"Transformation"

Twin-tailed Wolves made their dens in certain parts of the labyrinth floor. They usually moved together in packs of four to six. Alone, they were among the weakest of the monsters that roamed the floor, so they always acted in groups. This pack was no exception, a group of four stalking quietly through the labyrinth's maze-like corridors.

Their tails flicked and ears twitched as they skirted from boulder to boulder, scanning for prey. Once they found a suitable hunting ground, they silently took their positions—each wolf slipping behind stone outcroppings, preparing for an ambush. One even wedged itself into a crack between the wall and a boulder, suppressing its presence with feral instinct.

Then—something shifted.

The wolf in the crack twitched. Something was wrong.

They were a pack of four, but only two presences could be felt. One was gone. Not moving—gone. The sense of connection was severed like a snapped thread.

It rose on its haunches, growling lowly.

A sharp cry rang out to its right. The third wolf was struggling—thrashing against something unseen, snarling and yelping. It tried to break free, but its presence vanished moments later, just like the first.

The remaining two bolted toward the area in confusion and panic.

Then the trap was sprung.

The earth shifted beneath them. Walls sprang up. Pillars curled in from the floor and ceiling like claws. The wolves snarled and leapt—but too late. Hajime's transmutation was swift, precise, merciless. Stone hands closed around the wolves and froze them in place.

"Graaah!?" Their roars were muffled as the stone walls swallowed them whole.

Watching from above, Hajime narrowed his eyes, transmuting a thin panel to peer through. Inside the tomb, two wolves whimpered in panic, claws scraping uselessly against their prison. But unlike before, Hajime didn't reach for his spear. Instead, he turned to his companion.

"Renji," Hajime said calmly, "I've boxed them in. It's your turn."

The young Reaver stood silently beside him, twin blades held low at his sides, shimmering faintly with a dark blue hue. His cloak fluttered slightly, though there was no wind.

"Understood," Renji muttered, eyes glinting. He stepped forward, one foot on the stone. "Eclipse Edge… initiate."

He vanished.

The air shimmered with a strange distortion as a blur passed through the battlefield. Time seemed to hiccup. One heartbeat… and then another. Nothing happened.

Then—slashes bloomed into existence.

The first wolf exploded in a sudden burst of blood, thin crimson lines slicing diagonally across its body before its corpse even registered the damage. An afterimage of Renji appeared just beside it, fading as another shimmer trailed through the air.

The second wolf snarled and tried to bite—but its jaw snapped closed on nothing but air. A delay of mere seconds passed—then it too fell, body twitching as its torso separated from its lower half in a clean, delayed strike.

"Delayed impact," Hajime muttered, watching with clinical interest. "So he stores the kinetic force mid-motion and releases it retroactively. Heh. Handy."

Renji reappeared beside Hajime, blood on his blades, not a scratch on him.

"That's two," Renji said quietly.

"Don't worry about the other two," Hajime responded. "Already dealt with 'em."

Renji glanced down through the small transmuted viewport. True enough, Hajime's stonework tombs held the remaining wolves tight. But there was no need for the drill this time.

"Your blades can handle the last two?"

Renji simply nodded.

He raised his weapons again—then with two quick slashes in the air, let the eclipse residue follow its path into the tombs. There was no visible penetration. Just silence... and then dull thuds from within the stone chambers. The wolves were dead.

Hajime raised a brow, impressed. "Well. That saves me the trouble."

He transmuted the top of the stone walls open again, allowing the fresh corpses to float up toward them.

"You're a little flashier than me," Hajime muttered as he began skinning the wolves with one hand. "But I'll admit… that ability of yours makes things a hell of a lot easier."

Renji sheathed his blades, letting the faint glow fade. "You trap, I kill. We make a good team."

Hajime smirked, blood smeared on his face. "That we do."

The stench of blood trailed behind them like a second shadow.

