The Birth of Nix

The return agents brought me to a place that looked like... an interrogation room? I felt a bit annoyed, but since I could understand their reasoning, I followed them quietly. If I had my old temper... I would have flipped the table and walked out. But I couldn't do that now. Anyway, once we entered the interrogation room, the high-pressure questioning began. The problem was... grilling me wasn't going to change my answers. I genuinely didn't know anything.

"A severe case of amnesia..." The investigator looked at me with pity. While being subjected to a coercive investigation was exhausting and irritating, it did have its perks. First of all, the food was amazing! Back in the day, when I still lived on Earth, sweet and sour pork was something I couldn't easily afford to buy on a whim. Yet here they were, serving it to me alongside a bowl of black bean noodles. And for dinner, they just casually handed me a steaming hot bowl of soup with rice... I had no idea what kind of world this had become. I heard later that even soup could be delivered nowadays... To think they delivered things other than Chinese food and fried chicken was absolutely mind-blowing to me.

On top of that, the place they gave me to sleep was incredible. It looked exactly like one of those luxury hotels only the upper class used to frequent. I couldn't help but wonder why on earth I was receiving such treatment. At any rate, I lay down on the bed in my assigned room and began sorting through the day's events. I had eavesdropped on the staff's conversations whenever I got the chance during the investigation, and now it was time to organize the information I'd gathered.

First, regarding the Gate missing persons... Apparently, when a Gate first formed, it randomly sucked in surrounding living organisms, meaning people were pulled inside. Back then, society couldn't respond to the sudden crisis quickly enough, and investigations were delayed, leading to a failure to resolve the issue early on. A few Hunters did step up, entering the Gates to rescue people, but it wasn't nearly enough. If they couldn't save the people inside and had to close the Gate anyway? Those people instantly became "missing persons." And they were simply forgotten... Even if anyone wanted to search for them, the Gates were already closed, making it impossible. They had no choice but to sweep it under the rug. Of course, I wasn't there at the time, so I didn't know the exact details, but it must have caused quite a controversy.

Somehow, those missing persons had recently started returning. And the catalyst for their return was, once again, the Gates. When a Gate identical to one that had already been closed opened up in the exact same spot, the missing persons who had been swept away were found inside. I overheard that Hunters had discovered and rescued these people while clearing the Gates... and that they were treating me as a similar case. Of course, not every missing person had been found.

Listening to the staff whispering, it seemed most of the returnees were in a similar state. No matter how many years they had spent inside the Gate, they had absolutely no memory of that time, and many of the rescued individuals suffered from mental instability or delusions. In other words, they assumed I was in a similar state, and they had concluded that my symptoms were particularly severe.

"Sigh..." I was finally back, but my feelings were incredibly complicated. I should have been thrilled, but I couldn't bring myself to be. This was all that damn goddess's fault. If she had just returned me to my original body, none of this would be happening... Wait, if she did that, would I have just been killed by an orc? At any rate, I looked at the clothes they had provided. So this was modern fashion... I was grateful they had even prepared underwear for me. By the way, how did they find underwear that fit this body? I suppose they could have figured out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the size during my physical exam, but still...

I transformed the sacred relic I had been wearing as clothes back into a bracelet and headed to the bathroom to wash up. A hot shower... This was an unimaginable luxury compared to my journey with the Hero to defeat the Demon King. Back then, the conditions were so harsh that if we happened to stumble upon a river to bathe in, we considered it our lucky day. Yet here I was, using as much hot water as I wanted. Yes, this was exactly why I wanted to come back. It was finally starting to sink in that I was back on Earth.

After a refreshing wash, what was next? Getting dressed. Having worn women's underwear for ten years, I was already completely used to it. Although the bra's design was slightly different, it wasn't much different from what I had used in the other world, so I put it on without any trouble.

"It's a bit tight." The panties were fine, but the bra was a little too small. Well, it was still wearable. My breasts were just ridiculously large, so there wasn't much I could do about it. I gently squeezed my massive chest. Honestly, with a size like this, off-the-rack items were bound to be rare. Even in the other world, I had to use custom-made ones, so I knew the struggle all too well.

Over the underwear, I slipped on a light one-piece dress. It was loose-fitting, incredibly comfortable, and made of a very soft fabric.

"This is nice." I lay down on the bed to rest and organize my thoughts once more. What should I do from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠here? My gender had changed. I had no name. On top of that, since I had to play the amnesia card, it was impossible to reclaim my old identity. What a massive headache.

As my mind finally relaxed, a wave of drowsiness washed over me. On the battlefield, letting your guard down like this was a death sentence. What if you completely relaxed, thinking you were safe, only to be ambushed? But here, I didn't have to worry about demon attacks, nor did I need to stay alert for monsters or wild beasts. Tomorrow's problems... could wait until tomorrow.

The next morning, I was treated to a hotel breakfast buffet. Seeing a feast that was impossible to even glimpse on the battlefield made my mouth water instantly. Having lived as a Saintess, I had been invited to banquets and evening galas before, so I wasn't entirely unfamiliar with fine dining... but that world had been at war for decades, so luxury was scarce. Even the grandest banquets had been rather modest.

