The Protagonist, a magic swordsman, was incredibly powerful.
This was a web novel I often read, and I had been transmigrated into it.
It was a typical growth-oriented, overpowered (TL Note: ‘Munchkin’ refers to an overpowered character) wish-fulfillment novel, and a harem story to boot.
The plot followed the Protagonist as she grew by saving various heroines, gradually becoming stronger to prevent the world’s destruction in the future.
I had bookmarked it and read it religiously.
Though, I honestly didn’t know why I was so devoted to it.
It might sound strange, but I even questioned if I had truly enjoyed reading it so much.
What was certain, however, was that I had entered that novel.
I now possessed a body inherently incapable of manipulating mana, an unawakened physique that hadn’t even managed to open a Circle Heart.
All I could manage were sword and martial arts skills, both below an ordinary person’s level.
Despite being the eldest daughter of a family meant to inherit all the unique traits of its bloodline,
The reality was I was a useless (TL Note: ‘Paeggeup’ is a derogatory term meaning trash-tier or utterly worthless) noblewoman who couldn’t even wield mana: Queen Wednesdayer.
I had become a lady with a cursed body, branded as a failure by my own family.
Yet, it didn’t matter.
This wasn’t Earth; it was a world where becoming strong was all that truly counted.
I gazed down at the man prostrate before me, licking the top of my foot.
He was the next family head, my younger brother.
“What are you going to do from now on? Tell me.”
“I won’t act up again, Sis. No, my Lady, the next family head, I will never act up again!”
“And when was it you said I was a useless (TL Note: ‘Paeggeup’ is a derogatory term meaning trash-tier or utterly worthless) cripple and should be sent to a brothel? How… absurd.”
“I must have been out of my mind. I’m sorry. Please, forgive me! Just once, forgive your foolish younger brother!”
I relaxed the pressure on my foot.
“Higher.”
“…Pardon?”
“Lick higher. Hahahaha.”
I offered a sadistic smile.
His face turned ashen.
His body trembled like an aspen leaf.
Lording over villains and saving characters I favored.
I was the crazy b*tch of this neighborhood.
****
“Haa, it wasn’t a dream after all.”
The unfamiliar ceiling now seemed somewhat familiar.
I gently exhaled, trying to shake off the lingering grogginess of just waking up.
Chirp, chirp!
A cool morning breeze and the chirping of birds drifted in through the slightly open window.
It was a quiet and beautiful morning, as if the entire world were steeped in peace.
Four days had passed since I transmigrated into the novel I often read.
I had already grasped the situation.
And I had organized what I needed to do.
‘I know this world well. I’ll live my own life, without interfering with the Protagonist, and just prevent the destruction. While crushing any arrogant bastards who lord over others!’
A simple, straightforward task.
‘First, the character I transmigrated into is Queen Wednesdayer. A trash-tier noblewoman who remained useless until her death, a character about whom little is known.’
Fortunately, the Wednesdayer family was renowned and featured quite prominently in the novel, so I knew them well.
I had to survive.
‘She’s a character who only appears from the mid-point, at best. I’ve learned a few things while staying here, but…’
I looked at my reflection in the mirror.
A small frame, golden hair, and crimson eyes — a beautiful girl.
One might think that being the eldest daughter of a prestigious family would be power in itself.
But there was a major problem.
Creak, thump-thump.
Suddenly, the door burst open.
A middle-aged woman with a venomous expression growled as she approached.
Was she a human or a rabid dog?
“You b*tch, are you only just getting up now?!”
The middle-aged woman, her dull blonde hair twisted up, glared at me.
I could see her makeup, applied to conceal wrinkles, subtly caking and flaking.
This woman was none other than my aunt, Miranda Wednesdayer.
A woman who detested me utterly and sought to deny my very existence.
If anyone in this mansion disregarded me the most, it would be her.
‘It’s starting now. Ha, damn it.’
Thump, crash!
“Aargh!”
Miranda grabbed me by the hair, sending me tumbling to the floor.
As I struggled on the ground, Miranda approached and began to kick me.
Thwack, thud!
She mercilessly trampled me.
She seethed, spewing her resentment.
Her furious demeanor was akin to a warrior woman from Hyehwa Station (TL Note: Hyehwa Station is a common gathering place for feminist demonstrations in Korea, where female protesters are sometimes referred to as ‘warriors’).
“Do you know that your very existence disgraces our family?! Speak, you goddamn useless (TL Note: ‘Paeggeup’ is a derogatory term meaning trash-tier or utterly worthless) b*tch!”
