Chapter 113: The Metamorphosis of Devotion(1/2)

Professor On took a step toward me and stared intently at the small girl in my palm.

After quietly observing her, he glanced at me.

“This is your assignment?”

Professor On spoke as he pulled out a slender needle from his sleeve.

I swallowed the saliva pooling in my mouth and stared at it.

Naturally, my eyes drifted to the “failures” around us.

The failed creations were all frozen in midair, as if they had been suspended in time.

It was as if their connection to their owners had been completely severed.

That was what happened after being pierced by that needle.

Professor On lightly flicked the needle, and a menacing magical energy rippled from it.

Those severed puppets had all been “punished.”

They had failed to meet the standards he had set.

If the girl in my palm failed to meet those same standards, she would end up just like them.

A shiver ran down my spine as I recalled how my puppet had been taken from me after being stabbed by that needle in the last assignment.

But this time would be different.

I willed my intent into the girl in my palm.

She stretched out her arms and let out a big yawn.

Then, still looking sleepy, she peeled off the shell attached to her back and looked at me with a completely carefree expression.

She pointed inside the shell.

Understanding what she wanted, I channeled a small amount of magic into it, filling it with water.

She used it to lightly wash her face before slinging the shell back onto her back.

With a refreshed expression, she looked around.

Her gaze met Professor On’s, and she gave him a small nod.

Then, she began to walk forward in small, waddling steps—the only way to describe her movement. Her arms and legs were simply too short.

“Well then, let’s see.”

The girl stood at my fingertip and let out a soft “Mehng” sound, like a whimper.

I extended my hand toward Professor On.

He held out his palm in response.

The girl naturally tried to leap into his hand.

But her strength was too weak, and she almost fell midway.

I quickly steadied her with my magic and carefully placed her onto his palm.

She looked at her body and puffed up her cheeks.

She seemed uncomfortable in her current form.

Letting out a displeased “Mehhng,” she voiced her dissatisfaction.

Professor On tilted his head slightly as he observed her sitting in his palm.

“What kind of puppet is this?”

He slowly pulled out his needle again, then glanced toward the spot I had come from.

I followed his gaze.

Mira was standing there, lightly waving at me with a smile.

“This structure doesn’t seem much different from that puppet over there.”

“Yes, you’re right.”

I glanced around—this time, not at the failures, but at the successes.

I let out a dry chuckle.

The one who crafted swords created a humanoid puppet.

The one who forged armor made a formless, ghost-like entity.

They had succeeded by following their own paths.

This was likely what Professor On had wanted.

It was also the approach I had attempted—expanding beyond what I had personally explored before.

Of course, I had only managed simple imitation.

But they had not stopped at mere copying.

They had gone beyond and created entirely new puppets.

In contrast, what I made was different.

I looked at the girl, who sat calmly on Professor On’s palm.

Structurally, she wasn’t much different from my previous puppets.

But I was confident.

Yes, the essence of this assignment was innovation.

It didn’t matter if it aligned with Professor On’s vision or not.

As long as it was a result he couldn’t deny.

I had imbued my puppet with a new kind of transformation—different from the others.

While they had crafted entirely new puppets in new ways, I had instilled new potential within an existing puppet.

I sent another pulse of intent toward her.

Receiving my will, the girl stretched for a moment before flopping onto her belly.

Her shell began to tremble and gradually grew larger.

It expanded until it covered half of her body.

She curled up and carefully tucked herself inside the shell.

Soon, her entire body was hidden within it.

The shell, now containing her, settled onto Professor On’s palm and started to vibrate slightly.

The trembling only lasted a short while.

Then, the shell shifted, and something emerged from within.

“Oh-ho…”

Professor On murmured.

The figure that had come out of the shell let out a “Mehng.”

The small girl was gone.

In her place was a turtle.

The turtle shook its body energetically, looking incredibly pleased.

Its previous form must have been quite stifling.

I nodded.

I could understand the feeling.

Its new body was vastly different from the old one.

This was the innovation I had presented.

I held my breath as I looked up at Professor On.

“This is… interesting.”

The boredom in his eyes gradually faded.

He lifted the turtle by its shell and sent a pulse of magic through its body.

The magic coursed through the turtle, flowing along its form.

“I see… everything about its body changes, except for the shell. Is there some kind of magic contained within it? No… it’s more like…”

He lightly tapped the shell and nodded.

Then, looking at me, he smirked.

I blinked.

‘Did I imagine that expression?’

His smile had already vanished.

“This transformation comes purely from the material used. You maximized the properties of your ingredients to create this shift. Very interesting. Impressive.”

I nodded in response.

And quietly marveled.

As expected of a professor—he had instantly deduced the source of the transformation.

Of course, he wouldn’t have figured out what the material actually was.

‘How could he?’

After all, this puppet had been made using a piece of Professor On’s own body.

The power of transformation wasn’t in the shell—it was inside the turtle itself, fused with its magical heart.

The turtle had instinctively learned how to wield this power, eventually achieving this form of metamorphosis.

It was flawless.

The structure, the energy, even the magical properties—it had all changed.

If I weren’t still connected to it, even I wouldn’t be able to tell it was the same being.

It was almost like a complete transformation of existence.

Of course, there were clear limitations.

The girl’s body could no longer grow.

It had simply been fixed in this state—just another inherent flaw of a replica.

There was only one way to overcome that.

I just had to use more of it.

More byproducts from Professor On.

I fiddled with my hands, lost in thought.

Then, I suddenly paused.

From an outsider’s perspective, I might look like I was treating the professor as a mere test subject.

Even I had to admit—it felt a little sinister.

But that wasn’t true at all.

I shook my head slightly.

My heart was filled with nothing but loyalty to him.

These experiments were all for his sake.

By understanding him better, I could serve him more closely.

Yes, my intentions were pure.

“Hmm… shall we test it again? Can it change back?”

Professor On twirled the needle in his fingers as he spoke.

The turtle stared at it for a moment before letting out a small “Mehng.”

Then, it withdrew into its shell.

The shell trembled again, and soon, the small girl emerged once more.

Professor On picked her up and examined her carefully.

***

After a moment, he tilted his head slightly and then gave a small nod.

He tucked the needle back into his sleeve.

“This wasn’t quite what I had in mind, but… it’s an interesting possibility. Honestly, it’s even better than my intended goal. You pass.”

Success.

I clenched my fist.

Professor On handed the girl—no, the turtle—back to me.

She raised her tiny hands triumphantly.

She sent her intent toward me, and I lifted her shell, placing it against my chest.

She snuggled into my pocket.

I stroked her shell gently.

The sound of the turtle crying out “Meeeng” in Mira’s hands echoed in the background as time passed.

At the end of that stretch of time, I blinked slowly.

Before I knew it, all the lessons had ended.

The surroundings had changed as well.