WMPW Chapter 2

Omega? Like Omega-3 fatty acids? Etienne was baffled by the sudden, nonsensical question.

“No? I’m Etienne Harrington.”

While Etienne was confused, the doctor picked up a document from the desk and flipped through it.

Then, with a look of disbelief, he exclaimed.

“What do you know, you are an Omega!”

The doctor then spoke in an annoyed tone.

“An Omega coming to see a doctor for pre-heat symptoms? Even though Duke Leondin is kind to Omegas, this is too much!”

“Huh?”

Omega, heat cycle—Etienne was clueless about what the doctor was talking about, blinking in confusion.

But the doctor, irritated by Etienne’s bewilderment, kicked the chair Etienne was sitting on and yelled.

“Get out! Omegas shouldn’t be allowed anywhere, tsk.”

“What the… Why are you treating me like this?”

Etienne was starting to get angry. It was bad enough being at the bottom of the social hierarchy, but this treatment was infuriating.

However, his anger quickly dissipated when the doctor continued to explain.

“Have you lost your mind? Omegas are those who go into heat uncontrollably, can conceive despite being male, and carry other men’s children!”

The shocking news that men could get pregnant in this world was earth-shattering.

As a biology enthusiast, Etienne’s first instinct was to refute this.

After all, men didn’t have organs for embryos to implant and grow, nor could they fertilize each other.

But then he had a realization that stopped his rebuttal.

This isn’t the real world.

So in this world, it might be possible for men to get pregnant?

“… Men can get pregnant?”

Etienne asked again, his voice trembling.

“Is that really possible in this world?”

“What are you talking about? Of course, Omegas can get pregnant. Why else would they be called Omegas?”

Once he received confirmation from the doctor.

“Wait, but didn’t you say I’m an Omega? So I can get pregnant too? Really?”

“What do you think?”

Etienne’s brilliant green eyes gleamed with a passionate, almost crazed curiosity.

He sprang to his feet, startling the crow-masked doctor.

“What’s the matter with this impudent brat…?”

But ignoring the doctor’s surprise, Etienne grabbed the doctor’s shoulders and rapidly fired off questions.

“Men can get pregnant? How is that possible? There’s no visible difference, so what’s the developmental process like? Do Omegas not experience Müllerian duct regression?”

(TL: Normally, as girls grow in the womb, this duct develops into female sex organs. In boys, on the other hand, their genes cause the release of proteins that break down this duct so that it doesn’t develop further, this breakdown is called Müllerian duct regression.)

Etienne’s eyes were truly spinning. His once pale, marble-like cheeks now flushed with excitement.

He looked exactly like an avid fan who had just witnessed a new side of their favorite character.

“Is it that the internal structures of ordinary men and these omegas are different? Wait, what about the reproductive cells then?”

Male pregnancy. Human male pregnancy!

How novel, how astonishing!

A completely new mechanism related to life, how wonderful.

It’s thrilling, it’s new!

‘Please, explain the principle to me right away. I feel dizzy with anticipation. Hurry, please!’

“You mentioned earlier that children can be born between two men, right? Then, does that mean there’s a YY man here? But that’s impossible for fertilization… no, wait, it could be that the sex chromosomes themselves are different!”

For the first time since arriving in this world, Etienne’s eyes sparkled with genuine enthusiasm. His barely containable excitement could be described as pure ecstasy.

“Ah, it could be that the genes on the autosomes are different! If a gene acting on beta-catenin exists on the Y chromosome, then the mechanism for the creation of an omega might be…”

But unfortunately for Etienne, this world was a bit backward.

Which meant…

“What, what? Beta what?”

No one could answer Etienne’s curiosity.

“Beta-catenin! Beta-catenin! Wnt signaling! Beta-catenin!”

“What? What’s that?”

“How can a doctor not know what beta-catenin is?”

Realizing this, the joy slowly faded from Etienne’s face. The science fanatic from the 21st century, who had been reveling in the discovery of a new phenomenon, was once again reminded of the limits of reality.

As he carefully pieced his words together, despair slowly crept into Etienne’s expression.

