Chapter 4
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 4
Chapter Title: I'm a Eunuch?!
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Underground Level 2.
The moment the elevator doors slid open, a rush of cold air hit us.
It was cranked so high on the AC that anyone lightly dressed would be covered in goosebumps.
Even though it was already February, I couldn't fathom why they kept it this frigid.
'Because of the measuring device?'
"This way."
The receptionist who'd introduced herself as Jin Su-bin took the lead.
Her palm, gripping mine, was warm.
No, clammy.
Why was she sweating when I was the nervous one?
We walked down the corridor.
Through the glass walls lining both sides, I could see training rooms that looked like gyms.
A musclebound man pummeling sandbags like he was trying to explode them.
A mage shadowboxing with bursts of flame in the air.
The heat radiating from their bodies and their grunts vibrated through the glass into the hallway.
'Hunters.'
They were sometimes called 'knights' in the media.
My body instinctively shrank back.
Could an F-Rank like me—149 cm tall, no less—survive among monsters like those?
And how strong were the monsters they fought?
"Here we are. Room 3 for measurements."
Jin Su-bin stopped in front of a steel door at the end of the hall.
[Authorized Personnel Only]
The red warning text stabbed into my eyes.
She swiped her employee ID on the reader. With a beep, the heavy door slid aside.
The interior was more spacious than I'd expected.
White tiled floor.
A lone black table in the center.
And atop it, a crystal orb the size of a soccer ball.
'Not much to it. Nothing like the game.'
That was it.
My imaginings of sci-fi capsules or tangled webs of wires had been way off.
"This is... the measuring device?"
"Yes. Official name's Mana Resonance Stone. Nobody calls it that, though."
Jin Su-bin smiled brightly and approached the table.
"Looks like just a rock, but this one's worth more than a luxury apartment in Gangnam."
She pulled gloves from her pocket, slipped them on, and carefully wiped the orb's surface.
Every motion screamed expertise with the equipment.
"Alright, let's get started."
She opened a small slot beneath the orb's stand.
From her pocket came a blue gemstone about the size of her thumb. She slotted it in.
Click.
A crisp locking sound.
At once, a soft blue mist bloomed inside the once-clear orb.
A low hum vibrated through the floor into my soles.
"It runs on mana stones as a power source, so it needs a bit to warm up."
Jin Su-bin checked the monitor, fingers flying over the keyboard.
Tap, tap, clack.
Quick hands.
Complex graphs and numbers scrolled across her glasses lenses.
I shuffled up to the table, hesitant.
The height was awkward.
Chest-high for an adult man, but daunting for my current self.
I'd have to stand on tiptoes just to reach.
'Goddamn stats.'
I grumbled inwardly, scanning for a step stool, when Jin Su-bin dragged over her own chair.
"Want to climb up? Should be easier with your height, Hunter."
"...Thanks."
I wanted to refuse, but reality bit.
I meekly stepped onto the chair.
Now the eye level worked.
Up close, the orb looked like it held the universe—deep, dark.
The rippling blue light inside was almost hypnotic.
"Ready?"
"Yeah."
"Simple. Place your palm on the orb. Close your eyes, relax. You'll know when it's done."
"That's it?"
"Well... Imagine sending the energy from inside you through your palm. Like pulling up a hot lump from below your navel."
Vague as hell.
"I'm no hunter, so I don't know the details... But everyone gets it first try. You got this!"
Like some wuxia novel's dantian breathing.
Doubts swirling, I extended my right hand.
Cool glass met my palm.
'Just hold it and wait.'
I closed my eyes. Focused.
Below the navel.
Dantian.
No clue what was there.
Never felt anything like it in my life.
But three seconds after contact—
Zzt!
"Ack!"
Static sparked from my fingertips.
No, not static... Something prickly.
A bizarre sensation, like soda fizz bubbling back up my veins, climbed my arm.
"Wha—?"
I yanked to pull away in shock, but the orb sucked my palm like a magnet.
Simultaneously, something flashed in my mind.
Instinct.
No one taught me, but I knew how to control this flow.
Like turning a faucet—flip the switch inside me.
I clenched my jaw, honing in on the sensation.
'Pull it up... like this?'
I shoved the alien energy swirling in me toward my palm.
The orb began to vibrate softly.
Hummm—hummm!
Intense light pierced my eyelids.
"Wha—what? Hold on! Why are the readings—?"
Jin Su-bin's panicked voice rang out.
'Readings off?'
But I couldn't look away.
A vivid image burned into my brain.
Familiar shape.
The UI that had devoured my gacha life, seen it a million times.
'Knew it... Gate Override world.'
[User authentication complete]
[Loading data...]
[Acquired player-exclusive ability: Status Window]
The loading bar filled swiftly, then text popped up.
'Just as expected.'
Han Seo-ah's abilities from Gate Override.
The only addition: the player-exclusive [Status Window].
[Insight] [Gacha Ritual]
Straightforward names.
