Chapter 26

There is a creature called "Manki," which closely resembles a monkey, among the monsters that appear during rites of passage. Unlike the Deadman, it's reasonable to say that this one at least qualifies as a monster. Its entire body is covered in soft, fluffy fur, so it has virtually no defense, but it is extremely cunning in its movements and tends to move in groups of at least four or five. Because of this, it was considered a monster that was rather difficult for beginner users to face alone.

"Ook! Oook oook!"

And now, we were in battle with five Manki, each the size of a human. Manki is a monster with a heavy body and a long tail. Although its strength is quite powerful, it is a slow-moving creature. Of course, it sometimes makes a sudden high jump and slams down, but if you can predict where it will land and avoid it, there's not much danger.

"Oook oook! Oook oook!"

"Watch out!"

An Hyun and Kim Han-Byeol were currently locked in a fierce battle with three Manki. I was keeping one in check, while Lee Yun-Jung was handling the other, so we were at a numerical disadvantage. But only numerically speaking.

It was then. While we were in the middle of fighting, one of the Manki battling An Hyun suddenly stepped back, crouching down. Judging by the direction, it seemed to be targeting me. Normally, it would make sense for it to aim at Lee Yun-Jung, who was in a more precarious situation, but due to their nature, it was rare for them to target females.

These creatures have an extremely strong sexual desire and are obsessed with reproduction. They go into a frenzy whenever they see female creatures, especially fairies (though I personally think it would be impossible for the Manki to capture fairies) or human women, losing their minds completely. It seemed like they were planning to deal with the men first and then capture the women.

"Hyung! Yun-Jung! Be careful! I think one of them is missing!"

An Hyun shouted loudly. It seemed that as he was struggling with three Manki, things had slightly improved when one of them dropped out of the fight. Despite being a beginner, losing focus in a life-and-death battle like this was dangerous. As soon as Yun-Jung heard An Hyun's warning, her stance shifted to become even more defensive. She was already having trouble with one, and the thought of handling two made her instinctively tense up. Meanwhile, the Manki that had been crouching down let out a screech and leaped high into the air. That was the moment I had been waiting for.

"Ping!"

Without delay, I released the arrow. With a sharp whistling sound, it flew straight and pierced the Manki's head. It seemed the Manki hadn't anticipated that it would be so vulnerable while in midair, or perhaps it simply didn't think I'd hit the mark. I had been going easy on them, letting the others practice, but if I were serious...

'Ah, what's the point of even thinking about it?'

"Oppa! Watch out on your side!"

Yeah, I already knew. While I was focused on taking down the airborne one, another Manki charged toward me, attempting to crush me with its palm. Without looking, I dodged the attack by the narrowest margin, and in the same motion, I stabbed the Manki's head with the arrow in my hand. A clean counterattack. I could feel the soft texture of its flesh as the arrow sank in.

"Screeeech..."

"Thud!"

As the Manki collapsed with a sorrowful cry, the one I shot in midair also hit the ground at the same time. In just three seconds, I had taken down two of them. I quickly notched another arrow and scanned the battlefield. Everyone seemed to be fighting in a similar state.

An Hyun was still using his sword and shield as he had from the beginning, and Kim Han-Byeol was awkwardly swinging a long sword that was slightly thinner but longer than the typical one. Meanwhile, Lee Yun-Jung was frantically wielding two short daggers with sharp, pointed tips.

It seemed like An Hyun was holding the front line, using his sword and shield to keep two Manki at bay, while Kim Han-Byeol would strike when an opening appeared. Whenever they landed a solid hit, An Hyun and Kim Han-Byeol would quickly team up to deal additional damage. Although their fighting was a bit clumsy, they were achieving decent results. On the other hand, Yun-Jung was struggling with the Manki's longer reach, making it difficult for her to get in close. She occasionally managed to wound the Manki's arms but was mostly retreating, slashing at empty air.

Well, considering they had only been holding weapons for three or four days, expecting more from them would be unreasonable. In fact, their ability to adapt so quickly to these rites of passage showed just how promising they were. With a light sigh, I aimed my crossbow at the Manki that Yun-Jung was fighting. I didn't intend to kill it, just create an opening like I did last time.

