The Sensation of Return
The sensation of my return began to grow clearer. But it felt as if my body were floating... drifting through the air.
That damn Goddess! If she was going to send me back, she could have done it gently! Is this revenge because I cursed at her? It is, isn't it?!
I hurled endless curses at the Goddess, but nothing changed. The sensation of drifting through the void completely dominated my body. It was a deeply unsettling feeling, bordering on terrifying.
Dammit! You crazy Goddess! Do you think this is my first time flying through the sky?!
Zzzzt. A sharp, electric shock jolted through my body. It was so painful I wanted to grit my teeth, but... my physical sensations felt bizarre.
Nghhh... As I endured the agony, my senses slowly began to return. It felt as if my body were literally growing anew. The exact sensation of regenerating a severed limb was washing over my entire being.
But why was I feeling that across my entire body—no, my whole physical form? Writhing in agony, I cursed the Goddess once more. Damn you, Goddess!!!
The sheer intensity of the pain caused me to black out for a moment before I finally came to.
"Ugggh..."
Then, a voice rang out clearly. Just moments ago, I couldn't even squeeze out a squeak, but now sound suddenly rushed back into my ears.
"Fuuuuuuck..."
I had no idea what was happening, but my body felt as heavy as lead. Lacking the strength to lift even a single finger, I lay there completely sprawled out.
I felt the solid ground beneath me. The faint scent of grass and damp earth tickled my nose, and the sound of my own breathing, along with the ambient noise of my surroundings, filtered in.
I lay there blankly, waiting for my strength to return. The fact that I could feel all these different sensations... was a hopeful sign. It meant my physical body actually existed. It was something to celebrate.
And since I didn't feel any pain anymore, that floating sensation from earlier must have just been some kind of transitional glitch.
"You useless Goddess... at least you didn't screw up the very end, huh?"
I didn't know if I'd ever see her again, but... if I did, maybe I'd actually give her a compliment. Still, when would I be able to move? I might as well just sleep. With that thought, I closed my eyes.
I had been lightly dozing when a sudden commotion woke me up.
"What is that..."
Yawning deeply as if waking from a night of camping under the stars, I tried to sit up. I hadn't been able to budge earlier, but a short nap seemed to have done wonders for my recovery.
"Ngh..."
Was I a bit stiff? The noise nearby was concerning, but since my body was finally moving, I checked my condition first.
"W-what?!"
I only realized it just now... but my body, it wasn't a man's! It was the exact same body I had as the Saintess. And to make matters infinitely worse, I was completely naked! Not a single thread of clothing on me!
"That crazy Goddess has lost her mind!"
Did she even send me back properly? Looking around, I realized I was in a forest. Did she drop me in some remote mountain range?
"Brr... It's not cold, but..."
Having lived as a woman for ten years, I had developed a healthy sense of modesty, making me feel incredibly self-conscious. I scanned my surroundings, but there was nothing I could use as a makeshift outfit. Carefully, I pressed my legs together and covered my chest with my arms. Then, with absolute caution, I stood up.
"Dammit... she could've at least thrown in some clothes as a courtesy..."
Even a dirty rag would have spared me this embarrassment! Ugh, clothes, give me clothes...!
At that moment, something inside me reacted, and fabric began to materialize over my skin.
"This is..."
The All Master? Why was the holy relic with me? The divine shape-shifting weapon that could take any form—my go-to weapon and armor when I charged through the battlefields as the Saintess. But why was it here? I had used it during my final clash with the Demon King. Since I died, it should have been left behind on that battlefield. I had no idea how it followed me, but for now, it was a massive relief.
I wasn't thrilled that it defaulted to the white habit I wore during my days as the Saintess, but... beggars couldn't be choosers. Once I was clothed, my mind settled enough to properly assess my situation.
First, I established three key facts.
First: My body was the exact same Saintess body I had used in the fantasy world.
Second: I still possessed the two holy relics I used during my time as the Saintess.
Third: Along with the relics, my Holy Power remained fully intact within me.
"Wait, is this right?"
I could write off my body remaining female as a blunder on the Goddess's part! But what was the deal with the holy relics and my Holy Power? Sure, they were incredible, mighty powers... but Earth was peaceful! Having this kind of power was completely useless there.
"Sigh, typical of that idiot Goddess."
For now, I decided to look around and figure out where I was. The trees looked strangely familiar. And the state of the ground was bizarre... It felt subtly different from the Earth I remembered, yet oddly familiar.
"This isn't normal..."
And what was this ominous energy rippling through the air? Did that damn Goddess send me to a completely different world instead of Earth?
I headed toward the source of the noise, only to be greeted by an utterly bizarre sight. It was a horde of monsters—the very same ones I had grown sick of seeing in the fantasy world—running rampant.
"H-how..."
Was this world also on the brink of destruction from some Demon King invasion? I clenched and unclenched my fists, feeling the tension rise. I quickly checked my physical condition. Did the reason even matter right now? I had to deal with them first.
Squinting to see what the monsters were up to... I spotted someone fleeing in the distance. If I were powerless, that would be one thing... but I had the power. I couldn't just turn a blind eye to someone running for their life. After all, I had spent over ten years saving countless lives as a Saintess. Turning away now was practically impossible.
"Damn Goddess, what kind of world did you drop me into?"
