Chapter 1: The Stone Monkey of Huaguo Mountain - (1)

I died and was reincarnated as a monkey.

Not long ago, I was just an ordinary college student in South Korea. Who would’ve thought that ignoring a traffic signal and getting hit by a speeding truck would be the end of me?

And yet, not only did I come back to life, but I wasn’t even human—I was reborn as a monkey.

Reincarnation, something I had only ever read about in fiction, turned out to be real.

Brown fur, a light orange-toned complexion—my reflection in the stream was undeniably more beast than man.

From the moment I woke up, I could feel the itch of a tail near my lower back.

As if being reborn as a monkey wasn’t absurd enough…

The mountain where I opened my eyes was teeming with apes—so much so that it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say they ruled this place.

“Ukkikik! Ukkik!”

How in the world did I end up waking up in a place full of monkeys?

I wasn’t even sure if this was still Earth.

“Ukkik. Kikikig! Ukkeok!”

—“I’m hungry. Should we go pick some fruit?”

—“There’s a waterfall behind that cliff. Let’s check it out.”

—“What are you waiting for? Come on.”

…Since when were monkeys this intelligent?

Even if we were the same species now, the fact that they could communicate at this level was baffling.

A chilling thought crossed my mind—what if this wasn’t Earth at all? What if I had been reborn in a world of martial arts legends or Taoist immortals?

That would be a disaster.

If animals here could think like humans, wouldn’t they be considered some kind of monstrous race? Or worse, aliens?

Wouldn’t humans eventually hunt us down?

—“Isn’t it about time we chose a king?”

—“That’s what I’m saying! Ever since the wild boars from the neighboring mountain got their own king, their confidence has skyrocketed!”

—“Whoever crushes those boars should be our king!”

I gazed up at the sky, sighing at the uncertainty of my future.

Just then, a monkey sidled up next to me, looking even more troubled than I was. He sighed deeply before speaking.

“Ukkikkiki! Ukkeok!”

—“Hahh! Stone Monkey, what do you think? If this keeps up, we Golden-Furred Beautiful Monkeys are doomed. If the wild boars cross over, they’ll drive us out…”

Golden-Furred Beautiful Monkey? Seriously?

This guy even knew how to write characters?

Putting aside his ridiculous self-proclaimed title, one thing was clear—these monkeys weren’t ordinary.

Their strength and intelligence felt completely different from Earth’s monkeys, as if they were another species entirely.

Of course, that included me as well—the so-called Stone Monkey, said to have been born from a rock.

I wasn’t sure if I had actually come from stone, but one thing was undeniable—I was far stronger than the rest.

In fact, my strength was on a completely different level.

The other day, I had absentmindedly swiped my tail, and a whole tree shattered into pieces. That alone had sent the other monkeys into a frenzy.

I didn’t remember my exact moment of birth… but given that no monkey had stepped forward claiming to be my parent, maybe their wild claims weren’t entirely baseless.

—“The king should be the one with the most beautiful fur and tail. Don’t you think so, Stone Monkey?”

Did these guys think they were humans or something? They were even playing politics.

The one speaking to me now was always scheming to become the leader himself.

There was another monkey who once tried to use my strength to eliminate a rival.

Another had ambushed me while I was climbing a tree for fruit.

One had even grabbed a branch and charged at me to impress a female monkey.

Of course, I had beaten them all senseless.

At some point, they must have realized I wasn’t one to mess with, because no one had tried anything since.

The politics of these monster monkeys were anything but simple.

“Ukkikkik!!! Ukkikiki! Kikik!”

—“Everyone wants to be king, right? Then let’s settle this!”

—“What do you mean?”

—“You all know the waterfall up there, don’t you? Whoever bravely steps into the falls and finds its source will be crowned king!”

—“Sounds good! Let’s head over there!”

—“Stone Monkey, hurry up and follow us!”

Well… whatever. They were still just monkeys.

Led by the noisy shrieks of the others, I arrived at what seemed like an ordinary waterfall.

It was nothing special, just the kind of waterfall you’d expect to find in any decently sized mountain.

“Ukkikkik! Ukkiki!”

—“Ah… So, no one’s stepping up?”

—“Ugh… It looks scarier up close.”

—“What if there’s a tiger inside?”

The smaller monkeys shivered in fear.

They could speak and write like humans, yet they still retained their primal instincts.

Was their fear of deep water simply instinctual?

Or was there something there that I wasn’t sensing?

Tuk.

