Chapter 1: Chapter 1

Early 2019.

Earth and humanity faced a sudden cataclysm.

Countless gates and dungeons appeared all over the world out of nowhere.

Monsters of various kinds poured out from those places.

Many people were massacred by monsters that rendered firearms and other weapons useless.

At the same time, a small number of humans began to awaken.

It was the beginning of the Great Hunter Era.

Time passed, and it was now spring 2024.

The Hunter Management Bureau was established in Seoul to manage the hunters.

Late at night, two people were having a conversation in a room belonging to that bureau.

“Are you from another world?”

“...Yes.”

As a plain-looking man with dark circles under his eyes asked the question, the woman across from him answered quietly.

Her face was covered by a black veil, hiding her features.

Without her clear and melodious voice, it would have been difficult to distinguish her gender.

“If it’s true, you’re the second returnee in the world.”

“...”

“Well, it’s a bit frustrating to talk like this. Can I ask you to take off the veil?”

The woman, who had been looking at the desk, lifted her head at the man’s weary words.

“Never take off the veil outside. Don’t mix conversations with others.”

These were the words that the heroes and their party had always emphasized.

But they were no longer here. This is Earth now.

“True. I apologize.”

The woman slowly removed her veil.

As she did, her hidden beautiful face revealed itself.

Her waist-length white hair flowed down like silk.

Her flawless white skin and delicate features were striking.

The golden eyes, barely visible through her half-closed eyelids, added to her exotic beauty.

The man’s eyes widened at the appearance of this ethereal beauty.

“Ahem! Si-hyun? The missing record said you were male.”

“…It just happened that way.”

“Anyway, your family has been contacted and is on their way here. Until then, let’s have a chat.”

“Sure.”

As Si-hyun replied, the staff member lightly nodded.

“As I just mentioned, you are Korea’s first returnee, so there are no established laws yet.”

“Then what about my identity…?”

“If your younger sister agrees when she arrives, we’ll restore your identity.”

“If I can’t prove it, I’ll become an illegal resident.”

“That’s correct.”

The man, closely observing Si-hyun’s reaction, sighed in relief.

Even though she spoke little, she seemed calm and sufficiently sensible.

“Don’t worry too much. Your identity can be resolved at the bureau’s discretion.”

“Okay.”

“So, could you share your story? We need information.”

Si-hyun nodded and summarized the necessary information.

She had thought she was dead during the cataclysm, but when she regained consciousness, she found herself in her current body.

To return to Earth, she had helped the hero party defeat the Demon King.

As her short tale concluded, the man smiled wryly.

“Haha, what a fantastical story! It resembles the current state of Earth.”

“Is it that serious?”

“There’s no Demon King, but things have changed a lot due to the gates. It’s total chaos.”

The man unintentionally let out a complaint.

At that moment, the door to the consultation room burst open, and a young woman stormed in.

“Oppa—!”

The three of them looked at each other in confusion.

Soon, the woman, having heard the man’s explanation, covered her mouth and looked at Si-hyun.

With wide eyes, she sat down.

She was there to verify the truth.

---

“Um, it might be strange to ask again, but… is it really you, our oppa?”

As I looked at my younger sister, who was worriedly asking me while taking off her shoes, I saw the only family member who had grown into an adult after five years.

Fortunately, the bureau had agreed that Si-yoon was my family.

Afterward, it was decided that a detailed consultation would continue later.

It was far too late at night for that.

So, we took a taxi to Si-yoon’s house.

“Have you changed a lot?”

“Well…”

“Thanks for believing me.”

I ruffled my younger sister's hair.

The little sister I remembered had grown up, and I felt smaller in comparison.

As a result, my sister was now taller than me.

I had to look slightly up to meet her eyes.

“How did you manage to find a place in Seoul? We used to live in the countryside.”

“Gia unni helped!”

“Gia? My university classmate?”

“Yeah!”

Si-yoon responded cheerfully, clapping her hands.

“She awakened and became a hunter! She heard about you and helped me.”

“…Is being a hunter that lucrative?”

“Depends on the rank! Unni is A-rank!”

Si-yoon excitedly continued explaining.

