The Last Incubus with The Vice and Valor System

He darted through the path, his movements precise and fluid.

He ran at the far side of the path, as he knew that running straight in the middle of the path would be subjecting himself openly to the monkeys attacks, but doing that he was able to focus solely on putting distance between himself and the persistent monkeys.

The path ahead began to incline, and Leon pushed himself harder, his breathing steady despite the exertion. He knew the terrain well enough to understand that the higher ground might offer some advantage, at least in slowing the monkeys down.

As he climbed, the mocking laughter and rustling leaves started to fade, indicating that the monkeys were falling behind. Still, he didn't slow his pace.

He didn't know how far he would have to continue on this path to reach the ash-colored route, but that path was his chance to lose these bandit monkeys.

Suddenly, his eyes lit up with excitement. He had spotted the path, the route colored ash on the map. Without hesitation, he ran toward it, veering to the right. The path was narrow, and Leon made a quick curve into it, running at full speed.

The bandit monkeys, which had been chasing him along the straight path that led to the northwest trade route, lost sight of him.

They chattered angrily as they realized they had lost their prey. Their frustration was palpable, and Leon allowed himself a small, satisfied smile.

"Finally," he whispered, running as light-footed as he could. The monkeys seemed to lose interest, scattering back into the trees. He could discern this from the diminishing noises they were making.

Leon straightened up, adjusting his grip on the katana. The dungeon lay far ahead, and with the immediate threat behind him, he could now focus on his true objective.

He took a deep breath, feeling a mix of relief and anticipation, and continued on his way, leaving the bandit monkeys and their chaotic laughter behind.

Later, as he ran through the ash-colored path, he came upon an open square. Suddenly, bandit monkeys dove down from the surrounding trees, surprising Leon.

He furrowed his brows as he watched the monkeys descend, making monkey noises and mocking laughs as they got into formation around him.

"These things are relentless," he said in a cold voice, drawing out his katana from his spatial ring. "Did I kill their parents in my past life?" he joked dryly as he brandished his weapon.

The monkeys had realized what had happened and took a shortcut, catching up to Leon and then silently ambushing him in this place. Leon wasn't afraid; they were all mere wild beasts, but their numbers made them quite troublesome.

The monkeys had seen him use his katana to cleanly kill their comrade, so they were extremely wary of the weapon.

In the formation, he was surrounded by monkeys on all sides. Many were in the trees, watching and making loud noises that Leon found annoying.

When they attacked, they aimed for his legs, but Leon scoffed at their beastial foolishness. He sent the first set of attacking monkeys flying with a powerful kick. The second set of attackers were monkeys diving from the trees.

The attacks were extremely coordinated and well-timed, which Leon found surprising. But the second set, diving from high up in the trees, were quickly sliced up with a swift slash of his katana.

Blood sprayed, and the bodies of the fallen monkeys hit the ground with a series of thuds.

The remaining monkeys hesitated, their confidence shaken by the effortless way Leon had dispatched their comrades. They chattered nervously among themselves, their previous bravado fading.

Leon stood tall, his katana gleaming with fresh blood. "Anyone else?" he challenged, his voice cold and steady.

The monkeys, realizing they were no match for him, slowly backed away, retreating into the safety of the trees. Their eyes remained on Leon, but none dared to make another move.

They had just seen him swiftly slaughter the batch of monkeys that dived at him. The scene was brutal and sent shivers down their spines. It was clear that he was extremely skilled with the blade in his hands, and they were no match for him.

A commanding monkey shriek was heard from the top of a tree with multiple monkeys in it. Hearing the shriek, the monkeys, no longer laughing as usual, made strange noises at Leon and quickly retreated.

Fighting Leon would cause too many casualties; the commanding monkey had canceled Leon out as their prey. To it, he was not worth the chase. The loss they would suffer from trying to loot him would overshadow any potential gain they would gain from the loot.

Leon heard the commanding shriek, his eyes, once casual, turned cold and pierced through the monkey group. He knew there was a leader from the shriek. It had hidden itself well.

No matter how Leon's gaze surveyed the bandit monkey group, they all looked the same. The leader was well hidden.

From what he had heard, there was a mutant monkey king, feral monkey generals, and the wild monkeys. The wild monkeys, the lowest rank, were what he had encountered so far, and that didn't quite add up.

If things were as he was told, then the feral monkey generals should have made an appearance too. The monkey king should be the one controlling the monkeys from a hidden position.

Leon sighed, knowing that it was pointless to think too much about this. They had already given up on him, so there was no need to worry over something like this. He should get to the dungeon as soon as possible.

Ignoring the retreating monkeys and under their wary gazes, Leon continued on his way to the dungeon.

He walked for a few minutes. It was afternoon, and he planned to finish things up before nightfall.

Apart from the bandit monkeys, who had canceled him out as their prey, he didn't encounter any more beasts on the way. He thanked his luck; the last thing he wanted right now was a delay.

As he walked, Leon pondered, 'Even if they manage to loot me of the spatial bag, how do they plan to take out the goods inside, assuming there are goods inside?'

Leon knew his spatial bag was empty, so even if the bandit monkeys succeeded in stealing it, their efforts would be in vain.

This led him to conclude that the mutant beasts or ferals chasing him must have the ability to use Qi. Without the capability of innately manipulating Qi, they wouldn't be able to retrieve anything from the spatial bag.

Therefore, some of these monkeys must be capable of Qi manipulation, and their strength would likely surpass the wild monkeys he had encountered so far.

He used this line of thought to pass time, from his encounters so far, he knew that the beasts in this world are more intelligent than those in earth

Suddenly, he started feeling intense Qi up ahead, this discovery disrupted his line of thought.

Now, he didn't even need his memory of the map to know his way forward. He simply followed the path that led directly to the intense Qi he was sensing.

Soon, a dungeon portal came into view. Leon stood in front of it, watching in silence for a few seconds.

"So this is a dungeon portal," he murmured.

The portal was a vortex, with a hint of green in it even though its primary color was white.

'I wonder which type of beasts I'll be seeing inside,' Leon thought, a hint of excitement surging within him.

Without any hesitation, he jumped into the dungeon portal. He was sucked in by an intense suction force.

His vision blackened.

'Huh?'

However, the next second his vision returned, and he found himself in a completely different place.

Looking around, he saw that he was on a small piece of land, and behind him was a black wall. In front of him, a small pond surrounded the land he stood on, with a bridge leading over the water to a small forested area. The entire space was around 15 square kilometers, enclosed by the same ominous black walls. A few sparse trees dotted the landscape.

Suddenly, a small green goblin appeared, walking in his direction. The goblin was about three feet tall, with leathery, dark green skin that seemed to blend into the shadows.

Its large, bulbous eyes glowed with a malevolent yellow hue, and its pointed ears twitched with every sound. Sharp teeth protruded from its mouth, giving it a perpetual snarl. It wore tattered rags that barely covered its scrawny frame, and in its gnarled hand, it clutched a rusty dagger.

Leon's heart leaped, but he remained calm. The area he stood in was completely open. To find better hiding spots, he would need to cross the bridge, but that would expose him to the goblin patrolling on the other side.

Thinking quickly, he gritted his teeth and cursed under his breath. He scrambled beneath the bridge, gripping the wooden supports to prevent himself from falling into the water below. The water looked shallow, but any splash would give him away.