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HELHEIM SCANS
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Chapter 2: On the Matter of a Munchkin Hunter World Combined with a Harem Academy
Bang, bang—!
Escaping from those damned demons and the old man party, it was genuinely refreshing to be back on Earth after so long.
After 20 years of eating steel rations in a fantasy world, I was worried that Earth might have transformed into some kind of cyberpunk future.
But the scenery wasn’t all that different from my vague memories of high school days.
The same towering skyscrapers of Seoul, the same congested roads, and even the fine dust clouding the sky—it was all still there.
Honestly, if I had returned to a world where implant cyborgs were the trend, it would’ve felt like a shipping error.
‘Well, so far, so good.’
Thanks to the goddess’s intervention, I wasn’t stuck in my old fantasy armor but instead wearing a North Face padded jacket and fleece-lined jeans.
Hmm, exactly the kind of outfit I used to wear back in high school.
It made me feel a bit old, but it was true, so what could I do?
[202x-12-11]
[12:30 PM]
The only thing that struck me as odd was the date on my phone, which I found in my jacket pocket.
It was about two years ahead of what I remembered.
Had the world compensated for the 20 years I spent away by shrinking the gap to just two years here?
Upon checking my current condition, it seemed like I was only at about 10% of my former hero-level strength.
Maybe this time discrepancy was meant to help me reintegrate into society without drawing too much attention.
‘Is this right, goddess?’
I asked the question internally, but the familiar voice that had always answered me didn’t come through.
The goddess had promised I’d be able to return to the other world whenever I wanted, so the connection couldn’t be completely severed.
It was probably just weakened due to the dimensional separation or perhaps she was momentarily distracted.
Hmm.
Or maybe… she was giving me some privacy, just in case I immediately got up to some degenerate behavior.
‘No way, that can’t be it.’
The goddess I knew was a voyeuristic busybody who took pleasure in spying on others’ private lives, despite being the so-called guardian of "Order and Causality."
There was no way she’d pass up the chance to watch the freshly returned hero indulge in earthly pleasures.
[……]
Her continued silence made me uneasy.
Feeling strangely anxious, I decided to grab a soda and stepped into a nearby fast-food restaurant.
Beep-beep—!
I confirmed that the cash and cards in the wallet the goddess had prepared worked perfectly fine when I placed my order.
So far, everything seemed to be functioning smoothly.
Thinking I was just being overly paranoid, I sat down with my food and started browsing the internet.
But after only a few minutes of scrolling, I came across some curious things.
[You too can become an elite hunter! Experience the fundamentals for just 79,000 won!]
[S-Rank Hunter Shin Arin solo-clears an A-rank dungeon! Why women have an advantage in magic cultivation over men.]
[This year’s Special Ability Exam was hell-level again… students despair over the absurd difficulty.]
“…Oh.”
Hunters?
Magic?
Dungeons?
These bizarre terms were being thrown around openly, without anyone even attempting to hide them.
This was definitely not the peaceful Earth I had been longing for.
‘What the hell is this? Are you kidding me?’
Was I going to have to start fighting again?
[‘Order and Causality’ awkwardly explains that it was a misunderstanding and insists that it was all necessary for the sake of causality.]
Causality, my ass.
What a load of crap.
[W-Wait! You’ve been close with me for years! Don’t say such harsh things—it hurts my feelings, you know?]
‘Oh? So you can answer me just fine after all.’
[Ah—no, no! It’s just that communication between dimensions isn’t as easy anymore! I swear!]
Even if we couldn’t talk as easily as before, the fact that she had remained silent and just quietly observed didn’t sit right with me.
[A-Ahh!]
This goddess…
She liked to pretend she was a sweet and innocent being, but she was a mischievous trickster through and through.
After spending so much time with her, there was no way I’d fall for her act again.
[Hey, Hero! You’re making me sound like some kind of evil goddess! The dimensional rules made it impossible to send you back to the exact same time and place, okay? Besides, I kept all my promises, didn’t I?]
[I made sure you got all your powers, you’ve got plenty of money, and you’ll never be short on luck. I even found you a perfect world for romance and career success, remember?]
[You always said that if you had to reincarnate, you’d rather be in a munchkin hunter world or a harem academy setting than some grimdark fantasy. Well, I actually made that wish come true for you! It’s not even an apocalyptic world—it’s a hunter paradise where you’re destined for greatness!]
The goddess enthusiastically defended her decision, babbling on while I calmly devoured my quattro cheese burger set.
She was clearly getting flustered by my silence.
Hmm, I see.
So this time, it wasn’t about intergalactic demon-slaying or space battles.
Instead, she had dropped me into a hunter world with a twist—a setting with harem academy elements.
Just when I thought I could finally live out a romantic comedy life, she had pulled another stunt.
As I quietly mulled over how to eventually punish the goddess for this, a particular part of her rambling caught my attention.
“Hmm? Harem academy? But I just checked, and I’m already a third-year, about to graduate.”
