Chapter 2: Koreans Run on Rice (1)

Had I ever been called “cute” while living as a man?

No matter how much the novel had described this body with adorable little traits, it just didn’t sit right with me.

I felt absurd, like I’d been thrown into the shoes of one of the countless fictional characters I’d read about.

“Ha…”

Honestly, I wanted nothing more than to throw the blanket back over my head and deny reality.

But I knew all too well— I couldn’t.

The sunlight pouring through the window made it unmistakably clear: morning had arrived.

And that wasn’t all.

If what I saw in the prologue was anything to go by, I’d have to get ready to head to the Academy today.

Looking around the room, it seemed everything was already well-prepared.

The priest’s robes? 

A pendant that looked like a symbol of the Order? 

Even if the room had a small one-room apartment vibe, it had everything I could possibly need. 

Everything was neatly arranged.

Apparently, the original Tailo of this world had been extremely organized.

The Academy required new students to take an entrance exam of sorts before official admission. 

It was a common enough cliché, but I had to be ready.

The test schedule was strict. 

If I messed up the timing, I could end up waiting all day with nothing to do.

In short, I needed a plan.

I didn’t know any special techniques, nor was I good with a sword or spear.

But hey, I was a priest from the Order. 

Maybe I could at least say a prayer?

I clasped my hands together.

Dear God… I’m hungry.

“…Huh?”

A soft white light materialized in the air.

I wasn’t exactly religious.

But maybe it was time to start believing.

[Jongga Mat Kimchi]

“….”

Even more shocking, what appeared was something I shouldn’t be able to find in this world.

Was this related to a hologram-like ability?

On the plastic pouch just slightly bigger than my palm was the name of a well-known kimchi brand from Earth.

I placed the kimchi inside a magically engineered preservation unit that looked suspiciously like a modern refrigerator, despite the whole medieval-fantasy setting.

Of course, I made sure to take out just enough for cooking before I did.

So… the original Tailo liked cooking, huh?

If I hadn’t taken over his body, maybe he would’ve ended up as one of those “househusbands” people talked about in this gender-flipped world.

As these thoughts floated around, I began prepping the meal.

There was more food here than I’d expected.

Honestly, the only thing missing was kimchi. 

Everything else I needed for kimchi fried rice was already here.

“Ugh—”

Wobble.

Weird…

My body suddenly swayed.

I hadn’t been drinking… 

Was it because I used that ability?

It did feel like I’d burned a bit of energy. 

My body felt oddly weak and hollow, so yeah, that had to be it.

I decided to save investigating my new powers for later.

If I messed this up and failed to get into the Academy, I might just end up dead in this bizarre, transmigrated world with no idea why or how.

Before the test, there was something even more important I had to do:

Time to cook.

It wasn’t just for me— it was also lunch for her.

***

“I… I’m back again.”

Fourth loop.

The third had ended even sooner than the second.

She hadn’t even made it past her second year before dying, so it would be fair to say she came out of it at a loss.

She was tall— easily over 170 cm.

And when she opened her eyes this time, she found herself in the same place she had first awakened.

Han Jia?

No… that name was hazy now, fading from her memory.

Once a girl from South Korea, she had become a regressor trapped in the fantasy world of a novel.

A first-year student at Elin Academy.

Now, the name Jirein Uriel felt far more familiar.

As countless memories piled up, the distant ones vanished into the void.

She was tired— so very tired— but there was no time to rest.

Danger was coming to the Academy. 

But for now, it was still the safest place she could be.

With the knowledge and skills she had accumulated through all her past lives, she had to rise again.

She reached for her sword, using it like a cane to push herself to her feet.

Once more, she made her way toward the Academy.

Because she had been chosen by the Order as a Hero.

Because she was a regressor, trapped by fate.

Uriel took her first step forward.

Ignoring the growling in her stomach.

Forcing herself to endure the pain— if only to avoid facing the exhaustion that weighed down her body and soul.

***

It was strange, now that I thought about it.

I packed the food neatly into a cute lunchbox and mulled it over.

The readers’ comments were increasing in real time, but most of them seemed completely unfazed.

In other words—

It didn’t feel like a story set in modern society, the world I had come from.

There wasn’t even a gender-reversal tag. 

And yet, worldbuilding had already naturally incorporated a gender-swapped setting.

Even if it was just the first episode, the readers all seemed to get it.

