A Fragile New Shell

Long ago, there lived a Demon King who ruled over the primordial chaos.

His power blanketed the heavens, blotting out the sun. Humanity despaired in the face of absolute terror, but under the sword of the great Emperor, the Demon King was finally brought to his knees.

Yet his flesh did not perish; it writhed endlessly, seeking to resurrect itself.

Thus, the Emperor made the fateful decision to tear the Demon King's body to shreds and scatter the pieces across the world.

Wherever those cursed fragments fell, the earth screamed and twisted, giving rise to grotesque creatures and mysterious, uncharted dimensions.

People called these places the Labyrinth.

Though they were demonic realms where death lurked at every turn, within their deepest abysses slept ancient powers and vast treasures left behind by the Demon King's shards.

Some entered seeking power, while others dreamed of wealth and glory, willingly marching into the jaws of death.

The world called these reckless, brave souls "adventurers."

Inside a damp, dark underground labyrinth.

"Eyes forward! I feel its presence! Standby!"

Along with the rough shout of the man leading the charge, the massive iron door ahead crumpled like paper and shattered.

Emerging through the thick cloud of dust was the master of the labyrinth, the Ironclad Ogre.

A colossal figure standing over three meters tall, with muscles like steel and iron armor covering its entire body.

Its roar alone felt powerful enough to rip the very air apart.

"GRAAAAAWR!"

Despite the deafening screech, the five shadows standing before it did not flinch.

This was Dawn's Trace, a veteran party that had survived countless dungeons and weathered every imaginable hardship.

"Leon! Block it!"

Even before the swordsman Kyle's urgent shout could fade, a man carrying a massive Tower Shield charged forward.

This was Leon, the party's shield and most reliable wall.

"Hah! Don't you dare!"

The giant club swung by the ogre sliced through the air, slamming down onto Leon's shield.

BOOM!

With a deafening crash, the ground beneath Leon's feet shattered like a spiderweb and caved in.

The shockwave traveled up his shoulders and slammed into his entire body.

Though a bone-rattling pain shot through him, Leon grit his teeth and stood his ground, planting his feet firmly into the earth.

Damn it, that hurts like hell! But...

Swallowing the pain, he shoved his shield upward, throwing the ogre off balance.

"Now! Unleash everything!"

Seizing the split-second window Leon had created, the red-haired mage Ella, positioned in the rear, chanted her spell.

"O crimson lotus flame that burns the abyss! Flare Burst!"

With a blinding flash, a fireball slammed directly into the ogre's face.

As the blinded ogre staggered, writhing in agony, the assassin Luna leaped out from the shadows.

"Opening found. Too slow, big guy."

The crossbow in Luna's hand released a chilling screech as its bolt pierced the beast's joint with pinpoint accuracy.

As the ogre fell to its knees, the healer Sera, positioned at the very back of the party, unleashed a holy light.

"O holy light, bless our courage. Bless!"

A warm radiance breathed vitality back into the exhausted bodies of the party members.

Empowered by the buff, the tip of the swordsman Kyle's blade glowed with a blue light.

Flying through ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the air as gracefully as a ballroom dancer, he slipped through a microscopic gap in the ogre's steel armor and pierced its heart.

"Haaah! Sonic Blade!"

"G-GURRRGH!"

With a final death rattle, the massive beast collapsed to the floor.

THUD!

A heavy vibration shook the room, followed by a sudden silence in the boss chamber.

Amidst the swirling dust, Kyle sheathed his sword and swept his hair back.

"We did it! I knew you could do it, Kyle! That final blow was absolute art!"

"Right? The timing was absolutely perfect. We would've been in deep trouble without you, Kyle."

The moment the battle ended, Sera and Ella rushed over to Kyle, wrapping their arms around him and cheering.

Luna also gave Kyle a light pat on the shoulder, offering a rare smile.

"Good work, Leader. Reliable as always."

Kyle, with his blonde hair, blue eyes, and sculpted features, wiped away his sweat and smiled sheepishly.