“Cough, gasp!”
“You can’t use magic, you can’t handle mana, your sword and martial arts skills are subpar. Why do you even live? Why were you born, huh?!”
“Wait, Aunt, cough!”
“Why are you looking at me like that?! If you step out of line, I’ll hand you over to the Raindrop!”
The family’s elite guard. A notorious armed group known to dispose of even noble family members who displease them.
Well, every prestigious family in novels seems to have such a personal guard.
Getting caught by those guys would certainly be troublesome.
Thwack, thud!
The kicks grew even fiercer.
Intense pain enveloped my entire body.
I desperately covered my face and curled into a ball.
For now, this was the best I could do.
Regrettably, it was a time to cower.
For the showtime that awaited in the near future.
‘Ha, I still want to kill her.’
An ordinary human, unfit for a noble family.
A world where being born as such a person was an unforgivable sin.
I wanted to kill my aunt, who legally inflicted such violence.
‘It’s not that I don’t understand, though.’
To the family, I was a trash-tier noblewoman who shouldn’t have been born, an anomalous body possessing mana but unable to wield it.
In other words, a body cursed by the Demon God.
This was also one of the reasons this character would eventually die.
Moreover, here on the continent of Asgard (TL Note: Korean ‘야스가르드’ sounds like ‘Yasgard’, a common fantasy name; assuming it’s a play on ‘Asgard’), it was currently an era of warring states and competing powers.
‘Imperial authority is weakening, and the influence of nobles is growing stronger.’
So, naturally, they would try to secure powerful successors, one by one.
I was merely sacrificed, a trash-tier character.
Wham!
My aunt, who had been kicking my stomach, suddenly delivered a soccer kick to my face.
Huh, she’s a clever one.
As I clutched my face in agony, my aunt’s venomous voice rang out.
“You should just marry into another family as a woman and throw your body away! Look at me, I succeeded that way, didn’t I? Auntie is just giving you advice for your own good!”
‘As if? Damn it, I’m not a prostitute.’
In the Middle Ages, the fate of noblewomen was often like this.
Even so, I didn’t want to live like a prostitute.
No matter what anyone said, I was a man.
Even if I had transmigrated into a female character, I was a man, a man!
Me, offering my body to another man? The mere thought made me dizzy.
Bang!
My aunt, who had been beating me to a pulp, flung open the door.
She yelled in a hoarse voice at the few servants outside.
“Don’t give this b*tch breakfast today. Understand?! I swear by the Mandarinfish (TL Note: ‘Sogari’ is a type of freshwater fish, commonly used in Korean expressions for oaths), I’ll kill anyone who gives her food!”
“Yes!”
With the servants’ resounding reply, my aunt left.
Finally, I had a moment to breathe.
Gritting my teeth, I stood up.
My position and treatment within the family were always like this.
Not only my relatives and blood kin but also the servants often completely ignored me.
My birth mother seemed to have died ages ago.
A sigh escaped me naturally.
Supporting my screaming body, I managed to take a shower.
As I was changing, the door opened, and someone entered.
‘Even if it’s just an annex mansion, everyone just waltzes in. Huh?’
I turned around.
My heart nearly stopped.
Really, I should be used to this by now.
A maid entered, her figure concealing something substantial, all while wearing a gentle smile.
Her orange hair, tied up and swaying.
Sharp, long ears and vermillion vertical pupils, as if crafted by a master artisan.
Pristine white skin, lightly flushed cheeks, and an F-cup voluptuous figure that radiated an overwhelming presence.
She resembled an elf, yet possessed an inherently sophisticated aura distinct from that of a typical elf.
Such a woman bowed her head upon seeing me.
“Oh my, I apologize. I thought my Lady was in the bathroom…”
“No, what’s that?”
“Your breakfast.”
“But Auntie just said not to give me any.”
“Hehe, I can just give it to you secretly!”
“…Are you going to give me your food again?”
Her name was Winz.
She was like a comforting mother, but there wasn’t much of an age gap, and being an elf, she was exceptionally skilled.
As I looked at her lower abdomen, I saw two intertwining halos of light.
‘A 2nd Circle, or perhaps a mid-stage Runner.’
The only person on my side in this desolate mansion.
A woman to my liking, and one who was only kind to me.
I ate with her.
“Oh my, I’m fine.”
“Just eat quickly. Here, half the spaghetti, half the steak!”
“Hehe, then you eat all the soup!”
“…You shouldn’t be a picky eater at your age.”
