NOVEL NEXT Chapter 44
Chapter 44: The Giant Monkey’s Wrath
“Fireball.”
Eun-hye cast her magic before the Giant Monkey could fully approach.
There was no need to aim precisely. Just flinging a fireball into the mass of monkeys resulted in several of them igniting in black flames.
However, the monkeys were incredibly fast, leaving no time for a second spell. Before I knew it, they filled the air around us.
Si-hyun swung his longsword, decapitating one monkey mid-flight. Sadly, I decided to seal off my shouting skill for the time being. The noise could disturb our nearby allies. But even less noise wouldn’t make much of a difference.
“Kee-kee-kee!”
“Ukkya-kyakya!”
As I severed one, several others lunged at me simultaneously. It was impossible to block them all unless I had multiple arms. I resolved to focus on protecting the exposed parts outside my armor.
Thwack!
The moment my blade split the skull of a white monkey, three others latched onto Si-hyun’s body, their mouths wide open.
“Ugh.”
Pain surged as the monkeys bit into his arms and shoulders. Even with armor protecting him, their sharp teeth still managed to break through. It seemed there were places where flesh had been torn away.
For the first time, Si-hyun regretted choosing light armor for his defense. Heavy armor would have prevented the enemy’s teeth from digging in so easily.
But it was too late for regrets. Si-hyun bit his lip, resolute.
“Come at me, you bastards.”
◈ ◈ ◈
The circular formation had long since collapsed, and chaos reigned as bloodied humans and monkeys intertwined. The only fortunate thing was that there was no risk of confusion between friend and foe.
“You insignificant beast! Die! Die! Die!”
With each swing of Jin-soo’s sword, monkeys were hacked apart, sprawling onto the ground. The area around him was already littered with monkey corpses, the dirt barely visible.
“Hah!”
Hyung-cheol swung his warhammer repeatedly, smashing monkey skulls. Although it wasn’t as crowded with dead monkeys as Jin-soo’s area, corpses were still strewn around him.
Without the aggressive actions of Jin-soo and Hyung-cheol, the others would have been in grave danger.
“Huff huff.”
Panting, the weary hunters gasped for breath. They had secured food but couldn’t eat, continuing to fight on empty stomachs. Mentally and physically, they were nearing their limits.
Fortunately, the desperate battle between humans and monkeys was slowly nearing its end. Luckily, the monkeys, while numerous, weren’t particularly strong monsters.
In fact, they were on the weaker side. However, their sheer numbers made injuries inevitable. Hunters with varying wounds were visible all around.
“Haah, haah.”
Si-hyun was bleeding profusely from several places. His light armor made of orc leather had long since torn into tatters.
Eun-hye looked at Si-hyun with a worried expression.
…If only we had a healer; at least his wounds could’ve been treated.
The Black Tiger Guild’s healer was currently surrounded and protected by tankers and dealers.
“Just a little more!”
The Black Tiger Guild Leader, Tae-seong, shouted.
The tides of battle were already clearly in their favor. All that remained was to finish the fight without further casualties.
◈ ◈ ◈
Thunk!
Tae-seong drove his blade into the chest of the last remaining monkey.
“Uwaaaah!”
“We’ve wiped out the monster bastards!”
The Black Tiger guild members shouted in joy upon witnessing the scene. Most importantly, no one had died in the battle.
The healer hurriedly approached the injured to cast heals.
Hyung-cheol sheathed his warhammer and treated the nearby injured.
“Hmph, no matter how many little cats there are, they can’t hold a candle to a tiger.”
Jin-soo shook the bloodied blade as he spoke. If it weren’t for him, everyone might not have made it out unscathed. Knowing this, the looks from the Black Tiger members shifted toward him in newfound admiration. His personality might be terrible, but there was no one more reliable in battle.
“Hyung, are you okay?”
Eun-hye asked with concern in her eyes.
“This much is bearable. There are plenty of others who are worse off. More importantly….”
“Yes?”
“I’m sorry, but could you bring me some sweet potatoes? I’m starving.”
