Road to Mastery: A LitRPG Apocalypse

Congratulations! Level 25 reached. New Class Skill acquired.

Calamitous Punch (I): All warriors have a finishing strike. At the cost of exhaustion, overdraw your body’s potential to unleash a devastating attack.

Jack read the description of his new skill. Unlike his previous ones, it was active, not passive. Suddenly, something appeared inside him. It felt like a switch or a big red button.

There wasn’t an actual red button in his head, obviously, but that’s what it resembled. Jack got the sense that, just by willing it, this skill would tug at all his muscles and unleash every scrap of strength in his body at once. The result would undoubtedly be catastrophic—both for the enemy and himself.

But not so catastrophic that he couldn’t test it.

He turned to the monkeys, whose reverent eyes watched him from the ground. He raised a clenched fist.

“My friends!” he began, hoping they could understand him. “Don’t call me big brother—your big bro is right there. Call me Jack. I am not here to conquer you, but to help you and be helped in turn. We share a common enemy; the hateful black wolf that wants to snack on your brothers and sisters, rip your muscles apart and feast on your bananarms.”

Jack was gambling a bit here, but it worked. The gymonkeys and brorillas were riled up, unable to believe the size of this wolf’s audacity. Not their bananarms!

“But don’t be afraid!” His voice thundered, cutting through the clamor. The monkeys shut up. Jack shouted, “I am like you! We will fight together! We will put our lives on the line and kill that arrogant canine. We will be free!”

They cheered, even the big brorilla. Jack rumped up for his finale.

“For victory! For alliance! Apes together”—he clenched his fist and drove it towards the ground, activating Calamitous Punch—”STRONG!”

It was a nice finale. Simple, direct, and targeted. Perfect for riling up a monkey pack. The only problem was that Jack had no idea how strong his new skill was. The effects of Drill and Pugilist Body had been useful, but nothing too pronounced.

He wanted a simple bang. That’s all.

When he activated Calamitous Punch, his clenched fist already heading for the soil, the world suddenly went dark. His punch accelerated so hard that it pulled him completely off balance. Yet, his movement remained perfect, as if his body knew what to do.

Every unnecessary muscle went lax as all strength left him. It gathered on his torquing waist, his turning shoulder, his clenched fist. Jack sensed the power of this one fist and felt terror, but he couldn’t stop it. It reached the ground almost instantly.

Color returned to the world with an explosion. Jack flew back. The ground erupted under his feet, showering the nearby gymonkeys with gravel, and the impact’s booming sound echoed over the entire forest.

“Fuck…” Jack gritted his teeth. His right hand lay limp at the side, many bones broken—only his 79 Constitution saved it from shattering completely. The monkeys alternated their incredulous stares between him and the point of impact, unable to believe their eyes.

Where Jack used to stand, there was now a half-foot-deep crater as if a meteorite had fallen. The soil was upturned in its perimeter, the center was scorched black, and Jack could even see an underground rock that his fist had torn through like paper.

Calamitous Punch sure packed a punch. Only a full-power strike from the rock bear could come close to this level of destruction. It was a real calamity.

Of course, the price was heavy. Jack’s entire body felt sore and exhausted as if he’d just ran a marathon, he was starving, and his hand was broken. He’d underestimated the strength of his new skill, but that was okay. Now, he knew its strength. It was a last resort, a hidden ace in his sleeve.

It was the weapon that would kill the black wolf.

His new friends finally recovered from their stupor. The monkeys gathered around the crater to inspect it, while the big brorilla and two of its gorilla bros approached Jack to make sure he was okay. He assured them he was fine and thanked them for caring.

Another brorilla approached a minute later. It had apparently gone behind the bananarm plant, where they kept some of their gym equipment, and fetched a roll of processed leaves that could serve as bandages. Jack thanked this brorilla, too, as he wrapped the leaves around his broken hand, grimacing in pain—or rather, in expectation of the pain.

The broken hand itself was nothing compared to the ice pond and the agony it would demand while fixing it.

