Chapter 3: I might be a little arrogant

“When did you become so beautiful, Ilraim?”

“…What?”

…Ah, what a relief.

At the very least, this drama’s characters and plot are intact.

Damn it, did that goddess send me to a hellhole with the worst kind of otaku sensibilities?

For a moment, I was ready to go to war against that otaku-hating goddess, but the realization that only my physical capabilities had changed somewhat reassured me.

I almost went full ‘if I die, you die with me.’

For a brief moment, I had a vision of taking the fallen hero route—turning into a demon lord after some fateful incident.

But in some ways, even that felt like a trope straight out of an otaku’s fantasy, so I decided to let it slide.

“Humans naturally possess some level of mana, but women’s mana receptivity is higher, is that it?”

Even ordinary people, who had less mana than Hunters, had women who were physically stronger than men.

Because of that, there seemed to be a general societal perception that women were more suited to physically demanding jobs.

Of course, this only applied to manual labor.

It wasn’t like all fictional characters, storylines, and societal roles had been completely reversed, which was a huge relief.

I suppose it was obvious in hindsight, but adjusting to this new world had been exhausting over the past few days.

“Hmm, so if things are reversed, does that mean it’s more common for women to confess first?”

It took a long time to adjust to the gaps in my conventional knowledge.

“They really mashed up all sorts of things, huh?”

A mix of hunter tropes, loud and dramatic school life, and even a gender role reversal.

What kind of ‘guardian of order and causality’ does something like this?

Rather than some sacred goddess, this feels like a stray dog licking up the scraps of chaos.

[‘The Balance of Order and Causality’ protests that such words are heartbreaking and unfair.]

[(ㅠㅠ)]

What exactly are you so aggrieved about?

Rather than setting up a world where I could easily shine, you’ve changed things so much that it doesn’t even feel like the same planet anymore.

The only thing familiar about this modern setting is the place names—other than that, I might as well have been transported to an entirely different world.

“I suppose they picked a world that at least made sense, rather than one completely tailored for me.”

Seriously, what kind of place is this?

Thankfully, it wasn’t completely impossible to adapt, since not all of my common sense had been overturned.

Men were more focused on beauty, and it was natural for women to take the lead.

If I just kept that in mind, I figured I could manage to get by.

“So, the balance is about fifty-fifty?”

About half of the comics, movies, and dramas I knew had survived intact.

There were moments when I had no idea why certain emotional beats or plot developments existed.

But there were also familiar stories with just a slight twist in atmosphere.

In a way, it added variety and freshness, which wasn’t necessarily bad.

While many traditionally male roles had been swapped with female ones, the reversal stopped at around a 70:30 or 60:40 ratio.

Considering how much physical abilities had changed, that balance wasn’t too bad.

-Girlvengers, Assemble.

Yeah. This situation was way better than the worst-case scenario I had imagined.

“Ugh, just thinking about that again makes my head hurt…”

Maybe it was because my first exposure to this world was one of the most extreme cases, but it gave me a headache.

Still, I decided to treat it as a sort of ‘inoculation’—a necessary mental preparation for surviving in this world.

Even so, wasn’t this goddess going a bit too far?

“Whatever she’s done, I need to brace myself.”

She had single-handedly destroyed any expectations I had for both her and this world.

If I wanted to handle whatever weird things might pop up, I just needed to stop expecting anything in the first place.

Just like how, for the past twenty years, I never even dreamed of dating because I was too busy being a hero.

[‘The Balance of Order and Causality’ loudly insists that this time, I should really trust it.]

[(ᄆ<)]

“Why do you keep sending messages with emojis instead of just talking?”

[‘The Balance of Order and Causality’ sniffles, saying the frequencies don’t match well across worlds.]

“Seriously? This goddess…”

Once again, I lowered my expectations.

I couldn’t expect this world to be an exact copy of my favorite stories, but if I assumed that unpredictable events would occur at a similar rate, I could prepare myself to handle them without panicking.

***

[Seoul Paranormal Ability Academy]

[Accepted]

[Shin Yuseong]

“I should be able to do this, right?”

Yeah, before I got summoned to the other world, I was a high school student.

If I thought of it as just taking a twenty-year-long summer break, maybe it wouldn’t feel so bad…

“Damn it, just going back to school is awkward enough, and now I have to attend some superpowered academy?”

It felt like going on a blind date for the first time—exciting yet stomach-churning.

As I stared at the admission documents and schedule that had been delivered to my house, I started running endless simulations in my mind.

Seoul Paranormal Ability Academy.

This institution, which trained newly awakened individuals who had just turned twenty, wasn’t just a top academy in South Korea—it was one of the most prestigious educational institutions worldwide.

Even though other countries had excellent academies, it wasn’t unusual for them to send students here, thanks to its unmatched reputation and track record.

