I Became a Childhood Friend of the Middle Boss

Chapter 21

The jungle was dense with greenery.

The leaves and branches, grown so thick as to obscure the sky, blocked the sunlight, making it darker as one delved deeper inside.

“I need to be prepared for a surprise attack…”

To acclimate to this darkness.

Running through the jungle, I raised my body’s abilities with internal mana and adjusted the distribution of mana within my body, focusing on enhancing my eyesight.

My vision became sharper.

Having quickly completed my adaptation to the darkness, I peered into the shadows.

It was right at that moment that the attack came.

Swish!

Crack!

Electricity flowed along the trunk.

Instinct to evade kicked in.

I immediately hit the brakes with my front paw and spun my body around.

It was a close call.

Thud!

A moment ago, a boulder fell in the direction I was running.

The ground was deeply dented by a boulder larger than a fist.

If my reaction had been delayed, my head would have burst open from hitting the rock.

“Really vicious.”

I turned my head towards where the rock had fallen.

Around that time, as I twisted the detection net, the monsters lurking in the forest since I entered it began to rustle secretly.

Kiki! Ookiki!

Hiding in the darkness of the forest.

Monsters in the form of lure monkeys with bright eyes on the trees.

The moment I acknowledged their presence, a message appeared before my eyes.

[Encountered monsters.]

[Packet Ape (Rank. 01) x 7]

Monsters that carry tools in their pockets, which they can throw at the opponent to attack, and I can throw back, the ‘Packet Ape.’

I recalled the information about them.

“There are many, but it shouldn’t be difficult.”

In the game, once they throw all the tools in their pockets, their attack power significantly decreases.

From then on, they were nothing more than aggressive monkeys.

The information I learned from the Divine Sword School was not much different.

Therefore.

Kii! Ookiki! Kiki!

I did not curse the disadvantage of the terrain that they were on the trees.

I simply relied on my instinct to dodge the relentless attacks and avoided them.

“Avoiding is not difficult.”

It was fast but monotonous attacks.

For me, who was accustomed to instinctive evasion and adept at adapting, they were not a threat at all.

And so, I became bold.

Ting!

Knowing that once they run out of throwing tools, they will try to escape as they become weaker, just like in the game. Occasionally, monsters fled during battles in the game, so it was not strange at all that it happened in this place where the game was reflected into reality.

Ookiki?

I couldn’t leave it at that.

Chasing those who were good at climbing trees and agile was not easy.

It was beyond my capability at the moment.

So, I seized every opportunity to counterattack while dodging their assaults.

Kang!

If you can sense it, you can strike.

As soon as I sensed it with my evasion instinct, I hit back with a stone using my sword.

“It seems doable, right?”

After a few strikes, I started to get the hang of it.

I wrapped the internal mana around my sword and raised the stone high into the sky.

──!

The stone, flying in the same direction it came from, made a cracking sound and returned.

Ukki!?

Thud!

There stood Packet Ape in that spot.

Unaware of what had happened, he took the hit from the stone and fell under the tree.

Crunch!

Grrr….

There was a sound of something breaking.

Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to die.

But it didn’t matter.

The guy who had fallen to the ground could be caught at any time now.

“Oh, is this how it’s done?”

Recalling the sensation from earlier, I swung the stone again.

Clank!?

…Crunch!

This time, it hit the mark once more.

Another one fell to the ground.

Judging by the lack of sound, it seemed he met his end instantly.

Anyway…

“Home run.”

Even monkeys fall from trees.

I witnessed not just one, but seven monkeys falling from the trees.

And what happened next was…

Clank… Cling….

“I should’ve learned transformation, too.”

I put an end to those buried in the ground like stones thrown at us.

Helpless, they had to watch as my sword pierced their hearts.

“It wasn’t difficult to deal with them… but it did consume quite a bit of mana.”

There’s no time to extract mana stones.

The hunters lurking around, watching us, will take care of them.

I absorbed the mana in the air to replenish my internal mana.

Then, I checked the time.

02:26:11

Approximately 34 minutes have passed.

Considering there’s still a long way to go to reach the Lake of Sovereignty, the depletion of stamina will be even more severe than this.

“Can I kill him in this state?”

I was skeptical.

Even if the ruler is weakened, one cannot ignore the 3rd rank.

‘I must preserve as much stamina and mana as possible to reach the ruler’s lake… Huh?’

At that moment, something rolled out of the guy’s pocket.

It was a red fruit shaped like an apple.

“This is….”

I knew this fruit.

Not from what I learned in my family, but from having seen all the endings of this game in my past life.