S-rank is regarded as a hero.

Below that, there are a total of six ranks from A to E.

It seems my old crush, who had ended up in the friend zone, had become quite a remarkable person.

“I’ll have to thank her later.”

“I’ll send her a message! She’ll be happy too!”

A message.

It was a term I hadn’t heard in a long time.

I realized that I hadn’t returned to a different world, but to the present day.

“Sit on the couch! Let’s order chicken.”

“Oh, chicken! Sounds good.”

I watched my sister comfortably lean back on the couch as she fiddled with her smartphone.

Since our parents had passed away when we were young, I was grateful that my sister had grown healthy and vibrant despite being left alone when I vanished.

“I guess I’ll have to stay here for a while. Is that okay?”

“Uh-huh… I think we’ll manage somehow?”

“Maybe…”

“No, it’s fine! I’m an adult now! I can support at least one oppa.”

“…”

Considering the age difference, she had just turned into an adult.

I didn’t know how much Gia had supported her, but…

Right now, Si-yoon seemed to be putting on a brave face.

I had returned to Earth to meet my sister, but I didn’t plan on burdening her.

I needed to think of a way to earn money as soon as possible.

“By the way, do people from the world you came from all wear such clothes? You look so constricted.”

“Oh, this….”

I lowered my head to look at my attire.

A nun’s outfit custom-made so that my figure wouldn’t show.

The work of the hero who had been obsessed with me.

She didn’t want other men to see me.

“The hero was a bit obsessive.”

“Eh, the hero? That’s totally broken.”

“Fufu, it wasn’t like that from the start. It got worse over time.”

I couldn’t help but smile at Si-yoon’s vivid reaction.

“You said you fought the Demon King together, right? From your outfit, you look like a priest?”

“…”

Ah, I hadn’t mentioned that.

But it was a bit embarrassing to say.

I cautiously looked at my sister.

Her eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“Can I not laugh at this…?”

“Hmm? Okay!”

“Se….”

“Uh-huh? Se?”

It was hard to bring it up.

But I eventually closed my eyes and shouted.

“Saint.”

“...Pfft.”

“Hey, you said you wouldn’t laugh.”

“No way! A guy became a saint! How can I not laugh at this?”

…Now I shouldn’t tell anyone I’m a saint.

To be honest, I understand my sister’s feelings.

But it wasn’t like I wanted to become one.

I opened my eyes and found myself possessing the body of a lonely deceased magical girl.

With a bright light, the stigmata had been engraved on my hand, and I was immediately dragged to a church.

After that, I was forced to train, sweating blood, and was recruited into the hero party.

“It’s good to see my cute sister smile after a long time.”

“Ah, stop it! Weren’t there any beauties in the hero party?”

“Except for the hero, everyone was a woman….”

Those were memories I didn’t want to recall.

Should I tell my sister now and gossip a bit together?

“The hero was obsessively attached to me, and the women who were madly in love with the hero were jealous of me. It was total chaos.”

“Wow….”  @@novelbin@@

To put it simply, I was unilaterally bullied.

“They supported the hero’s bizarre behavior and isolated me. If it weren’t for the Demon King, I would have run away a long time ago.”

“What kind of hero party is that? Our oppa really had a hard time.”

Si-yoon empathized with me as if it were her own story.

The empathy of others.

It had been a long time.

“Oh, I ended up leaking information while talking about clothes! I’ll lend you my clothes, so do you want to change?”

“...Is that okay?”

“We’re both women now! Honestly, your clothes look so constricted that I can’t breathe.”

“Sure, then I’ll ask for it.”

Hearing my answer, Si-yoon jumped up and approached the closet in the corner of the living room.

She rummaged through various clothes while talking to me.

“I guess I should call you unni now instead of oppa?”

“…That’s a bit.”

“Really? Even after five years, is it still awkward to call me that?”

“I’ve never had to call someone like that, nor been called that. I was busy with war.”

“Sorry! But still, the title is unni!”

It was a firm decision on her part.

Well, I agree that I need to adapt to this new life.

Maybe I can overlook the way I’m called.

While I was lost in thought, Si-yoon handed me some clothes.

I went to the next room, changed, and returned.

