"Meow."

"I thought you didn't want to have cats."

"I don't."

"Then why is there a cat drinking milk in our dorm?"

"It's a long story."

Adom sat on his bed, watching the small black cat lap delicately at the bowl of milk he'd scrounged earlier. It was surreal seeing such a dainty creature and knowing that just hours ago, it had been a massive midnight puma. The transformation still boggled his mind.

The cat - he wasn't even sure if he should still call it a puma - paused its drinking to look up at him with those startling blue eyes. In the warm light of the dorm room, they seemed to shimmer with an intelligence that made him distinctly uncomfortable.

Sam sat down on his bed too, nursing his scratched hand. He'd learned the hard way that their new guest had strong opinions about being petted without permission. "At least it's cute. I like cats. Let's keep it."

"Yeah," Adom said, watching the black cat meticulously clean its whiskers. "At least for now."

"So..." Sam looked at his roommate. "What are we naming it?"

"Haven't really thought about it."

"How about Asteroid Destroyer?"

"No."

"Apocalypse Bringer?"

"Absolutely not."

"Death's Shadow?"

The cat actually hissed.

"Maybe we should call it-"

"Please stop," Adom begged. "You're terrible with names."

"Hey. I named my father's familiar!"

"Sam."

"What's wrong with that?"

"Mighty Fox is not a proper name for a fox familiar."

"I liked it."

"That says more about you than anyone else."

Sam flopped back onto his bed with an exaggerated huff. "You and your cat have no sense of grandeur." He lay there for a few seconds before rolling onto his side. "So... are you going to make it your familiar?"

Adom looked at the black cat, which was now watching their exchange with what he could swear was amusement in those too-intelligent blue eyes. "No."

After much consideration, Adom had decided to bring the creature - puma, cat, or whatever it truly was - back to the dorm. The decision wasn't entirely logical, but it hadn't tried to maul him in the alley, which seemed like a point in its favor.

At first, he'd thought it might be a spirit, but those had a different feel to them - more ethereal, less... solid.

A shapeshifter, perhaps? But natural shapeshifters usually couldn't maintain forms this perfectly, and they tended to avoid cities.

A familiar without a mage? Possible, but unlikely - familiars didn't typically show this level of independence.

The more he observed its seamless transformations and those unnaturally intelligent blue eyes, the more one explanation kept rising to the top of his list: a curse.

Curses were tricky things in the magical world - not quite spells, not quite bindings, but something in between. They worked by imposing a twisted pattern onto someone or something's natural mana flow.

While normal spells were temporary transformations of mana, curses were more like permanent distortions, forcing someone's mana to flow in unnatural ways that created lasting effects.

The strength of a curse depended on how deeply it was woven into the target's mana.

Surface curses were relatively simple - things like bad luck or minor transformations. These sat on top of someone's natural mana flow, like a parasitic pattern. Deeper curses actually altered the fundamental structure of someone's mana, making them far more difficult to break.

What made this particular case interesting was the transformation aspect. Most cursed transformations were crude - turning someone into a toad or a rat. But this was different. The creature moved between forms with an unsettling grace, and those eyes... they held far too much awareness for a simple transformation curse.

This had to be old magic, the kind that went bone-deep and rewrote the very essence of someone's being. The kind that was very rare to study. And as a mage that stumbled upon a very rare case...

Adom knew that breaking it would require more than just dispelling the surface pattern - he'd need to understand the entire structure of the curse, layer by layer, and carefully unwind it without damaging the original mana pattern underneath.

If he even could. Some curses became so integrated with their target that removing them was like trying to separate two colors of paint after they'd been mixed.

But it made for a good challenge.

Adom looked at the cat, then at Sam, who was already burrowing under his covers. He probably should tell his friend that this tiny, milk-drinking ball of fur had been a massive, shadowy puma just hours ago.

"Sam..."

"Goodnight guys," Sam mumbled into his pillow, then rolled over with a sleepy yawn.

Adom watched the steady rise and fall of his roommate's breathing. "Hmm. Maybe another time."

The cat caught his eye and let out what sounded suspiciously like a snort of agreement.

"Come on," Adom said to the cat, patting a spot on his bed.

The cat looked at him, blinked once, very slowly, then deliberately curled up right where it was - perfectly centered on Sam's rug. Within seconds, it was making small sleeping noises, whiskers twitching.

Adom chuckled despite himself. Right. That's why he didn't want pet cats - their absolute refusal to acknowledge any authority but their own. Even a cursed one, potentially dangerous and definitely magical, still had that insufferable feline tendency to do exactly the opposite of what was asked of it.

"Suit yourself then," Adom said, finally getting to bed.

*****

And just like that, two weeks passed in the most excruciating, horrible manner imaginable.

Every morning at dawn, Adom forced himself out of bed despite every muscle fiber screaming for mercy, lacing up his shoes with hands that still trembled from the previous day's punishment. Mile by mile, his lungs learned to burn without breaking, his legs discovered new depths of agony before adapting, growing stronger.

