122
Chapter 122
The troop of monkeys fled in a hurry.
My Luck Breath landed a direct hit on the back of one of them.
The rest of the troop immediately rushed over to the monkey that was hit, supporting it as they ran away.
They truly were a species with deep camaraderie.
A short while after the monkey troop disappeared like that.
"Ooki."
"Ookiki."
The monkeys that had run away started creeping back.
Swinging through the trees, the troop stared blankly at us.
They didn't come back for revenge.
It was obvious just by looking at them; there was no hostility in their expressions.
They probably realized belatedly that it was all a misunderstanding.
After all, one of their own was hit by the breath and was completely fine.
Without even the slightest scratch.
"Gom-gom-gom! Gom-gom-gom-gom!"
I wasn't attacking you!
I gave you a good buff as a present!
I shouted to the monkeys.
"Ooki, ooki."
"Ookiki."
The monkeys observed us for a while, exchanged glances, and then started throwing bananas again.
It wasn't an attack, but rather them giving us gifts.
I was just glad the misunderstanding was cleared up.
"Is it really okay to eat this-yong?"
"It is fine. It is quite tasty, so try a bite."
"Yong? Has Mama tried it before-yong?"
"I have eaten bananas received as a gift from the Dancing Monkeys in the past."
The Vampire picked up a banana.
And naturally took the first bite.
Are you supposed to eat that banana without peeling it?
Seeing the Vampire eat the banana, the Little Yellow Dragon and the others followed suit, grabbing bananas and taking a bite.
"Yong-yong? It is really delicious-yong."
"Woong, woong."
"Woooong, it is decent enough to eat-yong."
"It's sweet, ribbit."
"Kyua... It's sweet, but it seems to have a slightly bitter taste as well..."
I also picked up a banana.
And peeled off the yellow skin.
The pure white flesh was revealed.
Now it finally looked appetizing.
Munch, munch.
I shoved it into my mouth without hesitation and chewed.
It tasted like an ordinary banana.
In other words, it was delicious.
"Woong?"
"Oh my? Son-in-law Bear is eating it peeled?"
"Yooong?! I thought you were supposed to eat the peel-yong?"
"Kyuhuk? That was how you eat it?"
"You eat it in a fascinating way, ribbit."
While everyone was surprised.
The Vampire pointed up at the trees and said.
"Normally, eating the peel is the proper way. Even those Dancing Monkeys eat it without peeling, don't they?"
She was right.
I guess eating it with the peel is the norm around here.
Even so, I think I'll just peel it before eating.
Because I have faint memories of my past life, this method feels more familiar.
Besides, there's no right or wrong way to eat it anyway.
"Kyuaa! It tastes better peeled! There's no bitter taste at all!"
The Giant Fist Lesser Panda also tried eating it my way.
It seemed that eating it peeled suited its taste buds better.
However, everyone else said it was tastier to just eat it as is.
They claimed that eating it without the peel made the flavor somewhat bland.
We all ate the bananas in our own ways.
The Red Panda and I ate them after peeling, the Vampire, the Frog, and the Little Yellow Dragon ate them with the peel, and Tosun's Mom and Tosuni ate them with the carrots they brought along, wearing satisfied smiles.
I guess it makes a pretty good combination.
"Ooki!"
"Ookiki, ooki!"
Once we were all enjoying the bananas,
the monkeys chattered happily with satisfied smiles and started throwing even more bananas.
Hey, you can stop giving us more now.
What's with these overly generous monkeys?
"Ribbit... It is fascinating that the Dancing Monkeys are giving us so many gifts. I have never received a gift from them until now... Although, the number of times I have run into them can be counted on one hand, ribbit."
"The reason you haven't received any gifts is because the Dancing Monkeys don't like you. Honestly, it isn't like you have a likable appearance, do you?"
Ms. Vampire.
It's true that the Frog doesn't exactly have a likable face...
But it's still not nice to hit him so hard with the facts.
Especially since you two aren't even that close.
"Kyuaa! I'm sorry for getting mad earlier! I didn't know you were giving us gifts!"
The Red Panda threw both of its hands up and apologized in a loud voice.
It looked fierce on the outside, but it seemed to have a kind heart.
"And thanks for giving us the bananas! Kyuak!!!"
"Ooki, ookiki!"
The monkeys didn't follow us anymore.
They stopped in the trees and waved at us as we moved further away.
We also waved our hands and bid them farewell.
***
Gurgle, gurgle.
The Giant Centipede entered the Volcanic Zone.
Lava was boiling up everywhere on the ground.
Rustle, rustle-
The Giant Centipede moved forward, dodging the lava with dazzling footwork.
While we were traveling like that.
From far away, two monsters with massive builds began running toward us while letting out roars.
"Gooooo!"
"Goooooo!!!"
