Chapter 17
Chapter 17
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 17
Chapter Title: Boss of Monkey Rock Mountain
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The battle on the protruding tree branches between the cliffs.
If he slipped and fell even slightly, his life would be in immediate danger, but Se-woon's movements showed no hesitation.
He leaped between the branches as naturally as if he were a real monkey.
One hand gripped a branch while the other swung his sword.
If it got too overwhelming, he could just sweep them away with magic.
Before he knew it, all the monkeys in front of him had vanished. They had either fallen off the cliff after being cut down by Se-woon or retreated into their caves.
Thwack.
The moment Se-woon shook the blood from his sword and sheathed it at his waist, a message announcing the end of the monster wave appeared before his eyes.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Tutorial First Act – Adaptation] You have successfully passed the fifth wave. 100 points are awarded to all participants in the wave. It felt a bit late, but clearing the wave without any help from Se-woon was impressive in itself.
He had no idea how many injuries there were, but as long as they weren't too severe, Se-woon could heal them all with his recovery magic.
Soon after, the personal merit rankings appeared.
🏆 MERIT RANKINGS 🏆 🥇 1st: Jeong Se-woon 5,220 points 🥈 2nd: Yoo Seo-ah 1,150 points 🥉 3rd: Kang Han-cheol 1,110 points Just moments ago, it seemed like Kang Han-cheol was lagging far behind Yoo Seo-ah in merits, but thanks to his contract with the second-ranked Great Demon King, Agares, he must have shone in this wave.
'Well, this time we fought in the forest.'
The forest was disadvantageous for Yoo Seo-ah too, even if Kang Han-cheol's charge neutralization against the boars was the main reason.
Swinging a sword meant worrying about the terrain and trees around her, and the swing radius was always restricted.
That was probably one big reason Kang Han-cheol performed so well this time.
'Then should I go rack up some merits myself?'
Through this journey, he needed to accumulate merits—not just for the ones he missed in the waves, but even more.
He was dominating the merit rankings by a huge margin right now, but the moment the first act of the tutorial ended and the second began, the rankings would combine across the entire tutorial, not just the camp. There was sure to be a massive shake-up.
"Are you the leader?"
The peak of the rocky mountain.
Not one of the small rock caves he'd seen so far, but a spacious cavern large enough for three or four people to enter comfortably.
As he climbed up there, the boss monster finally came into view.
⭐ CONSTELLATION MESSAGE ⭐ Constellation 'Hungry Prince' sparkles its eyes, saying it looks tasty to chew. A monkey with gray fur like rock.
Unlike the regular monkeys that were barely a meter tall, this one was about Se-woon's height, and in its hand was not a crude weapon but a neatly forged one.
"A staff, huh. You're no Sun Wukong."
The monkey of Monkey Rock Mountain. It evoked one of the constellations, the 'Great Sage Equal to Heaven.'
But he doubted any trace of the Great Sage would linger in the early stages of the tutorial.
That said, it wasn't entirely unrelated. If Se-woon's guess was right, this thing was the tower and system's imitation of the Great Sage to complete the tutorial.
Of course, its power was incomparable to the real thing.
Clang!!
"At least I don't have to hear that annoying screech anymore."
The monkey charged at Se-woon.
With its mouth clamped shut, it swung the stone staff in its hand.
One strike was enough to tell. This guy's power was on another level from the forest or hill boss monsters.
"Now this feels like a real fight."
The wolves and boars he'd faced in the tutorial so far—fighting them always felt more like hunting than combat.
Even against the monkeys, it was the same.
No matter how they swung their weapons, their movements were worse than goblins.
Hell, even against the other bosses, he'd approached it more as hunting than strategy.
Now, for the first time, it felt like a true battle against an opponent.
Clang, claaang!
For a tutorial boss monster, it displayed impressively refined staff techniques.
No traces of any martial arts Se-woon knew, but it wielded the staff as naturally as a seasoned warrior.
'Just blocking like this puts me at a disadvantage.'
The stone staff was hard and heavy—clashing with it risked chipping the sword's edge.
Thanks to Go Chang-seok's care, it wouldn't chip easily, but once damaged, it was hard to fix.
From that point, Se-woon's fighting style shifted completely.
"...!"
Rather than parrying attacks, he evaded them as much as possible using the footwork of Ten Paths Subduing Legs.
Once, twice.
Each missed strike showed the monkey's growing frustration.
The moment it lost its cool and tried to exploit an opening in Se-woon's calm—
Snap!
The monkey's staff was caught.
Tai Chi Fist.