“Even if I’m picky, my chest seems to grow just fine, though.”
Touching her chest, Winz’s two ears drooped at my remark.
She protested with a sulky expression.
“Hmph, but I don’t like mushrooms. Their shape is just so… peculiar.”
“Then I’ll eat them for you.”
“You truly are the only one, my Lady! Hehe.”
We finished our meal like that.
It had become a daily morning ritual ever since I transmigrated into this world.
In my previous life, I was too busy fighting villains to have time to eat with anyone.
Even if there was someone, they usually didn’t last long.
But here, I could sit and share a meal with someone who smiled at me.
This in itself was a great blessing to me.
“My Lady, shall I teach you magic again today?”
“You’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? How is this any different from trying to teach a legless person how to run a marathon?”
“Oh my, please don’t misunderstand! It’s simply because I wish for my Lady to excel even more, ohoho.”
“You’re wicked, I tell you. Never mind. But Winz.”
“Yes, Lady Queen!”
Winz smiled brightly, tilting her head slightly.
Her chest, threatening to burst from the confines of her maid uniform top, caught my eye.
I finally tore my gaze away and asked,
“Winz, you’re an elf, so why is your mana concentration as dense as a vampire’s or a succubus’s? People are curious about it.”
“Hehe, I don’t know either. However.”
Hmm, what is it? Is there something I don’t know?
Winz narrowed her eyes.
“Perhaps I’m not an elf after all?”
“Haa. What, that’s no fun.”
“Anyway, to share a meal with a head maid like me… You’re so foolish! Hehe.”
“And yet you subtly insult me. Never mind, I share everything with my people.”
“Does that mean you think of me as special?!”
She made a surprised face.
Her expressions were certainly varied.
And that was an act. A cunning elf maid with excellent acting skills.
“You’re the only one on my side in this mansion, Winz.”
“Ah, so that’s what you meant. Hmph.”
“But the words themselves are sincere, aren’t they?”
“Then secrets too?”
“Yeah, not that I have any secrets to share, though.”
“What about sexual preferences? I like both hitting and being hit!”
Why was she talking about such things, grinning so foolishly?
Sometimes, Winz seemed to have a screw loose.
Or perhaps an extra one added.
“…That’s a bit much.”
I shook my head.
It made my head spin.
Thanks to her, I finished the meal entertainingly.
Winz tidied up and withdrew.
“Then I’ll take my leave.”
“Winz.”
“Yes, My Lady.”
“Watch me from now on. See what I’ll prove, what I’ll show.”
She tilted her head.
She probably wondered what I was talking about.
But I possessed something that the original Queen did not.
“But My Lady cannot use magic, can she…?”
“It’s not magic. It’s Divine Art.”
Winz left, her curiosity piqued.
I lightly stretched my body and smiled.
The unique ability I had during my hero activities.
That was now within me.
[Divine Origin Art (TL Note: ‘Giwon Singong’ is a Korean term combining ‘Giwon’ (Origin/Genesis) and ‘Singong’ (Divine Art/Skill). This translation aims to capture both the ‘origin’ and ‘divine’ aspects.)]
Classification: Unique Ability
It processes ‘Ki’ (TL Note: A concept of vital energy in East Asian martial arts and philosophy) mixed with mana, manifesting it as a non-existent energy. It is specified as either black or white.
[The current stage of ‘Divine Origin Art’ is ‘Beginning’!]
[Primal – Equivalent Exchange: Cannot cast any other abilities/magic apart from the Divine Art.]
[Beginning – Half-Break: Attacks from Divine Origin Art ignore half of the opponent’s defensive mechanisms.]
A shiver ran through my entire body, unbeknownst to me.
The ability that had made me the strongest hero, and a total delinquent.
‘Of course, I sometimes wonder if I truly was a hero. Are these memories even real? It’s probably just a side effect of transmigration, right?’
It was truly laughable.
I was uncertain, yet it was said I had been a successful hero in the past.
Then I had suddenly transmigrated.
It was funny that my own memories felt so vague, but well, I’d just consider it a side effect.
It wasn’t like I was the protagonist of a web novel.
‘My unique ability, Divine Origin Art. This is enough. From now on, I’ll show them how I’ll survive in this rotten place.’
I stepped outside.
The place I lived was next to the main mansion where the family resided.
It was an annex mansion, dilapidated and barely worthy of being called a residence.
Consequently, there were few servants, and no visitors ever came.
As I left my room and descended to the lobby,
I met the eyes of someone who looked like a well-dressed noblewoman.
Oh, could that be her?
