the money.”
“So you’ve got money problems too, huh?”
It’s a problem, I suppose.
The problem is I have too much money and can’t figure out where to invest it.
I thought I could finally eat in peace.
The man leaned toward me.
“Just tell me. What’s your rank? E? F?”
Why would I trust you with that, and why you specifically?
Besides, is it even okay to just ask someone their rank like this?
At the daily labor market, rank didn’t seem to matter.
Since the novel never described the culture of Sejong’s Gate, I had no way of knowing.
I just pretended to eat seriously and gave a vague answer.
“If I had a high rank, I’d be on Guild raids. I’m just support class.”
It wasn’t a lie.
Healers were, strictly speaking, non-combat support class.
Before Slurper could get more annoying, I changed the subject.
“By the way, why is that person eating separately?”
A question to gauge public sentiment.
As expected.
The moment I asked, some people’s expressions darkened.
“You don’t know Kang Han? Justice Guild.”
“Oh.”
I nodded vaguely.
“He’s always like that. He’s different from trash like us.”
The Female Miner sitting across from me glared at Kang Han as she spoke, and everyone chimed in as if they’d been waiting for it.
“Even though he’s S-rank, he can’t even attack properly, so he’s no different from us.”
“I don’t get it, honestly. He can’t even catch C-rank monsters, so why is he S-rank? He’d barely be D-rank.”
“And yet he acts like he’s some big shot Guild Master. He just gathered a bunch of defective goods who couldn’t get into other Guilds.”
Wow, listen to them talk.
I was so embarrassed by my own words that a stream of harsh language poured out.
Honestly, I couldn’t understand the reason for their sharp emotions that day.
“But he’s S-rank just based on his face.”
He’s handsome, isn’t he?
Besides, as I mentioned this morning, even without skills, an S-rank’s physical abilities transcend imagination.
In short.
‘He can hear all of this conversation right now.’
As proof, I saw Kang Han suddenly take a sip of water at my words.
I watched Kang Han with wide, startled eyes for a moment.
‘Ugh, what a frustrating guy.’
I’d bet anything that this wasn’t the first time Kang Han had been rejected by others and heard live insults about himself.
Yet he doesn’t get angry, doesn’t even refute them.
Because Kang Han himself is the one most horrified by his own powerlessness.
That’s his original nature, and I know it well.
Suddenly feeling a lump in my throat, I took a sip of water myself.
Then Slurper beside me perked up and asked.
“Huh? Miss, are you done eating? Then give it to me.”
“Yes, of course. Please have it.”
This might be his last meal in this world anyway.

It happened around the time lunch ended and the mining schedule was nearly complete.
Kang Han, who had been working alone in the distance, suddenly abandoned his work and rushed toward us, shouting.
“Get back!”
Behind the rushing Kang Han, a bat the size of a three-story building was flying toward us with its wings spread wide.
It was the appearance of a monster that should have been eliminated by the guild that conquered the Mansu Mountain Dungeon.

* * *

“What, what is that!”
“Damn it, why is a monster here! Wasn’t this supposed to be safe?!”
“Ahhhhh! I don’t want to die!”
Among the panicking people, I activated the ‘You See What You Know’ skill.

[ Giant Wingbat ( C )
: A bat-type monster that primarily inhabits cave-form dungeons.
Its vision has atrophied, but its hearing is exceptional. ]

“Damn it, why does it have to be C-rank?”
Mansu Mountain Dungeon was a C-rank difficulty Dungeon.
In other words, that monster called Giant Wingbat was a boss-class creature of this Dungeon.
And it was a flying type.
For a group of nothing but low-rank Awakeners without flight skills—earthbound insects—it was the worst possible matchup.
“W-we should run, shouldn’t we? Even if we have to sprint…!”
“You want to die? Don’t you know what happens when you show your back to a flying type like that?”
“Then what do you suggest we do!”
As time passed, the people around me lost their composure bit by bit, while the monster drew closer and closer.
I tried to maintain my calm in the midst of it all, but running was—
‘Damn.’
The pressure radiating from the monster before my eyes exceeded anything I had imagined.
My entire body had gone rigid, unable even to blink freely.
“That’s… C-rank?”
For a moment, my vision swam.
If C-rank was this overwhelming, what would I do when facing A-rank and S-rank monsters ahead?
And that Gate that would open on the day of the apocalypse?
My legs trembled with every flutter of those demonic black wings, all my fighting spirit drained away.
I had lost even the ability to flee as I wished.
The others were equally helpless before this C-rank monster that had appeared so suddenly.
Instead of pooling their strength to attack, they turned their curses toward Kang Han.
“Do something!”
“You’re S-rank, you bastard! Do something!”
Everyone here was C-rank or below.
A single scratch from that monster’s claws would mean instant death.
Kang Han stood alone between the approaching Wingbat and the rest of us, his feet planted firmly.
Electricity crackled and sparked from both his hands as he turned his broad back toward us.
“Screeeee!”
The Wingbat, instinctively sensing a threat from Kang Han, let out a piercing shriek.
Crack—!
The yellow electricity flowed along Kang Han’s veins and surged toward the bat.
But what followed was despair.
The thick black hide, clearly impenetrable even to blades, simply deflected the feeble current Kang Han had unleashed.
“Screee! Screeeeee!”
Enraged by the pathetic attack, the creature’s wails grew even more grotesque.
As if pondering how to make its troublesome prey suffer more exquisitely before death, the Wingbat suddenly spread its wings wider and began circling overhead.
“That useless bastard!”
“What kind of S-rank can’t take down a C-rank Wingbat in one hit!”
“Damn it, because of that bastard we’re all dead!”
The people began hurling curses at Kang Han.
If we’re being honest, they shouldn’t curse Kang Han for trying everything he can.
They should resent the Guild that failed to properly clear this Dungeon.
But Kang Han didn’t blame those people either.
“I’ll hold them off somehow, so please escape.”
He simply stood before the people, straining with all his might to do whatever he could.
“Wait, just wait.”
I hid behind Kang Han like that, trying to shake off the fear.
My chest felt like it would burst from the forced deep breaths.
In 【The Chronicles of Sejong】, all these people die.
It was the early episode that became the reason Kang Han’s reputation hit rock bottom.
But if I was going to leave it as is, I wouldn’t have entered this Dungeon with my own feet.
Now all that remained was pulling the trigger to properly activate Kang Han’s skill.
That’s when it happened.
A man’s voice came from right behind me.
“Hey, don’t resent us too much. We couldn’t help it either.”
It was definitely Slurper’s voice.
“What do you mean—!”
Nonsense.
But I couldn’t finish my words.
He shoved my back hard, hurling me forward.
In an instant, I collapsed onto the Dungeon floor defenseless.
And at the same moment, the Wingbat’s crimson eyes turned toward me.

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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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