Chapter 2: Regarding the addition of harem academy

Bang Bang!

Breaking free from those damn demons and the old-man party, returning to Earth after so long felt strangely nostalgic.

It had already been 20 years since I had been fighting with a sword in a fantasy world, so I was a bit worried that the world had turned into some kind of cyberpunk dystopia.

But no, the landscape wasn’t all that different from the blurry memories of my high school days.

Seoul’s towering skyscrapers and traffic-clogged roads remained the same, and the fine dust in the sky was just as bad.

Well, I did request to return to modern-day Earth.

If I had ended up in a world where implant-enhanced cyborgs were the norm, that would’ve been a serious delivery mistake.

“Well, so far, so good.”

Maybe the goddess had been considerate—

My outfit had changed from the armor I wore over there to a padded North Face jacket and fleece-lined jeans.

Hmm, I really used to wear this kind of thing back in high school.

Thinking about it made me feel old, but it was the truth.

***

[202X-12-11]

[12:30]

There was just one thing that seemed off. The phone in my jacket pocket showed a date two years ahead of what I remembered.

Had the balance of the world compressed my 20-year absence into just two?

Checking my condition, it felt like I had retained about 10% of my power from my hero days.

Maybe the passage of time had been adjusted to help make my return more believable.

“Is this really okay, Goddess?”

I muttered the question internally, but unlike before, when she always responded, there was only silence.

She had promised I could return to the other world whenever I wanted, so the connection couldn’t have been completely severed.

Maybe the link had weakened due to being in another world, or maybe she was just not paying attention right now.

Or was she giving me some privacy?

Worried I’d immediately do something unsightly?

“No way.”

As far as I knew, the so-called guardian of order and causality was actually someone who enjoyed spying on people’s daily lives.

There was no way a goddess like that would pass up the chance to watch a returning hero’s antics.

Her silence had to mean something.

Feeling a little uneasy, I decided to grab a soda and stepped into a nearby fast-food joint.

Beep—!

During the ordering process, I confirmed that the cash and cards the goddess had prepared worked just fine.

So far, so good.

I was probably just overthinking things.

But after sitting in a quiet corner and browsing the internet for a few minutes…

[You too can become an elite hunter! Try the Hunter’s Guide for only 79,000 won!]

[S-rank Hunter Shin Arin! Solo clears an A-rank dungeon! Why magic training is easier for women than men.]

[This year’s special ability exam was hell difficulty again… Students despair over unfair test criteria.]

“…Oh.”

Hunters? Magic? Dungeons?

These weird topics were popping up everywhere without any attempt to hide them.

This was far from the peaceful Earth I had expected.

“What the hell… Is this real?”

Was I seriously being dragged into another mess?

[‘The Balance of Order and Causality’ insists this was a misunderstanding and claims it was necessary for the sake of causality.]

Misunderstanding, my ass.

What a bunch of nonsense. I felt like slapping someone.

[H-Hey! Saying such mean things to the goddess who’s been your friend for years will hurt her feelings!]

“See? You could’ve answered right away.”

[A-Ah! It’s a misunderstanding! It’s harder to communicate since you’re in a different world now!]

So she could talk but was just keeping quiet, huh?

[Ah, aah! Nooo!]

And there it was—her usual fake innocence act.

This goddess…

She loved messing with people.

After knowing her for so long, there was no way I’d fall for it again.

[Aww, come on, Hero! You’re making me sound like some evil deity! This was all because of interdimensional rules—I couldn’t send you back to the exact same world and time, you know? But I granted all your requests, didn’t I?]

[Your powers are intact, you won’t have money troubles, and I even found you a world where your love life and career luck are perfect!]

[If I were to be possessed, I would rather go to an overpowered hunter world or a harem academy setting instead of this damned fantasy world. I kept singing about that, didn’t I? Seriously, I did everything right! This world isn’t even an apocalypse, and it’s a perfect place to succeed as a hunter!]

The goddess went on and on, explaining why it had to be this world.

She continued her explanation until I finished devouring the quattro cheeseburger set I had ordered in advance.

Since I had only been listening without responding, she seemed to grow more impatient.

Hmm, I see.

So this time, instead of an intergalactic war against demonic aliens, I was dropped into a slightly different hunter world.

Yet again, she pulled this stunt on me when all I wanted was a simple love comedy in an academy setting.

As I mulled over my reasons to take down the goddess, I suddenly replayed part of what she had just said in my mind.

“Huh? A harem academy? But from what I saw earlier, it’s already the third year and graduation season.”

[W-Wait, you think I didn’t consider that? I swear, I wasn’t trying to mess with you! I even consulted a divine oracle from a neighboring realm before choosing this world!]

[“The Flowing River of Fate” reluctantly agrees, as it was dragged here by its friend.]

