Chapter 21: Horskey
Ank's first real one-on-one fight with a monster had finally begun, in which he had an equal chance of winning after his revival.
He had been battling low-level monsters for an hour, frustrated that he could not find any A-rank monster.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
For hours, Ank had been wandering, his blade stained with the blood of weaker monsters.
After searching for eight hours and killing many B- and C-rank monsters, it exhausted him.
While searching and not finding what he wanted, he thought, what can I do now, how much time will it take. I thought searching would be easy.
His body felt heavy. He had been pushing himself since dawn, cutting down monster after monster, his body couldn't move, but his mind was ready to fight.
Finally, his legs gave in. Ank sat by the riverbank, staring at his reflection on the trembling surface of the water. He watched his face, white hair with black eyes and childish face because of destruction. He was now sixteen. First he was angry, but now he thought about these, he was happy; to restart life was best, to start from scratch.
More than one year has passed since I woke up on this planet.
Now I look back, I am now happy with my current new life compared to my previous life.
I have now made up my mind, I will not walk the same path again, this time I will live in peace and away from all problems.
And flashbacks of him, fighting with his friends that he betrayed, came into his view.
And then slowly moved to his current life with old man Arthur and Maya, and now finally remembered old man's hellish training, how he survived the last one year, the refusal to give up, the stubbornness of not losing, the attitude of emperor changing to normal person, struggle to fight, passion for his new life.
Now he had a new life in which the past was waiting for him to strike, but he had regained power before the past came at his door knocking.
And to achieve this, he had to complete Quests.
For a moment, he thought about opening the quests. It had been a full year since he last looked at it.
A full year of no quests.
A full year of ignoring every quest notification that popped up.
He knew if he checked, the system would flood him with side missions, distractions, and new objectives. He didn't want that. Not until he had reached level 30. That was his goal. His sole purpose. And now, he was close—so close he could feel the edge of it.
"Just a little more," Ank whispered, gripping his knees. "I can't stop now."
His eyes burned with fatigue, but he refused to falter. After a while, exhaustion forced him to climb into a tree, where he allowed himself three hours of restless sleep.
After taking a three-hour nap on a tree branch, he resumed his search for a stronger monster.
When he woke, the sun was already past its peak, casting golden rays across the mountain forest. His body still ached, but he pushed on.
While wandering through the forest, a strange creature caught his attention.
The monster had four arms, with the upper half of its body resembling a monkey and the lower half resembling a horse.
When Ank checked its status window, the details appeared:
[Status Window: Horskey]
Race: half horse-half monkey
[Level: B]
[Threat Level: Medium Monster]
[HP: 500]
[Energy: 5000]
[Strength: 1000]
[Constitution: 300]
[Stamina: 5000]
[Charisma: 100]
[Intelligence: 1000]
[Skills: Stone Bullet, Copy Weapon]
Description: A species known for imitating an opponent's movements. "Copy Weapon" allows it to create the same weapon its opponent is using.
Ank smirked, gripping his sword. "Copy Weapon, huh? This could be interesting."
He rushed forward without another thought.
The Horskey roared and moved to meet him. As soon as Ank swung his blade, the monster's upper arms created a weapon identical to his own, swinging with equal force. Their swords clashed, sparks flying into the air.
"Not bad," Ank muttered, his grin widening.
The monster mimicked every strike, every dodge, every flourish. It was like fighting his own reflection—except that reflection had four arms and far more stamina than him.
Minutes turned into hours. Ank tested move after move, technique after technique, each one perfectly countered by the Horskey. His muscles screamed, sweat drenched his body, but he could not stop, he was enjoying.
"This… is fun."
For Ank, fighting such a creature felt like a good way to pass time. He tested his stamina, increased the sharpness of his moves, and studied whether his attacks were truly deadly.
Hours passed. Sixteen in total. Ank forgot about time, forgot about hunger, forgot about everything except the duel. He also forgot his original goal—to find an A-rank monster.
At any moment, he could have ended it. He knew that. The Horskey was strong, but Ank had grown stronger. If he unleashed his full power, Horskey would fall. But he didn't want that. Not yet.
Instead, he pushed himself harder, forcing his body past its limits, testing how far he could endure.
"This is what I needed," Ank breathed, barely able to keep his footing. "Old man… you would've loved this fight."
The thought of his master filled him with bittersweet warmth. Arthur's brutal training had been hell, but it was also what had made Ank who he was now. Somewhere along the way, Ank had grown attached to the old man—not just as a master, but as someone he respected deeply and wanted to learn more, but he had limited time.
But then, reality returned.
I didn't come here for B-rank monsters, he reminded himself. I came here for something greater.
Steeling himself, Ank raised his blade for the final strike. His aura flared, shaking the ground beneath him. The Horskey mirrored his stance, conjuring the same energy.
But Ank was faster, stronger, his finishing move cut through the monster's guard, slamming into its chest.
The Horskey let out a roar before collapsing, unconscious.
Defeating Horskey. However, he couldn't bring himself to kill it.
"Rest," Ank muttered, turning away. "You've earned it."
He left the creature where it lay and walked back into the forest.
Not long after, his search finally bore fruit.
Through the trees, he sensed it—a pressure unlike anything else he had felt today. The air grew heavier, colder, charged with power.
A true A-rank monster.
Ank's lips curved into a tired but determined smile.
"This is it. The fight I came for."
He tightened his grip on his sword and stepped forward, ready to face the monster he had been waiting for all along.