The shed was dead silent. The only sound was the wet and rhythmic noise of chewing.
Alvian stood in the doorway. His chest heaved continuously.
The newly fused bone plate over his heart felt heavy and cold. It was like a slab of steel had been inserted beneath his skin.
He looked at the spot where Flora had been just a moment ago.
There was nothing left but a smear of blood and the tattered remains of a backpack. The Xenid Scavenger had finished its meal. It smashed through the back wall and disappeared into the chaotic city.
(She is gone.)
This thought appeared in his mind. It was extremely sterile. There was no trace of the sorrow that should have been there.
(I am hungry.)
This second thought was not his own. It came from the depths of his bones and the nucleus of every cell in his body. It was a roar that drowned out the wailing sirens in the distance.
His regeneration came at a huge cost. The [Apex Anomaly] had depleted his body's energy reserves to repair his heart. He was running on fumes now.
If he did not eat, his body would begin to consume itself.
He needed calories. He needed high-density biomass.
He needed to hunt!
Alvian stepped out of the shed. The sun had completely vanished, covered by the unnatural clouds of the Genesis Rain.
The city was illuminated by the flickering light from dying neon signs and burning vehicles.
He looked down.
The pavement was cracked. Green bug fluid mixed with human blood, creating a glowing trail that led down the alleyway.
(Track it.)
Alvian moved. He did not run like an ordinary human anymore. His stride was longer. His movements were jerky but extremely explosive.
The [Rigid Bone Marrow] made him much heavier. His footsteps landed with a solid thud against the concrete.
He followed the trail for three blocks. The screams in the city were mere background noise to him. They were irrelevant things filtered out by his focus.
The trail ended at a corner cafe that used to be popular with university students. The front window was shattered. Tables and chairs were overturned, forming a barricade of splintered wood and twisted metal.
Inside the cafe, the shadows moved.
Alvian stepped through the broken window frame. Glass crunched under his shoes.
Hiss.
From behind the counter, the Xenid Scavenger stood up.
It was the exact same one. Alvian recognized the pattern of blood on its jagged armor.
It stood on its hind legs, towering over seven feet tall. Its mantis-like forelimbs clicked together, dripping with fresh blood.
It looked at Alvian. Its compound eyes twitched. It was processing the image of the prey it thought it had killed.
(Food.)
Alvian did not feel any fear. He only felt his stomach cramp with a violent and predatory need.
"Found you," Alvian said hoarsely.
His voice sounded like grinding stones.
The Scavenger did not hesitate. It let out a high-pitched shriek that rattled the espresso machines and lunged.
It was extremely fast. It was faster than human eyes could track.
But Alvian was not entirely human anymore.
[Warning: High-Velocity Strike Detected.]
[Analysis: Evasion impossible.]
[Directive: Endure. Adapt.]
Alvian did not try to dodge. He stepped into the attack. He raised his arms and crossed them in front of his face in a defensive posture.
Slash!
The bone scythes of the Scavenger hit Alvian's forearms.
Intense pain exploded. It was white-hot and blinding.
The alien blades sliced through his skin and muscle as if they were wet paper. They only stopped when they hit the reinforced bone beneath.
Blood sprayed into the air and painted the cafe counter red.
Alvian gritted his teeth. He did not scream at all. He channeled the pain and fed it into the cold interface of the System.
[Damage Detected: Severe lacerations to forelimbs.]
[Analysis: Epidermis insufficient for defense.]
[Counter-Measure: Calcification. Protrusion.]
[Action: Mutating.]
The burning sensation in his arms intensified tenfold. It felt like molten lead was being poured into his marrow.
Crack. Snap.
Under the shredded skin of his forearms, his bones shifted. They grew rapidly and sharpened.
With a wet tearing sound, jagged spurs of white bone erupted through his flesh. They hooked outward and caught the Scavenger's blades, locking them in place.
The monster paused. For the very first time, its insect face showed a hint of confusion.
It tried to pull its scythes back. However, Alvian twisted his arms, and the new bone spurs acted like a vice.
