Morning came slowly.
Not with peace—but with hunger.
My stomach gnawed at me like a monster of its own, and the jungle greeted us with damp air and distant roars that reminded me I was still very much food to something bigger.
I opened my eyes under the broad-leafed tree where we camped. The monkey was already awake, perched above me, scanning the forest like a sentry.
"…You didn't sleep, did you?" I whispered.
He flicked his tail once. Professional. Dedicated. Slightly judgmental.
I pushed myself up, flexing sore fingers. My hands hurt—not injured, but worked. Callouses were forming beneath my fur. That alone felt strange.
Tools did that.
They changed hands.
---
Training Begins
I gathered everything we'd made yesterday—rough spears, weighted stones, vine traps, sharpened sticks.
Crude. Ugly. Effective.
"Alright," I muttered. "No more panic fighting. We train."
The monkey tilted his head.
"You're not just throwing fruit anymore," I said, pointing at him. "You distract. You bait. You move."
The monkey smirked.
Oh.
He liked that.
We started small.
I set up a target—tree bark scored with claws. I hurled stones, again and again. Misses. Glancing hits. Then finally—
THUD.
Direct impact.
I exhaled.
"Again."
By midday my arms burned, my aim sharpened, and my throws stopped being desperate.
Then came the spears.
I planted my feet. Breath in. Breath out.
Threw.
The spear stabbed into soft wood and stuck.
The monkey let out an impressed screech.
"Don't get cocky," I said… even though my chest swelled.
---
attach
---
Teamwork
Training turned into movement drills.
I moved. The monkey darted. I threw. He followed.
We practiced signals: • One tap = distraction • Two taps = flank • Long screech = danger
It wasn't spoken.
It didn't need to be.
Something… clicked.
The jungle stopped feeling like chaos.
It started feeling like a board.
And we were learning where the pieces moved.
The system didn't interrupt.
It was watching.
---
The Test
We didn't plan to hunt.
We just found prey.
Three medium-sized dinosaurs—lean, fast, hunting together.
Predators.
I froze.
The monkey didn't.
He grabbed my ear once.
Focus.
I nodded slowly.
"Positions."
The monkey vanished into the canopy.
I crouched low, heart hammering—not fear this time.
Anticipation.
The lead predator stepped closer.
I waited.
Waited.
NOW.
I hurled a stone.
CRACK.
It hit the creature's skull sideways—not killing it, but stunning it.
The monkey screeched above.
Chaos erupted.
One predator lunged for me—I rolled, jammed a sharpened stick into the ground, and let its momentum impale itself halfway.
Blood sprayed.
The third predator turned to flee.
The monkey landed on its face like a flying nightmare, slashing, shrieking, blinding it.
I threw the final spear.
Clean.
The forest fell silent.
I stood there, shaking—not from fear—
From victory.
We did it.
Without luck.
Without poop.
Without panic.
---
System Recognition
The screen flickered.
Not flashy.
Respectful.
[Combat Efficiency Increased]
[Tool-Based Coordination: Established]
[Bond Level – Monkey Companion: HIGH]
[Hidden Condition Met: Cognitive Evolution Pathway – SEED FORMED]
I frowned.
"…Seed?"
The monkey looked at his hands.
Then at mine.
Then slowly… flexed his fingers in imitation.
We both froze.
Something was changing.
Not yet.
But soon.
---
A New Truth
We dragged the kills into cover.
We ate.
We rested.
As the sun dipped low, I looked at my hands again.
Scarred. Steady. Capable.
"I'm not just surviving anymore," I whispered.
The monkey sat beside me, chewing quietly.
I smiled.
"We're hunting."
And somewhere deep within my bones—
Something ancient stirred.
Not strength.
Not magic.
Progress