"Ping!"

"Kieeeek!"

The arrow flew and struck the Manki in its right chest. Unlike the Deadmen, who couldn't feel pain, the Manki writhed and let out a scream of agony. Yun-Jung wasn't one to miss such an opening. Her eyes gleamed as she saw the arrow lodged in the Manki's chest, and with swift agility, she ducked low and darted forward. This was the moment when the 50 points of basic agility really shone.

"Die, you damn rape monkey!"

Spewing out a harsh curse, Yun-Jung crossed her daggers with the force of someone facing a lifelong enemy. At the same time, I could hear An Hyun shouting from the side, signaling that he had likely landed a decisive blow as well.

One second, two seconds, three seconds, four seconds, five seconds. After counting to five, I glanced over at the Manki they had been fighting. All of them lay on the ground in a pitiful state. The Manki Yun-Jung had fought bore a large X-shaped slash across its chest, while the ones An Hyun and Kim Han-Byeol had battled were covered in deep wounds, their bodies showing the marks of numerous hits. They had worn down the Manki with small but steady cuts until they were weak enough to be taken down in a final strike. Ah, this must be what it feels like to see all that training pay off.

The three of them turned to look at the two Manki I had already taken care of, shaking their heads in disbelief before collapsing to the ground. They were panting heavily, clearly still tense from the battle. Understandable, since they had been fighting just one monster at a time, and now they had faced five at once. It must have been exhausting.

"Ugh... Damn it. I'm covered in monkey blood. This is so disgusting."

Yun-Jung flicked the blood off her short hair with a sharp shake of her head, spitting onto the ground in disgust. Covered in blood and sprawled out on the ground, she looked fierce and powerful, like a goddess of war—strong, yet beautiful. An Hyun and Kim Han-Byeol weren't in much better condition. Their clothes were torn, and they were covered in dried bloodstains. Out of all of us, only An Sol and I seemed to be in relatively better shape.

I slowly closed my eyes, sinking into my thoughts.

It had already been three days since we left the city. In other words, we had survived for four days, including the first day. Today was our fifth day. If we could maintain our current pace, we might reach the warp gate by the sixth day at the earliest, or at least by the seventh.

Over these five days, our lives had been a mix of monotony and spectacle. We had literally been repeating the same cycle—walking, fighting, resting—over and over. During our first encounter with a monster, the Mandragora, we almost lost An Sol. It had suddenly burst out of the ground with its mouth wide open, ready to swallow her. Everyone but me had been so startled that they screamed and fell back.

An Hyun, who had rushed in recklessly, was injured by the creature's thorns, but luckily, I had sensed it beforehand and responded quickly. After that incident, it seemed Kim Han-Byeol and Lee Yun-Jung had some sort of realization. Once we reached the nearest save point, they grabbed weapons and declared they would fight from now on. An Hyun was hesitant, uncomfortable with the idea of the girls fighting, but their resolve was firm.

I couldn't say whether they were uncomfortable with leaving all the fighting to An Hyun and me, or if they genuinely wanted to help. But one thing was clear: I could see a strong will to survive in their eyes. Since I had already been planning to get them involved in battle practice soon, I gladly agreed.

After that, we left the save point and passed through the forest, where we stumbled upon a person. Specifically, it was at the entrance to where the Manki typically appeared. The person we found was a female. Though her face had been quite pretty, it was unfortunately too late—she was already a corpse by the time we discovered her. Her clothes were torn almost completely off, and her body was covered in red bruises. From her lower body, fresh steam was still rising from the white fluid trickling out, indicating she had been raped by the Manki right up until our arrival. A thin trail of blood ran from her mouth, suggesting that in the midst of enduring the rape, she had chosen to take her own life.

Lee Yun-Jung, upon witnessing the horrific scene, flew into a rage, demanding that we hunt down the "damn monkeys" immediately. Whether by coincidence or not, we soon spotted five Manki nearby, their genitals exposed and ready. We engaged in battle right away. Honestly, it was probably Yun-Jung's loud outburst that attracted the Manki in the first place. They had likely just finished "enjoying" themselves when their victim died, and catching the scent of a new female, they were in no mood to let us pass unnoticed.