Somehow, the gymonkeys had come to the conclusion that they should fill the hole with poop. The big brorilla sent the brorillas to enforce order and awaited by Jack’s side.

Jack looked at the gorilla. Just a few minutes ago, they’d been fighting frenziedly, and now they were bros. He chuckled and shook his head.

This world keeps getting crazier and crazier…

The gorilla extended a hand to help Jack up—he’d been sitting against a tree till now. It pointed one finger at Jack and one at itself, then brought the two fingers close together, and again, one finger was clearly higher than the other.

Jack laughed. “Nah, bro.” He grabbed the lower finger and raised it. “Both of us are big brothers. In fact, you know what? There’s no big brother between us. I’m just Jack, and you are…” He considered it for a moment. “Harambe. Yes, I think that’s suitable. It’s from another gorilla, an honorable one. Do you like this name?”

The big brorilla thought for a moment, then nodded. Suddenly, its eyes were filled with manly tears. It extended a hand and gave Jack a firm, earnest handshake that would make any father proud.

“The honor’s mine, Harambe,” Jack said, smiling. “Now, let’s go kick some wolf ass, shall we?”

The gorilla cheered. The monkeys and brorillas, not knowing what was happening, cheered too, and the clearing was filled with hollering that quickly turned into war cries.

Jack raised his voice again. “But before that, follow me.” An evil grin appeared on his face. “I will make you guys even stronger.”

The monkeys cheered again. They had no idea what was waiting for them.

Jack knew they were on the clock. He had despawned the goblins, killed the bear boss and most of the bears, and took over the entire monkey pack. He had basically turned the dungeon on its head, and the boss was sure to know.

In fact, it could already be after him. They had to hurry.

Under Jack’s instructions, the monkey pack abandoned their gym equipment for now, took some bananarms for the way, and headed for the bear area. This all took them ten minutes, and most of those were spent trying to make the monkeys understand what he was saying. Thankfully, they were pretty intelligent. He was glad he didn’t treat them as monsters.

While the big brorilla was organizing things, Jack had also tried a few bananarms. He was stunned. They were delicious!

Flavor overflowed from inside them. Their juices were thick enough to fill his mouth and thin enough that they weren’t sticky. Jack had eaten at many good restaurants in his time, when traveling the world for conferences, but nothing came close to the taste of these forest bananarms.

In fact, the bananarms were so thick in nutrients that the taste resembled meat a little, but in such a way that it meshed perfectly with their natural fruity flavor. There was sugar, too, along with a bit of spice, though Jack had no idea how it had gotten there.

This heavenly taste was like the love product of bananas and the finest of beef.

Which was a tiny bit suspicious, too, given that earth’s bananas had been selectively bred to reach their current state, but Jack didn’t want to be too paranoid.

The first bananarm also gave him ten points in Strength. Along with his recent level-ups, Jack’s status screen was quickly becoming a sight that would entrench any proper number junkie.

Name: Jack Rust

Species: Human, Earth-387

Faction: -

Grade: F

Class: Pugilist (Elite)

Level: 25

Strength: 79

Dexterity: 79

Constitution: 79

Mental: 9

Will: 7

Skills: Fist Fighting (II), Drill (I), Pugilist Body (I), Calamitous Punch (I)

Things were looking up. He was now a real superman.

The big brorilla growled something to get Jack’s attention, and turning, he saw everyone ready to go. Thirty gymonkeys and seven brorillas, led by their big bro, all awaited Jack’s commands. It brought a tear to his eyes.

“Let’s go,” he said, closing his status screen. “A battle’s waiting.”

Their first stop would be the former bear territory. As the monkeys left their area of the forest, they looked around in wonder and behind in hesitation. They briefly warred with some instinct that told them to stay put—the System’s mind control, probably—before following Jack out.

Their eyes were instantly filled with new life, and their enthusiasm rocked the world before Jack quickly shushed them. They had to be stealthy, or the black wolf might come and slaughter them. They weren’t ready yet.