Seeing how she even brought in the chief god of another world, it seemed like this wasn’t entirely her unilateral decision.

As she desperately continued to defend herself, the goddess finally revealed something important.

[Besides, youth really begins in college, doesn’t it? True love is for adults—that’s when the real story happens!]

Originally, I was supposed to be a high school freshman, but in this world, I had already completed the equivalent of the college entrance exam.

[This year’s special ability exam was pure hell… Students despair at an unreasonable test.]

[Archmage Argen: “If you can’t use magic, at least get good at swordsmanship. If you can’t do either, just give up already. I don’t understand why people whine so much.” His repeated statements shock students and parents alike, spreading meritocratic controversy.]

The so-called Special Ability Exam.

Instead of regular subjects like language, math, and science, it tested knowledge of dungeons, monsters, magic, aura, and other supernatural abilities. That’s what I found online, at least.

Of course, having just arrived, I had no idea about this world’s finer details.

I knew how to pilot a spaceship and obliterate demons, but how was I supposed to understand the common sense of a world I had never experienced before?

Thankfully, it seemed the damn goddess didn’t intend to embarrass me with bad test scores—I had apparently already taken the exam.

[I was planning to drag it out a little longer and surprise you…]

And not just that—I had been accepted into the world’s top elite school.

Seoul Academy for Supernatural Abilities.

An esteemed institution with a history spanning centuries, located in Seoul’s Academy Special Autonomous District.

Of course, I had no idea about its history.

Given how prestigious the school was, it seemed like only the most extraordinary students were admitted.

At this point, I wasn’t sure if I had simply returned to modern times or if I was inside a novel.

Fortunately, the goddess assured me that this was a harem academy setting rather than a terrifying monster-hunting hunter world.

‘Well, that certainly changes things.’

For some reason, a feeling of anticipation settled over me, and my usually no-nonsense heart began to feel at ease.

And when I finished my burger and arrived at the residence the goddess had arranged, I was greeted by a luxurious high-rise apartment complex.

“Ohh.”

Even at a glance, it looked insanely expensive.

In my original world, buying an apartment like this would cost at least 5 to 6 billion won.

Not only was the exterior extravagant, but the interior was just as impressive.

A spacious living room, three personal bedrooms, en-suite bathrooms for each, and a balcony with a clear view of the Han River.

This apartment alone was this luxurious, and when I checked my mobile banking app, I had enough money to buy several more buildings like it.

‘…Maybe this isn’t so bad after all.’

Sure, this world had supernatural abilities and random monster outbreaks from dungeons, but as someone who had spent decades as a demon-slaying hero, this might actually suit me better.

I had always imagined myself buying property, lounging around, and dating.

I never planned on getting a job or participating in society long-term.

Well, yeah, if the goddess were standing right in front of me, I would have given her an earful. But at least this was something I could accept.

Honestly, this wasn’t bad at all.

I was caught off guard by how unexpected it was, but maybe it was actually a good thing.

‘I’ll still give her a piece of my mind the next time I see her, though.’

Regardless, I had to live here for now.

With more money than I knew what to do with, I went to a department store and bought furniture and clothes before moving everything into my new apartment.

I decorated each room and placed a king-size bed in the center of the largest bedroom.

A mattress so soft that I could never dream of affording it in a medieval fantasy world.

Yeah, it was a small thing, but I had missed comforts like this.

After finishing the cleaning, I ordered some jokbal (braised pig’s trotters) and enjoyed it with a can of beer.

Then, out of nowhere, I started thinking about the comics and movies I had enjoyed before being summoned here.

‘Do they exist here too?’

Curious, I looked it up—and to my surprise, they did.

Not in their exact original form, but they existed.

Feeling nostalgic, I started watching them—only to be completely shocked.

There weren’t any major plot twists like the protagonist dying at the end or the heroine being abandoned, but… a lot had changed.

“Why is it like this…?”

“Well, if Hero Himera were here, they would definitely do this.”

“H-Huh? What did you just say?”

“What? Didn’t you hear me? You’ve become this world’s magical warrior!”

“Yeah, I’m Iron Girl now.”

“…What the hell?!”

As I watched, I was stunned by the bizarre dialogue and scenes.

The male hero had suddenly been turned into a woman.

The magical girl character was now a boy.

The genders of famous superheroes had been completely reversed.

What did this mean?

I didn’t want to acknowledge it at first, but as a former otaku, I instinctively understood.

—”I can do this all day.”

It was the same world overall, but with an unexpected twist.

Men weren’t necessarily putting on makeup and wearing skirts, but women had become stronger, and it was natural for them to take on those roles.

In a way, this meant I was now more unique than ever—but it was also a bit overwhelming.

“Girlvengers, assemble!”

Ugh, my head…