I've Turned Into a Little Lamb-Yang!

I've become a little lamb-yang! Udada-!! As I dash down the mountain path, I learn some facts. First! My hair has gotten incredibly lush!! It's so heavy, this massive mane keeps billowing in the wind even now. Midway, I grab a handful with my suddenly soft hands—totally fluffy, like cotton candy. Bonus point: it's white. And even more important than the first, number two! The fluttering hair's way too eye-catching, so I try pulling up the hood... Clunk—sharp! Horns have sprouted on my head!!

Could this be from contracting with a demon, and now I've got horns? —Contract with me and become a genius mage with horns!—No way-yang!! Save me-yang!!—Friend. Choices belong only to the strong.Kyaaaaaaaah!!! ...No, that's dangerous. Too conspicuous like this. Summoning demons without permission is illegal, after all. The original plan was to snag an ultra-powerful ability, a cool face! And a shiny new job free of nasty words like demon, black, or hell—then bolt somewhere and live a totally different life...

...Plus, my body's gotten way too young. I'm no genius, but I'm not that dumb. In a kid's body like this, I can't start fresh on my own. Can't rent a place, no part-time jobs, and even re-registering as an awakener? They'd say bring a guardian...

Whoosh~ What do I do, what do I do—even as I run, the wind keeps brushing past my body. Splash-splash~ Can't wear the hood 'cause of the horns, so my lush hair keeps waving hello to the breeze. Flutter-flutter~ And this oversized robe I'm wearing? Naturally flapping wildly in the wind. Whiiiish~ Finally, I'm sprinting with my too-big pants and undies ditched—bottom half totally bare.

...But why.

"......"

Why... isn't there any slap-slap jiggle?

"Pwease... nooo-yang..."

I couldn't bring myself to check directly.

... .. . Udada-!! The final fact I learn dashing down the mountain path. Somehow... I've turned into a girl.

****

Beep-beep, beep-beep-beep, ring~ Dodging people, I barely make it back to My Home. Oh, for reference—My Home is truly mine, in my name. Room 206 of a (formerly) new-build one-room villa on the outskirts of the capital, set up for me by relatives after I lost my family in that accident eight years ago. Without this, no way I could've scraped together the summoning materials these past three years, no matter how frugally I lived. Yeah, I admit it!

...Anyway, the Back Mountain's one thing, but not running into anyone once I hit the residential area? Total miracle. Even walking, it's just five minutes from Back Mountain to My Home. Times like this, I love our neighborhood—still under development, barely any people around.

I padded barefoot over the dirt all the way, but whatever, I just head inside. Who cares if the floor gets dirty right now? I rummage through the robe and pull out the stuff I grabbed, setting it all on the desk one by one.

First up, right away! My phone! Duh, obviously.

Second! My treasure! [Hellfire Demon Dragon]! It's a card, but safe in its plastic case, so I crammed it in the robe and it survived the wild run!

...Yeah, that's right. Shockingly, the treasure I used for the summoning was still there. All the other materials vanished clean, but who cares why—I'm thrilled!

Last, third—my partner! The hand axe! I said I'd take good care of you!!

—Damn it. I trusted you, Ryu Migun!! That's surely what my partner would've said. Oh wait, my name's Mijeong now, right...

...Truth is, there's tons more to check besides the name, but I'm wiped out, so screw it, I flop thud onto the bed. The robe's caked in dirt, but whatever. It was filthy to begin with.

... .. .

Roll-roll-clunk!

"...Haa."

Another new fact while tossing and turning. The horns on both sides make side-sleeping super uncomfortable now. Geez, learning so much new stuff today.

...Stuff I never wanted to know.

"Sigh."

I try to crash hard, but something feels off, so I just pull up my status window instead.

Same as when I checked on the Back Mountain—no changes. Name's still there. The changed job and new skill are blacked out, unreadable, and no details even when I tap. So, obviously... it's gotta be this one, with the absurd EX rank.

Little Lamb.

"...What the heck is this."

Um... This is genuinely scary.

Is this really an EX-rank trait? The sleepiness vanishes from sheer terror. From what I know, there are fewer than five EX-rank abilities worldwide, combining traits and skills—and they're all insanely powerful and unique. But something like this?

What even is it. Those shattered letters and that super creepy 'No. There are no exceptions.' in casual speech, not formal.

...I heard somewhere before that people with certain skills or traits can secretly peek at others' status windows. Depending on the ability's type and rank, what they see varies—and against equals, it glitches or blacks out like this.

