Chapter 2: Juuuuuump!

The year 20XX.
The Third World War broke out.

The cause was unimportant.
Once it started, the attacks continued until the other side’s breath was snuffed out.

Decades of peace were shattered in an instant.

Perhaps it was because of that peace.

Each nation launched an onslaught unseen in history, as if to release all the pent-up resentment they had held in their hearts.

“Just how many people… have died so far…?”

Statisticians shuddered at the people’s question.
They had never dealt with numbers of that magnitude.

Words like ‘annihilation’ or ‘extinction’ slowly began to circulate among the people.

They had sensed it.
That if things continued like this, everything would end.

In the end, it was one of two choices.

Either stop the war now, or everyone dies together.

The leaders of each nation chose the former.

They agreed to end the war and to dispose of all nuclear weapons to prevent such a thing from ever happening again.

[Everyone. As you can see now, all the nuclear bombs have been gathered in one place. Soon, the explosion will…]

The nuclear bombs gathered in one place, watched by the entire world, had become a signal of peace, the worst weapon of mass destruction—

-KABOOOOOOOOOM!

Where the remnants of the explosion settled, a lonely pit was formed.

Until the surrounding radiation was dealt with, everyone just thought of it as a crater.

[This is a breaking news update. A giant hole has been discovered in the land of peace, ‘Pan’. Scholars are investigating this hole…]

But surprisingly, a hole was pierced in the center of the crater.

It was a rather deep hole, and following it down through the earth led to an astonishing discovery.

“No, this can’t be…”

There was a new sky there.

[The World Government has named the continent that appeared beneath ‘Pan’ as ‘Pangea’ and announced that exploration will begin soon…]

It was the moment when the ‘Hollow Earth Theory,’ claimed by some conspiracy theorists, was proven to be true.

The people who had pointed fingers at them, calling them ignorant, had become the fools instead.

The unknown land, Pangea.

Each nation dispatched people to explore it.

Naturally, unknown dangers were expected to exist.
Accordingly, the first to set foot on that land were—

“Third platoon! Do not scatter!”

Soldiers.

I, too, as a son of the Republic of Korea, was dragged to Pangea.

-BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!!!

The sound of gunfire relentlessly assaulted my ears.

Soldiers made of skeletons were approaching us.

“Radioman! Still no contact from headquarters?”

The tadpole of a platoon leader, who had only recently been commissioned, shouted urgently.

Our 3rd platoon, separated from the main force on a reconnaissance mission, was currently isolated.

“N-not yet, sir!”

His reply was confident, but the radioman’s face was pale.

The worn-out 999k only repeated the usual static and nonsensical sounds.

I, and the other platoon members, waited for reinforcements that might come—

-BANG BANG BANG BANG BANG!!!

And pulled the trigger.

The K-2 spewed fire without rest.
I couldn’t stop even as the barrel turned red hot.

I had always wanted to try firing on full-auto just once, but this was definitely not how I wanted it to be.

“Aaaargh!”

The skeleton soldiers showed no sign of falling.

Even when bullets shattered their ribs, spines, and even their skulls, they continued to approach without stopping.

We couldn’t seem to inflict a new death upon those who were already dead.

“R-run away!!!”

Who was the first to turn their back?

I’m not sure, but what was certain was that when I turned around, the platoon leader’s back was the farthest away.

Amidst the escalating chaos, I too mixed my steps among them.

“Ah.”

-Thud.

Then I fell to the ground.
A hard vine had caught my ankle and wouldn’t let go.

“Uh…?”

A cold sensation seeped into my abdomen.
Something pierced through my body and came out.

Drip, bright red blood flowed down the dark, rusty blade.

And just like that, I lost consciousness in the middle of the battlefield.

---

“Huh?”

And surprisingly, I was able to wake up again.

As soon as I came to my senses, I immediately checked my body’s condition.

Was it thanks to modern’s cutting-edge technology?
There were no scars left on my abdomen.

Beyond that, my skin was much fairer and firmer than before.

“What the…”

Something tickled my back as it slid down from the nape of my neck.

It was my hair.
Not the black hair that could be called the identity of a Korean, but a rare silver.

And it was even long.

My old buzz cut was gone, and the ends of my hair were about to touch my waist.

Thinking it was a dream, I stood in front of a mirror.

The first things that caught my eye were a slender waist and developed hips.
And…

“What… is this.”

My noticeably larger breasts.
When I unconsciously brought my hand to them, the softness and weight were considerable.

A beautiful girl with silver hair and purple eyes.
That was my reflection in the mirror.

[As the number of residents in Pantonia increases, the authorities have…]

It was a little later that I learned that five years had passed since my death, and that this body was 20 years old, the same as when I died.

