Chapter 132 | Tyrant Ape!

Chapter 132: 132 | Tyrant Ape!

"Whoosh!"

Andrew flashed forward and struck first. His Dragon-Titan transformation activated in an instant, scales erupting across his body as he closed the distance.

The God Slayer Blade hummed as it carved through the air, aimed at the Ape’s midsection.

"Bang!"

The blade slashed across the Ape’s side, carving a shallow groove in its stone-like hide. Sparks flew from the point of impact, and the sound was like metal scraping against metal.

-800 HP

"Fuck!"

The Stone Tyrant Ape roared.

"Roooar!"

The sound was deafening—a deep, bass-heavy explosion of fury that shook dust from the ceiling and sent cracks racing across the walls. The orange glow beneath its skin intensified, and its already massive muscles seemed to swell even further.

The battle began.

Andrew activated Dragon Form and Titan Form simultaneously, pushing the merged transformation to its limits.

The two combatants collided head-on—fist against blade, strength against strength, stone against scale.

The first exchange nearly broke Andrew’s arm.

The Ape’s fist met his blade in a head-on collision, and the force transmitted through the weapon was staggering. His arms went numb from fingers to shoulders, and his feet actually left the ground from the impact, sending him flying backward across the chamber.

He landed hard, skidding across the stone floor, but was back on his feet in an instant.

The Heavenbreaker Warplate had absorbed twenty percent of the impact, and his enhanced physique had handled the rest as he glared at the beast.

"I really don’t wish to activate that bloodline yet."

Andrew grumbled as he halted at the ape.

Andrew changed tactics. Instead of meeting the Ape’s attacks head-on, he began using his superior agility to dodge and counter.

The Ape was incredibly strong but relatively slow—its massive body required time to change direction, and its attacks, while devastating, were telegraphed by obvious wind-ups that Andrew’s Omniscient perception could read from a mile away.

For nearly 20 minutes, neither side backed down. Andrew danced around the Ape’s attacks, scoring hits whenever he found an opening, while the Ape rampaged through the chamber, destroying stalactites, smashing pillars, and leaving craters in the floor with its missed strikes.

Finally, the ape’s first health bar reached zero.

"Roooooar!"

The creature staggered, its orange glow flickering, and for a moment Andrew thought he had won.

However, instead of dying, the monster entered its second phase.

The ground exploded outward from the Ape’s feet, sending shockwaves rippling across the chamber. From the cracks and fissures, one hundred stone monkeys emerged.

They were smaller versions of the Ape—each one about a meter tall, with the same stone-like bodies and glowing orange fissures.

[Stone Monkey]

↳ Level 15

↳ 5 Star Elite Monster

↳ HP: 15,000/15,000

One hundred of them. Individually, they were no threat to Andrew. But together, they created chaos—swarming around his feet, climbing his body, distracting him from the main threat of the Ape itself.

Andrew immediately unleashed Thousand Cuts and Violent Strike. Hundreds of sword lights filled the cave, each one targeting a stone monkey.

The combined attack was devastating—a blender of destruction that shredded through the monkey army in seconds. Stone bodies exploded into fragments, and the floor of the chamber was covered in rubble.

The monkey army was completely annihilated in less than thirty seconds.

But the Ape had used the distraction. While Andrew was dealing with the monkeys, it had regenerated—its first health bar was gone, replaced by a second one that was already full.

Its body had changed slightly, the stone of its muscles becoming darker and denser, and its orange glow had intensified to a bright, fiery orange.

The ape entered its second phase with renewed vigor. Its attacks were faster now, its movements more fluid, and its strength had increased noticeably. The shockwaves from its strikes were larger, the craters in the floor deeper, and the cracks in the walls more extensive.

The battle became even more intense. Andrew was forced to use every skill and ability at his disposal—Shadow Dash for emergency repositioning, Wind Slash for ranged attacks, Fang Slash for burst damage.

After another fierce struggle that lasted nearly an hour, Andrew reduced its second health bar to zero.

The third phase immediately activated.

The Ape let out a roar that was somehow even louder than the previous one, the sound actually caused physical damage, cracking the stone walls and sending fragments of rock flying through the air.

Andrew raised his arms to protect his face, feeling the shockwave impact his armor like a physical blow.

Two hundred more stone monkeys appeared, pouring from the walls, the floor, and even the ceiling. At the same time, the Ape’s HP increased drastically and its body underwent another transformation.

