Chapter 1 – The Beast’s Curse

The sound of breaking bones was unmistakable. A sickening crack echoed through the alleyway, followed by a scream. Blood dripped onto the pavement, mixing with the rain as the boy lying on the ground trembled in pain, his arm bent at an unnatural angle.

Kang Jinhyuk stood frozen, staring at his own hands. He hadn't even hit him that hard.

Had he?

Around him, the other kids backed away, their eyes filled with something he had seen too many times before—fear.

"F-Freak…" one of them muttered.

Jinhyuk clenched his fists, feeling his nails dig into his palms. He wanted to say it was an accident. That he hadn’t meant to hurt anyone. That he hadn’t even been trying. But the words stuck in his throat, useless.

They wouldn't believe him.

They never did.

From the moment he could walk, Kang Jinhyuk was different.

As a child, he didn't understand why he broke everything he touched. Why his hugs left bruises. Why playing tag ended with other kids crying on the ground. His mother tried to reassure him, telling him he was just "stronger than most." But that strength was a curse.

By the time he was in elementary school, the whispers had already started.

"Don't play with Jinhyuk."

"He’s dangerous."

"He doesn't know his own strength."

It wasn’t long before kids stopped wanting to be around him. Teachers kept a watchful eye on him, worried he might accidentally hurt someone. And eventually, even Jinhyuk himself began to fear his own body.

So, he stopped.

If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it's taken without the author's consent. Report it.

Stopped playing. Stopped moving. Stopped fighting back when he was shoved, insulted, and excluded. He thought if he let himself shrink, if he hid his strength away, maybe they would stop looking at him like that.

But the world didn’t work that way.

Bullies saw him as an easy target. Teachers assumed he was the problem. And when he finally lost control that day in the alley, breaking a classmate’s arm with a single punch—he became a monster in their eyes.

The Incident

The school didn't expel him, but they might as well have. His classmates avoided him, his teachers barely acknowledged him, and the whispers only got worse. The kid he had injured had a rich father who made sure Jinhyuk's name was blacklisted from most schools in the area.

His mother—his only source of comfort—worked two jobs to keep them afloat, always coming home too exhausted to talk for long. She never blamed him. Never got angry. But her tired eyes told him everything.

He was a burden.

A problem that had no solution.

Until one day, a letter arrived.

Shinhwa Martial Arts High

"We invite Kang Jinhyuk to enroll in Shinhwa Martial Arts High, a specialized academy for students with exceptional physical potential."

Jinhyuk read the words over and over, disbelief creeping in. A school where fighting wasn’t a crime, but a skill? Where strength wasn’t feared, but respected?

For the first time in years, he felt something other than guilt weighing on his chest.

Hope.

That night, he stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at his reflection. A tall, broad-shouldered seventeen-year-old with sharp features, dark eyes, and a body built for war. He had spent so long hating himself, fearing what he could do.

But if this school could teach him control… if he could finally learn to master his strength instead of hiding it…

Maybe he could stop being a beast.

Maybe he could become a fighter.

The moment he stepped onto the campus of Shinhwa Martial Arts High, Jinhyuk knew this place was different.

The school didn’t look like a normal high school. There were no nervous freshmen, no teachers yelling at kids to get to class. Instead, students sparred in open courtyards, groups of fighters watched from the sidelines, and the air was thick with competition.

This wasn’t just a school. It was a battleground.

Jinhyuk adjusted the strap of his duffel bag and walked through the gates, ignoring the stares. He had felt out of place everywhere he went, but here… here, he could feel it.

Power.

Raw, unfiltered, and dangerous.

And if he wanted to survive in this world, he would have to prove he belonged.

As he took another step forward, a voice called out.

"New guy, huh?"

Jinhyuk turned. A student stood in his path, arms crossed, a smirk on his face. He was lean but muscular, his stance relaxed but predatory—like a wolf sizing up its prey.

"You look strong," the student said. "But let's see if you can actually fight."

Before Jinhyuk could respond, the student launched a kick straight for his head.

And just like that, his new life began.

End of Chapter 1.