Stealthy like that, they quickly crossed into the bear territory and headed deep inside it. Jack wasn’t worried about the remaining earth bears. Even if they spotted his group, he and the big brorilla could make quick work of any bear unlucky enough to cross their path.

They reached the clear pond without accidents, and Jack sent all monkeys and gorillas to relax in its waters. It was a bit crampy, but they fit. He stood guard outside.

Clear Pond (F-Grade)

Clear Ponds are naturally-occurring formations spread around the universe. They are often used as parts of resorts. Anyone who relaxes in these waters will find tranquility, their body will loosen completely, and their potential will emerge, making the entire body sturdier.

The stat increase is a one-time bonus.

The monkeys’ reaction was priceless. They first tested the water with their toes, afraid of entering it, but soon, they lounged inside, full of euphoria. Their sighs and moans of relaxation were so pronounced that Jack felt uncomfortable.

He let them relax for ten minutes before pulling them back out—literally. All monkeys and brorillas now had eyes full of serenity, and their gazes at him were filled with gratitude. Clearly, they loved the clear pond. Jack smiled. Each one of them, from the weakest gymonkey to the big brorilla, had increased by a Level.

Jack then turned sharply to the left and led them south, to the goblin area. Thanks to the clear pond, they were even quieter than before, and no wolf crossed their path. In fact, the pond’s relaxation powers were so intense that some monkeys even fell asleep and had to be carried by others.

Eventually, they reached the large clearing where the goblin tribe used to be located. It remained empty; almost. A lone boar walked in circles around the High Speed Bush. Its eyes were red like traffic lights and it could barely stand. Jack grabbed it and unceremoniously placed it back into the forest.

“Be careful,” he instructed the monkeys. “This stuff is strong. As soon as you feel yourselves getting stronger, stop immediately.”

They nodded.

High Speed Bush (F-Grade)

A resource formerly guarded by the goblins of the Forest of the Strong. Commonly found in the wet jungles of planet Peruvian, the leaves of this bush can enhance a person’s reflexes, dexterity, and agility. They can also make you high as a kite.

The stat increase is a one-time bonus.

Ten minutes later, Jack cursed loudly. How could the monkeys know about the delay between licking a leaf and its effect kicking in?

The brorillas were fine, thanks to their high stats, but most of the monkeys were rolling on the ground and laughing like crazy. A few had even formed a gang and tossed poop at the big brorilla from across the clearing, heedless of its growls and giggling like human children that had rang a doorbell and ran away.

True to its description, the bush had made them high as a kite.

It took a few minutes for Jack to round them all up and make sure they’d gotten the Dexterity bonus. This time, their power had increased by two Levels, not one—Jack assumed this was a rounding error from before.

By now, gymonkeys ranged between Levels 8 and 16, brorillas between 17 and 20, and the big brorilla stood proudly at Level 28. They were a force to be reckoned—or they would be, when the bush’s effect wore off.

Monkeys weren’t the most disciplined creatures. High monkeys, of course, were completely uncontrollable. It took massive effort from Jack and the gorillas to guide them, and any concepts of stealth were quickly thrown out the window.

It didn’t matter. From the goblin clearing to Jack’s cave was a short way.

Laugh while you can, thought Jack, staring at the high monkeys. The evil grin reappeared on his face. Soon, you’ll get your lesson.

Jack had visited the clear pond first, hoping that the increased Constitution would help the monkeys resist the High Speed Bush better. Maybe it worked, maybe it didn’t; eventually, they reached his cave, and he ushered them through the narrow opening. The big brorilla couldn’t fit, but they broke some sharp rocks at the sides, and then it barely managed to get through.

The cave was crampy with so many creatures inside—they barely fit. Jack held his nose, too. However, as soon as the monkeys laid eyes on the ice pond, they froze, and their eyes got filled with wonder.

Jack’s evil grin widened. The pond was extraordinarily beautiful, but the pain it hid was equally extraordinary. At least it was the good kind of pain.

For the first time, someone else would have to suffer this too. The monkeys had to get stronger—he couldn’t wait to see their reactions.