“Illaim, since when were you this beautiful?”
“……What?”
“…………Ah, what a relief.”
At least this drama’s characters are the same, and the plot is progressing normally—
Could that damn goddess have sent me to an otaku hell with the worst possible sensibilities?
I was momentarily horrified to the point where I could’ve waged war against that goddess who looks down on otakus.
But once I realized that only my physical abilities had changed, I was able to calm down.
I almost went for a ‘you die, I die’ kind of situation.
For a moment, I saw the path of a hero corrupted by fate, turning into a demon lord.
But in a way, I decided to accept this as just another nerdy fantasy drift.
“Normally, people have some magic power, but women have a higher capacity for it.”
Even ordinary people, who have less magic than hunters, had women possessing greater physical strength than men.
Because of this, it seemed that society had developed the perception that women should handle all the physically demanding work.
Of course, this was limited strictly to manual labor.
At least not all creative works, character roles, or social structures had been completely reversed.
I was truly relieved about that.
It might seem obvious, but the past few days of adjusting to this new world had been exhausting.
“Hmm, so since everything’s flipped, it’s more common for women to confess first?”
It took quite a while to correct my preconceived notions.
“They really mixed all sorts of things together.”
A world of hunters, a loud and proud youth academy setting, and even a gender-reversed society all mashed into one.
How is this supposed to be the world of order and causality?
Forget about being a sacred goddess—she’s more like a chaotic mutt licking scraps off the floor.
[“‘The balance of order and causality’ is saddened by your words and insists it’s unfair.”]
[(ᄆ_ᅲ)]
What exactly is so unfair here?
If it was just a world where monsters popped up to make things interesting for me, fine.
But this—this is too much change.
Aside from sharing the same place names as my original world, everything else is so different that I could believe I was on another planet.
“She probably picked a world that seemed relatively decent rather than creating one just for me.”
Well, what kind of place is this, really?
At least it wasn’t too hard to adapt, since not all of my common sense had been overturned.
A world where men pay more attention to beauty and women take the lead in many aspects.
If I just keep that in mind, I should be able to get by without too much trouble.
“The balance is about half and half.”
About half of the comics, movies, and dramas I used to know had survived.
Sometimes I’d come across story developments that made no sense to me,
Other times, it was just familiar works with a slightly different vibe.
In a way, this setup introduced more variety and fresh storytelling, which wasn’t too bad.
Many of the roles that men originally played had been replaced by women.
But the reversal had stopped at a rough 7:3 or 6:4 ratio, so considering the drastic change in physical abilities, the balance was surprisingly fair.
-Girl Avengers, Assemble.
Yeah, this situation is way better than the worst-case scenario I originally imagined.
“Ugh, just thinking about that again makes my head hurt…”
Maybe it was because I had witnessed the most extreme example from the very beginning.
I felt dizzy, but I decided to think of it as a kind of vaccination to survive in this world.
Still, wasn’t this a bit much?
“No matter what that goddess did, I’ll need to brace myself.”
She played a huge role in lowering both my expectations of her and this world.
If I wanted to handle whatever bizarre things might pop up, I just had to stop expecting anything at all—
Just like how I had spent twenty years as a hero without even dreaming of romance.
[“The Balance of Order and Causality” loudly insists that I should trust it this time.]
[(ᄆ_<)]
“Why do you keep sending me messages with emoticons instead of just talking?”
[“The Balance of Order and Causality” sniffles, saying the frequency is off because this is another world.]
“…Are you serious, Goddess?”
Once again, I lowered my expectations.
I couldn’t just replace works of fiction with real people,
But if unexpected situations occurred at a similar rate, I should be able to handle them without panicking.
[Seoul Potrait Ability Academy]
[Accepted]
[Shin Yuseong]
“…I should be able to do well, right?”
Yeah, before getting summoned over there, I was just a regular high school student.
If I thought of it as taking a twenty-year-long summer break, it wouldn’t be so bad…
“Damn it, just going to school again would be awkward enough, and now it’s some supernatural ability academy?”
It felt like going on a blind date for the first time—both exciting and nerve-wracking.
Staring at the admission documents and schedule that had been delivered to my house,
I ran endless mental simulations of what might happen.
Seoul Potrait Ability Academy.
This institution, which teaches newly awakened individuals who have just turned twenty, is not only renowned across South Korea but also recognized worldwide as a prestigious academy.
Even though excellent academies exist overseas,
Seoul Potrait Ability Academy has such a reputation and track record that it’s not unusual for international students to be sent here.
