Let me ask you this.
If you woke up to find your body completely changed, how would you feel?

For me, at least, it was acceptance and resignation.

“Ha. This is actually real.”

The first morning as a woman felt subtler than I expected.

My body was definitely lighter, but there was this odd sense of emptiness.
No, not just a feeling.
My lower half really did feel a lot emptier.

–You awake? How’s the new body? Like it?

“Not really. Who’d be thrilled about suddenly switching genders?”

–You’d be surprised. Dig around online, and you’ll find tens of thousands of perverts dying to become soft, squishy little girls.

“…You should watch what you say.”

–Still, you’re pretty calm about it. Most people would be holed up in their room, denying reality.

“Denying it won’t make things go back to normal, will it?”

When I answered cynically, the other party laughed.
A translucent, ghost-like figure floated above my head, chattering away with a sly grin.

The culprit behind my transformation, a self-proclaimed Arbiter.
Her name… was it Ryuk?

–It’s Luciela. I’ve told you a hundred times, so get it right already.

That’s not exactly important.

Anyway, since I was up, I headed straight to the bathroom.
I needed to check exactly how my body had changed.

“This is practically a kid’s body.”

The reflection in the full-length mirror was utterly alien.

A height that barely scraped 140 centimeters, with soft, pliable skin.
A figure that made me wonder if puberty had even started, paired with innocent eyes.

A faint purple aura shimmered in my hair, and my violet eyes sparkled with vivid clarity.
Hair that reached past my hips to my thighs felt heavy, weighing on me every time I turned my head.

The girl tilting her head in the mirror was so stunning, she could outshine most actresses—a beauty powerful enough to make anyone fall for her.
…If only she wasn’t me.

“What about my identity?”

–Oh, I took care of that, so no worries.

“Oh.”

I opened my wallet, and sure enough, my ID had changed.

My age went from 22 to 19, three years younger.
My name changed from Kim Hanseong to Kim Sua.

“Doesn’t my age clash with how I look?”

–Being an adult makes things easier for you, doesn’t it?

“Then why not make me look more mature?”

–Because I’m into cute looks.

“And why’d your speech suddenly get so polite?”

–I adjusted it. Talking rough in that body just feels… off.

“Tch.”

–Hey, watch your mouth!

After bickering with Luciela for a few dozen minutes, I started getting used to my voice.
At first, it felt like someone else’s voice coming from my mouth, but now it felt like mine.
Was my brain adapting to the physical changes?

I stopped kneading my springy cheeks.
No matter how elastic and soft they were, rubbing them too much left them a bit sore.

Still, it felt nice, so I’d probably keep doing it now and then.

“Might as well eat something.”

I went to the kitchen and made a simple sandwich.
Toasted bread with ham, cheese, and lettuce stacked in order.

Normally, I’d pair it with some cereal, but that was too much now.
Just finishing the sandwich left my stomach feeling bloated.

If a sandwich fills me up this much, eating out’s gonna be tough.
How am I supposed to handle other food?

“Luciela, can you stop staring while I eat? It’s annoying.”

–No one else can see me, you know. Just eat comfortably.

“Yeah, real comfortable with someone watching me.”

Anyway, I finished eating and washing the dishes.

Still in pajamas, I sat at my desk in the corner of my room, leaning back in the chair.
I thought about the gift Luciela gave me.
The power I received in exchange for becoming a woman.

‘It can kill someone with just a thought.’

A near-cheat ability given to someone who isn’t even an Awakened.
There are some restrictions and conditions, though.

[The wielder of this power can kill anyone, provided they know both the target’s name and face.]

[The default cause of death is a brain hemorrhage. However, the cause and time of death can be altered if specified together. The time until death can be set within the target’s remaining lifespan.]

[Once a human’s death is decided, it cannot be undone by any means. However, the process leading to death can be modified at will.]

In short, it’s near-omnipotent when it comes to killing.
As long as I know their name and face, I can kill and manipulate anyone as I please.

Be it the President of the United States, a member of parliament, or a financial titan controlling the world.

“Is this for real?”

–What, think I’d lie to you?

“Honestly, it’s hard to believe. I’ve never heard of even top-tier Hunters having a power like this.”

–Hunters? Don’t compare me to those amateurs flaunting half-baked powers. That’s insulting.

Luciela looked down at me with an arrogant smirk.
She must be brimming with confidence to act like that.
Guess she’s saying she wouldn’t lie about something this trivial.

“Fine.”

