Explosive Awakening and the Snow Woman's Birth
Maybe I should watch a movie for a change? It had been ages since I last thought about Frozen. That animated film where the queen and princess build an ice castle and make a snowman... I just wanted to relive some childhood memories, that's all.
But the moment I logged into the streaming site, my computer exploded.
"Keh-rock, kol-kol-khek, kek!"
Experiencing a computer explosion was a first in my life, so I had no idea how to react. Not that anyone could prepare for a sudden Boom! Anyway, my tiny one-room apartment filled up with thick black smoke.
I figured there'd be flying debris or shockwaves that hurt, but surprisingly, my body was fine. Aside from this weird throbbing headache that made my head ring?
But now what... It's rented, and if they find out I blew up the computer and stained the wallpaper, I'll lose my entire deposit. My life tier just got demoted from Bronze to Iron in real time.
Feeling down, I decided to wash up first and think later. Cleanliness is next to godliness, right? Anyway, being clean feels good.
But why do my pants keep slipping down?
"...Ugh?"
I headed into the bathroom and splashed water on my face, then looked up...
"Eeeeng???"
No wonder the sink felt unusually high today. I'm a tall guy who hits 180cm on tiptoes, 171cm normally.
"Wh-what is this..."
I staggered out of the bathroom in total shock. The room was still covered in black debris from the explosion. Tiptoeing carefully to avoid the dust, I stood in front of the full-length mirror I'd scavenged from the dump. The mirror face was intact, but the legs were broken, so it leaned against the wall at an angle.
"Who is that, for real, yo."
I was so baffled I bit my tongue. Inside the mirror was a sight I'd never imagined. Not just any girl, but a nine-year-old elementary school kid. Platinum blonde hair cascading down to her waist, glossy and so pure it almost looked silver-white at a glance. Framed by bangs covering her forehead were sparkling, crystal-clear sky-blue eyes.
This was totally...
"Elsa, yo!"
The protagonist from Frozen—same hair and eye color. It's like a Disney-obsessed mom dressed her daughter up as Elsa for cosplay.
"My thingy, yo... Give me back my thingy, yo..."
Okay, fine, hair and eye color change? I'll grudgingly accept that. But why did my body turn into a little girl's? The pants kept slipping, so I ditched them, revealing an embarrassingly empty crotch. Meaning... the thing every guy should have was gone...
And on top of that, my thoughts and speech kept coming out weird. It was attaching this awkward "yo" more than proper polite speech, but I couldn't figure out why.
This is straight-up bullshit...
Good thing this is reality. Wait, no, not good at all—just too shocked for self-rationalization. Of course, I'd never really used it much. But no guy wants his unused junk to just vanish!
Depressing... So depressing.
"This can't be real, yo..."
I hadn't lived a life of evil, yet I'd lost my precious parts like a raccoon washed in cotton candy water. And my home was a filthy mess. What I had left: phone, exploded computer, a one-room smeared black like it'd been censored, and 200,000 won in the bank.
My life wasn't exactly happy before, but now the depression had punched through the floor into basement level one. No, basement ten.
"Sigh... I'm not even an Awakener, so why... Huh? Wait, am I?"
Come to think of it, I'd heard some Awakeners get physical mutations. Maybe that's me?
"Though no one mentioned turning into a girl..."
Anyway, hair and eye changes are the most common Awakener trait... Eh, no point overthinking.
"Status Window, yo!"
The weird speech slipped out like a hip thrust interjection thanks to whatever was messing with my tongue.
"Whoa!"
Yep, I really awakened. If I ended up like this without awakening, I'd be pissed. If it wasn't my own awakening changing my body, that'd mean someone else used their power on me—total villain move.
Anyway, it seems my job or skills caused this. It's right there: Snow Woman.
But Shiro? My name's Han Gyeol.
"EX-rank is new to me, though, yo??"
As a modern guy, it's natural to envy Awakeners and Hunters. They make bank and are super strong. If you're born a guy, you gotta try being the strongest at least once.
"Even if I'm a girl now, yo?"
Anyway, Awakeners raid monsters popping out of Gates, making insane money from the byproducts. No Gates big enough for people yet, from what I recall—they just spawn randomly, spit out monsters like "here, deal with this," and vanish.
"Sounds kinda dangerous, yo."
Of course, high risk. Gate monsters are immune to modern guns. Sometimes weaklings like goblins take bullets, but they're just boss minions, so not a big deal.
Basically, only Awakener powers can deal real damage. Which also means facing monsters head-on.
"I hate pain..."
I'd always wanted to Hunter if I awakened. It's cool. But now as a little girl? Tiny feet, short height, tiny hands. Body so small, a monster's spit could drown me.
Other jobs? Even worse. I'd done warehouse work, but can I even lift boxes like this?
"Huh? Don't Awakeners get super strength, yo?"
That reminded me—Awakeners get bodies way beyond normal humans. Even magic types are at least athlete-level. Maybe I'm tough despite looks.
"Gotta test something..."
Nothing heavy at home—orphan support money doesn't allow luxuries. The mini-fridge?
"Alright, let's see how strong I am, yo?!"
I slid my hands under the fridge and heaved—hnngh! Dusty palms didn't feel great.
"Nngh..."
But the mini-fridge didn't budge an inch. Not even a twitch.
"Did I really get stronger...?"
I tried lifting stacked water bottles next. Utter failure. Felt weaker than before awakening.
Then what's EX next to the job mean? 'EX means Extra-weak, not even E-rank idiot?'
I never thought I was smart, but I didn't want mockery like this.
I gave up strength tests and plopped on the floor. Don't kids have stamina? Why am I tired already?
"Then... the skills must be super OP, yo."
Midnight Sun's Breath, Snow Friends, Childlike Innocence. Three skills—rare to have more than one at start. Most grow from low ranks; starting C+ means S-potential.
"And I've got an S-rank!"
But Childlike Innocence? Sounds like kids' pure hearts. Huh?
'Is this skill why?'
Seemed right. Skills are active or passive. Actives give a sense—like an extra arm. Passives? No description from the system, so hard to know.
But this child body? Definitely Childlike Innocence.
"R-release it! Release!"
No change despite wailing. Okay, quick acceptance. Time to try other skills.
Hmm... like this?
First, Midnight Sun's Breath. Thinking of it and willing it activated something tickly inside. Like a feather scratching from within.
This must be mana!
I triggered it. Felt like a snow-manipulating skill.
Snow Woman, EX-job—must be awesome!
And...
"Whoaaaack!"
Midnight Sun's Breath (C-rank)
A blizzard erupts from your fingertips, filling the room!
A blizzard burst from my fingertips, engulfing the room—and raged for a while before dying down. Furniture toppled, flew everywhere. The exploded computer's debris shredded the wallpaper. And when it ended, the floor was buried in snow.
Ah—
"I'm screwed, yo."