Among the monsters that appear during rites of passage, there’s one called a Manki, which bears a striking resemblance to a monkey. Unlike the Deadmen, these creatures can be classified as true monsters. Covered in soft, fluffy fur, they have no real defense, but their cunning nature and tendency to move in groups of four or five make them a challenging foe for beginners to face alone.
“Ook! Ook-ook!”
Currently, we were engaged in a battle with five Mankis, each the size of a human. Despite their hefty bodies and long tails, Mankis are rather slow-moving creatures. They can leap high into the air and come crashing down, but as long as you predict their landing spot, they’re not much of a threat.
“Ook-ook! Ook-ook!”
“Watch out!”
Ahn Hyun and Kim Hanbyul were struggling against three Mankis. I was keeping one at bay, while Lee Yujeong handled the other, leaving us at a numerical disadvantage. But only in terms of numbers.
In the midst of the chaos, I noticed one of the Mankis fighting Ahn Hyun suddenly retreat and crouch down, seemingly targeting me. Normally, it would make sense for it to go after Yujeong, who was in a precarious position, but these creatures rarely targeted females. Their strong sexual desires and obsession with reproduction meant they were more interested in capturing women after dealing with the men.
“Hyung! Yujeong! Be careful! One of them’s gone!”
Ahn Hyun shouted, his voice booming. With one less Manki to deal with, he seemed to have a bit more breathing room. Despite being a novice, he was still able to keep his wits about him in a life-or-death battle. Yujeong, hearing his warning, shifted to a more defensive stance. She was already struggling with one, and the thought of facing two made her instinctively tense up. Just then, the crouching Manki let out a screech and leapt into the air. That was the moment I had been waiting for.
Ping!
Without hesitation, I released the arrow. It whistled through the air and pierced the Manki’s head. It seemed the creature hadn’t considered that it would be vulnerable while airborne, or perhaps it simply didn’t think it could be hit. I was just taking it easy to let the others practice, but if I wanted to…
‘Oh well, no point in bragging.’
“Oppa! Watch out to your side!”
I knew. As I focused on the airborne Manki, another charged at me, trying to crush me with its palm. Without even looking, I sidestepped the attack by a hair’s breadth and drove an arrow into its head. A clean counterattack. I could feel the soft flesh give way under the arrow’s tip.
“Kieee…”
Thud!
The Manki let out a mournful cry as it collapsed, and the one I had shot earlier fell to the ground as well. Two down in just three seconds. I quickly reloaded and surveyed the battlefield. Everyone seemed to be holding their own.
Ahn Hyun was using his sword and shield effectively, while Kim Hanbyul, though clumsy, wielded a slightly thinner but longer sword. Lee Yujeong was darting around with two sharp daggers.
It seemed Ahn Hyun was holding the front line, creating openings for Hanbyul to strike. When a solid hit landed, they would quickly team up for a decisive blow. Their fighting was rough, but they were making progress. Yujeong, on the other hand, was struggling to get in close due to her shorter reach. She occasionally managed to wound a Manki’s arm but mostly swung her daggers at empty air as she retreated.
Considering they’d only been wielding weapons for three or four days, expecting more would be unreasonable. Yet, they were adapting to the rites of passage with impressive speed, proving themselves to be skilled users. I sighed lightly and aimed my crossbow at the Manki Yujeong was facing, planning to create an opening for her without killing it.
Ping!
“Kieee!”
The arrow struck the Manki’s right chest, causing it to stagger and scream in pain. Unlike the Deadmen, Mankis could feel pain. Yujeong seized the opportunity, her eyes gleaming as she ducked low and charged in. Her agility stat of 50 points shone through.
“Die, you damn rapist monkey!”
With a fierce curse, Yujeong crossed her daggers with the force of someone confronting a lifelong enemy. At the same time, I heard Ahn Hyun’s battle cry from the side, suggesting he had also landed a decisive blow.
One second, two seconds, three seconds, four seconds, five seconds. After counting to five, I looked at the Mankis the others had been fighting. They lay on the ground in a pitiful state. The one Yujeong had faced bore a large X-shaped cut on its chest, while the ones Ahn Hyun and Kim Hanbyul had fought were covered in numerous wounds. They had steadily worn them down with small injuries until the Mankis were exhausted and vulnerable to a final strike. Ah, this must be the satisfaction of nurturing growth.
The three of them glanced at the two Mankis I had already dispatched and shook their heads in disbelief before collapsing to the ground, panting heavily. They must have been quite tense. After all, they were used to fighting just one Manki at a time, and suddenly facing five was a significant challenge.
“Ugh… Damn. I’m covered in monkey blood. This is disgusting.”
Lee Yujeong spat on the ground, her short hair flicking as she shook off the blood. Despite being smeared with blood and sprawled on the ground, she looked strong and beautiful, like a goddess of war. Ahn Hyun and Kim Hanbyul weren’t much better off. Their clothes were torn, and dried bloodstains covered their bodies. The only ones in decent shape were me and An Sol.
I closed my eyes and let my thoughts drift.
