Among the monsters that appear during the Rite of Passage, there's one that looks remarkably like a monkey—called a Manki.Unlike Deadmen, it's an actual "monster," albeit a rather low-level one. Covered in soft fur and with virtually no defense, Mankis are nevertheless tricky due to their devious behavior and their tendency to move in groups of four or five.For beginner users, they're a hassle to fight alone.
"Ook! Ooh ooh!"
And now, we were in the middle of a battle with five human-sized monkeys. With their hefty bodies and long tails, Mankis were slow-moving monsters, though they had decent strength. Occasionally, they'd jump high into the air and attempt to slam down, but if you could predict the landing spot, it wasn't hard to dodge.
"Ook ook! Ooh ooh!"
"Watch out!"
Ahn Hyun and Kim Han-byeol were struggling against three of the creatures. I was distracting one, while Lee Yoo-jung was handling the last one.We were outnumbered—at least in terms of numbers.
It was then that I noticed one of the Mankis suddenly withdraw from the fight with Ahn Hyun. It crouched low and shifted its direction—toward me. Given the situation, it should have gone for the more vulnerable Yoo-jung, but Mankis rarely attacked females.
That's because they're creatures driven by a grotesque obsession with sex and reproduction. Whenever they spotted female fairies or human women, they'd go wild with lust. They seemed to be planning to finish off the men and abduct the women.
"Hyung! Yoo-jung! Watch out! One of them is missing!"
Ahn Hyun shouted. Now fighting only two Mankis, things were a bit easier for him. Still, letting your guard down in a life-or-death battle was careless. Upon hearing his shout, Yoo-jung instinctively tensed up, her stance becoming more defensive.
Then, the crouched Manki shrieked and leapt high into the air. That was the moment I was waiting for.
Ping!
Without hesitation, I released my bowstring. The arrow whistled through the air and pierced straight through the Manki's head. Using gravity as a weapon is fine—but not if you freeze mid-air. Or maybe the thing simply didn't think I'd hit it. I've been going easy on them for the sake of training, after all.
Hah… not that they'd know.
"Oppa! Look out to your side!"
I know.As I'd taken out the leaping one, another Manki had rushed at me from the side, trying to slam its palm down on me. I dodged it with barely an inch to spare and immediately drove the arrow in my right hand into its head. A clean counterattack—the arrowhead sunk deep into its flesh.
"Kiieeeeh…!"
Thud!
The Manki collapsed with a pathetic screech. At the same time, the one I shot mid-air also fell to the ground. Two down in just three seconds.
Quickly reloading, I scanned the battlefield.Everyone else was still fighting, more or less evenly.
Ahn Hyun was skillfully using his longsword and shield. Kim Han-byeol was swinging a slightly thinner but long sword, albeit a bit clumsily. Yoo-jung wielded two short daggers with sharpened tips but was having a harder time due to her shorter reach.
From what I could see, Ahn Hyun was blocking with his shield while Han-byeol took advantage of openings to strike. When a solid hit landed, they'd move in together to finish the job. The teamwork was rough but effective.
Yoo-jung, on the other hand, was being pushed back—her short range preventing her from getting in close. She managed to nick the Manki now and then, but mostly flailed her daggers without success.
Then again, it had only been 3–4 days since they first picked up weapons. Expecting more would've been unfair. Still, they were adapting to the Rite of Passage at an astounding rate, proving themselves promising users.
I let out a sigh and raised my crossbow toward the Manki Yoo-jung was fighting—not to kill it, just to create an opening.
Ping!
"Kiieee!"
The arrow hit the Manki's right lung. Unlike Deadmen, Mankis feel pain, and this one twisted its body and howled. Yoo-jung, spotting the opportunity, didn't hesitate. With a glint in her eyes, she ducked low and darted forward, agile as ever thanks to her 50 agility stat.
"Die, you damn rapist monkey bastard!"
She screamed and crossed her daggers with force, as if facing a lifelong enemy. From the side, I heard Ahn Hyun's battle cry too—seemed he'd landed a finishing blow as well.
One second. Two. Three. Four. Five. After counting to five, I looked around.All the Mankis were now lying in a heap, lifeless. Yoo-jung's target had a giant X slashed into its chest. The ones fought by Ahn Hyun and Han-byeol bore serious wounds too. They'd worn down their enemies with minor injuries before finishing them off. Ah, this must be what they call the joy of mentoring.
The three glanced at the two Mankis I'd taken down, shook their heads, and dropped to the ground, panting hard. Understandably exhausted—it was their first time fighting five at once instead of one per day.