Hajime trudged forward with the corpse of the twin-tailed wolf slung over his shoulder, smaller beasts dragging in a bundle behind him. Each step left streaks of dark crimson against the cold dungeon floor. His other hand was caked with dried ichor, the weight of exhaustion tugging at his limbs—but he moved like he always did: relentless.

Renji followed, silent, as they reached a jagged wall deep within the labyrinth's blackened heart. There, Hajime knelt and pressed his bloodied hand to the stone.

"Transmute."

Mana surged.

The stone wall trembled, then folded inward as if responding to an unspoken command. The earth twisted, molded under Hajime's control, revealing a passage of curved, crystalline tunnel laced with flickers of golden light. The Divinity Stone, infused with raw Ambrosia, lined the walls like natural veins of holy ore.

They stepped inside their base—a sanctuary carved not by nature, but by Hajime's hand. This place hadn't existed before. He'd forged it from nothing but rock, heat, and will.

And Ambrosia.

The rich scent of it was everywhere, leaking from the Divinity Stone, a divine substance that shimmered like molten gold in the cracks. It didn't just preserve—it healed, nourished, and shielded them from the dungeon's corruption. Hajime had carved their haven around it on purpose. A shelter born of pain and precision.

Hajime dropped the corpses in the center of the chamber. A circular slab of obsidian-like stone jutted up in response to his Transmute—an impromptu table. With another whisper of mana, he reshaped the floor beneath the corpse, letting it hold the beast steady while he drew his dagger.

He didn't speak. Didn't need to.

With smooth, efficient strokes, he worked the blade through hide and sinew, peeling back fur and muscle. The room glowed gently, the Ambrosia's warmth keeping the air from growing cold. Renji leaned against the wall, watching, silver eyes reflecting the soft gold hue of their unnatural shelter.

Once the meat was carved, Hajime ran his hand over the curved cooking slab he'd shaped last week—porous, heat-conductive, and touched with Ambrosia. He whispered:

"Transmute."

The slab hummed. A controlled internal heat bloomed, rising evenly through the stone. Hajime placed the fresh meat on top, and within moments, it began to sear. No fire needed. No smoke, no flame. Just the alchemist's will, guided through divinely-touched earth.

"Better than raw," Hajime muttered, brushing blood off his cheek.

"Still tastes like dungeon," Renji replied flatly.

"Better than dying hungry."

He sliced off a strip as the scent rose, tossing it to Renji. It was still steaming. Renji caught it, gave it a tentative bite, and grunted in reluctant approval.

They sat in the glow of the Ambrosia-lit chamber, the taste of seared wolf meat on their tongues, the world outside still hostile and endless.

But here, carved from blood, stone, and resolve—they lived.

Hours passed. The stench of blood clung to Hajime's breath as he devoured the last scraps of monster flesh, washing each bite down with gulps of glowing Ambrosia. Renji sat nearby, jaw clenched, forcing the same down his throat. Their makeshift camp within the Divinity Stone chamber echoed with the sound of chewing, swallowing—and dread. Had the priests of the Holy Church known their barbaric meal was accompanied with such a sacred drink, they would have fainted. However, around the time they was finally starting

to feel full, Hajime and Renji began to notice a change occurring within their body.

Hours passed.

The stench of blood clung to Hajime's breath as he devoured the last scraps of monster flesh, washing each bite down with gulps of glowing Ambrosia. Renji sat nearby, jaw clenched, forcing the same down his throat. Their makeshift camp within the Divinity Stone chamber echoed with the sound of chewing, swallowing—and dread. It was sacrilege, consuming divine elixir alongside the tainted flesh of beasts—but starvation had long since stripped them of reverence.

But then it began.

"Ah? Gah!? AGAAAAAH!!"

Hajime buckled first. Agony erupted like wildfire in his core. It wasn't just pain—it was molecular desecration. His stomach twisted into knots, then unraveled, his intestines burning as mana rewrote his insides. He clutched his sides as his bones groaned, cracking under the strain of unnatural growth. Flesh tore and reknit, skin stretched thin across bulging muscle.

A heartbeat later, Renji dropped.

