Chapter 109: Pet Monkey

The frail scream echoing through the 5th layer.

[K-Kyaaaaaaa—!] 

It was bursting from the mouth of the S-rank magical beast, Maslow.

A mouth gaping wide enough to unhinge the jaw.

Eyes widened to show the whites.

Pupils shaking aimlessly.

The intimidating presence from moments ago was nowhere to be found.

Maslow was trembling in fear.

His gaze was directed beyond the wide-open Magical Warehouse.

Rumble-rumble-rumble—

Black magic pouring out from the warehouse entrance like a backflow.

Soon, a massive form extended from within the Magical Warehouse.

A gigantic arm wrapped tightly in pure white bandages.

The surface of the bandages was densely inscribed with runes written in red blood, and dark blue iron chains floated around the arm.

Soon.

Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh—

The black magic flowing from the Magical Warehouse began seeping into the gigantic arm.

The bandages turned black in an instant.

The red script on the black bandages stood out starkly.

“……!”

I involuntarily swallowed.

I had no idea what the runes on the bandages meant.

But instinctively, it came through.

The sensation of an ominous, eerie energy seeping into my bones just from looking at it.

I wasn’t the only one feeling that sensation.

“Ugh!?”

“Ugh! Urk—”

“I-I can’t breathe…….”

Faces turning blue, dry heaving, complaining of shortness of breath, or collapsing in place.

Even the seasoned veteran A+ rank hunters were crumbling mentally.

Only three A+ rank hunters appeared relatively unharmed.

Yi Geuk, HardboiledPC, and Jeanne.

At that moment, Maslow bellowed at the top of his lungs.

[Do you intend to drag me back to that hell, Sorcerer Emperor! Do you know what humiliations I endured there to escape……! ]

Black magic erupted from both of Maslow’s hands.

Rumble-rumble-rumble~! 

Swirling black currents like a vortex.

[I am not the me from four hundred years ago. Return to nothingness, Sorcerer Emperor! ]

Soon, Maslow thrust both hands forward.

Two black holes surged ahead.

Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom! 

The black holes rampaged, beginning to swallow the maggots.

Obsidian being devoured, mountains crumbling, even the atmosphere churning.

Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom-boom~! 

Before long, the two black holes reached the Magical Warehouse entrance.

At that instant, the black hand moved slowly.

-Snap!

A clear sound burst as index and middle finger collided.

And at the same time.

Silence fell everywhere.

An utter stillness where not even the sound of wind or breath could be heard.

[Ugh……. Ah……. ]

Only Maslow was emitting a groan—or perhaps a scream—that was hard to distinguish.

A single finger snap.

Just from the black hand flicking its fingers, Maslow’s black holes vanished.

Soon.

Crash!

Maslow tumbled and rolled beside the obsidian throne.

Then, he began scrambling backward, groping the ground.

[N-No…… I don’t want to. Absolutely not. Anything but being trapped there again……! ]

At that moment.

Clank-rattle-rattle—

The chains floating around the black hand surged toward Maslow.

Head, neck, shoulders, both arms, wrists, waist, thighs, calves, ankles, and more.

Thick chains bound Maslow’s entire body in an instant.

Soon, the chains began to pull taut.

Creak—creeeak—creeeeeak—

Maslow being dragged toward the Magical Warehouse entrance.

[N-Nooooo~! I don’t want to go back! Kyaaaaaaa—! ]

Maslow’s scream quickly faded into the darkness.

Soon.

Creak—thud!

The Magical Warehouse entrance closed completely.

Ding-dong!

<Receiving the ‘Close’ command.>

<Closing Morgue’s Magical Warehouse.>

Even without using the close skill, the Magical Warehouse shut on its own.

The rift in spacetime that had been torn open healed in an instant.

A heavy silence descended over the obsidian mountains.

Everyone had lost the words to speak.

At the absurd sight of the S-rank dungeon boss vanishing without a trace.

At that moment, Featherback’s log unfurled.

Flip—

<Abraham J. Maslow>

-Danger Level: S

-Discovery Location: Maslow’s Tower

The great king of the moan race and ruler of the black stone mountains.

