Three Monsters (2) EP.64 Heartbeat
“You should go ahead. I’m staying.”
“What?”
“What do you mean all of a sudden…?”
I spoke with a grave expression, telling everyone to leave. All eyes turned toward me.
“Human, I have no intention of stopping a rival from choosing death, but this strikes me as nothing short of reckless. Why?”
Even Cheongrin, who was essentially no different from a stranger, voiced his incomprehension. I shook my head lightly and answered as though the reason were obvious.
“As you said, Cheongrin, we are rivals. I can’t share the details.”
“Hmm. I see.”
He accepted my words without protest. I handed Geumrin, whom I had been carrying on my back, over to him. Cheongrin nodded and took the young king, who was just beginning to stir.
“I will repay you separately for protecting the king of the merfolk. Then I shall take my leave.”
With that, he swiftly departed. It was his own form of consideration—allowing me to speak freely without fear of being overheard. Once their figures had completely vanished, I began explaining my situation to those who remained.
“I received a quest.”
“Here? I didn’t get anything.”
“It’s a personal quest. I used to receive them occasionally during the tutorial, but they’ve been quiet lately. The difficulty this time is absurd.”
As my explanation continued, confusion spread across their faces. Park Jocheol and Namgung Cheonho, who had personally experienced the monster’s power, looked especially grim.
“That can’t be right. It’s basically telling you to die!”
“I agree with Mr. Park Jocheol. This quest is impossible to clear from the start. We barely managed one Level 5 monster, and now we’re supposed to fight an even stronger one plus a burning one?”
Namgung Cheonho added his opinion, brow furrowed. Still, there was one saving grace: even if I died during the quest, there would be no penalty.
“It’s fine. There’s no penalty for dying, so there’s no real loss. Besides, the quest doesn’t require me to kill them. I just have to fight.”
Even after that explanation, the two men continued to make a fuss, which felt strange. Seo Seyeong and Han Gamin didn’t look pleased either.
“Are you really okay, Ahjussi?”
At Han Gamin’s question, I turned to her. Her expression was complicated and hard to read. In short… she looked angry.
“It’s not about the penalty. You could die.”
Only then did I understand why their faces had darkened. At some point, I had become far too indifferent to death. Of course, I had never actually died. But one thing was certain.
‘Maybe it’s because I’ve come close to dying so many times.’
Thump.
Thump.
My heart began to tremble slowly. Yet when I examined the feeling closely, it wasn’t fear. Memories surfaced of fighting the tutorial dummies with my life on the line, of racing to the Tower’s domain while cutting down zombies. I had fought the master of the first floor alone in solitude and faced countless overwhelmingly powerful martial artists in Murim.
Death? It had long clung to my back, always waiting for the chance to end my life. I had always felt its noose around my neck. But here on the third floor, for the first time, the constellations had granted me permission to fight without holding back or conserving stamina.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Yes. This wasn’t fear.
‘It’s closer to anticipation.’
I couldn’t picture myself losing. Moreover, this was a perfect opportunity to test the limits of fighting with the resolve to die together with my enemies.
“The One Who Knows Only War and Battle” urges you onward.
“Don’t worry, everyone.”
At my words, they fell silent. Some watched me with concern, others with quiet anger toward the constellations. I decided not to dwell on it. What I needed to do now was find a way to defeat those two monsters.
You have accepted the quest.
“I don’t like getting hurt either.”
Leaving them behind, I slowly drew my sword.
“Hmm…”
- Kraaaah!!!
- Haaah…!
After the four of them left, I spent a long time observing the battle between the two monsters. At first, the gap in their strength hadn’t seemed that large. If anything, Landon, being one level higher, had held a slight edge over Death, the Flame Knight. I initially wondered if it was due to the difference in the players’ original abilities, but after watching Death’s power rapidly decline, I realized he had gone all out in the early stages.
‘Well, I would have fought the same way.’
Dragging a fight against a stronger opponent into a prolonged battle is foolish. Besides, Landon had already expended considerable energy chasing us here. It was only natural for a relatively weaker fighter to stake everything when facing a tired master. The problem was that even Death’s Level 5 abilities weren’t enough to overcome the exhausted Level 6 Landon.
