I couldn’t show them.
These goddamn goblins are unbelievably swift.
And it hurts.
The spot where the goblin’s club struck me aches.
“Kyahhh!!!”
[Plant Lover: What a cute sound you’re making, hehehe.]
[Who Cares: How high can that scream go?]
[Feel-Good Potion: You’d probably be good at singing, lol.]
“Just shut up for a second!”
Dodging the goblin’s attack that lunged right at my face, I brought my club down on its head.
The creature seemed to react, but my club was quicker.
CRACK!
Only three goblins remained.
[Said I Pulled Mountains: But she definitely seems to have talent, doesn’t she?]
[Who Cares: Usually, new female recruits cry and give up after one hit.]
[Don’t Swear: For real, lol.]
I glanced at the chat window for a moment, then turned my attention back to the goblins.
‘So, I’m not a woman, and I’m going to blubber after taking one hit?’
No, wait. I am a woman.
Though I had been a man before, I was undeniably a woman now. How I came to be so certain remained a secret.
‘To be hit by a truck, wake up in another world, and find myself in a woman’s body.’
It was an absurd turn of events, yet it had happened to me.
Typically, such a predicament could fill at least five web novel chapters with philosophical musings alone, but I had reached a conclusion last night.
‘f*ck it, I don’t know.’
With no records of this body’s past, there was no way for me to find out.
There were no parents, no friends; this body hadn’t attended school, having passed the GED instead.
I had confirmed this online.
Having exhausted all available information, I abandoned the search into this body’s past.
‘I’ll just live as a woman, then.’
I hadn’t even known how to properly wear underwear, but I had to grow accustomed to a woman’s body now.
Even so, the sensation of my chest bouncing with every movement was still difficult to get used to.
I would just have to adapt slowly.
Lost in these thoughts, I managed to take down every last one of the remaining goblins.
“Cut!”
[Feel-Good Potion: Congrats congrats congrats congrats congrats.]
[Don’t Swear: Still, aside from a few hits at the beginning, she didn’t get hit at all.]
[No Belly Button: She definitely fights well, yeah.]
“But I still failed the mission, didn’t I?”
The mission to avoid taking even a single hit from the goblins had been a failure.
‘No, wait a minute.’
I hadn’t failed yet.
[Said I Pulled Mountains’ 100 Coin Mission!]
[Mission Objective: Stage 1 No-Hit Clear]
[Time Remaining: 48 minutes 32 seconds]
[Success/Failure]
“Yes, the test results are in. The score for Stage 1 clearance is…”
“Hold on a second.”
I interrupted the Association employee who had come to announce the results.
“Can I, uh, retake this?”
“Pardon?”
“I’d like to take a retest.”
There was still plenty of time left on the mission’s timer.
This meant I could keep trying until the deadline.
[Said I Pulled Mountains: No way, lolololol.]
[Don’t Swear: Lolol, she’s reattempting because there’s still time left?]
[Plant Lover: The mission time limit was pretty generous, lol.]
“I’m not satisfied with the results. A retest is possible, right?”
The employee looked flustered by my words.
“It is possible, but…”
“Then I’d like to request it immediately.”
Finishing my sentence, I prepared for battle once more.
“This time, it’ll be different. I’m going into serious hardcore mode (TL Note: A Korean slang term, ‘jinjibbakgem modeu,’ meaning to play very seriously and intensely, as if in a competitive game).”
[Go Paraplegic Master: Lol, fighting!]
[Can’t Lift Mjolnir: Let’s go for no-hit this time!]
[Primate GOAT: Can I give advice? Lol.]
“No backseat gaming. Backseat gaming is banned.”
Some things are best conquered alone.
The goblins reappeared.
“Hoooh…”
Just moments ago, I had charged in from the start and taken a hit.
This time, I would slowly take down the ones that came at me first.
I had realized this during the previous fight.
“Kieeeek!”
One goblin lunged at me.
Though small in stature, goblins possessed the strength and speed of an adult male.
This meant that even ordinary people could hunt them effectively if they fought well.
As an Awakened one, I could naturally dispatch them with even greater ease.
CRACKâ!
With a single strike, I crushed its head.
During the first attempt, my guard had been down, causing my attack to miss, and I had been struck by a goblin.
“Cut!”
One down, first.
Since they weren’t idiots, they began to widen their encirclement, attacking all at once.
I had been hit again at this point last time.
‘Block, then dodge.’
Though two of them attacked almost simultaneously, their assaults weren’t perfectly coordinated.
I blocked the attack of the faster assailant, then twisted my body to evade the other.
I stomped on the goblin that had lost its balance after failing its attack, then struck the head of the one whose attack I had blocked.
CRACK!
I then finished off the one under my foot, and reacted to the attacks of the goblins charging at me again.
I couldn’t even look at the chat window.
During the orc hunt, I had the advantage of superior weapons and other hunters, allowing for some leeway, but now I had to face all ten goblins alone.
