Transformation typically refers to shifting from a weak form to one brimming with power, often accompanied by dramatic physical changes—think Sailor Moon, Ultraman, Super Saiyan levels 1 through 4, or Kamen Rider. Nowadays, it also commonly describes gender-swapping scenarios, where the transformed characters usually end up stunningly beautiful.
Back in the day, transformation novels were among my favorites. The most thrilling part? Guessing whether the male lead, after turning female, would end up in a yuri relationship or marry a man. I’d get pumped whenever the protagonist flirted with girls, and burst into lewd laughter whenever some guy harassed, groped, or even tried to force himself on them.
Now that it’s happening to me? This shit isn’t funny anymore.
Could I ever get used to a woman’s body? How would I deal with men’s harassment? What about my sexuality? Would my heart eventually become feminine too? And if I made it back to Earth… would my parents even recognize me? One headache-inducing question after another—especially that last one. If my parents didn’t accept me, what was the point of going back at all?
I finally gave up overthinking. Worrying wouldn’t change anything. One step at a time…
***
Mindset adjusted, I plotted my next move. My ultimate goal—returning home—was non-negotiable. To do that, I had to start with that blood mist.
That mist was almost certainly a native of this world, somehow crossing over to Earth. I vaguely recalled that after its consciousness vanished in the spatial rift, the remnants had fused into my body! My transformation must be tied to that! If it could reshape my body, then—judging by every web novel I’d ever read—it likely left behind fragmented memories too. My task? Scour those fragments for a way back.
Memories… memories… Wait. While unconscious, I’d dreamed something. A man’s voice, speaking to me—or rather, to the blood mist… What did he say?
…
“So, the materials needed to construct the Crossworld Gate… finally confirmed?”
“Broken Realm Armor, Crystal Boundary Fruit, Crimson Lotus Karmic Fire, Prayer of Truth, Raksha True Words, Glimmering Golden Compass… All troublesome items.”
…
That’s it!
The “Crossworld Gate” from the dream had to be a spatial-traveling artifact—and my ticket home!
As for those materials… just hearing their names screamed “legendary.” Gathering them would have to wait until I understood this world better.
Still, stumbling onto such a crucial clue so soon was unexpected. My next move? Leave this forest, find human settlements, and ideally, a library. Time to learn everything about this place.
Heartened, I slapped the dirt off my pants, stood up—and froze at a distant scream.
***
“Hah… hah… Damn it! Why’s a Boneplate Lion roaming the forest outskirts?! And a full-grown one!” One of the two white-robed men from earlier panted as he ran.
“Less complaining, more fighting!” The other raised his right hand. A torrent of wind coalesced around his palm.
“Take this—Wind Cutter!”
He slashed downward. The swirling air solidified into a blade, slicing through the air with a vacuum trail—smashing straight into the Boneplate Lion’s head!
“ROOOOAAAR—!” The beast’s roar shook the trees. Its speed didn’t drop; it surged forward. The massive wind blade left only a shallow scratch on its forehead. Not only did it fail to wound the lion—it enraged it!
“This thing’s hide is too tough! I can’t hurt it!”
“What now? Just run?”
“I’ll use wind to boost our speed! You scout ahead with your detection!”
“Got it!”
The wind-controller spread his arms wide mid-sprint—a comically awkward pose—as gales gathered around their legs, propelling them forward. His partner pressed a hand to his compass. An invisible detection field rippled outward, making every detail—from towering trees to pebbles—crystal clear within its range.
“A river ahead! Boneplate Lions hate flowing water. We might lose it there!”
“Took you long enough to be useful!”
“Hey—wait?!”
“What?”
“There’s someone by the river!”
“Who? Family backup?”
“No idea! Just run!”
*Crash!* They burst through the undergrowth—and froze.
By the gently flowing river stood a woman. Jet-black hair like silk. Skin like flawless jade. Delicate features graced a perfect face—a blend of the sacred Goddess of the Luo River and a bewitching enchantress. Holiness and demonic allure coexisted in that slender frame, short-circuiting both men’s brains.
***
I’d been debating whether to investigate when those two men crashed out of the trees—the same pair I’d seen earlier. They skidded to a halt, ragged and panicked, then stared at me, dumbstruck… That’s when I realized—I wasn’t fully dressed! Frozen in place, unsure what to do—
*ROOOAR—!*
A monstrous beast lunged from behind them. Only then did they snap out of it. One flicked his wrist. A gale erupted from the ground, shoving them aside just as claws raked empty air.
The creature resembled a lion—but three times larger. Its entire body was armored in overlapping plates of bleached bone, layered like impenetrable scales.
Seeing its attack fail, the Boneplate Lion stilled. Its bone plates pulsed rhythmically with each breath.
“Move—NOW!”
Too late. With a *whirr*, several bone plates shot off its body like projectiles!
One man took a hit to the chest. He dropped instantly. The other roared, slashing a wind blade to shatter the incoming bones. He barely had time to gasp before a stray bone dart pierced his skull at a vicious angle. Dead before he hit the ground.
The Boneplate Lion threw back its head in a triumphant roar.
Then it choked mid-roar.
It had spotted me.
I stood paralyzed. Eighteen years of peaceful Earth life hadn’t prepared me for this. Two lives snuffed out in seconds. The coppery stench of blood flooded my nose, making me gag. Worse—the predator’s gaze alone turned my legs to jelly.
The lion seemed to sense my terror. A low, mocking growl rumbled in its throat. Its bone plates began pulsing again, charging for another strike.
*What do I do? What do I do?!* The gap between a terrified weakling and a killing machine was obvious. I stood zero chance.
*Run!* If I reached the dense forest, the trees might block those bone projectiles!
I bolted. At the same instant, bone darts whizzed toward me.
No time to dodge—
I squeezed my eyes shut. Surviving the blood mist’s grasp only to die here… I’d just set my course home… My journey hadn’t even begun… This ending…
*Like hell I will!!!*
*THUD! THUD! THUD!*
A strange tingling shot through my arm. Impact sounds rang out inches away. Death didn’t come.
Slowly, I opened my eyes.
Shattered bone fragments littered the ground.
And floating before me—a blood-red shield.
