What the Hell Is This?!
"Th... this... what the hell is this...!"
After I screamed, a brief silence fell.
"......"
I tried to calm myself down first.
"......Hoo, okay, stay calm. Calm down. Kim Shinwoo."
With trembling hands, I opened the fridge, poured a glass of water, and drank it.
Only after the cold liquid slid down my throat did my mind start to clear a little.
"......"
Hm? Come to think of it...
I set the cup down and looked around.
The familiar furniture layout, the wallpaper patterns, even the view outside the window.
"This is... my house?"
I'd definitely been inside the dungeon just moments ago. The gate had closed.
But when I opened my eyes, I was home...
Sure, you could say the location doesn't matter when my body changed so drastically, but it did matter.
People talked about body swaps, but I'd never heard of anyone escaping a dungeon after getting lost inside one.
"......"
The emptiness in my lower body kept nagging at me.
I took a deep breath, then cautiously pulled at my pant leg to peek inside.
"......Gone."
Confirmation complete.
I'd become a girl.
The sight in the mirror felt oddly criminal, so I quickly looked away.
Examining my new form closely, it was, at best, an elementary school girl.
Damn, I'd gotten young.
"Haa......"
Getting younger was fine, but why a girl?
"......"
A moment of silence passed.
"......Pfft."
A chuckle escaped me suddenly.
Humans are so fickle.
Just moments ago, I'd been on death's doorstep, and now here I was, alive and griping about this.
So what if I was young and a girl?
It was a hundred—no, a thousand times better than dying.
Hell, this might even be an opportunity.
All that money I'd saved through blood and sweat—what was it, again?
Now I could quit this hunter bullshit for good and live off it forever.
"Hell yeah, jackpot!"
Humming a tune, I rummaged through my pockets.
"Hm? No phone. Eh, I'll just buy a new one."
I flopped onto the sofa with my shortened limbs swinging, then turned on the TV.
My viewpoint was lower now, a bit annoying... but I'd get used to it.
Beep—
The screen lit up, and an announcer's voice filled the room.
"Huh?"
Hey, I'm alive right here!
Since I hadn't come out of the gate, they'd probably processed me as dead.
That made sense, but...
[The late Kim Shinwoo's entire fortune...]
...Huh?
"Wh-when did I?!"
Oh.
"Aaaah...!"
I remembered.
Drunk off my ass, bragging to my guildmates: "I got no family, so if I die, just dump it all back to society."
"I'm not dead! I'm alive! Right here!"
I flailed my short arms at the TV screen, yelling at the top of my lungs.
But the world on the screen remained serene, broadcasting my entire fortune vanishing into thin air.
"Don't! You bastards—! Stop! Nooo!!!"
My desperate cries echoed hollowly in the empty living room.
The foundation director's beaming smile on screen stabbed at my heart.
"Ah... Aaaah......"
My retirement dream, my comfy old age...
"Ah... Haha... Hahaha......"
It's fine. Totally fine...
Fucked...
I sank deep into the plush sofa.
Staring blankly at the ceiling pattern, I killed time meaninglessly.
"Ah... Haha..."
A self-deprecating laugh slipped out.
"What now?"
I'd become a beggar.
Younger, gender-swapped, and broke.
"......"
I murmured softly, staring into space with unfocused eyes.
"Status window."
Available Points: 0
"Whoa..."
I'd half-doubted it, but this tiny body was a full-fledged awakener.
But the level and stats...
"Total trash now."
I spread out my childlike hand.
Crackle, zap—
As I focused my will, faint blue sparks danced from my fingertips.
The ability was intact. Just... cuter now.
"More importantly... Kim Shina? Why'd it pick a name on its own..."
The status window had already locked in my name as Kim Shina.
The status window.
A mystical privilege granted only to awakeners.
Through it, you could intuitively check your growth metrics and invest stat points to gain strength far beyond any normal human.
"......"
The trait and class were the same as when I first awakened.
The stats were disappointing, but considering my age, there was room to grow...
Without a doubt, grinding dungeons again could make me as strong as before—or stronger.
But...
"No way. Not doing the hunter thing."
Money? Sure, it'd be nice to make a lot.
Even if I was broke now, I'd lived lavishly once.
But what I wanted wasn't that grand.
Just a warm back, three square meals a day. That'd be perfect.
For that, I didn't need to risk my life as a hunter.
