[You have destroyed the treasure of the Great Ape’s Territory]
[You have been marked]
[Influence Points +100]
I blinked, surprised.
"So this is how I gain influence..." I muttered, letting out a small breath before dismissing the panel.
Without wasting time, I brought up the map again, intending to decide my next move, but the moment the overlay expanded across my vision, I stopped.
The display had changed.
Completely.
Red markers filled the space around me, far more than before, each one moving fast, converging from multiple directions toward my position.
For a second, I simply stared.
"Don’t tell me..." I murmured, narrowing my eyes as I tracked their movement. "The entire army is coming here."
There was no doubt.
The pattern was too clean, too coordinated, every marker closing in from different angles, cutting off escape routes without hesitation.
I let out a quiet breath.
"Good," I said under my breath, the faint edge of a grin forming. "Saves me the trouble of hunting them one by one."
I held my position for a moment longer and zoomed in on the map, focusing on the markers to get a clearer count.
There were seventeen of them, all moving toward me.
That was different.
Fighting them together, especially if they managed to surround me, would be far from simple. The space here wasn’t open enough to handle that many at once without taking unnecessary damage.
Which meant, I wouldn’t let it happen. I shifted my stance and picked a direction, locking onto the closest cluster before moving immediately, breaking into a run as I cut straight toward them instead of waiting.
My feet thudded against the forest floor as I dropped any attempt at concealment and ran straight toward them, letting the noise carry ahead of me instead of hiding it, my grip tightening around the axe as I closed the distance.
Two of them broke through the trees first, both already charging.
[Monster Great Ape – Level 17]
[Monster Great Ape – Level 17]
I roared and jumped, putting everything into the leap as the ground cracked beneath my push, my body shooting forward in a straight line toward the closer one. It barely had time to react before I crashed into it, the axe driving straight into its chest as the force carried both of us down. We hit the ground hard and skidded across the dirt, its body taking the impact beneath me.
I stood up immediately, ripped the axe free, and in the same motion brought it across its neck, the blade cutting clean as its head dropped.
The second one was already on me.
It roared and charged from behind, and I shifted aside at the last moment, the attack passing just behind me as I turned and swung toward its side, but this time it stepped back, just enough to avoid the cut.
"Ohh... smart, aren’t you," I muttered, a faint grin forming as I stepped in again.
My leg shot forward, striking its midsection and forcing it back, its footing breaking for a moment as surprise flashed across its face. I didn’t give it time to recover. I jumped again, raising the axe high, and brought it down in a clean, full swing.
The blade cut through from shoulder to waist. Its body split and collapsed in two halves.
[Level Up]
[Level 17 → 18]
[Combat Points +50]
[Influence Points +0]
[Axe Mastery I (Passive)] → [Axe Mastery II (Passive)]
I exhaled, drawing in a deep breath as I steadied myself, then glanced at the map again.
Three more were closing in.
I bent slightly and pushed off again, accelerating straight toward them, the trees blurring past as the ground cracked under each step. Within seconds, they came into view, rushing toward me from the opposite side.
[Monster Great Ape – Level 20]
[Monster Great Ape – Level 17]
[Monster Great Ape – Level 18]
My eyes locked onto the strongest one.
"Impact Burst."
The energy gathered instantly, pulling into my legs and surging downward before releasing all at once, launching me forward through the air. One moment I was twenty feet away, the next, I was in front of it.
My axe moved before it could react. Its head separated cleanly from its body.
My body continued forward from the momentum, skidding across the ground before I came to a stop and turned back.
[Level Up]
[Level 18 → 19]
[Combat Points +50]
[Influence Points +0]
The remaining two had frozen for a brief second, staring at the headless body.
"Beginners," I muttered as I rushed them.
They didn’t last long. A few exchanges, a clean opening, and both fell before they could regain their rhythm. I pulled up the map again.
Two clusters remained.
Seven on my left and five of them on my right.
I zoomed in slightly and noticed one marker in the group of five was larger than the rest, its presence distinct even on the display.
"That must be the main one..." I murmured, then shifted my focus.
I chose the larger group first.
Without hesitation, I turned and ran toward the seven, cutting through the forest again as the distance closed rapidly. Within seconds, they came into view, spread just enough to react but not yet fully formed. I targeted the strongest immediately.
[Monster Great Ape – Level 22]
"Impact Burst."
The activation was instant. I shot forward again, closing the gap in a blink as the axe sliced through its neck before it could even raise its arms. The notification flashed, but I didn’t look at it.
The rest reacted immediately. They surrounded me. Their levels ranging from seventeen to twenty-two.
I adjusted my stance to attack but they were faster now. One from behind stepped forward, its feet glowing faintly red before it burst forward with unnatural speed, closing the distance instantly as its fist slammed into my back.
The force drove the air out of my lungs. I coughed blood as my body was launched forward straight toward another one already mid-motion. Its fist glowed the same way, and before I could adjust, it drove its punch straight toward my chest.
I raised the axe to block.
The impact smashed through it. The blade was pushed aside, and the strike landed directly into my chest, sending me crashing into the ground.
For a moment everything went dark. Then returned completely blurred.
[Warning! Health below 50%]
"Damn it..." I groaned, forcing my vision to stabilize as I tried to push myself up but something grabbed my leg.
A massive hand clamped around it, and before I could react, I was lifted into the air and slammed straight back into the ground.