It had been three days since we left the city. Including the first day, we had survived for four days. Today marked the fifth day. If we maintained this pace, we could reach the warp gate by the sixth day, or at the latest, the seventh.
Our lives over these five days had been both monotonous and spectacular. We walked, fought, rested, and repeated the cycle. During our first encounter with a monster, the Mandragora, we almost lost An Sol. It had suddenly emerged from the ground, mouth agape, ready to swallow her whole. Everyone but me was so shocked they screamed and fell back.
Ahn Hyun, rushing in without a plan, got injured by the plant’s thorns, but fortunately, I had anticipated the attack and reacted quickly. After that incident, Kim Hanbyul and Lee Yujeong seemed to have realized something. They picked up weapons from a nearby save point and declared they would fight too. Ahn Hyun was hesitant about the girls fighting, but their determination was unwavering.
Whether they were uneasy about leaving the fighting to just Ahn Hyun and me, or genuinely wanted to help, I wasn’t sure. But one thing was clear: I saw a strong will to survive in their eyes. Since I had planned to train them eventually, I readily agreed.
After leaving the save point, we encountered a lone female user at the edge of the Manki territory. She was quite pretty, but unfortunately, by the time we found her, she was already dead. Her clothes were torn to shreds, and her body was covered in bruises. A warm, white fluid still trickled from her lower body, suggesting she had been assaulted by the Mankis just before we arrived. Judging by the blood trickling from her mouth, she had likely taken her own life to escape the ordeal.
Lee Yujeong was furious at the sight and demanded we hunt down the Mankis immediately. Whether by coincidence or not, we soon found five Mankis with their genitals exposed, and a battle ensued. In truth, Yujeong’s loud outburst probably drew the Mankis to us. Having lost their previous victim, they were likely excited by the scent of a new female and couldn’t resist approaching.
In the end, we emerged victorious. With a renewed sense of determination, I rose from my thoughts.
“Sola, can you get me a towel and a bottle of water?”
“What did you say?”
Kim Hanbyul snapped sharply at Yujeong’s slip of the tongue.
“Oh, sorry. I’m so tired I misspoke. I meant a bottle, not Hanbyul.”
“Giggle… Sure, you did great, unnie.”
“What the hell is he? How does he handle those monkey brats so easily? Give me that crossbow! I want to use it too!”
I couldn’t help but chuckle awkwardly at Yujeong’s pointless whining. If you’re so upset, why don’t you get stronger yourself?
‘You know, back in the day, I had no one to help me. I had to crawl on the ground, swinging my sword.’
Of course, I couldn’t say that out loud, so I just kept smiling awkwardly.
But it seemed like they were starting to notice something different about the way I fought. Hanbyeol was sitting quietly, catching his breath, while Hyun was still panting but couldn’t take his eyes off me.
“Hey, did you serve in some special forces or something? How do you shoot a crossbow so well?”
”…You learn all this in the military these days.”
“Oh, come on, don’t lie. Maybe shooting, but who learns crossbows?”
“You think the military is just about shooting guns? They teach you bayonet drills, taekwondo, knife skills, throwing stars, archery, and crossbows as basic martial arts.”
Hyun, Yujeong, and Sol’s faces twisted in disbelief, but only Hanbyeol smirked, realizing I was bluffing. I wasn’t too worried. Our team was solid enough that a little exaggeration was within acceptable limits.
“Ugh… whatever. I just want to rest. My head’s killing me.”
“If you’re going to rest, sit down or stand up. What if we get attacked?”
“I don’t care, I don’t care, I don’t care. Sol, can I have a chocolate? I’m starving.”
“Sol, get me one too.”
“Me too, please.”
“Sure~. Coming right up~.”
With requests from Yujeong, Hyun, and Hanbyeol, Sol quickly sprang into action. Hyun had insisted that Sol not participate directly in battles, so instead, she helped out with everyone’s needs. Sol seemed to enjoy helping others, so she didn’t mind these small errands.
Watching Sol hand out water bottles with a bright smile, I slowly sat down.
Humans are incredibly adaptable creatures. When survival is at stake, that adaptability is amplified. I realized how true that was. Just days ago, these women were living ordinary lives, and now they were swinging swords at monsters with ease. I couldn’t help but smile wryly, remembering how I trembled after killing my first monster.
Of course, there were still concerns. It’s one thing to fight monsters threatening your life, but what if the enemy were human? Would they hesitate then? I wanted to train them for that possibility, but unfortunately, there was no opportunity.
“Hey, let’s get moving. We need to keep walking if we want to find a yellow-roofed building. You good, bro?”
“Yeah.”
A rest room, huh? The closer we get to the central gate, the harder it’ll be to find one. But there was no need to voice that, so I just answered simply. At Hyun’s words, Yujeong nodded, her earlier frustration easing a bit. As everyone brushed off the dirt and started to stand, I was about to gather my thoughts and get up when I sensed something nearby.
I paused, hearing the rustling of bushes.
“What the… who are they?”
At that moment, we all turned to see four people emerging from the dense foliage.