Chapter 26: Encounters with Familiar Faces |
Among the monsters that appear in the Rite of Passage, there is one that closely resembles a monkey, called a Manky. Unlike the Deadmen, it's fair to say this one at least qualifies as a monster. Its entire body is covered in soft, fluffy fur, leaving it with virtually no defense, but it is extremely cunning and has a habit of moving in packs of at least four or five. For that reason, it was a difficult monster for a novice user to face alone.
“Ook! Ookie-kie!”
And at this moment, we were in the middle of a battle with five human-sized monkeys. With their massive bodies and long tails, Mankys were powerful but clumsy monsters. Of course, they could suddenly leap high into the air and slam down, but in those cases, there was little danger if you predicted their landing spot and dodged.
“Ookie-kie! Ookie-kie!”
“Be careful!”
An Hyeon and Kim Han-byeol were currently locked in a fierce battle with three Mankys. I was keeping one occupied, and Lee Yu-jeong was handling another, so numerically, we were at a disadvantage. But only numerically.
It was then. In the midst of the chaotic exchange, one of the Mankys fighting An Hyeon slipped back and crouched down. From its direction, it seemed to be aiming for me. Normally, it should have targeted the struggling Lee Yu-jeong, but it was rare for these creatures to target females first.
They were creatures with an incredibly strong sex drive and a powerful obsession with procreation, going into heat the moment they saw a female of any kind. They went absolutely wild for elves (though I personally thought it was a long shot for Mankys to ever catch an elf) and human women, so their plan was likely to deal with the men first and then capture the women.
“Hyeong! Yu-jeong! Be careful! I think one of them is gone!”
Twang!
Without delay, I drew the string. The arrow flew with a sharp sound, piercing the air, and cleanly skewered the Manky’s head. It was good at using the force of its descent, but it seemed it hadn't considered its own inability to move while airborne. Or perhaps it thought I would never hit it. If I wasn't holding back to train these kids, if I just put my mind to it...
‘Ugh. What's the point in me even saying it.’
“Oppa! Watch your side!”
I know. While I was aiming at the one in the air, another Manky had charged at my side, slamming its palm down as if to crush me. Without even looking, I dodged the attack by a paper-thin margin and stabbed the Manky’s head with the arrow in my right hand. A clean counterattack. I could feel the sensation of the arrow’s tip digging into soft flesh.
“Kieeeeee...”
Thud!
The Manky collapsed with a mournful cry, and at the same time, the corpse of the one that had been in the air fell to the ground. I had taken down two of them in just three seconds. I quickly nocked another arrow and surveyed the battlefield again. Everyone else seemed to be holding their own.
An Hyeon was fighting with his longsword and shield as he had from the beginning, while Kim Han-byeol was clumsily swinging a longsword that was slightly thinner but longer than his. And Lee Yu-jeong was rampaging with two medium-length daggers sharpened to a point.
It looked like An Hyeon was holding back two of them with his sword and shield at the front, and when an opening appeared, Kim Han-byeol would thrust forward. If she landed a solid hit, both of them would launch a coordinated attack. Their combat style was clumsy, but they were achieving decent results. On the other hand, Lee Yu-jeong seemed to be struggling to get in close due to her shorter reach. Although she managed to wound the Manky’s arm occasionally, she was constantly retreating, swinging her daggers uselessly at the empty air.
Well, they had only been holding weapons for three or four days, so it was unreasonable to expect more. In fact, they were adapting to the Rite of Passage at a superhuman speed, as if to prove they were high-level users. I let out a soft sigh and aimed my crossbow at the Manky Lee Yu-jeong was fighting. I didn't plan to kill it, just create an opening like last time.
Twang!
“Kieeeeee!”
