I really fucking hope Morrigan was too busy to hear my scream. That was embarrassing. I manifested a dagger and cut the vine wrapped around my leg. It was tougher than I expected and I had to put in more force than I originally expected. I raised my arm and covered my body with the shield before trying to get up even though I didn’t see anything.

It was the right call as something massive slammed into my shield.

“Gökbörü!”

Gökbörü jumped to my assailant while I got up. I quickly realized I was surrounded by the same gorilla-like creatures.

“Well, fuck.”

Stone Skin’s defense buff and penalty ended at that moment. I jumped towards Gökbörü, grabbing him and kicking the gorilla who was trying to get him off his face.

(Monstrous Strength is activated. Strength is increased by 30 for 150 seconds.)

(Ferocity of Wolf King is activated. Your speed and reflexes increase by 20 percent for 3 minutes.)

Speed.

Reflex.

Unlike all other items and skills which increased my capabilities, those things weren’t given in my status window. A surge of primal energy coursed through my veins. The world around me seemed to slow down as my perception sharpened, allowing me to perceive every minute detail of my surroundings when combined with Enhanced Senses. I felt lighter, almost as if my feet didn’t touch the ground.

That feeling was contrasted by raw power engulfing my body thanks to Monstrous Strength. My muscles bulged with incredible mass. I raised my shield high while manifesting my sword. I had enough opening here to swing it freely.

I channeled my mana into my blade. An ethereal dark purple glow enveloped the blade as I activated Armor Collapsing Claw. The blade now emanated a pulsating aura of deep purple hues, crackling with arcane sparks. It glimmered with an otherworldly brilliance, revealing the underlying power infused within. The very air seems to vibrate with anticipation as I brandished the enhanced weapon, ready to unleash its devastating might. Learning how to manipulate mana allowed me to use Armor Collapsing Claw better.

I reinforced my shield with mana and used Mana Erupt on my legs to rush forward. Wind hitting my helmet at incredible speeds was kind of refreshing before I bashed one of the creatures with my shield. I sent it flying through the air before stopping way past them.

I looked back at them without turning fully. The creature I slammed hit the ground broken and unmoving.

“Here is the mistake you made: You didn’t surround me. You merely put me in a target-rich environment.”

Man, I am so cool.

“Woooof.”

Why the disappointed woof, Gökbörü?

I couldn’t think of the reason since others rushed me to avenge their fallen brethren. My mana reserves weren't high due to the stunt I pulled but I didn’t have to use Mana Erupt and I had more than a minute on Armor Collapsing Claw. I blocked one attack and pushed it to others while I cut the other one into two. I moved constantly, not allowing them to get to my back or fight more than two at the same time. Lily would have called this kind of movement a “dance” but for me, it was just another way to kill more efficiently.

Corpses piled up just like how sweat slowly washed over me.

Where the fuck are they coming from? I must have killed 30 already! Armor Collapsing Claw ran out and my blade got stuck in one of the bodies. I let go of it but that brief pause allowed one of them to get behind me. Gökbörü howled, sending an ice spear through the creature’s eye but it didn’t stop. I couldn’t react since I was too busy blocking what was in front.

My world went blank as its fist hit the back of my head. I stumbled forward to other gorillas. I felt a chilling sensation, Gökbörü must have created ice shields to defend me.

It was futile and I got pummeled but I appreciate the thought.

I knew that if I took a defensive stance and tried to weather their attacks, I would be overwhelmed.

“Fuck it.”

I tanked the hits while summoning my spear and broke through their encirclement. I stabbed one through the chest and ran.

With a quick look, I could tell that their numbers were still too much for me to handle.

“Gökbörü, where is Morrigan?”

“Bark!”

To the left, I ran. I stole a quick glance back and saw gorillas chasing me, jumping from tree to tree.

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“Woof!”

I made a sharp left. I saw Morrigan struggling against several dozen of the gorillas. I slammed into one of them.

(Duration ended. Your strength will be decreased by 10 percent for the next 4 minutes.)

Shit. That’s not good news. I really hoped Morrigan was in a better condition than me but when was I that lucky? I threw my damaged shield to the approaching ones. It bounced one of them and hit the other. Hah, eat your heart out, Steve Rogers!

I summoned another shield and sword with what little mana I had left. Even though mana recovered fast, it couldn’t keep up with my constant use of Armor Collapsing Claw and Mana Manipulation. Even though I only used Mana Erupt when I had to because of its strong backlash, it used more mana than others.

Damn. Without realizing I found myself relying on mana too much. I should have been more careful, especially since it was a new thing for me.

These bastards were tough. Even though I faced enemies who relied on numbers before, they were too much. While their durability was nothing special, my weapons got stuck on their bodies after I killed them. That’s because they were covered with dirt, leaves, and vines which absorbed most of the damage I dealt. I had to constantly project more weapons.

To project weapons I had to focus and visualize them. It tired me mentally. I understood what Blanche experienced when she casted too many spells. My head felt like it was being split into two. Morrigan finished off the ones close to us, and we stared down the approaching ones.