Si-hyun grimaced slightly.
“Oh, sure.”
Eun-hye hurried back to where they had laid down their food. As the tension eased, everyone, who had been holding back their hunger, flocked toward the food.
How hungry must they have been to casually grab food right in front of the gruesome monkey carcasses? Thankfully, there was some water collected from the rain; otherwise, their throats would’ve been incredibly dry.
After satisfying their hunger, many hunters sprawled out, wanting to rest on the ground—regardless of the bloodied monkey corpses surrounding them. Having fought a bloody battle in such poor condition, it was no wonder they felt extreme fatigue.
“This isn’t a good place to rest. We should get moving.”
Hyung-cheol said. Even without his words, everyone sensed that lingering any longer here wasn’t wise. However, in their exhaustion, their bodies felt like lead.
As they heard Hyung-cheol’s prompting, the party started to gather their belongings and rise.
“Aah, I’m tired. Let’s find somewhere nice to catch a breather.”
“Yeah. We won’t make it back today.”
Just as they exchanged such remarks and were about to head toward the village entrance—
Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!
A resounding sound of heavy footsteps echoed from somewhere. It sounded like a gigantic monster, such as an ogre or troll.
“Crap… What now?”
Everyone frowned.
“No need to fight. Let’s head to the entrance.”
Tae-seong quickly instructed.
“But what if it’s a boss monster? Are you going to take responsibility for that?”
Jin-soo retorted.
As opinions clashed, all eyes involuntarily turned to Hyung-cheol, as he had been leading the party.
“…Let’s just go out.”
Hyung-cheol quickly assessed the expressions of the party members before he spoke. It seemed there were far more who didn’t want to fight.
As the group rushed to escape the village, something massive soared high from the bright bonfire-lit air and landed right at the village entrance.
Boom!
A heavy thud resonated as it slammed its two feet onto the ground.
“What is that?”
“A monkey?”
The party members gasped in horror when they recognized the entity blocking the entrance.
It was a monkey. A massive giant monkey with red fur towering over three meters.
No one would believe it if they hadn’t seen it with their own eyes—its size was comparable to that of an ogre or troll.
“Kukakakakakaka!”
The giant monkey emitted a peculiar cry, glaring threateningly. Its powerful intent to strike was evident. It had seen the corpses of the monkeys scattered around the village and seemed fully aware of who had done that.
The lower-ranked hunters were instinctively pushed back, overwhelmed by the giant monkey’s presence. They sensed that this was a formidable foe.
“That guy seems quite strong, doesn’t he?”
Min-jun commented, eyeing the giant monkey.
“It does seem that way.”
Si-hyun agreed.
With a rugged physique that seemed impossible to attribute to a monkey, it looked brimming with strength, and its thick hide appeared tough.
“Well, even so, it shouldn’t pose much of a challenge to those guys. A monkey is still a monkey, right?”
Min-jun gestured towards Jin-soo and Hyung-cheol. Indeed, mutated monsters were larger and stronger than their original counterparts.
However, even if mutated monsters were more powerful, they had their limitations. A strengthened skeleton was still a skeleton, and a buffed goblin was still a goblin. They could never transcend their fundamental nature. Similarly, the mutated monkey was just another monkey. Moreover, the monkeys they had fought earlier were fairly weak. Thus, it stood to reason that B-rank hunters could easily handle it.
“That’s likely the case.”
Despite a slightly ominous feeling, Si-hyun brushed it off. No matter how strong the monkey was, it was still a monkey. That was what Si-hyun believed.
“Everyone, form ranks.”
As Tae-seong commanded, the Black Tiger guild members quickly formed their battle formation. Si-hyun’s party was already in battle readiness.
Jin-soo approached the giant monkey with a relaxed expression. He grinned and said,
“Oh ho, are you the leader of these annoying little monkeys? You here to take revenge or something?”
“Kukaka!”
“Pff, what are you babbling on about? Talking to these brainless idiots is exhausting.”
“Kukakakaka!”