"Nngh—! GhAAAAAAH!!" he howled, spine arching unnaturally. His ribs snapped like twigs only to forcibly snap back into place, each time larger, heavier. He smashed his fists into the stone floor, trying to ground himself—but all it did was shatter the rock beneath his now-thickening knuckles.

They writhed beside each other, twitching violently, thrashing like dying animals. But they wouldn't die. The Ambrosia wouldn't let them.

And it all made terrifying sense—too late.

A monster's meat was poison to humans.

Infused with mana crystals and steeped in ancient magic, monsters had organs built to interface directly with magical energy. Their strength, their reflexes, even their instincts—all enhanced by the mana that coursed through their very blood. That same transformed mana allowed them to cast magic without circles or incantations, using will alone to manipulate the world.

But to humans? That mana was death.

It would dissolve a man from the inside out, rotting them on a cellular level. There were records—countless ones—of foolish men who had tried to eat monster flesh. And every single one of them had died.

Hajime knew that.

He had read about it back on the surface. But starvation and desperation had clawed that knowledge away in his haze. Had he eaten the wolf's flesh alone, he would have died an agonizing, but swift death—his body melting from the inside, lungs boiling, muscles liquefying.

But the Ambrosia changed everything.

Every time the monster's meat began to kill him, the divine liquid healed him. Over and over. His body was destroyed—and rebuilt. Torn apart—and repaired. Every cell that collapsed from mana poisoning was reconstructed, harder, tougher, better.

And in that infernal cycle, something impossible happened:

His body evolved.

They weren't just healing—they were adapting. The Ambrosia forced their biology to answer the assault of monster mana with violent growth. Muscles realigned. Nerves rewired. Their very genetic code twisted like molten metal under a blacksmith's hammer.

Their bodies began to overcompensate, mutating to survive the impossible.

Hajime's arm cracked longer, his bones fortified with unnatural density. His hair bleached ghost white strand by strand, as if the purity of his former self was being seared away by something older, uglier. Red veins snaked across his chest like glowing scars, pulsing with cursed energy. His right eye burned crimson, brighter than any flame.

Renji was right behind him. His veins pulsed with mana, bulging through his skin like magma channels. His once slim frame swelled with dense muscle—not bloated, but refined, like a weapon forged for war. His hair deepened into a vivid blood-red streaked with black, and his pupils thinned, reptilian. His skin shimmered faintly with a metallic sheen. His jaw clenched tighter, bone creaking under the pressure of his own transformation.

Every breath they took now sounded heavier. Their hearts beat like war drums.

But the pain didn't stop.

They screamed until their voices broke. Vomited until blood replaced bile. And still the Ambrosia forced them onward. Bones lengthened and thickened, skin hardened, senses sharpened. Their bodies were becoming weapons—designed to survive the impossible.

Their very souls burned with the trauma of it all.

At one point, Renji slammed his head against the wall in a futile attempt to black out—but the regeneration wouldn't allow escape. Hajime simply bit down on his arm until muscle tore from bone, gritting through the pain just to feel anything else—only for the flesh to regenerate seconds later.

This wasn't healing.

This was unnatural rebirth.

Finally—finally—after what felt like days trapped in that crucible, the pain began to slow.

Hajime lay motionless, breath ragged. His white hair clung to his forehead in soaked strands. His eyes—no longer wide with fear, but narrowed with cold calculation—stared at nothing. His limbs were thick, every inch of his body built for violent efficiency. One arm still twitched—adjusting. His voice, when it came, was deeper, heavier.

"…Renji…"

Renji sat hunched forward, arms dangling over his knees. His red-black hair dripped sweat onto the stone. He looked up slowly, eyes now a molten amber. Mana scars glowed faintly along his arms and neck like runes, pulsing with low light. He looked like a demon carved from wrath and will.

"…It hurts… less now."

They were no longer boys.

They had been reborn in blood and ruin—bodies sculpted by pain, fueled by cursed flesh, and mended by divine fire.

