Chapter 1
Chapter 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: The Birth of the Ultra-Rare Healer
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Basement studio apartment. Monthly rent.
A life without parents or any future.
Sorry to those grinding away diligently, but I wished a meteor would crash into Earth and let me slip away painlessly.
—with that thought in mind.
After stepping off the shuttle bus, I dragged myself back to my mold-infested hole of a home and crashed into bed.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [An unidentified anomaly has occurred...] [Evacuate to the nearest shelter immediately...] It felt like I'd barely been asleep for an hour.
A blaring alarm shattered my short nap.
'Ah, damn...'
Swallowing the irritation bubbling up from my gut, I grabbed my phone. An ominous disaster alert filled the screen.
I blinked dumbly at the words.
'...What the hell?'
Was I still dreaming?
'Anomaly? Evacuate to a shelter? What is this crap?'
The screen timed out, reflecting my face back at me.
But in that darkened display, some stranger—a woman with a blank stare—was gazing right at me.
'...Holy shit!'
It was like staring down a ghost.
Startled, I flung the phone across the room.
Crack—
An ugly sound scraped past my ears.
Worried about the screen, I crawled over to check.
'...Huh?'
Something was off.
Had my clothes always been this baggy?
'And what's with this white hair?'
Silver strands—like they'd been bleached five times over—were fluttering atop my oversized T-shirt.
I instinctively patted myself down.
Soft, squishy flesh met my fingertips.
'Wha...?'
That wasn't all.
My sun-baked laborer skin had turned pale and translucent.
The ceiling, once brushing my head, now loomed miles above.
'No way.'
A realization hit. I bolted to the bathroom mirror.
One. Two. Three.
I lifted my head on the count of three.
"Whoa..."
A cute white-haired girl stared back, locking eyes with me.
Her eyes shimmered like fresh grass leaves infused with green.
Dazed by this fantasy-game beauty, I pinched my cheek.
The girl in the mirror did the same.
Squish—
Pudding-like give, with a sharp sting.
'This is really... me?'
Back when rejections piled up, I'd wished to be born a girl and stream for easy cash. Had that come true?
I didn't know why, but...
Somehow, I'd become a woman.
Starting streams with this adorable look? Money would pour in.
'Life's turned around!'
Farewell, backbreaking day labor. Farewell, factory grind.
Embracing this new body, a fresh start awaited...!
Lost admiring my reflection, I suddenly remembered the alert that woke me.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [An unidentified anomaly has occurred...] [Evacuate to the nearest shelter immediately...] What if war had broken out?
Terror flooded my mind.
Maybe it wasn't time to celebrate my new gender just yet.
'Where's the nearest shelter...'
My phone was dead. That ancient brick hadn't survived the toss.
No choice—booted up the computer and dove into the info sea of the green site.
📰 Breaking News [South Korea is about to perish.] 📰 Breaking News [Must-have items before heading to a shelter...] 📰 Breaking News [Tibetan who predicted 2025 apocalypse goes viral...] The green platform overflowed with doomsday headlines.
Earth faced a dire crisis.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Finally free from drudgery, ready to milk streams for honey... and now apocalypse?
"No way!!!"
I couldn't die unjustly like this...
Forgetting I'd booted the PC for shelter info, I hit my favorite community instead.
Scanning top real-time posts, reality sank in.
'So, an unknown gate popped up in central Seoul...'
Monsters poured out, racking up thousands of casualties.
Terrified folks awakened powers to fight back.
Some heroes with overwhelming strength closed the Seoul gate.
But gates could spawn anywhere, anytime—so non-awakened, head to shelters, etc...
Boiling it down:
'The world's turned into a game...?'
No sweet streaming life in this girl's body?
Awakening favored sturdy guys—women, weaker in stamina and strength, rarely got good skills even if awakened...?
'Then my old laborer bod was better off?'
Darkness closed in.
The spite gods blessed only me.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Time passed since the nationwide alerts.
Just days ago, panic gripped everyone over Korea's doom headlines and rumors.
Bullshit on the apocalypse.
Korea buzzed with more vitality than ever.
💬 Comments — NEETWarrior Was a jobless keyboard warrior rotting at home, just bought an apartment. — FamilyMan88 Parents finally smiling again... This is life. — NoryangjinSurvivor Rotted 10 years in Noryangjin, contemplated suicide nonstop, skill carry flipped my life. AMA. Gamers glued to screens at home now ventured out for real-world raids.
Only those with 'good skills,' though.
Countless testimonies fueled hopes of life flips.
But top-20% got game-changing skills.
Post-Seoul gate:
People split into three types.
First: Vanguard types.
Lucky souls awakening overwhelming combat skills.
They cleared gates fast, crafting gear from rare drops, leveling ahead.
Called rankers or heroes.
Second: Money solvers.
Rich folks buying top gear from vanguards' loot or hiring rankers to level easy.
Chaebols, crypto whales.
Third: Last place.
No OP skills, no cash—same old life.
Probably me.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ [Heal]: Restores a certain amount of ally HP [Shield]: Grants ally a temporary protective barrier [Purify]: Cures curses, poison, paralysis, etc. [Bless]: Boosts ally stats for a period Awakened in this tiny, squishy girl's body—no attack skills in sight.
'All support crap...'
In a world prizing might over degrees, healer awakening? Zero appeal.
Third-tier life, same as before...
...But!
My unique ability shone through.
⚔ UNIQUE ABILITY ⚔ [Plant Lover - Lv.1] [Contacting plants intuitively reveals their name, effects, and uses.]
[Plant growth boost +40%. Quality grade +1.]
[Affinity with nature spirits/monsters +50%.]
Perfect for me, whose sole hobby was growing plants.
Crafters or smiths rake cash making gear, sure.
But for a plant geek? Unbeatable.
Now I could raise my basement-full of 'kids' to world-class!
'Yeah. These are all I need.'
Grinning, I stroked leaves scattered around.
Speech bubbles popped up like plants chatting.
[Monstera is satisfied with its water levels] [Succulent craves more sunlight] [Snake plant feels deep peace] Talking to plants? Dreamlike.
"Hm~ Hm-hmm~"
Thrilled at mastering them with my ability, I hummed away.
I had no clue then.
That this 'meh' ability and skills...
Would upend my life entirely.