[Fruit of Vitality]

◆ Consumable Classification

―Fruit

◆ Detailed Description

―A fruit enjoyed by Puckit Apes, also used as an ingredient for potions.

◆ Effects

―When consumed, restores 50 HP.

It was the fruit I knew.

‘Come to think of it, in the game, you could often find this fruit near the places where these guys appeared.’

It wasn’t just this fruit.

There was a blue fruit too.

That’s when the idea struck me.

“I should do some farming for a bit.”

I made up my mind on what to do next.

After collecting the fruits….

“As long as I don’t remove the mana stones, the bodies won’t disappear, so… it’s a bit grim, but it must be done this way.”

Rip.

I tore open their pockets.

Their pockets were stretchy, making it easy to hold the fruits.

“Monsters are living beings too… sorry.”

I felt a pang of conscience, but what could I do.

First things first, I need to take care of myself.

I gathered their bodies in one place, and on each one, I left boldly written letters on their chests.

[Remove] [the] [mana] [stones] [please] [.]

“If I do this, they’ll understand.”

During the process, when the hunters take out the mana stones, the pocket I acquired will disappear.

In that case, the fruits inside will surely fall out.

So, I took action.

“If this were a game, the monsters would die, leaving only the loot and disappearing, so they probably didn’t even think to use the pocket like this.”

Of course, among the loot of the Packet Ape, there was his pocket.

But I couldn’t be certain that the pocket would always appear, so I had no choice but to take this approach.

“Sorry. I’ll make good use of your pockets.”

The corpses leaning against the trees.

Some corpses had their eyes half-open, some had their eyes closed, and some had their heads crushed.

I wished them peace and left.

“I’ll head towards the Lake of Acquisition and look for fruits that catch my eye along the way.”

Or maybe I’ll look for monkeys.

Having plucked the Fruit of Vitality, I decided to entirely rely on tree branches to move.

***

At that moment, on the cliff.

People were leisurely watching the evaluation battle while receiving the attention of servants.

It was a scene contrasting with the children fighting for their lives in the jungle.

Of course, for parents with children participating in the evaluation battle, it was different.

They couldn’t take their eyes off the screen.

“What should we do… Is he dead?”

“He defended well with his body mana just before. He might feel a bit dizzy, but he’s not dead.”

“Even if they weaken the monsters, isn’t it useless if the apes gather in groups and roam around?”

Twenty minutes had passed since the evaluation battle began.

By that time, most of the participants in the evaluation battle had entered the edge of the jungle and encountered monsters.

The 1st Rank monster attacking by riding trees, the Packet Ape.

The participants who were ambushed by them were in disarray.

Even those who had experienced real battles and achieved some success in the Royal Capital ultimately found themselves flustered in front of the trial of the Yellow Gate.

Nevertheless, there were a few participants who stood out without yielding in such situations.

“There are many unnecessary movements, but they are handling it quite wisely.”

“Even if their attacks are fast, as long as there are shelters to protect the body, it’s not a problem.”

The master of the Divine Sword, Do Seung-woo.

He held up his shield to block attacks, hiding behind rocks or trees to protect himself.

When the attacks stopped, he counterattacked.

“He’s skilled in wall walking.”

“My son learns fast. I taught him recently.”

The head of the Shingeom Dojang, Doyeik.

Doyeik praised his skills.

At that moment, Doseungwoo’s father, Dobumjun, beamed with satisfaction.

“So, Seungwoo lost in the match because he underestimated his opponent, Geonyu….”

He was proudly showing off his son to those around him.

“Oh.”

People’s gazes shifted to the screen where Dosieun was shining.

Rays of light were shooting up.

No, it was a blue lightning.

Thunderclap.

＜Water King Style Attack Form 5＞

The lightning flower, Dosieun.

As she poised herself for battle, she kept an eye on the Pakit apes leaping from the trees.

Immediately after, Dosieun vanished, leaving only a streak of light.

What!?

Unfolding a graceful spell incomparable to Doseungwoo’s magic.

Dosieun left a scar on the tree with the streak of light and ascended the tree in an instant.

And then.

Lion Roar Attack

Four consecutive strikes.

As she moved like lightning, she split the Pakit apes in two.

People couldn’t help but admire her, adorned in the blue lightning.

“It’s Thunderclap! Without a doubt, it’s Thunderclap.”

Doyeik couldn’t help but be amazed either.

Although the lightning was not yet thick, Dosieun was invoking Thunderclap.

He burst into laughter.

But his laughter didn’t last long.

“Seungwoo and Sieun, both have improved significantly.”

“It’s all thanks to the head of the Dojang.”

“I’m sure the head will be pleased to hear.”

