Returned!
On my twenty-third birthday, I was kidnapped to another world.
The Lord God of that realm had chosen me as his proxy, his so-called Hero. Transforming my body into that of a woman was merely an afterthought.
It was infuriating, but survival left me no choice but to obey.
For the next seven years, I was worked like a dog.
Following the Lord God's oracles, I purged the corrupt pope and the upper echelons of the church. I crushed every bizarre cult and heresy that sprang up across the lands. I severed the heads of royalty and nobility who dared oppose the church's authority, and I burned demon worshippers at the stake.
I slew seventy-two Demon Lords, one after another. I crushed three attempts to resurrect a sealed evil god, and in the end, I even diced an outer god that tried to invade from another dimension.
In short, I saved this damned world more times than I could count.
……Surely that was enough.
I wasn't even from this world. Being dragged here out of nowhere and forced to suffer this much—hadn't I done my part?
“……I think it's about time I went home.”
With one leg crossed, I looked up at the sky.
At the end of my gaze stood a colossal old man. Seated upon a golden throne atop the clouds, his figure was so immense that perspective itself seemed to warp. He filled the entire sky.
That “old man” was the Lord God of this world.
The deity wore a benevolent expression and chuckled warmly.
[Thou hast indeed accomplished much. For one who drifted in from another world, bearing no ties to this land, thy devotion is truly admirable and worthy of praise.]
It was the sort of face that could put anyone's heart at ease—a kindly grandfather, or a devout and gentle priest.
But I knew better than to trust that face.
“Drifted in, my ass. You kidnapped me, you bastard.”
Despite his gentle appearance, the Lord God was a cunning, shameless creature with a serpent's tongue. He lured people with sweet words and bent them to his will without remorse.
'Just take down a few bad guys and I'll send you back,' he said……
Killing seventy-two Demon Lords? Who the hell negotiates like that?
I should have realized it then. This bastard intended to squeeze every last drop of use out of me.
[It seems thou art somewhat slow-witted.]
“Stop reading my mind, you son of a bitch.”
I snapped at him and slowly adjusted my stance.
Straightening my slouched posture, I drew the sword I had casually stabbed into the ground. It wasn't the Holy Sword I usually wielded. If things went south, I planned to kill that bastard—so why would I trust the blade he had given me?
Seeing me take my stance, the Lord God smiled faintly.
[Is there truly a reason thou wishest to return to thy homeland? Shouldst thou return, thy powers will vanish. Dost thou truly desire to go back as a powerless body?]
“……That's for me to decide.”
[Art thou prepared to fight even me for something so trivial? Dost thou believe thou canst defeat a god?]
“I've already stabbed an evil god in the gut because of you, remember?”
I had even carved up an outer god that invaded from another dimension. Cutting down the Lord God wouldn't be any harder. I was already resolved.
“……So, what's your answer?”
Then—
The Lord God narrowed his eyes and offered a faint smile.
[Very well. I shall send thee back now.]
“Fuck, I knew it. Alright, you mangy bastard. Let's settle this without the rank pulling. I bet my sword won't even—wait. What did you just say?”
[I said I would send thee back.]
“……Really? For real?”
My eyes widened involuntarily. Honestly, I hadn't expected the Lord God to agree so readily. It was almost unsettling.
Watching my reaction, the Lord God chuckled.
[If one can think rationally, sending thee back is the obvious choice, is it not?]
His laughter was wicked, completely at odds with his benevolent face.
[Thou hast grown remarkably fast. It is clear that before long, thou wouldst surpass even me.]
“……”
[Moreover, I no longer have need of thee. Thou hast already eliminated every dangerous element. If anything, thou thyself hast become the danger. And if that danger is willing to disappear on its own, why would I stop it?]
“……So you're just tossing me aside now that you've used me, you piece of shit.”
It was infuriating, but that very fact made it believable. The Lord God I had come to know was a rational being, and his explanation was perfectly rational.
[I shall send thee to thy homeland.]
Only then did the tension drain from my body.
'I can finally go home?'
Honestly, there wasn't much waiting for me back there.
I was an orphan.
No inheritance, no education worth mentioning—nothing at all. In the cutthroat society of South Korea, that kind of background was practically a sin.
If I returned, I'd probably end up grinding away like a cog in the machine again, starting from the very bottom.
“……Huh? Wait a second. Now that I think about it, that sounds like absolute bullshit.”
I had killed Demon Lords, slain gods, and racked up achievements like a madman while being worked to the bone in another world—only to go back to Korea and start from the bottom all over again?
What kind of empty-handed return was this?
“……Lord God. Didn't I devote myself to this world with absolute, genuine sincerity?”
[Thou didst.]
“Then shouldn't there be some kind of compensation for that?”
The Lord God laughed.
[Hohoho, thou seekest compensation? I have already given it. The pride that fills thy heart!]
“Excuse me, what kind of bullshit is that?”
[Seongwon, thy devotion in this world shall not be forgotten. I pray thou wilt continue to strive even after returning to thy own world.]
“Forget devotion or whatever—just give me compensation!”
At the same time, I felt an immense force seize my body. It was as if my soul was being pulled from my flesh.
There was no pain, but that only made it more terrifying.
I knew resisting this level of power would require staking my life—and if I did resist, it would trigger Phase Two with an enraged Lord God.
Pointing at the smirking deity, I shouted.
