I watched the abominations tear into each other, waiting patiently for them to tire out or at least thin their numbers.
The Level 1 stag was struggling to pin down the apes, its stamina clearly running low. Two apes—the Level 1 and a Level 0—kept darting around it, their hit-and-run tactics slowly wearing it down.
My focus locked onto the Level 1 ape. Physically, it wasn't much different from the others, but it was faster, too fast. If I wanted my plan to work, it needed to die first.
It was still uninjured, making it the hardest target to pin down. So, I waited.
And soon, my moment came. The ape broke away from the fight, ducking behind a tree to catch its breath.
'Not yet.'
I stayed hidden.
It rested for about a minute, but when it noticed the stag overpowering the other ape, it jumped back into the fight. And just like that, the shrieks and roars continued.
I saw it getting tired again. This time, I moved. I dropped my bag, crept closer, and climbed a tree that overlooked the fight.
The ape broke away once more, panting heavily.
'Now.'
I jumped from branch to branch, moving silently, my bare feet barely making a sound.
Then, standing directly above it, I took a deep breath, focused on the ape, and dived.
Mid-flight, I yanked my right hand back and forced all my stored Essence into it.
What happened next caught me completely off guard.
A violent heat surged from my heart, rushing down my arm. My entire right arm felt like it was force-fed with energy, my muscles compressing with raw strength.
The sheer force of it made my veins burst, pain ripping through my arm. But I gritted my teeth and slammed my fist into the unsuspecting ape's skull.
Boom.
Its head exploded like a crushed watermelon.
I hit the ground, rolling to absorb the impact, and without wasting a second, I bolted. I ducked behind another tree, exhaling sharply, my breath heavy.
Pain.
My right arm throbbed, blood dripping down its entire length to my fingers.
"Damn it. What the hell was that?"
I had never expected Essence to be that violent when applied directly. I had expected to knock out the ape and finish it with another one or two punches, but the effect of directly applying Essence was far greater than I anticipated. I stared at my right arm. It was bloody as hell.
I had transferred Essence to my attributes before, but nothing like this had happened.
So why was this different?
[Level Up!]
[Level 1 -> Level 2]
Seeing the message I grinned slightly. The pain was worth it.
I held my breath and waited, ready to jump into action if any of the apes or stags noticed me.
A few moments passed. No reaction.
Slowly, I sneaked back to where my bag was. Opening it, I pulled out the first aid kit, grabbed some bandages, and then, gritting my teeth, yanked off my shirt. I wrapped the bandages tightly around the wounds on my right arm.
The pain was horrendous. It felt like needles were stabbing me from the inside, trying to break through my skin.
I peeked out and saw the Level 1 stag overpowering the Level 0 ape. The ape shrieked, maybe trying to call for the one I had already killed. It barely dodged the stag's horns, then sprinted away, disappearing behind a tree.
The stag lingered for a few moments, waiting, but when the ape didn't return, it turned away and rejoined the other stags in battle.
Crouching low, I moved toward the hidden ape, keeping my eyes locked on the ongoing fight. As I got closer, the stench hit me, thick and rancid. Gritting my teeth, I braced myself, this was going to hurt.
With a sudden motion, I lunged. My left hand clamped over the ape's mouth, my right arm wrapped around its throat, and my legs locked tightly around its torso. Then, with all my strength, I yanked it backward, taking us both down.
The ape thrashed wildly, its claws raking at my arms as I tightened my grip around its throat, squeezing with everything I had.
It struggled harder, its body convulsing, but I refused to let go. Then, in a desperate move, its teeth sank deep into my left palm, searing pain exploding up my arm as warm blood gushed out.
I gritted my teeth, refusing to scream, but at that moment, my right arm flared up in agony, the earlier damage roaring back to life. My grip wavered for a split second but gritting my teeth I doubled down on its throat.
Finally, its movements grew sluggish, then weak, until finally, with one last twitch, its body went limp in my hold. I exhaled sharply, my whole body trembling, but I didn't loosen my grip until I was sure it was dead.
Shoving the ape's lifeless body off me, I pushed myself up with a groan. My arms were covered in fresh scratches, and my right arm was practically useless now, throbbing with every movement.
Then I froze.
The forest had gone silent. No more shrieks. No more roars.
Slowly, I lifted my head.
All three stags and the remaining two apes were staring right at me. Their muscles tensed, their eyes locked onto my bloodied form.
I exhaled sharply and whispered.
"Power Up."
My heart lurched. The core roared back to life.
And I turned and bolted straight into the forest, my body instantly hitting full acceleration.
'Fucking hell.'
The Essence transfer had completely screwed up my plan. My right arm flared with unbearable pain as I ran, and behind me, I could hear the beasts crashing through the trees in pursuit, suddenly forgetting their own enmity.
My thoughts spun as I ran, one question echoing in my mind.
Would they catch me first, or would I run straight into another abomination?
And in both cases, it would end in my defeat and I didn't like that at all. There wasn't much to think about then.
So I transferred all my unused stats into Strength, raising it to 15, and started slowing down slightly. My body heated up from the sudden surge of power. I adjusted my stance, and the moment I heard the ape's shriek, I turned and burst toward it, driving my left fist straight into its face.
The impact sent it flying backward, slamming into a tree with a sickening crack. My heart burned hotter as it absorbed the energy from the collision.
Skidding forward, I pivoted sharply and struck again before the ape could even flop to the ground. My fist crashed into its throat, crushing it instantly. Without wasting a second, I turned, shifted direction, and bolted once more.
I could feel the bandages soaking through with blood. My right arm was getting worse with every step.
Noticing that the last remaining ape wasn't leading the chase this time, I made a quick decision, I needed to avoid running straight into another abomination. So, I curved my path, circling around the same area while weaving between the trees in a tight zigzag, making sure the stags couldn't get a straight run at me.
Finally, the ape moved to the front again, struggling to keep up with my pace, while the stags lagged behind. That was my moment.
I charged straight at it. The ape shrieked and lunged, claws stretched wide.
At the last second, I slammed my feet into the ground, skidding to a stop. My bare soles scraped against the dirt as I ducked low, letting the ape sail clean over me.
Spinning on my heel, I twisted and launched my leg into its head with all my strength. A sickening crack rang out as its skull caved in, the final Level 0 ape dropping lifelessly to the ground.
I turned to the roaring stags. They were still crashing through trees, barreling straight for me. The Level 0s weren't a problem but the Level 1 was built differently. Its defense had to be somewhere between 12 and 15 points.
I clenched my fists. This was going to be tough.