The Call of Baek Wol
The phone call came without warning.
“Baek Wol. Are you doing well at the academy?”
It was Shin Ui-ju, the chairman of the Korean Hunter Association. The living legend himself.
“…They already contacted you?”
“I didn’t expect you to make such a fiery entrance on your very first day.”
I might have gone a little overboard. But that guy threw the first punch. I was clearly the victim here.
“Legally, there shouldn’t be any issues. The other party was the one who initiated violence first.”
I hadn’t acted without thinking. In cases of violence between awakened individuals, the one who struck first was almost always placed at a severe disadvantage.
“Still, I’d appreciate it if you could refrain from such incidents at the academy as much as possible. The cleanup is more of a headache than you’d imagine.”
“…I’ll keep that in mind.”
He was someone who had shown me many conveniences. The least I could do was take his words to heart.
“Ah, it looks like it’s already lunchtime. I won’t take up any more of your time. Let’s end the call here.”
“Yes, understood.”
The line went dead with a click. I leaned against the wall and let out a long sigh.
“I really need to get my temper under control…”
My goal had been to spend a quiet year at the academy, yet I’d gone and shattered that plan myself on day one. I’d have to be more careful from now on.
I returned to the cafeteria and finished my meal.
“But seriously, isn’t the academy cafeteria food amazing? I honestly wasn’t expecting much.”
“Right? There’s so much variety too. They must’ve poured a ton of money into it.”
I wondered if I should try recreating some of the dishes once I got home. It didn’t seem impossible.
Regular classes usually ran for about six periods. Today’s first period had been the entrance ceremony, the second was a simple self-introduction and orientation on the academic schedule, and periods three and four were dedicated to rank measurement. After lunch, periods five and six would cover normal coursework.
The instructor easily silenced Kim Chae-eun’s loud protest of “Why are we having full classes on the very first day?!” and continued the lesson with visible enthusiasm.
This period was Gate Studies 101, taught by the pink-haired instructor from earlier. We were learning about the different types and ranks of gates and monsters.
“About four years ago? Back when I was still actively working, I had the chance to enter an A-rank gate once.”
It was an important but rather dry subject. Thanks to the bouncy instructor, however, the class remained surprisingly engaging.
“Now that I think about it, it’s already been three years since that X-rank gate opened. Wow… I seriously thought the world was going to end back then. I genuinely regretted not believing in Jesus, you know?”
She’s talking about that incident so casually.
Well, it was about time the world started moving on. Another one would appear eventually anyway.
An X-rank gate. A gate that surpassed the normal E-to-S ranking system. The very first anomalous gate that had appeared in the middle of the North Pole. Unlike ordinary blue gates, this one was pitch black. Entry was impossible, and the amount of magic power leaking from it couldn’t even be measured. Its overwhelming size and ominous aura had sparked theories about divine judgment and the end of the world.
“Many hunters stepped forward to deal with the X-rank gate.”
The North Pole wasn’t clearly claimed by any single nation, so every country hesitated to take the lead. That was when the Vatican stepped in. Using the fact that the Pope himself would participate, they gathered hunters from around the world. The moment the hunters assembled at the North Pole, the gate opened as if it had been waiting for them.
“However, not many people survived that gate.”
Most of the hunters who entered were killed by monsters. A considerable number fled and escaped back outside the gate.
“And only seven hunters reached the final boss monster.”
Fortunately, those seven all survived and successfully cleared the gate.
“Those seven were granted the special X-rank. The most noble rank, given only to the heroes who saved the world beyond national borders.”
In the original story, there were no X-rank hunters. The hunters who reached the boss monster had fought bravely and perished alongside it. This was probably the biggest twist I had inflicted on fate.
“As you all know, our country also has one X-rank hunter, right?”
Baek Wol. Korea’s X-rank hunter. Though affiliated with the Association, with her face, voice, and combat style made public, she remained a mysterious figure whose past left no traceable records.
Baek Wol had also participated in the X-rank gate raid and fought until the very end, surviving.
“The X-rank hunters are certainly amazing, but we must never forget those who didn’t make it back. They too fought for the world.”
The once bright atmosphere had grown noticeably heavier.
“We must never take their sacrifice lightly.”
“Why is this campus so ridiculously huge?”
After classes ended for the day, Kim Chae-eun grumbled as we stopped by a café on our way home. She had a point. Even setting aside the size, the layout was far too complicated.
“So what do you think?”
“…If you drop the subject, even a ghost wouldn’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I mean Baek Wol. Our country’s X-rank hunter.”
“Why are you bringing that up all of a sudden?”
She must have been deeply impressed by the last class.
“It’s just fascinating, you know? S-rank is already like stars in the sky, but X-rank? I can’t even wrap my head around it.”
“I don’t know… I don’t think they’re as special as people make them out to be.”
“Well, that kind of talk does come up sometimes.”
One common trait among X-rank hunters was that every single one of them was completely insane. Violent, promiscuous, or socially crippled—none of them were anywhere near normal. In that sense, Baek Wol was definitely unusual. Even though she hid her identity, she was cooperative with the nation and far more sensible than the rest. Besides the Pope, there wasn’t another X-rank like her.