“We need to retreat.”

I spoke up through heavy breaths.

“I don’t think it is possible.”

Morrigan answered while looking back. I took one glance back and realized we were surrounded from all sides.

“We’ll have to focus on one side and break through. We are not equipped to deal with this.”

“With your signal, Poyraz.”

I gripped my sword tighter. I was getting ready to charge but something unexpected happened.

Gorillas started to back away. My eyes narrowed with surprise.

“Are they trying to bait us?”

Morrigan whispered what I was thinking. These creatures were smart enough to know how to throw stuff and split us apart.

Gökbörü let out a small growl, hiding deeper into my cloak.

“What it is, boy? Something is coming?”

I calmed my breath, and I realized the shaking beneath me. At first, it was small. Faint vibrations caused pebbles to shake from their resting places. Gökbörü let out a smaller growl than before, warning me of danger about to come. His growls slowly rose just as vibrations

increased in intensity.

“Something big is coming!”

I shouted. Morrigan looked as shocked as me. She gripped her daggers tightly. I wanted to reach her so we could group but shaking became too much. I leaned on the closest tree to not fall. Cracks formed but they weren’t beneath me or Morrigan. Ground rose and I had flashbacks to a certain burrower bug.

The Ground split open, and a massive snake showed its ugly face. Its scales were brown, the same color as the ground, and gave out an earthy hue. Its scales resembled stone more than anything organic. Two horns rose from its head but because of how they were placed, they resembled eyebrows. Not even half of it was out of the ground yet it towered over the trees.

“A wurm? Why is a dragonic species here?”

Morrigan said. She sounded bewildered. Dragonic. Dinosaurs existed, so dragons weren’t so surprising. However, considering the fact I haven’t encountered them before and Morrigan sounding astonished, they weren’t common. Maybe even less common than dinosaurs.

“Poyraz, we need to run! This is not good!”

Morrigan’s normally calm and collected voice was shaking with fear. She grabbed my arm, but before we could do anything, it opened its massive maw and did something I didn’t expect a snake would do: Roar.

It wasn’t just loud. It was booming. I felt my entire body vibrate even my bones. I was able to cancel Enhanced Senses before it hit me.

Despite that, I fell on my knees. Only then I noticed Morrigan kicking and screaming a silent scream beside me while holding her ears. While I couldn’t see Gökbörü in my armor I also could feel his pain through Synchronize.

My world was spinning. Fucker, it didn’t even use a skill! It was just its voice! I threw my shield and sword to the ground and grabbed Morrigan.

Fighting something that size would require careful planning and my best condition. Even then it was questionable if I would be able to win.

So fuck that. I am running. I put Morrigan on the back and started to run. I channeled my remaining meager mana supply on my legs and ran. I also re-used Ferocity of Wolf King since the buff ended.

I could hear that wurm slither behind me, its huge body shaking and pushing trees to the side. Despite its size, it moved very fast. Still, it wasn’t as fast as me.

I felt something tap on my back.

“Morrigan! You okay?”

“Fine.”

She didn’t sound fine at all.

“We can’t bring it to camp. Let me go, I’ll distract it.”

…

Damn, no wonder we got along. We were very similar.

“No. If we are doing it, we are doing it together.”

“Are you stupid? I’ll distract it, you go call help!”

“You are the stupid one Morrigan. One roar and you are gone. If one needs to distract it then it should be me.”

She growled.

“Okay. Let me on the ground.”

I stopped and let Morrigan. She was shaky on her feet but her eyes were filled with determination. She let out a small roar, and I felt something change.

Her jet-black hair lengthened and flowed like a sleek jaguar's fur, cascading down her back with an untamed allure. Her eyes, usually a vibrant golden hue, now glowed with an intense, predatory gleam, reflecting the raw power coursing through her veins. Morrigan's lithe body gained a distinct muscular definition that could be noticed even through her clothed form, enhancing her agility and grace. Her right arm which was visible due to her clothes being ripped gained a supple texture reminiscent of fine fur, bearing the intricate patterns and markings of her feline heritage. These markings glowed faintly with an ethereal aura, reminding me of a primal hunter.

At the tips of her fingers which grabbed her twin daggers, her nails extended into razor-sharp claws, ready to rend through any obstacle in her path. She started with clothing covering her face. That’s when I noticed her mouth. Her teeth were sharpened into fangs, and she was not afraid to display them as a sign of hostility.

I gulped at how powerful and wild she felt.

“Morrigan, are you still with me?”

Her eyes turned towards me. Boy, if I thought they looked like a wild cat’s before I was wrong. She looked ready to pounce and rip my throat.

“Yes.”

She growled. This must be the Primal Evocation Lily mentioned before.

“Its eyes are a good target but I doubt it would fully cripple it. Its underside is probably weaker but don’t get stuck under it.”

It was traveling under the ground before where it couldn’t use its eyes. That’s why I doubted taking its eyes would affect its ability to crush us to fine paste. That didn’t change the fact I was going to attack them, but we had to move according to that.

Both of us charged at the same time, Morrigan from the left and me from the right.