Chapter 1

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 1

Chapter Title: Almost Destroyed Bucheon City (1)

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I was a grave sinner.

Or more precisely, I'd been treated no differently up until now.

My father, that sketchy guy who'd always been a bit off, had pulled off a massive scam worth 180 billion won in damages before fleeing overseas.

If the damages had climbed even one or two more digits, even a kid like me might have ended up as a victim of the hatred-fueled crimes that followed.

But fortunately, things never escalated that far. My mother and I managed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to keep going to school and scrape by somehow.

That said, in this 21st-century information age, I learned all too well what it meant to be branded the family of a criminal.

- Hey, didn't your dad bolt to America?

- S-Sorry, they say he's a total scumbag... Mom says you and I shouldn't hang out.

- You little shit, bad luck charm! Oh, teacher! How the hell did you seat me next to this kid? I'm telling my dad, and he'll complain to the principal!

I was in sixth grade at the time, and just like that, I lost all my friends and became an outcast overnight.

Yes. The "National Scam."

In a way, it was a graver crime than murder or robbery. No matter where my mom and I moved, within a week, everyone was talking about us.

"Ji-an, I've done all I can... I'm so tired. I'm leaving."

How many people could live normally under those circumstances?

My mother, who'd regretted the marriage from the start, soon abandoned me and left. And just like that, I was completely alone.

All that remained for me, swiftly headed to an orphanage, was a sleek smartphone that had once been top-of-the-line.

I wasn't exactly a genius at studying, but I had confidence in wheeling and dealing.

I grinded valuable items in a popular mobile game with a thriving cash market, playing the so-called "gold farmer" style to build up savings. As a reward for my efforts, I graduated the orphanage and moved into a decent two-room place.

Needless to say, I'd long since ditched any thoughts of going to college like everyone else.

Awakening—of course, if I could, I'd want it too.

After being branded the son of a 180-billion-won scammer, how I'd dreamed of turning my life around through awakening.

But awakening isn't that easy. Odds are 1 in 843, hard to find even two or three per school in the capital area.

And the probability drops exponentially after puberty, so for me, it was already too late.

"...Life wouldn't go that smoothly anyway."

Having endured every unfair twist fate could throw, I'd already given up hope in my birth circumstances.

That's how the world works.

Game devs claim fairness, but some accounts lag behind no matter the effort—trash growth curves.

That was me. And unlike games, life has no resets.

But then.

"What the fuck is this...?"

The very next day after lamenting, I stared at my completely transformed body and let out a dazed voice.

And right after, two intense emotions surged within me.

You've made it in life, man.

And now I could mess around in the Archive like other Awakeners.

Sweet.

#

The Archive.

A mysterious space dubbed the community of the chosen ones, accessible only via personal mana authentication.

Its origins trace back centuries to Daniel Roberts in England, who created the Akasha System. Records say it aimed to unite all of humanity's Awakeners against the common threats of dungeons and monsters.

'But...'

After Amelia Graham reformed it, and some enigmatic figure J. J. Russell seized control over a decade ago, the Archive became the international community for Awakeners.

For someone like me who loved browsing galleries, it was the dream space everyone wanted to peek into at least once. And now, that golden opportunity was mine.

"Oh, this must be it?"

Bzzz.

I scanned the QR code, and a golden bird invitation appeared in the corner of my vision. Touching it brought up a prompt to authenticate my unique mana pattern in midair.

Obviously, yes.

After confirming and authenticating, my account was created in an instant. I dove straight into the public channel for Korean Awakeners and left a monumental first post.

Surprisingly, it wasn't a newbie-hostile space. My intro got a decent welcome, and users interested in the Weathermancer class started digging up info and posting threads.

Couldn't find much online, so I'd tossed some bait into the Archive. Turns out my class, Weathermancer, was a rare one with very few users worldwide.

'Hmm...'

Rare class felt nice, but the reviews weren't glowing.

Especially the part about it being non-combat, unfit for dungeon raids—a fatal flaw that quickly cooled my excitement.

"Saudi, huh..."

The environment was one thing, but group projects rubbing shoulders with all sorts ran counter to my wishes.

Honestly, my childhood left me with a strong aversion to people.

Plus, corporate gigs mean intense background checks. My past would inevitably surface, and just imagining the stares made injustice and irritation boil up.

Plip. Plip.

Shwaaaaa.

Rain was falling outside now. My mood soured to match.

I glanced in the bathroom mirror. A mystical short-haired beauty with silk-smooth silver hair and heterochromatic green-gold eyes stared back.

"Not a trace of me left..."

Unreal looks. Pretty, cute, enchanting like a fairy from myth. But it didn't feel like me.

Today, I'd truly lost everything that was human Ji-an Choi.

Maybe that was for the best. My life had been a hopeless cliff from the start anyway.

Squeeze.

I stretched my cheeks, groped the soft chest—still that alien disconnect lingered.

No clue why my body changed like this. But in an era of werewolves and vampires, turning girl wasn't that weird.

Like always, I'd get used to it. Letting time wash away the past was one of my specialties. I'd adapt to this change too.

"...Tch."

Stepping out of the bathroom, the rain was still pouring hard.

Thought it was a shower at first, but no. Felt like it'd unsettle me more, so I looked away and logged back into the Archive.

'Still, rare class means job options. Better than before, whatever it is.'

If that flopped, streaming maybe. Or if worse came...

Even extreme thoughts crept in as the relentless rain muddled my mind further.

'...Shut up.'

Honestly, it pissed me off.

Sunny just earlier—why the sudden downpour chaos?

If it was gonna rain, might as well flood everything and sweep away this turmoil clean.

As if responding, raindrops thickened, slamming the window with fierce rhythm.

Shwaaaaa.

Platter-patter-patter.

"...Really coming down."

Thinking what an odd day, I suddenly felt an inexplicable unease and stared at the rain beyond.

'Something's... off...'

Looking closer, the rain was way too intense.

Even so, this was beyond weird, right?

Tilting my head, I parted the half-drawn curtains, flung open the window, and hurriedly checked outside.

Shwaaaaa─!

Platter-patter-patter─!!

"...?"

That day, I witnessed the apocalypse pouring from the sky.

More precisely... Bucheon City nearly washed away because of me.