Smoke curled around the charred remains of the gas station. The fire still crackled, casting a flickering orange glow across the broken concrete. Ejilah lay in the rubble, barely able to move, his breath shallow.
His system display flickered dimly before his eyes.
[Health: 10/50]
[Energy: 16/100]
He had regained some strength from defeating the Level 3 alien, but it wasn't nearly enough. He was broken, bruised, and burnt — and worst of all, he wasn't alone anymore.
The explosion had done more than kill one alien.
It had called all the rest around that area.
Ejilah heard them before he saw them— dozens of footsteps, clicking claws on cement, low growls vibrating the air.
He turned his head and saw them approaching from all directions — around buildings, over walls, even crawling across rooftops.
Level 1 aliens.
Some tall and skeletal, others bulky and twisted.
Behind them, two Level 2 aliens stood like hulking shadows in the dusk. Their glowing chest-eyes scanned the wreckage, like predators tracking injured prey.
Ejilah's heart pounded.
[Dragon Eyes Activated]
The world shifted.
A crimson aura surrounded each alien, highlighting their strength levels and weak points. A bright point pulsed in the chests of the Level 1s — their core, easy to reach.
But the Level 2s… their weak points were buried deeper, under thick armor and enhanced regeneration.
He stood slowly, wobbling.
His body screamed in pain, but he didn't care. He couldn't afford to fall now. The willpower and fear of death in him started to kick in.
[Tentacle Extension ]
[Range +300% | Strength scales with energy]
He clenched his fists.
"I don't care how many of you there are," he muttered. "Come."
The first wave of Level 1 aliens charged.
Ejilah transformed again.
[Transformation: Level 2 Alien]
His body morphed, his muscles stretching, bones snapping. Black armored skin wrapped his frame. His own tentacles — two of them — extended from his back with a whip-like crack, longer and sharper than before.
"Wait that human can transform. ", one of the aliens said charged.
"He didn't just transformed to something else. ", one alien pointed out. "He turned to an alien. ".
"That doesn't matters, kill him. ", one of the level 2 aliens shouted with authority.
He struck.
The first alien lunged — he sidestepped, wrapped a tentacle around its chest, and ripped it in two.
[Energy +3 | Health +3]
[Life siphon triggered]
He blinked.
That was new.
The system was absorbing energy and health from the enemy's body.
He grinned darkly.
"Alright… let's eat."
He moved like a shadow, tentacles slicing, stabbing, extending through skulls and chests. The Dragon Eyes guided him perfectly — weak points glowing like targets.
Each kill restored a bit more energy, a bit more health.
But there were too many of them.
A Level 2 alien smashed through a wall and came charging — its tentacles spinning like bladed fans.
Ejilah ducked just in time, but another alien grabbed him from the side, its tentacle piercing his shoulder.
[Health -15] → [13/50]
He roared in pain, grabbed the alien's head with both hands and crushed it between his palms.
The second Level 2 tackled him.
They tumbled across the ground. Ejilah tried to pull away, but its tentacles wrapped around his waist, lifting him in the air.
"ENOUGH!" Ejilah screamed, unleashing both of his tentacles at once.
They pierced the alien's glowing eye and exploded out the back of its head.
It collapsed like a puppet with its strings cut.
[Energy +10 | Health +10]
[Tentacle Extension: Now Enhanced - Piercing Damage +30%]
But he was running out of steam.
Too many wounds, too much blood. His limbs were shaking. His energy barely climbing.
Then — one more alien leapt from behind.
It was a Level 1, but fast — its tentacle stabbed into his side and began to drain him.
He could feel it. His life-force slipping.
"No—no!" he gasped, trying to move.
The system warning notification appeared:
[Health: 5/100]
[Emergency Life Siphon Triggered]
His own tentacle lashed out in reflex, stabbing into the alien's chest — and began to *drain* it right back.
A new prompt appeared.
[Counter-Siphon Skill in Development]
He ripped the alien apart, gasping for air, and dropped to his knees.
Blood soaked the ground. His own and theirs.
The street was silent again.
Bodies surrounded him. Nearly twenty aliens lay in pieces around him — Level 1s and 2s alike.
He was still breathing.
Barely.
The system glowed one last time before fading.
[Health: 18/50]
[Energy: 19/100]
[Level 2 Transformation sustained. Race mastery: 46%]
Ejilah collapsed against a car, exhausted.
But he was alive.
And he was evolving.
[Kill level 2 aliens: 12/100]
"There fail to realize that I'm not your regular level 2. ", Ejilah mumbled weakly under his breath. "I'm different. ".