I cut into the denser part of the forest and slowed just enough for them to close in.

The first one reached me from the side, its branch already coming down, but I was prepared and stepped aside. Both my palms tightened on the axe’s handle as I swung and drove the axe low into its thigh, the blade biting deep and halting its momentum. Before it could recover, I ripped the axe free and brought it up hard into its jaw, the impact snapping its head back as blood sprayed, then followed immediately with a downward strike into its neck.

It dropped to one knee.

One more swing across its neck and its body collapsed forward, head barely hanging as it hit the ground.

The second one was already on me.

It charged straight in, swinging wide, but I slipped between two trees, forcing it to adjust as its shoulder clipped the trunk and slowed just enough. I stepped back in immediately and swung, driving the axe deep into its chest, the blade biting through as blood burst out and it stumbled backward.

Taking two quick steps back, I rushed in again and jumped, driving a kick straight into the lodged axe, forcing it deeper into its body with a heavy impact.

The creature staggered once then collapsed.

Blood pooled around it as it went still. I stepped closer, bent down, and pulled the axe free in one motion.

A familiar heat surged near my heart, rising quickly this time. A notification appeared.

[Overdrive Charge: 100%]

[Level Up]

[Level 12 → 13]

[Combat Points +60]

[Influence Points +0]

[Skill Acquired]

[Axe Mastery I (Passive)]

I opened the shop and quickly purchased a Grade 1 Health Potion along with an Endurance Potion, spending ten Combat Points on each, then drank them without delay as the effects settled into my body.

The lingering damage from the earlier fights faded steadily, the deeper aches easing while a steady stream of energy returned to my muscles, smoothing out the fatigue that had begun to build.

"Now let’s see the objective again," I muttered as I brought up the panel.

[You have entered Great Ape Territory]

[Great Ape was a Believer even before the System descended. The integration has granted it blessings from God Goldius.] 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

[Objective:]

→ Defeat Believer: Great Ape

→ Convert territory into Defier Safe Zone

[Warning:]

→ Target commands a small army of Great Apes

"So these apes are part of its army..." I said under my breath, my gaze shifting briefly toward the bodies I had just left behind. They had been strong, both around level eleven, and if those were just the outer guards, then the one leading them would be far above that.

Still that only meant more growth.

Without wasting time, I continued forward, axe in hand, moving deeper into the forest as the terrain thickened further, the trees growing closer together and the ground turning uneven with exposed roots.

Two more apes crossed my path not long after, both slightly weaker than the ones before.

[Monster Great Ape – Level 10]

They attacked the moment they saw me, but the fight didn’t last long. I slipped past their first attempts to grab hold of me. One clean swing from the axe took the first across the neck, and before the second could react properly, I turned and ended it the same way.

Both bodies dropped within seconds.

I didn’t activate Overdrive either. I had already decided. That would be saved for the main target.

After a few more minutes of steady movement, I noticed something different.

A clearing.

At the center of it was a tree.

It stood twisted and thick, its bark dark and cracked in unnatural patterns, while from within those cracks, a pale, white substance slowly seeped out, dripping down in heavy strands. The liquid gathered at the base, where crude wooden bowls had been placed deliberately, collecting it drop by drop.

I slowed down and hid behind a tree. Something about it felt... different.

The moment I focused on the tree, a notification appeared.

[Marrowheart Tree]

[Description: A rare organism that produces dense life-sap. Consumption increases Strength and Endurance.]

Another line followed immediately.

[Territory Note: This region contains 4 Marrowheart Trees.]

My eyes narrowed slightly as I took that in.

"So this is what they are protecting."

I shifted my gaze outward and saw three apes standing around the tree, positioned deliberately as guards, their gazes locked outside toward the forest.

[Monster Great Ape – Level 15]

[Monster Great Ape – Level 15]

[Monster Great Ape – Level 15]

All three stood spaced around the tree, each facing a different direction with their attention cast outward into the forest, which left the center unguarded in a way that felt intentional yet exploitable. I lowered my stance and moved along the outer edge of the clearing, keeping my steps light as I slipped from one patch of cover to another, letting the trunks and uneven ground break my outline until I closed the distance to the nearest one without drawing its attention.

It remained still.

Right until I moved.

I stepped in and swung without hesitation, putting my full strength behind the strike as the axe cut across its neck in a single motion, the resistance barely registering before the blade carried through, its head separating cleanly and dropping while the body lingered for a fraction of a second before collapsing forward.

The moment it fell, the other two reacted, their heads snapping toward me as their bodies turned and began rushing in from opposite sides.

I didn’t wait for them to close in together.

Instead, I shifted toward the one on my left, stepping forward to meet it before the second could align, reducing the space and forcing a one-on-one engagement. It lunged as I approached, arms coming up instinctively to intercept, but I jumped just as it committed, lifting the axe high above my head before bringing it down in a heavy arc.

It tried to block. Its forearms came up.

The blade didn’t slow. Both arms were severed in one motion, the strike cutting through before it could adjust, and as I landed, I rolled forward along its collapsing body, coming up behind it in one fluid movement before driving the axe across its neck, completing the cut as its body dropped beside the first.

The faint chime of a level up echoed somewhere in the back of my mind, but I didn’t turn toward it.

Something struck my back. Hard enough to drive me forward.

The impact threw me off balance as I hit the ground and rolled, pushing myself up immediately as I turned to face the last one, just in time to see another rock tearing through the air toward me. I shifted to the side, letting it pass as it smashed into a tree behind me, then moved in without pause, closing the distance before it could throw again.

It reacted quickly, dropping the rock and stepping forward with a heavy swing, but I slipped inside its reach, the axe already moving as I cut across its torso, the blade biting deep and forcing it to twist.

It tried to grab hold of me, its hand reaching out, but I shifted past it, stepping along its side as I brought the axe around again, the second strike landing lower, cutting into its midsection and pushing it off balance.

I didn’t give it time to recover.

The third strike came immediately, angled upward this time, the blade cutting into its neck as I followed through, completing the motion and separating its head as the body collapsed heavily to the ground.

The clearing went still.

I remained where I was for a moment, letting my body calm down before turning my attention back toward the tree at the center, where the pale sap continued to drip steadily from its bark. Three wooden bowls rested at its base, each partially filled, the liquid inside thick and slow-moving as it gathered drop by drop.

I stepped closer and picked one up, tilting it slightly before drinking it in one motion. There was no taste in it. I waited for some kind of notification but nothing came.

I set it aside and picked up the second bowl, repeating the motion without hesitation, and this time, as the last of it went down, I felt a subtle shift run through my body, followed immediately by a notification.

[Strength +2]

[Endurance +2]

I smilled. Free stats were good and considering this territory had 3 more of these I was happy internally.

The change wasn’t explosive, but it was there. I exhaled slowly, acknowledging it before reaching for the third bowl and drinking that as well, but no further response followed, the system remaining silent this time.

So there was a limit.

I placed the empty bowl back where it had been and stepped back slightly, watching as the sap continued to drip from the tree in a slow, steady rhythm, the bowls beginning to fill again as if nothing had been disturbed.

I lowered myself to the ground nearby, keeping the axe within reach as I leaned back slightly, my gaze resting on the tree while I waited, letting time pass as the bowls slowly filled once more.