The deeper I ventured into the entangled wilderness, the more the forest seemed to close in around me.
My vision kept blurring—not from fatigue, but because of the sheer density of this place. What I’d seen from the outside hadn’t even come close to capturing the overwhelming thickness of the forest’s interior.
Branches overlapped like tangled spiderwebs. Towering trees, thick as castle pillars, stood like ancient sentinels, their bark slick with moss and age.
The sky above was completely blotted out by a canopy of leaves, each one easily the size of a grown adult.
The occasional sliver of light managed to pierce through, but it only served to cast eerie shadows and strange glows over the underbrush.
There was enough space to move, sure, but only barely.
Each step felt like wading through a maze of roots and crawling vines. The humidity was oppressive, clinging to my skin like a second layer. And the silence—save for the occasional rustle or chirp—was unnerving.
Clicking my tongue in mild frustration, I pressed forward.
The scent of damp earth filled my lungs. It was rich, ancient, and oddly soothing. If I didn’t know better, I might’ve actually enjoyed it.
But this wasn’t some peaceful nature walk. I had no idea what might pop out of the ground or drop from the sky. And the last thing I wanted was to become the forest’s next fertilizer because I let my guard down.
Better paranoid than gutted.
Just as I stepped over a twisted root, I heard something.
Sharp. Sudden. From the left.
My head jerked toward the sound, muscles tense, fingers brushing the hilt of my sword.
...But there was nothing.
No beast. No movement.
Just the subtle swaying of oversized leaves.
Which was exactly why I knew something had been there.
Those leaves didn’t move on their own.
Whatever it was clearly sucked at stealth, because the treetop branches were still trembling from its awkward movements.
I sighed, borderline disappointed. "You’re not even trying, are you?"
Somewhere deep down, I felt a flicker of pity for the poor bastard. I mean, if it was a monster trying to ambush me, it was doing a terrible job. This was bush-league stealth at best.
A sharp pain exploded at the side of my head.
My entire skull jerked to the side in a slow, almost comical motion. Stars danced in my vision.
Pain faded quickly, replaced by a low simmering irritation.
I looked up, eyes narrowed.
Perched high in the tree canopy, maybe fifteen meters above me, was a monkey—roughly human-sized, its fur dark brown with streaks of faded gold running along its back.
Its long limbs dangled lazily, but its eyes glinted with gleeful malice.
It raised another stone—roughly the size of a grown man’s fist.
Alignment: Aggressive
Drop: Equipment stolen from adventurers
I squinted at the last detail.
This one clearly hadn’t stolen anything yet, or it would’ve been flaunting its trinkets like a little goblin king. No chance of a useful drop.
Still, I couldn’t complain too much. Two points was two points.
"I guess I should be grateful," I muttered.
But the monkey didn’t come alone.
Within seconds, the branches above began shifting wildly. One pair of glowing yellow eyes turned into two. Then five. Then ten.
The Glider Monkeys shrieked in unison, howling like lunatics. Their war cries echoed through the trees like a demented jungle orchestra.
And then the barrage began.
Sailing through the air like mini cannonballs, each one aimed directly at me.
"Cute," I muttered, letting my mana flare as my grin widened.
My body surged forward in a burst of pure motion. Time itself seemed to stall as I weaved through the incoming projectiles, dodging each rock with minimal movement.
My boots barely kissed the moss-covered earth as I blurred between the trees, closing the distance in a heartbeat.
Leaves tore in my wake. The monkeys didn’t even realize I’d moved until I was already airborne.
I launched myself upward, using a low-hanging branch as a springboard.
One of the monkeys met my ascent with wide eyes and a terrified screech.
My sword moved like lightning.
Blood sprayed. The first monkey fell with a lifeless thud.
Another lunged from the canopy, claws extended.
I rotated mid-air, heel crashing into its temple.
It slammed into a tree trunk and went limp.
I landed on a thick branch, crouched and breathing steady.
Above and around me, the troop had gone quiet.
Their primitive little brains were catching up to the realization:
I raised my head, eyes glinting with predatory hunger. "Alright then," I said, voice low. "Who’s next?"
The forest held its breath.
The remaining Glider Monkeys clung to the upper branches, their yellow eyes flickering with primal fear.
Some hissed and bared their fangs, attempting to look threatening—but I could see the tremble in their limbs. One wrong move and they’d scatter.
I didn’t give them the chance.
With [Flash Speed] still pulsing through my muscles, I blurred again—this time not upward, but sideways.
My blade whistled through the thick air, its edge catching another monkey across the torso. Blood splashed across the bark as it screeched and dropped like a stone.
Another dashed away, trying to leap through the canopy. I snapped a nearby vine and hurled it like a whip.
It wrapped around the fleeing beast’s ankle, yanking it mid-air. The impact with the ground wasn’t pretty.
I landed on another branch, crouched, heart pounding. My mana surged just beneath the skin like molten current—tingling, sparking.
These were just ★-rank beasts, yet my body was responding like I was back in Isolde’s illusion. My senses were sharper than they’d ever been outside of Eye of the End. Almost like—
The training hadn’t just built endurance—it had transformed how I responded to battle. Every muscle, every fiber of me now worked in concert. This wasn’t brute force anymore. It was calculated. Efficient.
Three more monkeys tried to coordinate an attack, flanking from both sides and above.
The first lost its arm. The second, its jaw. The third tried to retreat—but a thrown wooden stick caught it clean in the chest.
The rest broke formation and scattered into the upper canopy, shrieking in blind terror.
"Run all you want," I called after them, voice like steel and faint mockery. "You won’t escape the jungle, will you?."
No point wasting energy chasing after the dregs. I had bigger things to worry about.
Wiping the blade clean on a large leaf, I took a breath and surveyed the area.
The glade was quiet now. Branches still swayed from the aftermath, and the stench of blood clung thick in the air.
I had to search for bigger preys, not these little turbs.
Fortunately, I didn’t have to search exactly.
From the start of the fight with the Glider Monkeys, something or someone had been eyeing me.
And their presence was at least better than these monkeys.
I inspected the area, trying to discern the place of the so-called stalker.
Down on the ground in the thick bushes.... something moved.