Convenience store clerk, delivery guy—something would work to put food on the table.
Plus, my status age was 11.
Too young for official hunter registration.
Not that a kid could do much else right away...
Still, no hunting.
I won't. I can't.
I hate pain, and dying even more.
Yeah...
"......"
So... what now, really?
First things first, I searched the house.
Couldn't work yet, so sell whatever I could.
I lined up potentially valuable items on the living room floor.
All hunter gear from my active days.
But facing them, my resolve softened instantly.
"H-how can I sell... these..."
From the battered old gear that got me through tough times to the high-end stuff that defined my peak.
Each one held memories.
I hugged them to my chest like they were my kids.
"How could I sell you guys..."
In the end, I carefully put them back where they belonged.
"Haa..."
Flopping onto the sofa, a deep sigh escaped.
I thought being young would be great, but this was a downside.
Can't make money.
Maybe an orphanage...
But I hated that now.
Right then.
Beep— Beep— Beep— Ding-dong~
"!!!"
The door lock broke the silence.
I froze on the sofa.
Wh-who is it?
Tension swallowed dryly as I stared at the entrance. Finally, the door opened, revealing a woman.
"Uh...?"
She froze, eyes wide.
And so did I.
I couldn't help but be shocked too.
Her white hair and red eyes captured my gaze.
Exotic features, slightly protruding sharp fangs between parted lips, ears a bit too long for human.
And...
My friend and comrade from childhood.
The guild leader of the guild I'd been in until my death.
Kim Jangmi.
"Wh-who... are you...?"
She spoke cautiously.
"......"
Staring at her, I sank into thought.
Hm.
I'm screwed...?
"Wh-who... are you...?"
Her short question echoed in the empty living room.
I swallowed dryly.
The woman before me was definitely the one I knew.
Hongryeon Guild.
A guild that broke through the iron walls of established giants to claim a spot in the top three.
And the driving force behind that miraculous rise was, without doubt, its leader—her.
Those tough times.
"......Shinwoo. Let's become hunters."
In the cramped, rundown orphanage backyard, her dirt-streaked hand extended stubbornly.
Back then, Jangmi proposed to me.
Let's become hunters.
After that, she and I threw ourselves into the hunter world.
Even the hilarious mishap when naming the guild felt like yesterday.
"So... you're saying we name the guild that?"
She stared at my crooked handwriting, letting out a disbelieving chuckle.
"What's wrong? It's just a formality for the Association. This guild we're making now—if a big one scouts us later..."
It was just a hasty guild for legal purposes.
But not for her.
"No... even if our guild blows up later, we need something cool."
"Come on, as if we..."
Her expression as she paused and gazed at the sunset outside.
Eyes filled with hatred for poverty and a ruthless hunger for success.
"You serious...?"
"I'll... make it. I don't wanna live poor."
What got her here was that ruthless ambition for success.
Up to here, she was just an acquaintance. But why was meeting her a disaster...?
"I'm retiring now."
"What...? No...! I won't allow it! If you're leaving, step over my corpse!!!"
She'd wailed, clutching my clothes.
Because she was one of the main reasons my retirement kept getting delayed.
"......"
If she found out I was alive...?
I could already see the future.
What to do...?
Silence hung in the living room.
Sniff— Sniff—
"......"
Suddenly, she started sniffing, slowly approaching me.
"Wait... you smell like..."
With incredulous eyes, she stepped closer, one foot at a time.
"Th-this scent... definitely Shinwoo's..."
"......!"
Busted...?
Baring her fangs, she cautiously opened her mouth.
"Um... hey, kid..."
But her next words weren't what I expected.
"Can I suck your blood just once?"
"......?"
Before I could respond, dazed as I was.
"Hah—"
Stab—
"...!!!"
A stinging sensation hit, followed by her hot breath on my neck.
Slurp—
"Pha..."
She pulled back with half-lidded eyes, licking her lips.
"This taste is definitely Shinwoo's... so you... don't tell me..."
It's over...
She gripped my shoulders firmly.
With eyes full of conviction, she said,
"Shinwoo's... daughter?"
My mind went blank.
The brain, terrified of my identity being exposed, froze solid.
But denying this misunderstanding now would lead to her next question for sure...
"......"
In the end, I went with instinct, mumbling in a crawling voice,
"Y-yes... Yes..."
The affirmative answer...