69 Chapter 69: Mad Monkeys (1/2)

”Hmm…they should be right about…here.”

I stopped in the middle of the forest, consulting the holographic map that was beaming out of my smartphone. A red icon marked my location, indicating that I had indeed reached my destination. There were reports from the nearby villagers of a pack of feral Mad Monkeys raiding their homes, abducting children and slaughtering adults, and as such they had sent a request for help.Even though they were too poor to offer a reward, the money was paid by the Federation, so theoretically any combat mage could take the mission.

I was glad I grabbed it before any of the mercenaries or military organizations did. Then again, there were so many monsters and Emergence events throughout the world that there frequently weren't enough soldiers or combat mages to handle them all. That was why they outsourced the missions to us students. It also provided the benefit of giving amateurs such as us sufficient combat experience as we went into university and improved our chances of joining a prestigious military unit.

Honestly, though…I just wanted to slay some monkeys.

”Scree…!”

Frowning, I turned at the sound of the cry and saw a Mad Monkey. They were E rank monsters, but sometimes they had an Alpha, a Berserk Monkey that led the pack, which was a D rank monster. That explained the D ranking of the mission, otherwise normally Mad Monkeys would only stipulate an E ranking.

Just like the single one that was throwing itself at me right now. Before it could reach me, however, Ursa Major appeared and crushed the poor thing with his claws.

”Thanks,” I told Ursa Major. I had already prepared my summoning spells the moment I reached within 100 meters of this place, just in case I spotted a Mad Monkey. After all, this was the area where villagers reported the most frequent sightings of the Mad Monkeys.

The trees around me shuffled, and I glanced around, but despite the optical functions in my glasses, I couldn't see any of them. They had hidden themselves well, using the trees for cover and staying out of sight.

Like I said, these Mad Monkeys were pretty crafty. They knew how to use complex tactics to ambush their prey. Aware that I had a gigantic bear Constellation spirit protecting me, they kept their distance and were assessing the threat.

I could still sense them nearby, though. The fact that they hadn't retreated meant that they were considering me as a prey, or as a threat to be eliminated. They hadn't fled from fear, after all, and continued to monitor me from the shadows.

They probably thought they could kill me. However, they were intelligent enough to realize that a careless move would result in their deaths, just like how their reckless comrade met a messy death at the paws of my Ursa Major.

The huge bear cocked his head to stare at me questioningly, and I shook my head. I could feel his curiosity mentally, but through that same link he caught a glimpse of my plan. He then smiled – as best as a giant bear could smile anyway – and sat back on his haunches, standing sentry over me just in case a Mad Monkey wanted to take its chances.

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With my back guarded, I could proceed to the next phase of my strategy. See? This was why I didn't need a party or a team. I could essentially summon my own team or party. I did probably have to serve as a supervisor to my juniors next year, when they started taking missions, to ensure they would be fine, but otherwise I was happy going solo.

Closing my eyes, I raised my right hand and completed a second summoning. A flock of Corvus materialized and took to the skies, soaring overhead and sweeping the forest with their eyes and keen senses.

Immediately I could see where all the Mad Monkeys were hidden, their positions embedded deeply inside the canopies of tall trees, the gaps between leaves that exposed their locations from above. The Mad Monkeys still didn't realize, and watched me oddly. One of them bared its fangs and hissed, and a few of them followed its lead. They darted out of the trees to strike at me, trying to probe my defenses.

Bam!

Ursa Major pulverized the lead Mad Monkey before spinning around to swat another into a tree. The poor Mad Monkey collided with the trunk with a sickening crunch, before sliding downward in a slick of blood, every bone in its body broken. A third was stomped underfoot, and a fourth was bitten apart by his fangs. The fifth cowered and frantically retreated, but Ursa Major kicked a boulder, which flew like a railgun projectile and obliterated the fleeing Mad Monkey before it could reach the safety of the trees.

The rest of the pack went still, clinging into their hiding places.

Unfortunately, it was too late. I could see them, thanks to my hovering flock of Corvus. Raising my left hand, I summoned Orion.

”Betelgeuse,” I muttered as I aimed at the sky and infused my right hand with magical energy. A torrent of azure mana shrouded my right arm before flowing through Orion.

The dark gloom of the forest was instantly illuminated as glowing arrows burst out of my bow and streaked upward…only for them to arc before they could pierce the heavens, gently curving downward and raining down in a meteoric shower of destruction.

The Mad Monkeys didn't know what hit them. They were still keeping their eyes on me, and though some noticed something was amiss when I executed my technique, the arrows were traveling too quickly. Some dismissed my attack, wondering why I was aiming toward the sky. The Mad Monkeys probably thought I went mad or something.