Micah left the city, his steps light and his mind focused as he made his way toward Whispering Grove to collect the healing herbs for his mission. The journey took a few hours, and as the edge of the forest came into view, he paused briefly, taking in the dense trees and the faint mist that clung to the air.
"So this is Whispering Grove," he muttered to himself. "Looks peaceful enough, but they always say not to judge a book by its cover."
As he stepped into the forest, the atmosphere shifted. The faint rustling of leaves and the occasional chirp of birds created a serene yet eerie ambiance. Micah walked carefully, his senses alert, but his mind wandered back to earlier moments.
"Scarlett joining the guild, huh?" he said aloud to no one. "I can already hear her calling me an idiot for doing these beginner missions."
He smirked at the thought, imagining her teasing tone. "She'd probably say something like, 'You're doing this the hard way as usual, aren't you, Micah?'" He shook his head, chuckling softly. "Yeah, yeah, monster princess. I'm doing it my way."
Suddenly, a sharp rustling sound broke through his thoughts. His body tensed as something large moved quickly through the trees, heading straight for him. Without thinking, Micah rolled to the side, narrowly dodging an attack as a creature landed heavily on the ground where he had just stood.
Springing to his feet, Micah faced the monster. It was a grotesque, ape-like creature with razor-sharp claws and glowing yellow eyes. It let out a deafening roar, its breath visible in the cool forest air.
Micah's red eyes narrowed. "Alright, buddy, let's see what you've got. Skill: Appraisal."
A translucent screen appeared before him, displaying the monster's stats and skills in detail:
Name: Savage Tree Monkey
Level: 15
Health Points (HP): 450 / 450
Magic Points (MP): 50 / 50
Strength: 80
Agility: 100
Attack: 90
Speed: 85
Defense: 40
Skills:
Tree Leap: Allows rapid movement between trees to ambush prey.
Savage Claw: Delivers a powerful slash with increased damage.
Roar of Dread: Temporarily decreases the agility and defense of nearby enemies.
Pack Call: Summons other nearby Savage Tree Monkeys for assistance.
Description: Savage Tree Monkeys are highly territorial predators known for their speed and ferocity. They use their sharp claws and ambush tactics to overwhelm prey. When threatened, they call for reinforcements, making them especially dangerous in packs.
Micah clicked his tongue. "Figures it would have something annoying like Pack Call. Gotta take you down fast before your buddies show up." He tightened his grip on Aria Nocturne, the familiar weight of the magic gun calming his nerves.
"Alright, let's dance," he said with a smirk, his red eyes glowing faintly as he prepared to engage the beast.
Micah raised his gun, Aria Nocturne, aiming at the Savage Tree Monkey. He was about to fire when the monkey dashed toward him with incredible speed, using its Savage Claw skill. The sudden burst of movement caught Micah off guard, and he barely dodged the attack, rolling to the side just in time.
"Damn, you're quick!" Micah muttered, regaining his footing.
The monkey didn't let up, continuing its relentless assault. Each swipe of its claws came faster and more ferocious, forcing Micah to stay on the defensive. He ducked and sidestepped, his movements quick but strained under the monkey's persistent aggression.
Micah growled, "Alright, you little freak. Let's see how you handle this!"
He fired a few shots at the monkey, but it moved with uncanny agility, dodging every bullet. Then, with a roar, the creature leapt into the trees, activating its Tree Leap skill. It began jumping through the branches at an incredible speed, its movements almost impossible to track.
Micah's red eyes darted upward, trying to keep sight of the creature. "You've gotta be kidding me," he muttered. "How am I supposed to hit you up there?"
The monkey's rapid movements through the treetops made it difficult for Micah to predict its path. He clicked his tongue in frustration, his mind racing for a solution. Then, an idea struck him. He grinned, leveling his gun at a spot ahead of the monkey's trajectory.
"Let's see if you can dodge this," he said. "Skill: Teleport Shot!"
He fired a bullet at the intended spot in the tree line. The moment the monkey reached that location, the bullet teleported there in an instant, striking the creature directly in its leg. The monkey let out a screech of pain as it lost its balance and fell from the trees, crashing hard onto the ground.