The discipline was brutal - choosing pain over comfort, progress over rest, pushing through the wall where his twelve-year-old body begged him to stop. But day by day, something remarkable happened: his stride lengthened, his breathing steadied, his shoulders broadened with newfound strength.

Between classes, he squeezed in meditation and strength training, devouring mountains of food to fuel his rapidly changing frame.

The cat watched his daily transformation with what could only be described as impressed skepticism, while Sam oscillated between admiration and genuine worry for his roommate's sanity.

By the fourteenth day, Adom's reflection showed a different person entirely - leaner, harder, with the quiet confidence that came from breaking your body down and building it back up stronger.

And yet!

He still hadn't hit that ten-mile mark.

Until today...

[Indomitable Will activated]

[+1 Endurance]

[+3 Endurance]

"COME ON, ADOM!" Hugo's voice boomed across the training hall. "YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!"

"He's actually doing it!" Diana shouted, jumping up and down at the track's edge.

"GO GO GO!" Phil and Kaius were practically vibrating with excitement.

"THIRTY SECONDS LEFT!" Vale called out, watching the timer.

"DON'T YOU DARE STOP!" Even Sam, who usually treated physical exercise like a personal insult, was screaming himself hoarse. "DON'T YOU DARE!"

Adom couldn't really hear them anymore. His world had narrowed down to the burning in his lungs and the steady thud of his feet against the track. Every breath felt like swallowing fire. His legs had stopped being legs about six minutes ago - they were just pain-filled appendages that somehow kept moving.

[Stamina critically low]

[Pain Tolerance increase detected]

[Body operating at 77% capacity]

He wanted to throw up. He really, really wanted to throw up. But throwing up would mean stopping, and stopping wasn't an option. Not today. Not when he was so close.

[Pain suppression increased]

[Secondary wind activated]

"FIFTEEN SECONDS!"

His vision was starting to blur at the edges. The constant notifications in his peripheral vision had melted into a smear of blue light. He couldn't feel his face anymore.

Was that normal? Probably not.

"TEN SECONDS!"

[Heart rate very high]

[Warning: Physical limits approaching]

[Recommendation: Decrease pace]

"SHUT UP!" he growled at the system, pushing harder.

"FIVE!"

"FOUR!"

"THREE!"

"TWO!"

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"ONE!"

[Congratulations! Side Quest Completed!]

[10 Miles completed in: 59:58]

[Achievement Unlocked: Breaking Barriers Of One's Body]

[Reward: Skill - [Iron Lungs] unlocked]

Description: Dramatically increases overall stamina and oxygen efficiency. Reduces fatigue build-up, enables longer periods of sustained physical activity, and improves recovery time.

[+5 Stamina permanently added]

[Body Adaptation Progress: 27%]

Adom barely registered being lifted off his feet. The entire club had rushed the track, hoisting him onto their shoulders like he'd just won some grand championship instead of just... not dying during cardio.

"HE DID IT!" Hugo screamed.

"Up! Up! Up!" The club chanted, tossing him in the air. Through his exhaustion-addled brain, Adom noticed Sam grinning like an idiot, clapping harder than anyone.

"Now that," Sam shouted over the celebration, "was actually kind of awesome!"

Adom would have replied with something appropriately sarcastic, but he was too busy trying not to throw up on his celebrating clubmates.

Also, he couldn't feel his legs. Or most of his body, really.

[Iron Lungs skill integration beginning...]

[Estimated recovery time: 47 minutes]

[Recommendation: Water. Lots of water.]

"It was just a run..." Damus's dry voice cut through the celebration from somewhere in the back of the room, where he was casually leaning against the wall.

The entire club turned to glare at him in perfect synchronization - even Sam, who normally avoided confrontation.

Hugo just grinned wider, still holding the almost unconscious Adom. "Everything's 'just' something until you actually try to do it."

Damus raised an eyebrow, but wisely chose not to comment further.

*****

Adom sat against the wall, legs stretched out, watching the blurry shapes of people training. His vision had gotten worse since losing his glasses - now he could barely make out anything beyond 157 inches. Just vague shapes moving around, their edges bleeding into each other. The cat sat next to him, back straight, looking thoroughly unimpressed with the whole affair.

A water bottle appeared in front of his face, blocking what little vision he had left.

Adom squinted, which only made Hugo laugh.

"You know," Hugo said, settling down next to him, "you actually look pretty good without the glasses. Very scholarly-warrior chic."

"Everyone's telling me that. But I look like I'm constantly judging everyone," Adom muttered, accepting the water bottle. The cat gave it a disdainful glance.

"Aren't you, though?"

"That's... fair."

Hugo's laugh boomed across the training hall, making several students miss their steps. "You should really get new ones though. Can't have you missing all the important form corrections I'm about to show Sam."

As if summoned by his name, Sam's yelp of surprise echoed from somewhere in the blur of motion that was the training area. The cat's ear twitched - the closest thing to interest it had shown all morning.

