The moment Tiger Tattoo collapsed completely, the surroundings were engulfed in a deathly silence.

  A tingling thrill still lingered in my fist. The intense shock I felt when delivering that final blow, the sound of bones and muscles breaking, and even the vibration of that massive body crashing down. Everything was vividly etched into my senses.

  'Is it over?'

  My heart was beating like crazy. Adrenaline coursed through my entire body, making my fingertips tremble. This was my first real combat. My first battle where I truly fought with my life on the line.

  But at the same time, fear washed over me. I couldn't fully comprehend what I had just done. With this level of power... could I become a monster like Tiger Tattoo?

  Tiger Tattoo was no longer moving. His rough breathing, his beast-like growling - everything had stopped. The incarnation of destruction was now just a fallen man.

  I approached cautiously. Each footstep echoing on the ground sounded unusually loud. Because of my enhanced hearing, even my heartbeat was as loud as beating a bass drum.

  'He's not actually dead, is he?'

  Anxiety gripped my throat. What I wanted was to save him, not kill him.

  Looking closely at Tiger Tattoo's face, he was completely unconscious. His eyes were closed, his mouth half-open, only making faint moaning sounds. As if he had fallen into a deep state of unconsciousness.

  'Thank goodness... he's alive.'

  A sigh of relief escaped me.

  That's when it happened.

  A faint light began to seep from around his chest.

  At first, I thought it was an optical illusion. But after seeing the crimson light growing clearer, I realized this was the same kind of light I had seen during the meteor accident. However, the color was different. What I had absorbed was blue light, but this was completely different.

  'Could it be...'

  My heart sank.

  The light grew stronger, and soon something began separating from Tiger Tattoo's body. It was liquid. But unlike what I had absorbed, this was different. Denser, more violently undulating.

  A pure mass of rage and destructive power.

  The moment I saw that liquid, I knew instinctively. This was a force similar to GNOM inside me, but with different properties. Unlike the stable feeling my inner 'GNOM' gave me, this was something incomplete that only craved something.

  The liquid slowly rose into the air. As if ignoring gravity, it floated in mid-air and approached me.

  'GNOM inside me... is reacting?'

  Something stirred intensely deep in my chest. But this time it wasn't simple joy. It was a complex emotion mixing wariness with strong craving.

  'It might be dangerous. But... it's necessary.'

  I could faintly feel the message GNOM was conveying. This power would definitely make me stronger. But it could be just as dangerous.

  The liquid was now right in front of my nose. Unlike during the meteor accident, this time it didn't try to force its way in. As if asking for permission, it circled around me.

  I was conflicted for a long time. Should I accept this? I couldn't know what changes that liquid would bring to me. Could I become an uncontrollable monster like Tiger Tattoo?

  'But... I need to become stronger. To prevent these kinds of incidents. And if this power falls into the wrong hands... the thought alone is horrific.'

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  I recalled the terror-stricken faces of the people from earlier. If I had been stronger, I could have resolved this situation faster. I could have saved more people.

  'Let me trust GNOM. It has never led me down the wrong path so far.'

  I slowly reached out my hand.

  The moment the liquid touched my palm, electricity shot through my entire body.

  "Aaaahhh!"

  A scream burst out involuntarily.

  This time was different from the meteor accident. More violent, more painful. It felt like two different entities were colliding inside my body.

  Every cell in my body felt like it was burning. Hot heat flowed through my blood vessels as if I had been thrown into a furnace. But strangely, even in the pain, I felt intense pleasure.

  My bones were thickening. But this time, I could feel the process more clearly.

  My muscles were expanding. Especially the muscles in my shoulders, arms, chest, and thighs were rapidly developing.

  My skin was hardening. It felt like putting on armor.

  I could clearly feel every change. The very structure of my body was being reorganized. Each muscle fiber in my forearm was weaving more densely together, bone density was rapidly increasing, and ligaments and tendons were becoming as hard as steel wire.

  The heat that started in my chest spread through my shoulders to my arms, then to my legs. I could feel my back muscles thickening and my shoulders broadening. The muscle mass in my thighs and calves increased noticeably.

  But this time it wasn't just physical changes. Something fundamental was changing inside me. GNOM inside me was becoming more complete as it absorbed this new power.

  'Is this... really happening?'

  The changes lasted for a short time. Starting with physical changes, it led to inner transformation. It felt like my very soul was being upgraded.

  During that time, I had to kneel on the ground and tremble all over. The transformation was so intense that I couldn't even stand properly.

  Finally, everything stopped.

  I slowly raised my body. From the moment I stood up, I felt something had changed. Gravity seemed weaker than before. My body was as light as a feather.

  I clenched my fist tightly.

  'Craaaack.'

  The sound from my knuckles was completely different from before. More heavy, more threatening. Like the sound of steel chunks colliding with each other.

