The gymnasium had become a fragile sanctuary, but the group knew the school still held secrets—and dangers. Cheong-san gathered everyone near the stairwell, voice low and firm. "There's a floor we haven't checked—the basement. I've heard rumors of old science labs. They might have supplies… or answers."
Nam On-jo looked apprehensive, gripping Su-hyeok's arm. "A basement? There could be infected… or worse."
"We have to take the risk," Cheong-san replied. "If we want to survive, we need food, water, medicine… and knowledge. We can't fight blindly."
I flexed my kagune beneath my uniform. Hunger pressed sharply now, a cold, gnawing edge beneath my ribs. My muscles twitched as the shadowy appendage stirred with instinct, responding to the imminent danger. Control… focus… survive.
We descended the stairwell carefully, alert to every sound. Broken lockers and shattered glass littered the steps, but I could sense something else—heartbeat patterns that didn't match the infected. Humans. Unstable humans. The scent of fear and power was thick.
At the basement door, we paused. The handle was cold, metallic, slightly warped. I glanced at Cheong-san. "Ready?" he nodded.
The door creaked open, revealing a lab unlike any we had seen. Faint fluorescent lights flickered above, revealing rows of old medical equipment, surgical tables, and cages. Some cages were empty, others contained restrained subjects—human or partially ghoul. Thin, frail, yet twitching with unsteady kagune-like energy.
Suddenly, a low growl echoed from the shadows. A figure stepped forward—human, but with glowing, erratic eyes and a partially formed kagune. The unstable ghoul-human lunged, moving faster than any infected we had faced. Hunger surged sharply within me, whispering insistently, urging me to feed, but I clenched my jaw. Not yet.
Cheong-san drew his weapon, Su-hyeok and Seok-yoon flanking him. Ji-soo and Nam On-jo guided the younger students to cover. My kagune flickered nervously, but instinct and focus took over. I lashed out. The appendage struck, jerky at first, but I corrected mid-motion, sending the unstable ghoul reeling back. Hunger pressed harder, whispering, demanding, but I forced it down.
The fight escalated quickly. The unstable ghoul-human attacked with raw, chaotic power. My kagune reacted, growing stronger, faster, sharper with each defensive strike. Hunger clawed at me, demanding blood, but I resisted. Each clash of power, each controlled strike, pushed me closer to the limits of my body. Slowly, unpredictably, the kagune pulsed with growing strength, learning from instinct, hunger, and control.
Cheong-san shouted from the side, "Keep it together! Don't let it corner you!"
I dodged another strike, sensing the subtle movements of the unstable human. My kagune lashed with precision, striking multiple points at once. The unstable ghoul staggered, retreating toward the cages. Hunger pressed like fire, urging me to feed, but control held firm. My body ached, my muscles screamed, but my kagune evolved with each swing, a faint glimmer of the Kaneki-level potential I knew I could reach.
Finally, the unstable human collapsed, breathing heavily, retreating into the shadows of the basement. I flexed my kagune, feeling the pulse beneath my skin. Hunger whispered, fading slightly under my control. Each strike, each dodge, each moment of restraint had strengthened not just my kagune, but my mastery over it.
Cheong-san surveyed the lab. "These labs… they're a government experiment. They've been testing people, turning them into ghouls, but some can't control it. That's why you're different—you can control your power."
Nam On-jo shivered. "So… the government wants all this chaos?"
Seok-yoon nodded grimly. "Not just chaos. They're testing human potential. They want to see how far people can go when infected, when given unstable powers. They're the real villains. Everything else… it's just collateral."
I swallowed, feeling the weight of the truth. The infected weren't the ultimate threat. Humanity itself, corrupted by power and experimentation, was. And slowly, my kagune was learning, evolving, preparing me to face the world's true enemies.
Cheong-san placed a hand on my shoulder. "We survive. We protect each other. One fight at a time."
I nodded, feeling hunger simmer beneath my ribs, restrained but present. Slowly, unpredictably, the power inside me responded fully, strengthening with every encounter, every controlled strike, every act of survival. The adventure had only just begun.
Hyosan High's basement was no longer just a place for supplies—it was a battlefield, a crucible testing not only our survival but the limits of my control, hunger, and growing ghoul power. And as I stared into the flickering fluorescent lights, I realized that each challenge, each enemy, each unstable ghoul, brought me closer to awakening fully—the power to surpass any threat, human or infected, in a world ruled by chaos and corruption.
Outside, the city slept uneasily, unaware of the experiments, the infected, and the emerging ghouls. Inside, I flexed my kagune again, stronger, sharper, ready for the battles to come. One day, I would awaken fully, becoming unstoppable—a ghoul capable of facing the infected, unstable humans, and the corrupt world that had become the real villain.