"..."
After breakfast, Celeste got ready to go to her shop. She changed into her work clothes and headed toward the front door, with Zayne quietly following behind.
Standing at the door, Celeste turned to him and said. "I'm going to the shop now. If you want to help, just come over anytime."
Zayne nodded in response. "Alright, Mom. Have a good day at the shop," he said softly.
Celeste smiled and replied, "Thanks, Zayne. Goodbye for now."
With that, she stepped outside and started walking down the road toward her shop.
From inside the house, Zayne raised his hand and waved goodbye, watching her until she disappeared from sight.
Zayne gently closed the door behind him and walked back toward his room.
In this gender-reversed world, laws were in place to protect men especially as they grew older.
Once a boy turned fifteen, he was legally required to have his own private room. It was meant to prevent misunderstandings or harassment, even from within the family.
That's why Zayne had a room of his own.
He stepped inside, shut the door behind him, and walked over to his desk, where his laptop sat quietly.
He had a lot on his mind. With a sigh, he sat down and opened the laptop, clicking into his browser.
The homepage loaded: GoloGolo this world's version of a search engine. He opened a new tab and typed in: "Calvaria."
Zayne was a citizen of the Calvaria Republic, one of the world's most powerful democratic nations. Currently, he lived with the Marlowe Household in the capital city of Santagua.
His adoptive mother, Celeste Marlowe, was a former S-Rank Hunter a title only a handful of people held in the entire country.
Thanks to her past fame and fortune, she could afford to live in the capital. Her daughter, Serena Marlowe, was also a Hunter still active and rising quickly through the ranks.
Zayne scrolled through article after article. Calvaria had a population of around 78 million, and among them, only 17 S-Rank Hunters existed.
The Calvaria Hunter Association was the organization responsible for overseeing all Gates and managing Hunter affairs. Anyone who wanted to become a Hunter had to apply through them and get a Hunter License.
Without a license, entering a Gate was strictly forbidden—punishable by law. But getting a license wasn't easy. To even qualify… you needed mana.
And that was Zayne's problem.
He kept reading through articles, blogs, and forums. He already knew most of this, but it didn't hurt to review. Step by step, he was building a clearer picture of what it meant to become a Hunter in this world.
He kept scrolling through the internet, clicking through random posts and articles.
What really caught his attention was how, in this world, if male had a pretty face, Male could become an internet celebrity in no time.
It was honestly kind of insane.
Curious, he checked his MyBook account this world's equivalent of a social media site. His jaw nearly dropped. His inbox was flooded with friend requests from girls. Dozens. Maybe hundreds.
Zayne stared at the screen, completely speechless. "Damn… if I had this many fangirls in my old world…"
He let out a long sigh, leaning back in his chair. "I could've been living the dream."
Time passed quickly. Before he realized it, nearly two hours had flown by. He glanced at the corner of the screen 10:11 A.M.
"Guess I should get going." He closed the laptop and stood up, stretching his arms above his head.
Then, he changed into a casual outfit something simple and comfortable and headed for the door.
After stepping outside, he locked the house behind him and started walking down the road toward Celeste's shop.
Zayne was a handsome young man. When he studied at the Hunter Academy, lots of girls proposed him, but Zayne rejected everyone.
He wanted to be a hunter and get revenge on monsters, so he had no time to waste on relationships.
Zayne was walking toward his mom's shop. The sky was beautiful. As he passed by on the road, girls looked at his handsome face. Zayne hid his face out of embarrassment, which only made him look cuter.
After a 10 minute walk, he finally came in front of Celeste's shop.
Celeste Marlowe, a former S-rank hunter, could easily enjoy a peaceful life after retirement. But instead, she opened a grocery store to enjoy life in her own way. It was a small shop, but lots of customers came, so it was always full of business.
She ran the store all by herself. Today, her old friend came to visit her at the shop Elena Markovic, a longtime companion of Celeste. They met during their hunter days and became close friends.
As Celeste and Elena were chatting, Zayne entered the shop. Seeing Zayne's handsome face, Elena's eyes lit up. She rushed over and hugged him tightly.
"You've become even more handsome, Zayne! Aunty missed you so much!"
Zayne's face turned red with embarrassment. He searched his memory and recalled who Elena was a close friend of Celeste's.
Elena loved cute things, so she always hugged Zayne whenever she saw him.
Seeing that scene, Celeste quickly stopped Elena from hugging Zayne. When Elena noticed Celeste's angry face, she let go of him.
"Huff... huff..." Zayne was out of breath, his face completely red from embarrassment. Seeing him in that state, Celeste gently hugged him and asked, "Did you find it?"
Zayne looked at Celeste's gentle face and said he was fine. Celeste then asked if he had come to help her. Zayne nodded.
Elena asked curiously, "Does Zayne come here daily to help you?"
Celeste replied, "He well help me in the shop whenever he has free time."
Elena tilted her head. "What happened? Zayne wanted to become a hunter. Why is he wasting time here?"
Celeste replied in a quiet, pitying tone, "He didn't awaken mana."
Elena was shocked. She had thought that someone as handsome as Zayne would surely grow into a strong male hunter. What a pity, she thought. Then something bold crossed her mind, and she looked at Zayne.
"Why not marry me? I'm rich and beautiful. I'll take care of you."
Zayne and Celeste both froze in shock at Elena's words.
Zayne hadn't expected to be proposed to by a hot milf. But before he could say anything, Celeste's words shattered that dream.
"Are you crazy? Zayne's so young! Why would he marry you, you old hag? Don't corrupt him he's still a child!"
Seeing Celeste so angry, Elena backed down. "Okay, okay! I was just joking, Zayne. He's still young and handsome he'll marry a beautiful young woman one day."
"Hmph!" Celeste was still fuming. How dare she make a move on Zayne?
Zayne stood to the side, watching quietly as Celeste fiercely protected him. It's a pity... Aunt Elena is such a beautiful, mature woman...
***
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