Chapter 66 – After the Roar
The forest did not celebrate victory.
There was no triumphant rush of birds returning to the branches, no breeze strong enough to scatter the thick scent of blood and crushed leaves. The clearing where the five-horned gorilla had fallen remained unnaturally still, as if the land itself was holding its breath—unsure whether the danger had truly passed or was merely pretending to be dead.
Peterson stood there longer than he meant to.
The beast lay on its side, massive even in death. One of its arms had folded beneath its own weight at a grotesque angle, the elbow bent backward as though the joint had simply surrendered under the strain. Its thick neck had been severed cleanly, the head resting several feet away, half-buried in churned soil. Its eyes were glassy and unfocused, frozen in the middle of what looked like the beginning of another roar.
Blood soaked deep into the ground, dark and heavy, clinging to roots and pooling in shallow cracks formed by the final impact. Stone had split beneath the force of the blow, jagged edges exposed like broken teeth.
Peterson swallowed hard.
Only minutes ago, that thing had been chasing them through the forest, smashing trees aside as if they were nothing more than tall grass. It had leapt rivers, shattered trunks, and forced them to run until their lungs screamed for mercy.
Now it was just… still.
His fingers trembled at his sides.
Not from fear. Not anymore.
From aftermath.
From the sheer weight of everything his body had been forced to endure.
Behind him, Naëlle slowed her steps and came to a stop. She didn't rush him. She knew better than that. Instead, she watched him the way someone watched the sea after a storm—alert, respectful, prepared in case the calm turned out to be a lie.
"You still with me?" she asked quietly.
Peterson blinked, as if pulling himself back into the present, then nodded. "Yeah. Just… letting it sink in."
She followed his gaze to the corpse, then back to him. "Good. Because if it gets back up, I'm running and leaving you here."
A weak snort escaped him. "Fair."
The joke helped more than he expected.
His knees finally gave a little—not enough to drop him, but enough to make him lean forward and brace his hands against his thighs. Sweat dripped from his chin, mixing with the dirt caked along his forearms. His chest rose and fell heavily, lungs burning from hours of constant movement—dodging, striking, surviving.
Naëlle stepped closer and placed a steadying hand between his shoulder blades. Her touch was cool, a faint trace of water energy still clinging to her skin, soothing without her even trying.
"Sit," she said.
"I'm not—"
"Peterson."
He sighed and lowered himself onto a fallen log, shoulders slumping as the tension drained out of him all at once. The moment he stopped moving, his muscles began to protest in earnest. Everything hurt. Not sharply, not dangerously—just deeply, like his body was already preparing a long list of complaints for later.
Inside his head, something chimed.
He closed his eyes.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Threat Neutralized: 5-Horn Gorilla
The words hovered calmly, almost politely, as if the system had no concept of how close he'd come to dying.
A second line followed.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Beast Defeated
EXP Gained: +1000
Warmth spread through his chest, subtle at first. His heart skipped once, then steadied, beating stronger than before. The ache in his limbs dulled slightly, replaced by a grounded heaviness that made him feel more solid.
Another message appeared.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
Quest Completed: Defeat the 5-Horn Gorilla
Bonus EXP Gained: +1000
The sensation intensified, power settling into him like a reinforcing frame being welded into place. His spine straightened without conscious effort. His breathing eased, no longer shallow or frantic.
He felt… heavier.
But in a good way.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
You've Leveled Up.
You are now Level 9.
Before he could even process that—
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
You've Leveled Up.
You are now Level 10.
Peterson sucked in a sharp breath as the pressure snapped into alignment. It felt like invisible hands adjusting his body, redistributing strength, reinforcing weak points he hadn't known were there.
Naëlle noticed immediately.
She tilted her head, eyes narrowing slightly as she studied him. "Okay. That look? That's new."
He opened his eyes and flexed his fingers slowly. The shaking was gone. His arms felt solid again—grounded, reliable.
"System caught up," he said.
She raised an eyebrow. "Good. Because I was about to ask if you were planning on passing out on me."
A faint smirk tugged at his lips. "Not today."
Another notification pulsed into view.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
New Skill Unlocked: Bestow
Peterson froze.
The word carried weight. Not danger—responsibility.
He didn't open the description yet. He wasn't ready to think about giving power to anyone else. Not when he was still figuring out how to survive his own.
As if sensing his hesitation, the system delivered another message, this one almost… impatient.
[SYSTEM NOTICE]
New Skill Unlocked: Gorilla Rush
He let out a quiet breath. "Figures."
Naëlle glanced at him. "That one doesn't sound friendly."
"It's… situational."
She snorted. "Everything about you is 'situational.'"
He couldn't argue with that.
A final interface slid into place, firm and unavoidable.
[STATUS WINDOW]
Name: Peterson Joseph
Path: Veve's Path
Race: Human
Level: 10
EXP: 980 / 1000
Unspent Stat Points: 10
HP: 700 / 700
Stamina: 400 / 400
Magic: 450 / 450
Strength: 30
Endurance: 5
Agility: 5
Dexterity: 5
Charisma: 5
Luck: 10 / 10
Midnight King Meter: 0% / 100%
The window faded.
