This World is too Cruel to Men – Chapter 1

How hard did I hit my head?

The spot where I bumped into feels warm and throbbing, and my head is spinning… I didn’t even need to look in a mirror to know, but it was clear as day.

‘Ah, I must have a lump for sure…’

“Dogun! Ido-gun!”

With that, I felt something dripping from my nose while my face was stinging.

“I can hear mom—”

“Ugh…”

Oh my.

Oh, my son is actually not seven years old but 34, after adding 7+27!

That thought was the last straw, and I couldn’t handle the collaboration of my memories from my previous life pouring into my head and the dizziness, leading me to collapse while gushing blood from my nose.

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Hmm.

Is this what they call waking up to an unfamiliar ceiling after briefly losing consciousness?

The sight of the pristine white ceiling filled with what looked like seagulls was quite impressive.

At the same time, the distinctive sterile smell of a hospital wafted into my nostrils, making it clear even without turning my head that I was in a hospital.

So where’s mom?

“Doctor… our Dogun…”

“Oh, there’s no need to worry. He just hit his head hard, and it’s a mild concussion. We’ve already treated him, so he should wake up in a few minutes.”

“Is that so? Phew…”

Well, that’s good to hear.

As I carefully rubbed my forehead, feeling a strange sensation while listening intently to the conversation from beyond the white curtains around the bed, I wondered if they completed all the necessary treatments while I was briefly unconscious.

I felt the coarse texture of gauze against my fingertips.

Of course, it makes sense that the center of the gauze was raised.

“Ugh…”

Curiosity got the better of me, and touching that spot brought an overwhelming pain that made my head throb with a whine.

As if reacting to the sound that escaped my mouth, the curtains surrounding the bed fluttered open, revealing a tired-looking beauty with brown hair tied in a ponytail.

“Dogun! Are you okay? Not feeling dizzy?”

Her immediate concern upon revealing herself made it clear that she was my mom in this life.

If I were still the ‘me’ from yesterday, I would undoubtedly have activated my child-like whine. But after aging 27 years overnight, I couldn’t bring myself to do so.

“I’m… fine…”

As I said that, mom froze, concern hanging visibly on her face as she approached me.

“Are you really okay?”

“I’m… fine!”

“Really? You have a bump on your head and a nosebleed!”

No, I really am okay… But do you expect me to whine like a kid, just because I bumped my head?

As I rubbed my forehead with my hand, I awkwardly nodded while avoiding eye contact.

Suddenly, a sound like something being sucked under the water erupted from my stomach, serving as a perfect excuse.

So… maybe that sound bought me some time to gather my chaotic thoughts.

The moment that sound escaped, my mom hurriedly rushed out of the room, as if it were a big deal.

In that moment, I decided to think.

How did I die in my previous life?

Wait, did I even die?

To clarify that part, I pressed my temples with both hands and began to sift through the memories that had just flooded in.

One memory emerged clearly: I had been stumbling up a snowy Hill Road while heavily drunk and slipped, hitting my head somewhere.

Most likely, that “somewhere” was a utility pole… so I probably couldn’t have survived.

‘That slope was no joke.’

It’s no wonder that place is called Heol-deok Hill.

If I had known it would end up like this, I would have obediently gone home when my friend insisted I stick around in his room for a bit.

I had that thought for a moment, but… I didn’t feel all that regretful.

After all, what would regret change?

It’s not like suddenly God would pop up and say, “Because you sound regretful, I’ll send you back to your original body…”

So what can I do?

Since I’m back here, I should adapt to this new life and live it.

‘Wait a minute…’

Could it be that those memories stirred because of the impact I felt when I bumped into that brat?

Did I feel deja vu from the pain of my last moment in my previous life?

If that’s the case, then what kind of head did that kid have?

What an utterly strong head to deliver a blow akin to a utility pole!

I found myself muttering this in my mind for a moment before swiftly returning to the present reality I had temporarily forgotten while lost in those thoughts.

Right now wasn’t the time for such idle musings.

‘A seven-year-old’s body with an adult’s mind…’

This theme often appears in the novels I read for fun, so it wasn’t too foreign to me.

