Challenging the Gate (2)

"Uggghhh..."

After about two hours, I finished resting and stretched my limbs.

My body felt much lighter than before.

It seemed giving in to my desires had been a better choice than trying to endure them. Of course, not everything had gone exactly as expected.

A female body takes longer to cool down. It took way longer than I expected.

A female body required far more effort to calm down from excitement than a male one.

Of course, whether this was strictly a sexual thing or just how general emotions worked was something I'd have to experience more to find out.

But I couldn't deny that it took significantly longer than it did back when I was a man.

Since ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠my mind remained the same, I figured it was a physical difference. But looking at it from that angle, I couldn't really generalize.

It might not be because I was female; maybe this body just had an incredibly high sex drive.

With such a small sample size, I couldn't be sure.

Hmm. But leaving it at that might lead to a biased, un-wizard-like assumption. Let's modify the premise slightly.

Baek Sowol's body, once sexually aroused, takes far longer to satisfy than my old male body did.

Now that I'm back to normal, let's finish mastering this.

With my body feeling much lighter and refreshed, I decided to resume my magic studies. I didn't have the time to waste on self-loathing or hesitation over something like this.

I'll be looking at magic circles constantly anyway. I need to get used to them.

I can't exactly go relieve myself every single time I look at a magic circle, can I? As lovely as magic circles are, it would disrupt my daily life, so I needed to find a solution.

Humans are creatures of habit. If I expose myself to it repeatedly, the excitement will eventually dull.

In the end, time would solve it.

Since two hours had passed, my mana had also recovered significantly.

What I need to learn next is spell simplification, output amplification, and various other things.

Now that I've learned the spells to use, it's time to master them.

I can't afford to fall in love with just those spells. There will be far more beautiful magic waiting for me in the future. Let's just write off what happened earlier as a first-time mistake where I let magic steal my heart.

A mistake is fine as long as I don't repeat it. I can do this.

Once I feel I can perform at least at a D-rank or E-rank level, I'll register and challenge a gate.

I should be able to reach that level within a week.

And on that day, I will register as a regular Awakened with the Association, challenge a gate, and soar to new heights.

I can do this.

I might have indulged my desires for a brief moment, but I just need to do better from here on out.

With that, I spent the next few days researching and mastering my magic and combat style.

A few days later, I dressed myself properly.

Let's think like a wizard. Even if my mind was once male, my physical body is female. Just as it is socially appropriate to wear black to a funeral even for a close friend, since my body is female, it was only right to wear clothes that wouldn't look out of place on a woman.

You might ask, aren't there women who dress like men?

But since I don't possess all of Baek Sowol's memories, standing out is a bad idea. Intelligence agents often fake love and enter relationships for their missions. Let's think of it as something similar. Becoming a wizard is well worth that much effort.

I ended up wearing a skirt suit, but it was the best alternative. Looking at Baek Sowol's wardrobe, she seemed to wear skirts often anyway. To deceive everyone perfectly, I had no choice but to wear one.

If I'm going to play the part, I might as well do it right. Besides, this isn't that much different from the suits I wore right up until my death as a man.

It highlights my figure a bit too clearly, but this was the only suit in the house. I'll just have to make do.

Act natural.

I took a deep breath as I stood in front of the Community Center.

The people inside have the authority to access my information, and some might even recognize my face. Therefore, I must play the role of an ordinary young woman to the best of my ability.

Since my appearance is so striking, any odd behavior would easily stick in people's minds. It would be incredibly annoying if rumors started spreading later about me acting strangely.

What I need to do is register as an Awakened, test my unique ability, and... refuse the wizard test.

I rehearsed my checklist to avoid any mistakes and stepped inside. The lobby was crowded. The waiting people glanced at me briefly before turning their eyes away.

Unlike a passing encounter, they knew they might have to wait here for a long time, so they probably wanted to avoid making things awkward. Besides, this was a government office, so the atmosphere wasn't exactly lighthearted.

After waiting, my turn came. I sat down and began the consultation.

“So, you've awakened...? In that case, please wait a moment... I'll call the officer in charge.”

