The Unbelievable Sight

For the first time in my life, I was staring at something I could not believe.

Something that might have been even more staggering than waking up in a woman's body instead of a man's.

Is this actually real?

I snuck a glance to the side. Over there, the S-rank hunter Im Seol-hwa was riding a swing.

"Yahoo~!"

She laughed with the utterly cloudless joy of a little kid.

They say it's a small world — but how could a coincidence like this even exist?

Until now, the Head Mod of the Hunter Gallery had been wrapped in mystery. The gallery regulars had been circulating the theory that she had to be a high-rank hunter.

That guess had been right. But as for who she actually was, I doubted a single person on earth could have seen this coming.

The Head Mod of the Hunter Gallery is Im Seol-hwa...!

Im Seol-hwa, the youngest S-rank hunter. A prodigy who had become a hunter at twenty-two and climbed to the very top faster than anyone alive. And that incredible person had been running the Hunter Gallery this whole time.

It's so absurd I can't even laugh.

At the same time, I was amazed. For someone whose life's goal had been to become a hunter, just standing in the same place as Im Seol-hwa felt unreal. If I'd met her under ordinary circumstances, I probably would have dropped to my knees on the spot and begged for an autograph.

Anyway, that's not what matters right now...

My current goal was to clear my name of murdering the S-rank hunter Han Seon-yul. I'd been at a complete loss as to how — but it looked like there might be an unexpectedly easy way out. A statement from an S-rank hunter would go a long way toward washing off a false charge.

Assuming she believes me, that is. Still, if I explain it well enough, it should be fine, right? People are rational creatures.

I was sunk in thought, chewing over how to even start the conversation, when a voice cut in from beside me.

"How long are you planning to sit there with your mouth shut? I'm not that free, you know."

"Ah, I'm sorry. I get really shy around new people..."

I ducked my head with an awkward smile.

"Is that so? Then how about we introduce ourselves? I'm Im Seol-hwa. And you?"

"My name is... huh?"

The words died in my throat. The reason was painfully simple: I couldn't remember my name. I rummaged through every corner of my memory, and nothing came up. My own name was just... gone.

You idiot! You looked at your ID! You saw your name written out in full!

Cold sweat slid down my back. I had forgotten my own name — a name I'd been using just fine until a week ago. Had I come down with early-onset dementia? At this age?

I shook my head hard, refusing to accept it.

The chicken breast and eggs I ate a week ago are still crystal clear, but I can't remember my own name? That's ridiculous!

A chill crawled over my skin, and my stomach turned.

Don't tell me this is another price of the contract?

Until now, I'd figured the contract had extracted three prices: a gender swap, the outbreak of an S-rank Rift, and the death of the S-rank hunter Han Seon-yul. Those alone had been a cost too enormous to bear.

And there was still more?!

I really should have asked about the price before I signed. Or better yet, never signed at all. I clenched my teeth in fury, but there was nothing I could do about it now.

And the scarier part was something else entirely.

I have no idea how many more prices are still waiting.

Unknown costs could be lying dormant, like something still in incubation. I'd only just discovered that forgetting my name was one of them. It would be weirder if there weren't more.

Ugh... my head hurts.

The moment I tried to solve one problem, another one popped out to replace it, and my brain simply stopped.

"Um, if you don't want to say, you don't have to. Hehe..."

After I'd been silent for so long, Im Seol-hwa ducked her head and started putting on a wounded little pout.

Fine. Time to throw my brain out the window.

When you're meeting someone new, first impressions are everything. If I couldn't even manage something that simple, how was I supposed to function as a human being?

I snapped myself together, drew a slow breath, and opened my mouth.

"I don't have a name."

"...Sorry, I must have misheard you."

Im Seol-hwa blinked, not processing it, and asked again.

"No. You heard me correctly. I don't have a name."

"Could I ask why...?"

"I'm a half-orphan."

"A half... orphan?"

She tilted her head. Still not getting it.

"It means the people who call themselves my parents had me and dumped me at an orphanage."

"...Ah."

A small sound escaped her, and she started watching my face carefully. The mood had gone unnecessarily heavy.

...Nailed the first impression. Great job.

I really shouldn't have thrown my brain out just because it hurt. A half-orphan! Even the word choice was violently aggressive.

Im Seol-hwa cleared her throat a few times and looked back at me.

"I-it's okay. My parents got donuted!"

"Pardon?"

The sudden donut threw me completely. But Im Seol-hwa kindly walked me through it, one piece at a time.

"I mean a Monster punched a hole straight through their stomachs and they died. So — donut! That's what happened to them."

"...Ah."

Once I understood exactly what she meant, I covered my mouth with my hand. Not because I was shocked.

How do the two of us keep skipping the brain entirely?

Maybe we just don't have brains. There are people in this world who get along just fine without one. Or maybe we're both sociopaths with the empathy of a rock. And if it's not that, we're probably just stupid.

And now the mood's gone sour again...

After bringing up her parents, Im Seol-hwa was fidgeting with her fingers and avoiding my eyes.

Guess she's embarrassed too...

Well. Nobody could talk about their parents' deaths like it was something to be proud of. I couldn't even remember my parents' faces, for what that was worth.

"Hey... we're the same age, right? Want to drop the formal speech?"

I asked, hoping to clear the air. Im Seol-hwa lit up like that was the best idea she'd heard all day.

"Oh, you're twenty-two? I'm good with that! But what should I call you? We should have some kind of name, at least."

I thought for a second, then answered.

"Hmm... how about we just use our Hunter Gallery nicknames?"

"Ah! That works! LoveMuscles... I like it."

