Chapter 2
Chapter 2
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: Activation
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I entered my cramped studio apartment—maybe about seven pyeong—and flopped down onto the mattress, pulling the bracelet out of my pocket to take a look at it.
It was evening, the sun dipping low and the room growing dim.
Even in the faint darkness without the light on, the bracelet glowed brightly, as if scattering a pink light.
"What the hell is this situation? Do I really have no lingering attachments?"
I've lived my life hollow and without regrets.
That doesn't mean I want to die, though. Like the saying goes, I'm the type who wants to live long enough to smear shit on the walls.
I lack the courage to die, and just imagining it terrifies me.
I've lived an utterly ordinary life.
So ordinary it was practically a problem. I steadily climbed the all-male track: boys' middle school, boys' high school, engineering college, military service, male-dominated company.
I've scrapped by in the pepper patch of life all this time, a total loser with an average looks who's never even held a girl's hand. That was me.
Besides gaming—a perfectly ordinary hobby—I'd never tried anything unique, no club activities or anything like that.
After graduating from a two-year local college, I came all the way to far-off Seoul alone, dreaming of landing a decent job, and started studio life.
Go to work, come home, game a bit, watch some internet streams, fall asleep when tired, repeat.
At 28, money troubles leaked out from home.
Having endured domestic violence under the guise of Confucian discipline since childhood, I seized the chance and boldly cut ties with my family.
After nearly two years, fed up, I quit. My severance pay? Just over five million won.
I blew every paycheck on games, so I had no savings.
Lazing at home, pinching pennies until the money ran dry, I did a one-off day labor gig at a construction site, pocketed 100,000 won on the way back, and that's when I met Par.
All I had left was this tiny studio and a computer I'd bought with my first paycheck years ago. Plus today's 100,000 won wage.
The older I got, the more my emotions seemed to wear away.
Even games, which used to be so fun, lost their appeal after I quit my job.
All I did was watch streams until I fell asleep.
"Hmmm."
The bracelet in my palm shimmered with iridescent light.
"If I change, what about dating? Wait, do I even want to date a girl?"
I like women, sure, but I've never been in love, so I can't grasp how sweet it really is.
"Guess you have to try it to know..."
No desire to get a regular job, and choking on dust from day labor sucks too much to keep going.
Even games I thought I couldn't live without lost their fun. Is it because I'm broke, or just getting older and losing interest? Who knows.
Lost in thought, staring blankly at the bracelet, my mind wandered to something baseless: If I became a woman, maybe life would be a little easier.
"Is there any reason not to use this?"
I don't want to die, but living isn't fun either.
"If I put you on, will life get a bit more interesting?"
No answer came from the glowing bracelet.
I had no idea if it'd really work, and I'd lived too realistically to believe in something so unrealistic.
"But someone vanished right in front of me, didn't they?"
Reality and fantasy coexist.
Or maybe I'm just insane. One or the other.
"Let's do it!"
I shoved the bracelet onto my left hand, where it barely fit.
—Crunch. Crackle.
Suddenly, a weird noise rang out.
I thought it came from the bracelet, but it was echoing from my thigh. No, my whole body.
My entire body jiggled and writhed like jelly.
—Snap! Crack! Pop!!
Sounds like bones breaking reverberated inside me.
Only then did insane pain crash over me.
"Gaaahhh!"
Like air hissing out of a balloon, or someone after crash-dieting, my fat melted away in a rush, leaving loose skin flapping, and every bone in my body shattered.
"Urk."
In the maddening agony, all I could do was collapse and drool uncontrollably.
"Guhhh... Shouldn't I pass out from this? Fuuuuck."
I lost track of minutes passing.
My mind stayed sharp, but the crushing sounds from my body kept going.
I prayed to just black out already—
And miraculously, the pain vanished in an instant.
"Haa, huu— Insane. What the hell was that? Shouldn't it just glow and poof, transform me, you crazy spirit bastard?!"
Even screaming like a maniac, thankfully no neighbor complaints came knocking.
Day labor starts and ends early, so people probably weren't home yet.
I caught my breath slowly, stood, and headed to the bathroom.
"Hic. Why's my eye level all weird?"
