It wasn’t very large , only being roughly 5 meters tall , but it was spectacular . The trunk and branches had a crimson hue and a smooth exterior . The leaves weren’t red or green but a pristine white , making it look like crystals adorned the branches .
It was a spectacular sight , and Zac didn’t for a second think that this was a normal tree . It was something created with a lot of cosmic energy . The tree virtually hummed with power , making Zac wonder if it actually was alive .
Zac guessed that this tree was the reason for the desolation in the vicinity . The tree seemingly had absorbed the life or cosmic energy out of everything in its surroundings . Perhaps it even had killed all the animals in the forest as well , explaining why it was so quiet . It was a scary thought that the tree wasn't satisfied with the huge density of energy in the air , and needed to drain its surroundings to be satiated .
It took Zac a second to register that something else was next to the tree . A monkey , roughly two meters tall with a build somewhat slimmer compared to its brethren , sat cross-legged with closed eyes under the tree . What made it stand out apart from its build was its color . If the other monkeys in the mountain were made of anthracite rock , then this monkey was made of lava . Red shining streaks ran along every part of the monkey’s otherwise black body , emanating a heavy pressure .
It was the monkey king .
Chapter 47 - Collision Course
The lava monkey didn’t look aggressive or violent like the normal monkeys , but rather harmonious . Even if it seemed crazy , it really looked like he or she was meditating under the peculiar tree . It was quite picturesque , the red streaks of the monkey matching well with the crimson trunk .
The good news was that it looked like he found his Herald . The bad news was that he had no real idea on how to improve the odds in his favor . He saw no method to sneak up on it , as the dried husks of the vegetation on the field wouldn’t provide enough cover .
He didn’t dare use Eye of Discernment] to see its level either , afraid it would notice him like the Imps . That it stayed in this forest with higher cosmic energy concentration , rather than in its natural habitat of the mountain peaks , was telling Zac that the monkey king possessed some sensibility for cosmic energy .
He debated whether he should charge in blind , or wait for a better opportunity . Finally he decided he had to go for it . Finding the Herald sitting by itself with no backup in sight could only be considered a perfect opportunity .
He also discarded the idea of creating crude traps as he had for Vul , the barghest herald . If this monkey could meditate it likely was too intelligent to run into spikes like an idiot .
The only question was whether this monkey was of roughly the same power as Vul or not . When the limiter was lifted at the turn of the month he had concluded that the beasts improved roughly 50% across the board .
He himself had improved far more than that though . When he fought Vul he had only 59 Strength , and now he was at 160 . On top of that , his gear had improved considerably , and he already gained a class and improved pathways . He felt that even if he met an improved Vul today he wouldn’t have to rely on traps to kill it , and it wouldn’t be a desperate struggle either .
But the monkeys were far stronger compared to the barghest . Would the monkey Herald be far stronger compared to the barghest Herald as well?
There was only one way to find out . He slowly repositioned himself to arrive from the east , which would at least let him approach the back of the Herald . It might give him some time to close the distance before it could react .
He steeled his nerves and slowly ventured out of the protective cover of the foliage , and entered the dead zone surrounding the magical tree . He took great care not to step on any of the dried twigs or branches that covered the ground , not wanting to alert the monkey of his approach .
But even though he made no sound it seemed to be to no avail , as the monkey snorted and slowly got up on his feet . Zac held no hope that it was just a coincidence , and immediately pulled out two daggers out of his pouch and threw them at the monster in quick succession .
The monkey turned around in a lightning-quick manner , and with two casual swipes slapped the incoming daggers away into the ground . As the edges collided with its hands sparks flew , but no wounds could be seen . Zac wasn’t surprised as the daggers were barely any use on the normal monkeys , let alone on this super-powered one .
Afterwards he gave up any idea of stealth and thundered straight toward the monkey , with his axe at the ready .
While charged he used the Eye of Discernment] on the monkey , which gave him a terse line of information .
Cindermane , Level 58]
That line removed any last doubts whether this monster was a Herald or not . A solitary Named beast around level 50 fit the bill perfectly . It was a full 13 levels above Vul , who had been level 45 when they battled . He didn’t know how levels worked for beasts , but if it was like for himself it meant it should have almost 100 more attributes in total . Together with the removed limiters , he realized he might be in for a tough battle .
Cindermane didn’t stay put , but charged toward Zac as well . As he did the red streaks on his body lit up and started to emit a fiery shine like lava . They clashed a few meters away from the red-white tree , with Zac doing an upwards horizontal swipe aimed at its torso .
The monkey actually dared to intercept the strike with its bare paws , which lit up completely to look like magma . A tremendous clash erupted when their attacks collided , the dead plants in the surrounding being pulverized by the shockwave .
Zac was surprised to see that his strike didn’t immediately overpower the Herald . With his recent improvements he started to believe there was nothing on the island that could have a comparable level of points in the Strength attribute .
The Herald was pushed back from the force however Zac didn’t emerge unscathed out of the initial collision either . The hands of the monkey did not only look like lava , but they were also as fiery hot as well . The air around them was wobbling due to the heat , looking like a mirage . The axe edge actually showed clear signs of heating up where it collided with the monkey’s palm .
Zac knew he couldn’t fight a protracted battle , as the monkey would destroy his weapon if they kept clashing like this . Using Chop] wouldn’t help either , as the damage was transferred to axe anyway .
Angry at being pushed back Cindermane roared and stomped the ground , causing multiple spikes to erupt beneath Zac . They looked similar to the spikes of the earth mage , with the distinction that they seemed blazing hot and far more numerous .
Zac managed to destroy most of the spikes with a chop , but one managed to stab into his leg . A blinding pain erupted in his thigh , causing him to involuntarily scream . A sickening sizzling sound could be heard and Zac smelled the fragrance of grilled meat . The spike was actually barbequing his leg .
Ignoring the pain he grabbed the burning hot spike with his free hand , ripped it out of his leg and threw it away . As he did the Herald took the opportunity to grab the ground , dragging out a stone the size of Zac from seemingly nowhere . Its molten fingers penetrated the boulder and soon the whole rock was glowing a sinister red .
With a roar it tried to slam the stone down right on Zac , who could only ungainly dodge . Not daring to hide any of his cards any longer he infused his strikes with Dao and started swinging away against the Herald .
Cindermane possessed either great reflexes or combat experience , as he kept dodging or deflecting the strikes . Zac tried to grab onto the monkey with his free hand in order to throw it down on the ground , but as soon as he got a grip on its arm the red streaks lit up and the arm got searing hot . Zac instinctively let go with a scream , and the monkey took the opportunity to try to claw out his throat .