Chapter 6

Zhou Wanli stood before the pitch-black path that bordered the rocky cliff, hesitating. Logically, she should have been near the center of the forest, yet she found her way oddly blocked by a stone mountain. Staring into the darkness of the trail ahead, she did not step inside immediately. Instead, she yanked hard on a vine in her hand, pulling a familiar figure out from behind her.

The creature looked just like the young girl—its entire body bristling with hair as if it had been hit by a blast of wind. Looking disheveled and indignant, the Provocation Monkey clutched its throat where it had been held, shrieking and gesticulating wildly to vent its frustration at the person before it.

Zhou Wanli raised her eyebrows, glaring angrily. "You have the nerve to lose your temper?! I only asked you to lead the way! If it weren't for you insisting on stopping to provoke that sleeping E-rank high-level extraordinary creature, the Thick-Furred Bear, we wouldn't have been chased like this!"

The Provocation Monkey went limp like a punctured balloon, its expression turning unnatural as it let out a few sheepish chirps.

[It was just one hair! Who knew that bear would be so petty and chase us forever? And I even gave it back in the end!]

It started as an explanation, but the more it spoke, the more the Provocation Monkey convinced itself it was in the right, becoming brazen by the end. It stared at her with eyes larger than a baby’s fist, looking entirely innocent.

Zhou Wanli was so angry she laughed. "And what about the second one, that E-rank White-Plumed Peacock? It was busy courting, and you just had to rush up and yank out one of its tail feathers. You’re telling me it’s not your fault for getting us chased by that, too?!"

"Why are you so insufferably annoying?!"

[Who told that guy to act like his butt was in the heavens just because he had a few pretty feathers? Showing off his tail every single day—who does he think he is? Like no one else has hair?]

The pitch-black, sparsely-furred Provocation Monkey’s face twisted with jealousy as it roared in anger. [Now that I’ve plucked a feather, let’s see how it has the face to strut around and fan its tail again. Heh heh heh~]

Zhou Wanli: ...

She was truly at a loss for words. This Provocation Monkey was not only a troublemaker but also extremely petty and malicious. The other extraordinary creatures in this secret realm were truly cursed to share the same space with such a creature. *Thankfully, I am not its Beastmaster,* she thought to herself again.

The Provocation Monkey was, however, a worthy extraordinary creature of the spiritual and sensory types. Having lived in this secret realm for an unknown amount of time, it could easily help her navigate the forest and avoid the most powerful E-rank high-level creatures. While the ugly monkey enjoyed stirring up trouble, it had also helped her encounter other lower-level E-rank extraordinary creatures. Although she hadn't found a suitable candidate for a contract yet, there was no denying that the monkey had been helpful.

With this in mind, Zhou Wanli decided to let the past grievances slide. She examined the stone path again, looking at the monkey with suspicion.

"Are you sure that by going through here, we can reach the center of the forest?" she asked. "Is there really that kind of rare, high-potential low-level extraordinary creature you mentioned? Nothing above E-rank?"

The Provocation Monkey held up four claws, looking solemn. "Squeak! It's true! I swear on my four paws!"

"Fine, I'll trust you one more time."

The path did not look like a natural fissure in the stone mountain; it seemed more like it had been deliberately excavated by some entity, with claw marks still visible on the surrounding walls. Zhou Wanli manifested her neural tentacles and had the monkey lead the way. As they ventured deeper, the path grew darker and narrower. She tried to measure it; the width of the tunnel was less than half of her arm span, and it seemed to be narrowing further.

The gaps in the stone ceiling above had vanished, and the path had become a tunnel leading into the depths of the mountain. She could only track the monkey’s progress by the faint glimmer of light filtering in from behind.

A faint breeze could be felt on her cheeks coming from deep within the tunnel, which eased her mind—at least it proved it wasn't a dead end. Perhaps it was the darkness, causing a loss of visual control, but a strange sense of unease began to stir in Zhou Wanli.

It was this unease that made her stop.

The Provocation Monkey, walking in the dark ahead, was forced to halt. It turned around, looking confused, and tugged at the rope around its neck.

"Squeak?"

"I almost forgot..." Zhou Wanli’s voice echoed softly in the tunnel. The monkey scratched its face nervously.

Accompanied by the thin whistling of the wind, her voice continued calmly, "Your kind, the Provocation Monkeys, have one more trait—one emphasized repeatedly in books, where you are even labeled as skilled con artists."

"It’s because some of you are born with a special skill called 'Fanatical Attachment.'"

"It allows you to make your opponents lower their guard without them even realizing it, and can even make them feel an absolute sense of trust toward you."

"Did you really think I had fallen for it?" Her neural tentacles twitched behind her head, and the girl chuckled in the darkness. "You stupid monkey."

