The Glass Warrior [Weak to Strong LitRPG]

In the final moment, Lucas took a leap of faith by stepping through the Glass Gate.

The first reason for him to be worried was that he had used a shortened version of the hand seals to make that gate, and he hadn't really tested stepping through one of those before. However, pressed for time, caution was a luxury he couldn't afford.

The second reason was even simpler: he had no idea whether the monkey could cross with him.

He had already tested it before and confirmed that only he could pass through his Gates. But considering the monkey could physically enter his rings, he assumed it wouldn't have any trouble crossing the Gate as well.

If he was wrong in his assumption, though, the monkey would've been forced to stay behind—and being already half-dead, Lucas hoped he wouldn't hold much of a grudge.

…

"Shit!" Lucas yelled, clutching his head as a splitting headache hit him the moment he arrived on a grassy hill. He stumbled a few steps before collapsing to the ground.

His level was still far too low to be engaging in drawn-out battles, and nearly everything that kept a human going in this world had been almost completely depleted, mana, health, and stamina.

"Kreeeeh!"

It was with great relief that Lucas heard the monkey shriek beside him.

The truth was, he hadn't seriously considered the possibility that the monkey might not be able to cross the gate with him until the very last second. He would've felt awful if, after everything, he'd left him behind to die, but thankfully, the monkey didn't seem aware of that close call. He just grinned back at Lucas, looking happier than ever.

This monkey really enjoys screwing people over, Lucas mused, eyeing the strange creature beside him.

Now that he had a moment to think about it, it was honestly bizarre that the thing that had emerged from that centuries-old orb was… this.

Who had designed it? Why an undead monkey? Was the "orb" actually an egg all along? And if so, what kind of monkey hatches from an egg?

Clearly an undead one, Lucas thought, staring at the freakish little creature and letting out a sigh.

"Come on. Let's get out of here," he muttered, forcing himself up from the ground and throwing one last glance at the tomb before stumbling toward the nearby forest.

Despite not believing anyone could possibly emerge from that godforsaken place, Lucas wasn't about to take chances with his life. If somehow one of them did manage to survive and found him lying there, it wouldn't take much to finish him off in his current state.

Walking in that dazed state was like a dream and a nightmare at the same time, he even forgot about the possibility of beasts appearing as he crossed the familiar outskirts of the lords tombs.

After a few minutes, Lucas managed to reach the forest and placed a hand on a tree to steady himself and looked up. Ideally, he'd climb into the branches, like he used to whenever he slept in the forest, but given the shape he was in, that was wishful thinking.

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He'd already used every potion he had and now had to wait for the cool down period to pass before he could take another, which meant he was stuck until then.

Reasoning this much, Lucas collapsed onto the ground, his back against the tree trunk, while the monkey sat nearby, watching him curiously.

Some of his wounds were still bleeding, which was a little worrying, but he took comfort in the fact that he wouldn't die, not unless someone found him.

And for the first time since he saw it, he wondered if he should have trusted the monkey in such a vulnerable state.

And just as that thought crossed his mind, Lucas's consciousness began to fade...

"Protect… me…" he managed to whisper to the spooky primate lurking in the branches above, taking another leap of faith, since there wasn't much else he could do before darkness swallowed him whole.

…

Lucas slowly opened his eyes, only to find a half-rotten face staring intently at him.

"Jeez, give me some space," he muttered, a chill running down his spine from the unsettling sight.

As he fully regained consciousness, the first thing he noticed was that the monkey watching him looked slightly bigger.

It shouldn't have been more than six inches long the first time he saw it, but it definitely seemed to have grown while Lucas was unconscious which would've been impressive, if not for the bizarre circumstances surrounding its birth, already a clear warning that this was no ordinary monkey.

Recalling how the orb had grown whenever he "fed" it death-related items, Lucas glanced at his ring and noticed that several objects had vanished from the monkey's pile—and even a few from his own.

"Hey, you little thief! Where'd you put it?" he snapped.

The monkey glanced around innocently, as if Lucas had been talking to someone else.

This little devil is definitely smart. I wouldn't be surprised if it started talking, Lucas thought. That led him to another question.

"Why didn't you leave me? Why did you stay?"

Judging by the monkey's performance inside the tomb, it clearly had the skill, and the boldness, to survive on its own. In fact, Lucas would probably feel sorry for anyone who got in its way.

Now that they were out of the tomb and deep in a forest, likely the creature's natural habitat, it made even less sense that it hadn't just vanished into the trees or even killed him for his treasures.

The monkey stood there, staring at him for a moment, and Lucas began to wonder if it had understood his question. He was about to ask again when the creature pointed at the apple in his hand.

Lucas immediately noticed the death energy radiating from the fruit. The monkey pointed to the apple, then to Lucas, and repeated the motion several times.

"Huh. So you think you'll get more of these if you stick with me?" Lucas asked, beginning to understand.

The monkey nodded enthusiastically, flashing a wide, toothy grin. Lucas couldn't help but chuckle.

"All right, all right. I'll get you more of them, but you have to help me too. Carry your weight. That dagger in your hand better not be just for opening boxes."

The monkey gave a confident shake of his head, as if to say don't worry about it.

Lucas shook his head, amazed by the whole interaction, as the monkey went about his business—now seemingly free of the duty of guarding his body, which was already healed, since his stamina had recovered a bit.

Who would've imagined he'd end up talking to a monkey in the middle of a forest?

Even though the monkey's reasoning made sense, Lucas could probably find more information about these death-related items, and he did have the strength to fight for them, he still wondered if that was the only reason it had stayed.
There was also that strange connection he felt with the creature. What could explain the fact that he was able to pass through his own Glass Gate?

He probably doesn't know either, Lucas thought after a moment.
The monkey was clever, no doubt, but that didn't mean he had all the answers about how this world worked.

As much as he wanted to understand that bond, Lucas realized he probably wouldn't find the answer anytime soon. So, for now, it was better to let it go.
But as he glanced at the monkey clinging to a tree branch behind him, another question popped into his mind.

"What should I call you?"

The monkey tilted his head, visibly confused.

He kind of looks like a little boy perched up in that tree… so maybe…

"Chico?"

"Kreeeeh!"

"Right! Chico it is, then," Lucas said with a grin. "Now, let's see what we managed to grab from that tomb."

At the mention of checking their loot, Chico went wild and jumped onto one of the rings—a pretty interesting sight—but considering the monkey's obsession with death-related items, Lucas sobered up and got down to business before all his things got stolen.