Taking Payment in Advance
Jekyeong glared irritably at the monkeys screeching noisily outside the range of the poison, his brow furrowing.
"Fine. Just stay there and watch," Jekyeong muttered, looking up to shout at Cheongo. "Tell the tree guy that I'm going to take my payment in advance!"
"Huh? What's that? What does that mean?"
"Just tell him exactly that!"
Jekyeong waited for Cheongo to translate to Mokyo, then slowly slithered toward the tree. Mokyo flinched slightly as if flustered, but Jekyeong paid it no mind and reared his body high. Although his length now exceeded twenty meters, compared to Mokyo, the difference was still like that of an adult and a toddler who had just taken their first steps.
No matter how high Jekyeong reared, he couldn't reach the nearest fruit. Left with no choice, he coiled and slammed his tail against the ground, launching himself upward.
Snap! His gaping maw clamped down on a fruit, tearing it clean off the branch.
Mokyo squirmed, but showed no other reaction. Thanks to Cheongo's translation, the tree finally understood what it meant to take payment in advance.
'A clever fellow.'
Having a good brain was useless if one didn't know how to use it. Conversely, even if one wasn't naturally brilliant, knowing how to apply what little intelligence they had was a form of wisdom in itself. In Jekyeong's eyes, Mokyo was the latter, while those monkeys were the former.
Crunch! That was why he believed this provocation would work—and indeed, it did.
"Screeech!" As Jekyeong deliberately chewed and swallowed the fruit right in front of them, the monkeys' eyes turned bloodshot with rage.
Out of the four, the one with an exceptionally scarred face shrieked and lunged forward. It showed no hesitation entering Mokyo's territory or charging ahead alone.
The first step is always the hardest. The monkey Demon Beasts, who had been hesitating because Jekyeong seemed far healthier than expected, completely lost their minds the moment they saw the fruit they coveted disappear into his maw.
With their greed stoked and a hot-tempered leader charging ahead, the rest could no longer contain themselves.
This moment reminded Jekyeong of his battle with the frog over the lotus flower. Back then, that frog had also fallen for a simple provocation, unable to control its impatience before leaping into the water.
Yet these monkey Demon Beasts, despite being Demon Beasts, were even stupider than that frog. While greed blinded both, the monkeys suffered from an additional affliction: they were drunk on the false courage of their own numbers. The result was the scene unfolding before him.
"Screeech!" Easily dodging Mokyo's lashing roots, the lead monkey faced Jekyeong's follow-up strike.
True to its nature, even while suspended in mid-air, the beast twisted like an acrobat to evade Jekyeong's snapping jaws. It then reached out with both hands, hooked them deep into Jekyeong's nostrils, and hung on for dear life.
'This little monkey bastard!' With his nostrils forcibly pried open, a furious fire flared in Jekyeong's eyes.
The monkey was undeniably fast. If it decided to play hide-and-seek in earnest, it would be a massive headache to deal with. Fortunately, he wasn't fighting alone.
Rumble! Mokyo began to swing its roots like giant tentacles. Although some of its roots had been tattered and severed during its fight with Jekyeong, the sheer mass behind its attacks remained devastating.
The monkey Demon Beasts could dodge the lashing roots with their agile movements, but they couldn't ignore them entirely.
'This is going better than I expected.' Mokyo was putting up a far better fight against the monkeys than Jekyeong had anticipated.
Originally, Jekyeong hadn't expected much from the tree, having judged its direct combat capabilities to be lacking after their brief clash. But in hindsight, that assessment had been somewhat unfair.
'Its roots might not do much against my scales, but they're more than enough to threaten those monkeys.'
Jekyeong snapped wildly a few times at the insolent monkey scratching his face and digging into his nostril, then slammed his head straight into the muddy ground like a pile driver.
To any onlooker, it would have seemed like he was thrashing in a blind rage. It was a reckless move bordering on self-harm, but the effect was immediate. The clinging monkey pulled its hand out of Jekyeong's nostril right before impact and scrambled away.
"Get back here!" His face caked in mud, Jekyeong lunged after the fleeing monkey.
Had this been the heart of a dense forest, Jekyeong would never have caught the agile beast, no matter how much strength surged through his body. However, because Mokyo had drained the surrounding life force to sustain itself, the area was barren, littered only with withered, rotting, and collapsed trees.
Furthermore, the ground was a swampy mire of thick mud. No matter how nimble the monkey was, its speed was severely capped.
"Screeech!" The monkey continued to dodge Jekyeong's snapping jaws with frantic agility, but its shrieks grew increasingly desperate.
Jekyeong stayed hot on its heels but held back his full strength. He knew that even a cornered rat would bite a cat. Unless Mokyo was on the verge of collapse, there was no need to rush the kill. As long as the battle dragged on, time was on his side.
Snap! He bit the empty air once more. Jekyeong's murderous, reptilian eyes locked onto the panting monkey.
Its movements noticeably sluggish compared to the start of the fight, the monkey finally seemed to realize something was terribly wrong. Its initial ferocity had vanished, replaced by mounting dread. It repeatedly glanced back at its companions fighting Mokyo, its intentions painfully obvious.
'And over there...' Just like the monkey, Jekyeong cast a sidelong glance toward Mokyo.
'Is it reaching its limit?'