The city had even designated a special autonomous district for the academy, covering an expansive area, and it boasted an exceptional faculty that included an S-rank High-Ranker Hunter.

For decades, it had consistently produced graduates with real-world combat experience, and its curriculum had been thoroughly tested and proven.

While the tuition was quite expensive, aside from that, the academy itself felt almost unreal.

It was practically an autonomous city built entirely for the education of future Hunters.

With such substantial support, gaining admission was notoriously difficult.

In fact, looking at the past academic records and credentials of accepted students, one couldn’t help but applaud.

“This year’s batch feels even stronger than usual.”

Professor Shin Arin, newly assigned as a first-year instructor, carefully observed the students passing through the school gates.

When one’s mana was highly developed, their awakened abilities naturally became stronger.

Not only that, but their senses—allowing them to detect their surroundings and opponents—were on a whole different level.

Standing with her hands behind her back in the faculty office, she merely had to glance at the distant students to gauge how much they had trained and whether they had exceptional talent or a more ordinary personality.

It was a kind of super-sensory perception—a skill honed through countless battles and experience in reading opponents.

“There are quite a few who would’ve been top-tier last year.”

It was a cliché phrase, but wasn’t a lineup like this often referred to as a golden generation?

Heirs of prestigious families, successors of mystical martial sects, rare spirit contractors, and even dark horses whose origins were difficult to determine.

As their future instructor, she couldn’t help but feel excited—it was like receiving a grand assortment pack of talented individuals.

“As always, there are far more women.”

Although she hadn’t been teaching for long, the industry itself had a high proportion of women.

Seeing a campus filled almost entirely with female students didn’t surprise her in the slightest.

Nor did she feel any disappointment.

As had been cross-proven through both research and practical experience, it was exceedingly difficult for male combat abilities to reach a level comparable to those of women.

“Hmm?”

That’s why Shin Arin’s eyes widened when she spotted a male freshman walking through the entrance with an aura she found difficult to read.

As someone highly skilled, she should have been able to gauge his level at a glance—but this time, it wasn’t so easy.

Even from a distance, there was something unusual about him.

Rather than explosively exuding mana, he carried a natural presence—as if he had conquered entire nations and returned.

“He’s going to be popular.”

More than anything, he was handsome.

***

Even though I had complete control over my body, I still struggled to fall asleep last night—like an elementary schooler excited for a trip to an amusement park.

I kept telling myself to sleep, but instead, I got lost in thoughts about how to succeed in college life.

The perfect balance of anticipation and anxiety filled my mind, keeping me awake for hours.

I even spent half the night looking up college life tips online.

“Of course, the Paranormal Academy is such a special case that random internet advice might not be much help.”

Still, after drafting hundreds of hypothetical scenarios, I was confident that I wouldn’t be easily flustered.

“Of course, it’s not like I’ll suddenly receive a love letter on the first day—that only happens in manga.”

Even with the changes in societal norms, as long as I didn’t cause any major incidents on my first day, nothing crazy should happen.

I figured I’d just attend the orientation, listen to the syllabus overview, and quietly observe my surroundings before leaving.

That was my expectation.

My heart was pounding, but I was prepared for a normal first day.

Yet…

“Wow.”

“What the hell is that?”

“That doesn’t look human…”

For some reason, I was the center of attention.

Wait, I haven’t even done anything yet.

I was simply walking across campus—wearing a basic, understated outfit based on the internet’s definition of a “classic campus look.”

I wasn’t trying to stand out at all.

And yet, everyone kept staring, whispering things that sounded anything but normal.

Did I unknowingly do something noticeable?

Or was I being mocked, like someone saying, “Hey, check out your boyfriend walking by”?

“I thought I looked more normal than before…”

Damn that goddess—she said she gave me a handsome college student buff, but was that a lie?

Why did this feel like I was trapped in some kind of otherworldly campus version of The Truman Show?

Before I could hear the words “There goes your boyfriend”, I instinctively suppressed my expanded senses, minimizing my presence as a living being.

[‘The Balance of Order and Causality’ suddenly jumps up, shouting not to misunderstand!]

I wasn’t sure what went wrong, but I knew I needed to get out of this situation.

“…Ah, peaceful.”

I felt the surrounding gazes quickly scatter, and I let out a sigh of relief.

Maybe I had grown a bit arrogant, arriving in a world where strong men were rare.

[‘The Balance of Order and Causality’ deeply reflects on its grave mistake.]

[(ᅲ_ᅲ)]

[It mutters that the hero’s romance sense has fallen into the abyss after spending decades only hanging out with old men.]

And just now, I had another realization.

One should only take advice from experts.

That goddess, who has been single for far longer than I have, is the last person I should listen to.

[The goddess glares and raises her voice…]

Alright, let’s move on.