Obvious what they did just from reading.
But in this real-world version, would they be the same?
As doubt crept in, the orb lit up again, as if reading my mind.
Detailed explanations holographed above its surface.
[Insight]
[Effect: Visualizes real-time win probabilities (%) for all targets and situations in your field of view as numerical values.]
[Trait: Cannot manipulate probabilities; observation only. (Passive)]
Han Seo-ah's signature ability.
Thanks to this, her raid party feared neither treasure chests nor antiques in gates.
Cheat-level on its own, but the next skill was the real issue.
[Gacha Ritual]
[Effect: Performing specific actions (rituals) interferes with the world's random number generation algorithm, causing temporary errors. Dramatically boosts success probability.]
[Details: [Probability Correction Condition] popup activates in user's view.]
My brows furrowed.
Rituals?
Random number glitches?
The description alone was ominous.
I'd possessed before even pulling once, so details were fuzzy.
'Didn't get a single spin.'
At least examples were listed below.
(Example: "Spin clockwise 3 times on the spot while barking before opening a treasure chest," "Chew an elite monster's horn")
I double-checked my eyes.
(Kiss a party member, hip dance, shout "Left three, right three, shoot!")
If I hadn't forgotten Korean, it read the same every time.
"...Insane."
The curse slipped out loud.
This was the ability? Mad shit?
If a gacha god existed and dumped me here, it had flung crap my way.
'Not like solo at home!'
Raids were 4-8 people per gate.
Antiques, chests galore. Use the skill each time—
'Perfect for getting called a lunatic.'
Grateful for the odds boost, but these conditions?
I could picture it.
Party risking life in a raid, and the 149 cm silver-haired cutie suddenly barking and spinning.
Social suicide flashed in my mind.
'No way. Not in front of people. Die first.'
I shook my head.
Personality assassination.
"Hunter? You okay?"
Jin Su-bin peered at my face, worried.
She couldn't see the status window floating before me.
Obviously.
Player-exclusive visual info.
Her 'you'll know naturally' wasn't this detailed. Certain now.
"Ah... Yeah. Fine. Just dizzy."
"First mana release can cause vertigo. Sit a sec."
She offered the chair.
I flopped down. Legs went limp.
Not mana drain.
'Damn...'
Last month, I'd desperately hoped this world was a dream.
Wake up to my moldy studio, ramen-splattered sweats, kicking blankets to skip work—as Han Seon-woo.
But this status window shattered that hope.
[Rarity: Player]
The weight was clear.
This was the game world. I was the player.
No log-out button. Reality.
'Accept it.'
No escape.
Only one path left.
Adapt.
And since I'm possessed, recoup my wasted cash and life.
'Han Seo-ah, so...'
S-Rank human rights character.
Wouldn't live poorer than before. Guaranteed.
'Though I'm a eunuch now...'
No use for it anyway.
Think positive. Super positive.
Got that circuit wired in!
'Plus player perks.'
I murmured inwardly, cautious.
'Status Window.'
Crisp.
Didn't vanish waving my hand. Followed my eye movement.
'Feels like this.'
I glanced down at the orb.
A tiny speech bubble formed on its smooth surface.
Clear text etched through the cooled glass.
[Item Info]
Name: Mana Resonance Stone
Grade: C
Condition: Worn (Sensor sensitivity 87%)
Value: Approx. 2.25 billion won
Notes: Durability shaky. 12.4% chance of explosion on strong impact.
No window over Jin Su-bin nearby.
No effect on mana-less civilians, apparently.
"Hunter, results are in."
Jin Su-bin handed over a warm printout from the printer.
I stood and took the paper.
[Mana Measurement Results]
Name: Han Seo-ah
Mana Capacity: 2
Sensitivity: S
"Congrats! S-Rank sensitivity!"
Jin Su-bin clapped like it was her win.
"Most F-Rank hunters get D or E. S means huge potential. Mana's low, but training or mana stones will pump it up quick!"
Her voice brimmed with energy.
Like a tutor consoling a slacker: 'You're smart, just lazy.'
After some paperwork, the exam wrapped.
Jin Su-bin asked, "Can't forget again, so register your ability?"
She could measure, but not see abilities.
I shook my head.
Revealing a rare supporter ability? Bad.
'Too flashy.'
Probability hacks were beyond norms.
Probably unique in this world.
My mana? A measly 2.
Classic never-gated F-Rank.
'Dangerous.'
Expose it, S-Rank parties swarm.
Tempt with blank checks for salary. Could I resist?
Refuse? Conscription risk.
'I'd do it too.'
S-Rank human rights char wandering streets?
Intolerable.
A needle pokes through a pocket.
And I was Gate Override's ultimate outlier: Han Seo-ah.
'Need time.'
Minimum to assess and decide.
Wallet too thin for cab. Walked home.
Subway crowds practically mandated it.
'Might never ride the subway again...'
Fresh air dulled the sharp fear from stepping out initially.