Whatever.
I’d find out if the power was real once I used it.

I closed my eyes, feeling a slight tremble.
I took a deep breath to steady my chest.

According to Luciela’s explanation, anyone I wanted dead would die, no exceptions.

I still couldn’t fully believe it… but I’d start with someone who truly deserved to die.
That way, there’d be no consequences.
And it had to be someone whose death I could easily confirm, so I’d know if it worked.

Luckily, I knew the perfect target for those conditions.

“Hwang Cheolhun. Age 63.”

The bastard who drove my family to their deaths.

I could kill him without a shred of guilt.
He’s lived long enough, so sudden death wouldn’t seem odd.

“Cause of death… Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS).
Let him die caught in an explosion from mishandling a gas valve due to the pain.”

Just to be thorough, I added a condition to ensure no body would remain.
Let it burn to ashes, unrecognizable.

I’d read before that CRPS is one of the most painful conditions in the world.
Add burning agony to that, and it’d be pure hell.
A fitting end for a scumbag like him.

As for the time… tonight.
No need to prolong his life.

“Now I just wait.”

I made my decision and used the power.

Now all I had to do was wait.
Wait until the news came.

In a rundown neighborhood on the outskirts of Seoul.

“Ugh, my head’s spinning.”

Hwang Cheolhun, drunk beyond reason, fumbled his way home and flipped on the light.
The dim glow from a worn-out bulb faintly lit the room.

“Wife! Son! I’m back!”

He shouted for his family to come greet the head of the household.

But no answer came.
They’d all left decades ago, unable to endure his rotten temper.

Who’d love a deadbeat who picked fights with ambulances and got beaten for spitting on passersby?

He knew it himself, but when drunk, he’d call out for them out of habit.

“Tch, damn ingrates. I’m the head of the house, and not a single word…”

He staggered through the messy house.
After splashing water on his face in the bathroom, he headed to the kitchen.

Maybe because he’d been drinking till dawn, he was hungry and figured he’d boil some ramen.

–Click.

But the moment he grabbed a ramen packet from the cupboard and turned to boil water…

“Gah?!”

A searing pain surged through his entire body.

His heels, fingers, elbows, thighs—every part of his limbs screamed in agony.

“Guh, gaaah!”

He couldn’t even beg for help.
His tongue twisted, refusing to move.

It felt like his body was burning and being hacked by an axe.
The pain was so intense, no screams could escape.
Even when he’d had kidney stones, it wasn’t this bad.

The mere touch of clothes against his skin was unbearable.

He couldn’t control a single finger.
The pain, indescribable, crushed his body.

–Whoosh.

In his agony, Hwang Cheolhun fumbled with the old gas valve, twisting it violently.

Gas leaked from the torn valve.

And when it met the already-lit flame of the gas stove…

–Boom!

“…It wasn’t a lie.”

Two days later, the court called.
The lawsuit couldn’t proceed because the defendant had died.

The bastard who killed my mom and sibling was dead, so the trial couldn’t go on.

–Now do you believe me? My gift is the real deal.

“I have to believe it. The proof’s right in front of me.”

The enemy the law couldn’t punish was dead.
Right at the time I wanted.

What are the odds of that happening naturally?
It had to be the power.

–So, what do you want to do with it? Massacre? Robbery? Anything’s possible. It’s all up to you.

“…No, I don’t plan to use it like that.”

Having taken a life, I finally felt the weight of this power.

It’s a force that can control someone’s life at will.
A power to trample and manipulate a person’s entire existence—career, achievements, everything.

If that’s the case, shouldn’t I use it with a sense of responsibility and purpose?

“I don’t want to become a mindless killer.”

–No one could stop you even if you used it freely. Why overthink it? Just follow your desires.

“Maybe. But I’m not that reckless.”

I brushed off Luciela’s words and lowered my gaze, looking at myself—the me who’d just killed someone for the first time.

I was lucky enough to exact my revenge directly, but most people aren’t.

Even now, countless people around the world suffer from stories like mine—or worse.

It’s unfair.
The perpetrators live without guilt while the victims suffer.

That’s not right.
Those who commit crimes should pay, and victims deserve at least some solace.

‘The law won’t help.’

Since forever, state power and laws haven’t been on the victims’ side.
Especially in this era, with Hunters and Gates making public safety a mess.

If that’s the case…

‘I’ll do it myself.’

I’ll help.

To make the world a bit more just.
To reduce the tears of victims.
Because great power comes with great responsibility.