‘No… maybe this was enough?’
The Death Forest, reduced to ruins by their clash, came into view. The aftermath of colliding polar energies and the blind attacks that had rained in every direction. I couldn’t judge precisely without being hit, but one solid blow would have left an ordinary player with nothing but scattered bones.
“The One Who Knows Only War and Battle” is growing bored.
The longer I watched, the more the constellation that issued the quest began to pressure me. Still, I had already planned to join the fight soon, so there was no need for concern.
“Alright, then…”
I checked my treasures one by one and confirmed my current status.
Skills: Quick Understanding (C-), Wholehearted Devotion (C+), Cheonwol Divine Art (B+)
Trait: Latent Unique Skill
Remaining Coins: 70,000 C
At first, I noticed the stats that had risen slightly thanks to rewards from clearing the second floor and various accessories obtained on the third. Then I carefully removed the red ring from my finger and placed it in my pocket.
Vitality has decreased.
Vitality Lv.32 → Vitality Lv.31
One of the third floor’s rules: even if multiple accessories are worn, only one effect applies per body part. What I intended to use was the small ring Park Jocheol had obtained after defeating the Witch of Cold.
Type: Treasure | Rank: A+
An item once held by the witch. It can summon a specific monster for a limited time, but a medium related to the monster is required.
Effects: Monster Summoning Possible | Must possess a monster fragment
While watching the two monsters fight, I kept thinking about the items I possessed. Even if one of them fell and was exhausted, I couldn’t be certain of victory in a one-on-one fight. What I found was none other than the gem I had obtained from the first monster I encountered after the individual competition began.
Type: Treasure | Rank: Lv.4
A stone engraved with a white ape.
Effect: ■■■
A stone similar to the black pearl the White Ape had left behind. I had been pondering its use. Among items obtained from hunting Level 4 monsters, it was the only one that felt completely useless. At first, I wondered if it was merely meant to increase the treasure count. But seeing that its effect was hidden, I couldn’t help suspecting there was more to it.
Possessing “Monster Fragment.”
“Stone of the White Ape” is reacting to “Ring of Summoning.”
The moment I equipped the Ring of Summoning, I knew my guess had been correct.
Effect of “Stone of the White Ape” has activated.
Mana flowed from the ring and struck the ground, forming a black magic circle. The process of summoning a Level 4 monster. Moments later, in a burst of light, the White Ape I had seen in the jungle stood before me.
- Grur…?
Scratching its head, the massive, hairy beast looked at me with an expression that seemed to ask what on earth was happening. But its face soon hardened, and it began pounding its chest.
- U! U! U! U!
It looked flustered and strangely angry. The next message told me exactly why the ape was glaring at me.
Wild “White Ape Lv.4” has been summoned.
Summon will be maintained for 1 hour.
The Ring of Summoning truly summoned real monsters. Thinking about it, it made sense. If someone could freely command Level 4 monsters that served as regional bosses on the third floor, the ring would break the balance far too severely.
‘Damn it. At this rate, I’ll just have to pit this guy against them too…’
But then a memory flashed through my mind.
Shring!
- Uwooooh!
The moment I drew my sword, the ape flew into a rage. It had recognized the weapon and realized it was in danger. However, I had no intention of attacking it.
“Look at this!”
I began swinging the sword through empty air, not at the ape. Moonlight Sword Art, Second Form. The blade began to emit light in accordance with the technique’s opening stance. The ape, which had been blankly watching the light, started wiggling its rear. It liked shiny things. If I had summoned any other monster, this method wouldn’t have worked, but fortunately it worked on this one.
“Huu…”
I slowly moved the sword, tracing the path I would send the sword energy along. The Flame Knight, exhausted and collapsed, was gradually losing its flames as it was pushed back by the Frost Knight’s energy. Yet the Frost Knight, Landon, no longer radiated the same chilling aura as before.
“Let’s go, monkey!”
Chwaaaak!
Without further hesitation, I unleashed sword energy toward them. The ape, drooling as it followed behind, was somehow even more threatening. It was almost comical.
Uwaaaang!