Monkey Evolution

"What is that thing?"

Where did it come from?

Mamadou immediately checked his SP and realized that several of his skills had activated.

Among them were Pain Resistance and Poison Resistance.

I’ve been careless!

It was true that he had lowered his guard while eating, but this was not something he could have avoided through caution alone.

Mamadou gritted his teeth.

Everything he owned was behind the monster. Aside from his natural weapons, he had nothing on him.

According to the information he had gathered, he was still far from the truly dangerous territories. Most of the monsters he could encounter in this area should have been prey for him.

However, he had not expected to run into a Level 10 monster.

Being slightly above that level himself, he knew exactly how dangerous monsters of that rank could be.

The monster immediately lunged toward Mamadou and swung its forelimbs at him.

Since Mamadou could not completely evade the attack, he took the blow on his shoulder, twisting his body and shifting sideways to reduce the damage.

Because of his small size, the maneuver was easier to execute.

The moment he did so, he climbed the nearby tree.

I’ve lost the use of my eyes, haven’t I?

Is it because of that liquid from earlier?

Is it poison or acid?

If it were only acid, my Poison Resistance wouldn’t have activated.

But since my condition isn’t getting worse, I assume the poison part was stopped.

However, because my vision isn’t returning, I suppose there’s acid mixed in as well.

Tch.

I really was careless.

I’ll have to level up since that restores my health, but if my sight doesn’t come back, I’ll be forced to evolve.

But neither option seems possible right now since I haven’t fulfilled any of the conditions.

Although Mamadou did not consider himself particularly intelligent, he thought quickly.

More importantly, he made decisions.

He immediately leaped toward the Kang of Komodo.

The creature hopped slightly backward and, with one of its short yet powerful arms, struck Mamadou directly in the stomach.

The blow sent him flying.

He twisted his body once more to soften the impact of the landing.

???

"What was that?!"

Everything had happened so quickly until now that he had not taken the time to examine the Kang of Komodo more closely.

He was beginning to understand what he was dealing with.

Since he could not see, he could not determine the monster’s overall appearance.

All he perceived was a moving shape.

A mass of heat.

He was using his heat detection ability in place of his eyes, which came with both advantages and disadvantages.

"What a pain."

As he thought, he felt the monster’s gaze fixed on him.

Yet the creature did not move.

The moment Mamadou twitched his fingers, however, he saw the heat signature rush toward him.

He stepped out of the trajectory and simultaneously attempted to slash what he believed was the creature’s face.

But in the middle of the movement, the monster tilted its chin upward, avoiding Mamadou’s claws.

I’m at a disadvantage.

It’s faster than me.

And yet it behaves strangely.

I don’t have time to figure out where the basket is and retrieve it.

Should I abandon it and run?

No.

I won’t be able to complete the quest.

Besides, where could I even run in this condition?

The water is out of the question.

That thing is deep enough to be dangerous.

I have no other choice except to level up...

Since it stopped moving after I stopped moving, let’s test something.

[Kang of Komodo: A bipedal reptilian monster capable of spitting corrosive venom. Its disproportionate legs allow it to leap over great distances. Its skeletal structure enables it to crawl, jump, or swim. It is highly dexterous with its arms, making it a monster capable of surviving in many different environments. The Kang of Komodo kills its prey slowly.]

What is this thing?

Its shape made me think of a kangaroo, but it’s actually an abomination.

I’m afraid to imagine what it truly looks like.

This is going to be complicated.

But it’s a challenge.

If I can’t beat it, I’ll retreat.

Still, the best outcome is to kill it and level up.

And for that...

Mamadou sprang toward the Kang of Komodo and activated his skill at point-blank range.

[Claw Skill]

But there was something he could not know.

The effective range of that skill compared to the Kang of Komodo’s reach.

The monster merely leaned its head backward and threw a punch at Mamadou.

Mamadou crashed to the ground.

Since when do monsters know how to box?

Because the blow had landed squarely on his face, blood flowed from his nose.

A vein bulged on his forehead.

Perhaps it was the first time that he was not afraid of an enemy but instead felt genuinely annoyed beyond measure.

He was truly irritated now.

And of all times, I had to lose my vision.

He watched the heat signature perform small hops from side to side while waving what appeared to be its short, powerful arms.

I still have plenty of Health Points.

My SP is still there too.

I can use my skills several more times.

There’s no reason I can’t kill this bastard.

Krik

Krik

"Son of a—"

No.

Calm down.

It’s literally written in its description.

It kills its prey slowly.

I think this monster might be sapient.

I don’t know exactly how intelligent it is, but it probably believes the poison it spat on me is taking effect.

By forcing me to move around constantly, it’s trying to accelerate the process.

Hehe.

Stupid monster.

You’re going to die by my hands.

If only it would attack me.

Mamadou refused to let himself be humiliated by a monster.

Even without Osbone, he was confident in his skills and, above all, in his stats.

But his confidence did not come solely from that.

You’re the perfect opponent to test this.

Ever since Mamadou discovered that exercise also influenced his stats, he had conducted all kinds of experiments.

And in his former world, Mamadou had not exactly been what people would call weak.

He had trained extensively and learned various forms of self-defense.

Furthermore, because he had been bullied during his youth, the pursuit of strength was something deeply rooted within him.

All those years of experience had not been wasted.

He had successfully adapted what he had learned and was now in the process of developing what could be called martial arts.

In the future, the foundations of Mamadou’s power would be his skills, magic, and martial arts—disciplines fundamentally different from anything that had existed in his former world.