Earth, on the other hand? There was so much food laid out that I wondered what they would do with the leftovers, and they kept replenishing it constantly. For the first time in ages, I could eat with a peaceful mind. I piled my plate high and devoured a whopping seven servings, which drew quite a few startled looks from the people around me. For some reason, their eyes kept drifting toward my chest, though...

Anyway, after I finished eating, the people from yesterday came to collect me again. Their treatment of me had improved since yesterday, but... what was going on? Surely not another interrogation...? Since I was playing the amnesiac, there wasn't much else I could do, so I quietly followed them and waited.

"First of all, did you rest comfortably?" Unlike yesterday, her tone was cautious and polite.

"Yes, I rested very well thanks to you." After a day, my Korean was flowing much more naturally.

"To begin with, the government does provide support for individuals who have gone through situations like yours." Support...? Apparently, they would provide a small amount of compensation to help me adjust to modern life.

"Usually, missing persons have family or relatives, but..." Since I supposedly had amnesia, I couldn't know that. I didn't even know my own name, so how could I know anything else?

"The government doesn't have... well, many resources to invest—er, allocate to you. Still, we want to help you as much as possible." Why were they being so hospitable? I could sense an ulterior motive... There was definitely some other reason. I subtly scanned my surroundings. No one was monitoring us. In that case...?

I quietly stirred the power within my body. The energy known as Holy Power... Using it, I cast a single Divine Art. The spell I used was one that forced the target to speak honestly. To put it nicely, it made them honest... but in truth, it was a brainwashing spell used for forced confessions. Because the other world was in such a dire state, it had been created to root out traitors and extract information from prisoners. Still, the people of that world had some conscience, so it was heavily restricted and not just anyone could use it. Of course, as the Saintess, it was naturally engraved into my body, so I had mastered it effortlessly. At any rate, I stealthily activated the Divine Art...

The eyes of the woman sitting before me grew strangely unfocused.

"Why are you treating me so well?" At my question, she answered blankly with vacant eyes.

"Because our investigation revealed that you possess immense potential." Potential...?

"What do you mean by potential?"

"Gate returnees have a high probability of awakening powers, and when they do, they awaken with strength far above average. Yesterday's test results showed that you already exhibit signs of awakening."

Hmm... Well, I already have power. It seems they didn't actually detect my Holy Power itself. For now, I took measures to keep my power hidden. Before the spell's effect wore off, I asked the questions I was curious about.

"How can you tell if someone is an Awakened?"

"They can open what is called a Status Window."

"What kind of support were you planning to give me?"

"Under the guise of protective supervision, we planned to assign someone to help you adjust, even if only for a short time, to make you feel indebted to us."

"Do I have to accept this support?"

"We intended to attach it as a condition for resolving your identity issues."

"Why provide this support to Awakened individuals?"

"To protect the nation, we need to bind powerful Awakened individuals to the country."

Having finished my questions, I fell deep into thought. Resolving my identity issues... That was definitely important. As the Divine Art faded, life began to return to the woman's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠eyes.

"I suppose I'll accept the support."

"In that case, we will gladly assist you."

First, to resolve my identity issues, she asked for my age and name.

"Since you don't remember your name, how about choosing a new one?"

She meant that if I just picked a reasonable age and name, they would handle the paperwork. Since I already knew the real reason behind their kindness, I didn't feel particularly pleased. For now, the government official suggested that my age was likely in the mid-twenties. Apparently, that was what my physical exam results indicated.

I struggled to choose a name, mulling it over. This body had no name, and I couldn't use my old one. But even when told to pick a new name, I had no idea what to go with. Should I use a Korean name? Hmm... it wouldn't suit this body. My face and build looked far more Western than Eastern...

I brushed back my beautiful platinum-blonde hair. As for a name... I thought of the goddess. Hemera... the Goddess of the Sun. I wasn't an expert on mythology, but... there was another name that corresponded to the Goddess Hemera in that world. It was Nix... I thought there was a similar name on Earth, but I wasn't entirely sure. At any rate, in the other world, the inverted aspect of the Goddess Hemera was called Nix. It was the title given to the cold, dark, and cruel side of the goddess.

"Nix..." For some reason, I wanted that to be my name. The reason? Well... my appearance was identical to—no, it was a carbon copy of the goddess. A literal avatar of the goddess... Sharing the same face as that damn goddess was a bit annoying, but since she possessed a divinely beautiful appearance, being able to use this face was also a blessing. Besides, wasn't that damn goddess essentially the mother of this body? So, Nix it was.

When creating my new identity, I chose the name Nix and set my age to twenty-seven, my age before I was summoned. Once I made my decision, she nodded. Of course, she mentioned that processing the paperwork and database entry would take some time. It was decided that the woman who had been investigating me would supervise my transition for the next two weeks. She taught me various common-sense facts and caught me up on how the world had changed, helping me adapt to this transformed South Korea. But for some reason, her explanations felt a bit... lacking, to say the least. It seemed her primary objective during these two weeks was to monitor me and see if I would awaken... But since I was already well aware of that, and had completely concealed my power, she was never going to find out.