Once I revealed that I was an Awakened, the frequency of people staring at me increased. With only about a hundred thousand Awakened in South Korea, it was a small enough number to draw immediate attention. In reality, seeing an Awakened in person outside of the media was quite rare.

Celebrities? Celebrities actually had a much higher media exposure ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠rate.

“Please follow me.”

I followed the government official who arrived to guide me, listening to their explanation along the way.

“Are you well-acquainted with the details regarding Awakened?”

“No... not really...”

Aside from wizards, I knew next to nothing. I hadn't even bothered to look up other classes. I hadn't even become a wizard yet back then, so I had no time to waste on such trivialities.

“What about your unique ability? You know how to manipulate mana, right?”

“I only have a rough idea of my unique ability, but I do know how to manipulate mana.”

“Then let me explain the rest to you.”

The official explained various details as we walked toward the testing room.

“Since you mentioned you don't know much, let's start with unique abilities. The moment you awaken your mana, you gain a unique ability that sets you apart from others. It's different for everyone. Even if there are similar cases, they are almost never identical. Think of it like a fingerprint.”

A unique ability is a personalized power that manifests upon awakening. It is so crucial that it often determines an Awakened's ultimate potential.

“Generally, they are considered far more valuable than standard skills obtained through skill stones or skill books found in gates. They can also grow and evolve for various reasons, making them even more important.”

Despite their importance, unique abilities aren't always superior to standard skills. Garbage abilities simply yield garbage performance. However, unique abilities can evolve. They gradually transform while retaining their core nature.

Unlike skills that are randomly acquired or bought at exorbitant prices, a unique ability belongs solely to the individual—an ultimate weapon with infinite potential.

I, too, must have awakened a unique ability. I hadn't paid much attention to it since unique abilities have less impact on wizards compared to other classes. Still, since it was practically a wizard's core identity, I would eventually need to develop it.

“Classes are just convenient classifications we use to categorize Awakened. They are highly fluid. They can change depending on the situation, and acquiring new skills often shifts them. So you don't need to overthink it. What really matters is whether you're a vanguard, rearguard, or support, as that directly correlates to your survival. It would be best to get a detailed guide once you're officially registered.”

Classes were merely human-made distinctions. In actual combat, they didn't seem to hold much weight. That made sense; the real world wasn't an RPG.

In games, only warriors use axes and only knights use swords, but historical medieval knights used both perfectly well. Thus, raw skill was far more important. Even within the same class, everyone's role differed.

“Now, if you could step over here and show me your mana? Just a simple release of your aura will do.”

As mentioned, releasing mana was easy for any Awakened. Even if they couldn't, there were other ways to verify them, but this was the most common method. Only wizards could actually manipulate the mana they released.

I stood in front of the measuring device and lightly released my mana. I controlled it carefully to ensure I didn't give away any hints of being a wizard.

“Yes, excellent. Your awakening has been confirmed. Please fill out these forms and provide your ID. Oh, and we have an optional additional test. Would you like to take it? It only costs about three thousand won.”

“An additional test?”

“Yes. It's a test to see if you're a wizard. You know about wizards, right? Those with a special constitution who can manipulate released mana. Technology has advanced enough to test for it now. If you turn out to be a wizard, it would be incredibly beneficial...”

“No, thank you. I don't have very pleasant memories associated with that.”

“Pardon? But... it's very cheap, and on the off chance you are a wizard...”

“No.”

As expected, the official urged me to take the wizard test. While it was well-intentioned on their part, it was poison to me. Of course, registering wouldn't cause any immediate disaster.

But according to my calculations, it was far better to reveal my status much later. There was no reason to settle for eighty when I could get a hundred. I would secure the best possible contract when my value was at its absolute peak.

“Ah... Yes, I understand. In that case, I'll just process your Awakened registration card. It should arrive in the mail within a week. Thank you for your cooperation.”

To achieve this, I put on an act as if I had some sort of trauma. Normally, if an ordinary person pulled this, they'd just look rude. But when someone with a striking presence does it, it looks like they have a deep, tragic story.

