Chapter 52 - 50

EX Story: The Ape King’s Ascension

In a certain country ruled by humans, there existed a practice of pitting individuals against one another and having them fight death. Most of the time, this practice was used as a spectacle and a way to entertain the people’s boredom. After all, in a harsh world full of monsters and dangers, both the common people and those ruling above them had little to no entertainment at all. And while it was true that music, plays, and stories exist, the target audience of those things was mostly the rich and powerful. As a result of this, the common folks often spent their lives only working to survive or desperately extending their meager and wretched lives. For a long time, this fact remained the same.

Obviously, living in this kind of lifestyle would leave some dissatisfactions in the hearts of the people. This was especially true because humans by nature were restless creatures that always seek some kind of p.l.e.a.s.u.r.e in their lives. That was why to pacify their people’s ever-growing impatience and d.e.s.i.r.e, those who were in power somehow came up with a scheme that could quench the people’s thirst for entertainment. And of course, that was how the Gladiatorial Tournament came to be.

During the early days of this Gladiatorial Tournament, warrior slaves of various High Races were pitted against each other with the condition of granting freedom to whoever was left standing as the victor in the end. Naturally, the spectacle of watching people fight was a huge hit to both the commoners and nobles alike. After all, there was no way that the people would pick hearing or reading a questionable story over witnessing a real epic battle with their very own eyes. Because of this, the Gladiatorial Tournament became so popular to the point that even the travelers and some nobles of neighboring countries specifically came to visit just to watch one of these shows. As time passed by, the Gladiatorial Tournament slowly evolved until eventually, even monster battles became a part of the spectacle.

Of course, monsters were still dangerous creatures so involving them in the Gladiatorial Tournament came with its own risks and dangers. One of which was the handling of the captured monsters before, during, and after the fight. Because for one, it was truly inefficient to always buy or search for some monsters every time a tournament took place. Not to mention, they also had to take care of the monster that would win the fight. And obviously, it was a huge waste if they just dispose of the winning monster once the tournament ends. That was why after a long discussion, it was ultimately decided that some cage specifically designed to imprison as powerful monsters as possible would be created directly under the colosseum where the Gladiatorial Tournament was always held. In that way, the organizers wouldn’t have to dispose of the victorious monsters, and that way, they could also stock up some monsters as much as what the cage could hold.

***

Bound and lying unconscious in one of the many underground cages was the Future Ape King. But even though he was bound and unconscious, for some unknown reason, it was pretty clear to see that the Future Ape King’s injuries were somehow patched up. It was truly bizarre especially because it was as if someone had deliberately gone out of their way to make sure that the Future Ape King wouldn’t die. And even though it was obvious that they only did the b.a.r.e minimum to keep him alive, that way of patching up the wounds was still without a doubt made by someone who knew what they were doing. In short, there was a high chance that it was done by someone professional.

Finally waking up from his slumber, the Future Ape King raised his head and looked around as if searching for something. And little by little, as he slowly recalled what had happened to him, the Future Ape King’s face crumpled into a frown and a dark shadow was cast upon his eyes. But as if forcing him back into the cruel reality, the Future Ape King heard a voice coming from the outside of his cage.

Truth to be told, for the Future Ape King, it was an unfamiliar voice. More than that, the Future Ape King also didn’t understand the language of humans. Even so, from the tone of the voice alone, it was pretty clear to him that he was being directly asked by the voice. That was why even though he couldn’t comprehend what was being said, the Future Ape King still turned his head to where the voice had come from. But the moment that he saw the figure sitting comfortably outside of the cage, the Future Ape King’s eyes snapped open in surprise.

In that very next instant, memories of what had happened before flashed in the Future Ape King’s mind. Because of that, the Future Ape King grit his fangs. Then, the shock reflected in his eyes was replaced by an intense flame of hatred. And as his mind finally snapped, the Future Ape King roared at the top of his lungs as he dashed towards the human with the full intention to kill.

From an outsider’s perspective, the Future Ape King’s action must have only looked like a rampage of a simple mad beast. But in his own mind, the Future Ape King had every right and reason to kill the human outside. After all, he couldn’t possibly mistake that human for someone else. He was certain of it, that human was without a doubt the very same one that knocked him out and killed his master that day…

“GRAAAAHHHH!!” The Future Ape King let out a deafening roar. Accompanying that was an intense killing intent that could make any normal man freeze and shake in terror. Along with that, the creaking sound of the chains could also be heard probably because the Future Ape King was forcing his bounded limbs forward. But despite being on the receiving end of that bloodl.u.s.t, the human sitting still outside was totally unfazed and it was as if he was only bathing on a gentle breeze.

The Future Ape King kept on acting up using all his strength. But even with that, the chains that were bounding his limbs showed no signs of damage or even breaking at all. And as if expecting all of that to happen, the human simply sat still outside without showing any signs of being bothered by the rampaging monster upfront. Until finally, the Future Ape King’s stamina ran out.

Probably catching onto that, the human finally moved. First, the human slowly stood up. Then, without showing any ounce of fear nor hesitation, the human opened the door of the Future Ape King’s cage. As the metal door made a creaking sound, the human moved inside the cage and then calmly walked towards the Future Ape King until the two of them were finally standing face to face.

With hatred in his eyes, the Future Ape King stared directly at the scarlet eyes of the human in front of him. During that time, he could tell that the human was saying something and it was all directed towards him. Unfortunately, without the master-servant pact connection, communication between them was completely impossible so the human’s language was just some incomprehensible sound for him. More than that, there was just no way that the Future Ape King would calmly sit down and listen to the human’s intentions given the fact that the individual before him was directly responsible for his master’s death. And though the human wasn’t showing any hostility at the moment, there was still no telling when the situation would change. In short, peaceful communication was already impossible from the very beginning.

Of course, the human was also certainly aware of that fact. So, more than trying to communicate with Future Ape King, the human probably simply didn’t care. After all, based on the look in the human’s eyes, it was pretty clear that the human was only doing it out of pure curiosity. And looking at it from a different angle, the human might not even be considering the Future Ape King as a threat.

After depleting all his stamina, the Future Ape King could only growl at the human who was acting like that. Without being fazed by that, the human continued to satisfy his curiosity by carefully examining the Future Ape King while also talking from time to time.

The human kept on doing that for a while only to be stopped by the persuasion of some guards that had come specifically to stop the situation. Then, after the guards and the hateful human were gone, the Future Ape King was overcome by an indescribable feeling of emptiness and he collapsed on the spot.

Throughout that night, the Future Ape King wallowed through his anger, loneliness, and despair. Even when the guards had come to fetch him the very next day, the emptiness in the Future Ape King’s heart didn’t subside. In that state, without any motivation and sense of purpose, the Future Ape King was thrown inside the arena to fight for his life.