The Former Empress Roughly Hides Her Abilities - Chapter 485

—————
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
Part 3, Episode 89

[ Dungeon Collapse Rate …… 70% ]
[ Dungeon Collapse Rate …… 56% ]
[ Dungeon Collapse Rate …… 30% ]
[ Dungeon Collapse Rate …… 11% ]
.
.
.
[ Parasitic Beast (SS-Rank) defeated! ]
[ Boundary collapse successfully prevented. ]

I’d cleared the Gate that had come to the brink of detonation.
Yet no one was cheering in victory.
I walked, cradling my throbbing arm.
Saaah.
Against the backdrop of the massive Parasitic Beast crumbling into ash and scattering, I could see Sa Ma Young’s silhouette.
“Sa Ma Young.”
I called his name in a trembling voice, breaking into a half-run.
My heart wanted to move faster, but my legs wouldn’t obey.
It was fear.
Fear that Sa Ma Young, like the World Tree receding in the distance, might crumble.
Fear that he might turn to ash and vanish.
I stumbled several times but kept pushing forward, rising each time.
Yet as I drew close, I had to stop.
He couldn’t have missed my approach.
Sa Ma Young didn’t turn around.
No—he didn’t move at all.
Terror seized me.
My outstretched fingertips trembled violently.
I couldn’t bring myself to touch him.
“Sa Ma Young.”
Standing frozen, I called his name once more.
Again, no answer came.
Thump.
My heart sank.
“Sa Ma Young!”
I cried out and pulled at his shoulder, and Sa Ma Young collapsed silently to the side.
His body felt far lighter than usual—as if everything had burned away—and I clenched my teeth, carefully lowering him onto my knees.
“Huh—”
The breath I’d been holding back in terror finally escaped.
Sa Ma Young’s eyes, now darkened to a blood-red hue, had turned toward me and moved slightly.
As long as he wasn’t dead, I could save him.
As long as he wasn’t dead.
The moment I realized Sa Ma Young was still alive, words I’d repeated countless times transformed into sobs.

[ Skill ‘Body Healing’ activated. ]

A sudden exhaustion washed over me, as if someone had brutally severed my remaining stamina.
Yet Sa Ma Young’s condition showed no marked improvement.
This had never happened before.
Even when I’d first arrived in this world, I’d been able to heal far better than this.

[ Skill ‘Body Healing’ activated. ]

I used the skill again, but the result was the same.
Only the exhaustion deepened.
At my panic, Sa Ma Young’s lips moved as if he was trying to say something.
“Don’t speak. Don’t waste your strength.”
“…….”
Sa Ma Young blinked with difficulty.
His face was burned black, skin and muscle alike charred and rigid, yet somehow he seemed to be smiling.
If the skill wasn’t effective.
I moved my unbroken arm and withdrew a Supreme Trauma Potion from my Subspace, twisting the stopper open with my teeth.
It was something I’d carefully saved all the way to the very end, just in case.
“You fool.”
I let the potion flow between his parted lips.
“Drink this. Please.”
At my desperate plea, Sa Ma Young’s body trembled.
What would normally have been swallowed in one gulp went down slowly, painfully, with great effort.
“Ha…….”
Even drinking the potion exhausted him, and Sa Ma Young released a short breath.
Then, a moment later.
“Yeo…… joo.”
It wasn’t Sa Ma Young’s voice as I knew it.
It was far harsher—like the sound of wind passing through something broken.
Even after drinking the Supreme Trauma Potion, his vocal cords hadn’t fully recovered.
That was when I understood.
It wasn’t a problem with the skill or the potion.
Sa Ma Young’s injuries—his condition—were that severe.
‘What on earth did he do? How did he do it?’
The system notification about his SS-Rank Re-awakening was only the result.
I had no way of knowing what process Sa Ma Young had endured to achieve that result.
“I told you not to force yourself to speak.”
I deliberately kept my voice calm and composed as I cleared my throat.
Then I used the skill again.
What did it matter if the effect was minimal?
“If I pour it on him until he’s completely healed……”

