This was supposed to be a newbie zone that only spawned bunny mobs. How did a humanoid monster like this appear?

Its name glowed crimson red. Only enemy guild players or wild monsters had red names—nothing else existed in between. Soulshadow Tianyou wasn’t in any guild, so he couldn’t be the first option.

Soulshadow Tianyou froze for a moment before snapping back to his senses. He shook his head slightly, trying to clear the dizziness. His vision sharpened…

The monster’s name read: [Corrupted Monkey King, Tainted by Miasma]. Level: ????

“Four question marks!”

Soulshadow Tianyou was stunned. The highest player level right now was 250. This monkey’s level showed four question marks—meaning it had to be over level 1000.

It was definitely a boss. A New Year Boss, one hundred percent! Why else would a special monster above level 1000 spawn in a zone that only had bunnies?

“Frostbird Corp really has it out for us,” Soulshadow Tianyou muttered with a wry smile. “Dropping a New Year Boss in a corner of the newbie map… they’re trying to kill us.”

And it was humanoid too… Humanoid bosses were far trickier than giant ones. Smarter. They could flee. Their HP might be lower, but their skills defied logic—and their actions were utterly unpredictable.

It strode closer. An oppressive aura slammed into Soulshadow Tianyou, crushing his breath, choking him.

At least I got to see the New Year Boss before dying. To fall by the Great Sage’s hand… Tianyou felt no regrets.

The Corrupted Monkey King stopped before Soulshadow Tianyou, who sat slumped on the ground. It glared down at him.

“Old Sun’s hungry,” it rasped, its voice grating. “Hand over the food in your grip. Do that, and I’ll spare your worthless life, human.” Its expression was brazenly arrogant.

Soulshadow Tianyou froze again. Truly… a humanoid boss’s behavior was impossible to predict.

“You want this?” Tianyou held up the skewer of Poisonous Mushrooms and gave it a little shake.

“Yes!” The Corrupted Monkey King’s murderous aura vanished the moment it saw the food.

This boss was terrifyingly human-like… Soulshadow Tianyou thought inwardly.

“Here. But it’s poisoned.” Tianyou actually handed over the mushrooms.

“Hmph. A decent human. An upright man,” the Corrupted Monkey King boomed, its tense face relaxing. “But poison? What’s that to Old Sun?” Its words carried an oddly human warmth.

So the New Year Boss was a total foodie…

The Corrupted Monkey King snatched the vividly colored Poisonous Mushrooms from Tianyou. It stared at them, drool actually dripping from its jaws.

Dignity? Gone, Monkey King! Ah—my vision’s blurring from the dizziness. Tianyou’s inner monologue was frantic, but cold sweat slicked his skin. His body grew numb. Lifting his arm was a struggle. Time was running out. Forced logout was imminent.

*Crunch. Crunch.*

The Corrupted Monkey King devoured all three Poisonous Mushrooms in two bites.

“Delicious! Though… too little,” it bellowed happily.

“Tasty, right? I’m useless at everything else, but my cooking’s top-notch. Haha.” Tianyou forced a smile—genuine, but strained by dizziness.

“Good, good—*urk*!” The Corrupted Monkey King’s face twisted. It spat out the remaining mushroom chunks.

“Huh? What happened?” Tianyou asked, startled.

“You… you poisoned the mushrooms!” It roared, claw pointing accusingly.

“Didn’t I tell you from the start?” Tianyou asked, worry creeping in.

“AAAAAAAARGH!” The Corrupted Monkey King dropped to its knees, clutching its throat in agony.

Soulshadow Tianyou froze like a statue, eyes wide, watching the New Year Boss writhe on the ground.

Its HP bar appeared—a sign a player had damaged it. But the terrifying part was the “x1620” marker behind the bar.

One thousand six hundred twenty HP bars… No wonder world bosses required thousands of players to kill.

“Heh…” Tianyou gave a bitter laugh, bracing for death.

Then—the impossible happened.

The Corrupted Monkey King’s HP bar vanished at terrifying speed. Over a hundred bars disappeared every second. The number behind it plummeted endlessly.

“AAAAAGH!” It shrieked, eyes burning with venomous hatred. It glared at Soulshadow Tianyou, a killing intent exploding from its body. It crawled toward him, struggling up from the dirt.

Its arm shimmered with golden light. Tianyou didn’t know what it was, but the aura reeked of annihilation.

The monkey king’s claw stretched toward Tianyou. Inches away. If Tianyou just leaned his head forward an inch—he’d die instantly.

*If I die, the poison’s effect will vanish. The monkey king will survive… Right? Anyway, loot from a boss like this is useless to a cripple like me who can’t even play properly…*

Tianyou thought this—but he refused to move his head forward.

“I… curse you…” The Corrupted Monkey King’s HP hit zero. Its claw stopped half a centimeter from Tianyou’s forehead. Its face contorted in fury, resentment, and despair. Then it collapsed. Dead. Killed by three Poisonous Mushrooms.

Tianyou stared at the corpse, trembling. His mouth opened slightly. A self-mocking, bitter laugh escaped him. “In the end… I’m just selfish. Heh.”