Chapter 5 : Iris vs. Her Own Powers

Iris, who had returned home, had removed her transformation before leaving Teresa’s shop, so she was only wearing a T-shirt and jeans.

But as she carelessly undressed, she was startled.

The chastity belt moved smoothly, making it easier to take off her clothes.

When she took off her underwear, the chain momentarily disconnected, and after finishing her shower and putting on underwear again, the chain reconnected.

It hadn’t been like this before her awakening.

No matter how enchanted the item was, seeing a chain detach and reattach itself between her thighs was astonishing.

‘An incredible monstrosity!… No, it’s a precious item.’

Yes, it’s a precious item.

Even though it had made her steal men’s underwear while asleep, it was the thing that enabled her to finally awaken her abilities—her lifelong wish.

Better not to sweat the small stuff.

Wearing pajamas, Iris dried her hair and rolled her eyes.

‘Come to think of it, I think I saw a message when I awakened my powers. What was that? A one-time thing?Since this isn’t a game, there probably isn’t a status window, right?’

The moment she thought that, a window showing her abilities appeared before her eyes.

LV.1 Chastity Belt Girl

[Skills]

Alarm LV.12

Running LV.10

Whip Swinging LV.1

Back, Let’s See Your Back LV.1

Skull Smashing

[Status]

Comfortable / Excited / Curious

‘Oh! There is a status window! As expected, a possession bonus. I knew it.’

Iris clenched her fist and cheered.

There wasn’t much to see in the status window; it was very simple.

Since it hadn’t even been a full day since her awakening, that was natural.

First, LV.1 Chastity Belt Girl… The fact that there’s a level meant she could grow stronger by leveling up.

Maybe she would get stronger by undertaking missions and training.

‘I hate the name, but it can’t be helped. If not for the chastity belt strapped between my legs, I’d still be a plain civilian.’

Would she have to introduce herself by that name when fighting villains?

That would be seriously embarrassing.

She lowered her gaze.

Below her level and hero name were the skills she currently possessed.

“Alarm” and “Running” seemed like skills Iris already had even before awakening as a hero.

That must be why, unlike the newly acquired LV.1 “Whip Swinging” and “Back, Let’s See Your Back,” they had fairly high levels.

‘Whip Swinging… what? This skill name sounds really suspicious.’

‘Is there no description?’

Iris absentmindedly poked at the skill with her finger.

Then the description for “Whip Swinging” popped up.

Whip Swinging LV.1

You can swing a sturdy metal whip.

“A whip? But I don’t have a whip… huh?”

At that moment, a clattering noise came from between her legs.

Then there was the sound of metal hitting the floor.

Her thighs suddenly felt heavier.

With a sense of dread, Iris slowly lowered her gaze.

Something golden, made of the same material as the chastity belt’s chain, was slithering out from under her skirt like a coiled snake.

“Don’t tell me this is… the whip?”

Iris gulped and picked up the grotesque thing on the floor.

As she lifted it, the limp chain stiffened and instantly turned flexible like a real whip.

“So this is the whip.”

When she pulled on the now-agile whip, a pressure was transmitted down below.

During her shower, the chain had already shown the ability to detach and reattach on its own.

So it wasn’t strange that the chain connected to her crotch could extend into a whip.

However…

‘How grotesque. No, no, Iris. Not everyone gets powers. If you start complaining, even the luck you got might run away. Stay positive.’

Iris decided to retract the whip for now.

It was her first skill as Chastity Belt Girl.

Swinging it indoors could lead to disaster.

She struggled to stuff the agile chain back between her legs, but when that didn’t work, she got frustrated and shouted.

“Get back in!”

Maybe that was the answer, because the whip drooped and smoothly slid back up under her skirt.

When she lifted her skirt to check, the chastity belt had returned to its original state.

Looking at the belt nestled between her legs, Iris’s pupils quivered like candle flames in the wind.

‘Surely I won’t have to whip out the chain from between my legs every time I fight a villain, right?’

Iris pressed her finger against the furrow forming on her brow to smooth it out.

She was supposed to meet Senior Teresa tomorrow to receive some training.

She would find a solution then.

She had to.

She calmed her heart and decided to check the next skill.

LV.1 “Back, Let’s See Your Back.”

It was a very puzzling skill name.

How was she supposed to use it?

She tapped it with her finger, and a description floated in the air.

Back, Let’s See Your Back LV.1

A scouting skill. It can identify the target’s attributes.