  I picked up a damaged concrete block nearby. It was heavy enough that ordinary people would have trouble lifting it with both hands, but I could lift it easily with one hand.

  And I applied just a little force.

  'Crrrunch!'

  The concrete began crumbling in the shape of my fingers. Cement fragments turned to powder and flowed down between my fingers. With just a little force, the solid concrete crumbled like a biscuit.

  'This... this much? From just one transformation?'

  I couldn't properly gauge the scale of the power I had gained. It was on a completely different level from when I had sent the coach flying at the boxing gym.

  But something even more intense than the increase in strength was there.

  An intense pull.

  An unidentifiable craving was writhing inside me. This wasn't simple thirst. It was an existential thirst, like an addict craving drugs.

  'Something... more is needed.'

  I had a vague feeling that similar things existed somewhere in the city. It was like looking at constellations.

  This sensation was new. When GNOM first settled inside me, I didn't have this kind of urge. It was a new sensation that arose only after absorbing this power.

  'This... this feeling like something is calling me... what is this?'

  At the same time, anxiety washed over me. What if this craving grew stronger and stronger? What if it grew beyond my control? Could I also lose my reason like Tiger Tattoo and become a monster chasing only power?

  'No. I'm different. I have to be different.'

  I resolved myself once again. I have a purpose. My goal isn't simply to become strong, but to protect people with this power. As long as I don't lose that purpose, I should be able to walk the right path.

  But the thirst continued. And it was getting stronger.

  I could hear sirens from not far away. Police and rescue teams were rushing over.

  It was time to leave this place.

  But before that, there was something I needed to check.

  I approached the fallen Tiger Tattoo. He was still in a deep unconscious state. Like he was suffering from nightmares.

  "Uh... uhm..."

  He made a faint moaning sound. But couldn't open his eyes. His lips were trembling as he muttered something.

  "What did I... I can't remember..."

  He looked completely confused. It seemed like his memories had disappeared along with the liquid. The memories of his time as a monster had been completely erased.

  'Now he'll become an ordinary person again.'

  The siren sounds were getting closer. It was really time to leave now.

  'He'll be fine once he gets treatment at the hospital.'

  I quickly organized the scene. But it was impossible to completely erase all traces. Even though I was wearing a hood and mask, there would be evidence somewhere that I had been here. There would be CCTVs, and there would be witnesses.

  'Someone might be looking for me. I need to be careful.'

  And I quietly left using the shadows of the building.

  Thanks to my enhanced physical abilities, my movement speed had also become much faster. But what was most surprising was that the entire city looked different. As if I was wearing X-ray glasses, I could see energies hidden between buildings.

  After moving a few blocks, I stopped on a building rooftop. Looking back, I could see the flashing lights of police cars and ambulances at what had been the battlefield just moments ago.

  Pride and heavy responsibility washed over me simultaneously. But now it wasn't simple responsibility. Knowing that similar powers existed in the city, I had to find them. Or at least prevent them from falling into the wrong hands.

  On the way home, I explored the changes inside me in more detail.

  The increase in physical strength was certain. I could lift weights I couldn't have imagined before, and the destructive power of my punches had become incomparably stronger. But more important than that was my sensitivity to similar powers.

  Now I could vaguely sense similar beings scattered throughout the city. I couldn't tell whether they had awakened or were still dormant, but I was certain they existed.

  But even more important changes were happening within.

  Thirst.

  Pull.

  These emotions kept whispering from a corner of my consciousness. 'Find more. Become stronger. Become more complete.'

  'Is this normal?'

  I was anxious. Would this thirst grow stronger and stronger until it eventually dominated me? Tiger Tattoo must have maintained his reason at first, like me. But in the end, he became intoxicated with power and turned into a monster.

  'No. I'm different. I have to be different.'

  I resolved myself once again. I have a purpose. My goal isn't simply to become strong, but to protect people with this power. As long as I don't lose that purpose, I should be able to walk the right path.

  But the thirst continued. And it was getting stronger.

  When I arrived in front of my house, I suddenly thought of Mom. Mom, who lives an ordinary life, still doesn't know that I've become this kind of being. How surprised would she be if she found out? Would she worry? Would she be proud?

  'For now... let's keep it secret.'

  I didn't want to burden Mom. I didn't know how I might change in the future. I might really become a monster.

  The moment I opened the front door and entered, the disconnect between ordinary daily life and extraordinary reality felt even more vivid. Until just a few hours ago, this place was simply a sanctuary where I returned to rest. But now it was different. This place had become a hideout where a being that hunts the city's demons returns to remove his mask.

  'Now I've really... entered a path of no return.'

  But I had no regrets. Today I saved people. I saved Tiger Tattoo and prevented him from harming innocent people anymore. If I hadn't stepped forward, there would have been no one who could stop him.

  That alone was enough.

  And I didn't yet know that this thirst would soon become reality.