The familiar alleyway leading to my home-a path I must have taken thousands of times-now felt strange.

  No, to be precise, what felt strange was myself, changed in just a few days. I looked down at the baseball tightly clutched in my hand. The dented surface reflected the evening sunlight, creating bizarre shadows. Anyone who saw this ball would think it had been run over by a car or crushed by heavy machinery. But who would believe the truth-that it became like this after hitting my head? Even I found it hard to believe.

  Was something inside me, something I'd never felt before, revealing itself whenever needed? If so, I needed to confirm it. This uncertainty was driving me crazy.

  Even while trying to reassure myself that 'It could just be my imagination,' deep in my consciousness I knew. Something abnormal was happening to my body.

  Was this just a simple delusion, or was this unidentified entity that had seeped into me really changing me? Everything had changed after the meteor incident. My senses, my strength, and at times, even the sense that my existence itself didn't belong to me. I had to be certain. I couldn't keep living in anxiety anymore.

  Just a bit further ahead, there would be exercise equipment installed in the park. With a troubled mind, I headed toward the park.

  As I emerged from the alley, the park appeared under the darkening sky. Being a weekday evening, there were hardly any people around. It was the perfect opportunity for me. No one would see what I was about to do.

  Arriving at the park, I stood in front of a pull-up bar. Taking a deep breath, I clenched my fist tightly. The paint on the thick steel pole was peeling, revealing rusted marks.

  'This is solid metal... normally, it would be impossible to damage this steel structure...'

  But if I could feel that sensation again, it might be possible. I tried to recall the feeling from that moment at the gym when I sent the coach flying.

  I adjusted my distance and slowly extended my arm backward. But the liquid inside me didn't respond.

  Tilting my head in confusion, I ran my left hand down my right arm.

  'That's strange. Surely at that time...'

  'Why isn't it moving?'

  I needed to check if perhaps it would react just before impact with the pull-up bar. This time, I extended my fist with all my might. In my mind, I spoke to the liquid.

  'Where are you? Show yourself. You know what I'm trying to do, don't you?'

  But still, there was no response.

  Please...!

  Thud! Crack!

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  A sharp impact resonated all the way to my bones. I immediately crumpled to the ground, still clutching my fist. The back of my hand instantly began to swell red, and pain raced through each finger joint. I tried to extend my fingers, but they wouldn't move.

  "Ugh... shit... I'm screwed..."

  Tears welled up suddenly. Whether from frustration or just from the pain, I couldn't tell. All that remained was a consciousness filled with agony. I looked around, but there was no one to ask for help.

  'Why... why... WHY?!'

  If the liquid knew I was trying to hit the pull-up bar, shouldn't it have reacted like before? It always responded in moments of danger...! Or was it because I brought this situation upon myself? At the gym, the power manifested even when I deliberately used it. What exactly is the criterion?

  I clutched my throbbing arm and slumped down helplessly on a park bench. The park streetlights began to turn on one by one. The pain in my hand was still intense.

  'Ha... did I do something foolish...'

  I felt so pathetic. Of course punching a metal bar with a normal human fist would result in this.

  The pain in my arm grew increasingly worse. I considered going to the hospital, but honestly, I didn't want to.

  If a doctor asked, "How did you get injured?"

  I didn't have the confidence to answer, "I tried punching a pull-up bar with my fist."

  And I certainly couldn't say that I just wanted to test the liquid inside me. I sighed, tilted my head back, and closed my eyes. The pain was too severe to actually fall asleep, but I thought closing my eyes briefly might help me feel better.

  'What exactly are you... why is this happening to me...'

  The meteor, and that liquid. Everything started from that moment. Before that, such strange things didn't happen. My ordinary life. Why me, of all people?

  And for a moment, just a brief moment, I closed my eyes... and dreamed I was sinking into a deep swamp. My body was being pulled down below the surface. No matter how I flailed my arms, I only cut through empty air.

  A sticky black substance was enveloping my body. It climbed up my body, trying to cover my face. I couldn't breathe. This feeling was familiar. It was the same sensation as that liquid that had seeped into my body after the meteor.

  Fear enveloped my entire body. My heart was beating frantically, and my head was filled with screams coming from all directions. It was like several people screaming simultaneously.

  'What if I can never escape from this...?'

  I was suffocating. Just before my face was completely covered, I saw something within that liquid. A formless entity was watching me. And just as it was about to say something to me...

  At that moment, I suddenly regained consciousness.

  I jerked my eyes open and sat up. Cold sweat was soaking my entire body. It was a dream. Just a dream. But the sensation was so vivid. As if I had actually experienced it.

  "Gasp...!"

  I tried to rest my arm on the armrest and was startled. I instinctively shrank back, then suddenly realized something strange. There was no pain in my hand. That terrible agony from before had disappeared.

  Clearly... just a few minutes ago, my swollen fist and arm ached sharply even with the slightest movement... but now they had returned to normal as if nothing had happened. The swelling was gone, and the pain had completely disappeared.

  "That's impossible..."

  Looking at my watch, only about 5 minutes had passed. In that short time, the pain had vanished without a trace. I examined my hand with astonished eyes. Was I not really awake, but still dreaming? I pinched my other arm. It hurt. This was reality.

  With disbelieving eyes, I clenched and unclenched my fist. All joints moved naturally, and each finger moved according to my will. They even felt more flexible and stronger than usual.

  "What is this..."

  Did the liquid inside me... heal me? I retraced everything that had happened so far. The meteor accident, the strange test results at the hospital, the jump rope incident, sending the coach flying, and this morning's baseball incident. All these events were connected like puzzle pieces.

  "First at the gym when I was jumping rope, it went to my feet... when I hit the mitt, to my hands... the liquid moved inside my body. As if it knew when I needed it and responded."

  And today, "When the baseball hit my head, it actually protected me. As if it somehow knew the baseball was coming."

  'Then... was the disappearance of this pain also because of the liquid?'

  And that dream-no, vision. What if it wasn't just a dream, but some kind of communion with the liquid?

  But one question remained.

  "Why didn't it respond when I was about to hit the pull-up bar?"

  If it tries to protect me in every situation, why didn't it exert its power when I tried to hit the pull-up bar? Getting hit in the head by a baseball could be life-threatening, but hitting a pull-up bar would only injure my hand... Even so, why did it heal me afterward?

  My mind was becoming complicated. What should I do now? Should I tell someone about this? A doctor? Family? How would they react to me?

  One thing was clear... this thing hadn't harmed me so far. Rather, it had been helping me until now. Like a symbiotic relationship. But what if the liquid eventually tries to take complete control of me?

  I should be grateful for that much. At least it doesn't seem to be trying to hurt me right now. And having these abilities in itself was remarkable. Perhaps this could be a blessing.

  And... I was glad my mother hadn't seen this. How worried would she be if she knew? How would she react to the fact that I was no longer an ordinary human?

  I slowly got up from my seat and headed home. The dented baseball was in my pocket.

  'Heh... really... battling a pull-up bar.'

  "Pull-up bar~!!"

  "You~"

  "Just wait!"