Hundreds of years ago, a massive obsidian at the peak of the black stone mountains shattered, and a black monkey was born.

The monkey, whose entire body was made of obsidian fur, became the apex predator of the black stone mountains based on its transcendent physical strength and intelligence.

The black monkey called itself ‘Abraham J. 

Maslow’ and began invading the entire continent by merging the moan tribes.

Countless kingdoms, empires, and mage towers fell helplessly before Maslow’s moan legions.

Just as it had conquered half of the Lokpia Continent, Maslow and his moan legions invaded the territory of the Sorcerer Emperor’s great empire, the Morgue Empire.

It was the page related to Maslow.

I only read up to the middle before the commotion interrupted, so I couldn’t finish the rest.

I read down the remaining part of the log.

Just as it had conquered half of the Lokpia Continent, Maslow and his moan legions invaded the territory of the Sorcerer Emperor’s great empire, the Morgue Empire.

Maslow’s goal was to make the Sorcerer Emperor’s warehouse—stocked with immortality manuals, the essence of black magic, various artifacts, and treasures of all kinds—his own.

But Maslow at the time surely never anticipated it.

That he himself would become one of the items stored in that warehouse.

As the Sorcerer Emperor’s cute pet.

※Sorcerer Emperor’s Pet Monkey, Maslow’s Diet※

-3 bunches of rock bananas

-1L pet milk

-2 carrots

-1 sweet pumpkin

-3 broccoli heads

Feed the above diet twice a day, at midnight and noon.

Treats like jerky or fruit only when exceptionally well-behaved! It could spoil the habits!

-Morgue Mu Featherback-

‘……A pet monkey, huh.’

I hadn’t misread the updated text in the quest window.

The boss ruling the S-rank dungeon, Maslow’s Tower.

Maslow’s true identity was none other than the Sorcerer Emperor’s ‘pet.’

Alexander and Bucephalus, Guan Yu and Red Hare—this isn’t even that kind of relationship…… A pet monkey? 

But with that level of power?

The entity that had consistently overwhelmed South Korea’s top forces, the A+ rank hunters.

To think it was merely the Sorcerer Emperor’s plaything—it was simply unbelievable.

Soon, the ink clouds carrying the A+ rank hunters descended to the ground.

The A+ rank hunters stepping down from the clouds in silence.

Their expressions were utterly drained.

Before long, the A+ rank hunters began scanning their surroundings.

Maslow’s hair tufts. 

Maggot legion corpses and fluids, scattered obsidian fragments.

A landscape that embodied utter pandemonium.

One by one, the A+ rank hunters opened their mouths.

“What…… was that just now?”

“That black door. Who summoned it?”

“It dragged Maslow away……. Where to……?”

“I felt an immense density of black magic from beyond the door. Could it be some kind of black magic?”

The A+ rank hunters murmured, looking around.

At that moment, HardboiledPC shouted.

“Huh? Where’s Jeanne-chan? Has anyone seen Jeanne-chan?”

Yun Yeobaek added her words.

“Those black people disappeared too. They were definitely standing right there a moment ago…….”

The A+ rank hunters looked around.

Nowhere in the 5th layer could they find the Shadow Knights.

Jeanne was the same.

Of course they couldn’t find them.

They’re probably inside the Magical Warehouse by now.

Yi Seonggye, Cheok Junseong, Yi-i, and Jeanne.

The four had returned inside the Magical Warehouse just before the hell gate fully closed.

The Shadow Knights in their shadow forms, and Jeanne using miniaturization.

At that moment.

Hum—hum—hum—hum—

A blue shimmer appeared before the A+ rank hunters.

The mark of clearing the dungeon.

The escape gate had opened.

Soon, Blue Mage Tower Lord Han Seoha spoke up.

“For now…… I need to get out. I don’t want to stay here a single minute or second longer.”

Han Seoha, her complexion pale, slipped through the gate.

Soon, Ma Seokdong staggered to his feet as well.

“No rewards, huh. What rotten luck.”

They had cleared an S-rank dungeon, yet no rewards were given.

That was probably because……

The one supposed to drop the rewards, Maslow himself, got dragged into the Magical Warehouse. Can’t be helped.

