The decision's made for us when the creature suddenly lunges – not at us, but at the group heading down to the shelter. Their screams echo up the tunnel as we sprint toward the science building stairs.
[Basic Information Sight]
Current Access: 2.3%
Status: Adapting
Note: Information control unavailable
The stairwell writhes with transformation, steps rippling like waves in concrete. Sung-min takes the lead, carrying Professor Lee while Min-ji and I follow, her dying flames barely lighting our way. More status windows force themselves into my vision:
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Human
Name: Park Sung-min
Threat Level: B
Status: Power Strain
Distance: 3m
Basic Traits: Enhanced Strength
Current Action: Climbing
Warning: Reaching Physical Limit
[SYSTEM ALERT: ADAPTATION PHASE: 65%]
[SURFACE TRANSFORMATION VISIBLE]
[PHASE 0: EXTERNAL CHANGES BEGINNING]
Through gaps in the transforming walls, we catch glimpses of the city. Seoul's skyline pulses with purple light, buildings twisting like they're made of clay. The Namsan Tower in the distance bends at impossible angles.
Footsteps above – more survivors. My ability floods me with their information before I can even see them:
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Human
Name: Unknown
Threat Level: B
Status: Defensive
Distance: 15m
Basic Traits: Wind Control
Current Action: Guarding Stairs
Warning: Territory Marked
"Stop right there!" A voice calls down. Wind whips around the stairwell, strong enough to make Min-ji's flames flicker wildly. "This area's claimed!"
Sung-min shifts Professor Lee's weight, his enhanced muscles trembling from exhaustion. Min-ji raises her hands, but only manages weak sparks. My head pounds from the constant stream of information as more status windows appear:
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Human
Name: Unknown
Threat Level: A
Status: Power Stable
Distance: 18m
Basic Traits: Electricity Control
Current Action: Supporting
Warning: Combat Ready
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Human
Name: Unknown
Threat Level: B
Status: Aggressive
Distance: 16m
Basic Traits: Stone Manipulation
Current Action: Preparing
Attack Warning: Hostile Intent
Below us, something crashes in the maintenance tunnel. The sound of pursuit grows closer, accompanied by wet slithering noises against transformed concrete. We're trapped between territorial survivors above and evolving horrors below.
Professor Lee stirs, blood still trickling from his nose. His status window updates:
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Human
Name: Lee Jung-hoon
Threat Level: C
Status: Regaining Consciousness
Distance: 2m
Basic Traits: Mental Enhancement
Current Action: Recovery
Warning: Severely Weakened
The purple light intensifies through the gaps in the walls. Outside, the city's transformation accelerates, and somewhere in the distance, a skyscraper begins to fold in on itself like origami gone wrong.
"We have an injured professor," I call up, trying to keep my voice steady despite the constant information assault in my vision. "We just need to pass through."
The wind user steps into view – a senior student I vaguely recognize from the engineering department. His ability seems stable, unlike our group's raw power:
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Human
Name: Kang Ji-ho
Threat Level: B
Status: Power Control
Distance: 12m
Basic Traits: Wind Manipulation
Current Action: Assessing
Warning: Territorial
[SYSTEM ALERT: ADAPTATION PHASE: 68%]
[ABILITY STABILIZATION OCCURRING]
[PHASE 0: POWER PATTERNS EMERGING]
"The chemistry labs are safer," Ji-ho says, the wind dying down slightly. "Other floors are... changing faster. Something about the chemicals is slowing the transformation."
As if to emphasize his point, the wall beside us suddenly sprouts what look like computer circuits made of flesh. The purple light pulses through them like blood through veins. Behind us, the sounds of pursuit grow closer.
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Modified Human
Name: None Registered
Threat Level: S+
Status: Evolution Complete
Distance: 30m
Basic Traits: Tech Integration
Current Action: Hunting
Warning: Approaching Rapidly
"Let them up!" A new voice calls from above. "We need every advantage we can get!"
The speaker appears – another senior, electricity crackling around her hands. Her control seems even better than Ji-ho's:
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Human
Name: Park Seo-yeon
Threat Level: A
Status: Full Control
Distance: 10m
Basic Traits: Lightning Mastery
Current Action: Leadership
Warning: Power Fluctuation
The wind barrier lifts. We stumble up the remaining stairs just as something massive slams into the floor below. Through the gaps in the transforming walls, I catch glimpses of it – our pursuer has grown, absorbed more technology, become something that barely fits in the stairwell.
The chemistry floor is different from the rest of the building. While other levels pulse with organic transformation, here the changes seem frozen in mid-mutation. Glass beakers hold swirling purple liquid, and half-transformed equipment sits like modern art installations.
"The chemicals are buying us time," Seo-yeon explains, helping Sung-min lay Professor Lee against a wall. "But we've got bigger problems. Look outside."
Through the laboratory windows, we see it – the city's transformation has reached a new phase. Buildings don't just twist now; they're merging, creating impossible architectures that ignore physics. And in the purple sky above, something is taking shape.
[SYSTEM ALERT: ADAPTATION PHASE: 70%]
[TERRITORIAL BOUNDARIES FORMING]
[PHASE 0: SECTOR PREPARATION]
The chemistry lab windows give us a panoramic view of Seoul's transformation. The Han River glows purple, its waters moving in patterns that look deliberate, almost like writing.
[SYSTEM ALERT: ADAPTATION PHASE: 72%]
[CITY REFORMATION: ACCELERATING]
[PHASE 0: FINAL STAGES]
"The safe zones are disappearing," Seo-yeon says, electricity crackling between her fingers. "Every secure location we've found either transforms or gets overrun."
Professor Lee stirs, finally conscious. His status window updates:
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Human
Name: Lee Jung-hoon
Threat Level: C
Status: Recovering
Distance: 1m
Basic Traits: Mental Enhancement
Current Action: Observation
Warning: Power Depleted
"The buildings," he whispers, wiping blood from his face. "They're not just changing. They're being organized."
He's right. Through the windows, we watch as city blocks shift like puzzle pieces. Streets bend and reconnect in new patterns. The purple sky pulses, and with each throb, more of the old city disappears into this new, twisted geometry.
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Human
Name: Park Seo-yeon
Threat Level: A
Status: Alert
Distance: 3m
Basic Traits: Lightning Mastery
Current Action: Watching Sky
Warning: Detecting Changes
Something massive moves through the distant cityscape – a shape too big to properly see, like trying to perceive the full form of a mountain while standing on its slope. My ability can't even process it:
[Basic Information Sight]
Target: Unknown
Name: None Registered
Threat Level: ???
Status: Beyond Analysis
Distance: Unknown
Basic Traits: [ERROR]
Current Action: [ERROR]
Warning: UNABLE TO PROCESS
[SYSTEM ALERT: ADAPTATION PHASE: 75%]
[SECTOR BOUNDARIES MATERIALIZING]
[PHASE 0: COMPLETION IMMINENT]
The purple light intensifies. Through the lab's windows, we watch as invisible lines begin to divide the city. Barriers of translucent energy rise between districts, cutting Seoul into precise sections.
"They're not organizing the city," Min-ji says, her voice barely a whisper. "They're turning it into an arena."
The sky pulses one final time, and new information burns itself into my vision:
[SYSTEM ALERT: ADAPTATION PHASE COMPLETE]
[SECTOR 23 DESIGNATED: UNIVERSITY ZONE]
[ETHEREAL REFORMATION: BEGINNING]
The real changes are about to begin.