After walking through the portal, I ended up in the school hallway. Everything looked okay, like the earthquake never happened. Even the ground I collapsed on was fine and shining like it was brand new.

  I saw my classroom just two doors away. I wanted to go, but something felt... off. My body felt lighter after clearing the dungeon. Not just that—my big cow belly was gone. Like it had never existed. My skirt was loose and could fall off at any moment. My coat looked like monkeys had ironed it, and even my shoes felt too big and floppy.

  I needed to go to the restroom and figure out what had happened to me. I knew something was wrong.

  Suddenly, the school bell rang. I glanced at the hallway clock. 8:00 a.m.

  “Shit... It’s class time,” I muttered.

  But I didn’t want to deal with them.

  My brain screamed: “Duty calls, Kim! Or do you want that old fart to cut your paycheck?”

  Still... something was wrong with me. I had to know what.

  But then again—what about class? My mind nagged.

  Voices leaked from my classroom.

  Looks like I had to get in there before that old fart and the other teachers started complaining about the noise.

  The clock was ticking. Time was running out.

  I sighed and took my first step forward, silently wishing, please let me skip today.

  Suddenly, the sky darkened, like a storm was about to hit.

  And then—BAM!—a dark figure zoomed up to the windows like a fighter jet, shattering them.

  I ducked, covering myself like a hostage in a bank robbery.

  Five seconds later—BOOM!—a huge explosion erupted close to the school. You could probably hear it from miles away.

  I thought it was a terrorist attack.

  But I was wrong.

  It was way worse than terrorists.

  I peeked out through the broken window.

  A real-ass griffin was flying in the sky, roaring like it owned the American skies.

  And then... a giant hole opened in the sky.

  A massive salamander burst out of it like a missile, crashing straight into my classroom.

  The air was filled with dust. Stones flew. I coughed hard, ducking again like some hostage in an action movie.

  Once the dust settled, I opened my eyes—and then came the scream. From my class.

  I tried to run, but my skirt could fall at any moment.

  Frantically, I looked around for something—anything—to tighten it. Nothing.

  Time was running out.

  I had to know what was going on in there.

  As I stepped forward, my skirt answered my doubts by slipping down.

  I quickly grabbed it and stared at my arms. That’s when an idea hit me:

  Use the coat as a belt, genius.

  I took off my coat and stared at my belly.

  “Woah, girl... You lost weight,” I whispered.

  No way that dungeon was a dream.

  After tying my coat around my waist, I felt like a character from a fighting game.

  I sprinted to my classroom.

  The students were frozen in fear—

  Mike and Steve screamed like girls in a horror movie.

  The salamander went for them.

  But Sarah?

  She broke their record, shrieking so loud the monster picked her first.

  The salamander was bigger than a human. It grinned widely, jaws opening, each tooth as big as a pencil.

  And me?

  My eyes lit up.

  Yes! Finally, a day off!

  Novels, games, movies... and figuring out what happened to my body.

  Saving my students?

  Not my concern.

  I’m Kim Park—not Wonder Woman.

  They insult me.

  They ignore me.

  Why should I save them?

  I was this close to just standing behind the salamander and enjoying the show.

  It crept closer to Judy and Sarah.

  I whispered, “Nope. I’m not doing anything. Let’s run.”

  Because I’m a broken English teacher with regrets—

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Not a superhero.

  I turned to run—

  But a voice whispered:

  “Are you going to run like a coward again? Like always?”

  “What... who’s speaking?”

  I looked around. No one.

  I tried to ignore it.

  But my brain joined in:

  You can’t just watch them die, idiot.

  And honestly?

  I couldn’t.

  Even if they were brats.

  Even if I didn’t want to.

  Even if I wasn’t a hero.

  So I stepped forward and muttered, “Wow. Bravo, me. Kim... It’s time to play hero.”

  I picked up a pebble and chucked it at the salamander.

  It hit near its eye—hard.

  I blinked. Was I always this strong?

  The salamander turned its sharp gaze on me.

  I didn’t stop.

  “Hey, ugly! I’m here! Uwu~ uwu~ Bah bah~ Come and get me!”

  Then I paused.

  What the hell am I doing?

  The monster roared like a dragon—

  I swear I peed a little.

  It charged.

  I ran.

  Swearing every step like, “This is the dumbest thing I’ve ever done.”

  It opened its huge jaws.

  “Anybody save me!” I screamed.

  But the school was silent—everyone ducked.

  Pin-drop silence. Like no one was there.

  I ran until I couldn’t breathe.

  I needed somewhere to rest—now.

  Then—

  BOOM!

  A flash of lightning blinded the beast.

