I Became a Female Beast That's Good for the Body
I just punched a person for the first time in my life.
It wasn't some lame, half-assed fight where I threw a sloppy kick like an elementary schooler who'd just learned taekwondo, got my leg caught, and ended up hopping around on one foot before falling flat on my ass. No, I beat the absolute shit out of him. I slammed my fist into his face so hard his nose probably caved in. There wasn't even time to feel guilty—my body moved on pure instinct.
When I spotted a natural raft made of tangled tree trunks and aquatic plants drifting by, I tossed the unconscious thug onto it and sent him floating gently downstream. It looked like the remains of a beaver dam or something; it was big enough to carry a grown man without sinking. He probably wouldn't die from that.
“What the hell is going on?”
My mind still refused to process everything. Like a goblin getting randomly summoned to the tutorial floor, some thug-looking bandit had suddenly appeared in front of me. I'd beaten him into a pulp and disposed of the evidence, yet I still felt completely out of it. The fact that the whole process had felt so natural only made it more awkward and confusing.
“Now what?”
I'd gotten past the immediate crisis, but what kind of situation was this? I stared blankly at the sky, seriously wondering why someone who used to just rot in their room browsing galleries had suddenly been dropped here.
Qualification to Become a Murim Warrior — Quest Cleared
“Huh?”
A holographic screen suddenly popped up right in front of my eyes. It didn't feel solid when I touched it, but it was clearly interactive.
Excellent! By nature, the people of Murim tend to solve their problems with force. If something goes wrong, the first thing they reach for is a sword. The order they speak of is ultimately something that cannot be protected without power. And you have proven that you possess the strength to protect your own order. At the same time, even while disoriented, you demonstrated the ability to subdue a dangerous-looking individual through force. You have more than enough qualifications to become a Murim warrior!
Providing quest completion rewards.
- Murim Gallery access granted.
- P.S. Try turning on the System Mirror function to check out your new appearance.
“Mirror?”
I muttered without thinking as I read through the messages that scrolled out. The moment I did, a translucent full-body mirror appeared in front of me. This was probably another system-bound thing that only I could see and interact with…
“Who the hell are you?”
Just who was the person standing inside this mirror?
My height, which used to be over 180 centimeters—tall enough to maintain some dignity as a guy—had shrunk down to around 170. I'd lost ten whole centimeters. But that was nothing compared to the other changes.
A pair of horns sprouted from my head, perfectly balanced by the glossy blue hair that flowed down from their base and the pair of blue eyes beneath them. There was a dizzyingly deep collarbone line, and below that… two massive, watermelon-sized lumps of fat. And buried within those lumps, completely hidden, were the two protrusions that any woman would naturally have…
“No, seriously, who are you?”
Overwhelmed, I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to recall what I'd just seen. A waist that tapered elegantly beneath the chest. Hips that flared out again from the navel downward. Firm thighs and sleek calves. If it weren't for the tail attached just above the buttocks, the figure in the mirror would have been an undeniable model's body.
Considering the horns, maybe it was cosplay?
“Haha, no way. There's no way some perverted bitch would be standing here completely naked, cosplaying as some horned and tailed nonhuman freak…”
There wasn't. How could there be?
Even when I opened my eyes again, the woman from the mirror was still there. She moved exactly as I thought. When I raised my right hand, she raised hers. When I touched my chest, she touched hers. The soft yet electrifying sensation I'd never felt before made my body tremble, and my expression grew hazy—hers did too, staring back at me with the exact same clouded look.
“Ah…”
At this point, I had no choice but to accept it.
I had become a woman.
No, I'd become something with horns on its head, so I wasn't even human anymore. It didn't even feel right to casually call myself a woman. I'd become a disqualified female beast.
“This is ridiculous. At this rate, I'm seriously a disqualified female beast.”
It wasn't some half-breed or anything. After digging through the system and finding a status window full of locked features, the only clue I managed to uncover was that I was a Sea Dragon.
A Sea Dragon… A Sea Dragon, huh…
“But this is clearly a river.”
Could Sea Dragons live in freshwater like mackerel or something? Whatever.
My original name was Changseob. There was no way I could walk around with a face this pretty and introduce myself by saying, “Hi, I'm Changseob.” I needed a new name…
“Since I'm a Sea Dragon, maybe start with Hae?”
Something simple like Sua? Put together, that would be Hae Sua. If I break down the hanja, it means “child of the sea.” And my race is Sea Dragon.
“Sua sounds good. Hae Sua.”
Was there any better name than that? At least with my pathetic naming sense, nothing better came to mind. I kept spinning in place on the exact spot where I'd thrown my first punch in my entire life, thinking about what to do next.
