Chapter 143 — Answering Questions

Victor nodded.

"I understand, Senior."

He hesitated before asking his next question.

"What about the tattoos?"

Monklalusa looked at him.

"Tattoos?"

Victor pointed toward the ancient monkey's body.

"I've seen markings like yours on the Lava Rock Monkeys."

He paused.

"And I've seen similar markings on the Shadow Foxes."

Monklalusa's eyebrows rose.

"You ran into those buffoons?"

A grin slowly returned to his face.

"Those foxes are still around?"

He continued.

"They're quite the hard-headed species, aren't they?"

Monklalusa shook his head with a laugh.

Victor couldn't help but smile.

Then the ancient monkey's expression became serious again.

"The tattoos appeared during the retreat."

Victor's smile faded.

"The Beast Monarchs cursed any beast that failed to return to Samal's territory in time."

His hand slowly moved across one of the ancient markings on his chest.

"As far as I know, only two clans suffered the curse."

"The Lava Rock Monkeys…"

"And the Shadow Foxes."

Victor's eyes widened slightly.

Monklalusa continued.

"At first, nobody understood what the curse actually did. We knew something had changed, but curses of that level aren't exactly easy to study."

He gave a bitter laugh.

"But we learned that it had sealed our cultivation."

Victor's expression became serious.

"It placed a limit on how far our bloodline could progress." 1

Monklalusa's eyes hardened.

"I've been stuck at the same cultivation for nearly seven thousand years." 1

The words carried a weight Victor couldn't properly comprehend.

The ancient monkey had lived with the same limitation for longer than entire human civilizations could survive.

"And it didn't stop with us," Monklalusa continued. "Our descendants inherited it."

His voice became heavier.

"Every child born into my clan carries the curse."

Victor immediately understood.

"That's why…"

"That's why there isn't a single Lava Rock Monkey stronger than a Tempered Beast."

Monklalusa looked away.

"Except me."

For a brief moment, anger flashed through his eyes.

It disappeared almost immediately.

But Victor saw it.

There was something deeply painful about those words.

"If they weren't cursed," Monklalusa said quietly, "my clan would be much different."

His gaze traveled toward the cavern entrance.

"So would the Shadow Foxes."

Victor's heart tightened.

Lyra.

Suddenly, everything made sense.

The blockage he'd sensed inside Lyra's soul.

The invisible wall preventing her from advancing.

The way her cultivation had remained trapped at Peak of Rank 10.

The curse wasn't something that had happened recently.

It had been passed down through her bloodline for thousands of years.

And every generation of her clan had inherited it.

Victor lowered his gaze.

So that's what it was.

For the first time, he truly understood what Lyra had been fighting against.

She hadn't simply failed to advance.

She had been born carrying a chain forged thousands of years ago.

And every generation of her clan had inherited it.

Victor felt something twist inside his chest.

He looked back at Monklalusa.

"Thank you for explaining that to me, Senior."

Monklalusa studied him for a moment before nodding.

Victor considered asking more.

But he stopped himself.

The ancient monkey had already given him far more information than he had expected.

And talking about the curse clearly wasn't easy for him.

So Victor chose another question.

"Then…"

He paused.

"Could you tell me about your time with Samal?"

Monklalusa's expression changed instantly.

Victor continued.

"And why you call him your brother?"

A huge smile spread across Monklalusa's face.

"I was wondering when you'd ask!"

Victor blinked.

Monklalusa walked toward him and threw an arm around his shoulders.

"I'd love to tell you, boy."

He laughed.

"But before we do that, I'm getting Monkaster to bring us something."

"What?"

"Banana ale."

Victor stared at him.

Monklalusa nodded seriously.

"Stories like these are always better with banana ale in your stomach."

Victor couldn't argue with that logic.

"Of course, Senior."

Monklalusa turned toward the entrance.

Victor watched him leave before a thought occurred to him.

Of course Monkaster would know about the Monklalusa.

Monkaster had deliberately sent Victor into this chamber without telling him who was waiting inside.

Victor felt a small pang of annoyance.

He could've at least warned me.

Then again, considering Monkaster's personality, Victor wasn't exactly surprised.

There was probably a reason.

About fifteen minutes later, footsteps echoed through the chamber.

Monkaster entered carrying two enormous jars.

A smile rested on his face.

"Ancestor."

He stopped and bowed deeply.

Then he looked toward Victor.