"Ugh… damn it. I'm covered in monkey blood. So gross."
Flicking her short hair, Yoo-jung spat on the ground. Her bloodstained body sprawled across the dirt like a war goddess—fierce and strangely beautiful. Ahn Hyun and Han-byeol weren't much better off, clothes torn and stained with dried blood. Only An Sol and I remained relatively clean.
I closed my eyes and fell into thought.
It had been three days since we left the city. Including day one, that made five days of survival. At this pace, we could reach the warp gate on day six—or at worst, day seven.
For the past five days, our routine had been simple but intense: walk, fight, rest. Rinse and repeat.
We almost lost An Sol during our first encounter with a Mandragora—a plant monster that burst from the ground, mouth agape. The others screamed in terror, but I was able to respond in time. Afterward, Han-byeol and Yoo-jung changed. At the next save point, they grabbed weapons and declared they would fight too.
Ahn Hyun hesitated at first but couldn't sway their determination. Whether they wanted to help or simply feared depending solely on us, I wasn't sure. But I saw something in their eyes: a desperate will to survive.
Since then, we'd continued moving, and eventually encountered a female user near Manki territory. She was already dead when we found her—her body mangled, barely clothed, covered in bruises.Worse, she was still… leaking, her body bearing signs of horrific abuse. Judging by the blood at her mouth, she'd likely taken her own life before they could finish.
Yoo-jung flew into a rage at the sight, demanding revenge.We soon encountered five Mankis nearby, their genitals exposed. Most likely, they had just finished with the previous victim and were drawn to Yoo-jung's shout—or her scent.
The result? Our victory.
With a deep breath, I brought myself out of my thoughts.
"Sol, hand me a towel and water Han—one bottle."
"…What?"
Han-byeol snapped at Yoo-jung's slip of the tongue.
"Ah—sorry. I meant 'Han-byeol,' not 'Hanbyul' the bottle. I'm tired."
"Hehehe… Yes~ You did great, unnie~"
"Great, my ass. What's up with oppa? He just wipes out those damn monkeys like they're nothing! Gimme that crossbow! I wanna use one too!"
I laughed awkwardly at Yoo-jung's whining. If only you knew.
Back then, I had no one to help me. I clawed my way up from the bottom, swinging a sword just to stay alive.
But I said nothing—just smiled.
Now that they'd had a taste of combat, they were beginning to notice something different about me. Ahn Hyun, though gasping for air, stared at me with intense focus.
"Hyung… were you, like, in a special forces unit or something? How are you so good with a crossbow?"
"…You learn all this in the military nowadays."
"Oh, please. That's a lie. Maybe shooting guns, but crossbows?"
"You think the army's just about guns and shooting? We learn bayonet skills, Taekwondo, knife fighting, shuriken throwing, archery, and yes—crossbows too."
Their expressions twisted in confusion. Only Han-byeol smirked—clearly she wasn't buying it.
That was fine. We had a stable team now, and a little exaggeration wasn't going to hurt.
"Ugh, forget it. I'm too tired. Gonna rest now."
"Then at least sit up or stay alert. What if we get ambushed?"
"I don't care. Sol~ Can I get some chocolate? I'm starving."
"Sol, give oppa one too."
"Me as well, please."
"Coming~ Right away~"
Sol jumped into action, responding to their requests without hesitation. Given her helpful personality, she didn't seem to mind. Plus, Ahn Hyun had insisted she stay out of direct combat.
Smiling as she handed out water bottles, I sat down slowly.
Humans are incredibly adaptable—especially when it comes to survival.Just days ago, these girls were civilians.Now, they were slashing at monsters with practiced movements.
I remembered how I trembled the first time I killed a living thing. But there they were, progressing faster than I ever had.
Still, I had lingering concerns. It was one thing to kill monsters that threatened your life. But what if their enemy was human? Would they hesitate then?
I doubted there would be a chance to test that soon.
"Alright, guys. Time to move. We need to find a yellow roof before it gets dark. Hyung, you good?"
"Yeah."
A rest room, huh? They'd be harder to find the closer we got to the gate. But I didn't mention that.
As everyone brushed off the dirt and got to their feet, I prepared to do the same—when something made me freeze.
Though I'd disabled my mana-sensing skill to conserve energy, I could still sense something approaching.
And then—through the rustling bushes—voices.
"Yo, who the hell are these guys?"
Four figures emerged from the thicket, pushing through the undergrowth.
We weren't alone anymore.