Not quite human.

Not quite monster.

Something in between.

"Come to think of it," Hajime muttered, his voice hoarse but tinged with something like disbelief, "you weren't supposed to eat monster meat…"

He let out a weak, bitter chuckle. "I can't believe we did something so retarded…"

He ran a hand through his white hair and slumped back against the cool stone wall of the chamber. A crooked smile tugged at the corner of his mouth—equal parts self-deprecating and exhausted.

"Well, I wouldn't have lasted much longer without food either, though…"

Renji groaned beside him, his body still trembling with the aftershocks of transformation. "Yeah, real genius move there, Einstein," he muttered, wiping blood and sweat from his chin. "Next time you read something that says 'eating this will kill you,' maybe don't treat it like a dinner suggestion."

Hajime gave a breathless laugh. "Duly noted."

He shifted and glanced at his arm—strong, lean, and laced with faintly glowing red veins. Then down to his stomach. The softness he once had was gone, replaced by sculpted muscle. He flexed abs he didn't remember earning, eyes wide in disbelief.

"…Did I turn into a shonen protagonist while I wasn't looking?"

Renji snorted. "More like a final boss." He sat up straighter, rubbing the back of his neck. "Seriously, Hajime—you look like a vampire went on a gym bender. And your hair. What the hell. You look like someone dropped bleach on Sephiroth."

"Hey," Hajime said, mock-offended. "Yours isn't much better. You've got this whole edgy anime rival thing going. Red streaks, molten eyes... All you need now is a tragic backstory and a katana."

Renji glanced at his reflection in a broken shard of stone and scowled. "…Shit. I do look like that."

They both fell into a tired laugh, too wrung out to care how messed up everything was.

Hajime leaned back again, arms behind his head. "Still… I feel different. Like… inside. Stronger, sure. But also—wrong. My body's both hot and cold. If I focus, I can make these gross veins rise up. Look."

He lifted his arm, and the dark red veins writhed beneath the surface, like glowing cords just beneath the skin.

"Uwaaah, that's disgusting," Renji gagged. "Seriously, stop flexing your eldritch gains at me."

"I turned into a monster," Hajime muttered. "This better not be some kind of cursed isekai plot twist."

Renji raised an eyebrow. "Buddy, we're living a cursed isekai plot twist."

"Fair."

After a moment, Hajime dug into his ragged coat, pulling out a cracked but intact status plate. "Guess I should check this before I grow another arm or something."

"Let me know if it says 'Species: Abomination,'" Renji said, already shifting to do the same. "Would hate to find out you're legally undead or something."

"I dunno," Hajime smirked. "Might get better insurance rates."

"Not with that haircut, you won't."

They both stared down at their status plates, their laughter fading into silence.

Something had changed.

Everything had.

But for now, at least—they were still themselves.

Barely.

Hajime Nagumo

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Level: 8

Job: Synergist

Stats:

Strength: 100

Defense: 100

Agility: 200

Magic: 300

Magic Defense: 300

Skills:

Transmute: The ability to manipulate and alter the properties of matter. Hajime can transmute materials with his hands, shaping the environment to his needs.

Mana Manipulation: Direct control over mana, which flows through Hajime's body. He can harness, direct, and control the flow of mana without the need for incantations or magic circles. This allows for efficient, precise casting of magic, and he can even store mana in objects for later use.

Iron Stomach: Hajime's digestive system has been modified to handle the dangerous and toxic properties of monster meat. He can consume any form of monster flesh without suffering any ill effects, allowing him to feed off creatures that would otherwise be lethal.

Lightning Field: Generates an electric aura around Hajime, allowing him to control static electricity and discharge it at will. He can use this field to increase his speed, enhance attacks with electricity, and produce lightning strikes for ranged combat.

Language Comprehension: Allows Hajime to understand and interpret all languages, both human and magical, without the need to study them.