In fact, it even made me a little excited.

‘Sincerely, I can’t resist this.’

In a way, it was like starting a game with cheat codes.

‘Now, does this mean I can revel in my position as a reincarnator?’

Just as that thought arose, I was reminded of the reality of this world, which I had been momentarily ignoring due to being so engrossed in my past life memories.

– Breaking news: A talent-based terror attack occurred today in the middle of Gwanghwamun Square. The perpetrator, dissatisfied with his abilities…

The calm voice of the announcer from beyond the curtains confirmed that this was not some common seven-year-old’s fantasy but a reality and a matter of common sense.

What can I say?

“Hehehe…”

This world was not an ordinary one.

Based on my past life, this place could aptly be described as a different world entirely.

And if I had to express this world in a single word—

‘Talent.’

Yes, that seems fitting.

People are born with psychic abilities called talent, and that is the essence of this world.

That’s the identity of the world where I will lead my second life.

However, there is a major problem—

‘Why the heck do men not have talents?’

That much?

Thanks to this, when I think about the situation of men in this world… it typically boils down to one of two fates.

Either they’re just interchangeable cogs in a machine, or they earnestly polish themselves to become one of the awakened, essentially the top citizens.

To put it bluntly… if the top citizens are the awakened, then men fall into the category of third-class citizens.

Those who haven’t awakened but have the potential to do so someday would be the second-class citizens, often ordinary women.

Is this really the reality?

A transcendent reincarnator?

As if that were ever possible.

Unless my previous self was some kind of genius, I was just an ordinary Korean male.

In comparison, those who have awakened their talents are what you would call the “real deal.”

So even if I worked hard, I wouldn’t stand a chance.

If anything, I might end up tasting the spicy flavor of power for daring to step out of line as a man.

So I’ll abandon the thought of living a sweet life using my position as a reincarnator.

I’ll put that notion aside—

‘Wait? There are villains and monsters too?’

Villains, sure… that’s to be expected.

It’s human nature to want to swing power around once you’ve got it.

Nature is not without its darker inclinations.

The real issue is that humanity’s enemy isn’t just other humans.

Since the first invasion about fifty years ago, these monsters known as Another suddenly show up to cause chaos—it became ordinary life in this world.

And among those Another creatures, the role of taking them down falls directly to the awakened, who are considered the top-tier with combat-related talents.

‘So this is why the world is in such disarray…’

If those Another things could be taken down by modern weapons?

The world wouldn’t have spiraled to this degree.

But it’s not effective against them.

Alright, let’s summarize one more time.

‘First…’

This world is essentially a matriarchal society that exceeds mere gender discrimination.

When I sift through the things in this little head of mine, it seems that this hasn’t been overtly revealed yet… but honestly, it’s not like the current situation could improve.

Unless sudden talents manifest in men, things are bound to get worse, not better.

On top of that, sometimes villains appear, sometimes those Another pop up, and you never know when they might turn a life into nothing more than a fly’s life in this world—this is another harsh reality.

‘Wow…’

Just enumerating these facts was enough to leave me in awe, and my head was swirling.

I know well this isn’t something a mere seven-year-old should be bothered about, but… how the heck am I supposed to live?

In this extremely harsh world for men.

‘Is this the infamous reversal of male and female roles or something…?’

If we’re going to switch things around, why not switch the instincts of men and women too, so what’s the deal?

If that were the case, my head wouldn’t be pounding this much.

As I held my tiny head in my hands, trying to make sense of everything, I realized that my mother had returned, probably from her brief trip to fetch something.

‘Huh? Not just one?’

The moment I realized that, the curtains around the bed opened with a rustling sound, revealing not only my mom but also a man and woman I had never seen before, making awkward expressions, and—

“A friend wants to apologize to Dogun.”

However, the girl hiding behind the stranger had a face and eyes that didn’t at all suggest she wanted to apologize.

It’s a bit odd to say this about a seven-year-old girl, but her cheeks were puffy as she glared at me, resembling a pufferfish—an extremely venomous one at that.