Fortunately, they were baggy clothes, so they fit well enough even if the length was slightly off.

“By the way, unni. What’s with your chest?”

“...?”

“Why does it look so big for no reason?”

“Cough…”

It’s not like I chose this body.

I had no response.

“Wow, look at your hair. The ordinary nerd oppa returned as a complete beauty.”

“...”

“Your skin looks great too. I’m so jealous…”

Suddenly, Si-yoon began critiquing me.

The situation was so awkward that heat rose to my face.

“Ah! Your blushing is cute!”

“Hey…”

“Feels like I’ve gained a little sister instead of an oppa?”

“...”

I had to change the topic.

“Now that the obsessive hero is gone, should I cut my hair? Can you lend me some scissors?”

“No way!”

An intense reaction came back.

I was taken aback by this unexpected response.

“...Why?”

“It’d be a waste! Let’s just go to a hair salon and get it trimmed.”

“Too much trouble…”

“Hmm.”

“Fine, fine. Then can you lend me a headband?”

“There’s one in that drawer!”

Wow, I was surprised.

Our little sister has grown a lot since I last saw her.

As I glared with wide eyes, my heart raced.

It was scarier than the sharp gaze of the griffon I had encountered in another world.

“Hmm?”

As I opened the drawer my sister pointed out, I immediately spotted an eye-catching object.

Modern women's underwear.

Unlike the plain underwear from that world, it had a fancy design.

I suddenly felt that my sister had become an adult woman.

It wasn’t intentional, but I had seen someone else's, especially my sister's underwear.

I carefully took out only the headband and closed the drawer.

As I turned my head, I was met with a sly gaze.

“Unni.”

“...Yes?”

As I responded, Si-yoon narrowed her eyes and said.

“You saw it, didn’t you?”

“...Yeah.”

“Then I should be able to see it too, right?”

“Huh?”

Why was her logic flowing like that?

I involuntarily took a step back.

“Now that we’re both women, I’m curious about the design of the underwear from another world.”

“It’s nothing special.”

“You saw mine, so it’s unfair.”

“...”

Could she have been planning this from the start?

I looked at my sister with suspicious eyes, but I was ignored.

After a brief standoff, I ultimately lost.

…According to my sister's logic, it wasn’t like I was showing it to a man.

If it were a man, I might have kicked him right away thinking of the hero’s gaze.

I hesitated, lifting my shirt.

“See, it’s nothing special?”

“What’s this… It’s way too nothing special! We should definitely go shopping tomorrow.”

“Is that okay?”

“It’s even worse now!”

Feeling the pressure, I cautiously nodded.

Indeed, the energy of a real woman is intimidating.

At that moment.

*Ding Dong!*

“I think the chicken has arrived. I’ll go check!”

“Okay.”

I sat on the sofa, staring blankly at Si-yoon, who was walking toward the front door.

She opened the door.

Her bright smile froze.

A tall blonde man forced his way into the house.

My sister was pushed against the wall.

“Finally, you opened the door.”

“...Can you please go away?”

“Don’t be like that. If you date me, I can guarantee your life!”

“I really don’t like it.”

…I stood up from the sofa.

I couldn’t help but think that he wasn’t a delivery person.

“I may not look it, but I’m a C-rank hunter. I earn well.”

“I’m not interested.”

“Hah, come on… Hmm?”

As he approached, he finally noticed me and turned his head.

His mouth dropped open, and his eyes roamed up and down.

“Wow! What’s this? You’re incredibly beautiful!”

“Hey! Don’t touch my sister!”

Ignoring my sister, the man stood up and looked down at me.

I watched him for a moment before speaking.

“Boyfriend?”

“Haha! I….”

“Shut up! You stalker!”

As soon as I heard my sister’s shout, I quickly made a judgment.

Here, there were no parties of heroes who oppressed me.

No church, no royalty, no Demon King.

There was nothing to hold me back.

“Gyaah——!”

As I kicked him in the shins, a sound of bone breaking echoed as the man crumpled to the floor.

Now I looked down at him.

“Stalker, huh?”

How dare he target my precious younger sister?

He had some nerve.

It was time for his repentance.