"Okay, bye! Let's meet again tomorrow," Tatsuo said, standing just outside the inn's entrance.
"Yeah! Be ready, because tomorrow I'm going to earn the most points!" Atsushi called out with a confident grin, his voice echoing down the quiet street.
"Be careful on your way to the dormitory," the innkeeper said kindly to Tatsuo. "Rest well."
As for Aoi, she wasn't able to say goodbye—she had already fallen fast asleep, utterly exhausted from the day's relentless running.
With a faint smile, Tatsuo turned and began making his way toward the trainee dormitory. After arriving, he approached the warden and politely asked about his assigned room. The warden gave a nod and pointed upstairs.
"Third floor. Last room at the end of the hallway," he said.
Tatsuo climbed the wooden stairs, each step creaking under his weight in the silent corridor. When he finally reached his room, he slid open the door and stepped inside. The room was modest, with just a futon, a small wooden chest, and a window that let in the faint moonlight.
The moment he entered, he didn't bother to unpack or even change. He dropped face-first onto the futon and let out a deep, weary sigh.
---
The Next Morning
At exactly 6 a.m., all the trainees were assembled outside the training grounds, standing in neat rows before the large training building. A chill hung in the morning air, and mist clung low to the ground like a thin veil. Birds chirped faintly in the distance as the rising sun cast long shadows across the gravel courtyard.
Soon, Instructor Ryota arrived, his black uniform crisp, his steps firm.
"Inside," he ordered sharply.
Everyone quickly filed into the familiar lecture room. As they took their seats on the tatami mats, Ryota walked over to the blackboard. With smooth, practiced strokes, he wrote a single word in bold chalk:
Fleshbound
"Yesterday, you learned about the Plague of Thirteen Veins and its infection rules," Ryota began, his voice calm but authoritative. "Today, I will teach you about the Fleshbound—their types, powers, strengths, and traits. If anyone has questions during the lecture, you may ask."
He turned back to the board and wrote another heading:
Traits and Abilities
"You already know how they mutate—how they fuse with anything around them at the moment of transformation. After that, their bodies undergo extreme physical changes."
He raised one finger.
"First, enhanced strength. They become far stronger than they were in their human form. Even an old man could snap bones like twigs once turned."
A second finger went up.
"Second, pain resistance. Most Fleshbound lose all sensation of pain. That makes them incredibly dangerous—they'll keep fighting even if their limbs are dismembered or shattered."
A third finger.
"Third, non-human body structure. Their forms twist in grotesque, unnatural ways. In many cases, their internal organs—heart, lungs—may shift or even vanish entirely. We've encountered multiple Fleshbound with no visible heart or lungs in the expected locations. This makes it nearly impossible to target a 'common weak point.'"
He scanned the room.
"Questions?"
Silence.
Ryota's eyes narrowed slightly. "Then let me ask you something. After becoming a Fleshbound… why do they attack humans?"
A trainee near the front raised his hand. "Because of hunger and bloodlust?"
Ryota shook his head slowly. "Wrong."
He waited, gaze sweeping the room.
This time, Matsuzaki Ryo, the composed heir of the Matsuzaki Clan, raised his hand.
"It's because they need human flesh to evolve," Ryo said calmly.
Ryota gave a curt nod. "Correct. That instinct is embedded during their transformation. They devour human flesh in order to grow stronger. After reaching a certain threshold of consumption, they undergo another evolution, gaining vastly increased power."
Turning back to the board, he wrote:
Types and Variants
"Fleshbound come in different types," he continued. "Some are abnormally fast, some possess immense strength, while others have enhanced sensory perception. But here's the crucial part—they don't grow equally across all traits."
He tapped the chalk against the board for emphasis.
"A Fleshbound that is already strong at the moment of mutation will become even stronger as it feeds. Its strength will outpace its other stats. So, a fast-type will become even faster. This specialization makes them unpredictable and deadly."
Then, one of the trainee's raised his hand and asked, "Ryota-sensei, in your opinion… what would be the most dangerous type?"
Ryota paused for a moment, tapping his chalk against the board thoughtfully.
"Dangerous, huh?" he muttered, then gave a small nod. "That would be the ones with leadership capabilities, a control-type Fleshbound."
The trainee furrowed his brows. "Leadership…?"
"Yes," Ryota replied with a serious tone. "These types exist. Even in their mutated state, they can command other Fleshbound. And at stabilized form, they can easily control two others, and as they grow stronger, that number increases. Their intelligence is also notably higher than the average Fleshbound."
Gasps and murmurs spread across the room. The idea of Fleshbound not only being strong but also leading others sent an uneasy ripple through the group.
