Over the last two weeks, Mika has been scouting the surrounding area during her hunting time. So far, she’s only been able to map out a 1-kilometer diameter around her shelter, but that was enough to tell Mika there were no dangers within her immediate vicinity.
However, that wasn’t nearly enough for Mika. This jungle was much more dangerous than she could have ever imagined.
Although Centaremors Mushrooms surrounded her shelter, she couldn’t keep herself holed up there forever.
Eventually, she’d need to explore the jungle to survive and hopefully leave.
Thus, she needed to understand her surroundings, what kind of animals lived nearby, and how strong her potential enemies were.
Today wasn’t any different. Mika went out to hunt for food like usual. Surprisingly, although the jungle had Magical Beasts in the Black Core Realm, there were quite a few regular animals without any cultivation.
These animals didn’t provide nearly as many nutrients as Magical Beasts, but they were also easier to find and kill. However, Mika didn’t completely wipe out all the nearby animals. She only killed what she needed.
Maybe it was because Mika hasn’t run into any life-threatening danger lately, but she wasn’t quite as alert as usual. She was still wary of her surroundings, but a bit of complacency had crept into her heart.
Thus, as Mika went out hunting, she failed to notice that, in the trees, ten pairs of eyes had locked onto her.
These eyes silently followed Mika as she hunted.
It wasn’t until the end of the hunt, when she was tired and sweaty, did these eyes finally make their appearance!
*ROAR!!*
Before whatever beast could finish roaring, Mika already had her sword readied.
She quickly turned around and couldn’t help but curse.
“Shit!”
Surrounding her were ten brown monkeys with white abdomens and tails, ranging from 60-70 centimeters, one of them being almost a meter tall!
They all released faint mana fluctuations, indicating they were Magical Beasts. The tall monkey emitted stronger fluctuations than the rest, signifying himself as the leader.
Mika began quickly analyzing her situation, but in her heart, she already knew.
‘I’m in deep shit right now!’
Mika cursed again and began regretting the fact that she ventured so far outside her home so carelessly!
Unfortunately, it was too late for regrets.
She began looking for a way out, but no matter where she turned, there was a monkey. They were all around 5 to 10 meters away from her, so it was impossible for her to kill one in a surprise attack.
Mika instinctively felt that each monkey was at a similar power level or higher due to their mana fluctuations.
Their arm span is also longer than hers, making things difficult for her in a close-quarters fight, despite having a sword.
*ROAR!!*
The leader monkey let out a deafening roar directed right at Mika, staggering her slightly. Her ears buzzed, and her head felt like it was spinning. However, that was just the beginning!
Right after the leader’s outcry, the other monkeys began beating their chests while howling!
*ROAR!!**ROAR!!**ROAR!!**ROAR!!**ROAR!!**ROAR!!**ROAR!!**ROAR!!**ROAR!!*
The soundwaves of these roars were directed right at Mika, disorientating her. Rather, she felt like her head was going to explode with all these noises!
“Shut… SHUT UP!!” Mika shouted, forgetting that she could shut off her hearing if need be, but something hit her shoulder before such a thought could enter her mind.
“Oof-!”
She staggered slightly, but that pain was enough to reorientate herself, and that’s when she noticed that a monkey had thrown a rock at her, and there was more incoming!
She tried dodging them all, but since they were coming from all directions, it was inevitable that a few hit her, mainly her back and legs.
“These fuckin’ monkeys are actually throwing stones at me…” Mika growled in frustration and anger.
She wasn’t one to take a beating lying down, so without hesitation, she charged at the closest monkey. However, she underestimated the shameless nature of these monkeys as they ran away and darted up the nearest tree.
“Are you kidding me?! Get down here and fight me, you damn monkey!”
In response to her provocative words, the monkey defecated in its hand and threw at her.
Since Mika was too close to the monkey and didn’t expect it to do something so vile, she unconsciously tried blocking it with her sword but ended up getting covered in monkey shit.
A putrid smell wafted into Mika’s nose, prompting her to gag.
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“Heuk! Oh… O-Oh my fucking god! Why does it smell so bad?!”
Mika nearly dropped her sword to cover her nose; that’s how bad it smelled. Fortunately, with her adrenaline running and being in a life-or-death situation, she wasn’t stupid enough to do such a thing.
However, from then on, it was like the monkeys had grasped her weakness and begun throwing poop at her.
*Splat!*
When Mika felt another bile-inducing shit hit her body, she stopped tunnel-visioning on the first monkey and paid attention to all the chocolate rain falling on her.
Veins burst in her forehead, but she was still in the right state of mind to dodge everything.
Afterward, she charged at a different monkey, but it ran to the nearest tree just like the first one and began throwing shit at her. Literally!!
The only one who hadn’t moved the entire time was the big monkey. It just stood there silently as if it was analyzing her movements.
Mika noticed this and began realizing that everything the monkeys were doing was all planned. No, maybe it wasn’t planned per se and was just how they instinctually took down prey, but Mika didn’t feel good about it either way.
Mika’s eyes peeled away from the big monkey for a split second, only to realize all the smaller ones were now up in the trees.
“Ooh-ooh Ah-Ah!”
“Ooh-ooh Ah-Ah!”
