Chapter 5 – Evolution or Death

Its blood-red eyes shifted toward the massive hole in the motel wall, and for the first time since Eliana Lopez had encountered the creature, fear appeared on its grotesque face. A deep, thunderous growl echoed from outside, shaking the entire building, while rubble rolled across the floor as an enormous shadow slowly approached. Each heavy footstep made the cracked walls tremble, warning Eliana that something far more terrifying was coming.

"What... what is coming?" Eliana asked, unable to hide the panic in her voice. She tightened her grip on the broken steel pipe, knowing that whatever was approaching could be even more dangerous than the Elite Zombie.

[Warning: High-Rank Lifeform Detected.]

[Current Threat Level Exceeds Host's Evaluation Authority.]

[Recommendation: Escape Immediately.]

Eliana forced out a bitter laugh as she glanced at the System's warning. "Finally, we agree on something."

The Elite Zombie suddenly let out an enraged roar and charged straight at Eliana instead of retreating. Its massive claw swept across the room like a speeding truck, smashing through the remaining furniture, but Eliana ducked just in time and grabbed a broken wooden plank from the floor. She slammed it into the monster's injured eye, and the creature howled in pain, giving her just enough time to sprint toward the broken wall.

"Move! Move!" Eliana shouted to herself as she ran toward the exit. Her exhausted legs threatened to give out beneath her, but she forced herself to keep moving because stopping meant certain death.

[Host Heart Rate: Critical.]

[Adrenaline Boost Detected.]

"Less talking, more helping!" Eliana yelled as she pushed herself forward. She needed the System to do more than report her condition while a monster was trying to kill her.

Before Eliana could reach the exit, the Elite Zombie lunged again and caught her backpack with its claws, yanking her backward. She crashed onto the floor, and the impact knocked the breath out of her lungs as the mutant raised both claws high into the air, preparing to finish her with one devastating strike.

"You ugly freak!" Eliana screamed as she struggled to free herself.

With no other choice, Eliana grabbed the pepper spray from her pocket and emptied the entire can directly into the monster's face. The Elite Zombie roared in agony, wildly slashing the air as she rolled beneath its legs, then she snatched a jagged piece of steel from the collapsed wall and drove it into the creature's damaged eye with every ounce of strength she had.

"Die already!"

The steel pierced deep into its skull, and the Elite Zombie staggered backward. Eliana barely had time to catch her breath before a gigantic black claw suddenly burst through the motel wall and seized the Elite Zombie by its head.

Crunch!

Its skull exploded like a watermelon, spraying blood and brain matter across the room. Eliana stood frozen, her face turning pale as she slowly looked up at the owner of the monstrous arm, unable to believe what she had just witnessed.

Her pupils shrank as she stared at the enormous shadow beyond the broken wall. Even the System fell silent, leaving her alone with the terrifying creature that had killed the Elite Zombie as easily as crushing an insect.

Then a new notification appeared before her eyes.

[Unknown World Boss Encountered.]

Eliana's entire body froze as the golden notification hovered before her eyes. The System had always displayed a monster's name, rank, or at least a brief description, but this time there was nothing except a terrifying warning that made her blood run cold.

Dust continued drifting through the shattered motel room while the giant black claw slowly released the Elite Zombie's crushed corpse. It landed on the floor with a sickening thud, proving that the terrifying mutant Eliana had struggled to defeat was nothing more than an insect before the creature standing outside.

"What... what kind of monster is that?" Eliana whispered, unable to take her eyes off the enormous shadow. She took a cautious step backward, but her trembling legs nearly gave way beneath her.

[Scanning...]

[Scan Failed.]

[Insufficient Host Authority.]

[Recommendation: Run.]

Eliana blinked in disbelief as she read the notifications. "That's it? You always have something to say, but now all you can tell me is to run?"

[Correct.]

"...You're unbelievably useless," Eliana muttered, her face twisting with frustration. However, she knew the System wasn't wrong about the danger, because even she could tell that fighting this creature was almost certainly a death sentence.

