Read CoreBorn: The First Core :: Chapter:2 (Part 1)

Rain fell hard on the shattered rooftop of what used to be a government facility, which had now turned into a training ground for Coreborn initiates. Steam hissed from the cracks in the concrete as water met residual energy burns—signs of a recent encounter.

"Why does it still feel like a dream?"

A rookie muttered, arms shaking slightly, his cheap gauntlets still humming faintly from his first core resonance.

"Because it hasn't become a nightmare yet."

Said the older man beside him, gaze fixed on the fogged horizon. His suit was battle-worn, edges scarred from claw marks and kinetic blasts. On his shoulder was etched a symbol: a spiralling shard embedded within a circle—emblem of the Coreborn.

The younger one flinched.

"You're Park Kang-Suk, right? They say you fought six Abyssal Creatures solo last month."

Kang-Suk didn't respond immediately. He ran a hand through his soaked hair, then sighed.

"Yeah. I fought them. Didn't win, though. Just survived."

The rookie blinked.

"But… isn't that the same thing?"

Kang-Suk finally turned, his eyes cold and grounded.

"Not when you're staring into an eye that used to be of a human... something twisted by the Abyssal Fragments."

The rookie swallowed.

"So the rumours were true… that the fragments don't just give us power."

"They corrupt."

Kang-Suk said flatly.

"The Giant Rock didn't just scatter hope. It scattered risk. Every fragment that fell—jungle, kingdom, ruins, slums—didn't choose. It just embedded itself. Some of us were lucky. We became Coreborn. Others…"

He trailed off.

The rookie looked down at his palm. A thin yellow vein still pulsed faintly under his skin from when the shard entered him.

"And the Abyssal Creatures?"

"Coreborn too," Kang-Suk said. "Once."

The wind howled over the edge of the rooftop. Silence returned for a breath.

"Why do we call it 'The Giant Rock'?" the rookie asked suddenly. "It sounds so... harmless."

Kang-Suk chuckled darkly.

"Because naming a divine monolith or stone that burned powerful sages into dust and lit the skies over India with a rainbow bolt doesn't sell very well on training posters."

The rookie half-smiled, uneasy.

"But that's why we fight," Kang-Suk.

Said, standing fully, his silhouette tall against the neon skyline.

"We weren't chosen to be heroes. We were given cores. What we do with them is what makes us human."

He started walking away.

"You've got five minutes to catch your breath," he called over his shoulder. "Then I'm teaching you how to kill something ten times your size."

'EHHHHHHHH?!'

He shakes his head before speaking.

"U-uh… Sir?"

The rookie finally called out, jogging a few steps to catch up. His voice cracked slightly.

"…Don't call me 'sir.' Just call me Kang."

The rookie blinked.

"O-Oh. Yes, Kang— I mean, got it, Kang."

Kang gave the faintest smirk before turning around again.

They walked a few more paces before the rookie spoke up, still trying to push through his nerves.

"So… um. I heard about these… groups? Like the squad's coreborn fight in? Are they called guilds or…?"

Kang stopped again, this time with a slow exhale. "Covenants," he said.

"Formed by seasoned Coreborns. Most of them have years of combat behind them, but what matters is the amount of core energy they've awakened. The more stable and dense it is, the more influence it carries. That's what gives them the right to lead."

"Core energy…?" the rookie asked, glancing sideways at Kang. "That's the stuff we all have now, right? From the Giant Rock?"

Kang turned his head slightly, eyes narrowing just a bit. "You don't know, huh?"

"…No, not exactly."

Kang stared at him for a bit. Then, almost reluctantly, he stopped walking again.

"Core energy isn't just power," Kang said, slowly.

"It's the measure of how much your body—your very being—has changed since you made contact with the fragments. It's not magic. Not spirit. It's pressure. Density. The more core energy you develop, the more reality bends for you. Some of us move like shadows, while others hit like tanks. It all depends on how your core grows."

He pointed at the rookie's spine, the very base of it.

"It starts here. But where does it end? That's on you."

The rookie looked down, then up again — this time, with less fear.

Kang started walking again.

"You'll see. If you survive your first Abyssal."

"Oh...forgot about that."

Kang-suk smirks at how innocent the rookie is

The silence between them stretched as the city lights of Busan flickered below like fireflies trapped in glass.

Then Kang gave a soft chuckle, hands tucked into the pockets of his worn combat jacket.

