"Take out that monkey, and I'll let you cop a feel," Keith said playfully, nodding towards the beefy primate, which looked more like a bodybuilder gorilla.
"You think I'm some kind of perv who'd risk it all just to grab a handful of your average-sized chest?" Kevin shot back, eyeing the monkey as it expertly peeled a piece of fruit with its sharp claws and rock-hard hands.
Despite its jacked physique, the monkey had long limbs and a slim body, making it surprisingly agile.
"I remember someone saying they'd gladly meet their maker for a chance to touch my heavenly bod," Keith teased.
"That was ages ago; I'm a changed man now," Kevin replied, a touch of fear in his eyes as he kept an eye on the monkey. "Last time I tangled with one of these guys, I came way too close to becoming monkey chow."
"But they're the perfect sparring partners for honing your skills, right after humans, of course. Unless you'd rather take me on," she said, sending a shiver down his spine. He quickly shook his head, not eager to test his mettle against her once again.
"Tch, I was really hoping to kick your butt," she said with a hint of longing. "If you want to avoid getting your behind handed to you, go deal with it."
Kevin gulped at the thought. On one side, there was the razor-clawed monkey, and on the other, its hulking partner, the blonde gorilla. Running away would be his preference, but he'd come here to train and was determined to face the challenge.
For the past four days, he'd been duking it out with all sorts of monsters in the jungle, surviving on meager rations. Today marked his last day in this wild, beast-infested place, and he hoped he'd return with all his limbs intact. Keith, though, seemed hell-bent on pushing him to the limit, making him face off against a two-horned bull, a gale wolf, and more. But despite the hardships, the training had paid off, and Kevin had finally reached the rank of an intermediate soldier in blade combat.
"Give me a hand if I happen to misplace a limb or two, alright?" he said, strolling out from behind the tree and taunting the monkey, which was leisurely enjoying its meal. "Hey there, monkey face, what's on your menu?"
"Is that meant to be an insult?" Keith muttered in confusion.
Although it technically wasn't an insult, it seemed to do the trick, as the brown and black monkey screamed at Kevin in anger and leaped from the tree toward him. Kevin stood ready with knives in his hands.
"Soldier blade, first move: Armor Destroyer," he mumbled under his breath. As the monkey approached, he swiftly swung his blade through the air, causing the monkey to cry out in pain without even making physical contact. Soon, the brown fur darkened as blood oozed from the slashes inflicted by Armor Destroyer.
The monkey appeared stunned, as it was clearly a meter away from Kevin. How could he have hurt it from such a distance? As it tried to fathom how this seemingly ordinary human had inflicted pain on it without making physical contact, a sharp pain shot through its shoulder, spurting blood, and it soon felt slashes all over its body as Kevin wielded his knife with incredible speed.
Kevin continued for ten seconds, and the monkey's grey fur turned crimson, creating a pool of blood where it had been standing. It glared at Kevin with fury, while he finished his maneuver, panting heavily and wearing an excited smile. "I did it."
As Kevin spoke, the monkey collapsed, its life fading from its eyes.
"Yeah, you did," Keith said with a smile as she emerged from behind the tree.
"Hahaha, see that, you cheeky monkey? I'm a genius!" Kevin exclaimed, waving his knife in the air while laughing with excitement.
"Don't get too carried away. You only managed to take it down because it had lousy defenses. If you tried that on a boar, every bone in your body would be shattered," she said, walking over to the monkey and removing its hand before stashing it in her pouch.
"Can't you just be happy that I finally executed the first move correctly?" Kevin grumbled, looking annoyed at Keith's dismissal of his hard work.
"Yeah, yeah, you did great," Keith said with a sigh, observing Kevin's exaggerated celebration.
Hearing her approval, Kevin's face lit up with a smile, and he asked, "So, no more monster hunting for now?"
In response, Keith smirked and nodded, saying, "Yeah, no more monster hunting from now on."
"Then let's head back to the hotel. I really want to sleep in a proper bed tonight," Kevin said excitedly. He hadn't enjoyed a good night's sleep in all four days, sometimes due to the cold, sometimes the heat, and at times, Keith making it challenging by treating him as hugging teddy bear and making him hard for all night long and when he try to make it soft, she would through him out of the tent. It was really hard for him all this nights.
Keith gazed up at the darkening sky, shaking her head, and remarked, "Let's camp in the forest tonight and head back tomorrow morning."
"Why?" Kevin questioned, as they could easily make it back before nightfall.
"I've made up my mind, and that's final," she replied sternly, then added, "Now, head towards the river, and I'll meet you there."
"Where are you off to this time?" Kevin inquired, as she had been darting around while he battled monsters, and every time, she claimed it was for gathering intelligence.
"Intel gathering about what?" Kevin muttered, noticing she hadn't mentioned it this time and had simply vanished into the jungle. He grumbled as he reluctantly made his way toward the river, their usual spot for cleaning up after a day of training.
Kevin cautiously approached the river, maintaining a safe distance as he scanned his surroundings for any signs of danger. Satisfied that everything appeared to be calm, he slowly inched closer to the water's edge. With deliberate care, he began to cleanse himself, washing away the dirt and sweat he had accumulated throughout the day.
Unbeknownst to him, a pair of malevolent, bloodthirsty eyes fixated on him with a cruel intent, lurking in the shadows nearby.
Read 𝓁at𝙚st chapters at (f)re𝒆we(b)novel.com Only