The end of the day came quickly, and after they had arranged everything about the challenge against Seokhyun's henchmen, Damian said goodbye to his friends as he left school. The orange sky painted the streets, and the cold afternoon wind seemed to announce that something was changing.
Damian walked alone through the neighborhood streets, his backpack thrown on his back and his head full of plans. His footsteps echoed on the sidewalk as he thought about his conversation with Jisoo and the insane challenge he had accepted. But, strangely, he didn't feel afraid. In fact, he was anxious.
When he got home, his mother, Hana, came complaining from the door.
"Damian! I heard you got into a fight again! This is going to end badly!" he shouted from the kitchen.
"I already told you I'm going to fix this, mom. Trust me. — he replied, going straight to his room.
Without wasting any time, he opened the drawer where he kept some savings. He took the money and put it in his sweatshirt pocket. He left the house quickly, ignoring the dinner on the table, and walked to the nearest pharmacy.
When he got in, he went straight to the supplements section. Damian's eyes scanned the shelves until he chose what he wanted: vitamin D, magnesium, vitamin K, a vitamin mix, and a large jar of protein powder. He took everything to the counter.
The attendant just raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. Damian paid and went home with determination.
As soon as he got to his room, he dropped everything on the table, tore open the packages and, without even reading the instructions, took one capsule of each. Then, he mixed three generous spoons of the protein supplement in a glass of water and drank it all at once, feeling the bitter taste go down his throat.
He took a deep breath and smiled slightly.
—Now let's see what I'm capable of.
He lay down on the floor and began the plank. To his surprise, the seconds passed and he felt no pain, no tremors, nor the fatigue he had seen others experience in videos. When he finally looked at his cell phone, he realized that two and a half minutes had already passed.
He stood up, his body sweaty, but his breathing only slightly altered.
"What the f*ck…" he muttered.
Without losing momentum, he began to do quick push-ups, one after the other, varying the style — closed, open, with only one hand supported. When his arms burned, he would lie down and do isometrics, locking his muscles in uncomfortable positions. He soon realized that his strength and endurance were at a level that made no sense.
His body seemed to respond to each stimulus with instant adaptation.
As if he were… evolving.
He stopped in front of the mirror, panting and sweaty. The veins in his arms and shoulders stood out, his torso defined for someone who had barely trained in his life.
— What the hell is this…? — he asked himself, staring at his own image.
Meanwhile, in other parts of the city, his friends weren't messing around either.
Minho was running on the treadmill at the gym, his face dripping with sweat. He had lost almost two kilos since the night before, and the coach at his brother's dojo praised his dedication.
Taeyang was training boxing in the backyard with his father, who smiled proudly when he saw his son finally interested in something worthwhile.
Hiro was practicing kicks on the improvised punching bag made of sand and electrical tape. He was determined to improve his cardio and leg strength, so as not to fall behind.
Everyone, even separated, had the same thing in mind: to become stronger, faster and more prepared for the war that was to come.
Damian felt his blood boiling in h
is veins and knew… this was just the beginning.