'Why is its body getting smaller?' Alex wondered, pausing the barrage of punches and kicks.
He noticed the monkey's body shrinking earlier, but dismissed it as his imagination. Now, he couldn't deny it anymore, the monkey which initially seemed to be at least four meters tall, appeared to be just four meters currently, which was puzzling.
Considering the monster's peculiar behavior and its lack of attempts to escape, Alex became wary. However, he couldn't afford to hesitate just because something strange was happening. Time was of the essence, plus it was certain that their battles from earlier and this one might have alerted the members of the night group, so it was better not to waste time.
Pushing his wariness aside, Alex resumed the onslaught of attacks, causing the already bruised and battered body of the monkey to deteriorate further.
Alex had to give it to the monkey, its body was pretty solid. Despite all the attacks it had received, it was still standing in one piece. However, as time passed and the flurry of attacks Alex was delivering increased, the monkey began to show signs of wear and tear. The once resilient creature started to falter, indicating that it was reaching its limits.
In addition to nearing its limit, the monkey's body continued to shrink until it was only three meters tall. This, in a sense, increased the frequency of attacks on its body, as Alex felt more comfortable hitting it now that its size wasn't that far off from his own.
However, the wariness Alex felt also increased, so he decided that he has had enough fun hitting this guy, it was better to end the fight right now.
Alex appeared behind the monkey and swung his fist violently towards the monkey's spine, intending to shatter it. However, before his fist could connect with the monkey's body, something strange and quite frightening occurred.
All of a sudden, something moved under the skin of the monkey, and a large eye emerged right in the center of the monkey's back. The eerie transformation continued as two additional arms emerged from its body, bringing the total count to a staggering six!
The two additional arms, unlike the others, extended in the opposite direction – the direction from which Alex was approaching.
"What the...."
The sudden emergence of other parts on the monkey's body distracted Alex just for a split second, but it was enough time for the newly appeared arms to block Alex's attack and then wrap themselves around his body.
The two arms held Alex in a vice-like grip and brought his body closer to the monkey's.
As if the scene unfolding before him wasn't enough to make anyone wonder if they were in a nightmare, the monkey's head suddenly twisted and came face to face with Alex, a wide, creepy smile plastered on its face.
Alex has seen many troubling things, both on Earth and in this world, but the sight before him was the creepiest one he has ever seen!
This creepiness intensified as the four additional arms twisted in different directions, accompanied by audible sounds of bones cracking and popping. Despite the unnatural position of its arms, the monkey retained control and skillfully wrapped them around Alex, all the while the creepy smile on the monkey's face persisted.
'Gods, what kind of creature is this? Is it even alive?' Alex wondered as he struggled to escape.
He could potentially blink away, but the issue was that his mana reserves weren't very high at the moment. He could only blink once, and after that, his mana reserves might deplete.
"You...are...fun!" The monkey uttered with a sinister tone.
The moment the creature's words reached Alex's ears, his mind went blank for a moment.
The fact that the monkey could manifest new appendages was creepy enough, but its ability to speak, akin to a human, took the level of creepiness to another dimension. At this point, Alex felt a sense of dread, pondering on the potential capabilities of this peculiar monkey.
'Yeah, I definitely don't want to know,' Alex thought as he regained his composure.
Without further hesitation, he blinked out of the monkey's embrace and reappeared fifty meters away from it.
'Thankfully, I'm alone,' Alex sighed in relief. He had been concerned that the monkey might follow him when he teleported, given their proximity, but fortunately, that didn't happen.
'Sh*t, my reserves are dwindling' Alex remarked.
The constant use of mana since they entered the forest, coupled with that one blink, naturally caused Alex's mana reserves to considerably weaken.
'Let's finish this whole thing before I run out of mana.'
'Increase my strength and agility to 200 each,' Alex instructed the system.
Before the system could even ask its usual question if he was sure, Alex was already on the move.
[Are-]
'Yes,' he confirmed while running in a circle around the monkey.
[Starting the process...]
