Chapter 532: If You're Human, Climb 50 Floors

The stairwell door was open, its interior a black void, and faintly one could see step after step stretching upward, upward, upward, extending to a place completely out of sight.

Ying's legs grew even softer.

"You… are you serious?"

The Giant Monkeys gave no reply, only staring at her with their round, glossy black eyes.

In those gazes there was no malice, no threat, only a plain, unadorned… expectation.

As if saying: "Come on, you can do it."

Ying closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and opened them again.

Forget it.

She stepped forward and entered the stairwell.

—

One floor.

Two floors.

At first Ying thought it was fine.

Although she hadn't undergone the physical training of a Magus like Lin, she still had PE classes at school, so climbing a few floors wasn't a big deal.

Four floors.

Five floors.

She began to feel a bit out of breath.

Seven floors.

Eight floors.

Nine floors.

Her legs started to ache.

Ten floors.

Eleven floors.

Twelve floors.

Ying stopped, leaned against the wall, and caught her breath a few times.

She glanced back—those Monkeys were still following her.

The little Monkeys hopped on the stair rail, while the big Monkeys trudged upward step by step; their earnest demeanor made Ying feel like crying.

"You… really can't take the elevator?"

The leading Giant Monkey shook its head, its expression so solemn as if saying: the elevator is for the lazy, true banana disciples must walk the stairs.

Ying gritted her teeth and kept climbing.

Thirteen floors.

Fourteen floors.

Fifteen floors.

Sweat began to bead on her forehead, and a few strands of hair stuck to her cheeks.

The collar of her school uniform was slightly open, faintly revealing tiny beads of sweat on her collarbones.

Sixteen floors.

Seventeen floors.

Eighteen floors.

Ying's steps grew slower and slower.

Her breathing grew heavy, her chest heaving violently.

Sweat streamed down her neck, soaking the shirt collar; the thin fabric clung to her skin, outlining the girl's slender shoulder line.

Nineteen floors.

Twenty floors.

Twenty‑one floors.

"I… I can't go on…"

Ying leaned against the wall, her whole body teetering on the brink of collapse.

Her legs trembled, her knees went weak, and her ankles began to ache from constantly stepping on the stairs.

The edge of her black over‑knee socks squeezed her thighs; the band of skin at the cuff was slightly reddened from sweat, and the sweat‑soaked fabric clung tightly to her legs, outlining slender, even lines.

She turned to look at the group of Monkeys—they were still following her, each with a seriousness as if taking part in some sacred ceremony.

"You… can't you… lift me up?"

The leading Giant Monkey shook its head, then pointed upward with a claw, making a solemn "jiao" sound.

That roughly meant: there are still thirty floors left—keep going.

Ying's tears nearly fell.

She gritted her teeth and kept climbing.

Twenty‑three floors.

Twenty‑four floors.

Twenty‑five floors.

Her consciousness began to blur a little.

The stairs before her seemed endless, extending step by step upward like a road that never ends.

Her legs no longer obeyed her; each step required the full force of her body.

Twenty-six layers.

Twenty-seven layers.

Twenty-eight layers.

Ying's shirt was completely soaked, the thin fabric clinging to her body, outlining the girl's slender waist and the faintly undulating curves.

The hem of her skirt, stuck to her thighs by sweat, caused the edge of the black over‑knee socks to leave a shallow red mark, and the strip of fair skin at the sock cuff glistened slightly from the sweat.

Her face was covered with beads of sweat, a few strands of hair stuck messily to her cheeks and forehead, making her look disheveled and pitiful.

Twenty-nine layers.

Thirty layers.

Thirty-one layers.

"Help... help me..."

Ying's voice was as tiny as a mosquito's hum.

The Monkeys behind her still followed her expressionlessly.

A few little Monkeys had already begun chanting beside her—"Banana! Banana! Banana! Banana!"—the orderly rhythm sounded like they were cheering her on.

Ying wanted to cry.

She really wanted to cry.

But the tears were washed away by sweat before they could fall.

Thirty-two layers.

Thirty-three layers.

Thirty-four layers.

Ying's legs finally gave out completely.

Her legs went limp, and her whole body toppled to the side—

Two Giant Monkeys, swift‑eyed and quick‑clawed, caught her on the left and right.

Ying hung from their claws like a dehydrated fish, gasping for breath.

"Thank... thank you..."

The Giant Monkeys exchanged glances and then made a decision.

They lifted her up directly.

Ying was thus carried by four Giant Monkeys, rushing upward.

The speed was ten times faster than her own climbing; the stairs whizzed past—layer forty, forty‑one, forty‑two—

Ying closed her eyes, feeling as if she were on a roller coaster.

Finally, the Monkeys stopped.

Ying was set down; her foot touched the ground and she almost collapsed again.

She braced against the wall, steadied herself, and lifted her head—

Layer fifty-one.

Arrived.

The door was pushed open.

Ying was carried in by two Giant Monkeys.

Her whole body was still limp, her legs could not exert any strength, and she could only move as the Monkeys dragged her.

Her school uniform was drenched with sweat, clinging to her body; her hair was messily scattered over her shoulders, a few damp strands sticking to her cheeks and neck.

The room was spacious.

A full wall of floor‑to‑ceiling glass windows offered a complete view of the city.

Outside, the sky was a hazy gray, and the reversed signs flickered with an eerie light in the distance.

In the room stood a massive desk, piled with all sorts of strange instruments and test tubes, as well as some banana‑shaped ornaments.

Behind the desk was a high‑back chair, its back turned toward the door, with only a hand resting on the armrest visible.

That hand... was furry.

Ying was hoisted and thrown onto the sofa.

She collapsed onto the soft sofa, gasping heavily, unable to worry about her appearance.

The hem of her uniform skirt was slightly rolled up from the earlier ordeal, revealing the calves wrapped in black over‑knee socks; the sock cuffs, pressed tightly by sweat, left a faint red imprint on the skin.

The chair slowly turned around.

Sitting on it—

was a Monkey.

But this was no ordinary Monkey.

It wore a white lab coat, with several test tubes inserted into the pocket on its chest, each filled with multicolored liquid.

On its nose bridge perched a pair of round white Vortex Glasses, the lenses rotating layer by layer, making anyone who looked at them feel dizzy.

It held a banana in its hand, the kind used for experiments, studded with electrodes.

It looked at Ying, its mouth curving into a smile.

The smile was not malicious, yet it sent a chill down one's spine.

"You... hello..."

Ying's voice was still trembling.

The Monkey spoke.

"Yuanban Ying, right?"

Sakura's pupils dilated instantly!

It spoke?!

It can speak?!

"You... how do you know my name?"

Monkeys nudged the glasses, and the vortex-shaped lenses spun even faster.

"I know many things."

Its voice was deep, with a strange magnetism, "For example, your sister Tohsaka Lin, when she speaks now, adds a Banana Character at the end. For example, what she ate last night. For example, how many Command Spells are on her hand."

Sakura's breathing halted.

"You... what did you do to my sister?!"

Monkeys waved a hand, picked up the banana studded with electrodes on the table, and twirled it.