Using the subtle art of redirecting an opponent's attack, he'd seized the weapon.
Its grip was so strong that even with both hands clamped tight, the monkey could barely hold on.
In that situation, Se-woon's choice was—
Thud!
A kick.
Using the gripped staff as a pivot, he lashed out with legs at the monkey's gut and face.
The monkey desperately gripped the staff to keep it, but that only left it wide open for Se-woon's kicks.
"Damn, you're tough."
After several kicks, Se-woon clicked his tongue.
The heavy feedback through his shins and soles felt similar to facing Kang Han-cheol.
But even that didn't last long.
Crack!
"Kiek!"
Se-woon gathered both feet while holding the staff and smashed them into the monkey's face.
For the first time, it let out a proper monkey screech as it tumbled backward.
Of course, the stone staff it had been holding was now in Se-woon's hands.
"Heavier than it looks."
Se-woon hefted the staff, testing its weight.
Made of stone, it was heavy with zero flexibility.
Even if sturdy, a solid hit to the center would snap it clean.
Probably boosted by system corrections for durability.
💰 TREASURE VAULT OF GREED 💰 [Dog-Beating Staff Method] A secret technique of the Beggars' Sect, created to fend off rabid dogs—the greatest threat while begging.
Se-woon readjusted his grip on the staff.
He didn't love the heavy, inflexible stone rod, but it was more than enough to beat a now-disarmed monkey.
"Kiik...!"
The monkey's eyes widened. It clearly hadn't imagined Se-woon using its own weapon.
The fight that followed was pitifully one-sided.
Thud, thwack!
Crack!
A true beatdown.
True to its name—made for chasing off rabid dogs—the unilateral thrashing continued.
From the moment it lost its weapon, it could no longer fight like a boss monster.
Yet it never tried to flee.
'There's something here.'
Its actions made it clear.
It wasn't just staying at the peak because it was the boss. It hadn't shown itself even while its minions were being slaughtered by Se-woon because it was guarding something.
'That must be it.'
Se-woon eyed the space the monkey desperately protected, his gaze sharpening.
Behind it was an unusually protruding rock formation. Drag marks led beside it.
That rock was clearly blocking something.
Now that he knew, there was no need to drag this out.
Crack!
The heavy stone staff smashed into the monkey's crown.
Something cracked, echoing through the cave. It died without a scream.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ You have defeated the boss monster of Monkey Rock Mountain, 'Monkey Climbing the Cliff'. ✨ LEVEL UP! ✨ Lv. ? → Lv. ?+1 Your personal merits have increased by 1,000 points. You have acquired 'Giant Rock of Monkey Rock Mountain'. The previous two bosses had given 500 merit points each, but this one awarded double that.
Proof that Se-woon's sense of its superior strength wasn't wrong.
Shh...
The stone staff in Se-woon's hand crumbled to sand.
As expected, even made of stone, its performance came from the system's validation.
In exchange, the material item 'Giant Rock of Monkey Rock Mountain.'
'I'll hand this to the old man later.'
Another crafting material—excellent for equipment if used right.
To save time and boost Go Chang-seok as a player, Se-woon planned to leave all gear work to him from now on.
🍴 AUTHORITY OF GLUTTONY 🍴 You have devoured 'Monkey Climbing the Cliff'. Absorbed nutrients: Agility +5, Magic Power +5. Using the Authority of Gluttony yielded boss-worthy stat gains—more than expected.
A total of 10 stats.
The Authority of Greed was incredible, but this Authority of Gluttony was insanely good too.
Having just one would guarantee top ranks in the tower.
Having both? He wasn't aiming for it, but top ranker was the floor, not the ceiling.
"Alright, next..."
Behind the monkey's cleanly devoured corpse, Se-woon placed his hands on the rock blending seamlessly with the background and shoved with all his might.
But the rock refused to budge, not even twitching.
Without the monkey's desperate defense or the drag marks, he'd have dismissed it as nothing.
But now that he knew the truth, Se-woon's actions were decisive.
Grrr...
He activated his dantian, channeling internal energy into his legs.
Dumping all remaining points into Strength, he pushed again—and the rock began to shift.
1cm, 2cm.
As momentum built, Se-woon roared, drawing on his full power.
Then—
Thud!
Something clicked into place, and the rock fully opened.
Revealed between them—
🔍 DISCOVERY ALERT 🔍 Hidden Dungeon: 'Forgotten Hero's Training Ground' discovered. You have achieved an astonishing feat. Reward: 1,000 points acquired. A pitch-black passageway lay revealed.