‘Oh, that’s actually useful!’

Iris stared at the bed, thinking she wanted to “scan” it.

Then she felt a chilling sensation between her legs.

The chain slithered out like a snake again.

‘Again… seriously? Whatever, not even surprising anymore—huh?! Shit!’

She lowered her gaze with the dead eyes of an unsold frozen fish at a seafood market and let out a string of mental curses.

This time, the chastity belt’s chain had split into multiple strands and reached toward the bed.

Like the wires they use to attach heart monitors at a hospital, the chain divided into several parts and settled on the bed.

It looked unbelievable, like a scene in slow motion, but it had all happened in an instant.

[Scan Result]

Second-hand Bed

[Condition]

D

This is a second-hand bed Iris purchased from Chic Market.

She got scammed.

The bed is so bad that she should have received it for free.

[Durability]

2

It’s about to collapse.

‘Damn! I got ripped off! But still… being able to assess objects too? This skill is pretty good!’

It was a very useful skill despite its ridiculous name and even more ridiculous method of activation.

Meanwhile, the chain that had finished scanning the bed smoothly slithered back between her legs.

Iris decided she would find a new bed through a free giveaway.

She slapped her thighs lightly in encouragement.

‘You’re pretty competent, aren’t you? Let’s keep working well together.’

She spoke inwardly, but of course, there was no reply.

Turning her gaze to the final skill, she touched “Skull Smashing.”

Her lips pouted in frustration.

‘What’s this? Even touching it doesn’t bring up an explanation. No level either… maybe it’s a passive skill? Like when in danger, I instinctively bash my enemy’s head? Geez, so annoying.’

No matter how many times she tapped, no description appeared.

It probably was a passive skill that would activate during a crisis.

She would find out eventually.

Turning off the status window, Iris finished drying her hair and lay down on the bed.

Her mind was too full of questions to fall asleep easily.

Why had she stolen men’s underwear on her first day?

Also, there had been a message saying she had fulfilled the conditions for awakening—what exactly were those conditions?

Maybe living with the chastity belt for a week?

Would she gain new skills if she leveled up?

Since her current skills had levels attached, she assumed they would also get stronger as they leveled up.

And could other ability users also see their status windows like she could?

Countless questions crossed her mind.

But she figured she would find the answers one by one as she lived as a hero.

Even though “Chastity Belt Girl” was a slightly—no, very—embarrassing title, at least she had awakened her powers.

It had been 22 years since she reincarnated into a hero comic.

Finally, she had a purpose in life.

‘I was never meant to live as an ordinary person. I was meant to become a hero!’

The next day, Iris quit her job at the bakery.

The owner, feeling regretful, packed her a bunch of bread.

“You were always so polite, the customers loved you… where are you working now?”

“Huh? Oh… I found freelance work. Thank you so much for everything.”

She bowed politely and left the bakery.

When she imagined the future ahead, her heart pounded fiercely.

‘Now that I’ve awakened my powers, I need to focus on this. Once you draw your sword, you have to slice the radish too, right?’

With the money she had saved, she could cover living expenses for a few months.

Since she had reincarnated into a hero comic, she didn’t want to live a boring, ordinary life.

She had already suffered enough in her past life as a dull office worker.

Back then, she had often daydreamed about how amazing it would be if she had some kind of special power, just to survive the tedious days.

That’s why, when she realized she had been reborn into the world of a hero comic, she had felt both despair—about living as a citizen of Gyodam City—and immense joy.

At last, she had a chance to live an extraordinary life.

She couldn’t even count how many times she had gotten hissed at by cats while trying to awaken her powers.

After becoming an adult without incident, she had feared she would end her life as a mere civilian and had fallen into despair—but that was now the past.

Goodbye, ordinary life!

BOOM!

“Somebody help me!”

“Another commotion… wait.”

While heading toward Teresa’s house, Iris heard a loud explosion.

It was Gyodam City’s signature background noise—one she’d feel weird not hearing for a few days.

But could a hero just ignore an accident?

Guilt pricked her conscience.

She stopped walking and shook her head.

Even though she had awakened, she was still a fledgling.

If she recklessly jumped into a fight without knowing how to fight, she would be crushed instantly.

Assessing the situation realistically, Iris got into a running stance to flee quickly.

She rolled her eyes around to locate the accident site, and her mouth dropped open.

‘Isn’t that… the owner of the antique store?’