Ugh, this was so frustrating! The monsters chasing the people were Orcs. In the Demon King's army, they were known as the vanguard or the "demolition tanks." They were highly numerous, bred rapidly, were physically stronger than humans, and possessed enough intelligence to use tools. During the war between humans and demons, they had been the most abundant and troublesome foes.
Taking one step after another, I quickly closed the distance and snuck up behind them. If I were in peak condition, I would have transformed the All Master into a weapon, but since I was currently using it as clothes, that wasn't an option. I didn't particularly enjoy the feeling of blood on my hands, but...
"Die!"
Before the Orc could even register my presence, I drove my fist straight through its chest. Warm blood splattered across my hand and arm.
"Ha..."
Am I already getting pumped up? I immediately channeled Holy Power through my veins, using Divine Magic to reinforce my physical body.
"Let's do this!"
I went absolutely wild. I took out all the pent-up stress caused by that damn Goddess on these unfortunate Orcs.
"Die!"
Leaping into the air, I whipped my left leg back, taking an Orc's head clean off. I sidestepped a frontal charge from another, grabbing its head to redirect its momentum. Then, twisting my hips, I drove my knee upward, shattering its snout.
I blocked a swinging weapon with my forearm, slipped inside its guard, and delivered a devastating body blow. I dodged a flank attack by stepping back, blocked a strike from behind with an upward block, and executed a flawless shoulder throw. Snatching the weapon from the fallen Orc's grip, I swung it in a wide arc, cleaving through the surrounding enemies before leaping high into the air to avoid getting surrounded. It was a brutal, straightforward brawl rather than a tactical hit-and-run. Before long, I was completely drenched in green Orc blood.
"Heh, this is actually pretty fun."
It was a thrill I never got to experience when fighting powerful bosses—the sheer satisfaction of crushing the weak with overwhelming force, the sweet sensation of watching monsters tremble in pure terror. Yes, damn it! This is the stuff! I felt drunk on the bloodshed. I never got to enjoy this when I was running around with the Hero and the rest of the party. Back then, the battlefields we deployed to were always crawling with high-tier threats; weaklings like these were left to the knights, mercenaries, or conscripts.
I picked up a discarded Orc weapon from the ground and charged back into the fray. I slaughtered them with their own weapons, throwing them aside whenever the blades chipped or shattered, only to pick up another and repeat the cycle. By the time I finally stopped, over five hundred Orc corpses littered the area.
"Huh? Is that all of them?"
Before I knew it, nothing but corpses remained. I had lost myself so completely in the slaughter that parts of the battle were a total blur. Ptu. I spat on the ground and tossed the weapon aside.
"Now that the monsters are dealt with... where did those people go?"
Which way did they run? To figure out where I was, I needed to find someone and get some answers. After wandering around for a while, I finally stumbled upon a cave.
"Must be in here."
I could sense human presence and life force radiating from inside the cave. They had hidden themselves well, but if I hadn't wiped out all those Orcs, they would have been sniffed out eventually.
"Hello? Is anyone in there?"
I called out from near the entrance, but there was no response. However, my eyes could clearly see them peering out from the shadows of the cave.
"Where are we?"
For some reason, they seemed utterly terrified. Was it because they had just been chased by Orcs?
"Excuse me?"
No matter how much I called out, they refused to answer. I paced back and forth in front of the cave, waiting patiently for them to lower their guard. After a long wait, a man finally stepped out, apparently deciding I wasn't a threat. He was a well-built man, but his eyes were filled with anxiety. He looked completely paralyzed by fear.
"A-are you... a H-hunter?"
The words that spilled from his mouth were incredibly familiar, a language I had sorely missed.
"Korean?!"
What? Did that damn Goddess actually send me back to the right place? In my excitement, I took a step forward, but the man recoiled in sheer terror.
"There is no need to be afraid."
But as soon as I spoke, his face paled even further. Why on earth was he reacting like this? His gaze wasn't fixed on my face, but rather drifted downward. Naturally, I followed his eyes and looked down at myself. My clothes were completely drenched in dark green Orc blood. Ah. Was it because of this?
"Oh, this is nothing."
I waved my hand to reassure him and took another step, but the man fell backward onto his rear, frantically scrambling away. I couldn't comprehend why he was reacting so dramatically.
"H-hieeeek! I knew it! You're a monster!"
What? Did he just call me a monster? After I, of all people, beat those Orcs to a pulp and saved his life, he dared to spout such nonsense?
"What kind of brain-dead bullshit is that?"
Fuming with rage, I marched toward him, and the man tried to scramble away.
"Hey, you fucking bastard!"
Fueled by anger, I stomped my foot onto the ground, causing the earth to split open.
"Hieeeek!"
"Fuck, this is bullshit."
Seriously, what the fuck! I save his life and he calls me a monster? Seething, I stomped my feet repeatedly, making the entire area rumble. But then, the man's expression shifted slightly.
"What, you fucker?"
"F-fuck?"
Huh? Did he just curse?
"Did... did you just say 'fuck'?"
Huh? The man's reaction changed dramatically.
"Oh, fuck! You are human! It wasn't English, so was it some other language? C-can you speak E-english?"
Uh, wait... Seeing his dramatic shift in attitude, I finally realized my mistake. Ah, I was speaking the language of the Other World. It was the language I had used for ten years. I had been speaking it right up until the moment of my return... so it had naturally slipped out of my mouth. In other words, the reason this man had been so terrified of me was simply because we couldn't communicate. I hadn't even realized whether I was speaking Korean or the language of the Other World. How incredibly stupid of me.