Rowan ran.
He ran with no form, no technique, and certainly no stamina. His boots kicked up little clouds of dirt as he darted through the forest, ducking under low-hanging branches and sidestepping tree roots that looked like they were trying to trip him on purpose. The forest was alive with sounds now, most of them coming from behind him. The snarls and shrieks of the monkey creature echoed through the trees, loud and sharp like screeches scraping against his eardrums.
"Why is this thing still chasing me?!" Rowan gasped, pushing through a wall of thick leaves. "I don't even taste good!"
[Hohg: run lil bro runnn]
[Yeet: LMAO this monkey got beef with him]
[Kaz: ngl I would've just died]
[Bree: he really tried the Long Coming spell and barely scratched it…]
Rowan huffed, breath ragged, heart pounding like it wanted to burst out of his chest. His shoulder pads rattled with each heavy step, and even though they gave him some durability, it didn't help with his speed or endurance. His legs felt like jelly. His arms were numb. His brain? It had already left his body.
He glanced behind him. The monkey was still there. It was smaller than him but faster, bounding from branch to branch now, using its long arms and bird-like claws to move effortlessly. Its eyes glowed faintly with a golden hue, and every time it screeched, Rowan felt the hair on his neck stand up.
"This thing really hates me!" he shouted as he stumbled over a rock and barely caught himself.
[Kiwi: bro you stepped into its turf]
[Roax: imagine getting beat up by a chicken monkey hybrid]
[Feef: this is karma for using all your stat points on Intelligence]
The forest had grown denser now. Rowan could barely see the sun through the thick canopy above. Moss-covered stones lined his path, and strange mushrooms glowed faintly in the shade. He saw a deer-like creature off to the side, but even it looked up and backed away when it saw the monkey pursuing him.
"That's not a good sign…" he mumbled.
His hands gripped his rusted sword tightly, but it was more for emotional support at this point. He could swing it, sure—but hitting a target that fast? Not a chance. Especially not while running for his life.
Then the monkey dropped.
From above.
Straight onto his path.
Rowan skidded to a stop and fell on his butt. The monkey landed with a thud, crouched low, its claws scraping the dirt as it stared at him. It looked curious, angry, and hungry all at once.
[Huji: oh he's dead.]
[Boaz: press F for Rowan.]
[Leek: I tried to warn him about the forest bro.]
"O-Okay, calm down," Rowan said as he slowly got up. "You win. I'll leave. You can have the forest. I didn't even want to be here."
The monkey took a step forward.
Then another.
Rowan's fingers twitched. He raised the sword awkwardly and muttered, "Long Coming."
The air shimmered slightly. The same glowing streak of light that failed last time appeared again—but this time, he focused all his attention on it. He swung the sword in a downward arc, trying to time it with the spell.
It hit.
Sort of.
The monkey moved back just slightly, and instead of hitting its face, the spell nicked its shoulder. It flinched—but that was it. The cut was shallow, barely drawing blood.
"Oh come on!!" Rowan yelled.
The monkey roared in response and lunged.
Rowan screamed like a kid and threw himself to the side, rolling across the ground like a sack of potatoes. He barely dodged a swipe from its claw, and dirt sprayed up as the monkey skidded to a halt.
[Zegg: that scream got me wheezing 💀💀]
[Fraa: this monkey just built different]
[Jax: you really out here fighting a rare beast with a stick and a dream]
Rowan scrambled to his feet and ran again. He didn't know where he was going anymore. The arrow from his map had disappeared sometime ago, and all he could see were trees, trees, and more angry monkey screeches.
"I hate this forest!" he cried.
Suddenly, just as the monkey leapt again—something blurred past Rowan's eyes.
It was fast. So fast he didn't see what happened at first.
He only heard the sound.
Shing.
It was a clean cut. Not loud. Not dramatic. Just a soft slice through the air.
Then—thump.
The monkey's body landed behind him… split from shoulder to hip.
It was dead.
Just like that.
Rowan stopped. His whole body froze. His mouth hung open. He turned slowly.
Standing a few feet away, beside the monkey's corpse, was a man.
He wore a dark cloak that covered his entire body, the hood up and casting a shadow over his face. A long, curved sabre was in his right hand, dripping with blood. His stance was still. Calm. The kind of calm that screamed danger.
[Holyyy: bro who is THAT]
[Zuni: man showed up like an anime character at episode 12]
[Ky: sabre go shing and monkey go rip]
"...Uhm…" Rowan began, not even knowing what to say. "Thanks?"
The cloaked man didn't reply at first. He turned slightly, his face still hidden, then finally spoke in a low, quiet tone.
"You should not be here."
"I—uh… I was doing a quest," Rowan said, rubbing the back of his head.
The man didn't seem impressed. He cleaned his sabre with a cloth and sheathed it behind his cloak. His movements were precise and controlled, almost like muscle memory.
"Too early for someone like you to be in this part of the forest," he said.
"Yeah I figured that out like ten seconds ago," Rowan muttered.
The chat was going wild.
[Aeth: who IS this guy???]
[Trog: plot armor with a sword fr]
[Hark: I bet he's like a level 300 NPC or something]
Then something strange happened.
A ding.
A blue box popped up in front of Rowan.
> [NEW SKILL UNLOCKED: All Seeing]
You can now analyze the stats, level, and class rank of targets you focus on.
Rowan blinked. "What the—"
"Analyze," he whispered, staring at the cloaked man.
A second later, another screen opened.
> Target: ???
Level: 497
Strength: 482
Speed: 495
Endurance: 471
Dexterity: 480
Intelligence: 1
Mana: 1
Rank: S-Class (Non-Magic)
Class: Swordmaster
Title: Sabre God
Rowan nearly dropped his sword.
"What the actual hell...?"
[DOH: LEVEL 497?!?!]
[Hapi: intelligence 1 tho lmao]
[Kya: I mean his a swordsman, so I don't think intelligence is needed]
[Haak: also intelligence doesn't mean his iq dumbahh, it's his understanding for magic]
Rowan looked at the man, stunned.
"You're... strong."
The man didn't answer. Instead, he turned and began walking away.
"Wait! Hold on!" Rowan called. "Can I at least know your name?!"
The man paused. He tilted his head slightly but didn't turn around.
"…Call me whatever you want," he said. "I'm not staying long."
Then he vanished into the forest, his figure swallowed by the shadows between the trees.
Rowan stood there for a long while, staring at the dead monkey, then at the trail where the man had disappeared.
"…Cool, Mysterious, Powerful, Classic," he muttered.
[Zoor: man dipped like a Final Fantasy cutscene]
[Maai: bro didn't even loot the monkey 😭]
[Wyn: new goal: become like that guy]
Rowan exhaled deeply. He sat on a nearby rock, heart finally calming down.
"That... was terrifying," he said.
[Paax: monkey gave you trauma huh]
[Neo: rest in pieces monkey bro]
He looked at his sword, then at his shaking hands, Then back to the forest.
"Alright," he whispered, standing up slowly. "No more messing around. I need to actually get stronger."
He then looked at the dead monkey, it did not drop a single loot.
He pulled up the map again. The arrow to the Southern Plains was back.
With a sigh, he set off once more, a little wiser, a little braver, and slightly more terrified of monkeys.