My name was the same as when I was a man, Seo Ian.
My resident registration number had also only changed in the year of birth and the first digit of the last 7 digits.

And so, I was reborn as a woman.

Whether it was a past life, a reincarnation, or a possession, I didn’t know, but it wasn’t important at all.

Rather, the moment I had dreamed of had arrived, and the excitement blooming in my chest wouldn’t stop.

A fantasy world appearing before my eyes.
And me, having become a woman.

So what should I do?
The answer was one.

‘Become a knight, of course.’

To become a noble female knight who slaughters monsters… and one day, a Sword Saint.

It was the romantic thing I had longed for.

[The Adventurer’s Guild announced today that it has discovered a new region…]

Many changes had occurred in the five years I was gone.

Nations had officially given up on exploring Pangea.
It was because of the monsters that were beyond human capabilities.

However, right after that, the profession of ‘adventurer’ was born.

They were those who could use special abilities in Pangea.

According to what was revealed, ‘mana’ exists in the atmosphere of Pangea.

And a select few were able to use ‘mana’ to cast magic or wield sword energy.

Just like in a fantasy novel.

The compatible ones became adventurers and were granted the qualification to enter Pangea.

“Thank you for your purchase. Please come again!”

I, too, was a compatible one.

The day I obtained my license, I spent all my savings to buy equipment.

Among them, the most important were a rather expensive sword and a special lens.

A sword was a given since I aimed to be a knight, and the lens was a means to earn money.

I actually wanted to get a full plate armor as well, but unfortunately, I was short on funds.

“Oh? You’re here again today. Are you going in today?”

The employee who took my license and entrance fee asked me.

“Well… hahaha…”

I could only let out an awkward laugh in response.

“In any case, have a good time.”

–Vwooom!

When he opened the door, I bowed my head and entered the building.

Adventurers were gathered in small groups in the large interior, and a giant hole located in the center captivated the eye.

That was the only passage from the surface to Pangea.

“Phew… Will it work today.”

With a sigh, I put on the lens.
At the same time, various information floated before my eyes like a hologram.

I could check the chat window and the viewer list, and my field of vision was broadcasted as the stream screen.

Yes, the method I chose to earn money was internet streaming.

The current exploration progress of Pangea is said to be around 5%.
Because of that, live broadcasts of explorations were a huge hit.

The top of the popular broadcast charts was always occupied by adventurers, and their every footstep became an issue.

Moreover, the number of adventurers wasn’t that large, so it was an insanely blue ocean market.

I intended to step boldly into that market.

Beyond just making money, I also wanted to share my romance-filled adventure with people.

“Please… just one person…!”

But I still hadn’t even started my adventure yet.

[Current viewers: 0]

The terrifyingly empty number 0 stuck around for longer than I thought.

A week had already passed, but it showed no signs of changing.

‘Should I just go in by myself?’

‘No. I can’t… do that!’

I shook my head from side to side to ignore the rising desire.

My first experience would be with my first viewer.

It was a goal I had set the moment I decided to start streaming.

I had to keep a promise once made.
That’s a knight’s honor.

But it was also true that I was starting to get strapped for cash.

At this rate, I might end up spending all my remaining money on the entrance fee.
Without ever setting foot in Pangea.

[Pangea Management Bureau announces that it is 3 PM.]

The lonely wait continued.

It felt like the few people who glanced at me were whispering, ‘Is she scared to go in?’

Is today another bust?
Just as I was about to give up with rising disappointment.

[Lenalenalena-nim has entered the broadcast.]

[What the? This room had 0 people, it’s a total nobody lol.]

“FINALLY!!!!!!”

As the viewer count changed to 1, I let out a cry of joy.
The other adventurers looked at me strangely, but I didn’t care.

[Are you a real adventurer?]

“Nice to meet you. Your nickname is… Lenalenalena-nim. My broadcast nickname happens to be Rea… This must be fate.”

[lol So what kind of broadcast is this?]

“You saw the title, right? I’m going to start my Pangea adventure right now.”

[Not clickbait, a real adventurer?]

The viewer asked again.
It was a natural question, as the strategy of pretending to be an adventurer to attract people was prevalent.

“Of course. Oh, and congratulations.”

[?]

“You’ve won a very good opportunity.”

[??? What opportunity?]

“Well, from now on…”

I immediately started running.
At the fastest speed I could muster.

“H-hey, wait a minute!”

The employee guarding the hole tried to stop me, but it was no use.

[?? From now on what?]

Instead of answering the chat, I leaped freely and threw my body towards the hole.

–Whoooooooosh!

Darkness filled my vision.
Cutting through the air rapidly, I fell quickly towards the light at the end.

And soon—

“Because the adventure starts now!”

A beautiful world revealed itself before our eyes.