Chapter 180: The Hunt Begins [Part 2] Bob, Grint, and Jorven were completely doing a great job as a team, as they went deeper inside the forest. They had already managed to get ten red badges after fighting Horned Rabbits. They were quite pleased with themselves until they saw Fran rubbing the bellies of five forest wolves which had recognized her as someone stronger than them. The Dwarf was also holding an orange badge in her hand, which proved that the wolves were badge carriers as well. Bob, and his team might have already gotten ten points, but Fran had easily gotten fifteen points without too much trouble. Since Fran was from Alex’s class, the three teenagers didn’t plan on stealing her badges. This was just a class activity, but Bob, Grint, and Jorven did not want to risk offending Alex, since they had teamed up together in the second trial of the academy. However, the badges of students from other classes were fair game to them. Bob was a very competitive individual. As long as it didn’t cross his bottom line, or go against his conscience, he would do anything in his power to win. The three teenagers gave Fran one last glance before darting deeper into the forest, where the stronger monsters with badges worth more points were located. ——— Charles, who had found a secluded place for himself, placed his hand on the ground and created a summoning magic circle. "Come out, Weaver Ants." A few seconds later, dozens of reddish-brown ants that were each a meter long appeared around Charles. "Find the monsters that have red, orange, yellow, or green badges," Charles ordered. "Restrain the monsters you think you can defeat and retrieve their badges. "If you see a monster that you can’t defeat, call for me. Go in groups of six to ensure a higher chance of success. Remember, don’t kill any monsters. Do I make myself clear?" His minions answered him with raspy clicks, informing him that they understood and would follow his command. With that, the small ant army that numbered over fifty spread out into the forest to join the hunt. Charles was not embarrassed that he had summoned his minions to help him get as many badges as possible. He needed academy points in order to get the pill that would cure Eris’ disease. He had little choice but to take these kinds of challenges seriously. ——— Alex was now about a mile deep inside the Mistral Weave Forest. Roars, screeches, shouts, and screams from both the beasts and the students participating in the hunting game could be easily heard. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢 They were interrupted and drowned out by the occasional explosion that proved how intense this survival game was. Suddenly, the Dim Sum God on top of his head warned him that a few monsters had surrounded him. Alex looked around him, but he couldn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Just as he was wondering if the monsters were hiding under the ground, he saw something move from the corner of his eye. A red fruit was flying in his direction, forcing Alex to summon Everguard to block it. The sound of something splatting on his shield reached his ears. The corner of Alex’s lips twitched. A moment later, a monkey laughed in delight. Alex turned to see who was responsible. There, sitting proudly on a thick branch, was a Crimson-Furred Throwing Monkey, its eyes gleaming with mischief. Something on its chest shimmered faintly from the dappled light. Alex squinted to see that it was a yellow badge tied loosely around the monkey’s neck with thin vines. The monkey hooted again and juggled three more red fruits that resembled pomegranates from Earth. Clearly, it was enjoying the game far more than any of the students. Of course, it wasn’t alone. Five more monkeys laughed at Alex. Like the first, each of them carried red fruits that they planned to throw at the poor student. As they were high up near the tree canopy, Alex had little chance of catching their projectiles. The monkeys had already traumatized quite a few students by staining their uniforms—and their bodies—red with the juice of the pomegranate-like fruits they liked to throw. These monkeys were not only mischievous but quite strong as well. They were all Rank 2 Monsters. Moreover, as they were in their natural habitat, they had a home-ground advantage over the students. ——— < Crimson-Furred Throwing Monkey > "The forest’s mischief-maker. It doesn’t fight fair—because it doesn’t have to." Monster Rank: Rank 2 Monster Monster Grade: Common Attribute: Wind / Nature Species: Throwing Monkey Health: 370 / 370 Attack: 35 - 55 ——— "This is going to be troublesome," Alex muttered as he lowered Everguard, the juices from the fruit dripping lazily off its surface. "But, not impossible." Dim Dim regarded the monkeys with sparkling eyes. In its opinion, the monkeys were its comrades because they had the same passion as it did. This shared passion, of course, was the noble art of throwing stuff. The Dim Sum God didn’t say anything, but it didn’t need to. The monkeys seemed to have understood the feelings behind Dim Dim’s look because they waved warmly at it. The little bun waved right back. Alex didn’t know if he should laugh or cry because his partner-in-crime had befriended the monsters planning to gang up on him. "Dim Dim, take this seriously!" Alex said. "We’re going to fight them now!" "Dim Dim!" Dim Dim sported a look filled with determination. It even pointed at the monkeys, telling them to fight properly. Of course, the monkey didn’t need to be told what they planned to do. They immediately went to action. As if to prove that they were indeed treating this game seriously, one of the monkeys launched a fruit. This time, it was aimed at Dim Dim. The Dim Sum God didn’t hold back either. Dim Dim promptly summoned a rock to throw at the fruit, hitting it dead centre before it had the chance to reach Alex’s head. However, the monkeys’ weapon of choice was fragile and very, very juicy. The moment the rock hit the fruit, its contents gushed out and rained down on Alex, who hurriedly tried to evade. The monkeys cackled and bounded higher into the tree canopy, moving with impossible agility. Their teamwork and coordination could bring any student to their knees. Since this was just a game, the monkeys were only using fruits that would cover their victims in red juice. However, if their lives were on the line and they had to go all out, they would be throwing something more dangerous. With their accuracy, that would not bode well for their enemies. Just as one of the monkeys was about to jump to another tree branch, Alex threw Everguard with perfect timing. "Shield Boomerang!" Since the monkey couldn’t dodge mid-jump, it had no choice but to use its arms to block the flying shield heading straight for it. A resounding clang spread inside the forest. Alex had landed a hit and the monkey was now crashing down to the ground. Not wanting to let this opportunity slip by, Alex made his next move. He used Shield Charge to cross the gap between him and his target. The monkey hadn’t even managed to stand up properly when Alex’s shield rammed against its head, sending it flying once more. The stun effect of Shield Charge activated, allowing Alex to snatch the badge from the monkey’s neck. This elicited angry shouts from its companions. "Haters gonna hate," Alex remarked with a smirk before placing the yellow badge inside his pouch. The defeated monkey rubbed its sore head and bum, but it made no move to attack Alex. A moment later, it jumped back up the tree it had aimed for and landed on one of the branches. The monkey then hooted and cackled, prompting Dim Dim to giggle too. Alex could not understand what the monkey meant, but it had the sportsmanship to say "Nice one!" However, the battle with the other monkeys was far from over. In order to avenge their "dead" comrade, they once again bombarded Alex with fruits, carefully aiming at his blind spots. Faced with such a threat, Alex summoned Svalinn. He used the two shields to block the attacks of the monkeys, who were now fighting him a little more seriously. —------