Chapter 65 – Three Minutes of Midnight
The world didn't stop when Peterson accepted.
It slowed.
Not like time freezing—but like reality itself hesitated, unsure whether it should allow what was about to happen.
The forest bent inward, shadows stretching unnaturally long as if they were reaching for him. The five-horned gorilla roared and surged forward, muscles swelling, feet shattering stone with every step.
Peterson felt it.
Not fear.
Alignment.
A cold pressure wrapped around his spine, threading upward into his skull and downward into his limbs. It didn't hurt. It didn't burn.
It clicked.
Like a lock finally turning.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Partial Midnight King Transformation Activated
Duration Limit: 3 minutes
Stat Boost: +25% to all current stats
Peterson inhaled.
The breath went deeper than his lungs, filling something older inside him. His heartbeat slowed—not weaker, but heavier, each pulse carrying weight.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Midnight King Meter will reset to 0% upon deactivation
Reactivation Cooldown: Extended
Information flooded his vision, sharp and clean.
[STATUS – MIDNIGHT STATE]
HP: 512 / 512
Stamina: 375 / 375
Magic: 437 / 437
Strength: 30
Endurance: 5
Agility: 5
Dexterity: 5
Charisma: 5
Luck: 10 / 10
Peterson blinked once.
"…So this is what it feels like."
The scythe in his hands pulsed, darker than night, its edge breathing like something alive. Shadow wrapped around the blade—not wild, not chaotic—disciplined. Every inch of it felt familiar, like he'd held this weapon long before today.
The gorilla charged.
Peterson didn't flinch.
The beast's fist came down like a meteor, air screaming as it tore through space. Peterson stepped half a pace to the side, movements smooth and economical.
The fist slammed into the ground.
The impact obliterated the earth where he had stood.
Peterson countered immediately—not with a skill, not with magic—just movement.
The scythe carved across the gorilla's chest in a clean horizontal arc.
Black energy tore through fur and flesh.
The gorilla screamed, staggering back.
Peterson landed lightly, boots barely disturbing the dirt.
Naëlle, watching from a distance, felt her breath catch.
"…He's different," she whispered.
Not stronger.
Sharper.
The gorilla pounded its chest again.
Peterson felt the surge—raw strength and speed climbing rapidly—but this time, it didn't overwhelm him.
The numbers were there.
But the gap was gone.
The beast lunged again, faster than before.
Peterson stepped forward.
A punch slammed into his shoulder.
Peterson took a hit.
–8 HP
HP 504 / 512
The impact still hurt.
But it didn't break him.
Peterson smiled.
"Yeah," he murmured. "That's more like it."
The gorilla swung again, wild and furious.
Peterson ducked, scythe flashing upward, slicing clean through muscle and bone. Blood sprayed across the forest floor in a violent arc.
The beast howled.
Peterson moved without thinking.
Not instinct.
Memory.
His feet shifted automatically, weight distributing perfectly as he rotated his wrists and adjusted his stance. Every motion flowed into the next, scythe tracing lethal patterns through the air.
I know this, he realized.
Not learning.
Remembering.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
New Skill Available
Skill Name: Midnight Slash
Level: 1
Description:
A ranged crescent of condensed shadow energy
Cost: –1 Magic
Midnight Slash.
A crescent of black light tore through the air, ripping into the gorilla's side and detonating in shadow.
–1 Magic
Magic 436 / 437
The explosion staggered the beast.
Peterson followed instantly, closing the distance in a blur.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
New Skill Available
Skill Name: Midnight Dash
Level: 1
Description:
Instant shadow displacement
Cost: –1 Stamina
Midnight Dash.
Peterson vanished.
–1 Stamina
Stamina 374 / 375
He reappeared behind the gorilla, scythe already mid-swing.
The blade bit deep into its back, carving through muscle with terrifying ease.
The gorilla roared and spun, fists slamming wildly.
Peterson weaved through the blows, shadows trailing his movements like afterimages. Each step placed him exactly where he needed to be—never too close, never too far.
A fist clipped his ribs.
Peterson took a hit.
–12 HP
HP 492 / 512
Still nothing like before.
Naëlle clenched her fists, heart pounding.
"He's fighting like he's done this his whole life…"
The gorilla stumbled, bleeding heavily now, rage overtaking whatever intelligence it had left. It pounded its chest again—once, twice—forcing its body past its limits.
Peterson felt the surge.
And dismissed it.
Midnight Slash.
Midnight Slash.
Midnight Slash.
–3 Magics
Magic 433 / 437
Black crescents carved through the battlefield, tearing trees apart, gouging trenches into the earth. The gorilla staggered under the assault, its movements growing sluggish.
It charged blindly.
Midnight Dash.
Peterson appeared at its flank.
Midnight Dash.
–2 Stamina
Stamina 372 / 375
Behind it.
The gorilla spun too late.
Peterson bent his knees and launched upward, shadow coiling beneath his feet like a compressed spring.
Time stretched.
He looked down at the monster thrashing below.
This is how he fights, Peterson realized.
This is how the Midnight King moves.
Not rage.
Not dominance.
Judgment.
Peterson angled the scythe downward.
One final breath.
Midnight Slash.
The crescent struck first.
Then he used—
Midnight Dash.
Peterson vanished mid-fall and reappeared directly above the gorilla's head.
Gravity returned.
The scythe came down.
Clean.
Silent.
Decisive.
The blade passed through horn, bone, and flesh without resistance.
The gorilla's head separated from its body in a single perfect arc.
Blood erupted across the forest floor, splashing against trees and stone.
The body collapsed.
The forest fell silent.
Peterson landed lightly, straightening as the scythe spun once in his hand, flinging blood into the dirt.
White smoke curled from the corner of his lips as he smiled.
"Threat defeated."
Behind him, the shadows slowly receded.
The midnight faded.
And the forest finally breathed again.
End of Chapter 65
[ Author's Note. I'm trying to post at least 2 chapters a day but you know , work and other stuff , also I'm going to start making art of the characters. I'll post my social once ready. Thank you for you support.]