Chapter 76 – The King of the Temple
The inside of the temple was darker than Peterson expected.
When they first stepped past the entrance, the sunlight behind them faded quickly, swallowed by the massive stone hallway stretching ahead. For the first few steps, they could barely see anything except the faint outlines of pillars and walls.
Naëlle slowed her pace.
"Alright… this place officially feels creepy."
Peterson nodded.
"Yeah… I'm getting the same feeling."
Their footsteps echoed softly as they moved deeper into the temple. The stone floor was smooth but ancient, worn by time and who knew what else.
For almost five minutes they walked through darkness.
Then suddenly—
Whoosh.
A line of flames ignited along the walls.
Peterson stopped.
Naëlle jumped slightly.
Torches mounted on the sides of the massive pillars lit one by one down the hallway, like an invisible hand was waking the temple.
Firelight spread through the chamber.
The darkness retreated.
Now they could finally see the hall clearly.
And what they saw made them both pause.
Under every pillar stood a statue.
Stone gorillas.
Huge ones.
Each statue was carved in a kneeling position, both fists planted on the ground, heads bowed as if showing respect.
Or submission.
Naëlle walked closer to one.
"Okay… these are definitely not decorations, because they look so freaking real to me."
Peterson studied the statues.
"Looks like they're bowing to someone or something."
Naëlle raised an eyebrow.
"To who?"
Peterson slowly looked forward.
"…Good question, I guess we might find out soon."
The hallway stretched far ahead.
At the end of it, something massive rose above the floor.
A throne.
Peterson and Naëlle exchanged a quick look.
Neither of them spoke.
But both of them were thinking the same thing.
Boss Gorilla.
They continued walking.
Their footsteps echoed louder now in the enormous chamber.
The closer they got to the throne, the more details appeared in the flickering torchlight.
Massive stone steps.
Ancient carvings on the walls.
And finally—
A figure.
Sitting on the throne.
Peterson slowed.
Naëlle summoned her twin guns.
The figure hadn't moved.
Until—
"Finally!"
The voice boomed through the hall like thunder.
"I have visitors."
The figure shifted slightly on the throne.
"Welcome… to the Gorilla Kingdom."
Peterson and Naëlle froze.
The voice was deep.
Beastial.
Powerful.
And unmistakably intelligent.
They slowly looked at each other.
Then both looked back at the throne.
Their thoughts were identical.
A talking beast.
Naëlle cleared her throat politely.
"Thank you!"
Peterson nodded calmly beside her.
"Yeah… thanks for having us."
The figure chuckled.
A low rumbling sound.
"I know what you are both thinking."
The gorilla leaned forward slightly.
"How can a beast like me speak?"
It laughed again.
Then it stood.
And began walking down the throne steps.
Peterson's eyes narrowed.
Now they could see it clearly.
An Eight feet tall.
Broad shoulders.
With Hairy arms covered in dark fur.
Its chest was bare, showing thick muscle like carved stone.
Strangely enough, it wore rough cloth pants.
And it was barefoot.
But the most terrifying detail…
Are, Its horns.
Six of them.
Three on each side of its head.
Peterson and Naëlle both stepped back instinctively.
A six-horn beast.
That meant—
A S Rank creature.
Naëlle whispered quietly.
"…That's not good at all Pete."
The gorilla noticed.
"Would you two Calm down."
Its voice remained calm, but its grin was unsettling.
"I won't do anything to you…"
It paused.
"…at least not yet."
The two hunters slowly backed up another step.
Neither took their eyes off the beast.
"Now tell me something," the gorilla said.
Its voice echoed in the massive chamber.
"What are you two doing inside my temple?"
Its eyes narrowed.
"You better have a good explanation."
Peterson answered first.
"We were just exploring the forest."
Naëlle nodded.
"And we got lost."
Peterson gestured behind them.
"We saw the temple and got curious."
The gorilla stared at them silently.
For several seconds.
Then it hummed quietly.
