It seemed there was indeed some trouble.
John thought briefly and then rapidly retreated to the edge of the stone slope.
He glanced at the ground and confirmed it was indeed the black iron ore he needed, interspersed with small amounts of borax, but still a considerable quantity overall.
"Squeak!"
The monkeys seemed even angrier as he approached this area, hurling their rocks more fiercely.
John swiftly dodged the rocks that smashed into the ground, creating deep pits, while also scattering the borax and black iron ore.
He didn't pause, avoiding the projectiles while quickly gathering what he could.
[You have obtained 30 black iron ore.]
[You have obtained 60 black iron ore.]
[You have obtained 11 borax.]
[You have obtained 10 borax.]
Compared to black iron ore, the amount of borax was indeed much less, but it was better than nothing! These were just a few small pits; if he could secure this entire area, it would definitely meet the fortress's needs.
Seeing their attempts repeatedly fail to hit this cunning bipedal human, the monkeys grew even more infuriated.
One of the monkeys squealed sharply, and the rest quickly charged towards John.
This time they had learned.
Instead of targeting John's feet with rocks, they aimed for his head! If John tried to move backwards, he would likely get hit.
Well, well, they're getting smarter.
Seeing that the same trick wouldn't work twice on these monkeys.
Originally, John had hoped that the monkeys might help blast the materials loose, and he could simply collect them.
Now, it seemed that wouldn't be possible.
Since that was the case, there was no need to hold back anymore.
"Fire Meteor!"
Almost instantly, countless fireballs formed in the sky and plummeted toward the monkeys.
13798! 23679! 45217!
A myriad of damage numbers appeared immediately.
The area, already a forest, and the monkeys being quite furry, meant that even a slight touch from the Fire Meteor turned it into a wildfire!
Even the incidental burning damage was terrifying.
For a moment, John heard countless notifications.
[You have killed a Treemonkey, gained 23334 experience!]
[You have killed a Treemonkey, gained 23334 experience!]
...
The sounds of the notifications were continuous, and John found it particularly satisfying.
At least now, these creatures didn't seem so hard to handle.
After John had killed about a hundred monkeys, the slightly larger one leading them stopped its assault and instead started shouting angrily at the sky.
[Defense: 10757]
[Speed: 24595]
[Skills: Bite, Toss, Forest Refuge, Trample, Wisdom, Cunning.]
As John read the Treemonkey King's stats, his hand involuntarily tightened around his staff.
This was the first time he had seen a Boss with the skill labeled "Wisdom."
While it's common for platinum-tier Bosses to possess some level of intelligence, it had never been explicitly listed like this before!
The only explanation was that their intelligence could rival that of humans, especially with another skill listed as "Cunning."
Such traits typically described characteristics, yet here they were listed under skills.
Could it be that this Treemonkey King had some qualities John was unaware of?
As the Treemonkey King's sharp claws were raised high, and the surrounding monkeys became more agitated, John took the initiative to speak.
"I know you can understand me. I came here today to propose a collaboration."
In the spectator stands, the audience was visibly perplexed.
They had felt tense when the Boss appeared, convinced John was doomed today.
After all, this was a platinum-tier Boss, surrounded by numerous lesser monsters!
The most daunting aspect was that this Boss was an intelligent humanoid creature.
Even well-trained hunting squads would feel intense pressure facing such a Boss.
And here was John, all alone.
His previous victory over the Shadow Crocodile was largely due to exploiting a bug.
Now, there were no glitches to exploit, and with so many minor creatures around, any direct confrontation would not bode well for John.
Some spectators reveled in schadenfreude, others were filled with worry.
But nobody expected John to actually start negotiating terms with the Boss.
Had he lost his mind?
Was he seriously trying to negotiate with a Boss-level monster? Had he not woken up yet?
The Treemonkey King's icy gaze fixed on John, seemingly unwilling to waste time.
The surrounding monkeys drew closer, as if waiting for their king's command to tear this human to shreds and avenge their fallen brethren.
"In three days, a monster tide will come! I am from the fortress ahead, and you've been here long enough to know what that fortress entails.
Also, if I can't hold out, do you think the monsters will spare you?"
John gripped his staff tightly, staring intently at the Treemonkey King across from him.
He was gambling—gambling that the Treemonkey King would want to cooperate, that he deeply cared for his subjects, and that he wouldn't want to leave this place.
The Treemonkey King looked straight back at John, yet his claws remained raised, unswung. hosted-on-NovelFire
The surrounding monkeys grew restless, seemingly unsure why their king had suddenly stopped.
John seized the moment to continue speaking.
"We are not from this world, as you can see. This world has its own rules already in place."
"But the monster tide is inevitable! You can't escape it!"