“Hey! If I go back like this, I'll have nothing! What about a reward for my devotion? Shouldn't you give me something—anything?”
[Farewell.]
In the next instant, the world flashed.
◈ ◈ ◈
“Hurk!”
I opened my eyes.
An unfamiliar yet familiar ceiling came into view.
Staring blankly at the yellowish wallpaper, I slowly sat up. The blanket slid off me, releasing a musty smell that stung my nose.
Because it was a semi-basement, drying laundry was difficult, and the blanket I always used carried that same unpleasant odor.
“……”
I glanced around.
A cramped one-room apartment filled with the traces of daily life. Clothes were scattered everywhere, receipts and bills littered the floor, and a half-full trash bag had tipped over, spilling its contents.
All of it was familiar.
This was the studio apartment where my twenty-three-year-old self had lived.
A semi-basement buried beneath the depths, reeking of poverty, where not a single ray of hope ever reached.
“……Goddamn it.”
I shot to my feet like a spring. Anger surged from deep in my core, erupting like a dragon's breath.
“You fucking piece of shit, Lord God! You never listen!”
This was what he sent me back with?
Well, I had wanted to return. But still—
Sending me back empty-handed like this?
'What the hell is this?'
In novels, don't people usually return with their powers intact? Or end up in a hunter world or something where their strength actually matters? And if not that, at least an inventory full of treasures so they can live like a chaebol?
'Isn't that the standard route?'
Just in case, I quickly closed my eyes and examined my body. There was no power—hell, there wasn't even stamina.
Just a frail, weak body. My height seemed shorter, my voice thinner. It felt like my physical condition had actually worsened compared to before the dimension travel.
“Huh?”
Looking down, the ground seemed strangely close.
And there, two prominent mounds rose from my chest.
Breasts? Why were those still there?
“Wait, waitwaitwaitwait.”
-Thud thud thud!
I scrambled toward the bathroom in a panic.
Reflected in the mirror was a girl who looked like a middle schooler.
Shit. The body change had carried over too?
“You perverted old bastard……!”
The moment I shouted, the world spun.
Dizziness crashed over me. My body had no stamina to begin with, and the sudden excitement must have triggered anemia.
I collapsed on the spot.
-Thud!
“Ugh……”
My butt hit the floor first, and the pain was excruciating.
Ever since I'd grown stronger, I hadn't felt pain like this. Now that my power was gone, even something this trivial hurt.
“You…… bastard……”
Tears welled up from the sheer misery of my situation.
But no matter how much my body ached, could it compare to the pain in my heart?
“What…… what do I do now……?”
I was originally a man, but now I had a woman's body.
What happened to my identity?
'Don't tell me it got erased……?'
No, it probably wasn't erased.
My male identity likely still existed. It was just that this current body wasn't registered under any identity.
'Then what am I supposed to do? Can I even re-register?'
I had no knowledge about these kinds of procedures, so no answers came to mind.
“Ugh, uwaaaah! Gyaaaaah!”
Clutching my head, I trembled violently.
My teeth ground together on their own.
'He backstabs me like this? If you're sending me back, shouldn't you at least return me to a male body?'
This was how he repaid my devotion?
'Lord God, you fucking son of a—'
At that moment—
-Ding!
A notification sound rang from behind me.
“Eek?”
Startled, I turned my head to see a smartphone.
The sound had probably come from there.
I stared at the phone for a moment before slowly getting up and approaching it.
“……This isn't mine.”
A poor orphan couldn't afford the latest smartphone. Even a budget model required trembling hands and government subsidies.
But this was a flagship model.
Flipping it over, I found an ID card tucked into the case. A resident registration card with a female version of my face printed on it. When had this even been made?
“……”
A sudden thought struck me. I quickly turned on the phone. It required no password—the fingerprint of my current body was already registered.
'An unregistered burner phone?'
The moment I unlocked it, a memo on the home screen caught my eye.
[In reward for thy devotion.]
The characters weren't from Earth—they were from the other world. The handwriting was familiar, the same style that appeared whenever an oracle was delivered.
“Did the Lord God write this?”
But what did he mean by “reward”?
At that moment, I noticed an unfamiliar app.
It had an English name I'd never seen before.
“What is this?”
A quick search revealed it was a lottery purchasing app from the United States. Something called Super Mega Ball—a lottery with the worst odds in human history, or so they said.
With a sinking feeling, I opened the app.
And then—
「Jackpot!!!」
「32,078,000,000USD!!!」
The American lottery had been won.
The prize money was…… how much was this?
There were so many zeros it was hard to read.
'One, ten, hundred…… roughly 32 billion?'
It was a lot of money, but after all that hellish suffering in another world, it felt almost insulting……
“……W-wait. This is in dollars.”
32 billion dollars?
'Then in Korean won, that's……'
I frantically checked the exchange rate. Roughly 42 trillion won.
“Is this a dream?”
I blinked and pinched my cheek. It hurt a little, but between the excitement and everything else, I couldn't really tell.
Still, laughter bubbled up from my throat.
Soon, I was roaring with laughter.
“……Ha, haha. Hahaha!!! Hahahaha!!!!!!”
The Lord God—that stingy, wicked old man.
He was a human trafficker who had kidnapped an innocent person, a slave driver who had worked me like a madman, a pervert who had turned my body into a woman's.
But when it came to compensation, he was generous.