Peterson leaned back against the log and stared up through the broken canopy. Sunlight filtered through torn leaves and snapped branches, scattering across the clearing like fractured glass.
"So," Naëlle said, crossing her arms. "Still alive."
"Barely," he replied.
She smiled—small, tired, but genuine. "That's progress."
They didn't linger.
Experience—hers far more than his—told them a battlefield never stayed empty for long.
They began gathering the remains.
Peterson knelt beside the nearest fallen gorilla and pressed his fingers against its chest. A faint glow answered him, and he pulled free a small white crystal, cool and smooth in his palm.
"Uncommon," he murmured.
Naëlle was already moving, efficient and practiced. "Hornless. Or one-horn. That's what most of these will be."
They worked in silence, moving from body to body.
White crystals appeared often. Green followed, fewer in number but steady. When Peterson pulled a blue shard from a two-horn gorilla, he paused, letting the faint light play across his fingers before slipping it into his dimensional inventory. The familiar sensation of it vanishing safely away brought an odd sense of comfort.
Then he reached the five-horned corpse.
The air around it felt different—heavier, like the forest itself remembered the fight.
Near its chest, half-embedded in muscle and fur, a deep purple crystal pulsed softly.
Peterson carefully pulled it free.
The moment it touched his skin, he felt it—not pain, but presence. Dense, refined power coiled tightly inside the crystal like a sleeping storm.
Naëlle exhaled slowly when she saw it. "Epic."
"Only one," he said quietly.
She nodded. "That's normal. Anything more would've been ridiculous."
He turned the crystal once, then slipped it into his dimensional inventory, making sure it was secure before standing.
When they finished, they moved deeper into the forest.
As they walked, Naëlle finally spoke again. "You ever wonder how all of this started?"
Peterson glanced at her. "The beasts?"
"Everything," she said. "The chaos. Why the world feels… thinner."
He hesitated. "I don't really know much about it. Please fill me in. I remember you said you didn't know either… right?"
Naëlle nodded slowly and exhaled. "Not quite. Papa Legba told me not to tell you everything yet—said you needed to focus on getting your strength back. But some of this… you should know."
She continued as they walked.
"It started when Afre cracked the medallion. That's what Lili Zaka explained to us three days after Afre and Ravena took it from you."
Her voice stayed calm, but tension threaded through every word.
"When the power sealed inside was released, the loa spirits trapped within were suddenly free. But loa don't have physical bodies. Without anchors, they fade. So they scattered across the world, looking for strong vessels—people capable of housing their power."
Peterson frowned. "So they possessed people?"
"Not exactly," she said. "Most of them can't. A loa can lend power. Teach. Enhance. But true possession? That only happens if the human opens themselves completely. If they want everything."
She paused, then added quietly, "Afre chose for Bega."
Peterson's jaw tightened.
"He didn't let a loa borrow him," Naëlle continued. "He invited it in. A flame spirit. That's why Bega changed so fast… and why he's one of the most dangerous people in the human world right now."
They walked in silence for a moment.
"At the same time," she went on, "the barrier between the loa world and the human world weakened. Portals started opening randomly—small ones at first. Then bigger. Beasts came through."
Peterson looked around the forest at the broken trees and bloodstained ground. "And stayed."
"They make dens. Claim territory. Attack humans," she said. "People fought back. The ones with powers survived. After killing their first beasts, they found the crystals."
"Power cores," Peterson said.
"Exactly," Naëlle replied. "Weapons. Armor. Amulets. Slot the crystal in, and the item takes on the beast's nature. Elemental resistance. Elemental attacks. Sometimes even non-elemental abilities."
"And the higher the crystal grade…" he began.
"The stronger the equipment," she finished. "And the rarer the effects."
The forest thinned ahead.
Through the trees, the massive stone statue of a four-horned gorilla loomed in the distance—silent, unmoving, watching.
Peterson exhaled slowly. "So this isn't the end."
Naëlle's smile was grim. "Not even close."
They reached the edge of a massive chasm, a violent river roaring far below. Mist rose from it in thick plumes, dampening the air.
No bridge.
No path.
Only the statue, waiting on the far side.
They stared at each other.
"Well," Naëlle said. "That's inconvenient."
Peterson huffed. "You think?"
Back in the Human World
Jean-Daniel stood with his hands shoved deep into his pockets, jaw clenched so tight it ached.
Wilkens adjusted his glasses nervously beside him, eyes darting around the warehouse they'd been dragged into. Armed men lined the walls—some glowing faintly with new elemental energy, others crackling or shimmering in unfamiliar ways.
Bega stood at the front, flames rolling lazily along his arms.
"Alright, gang," Bega said with a grin. "New job."
He spread his arms wide. "Beasts are popping up everywhere. Portals, dens, the works. I want crystals."
The room stirred.
"High tier," Bega continued. "Bring me something legendary, and I'll reward you."
Jean-Daniel's eyes narrowed.
Bega's grin widened. "Epic weapon. Epic armor. Your choice."
Wilkens swallowed.
"And don't worry," Bega added casually. "If you die, you won't need it anyway."
Laughter echoed through the room.
Jean-Daniel glanced at Wilkens once.
They both knew.
The world was changing.
And none of them were ready.
End of Chapter 66