Seemed like my body hadn't adjusted to the change; I wobbled.
Click.
Reached the bathroom, flipped on the fluorescent light, and stared into the mirror. There I was.
A woman so unmanaged it was like she'd given up on self-care in protest stared back, blinking hazy sky-blue eyes.
Touching my face in the mirror confirmed it was me.
"I changed, alright, but what is this? If I'm a saintess, shouldn't I at least be pretty?"
Even my voice felt rough and scratchy; listening too long would gross anyone out.
Men's clothes hung loose, one shoulder exposed, and the belt-cinched jeans had slid down to barely hang on the opposite hip.
"No, it's just me with long hair. Why's it so damn long, down to my tailbone?"
Hair a tangled mess like it'd been clawed apart, skin rough as bark.
"Is this for real? Why's my hair this shitty dull pink, like someone spilled ink on it? Did that spirit fall asleep while dyeing?"
All that suffering for this pathetic result.
No matter how I thought about it, it felt so unfair.
"What was that scammer's name? Par?"
As I grumbled, unable to recall the spirit's name, a strange sound buzzed in my ear.
—Whirrr!
Like the resonance from earlier, but louder, and the mirror before me flashed, faintly showing something.
"Gyaaah! W-what are you?!"
Reflected in the mirror was the spirit I'd seen outside—the one I'd desperately sought moments ago.
"Greetings, Contractor."
"Contractor? Contractor?? You crazy Par bastard, what is this? What kind of state is this? And why'd you pop out of the mirror?!"
"It's Par, not Par. And I used the mirror to minimize power usage by projecting my form this way."
"You nearly scared me to death. Anyway, that's not the point—what's with this appearance? Is this the saintess or whatever you mentioned? And what was that pain I went through?"
The pain and my unsatisfying looks made my speech turn rough.
"To explain one by one: the pain from the bodily change happened because my power was insufficient to ease it."
"Then you should've warned me. That level of agony could've caused psychosis or shock—pick one."
"I'm sorry, that's all I can say. It was my first time too, so I didn't expect it to hurt that much."
"You're supposed to be some spirit, so why are you so clueless? Fine, whatever on the past—why's my face like this?"
Par's dead-fish eyes slowly shifted to my face.
"Same reason. My power was lacking, so I focused on reshaping bones and organs to female while keeping the outer appearance as similar to before as possible."
"Ha, so why'd my head turn into this dull pink mess?"
"That color symbolizes Heavenly Peach as well."
"You keep mentioning Heavenly Peach—is that the Heavenly Peach fruit? I thought those were reddish."
"Because your power is still close to an ordinary believer's, and humans can't easily reach Heavenly Peach."
"So it'll change gradually?"
"Yes. And most importantly, I'll grant you the power to gather divine energy and evolve."
Par in the mirror waved a hand through the air.
"W-what?"
Suddenly, text floated before my eyes.
A translucent hologram-like frame hung in the air, filled with writing.
⚔ STATUS ⚔ 👤 Name: Han Ga-eul 📅 Age: 21 🎖️ Position: Saintess 🏛️ Affiliation: Heavenly Peach 🔗 Contracted Spirit: Aparsec 🛒 Shop: Deactivated "This is the last power I can grant you."
Reading the text, a laugh burst out involuntarily.
"Ha, it's just personal info. Why's the age like that? Did I get younger?"
"To smooth your saintess duties, I reversed your physical age."
"Best change so far. What's the shop?"
"What you saw first was just info, as you said, but the shop at the end—that's the authority embodying most of my power."
Authority sounded grander than expected.
I read a bit more, then pointed at "Deactivated" next to the shop.
"That deactivated bit?"
"Just a temporary restriction. It'll unlock naturally with productive activities, so no worries."
"Productive activities?" The phrase hit awkwardly out of nowhere.
"Make money, you mean?"
"Yes. That's the unlock condition for the shop, and the money you earn becomes the medium to use that authority."
"Why money all of a sudden?"
"A medium needs value imbued in it, and among what humans value most, I chose the easiest to access and spend."
"So I just need to earn money?"
"No, money is merely the medium for the shop. Gathering divine power is a separate matter."