Chapter 3 – The One Eye Monster

Eliana Lopez rushed out of the apartment after seeing the monsters descend from the portals. As she reached the street, she immediately recognized one of the creatures, and her face turned pale as she realized what she was looking at.

"One Eye..."

Her voice trembled as she stared at the monster. This was the exact creature that had killed Audrey Wilson in the original novel, a giant alien covered in gray skin that stood nearly three meters tall, with thick arms and powerful legs.

Most terrifying of all was the single giant eye in the center of its face. Eliana could hardly believe that the creature she had only read about in the novel was now standing right in front of her.

"No way..." Eliana whispered as she took several steps backward, her heart racing with fear. "It spawned here?"

The monster suddenly turned toward her, and its giant eye locked onto her body. A cold chill ran down Eliana's spine as she remembered that Audrey Wilson had died less than ten minutes after encountering this creature in the original story.

"No." Eliana clenched her fists, forcing herself to remain standing despite the fear threatening to overwhelm her. "I'm not dying today."

Nearby, police cars arrived, and several officers immediately jumped out of their vehicles. They rushed toward the crowd, shouting orders as they tried to move the terrified people away from the monster.

"Everyone get back!"

"Move away from the monster!"

One officer raised his weapon and aimed directly at One Eye. After making sure his fellow officers were ready, he shouted the order to attack.

"Fire!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Bullets struck One Eye, but the monster barely reacted to the attack. The officers stared in horror as they realized their weapons seemed useless against the creature's thick skin.

"It's not working!"

"Keep shooting!"

One Eye suddenly swung its massive arm, striking one of the officers with terrifying force. The officer was sent flying through a parked car, and blood sprayed across the road as nearby people screamed in fear.

"Oh God!"

"Run!"

"Run!"

The monster continued advancing while the remaining officers desperately tried to stop it. A second officer fired repeatedly, but the bullets simply bounced off the creature's skin without causing any visible damage.

"No..." the officer whispered as One Eye reached toward him. Before he could escape, the monster grabbed him in its enormous hand.

CRUNCH!

The officer died instantly, and the people watching could only scream as the monster continued its attack. Eliana's face turned pale as she witnessed the horrifying scene, because even though she knew what would happen from reading the novel, seeing it happen in real life was completely different.

Then military trucks arrived, and soldiers poured out onto the street. The crowd immediately cheered when they saw the armed forces, desperately hoping that the soldiers would be able to defeat the monster.

"The military is here!"

"We're saved!"

A commander stepped forward and pointed toward One Eye. His expression was serious as he raised his hand and gave the order to attack.

"Open fire!"

Machine guns roared as soldiers unleashed a barrage of bullets. Missiles launched toward the creature, and explosions covered the street in smoke and flames, making everyone believe that the monster had finally been defeated.

For a moment, the crowd fell silent as they waited for the smoke to clear. Then the massive figure of One Eye slowly emerged, walking out of the destruction completely unharmed.

"What?!"

"Impossible!"

The soldiers stared at the monster in terror, unable to understand how it had survived such a powerful attack. Before they could prepare another assault, One Eye suddenly charged toward them with terrifying speed.

BOOOOOM!

A military truck exploded as the monster slammed into it, killing several soldiers instantly. The crowd's brief hope disappeared, replaced by despair as people realized that even the military might not be able to stop these creatures.

"We're doomed!"

"We can't win!"

Eliana clenched her teeth as she watched the chaos unfold around her. Just then, a familiar golden notification appeared in front of her eyes, displaying a message that made her want to scream.

[Host survival probability: 8%.]

"Shut up," Eliana snapped, glaring at the notification as though the System itself were responsible for her terrible situation. She was already terrified enough without being reminded that her chances of survival were almost nonexistent.

[Statement acknowledged.]

"Can you stop giving me bad news?" Eliana demanded, trying to control her trembling hands. She had no idea how she was supposed to survive when even trained soldiers couldn't defeat the monster.

[Unable to comply.]

"You really are useless."

[Complaint recorded.]

Despite the situation, Eliana almost laughed at the System's ridiculous responses. However, that brief moment of amusement disappeared when a memory suddenly surfaced in her mind, making her eyes widen as she remembered an important detail from the novel.

"I remember."

[Host memory retrieval successful.]

"In the novel..." Eliana stared at One Eye, carefully watching how the monster moved as it attacked the soldiers. Her mind worked quickly as she recalled the weakness that had once been mentioned in the story.