‘Focus.’
This time, I would absolutely succeed in the mission.
With that mindset, I slowly whittled down the goblin numbers.
Only one goblin remained.
I dodged its attack, then swung my club at the back of its head.
CRACK!
With the sound of its head cracking, the goblin vanished, and I had felled all of them.
“These f*cking goblins are cut!”
I pressed the mission’s success button, and a triumphant notification appeared with the sound of firecrackers.
[Mission Success!]
[Wheelchair Best Driver: She must have been focused this time. Didn’t even read the chat while fighting.]
[Primate GOAT: She definitely fights well. When she focuses, her distance control is good too, yeah.]
[Said I Pulled Mountains: Distance control << That's really important, she definitely seems to have talent, right?]
Honestly, I hadn't known I could fight this well.
I hadn't been clumsy in my original world, but I had no martial arts experience beyond attending taekwondo in elementary school.
I had only participated in physical education to the same extent as everyone else.
As for fitness, I had only done enough to survive.
'Was it always this exhilarating for my body to move exactly as I intended?'
I felt good.
The excitement that lingered even after the battle, the thrill of a successful mission, resonated deep within my chest.
I wanted to express this surging emotion somehow.
So I did.
I threw my weapon to the ground and charged into the center of the testing arena.
Then I leaped, crossing my arms into an 'X' shape before spreading them wide.
Next, I arched my back and let out a mighty roar.
"SIUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!"
I landed in a perfect pose.
It was, by all accounts, the quintessential celebration pose.
[Wheelchair Best Driver: Lolololololol.]
[Ruthless Dumpling Slayer: What is this? Lolololololol.]
[Primate GOAT: You crazy b*tch, lolololololol.]
The chat window erupted with messages and sponsorships.
Everyone seemed to enjoy my spontaneous reaction, born simply out of good spirits.
'Was there no Cristiano Ronaldo in this world?'
"Hey, do any of you know the soccer player Cristiano Ronaldo?"
[Feel-Good Potion: What's that, nerd?]
[Go Paraplegic Master: Was there a soccer player with a name like that?]
[Can't Lift Mjolnir: There isn't anyone famous by that name among soccer players.]
'What? No Ronaldo?'
'Then what's with that "Primate GOAT" username?'
'Isn't Primate GOAT supposed to be Ronaldo?'
[Primate GOAT has sponsored 100 Coins!]
[Sponsorship Message: Anyway, that reaction just now was delicious, yeah.]
"Thank you for the sponsorship."
I had to offer my thanks, at least.
"…Ahem."
Suddenly, I heard a cough beside me.
"Ah."
[Feel-Good Potion: Lolololololol.]
[Go Paraplegic Master: Lololololololololol.]
'Damn it.'
'Caught again.'
****
The time for explanations resumed.
"I didn't want to do it, but the Constellation said they'd give me coins if I did. I definitely didn't do it of my own free will…"
[Mom Looks Like a Woman: No, she's selling us out like this?]
[Seasonal Millionaire: She's really trash.]
[No Belly Button: That's too much.]
Though the chat window was ablaze, I cleanly ignored it.
Those bastards weren't exactly innocent themselves.
They're spewing such vulgar comments, and I'm letting it slide.
"Well, I suppose that's possible."
Still, it felt as though he believed my words.
The man spoke, his eyes looking utterly exhausted.
"Anyway, the test results are in."
The man continued, reviewing the documents.
"The result for Stage 1 of the test is a pass. You actually passed the first attempt too."
Of course, it was a pass.
After all, there was a saying that if you couldn't even pass this, you were disqualified as a Hunter.
Had it been said that if one failed, the Constellations would give coins out of pity?
'Now that I think about it, I haven't bought any growth scrolls.'
I had only purchased broadcast-related items, not investing in my own growth.
'I should do a broadcast later where I buy and use them.'
I had accumulated over 1,000 coins so far.
Since a growth scroll cost 50 coins, that meant I could buy 20 and still have some left over.
Come to think of it, there were other items besides growth scrolls.
I remembered seeing elixirs as well.
'Well, I'll decide during a broadcast later.'
There was no immediate reason to buy scrolls anyway.
If I was going to buy them, I should have done so before the test.
I had planned to buy and use them immediately if I failed the mission this time, but since I succeeded, there was no pressing need to purchase them.
Originally, I hadn't bought them because I expected this test to be easy, just like how I'd taken down the orcs in one go.
'Anyway, I succeeded, so good.'
Feeling pleased, I exited the testing arena and moved back to the Association lobby.
The next destination was the settlement office.
This was where I needed to go to receive the reward for subjugating the orcs that had emerged from the sudden gate.
The magic stones I had acquired from defeating the orcs could be converted into cash here.
"Th-they're giving me this much?"
"Yes. For sudden gates, the commission fees are waived, and there's also a separate reward."
I had money.
A lot of it, too.