"My turn," Alvian whispered.
He forcefully pulled.
With a loud roar, he yanked the massive creature down to his level. Alvian released his grip on one arm and drove his fist forward.
The bone spurs on his knuckles acted like a spiked gauntlet.
Thud!
He punched the creature squarely in its mandibles. The armor cracked and green blood oozed out.
The Scavenger thrashed wildly. It kicked Alvian in the stomach. Its serrated legs tore at his shirt, but the [Rigid Bone Marrow] protecting his ribs held firm.
Alvian punched again. And again.
He was not using any martial arts. He was not using any techniques. He was purely using brute violence.
Smash!
One of the creature's compound eyes burst into a spray of viscous fluid.
The Scavenger screeched in agony. It tried to retreat and scrambled backward over the broken tables.
Alvian naturally did not let it off. He leaped onto its chest and pinned it to the floor.
(Die.)
He raised both hands high. The bone spurs glistened under the flickering cafe lights.
He then brought them down.
Squelch!
He did not stop at all. He turned the creature's head into a pulp of green slime and shattered armor.
He pounded until his own arms were numb and until the floor beneath the monster cracked from the heavy impacts.
[Target Eliminated: Xenid Scavenger.]
[Combat Analysis: Complete.]
[Mutation Acquired: Micro-Scale Dermal Armor.]
A wave of heat washed over his skin. The lacerations on his arms immediately stopped bleeding.
The skin around the protruding bone spurs hardened and turned into a dull metallic gray color. The pores tightened and wove together to form a microscopic mesh capable of resisting minor cuts.
But the System was not done yet.
[Hunger Levels: Critical.]
[Directive: Consume.]
Alvian looked down at the corpse. It smelled of ammonia and rotting fish. It was extremely repulsive.
This was the monster that had eaten his sister.
But to his cells, it was extremely attractive.
(Fuel.)
Alvian reached down. His hands were trembling. This was not from trauma, but from starvation.
He grabbed a chunk of the creature's exposed shoulder flesh. It was raw and dripping with green fluid.
He brought it to his mouth.
His human mind recoiled. It is alien. It is poison. It is wrong.
His System mind overrode these thoughts. It is completely necessary.
He took a huge bite.
The taste was exceedingly vile. It was bitter, acidic, and heavy with copper.
But the moment he swallowed, a warm explosion of energy detonated in his stomach.
[Biomass Detected.]
[Processing...]
The pain in his body completely vanished. The fatigue evaporated into thin air.
It was better than any medicine. It was better than any meal he had ever eaten. This was pure power coursing through his blood vessels.
He ate even faster. He tore into the carcass with extreme savagery.
He stripped the meat from the bone and cracked the armor to get at the soft tissue underneath.
He ate the eyes. He ate the muscles.
[Biomass Energy +10.]
[Biomass Energy +15.]
[Biomass Energy +20.]
As he consumed the creature's salivary glands, a sharp and tingling sensation spread through his jaw and throat.
[New Trait Assimilated: Acidic Saliva.]
[Description: Your saliva glands can now produce a highly corrosive enzyme capable of breaking down organic matter and weak metals.]
Alvian spat onto the floor.
The glob of spit hit the ground and hissed. It bubbled and ate a small hole in the tile.
He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. He was covered in green blood and human gore.
He stood up. His hunger had completely abated. It was replaced by a buzzing sense of fullness.
He looked at his reflection in a shard of the broken window.
His eyes were very different now. The irises were sharper, and the pupils were slightly more vertical. His skin also had a faint gray sheen to it.
He no longer looked like Alvian Cross.
"Good," he said to the reflection.
Alvian Cross was just a weak boy who could not save his sister.
The thing standing in the cafe was entirely different. It was a vessel for the System. It was an Apex Anomaly.
[Current Status: Satiated.]
[Next Objective: Locate High-Density Biomass.]
Alvian stepped out of the cafe and went back into the night.
The city was burning and screaming.
He smiled and revealed his teeth that felt slightly sharper than before.
The buffet was now open.