With a heavy thud, Cian's transformed body landed on the deck of the industrial ship, immediately drawing the eyes of every poacher on board.
"What the—? What is that thing?"
"A monster... a monster covered in bleeding eyeballs!!"
"We've hunted a lot of things, but nothing this sickening!"
The poachers hesitated, their bravado flickering. The weaker men trembled, but the veterans among them suppressed their primal revulsion, leveling their rifles at Cian. These weren't ordinary thugs; their mental grit was far beyond the average criminal.
"I don't recall us crossing paths," Jonah said, forcing a calm, oily smile as he addressed the nightmare before him. "What did we do to offend you?"
Less talk, more action.
Cian stretched his mustard-yellow limbs, ensuring every writhing eye in his flayed muscle was oriented outward. "Option A: Hand over the Kraken eggs. Option B: I break you, then I take the eggs anyway."
"Then stop wasting my time," Jonah sneered, a playful glint in his eyes. He gave a subtle flick of his finger.
Behind Cian, a poacher took the signal. He raised a tranquilizer sniper rifle, his finger tightening on the trigger. Even with the target's back turned, the man felt a cold sweat; a massive, blood-red eye was staring right at him from the creature's shoulder blades.
That eye... it couldn't possibly know what I'm doing, right?
Suddenly, the eye began to glow with a malevolent crimson light.
BOOM!!
A laser erupted from Cian's back, instantly detonating the sniper rifle in the poacher's hands and sending the man screaming into the lake. Through the hundreds of eyes across his body, Cian watched the expressions of shock and horror bloom on every enemy face simultaneously.
"Every one of those eyes... gives him sight!" Jonah gasped. "Fire!! Destroy the eyes!"
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The deck erupted in gunfire. Lead rained toward Cian's torso, but before a single bullet could find its mark, a hellish red strobe filled the air.
Every single eye on Cian's body—chest, shoulders, arms, and back—unleashed a barrage of concentrated laser beams. It was a "Red Storm," a 360-degree gale of destruction that swept across the deck.
"His eyes aren't just for seeing! They're cannons!"
"Get down! Suppression fire!!"
The poachers fired frantically, trying to overwhelm the lasers with sheer volume. But their bullets were vaporized mid-air by the thermal intensity, and their weapons were melted into scrap metal in their hands. One by one, the poachers were blasted off the ship, screaming as they hit the water.
This form is literally a walking arsenal, Cian mused. The 'God-view' makes me untouchable in a group fight.
Within minutes, the deck was clear of standing men. Cian's form flickered slightly, the veins in his various eyeballs bulging with strain. He looked around. Still no progress notification? I took out a whole squad of elite poachers and got nothing?
He sighed in disappointment and began to pace the deck. He stopped at a heavy metal crate. These must be the eggs. In the original story, Jonah's theft of these triggered the Kraken's rampage.
"YOU BASTARD!!"
A roar of mechanical fury erupted from the ship's cabin. A ten-foot-tall diving mech, equipped with dual heavy cannons, stomped onto the deck. Jonah sat behind the reinforced glass of the cockpit, his face purple with rage. "Step away from the eggs!"
"So, you brought out the big toys..." Cian didn't even turn around; the eyes on his back kept a perfect lock on Jonah's movement. He calmly set the crate aside.
VROOM!
The diving mech's cannons hummed, unleashing twin deep-blue energy bolts. Cian's rear-facing eyes fired back, his red lasers clashing with the blue beams mid-air. The energy struggled for dominance, a crackling sphere of light forming between the two combatants.
"Hahaha! What are you? Some freak trying to play hero?!" Jonah screamed, pushing his thrusters to the limit.
"If one eye isn't enough," Cian rasped, his voice sounding like wet gravel, "let's try six."
Cian suddenly twisted his body, dropping into a low, arched bridge. The pose allowed six of his largest chest and shoulder eyes to align perfectly with the mech.
"Wait—no!!" Jonah's eyes went wide. He slammed the override, channeling all power into a final blue shockwave.
BOOM!!
The concentrated "Red Storm" from Cian's multiple eyes vaporized the blue shockwave instantly, swallowing the diving mech in a torrent of crimson energy. The reinforced steel shredded like wet paper. The mech exploded into a thousand fragments, and Jonah was launched into the air, skipping across the water like a stone.
"A bunch of clowns," Cian muttered, walking back to the crate. "Not even worth as much progress as Animo's pets."
He pried the lid off, revealing a specialized incubation chamber containing two glowing, golden Kraken eggs.
In the distance, the Kraken was still pummelling Ben. Ben wasn't even fighting back; he was just trying to stay afloat. "Dammit! If I wasn't waiting for the boat to clear out, I'd have taken you for a walk by now, you oversized sushi!"
"ROAAR!!"
The Kraken froze. Its deep blue eyes locked onto the industrial ship.
Cian stood at the rail, hoisting the incubation chamber high before tossing it gently into the lake. "Kraken! Here are your eggs! I'm giving them back!"
The massive beast, over twenty meters of prehistoric muscle, lunged through the water. It pushed the chamber gently with its snout, its roar changing from one of fury to one of maternal relief.
"I've dealt with the thieves," Cian shouted, squatting on the edge of the ship. "Now take your kids and go. Don't make me come down there."
The Kraken looked up at Cian. It saw the hundreds of twitching, weeping eyes staring back at it. The legendary monster actually flinched. It tucked the eggs close and swam away at top speed, as if it were the one being hunted.
"Thanks for the assist, Terror Eye!" Ben shouted from the water, already giving the form a new name.
[Ding! Host has defeated the poacher syndicate, destroyed the diving mech, and returned the Kraken eggs. Progress +1!]
[Template Progress: 8/100. Unlocking: Plumber Apprentice Skills!]
Suddenly, a massive flood of data surged into Cian's brain. It was a dizzying rush of information that made his head spin.
Linguistics: Mastery of nearly all major Earth and galactic trade languages.
Piloting: Expert-level proficiency in cars, ships, and atmospheric aircraft.
Combat: Advanced CQC (Close Quarters Combat) and a master-level guide to firearms and gadgets.
In a single heartbeat, Cian had gained the collective experience of a seasoned intergalactic agent. He wasn't just a boy with a watch anymore; he was a trained weapon.