The icy Sword God, ruthless and emotionless; the Royal Sect’s guild leader, majestic and domineering.
Soulshadow Tianyou sneered. In the water’s reflection, the petite beauty mirrored her with an equally cute, cold smirk.
“So I really turned into a girl…” Soulshadow Tianyou glanced down. Though her avatar was now female, her chest remained utterly flat.
She prodded her chest lightly. There *was* a slight bump—probably hidden by the oversized cloth robe she wore.
*But seriously, this tiny?* she thought, pinching harder. *Is this what they call a “laundry board”?*
“Ahh~” A sudden, inexplicable wave of pleasure made her let out an embarrassingly cute whimper. She froze, utterly speechless. *Nope. Never touching these again.*
*Kinda felt good though… Hah! What’s wrong with me? Acting like some middle-aged pervert.*
Soulshadow Tianyou beamed. Her game account was female now—but no rule said male avatars were stronger. After sixteen years of struggle, her curse had vanished overnight. How could she *not* be happy?
She stood quietly by the lakeshore, a faint smile on her lips. Clenching a tiny fist, confidence radiated from her delicate, breathtaking face.
Suddenly, Tianyou felt invincible. Life brimmed with hope.
*No reason to sell that pet egg or the special class transfer scroll now.*
She opened her menu to inspect the items—but her eyes locked onto something else first.
*8:45 AM. Real-world time.*
“CRAP! CLASS!” Soulshadow Tianyou yelped, logging out instantly.
A flash of white light—and the petite beauty vanished from the lakeside.
---
Dawn had broken. I bolted upright in bed. Still wearing my school uniform from last night, I skipped dressing entirely. A rushed splash of water on my face, a hasty brush of my teeth—and I was out the door.
I sprinted to school, bursting through the gates toward my classroom.
Hallways buzzed with students. First period had already ended… *Hah! Guess I’m the type to pull all-nighters gaming now.*
*This’ll happen more often,* I thought, giddy. *I can game normally now! I can finally blend into this world… into this city! No more sneers, no more side-eyes. I can help my sister. Prove myself with real strength. Even… confess to Lixiaochun!*
“Did you hear? Yesterday’s New Year Boss got soloed by some anonymous player!”
“Of course! And they had zero guild backing!”
“Ugh, we wasted all day and never even *saw* the Boss! Killed within an hour of spawning? Seriously?”
“Bet it was a one-player kill!”
“Are you dumb? That Boss had *millions* of HP! A thousand guild members fought all night and barely scratched it!”
“Is that even human?”
“The whole world’s hunting them.”
“Pfft. Good luck finding a god-tier legend like that!”
“Must be a glitch!”
…
*Heh.* Students chattered everywhere about yesterday’s feat. *Do you idiots even know the “trash” you mocked killed that Boss?* I ached to shout it—but held back. *Act mature. Don’t be a brat.*
Whistling, I reached my classroom’s back door and eased it open.
Silence hit me like a wall. Every head snapped toward me the moment I stepped in. Lixiaochun was sobbing in a corner, surrounded by comforting girls.
*THUD!*
From the seat beside mine, a girl with a golden single ponytail shot up, knocking her chair over. Ghoul Xueling stormed toward me, fury burning in her eyes.
“Ghoul Xueling, what’s—”
*WHAM!*
Before I could finish, her small fist swung—a precise left hook slamming into my cheek. I crumpled, clutching my face, dazed and clueless.
“Was it YOU?!” she roared, jabbing a finger at me.
“What… I don’t know…” I stammered, trembling.
Her rage flared. She yanked my collar, dragging me to my desk. Then she shoved my head down onto its surface.
My eyes widened.
Two filthy, drenched gym tops lay crumpled on my desk—wrinkled, slimy with something revolting like spit. Name tags were taped to them: *Ghoul Xueling* and… *Lixiaochun*.