But this is my status window. Can it glitch out so even I can't read it? That's what 'no exceptions' means?

—Sorry, but I can't easily reveal an EX-rank trait.

—But this is my status window-yang!!

—No ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠exceptions to the rules.

...Anyway, let's parse what is readable.

[Pure and innocent. Childlike and carefree.]

Hmm. Both familiar four-character idioms! Pure and innocent means something like 'so dumb you get duped easily.' Childlike and carefree is like 'so airheaded you mess up constantly and go 'ouch-!' So together, total 'dumb airhead'!

...I'll Google the exact meanings later. Next line!

[You are ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠always a little lamb. Everyone sees you that way. Everyone feels it that way.]

Hmm, no matter how I look, this screams that kind of effect...

Common sense alteration.

"Uwing, I really hate this-yang..."

I wanted to live nicely. That's why I avoided all the nasty materials in the hell summoning recipes. So why does the result end up as this—something anyone would call sinister common sense alteration??

...Well, I did end up dealing with a demon, so maybe it's inevitable. Wait, did I even deal with a demon? I didn't see what I summoned. Just heard the voice.

And that voice... felt way more angelic than demonic...

"......?"

The voice echoes in my head from back then.

—Is that truly the end?

—I'll give you one more chance.

Way more angelic? This? It did give me one more chance, sure. Grateful for that. But ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the tone wasn't exactly warm, merciful, or angelic.

Why'd it feel that way then?

"...Skip it for now-yang."

No point dwelling. It's in the past. Next line!

[Of course, whenever you want, you can lang■■ this tra■ ░▒▓█▓▒░. No. There are no exceptions.]

Here's the problem. Still no clue why it glitches midway. But piecing together the front and readable bits...

—Of course, whenever you want, you can freely... deactivate this trait?Toggle it? That's gotta be it, right? I'm not alone in thinking that?

"But that's weird-yang."

Traits are like passive skills. Even the owner can't just toggle them on and off. Otherwise, why distinguish skills and traits in the status window?

For example, my original trait, Hell Summoning (S) ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠effect.

The key part up front—you can only summon hell entities. That annoying clause locks me to hell demons only. Sure, it grants the special bonus after, but...

...A bonus that's zero help. Well, it finally helped this time. Yeah. Another example: my skill, Deal (A).

This one's a toggle skill I can turn ON/OFF whenever. Leave it ON, and it auto-activates on qualifying trades, draining mana. Most folks only use it for big deals to save mana, but me? Never triggers anyway, so it's always on.

Point is: skills are active, traits passive. Common knowledge. But Little Lamb's an 'EX' rank, beyond common sense. So maybe it's a super-special trait you can toggle? Blocked for some reason now?

...Moving on. Feels like I'm skipping all the crucial parts, but whatever.

... .. .

But that was it. Those slashes on the last line? No clue. The 0% at the end? Same. Not talking about masculinity or anything.

So, conclusion!

"...This is why I look like this-yang?"

Something tells me this trait's behind my body's changes. 'You are always a little lamb.' And everyone—including me—sees and feels it that way.

I'm a kid now. And those horns? Probably sheep horns, not demon ones.

...Haven't dared look in a mirror yet, still denying reality.

Then the hidden new job and skill... probably 'un-lamb-like,' so invisible.

Originally, I could've toggled the trait off on myself to see my true form. But now it's impossible for some reason.

And that reason? Obviously the angel-demon that granted my wish... that total Lucifer-type guy.

Wait. So this shrunken body isn't my real one? My true form is... whatever. No way to check right now anyway.

"Uwing."

Too much. I swear I heard it say all wishes granted right before I collapsed.

This is all granted??? Won't show job or skills! EX trait's a glitched mess! Can't even control it! And now my body's a total kid!!!

If that's how it is, give it back!! My plain ugly mug!! The calluses!! My lifelong partner between my legs!!... Nah, no need to return that. That face was doomed to singledom forever anyway. Heck, I only asked for a voice, right? Everything else is a bonus.

Lucifer-sama, hip hip hooray.

"...Sigh."

I close the status window and stare blankly at the ceiling. I always liked sleeping facing the wall.

Won't be able to anymore.

...So much to do. Check the mirror for my new look. Order clothes that fit this body, eat, learn the new... bathroom routine. Re-register as an awakener for a new identity... with a guardian... and...

... .. .

Sleep overtakes me. As my eyes droop, my last thought is...

"...At least, my wish came true-yang."

From now on, I can talk to people too. Hehe.