Items obtained from the boss room belong to the raiding party as spoils.

In other words, in the current situation, the A+ rank hunters had cleared the S-rank dungeon for free labor.

At that moment, Yun Yeobaek supported Ma Seokdong’s shoulder and said,

“Surviving this place at all is a blessing in itself. This time, it was really…… dangerous. It wouldn’t have been strange at all if we’d been wiped out against that foe.”

“Yeah, I felt the wall. I’m still sorely lacking.”

Ma Seokdong looked at his severed left arm.

The bleeding had stopped, but the missing part below the elbow hadn’t regenerated.

Soon, Yun Yeobaek spoke.

“Mr. Ma Seokdong, let’s head to the hospital first. There might be curse magic lingering on the severed area.”

“Yeah, thanks…….”

Ma Seokdong, supported by Yun Yeobaek, departed through the gate.

Soon, Cheok Junseong looked at HardboiledPC and said,

“Mr. HardboiledPC. After regrouping outside the dungeon, I plan to immediately launch a survivor rescue operation. Would it be alright to ask for your assistance?”

“Mm-hmm! Of course~! No way I’d say ‘No~!’ Do I look like that kinda guy? Let’s hurry out, assemble the support and medical teams, and rescue those survivors! Quick, quick!”

Cheok Junseong and HardboiledPC also passed through the gate.

The other A+ rank hunters followed one by one.

……Guess it’s about time for me to head out too.

My whole body ached dully, and fatigue made my eyes droop.

I just wanted to hurry home, take a hot shower.

The moment I stepped toward the gate.

“Hey, wait! Stop right there!”

Someone called me back.

A sharp yet lively voice.

From the voice alone, I could guess who it was.

Sure enough, turning my head, I saw Shin Sodam.

Shin Sodam staring at me with furrowed brows.

“……You, don’t you have something to say to me?”

“You worked hard?”

“Besides that.”

“Glad you survived?”

“Stop messing around!”

Shin Sodam snapped in anger.

Then, averting her gaze, she continued.

“You’re talking about what happened in the lust section, right? You knocked me out and…… wh-what did you do to me……?”

“Nothing.”

“Liar! How did you get out without doing anything!”

“That was…….”

I swallowed the rest.

I put you in the Magical Warehouse and took you out.

……But I couldn’t exactly say that.

At that moment, Shin Sodam whispered softly.

“You did it, didn’t you?”

“?”

“Y-you did it, right?”

Shin Sodam’s voice gradually grew louder.

Her face flushed red as her hair.

Her crimson eyes fixed on me.

“Y-you did it, didn’t you!? You bastard!”

Shin Sodam yelled at the top of her lungs.

At that moment.

“Is there some problem between you two?”

Yi Geuk approached, his robe fluttering.

At that, 

“Ah, forget it! I can never get married now~!”

Shin Sodam covered her face and dashed through the gate.

Watching her, Yi Geuk chuckled.

“Heh heh—such youthful vigor.”

Soon, Yi Geuk extended his hand.

“Young Hasang, I’ve truly indebted myself to you many times over.”

“I’m the one who survived thanks to you, sir.”

“Heh heh heh—truly a rare young man.”

I clasped Yi Geuk’s hand.

Squeeze—

Warmth transmitted through our firmly gripped hands.

Yi Geuk said,

“Young Hasang, come visit my dojo sometime. With Jeanne as well. The sake I brewed a few years ago has aged nicely in the room. I’ll treat you once.”

“Understood, sir.”

Yi Geuk chuckled heartily and vanished through the gate.

A hollow silence began to settle over the obsidian mountains.

Around me were only maggot corpses, Maslow’s fur, and shattered obsidian debris.

“Guess it’s time for me to head out too.”

The moment I thought that and stepped forward.

Rumble-rumble-rumble—

Suddenly, the ground began to shake.

And at the same time.

Ding-dong!

[All trials overcome, entry permission to the Hidden Stage granted to the sole survivor! ]

[Enter the Hidden Stage? …… (Y/N) ]

“……Hidden Stage?”

An ominous message appeared before my eyes.