"I can see just fine," Adom lied, taking a sip of water.

"You've been staring at the storage closet for five minutes."

"...that was the sparring area."

"No, that's over there," Hugo pointed somewhere to the left. "You were literally having a staring contest with a door."

"Ah."

Note to get new glasses. Very soon.

The cat chose this moment to yawn deliberately, showing off an impressive array of teeth that seemed just a bit too sharp for comfort. Hugo glanced at it, his expression shifting ever so slightly.

"Your new friend doesn't seem very impressed with our training methods."

"The cat," Adom said, "has very high standards."

"Have you considered making it your familiar?" Hugo asked, watching the cat with curious eyes.

"I tried. It... declined the offer."

Hugo's laugh echoed through the hall again. "Very cat-like indeed."

Adom hesitated for a moment, then turned toward Hugo. "By the way..."

Over the past two weeks, Adom had been carefully planting seeds. A question here about advanced magical theory during water breaks. A casual mention there about helping younger students with their assignments. He'd even started organizing the equipment after training sessions without being asked.

The club was just a club - a place for training. But it was also where Hugo spent a good portion of his time when he wasn't assisting Professor Kim in his research. And that's what Adom needed - those moments between exercises, those casual conversations where he could show he was more than meets the eyes.

Never anything obvious. He couldn't afford to seem eager. Just a second-year student showing unexpected maturity and academic insight. The kind of thing that might come up naturally in conversation between a teaching assistant and his professor.

It was a delicate balance.

Too much interest in Professor Kim's work would mark him as just another fan. Too little would defeat the purpose entirely. So instead, Adom focused on becoming the type of student Professor Kim would want to meet. The type Hugo would mention in passing during their assistant meetings.

The worst part was the waiting. Every time Hugo praised his progress or nodded thoughtfully at one of his theoretical questions, Adom had to resist the urge to press further.

He couldn't rush this. After all, he was supposed to be focused on training, on improving himself. The fact that he happened to be exactly the kind of student Professor Kim might want as a future assistant? That had to seem coincidental.

Hugo, for his part, seemed genuinely intrigued by Adom's questions. He'd pause before answering, sometimes cocking his head slightly as he considered the depth behind what seemed like simple curiosity. It wasn't the polite attention he gave to most students - there was a sharpness to his focus when Adom touched on more complex theories.

A few times, he'd even stayed after training to continue their discussions, absently fixing stances and correcting forms while diving deeper into magical theory. It was during these moments that Adom caught glimpses of the assistant researcher beneath the jovial club president - someone who clearly spent hours in the lab, who understood magic at a level far beyond basic spellwork.

But Hugo never quite took the bait. He'd engage enthusiastically with Adom's ideas, challenge his assumptions, even praise his insights - but he kept the conversations firmly in the theoretical realm. If he suspected Adom's ulterior motives, he gave no sign of it. And if he ever mentioned these conversations to Professor Kim, Adom had no way of knowing.

Then again, maybe that was the point. Hugo hadn't gotten to be a sixth-year research assistant by being oblivious to people's intentions.

"By the way," Hugo said, adjusting the straps of his bag as they finished cleaning up.

Adom's hands stilled on the training mat he was folding. He kept his voice casual. "Hm?"

"You know I'm Professor Kim's assistant, right?"

"Yeah. Why?"

Hugo shouldered his bag. "I mentioned our conversation about micro magic to him the other day." He paused. "The professor said he'd like to meet you, if you're interested."

Adom carefully kept folding the mat, fighting to keep his expression neutral even as something warm unfurled in his chest. There we go.

"Oh?" he managed.

"Don't play too cool now," Hugo said, his usual grin returning. "I saw that almost-smile."

"What does he want to discuss?" Adom asked, placing the folded mat on the pile, carefully not meeting Hugo's eyes.

"Your theory about resonance patterns in enchantment arrays." Hugo was watching him now, that familiar sharp focus back in his gaze. "It's similar to something he's been working on in the lab. Actually..." He paused, and Adom could feel him choosing his next words. "It's not just similar. You approached it from a completely different angle, but you ended up at the same theoretical framework he's been developing."

Adom allowed himself a small smile. Weeks of careful suggestions had paid off - dropping bits of advanced theory disguised as innocent questions, presenting alternative approaches as if they were just interesting thought experiments. He'd known exactly which problems Professor Kim was tackling in some of his research, and had carefully guided Hugo toward those specific topics, making the connections seem natural, coincidental.

A second-year student wouldn't know the solutions, of course. But asking the right questions? Suggesting unconventional approaches? That was just showing promise. And now it had worked - he had his opening.

"When did you want me to meet him?"

"Right now, actually, if you're free. He's usually in the lab around this time," Hugo said, adjusting his glasses.

Adom made a show of considering it, as if he might have more pressing matters than meeting one of the academy's leading researchers. "Yeah, that works for me. We could head over together?"