My name is Sanjaya, and... I died.
Yep. I just slipped—unluckily—from the fourth floor.
Now here I am, floating like a soul, waiting for some kind of judgment.
"Name?"
"Sanjaya."
"That's you?"
"Yeah… that's me."
"You have two choices: go to heaven… or reincarnate in another world."
"Huh? What kind of world?"
"Think of it like a game. Very simple. To avoid complications, we'll insert you directly into the body of a 17-year-old student. It's right before the Skill Awakening Ceremony, where people randomly gain skills based on luck."
"Sounds fun. I'll take reincarnation, please."
"Alright. Goodbye!"
"…Wait, that's it?!"
Suddenly, I was sucked into a vortex, and when I opened my eyes—
Wait.
This body…
I'm wearing a student uniform, yes, but something feels… off.
I squeezed my chest.
It was… soft. Round. Too big for my hand.
Then I reached between my legs.
...
It was gone.
"WHAT THE HELL?! You said a student—not a female student!!"
DING!
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: Sorry. We thought she were the guy who died of a heart attack. He had short hair, so… honest mistake. But don't worry! We cured the heart problem. And for this 'error,' we'll give you a bonus to your random skill later.]
The black screen vanished.
"Hey, wait! At least give me back my—my dragon!!"
DING!
[SYSTEM MESSAGE: Sorry, we can't do that. But we'll upload this girl's memories to your head. Enjoy!]
DING!
Suddenly, memories flooded my mind.
This girl's name was Sarina.
Poor girl… Just a month ago, her parents died in a car crash. They left her a giant inheritance: a house and a lot of money. But the emotional trauma caused her to develop heart problems. She died shortly after.
Now, her body belongs to me.
"Hmm… not bad," I muttered as I accessed her bank accounts.
I saw eight zeroes.
"Holy crap… and that's just one account!"
She had three bank accounts: National Bank, People's Bank, and Commercial Bank.
All of them… were loaded.
Sarina cheerfully checked her bank accounts again.
"With this much money… I'll never have to worry about food or drinks for the rest of my life!"
But as more memories surfaced, a chill ran down her spine.
The Skill Awakening Ceremony… and the accident that killed her parents…
Apparently, the tragedy wasn't just a random crash. A dungeon break had occurred, releasing monsters into the city.
Her parents were Players—people who awakened powerful skills and fought monsters. That's how they earned so much money… and also how they died.
"Wait… today is the Skill Awakening Day!!"
Sarina panicked and rushed into the bathroom. After a quick shower, she opened the wardrobe—only to frown.
Skirts. Blouses. Dresses. Stockings.
Not a single piece of male clothing.
"Damn you, System! You mistook my gender just because of short hair?! At least check the damn wardrobe!"
With no choice, Sarina put on the school uniform… a skirt, of course.
She sighed and walked to school, trying not to feel self-conscious.
---
All the 17-year-old students had gathered.
On the 7th of each month, a mass awakening was held. If your birthday was on the 7th, lucky you—no waiting. But if you were born on the 8th, too bad. You'd have to wait until next month.
The line was long.
"Danu!"
A boy stepped forward and touched the glowing red stone.
DING!
[Level 1 Skill: Fire Punch]
Then another name:
"Mega"
[Level 1 Skill: Cleaning]
"Yumi"
[Level 1 Skill: Water Spray]
The line kept moving.
Now it was Sarina's turn.
She stepped up and placed her hand on the Awakening Stone.
DING!
[Sarina – Level 1]
Skill: Fireball (Level 1)
"Creates a fireball using mana. If mana is depleted, uses stamina instead (more costly). Cooldown: 5 seconds."
DING!
[Divine Compensation Activated]
Skill: Unlimited Fireballs (Level 1)
"Summons 100 fireballs around the user. The fireballs automatically attack threats or can be controlled manually. Consumes mana or stamina. Cooldown: 5 seconds."
Sarina blinked in disbelief.
"W-What the heck?! This is the compensation that system was talking about?!"
Even though Sarina had received two system messages, the only skill shown on the glowing red orb was the second one:
[Unlimited Fireballs – Level 1]
The entire room went silent.
One of the judges stood up, eyes wide in disbelief—then suddenly lit up with excitement.
"Incredible! What a powerful skill!"
Whispers broke out among the crowd.
"Wait, isn't that the girl whose parents died last month?"
"Unlimited Fireballs… isn't that super rare?"