"Haha, great job, everyone. It's all thanks to Leon holding the front line so well. Right, Leon?"

Kyle politely praised Leon and turned his head, but his gaze quickly drifted back to the female comrades surrounding him.

Leon set his shield down on the floor, panting heavily.

What hurt more than the pain in his shoulders was the sharp sting of alienation in his chest.

It's always like this. I'm the one bleeding and blocking, but you're the hero who gets all the glory.

No matter how many times he threw his body on the line, the spotlight always belonged to Kyle, with his flashy swordsmanship and handsome ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠face.

Leon didn't have the confidence to squeeze himself between them.

No, there simply wasn't any room for him.

He looked down at his rough hands and scarred forearms.

His own rugged, plain appearance stood in stark contrast to Kyle's radiant, handsome face over there.

Damn it, that's just the life of a tanker. A wall that endures in silence... Yeah, nobody applauds a wall.

Something hot welled up inside him, but Leon swallowed it down with a bitter smile.

Turning his back on his comrades' cheers, he walked toward the massive treasure chest resting in the corner of the room.

"Huh? Leon! Wait, we haven't checked for traps yet! Hold on!"

Spotting Leon too late, the assassin Luna shouted urgently. But Leon's hand was already gripping the cold metal handle of the chest.

"It's fine, Luna. Chests like this are usually..."

*Creak.*

As the chest swung open, there were no gold coins or glittering jewels inside.

Only a massive, swirling mass of light existed within.

"What is... this...?"

Sensing danger, he tried to pull his hand away, but his body wouldn't budge.

"AAAAAAARGH!"

A pillar of light erupted from the chest, swallowing Leon whole.

A horrific pain, as if his flesh were burning away—no, as if his very soul were being ground to dust—slammed into his entire body.

Feeling his bones melting and his muscles twisting, Leon let out a beastly shriek.

"Leon!"

"Leon!"

At the edge of his fading vision, he caught a glimpse of his horrified comrades rushing toward him.

Kyle's panicked expression and Sera's terror-stricken screams drifted away, sinking as if submerged underwater.

In the final moment before his consciousness snapped, Leon thought he heard a bizarre whisper from within the light.

And just like that, Leon's consciousness was swallowed by the dark.

How much time had passed?

He tried to open his eyes through a splitting headache, but it wasn't easy.

"Ugh..."

Forcing his eyelids open, a familiar ceiling came into view.

Fortunately, it seemed he was back in their lodging in the city, not the labyrinth.

Relief washed over him at the realization that he was alive, but a strange sense of incongruity immediately enveloped his entire body.

As he tried to sit up, his physical sensations felt completely off.

It felt as if his very center of gravity had shifted.

"What the... I have absolutely no strength."

Unconsciously, his hand drifted to his chest.

He should have felt hard, scarred pectoral muscles built from countless battles. But what his fingertips brushed against was unbelievably soft and pillowy...?

"Huh...?"

He squeezed the unfamiliar sensation with his palm.

"Ahhn...!"

An embarrassingly high, slender moan escaped his lips without his consent. Startled out of his wits, he hurriedly pulled his hand away.

"W-what is this? Whose voice is that?!"

His deep, husky voice had become as thin and delicate as a songbird's.

With trembling hands, he felt his face.

His jawline, which should have been rough with stubble, was as smooth as porcelain. His nose was sharp and elegant, and his lips were plump.

A mirror... I need a mirror!

He scrambled out of bed and scanned the room. But there was no way a cheap inn would have a full-length mirror.

His gaze locked onto the massive Tower Shield leaning against the corner of the room.

His steel shield, polished to a shine from traversing countless battlefields.

Staggering over to the shield, he faced the reflection cast upon its metallic surface.

"..."

The person standing there was not Leon.

Mysterious, silver-blue hair cascading down to her waist; radiant, deep blue eyes that looked as if they held starlight; and lips as red as ripe cherries.

A peerless beauty capable of bewitching any man on earth—or easily bringing an entire kingdom to its knees—was staring back at him with a terror-stricken expression.