"Hello, Victor."

Monkaster walked over and carefully placed the two jars on the ground.

"Here's what you asked for, Ancestor."

"Ah!"

Monklalusa's face immediately brightened.

"Monkaster, boy. Thank you."

He reached down and patted Monkaster on the shoulder.

"You've always been one of my favorite descendants."

Monkaster's expression became respectfully submissive.

"Anything for you, Ancestor."

He bowed again.

Monklalusa glanced toward the cave entrance.

"Grab one more and leave it outside the cave entrance."

Monkaster paused.

"It seems we have a guest out there who may be thirsty."

Victor looked at Monklalusa with slight confusion.

Monkaster also seemed confused, but he didn't ask any questions.

He simply nodded.

"Yes, Ancestor."

Monkaster turned and headed back toward the entrance.

Victor watched him leave.

He still had no idea what Monklalusa meant.

Then he looked back at the ancient monkey.

Monklalusa simply smiled.

Victor raised an eyebrow.

But before he could ask, Monklalusa continued.

"Don't be mad at him, boy!"

Monklalusa slapped his knee.

"That was my idea!"

Victor stared at him.

"I wanted to see your reaction when you met me without any warning."

Monklalusa leaned closer.

"Well?"

Victor thought about it.

"I can't say I wasn't frightened a little."

Monklalusa exploded into laughter.

"HA!"

Victor smiled.

Even Monkaster couldn't help but smile.

He bowed once more before turning around.

"I'll leave you two alone."

As Monkaster walked away, Monklalusa's booming laughter followed him through the cavern.

The moment he disappeared from sight, Monklalusa grabbed the cups.

He opened one of the jars and poured the thick golden liquid.

"Cheers."

He raised his cup.

Victor lifted his own.

"What are we celebrating?"

Monklalusa grinned.

"You becoming Prime Ape."

Victor paused.

Monklalusa continued.

"This is a tradition. Every new Prime Ape must share a drink with me."

Victor nodded.

"Then cheers, Senior."

Their cups clinked together.

They drank.

The banana ale was surprisingly sweet.

Victor lowered his cup.

Monklalusa smiled.

"Now…"

He leaned back against a large stone.

"Where was I?"

Victor smiled.

"You were about to tell me about Samal."

"Ah, yes."

And Monklalusa began to talk.

For the next thirty minutes, Victor listened.

Samal wasn't described as a legendary figure.

He wasn't described as some untouchable ancient hero.

To Monklalusa, Samal was simply Samal.

His brother.

His friend.

The stubborn man who would walk into impossible situations simply because someone needed help.

The reckless leader who sometimes made decisions that drove everyone around him insane.

They had fought countless battles together.

They had traveled across the world together.

They had crossed territories controlled by beasts, climbed mountains, crossed deserts, and fought their way through places where ordinary warriors wouldn't have survived a day.

And they had fought together until they reached the ends of the world.

Monklalusa's stories were filled with laughter.

Sometimes he would pause because he was laughing too hard to continue.

Other times, his expression would become quiet as he remembered battles that had happened thousands of years ago.

But one thing remained consistent.

His loyalty toward Samal had never wavered.

Victor eventually asked the question that had been forming in his mind.

"You really would've followed him anywhere?"

Monklalusa looked at him.

"I would've followed him into death."

Victor stared at him.

There was no exaggeration in his voice.

That answer came from somewhere deeper.

Victor found himself wondering what kind of person Samal must have been to inspire that kind of loyalty.

Then something changed.

Victor's smile disappeared.

His head slowly turned toward the distance.

Monklalusa noticed.

The ancient monkey's eyebrows furrowed.

"What is it?"

Victor didn't answer.

Something was wrong.

He couldn't explain it.

There was no sound.

No visible change in the cavern.

Nothing that his eyes could detect.

Yet every instinct inside him was screaming.

Victor's heart began beating faster.

His Soul Power trembled.

Then he felt it.

The Soul Bond.

Lyra.

Victor's expression changed.

A strange sensation crawled through his chest.

Like something terrible was approaching.

Like death itself had entered the edge of his senses.

Victor slowly stood.

Monklalusa's smile disappeared.

"Boy?"

Victor stared into the distance.

His breathing became shallow.

Lyra…

The moment he focused on the Soul Bond, the sensation became stronger.

Something bad was happening.

Victor was almost certain Lyra was at the center of it.