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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
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Chapter 7: I’m Living a Pretty Happy Life, Though?
Goblins are mere fodder monsters.
If you had to classify them, they’d be in the E to D rank range.
Any active hunter should be able to handle them with ease.
Even newly admitted academy freshmen can take them down without much trouble.
But exceptional swordsmanship and refined physical control can still shine, even when facing mere wooden dummies.
‘…What did I just witness?’
Combat Studies Professor Shin Arin replayed the scene she had just seen in a dazed, drunken-like stupor.
It was a close-quarters battle—a physical hunter's domain—and certainly not something she could take lightly.
In terms of raw strength and speed, she, an S-rank hunter, should be faster.
But his movements were absurdly fluid.
It didn’t matter that he was a man, with comparatively weaker physical stats.
Nor did it matter that he was a newly admitted student.
His movements, in and of themselves, were extraordinary—precise, swift, and refined.
As she watched the man on the screen, a glimmer of desire flickered in her eyes.
It was not lust.
‘I want to take him as my disciple.’
The look of a professor discovering a prodigy for her grad program.
While she was technically working as an instructor, she was far closer in identity to a hunter.
After graduating from the academy, she had immediately been deployed to the field, reigning at the top as an awakened being for nearly a decade.
Her talent was too bright for research or administrative work—her personality too combative for anything else.
Until now, she had simply considered teaching as a way to give back and invest in the next generation.
‘Damn. This guy’s incredible.’
Sure, she needed to be careful around male freshmen, but to be honest, she was already smitten.
She wanted to cling to him after class, pour all her techniques and knowledge into him.
But there was one problem.
“Holy shit, what was that just now?”
“Maybe it’s just me, since I’m in the magic department, but… that seemed pretty impressive?”
“Pretty impressive?”
“Hey, come on, maybe it’s just because he’s a bit of a freakishly talented guy.”
“Professor Choi, this isn’t a gender issue. That guy’s just a monster.”
The problem was that everyone else had the same thought.
Even the mages, who had been quietly observing, stood up and cautiously approached.
Feeling the competition grow, Shin Arin glanced at the calendar.
And she realized a crucial fact.
“Oh.”
It was still mid-February.
There were more than two weeks left until the semester officially started.
Her fingers drummed against the desk in barely restrained anticipation.
* * *
“Oh.”
Even as a hero who had reached the peak, there were still moments when my body disobeyed my will.
Times when emotion surged ahead of reason.
When my body trembled or a gasp escaped my lips before I could stop it.
Just like now.
—
“Th-Then I’ll give you half of mine, so give me half of yours! Edward.”
“Enri, you idiot. You didn’t even need to say it—I would’ve given you everything.”
—
I was suddenly watching an immortal classic from the anime industry, but the genders of the alchemist and the engineer were swapped.
I didn’t mind gender-bent fantasy, honestly—it had its own charm and appeal.
I was enjoying it, but when I heard the familiar iconic line slightly altered,
“Man, that’s so damn weird.”
Damn it.
Give me back my little Ed.
I want my sweet yet feisty Enri back.
Though, truth be told, despite my complaints, the gender-swap twist was surprisingly fresh and entertaining.
‘Just think of it as a parallel world masterpiece.’
I could use a brain and eye cleanse, though.
Still, for people who wanted to re-experience the greatness of the original, this could actually be a fun alternate take.
The gender swap and the delicate balance of slight mismatches might make some cough up blood, sure.
“But it’s still a damn good show.”
A masterpiece was a masterpiece, even with a flipped world.
Some characters, strangely, remained unchanged despite the setting switch.
And, of course, there were some entirely unrecognizable ones.
Nonetheless, the overall world-building, story, and character design remained top-notch.
A masterpiece stayed a masterpiece, no matter the world.
—Girlvengers, Assemble.
But still, I had no idea why the hell this show existed.
There was no way this kind of thing could ever happen in real life.
“Ugh, my head.”
I pressed my fingers against the bridge of my nose, trying to erase the horrific image from my mind, then popped another potato chip into my mouth and started browsing for a new anime or drama to watch.
After all, the best way to overwrite negative memories was with positive ones.
A strategic choice, really.
Even if someone out there didn’t approve of my happy-go-lucky life.
[‘Guardian of Order and Causality’ frowns deeply, condemning the hero's laziness.]
[(ㅁ^ㅁ)]
[It asks why the hell a hero is turning into a couch potato.]
“Eh, I’m not the Demon Lord, at least. As long as I’m still a hero, isn’t that good enough?”
[…No, no, no! A hero turning into a Demon Lord is absolutely not okay!]
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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“Goddess, you said it yourself—if you directly intervene in another world, your divine power leaks. Please, calm down.”
[Sometimes, it’s fine! But more importantly, you haven’t left the house since you got back from school. You’re in the modern world now—go outside and enjoy your youth! What’s fun about being a shut-in all day?]
“You really have no respect for introverts, huh?”
Not long ago, I had finished the entrance ceremony and level tests.
