Cherreads

Chapter 14 - Chapter 14: The Monkey Paradise Test

The Guild's fabricated dungeon schedule was the perfect weapon. They designed it to control the predictable Rank C hunters, but for me—a reborn Mythical Gauntlet user with hidden Godlike-level tactical knowledge—it was a high-yield investment map. I didn't need to hunt randomly; I just needed to be at the right place at the right time, maximizing my power-to-effort ratio.

My first target was the Monkey Paradise dungeon.

This location was a notorious Rank E challenge, a Green Gate dungeon (Common/Uncommon rank), which usually spawned low-level, highly agile Fanged Apes. Hunters hated it because the enemies were numerous and fast, making combat tiring. But I knew its true value: it had a very high drop rate for Agility Essences and Common Combat Cards—the exact raw materials I needed to stabilize and fully understand the fusion within my Rare Gauntlet.

---

I submitted a mission request for "Mass Ape Cull in Sector 3-A" (the official mission for Monkey Paradise). Juts, still observant and silently uneasy after Aaliyah's death, was instructed to stay clear of the actual dungeon.

"You're tracking my time, Juts," I commanded. "The moment I exit, you take the evidence to the Guild Master. No delays. Our efficiency is our defense."

Juts merely nodded, clutching his common gauntlet. He understood the routine but not the underlying ruthlessness.

I equipped myself minimally: my repaired knife and a satchel of low-grade energy replenishment potions purchased with the leftover Guild Scrip. The true arsenal was hidden: the Summoner's Bell safely locked away in the Storage Ring and the terrifying fusion of essences within my Obsidian Gauntlet.

---

The Monkey Paradise dungeon gate materialized as a shimmering, emerald-green portal behind the abandoned city zoo. I stepped through.

The atmosphere immediately shifted to damp, overgrown ruins, echoing with the screech of apes. The first wave hit immediately: four Fanged Apes, each roughly the size of a large dog, lunging from the shadows.

This was the perfect test environment. I wasn't here for a challenging fight; I was here for a power assessment—to see how my knowledge and my new Gorgon/Miasma essence fusion had altered my basic combat output.

I didn't rely on the Miasma essence's poison. That was for high-level targets. Instead, I focused on the Gorgon Essence, which provided a terrifying, raw kinetic force capability.

As the first ape sprang, I activated the ability. Instead of a direct punch, I released a focused, powerful kinetic burst outward from my fist. The energy wasn't visible—it was a pure force wave.

The resulting sound was a sickening CRACK!

The wave didn't just hit the first ape; it radiated, shattering the air and impacting the three apes behind it simultaneously. The four Fanged Apes, creatures known for their agility, were instantly immobilized mid-leap, their internal structures violently disrupted. They crashed to the ground, dead before they hit the mossy stones.

---

Past Life: A common gauntlet and basic essence would have required four separate, strenuous strikes.

Current Power: My evolved Rare Gauntlet could deliver localized, wide-area Rare-rank kinetic force with minimal energy output. The Plated Gorgon Essence had completely transformed basic combat into a highly efficient area-of-effect killing machine.

I moved deeper, the next waves of apes falling silently to calculated kinetic bursts. My consumption rate was minimal. I was achieving the efficiency of a Rank B hunter while officially being Rank E.

---

The final room held the boss—the Alpha Ape. This monster was larger, its fur tipped with sharp, metallic hairs. I quickly dispatched it with a focused kinetic strike to its head.

The final test was crucial: Essence Stabilization.

I harvested the Alpha Ape Essence and immediately fed it into my gauntlet. Unlike the painful process with the Carrion Crawler, the absorption of the Common-rank Alpha Ape Essence was smooth and almost instantaneous. The Gorgon/Miasma fusion acted like a powerful black hole, instantly stabilizing the new essence.

I had proven my theory: my reborn artifact could not only absorb far above its rank but could also use those high-rank essences to subdue and refine lower-rank essences, integrating them perfectly into my growing power base.

I left the dungeon after only 23 minutes, a time that would have taken an entire Rank E team an hour. I collected the Alpha Ape Cards and their raw furs, ensuring my return would be irrefutable.

Stepping back through the emerald portal, I found Juts waiting, a nervous energy radiating off him.

"Twenty-three minutes," Juts breathed, his eyes wide. "That's... that's impossible. Did you kill the whole colony?"

"Every one," I confirmed, dropping the bag of furs at his feet. "Take this to the Guild immediately. Tell them Dax Jackal requires the Alpha Essence payment processed immediately, and inform them I will be requesting the coordinates for the closest Yellow Gate (Rare-rank) the moment it's available. We're moving on a 48-hour schedule now."

Juts stared at me, no longer seeing a determined twin, but a cold, calculating machine—a machine that was rising so fast it was warping the system around it. The Monkey Paradise was cleared, my power confirmed, and the next step on the path to conquering Vigan was now locked in.

More Chapters