Ten minutes after the fighting ended, the tents were set up in the crater, and the formation disks were up and running. No monster could see the campfire’s light or smell the humans sitting around it. By this point in the evening, everyone would usually be chatting merrily while they ate their chosen meals, the scent of frying meat and spices wafting through the air.

Today, there was a morbid silence lingering over the camp. Some took a bite of their food here and there, but most either poked at their meals or nursed some kind of alcohol to cope with today’s realisation. They were weak. The Mountain Gorilla was only an Uncommon beast, and it still required all of them fighting together to wound it.

In fact, they hadn’t even killed the beast after nearly fifteen minutes of fighting. The Mountain Gorilla had exhausted itself to death, their attacks nowhere near enough to finish it off so quickly. One could argue that was the same as killing it, but how many monsters would have suicidal bloodline abilities? They would have to kill the next monster with their own hands rather than let it exhaust itself.

Of course, that was only if they didn’t run into a Rare monster first.

The Mountain Gorilla had two incredibly potent bloodline abilities. The first was called the Mountain-Shattering Fist, which made its arms vibrate. It conferred enormous shattering power to its limbs, but the main drawback was that it needed to build up the vibrations through constant movement.

That was why it took the gorilla so long to crack Amelia’s shield. The power of its fists needed to slowly build up, but once it crossed the necessary threshold, it would become far more potent than an intermediate Shattering Strike. And that was when its bloodline ability wasn’t fully charged. Perhaps it could build up enough power over the course of a battle to rival a master-level technique.

That ability alone was enough to butcher something like the Rat King, but only under the condition that it had soul protection. A sneak attack might be able to kill it instantly, the gorilla’s second ability granting it enough power for that. Mountainous Vitality would generate the haze of bloody mist that clung to its skin. That was actually the gorilla’s blood being burned away in exchange for power, multiplying its strength for some mild exhaustion after the fight.

Interestingly, that was very similar to Logan’s use of the egg. The only difference was that the gorilla used an innate ability while Logan sacrificed his very lifespan in exchange for an outside power source. If he could pay off the debt, he would suffer no period of weakness, and it would even cloak him in protective flames.

While the bloody haze seemed quite domineering, its visual presence was the only thing it granted besides strength. The haze was merely a side effect of the blood getting burned and expelled from the body. That was where the differences largely ended, the rest of the details being more or less the same between them. For example, if Logan overused the egg, it would kill him just like the Mountain Gorilla’s bloodline ability had killed it.

The beast had simply collapsed in the middle of the fight. The haze flickered away as it leaned forward, and by the time it faceplanted in the dirt, the blood cloaking the monster had dissipated. It was only at that point that Logan approached its corpse, allowing him to discover a number of severe wounds hidden beneath its fur, none of them caused by him.

He didn’t know what or how the gorilla had been injured beforehand, but that only cemented the truth.

They were too weak to make it through the jungle.

“So,” Logan said, clearing his throat as he put his empty bowl away, “what does everyone think? Should we continue through the jungle or try to go around the long way?”

They had discussed the optimal route out of the biodome quite a bit. There were two main schools of thought, one being the slow and safe option while the other was fast and dangerous. Before today, going directly through the forest was supposed to be quicker and more dangerous. As evidenced by the Mountain Gorilla, there was quite a bit of danger involved.

“I think we should go to the closest wall and circle around it until we get to the north,” James said, sipping his beer. “If this gorilla species behaves like a normal one from before the apocalypse, then it was most likely kicked out of its family unit by the dominant male.”

“The main question is why it was kicked out.”

James shrugged. “Either it tried to challenge the dominant male and lost, or it was kicked out after reaching sexual maturity.”

“That makes sense,” Stephanie muttered. “I’m not sure about most species of gorillas, but I know some animals will only allow one male in a group. Male children will be killed or kicked out by the dominant male, leaving them to find another herd. Or in the case of most gorillas, they will submit to the dominant male of the group.”

Tom popped the cap off a new beer and took a sip. “Let me get this straight. Either this gorilla is nearly as strong as the most powerful member of their group, or it’s much weaker and was kicked out so that it couldn’t mate with any of the other females? Talk about a shitty situation.”

