The maintenance tunnels beneath the collapsed university were a frozen labyrinth of corroded pipes and fractured concrete, but the cold was merely the setting. The true enemy was the constant, crushing pressure of Extreme Hunger. It was no longer a simple feeling; it was a physical weight on Elias's core, a burning, gnawing panic that dictated every move. His body, powered by its meager Partial Internal Fire, was running on borrowed time, consuming his hard-won energy reserves just to stay functional.
[STATUS: HUNGER – EXTREME][FUEL REMAINING: 18% (DEPLETION IN 3 HOURS)][POWER POINTS (AP): 100][NEXT OBJECTIVE: FOOD ACQUISITION. CRITICAL.]
The Heat Signature—large, warm-blooded, and moving erratically—was his entire focus. Elias moved with a low, slithering gait, his new, tougher scales scraping silently over the rubble and stagnant water. He was still small, a creature of ambush, vulnerable in an open fight. Every step was a strategic choice.
The tunnels themselves were a constant threat. Twisted electrical conduit hung down like dangerous, brittle vines. Pools of standing water reflected the sickly, unstable glow of high-density radiation. His Third Eye, linked directly to the System, painted the environment in crucial data, turning the dark into a readable threat map.
Analysis: Radiation density 34%. Avoid prolonged contact. External air quality poor—high particulate and toxic chemical remnants. Do not scrape open wounds on the floor. Risk factor: High.
He saw a path weaving through the lowest radiation zones, skirting the worst of the toxic runoff. His former life as a biologist, focusing on environmental hazards, was now the only reason he wasn't collapsing to radiation sickness. He was calculating risk and reward with every meter, prioritizing survival over pure speed.
The heat signature grew closer. The System's interface sharpened the target data, forcing Elias to analyze his prey as a resource:
[TARGET ACQUIRED: POISON DOG (MUTATED CANID)][INSTABILITY FACTOR: HIGH][PRIMARY DEFENSE: SPEED / TOXIN SECRETION (CONTACT HAZARD)][AP POTENTIAL: 350]
A Poison Dog. A dangerous ambush predator. Elias knew he couldn't survive a sustained brawl with anything this fast or toxic. His current defensive capabilities were zero. He had to execute a flawless, silent kill, or the energy cost of fighting would kill him even if he won.
He identified the ideal kill zone: a narrow section of tunnel obscured by a collapsed ventilation shaft and a thin layer of escaping steam. He positioned himself perfectly in the shadows and deployed his Thermo-Camouflage, pressing his body into the cold stone, allowing his scales to mimic the ambient temperature, making him invisible to thermal detection.
The intense cold of the ambush position felt like a physical pressure, but the Extreme Hunger was a greater distraction. Elias fought the gnawing, demanding pressure in his gut, forcing himself into reptilian patience. The kill had to be clean.
The dog's sounds amplified: a frantic, desperate whine and the scrabble of its oversized claws. It wasn't the sound of a healthy predator; it was madness and instability.
The Poison Dog burst into view. It was a terrifying sight. Nearly hairless, its skin was pulled taut, covered in weeping sores, and blotched with sickly yellow fungal blooms. Its movements were fast and chaotic. Corrosive, foamy saliva dripped from its exposed teeth.
The System screamed a critical warning: Warning: High Pathogen Load. Toxin Contact Risk: Extreme.
The Canid suddenly stopped, head low, its sniffing frantic. It had caught the lingering chemical scent of the Mutated Vermin Elias had consumed. It was right next to his hiding spot, its white, unseeing eyes fixed on the shadow.
Elias held still, waiting for the inevitable mistake. The dog, driven by unstable rage and hunger, couldn't pause.
The dog lunged, tearing furiously at a loose strip of insulation, momentarily distracted by the false scent.
Now.
Elias struck with everything he had. He didn't waste time on finesse; he unleashed the full power of his Crushing Jaw, bursting from the shadows and aiming directly for the creature's exposed, diseased throat—the fastest route to the central nervous cluster.
His jaws slammed shut. The canine shrieked, a high, pained sound that was instantly choked off. The sheer power of the bite, fueled by his desperate energy reserves, instantly pulverized the dog's windpipe and a portion of its spine.
The Canid thrashed violently, its claws raking the concrete just inches from Elias's side. The corrosive saliva splattered the ground around his head. Elias held fast, his Crushing Jaw locked, the pure, overwhelming hunger driving him to absolute efficiency. After a final, convulsive tremor that nearly ripped his own jaw from its socket, the Poison Dog went limp.
Elias immediately released his grip and backed into the shadows. The adrenaline rush was brief, replaced instantly by crushing fatigue and a spike of pain.
[TARGET ELIMINATED. BIOMASS AVAILABLE.][HOST STATUS: MAJOR WOUNDS INCURRED (3 DEEP LACERATIONS)][LIFE FORCE: 72% (BLEEDING OUT)]
He had won, but the cost was immediate. The dog's claws had found their mark on his flank. He was losing vital energy, the blood pooling quickly on the cold floor. He needed to feed, but the bleeding would compromise the purity of the consumption.
Elias immediately accessed the System interface, calculating his remaining AP.
[AP AVAILABLE: 100 + 350 (POISON DOG BIOMASS) = 450 AP]
The strategic choice was forced upon him. He couldn't wait for his slow, reptile body to clot the wounds. The Extreme Hunger would consume him before natural healing could take hold. He executed his first tactical AP expenditure.
[50 AP SPENT: FIELD HEALING (FH) ACTIVATED][EFFECT: RAPID NANITE REPAIR INITIATED.]
A strange, intense burning sensation spread across his flank. It felt as though tiny, invisible insects were swarming the wound. The pain was sharp but localized. He watched in clinical fascination as the nanites instantly coagulated the blood and accelerated the tissue regeneration process, knitting the deep gashes together in seconds. The bleeding stopped entirely. He was now down to 400 AP.
Elias consumed the carcass, finding no revulsion, only relief as the intense energy surged into his core, finally pushing back the crippling wave of Extreme Hunger.
[POWER-UP THRESHOLD ACHIEVED: TOXIN ADAPTATION][INITIATE POWER-UP PROTOCOL]
The familiar, searing pain focused this time on his mouth and skin, restructuring his saliva glands. This was the System repurposing the dog's internal biological weapons.
[POWER-UP COMPLETE: REPTILIAN TOXICITY][POWER: TOXIC BITE (TIER I)][NEW POWER: ENDOGENOUS TOXIN RESISTANCE (Toxin-R I)]
He felt his fangs elongate, now visibly sharp and coated in a thin, slick, clear fluid. He had turned the dog's poison into his weapon and gained crucial base-level immunity against the pervasive biological threats of Aetheria .
Elias was now stronger, but the challenges grew exponentially larger. His current objective was the surface.