After the Shadow Test training, Kang Seung-woo returned to school bearing a reputation he never asked for.
The way people looked at him had completely changed.
"Hey, is that him... the guy who survived Tier 3 unarmed?" "You serious? Didn't you see when he lifted that beast like it was nothing?" "He must be some kind of lab experiment or modified human..."
The whispers echoed around Seung-woo like he was a creature trapped in a glass case.
He tried to walk normally, but something deep in his instincts stayed alert — like he was being watched from somewhere.
"Here comes our hero!" came a shout from behind a column — of course, it was Hyun-joo.
"Out of the way! I am the official bodyguard of the Hero of the Shadow Field!" Hyun-joo declared, spreading his arms before Seung-woo and bursting into laughter at his own failed joke.
Seung-woo sighed with a smile. "Cut it out before people think you're serious."
"Let them! At least I get to be the guy beside the hero!" Hyun-joo struck a dramatic pose, then lowered his voice. "But seriously... you okay? I mean... about that day."
Seung-woo paused. The memory of losing control over his powers was still vivid. He survived — but he knew he was far from truly in control.
"Not sure yet," he said softly. "But I do know... I haven't even reached halfway on this path."
Suddenly, the school PA buzzed to life: "All students who completed the special training, please report for a follow-up GEU evaluation within 10 minutes."
"Whoa! Again!? Didn't they already test us back there?" Hyun-joo exclaimed.
"They probably want to see what really happened," Seung-woo said before heading off.
Outside the Power Evaluation Room
While waiting, Hyun-joo sat munching snacks as several final-year students milled about.
"You don't seem worried," a girl said sarcastically.
"Why stress? My power is so worthless it might not even register!" Hyun-joo shrugged, laughing.
"Is that so?" sneered a blonde boy. "Rumor says you've never shown any real power. Maybe you just don't have what it takes."
Just then, Seung-woo stepped out of the testing room, eyes cold. "Back off. That's my friend."
"Oh look, the hero himself." The blonde narrowed his eyes. "Sorry some of us weren't born with miracle DNA."
Hyun-joo cut in with a grin. "Miracle? I'm more afraid my power's going to be too ridiculous to handle."
"Ridiculous?" They all looked at him, confused.
"You'll see soon enough," Hyun-joo said, stuffing another snack into his mouth like nothing mattered.
School Training Grounds — District 10 Basic Control Zone
"Candidate 17, Hyun-joo, enter the field," the announcement rang.
Some shifted in their seats. A few smirked, others looked curious.
Hyun-joo waddled onto the field, snack wrapper still in hand. The instructors exchanged unsure glances.
"Ready?" the system asked.
"Ready!" Hyun-joo replied and snapped his fingers.
A beep sounded. The side doors burst open, releasing a Tier-1 training drone at high speed.
"Test begin..."
Whoosh!
The drone tore through the air like a bullet, its deadly thrust aimed straight for Hyun-joo.
"AAAHH!! NOOO!!"
Hyun-joo screamed. "That thing's too fast! I haven't even calibrated my muscles yet!!"
Pop!
A balloon-like squish echoed as his body morphed bizarrely:
His right arm ballooned into a shield-sized mass. His hand widened like a giant fan. His left arm shrank to a stub, and his left leg extended so far it dragged on the ground. His right leg bent backward like a spider's.
He looked like a mutant clown born from a mad scientist's fever dream.
"Bring it on, flying scrap heap!!"
He roared and spun his giant arm like a windmill. Air surged in a vortex before he smashed it into the drone.
CRACK!
The impact twisted the drone mid-air, sending it spinning wildly before it exploded in a fiery burst.
"Aw man! I didn't even get to use my spinning finisher!"
Silence.
Then murmurs.
"What the hell was that?"
"Partial shapeshift?"
"It looked dumb... but that was some serious power."
"I thought he'd be dead before he even used anything!"
Hyun-joo gave a massive thumbs-up — literally.
"Call me... the incredible stretchable jackfruit!! Hahaha!"
One judge finally spoke. "Test result: pass. Meets baseline control standards."
Then, under his breath, "Rare-Type Mutation — Partial Shift... target-specific morphing via lipid concentration? Fascinating."
Hyun-joo flexed his oversized thumb. "Thank youuuu!"
[Addendum] Data Logging Room — Post-Test Review
In the secondary control room, a bio-genetics officer reviewed footage.
"Such molecular control... it's comedic, but rivals Elite-Class soldiers in detail."
"Log his profile. Name: Hyun-joo. Type: Rare Mutant — Partial Morphing."
That Evening — School Convenience Store
"Ughhh, my legs are killing me!" Hyun-joo dropped in front of the store and tossed Seung-woo a snack.
"Here, hero. Eat up before you faint before entrance exams."
"You stretched every limb ten times and still had the strength to buy drinks?"
"Because I morph 'selectively'!" Hyun-joo boasted, shrinking his arm with a pop.
"I wonder what happens if you morph in your sleep," Seung-woo teased.
"Don't worry! I just snore in my sleep... I think."
They laughed, then fell quiet.
Seung-woo stared at the sky. "I still don't fully understand... what these powers mean for the world."
Hyun-joo gave a small grin. "You don't have to. Just use them the best way you can."
"For the future," Seung-woo said.
"For the future!" Hyun-joo echoed, tapping his bottle against Seung-woo's.