The Birth of a Breeding Monster

I opened my eyes to the same familiar yellowed ceiling. The clock read 12:43. I'd made it up before the afternoon, which was something — earlier than yesterday, even.

For whatever reason, the headache that usually slammed into me the instant I left the bed was gone. Feeling vaguely refreshed, my body drifted toward the computer of its own accord. A gray mountain of cigarette butts stared back at me. I'd probably break my own height record today.

The keyboard was so caked in dust it was unpleasant to look at. I scratched my back hard, gave the keys a halfhearted swipe, then shoved aside a chair I couldn't even remember buying and sat down.

"Might as well get to work..."

"Work" was a generous word for it. The only productive thing I knew how to do was grind virtual currency in a game I'd been playing since I was a kid and sell it off.

I clicked past the game screen I'd long since grown sick of, and there was my character. Level 98 Supreme Swordsman. Not particularly good, not particularly bad — just decent at farming in-game currency. I felt zero attachment to the thing. I just wanted to stop looking at it already.

Same hunting ground. Same monsters. Same character, farming the same items and the same currency, over and over.

Maybe I should have a smoke.

Smoking on an empty stomach made me nauseous and put a dull throb behind my eyes, but withdrawal was withdrawal. I pulled a cigarette from the yellowed pack, stuck it between my lips, and flicked the lighter. Then I drew in a breath. That familiar, fleeting hit of—

"Cough! Cough! Hack—! Ah, it burns! What the hell?!"

My head was pounding. My stomach was churning like mad. This was like the first time I'd ever smoked... no, it was way worse than that.

"Urgh!"

Bile surged up my throat. I kicked the chair back and bolted for the bathroom, and I heaved into the toilet for what felt like forever before my guts finally settled.

Fuck... I just lie around smoking and gaming all day. Maybe I actually got sick.

At this rate I wasn't going to live out my natural lifespan. Should I quit now and try to find a real job...?

If I could've done that, I would've gone out and gotten one a long time ago.

This was the only thing I was capable of doing, so of course my health was falling apart. The reality of it was just too grim. I let out a long sigh and headed for the sink to rinse my mouth. I cranked the faucet hard. Water roared out. I dunked my entire face under — it was the only way to keep from looking at that gloomy mug of mine.

But I could never hold it for long. And when I had to come up for air, I genuinely wanted to die. The sight of an ugly, fat shut-in suffering over a little water...

"Huh?"

Why wasn't it there. Wait a second. Whose face was this?

What the hell. Did my face change?

The guy I knew wasn't in the mirror. The dark circles, the hollow gamer-pale complexion — gone without a trace. In their place stood a man with incredibly white skin. A guy so cute that even I had to admit it.

"What the hell is this... Am I dreaming right now?"

Come to think of it, I was standing on my tiptoes without realizing it. With my old body, just straightening my back would've been enough to see myself in the mirror.

I dropped my heels, and my eyeline plunged. Rough estimate... maybe a hundred and fifty centimeters? It actually suited this cute face pretty well.

I pinched one of those plump, soft cheeks and stretched it. Ouch. So this wasn't a dream.

"This is insane. The kind of thing that only happens in movies, and it happened to me..."

I hadn't been particularly attached to my old face, so it wasn't like I was grieving. But absurd was still absurd.

What the hell was this?!

I yelped and fell over backward. A translucent rectangular window had suddenly floated up in front of my eyes, blocking my vision. Bold black letters announced that I had awakened something called a Status Window.

What was this supposed to be? I sat there slack-jawed, completely stunned, and the text on the rectangular window slowly changed.

Well... nothing to lose, right? I cleared my throat and mumbled what it told me to say.

"S-Status Window!"

A blinding white light burst in front of my eyes. It was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠so intense I thought I might go blind. I covered my face with my hands and edged back, and when I peeked out, the rectangular window had transformed into something even stranger.

The Status Window had my physical details written out. Wait. Cock length, nineteen centimeters...? Never mind why that was even listed. Why was it that big? I was tiny!

Quests? Points? It was like looking at a video game. At this rate I was starting to feel like I'd become a Superhuman myself.

This is insane... so it really isn't a dream. Who the hell gave me something like this? All I wanted was to live quietly and die quietly.

I was a timid guy. Dumping this kind of enormous power on me just made me anxious. Short and thin — that was the creed I lived by. I didn't want to cause anyone trouble, and I didn't want to do anyone any favors either. I'd locked myself in this room specifically to avoid other people, and now this was the trial I got?

I should at least check what this Quest thing is...

You never knew. If the quest was something simple, and I could spend the points on precious metals or whatever in the shop, I might be able to live without grinding games at all.

"Confirm!"

My voice was barely a whisper, but the quest window appeared all the same. It looked like something straight out of a game, too.

What the hell was this? I was going to die? And horribly, at that?

Dying short and thin had always been the plan, sure. But I wasn't planning on dying right now. And I especially wasn't planning on it hurting. I walked slowly just so I wouldn't stub my little toe on the desk...

How am I supposed to subjugate a woman?! I get scared just holding someone's hand.

Unfortunately, I'd been so hideous that the female of the species found me deeply repulsive. How was a guy like that supposed to "subjugate" anyone?

Granted, I looked reasonably cute now. If I'd looked like this since I was a kid, my whole life would've been easier. But even this wasn't exactly a convenient face for seducing women. Women liked sturdy, dependable men. That was just how it worked.

The Status Window must have gotten ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠fed up watching me spiral, because it threw me a tip. Fine. I'd put my hopes on this.

"Skill Shop!"

The same blinding light burst in front of my eyes.

Skill after skill unfurled in a long, rattling cascade. These were the ones I had my eye on right now. I picked out only the ones that might let a loser like me actually seduce a woman, and... yeah. There was a real possibility here.

But who the hell was this Dragon Girl?

There had to be some reason she'd been chosen. Curiosity got the better of me, and I hurriedly pulled out my phone and searched the name.

"Huh? This girl..."

I knew that face.

Han Yuri. The delinquent who'd made my life hell in high school. Hers was a face I could never forget, even if I wanted to.