Thankfully, Im Seol-hwa was on board. As the atmosphere finally lightened, I let out a breath and asked the question that had been nagging at me from the start.

"Seol-hwa, there's something I've been wondering. Why on earth are you the Head Mod of the Hunter Gallery?"

Being an S-rank hunter wasn't a sit-around-and-get-paid kind of job. The money was insane, sure — but it was just as dangerous, and you were always busy. So how was Im Seol-hwa, a woman who barely had time to breathe, managing the Hunter Gallery as Head Mod?

She sank into thought for a moment.

"Well, I never actually wanted to be a Head Mod or anything, you know? But then this monster-hunting tip post I dropped on the gallery blew up overnight."

"A monster-hunting tip post?"

"Yeah. I wanted to share what I'd learned hunting monsters with other people, so I wrote a post."

"Ah..."

I quietly looked away. The truth was, I had seen that post myself.

I remembered Im Seol-hwa posting something that looked roughly like that. The title was perfectly clickbaity, and the content was so immediately useful ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠you could take it into a hunt that same day, so the thread had exploded.

That's probably the post that started the rumor the Head Mod was a high-rank hunter...

And she hadn't stopped at just one.

"The monster-hunting tips got such a good response that I kept posting more guides... and at some point the gallery just... made me their gallery master."

She trailed off, let out a sigh, and hung her head.

"Then the old Head Mod just dumped the whole job on me."

"Ahhh~ I see..."

Listening to her, it was a disaster of her own making.

"So now I squeeze out whatever spare time I can and run the gallery."

"Got it..."

When she finished, Im Seol-hwa's gaze locked onto me.

"Alright. I told you my story, so now it's your turn. I've been curious this whole time — what kind of false charge are you under?"

"Ah... well. About that."

Her question sent me into a spiral. To clear my name, I had to tell her everything, exactly as it happened. But even after seeing what I really was — would she believe a word I said?

If the person you've been chatting with turns out to be the assassin who killed an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠S-rank hunter and triggered an S-rank Rift... would you trust them?

I hesitated for a heartbeat, then shook my head. It had been a short meeting, but I was sure of one thing. Im Seol-hwa, at the very least, was someone who actually listened to other people. So if I stuck to the truth, she might be suspicious — but she wouldn't try to kill me.

Having sorted that out, I met her eyes.

"You might not be able to believe this. But you have to. Okay?"

"Don't worry. As long as it's not something completely insane, I can believe you."

"That's the thing. It is completely insane. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠That's why I'm asking you to believe me..."

"Mm, okay! I'll believe you, so don't worry."

Im Seol-hwa said it with a bright little smile, but I was still uneasy. Nothing I could do about that. All I could do was pray that the goodwill I'd been farming would count for something.

"You remember the assassination of the S-rank hunter Han Seon-yul that happened recently?"

"Ah, Seon-yul? I remember. It was a little sad, him dying so suddenly... but what about it?"

I swallowed hard.

"I'm the one who got framed for killing Han Seon-yul."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

Im Seol-hwa tilted her head. She looked like she'd short-circuited. To help her understand, I pulled off my jacket and my mask.

Snow-white hair. And a black scythe, summoned from thin air. Anyone who looked at me would have seen the exact same assassin who had killed Han Seon-yul.

"!!!"

Im Seol-hwa's face twisted in real time, like she'd just seen something she was never supposed to see.

Kiiiiing—

Mana erupted from every inch of her body. The air shivered, thin and taut, and sparks began to crackle across her entire frame.

"I'm... pretty confused right now, okay?"

"I know! But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠please just hear me out!"

At my desperate plea, her pupils trembled. I understood that feeling. There was something faintly wronged in Im Seol-hwa's face. Like someone who had been betrayed.

"Damn it, again! Again?! I'm so sick of this! For real!!!!!"

Im Seol-hwa roared and snapped her fingers.

Pazzzzzzt!

Another space layered itself over reality like a puzzle piece locking into place.

One of S-rank hunter Im Seol-hwa's most famous skills: Space Separation. A pocket dimension where she could hunt monsters safely, without anyone else getting hurt.

And the fact that she just used it on me... means she's going to kill me, doesn't it?

Cold sweat poured down my back. I might actually have to fight Im Seol-hwa for my life.

"Seol-hwa! I really didn't kill Han Seon-yul! I swear! Please believe me! I know it's hard, but I can explain everything!"

I kept trying to talk, desperate to keep either of us from bleeding. But—

"Ah, Han Seon-yul? Honestly, I'm not even mad about Han Seon-yul."

"What do you..."

The Im Seol-hwa in front of me was a runaway train with the brakes cut.

"I just hate that your scythe reeks of that disgusting Witch."

She summoned a sword from empty air.

"Again and again! Over and over! That Witch took everything from me! I hate her enough to die!"

She set the blade on edge and gouged a savage line through the ground. The sight of it was enough to raise the hair on my arms — like she was possessed.

"So I'm sorry, LoveMuscles. I've hit my limit. I'm going to have to cut off your limbs first and think later."

"That's a terrifying thing to say..."

"Don't worry. I know an amazing healer. I'll chop the limbs off, hear you out, and if I understand, I'll stick them back on."

That innocent face of hers? My ass. Canceled. This bitch was insane.

My body dropped into a combat stance on instinct.

But can I even win a fight?

She was a veteran hunter, and S-rank. I might have awakened some broken abilities, but I was a complete amateur at actual combat!

I swallowed, blinked once—

"Huh?"

Im Seol-hwa's figure vanished.

Kang!

A sharp crack, and my vision went black.

That was when it happened.

The Witch's voice reached me.