The ground trembled as the giant monkey chased after a human, destroying the jungle in its wake. Its red eyes burned with endless hunger and anger. It howled and increased its speed even more, but the human was like a rabbit whose tail had been stepped on, slipping away.
"Fuck you! Monkey! Technically, we share the same ancestry, so leave me alone!" Arthur screamed as he ducked under a fallen branch of a tall tree.
He couldn't understand why the monkey was so hell-bent on catching him. He was just a small, weak human, after all. He tried to think of ways he could fight it, but nothing came to his mind. Fighting against it would be too risky, as a single attack by the monkey could kill him. He didn't want to take risks unless they were necessary.
"What to do?"
Arthur looked around while dodging a rock thrown at him. He was calm despite being so close to death, as these situations were too common for him. He had lost count of the number of times he had knocked on the gate of death. The situation was far from dire, which kept him from losing his cool.
Finally, his gaze landed on a small cave on his right, making his eyes sparkle. He grinned as he thought, 'Just you wait, monkey. I'll deal with you once I've killed more.'
However, instead of going toward the cave, he dashed to his left as the monkey followed him in an enraged state. It destroyed everything in its wake, but that did slow its speed a little, which was helpful to Arthur, who was running in a zigzag. The wilderness also aided him by hiding him from the monkey's eyes.
'Come, bitch!' Arthur smiled as he summoned the Abyss Destroyer and ran toward a tree with a wide trunk that reached very high. Its numerous branches shielded the plants from the bright sunlight.
The Abyssal creature followed him with rage-filled eyes and didn't notice anything. Arthur was more than happy about that, and at that moment, the Abyss Destroyer materialized in his hand.
With a full-force push against the ground, he shot at the tree, bringing the black sword down in a downward slash. He also coated the sword with his Soul Energy, making it even stronger, and slashed horizontally at the base of the tree.
The surroundings trembled as the whitish tree shuddered and began to fall. The impact destroyed a huge chunk of the tree's base, causing it to topple backward.
The giant monkey was just getting close when the whitish tree fell on it. It growled as it was forced to stop, catching the tree with its bare hands and halting its descent before throwing it aside. The ground trembled, and dust rose, filling the wilderness. Visibility became low, and even the giant monkey couldn't see far.
Realizing that its prey had escaped, the giant monkey roared at the top of its lungs, making the other weaker Abyssal creatures in the area cower in fear. It swung its powerful arms around, destroying everything nearby.
Arthur, who was hiding behind a rock, heard the destruction and heaved a sigh of relief. His body would surely be in the rubble if he had stayed behind. He remained there for a few minutes and only left when he sensed the destruction moving far from his position. The monkey was still rampaging, and it didn't look like it would stop its search for Arthur anytime soon.
'Just go away, big butt monkey,' Arthur clicked his tongue and made his way toward the cave he had seen earlier. His steps were light, and the loud sounds caused by the monkey allowed him to not worry about making noise while walking.
It didn't take him long to reach the cave, which had a small entrance hidden between two large trees. He was lucky to have spotted it in such dense vegetation.
He slowed his steps and went into full alert mode. His black sword was held tightly in his hand, ready to reap lives as he moved closer and closer to the cave. There was a high chance that someone had already occupied the cave, most likely an Abyssal creature. So, it was better to be prepared for an ambush.
And he was right.
He had just taken one step inside the cave when his scalp tingled, causing him to step back and lean backward. A sharp blade flashed, cutting the empty air where his neck should have been.
Sweat appeared on his forehead as he jumped, gaining some distance between him and his assaulter. He drew his blade forward and looked into the darkness of the cave with a wry smile on his face.
'Why is this fucker here?'
His assaulter slowly walked out of the cave, revealing a frail-looking young man with deep black hair that hung in his face. His shadow-like eyes stared right into Arthur's, making him sigh.
"Can we talk inside? I mean, if we fight here, the big guy over there will surely hear us, and then we're both dead," Arthur lowered his blade and tried to talk his way through. He seriously didn't want to start a fight with the young man because he knew him too well. That was also why he was sure the young man would accept his offer.
The young man lingered for a moment, contemplating what to do. His sneak attack had already failed, and he didn't want to fight an opponent he had no knowledge of, especially since Arthur was offering a peace treaty.
Just then, a massive boulder slammed behind the cave, making the ground unstable. The young man grimaced and thought, 'It could be a trap, but there is no way I'm fighting that guy.'
"Fine! Come inside!" the young man said as he turned around and walked into the cave.
Arthur smiled and dismissed his black sword as he entered, thinking, 'Long time no see, buddy.'