Chapter 64 – When the King Answers Back
The attack came without warning.
No roar.
No buildup.
The five-horned gorilla slammed both fists into the ground.
The earth answered.
A shockwave ripped outward, tearing through roots and stone like paper. Peterson barely had time to brace before the ground vanished beneath his feet. He was thrown backward, body tumbling violently through dirt and broken branches, slamming into a fallen tree with a breath-stealing impact.
Peterson took a heavy blow.
–20 HP
HP 480 / 500
Pain flared across his back and shoulders. He gasped, coughing as he rolled to his knees, vision swimming.
The gorilla rose.
Up close, it was monstrous.
Towering well over six feet tall, its body was a mass of corded muscle and scarred fur. Five jagged horns crowned its skull, each one twisted differently, like they'd grown through violence rather than nature. Its eyes burned with dull intelligence—and hunger.
Then it pounded its chest.
Once.
The sound wasn't loud.
It was dense—a low, crushing boom that seemed to compress the air itself. Peterson felt the pressure slam into his chest, rattling his bones.
The gorilla moved.
Too fast.
It crossed the distance in a blink, massive arm swinging down like a falling tree. Peterson barely managed to raise his staff before the blow landed.
The impact rang through his arms, numbness exploding up to his shoulders as he was launched backward again, skidding across the forest floor.
Peterson took a powerful hit.
–30 HP
HP 450 / 500
"Pete!"
Naëlle reacted instantly.
Water surged around her body, forming sleek, translucent armor that wrapped her frame like living glass. She skated sideways across the ground, jets of water firing beneath her feet as compressed water rounds blasted into the gorilla's face and chest.
The beast barely flinched.
Peterson forced himself upright, teeth clenched. His chest burned, lungs screaming as he sucked in air.
"…It gets stronger every time it does that," he muttered.
He focused inward and activated Inspect.
[SYSTEM ERROR]
Unable to read Beast Rank.
Target exceeds Inspect capability.
Stats: ???
"…Figures," he growled.
The gorilla roared and pounded its chest again.
The pressure spiked.
Peterson felt it instinctively—speed, strength, aggression all climbing higher. The ground cracked beneath the beast's feet as it lunged forward again.
Naëlle summoned water clones, three of them rushing in from different angles. They wrapped around the gorilla's legs and arms, binding joints, freezing patches of fur with ice-cold pressure.
For half a second, it slowed.
Then it flexed.
Muscles bulged. Veins glowed faintly red.
The bindings shattered like glass.
Naëlle clicked her tongue. "We can't trade blows with that thing."
They attacked anyway.
Peterson rushed in low, driving a heavy punch into the gorilla's side. The impact reverberated up his arm, the force real—solid—but not enough to stop it.
Peterson used a heavy strike.
–5 Stamina
Stamina 295 / 300
The gorilla answered with a brutal backhand.
Peterson took a hit.
–25 HP
HP 425 / 500
He flew sideways, crashing through underbrush before rolling to a stop. Dirt filled his mouth as he pushed himself up again.
The forest erupted into chaos.
Trees snapped under the gorilla's charge. Roots tore free as it chased them relentlessly, pounding its chest again and again. Each time it did, it became faster. Stronger. More terrifying.
They ran.
Not retreat.
Survival.
Peterson lost track of time.
Minutes blurred into hours as they sprinted through ravines, leapt over rivers, and crashed through dense undergrowth. Every time they slowed, the gorilla was there—tracking them with terrifying precision, smashing through obstacles like they didn't exist.
Lower-rank gorillas scattered at its approach.
Some fled into the canopy.
Others burrowed into the earth.
They knew.
This thing would eat them next.
Peterson vaulted over a fallen trunk, legs burning—and mistimed the landing.
The gorilla clipped him mid-air.
Peterson took a glancing blow.
–15 HP
HP 410 / 500
He slammed into the ground, rolling hard. Before he could recover, Naëlle was there, grabbing his arm and hauling him back to his feet as water rounds fired behind them, forcing the gorilla to slow—if only for a moment.
Her breathing was ragged now. Blood streaked her arm where the water armor had cracked.
"…Pete," she said, voice tight, "we're running out of time."
His chest burned. His muscles screamed. Everything hurt.
Then—
A chime echoed in his mind.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Daily Quest Completed: Training Session
Reward: +10 EXP
Peterson almost laughed.
Now?
As if on cue, something else stirred inside him.
Cold.
Heavy.
Ancient.
His vision darkened at the edges.
[MIDNIGHT KING METER]
75% / 100%
His breath caught.
That wasn't normal.
The meter pulsed with every desperate push of Veve power, every strike that forced his body beyond its limits.
The gorilla slammed its chest again, preparing to charge.
Then the system spoke.
[SYSTEM PROMPT]
Midnight King Meter has reached 75%
Available Options:
▢ Full Midnight King Transformation (Unavailable)
▢ Midnight King Possession (Unavailable)
▣ Partial Midnight King Transformation
Peterson skidded to a stop and turned toward Naëlle.
"Distract it," he said quickly. "One minute."
She stared at him. "Peterson—what are you—"
"Trust me," he said, forcing a grin through blood. "Please."
She hesitated.
Then nodded. "Don't die."
Naëlle skated forward, summoning every remaining clone she had. Water surged, explosions of pressure and ice slamming into the gorilla's path.
Peterson slid backward, one hand dragging along the ground, fingers carving trenches into stone as he focused inward.
"Yes," he said.
Dark energy pulsed outward from his body.
The forest went silent.
The gorilla skidded to a halt.
Shadows wrapped around Peterson like living fabric, flowing and shifting as midnight-black clothing formed over his body. His frame stretched taller, broader. Power coiled beneath his skin.
His curly hair spilled down his back, longer, wilder.
The staff in his hand twisted and reshaped.
A massive black scythe formed, its edge bending the light around it.
Peterson manifested Veve's Weapon Staff.
–10 Stamina
Stamina 285 / 300
He raised his free hand.
An invisible barrier snapped into place.
Peterson activated Veve Shield.
–5 Magic
Magic 345 / 350
Shield Durability: 3 / 3
Cooldown: 30 seconds
Naëlle turned mid-stride, eyes wide.
"…Roi Minuit?" she whispered.
Peterson smiled faintly.
"Nah," he said calmly.
"It's just me."
He lifted the scythe and locked eyes with the beast.
The gorilla roared and charged.
Peterson slid into stance.
"READY FOR ROUND THREE!"
The forest held its breath.
End of Chapter 64