Chapter 76: Victory

Chapter 76: Chapter 76: Victory

"Spread out!"

They did.

The gorilla chased Tolu.

He ran.

Not because he was afraid.

Because he understood what the creature was doing.

It wanted to isolate him.

Tolu sprinted between two stone pillars.

The gorilla followed.

It smashed one pillar aside.

Tolu looked over his shoulder.

Too close.

He turned.

The gorilla’s fist came down.

Tolu planted his feet.

Earth energy rushed through his legs.

He raised his hammer.

The fist collided with the hammer.

BOOM!

The ground beneath Tolu’s feet cracked.

His knees bent.

His entire body shook.

The gorilla pushed harder.

Tolu gritted his teeth.

"I am..."

His arms trembled.

"...not..."

He pushed back.

"...letting you..."

The hammer glowed green.

"...kill me!"

He twisted his body.

The gorilla’s fist slid past.

Tolu stepped inside its reach and slammed his hammer into the beast’s knee.

BOOM!

The gorilla dropped slightly.

Tolu struck again.

BOOM!

The creature roared.

Then its other hand swept across.

Tolu ducked.

A massive fist smashed into the pillar behind him.

Stone exploded.

Ore’s voice came from above.

"Tolu!"

He looked up.

Ore stood on one of the stone ledges.

Wind surrounded her.

She released an arrow.

It flew straight toward the gorilla’s face.

The beast raised its arm.

The arrow struck its forearm.

Ore smiled.

"Now!"

Akin understood immediately.

Ice spread across the ground beneath the gorilla’s feet.

Its footing disappeared.

The massive creature slipped.

Only slightly.

But it was enough.

Temi rushed forward.

Flames wrapped around both blades.

She attacked the exposed side of its knee.

Slash.

Slash.

Slash.

The gorilla stumbled.

Tolu swung his hammer.

The weapon struck its chest.

The creature staggered backward.

Akin drove his great sword into the ground.

Ice erupted around the gorilla’s legs.

The beast roared and tried to break free.

Ore fired.

One arrow.

Two.

Three.

The arrows struck the same region of its chest.

Temi noticed something.

"Wait."

She stopped.

The others looked at her.

"What?"

Temi pointed.

"There."

Tolu followed her gaze.

The gorilla’s chest was rising and falling rapidly.

Under the fur, something was glowing.

Faintly.

Amber.

Not a visible core.

Not an exposed magical object.

Something beneath the flesh.

A concentration of dungeon energy.

Akin’s eyes narrowed.

"It’s injured there."

Ore drew another arrow.

"But it’s protecting it."

The gorilla suddenly tore one leg free.

The ice shattered.

It lunged toward them.

Tolu stepped forward.

"I’ll draw its attention."

Temi looked at him.

"Tolu—"

"Do it."

He ran directly toward the beast.

The gorilla roared.

Its attention locked onto him.

It swung.

Tolu ducked.

Another swing.

He jumped backward.

Another.

He blocked with his hammer.

Every impact nearly tore the weapon from his hands.

The gorilla was furious now.

Tolu kept moving.

Not attacking.

Just surviving.

"Come on!"

The gorilla chased him.

"Come on!"

Its fists smashed the ground around him.

Stone exploded beneath every strike.

Tolu jumped from one broken patch of ground to another.

His breathing became ragged.

His arms burned.

His legs felt like they were made of lead.

But he kept moving.

Then he heard it.

"Now!"

Ore’s voice.

Tolu immediately dropped.

An arrow flew over his head.

Wind exploded around it.

The arrow struck the gorilla directly in the chest.

The beast stumbled.

Akin followed.

Ice surged across the ground.

The gorilla’s legs froze in place.

Temi came from the side.

Her two swords crossed.

Fire gathered between them.

She slashed.

The flames tore across the gorilla’s chest.

The beast roared.

The glow beneath its fur became brighter.

Tolu saw it.

The opening.

He tightened both hands around his hammer.

Earth energy flooded into the weapon.

Green runes blazed across its surface.

He ran.

The gorilla tried to move.

Its legs were frozen.

It raised both arms.

Tolu didn’t slow down.

He planted his foot.

Turned his waist.

And swung with everything he had.

The hammer struck the creature’s chest.

BOOOOOOM!

The sound shook the cavern.

The gorilla was lifted from the ground.

Its enormous body flew backward.

It crashed into the stone wall.

The entire chamber trembled.

For a moment, there was silence.

The gorilla remained against the wall.

Its head hung low.

Tolu stared.

"Did we..."

The beast moved.

Everyone froze.

Slowly, the gorilla pushed itself upright.

Blood ran from its mouth.

Its breathing was ragged.

One arm hung lower than the other.

But its amber eyes were still open.

Tolu’s heart sank.

Temi tightened her grip.

"You’re kidding."

The gorilla beat its chest once.

Weakly.

Then it charged.

But it wasn’t the same.