X-rank hunters received every possible privilege. Saving the world was one thing, but their power was overwhelmingly superior even compared to S-ranks. People said one of them could probably fight an entire country alone. Though that was probably an exaggeration.
“Plus, I mean… from a guy’s perspective, she’s stacked with every fantasy element imaginable.”
“Pffft!!”
I nearly spat out the green grape ade I was drinking.
“Cough, hack, ugh.”
“Why are you so surprised? It’s not exactly wrong, is it?”
She wasn’t wrong. One of the reasons Baek Wol was so famous was her appearance. Some awakened individuals experienced physical mutations. Animal ears or tails, arms turning into insect limbs, that sort of thing. Hair color changes were common, but such drastic heteromorphic traits were rare.
In Baek Wol’s case, she had wolf ears and a tail. Pure white, fitting her name. Whatever the case, it was true that her looks contributed greatly to her fame.
“I can’t really complain about her abilities since she risked her life to earn them, but isn’t that appearance just unfair? If someone’s already that talented, why does she have to be beautiful too?! What does that leave the rest of us?!”
“Why are you asking me?”
I stared at her in genuine bewilderment.
“Hmm… Well, I guess you’re not exactly losing in the looks department either.”
I wasn’t sure who she was talking to, but Kim Chae-eun wasn’t someone who lost to anyone in terms of appearance. Taller than average for a woman, with a slender figure and a bright, refreshing face. She gave off a similar vibe to that pink-haired instructor from earlier.
Now that I think about it, why didn’t I ever see Kim Chae-eun in the original story?
Even if she wasn’t a main character, someone with her looks should have been mentioned at least once on the community boards.
“I live in the dorms, so I’ll head off here!”
The moment we reached the dormitory area, Kim Chae-eun dashed inside like the wind. I waved lightly in farewell and continued on my way.
“I’m home.”
I greeted an empty house that would never answer. There used to be my little sister, but ever since she went abroad to study, it was just me.
I took off my shoes, washed my hands, and changed my clothes.
“…”
It had already been nearly twenty years since I was reborn as Baek A-rang. If time kept passing, the years I’d lived as a woman would eventually surpass the years I’d lived as a man in my previous life.
Maybe that was why, even when I looked at this body—with its objectively outstanding appearance and figure—I felt almost nothing.
“Did these get bigger again…?”
When I was a man, I’d been completely obsessed with breasts. Now they were just cumbersome lumps of fat. I genuinely couldn’t understand why I’d been so crazy about them.
After changing into my loungewear, I went about my usual routine. There was still time before dinner, so I cleaned the house, did the laundry, killed some time playing games and browsing the web, then made dinner and washed the dishes.
And before bed, I always spoke to my parents.
“As of today, I’m officially an academy student. Mom, you wanted me to live as an ordinary college student. I’m sorry. I didn’t expect things to turn out like this either.”
In the original story, Baek A-rang had never once appeared. So my original plan had been to live quietly with my family without getting involved in the plot at all.
“Still, I think things will be okay. It’s a bit strange, but I seem to have made a friend. Dad was always worried that I didn’t have any friends.”
One situation had changed. I couldn’t help it, but I had flipped the original story upside down before it even began. I had no idea how the world would flow from here.
That was why I had to help the protagonist grow stronger somehow and stop the second X-rank gate.
“There are things that worry me… but it’s fine. I can overcome this much.”
I burned the image of my parents’ smiling faces into my eyes from the photograph.
“And sis, don’t worry too much either. You know how she is—energetic just like Mom. Who would’ve thought a girl like that would fall so hard for music?”
My parents were always smiling in the photo.
“It’s a little nerve-wracking that she’s overseas… but I can’t keep her wrapped in the family’s arms forever.”
The phone rang. It was the same number that had called during lunch—the Association Chairman.
I silenced the ringtone for a moment and continued speaking to my parents.
“The progress is a bit slow… but the development of the cure is still ongoing. Results should come soon.”
My parents, whose bodies had been ruined by a villain’s crime when I was nine. While conscious, their bodies continued to undergo strange mutations, so they were kept in forced sleep. Inside special capsules created with hospital machinery.
“So… just a little longer. I don’t know how many times I’ve said this, but please hold on just a little longer.”
Once the cure was developed, I would heal them no matter what.
With that vow in my heart, I stepped out of the room and finally answered the delayed call.
“Hello, Chairman.”
“I’m sorry to call you again within the same day. But it seems I’ll need your strength.”
I removed the special magic-engraved glasses and changed into my work attire. The outfit, designed based on traditional hanbok, was covered in all kinds of engravings that protected and assisted the wearer.
“I’ll get straight to the point. There appears to be an incident near Incheon.”
My black hair turned pure white. White wolf ears and a tail sprouted.
“Where should I go?”
I had returned to my original form. I gripped my beloved sword.
“Please come to the Association immediately, Hunter Baek Wol.”