The semester hadn’t officially started yet, so I had some time to kill.
Out of curiosity, I had taken an MBTI test with the goddess and turned out to be an INFJ—an introvert.
So, naturally, after being outside, it was only right to retreat home and recharge in my cozy little cave.
Thus, this was my perfect recharge time.
[……Seriously, what is up with your hero lifestyle?]
I could almost hear the goddess sigh in exasperation.
For the record, she had also taken the MBTI test and turned out to be an even bigger introvert—an INFP.
A goddess who spent all her time voyeuristically observing a hero had no right to tell me to go outside.
“Yeah, this is actually kinda nice.”
I shoved the last of the potato chips into my mouth and scrolled through Netflicks' exclusive new releases, eventually picking an anime.
It was a high school-based, seemingly typical romantic comedy.
However, as someone from another world, I found this genre strangely refreshing.
With the assumption that the production quality was high, the diverse character traits made it more enjoyable and easygoing.
[‘Guardian of Order and Causality’ is enraged by the lazy hero.]
Seeing the message again made me realize that the goddess's divine power tank must have run completely dry.
What a pathetic voyeur goddess.
[The goddess is shocked by the hero’s words.]
[She glares with wide eyes, condemning the hero’s blasphemy…]
I simply ignored the flood of furious messages and continued watching the anime.
─W-well, the other classmates are misunderstanding, thinking we’re… d-dating.
─So what if they misunderstand? Aren’t we close?
─Oh, well, yeah, but…
Hmm.
A shy but determined female protagonist and a carefree, flirty male lead, huh?
A seemingly cliché yet refreshing dynamic.
I just hoped the male lead wouldn't be too overbearing, and the female lead wouldn't be frustratingly passive.
─Kenichi, let’s date.
─What?
─I love you. I’ve fallen for you, hard.
“Oh, so the confession comes from the female lead instead.”
This show knows how to do rom-coms right.
[The goddess nags you to get into a relationship already.]
[(ㅡ^ㅡ)]
Ugh, please, no more brutal truths.
The goddess might think I can’t get into a relationship, but in reality, it’s more that I won’t.
Back in the fantasy world?
If I had wanted to, I could’ve had saintesses and concubines numbering over a hundred.
But I ended up here instead.
“With all the suffering I went through, I’m not about to get married without even having a proper relationship first.”
Yeah.
It’s a conscious decision not to date.
Of course, I could admit that it was about time I started considering it.
After all, university is a veritable jungle of love—a dating safari.
Though the weather was still chilly, it was technically spring, and with March came the season of relationship chaos.
Probably the second-highest couple-forming period after the Christmas season.
“There are quite a few university-based romantic comedies too.”
[The goddess advises you to live in reality.]
“I am living in reality. I even went outside today.”
[She grumbles about how you’ve spent the entire break holed up at home until the day before classes start.]
Isn’t that the essence of vacation?
You either spend the whole month indoors, doing nothing, or you take on a string of part-time jobs, or maybe even fly off on an overseas trip.
The goddess clearly didn’t understand that kind of life balance.
“Hey, I wandered through countless worlds in the fantasy realm. Don’t I deserve to take it easy here?”
Balance is important.
I spent 20 years as a homebody before being dragged through otherworldly turmoil.
Surely, I could afford to laze around for a few months here.
The same logic applied to relationships.
I had been worshipped as a godlike figure over there, so here, I just wanted a simple, ordinary romance.
[The goddess covers her mouth and sobs.]
[(ㅠ_ㅠ)]
Was she crying because I shared my tragic backstory?
Or was she just lamenting my lack of dating experience?
Either way, the goddess suddenly began to weep.
“No, really, I’m perfectly happy right now.”
…Though, I had to admit—it wouldn’t be so bad to experience love at least once.
Back in the hero’s party, I was surrounded by nothing but old men.
There wasn’t even anyone to harbor a fleeting crush on.
But now, I was in college—surely I could meet someone.
[The goddess wails even louder.]
[(ㅠ^ㅠ)]
‘Oh, come on, stop crying.’
If she kept reacting like that, I’d probably never get into a relationship.
Feeling slightly cornered by the emotionally overwhelming goddess, I calmed her down and headed to the convenience store in my apartment complex.
I just wanted to grab a quick breakfast.
But when I entered, I recognized the familiar face of the cashier, which made me feel unexpectedly pleased.
“Oh, good morning…”
“Ah, hello.”
She seemed to be the shy type, as her face flushed slightly—a cute trait.
Since she was someone I ran into often, I felt an inexplicable sense of internal closeness toward her.
It reminded me of how I used to be during my own part-time job days, long ago.
[The goddess opens her eyes wide with anticipation.]
“Th-that’ll be 4,200 won.”
“Sure. Thanks.”
I quickly paid and left the store.
I could have struck up a conversation, but I knew better—it would’ve just been a nuisance to someone working.
I knew that feeling all too well.
[The goddess begs you to confess already.]
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HELHEIM SCANS
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
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