Chapter 1 : Divinity (1)

The absurdity of it all was overwhelming.
My head throbbed after some bizarre dream, then darkness. Now, I’m awake in some strange, otherworldly place.

I had a comfortable life, nothing to complain about. Now, everything was needlessly complicated.
My father’s call came in.

“Hello? Dad?”

[Where are you? The hospital called, said you left. You collapsed, you shouldn’t be overexerting yourself.]

At least my family was still intact.
If Dad was gone, or Mom was acting differently, I think I would’ve lost it.

As I came to my senses, my first thought, rather shamelessly, was ‘Can I milk this situation?’
Even before, life wasn’t hard. But now, no military service? Sweet.

[If you keep running off, I’ll assign bodyguards, understand?]

His words confirmed it: common sense had changed.
I told him I’d be back soon, then checked my phone. Contacts of male friends were gone.

Chills. But it wasn’t ‘my’ life anymore, so I ignored it.
None were close enough to miss, anyway.

The trip home was just as strange as before, but I made it.

Exhausted, I went straight to bed after Dad’s scolding.

Lying there, the world outside felt truly insane.
It wasn’t just ‘easy living’ like I’d thought, it was pure chaos.

The government threw money around, encouraging men into society. Policies even incentivized dating multiple women.
Such extremes would normally face backlash, but online, it was all praise.

[Government’s doing great! Snagged a rich guy at my bakery. ^^]
[Die die die die die]
[Me? Me? Me? Me? Me?]
[Mom, I wanna be a baker!]

[Got a job as a bodyguard, now I’m the 13th wife. Thanks, government!]
[Is it true bodyguards are close to men?]
[Lol, men run from your face]
[Give us your address, b*tch. Where do you live?]

“I really could just…do nothing and live comfortably.”

Before this, I’d been a homebody gamer.
Luckily, tech and society remained unchanged, so no adjustments needed.

Historical figures now being women was odd, but whatever. Even the president was different.

Seeing the capsule reminded me of Bitna.
That sweet-talking leech, raking in cash.

This chaos was probably her fault. Annoying.
A small-timer, or not really, 3000 viewers is decent.
Who cares? She’s gone now.

“Still makes me angry.”

With only about a thousand men left in this world, chastity seemed important.
No male streamers, no trace of them.

“I won’t be a whore.”

I wouldn’t sell myself like Bitna. But I lacked gaming skills, and being lazy wasn’t ideal.

My phone rang again.

[Yena]

Oh, she’s still here?
My closest friend, thankfully still existing.
I’d have been bummed if she was gone.

My childhood friend. Being female, maybe that’s why she remained.
More like a brother than a girl, really my only friend.

I got into streaming because of her.
A skilled, funny, and pretty streamer was bound to succeed. She was a top streamer with a large fan base. The gaming world she introduced became my everything.

Would she be the same in this world?
She could captivate anyone, with words and humor. Even in a woman-dominated world.

“Yena! Hey!”

Excited, I answered. She quickly told me she was streaming.

[WooSeok, I’m live! Live!]

“Oh, right. Anything I should avoid?”

As expected, even in this life she’s popular. She paused to chat with viewers. Her tone was higher, but whatever.
In this confusing new world, her call was more than welcome.

[He’s just a friend, guys. Childhood friend, ever heard of it?]
[Did you bang him? How could you to a friend…? I’d like to though!]
[Explain what? Keep it up, and I hang up!]
[You don’t even know what WooSeok looks like, you virgin!]
[Yeah, I’m a virgin, so what?!]

Yena was never this open…
Even if we’re close, she wouldn’t talk like this in front of me.

This world had corrupted her.
After bantering with viewers, she apologized and explained her call.

[WooSeok, you free? Wanna play a game?]

“Sure, but…”

[Thank god!! No one believed I had a male friend. They think it’s a voice changer.]

“But last time you said I was trash at games, too low-level.”

[Whaaat???? Me?? When!!!]

Guess not this time.
Genuinely confused, she kept asking if she’d ever suggested gaming together, getting frustrated with herself.

[Kicking away good fortune?! I don’t remember, dammit!!]
[Who’d refuse a top pretty boy’s invitation? Think before you speak!!]

“Yena, I can hear them.”

Crashes from her end, then her urging me to hurry up and log in. Her changed demeanor was still unsettling.
I logged into the capsule, a wry smile on my face.

Wait, I’m banned for a week. Will it even work?

<Welcome, WooSeok.>

My worry was unfounded. No issues here. The familiar message greeted me.

“Yena, invite me.”

All capsule games had lobbies. Public lobbies often became a second world. Waiting for Yena’s invite, I saw a few rare men, huddled together or avoiding women with intense distaste. The women, however, watched them with blissful expressions.

Like they were gazing at something inferior. It was unsettling to see them fawned over despite that. I felt a trickle of sweat.
I wanted an easy life, but not *that* easy.

“Accept.”

Polygons shimmered, and Yena appeared. Her cheerful look, tall stature, ample chest, and tanned skin from her active life were all unchanged.

In a gender-reversed world, maybe Yena was the playboy.

Grateful she hadn’t changed, I openly admired her. It was fine; women stared at men in my world.

She seemed unbothered, asking if I wanted to see the stream chat. Since it was a broadcast, many were watching.

“Fair warning…things might get a little wild.”

After Bitna’s stream, nothing could faze me. If that b*tch existed here, I’d go after her.

“It’s fine, share it.”

Yena gestured, and the chat window appeared.

– Top pretty boy…a rare sight.
– Oppa I’m dying oppa I’m dying oppa I’m dying oppa I’m dying oppa I’m dying
– Show us your d*ck!!!
– Report above. You gonna take responsibility, b*tch?
– Where do you live? I’ll do anything.
– Say something please, I love you, marry me
– Wow, with capsules preventing appearance edits, is that even human? An elf?

The absurd chat made me raise an eyebrow. Yena, noticing, gave an awkward chuckle.

“Didn’t expect this.”

I wasn’t offended, just surprised. Women saying such things.
Men in this world, maybe, but I didn’t care. Though, if women had always acted like this…male resentment made a bit more sense.

But the viewers and Yena clearly thought otherwise. The chat shifted drastically. Viewer count skyrocketed, but the chat was silent, only punctuated by occasional ban notifications for inappropriate comments. New viewers, seeing a man, were confused.

– Wow, an actual man on stream.
– Why’s no one talking?
– Everyone’s admiring.

Yena’sChickenLegs donated 100 candies!
– Read the room

Their reactions amused me. Thrilled to get a single word from me. I chuckled.

– ?
– Did he just laugh?
– Wow, first time seeing a man laugh live. I’m crying.
– Yena, you b*tch, you’ve been hiding this guy?

“Yena, this is fun. Can I reply?”

“Uh, y-yeah…”

FromTodayWooSeokFan donated 10,000 candies!
– WooSeok, I have money. Let’s get married.

A sudden 1 million won donation. Even veteran streamer Yena gaped.

“Haha, no thanks. Spend it on hobbies, not donations. Donating to Yena is a waste.”

“Hey—”

Before she could finish, the chat exploded again.

– Angelic face, angelic personality. I wanna harass him.
– Shut up, Yena! Let WooSeok speak.
– Get off the stream, Yena! Think it’s yours?

“Should we start the content? Like you said, just us two…”

YenaShutUp donated 100 candies!
– Nope, we’re looking at WooSeok. Content is boring.

Yena, defeated, sent me a pleading look. She started this…

And since entering the capsule, a strange sensation bothered me. Like blue threads floating around…an uncomfortable tingling.

Oh, that’s mana.

Why is there mana in the capsule’s game world?