[Overdrive Charge – 150%]
"At least something good came out of that," I thought, staying face down for a moment longer as the growls circled around me. I could hear them moving, closing in, their heavy steps pressing into the ground. Slowly, I pushed myself up, keeping my movements unsteady on purpose, letting them think I was still recovering.
As I rose, I turned my head slightly, locking onto the highest-level ape among them. My axe was out of reach, which meant this would have to be done unarmed.
The moment I fixed my target, I moved.
"Impact Burst."
My body shot forward instantly, and both my knees slammed straight into its chest, the impact driving us back into a tree with a heavy crash. I rolled off immediately and came up beside it, not giving it a chance to recover, my fists already moving as I drove two quick punches into its head, bursting it apart before it could even react.
Roars erupted behind me as the others lunged forward.
I slipped past the first two, their attacks missing by inches, and instead cut straight toward the lowest-level one. It swung wildly, but I ducked under it and drove an uppercut into its chin, snapping its head back, then followed with a hook to its neck that dropped it to its knees. I grabbed hold of its head and twisted hard, completing the motion in one brutal turn before letting the body fall.
Breaking away immediately, I opened the map mid-run and saw the other group closing in fast. I changed direction without hesitation and rolled forward, grabbing my axe from the ground as I moved.
From the corner of my eye, I saw one of the apes’ feet glowing red.
I reacted instantly.
"Impact Burst."
Pain flared through my leg from the repeated use, but I ignored it as the force launched me forward. The ape charged at the same time, its body rushing toward me as its fist pulled back for a strike.
For a brief moment, everything slowed. I saw the punch coming.
I knew I couldn’t take it head on, if I did I would fold right here. So I shifted mid-air, bringing the axe forward at an angle. Its fist grazed my shoulder as the blade passed through its neck cleanly.
[Level Up]
[Level 20 → 21]
[Combat Points +30]
[Influence Points +0]
Its body dropped behind me as I landed and paused just long enough to pull out a Grade 1 Health Potion and drink it in one go, the effect pushing my health back above the critical point.
My breathing was uneven now, the strain from repeated Impact Burst catching up, but there was no time to slow down. I turned and broke into a sprint again, moving in the opposite direction from the incoming group, forcing space between us.
Behind me the apes followed. Their heavy steps tearing through the forest as they tried to spread and cut me off from different angles. I didn’t slow or turn to face them directly. Instead, I shifted my path sharply, weaving through the trees and forcing them to follow, letting the distance between them stretch just enough.
The closest one pushed ahead of the others.
That was enough. I turned into it without warning, closing the gap before it could react, and brought the axe across its neck in one clean motion. The strike landed before it could raise its arms, and its body dropped instantly. I moved again and changed direction.
Forced the next one to chase alone.
It came in aggressively, trying to grab hold of me, but I stepped aside at the last moment and drove the axe into its side, the blade cutting deep as it staggered. I pulled back and followed with another strike, this time finishing it across the throat before it could recover.
I ran again, keeping the movement unpredictable, shifting directions just enough to prevent the remaining two from aligning. One of them sped up, breaking ahead of the other in an attempt to close the gap quickly.
I let it, waited just long enough. Then stepped in as it attacked. The axe met it mid-motion, cutting through its neck with a sharp, clean strike, the momentum carrying it forward as its body collapsed past me.
The last one slowed slightly, its movement more cautious now, but it was already alone.
I didn’t give it time to think. I rushed it directly, forcing it to react instead of plan, and as it swung, I slipped inside and drove the axe upward, the blade cutting through its throat and ending it in a single motion.
[Level Up]
[Level 21 → 22]
[Combat Points +70]
[Influence Points +0]
I opened the map and saw that the other group of five was already closing in, their markers converging fast on my position. Without wasting a second, I moved, grabbing onto the nearest tree and climbing up quickly. I pulled myself onto a thick branch and settled there, lowering my stance just enough to stay hidden while still keeping a clear view of the ground below.
Seconds passed as I steadied my breathing, the axe clenched tightly in my hand, my gaze fixed on the direction they were coming from, waiting for the right moment.
The forest held its breath for a moment before it broke, the undergrowth ahead parting violently as five apes burst into the clearing beneath me, their heavy frames scattering leaves and snapping branches as they spread out instinctively, searching for movement.
I didn’t wait for them to settle. My focus locked onto the one trailing slightly behind the others, just enough to leave a gap, and I moved.
"Impact Burst."
The branch beneath me cracked and exploded apart as I launched forward, the force tearing through my legs with a sharp flare of pain that I ignored completely as the distance vanished in an instant.
They reacted, heads snapping upward at the sudden movement above, but by the time their bodies shifted, I was already there, the axe driving straight down into the back of the trailing ape’s skull. The impact carried through cleanly, its body collapsing immediately as I rolled forward, pulling the axe free in one motion and coming up facing the rest.
Four remained. I took them in quickly.
Three stood close together, their bodies similar to other apes I had faced, each marked at level twenty-four, but the one in the center stood apart, its frame larger, a full head taller than the rest, with muscles much thicker than others.
[Monster Great Ape – Level 25]
Before I could adjust, it vanished.
A blur crossed my vision, and the next instant something slammed into my stomach, the force folding my body as I was thrown backward, crashing through one tree, then another, the impact tearing through wood before I finally came to a halt against the ground. I held onto the axe this time, my grip refusing to break even as my body skidded to a stop.
A notification flashed in front of me.
[Overdrive Charge – 200%]
A smile formed despite the pain.
"Perfect..."
I activated it without hesitation.
"Berserk Mode."