“Chromosomes? Genes… Evolution?”

“What the hell is this lunatic babbling about since earlier?”

And finally, Etienne was more devastated than when he realized he could no longer access Wi-Fi or smartphones.

“This damn modern world!”

Etienne’s heart-wrenching scream echoed throughout the orphanage.

“How can there be such an interesting research topic, but no advanced research at all!”

***

The day after causing a commotion in front of the crow doctor, Etienne made a plan. He decided to enter medical school and conduct research on alphas, omegas, and the overall traits.

One could stay at this orphanage until they turned 19. However, when his birthday approached in a few months, he would be kicked out.

The orphanage gave a small amount of money to help settle down outside. Etienne planned to use this money to find a place, work for a few years to save for tuition, and then enter university. That was his grand plan.

But Etienne’s plan faced obstacles from the start.

“You’re an omega. How can an omega go to university?”

“Huh?”

It was due to the surprisingly old-fashion societal views.

In this world, unlike women, men were divided into three categories: alphas, betas, and omegas.

Betas were no different from the ordinary men Etienne knew. The unusual ones were alphas and omegas.

Alphas generally had robust physiques and strong features. In contrast, omegas were often slender with delicate, pretty features.

Moreover, alphas and omegas could identify each other through a unique scent, and alphas could impregnate omegas.

There were other fascinating aspects like ruts, heat cycles, and knotting, but the most pressing issue was the discrimination against omegas.

Omegas were severely discriminated against, seen as lewd beings constantly spreading their legs and whining.

“Sending an omega to school? I’d rather send women to school!”

“What kind of nonsensical statement is that?”

“What are you talking about?”

Thus, Etienne’s dream of going to university was naturally crushed.

“Damn this world!”

Going to university?

In this world, omegas were considered lucky if they weren’t dragged into brothels.

It was fortunate that the duke sponsoring the orphanage was generous; otherwise, Etienne might have already been sold off.

Realizing this, Etienne adjusted his goals.

‘If it comes to this, I’ll use my own body!’

He decided to conduct his research on his own body.

‘I’ll just dig up a grave for dissection.’

No.

‘If I need a living subject, I’ll be the subject myself.’

This, too, was a bad idea. Obviously.

But like most mad scientists in fiction, Etienne cared little for research ethics.

Think of Dr. Jekyll, Frankenstein, and other mad scientists in disaster and hero stories. They all ignored research ethics, leading to their downfall.

Unfortunately, Etienne’s view on research ethics was no different.

So, Etienne’s fate was doomed.

‘I’ll first get some pills…’

At this point, being an omega was actually a good thing.

‘I’ll use my body to uncover the mysteries behind of alpha, beta, and omega traits.’

With such fierce determination, Etienne spent his first heat cycle in a very… academic manner.

“Ha, ha…”

His slender body trembled and convulsed, flushed with heat, as he let out hot breaths, tinged with a faint pink hue all over.

The sweet scent was overwhelming, making him feel dizzy, like being thrown into a blooming flower field.

“Ugh…”

His brown hair, long since undone, hung messily, adding to his disheveled, seductive appearance.

The room was filled with the wet sounds of his struggle, his green eyes spilling tears from unfulfilled pleasure.

Etienne diligently moved his hands despite his appearance.

“Body temperature rise, heightened sexual sensitivity, secretion of lubricating fluids, presumed different components…”

He meticulously recorded each change happening in his body.

However, there were obvious limitations to this method.

Research on Alphas was particularly difficult, even if Betas or Omegas were easier to study.

Furthermore, most Alphas were nobles or royals from the upper class, making it even more challenging.

It wasn’t just about convincing them; he didn’t even have the opportunity to meet them.

Thus, as his solo research passed the one-month mark, Etienne sighed in frustration.

“Sigh…”

“Etienne? Why the sigh?”

“Just…”

Of course, it was merely an expression of his frustration over the lack of test subjects. It was a purely scientific disappointment with no other intentions.

However, Etienne’s expression had a significant problem…

“I wonder if I could find an Alpha in rut somewhere.”

To those unaware of his situation, it sounded like a crude and dirty joke.