Luna walked toward the entrance.
"Better to engage with it away from this place."
She glanced back toward the building.
"I still like this area. It has a pleasant view."
Luna exited through the same entrance she had used earlier, crossing several abandoned streets before reaching an open section of the ruined city.
A few buildings away, she stopped, arms folded beneath her chest, posture relaxed and elegant, as though she had merely encountered another student.
The creature standing before her was anything but ordinary. An enormous ape towered above the ruined buildings, resembling an ordinary ape in appearance, at least at first.
Its body was covered in dark fur, its shoulders broad enough to block an entire street, its arms powerful enough to crush several buildings with a single strike.
The creature stood between five and seven stories tall, one of its hands larger than the entire building Luna had chosen as a temporary residence.
Yet its size wasn't the most unsettling feature. Its eyes were. There was intelligence behind them — clear, obvious.
The King Ape wasn't behaving like a mindless beast; it watched Luna carefully, evaluated her, its gaze moving across her body before returning to her face.
Then the enormous creature opened its mouth.
"What creature are you?"
Luna blinked, then smiled.
"You're the first monster I've encountered capable of speaking intelligibly."
The King Ape's expression shifted, almost appearing amused.
"Few monsters survive long enough to reach the Mythical Tier. Even fewer possess sufficient intelligence to speak while remaining within the Legendary Realm."
Luna stared at it, genuinely surprised. The creature didn't merely understand language — it spoke clearly, its words organized, its tone carrying intelligence.
For several seconds Luna felt strangely uncomfortable; she was being lectured by a monster.
I should have paid more attention during Beast Ecology.
She silently recalled the lectures she had ignored — monster evolution, beast genealogy, the relationship between intelligence and mana development.
She had considered most of it unnecessary. Apparently, that had been a mistake.
Luna quickly pushed her embarrassment aside and gave the King Ape a polite nod.
"I see. Thank you for the information."
Her eyes narrowed slightly.
"I'm going to assume you roared because you wanted to confront me?"
The King Ape nodded, one enormous foot lifting before scratching against the side of its face.
"Indeed. The region you currently occupy contains numerous monsters. It belongs to me."
Luna glanced around.
"So this is your territory?"
"Yes." The King Ape lowered its hand. "I am not hungry. I have no interest in eating you. But entering my territory—" Its eyes hardened. "—is something else."
Luna chuckled, while speaking, her mind already analyzing the situation.
Do I fight this creature, or do I simply leave?
The King Ape possessed obvious intelligence, so there was no reason to attack immediately — perhaps they could negotiate, perhaps the creature would allow her to remain inside the city.
Before she could continue thinking, her academy bracelet vibrated, and a translucent screen appeared before her.
[PHASE ONE OBJECTIVE UPDATED]
[Designated Monster Identified]
Target: King Ape
Requirement: Defeat the designated target.
Reward: 200 Required Monster Points
Luna stared at the message, then looked toward the enormous creature.
"...Oh."
The King Ape returned her gaze. Neither moved. Luna silently considered the information — two hundred points, though she didn't know whether that was a large amount, and more importantly she didn't understand how the academy determined a monster's value.
Was the King Ape worth two hundred points because of its strength, its intelligence, its level, or simply because the academy had decided it was an appropriate opponent?
However, the words Designated Monster answered one question — this wasn't optional. The King Ape was one of the creatures she would eventually need to defeat.
Luna's eyes returned to the enormous beast. The King Ape frowned.
"I'm going to assume you don't intend to leave."
Luna smiled.
"You would be correct."
The next moment she disappeared. The King Ape's eyes widened as Luna appeared directly before its face, her fist already moving.
The punch looked small, almost insignificant compared to the enormous creature. The King Ape frowned before casually raising one hand, intending to brush the attack aside. Then—
BOOM!
The expression vanished from its face as an unimaginable force exploded against its palm. The King Ape's enormous body was launched backward, tearing through the first building, then the second, then the third, stone and metal erupting across the city.
The creature flipped through the air before landing heavily upon all fours, the ground beneath it cracking.
For several seconds it remained motionless, then slowly raised its head. Its eyes contained something new: curiosity.
The King Ape stared toward Luna. Luna calmly stood several hundred meters away, her fist still raised.
"That was disappointing."
The King Ape's expression hardened.
"MWOOOOOOOOH!"
A thunderous howl exploded through the ruined city. Several damaged buildings shattered, windows burst, and the ground trembled.
Then the enormous creature moved — its size suggested it should have been slow, but it wasn't.
The King Ape crossed hundreds of meters almost instantly, one massive hand descending toward Luna. She jumped, and the palm struck the ground.
BOOM!
An entire section of the street disappeared, the resulting shockwave destroying several nearby buildings. Luna landed upon the roof of another structure.
The King Ape attacked again; she moved.
Another strike descended; she moved again.
Power and speed both belonged to the creature, and Luna quickly realized that — the King Ape possessed enough strength to destroy entire sections of the city, and its speed was equally impressive, every strike generating powerful waves of wind that shook the surrounding buildings, several of which collapsed.
Luna moved from one structure to another, her figure blurring, the King Ape continuing to pursue her.
Another enormous hand swept through the air, and Luna landed upon the creature's wrist, then ran, her feet crossing the enormous arm at blinding speed.
She reached its shoulder before leaping toward its face, her body rotating, one leg descending.
BOOM!
Her kick struck directly against the King Ape's cheek. The creature grunted, its head snapping sideways, then its enormous body was launched through another section of the city.
Luna landed gracefully upon the ground, her nine tails swaying behind her.
The King Ape rose, its eyes noticeably more hostile now. Luna tilted her head.
"Does this creature possess no innate abilities? Or is it still taking me lightly?"
She smiled, then increased her speed, her body disappearing. The King Ape barely noticed her movement as Luna appeared beneath its chest, her leg moving — the kick was clean, perfect, every movement serving a purpose, no wasted force, no unnecessary motion. Her heel struck the creature's abdomen.
BOOM!
The King Ape was launched upward, its enormous body spinning through the sky. Luna looked toward it, then disappeared again, appearing above the creature, her body descending like a meteor, her fist striking its chest.
BOOOOOOM!
The King Ape crashed into the ground. A massive crater formed beneath it, stone erupting into the sky, several nearby buildings collapsing beneath the resulting shockwave.