Renji Aikawa

Age: 17

Gender: Male

Level: 19

Job: Time Reaver

Stats:

Strength: 280

Vitality: 290

Defense: 350

Agility: 609

Magic: 450

Magic Defense: 320

Skills:

Mana Manipulation: Like Hajime, Renji has gained the ability to control mana directly. Renji can use his mana to alter the flow of time, creating anomalies or enhancing his combat skills. He can mold the mana into various effects, allowing him to manipulate the environment and himself to his advantage.

Iron Stomach: Renji's body, like Hajime's, has evolved to handle dangerous monster flesh. He can eat raw or cooked monster meat without suffering from the usual toxic effects. His stomach can digest anything, no matter how hazardous.

Lightning Field: Renji has also acquired the ability to generate an electric aura. Though not as powerful as Hajime's, Renji can use this skill to enhance his speed and combat abilities. His lightning manipulation is slightly more focused on agility and reaction time rather than sheer destructive power.

Temporal Sync: Renji can synchronize his body and mind with the flow of time around him. This allows him to move in sync with time, increasing his reaction speed and allowing him to anticipate and dodge attacks. It also grants him an enhanced sense of time, making him aware of subtle shifts and changes.

Chrono Weave: The ability to weave time together in a specific area, manipulating its flow. Renji can slow down or speed up time around him, creating distortions that either trap enemies in slower time or allow Renji to move at incredible speeds.

Eclipse Edge: Renji can create a temporary rift in space-time with each strike, allowing his sword to bypass physical defenses or create time anomalies that disorient his enemies. The attack leaves a shadowy afterimage and causes momentary time distortions that can confuse or injure foes.

Rewind (Minor): This skill allows Renji to reverse small periods of time. He can undo a recent mistake or injury, rewinding the clock by a few seconds to correct errors or escape danger. It's not perfect and has a cooldown period, but it allows Renji to get another shot at success when the odds are against him.

Language Comprehension: Like Hajime, Renji can understand all languages, human or otherwise, without needing formal study.

Hajime's eyes widened as the red electricity crackled in his palm, a strange, almost addictive rush of power pulsing through him. It was unlike anything he'd ever felt before—intense, wild, and completely foreign. His heart raced as the sensation of raw energy hummed in the air around him.

"What the hell is this?" he muttered to himself, staring at his hand. He could almost feel the electric current inside his skin, as if it had become a part of him. The tingling was a reminder that he wasn't entirely in control. The power was still untamed, like an animal trying to break free. He could feel it itching to explode, but he wasn't ready to unleash it just yet.

Hajime clenched his fist, trying to keep the erratic electricity in check. His expression shifted from curiosity to uncertainty. "This is... intense." He let out a breath, trying to stay calm. He knew it was going to take time to learn how to manage this power, but right now it felt too overwhelming, like something was just waiting to spiral out of control.

"Is this what it's supposed to feel like?" he asked Renji, his voice laced with a mix of wonder and wariness. He shook his hands, trying to dispel some of the static electricity. "It feels like I could fry someone with just a touch."

Renji, who was still experimenting with his own ability, looked over with a raised eyebrow. His own powers were just as frustrating. The air around him seemed to shimmer as he tried to sync his body with the flow of time, but instead of perfecting it, he felt like he was constantly slipping, his body out of sync with his intentions. He couldn't stop himself from shaking his head in exasperation. "I don't know, but this feels strange," Renji admitted. "Time feels all warped when I try to manipulate it. Like trying to catch smoke in your hand."

Renji's expression shifted from frustration to something more thoughtful, his brows furrowing as he began to experiment further. A wave of temporal energy rippled around him, causing a few pebbles on the ground to shift slightly before his hands flicked the air, trying to adjust the flow of time. It was like trying to change the direction of a river with just a thought, and yet it was something that felt more real with every attempt.

"I mean, I thought I'd feel more... in control by now," Renji muttered, though his words were filled with a kind of hesitant acceptance. "Instead, it's like I'm fighting time, but it's not fighting back—it's just... slipping away from me."

