Footsteps echoed along the Academy's stone pathways as a young man made his way toward the Hunter Academy. He looked up at the imposing structure with a sigh, rubbing the back of his neck.
"I only took a three-day break, and I'm already itching to leave again," he muttered. He gave a slight grin, anticipation flashing in his eyes. "Just hurry up and get here, tournament… the sooner we graduate, the sooner we can really get things started."
He pushed open the doors, the Academy's familiar scent of training mats and polished metal filling his senses as he entered.
Inside one of the training rooms, a towering, humanoid figure was striking at the air with powerful blows. It had green skin, massive muscles, and a single, fierce eye—a cyclops. With each punch, its body rippled with force, but then, with a swift swipe of its hand, the cyclops began to shift. Orange fur sprouted along its arms, and its fingers morphed into powerful claws. In seconds, the creature completed its transformation, standing now as a massive tiger with sleek, powerful limbs.
The tiger growled low, darting left and right in a zigzag pattern across the room, its movements precise and instinctual. But it soon paused, closing its eyes, and in a seamless motion, the fur receded, the claws shortened, and the creature stood up on two legs once more, shifting back into human form.
It was Lance, honing his shapeshifting ability. He took a deep breath, glancing down at his hands as they returned to their familiar form.
"Perfect," he muttered, flexing his fingers and feeling the residual strength from his transformation. "Switching between forms is getting smoother by the day." He paused, considering his options. "I like the tiger form for its speed and power—might come in handy in the tournament. But… maybe I should work on a new transformation with attributes specifically to counter Eno and Lily. No…" He frowned, shaking his head. "That'd be a terrible idea in such a short time."
Just then, the click of the door opening echoed behind him. Lance turned to see a boy with striking purple hair and piercing silver eyes enter the room.
Lance's serious expression softened into a smile. "Eric," he greeted.
Eric gave a casual wave, his gaze shifting to the training room's equipment. "Thought I'd find you here, pushing yourself as usual."
Lance shrugged, crossing his arms. "Have to. Tournament's close, and the Academy's crawling with talent. Can't afford to slack off if I want to hold my place."
Eric smirked, his silver eyes gleaming with a knowing look. "True. And you're planning to bring out the tiger form in the tournament, I take it?"
Lance chuckled, running a hand through his hair. "Maybe. It's a favorite.
"But I'm not dumb enough to use it during the tournament," he said. "Lily and Eno will definitely see it coming. That's why I'm spending the whole day training, smoothing out the switch between transformations. Turns out, it's much smoother transitioning between familiar forms like the tiger." He paused and added, "Other than training, I haven't done much. No plans, no strategies. But what about you? We sent you a message about the tournament yesterday. I doubt you had a place to train, so did you come up with a plan instead?"
Eric waved his hand dismissively, leaning against the wall. "Plans, shmans. I'm just here to keep my body moving. Then, what have you been up to the past three days, anyway?" Lance asked, curious.
Eric shrugged, his purple hair falling into his eyes. "Nothing too important. Just helping my family out with a few things, nothing worth mentioning." He paused, then his eyes lit up mischievously. "But since you're here training, how about I join in?"
Lance's eyebrows shot up. "Join me? Really? It's barely morning. Did you even bother to eat breakfast yet?"
Eric laughed, waving off his concern. "Don't worry, man. I grabbed some chicken wings on the way here." He patted his stomach, a satisfied smile on his face.
Lance tilted his head, his curiosity piqued. "And how exactly are chicken wings supposed to help you train?"
Eric walked over to a shelf where the Academy stored various training equipment. He rummaged around, eventually pulling out a dense metal throwing ball. Without hesitation, he tossed it into the air, caught it, and… swallowed it whole. Lance watched, equal parts impressed and disturbed, as Eric swallowed with a grin and wiped his mouth.
With a playful glint in his eye, Eric faced Lance, a smirk forming on his lips. He raised his arms and stretched them out in front of him, crossing them in an X-shape. His arms began to change, morphing and warping as the metal he had swallowed fused into his flesh. The transformation was quick yet impressive: both of Eric's arms became massive, metal-plated chicken wings, adorned with razor-sharp feather-like blades that gleamed under the training room lights.
Lance couldn't hold back his laughter. "Okay, I take back everything I said," he chuckled. "Chicken wings are useful."
Eric's ability was a powerful, S-tier conditional skill called Devour. By eating any object or creature, Eric could transform parts—or all—of his body to replicate the properties of what he had consumed. But that wasn't the whole story. Lance's own shapeshifting was formidable, but Eric's Devour had unique advantages that made it particularly deadly.
Eric smirked, clearly enjoying the admiration. "Yeah, yeah. Don't underestimate a hungry man," he said, flexing his new metallic wings. "I can slice through anything with these bad boys
Devour allowed him to selectively transform different parts of his body. Unlike Lance, who had to fully commit to a single transformation at a time, Eric could mix and match forms, turning his arms into blades while keeping his legs human, or even using his wings while keeping the rest of his body unchanged. And on top of that, if he consumed creatures, he could inherit their abilities. For example, The wolf that Eno had defeated the fire-breathing wolf, if Eric had eaten part of it and could then breathe fire for the rest of the day.
Despite these strengths, Devour had one major drawback: Eric's stomach was still human-sized. He couldn't consume too much without risking serious consequences, like vomiting or feeling too sick to fight. Plus, his transformations and abilities reset every day, which meant he constantly needed a fresh supply of "materials" to stay powerful.
Lance, observing Eric's metal wing transformation, cracked his knuckles. "Alright, since you're all ready to go with those metal wings, I'll pick just one transformation to keep things fair."
In an instant, Lance's appearance shifted. His skin hardened, taking on a rough, stone-like texture. His body grew in size, bulking up as his arms and legs became thick and solid. He had turned into a golem, a towering and tank-like creature known for its immense strength and durability.
Eric's eyes widened, then narrowed in irritation. "You say you're being fair," he grumbled, "but you went and transformed into a golem? A tanky monster, while I'm stuck with just these blade wings?"
Lance's stone face cracked into a grin. "Hey, it's your idea to train, right?"
Eric rolled his eyes but didn't let his frustration linger. His silver eyes sharpened with determination as he spread his metallic wings, the blade-like feathers glinting menacingly. "Fine, fine. I'll just have to cut you down to size!" he shouted, lunging forward with a burst of speed.
Lance braced himself, his rocky body solidifying as he prepared to defend against Eric's bladed assault. The training room was about to become a battlefield as the two friends clashed, testing the limits of their abilities and pushing each other to grow stronger.
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Author's Note: Writing long chapters is really tough. I usually aim for around 2,000 words per chapter, but sometimes I end up writing way more. Chapter 5, for example, was 2,669 words, and it was exhausting. So, from now on, I'll aim for around 1,500 words per chapter. Starting with this one, which is 1,300 words.