"Hm…"
"I see."
But its expression showed clearly.
It didn't believe them.
The gorilla turned and walked slowly back toward the throne.
"Since you are already here…"
It sat down again.
"…let me tell you a story."
Peterson and Naëlle exchanged another glance.
The gorilla leaned back slightly.
"I was born here, In this jungle, When I was younger… I was weak."
Its voice grew quieter.
"Other gorillas bullied me."
"They chased me away from their territory and the forest."
It clenched its fist slightly.
"So I left with no choice, but with one goal in mind, to get stronger."
"I trained."
"I hunted other beasts in their territory."
"I defeated them and absorbed their crystals."
Peterson's eyes sharpened.
So beasts can evolve by consuming crystals and gain power…
The gorilla continued.
"When I grew my third horn… I returned."
"And I challenged them one by one."
It grinned.
"After I defeated them, I killed my adversaries and I absorbed their crystals too."
Naëlle whispered quietly.
"So that's how he grew more horns."
The gorilla heard her.
"You are Correct."
"It takes more than one crystal tho in order to grow stronger."
Its eyes glowed slightly.
"So eventually…"
"I challenged the king Makak."
It smiled.
"I killed him and absorbed his crystal aswel."
"And took the throne, so I became the new King Makak."
Peterson felt a chill run down his spine.
Naëlle thought the same thing he did.
The four-horn gorilla they defeated earlier…
It was trying to do the same thing.
It just never got the chance.
The king continued calmly.
"Several four-horns came to challenge me."
"They thought I was still weak, they thought I still have 4 horns, even my body shape changed to this humanly form after I grew my 6th horn."
It chuckled.
"Anyways! They never left alive to tell the tale."
Silence filled the chamber.
Then the king slowly leaned forward.
"And now…"
His eyes locked onto Peterson and Naëlle.
"…now that you know my story, I'm afraid that, I must kill you both."
The temperature in the room seemed to drop.
Peterson frowned.
"Wait… what?"
The gorilla raised a finger.
"Not because you are here."
"But because you lied to me."
It grinned.
"I possess a certain skill."
The beast leaned back and laughed loudly.
"A skill that allows me to see someone's past and future."
It lowered its head again.
Looking directly at them with a sinister expression.
"I saw everything you two did before you got to the temple. Oh! And for your future…"
"…it ends here."
Both Peterson and Naëlle instantly shifted into fighting stances.
Their instincts screamed danger.
Inside Peterson's mind—
The system activated.
[ Quest Update ]
Defeat King Makak
Quest Level: Extreme Danger
Success Rate: 20%
Failure Rate: 80%
Optional quest path
A: Survive and Escape Reward: 10,000 EXP
Or
B:Survive and Complete Quest: 30,000 EXP
Bonus Rewards:
+500 EXP
+10 Bonus Stat Points (All stats +10 automatically)
New Skill Unlocked: Unknown
Peterson read the message.
Then grinned nervously.
He glanced at Naëlle.
"Do we have a choice here?"
Naëlle didn't take her eyes off the king.
"I'm afraid not, we are in the deepest trouble we've ever been in."
She tightened her grip on her weapon.
"The moment we turn our backs…"
"…our death is guaranteed."
She exhaled slowly, bid of sweats rolling down her cheeks.
"But we might be able to create an opportunity, but I'm not sure tho."
Peterson nodded.
"Well, Just give me a heads-up when you see one."
The two of them stood ready.
Across the hall, the six-horn gorilla king rose slowly from the throne.
The ground trembled slightly as he stepped forward. A disturbing red aura surrounding it body.
His grin widened.
"Good, good!"
"I was hoping you would fight."
Peterson rolled his shoulders.
Naëlle raised her weapon.
They both knew the truth.
This was easily the most dangerous enemy they are about to face.
And neither of them knew if they would survive.
The King of the Gorilla Temple cracked his knuckles.
"Shall we begin!"
"HUMANS!"
End of Chapter 76
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