Micah laughed triumphantly, spinning his gun and holstering it. "Got you, you little monster!"
The monkey writhed on the ground, snarling as it tried to get back up, but its injured leg made it difficult to stand. Micah approached cautiously, his gun trained on the creature, ready for any sudden moves.
"What's the matter? Not so fast now, huh?" he taunted, his smirk growing wider.
The monkey glared at him, its yellow eyes burning with fury, but it couldn't make another move. Micah stood his ground, prepared to finish the fight.
Micah pointed his gun at the downed monkey, a wide grin on his face as he let out a soft chuckle. "Good night, Mr. Monkey," he said, his voice dripping with mock cheerfulness. He began charging his gun, the magic energy swirling visibly around the barrel.
But before he could fire, the monkey let out a deafening roar—its skill Pack Call. The sound was so loud that Micah instinctively dropped to one knee, covering his ears in pain.
"No, no, no! You didn't just use that!" Micah shouted to himself, his eyes wide with realization. "Pack Call… that's the skill that—oh, crap, that's the one that summons reinforcements!"
He groaned dramatically, his voice rising in panic as he tried to calm his nerves. "Alright, stay cool, Micah. Maybe it won't work. Maybe… maybe it's just a bluff!"
Then he heard it—the unmistakable sound of multiple roars echoing from deep within the forest. The rustling of leaves intensified, and the trees began to sway violently. Micah's expression froze, his face falling into a deadpan mix of dread and exasperation. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me," he muttered.
As the noises grew closer, Micah's panic turned to full-blown freak-out mode. "This is bad. This is really bad! I can handle one monkey… maybe two if I'm lucky. But this? This is… this is like a whole circus troupe of death!"
The trees around him began to shake, the movement growing more intense with every passing second. Suddenly, monkeys started descending from the treetops. Some swung gracefully on vines, others landed heavily on the ground with loud thuds, while a few perched menacingly in the tree line, their glowing yellow eyes fixed on Micah.
Micah's jaw dropped as he scanned the area, trying to count them all. "Nope, nope, nope. That's at least fifty of these things," he said, his voice wavering. "Fifty! Who even needs fifty monkeys? This is overkill!"
The injured monkey that had summoned them hobbled over to its kin, making a series of guttural sounds and growls as it communicated with the pack. The other monkeys responded with roars of their own, their collective energy growing as they all turned their attention to Micah.
Micah took a step back, gripping his gun tightly. "Oh, great. Now they're plotting. Just fantastic," he muttered sarcastically. "Good job, Micah. First you piss off one monkey, and now you've got a whole family reunion to deal with."
He let out a nervous laugh, his red eyes darting around for an escape route. "Alright, think, think! I'm fast. They're probably faster. I've got firepower. They've got… more monkeys. This is not looking good."
The monkeys began closing in, some dropping from the trees and others snarling from their elevated perches. The pack leader screeched loudly, seemingly giving an order, and the rest roared in unison, their sharp claws glinting ominously in the dim forest light.
Micah took a deep breath, steadying his gun. "Well, if I'm going down, I'm taking as many of you furry freaks with me as I can," he said with a determined smirk, the glow of his weapon intensifying.
Micah stood in the middle of the clearing, surrounded by 50 snarling, glowing-eyed monkeys. He held his two guns, Aria Nocturne and Nova Fang, at the ready. A confident smirk spread across his face as he yelled, "Bring it on, fur balls!"
Without hesitation, several monkeys dashed toward him, their claws gleaming as they activated their skills. One came at him from the left with a swipe of Savage Claw, but Micah rolled to the side and countered with a quick shot from Nova Fang. The bullet struck true, dropping the creature instantly.
"That's one down!" Micah muttered, spinning to face the next attacker.
Two more monkeys leapt at him simultaneously, one from the front and another from behind. Micah grinned. "Skill: Ricochet Shot!" he shouted, firing at the ground. The bullet bounced off the ground and ricocheted upward, striking both monkeys mid-air and sending them crashing to the forest floor.
"Hah! Who needs a straight shot when I've got skills like this?" he taunted, laughing to himself.