The stone of its muscles turned black, and the orange glow became a deep, blood red. Its eyes blazed like furnaces, and the air around it shimmered with heat.

Its strength rose dramatically. The first punch it threw in its third phase actually sent Andrew flying backwards as his arms shattered.

The pressure became overwhelming. Even with all of his buffs, transformations, and equipment, Andrew was being pushed to his absolute limits.

He still didn’t want to activate that bloodline yet.

The Ape’s third-phase attacks were devastating.

Yet he refused to retreat. There was nowhere to retreat to. The entrance was sealed, and the only way out was through.

Hour after hour, he continued fighting. His body accumulated injuries—cracked ribs, a dislocated shoulder that he popped back into place, a deep gash across his thigh that slowed his movement. His HP fluctuated wildly, dropping to as low as fifteen percent before he managed to create enough distance to use a healing potion.

The stone monkey waves came in groups of fifty, then one hundred, then two hundred. Andrew killed them all, but each wave cost him time and resources that he could ill afford to spend.

Eventually, after a final Violent Strike empowered by Berserk and Dragon Form, the God Slayer Blade pierced through the ape’s chest.

The blade sank deep and the black stone of the Ape’s body began to crack and fracture from the point of impact.

The giant monster froze. Its burning eyes widened, and for the first time in the entire battle, an expression that might have been surprise crossed its stone features.

Then its body shattered into thousands of fragments. The pieces exploded outward like a volcano erupting, sending stone shrapnel flying in every direction.

Andrew raised his arms and activated Guardian’s Stand, the Heavenbreaker Warplate generating a protective barrier that absorbed the debris.

When the dust settled, the chamber was empty except for Andrew and the scattered remains of the Stone Tyrant Ape.

[Ding!]

↳ Lord Boss Killed

↳ World Fame +50

↳ Attribute Points +20

Rare loot exploded across the battlefield. Iron-Grade Equipment. Black-Iron-Grade Equipment. silver and even Gold grade Equipments dropped. As well as various crafting materials—stone fragments, mineral samples, and chunks of the Ape’s glowing ore that pulsed with residual energy.

Although no Diamond-Grade item dropped, Andrew was not disappointed. Because among the rewards was something far more valuable than any piece of equipment.

[Sky-Grade Skill Book]

Skill:

↳ Ground-Smashing Fist

A powerful close-combat technique capable of shattering the earth and sending destructive shockwaves through enemies. Can be used to create terrain advantages, disrupt enemy formations, or deal massive area-of-effect damage.

Andrew picked up the skill book and pressed it to his forehead. The knowledge flowed into his mind like water into a sponge—the stance, the breathing pattern, the muscle movements, the energy channeling technique.

Within seconds, he understood the skill completely, as if he had been practicing it for years.

A satisfied smile appeared on his face. Compared to equipment, skills were far rarer and far more valuable. Equipment could be replaced, upgraded, or outgrown.

But a skill—especially a Sky-Grade skill—was a permanent addition to one’s combat repertoire. And a close-combat AoE skill like Ground-Smashing Fist perfectly complemented his existing abilities, giving him a powerful option for dealing with groups of enemies.

He sat down among the rubble and began the process of recovery. Healing potions for his wounds.

Mana Crystals for his depleted reserves. Food from his inventory to satisfy his demanding appetite. One by one, he addressed each of his needs, restoring himself to peak condition before proceeding.

As he ate and rested, he reflected on what he had learned so far. The Forgotten Godfall Cave was extraordinary—a multi-floor dungeon with zodiac-themed challenges that scaled in difficulty as you descended.

The first floor had been a swarm of weak enemies. The second had been a group of Elite Monsters. The third had been aerial combat specialists. The fourth had been a Lord Boss with multiple phases.

The progression was clear, and it suggested that the deeper he traveled into the Forgotten Godfall Cave, the greater the rewards would become.

Which meant one thing.

The true treasure of the cave was still waiting ahead.

Andrew finished his recovery, stood up, and walked toward the newly opened passage.

The stone stairs descended once more, spiraling deeper into the mountain. The rabbit murals on the walls gave way to a new set of paintings as he descended—dragons, powerful and divine, their scales gleaming with golden light and their eyes burning with cosmic fire.

The fifth floor awaited.

And somewhere below it, far below, in the deepest chamber of the Forgotten Godfall Cave, lay the truth behind a mortal who had once become a god.