Returned, But Gender-Swapped, Surname-Swapped, and Name-Swapped Too
The earth pulsed violently. Innumerable snow-white mountains stretched beyond the eye's reach. Golden lines of mana surged along every ridge of the range, converging on the crater at the peak.
The paths of mana filled the crater to the brim, yet they weren't satisfied—they shot into the air, tracing geometric patterns.
"Sanguiis montium, ad centrum converte."
(Blood of the mountains, gather to the center.)
"Finde thronum caelestem."
(Tear a rift in the heavenly throne.)
⟨ Dimensional Rift Ritual ⟩
As the man floating at the lake's center chanted, a sharp crack split the sky with a white fissure. The cracks spread in all directions, embroidering the air, growing larger before suddenly halting. Then, from beyond the gap, a figure tumbled through.
"To think you'd try to shatter my barrier with such a pathetic magic circle. Laughable."
Blue hair churned like roaring flames. The overwhelming mana silenced the world.
"…Ether."
The elf who had sealed the planet's mana with a barrier, all to escape Terra and reach transcendence. In doing so, he had turned Terra into a demon realm where the strong devoured the weak.
"You've taken the bait."
As long as that elf existed, breaking the dimensional barrier was impossible. So, draw him in instead. The man thrust his staff toward Ether, whose face hardened as he realized the magic circle was incomplete.
Night and day touched three times, and the battle ended. The mightiest mountain range in Terra had vanished without a trace. The earth was scorched, slashed, and upheaved beyond recognition.
Ether, collapsed on the ground, gazed vacantly at the rising horizon.
"My life's work of ten millennia… crumbling like this…"
The mana that had been imprisoned was now flooding out of Terra. Ether laughed madly, pounding the earth in anguish. At last, he knelt before the man.
"I admit it. You are stronger than I. So please… ascend to transcendence in my stead."
"You know the core of this magic circle is empty. You meant to use me as the sacrifice, didn't you? Please… I beg you. I was just one step away…"
The man spat blood before speaking.
"Sorry, but I have to go home."
Without hesitation, he seized Ether by the hair and dragged him to the circle's center.
It was fourteen years ago. I came to in the middle of a battlefield. A sudden fist to the face sent me tumbling across the dirt.
"Die, you royal dog!"
A man in leather armor kept smashing my face, and my mind reeled. I'm gonna die. Desperate to cling to consciousness, I spotted a sword lying nearby. When I came to again, the man had a blade in his chest, and it was in my hand. To survive, I yanked it free and counterattacked. Until the fight ended.
My prize for survival? Hatred. I picked up the sword again. Another battle, another field. Weeks passed before I learned this world's name: Terra.
It wasn't like the fantasy novels I'd read on Earth. A single powerhouse could topple nations. Mages incinerated castles with a chant, pierced bodies from afar with a gesture. Swordsmen traversed walls in a step, left gashes in mountains with a swing. Wars never ceased. When wars between nations ended, civil strife ignited.
In the fray, I awakened to mana and understood why. This world overflowed with it. Bodies absorbed it at a maddening pace. A realm that fostered the law of the jungle.
To survive, I learned without restraint. I had a gift for magic. It came easier than expected—I could steal it just by watching. Combat formulas, multi-chants, teleportation. As my name spread, swordsmen targeted me. I barely escaped death dozens of times. Those human weapons were no joke. No time even to chant.
Physical enhancement spells, shorter chants. Still not enough. I learned hand-to-hand. Fused martial arts with spells. One day, catching my breath, I realized: most of my Earth memories were gone. I couldn't recall my name. All that remained: I was an orphan, a few fragments. August-born—that's why I remembered reading Augustus's biography.
Rome's first emperor, who ended the civil wars in fourteen years and earned the title "Augustus the Venerable" from the Senate. Octavianus. That memory braced my crumbling resolve. I set a goal: escape this hellhole in fourteen years. Fifteen was too long. I vowed to take his name. Declaring over a corpse:
"Call me Octavianus."
To return, I delved into magic like a madman. Joined battlefields for insights. Once I reached a certain realm, mere observation fell short. I stormed mage academies, interrogated, devoured tomes, grasped essences and principles. No one knew magic better than I. I classified all of Terra's spells by principle, interpreted them, unified into a system.
The path home appeared.
Ether's body, unable to withstand the overload, began disintegrating from the extremities. Before Octavianus stood a dimensional gate to Earth.
Ether spoke. "Irresponsible bastard. Terra will drown in war again."
"Whatever happens to this forsaken land I was dumped into ain't my problem."
"I'm going home, so fend for yourselves."
He stepped forward.
"Countless powerhouses won't endure their weakening—they'll rampage mad. Without a god! Who will guide them, halt their fall? Stop! Sun—"
Stepping into the circle brought light. Farewell, wretched world. Fourteen years too long. For the first time since falling, he felt peace.
I sensed the mana anomaly the moment I awoke. Opening the gate had drained all my mana—and Ether's too. It still hadn't recovered. Introspecting, mana trickled in at a snail's pace.
This wasn't Terra. Eyes cracking open with anticipation, I saw a familiar yet strange gray concrete ceiling. I'm back. After fourteen years. The fluffy softness against my back—a modern bed! Bliss surged from my spine. I sat up at once.
And felt something off. My center of gravity was wrong. Specifically… pitched forward. Holding out my hand, it was slender and long. Looking down… something huge.
"…Wha—?"
A high, clear voice escaped my lips.
"My magic circle… shouldn't have had this effect."
I circulated my inner mana once. "Eh, as long as I can still cast spells, it's fine."
Creak—the door opened.
"You're awake."
A bob-cut woman in a suit, setting down a binder at the desk beside me, froze as our eyes met. She cleared her throat awkwardly and slid the binder over naturally.
"Ahem, I'm Investigator Choi Seo-ah from the Returnee Response Agency. Per standard returnee protocols, we detained you briefly to secure your identity. I apologize for the inconvenience."
Then came the explanations. Since the 2030 rifts, missing citizens returning from otherworlds were classified as returnees, with set administrative procedures.
"Mm. Got it."
Dimensional portals remained unexplained; gender or appearance changes were common, and they accommodated the returnee's preferences.
"Er… perfectly understood!"
Special laws provided temporary housing and living expenses; involuntary conscription or employment was banned.
"Mm, I see…"
The barrage of complex procedures left me dazed.
"…Yes, that's the initial briefing. Just tell me your otherworld's name and stay duration, then sign here, here, and here."
"Terra, fourteen years, ah, forgot my original name though…"
Choi Seo-ah said calmly, "In such cases, precedent is to adopt the otherworld name via legal change. What was your name in Terra?"
"Octavia… no, Ok Davin."
A brief silence.
"Yes, Ok Davin, age twenty-eight…"
Wha—? Signing the papers, I was dumbfounded. Suddenly a woman, now Ok Davin (28)?
"You've passed the magical psych eval from when you collapsed post-return, so isolation is lifted."
"Mana testing and otherworld environment debrief can wait. I'll guide you to your assigned housing."
Choi Seo-ah closed the binder and looked at me. "One last question. It doesn't mean much—answer freely. What do you want to do most now that you're back?"
I pondered briefly. Then grinned widest. The brightest smile in the world. And the most thoughtless.
"Stream, obviously! Easy money streaming! That's what kept me going those fourteen years!"
I can do it! With a grand mage's brain and overwhelming physicals!