As I stood before the roaring falls, watching the others hesitate, I took a step forward.

Honestly, I would’ve rather been reborn as the water or the waterfall itself than as a monkey.

Haaah…

Kwooooosh—

Staring blankly at the waterfall, a thought suddenly struck me.

Could there be some kind of hidden opportunity inside?

In all the martial arts novels I had read in my past life, there was always some secret hidden deep in the mountains.

And here I was, in a world where monkeys wrote in Chinese characters and called themselves “Golden-Furred Beautiful Monkeys.”

There might actually be some kind of elixir here—something that could strengthen my body… or even turn me back into a human.

If there were monsters, then there had to be martial artists or immortals, too.

Alright.

If there was some miraculous pill or a legendary martial arts manual hidden inside, it was mine.

I had to claim it before anyone else.

“Kikikiki! Kikik!”

—“Stone Monkey just went in!”

“Unbelievable… isn’t he afraid?”

Ignoring the chattering monkeys behind me, I leaped into the waterfall.

Monkeys may dislike water, but that doesn’t mean they can’t swim. And thanks to the bit of swimming I had learned in my previous life, I moved forward with ease.

“Pwah. Pfft…”

After swimming a short distance, a hidden cave entrance concealed by the falling water appeared before me.

Near the entrance stood a stone stele, its surface engraved with words. And, just as I had suspected—it was written in Chinese characters.

Could this really be ancient China or some kind of martial arts fantasy world?

(Blessed Land of Huaguo Mountain)

(The Celestial Grotto of the Water Curtain Cave)

I stepped closer, reading the inscription.

Even without specializing in Chinese, I could at least recognize some characters.

Let’s see… The first one is ‘flower’.

Huaguo Mountain’s Blessed Land. Water Heaven?

Wait.

Huaguo Mountain?

Could it be…?

Tap, tap.

Heart pounding, I hurried into the cave and surveyed my surroundings.

The inside was immense—practically an underground city.

There were stone houses, stone tables, and chairs scattered around, as if someone had meticulously constructed a village here.

And yet, there was no sign of life.

Even when I made loud noises or searched every corner of the vast cavern, I found nothing.

Then, a realization settled in, solidifying the hypothesis forming in my mind.

A world that uses Chinese characters.

Monkeys that called me “Stone Monkey.”

A stele referencing Huaguo Mountain and the Water Curtain Cave.

My absurdly strong body, far superior to the other monkeys’.

There was no doubt about it—I had been reincarnated as Sun Wukong.

When I first realized I was Sun Wukong, my initial reaction was relief.

If I had been reborn as some random spirit beast in a martial arts or Taoist fantasy world, I would’ve had to worry about humans hunting me down.

It was disappointing that the miraculous opportunity I had hoped for inside the waterfall wasn’t here…

But wasn’t being Sun Wukong itself the greatest miracle of all?

In Journey to the West, Sun Wukong was unbelievably powerful.

He mastered countless Taoist spells, wielded the Ruyi Jingu Bang, and wreaked havoc in the Heavens.

But…

Didn’t he also suffer immensely during his journey to the West?

He fought hordes of demons, fell into countless traps, and was poisoned more times than I could count.

In the end, Sun Wukong was punished for his rebellion, imprisoned beneath Five Elements Mountain, and later forced to follow Tang Sanzang on a pilgrimage that eventually led to his enlightenment.

I definitely didn’t want to end up sealed under a mountain or dragged on a grueling journey to India.

For now, worrying wouldn’t change anything.

No matter what kind of Sun Wukong I was, right now, I was just a monkey scrounging for fruit every day.

With a sigh, I left the Water Curtain Cave and retraced my steps.

As I passed through the waterfall, a massive crowd of monkeys was waiting for me.

No, not just monkeys—yokai.

The same inhuman beings from Journey to the West, creatures far stronger than ordinary humans.

Pointing at me, they shrieked in excitement. Some jumped around, howling that they finally had a king.

I watched with a mix of amusement and irritation as the monkeys scurried around, calling out in exhilaration.

“Ukkikkik! Ukkeok!”

—“Look! Look over there! Stone Monkey is back!”

—“That means Stone Monkey is our king now! If the beasts from the other mountain attack, he’ll protect us!”

—“A king needs a proper title! How about The Monkey King!”

—“Yes! The Monkey King!”

The Monkey King.

Sun Wukong’s first title, meaning the Handsome Monkey King.

And just like that, I found myself crowned king of hundreds of monster monkeys.