Revenge Begins (1)
Mom and Dad stared blankly back and forth between the cushion that had just burst open and my index finger.
A few seconds of silence stretched out.
Mom was the first to speak.
"…Honey, this is…"
"Looks like he's a Dual…"
I nodded in confirmation.
"That's right. I awakened again. Heh. The night of the graduation ceremony."
At that, the two of them glanced at each other for a moment—then,
"Ha, haha, hahahaha! Our son! You're seriously amazing!"
"Our boy! Best in the world!"
They celebrated my new awakening with pure, unfiltered joy.
"Whose son do you think I am? Something like this is only natural!"
Both of them nodded, beaming with pride.
"Honey, then we should go get him registered as a Dual, right?"
"Of course! Tomorrow at the latest! Our Eun-ho! But first—let's take this. Dad'll help you with it!"
Ah!
The Body Reconstruction Elixir!
Obviously we had to do it now!
If I went to register at the Association tomorrow looking like this, the reporters would swarm me like crazy!
Gotta look good walking out. The public's going to see me.
"Not the public — the women, right?"
Same difference.
"Please don't forget that an Apostle's mission is to judge villainesses."
I know, I know. But if I get famous, the villainesses will notice me too. That's how I get chances to make contact, isn't it?
"Oh, so you actually used your brain for once."
Obviously!
"Should I take it now?"
"Yes! Right this second!"
Dad was even more worked up than I was.
Surprisingly, our house had a training room.
We were a healer family, so there was no real need to train for combat—and yet one sat waiting in the basement all the same.
Lucky. This'll work perfectly.
The Body Reconstruction Elixir wasn't some simple weight-loss pill.
The moment you swallowed it, it remade your body from the ground up, forcing every last scrap of waste and impurity out in the process.
Right after taking it, the stench was supposedly unbearable—but in exchange, you got a physique optimized for martial arts and offensive skills.
"I'm ready."
When I said so, Dad handed me a small bottle.
I'd expected a round pill like something out of a wuxia novel, but no.
Inside was a clear liquid that looked like a sports drink.
Apparently, after Dad had reworked it to suit my body, even the form had changed from the original elixir.
"Open the cap and drink it all in one go. Splitting it up might weaken the effect."
"Yes, sir!"
I opened the bottle without a second thought.
A faintly golden liquid swayed gently inside.
The scent was unexpected.
I'd braced myself for the smell of expensive medicinal herbs, but what brushed my nose was clean and cool, like dawn air.
"Hoo… here goes."
Gulp, gulp, gulp.
I emptied the bottle in a single breath.
"Mmmmh!"
Just as expected—crisp and refreshing.
Kind of like Pocari?
But was that it?
Tastes fine, but…
The second that thought crossed my mind—
KWAAAAAAAAH!!
"AAAAAGH!!"
Pain slammed through my entire body like a sledgehammer.
Bones creaked,
muscles tore,
organs felt like they were flipping inside out.
"Ghhhhh…!"
I dropped to my knees on the floor.
"Eun-ho!"
Mom tried to rush over in panic, but Dad caught her arm.
"Don't touch him!"
"But…!"
"It's fine. The elixir is reconstructing his body right now."
Crack!
Pop-pop-pop!
Crrrrack!
Every joint in my body screamed in sequence. At the same time, something scorching began to boil up under my skin.
"Gahhk!"
A handful of pitch-black blood sprayed from my mouth.
And that still wasn't the end.
From every pore, impurities like black slime started pouring out in streams of sweat.
"Urgh…!"
The smell was insane.
It was the stench of a rotting sewer sealed shut for a hundred years and then blasted open all at once.
"Ugh…!"
Mom covered her nose and took a step back.
"Good heavens… waste coming out like that…? The effect is stronger than expected…"
Dad stroked his chin, looking intrigued.
"I did rework it myself, but… the potency is far beyond what I anticipated…"
The black waste kept flowing without end.
In moments, the floor of the room was stained pitch black.
.
.
.
How much time passed, I couldn't say.
Then the pain faded as if it had never been there.
Hoo…
I sucked in ragged breaths and slowly stood up.
My body…
It was unbelievably light.
The 150-kilo bulk that had weighed me down was gone without a trace.
I looked down at my stomach.
Before, my massive gut had hidden even my toes from view—now that belly fat had vanished completely, and my feet stood out clear as day.
Subtle but defined muscle had surfaced along my arms, and my chest and shoulders had reshaped into a balanced, athletic frame.
My entire body had transformed so perfectly it felt like it belonged to someone else.
"…Whoa…"
A gasp of awe slipped out before I could stop it.
In that moment—
Plip.
One last black droplet fell from the tip of my hair to the floor.
"Eun-ho."
"Yeah?"
"First things first."
Dad smirked.
"Go take a shower…"
"The smell is… a little intense…"
"…Yes, sir."
At that, I casually sniffed myself—
"BLEEEEGH!!"