What could I do?
“Oh, right. The gallery.”
Now that I thought about it, the system had said that by proving my qualifications as a Murim warrior, I could access the Murim Gallery.
“Murim Gallery?”
Just like how the mirror had appeared the moment I mentioned it, I carefully spoke the name out loud. And just like that—
[Ah, if I just pull out 167 more livers I'll have all seven flavors, but when the hell am I supposed to collect them all lol]
[Selling martial arts manuals, secret techniques, pop, need. Looks like demonic arts but whatever, anyone need?]
[Must Read) Newbies to the Gallery Must Read This]
[Please stop sexually harassing the receptionist at the Murim Alliance]
The actual gallery had appeared. Since I needed to figure out how to act, I clicked on the one labeled “Must Read.” It had hundreds of comments, so it was probably a sticky post meant to be seen by everyone.
Hey, it's the Juddak. Welcome to the Murim Gallery, you bunch of losers who got dragged into Murim while wasting your lives away scratching your balls, collecting unemployment, ditching school, or playing hooky. This post contains only the essentials for those of you who just entered the gallery and haven't been completely fucked yet, are about to get fucked, or are already getting fucked and bleeding out everywhere.
First thing you all need to know is that there are things called Divine Beasts in this world. This isn't a Murim with only humans, so be careful. If you think you're undeniably human, shout Control F and use voice typing to enter “human.” If you've become something that doesn't seem human, type “Divine Beast.” Humans go to 1-1, Divine Beasts to 2-1.
It was clearly a well-organized information post. I immediately headed over to section 2-1 for Divine Beasts.
2-1 Divine Beasts. Hello. You are now nonhuman entities—Divine Beasts. The martial artists of this world build up their inner energy by consuming things called Spiritual Beasts. And Divine Beasts are humanoid Spiritual Beasts. Yeah. You're fucked.
If you have horns, they'll slice them off, grind them up like garlic, and brew them into tea. If you have a tail, they'll chop it off and make tail bone soup. There are tons of crazy bastards who want to do exactly that. If you have regenerative abilities, it's even worse—one wrong old monster and you could end up locked away for the rest of your life as a renewable resource.
If you don't want to spend the rest of your days getting milked like a dog, start by building a nest. There's one fox Divine Beast bitch who posted about becoming a gumiho and counting livers, but that was a special case. Plenty of other Spiritual Beasts who tried to copy her authentication photos ended up dead. Please, for the love of god, build a nest first.
And don't come out until you're absolutely sure it's safe. Even if you do come out, move in complete secrecy. Unlike humans, Spiritual Beasts tend to have long lifespans. On the flip side, there are cases where they end up sharing their lifespan with humans. You grow stronger faster than humans, and your ceiling of strength is often higher too. If you spend your time safely in a nest, you won't have to worry about getting caught by some random bandit, pirate, or neighborhood thug and sent straight to the afterlife.
Don't overdo it. Take it slow and ease into Murim life. I'm saying this because I'm genuinely worried.
“Oh my god, fuck.”
So the situation I'd just been in was actually incredibly dangerous. It was a good thing I'd beaten that guy half to death and sent him floating away. If I'd wandered around with my face exposed, things would've gotten way worse.
I had become a Sea Dragon. And my horns and tail were basically like an elephant's tusks. They were tusks that actually had medicinal effects and could make people stronger. The problem was that there were no sheriffs or law enforcement to stop the Murim warriors—who were essentially tusk poachers—from coming after me.
If I didn't have the power to protect my own body, I wouldn't be able to stop them from swarming me. If I acted timid because I wasn't confident in my strength, they'd see me as an easy target. I needed to actually be strong, and I needed to be confident in that strength.
But still…
“Do I really have to go outside?”
I'd never been the type who liked wandering around outdoors anyway.
“I'll just find a nice spot with good feng shui, build a nest, and live there for the rest of my life.”
Since I was a Sea Dragon, I could settle by a decent river or the sea, fish for my own food, and be completely self-sufficient. Clothes? If I was going to live alone in a place with no people, who cared if I went around naked?
“Instead of watching shorts, I can just browse the Murim Gallery all day. Time will fly by. No need to charge anything, and no phone bills either.”
It was a truly satisfying plan. I started walking, looking for a place that could become my hiding spot. This was the perfect chance to enjoy a carefree, unemployed life where I didn't have to go to work, school, part-time jobs, self-improvement, or studying—just pure gallery browsing. The thought alone made my brain feel like it was melting. I was dying to start right away.