"Kyaaaaaah!"

A woman's high-pitched shriek, not a man's deep voice, tore through her throat and filled the room.

Her legs gave out, and she collapsed onto the floor.

"N-no way..."

With trembling hands, she reached inside her loose, sagging trousers.

The heavy, precious package that should have been there—his pride as a man—had completely vanished. Instead, the moment she touched that spot, an electric shiver shot straight to the top of her head.

"Haahn...!"

At the sweet moan that slipped out once more, she clamped her hands over her mouth, her face turning beet red.

"No... No! This is a dream! It's a nightmare!"

Just then, the door burst open.

BANG!

"Leon! What's going on?! I heard a woman's scream..."

The one who came rushing in was Kyle, the party leader and swordsman.

Weapon in hand, he scanned the room before his eyes locked onto the blue-haired woman sitting on the floor—me.

Seeing the voluptuous curves peeking through the loose shirt, the smooth collarbones, and the tear-filled eyes, his expression went completely blank.

"Uh... who... who might you be, miss...?"

Kyle's face instantly flushed crimson.

He cleared his throat, flustered and unsure of where to look. Damn it, what is he doing?

"Kyle! It's me, Leon! Something's wrong with my body! What happened to me?!"

"Le... Leon?"

Clinging to him like a drowning man grasping at straws, she lunged forward and held onto him.

As her soft flesh and sweet scent pressed against him, Kyle gasped in shock, yet he couldn't bring himself to push her away.

In fact, she could feel his heart hammering wildly against his chest.

"C-calm down. Just calm down first...!"

"Kyle! Why are you acting like this too?! It's me! Your friend Leon!"

It was at that moment, as Kyle awkwardly wrapped his hands around her slender shoulders in confusion—

"What's happening?! Is it an ambush?!"

Ella, Luna, and Sera came crowding into the room from the hallway. What greeted their eyes was Kyle and a strange, peerless beauty embracing each other in a highly suggestive atmosphere.

"..."

The expressions of the three women instantly turned ice-cold, and the mage Ella's eyebrows twitched.

"Excuse me? What exactly do you two think you're doing? Get off him this instant!"

Snapping back to reality at Ella's sharp reprimand, she quickly pulled away from Kyle.

Kyle stepped back, clenching and unclenching his empty hands with a look of lingering regret.

"You guys... explain this to me. Why am I like this? Huh?"

Ella crossed her arms and let out a heavy sigh.

She scanned her face and figure with eyes dripping with blatant jealousy before snapping,

"Don't you remember? The moment you opened that treasure chest, light exploded from it. When we tried to tend to you after you lost consciousness... you had turned into a woman."

"T-that can't be... This makes no sense..."

"It's not a simple transformation spell. I analyzed the mana fluctuations, and it's an ancient curse. A powerful curse that completely flips your gender."

At Ella's cold analysis, she pounded the floor and cried out.

"Then we can't break it? Do I have to live like this for the rest of my life?! In this state?!"

"It's impossible with our strength. I tried every dispelling magic I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠know, but they were all deflected."

Sera, the healer standing beside her, chimed in with a pitying look.

"But it's not entirely hopeless. If we go to the High Temple in the capital... the high-ranking priests or archbishops there might know a way to purify it."

The High Temple. That was her only hope. But even that hope was uncertain.

"Everyone, I have a favor to ask. Let's return to the capital right now. I need to go to the High Temple and break this damn curse. I want to get my body back as soon as possible."

She naturally believed her comrades would nod in agreement. They were a party that had shared life and death together, after all. But the response she received was ice-cold.

"No."

The one who cut her off flatly was the assassin Luna.

"What...? What do you mean, 'no'?"

"Think rationally, Leon. We aren't just doing a simple labyrinth run. We're in the middle of a quest with a massive reward. If we abandon the quest and head back now, who's going to pay the enormous penalty fee? Our reputation with the guild will hit rock bottom, too. How are we supposed to handle the fallout?"

"But... look at my body! We can pay off the penalty fee somehow later..."