[ Skill ‘Body Healing’ activated. ]
[ Target’s injury severity exceeds skill capacity. ]
[ Gradual healing recommended for complete recovery. ]

“This damned system.”
Normally it heals without hesitation!
But when it actually matters, it conserves energy?
I glared at the system window for a moment, then spoke to Sa Ma Young.
“Don’t worry. I’ll fix you up so completely you’ll forget you were ever hurt.”
At least my voice was nothing like the pathetic rasp from before.
The system had mentioned ‘complete recovery.’
That meant Sa Ma Young would return to normal, even if it took time.
“……huh.”
Sa Ma Young made a sound like air deflating as he laughed.
His face was blackened and twisted, yet the smile was still beautiful.

* * *

[“Good evening, viewers.
I’m standing at the main entrance of the Korean Awakener Hospital.
As you can see, one side of the hospital entrance is filled with flowers, gifts, and handwritten letters brought by citizens.
Many people have been keeping vigil here since dawn.
I’m sure you all remember the S-Grade Gate that occurred in Gimpo last week, and the Dungeon Break that loomed before us.
The person who prevented disaster at the very front lines was Sa Ma Young, a hunter from the Justice Guild.
At the time, Sa Ma Young pushed his abilities beyond their limits and succeeded in Re-awakening as SS-Rank, clearing the Gate, but was transported with severe burns covering his entire body. Today marks his fifth day of hospitalization.
The hospital has refrained from disclosing specific details about his recovery progress, citing patient privacy protection.”]
When the reporter finished, the screen cut to the wall in front of the hospital.
[“This wall of support wasn’t created by anyone’s directive.
According to reports, it began with a single bouquet left by a citizen the morning after news of Sa Ma Young’s hospitalization spread.
In just five days, it’s grown to this scale.

‘Sa Ma Young, fighting!!! Thank you for protecting our neighborhood ♡ – Fifth graders of ○○ Elementary, Gimpo’
‘I wanted to apologize. I agreed with people online who were insulting the hunter. I’m truly sorry.’
‘I’m an aspiring hunter. I want to become someone like you. Please get well soon.’

The screen, which had briefly shown the reporter holding the microphone, now shifted to Association President Ji Jung Hwi’s speech.
[“……Today, I would like to take this opportunity to express sincere gratitude to Sa Ma Young, not as the Association President, but as a single citizen and member of the Korean people.
The Association pledges to leave nothing undone in supporting Sa Ma Young’s recovery, ensuring he has access to the best possible treatment environment.”]
I would have preferred the news to end there.
But the report continued, showing people gathered in front of a high-rise building, waving crude placards.
[“Meanwhile, a very different atmosphere pervades a rally taking place in front of the Sama Group Headquarters in Gangnam.
Citizens gathered here are raising strong objections to the fact that Sa Ma Young personally dealt with deceased guild master Sa Ma Jung without proper procedure.”]
The pickets shown bore messages like “Murderer Sa Ma Young” and “The Gate was only used in a succession dispute!”
Some were even holding a portrait of Sa Ma Jung—clearly prepared in advance.
[“Rally participants are demanding an investigation by the Association and an official statement regarding Sa Ma Young. Reports suggest they’re also considering collective legal action.
However, as of now, neither the Justice Guild nor Sa Ma Young have issued a separate statement on the matter……”]
Click.
“Ungrateful bastards.”
I irritably turned off the TV in the hospital room, clicking my tongue.
Did they really have to broadcast those people too?
There were all kinds of ways to waste energy.
“Don’t you think so, Sa Ma Young?”
I asked the figure lying in the hospital bed, but no answer came.
That was expected.
It had been five days since I’d cleared the Gimpo Gate, and Sa Ma Young still hadn’t woken up.

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