Before long, the giant primate ceased its struggling, its heavy frame falling completely limp within the pooling blood.
Only then did James release his clamp on its throat.
In truth, despite its massive mounds of muscle and high intimidation value, the actual combat capacity of Gigantopithecus was remarkably mediocre. Any healthy, fully grown wild sabertooth could have killed it. The massive gap in raw weight was easily neutralized by sharp teeth, retractable claws, and superior hunting techniques.
"Growing to the size of a mountain is a completely waste build if you don't have the tools to back it up."
The giant ape line was a glaring misstep in primate evolution. Their immense mass not only made their movements sluggish, but it also saddled them with an unsustainable appetite. The moment the local climate shifted and the dense forest vegetation began to thin, their survival window closed completely. This was precisely why Gigantopithecus vanished during the quaternary extinction event, while smaller, more adaptable monkeys and apes managed to carry their lineages across the ten-thousand-year threshold into the modern era.
---
[System Alert]
Target :Gigantopithecus blacki
Gene Points acquired: +100
Gene Replication Source Detected:Gigantopithecus blacki
Sampling Concluded:Blood profile integrated into the System Archive. Expending 55 Gene Points will authorize the physical integration of this strain. Review the Archive menu for more details.
---
The system didn't disappoint. The primate's primary physical advantages had been successfully mapped into his database.
---
[System Archive Profile]
Source Strain:Gigantopithecus blacki
Target Attribute: Muscle Enhancement (Authorizes Level 2 Progression).
Cost: 55 Gene Points.
---
"I can advance my muscle tier to Level 2 already?"
A look of satisfaction crossed James's features, and he authorized the upgrade instantly.
As the physical restructuring took hold, a distinct sensation of high heat spread through his torso. The warmth surged through his arterial pathways, radiating out into every muscle sheet and tendon across his body. It felt as though his entire frame had been submerged in a scalding hot spring, while heavy hands began pulling and stretching his tissues from the inside.
Alongside a sharp, tight sting within his chest, James could feel his muscle bundles elongating and tightening like heavy bands of vulcanized rubber.
"Hold on... why does it feel like my physical volume is reducing? And my baseline lifting capacity hasn't spiked?"
As the enhancement sequence concluded, James examined his forelimbs, somewhat confused by the lack of immediate bulk from the Level 2 shift. His muscle contours had actually decreased in visible size, and his raw lifting power felt unchanged.
But as he flexed his pads against the soil, the underlying mechanics became clear.
The upgrade hadn't expanded his bulk; it had radically compressed his muscle fibers, maximizing their density and tightness. This structural compaction was the sole reason his outer volume appeared smaller to the eye.
In the natural world, the primary constraint on muscle development isn't nutrient availability, but structural efficiency. A standard muscle bundle acts like a storage basin, capable of absorbing and returning only a fixed threshold of energy. When a baseline muscle reaches its physical limit, it typically expands outward to accumulate bulk—resulting in the classic, heavy appearance of a raw weightlifter.
However, that outward expansion doesn't alter the quality of the underlying tissue; it is simply a stacking of bulk, making the body heavier without changing its structural grade.
James's Level 1 muscle matrix—which he had harvested from the North American grizzly—was the exact definition of that raw, bulk-stacking design.
This Level 2 upgrade, however, had fundamentally altered the fiber quality and density, transforming his tissues at a molecular level. As long as his daily nutrient intake remained high, this updated foundation would allow his strength to scale much further in the future.
The difference was identical to comparing a bundle of soft iron wire to a solid steel rod. To match the load-bearing capacity of a steel rod, you would need a massive, unwieldy bundle of iron wires. But the steel rod achieves that exact same performance within a fraction of the space.
With the Level 2 upgrade, James's muscle sheets were transitioning from soft iron wire into solid steel. His structural threshold had been permanently elevated. If he managed to push this attribute to Level 3, his tissue quality would reach a truly terrifying standard.
With the physical integration complete, James stepped forward to claim the harvest, tearing into the primate's fresh meat without hesitation. For a pure vegetarian, the giant ape's flesh was remarkably lean and rich in nutrients.
After consuming more than half the carcass, the pride resumed their march through the valley.
Before long, they broke through a dense stand of fir trees.
"RAAAHHH " "RAAAHHH"
More giant apes materialized in the clearing ahead—an entire nesting cohort.
The adult females spotted the incoming predators immediately, letting out a series of high-frequency sounds to alert their defender. The dominant male moved to the front of the group instantly, drumming his heavy fists against his chest as he roared to protect his territory.
But the moment his small eyes pinned the mangled carcass of the stranger clamped firmly in James's jaws, his expression changed completely.
He recognized that body. It was the exact intruder that had breached his borders and challenged his rule only a short while ago.
And this massive golden sabertooth was carrying its remains like a light meal.
A visible wave of dread washed over the alpha giant, his territorial roars dropping significantly in volume and confidence.
"One dominant male running a harem of seven or eight females... this guy has a serious monopoly going on here,"James thought, his lips twitching. He had no intention of wasting energy on a secondary dispute; his path simply required passing through their clearing.
As the feline vanguard maintained their steady stride forward, the alpha primate began stepping backward, awkwardly swinging his heavy arms in a hollow display of bravado. Tracking their leader's retreat, the females moved back in unison, keeping their distance.
THUD.
Suddenly, James released his grip, letting the half-ton primate carcass drop from his jaws straight onto the mud right before the alpha's feet.
The remains were a gruesome sight. The abdominal cavity had been torn completely open, the vital organs entirely cleared out. Its neck vertebrae were shattered at a sharp angle, its wide, dead eyes staring blankly at the sky.
"RAAAHHH!!"
The alpha giant let out a panicked shriek, turned his heavy shoulders, and fled deeper into the timber. Seeing their protector bolt, the females scattered like a flock of startled birds, vanishing into the brush.
"Hmph,All that mass, and he breaks the moment he sees a corpse," James rumbled, stepping forward to retrieve his meat. He hadn't expected the giants to be so fragile; a single look at their fallen rival was enough to completely shatter their confidence.
A week after leaving the Olympic heights, the pride cleared the western margins of the coastal ranges, arriving at the rugged shoreline of the North Pacific.
They had reached the edge of the open ocean.
"SCREECH——"
High above the sheer stone cliffs, hundreds of sea eagles and gulls circled through the wind currents, their sharp cries cutting through the salt air. Down on the wide, rocky beaches below, an immense colony of harbor seals lay packed together across the sand, basking under the daylight in a spectacular display of coastal life.
For Aurora and the cheetah, who had spent their entire lifespans locked within the deep canopy of inland forests, this was their first visual encounter with the sea.
The coastal wind blew hard across the water, driving massive blue waves to break into white foam against the offshore reefs before rushing up the smooth sand. Looking out toward the horizon, the deep blue of the sky fused seamlessly with the vast expanse of the ocean, stretching out as far as the eye could see.