[Flame Bear lv.30]
┗Pw.90
┗Rnk.Superior
[Domain: Fire]
┗Rank - Rare
[Flame Bear lv.32]
┗Pw.96
┗Rnk.Superior
[Domain: Fire]
┗Rank - Rare
It was a Flame Bear.
So this was their habitat.
But no matter how you looked at it, they didn't seem to be coming over to happily greet us...
"Goo, goooo!"
"Gooooo!"
Fireballs were generated above the heads of the Flame Bears.
Those Fireballs flew rapidly toward us.
What the, attacking us right off the bat?
...It seemed they recognized us as prey the moment they spotted us.
We weren't hit.
The Giant Centipede running forward dodged it with a swish-
Did it have eyes on the back of its head?
"Kyua? Are they giving us presents too?"
"Why would they do that? That is just an attack, ribbit."
The Frog pulled the Red Panda back.
It might be different for the others, but the Red Panda would face Instant Death if hit by that Fireball.
The two Flame Bears continued to chase after us.
I stared straight at them from the back of the Giant Centipede.
"Gom!!!"
Get lost!
I shouted in a booming voice.
I didn't want to fight if possible.
They probably had no connection to Jjokkomi, but they were still her kin.
"Gooooo!"
"Goooooo!!"
The Flame Bears ignored my warning.
Once again, they summoned Fireballs to attack.
This time too, the Giant Centipede dodged on its own.
"Woom, I can feel clear hostility-yong."
"Wooong!"
"Yooong? Why are they so fierce-yong? Shouldn't they be nice if they are the same species as Mama Jjokkomi-yong?"
"Didn't I tell you before? Most of the Flame Bear species naturally possess a ferocious temperament like that. It is just our Flame... no, Inferno Bear that is unique."
"Gom...."
Sigh.
I tried to show mercy....
It couldn't be helped.
Letting them off the hook just because they were Flame Bears ended here.
Since they ignored my warning, their deaths were their own fault.
[Execute Module - Barrage Mode.]
Whir- click!
My stomach split in half.
Several gun barrels popped out from inside.
Soon after,
Gom-rat-a-tat-tat-!!!
Large bullets shaped like bear faces shot out of the muzzles.
"Goo!?"
"Goo!!!"
With holes riddled all over their bodies.
The charging Flame Bears collapsed.
The information of those guys who turned into honeycombs no longer appeared.
They were dead.
Alright, taken care of.
Who told them to pick a fight with us anyway?
They should have realized their place and retreated when I asked nicely.
I was going to let it slide once because they were the Flame Bear species.
The corpses of the Flame Bears were growing distant.
I was looking at them with a regretful face, and just as I was about to turn my back forward...
"Jeeeee!?"
The Giant Centipede cried out in surprise and came to a sudden halt.
What the, why the sudden stop?!
Startled myself, I looked ahead.
A massive number of Flame Bears were blocking the path forward.
Not only that, but Flame Bears were also slowly approaching from the left and right, surrounding us.
Swish- As I turned my head, I saw that the back was the same.
The Flame Bears had moved quickly to block our escape route.
Wow, there sure are a lot of them.
Just how many are there?
They definitely weren't here a moment ago, so I have no idea where they popped out from.
Regardless, we were completely surrounded.
Hmmm.
There's no way out.
Will we inevitably have to clash with the Flame Bear species itself?
Just as I was having those thoughts.
"Goo."
From within the group of Flame Bears.
A guy who looked like the Leader strode forward.
It was an individual with a scar on its left eye.
[Magma Bear lv.70]
┗Pw.280
┗Rnk.Rare
[Domain: Fire]
┗Rank - Rare
Oh my.
That's way beyond what I can handle, isn't it?
It was even stronger than the Vampire.
Of course, that wasn't a problem.
Because we have the strongest, Tosun's Mom.
Alright! Tosun's Mom, move out!
...Wait, hold on a second.
Let me try attacking once before that.
There's naturally a very high chance my attack won't work, but I still wanted to test it out.
I was curious if I could at least leave a small scratch.
Even though the power difference is overwhelming, the Mecha Teddy Bear is presumed to be a special entity.
"Woooong, their expressions are absolutely full of hostility-yong. By the looks of it, they seem to have designated us as prey... It doesn't seem like conversation will work, so I should step up this ti-"
"Gooooo!!!"
Even before Tosun's Mom could finish her sentence.
The Magma Bear created a massive chunk of lava above its head.
At that moment, I launched a surprise attack.
Gom-rat-a-tat-tat-!!!
Bullets shaped like bear faces were fired.
The bullets scored a direct hit right on the Magma Bear's face.
"Goooooo!!!"
Oops.
It didn't work at all.
It didn't leave even a tiny scratch.
As expected, I'm still not strong enough.
While I was scratching my head in embarrassment.
[The 'Immoral Child' achievement...]
[Correction.]
[You have achieved the 'One Who Attacked Their Parents' achievement.]
[There is no reward.]
Out of nowhere, an achievement was unlocked.