Reincarnated Monkey King

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Wukong stared at the floating book.

It pulsed with dark energy, its pages worn, its cover marked with the same black sigil that had burned into his hand.

Lily frowned. "That thing… feels wrong."

Tian crossed his arms. "Yeah, man. Maybe don't touch the creepy cursed book?"

The hooded mage chuckled. "If he wants to master his power, he has no choice."

Wukong grinned. "Then it's mine."

Ignoring the others, he grabbed the book.

The moment his fingers touched the cover—

FLASH!

Black energy surged into his body, his veins burning with an ancient power—

And suddenly—

Visions flooded his mind.

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Memories of the Forbidden

Wukong saw—

A towering throne of black stone, surrounded by shadows that whispered and writhed.

A figure sat upon it—a man with golden eyes, draped in robes woven from the night itself.

"You were never meant to exist."

His voice echoed through the void.

Wukong tried to speak—but his body wouldn't move.

The man's gaze pierced through him.

"You are the result of divine wrath. A mistake that should have been erased."

The shadows lunged, swallowing Wukong whole—

And then—

Everything went black.

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Back to Reality

Wukong gasped, snapping back to the present.

His body was drenched in sweat, his breath ragged.

Lily grabbed his shoulder. "Wukong! What happened?"

He looked down at his hands—his black veins pulsed, the cursed sigil burning against his skin.

He exhaled, then smirked.

"Heh. Looks like I just got a history lesson."

The hooded mage nodded. "Then you understand, don't you?"

Wukong's golden eyes narrowed.

"You're saying… this magic wasn't meant to exist?"

The mage grinned. "Exactly. It's a power that the gods themselves tried to erase. A forbidden legacy."

Tian groaned. "Oh, great. So we're dealing with god-killing magic now?"

Lily paled. "Wukong, this is serious. If this power was erased, that means—"

Wukong grinned wider.

"That means it's worth using."

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Training the Forbidden

For the next week, Wukong trained harder than ever.

The book revealed techniques to control the magic, to mold it into weapons, shields, even living constructs.

But every time he used it, his body ached.

The power was still feeding off him.

The mage observed. "You're improving. But you'll never master it unless you solve the core issue."

Wukong raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

The mage's eyes gleamed.

"Your body is still too weak."

Tian sighed. "Oh, here we go again."

Lily crossed her arms. "So what's the solution?"

The mage grinned. "Simple."

They pointed at Wukong.

"You need a source of external energy. A core."

Wukong blinked. "A core?"

The mage nodded. "Most mages have mana cores, warriors have aura hearts—something that fuels their power. You? You're just burning yourself out."

Lily gasped. "Wait—does that mean if Wukong keeps using the magic like this—"

"He'll burn out completely. And die."

Tian's jaw dropped. "WHAT?!"

Wukong rolled his shoulders. "Meh. Sounds like a normal Tuesday."

Lily smacked him. "This isn't funny!"

Tian groaned. "Okay, so how do we fix this?"

The mage smirked.

"He needs to steal a core from something strong."

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A Dangerous Hunt Begins

Wukong grinned. "Now we're talking."

Tian sighed. "Of course you'd be excited about this."

Lily frowned. "Wait—where are we supposed to find a strong enough core?"

The mage chuckled. "There's a dungeon nearby. Something ancient lurks inside. If Wukong can take its core… his power will stabilize."

Tian groaned. "Let me guess. This thing is super dangerous?"

The mage smiled. "Oh, incredibly."

Wukong cracked his knuckles.

"Then let's go steal its heart."

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To Be Continued…

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