“But it’s also a concern. We’re just at the edge of the forest now….”

“….”

Doyeik stroked his beard.

He was delighted with his grandchildren’s skills, yet calmly assessing the situation.

“Delaying time against those guys, depleting stamina and mana, will make it hard to fight the Warlord later. I’m worried if the kids are even considering distributing their energy wisely.”

“Seungwoo will… do well.”

“I wish it were so….”

Doyeik’s words trailed off.

Packet Ape was not just one of the monsters emerging from the jungle.

In the future, even more formidable and powerful monsters would appear.

But were his grandchildren considering that and distributing their stamina accordingly?

He felt the urge to ask his grandchildren directly, as they appeared on the screen.

“Well, they’ll figure it out when the time comes.”

Answers would come with time.

Doyeik came to that conclusion and decided to observe the skills of his other grandchildren.

Just then.

Thud!

“What’s that sound?”

A sound resembling baseball betting.

Doyeik searched for the source of the sound on the screen.

It was Dogyunwoo’s screen.

Thud!

…Crack!

“….”

Dogyunwoo was deflecting the rocks thrown by Packet Apes with his sword.

The deflected rocks accurately intercepted the ones perched on the trees.

They tumbled to the ground.

“What is he doing right now?”

“….”

Doyeik, unable to comprehend the situation, asked others.

But no one had an answer.

[Home run.]

His voice streamed from Dogyunwoo’s perspective on the screen.

Family members contorted their faces grotesquely upon hearing the sound.

“….”

It was unbelievable even seeing it with their own eyes.

Once could be a coincidence.

But Dogyunwoo had realized that coincidence multiple times now.

If coincidences repeated, it was undoubtedly inevitable.

He was aiming for the ones in the trees with his own skills.

“Sigh….”

Accepting the situation up to that point.

Doyeik couldn’t help but sigh as he witnessed Dogyunwoo’s actions.

It was a sigh of a positive nature.

“He’s got a good instinct.”

The surroundings were dark, and the attacks were so fast that they were hard to see.

Despite that, Dogyeongwoo was avoiding the attacks as if they were nothing, accurately striking back at the guys.

Doyeik’s eyes sparkled.

“L-Lord, Seungwoo is facing a new monster right now…”

“Let’s focus on Gyeongwoo first.”

“…”

“Seungwoo will do fine even without us watching.”

Doyeik cut off Dobeomjoon and continued to gaze at Dogyeongwoo.

By that, the people in the audience could tell where the Lord’s attention was directed.

It wasn’t Dosieun or Doseungwoo.

It was Dogyeongwoo.

“Why don’t you all watch together? Let’s see what that boy will show us.”

“…”

Doyeik shrugged.

Around that time, Dogyeongwoo was demonstrating the act of taking out the Pocket Apes’ pockets.

“From what I see, Gyeongwoo doesn’t seem interested in the assessment match… but is he really not interested now?”

“Beomjoon.”

“Yes, my Lord!”

“Don’t you see the boy’s intentions in your eyes?”

“…”

“Look at the fruit Gyeongwoo is holding in his hand.”

Dogyeongwoo was cutting a red fruit.

Dobeomjoon let out a forced laugh at the sight.

Only then did he seem to understand why Doyeik was interested in Dogyeongwoo.

Because Dogyeongwoo was foolish.

“Eating a fruit without knowing what it is, what a careless child. Don’t you know touching things without proper understanding can be dangerous… How on earth did Sangjoon teach…”

“Is your eye just for show?”

“…”

“Or do you lack a brain? Is it because you don’t know what Gyeongwoo has eaten, Sub Lord?”

“That’s…”

Receiving Doyeik’s scolding, Dobeomjoon snapped back to reality.

Only then did he seem to realize the true identity of the fruit Dogyeongwoo was eating.

“The Fruit of Vitality…”

“He didn’t hesitate to eat the fruit. Seems like Sangjoon taught him well.”

“I didn’t teach him, Gyeongwoo…”

“No need to be modest. If not you, then who else would have taught him?”

“…”

“And what you taught him was probably not just the Fruit of Vitality.”

Dobeomjoon’s face wrinkled.

Dostangjun with a gloomy face.

Ignoring their reactions, Doyeik lifted the corners of his mouth.

[Found.]

“I found the fruit of vigor.”

“….”

On the screen, Doyeongwoo was picking blue fruits hanging from a tree.

Just like a moment ago.

Without going through any verification process, Doyeongwoo casually put the fruit in his mouth.

“Did you instantly think of the existence of the fruit upon seeing the Pakit apes? Even hunters don’t think as well, but you adapt quite nicely to the situation.”