“What are you gonna do if I stare you down like this? Huh? Should I gouge those arrogant eyes out, you prick?”
Jin-soo spat on the ground, glaring back.
“Don’t get too close on your own.”
Hyung-cheol cautioned Jin-soo out of concern.
However, Jin-soo responded with a look of disbelief.
“What? You think I need to gang up on some fool like this? Please. I can handle this solo.”
Then, he summoned a blue sword aura, signaling he intended to finish the fight in one go.
His target was its leg. If he cut off one leg, the massive body wouldn’t be able to stand, and then he would easily decapitate it. Just two swift strikes would do the trick.
“This is easy-peasy.”
Jin-soo mused, sporting a relaxed expression as if victory was all but assured.
“Kukaka!”
The giant monkey thumped its chest like a gorilla.
“Hmph.”
The first move came from Jin-soo. His cold gaze zeroed in on the giant monkey’s left leg.
Activating his half-moon cutting skill, he swung his weapon with incredible power, aiming to slice through everything within the arc of the strike. His sword sliced through the air with terrible speed and precision.
‘Got it.’
Hyung-cheol nodded in approval. The attack showcased impeccable speed and power at a perfect moment.
There was no way it could dodge.
“Kukaka!”
Just as the blade aimed to deliver a devastating strike to the giant monkey’s leg, the colossal creature leapt slightly into the air. The sword narrowly missed—or seemed to—just as it grazed past the giant foot.
“Huh?”
Jin-soo’s eyes widened in disbelief. This wasn’t an escape he could have predicted.
How did it manage that?
Thud.
The giant monkey’s arm stretched out, rapidly latching onto Jin-soo’s left shoulder. It seemed like its arm had extended, but in reality, it moved with incredible speed. At the same time, it snagged Jin-soo around his torso.
“Eh?!”
Before Jin-soo could comprehend what was happening, it all unfolded too fast. Realizing he was caught, he flailed in panic.
“Ah… what the heck! You bastard! What the hell?!”
Sensing he couldn’t escape with brute force, Jin-soo swung his blade at the giant monkey.
But the giant monkey was quicker. Tightening its grip on Jin-soo’s left shoulder, it suddenly—
Ripped off his arm.
“Ahhhhhhh!!”
In one cruel motion, Jin-soo’s arm was torn away, and he wailed in agony, losing grip of reality over the excruciating pain. Yet, instinctively, he continued to swing the sword downward, trying to decapitate the giant monkey.
However, with Jin-soo’s arm now gone, the giant monkey’s massive hand caught his wrist, wrenching it away as easily as a twig.
His blade went flying like a child’s toy.
“Ahhhhhhh!!”
Jin-soo, trembling in unimaginable pain, let out frantic screams.
“Kukakaka!”
The giant monkey grinned, seemingly satisfied with its brutal display.
The horrifying events unfolded in mere moments, leaving other hunters unable to react or even help. They all froze, their expressions one of shock.
“Jin-soo!!”
Hyung-cheol, his face turned ashen, rushed forward.
“Shit! Everyone needs to jump in! Now!”
Tae-seong cursed vehemently.
◈ ◈ ◈
Standing before the gate, Team Leader Seo Yong-gil incredulously turned to his subordinate.
“What’s the count again?”
“…783.”
“Are you sure about that?”
“Absolutely.”
“Is the machine functioning properly?”
“I’ve confirmed it several times.”
“….”
Team Leader Seo closed his eyes.
A figure over 700 signifies an A-Class. Excluding S-Class, this was the toughest gate—the A-Class.
It was unbelievable.
But it was reality.
“…Which major guild has no raid from their first assault team today?”
Team Leader Seo opened his mouth again.
“I believe the Sun Guild is the only one not here.”
“Verify that and contact them immediately. An A-Class double gate has opened.”
“Yes, understood.”
“Ugh.”
His heart felt heavy. Yet, the dead were dead, and his responsibility was to manage the gate. If the hunters who had already entered perished, the gate would reopen.
‘May they rest in peace.’
Team Leader Seo closed his eyes once more.