The school occupies an entire special autonomous district established by the city, boasts an exceptional faculty that even includes high-ranking S-class Hunters, and has a well-proven curriculum refined through decades of practical training for its graduates.
The tuition fees are quite expensive, but aside from that, the academy itself feels almost unreal.
It’s more like an autonomous city built entirely for the education of future Hunters.
And because of its overwhelming level of support, getting accepted is extremely difficult.
Looking at the past records and qualifications of admitted students, you couldn’t help but clap in admiration.
“This year’s students seem even more exceptional than usual.”
Professor Shin Arin, who had just been appointed as a first-year instructor, carefully observed the students passing through the school gates.
When one’s magical power develops to a high degree, not only does their awakened ability improve, but even their sensory perception of their surroundings and opponents reaches another level.
Even while standing with her hands behind her back in the faculty office, she could tell just by looking at the distant students how much they had trained and whether they had an extraordinary presence.
It was a kind of super-sense.
A skill honed through countless real battles,
keenly reading her opponents and training her instincts.
“Last year, some of these students would have been considered top-tier.”
It was a cliché expression, but this lineup was what people often called a golden generation.
Heirs from prestigious families, successors of mystical martial arts sects, rare spirit contractors, and even dark horses whose origins were impossible to guess.
As their future instructor, she couldn’t help but feel a little excited—
This was a treasure trove of talent.
“As always, the majority are women.”
Shin Arin hadn’t been teaching for long,
but she was well aware that the industry itself was heavily skewed toward women.
So, seeing a schoolyard almost entirely filled with female students didn’t surprise her.
Nor did it disappoint her.
As had been proven time and time again through both theory and real combat,
it was incredibly difficult for men to reach a combat ability comparable to women.
“Hm?”
That’s why Shin Arin widened her eyes when she saw a male freshman walking in—
a presence even she couldn’t easily read.
As someone at a high level, she should have been able to gauge his skill instantly.
But this time, she couldn’t.
Even from a distance, his aura felt unusual.
Rather than explosively releasing magical energy, it was as if he had conquered an entire nation— his very existence radiated a profound human presence.
“He’s going to be popular.”
Above all, he was handsome.
Even though he had reached a level where he could control his body perfectly, last night had been restless—
like an elementary school kid struggling to sleep before a trip to an amusement park.
Lying in bed, telling himself to sleep, his thoughts were consumed by one question:
“How do I make my college life a success?”
Worries and expectations mixed in a delicate balance, completely occupying his mind.
So he ended up spending half the night looking up college life tips online.
“Of course, a paranormal academy is such a special case
that online advice might not be very helpful.”
But since he’d crafted hundreds of possible scenarios in his sleepless hours, he was confident that he wouldn’t be caught off guard by most things.
“Well, it’s not like I’ll suddenly get a love letter on my first day—
that kind of thing only happens in manga.”
Even if common sense had changed in this world, as long as he didn’t cause any major incidents on his first day, nothing too crazy should happen.
He figured he’d just listen to the syllabus, observe things quietly, and slip away unnoticed.
Despite his racing heart, he had expected an ordinary first day.
But…
“Wow.”
“What the hell is that?”
“That… doesn’t seem human.”
For some reason, he was drawing everyone’s attention.
But… why?
He hadn’t done anything yet.
He was just walking across campus, dressed in a standard internet-approved campus outfit, staying as low-key as possible.
Yet people kept looking at him, and murmurs filled the air.
Had he done something attention-grabbing without realizing it?
Or… were they teasing him like, “Hey, check out your boyfriend over there,”?
“I actually thought I blended in better than before…”
That damn goddess said she had buffed his looks to match some “handsome college student” aesthetic.
Was that a lie?
It felt like he was the main character in some kind of otherworldly, campus-style Truman Show.
Before hearing any more “your boyfriend just walked by” remarks, he minimized his sensory perception and even suppressed his presence as a living being.
[“The Balance of Order and Causality” shot up, shouting not to misunderstand.]
Whatever the case, something had clearly gone wrong, and he needed to get out of this situation.
“…Ah, peace.”
As he felt the attention around him scatter, he let out a breath of relief.
Maybe he had become a little arrogant, coming into a world where strong men were rare.
[“The Balance of Order and Causality” deeply reflects on its mistakes.]
[(ᅲ_ᅲ)]
[“It says your sense of romance has hit rock bottom after spending years hanging out with old men.”]
And at that moment, another realization hit him.
You should only take advice from actual experts.
Which meant…
He should probably just ignore the words of a goddess who had been single dozens of times longer than him.
[“The goddess glares furiously and shouts—”]
…Alright, let’s move on.