But the pack wasn't done. More monkeys charged at him, their numbers overwhelming. Micah dodged, rolled, and jumped, his movements sharp but starting to falter as the relentless attacks came faster. A monkey managed to scratch his arm, drawing blood. He winced. "Damn it! Guess I can't dodge them all."
Another monkey used Tree Leap, appearing above him. "Oh, no, you don't!" Micah growled. "Skill: Elemental Shot (Fire)!" He fired at the descending creature, the bullet exploding on impact and reducing it to ashes.
Micah panted, his arms aching from the constant movement. "How many of you are there?" he muttered, his smirk starting to waver. "This is getting ridiculous!"
Just as he thought he was gaining the upper hand, the remaining monkeys suddenly stopped. They stood still for a moment, their glowing eyes narrowing. Then, in unison, they let out a deafening roar—Pack Call.
Micah froze, his face dropping into a deadpan expression. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me. Again?"
The forest grew silent for a moment, but then the sound of more rustling filled the air. The trees shook as reinforcements began to arrive. Micah's red eyes widened in disbelief. "There's going to be more of you? I'm already surrounded by a small army!"
He raised his guns, readying himself for the next wave. But before he could fire, a new sound reverberated through the forest. It was a roar—louder, deeper, and more menacing than anything he'd heard before. The sheer force of the sound sent shockwaves through the air, shaking the ground beneath his feet.
Micah stumbled slightly, his confidence draining as he felt the immense pressure of the roar. "W-What the hell was that?" he stammered, looking around nervously. "That… that wasn't a normal monkey."
He swallowed hard, trying to steady his breathing. "Okay, Micah, think. That roar… that's gotta be the big boss. A king monkey or something. Yeah, definitely a big, angry king monkey," he muttered, his voice tinged with both fear and sarcasm.
The rustling grew louder, and the monkeys around him began chittering excitedly, as if calling for their leader. Micah tightened his grip on his guns, his smirk returning but with less certainty this time. "Alright, big guy. Let's see what you've got. But please don't be as terrifying as you sound," he said, his tone half-joking.
Micah stood frozen, his mind racing as the ground continued to tremble beneath him. He muttered to himself, his voice tinged with disbelief and frustration. "This was supposed to be a simple healing herb mission! Collect a few plants, maybe fight one or two monsters… not this!"
He paced slightly, still gripping his guns, his red eyes darting toward the surrounding monkeys. "What am I even supposed to do now? Fifty monkeys, a pack leader, and now some giant nightmare monkey roaring like it's the end of the world. Great. Just great."
Micah took a deep breath, trying to focus. "Alright, think, Micah. You've faced worse… probably. Wait, have I? No, definitely not. Okay, no time for a panic spiral."
He suddenly stopped, a determined glint in his eyes. "If I'm going down, I'm going down in style." Raising his hand, he shouted, "Let's go, Blaze Fang!"
A brilliant flash of light materialized in his hands, forming a sleek, fire-etched shotgun. Micah grinned despite the tension. "Alright, fur balls, let's see how you handle this."
The monkeys around him growled and roared, preparing to charge. Micah aimed Blaze Fang at the center of the group. "Goodbye, fur balls! Skill: Overload Barrage!"
Blaze Fang roared to life as Micah pulled the trigger, unleashing a massive elemental shockwave that combined fire and explosive energy. The shockwave expanded outward, tearing through the trees and ground as it collided with the monkeys.
The explosion was deafening, sending shockwaves rippling through the forest. The sheer force of the attack blasted the monkeys backward, their screeches drowned out by the roar of the explosion. Micah himself was pushed back, skidding across the ground as he tried to maintain his balance.
"Whoa! That was… way bigger than I expected," Micah said, coughing slightly from the dust and smoke. He looked up, seeing the devastation left behind. Trees were scorched, and a wide crater now marked the battlefield. Many of the monkeys lay defeated, while others scrambled to regroup, clearly shaken by the powerful attack.
Micah smirked, wiping sweat from his brow. "Alright, that should buy me some time. Let's see you top that, big guy," he muttered, glancing nervously toward the direction of the earlier roar, knowing the real challenge was still looming.
To be continued...