The Provocation Monkey froze in place. "Squeak?"

It didn't turn back, emitting a useless whine—it was hard to tell if it was begging for mercy or protesting. Zhou Wanli was about to continue her mockery when she suddenly smelled an odd, fishy scent carried by the tunnel’s breeze.

"Oh? So it seems you really did have an accomplice this time?"

The moment she had exposed the monkey, her neural tentacles had already transformed back into a rope, binding it tightly. The Provocation Monkey’s large eyes darted around, attempting to struggle, but finding it futile, it let out a series of strange cries into the tunnel.

Zhou Wanli understood—it was an attack signal. She frowned, "It seems you have quite a lot of confidence in your companion?"

She had assumed that once exposed and with its life in her hands, the monkey wouldn't dare act rashly. She hadn't expected it to disregard everything and order its partner to attack. Doubts flooded her mind, but she quickly tightened her grip on the monkey and began sprinting back the way she came.

"ROAR—"

A low, furious roar erupted from the depths of the tunnel. Immediately, Zhou Wanli felt the earth shake violently, as if some massive, terrifying creature were charging through the tunnel, slamming into the walls, desperate to reach her.

Zhou Wanli’s expression shifted drastically; the situation had far exceeded her expectations. She had assumed the accomplice would be just another monkey or some cave-dwelling creature not much stronger than the first. She hadn't expected the stupid monkey to set a trap!

There was no time to think. She grabbed the monkey and ran for her life—this creature was her only bargaining chip, and she couldn't afford to lose it!

"Squeak!" The Provocation Monkey’s eyes rolled back from being squeezed. *Vile human! Don't you know how to be gentle?!*

The entity in the tunnel seemed to sense her escape and the monkey’s shrill cries, becoming even more frantic. The ground thundered with every step, and the creature seemed desperate to burst out.

She didn't know how long the chase lasted, but Zhou Wanli finally saw the light from the stone exit and nearly cried with joy. It meant she was about to emerge, and her field of vision would no longer be restricted. Since she had already offended the monkey, the powerful creature behind her wouldn't let her go easily. Only by leaving the dark tunnel and having room to maneuver could she hope to survive.

The commotion behind her grew louder; the distance between them was shrinking rapidly.

When she was only ten or twenty meters from the exit, Zhou Wanli suddenly felt a powerful gust of wind coming from behind. Her pupils constricted, and she used the monkey she was holding as a shield.

*BANG—*

Seeing her movement, the tunnel creature was forced to stop its attack, its momentum diverted as it slammed violently into the stone wall with a deafening crash.

Zhou Wanli’s eyelid twitched; she felt a cold sweat of relief. She was already regretting testing the monkey—she had definitely hit a wall this time. *Damn it! The world is treacherous! From now on, if things look bad, I’m retreating immediately!*

*Thump, thump, thump—*

Zhou Wanli finally scrambled out of the tunnel, but she didn't dare stop, nor did she dare look back to see what monster was hunting her. She was terrified that one slip would cost her her life.

When she finally saw the massive banyan tree—large enough for ten people to link arms around—she felt as if the sky had suddenly become much brighter. Driven by pure adrenaline, she leaped up, grabbed a thick branch, and began to climb with all her might.

In that moment, she felt as if her primate ancestors had awakened; in just over ten seconds, she had scrambled up to a branch over ten meters high. The Provocation Monkey was stunned, staring at her with an expression of pure disbelief.

"Squeak?" *Are you a human or a monkey?*

"Huff... huff..."

Only when she reached a relatively safe spot did Zhou Wanli dare to gasp for air, trying to calm her frantic heartbeat. In the tunnel, she had been racking her brain for a way to escape; hiding on the flat forest floor was definitely not an option.

As someone who hadn't contracted a pet beast yet, how could she dare to race against an extraordinary creature?!

That was why she had planned to find cover from the start. Considering the massive commotion the creature had made in the mountain tunnel, it was either huge or incredibly heavy, and its limbs couldn't be very agile. Climbing a tree was the best choice.

Just as she predicted, she looked down and saw a figure obscured by dust charging toward her, only to slam headfirst into the trunk of the tree.

*THUD—*

Fortunately, Zhou Wanli held onto the tree tightly; even though she was dizzy from the impact, she didn't let go. It was also thanks to the age and strength of the banyan tree that it didn't collapse under the creature's force.

As the dust settled, Zhou Wanli finally saw her pursuer clearly.

It had milky-yellow skin with patches of scales that hadn't fully grown in. Its head was somewhat triangular with a protruding forehead, and it moved on curved hind legs. Its two front claws were short and fleshy, looking somewhat like a small dinosaur from a cartoon in her previous life. Moreover, it didn't look like it stood taller than one point five meters.

Zhou Wanli: ???

*This? Are you kidding me?!!*