The arrow flew and embedded itself in the Manky's right chest. Unlike the Deadmen, it wasn't immune to pain, so the Manky staggered, screaming in agony. And Lee Yu-jeong was not one to miss such an opening. Her eyes sparkled as she saw the arrow in the Manky's chest, and she swiftly ducked low to close the distance. It was a moment where the power of her 50 points in Agility truly shone.
“Die! You fucking rapist monkey bastard!”
Spitting out a coarse curse, Lee Yu-jeong crossed her daggers with all her might, as if she had met her mortal enemy. At the same time, I heard An Hyeon's battle cry from the side; it seemed he had landed a finishing blow.
One second, two seconds, three, four, five. After counting to five, I looked at the Mankys the others had been fighting. They were all lying on the ground in a wretched state. The one Lee Yu-jeong fought had a large X-shaped gash on its chest, while the ones An Hyeon and Kim Han-byeol had faced had one major wound and numerous smaller cuts. It seemed their strategy of steadily inflicting minor damage had paid off, allowing them to deliver a final blow once the Mankys were weakened. Ah, so this is the satisfaction of raising them.
The three of them looked at the two Mankys I had dispatched earlier, then shook their heads and collapsed onto the ground. They were breathing heavily, clearly tense from the fight. It must have been much harder than usual, suddenly facing five after dealing with only one at a time.
“Ah... damn. Covered in monkey blood. Feels so fucking gross.”
Flicking her short hair to shake off the blood, Lee Yu-jeong spat on the ground. Splattered with blood and sprawled on the floor, she looked as strong and beautiful as a goddess of the battlefield. An Hyeon and Kim Han-byeol were in no better shape. Their clothes were tattered, and dried bloodstains were visible all over their bodies. If anyone was in better condition, it would be An Sol and me.
I slowly closed my eyes and sank into thought.
Three days had already passed since we left the city. This meant we had survived for four days, including the first. Today was the fifth day. If we could maintain this pace, we could reach the warp gate on the sixth day at the earliest, or the seventh day at the latest.
Our life over these five days could be described as either monotonous or spectacular. We literally walked, fought, rested, walked, fought, and rested, over and over. In our first battle after leaving the city, against a Mandragora, we almost lost An Sol. It had suddenly burst out of the ground, mouth agape, ready to swallow her whole. Everyone except me screamed and fell back in terror.
An Hyeon, who had recklessly charged in, was injured by the plant's thorns, but fortunately, I had sensed it in advance and was able to react quickly. After that incident, it seemed Kim Han-byeol and Lee Yu-jeong had a change of heart. They picked up weapons at the next Save Point we reached and declared that they would fight from now on. An Hyeon was hesitant about the girls fighting, but their resolve was firm.
Of course, I didn't know if they were anxious about leaving the fighting to just An Hyeon and me, or if they genuinely wanted to help. But one thing was certain: I could see a powerful desire for survival in their eyes. Since it was about time to start training them anyway, I readily nodded in agreement.
After that, as we passed through the forest after leaving the Save Point, we came across a person. To be precise, we found her at the entrance of the area where Mankys appeared—a female user. She had a rather pretty face, but unfortunately, she was already a corpse when we found her. Her clothes were torn to the point of being nearly stripped off, and her entire body was covered in red bruises. From her private parts, a still-warm, white stream of semen was flowing out; it seemed she had been assaulted by the Mankys until just before our arrival. A trickle of blood ran from her mouth, suggesting she couldn't endure the ordeal and took her own life.
Lee Yu-jeong flew into a rage at the sight, furiously demanding we slaughter the monkey bastards immediately. Whether by coincidence or not, we found five Mankys nearby with their genitals brazenly exposed, and we immediately engaged them in battle. To be honest, it was more likely that Lee Yu-jeong's loud screaming had drawn the Mankys to us. Having just enjoyed their fill until their female victim died, it was unthinkable that the aroused creatures would simply pass by after catching the scent of new females.
And the result was our victory. I pushed the thoughts from my mind, resolving to move forward one steady step at a time.