"You ask a lotta questions for someone who nearly cried when I pulled out my blade."

The rookie blinked, startled, then awkwardly laughed.

Kang glanced sideways, smirking.

"Relax. I prefer people who question things. The ones who don't? They're usually dead in a week."

They resumed walking through the winding metal pathway that overlooked the Covenant: HOLLOW's lower training grounds.

"You wanted to know about teams, right?" Kang began.

"Coreborns aren't all the same. Our fragments—hell, they manifest in ways that match our instincts. Personalities, even."

The rookie nodded, soaking in every word.

"Speed types,"

Kang continued,

"Move like shadows. Their reflexes outpace their thinking sometimes. Good for recon.

He tapped his temple.

"Tank types? Bricks. Pure muscle and defence. They take the hits the rest of us can't and keep walking."

"And precision types—" Kang looked up as if watching distant memories flicker across the stars, "—sharpshooters, scouts, sometimes assassins. Their control over their fragment energy is insane. Every motion is calculated."

The rookie muttered.

"And seasoned hunters like you…?"

Kang didn't break stride.

"We adapt. Grow into all three. Eventually, your body syncs with your core. The best of us—usually Covenant leaders—can manipulate elemental energy on top of that. Fire, ice, gravity, lightning... nothing crazy like anime or those cartoons you see or read, but enough to change a battlefield."

The rookie's eyes widened. "Wait, elemental stuff's real?!"

"Real," Kang said. "But rare. Requires insane control over core energy. And trust me—one mistake with that kind of force, and you'll atomise your lungs."

"…Oh."

Kang smirked again. "But hey, no pressure."

"I may be a seasoned Coreborn, but those elements must hate me, can't use them...buzzkill if you ask me."

They kept walking. Night wrapped around them, the buzz of neon lights humming below like the breath of something ancient.

And somewhere deep within the rookie's spine, his core pulsed—like it was listening to everything being said.

****

The clang of impact echoed faintly through the air.

Kang-Suk and the rookie stopped mid-stride. Grunts and heavy breathing filtered in from a training bay down below. Kang leaned over the railing, his eyes narrowing.

"Someone's still training this late?" he muttered.

Down in the pit, a boy in his early twenties stood barely upright, sweat pouring down his face. He was wiry—almost frail—with long black hair brushing his cheeks, a pair of cracked glasses clinging to his nose, and a black hoodie soaked in sweat.

A weighted practice staff had just struck him square in the gut. He didn't cry out, only doubled over slightly, fists trembling as he forced himself upright again.

Kang raised an eyebrow. "You know him?"

The rookie nodded.

"Yeah. That's Han Jaemin."

"Coreborn?"

"No… not yet. Just a trainee. But he's always here. Pushing himself way beyond the schedule."

Kang's gaze lingered on the boy below.

"He's the sole breadwinner for his family."

The rookie continued.

"His sister's in college, and their mother's got spinal discoordination."

Kang's eyes shifted slightly.

"That condition… blocked core flow down the spine. Leaves a person in a coma, right?"

"Yeah. They don't die, but… they're stuck between. He's paying for everything. Training during the day, taking assignments outside protocol at night. And still…"

The rookie's voice trailed off.

"…They treat him like crap. Because he's weak."

Kang looked back at Jaemin as the boy braced for another strike.

"People forget," Kang said quietly, "that strength ain't just in your fists."

The rookie didn't respond, watching as Jaemin stood his ground and took another blow without falling.

Kang turned, walking on.

"Come on. Let's leave him be. He's fighting a war we can't even see."

Jaemin just stood there after the strike; he leaned and opened his mouth as a stream of blood poured out.

"damn..."

He muttered as he fell and puked more.

"Why even try, kid? You can't win against regular Coreborns like us."

"The abyss will fuck you up, haaha."

"Useless kid."

"Hey, we are looking out for you, man. We don't want you to hurt yourself; it's our job to protect twinks like you."

This is all Jaemin could hear from the people who were "supposedly" training him.

He wipes off the blood with the sleeves of his black hoodie and gets up with a soft smile.

"Right...I'm sorry...I'll TRAIN HARDER, SIR."

He says with uneven breath...ready to faint any moment, and right after that, he wobbles unconscious on the ground, his eyes shut.

"AISH, this scum!."

"Get him to the healing room."

A few people gather and carry Jaemin to the healing room. The nurses give him some meds and let him rest.