The first body wasn't human anymore.
Evan realized that immediately.
It looked human—mostly—but the skin had hardened into something like gray chitin. Veins pulsed with a dull red glow. The thing staggered toward him, movements jerky and unstable.
Evan raised the crowbar.
The creature lunged.
He swung.
The impact rattled his arms. The crowbar bent slightly, but the creature's head snapped sideways, its body collapsing onto the asphalt.
Evan stood there, breathing hard.
His hands were shaking—not from fear alone, but from something deeper. Awareness.
A new prompt appeared.
[Material detected: Mutated Carapace Fragment]
[Compatibility: Low]
He stared at the corpse.
Another line followed.
[Personal Ability Unlocked: Material Assimilation Physique (Initial)]
[Description: Compatible materials may be integrated to enhance bodily structure. Process is gradual and irreversible.]
Evan's stomach tightened.
"This isn't a joke," he muttered.
He dragged the body away, scavenged steel from a wrecked sedan, and returned to the RV as fast as he could.
Inside, the system guided him.
Steel plates were cut, reshaped, and fused into the RV's inner structure. The walls thickened subtly. The floor reinforced. The vibration felt… reassuring.
[Reinforced Structural Plating: Installed]
Almost immediately, another sensation hit him.
Pain.
Not external—internal.
His bones felt heavy. Dense.
Evan collapsed onto the bench, teeth clenched, sweat pouring down his face.
[Material Assimilation in progress: Trace Iron Integration]
[Warning: Excess integration without medical support may cause damage.]
When it ended, he lay there, exhausted.
But when he stood up again, something was different.
He tapped his forearm against the metal table.
It hurt—but not as much as it should have.
Outside, a gunshot rang out.
The bullet struck the RV's side.
The wall dented slightly.
It didn't break.
Evan smiled for the first time since the world ended.
Flesh was not enough.
But he had something better.