“I know, right?” Stephanie said. “Either way, there’s probably more than five Mountain Gorillas walking around out there, and odds are that one of them is a higher rarity than the Uncommon gorilla we just killed.”

“That’s not necessarily true,” Amelia said, earning the stares of everyone in the group. She blushed and cleared her throat. “How do we know that the Mountain Gorillas weren’t killed by even more powerful creatures, and only this one managed to run away? Its wounds are pretty severe.”

Logan felt his eyes widen. He glanced at the others, a look of fear dancing across their expressions.

“That might not be the case,” Deon said, stroking his bearded chin. “The Mountain Gorillas appear to be an extremely aggressive species. Judging by how the one we encountered fought to the death, I doubt any of them would survive if attacked.”

People visibly relaxed as they thought about it, Logan even breathing a sigh of relief. That was a good point. Would a Mountain Gorilla run away? Everyone guessed a resounding no, the species being incredibly bloodthirsty and violent.

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

“Still,” Ron said, finishing his third beer, “we need to decide on a plan. Do we walk along the outskirts of the biodome or risk cutting straight through to save time?”

Everyone fell silent, Logan included. There were many caves around the edge of the biodome. He didn’t know what kind of monsters, if any, lived in them, and he didn’t want to find out. At the same time, they might not have a choice. There were definitely more creatures deeper in the forest, but nothing may live on the outskirts. After camping there for five days, they hadn’t seen anything other than insects or random snakes slithering around.

That option really didn’t sound like a bad one, especially since they still had time. Around a month and a half at minimum, and that was excluding the month when the environmental conditions would begin to decline due to terraforming. Realistically, they had more than enough time to take the longer route, had no reason to rush since they had endless supplies, and would grow stronger with the extra time to prepare before their next monster encounter.

After another round of discussion, it was decided. Travelling around the outskirts was the best option. The night, however, was still young. Everyone continued to chat about the Mountain Gorilla and what its existence implied.

“The rats aren’t weak,” Stephanie yelled, throwing a bottle cap at Tom. “They’re incredibly strong, idiot.”

“They are weak!” Tom shouted back, smacking the bottle cap away from his face. “You saw the mountain gorilla today, didn’t you?”

“Of course I saw it, but are you really saying the rats are weak because the gorilla could punch things super hard?”

“That’s exactly what I’m saying! If a Crystal Rat tried to have a go at that Mountain Gorilla we killed earlier, it wouldn’t have even been injured. The gorilla would’ve just walked over and ripped the rat in half!”

“How could it possibly lose without a fight? The Crystal Rat would’ve used its mental attack and had Ore Rats to back it up. They’re a horde, not a solitary predator!”

“Oh, come on. The Mountain Gorillas probably live in family units. If we’re comparing a Crystal Rat and a horde of Ore Rats, we should also include the rest of the gorilla family as well.”

Logan stopped listening to their sibling-like bickering when Amelia leaned over, her glass of wine almost spilling. “Aren’t they cute?”

“Like brother and sister.”

Amelia rolled her eyes. “Wanna make a bet? I think they will get together before we make it back to the city.”

“I think Tom has a better shot with you, honestly, and it sounds like that’s never going to happen.”

“You’re still talking about that nonsense? Tom doesn’t have a crush on me, alright?”

This time, Logan was the one to roll his eyes. “Sure, sure. Just don’t be surprised if he confesses his undying love after getting fatally wounded.”

“Funny,” She said, making a funny face at him. “Anyway, who do you think is right?”

“Hmm, they both are.”

“Are you sure the gorilla didn’t knock your brains out earlier?”

“I’m being serious. The Crystal Rats are weak compared to the Mountain Gorillas. If the one we encountered earlier came across a Lucid Rat, it could probably pummel that bastard into little crystalline chunks of meat in under a minute.”

“And what if the Rat King used its mental attacks?”

“That’s why I say it’s also strong.”