It was slower.

Its movements were less controlled.

Its injuries had taken their toll.

They could see it now.

The beast wasn’t invincible.

It was simply incredibly tough.

"Again!" Tolu shouted.

This time, they moved as one.

Akin froze its feet.

Ore attacked its exposed side.

Temi attacked its arms.

Tolu went for the chest.

The gorilla fought desperately.

It smashed Akin aside.

Temi narrowly avoided a fist.

Ore was forced to retreat repeatedly.

Tolu took blow after blow.

But every time one of them fell back, another stepped forward.

They had fought separately before.

They had fought together before.

But this was different.

They weren’t simply combining their attacks anymore.

They were covering each other’s weaknesses.

Akin created openings.

Temi exploited them.

Ore controlled the battlefield.

Tolu delivered the heaviest blows.

The gorilla stumbled.

Tolu saw the opening.

He raised his hammer.

The gorilla looked at him.

For a brief moment, their eyes met.

Then Tolu swung.

The hammer struck its chest.

At the exact same moment, an arrow struck the same point.

Ice followed.

Then fire.

Four attacks collided.

The dungeon energy beneath the gorilla’s chest ruptured.

A deep crack appeared across its hide.

The beast froze.

Its amber eyes widened.

Then its enormous body slowly collapsed.

THUD.

The ground shook beneath its weight.

Nobody moved.

They simply stared.

The gorilla didn’t get back up.

Tolu stood there, breathing heavily.

His hammer hung loosely in his hand.

Temi lowered her swords.

Akin pulled his great sword from the ground.

Ore slowly lowered her bow.

They had won.

Not easily.

Not because they were stronger.

They had simply fought better.

For several seconds, the only sound in the chamber was their breathing.

Then Tolu dropped onto the ground.

"Never..."

He sucked in a breath.

"...fighting a gorilla again."

Temi sat beside him.

"Agreed."

Akin leaned against his sword.

"That was an Advanced-level beast."

Ore looked at the enormous body.

"And we killed it."

Nobody celebrated loudly.

They were too exhausted.

Instead, they simply sat there.

They had bruises.

Cuts.

Burns.

Sore muscles.

Shaking arms.

But they were alive.

After several minutes, Folami finally stood from where he had been sitting at the edge of the chamber.

He had spent most of the battle watching them in silence.

He had even eaten the last piece of his apple while the fight was happening.

He walked toward them.

Tolu looked up.

"How was that?"

Folami looked at the dead gorilla.

Then at the four exhausted young adventurers.

"Better."

Tolu smiled faintly.

"That’s all?"

"You survived."

Folami glanced at the gorilla again.

"And you killed an Advanced-level beast."

His expression remained calm.

"But don’t mistake surviving one fight for being strong enough to handle everything."

The four nodded.

Folami walked past them.

"Rest."

Tolu blinked.

"That’s it?"

"For now."

Folami pointed toward the deeper end of the chamber.

"You came here to become stronger. You also came here to learn what dungeons actually contain."

They followed his gaze.

Beyond the dead gorilla was a dense patch of vegetation.

Unlike the rest of the chamber, these plants were unusually vibrant.

Several broad-leafed plants grew from the rich soil.

Some carried small fruits.

Others had strange flowers with faintly glowing veins.

And scattered between the roots were several gemstones embedded naturally in the earth.

Not piles of treasure.

Not coins.

Not magically appearing rewards.

Just natural resources.

Ore deposits.

Plants.

And the body of the creature they had killed.

Tolu slowly stood.

His exhaustion momentarily forgotten.

"Those are gems."

Folami nodded.

"Some of them."

Akin walked closer.

"The plants too?"

"Some can be harvested."

Ore looked toward the enormous gorilla.

"And its body?"

"Useful."

Temi raised an eyebrow.

"That’s our reward?"

Folami looked at her.

"What did you expect?"

Temi opened her mouth.

Then closed it.

Folami continued.

"A dungeon isn’t a shop. It doesn’t create a chest because you killed a monster."

He gestured toward the chamber.

"What you gain depends on what the dungeon naturally contains."

He pointed toward the plants.

"Plants."

Then toward the gemstones.

"Minerals."

Finally, he looked toward the dead gorilla.

"And the beast itself."

Tolu’s eyes slowly moved across the chamber.

There were no golden coins waiting for them.

No enchanted weapons.

No mysterious treasure chest.

But somehow, that made what they had found feel more valuable.

Because it was real.

The gems had formed inside the earth.

The plants had grown from the dungeon’s soil.

And the gorilla had lived here, grown here, fought them, and died here.

Everything they had earned had come from the dungeon itself.

Tolu looked at the enormous beast.

Then at the plants.

Then at the gems buried in the ground.

A small smile appeared on his face.

Maybe this was what a dungeon really was.

Not a place that handed out rewards.

A living ecosystem.

And if he wanted to build one of his own someday...

He needed to understand every part of it.