"And when exactly is 'later'? I object. We can't afford to lose the party's credibility."

Luna's cold reasoning left her speechless.

Clinging to any shred of hope, she turned her gaze to the healer, Sera.

"Sera, you understand, right? We're friends."

"I'm sorry, Leon... But I think Luna is right. If we go back now, we won't even be able to pay off the debts we accumulated for this expedition."

When even Sera avoided her eyes and sided with Luna, her heart sank.

Her last hope was Kyle, the leader and her closest friend.

"Kyle, you... you're on my side, right? We're friends. Please, help me."

Kyle rested his chin on his hand, pretending to ponder deeply. However, his gaze was not on her worried eyes, but rather tracing the collarbones exposed by the loose dress and the curves of her breasts pressing against the thin fabric in a stealthy, sticky manner.

"Well... Leon, in my heart, I want to go right away. But..."

Kyle shook his head, putting on a show of regret.

"Luna is right. As the leader, I can't ignore the interests of the entire party. Returning now is out of the question. I'm sorry."

"You guys... seriously..."

A surge of betrayal welled up inside her. As she bit her lip, Ella chimed in, crossing her arms.

"We are continuing the expedition as scheduled. Leon, what are you going to do?"

"What do you mean, what am I going to do? Of course I'm coming with you!"

"With that body? You'll only be a burden."

Ella's mocking words sparked a flash of anger in her.

"What are you talking about?! Only my body changed, but my skills and experience are still the same. I'm the tanker! I am the shield of this party!"

"Is that so?"

Luna pointed to the Tower Shield resting in the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠corner of the room.

"Can you even lift that shield like you used to? Can you stand on the front lines and take hits from monsters with that?"

She scoffed. That shield was like an extension of her own body. It was a familiar weapon she had swung thousands, tens of thousands of times.

"Ha! A mere shield like this? Just watch me!"

Thumping her chest confidently, she strode over to the shield.

She was slightly concerned about her slender forearms, but she believed technique and willpower would be more than enough to compensate.

"Hup!"

Gripping the handle out of sheer habit, she channeled her strength into her arms with a shout.

...Huh?

It didn't budge.

The steel mass, heavy as a boulder, remained completely motionless as if rooted to the floor.

Flustered, she adjusted her stance once more, throwing her entire body weight into the effort.

"Nnnngh!"

*Creak.*

Barely—just barely—the shield lifted about a finger's width off the floor. But that was her absolute limit.

With a pain that felt as if her arms were tearing apart, her grip gave out.

CLANG!

The shield crashed back down, letting out a deafening metallic clang.

Panting heavily, she looked down at her hands.

Her pale, delicate palms were already swollen and red from rubbing against the shield's handle.

"T-this can't be... Me? I can't lift this?"

This was a nightmare. Her muscles, her strength, her pride... where had it all gone?

She tried to grab the shield once more.

Tears welling up in her eyes, she yanked at the handle in a desperate struggle.

"Lift! You have to lift! Aaaaargh!"

But the shield refused to budge, as if mocking her, and she lost her balance, falling flat on her backside.

Her dress fluttered upward, exposing her pale, bare legs.

"Stop it, Leon."

Kyle walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"See? In your current state, it's impossible. You're not a tanker anymore."

"It's a lie... This can't be happening..."

"Accept reality. Just rest here. We'll be back soon."

Kyle helped the dazed Leon up and sat her on the bed. Then, he gestured to the others.

"Let's go. Let's give her some time alone."

Luna, Sera, and Ella cast a brief glance at her as she sat there blankly, then left the room without a shred of hesitation.

Just before stepping out, Kyle held the door handle and looked back, a strange smile playing on his lips.

"Get some rest, Leon."

*Click.*

A suffocating silence descended upon the room once more.

With hollow eyes, she stared at the massive shield resting in the corner.

"Ah..."

Pulling her knees to her chest, she buried her face in them.

Sorrow, terror, and a profound sense of helplessness washed over her like a tidal wave.