Ryota turned back to the blackboard and wrote in bold letters:
Evolution
"This will be the final topic for today," he said, brushing the chalk dust from his fingertips. "As I mentioned earlier, Fleshbound evolve after consuming enough human flesh. These are the known stages of their evolution."
He wrote them down one by one:
Newborns
Awakened
Commanders
Ascendants
Lords
Perfected
He stepped aside and began his explanation:
"Newborns are those who've just undergone mutation. Their bodies are twisted—sometimes incomplete. They're mindless, primal, and extremely aggressive. They move erratically, often malformed and unstable. They can be easily provoked and lack any coordination. At this point, any objects they fuse with during mutation are mostly non-functional."
Tatsuo raised his hand. "Ryota-sensei, what do you mean by functionality of fused objects?"
Ryota held up a finger. "Good question. I'll explain that after we go through the stages."
He turned back to the class. "Next is the Awakened stage. These Fleshbound begin to regain fragmented memories and may speak broken words, things they've heard in their memories. Despite this, they remain driven by hunger and bloodlust. The objects they've fused with begin to take on partial functionality. For example, a fused blade may now be used to slash. They're stronger than Newborns, but they show moments of hesitation, glimpses of who they once were. Some even appear remorseful."
The trainees listened intently as he moved on.
"Then come the Commanders. This is where the real danger begins. Intelligence increases significantly. They can strategize, coordinate, and even lead lower-ranked Fleshbound they've taken control of. Their fused objects become tools—fully functional extensions of their bodies. They fight in groups, and their speed and strength rise drastically. Some begin to show ritualistic behavior: marking territory, performing strange patterns, or leaving symbols behind as a sign of their strength."
He paused to let that sink in.
"After them are the Ascendants. At this stage, they start regaining human features, though their bodies remain clearly deformed. They are now fully sentient—capable of complex emotions, fluent speech, and manipulation. Their power continues to rise. Here's where functionality evolves into something far more dangerous—they begin to absorb the fused object into their bodies. For example, a knife that once protruded from an arm now becomes a blade-arm entirely. The absorption process strengthens the mutation, adapting to suit combat. This change is often guided by their subconscious, whatever is most efficient for their fighting style."
He stepped away from the board, scanning the stunned expressions in the room.
"Ascendants can also control other Commanders and multiple lesser Fleshbound under them. Their commanding ability grows exponentially."
A heavy silence fell over the room.
Ryota's voice dropped lower.
"Then come the Lords."
He tapped the word on the board.
"They are called Lords for a reason. These Fleshbound can command entire hordes—including multiple Ascendants and Commanders. Their appearance becomes nearly human. Only the areas where the fused objects were absorbed remain monstrous."
His tone became grave.
"Their physical strength and speed are beyond comprehension. A single Lord can obliterate a boulder without exerting even a tenth of their strength. They often remain within territories they've claime :- ruined cities, infected zones, and rule it like warlords. They plan, strategize, speak fluently, and even lay traps. They begin fusing parts of their own bodies with the land, an instinctive, sinister process we still don't fully understand."
He looked each trainee in the eye before saying:
"Their fused weapons can now be freely manipulated—lengthened, reshaped, or transformed into entirely new forms."
Ryota paused, then tappey his finger on the word:
Perfected
"And finally, we come to the Perfected Ones. Lords begin fusing with their territories in preparation for this stage, turning entire regions into cocoons. They must absorb massive quantities of human flesh and Fleshbound to evolve further."
His voice dropped into a whisper.
"No Perfected One has ever been confirmed. Or perhaps… we lack the means to detect them. The theory is that they become completely indistinguishable from humans—able to hide their fused object within their bodies and summon it at will. They possess terrifying combat mastery and abilities far beyond any other tier."
He straightened up.
"If one does exist, it could already be walking among us, blending in, influencing politics, military factions, or entire regions."
The trainees sat frozen. The air was heavy. Even the morning sun, now streaming faintly through the paper windows, seemed dimmer.
Their faces had gone pale. Eyes widened. Mouths slightly parted. A few of them swallowed hard. Aoi's hands were trembling in her lap. Even Matsuzaki Ryo-san, usually stoic, had narrowed his eyes, his jaw tense.
Fear, awe, and a solemn sense of duty hung in the air like smoke.
Then Ryota chuckled softly, breaking the tension.
"Haha! There's no need to fret. After all, we are here to exterminate them. That's our purpose."
But his smile faded as he spoke again, his tone turning grave.
"…However, if such a being truly exists, it could spell the end of mankind. That's why we need you all. That's why the Fleshcutters Regiment exist, to eradicate fleshbounds and save humanity."