After Saturday's insane training, no one had the courage to suggest going back home. Damian, Jisoo and the others decided to camp right there in the forest. They improvised a campfire, set up old tents and lay down under the starry sky.
"Tomorrow it's all over again, huh. If you complain, you'll get slapped," Damian warned, half laughing, half serious.
"Bro, you're possessed..." Minho complained, but deep down he was enjoying himself.
On Sunday, at 5:30 in the morning, Damian was already up, warming up, while the others woke up in a hurry. They repeated the same ritual: heavy backpack on their backs, climbing the mountain, strength training, speed, expanding their senses and eating a balanced diet.
Damian's body continued to absorb everything like a machine made to fight. Each exercise, each repetition, it was as if he felt his body evolving in real time.
They returned home at night, destroyed, sweaty and full of pain. No one complained. They slept like a log.
On Monday morning...
Damian woke up before his alarm clock. He looked at himself in the mirror, still sleepy, and smiled slightly.
"Wow... even my abs are ripped now... the girls are going to freak out," he said, running his hand over his belly.
He also noticed that he had grown another centimeter, now standing at 1.79m.
Damian's mother, upon seeing him in the kitchen, widened her eyes.
"My God, Damian! Are you taller again? And what about that arm? Are you becoming a gym model?"
Damian just smiled.
"I'm training, mom." She made a strong coffee: chopped fruit, a boiled egg and whole wheat bread.
"If you keep this up, you'll end up becoming an athlete."
Damian laughed and went to get ready. When he put on his school shirt, he noticed that it was tighter on his chest and arms. He liked the result.
At school, when he and his friends arrived, it was as if the girls saw them in a different light. Smiles, whispers, some calling out their names. Even Hyunwoo and Minho were being noticed.
"Dude… what's going on?" Hyunwoo asked, fixing his hair.
"We've become legends, man." Damian replied, with a smug smile.
On the other side, the bullies from the other 9th grade classes watched the scene from afar, irritated, seeing the popularity of the newbies grow. Some started to make plans.
When everyone sat down in the room, Damian turned to his partners:
"Here, guys… I thought of a plan. Before the end of the year, we'll dominate the 5 9th grade classrooms. No one will mess with us anymore, and when we go to the 1st grade, we'll already have the 9th grade classrooms working for us. No one will touch us.
Jisoo gave a satisfied smile.
"Now... you're speaking my language."
Everyone laughed, but deep down they were excited about the idea.
The war for the 9th grade was about to begin.