A low growl echoed through the ruined street, followed by two glowing crimson eyes appearing within the thick cloud of dust. Before Eliana could react, the World Boss swung an enormous arm through the motel, and the walls collapsed like paper. She threw herself behind a broken concrete pillar as the violent shockwave blasted shattered glass, furniture, and chunks of cement across the room, leaving dozens of deep cracks in the floor.

"I'll die if that thing lands one clean hit," Eliana muttered as she struggled back to her feet. Her entire body hurt, and she could barely keep herself standing after the battle with the Elite Zombie.

[Accurate Assessment.]

"Can you stop agreeing with my worst thoughts?" Eliana snapped as she looked around for another escape route. She didn't need the System to tell her that she was about to die; she needed a way to survive.

Ignoring the System's dry response, Eliana grabbed a loose steel pipe and sprinted toward the emergency staircase. Heavy footsteps thundered behind her, each one shaking the building so violently that pieces of the ceiling continued crashing down. She had almost reached the exit when another massive claw smashed through the hallway, completely blocking her escape.

"Damn it!" Eliana shouted as she skidded to a stop. She looked at the enormous claw in front of her, then glanced back at the approaching World Boss, realizing that she had been trapped.

Without slowing down, Eliana jumped onto the fallen claw and sprinted across its thick armored scales. Using every ounce of strength left in her exhausted body, she stabbed the sharpened steel pipe between two black plates covering the creature's hand. The World Boss let out a deafening roar, shaking the entire district as dark blood sprayed into the air.

"I actually hurt it!" Eliana shouted with excitement, surprised that her desperate attack had worked. For a brief moment, she felt a spark of hope that she might have found a way to injure the terrifying creature.

[Minor Damage Confirmed.]

[Estimated Remaining Health: Unknown.]

Before Eliana could celebrate, the enormous claw suddenly clenched into a fist. Her eyes widened as the thick fingers closed around her, trapping her against the creature's armored skin.

"...Oh, no."

The fist shot upward, carrying Eliana high above the ruined city as the World Boss slowly lifted her toward its enormous face. Wind howled around her while burning buildings, abandoned cars, and countless zombies looked like tiny dots beneath her feet. Sweat soaked her clothes as she desperately searched for a way out, but the monster's grip was as hard as solid steel, and for the first time since entering the apocalypse, Eliana truly understood how powerless she was.

"This is insane!" Eliana shouted, struggling against the giant fingers. "Let me go!"

[Warning: Host Vital Signs Rising Rapidly.]

[Recommended Action: Escape Immediately.]

Eliana laughed bitterly as she continued trying to free herself from the monster's grip. "I'd love to! Mind telling me how?"

The World Boss lowered its terrifying face until it was only a few meters away from Eliana. Its glowing crimson eyes stared directly at her, as if studying a strange insect instead of prey, before it opened its enormous mouth and released a deafening roar. The blast of scorching hot air struck Eliana's face, nearly forcing her to close her eyes.

Even worse, dozens of flying alien creatures suddenly poured out from behind the giant monster, screeching as they dove toward her with blinding speed. Eliana stared at the incoming creatures in disbelief, realizing that even if she escaped the World Boss's grip, she would still have to deal with the flying monsters surrounding it.

"They can fly too? You've got to be kidding me!"

[Emergency Analysis Complete.]

[Weak Point Detected: Right Eye.]

[Success Rate... 1.7%.]

Eliana nearly cursed out loud as she read the final notification. "One point seven? That's not even hope!"

Gritting her teeth, she tightened her grip on the steel pipe, refusing to surrender even though she knew her chances were almost nonexistent. She had survived the truck accident, awakened inside Audrey Wilson's body, and defeated One Eye and an Elite Zombie, so she wasn't ready to give up now.

"Fine... if I'm going to die, I'm taking one of your eyes with me!"

With a furious roar, Eliana pushed off the monster's massive fist and hurled herself straight toward its glowing crimson eye. The flying creatures screamed as they rushed toward her, but she ignored them and focused everything she had on the World Boss's exposed weakness.

Just before she could strike, the World Boss smiled.

And as its enormous jaws opened wider, a golden notification flashed before Eliana's eyes.

[Evolution Condition Met.]

[Would you like to evolve your F-Rank Talent: Weak Body?]