“Ooh-ooh Ah-Ah!”
“Ooh-ooh Ah-Ah!”
“Ooh-ooh Ah-Ah!”
Suddenly, the monkeys began what almost sounded like cheering while banging on their chests.
A bad premonition hit Mika, which worsened when she saw the big monkey step forward. Although it was too late, she finally understood that the monkeys had trapped her in a cage.
They were blocking every exit, and she didn’t doubt they’d attack as soon as she tried to run away. It seemed they were forcing her to fight the big monkey.
“Ahh! How the mighty have fallen. Back on Earth, hardly anyone could compete with me, regardless of gender. Now, in this new world, I’m being cornered by monkeys. Fucking monkeys!! I know I’m not the most cunning, but come on!! How can I allow monkeys to outsmart me?!” Mika chastised herself as nothing like this had ever happened before.
While still stronger than her, the animals she had to face on Earth weren’t much more intelligent than rocks compared to the Magical Beasts here. They only knew how to wildly rampage, causing mass destruction.
Meanwhile, the samurai she faced in battle were generally honorable people. While there were a few occasions people ganged up on, that was mostly during times of war.
With her talent and training, she could eliminate most samurai with her technique alone, and the times she did fight against intelligent people, they were weak. No matter what they did or what kind of tricks they used, she’d win because of her power and experience.
Not once would she have ever thought she’d come across a group of beasts that were powerful and extremely intelligent.
‘Or could it be that they aren’t actually all that intelligent, and it’s just me that’s incredibly stupid?’
Mika thought before shaking her head.
‘Now’s not the time to be thinking about this. I have to focus on my fight with this bastard.’
Mika focused 90% of her attention on the monkey leader in front of her. The other 10% was left to keep an eye on her surroundings. She didn’t want to be in the middle of a fight and suddenly take a rock to the face, after all.
When the monkey leader was 3 meters away from her, it stopped. The two stared at each other for a while before it let out a booming roar!
*ROOOOOOAAAAAAAAAR!!*
Mika felt her ears ringing, but she noticed something peculiar about its roar this time.
‘That monkey is infusing its roar with mana!! Is that why I feel so disorientated afterward? How is he doing that?’
A whole new application of mana appeared right before her, and Mika was eager to test it out. Unfortunately, that will have to wait until after she survives this battle. If she survives… that is.
Without warning, after releasing his roar, the monkey charged at Mika as if he were a crazed chimp, but Mika could see clarity in its eyes that told her it knew what it was doing.
Mika snorted and readied her stance, preparing her attack, but when the two were about to clash, the monkey stopped and…
*CLAP!!*
…clapped.
“Ack!! W-What the hell?!” Mika screamed in pain while holding her bleeding eardrums, which felt like they had just burst.
That clap ruined her concentration and, consequently, her stance and balance for a split second, but this was all the monkey needed.
It quickly lunged at Mika and landed a punch on her gut, which was most of her abdomen due to her tiny body.
“Ugh!” The pain rattled Mika’s brain, allowing her to come to her senses, but by then, it was already too late.
The monkey had already grabbed her by the leg and raised her in the air. Fortunately, Mika hadn’t let go of her sword and slashed at the arm holding her. Although it lacked power and technique, her blade was sharp enough to compensate for that.
*Puchi!*
The sword penetrated the monkey’s skin until it reached the bone.
“Augugugu!”
The monkey released a strange cry as it dropped Mika and held its bleeding forearm in pain. Mika didn’t waste this opportunity now that the monkey was distracted and swiftly stood up and charged.
Before the monkey could react, Mika had already slashed at its stomach, cutting deep into its skin.
“AUGUGUGUGUGUG!!”
The monkey screamed in pain and hurriedly created some distance between them, but Mika didn’t let up. She wanted to hurry up and kill it before it even had a chance to counterattack.
However, the monkey knew its life was in danger and stopped worrying about the pain.
Mana wildly radiated around it as its eyes turned slightly bloodshot, muscles bulged, and it grew about 2 meters in size.
Then, it stared at Mika as if she was its archnemesis, who it would go to the ends of the earth to kill, then charged at her like a maniac!
‘Fast!’
Mika barely had any time to react before the monkey was before her, but she still managed to get a good swing in, taking a chunk out of the monkey’s other forearm.
*Bam!*
However, in exchange, Mika took a fist to the face as the monkey seemed to have stopped feeling pain.
She hurriedly removed her sword from its flesh and backed off slightly, giving herself some room, but the monkey continued to charge madly at her.
Suddenly, Mika noticed a rock flying at her and realized the other monkeys were throwing stuff at her again.
She quickly dodged it, but with nine monkeys throwing rocks at her and one charging straight at her, it became hard to keep track of everything.
*Bam!*
A rock crashed into Mika’s back, causing her to lose her balance for a split second, allowing the monkey leader to land a punch on her face.
“Argh!!” She grunted in pain as she flew back. She could feel several ribs broken, her brain rattled, and she had welts all over her body from all the rocks that had hit her.
‘Shit! Do I really have to use [Volcanic Burst] on this guy? What if that’s not enough to kill it? But even if I can kill it with that, I still have to deal with nine other monkeys.’
‘What should I do?’