"It only sees what's directly in front."

[Confirmed.]

"If it wants to look left or right, it must physically turn its head," Eliana continued, her eyes fixed on the monster's enormous eye. She remembered that One Eye had a limited field of vision, which meant that attacking it from the side might give her a chance.

[Confirmed.]

A grin slowly appeared on Eliana's face as she realized she might have found a way to survive. "I can kill it."

[Host statement classified as reckless.]

Eliana ignored the System's warning and immediately rushed into a nearby convenience store. The terrified cashier stared at her in disbelief as she hurried past the entrance and began searching the shelves for anything that might help her defeat the monster.

"What are you doing?!" the cashier shouted, watching her grab several items from the shelves. Eliana barely glanced at him as she searched for something useful.

"Trying not to die!"

She quickly grabbed a pepper spray from a shelf before finding a large kitchen knife nearby. The cashier looked at the items in her hands and stared at her as though she had completely lost her mind.

"You're fighting that thing with pepper spray?"

"It's worth a try," Eliana answered before turning toward the door. She had no better plan, and waiting around would only give the monster more time to kill everyone in the area.

Eliana ran back outside, gripping the pepper spray and kitchen knife tightly. The moment One Eye spotted her, its giant eye turned toward her, and the people nearby began screaming warnings.

"It's targeting her!"

"Kid, run!"

Eliana tightened her grip on the pepper spray as her hands trembled. Her legs shook, and her heart felt as though it might explode, but despite her overwhelming fear, she forced herself to remain where she was.

The monster charged toward her, closing the distance with terrifying speed. Eliana watched it approach while counting the distance in her mind, knowing that she had only one chance to make her plan work.

Ten meters.

Eight meters.

Five meters.

Three meters.

Two.

One.

"NOW!"

Eliana jumped sideways at the last possible moment, narrowly avoiding the monster's massive body. One Eye rushed past her exactly as she had expected, its giant eye struggling to follow her sudden movement.

Without wasting a second, Eliana raised the pepper spray and aimed directly at the creature's enormous eye. She pressed the nozzle, sending a powerful stream straight into the monster's most vulnerable spot.

PSSSSSHHHH!

The spray struck the giant eye, and One Eye immediately let out a terrifying scream. Its massive body twisted violently as it staggered backward, desperately trying to escape the burning sensation.

ROOOOOOOAR!

"It worked!" Eliana shouted, her eyes widening as she realized that her desperate plan had succeeded. For the first time since the apocalypse began, she had found something that could hurt the terrifying creature.

[Opportunity detected.]

"I know!" Eliana shouted back as she rushed forward, determined not to waste the chance. The creature thrashed wildly, its eye remaining shut as it struggled to recover from the attack.

Eliana charged toward it, ignoring the pain spreading through every muscle in her body. Her weak body nearly collapsed under the strain, but she forced herself to keep running because she knew that if she stopped now, she would die.

"Die!"

She thrust the kitchen knife forward, driving the blade into the monster's giant eye. One Eye screamed again and staggered backward, but Eliana refused to let go of the weapon.

She stabbed again, and again, and again, pouring all her strength into each attack. Her arms trembled from exhaustion, but she continued striking until the monster's enormous body finally began to weaken.

At last, the giant creature collapsed onto the street with a deafening crash. The ground shook beneath its weight, and a cloud of dust rose around its fallen body as the entire street fell silent.

Everyone stared at the dead monster in disbelief. A police officer stood frozen, unable to believe that an ordinary young woman had managed to kill the creature that had slaughtered so many trained officers and soldiers.

"He killed it..." the officer whispered before correcting himself as he stared at Eliana. "She killed it..."

A soldier swallowed hard, his face still pale from the battle. "That monster killed an entire squad."

Eliana fell to one knee, her entire body trembling from exhaustion. She struggled to catch her breath, barely able to believe that she had survived an encounter that was supposed to end Audrey Wilson's life.

Then golden notifications appeared before her eyes, illuminating the air in front of her. Eliana raised her head as she read the messages, and her eyes widened with surprise.

[First Monster Kill Achieved.]

[Experience Gained.]

[Evolution Points Acquired.]

[Rank Advancement Available.]

Eliana stared at the notifications in disbelief, trying to understand what they meant. "What?"

The golden screen flashed brightly, and another message appeared before her. Eliana's breath caught in her throat as she read the words, realizing that the Infinite Evolution System had finally begun to change her situation.

