Chapter 2887: Chapter 2887: Black Monkeys

While the three-eyed boy was asleep, Zen had managed to hide several Darkness Fruits.

He hadn't expected the boy to give them to him on his own prerogative.

“Aren't you worried about us running away?” Zen asked, staring at the boy.

Surprisingly, the latter smiled coldly. “If you wanted to escape, you should have left by now. I think you're right. Somehow, the resources in the Dark Region attract you. We can work together.”

“As friends?” Zen asked with a friendly smile.

The boy glared at him viciously in response before walking down to the hut below.

Because of his serious injuries, he couldn't keep all the Burning Crystals he had robbed from the black monkeys. The hut below was the only place with some reserve.

Making the candles remained the most important task at hand, after all.

After taking all the Burning Crystals to the top hut, the three-eye boy turned and stared at Zen and Elvinia. “You said that you wanted the Other Shore Token?”

The two glanced at each other questioningly.

In the time they spent there, the Dark Region had shown itself to be much more powerful than they could have ever imagined.

While they surely yearned for Other Shore Tokens of the Dark Region, those were things unreachable.

Even Elvinia, who was normally proud and arrogant, realized how great of a chance it was.

The Other Shore Token she had was also highly precious. Although there was a chance for it to grow, she was willing to change it into something from the Dark Region.

“Of course, who wouldn't want it?” Zen replied matter-of-factly.

“Your energy and that of the Dark Region repel each other,” explained the boy. “I'm afraid it will be difficult for you to fuse with the Other Shore Token here.”

Indeed, Zen had ignored the fact. He scratched his head in embarrassment.

Over the past ten days, he had been constantly observing the phenomenon of repulsion.

The Other Shore Tokens of the Dark Region weren't to be integrated with the creatures outside the Dark Region.

Noticing Zen's expression, the boy continued, “It is indeed very difficult to fuse the tokens, but it's not entirely impossible.”

At that, Zen's eyes lit up. “Do you have something in mind?”

“There's one way I can think of…but it isn't the right time. I can help you when that time comes.”

“What do you mean by 'the right time?'” Zen asked, confused.

“Once you finish the candles,” responded the boy, revealing a rather stiff smile as he gently patted Zen on the shoulder.

Zen could feel his shoulder blade threaten to break into pieces from that gentle pat—the three-eyed boy was undeniably powerful.

Once he disappeared into the darkness again, Elvinia chimed it, “He didn't leave with any warning this time. It seems he isn't afraid of us running away.” ℟âNŏΒÈ𝓢

“The Darkness Fruit is much more convenient than the candles. He was willing to leave them to me, which means he allowed us to come and go freely,” Zen said.

“Then… How about we leave now?” She suggested hesitantly.

Throwing the Burning Crystals into the pot, Zen merely smiled at her. “Let's get to work!”

In acceptance, Elvinia said no more. Instead, she concentrated on melting the crystals.

Previously, Elvinia was worried about being trapped in that place for the rest of her life—she felt the urgency of heading back to the Phoenix Palace any chance she got. But knowing that she could leave at will provided some comfort. In fact, she thought that perhaps staying within the range of the candlelight wasn't such a bad thing—she was free from the endless fights that plagued the world outside.

Taking a Darkness Fruit, Zen walked into the Dark Region.

After having tested it out before, this time, he didn't feel as nervous going into the dark.

Despite what it was, the Dark Region didn't seem to put Zen down.

The energy scattered in the area was no longer repelling Zen after he took a Darkness Fruit.

The dark world shone brightly in Zen's eyes.

The road extending to the huts turned out to be a hillside that led to a cliff. Zen couldn't tell how high up it was, but every time the giant ape arrived, it walked below the cliff.

For a while, Zen walked along the front of the hillside until he hit a dead-end. The path before him had been completely obstructed by shrubs.

“So the huts are in an isolated location…the boy chose the safest area,” Zen muttered.

Although he was deeply curious, he figured he shouldn't wander deeper into the Dark Region—it was his first time exploring on his own, after all. He couldn't leave Elvinia alone in the hut for too long.

But just as he turned around to head back, he heard something squeak from nearby.

In the Dark Region, sound fluctuations were also kinds of energy. No one, including Zen, had been able to catch such a sound before. Having immersed himself in the Dark Region completely, Zen could finally hear it clear as crystal.

Squinting into the dark, Zen spotted over a dozen human-monkey monsters jumping up and down, rushing straight at him.

Such bad luck, Zen thought, frowning at the sight of them.

Without a second of hesitation, Zen turned back and rushed to the peak of the hillside.

Even the red python didn't dare go within range of the huts, let alone the human-monkey monsters.

Whoosh!

The human-monkey monsters were, of course, far more familiar with the terrain than Zen was.

They were carefree as they bounced and rolled, rapidly closing the distance between Zen and themselves with great flexibility.

Squeak!

One of the human-monkey monsters started squeaking loudly as it jumped onto Zen's head, trying to stab his head with its hooked tail.

But Zen was not as weak as the Souls of Light the human-monkey monsters had attacked before.

While he might not have been able to resist a red python's attacks, Zen had no trouble dealing the human-monkey monsters behind him.

Bowing his head slightly, Zen extended his hands as fast as lightning, twisting the human-monkey monster's tail. There was a sudden wave before the monster could only scream and hit another one.

“Bang!”

Two human-monkey monsters were knocked straight to the ground as the rest moved in to surround Zen.

He climbed up the slope, as the human-monkey monsters continued coming after him. He simply pulled one up to throw it at the others. Some fell right into the mountain stream.

In almost no time, Zen arrived at the peak of the hillside.

About a hundred feet away from the huts, he settled his pace and calmed down.

Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!

More and more human-monkey monsters were gathering under the hillside—their numbers going up into the hundreds. But none of them was climbing the hillside. Instead, they sat in rows as though they were welcoming something with respect.

Curious, Zen stayed in his spot to watch.

From a distance, the jungle was in a state of turmoil. A road appeared in the middle where many ten-foot-tall monkeys emerged.

Even from where he stood, Zen could tell that the tall, strong monkeys were all completely black.