"Whoa, she's kinda scary…"
Sarina caught all the stares. Some were amazed.
Some were… jealous.
Based on the memories inside her head, Sarina had always been the quiet type.
Though many boys had a crush on her, her cold and distant personality scared them off.
In her own mind, Sarina believed she was unattractive, which is why no one ever talked to her.
But Sanjaya, now living in her body, could only sigh.
"Girl, your EQ is in the negatives. You're not ugly, you're just too quiet."
Still, maybe that was a good thing.
It meant Sanjaya wouldn't be bothered much, even in a beautiful body.
But there was a downside—Sarina had no close female friends either.
"How the hell did she survive like this? No friends, no social life… pure introvert mode!"
That's when a bit of Sanjaya's personality started to leak through.
Suddenly, Sarina shouted:
"YEAH!!"
She threw her fists in the air, cheering without even realizing it.
Dead silence.
Everyone stared.
The cold, quiet girl… just cheered?
Realizing what she'd done, Sarina blushed furiously and took a step back, letting the next student move forward.
But that short moment had already changed something.
Some students started whispering again—but this time, a few were curious about her.
And of course, with such an OP skill, it was only a matter of time before some confident guys would try to talk to her.
Three boys stood together, watching the Awakening Ceremony unfold.
Leon, the confident one, had been so sure of himself earlier.
He thought he'd awaken something like his parents' legendary Lightning Shield.
He was half right.
[Skill Acquired: Lightning Shield – Level 1]
A defensive skill that electrocutes enemies when they strike your shield.
Not bad… but it was still a shield.
And that meant one thing: he lost the bet.
Leon turned to his two friends, Ken and Beno, who were grinning like wolves.
"...Leon," Ken smirked. "Do you know who Sarina is?"
"Of course," Leon replied, still grumpy. "That girl who awakened that crazy OP fireball skill. Super powerful. Super cold. Talking to her feels like standing in a freezer."
Beno chuckled. "Is she pretty?"
Leon hesitated. "Yeah. Beautiful, honestly. But her eyes… I feel like I'm being judged by the gods when she looks at me. Why are you asking?"
Ken's smile widened.
"Because you awakened a shield skill, and according to our little deal… you owe us."
"You're not going to make me ask her out or something… right?"
Beno laughed. "No, of course not! We want you to marry her!"
Leon choked on the water he had just started drinking.
"PFFT—Are you crazy?!"
"Just kidding. Mostly."
Leon glared at them. "You guys are evil."
The teasing continued until someone reminded them about the next school activity.
"After this, we'll be doing dungeon exploration, remember?" Beno said.
"Students can go solo… or in pairs."
Ken nudged Leon. "So… maybe try to partner up with her?"
Leon stood frozen for a moment.
Could his Lightning Shield really survive a hundred fireballs?
Even if they were just Level 1… that skill could kill a boss.
He glanced at Sarina, who sat alone, casually playing with her phone.
"A bet is a bet… Please don't let me die by fireball."
Gulping down his nerves, Leon walked over and sat beside her.
"Hey."
"Hi."
Her voice was soft. And her eyes—
They weren't icy and cold like before.
They looked... gentle. Innocent, even.
That gave Leon the courage to go on.
"So, um… after this, there's going to be a dungeon exploration event.
Students can go solo… or in pairs.
I, uh… awakened a Lightning Shield skill, so I can protect you while you blast things with those… super strong fireballs."
Sarina tilted her head slightly, thinking.
Then she nodded.
"Okay."
Leon blinked. "Wait, so… you mean, you want to team up with me?"
"Yes. When is it?"
"Usually right after the Awakening Ceremony ends."
Leon smiled awkwardly, his heart pounding.
"I'm alive."
**
Even though Sanjaya now lived in Sarina's body, her memories were still there.
That meant… she knew who Leon was.
A quiet, wealthy guy. Totally different from his two friends—Ken and Beno, who were notorious for dating a new girl every other week.
In fact, there were even rumors that Leon was gay.
Why? Because he never showed interest in any girl, not even once.
So naturally, Sarina had already labeled him in her mind.
"Yup. Definitely gay."
Sanjaya, of course, was curious.
"Hmm… is that true? Or is it just gossip? I mean, it makes sense that he'd approach me. A powerful fireball user paired with a lightning shield user… that's a great combo."
"So maybe… he's not trying to flirt. Maybe it's purely tactical."