[Congratulations, Host Eliana Lopez.]

[You have advanced from F-Rank to E-Rank.]

[Evolution System Beginning Synchronization.]

Eliana stared at the notification before slowly turning her gaze toward the dead monster. The creature that was supposed to kill Audrey Wilson, the monster that had ended her fate in the original novel, was now lying dead at her feet.

But before she could celebrate, another golden notification suddenly appeared in front of her. Her heart skipped a beat as she read the first word on the screen.

[Warning.]

"What now?" Eliana asked, already dreading whatever the System was about to reveal. A second notification appeared, and the words made her entire body freeze.

[Deadly Virus Detected.]

Eliana stared at the screen in horror as a third notification followed. The message revealed a new threat that she had almost forgotten about while fighting One Eye.

[Global Infection Rate Rising.]

[Estimated Zombie Outbreak Approaching.]

Eliana's face immediately turned pale as a terrifying memory surfaced inside her mind. "That's right... In the novel, the zombie virus started much earlier than most people realized."

The infection didn't suddenly appear overnight. It had already begun spreading while humanity was busy dealing with the alien invasion, and by the time people discovered the truth, it was already too late.

"Damn it." Eliana quickly grabbed her bag and looked around at the panicked crowd. "If zombies are already appearing, then staying here is a bad idea."

[Recommendation: Relocate to a safer location.]

"For once, I agree."

Without wasting any more time, Eliana left the area and headed toward a quieter part of the city. The streets were still filled with panic, sirens echoed everywhere, and helicopters flew overhead as the authorities struggled to respond to the unfolding disaster.

Almost an hour later, she finally found a small roadside motel located far away from the city center. The old motel owner looked nervous as Eliana approached the counter, his eyes constantly shifting toward the street outside.

"You need a room?" the owner asked, his voice shaking slightly.

"Yes," Eliana replied, trying to sound calm despite her exhaustion. The owner quickly handed her a key, apparently eager to get her inside and return to the safety of his own room.

"Lock your door. I don't know what's happening anymore. Monsters are falling from the sky. People are dying."

Eliana sighed and nodded before taking the key. She understood the man's fear because she had seen the monsters herself, and she knew that what was happening outside was only the beginning.

Inside the room, she immediately locked the door and dropped onto the bed. Only then did she realize how exhausted she was, as her muscles hurt, her head throbbed, and her entire body felt heavy.

The fight against One Eye had drained almost all her strength. After taking several deep breaths, she grabbed the remote and turned on the television, hoping to learn more about what was happening outside.

Every channel was broadcasting emergency news. A female reporter appeared on the screen, her expression serious as she delivered the latest announcement to viewers around the world.

"This is a special emergency report. Government officials have confirmed that the unidentified creatures appearing around the world are not of human origin. Citizens are urged to remain indoors."

The screen switched to another news station, where a reporter stood outside a supermarket. Behind him, hundreds of people were pushing shopping carts and fighting to buy whatever supplies remained on the shelves.

"We are witnessing massive panic buying. Food supplies, bottled water, canned goods, and batteries are selling out within minutes."

The camera zoomed in on the crowded supermarket, showing people desperately filling their carts with supplies. A woman filled three shopping carts, a man grabbed entire boxes of instant noodles, and several customers argued over the last case of bottled water.

Another news channel showed a crowded pharmacy, where people were standing shoulder to shoulder as they begged for medicine. The exhausted pharmacist struggled to answer their demands while the crowd grew more desperate by the minute.

"We need more medicine!"

"My son is sick!"

"Please help us!"

The pharmacist looked close to tears as she glanced at the nearly empty shelves. "We're running out of stock!"

The scene looked exactly like a pandemic, with everyone preparing for an unknown disaster that seemed to grow worse by the minute. Eliana watched the screen and let out a long sigh, realizing that the world was falling apart much faster than she had expected.

"The world is falling apart."

Then suddenly, a golden notification appeared before her eyes, making her heartbeat skip. Eliana immediately sat upright on the bed, her exhaustion forgotten as she stared at the message.

[Warning.]

Eliana swallowed hard and looked toward the locked door. "What?"

The System responded instantly, revealing a message that made her blood run cold.

[Zombie Detected In The Vicinity.]

Eliana slowly turned toward the motel room door as a faint scratching sound came from the other side. Her fingers tightened around the knife she had kept beside the bed, and she held her breath when the doorknob suddenly began to turn.