“Sol-ah. A towel and one bottle of water for your sister.”
“What did you say?”
Kim Han-byeol shot back sharply at Lee Yu-jeong's slip of the tongue.
“Ah, sorry. I'm tired, misspoke. Not Han-byeol, one bottle.”
“Heehee... Okay... Eonni, you worked hard.”
“Worked hard my ass. Just what is that Oppa? How does he deal with these monkey bastards so easily? Give me that crossbow! I'm gonna use the crossbow too!”
I just smiled awkwardly at Lee Yu-jeong's pointless tantrum. If you're so jealous, get stronger.
‘You know, when I first started, I didn't have anyone helping me like this. I had to crawl on the ground swinging a sword.’
Of course, I couldn't say that out loud, so I just kept the awkward smile.
However, now that they had swung a weapon a few times themselves, they seemed to sense something different about the way I fought. Kim Han-byeol sat modestly, catching her breath, but An Hyeon, though panting, didn't take his eyes off me.
“Hyeong, were you in some kind of special forces? How are you so good with a crossbow?”
“...They teach you everything in the army these days.”
“Ah, Oppa, stop lying. Marksmanship, maybe, but who learns crossbow?”
“As they say, the one who's never been to Seoul claims victory. Go to the army and then talk. You think all they do is practice shooting guns? Bayonet training, Taekwondo, dagger skills, throwing stars, bows, and crossbows are all part of basic martial training.”
At my words, the expressions on An Hyeon, Lee Yu-jeong, and An Sol's faces turned strange. Only Kim Han-byeol smirked, seemingly aware that I was lying. I wasn't particularly worried. Now that the team was firmly established, I figured revealing this much was within an acceptable range.
“Aish... whatever. I'm just gonna rest now. It's giving me a headache.”
“If you're going to rest, sit up or stand. What if we get attacked?”
“I don't care, I don't care, I don't care, I don't care. Sol-ah, sorry, but can your sister get a chocolate? I'm hungry.”
“Sol-ah, Oppa wants one too.”
“I'd like one too, please.”
“Okay~! I'm bringing them now~!”
At the successive requests from Lee Yu-jeong, An Hyeon, and Kim Han-byeol, An Sol moved quickly. At An Hyeon's strong insistence, his sister was restricted from direct participation in combat. Instead, she was helping with everyone's convenience like this. An Sol seemed to have a natural inclination for helping others, so she didn't seem to have any major complaints; running errands like this was something she could accept.
Watching An Sol hand out water bottles with a bright smile, I slowly sat down.
Humans are animals with an outstanding ability to adapt to their surroundings. And when that's linked to the desire for survival, the combined synergy is maximized. I felt anew how true those words were. No matter how high-level these users were, just a few days ago, they were women enjoying their ordinary lives. Now, they were skillfully swinging blades at monsters. A bitter smile formed on my lips as I remembered how I trembled for a long time after killing a living creature for the first time.
Of course, it wasn't as if there were no worries at all. I could concede that they were able to wield their weapons without hesitation now because their opponents were monsters threatening their lives. But what if the opponent was another person? Would they still be able to act without faltering? Honestly, I wanted to train them for that if I had the chance, but unfortunately, there was no opportunity.
“Hey guys, let's get moving. We need to walk diligently today if we want to find one of those yellow roofs. Right, Hyeong?”
“Yeah.”
The Rest Rooms, huh? They'll be harder to find the closer we get to the central gate. However, there was no need to say that out loud, so I gave a simple reply. At An Hyeon's words, Lee Yu-jeong nodded, her anger having subsided a little. Just as everyone was brushing themselves off and starting to get up, and I was gathering my thoughts to do the same, I suddenly felt several presences nearby, even with my Mana Sense turned off for practice. I froze mid-step.
A moment later, I turned my head at the sound of rustling in the bushes.
“Huh, what are these guys?”
At that moment, our party saw four people emerge from the dense thicket.