Having squeezed out every drop of its remaining strength to repel the monkeys early on, Mokyo now looked completely spent, struggling just to endure. The only reason it hadn't been torn apart yet was because the remaining monkeys were too busy eyeing the fruits to focus on finishing it off.
If this dragged on any longer, even if Mokyo survived, several of those precious fruits might get stolen. Jekyeong intentionally slowed his pace, pretending to tire out. The moment the monkey paused to catch its breath, he struck.
Startled by the sudden burst of speed, the monkey tried to leap away, but Jekyeong's gaping maw closed in far faster than before.
Snap! Unable to dodge completely, one of the monkey's long arms was caught between Jekyeong's razor-sharp teeth.
The beast shrieked in terror and tried to wrench its arm free, but Jekyeong's powerful jaws clamped down first.
Crunch! Teeth as hard as steel and sharp as saw blades sheared through flesh, muscle, and bone in an instant.
The monkey stumbled backward, screaming as its arm was ripped clean off. But Jekyeong was far from satisfied with just a single limb.
Thud! Whipping his tail with full force, Jekyeong struck the monkey squarely in the back. Though it didn't shatter its spine, it was more than enough to break the insolent creature's fighting spirit.
Fighting them directly made him realize something. Though they were classified as Demon Beasts, they were mere half-breeds that had barely shed their wild instincts. He suspected most wild beasts at this stage were similar.
Whether they had awakened a bloodline or stumbled upon some fortuitous encounter, they had become Demon Beasts by sheer luck without undergoing any proper cultivation. Beasts at this level could hardly be considered part of the true Beast Race.
'Not that I'm much different.'
Jekyeong lunged once more, clamping his jaws around the fallen monkey's waist. Terrified, the beast thrashed, scratching and clawing at Jekyeong's snout. But its desperate resistance only served to irritate him further.
Thud! Thud! As the saying went, even a cornered rat would bite a cat. Sensing its impending demise, the monkey summoned every ounce of its strength to resist. In response, Jekyeong repeatedly slammed the beast against the ground, keeping it firmly in his jaws. His teeth, initially resisted by the monkey's tensed muscles, sank deeper and deeper. Then, with a sickening rip, the monkey's body tore completely in half.
With one of them dead, Jekyeong unleashed his full strength, and the tide of battle turned in an instant. Although Mokyo had been on the defensive for most of the fight, its fierce resistance had taken a heavy toll on the monkeys. Furthermore, its poison had been steadily eating away at their stamina. Jekyeong's intervention was practically like swooping in to claim a meal that had already been cooked for him.
Jekyeong did not rush. Rather than trying to end the battle in a single stroke, he focused on cutting off their escape routes. To him, this was no longer a fight—it was a hunt.
When he had swallowed the monkey's severed arm earlier, a warm, pleasant energy had spread through his body. The sheer nourishment it provided far surpassed what he felt from eating Mokyo's fruits.
And that was from a single arm. The rest of that carcass was cooling nearby, and three more fresh, intact targets stood right in front of him.
'I can't let them get away.' Jekyeong lunged, his maw gaping greedily.
Mokyo also lashed out with its roots, squeezing out the last of its strength. High above, Cheongo fluttered its wings, cheering enthusiastically in a slightly hoarse voice.
A short while later, Jekyeong clamped his jaws around the last living monkey, chewed it thoroughly, and swallowed it whole. That was the end of it.
Of the remaining two, one hung limp, tightly bound by Mokyo's roots, while the other lay half-buried in a mud pit, both of its legs torn off.
"Jekyeong! Jekyeong! You're amazing! So strong!" Basked in Cheongo's energetic praise, Jekyeong took a moment to savor his victory. After confirming that the scratches on his body were merely superficial, he slithered back toward Mokyo.
"Cheongo!"
"Yeah! I'm here!"
They were perfectly in sync now. Cheongo fluttered down to perch on the back of Jekyeong's head, ready to translate.
"I will take the fruits as promised."
Mokyo shuddered, and the fruits began to drop one by one. The tree caught them all with a sweeping branch, then offered them to Jekyeong. There were eleven in total. Jekyeong flicked his tongue in satisfaction.
'At least this one can be reasoned with.'
Perhaps it was simply because the tree understood its own precarious situation, but the attitude it had shown since the monkeys' arrival was highly to Jekyeong's liking.
"Does it take long to bear these fruits?"
"It says it depends on how well it eats! It takes a long time with ordinary beasts, but if it eats good ones, it doesn't take long at all!"
Those 'good ones' undoubtedly referred to Demon Beasts. It was exactly as he had suspected.
Jekyeong pondered for a moment. He could easily finish off the exhausted Mokyo right now and claim the monkey carcass it held. He didn't know how nutritious a tree monster would be, but he would certainly get something out of it.
On the other hand, he could keep Mokyo alive and establish a long-term partnership. Since this wasn't his first time forming such an alliance, Jekyeong was highly receptive to the idea.
Considering how incredibly successful his partnership with Cheongo had been, a business relationship with Mokyo—which promised a steady stream of benefits—was well worth a try.
"Hey. Perhaps... we can be of help to each other."
Cheongo's voice took on a sly, conspiratorial tone as it translated. With a bit of exaggeration, it was like watching a seasoned theater actor from his past life.
Jekyeong aimed for two things through his partnership with Mokyo. One was Mokyo's fruits, and the other was the Demon Beasts that would be drawn to them.