If I gave off the vibe that I'd had a bad history with a wizard, they would fill in the blanks themselves. Would they assume I dated a wizard and had a messy breakup? Though dating in this current state would be quite difficult anyway.

“I'll issue you a temporary document. Until your registration card is issued, this will serve as your proof. Have a good day.”

With that, I took the final document and left, wrapping up my business at the Community Center.

Hmm. I came here without any real strategy, but what now?

After completing my registration, I immediately headed to a gate raid site. I felt a bit lost since I hadn't made a concrete plan. I was officially a hunter now, but my knowledge of gates was still severely lacking.

Very little information about gates was publicly available. After all, gate raids were bloody, gruesome affairs where people literally died; who in their right mind would share that in real-time?

The few videos released were heavily censored, so the only way to gauge the actual difficulty was through Awakened online communities.

Even then, those were just text posts that could easily be fabricated, so they weren't entirely trustworthy.

They said it was E-rank, so I came, but I'm still clueless about what to do.

Still, I had done some research, so I knew the bare minimum.

Gates were divided into two categories.

Uncleared, newly formed gates.

And cleared, established gates.

New gates were literally brand new. Since no strategy was known, the danger was high, but they offered substantial subsidies and rewards, with a high chance of hitting a jackpot.

Established gates were those that had already been cleared. Although the strategy was known, it took time for a gate to naturally close, so hunters had to regularly cull the monsters inside.

Naturally, the more a gate had been cleared, the safer it was—and consequently, the lower the pay. It was said that this was practically the only path available to low-rank hunters.

Well, they say an established E-rank gate is so safe that ordinary people even go on tours there if accompanied by high-rank hunters. I'll just treat this as a learning experience.

I hadn't even fully grasped my unique ability yet, but they said unique abilities were honed through experience.

You can't expect to succeed on your very first try. Even if I didn't gain much this time, it would still be valuable experience.

I walked toward the reception desk to sign up for the gate raid.

“...Whoa.”

“Hey, look.”

“Is she a celebrity?”

“Should I go talk to her?”

“You'll get rejected for sure.”

I felt a barrage of blatant stares, far more intense than the ones at the Community Center.

As if under a spell, everyone naturally turned their eyes toward me.

Of course, if it had stopped at that, I wouldn't have minded much. It's only natural to look at an attractive person passing by.

It wasn't illegal, nor did it violate any social norms. I could easily overlook this with a tolerant, wizard-like mindset.

However, the biggest issue with non-wizards ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠was that they never knew when to draw the line.

“Hello there. If you have some time, would you like to clear the gate with us?”

“There are a few of us, and we've run this place multiple times, so we know it inside out.”

“Even if it's E-rank, it can be dangerous alone. Since it's your first time, it'll be much safer if you tag along with a group. What do you say?”

Three guys—a burly one, a scrawny one, and an average-looking one—approached me.

Their intentions were painfully obvious. Typical hunters trying to pick up a girl.

Zero risk if they fail, massive jackpot if they succeed.

For non-wizards, it was a fairly logical move.

Though a wizard would have waited for the perfect, absolute moment to strike.

Hmm... how should I ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠handle this?

Simply walking past them was easy enough. I could just ignore them.

But the problem was my lack of knowledge regarding the gate's internal ecology.

The behavior of non-wizards was unpredictable. Because I couldn't foresee their actions, my options were limited.

Yet if I agreed to go with them, they would undoubtedly cling to me the entire time.

Teaming up with these worthless guys carried too many risks...

As I stood there weighing my options...

“You look like you're in a tight spot. Need some help?”

“Huh?”

A woman suddenly appeared and spoke to the group.

She looked familiar... but I couldn't quite place her.

Who was she again...?

The answer to my question came from the very guys who had been hitting on me.

“H-Han Yeseo...!?”

Han Yeseo...?

Ah.

It clicked.

The prodigy who became an S-rank hunter at twenty-one and proudly joined the Hwarang Guild.

The woman who had been the talk of the town everywhere I looked for a while.

But what are you doing here?

This is an E-rank gate.