Both of them were silent for a moment as they processed the overwhelming rush of newfound power. Hajime rubbed his temples, trying to focus his thoughts through the haze of his erratic energy. "It's like... like we're both standing on the edge of something," he said, his voice low. "Like we can see the potential, but we're not quite there yet. I can feel this electricity in my veins, but it's so unpredictable. One wrong move and..."

"Yeah, I get it," Renji cut in, his expression half amused and half pensive. "It's all still so... new. I mean, I can feel time, but it's like trying to balance on a tightrope while holding a handful of sand. The more I try, the more it slips away."

Hajime gave a short laugh, though it was laced with frustration. "Great, so we're both just... fumbling in the dark with this?"

Renji shrugged with a smirk, as if to say, what else is new? "Hey, that's what training is for, right? We just need time, a lot of it. If we can't make sense of it now, we'll figure it out soon enough." His grin widened. "And if you manage to blow something up with that lightning, at least it'll be interesting."

Hajime couldn't help but chuckle at that. The thought of accidentally frying himself—or someone else—was both amusing and terrifying. "I'm not sure I want to experiment too much with this until I know what I'm doing. The last thing I need is to end up as a pile of ash."

"Fair enough," Renji agreed, though his eyes still gleamed with a mix of determination and curiosity. "But hey, look at it this way: we've got all the time in the world to figure it out. We're just starting. All we can do now is keep testing, keep pushing these boundaries."

Hajime let out a deep breath, looking down at his hands. Slowly, the electricity began to dissipate, though it left a faint tingling sensation in his skin. His mind was still racing with possibilities, but for now, he was relieved to have it under some semblance of control.

"I guess you're right," he said, shaking his head in disbelief at the surreal nature of it all. "I've got this power in my hands, but it's like I'm still waiting for it to click. I just hope I'm not going to destroy the place before I get a handle on it."

Renji nodded, understanding all too well. "Yeah, me too. But hey, we're in this together. Whatever we have to go through, we'll figure it out."

Hajime felt the electricity in his hand

finally fade, leaving a residual warmth pulsing under his skin. As he shook off the last sparks, he caught a whiff of something... off. It was coming from the campfire nearby—thick, charred, and distinctly monstrous. He turned and saw Renji poking at a sizzling chunk of meat that looked like it had come from some grotesque creature, the kind they'd fought off just hours earlier.

"You actually gonna eat that?" Hajime asked, nose wrinkling.

Renji looked up, smirking as he lifted the blackened chunk with two fingers. "Yeah. Why not?"

"Because it's monster meat," Hajime said flatly. "Remember what happened last time? You were curled up groaning for two hours."

Renji grinned wider. "Not anymore."

He took a bite, casually chewing despite the meat's rubbery, almost toxic texture. Hajime stared, half in horror, half in disbelief. But then he remembered—the Iron Stomach. One of the perks they'd gained along with their abilities. Their bodies had adapted. No more sickness, no more food poisoning. Their digestive systems could now handle just about anything… even monster meat.

Hajime blinked. "You're serious."

Renji swallowed with a satisfied grunt. "Dead serious. Tastes like crap, but hey, it's protein. Doesn't even hurt my gut anymore." He tossed Hajime a chunk. "Go on. Try it. You're not gonna keel over."

Still skeptical, Hajime caught the meat and gave it a tentative sniff. It reeked. But... maybe he should test it. He took a cautious bite—and to his surprise, the meat didn't immediately revolt in his mouth. It was chewy, weirdly sour, but not unbearable. More importantly, his stomach didn't twist or churn like it used to.

Hajime's eyes widened slightly. "Okay. That's... actually insane."

Renji chuckled, leaning back against a rock. "Iron Stomach, baby. No more hunting for clean meat or wasting time skinning. We eat what we kill now."

"It's disgusting," Hajime muttered, chewing slowly. "But kind of amazing. That changes everything."

He took another bite, the reality starting to settle in. No more ration worries. No more bad guts. Just one more step forward in adapting to their new powers—even if they were still fumbling through the rest.