The stench hit so hard my vision swam, and I bolted for the bathroom at full sprint.
They say dieting is the best plastic surgery, and damn if it wasn't true.
My slimmed-down face was, no exaggeration, pretty damn solid.
"Not quite on Bin hyung-nim's level, though."
I wasn't on par with Won Bin—Korea's legendary hunter and actor—but I figured I still landed in the top 10 percent. Hell, maybe the top 5.
The Goddess's Shop alone would be enough to judge the villainesses,
but a handsome face was the kind of thing that never hurt to have, whether it helped or not.
"Handsome really is best."
"Compared to before, you've at least become presentable."
"Aww~ presentable, huh~?"
"…"
"Anyway, they actually texted."
I'd planned to head straight to the Association today and register as a Dual,
but just like Dad said—messages had come in from Kim Ji-yu, Han Seo-yun, Park A-yeong, and Seong Min-a. Those four bully bitches.
Right after getting my dick sucked and coming home, I'd left the group chat I'd been stuck in with them.
Then last night, out of nowhere, they'd invited me back in.
Those fucking bitches…
Took my first time, my ass.
"Isn't she right, though? That was your first blowjob."
Shut up! It felt good, sure! But that doesn't count!
"Pfft. Doesn't count, huh."
What?!
"Anyway, get ready. A quest will probably pop today."
?!
At the graduation ceremony I hadn't been the Apostle of the Goddess of Retribution yet, so no quest had appeared—
but today, one would.
One hundred percent.
I'm so fucked!
I had no points, but that didn't matter.
The random draws had already given me plenty of decent stuff, so clearing it wouldn't be that hard.
But she's not going to tell me to judge all four of them at once, right?
No matter how I looked at it, that seemed a little much.
"She won't. But if you judge them all at the same time, the odds of unlocking an achievement go way up."
Those achievements that give useless rewards?
"No! You have no idea how good those are! You ungrateful little—!"
Ah, yep yep~
"You little shit!"
Yep yep~
Pfft.
Our Lumi was definitely fun to mess with.
I wonder what level they'll be.
Honestly, those bully bitches had only been vicious to me. It was hard to say they'd been that bad to anyone else.
No. Wait. That pisses me off. Why only me? Why not the other kids?
Of course, they hadn't exactly been nice to the others either.
But they hadn't bullied them, either.
They'd just ignored everyone with an attitude of we're on a different level from you.
You're so fucking dead! I'm not letting a single one of you off!
I'd dick them down with Monster Teunsil-i until they begged me to stop!
I was steeling myself with that resolve when—
Knock knock.
A knock, and then—
"Eun-ho. Your friends are here."
Our Su-mi noona's voice floated through the door.
Fuck it! Let's do this!
"They'll be level 3 at most. If you can't handle one of these bitches, you might as well go die."
I can do this!
"It's ridiculously easy, okay?"
Let's go let's go let's go!
"Idiot."
Gaaaaazaaaaah!
"Moron."
Whatever Lumi said, I pumped myself up.
I checked my newly handsome face and body one more time, inspected the nice clothes Mom and Dad had bought to fit my new frame, then opened the door and headed down to the living room.
Thump-thump-thump-thump!
As I went downstairs, the thought that I could legally dick-judge those bitches with the Goddess's power made my heart feel ready to explode.
Of course, it wasn't only anticipation making it race.
Three years of what those bitches had done to me had soaked into my bones—instinctive fear had my heart hammering just as hard.
Lumi's right. They're nothing.
I got my mind under control again.
When I stepped into the living room, the four bitches were sitting side by side on the sofa, laughing and chatting with my parents like old friends.
"Hahahahoho!"
The atmosphere was so warm and cozy you'd think they'd been family for years.
Ha! Why the hell are my parents like this?!
Mom and Dad knew.
They knew those bitches had bullied me.
And knowing that, the things they still said sometimes were—
"Eun-ho. Which of the four do you like?"
"Mom would welcome any of them."
"Facts."
"Hohohohoho!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Facts, my ass!
That damn networking!
If they hadn't been daughters of major guild masters!
They're pretty, sure, but…
"Oh, you're here! Eun-ho! Come on over!"
Dad's grin stretched from ear to ear.
Mom was looking at the four bitches with pure delight, honey practically dripping from her eyes.
Those four bitches were masters of acting.
Up until a second ago, they'd been smiling like demure young ladies, chatting warmly with my parents.
But the moment they turned their heads and saw me—
"Lee Eun-ho?"
All four of them took in my transformed appearance and stared at me with eyes blown wide, as if they couldn't believe what they were seeing.
Watching that reaction—
it was more than I'd expected—
and a jolt of pure pleasure dumped a massive hit of dopamine straight into my brain.
Heh. Surprised? Heheheh!
Only then did the tension locked into my body finally loosen. A smile curved my lips as I looked them over one by one—those four bitches staring at me in total shock.