  I saw an empty classroom and dove in, hiding behind the lectern like a cartoon kid from Terminator.

  The salamander searched for me.

  “Nope. Not moving. Not an inch,” I whispered.

  It roared, more wild than before.

  I opened my status screen, praying:

  “Please, anything. Give me something.”

  Another flash.

  Rain poured in from the broken windows.

  I closed my eyes and scrolled.

  Then—

  Blue light glowed on the screen.

  My Lightning Skill had been unlocked.

  A wild idea hit me.

  “What if... I use Frenzy and shoot the salamander with lightning? Will it die?”

  I sighed.

  Only one way to find out.

  I stepped outside.

  The salamander was facing away.

  The setting was perfect.

  Storm.

  Rain.

  Broken windows.

  Lights out.

  Monster ahead.

  Shards of glass at my feet.

  I picked one up and threw it—stab! Right into its skin.

  It shrieked.

  Turned.

  Locked eyes with me.

  It charged.

  I activated Frenzy.

  Charged my lightning to the max.

  Crimson lightning sparked from my hands.

  In that moment, I felt everything.

  My hunger for respect.

  My regrets.

  My failures.

  Rain soaked us both.

  The wind howled.

  The monster leapt—

  Like a lion, trying to devour me in one bite.

  We locked eyes.

  I screamed and unleashed all my lightning.

  A red flash lit the sky—

  I screamed like an idiot—

  But I burned that oversized lizard to ash.

  Warmth surged through my body.

  Even stronger than last time.

  It was almost... pleasure.

  I felt like melting chocolate with champagne in my mouth.

  I opened my eyes.

  The lizard burned on the staircase.

  Ashes remained.

  Like a kid, I jumped.

  “Yes! I won!”

  Tears of joy filled my eyes.

  I was proud of myself.

  But then reality snapped back.

  The school was wrecked.

  Windows shattered.

  Classrooms scorched.

  Fires flickering.

  I rushed back to my class.

  To check if the students were alright.

  They were in shock.

  No—terrified.

  Not just my class.

  The entire school.

  I walked up to Sarah.

  Kneeled beside her.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  But she...

  I went close to Sarah and asked, “Are you alright?”

  But she didn’t respond. Her eyes were wide open, like she’d seen a ghost crawl inside her soul. I waved my hand in front of her face, but she didn’t even blink. Mike was clutching Steve’s arm like they were Titanic survivors, and Judy was half-hiding under a desk, whispering prayers. The whole class was in some kind of trauma loop, frozen in fear like statues from a horror museum.

  “Damn...” I whispered, feeling a strange mix of guilt and pride. I mean, I did just save them. But also, I nearly let them become salamander snacks. Still, I’m no Wonder Woman. I was just a tired English teacher trying to enjoy her day off. Instead—

  “Thank you for saving my life… um, miss stranger,” Sarah suddenly muttered.

  I blinked. “What? Girl, don’t you recognize me?”

  The whole class turned to look. Confused stares. Awkward silence.

  “It’s me, your English teacher, Kim Park!”

  Mike burst out laughing. “Stop joking around! You’re our age! You don’t look like an old broken loser.”

  His words hit me like bullets. Excuse me? Broken what?

  Sarah nodded, agreeing with Mike. “Yeah… Teacher Park has dull black hair. Yours is silver. Besides, she didn’t even show up today. Thank God, too. She would’ve ended up as lizard chow.”

  My eye twitched. “I am Kim Park, your ‘loser’ teacher.”

  But no one believed me. Their eyes scanned me like I was cosplaying at the wrong convention.

  To prove it to myself, I walked to the broken window and picked up a shard of glass. A young, beautiful girl with crimson eyes and silver hair stared back at me.

  I froze.

  I dropped the shard. It shattered on the floor.

  “What the— Who is she? Wait. Is that… me?”

  Panic crawled up my spine. I wasn’t hallucinating… was I? Questions slammed into my brain like a thousand pop-up ads: What happened to my body? Why did I look like an anime protagonist? Where the hell were my wrinkles? My hangover? My joint pain?

  And more importantly, where were my answers?

  Suddenly, the status screen beeped.

  ?? New Quest Unlocked

  Escort all students out of the school in 30 minutes.

  Reward: 1000 XP + Information on the current global situation.

  Failure Penalty: XP gain slowdown + Loss of Gluttony-related intel.

  Timer: 00:29:59…

  Hell Mode Activated. Good luck, Miss Teacher.

  I stared at the floating screen, speechless.

  An unnecessary hell-mode escort mission? In the middle of my identity crisis?

  “This isn’t a fantasy game… this is my freaking life!”,