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HELHEIM SCANS
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[E-Eh? You think I didn’t plan for that? Come on, you seriously think I wouldn’t pay attention to the details? I even consulted a friend from the neighboring dimension for a divine reading before sending you here!]
[‘The Flowing Waters of Fate’ reluctantly confirms they were roped into it.]
Dragging another god from another dimension into this?
Okay, maybe it wasn’t just her own reckless decision.
As the goddess desperately continued defending herself, she finally revealed something interesting.
[And isn’t youth supposed to truly begin in college? Real love happens in adulthood, right?]
Originally, I should have been a high school freshman, but in this world, I had already taken the college entrance exam.
* * *
[Was this year’s Special Ability Exam at hellfire difficulty again…? Students despair over the merciless test.]
[Archmage Arhen: “If you can’t do magic, then at least excel in swordsmanship. If you can’t do anything, just quit already. I don’t understand why you’re whining.” His repeated statements shock students and parents, fueling meritocracy debates.]
The so-called Special Ability Exam.
Instead of the usual subjects like math, science, and language, this test assessed knowledge of dungeons, monsters, magic, and aura-related abilities.
At least, that’s what I read online.
Of course, having just arrived, I had no clue about this world’s customs.
I knew how to fly across galaxies and slaughter demons, but understanding the modern norms of this place?
That was beyond me.
Still, the damned goddess must have taken pity on me and spared me the embarrassment of dealing with test scores.
Apparently, I had already taken the exam.
[I was going to drag it out a bit longer and surprise you with the good news…]
To my surprise, I had not only passed but also been accepted into the world’s most prestigious academy:
Seoul Academy of Supernatural Abilities.
An institution with a history spanning centuries, located in the Seoul Academy Special Autonomous District.
Of course, I knew nothing about its esteemed legacy.
But considering how prestigious it was, it seemed only the most exceptional students were admitted.
At this point, I wasn’t sure if I had truly returned to Earth or if I had somehow been reincarnated into a light novel.
Fortunately, the goddess reassured me that this was more of a harem academy setting rather than some monster-invasion hunter hellscape.
‘Well, that certainly changes the narrative.’
For some reason, an unfamiliar sense of anticipation stirred in me, and my restless heart began to settle.
When I finished my burger and returned to the house the goddess had arranged for me, I was greeted by a breathtaking view: a luxurious high-rise apartment complex.
“Oh-ho.”
Just from the exterior, I could tell it was ridiculously expensive.
Back in my original world, an apartment like this would have easily cost 5 or 6 billion won.
The opulence didn’t end with the facade.
When I stepped inside, the interior was just as lavish—a spacious living room, three individual bedrooms, and bathrooms attached to each one.
When I walked out onto the balcony, a full view of the Han River unfolded before my eyes.
Even more absurdly, when I checked my mobile banking app, I found I had enough cash to buy several more buildings just like this.
‘…This might not be so bad after all.’
Sure, this world had supernatural abilities and dungeons with rampaging monsters, but compared to the hell I’d endured fighting demons for twenty years, this was practically paradise.
After all, I had no intention of living a typical life with a job or career.
My plan had always been to lounge around, buy properties, and enjoy life.
‘If the goddess were in front of me, I’d probably give her an earful, but… I can live with this.’
For now, this was my reality.
With money to burn, I went on a shopping spree at the department store, buying furniture and clothes before moving everything into my new apartment.
I decorated each room and placed a king-sized bed in the largest one—a luxurious mattress far beyond anything I could’ve dreamed of in the medieval fantasy world.
Yes, it was the little things like this that I had missed.
After cleaning up, I ordered some jokbal (pork trotters), paired it with a can of beer, and kicked back.
As I relaxed, memories of the comics and movies I had enjoyed before being summoned resurfaced.
‘Do they have those here too?’
Curious, I searched for them—and to my amazement, they existed.
Not in their exact original form, but close enough.
Feeling nostalgic, I started binge-watching, but soon found myself shocked by what I saw.
The plotlines hadn’t undergone any drastic twists, like suddenly killing off the main character or abandoning the heroine.
However, there were significant changes.
--
“Why would you go this far…?”
“Because if it were Hero Himera, she would have done the same.”
--
“Ehh? Nandatte?”
“What? Didn’t you hear? You’ve become this world’s magical boy!”
--
“Yes, I am Iron Girl.”
--
“...What the hell?!”
The unfamiliar dialogue and unexpected scenes on my smartphone left me dumbfounded.
The once-male heroes were now female.
The magical girl characters had become magical boys.
Even the famous superhero movies had undergone a gender swap across the board.
At first, I refused to believe it, but as a former otaku, I instinctively realized the truth.
──I can do this all day.
It was still fundamentally the same world, but with a twist.
Men weren’t walking around in skirts and makeup, but women had become the stronger, more dominant figures, taking on roles once traditionally held by men.
In a way, it meant I stood out even more.
But it also left me feeling slightly uneasy.
──Girlvengers, assemble.
Ugh, my head.
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HELHEIM SCANS
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