“So, it’s strong but also weak?” Amelia giggled, obviously a bit tipsy. Everyone was a bit drunk after being confronted with their own mortality for the third time in a week. “How many beers have you had?”

“Only two, but that’s beside the point. The rats have weak bodies, which means the Mountain Gorilla can easily beat them up. However, their mental abilities are incredibly potent, making it hard to say who would win in a match since it could go either way.”

“Ah, I’m following along now. They ate those soul crystals and evolved, but it was mostly their mental abilities and minds that were enhanced.”

“Actually,” Logan said, putting his empty beer bottle down, “that was my exact theory. The Crystal Rats were Common, ate the soul crystals, and then had their minds enhanced to the point where they could compete against Uncommon enemies. This means their bodies are fragile for their rank, but their potent soul-related bloodline abilities make them incredibly deadly.”

“How mean of them,” Amelia pouted, resting her hand under her chin. “They made us think we were stronger than we really were. Now that means our amateur techniques can only work against Common beasts, intermediate against Uncommon, and if we find a Rare monster…”

Logan sighed. “We will most likely have to run for our lives.”

It was his lucky break that he had managed to steal the circlet from the Skeleton Lord. Without it, he would definitely be dead. The Rat King’s soul attacks were simply too powerful. Thankfully, its body was still that of an Uncommon beast. If not, Logan would’ve died ten times over.

The next three days were spent finding a path back to the outskirts. They weren’t returning to their original camping grounds but were instead going north-west. As they were initially in the southwestern corner, this was just a more roundabout way of moving to the tunnel or tunnels that led to the surface.

Over those three days, almost everyone in the group went on a bit of a binge-drinking spree. No one got hung over since alcohol was processed very quickly now, allowing most people to drink recklessly and still not get too drunk. Deon only had a glass of wine with dinner, which allowed him to relax as he spoke with Ron.

Deon wasn’t just a priest. He was also a counsellor who worked at a helpline in his spare time. As proof, he had worked in similar positions for nearly twenty years and helped James when his fiance, Mel, passed away from the ritual. There was only so much that he could do to heal a person after such a traumatic loss, but while the help was minimal, it was better than nothing.

That was why Ron and Deon sat aside most evenings and spoke to each other. Logan caught a bit of their conversations from time to time, most of which were Deon affirming Ron’s feelings or Ron sharing stories about his younger years with Betty. Logan shed a tear a few times from the heartbreaking way he spoke, but no one seemed to notice in the chaos that was Stephanie and Tom.

They truly were soulmates. Both Stephanie and Betty to their male counterparts, that was. Tom just didn’t know it, and Ron knew it too well. Logan had seen people like Ron before. They were one half of a whole person, and when that half unfortunately passed away, they would soon follow. Logan worried that the same would happen to the old bullet. He was eighty-five years old and had lived his life to the full, but he seemed to have a fire burning deep within his heart.

His love for Betty was fueling his need for vengeance. If he wasn’t speaking about her, he was discussing plans for killing the Armoured Savages. He even came up with the idea that he might be able to abuse it enough to spit Betty’s soul up, allowing Logan to revive the corpse that was still in the hole leading up to the biodome.

Logan never interrupted their private talks. He didn’t want to give Ron false hope, nor did he want to douse it either. His rage might be the only thing keeping him alive. That left him in the awkward position of a potential saviour. Ron was suddenly much more friendly now than before, which begged the question of whether he would blame Logan if he couldn’t save Betty.

That was all in the future, so Logan ignored them and continued chatting with Amelia. Now that Tom and Stephanie were binge drinking, they spent most of their evenings bickering like siblings. James, being in the middle of them, spent his time trying to quell their arguments or egging them on if they weren’t entertaining enough.

Logan enjoyed that very much since he got some private moments to chat with Amelia. They had clicked so well from the very day they had met. He didn’t know what they were, but at the very least, he considered her a good friend.

If his relationship didn’t progress further, Logan wouldn’t be upset. It was very rare to find someone with whom you clicked, so he was very reluctant to even think about dating, especially while they were trapped a few kilometres below ground and likely about to be mauled to death.