Pan Soomin stepped into her designated arena, clutching the small pearlescent seashell charm her mother had given her. The circular room stretched out before her, stark white and gridded with black lines. No hiding places. No shelter. Just her and whatever was coming.

"Cadet Pan Soomin. Aspect: Kitsune. Provisional Threat Level: D-Rank, with anomalous potential."

A floating HUD materialized before her eyes, displaying her vital signs in harsh red numbers.

"Biometric readings indicate extreme distress. Heart rate: 160 BPM. Cortisol levels critical. Respiration is shallow and irregular." The AI paused, letting the words sink in. "Your body is already failing you, and the test hasn't even begun. Are you certain you're in the right place, Cadet Pan?"

Soomin swallowed hard, her throat dry. She wasn't sure. She'd never been sure.

I don't belong here. Everyone is so strong, so confident. I'm just a clumsy girl from a fishing town. What was I thinking? They're all going to laugh when I fail.

"T-test parameters?"

"Combat simulation will commence in ten seconds. Your objective is survival."

The black grid lines on the floor began to glow with a soft blue light. The smooth white walls rippled like disturbed water as the holographic projectors hummed to life.

"Eight seconds."

Soomin tried to steady her breathing, to summon the transformation that had earned her a place here. But her mind kept flashing images of failure, of humiliation, of returning home in disgrace.

"Five seconds."

She clutched the seashell charm tighter, feeling its smooth edges dig into her palm.

"Three. Two. One."

The air shimmered, and three sleek, raptor-like constructs materialized around her. They stood on two legs, with elongated bodies and glowing red optical sensors where eyes should be. Their clawed hands flexed, catching the light.

"These units are designated 'Stalkers,'" VEGA explained. "They are designed to test reaction time and spatial awareness. They are programmed to identify and exploit hesitation."

The Stalkers didn't charge immediately. They began to circle, their movements unnervingly silent as their red eyes tracked her every twitch.

Transform. Just transform. You've done it before.

The first Stalker twitched left. Soomin flinched instinctively, creating an opening that the second Stalker immediately exploited. It lunged forward, claws raking across her side.

"Nng!" Soomin cried out as a burst of simulated pain shot through her ribs, sharp and electric. It wasn't real damage, but the pain signals were convincing enough.

She stumbled backward, clutching her side. The third Stalker took advantage of her disorientation, charging directly at her. It slammed into her midsection, knocking the wind from her lungs and sending her sprawling across the hard floor.

Soomin scrambled away on all fours, gasping for breath.

"Tactical Acumen: 12%," VEGA announced. "Combat Efficiency: 4%. Appeal Score... declining rapidly." The AI's voice dripped with disdain. "This is a pathetic display, Cadet. A liability in a combat zone."

The first Stalker pounced, landing where she'd been a second before. Soomin rolled away, narrowly avoiding its claws. The second and third coordinated their approach, cutting off her escape routes.

I can't do this. I can't—

Soomin's vision tunneled. The white room faded, replaced by the memory of the day she left Hwaepo.

The salty smell of the docks filled her nose. The warm sun on her skin. The weight of the envelope she was given by the village elder.

"Soomin-ah," he'd said. "Take care of yourself."

Behind him stood her parents. Her mother, trying so hard to be strong, pressing the seashell charm into her palm. "For luck," she'd whispered. Her father, his back ramrod straight, his eyes glistening with unshed tears.

And behind them, the entire village. Fishermen, shopkeepers, children. All watching. All hoping. All believing in her in a way she'd never believed in herself.

She couldn't fail them. She couldn't go back and tell them their hope was wasted on her.

Trust your instincts. Your Aspect is powerful, but your doubt is crippling you.

Soomin's eyes snapped open. One of the Stalkers loomed over her, its clawed foot raised to deliver the blow that would end her exam. The red glow of its eyes reflected in her tear-filled ones.

Something snapped.

Not outside her, but within. Like a dam breaking. Like chains shattering.

Soomin screamed.

Pain exploded along her spine, arching her back off the floor. Something was happening—something was erupting from her lower back. A single, luminous white tail of pure energy materialized, whipping through the air with a mind of its own.

Her fingernails lengthened into sharp, black claws, splitting the skin at her fingertips. Her teeth ached as her canines sharpened into points. Her sakura-pink hair bled to a ghostly white, floating as if suspended in water. Her eyes burned, turning the world sharp and blue-tinted.

The fear vanished. Replaced by a cold, thrilling clarity.

The Stalker above her was no longer a terrifying monster. It was prey. The scent of its ozone and hot circuits filled her nostrils, intoxicating. The hum of its power core was a dinner bell.

Soomin moved.

One moment she was on her back, vulnerable. The next, she was twisting underneath the Stalker's descending foot, her new claws raking upward with a "SKREEEEE" sound as they shredded through the construct's digital "tendons."

The Stalker stumbled, its leg suddenly useless.

The second Stalker lunged at her, optical sensors locked on. She met it head-on, sidestepping at the last possible second and using its momentum against it. Her hands found purchase on its sleek frame, and with a strength that should have been impossible for her small frame, she redirected its charge into the wall with a brutal shove.

WHOOM!

The impact shook the room. The Stalker's holographic form glitched, its movements becoming erratic.

Soomin turned her attention back to the first Stalker, still struggling with its damaged leg. Her lips pulled back in a snarl, revealing her sharpened teeth. She pounced, claws extended.

Her hands tore through its chest cavity, finding the glowing core that served as its heart. She crushed it in her fist, feeling the satisfying crunch of its destruction.

The final Stalker, the one she'd thrown into the wall, regained its footing and charged again. Soomin dropped to all fours, her glowing tail lashing behind her. As the Stalker reached her, she sprang upward, meeting its charge with one of her own.

"KRAK!" Her forehead connected with its sensor array. The Stalker staggered back, momentarily blinded. Soomin pressed her advantage, leaping onto its chest. Her claws found purchase in its shoulders, anchoring her as she brought her face close to where its throat would be.

She tore into it, ripping away chunks of holographic flesh until she reached its vital systems. The Stalker collapsed, its form dissipating around her.

Silence returned to the white room. Soomin stood panting in the center of the arena, her Fox-Fire state still active. She looked at her clawed hands, turning them over, no longer in horror but with a dawning, terrifying curiosity.

What... am I?

The transformation had never felt like this before. Never so complete. Never so... right.

Then the adrenaline began to fade. A familiar weakness crept into her limbs as the invisible clock on her transformation hit zero. The tail vanished in wisps of light. Her claws retracted, the ghost-white of her hair bleeding back to pink.

Soomin collapsed to her knees, completely drained of stamina. She looked at her normal hands, now trembling uncontrollably, and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"Initial assessment... inadequate," VEGA's voice returned, the condescension replaced by a cold, analytical tone. "Final assessment... intriguing."

Her scores appeared on the HUD:

[COMBAT EFFICIENCY: 98%]

[TACTICAL ACUMEN: 2%]

[APPEAL SCORE: 85%]

"You are not a sword, Cadet Pan," VEGA continued. "You are a cudgel. Crude, but undeniably effective. A-Rank potential confirmed..." the AI paused deliberately, "...if you can learn to stand up afterward."

Soomin tried to push herself up, to prove the AI wrong, but her arms gave out and she slumped back to the floor, her vision swimming with black spots.

Mother... Father... I did it. I passed. I think I passed.

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