Meanwhile, the monkey stood frozen in its initial position, wearing a dumbfounded expression. It had endured blow after blow, patiently waiting for the moment to catch Alex off guard, and it had succeeded.
The creature felt a surge of joy, anticipating the chance to retaliate and give Alex a taste of its own medicine and beat the living daylights out of him. However, just when Alex seemed most vulnerable since the start of the fight, he vanished into thin air, Just like that. The monkey couldn't comprehend what had just happened, so it remained in a hugging position, utterly bewildered.
Meanwhile...
[Process finished]
Without even needing the system to tell him, Alex knew that the enhancement had ended, judging by the raw strength he could feel in his muscles.
Just now, had he not expected his strength and agility to increase, there was a chance that he would have stumbled and fallen on his face or run straight into a tree due to the sudden shift in gear.
One of the good things he had discovered about this new body of his was that, as long as the increase in his attributes wasn't dramatically high, he could quickly get adjusted to his new attributes. So, just after a few minutes of running, he got accustomed to his speed. As for his strength, he was going to test it on the monkey.
Boom
When he moved, the ground under Alex's feet caved in, and a fraction of a second later, he found himself in front of the monkey—or rather, in front of where the monkey's face used to be.
Crack
The instant Alex's fist connected, a sickening crack echoed through the surroundings. In the blink of an eye, the monkey's body was sent hurtling toward a tree.
Yet, before it could reach the tree, Alex appeared, concentrating all his remaining mana in his fist, and delivering a powerful punch.
The moment Alex's fist collided with the monkey's face, it was sent hurtling with more than double the speed it came with!
The monster's body tore through the smoke at such a swift pace that it scattered the surrounding smoke in its wake.
Its body slammed into a tree, piercing right through it, then continued its trajectory to collide with another tree, which it also pierced. It finally came to a halt when it landed on the third tree.
Boom
"...."
Cedrix, anxiously observing the cloud of smoke, felt his heart almost leap out of his chest when something crashed against a tree thirty meters to his right. With a shaky gaze, he looked to see what had crashed against the tree, only for his eyes to widen.
'What is that?' he wondered.
Against his better judgment, the old man walked towards the tree and stopped only when he was in front of it.
"What the actual fuck is that?"
Startled by the voice that sounded just behind him, Cedrix jumped from fright before realizing that it was Alex. Placing a hand on his chest, the old man sighed, "you scared me there, Lord Alex."
"Mm."
Alex just made an acknowledging sound before he crouched down and observed the monkey-like monster.
'Just what the fuck is this thing?' he wondered as he reached out to take what could only be an infant monkey.
The level 5 monster with four arms was no more; instead, what was in front of Alex looked exactly like a normal monkey. If it weren't for the battered state in which the monkey was, Alex would seriously wonder if it was the monster he had just fought.
Lifting the monkey's battered body by its arms, Alex checked its condition.
"Hmm, judging by the...subtle rhythm of the chest...I guess it's alive," Alex muttered before noticing something that made him raise an eyebrow in surprise. The monkey, which was at level 5 from the start to the end of their fights, was currently only at level 1.
"Is it that monster from earlier?" Cedrix asked, to which Alex nodded.
"But, how did it become like that?" The old man wondered with a confused expression.
"Don't ask me, I don't have a clue," answered Alex.
Alex shook the monkey's body to see if there would be a reaction, but the little guy was out cold, and judging by its wounds, if it wasn't treated immediately, it might succumb.
Alex quickly took a smoke potion out of his space ring and healed the little guy. He was really curious about the monkey, so it would be a shame to let it die. However, just in case, Alex toned down the healing priorities of the smoke in such a way that it saved the monkey from death, but the majority of its wounds remained nonetheless. This way, should the little guy try to cause any ruckus later on, he could easily be dealt with.
Alex took out a rope and attached the monkey with it, being careful not to aggravate the monkey's wounds, then stood up.
"Let's rejoin with the girls," Alex told the old man.
'It's time to end this whole rescue mission.'