In the end, we were victorious. I shook myself out of my thoughts, I reminded myself to keep moving forward step by step.

"Sol, can you hand me a towel and... one Han-Byeol?" Yun-Jung asked.

"What did you say?" Kim Han-Byeol retorted sharply, catching the slip immediately.

"Oh, sorry! I'm just so tired that I misspoke. I meant one bottle, not Han-Byeol!" Yun-Jung laughed awkwardly.

Giggling, Sol replied, "Alright, unnie. You really worked hard."

"Worked hard? My ass. How on earth is that guy taking care of these monkey bastards so easily? Give me that crossbow! I want to use it too!" Yun-Jung grumbled, throwing a childish tantrum.

I couldn't help but smile awkwardly. "If you are jealous, then get stronger yourself."

'I remember I didn't have anyone to help me at first. I was crawling on the ground, swinging my sword like a madman,' I thought, though I couldn't say it out loud. All I could do was keep smiling.

But it seemed they were starting to sense something. Having fought a few battles themselves now, they could see there was something different about how I handled combat. While Kim Han-Byeol sat quietly, catching her breath, An Hyun, despite panting heavily, couldn't take his eyes off me. They were starting to realize that there was more to the way I fought than they had initially thought.

"Hey, were you in some kind of special forces or something? How do you shoot a crossbow so well?"

"...You learn it in the military these days."

"Oh, come on, stop joking. Maybe they teach shooting, but who learns crossbows?"

"You haven't even been to Seoul, yet you act like you know everything. Go join the military and see for yourself. You think they just teach you to shoot guns? Things like bayonet fighting, Taekwondo, knife skills, throwing stars, bows, and crossbows are all part of the basic combat training."

At my words, An Hyun, Lee Yun-Jung, and An Sol all had strange looks on their faces. Only Kim Han-Byeol smirked, clearly figuring out that I was messing with them. But I wasn't too worried. Our team was solid enough now that this kind of banter was within acceptable limits.

"Ugh... whatever. I just want to rest right now. My head hurts."

"If you're going to rest, sit or stand. What if we get attacked while you're lying down?"

"I don't care, I don't care, I don't care. Sol, can you get me a chocolate, please? I'm hungry."

"Sol, get me one too."

"I'll take one as well."

"Okay~. I'll bring them right now~."

At the string of requests from Lee Yun-Jung, An Hyun, and Kim Han-Byeol, An Sol quickly moved to fulfill them. Per An Hyun's insistence, his younger sister was not allowed to directly participate in combat. Instead, she was helping out by assisting everyone in this way. Since An Sol seemed to naturally enjoy helping others, she didn't seem to mind this role, and this kind of errand was something she accepted without complaint.

As I watched An Sol smile brightly while handing out water bottles, I slowly sat down.

Humans are incredibly adaptable creatures, and when that adaptability is driven by a survival instinct, the synergy between the two intensifies dramatically. I realized again how true that statement was. Even those who were once regular women, enjoying their normal lives just a few days ago, were now wielding blades with familiarity against monsters. Thinking back to when I first killed a creature and the unsettling feeling of taking a life, I couldn't help but chuckle wryly.

Of course, there was still a lingering concern. It's one thing to easily swing a weapon when the enemy is a monster threatening your life. But what if the opponent was another human? Would they hesitate then? I wanted to prepare them for that possibility, but unfortunately, the opportunity hadn't come up yet.

"Guys, let's get moving. We need to walk diligently if we want to spot a yellow roof. You're okay with that, right, hyung?" An Hyun called out.

"Yeah." I replied simply.

He was referring to the rest room. The closer we got to the central gate, the harder it would be to find one. But there was no need to say that out loud. At An Hyun's words, Lee Yun-Jung, now visibly calmer, nodded. As everyone began brushing off the dirt and standing up, I was also preparing myself to get moving when I suddenly stopped, sensing something.

Though I had turned off my mana detection for training purposes, I could still feel a few presences nearby. Then, I heard the rustling of bushes.

As I turned toward the sound, I saw them.

"Hey, who are these guys?"

Right in front of us, pushing through the thick bushes, four people emerged.

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