But then—

The people leaving comments felt like they could be reincarnated men… and at the same time, like women too.

But seeing how they were turned on by me… wouldn’t that make them women?

In that sense, I started to suspect that the platform where this novel was being published was also part of a gender-reversed world.

While I was lost in all those thoughts, I finished getting ready.

I packed a small bundle, put on the robe of a cleric, and set out on my journey!

Maybe it was because I was a freshman, but I lived pretty close to Elin Academy.

A massive building loomed in the distance— too big to mistake— so it looked like I could get there in about twenty minutes on foot.

I wondered what the main character was doing right now.

The thing that annoyed me most about the novel was that the female lead was a native of the gender-reversed world.

Differences in modern values? 

She had none. 

She was a character who had grown up in a world where men were naturally passive.

So I worried as I read.

What if she got romantically involved with a man?

It was my first time reading a female-led story like this, so I was afraid I’d take emotional damage— but apart from the grim and gritty developments, there wasn’t much romance to be drawn in.

…Is that a relief?

Anyway, as I got lost in thought, I arrived at the academy before I realized it.

Judging by the long line and the nervous looks on the faces of those in it, it seemed to be the line for freshmen.

Thankfully, there were guides, so I was able to stand in line without worry.

It seemed like I came at the right time.

The line moved faster than expected, and the academy’s entrance exam had begun.

Of course, unlike the nervous freshmen, I couldn’t focus on reality at all.

[Subscription Alert!]

A new chapter had gone up.

Not a prologue— Episode 1.

A web novel shows you the protagonist in the first episode.

Which meant… Uriel, the regressor and main character, had begun to move.

The sleepyhead had awakened from her long regression slumber.

I moved my fingers quickly.

Worried someone might see, I activated a hologram to block their view and thankfully, no one noticed.

I relaxed and began reading Episode 1.

At first, it was just a short, 320-character post.

But as I kept reading, the empty space began to fill.

[The first thing Uriel did was head for the academy.]

[As a former Hero, she knew her place. Unlike the first round, she now went straight to the academy and talked with the instructors.]

[She was originally supposed to take an exam, but used her status as a Hero and the backing of the Church to skip it.]

[There was no intricate strategy. But through her conversations, she showed the teachers her social finesse. Even though she hid her power, she proved she was not someone to be underestimated.]

[The real reason was rest. Though she believed she’d executed her plan, she had lost herself during the years of her third life.]

[So Uriel went to her favorite place in the academy— a special space accessible only to those sensitive to the force that made up the world: mana.]

[It was a beautiful garden. A fantastical space shaped by nature alone, without any artificial design.]

[She just wanted to rest. After working so hard and finally regressing, it was only natural.]

[But someone showed up to disturb her peace… a man with special divine power.]

A Saint?

Where there’s a Hero, there’s usually a Saintess.

Ah— forgot about the gender-swapped logic again. 

Let me rephrase.

Where there’s a Heroine, there’s a Saint.

To be honest, I was a bit worried.

Not because I was jealous she’d fall for someone, but because from what I could tell of her current state, the Saint was going to be a real pain to deal with.

Thankfully, I didn’t have time to worry too much.

Something very real was happening right in front of me and to use the proper term, the “timing was perfect.”

“Tailo?”

“Yes.”

A mixed-blood from the Eastern Continent.

People’s gazes turned toward me, but I focused on what I had to do.

The first test was to channel energy into a crystal orb.

Every human had mana, so blah blah blah.

The usual academy cliché.

It seemed like they were trying to gauge our potential or something, but I decided to just wing it.

Honestly, as long as I wasn’t aiming for Class A, just being in the same class as her would be enough.

Right now, the main concern wasn’t the test— it was the protagonist’s condition.

What if she died? 

What if she ended up committing suicide?

What could possibly be done in a world where she was gone?

What could I do in a world where the regressor had vanished?

With that thought, I quickly channeled energy into the crystal orb.

“I’ll begin now.”

Dear God,

Please go easy on me.

Clang!

The crystal orb shattered.

It felt like the energy drained from my body all at once.

Probably more than half of it gone in a single blow.

Damn it.

God, why are you doing this to me?

Just as I was wondering what to do next—

One of those background-exposition-type characters, who looked like a classic extra, muttered in disbelief.

“No way… That artifact was crafted by the headmaster himself…”

And just like that, the nearby freshmen started murmuring amongst themselves.

Damn it.

This is gonna be a real mess.