Seed of Titan-Chapter 121: Battling the Lightning Apes (1)

The fifty or so apes began spreading across the clearing, encircling Drai. A few of the smaller ones scrambled up the trees, their eyes locking onto him from above, while the larger ones charged in fearlessly.

One of the vanguards pounced on Drai. Despite being half Drai’s size, it jumped high enough to aim straight for his head.

Drai shifted slightly, dodging the attack while driving a quick hook into its ribs, sending it crashing to the side.

Two other vanguards followed, both lunging at the same time as if coordinating their attacks.

Seeing that they were aiming at his head or neck once more, Drai quickly ducked. He predicted their trajectory before leaping back up as they flew past him, landing an uppercut on one of them while sending a knee strike to the other.

’Looks like I overestimated their intelligence. They’re highly aggressive but don’t understand the basics of melee combat. Going for the head is a mistake if you can’t guarantee a hit. It’s such a small target that’s easily moveable, which could leave you wide open to counterattacks,’ Drai thought, recalling his combat lessons while glancing at the three apes who had failed their attacks.

But to his surprise, the three vanguards weren’t actually knocked out, as they were slowly standing up.

’...Their physical stats must be insane. Looks like I’ll have to be more ruthless.’

Drai immediately dashed toward the three apes and went for the kill while they were still groggy.

Passing by the first ape, he sent a hook at its jaw, which ended up breaking its neck. For the next one, he swept its legs, dropping it to the ground. A split second later, Drai’s fist pulverized its neck.

The third ape shuddered upon witnessing the other two getting killed in a flash. It then growled, and lightning instantly crackled around its hands.

"Too slow."

Before the third ape could muster a last stand, Drai’s right knee smashed into its chin. But Drai wasn’t done yet, as he quickly grabbed the ape’s head and put it into a headlock. And while the ape was frantically swinging its arms, Drai twisted its head.

As he released the lifeless ape from his grab, Drai couldn’t help thinking, ’The neck is such a glaring weakness for mammals. Arteries, spine, nerves, throat, esophagus... all those feeble organs conveniently gathered in one place. If only I could hide mine like a turtle...’

A loud primate call snapped Drai out of his thoughts.

Turning his head, Drai saw that the alpha was seemingly barking commands to the surrounding troops.

Following this, deafening crackles filled the area, as all the apes began emitting lightning from their hands. Not all of their skills looked the same, though. A few were visibly larger and brighter than the others, and the smallest of the apes barely emitted a dim glow. But regardless, they were all viciously eyeing Drai, who was now standing above their three fallen members.

Witnessing this spectacle, Drai’s adrenaline surged. Grinning in excitement, he roared.

"COME!!!"

The apes rushed in like a tsunami of fur and lightning, lunging at Drai from multiple directions. Some were even falling out of the sky after leaping off the tall branches.

But this time Drai didn’t wait for them to arrive.

Bending his knees, he launched himself to the side, aiming toward the edge of the encirclement.

Drai barreled through the incoming apes, knocking them off their tracks until he arrived at the periphery of the riverbank. He then grabbed a cluster of the smaller trees and yanked them from the ground.

"With all of you packed together like this, I don’t even have to aim," Drai remarked before hurling the trees ahead with all his might.

Like huge javelins, the logs slammed into the incoming horde, but their lack of sharpness prevented them from puncturing the apes, only knocking them backward.

A few seconds later, Drai launched another salvo of trees, knocking away dozens of the attackers.

Drai grabbed another tree, but this time it was a larger one. Striking his foot near its base, Drai cracked the trunk and tore it down.

"Look what I’ve got!" Drai brightly announced as he hugged the large tree trunk. A second later, he swung it down toward the apes.

The apes quickly parted to avoid the falling tree. But the ones failed to notice quickly enough, so they were turned into mush as the tree slammed into the ground and blasted apart from the impact.

"Shit!"

Drai had actually planned to use the tree like an overly large staff, but he didn’t think that it would break just from one attack.

Before Drai could get another tree, the apes had already reached him.

With no time to jump away, Drai tried his best to defend himself. He was able to dodge their attacks at first, sending a few of them flying in the process. But soon, their sheer amount forced Drai to parry.

As a crackling hand touched Drai’s parrying arm, he felt a painful and tingling sensation. But the electrocution was bearable, so Drai ignored the pain and continued to knock away the aggressors.

As time passed, Drai was getting hit more by the apes’ lightning hands. His arms and various parts of his body were steadily getting charred.

Having to deal with the relentless zapping, Drai’s movements turned sluggish. After all, his motoric neurons were constantly being fried. And after getting electrocuted in the groin, he finally had enough of it.

’System! I’ll buy Pain Tolerance!’

Although the System replied instantly, Drai felt that it had took its time.

[Acquiring Pain Tolerance will cost 1 SP. Proceed with acquisition?]

’Yes!’ Drai replied in a hurry while twisting his body, dodging another attack.

[1 SP has been deducted. You have acquired Pain Tolerance.]

Immediately, the searing pain and buzzing tingle dulled, no longer bothering him.

A crackling hand suddenly reached toward his face.

Unlike before, Drai didn’t try to dodge or parry. He simply grabbed the hand and yanked it in, bringing the owner right before him.

With a headbutt from Drai, the ape’s skull caved in.

Finally free from the distraction, Drai quickly raised the lethalness of his strikes.

Instead of getting knocked away, the apes were now dropping to the ground one after another. And for the few that tried to get back up, Drai’s ruthless kicks and stomps quickly sent them sleeping for eternity.