Chapter Text
Wukong glared at the peach tree in front of him. As if it was the source of all his problems.
The tree was in full bloom. Looking exactly like one of those old ancient paintings his mother used to hang all over their walls back home. In their modern house with all their modern technology that Wukong so desperately missed. Like his phone and computer. Or hell, even the damn shower with its warm running water.
How does this mystical and legendary monkey from ancient China know about modern appliances such as showers? Because he wasn’t actually a legendary mystical monkey from ancient China. And that tree wasn’t a real peach tree.
That ‘tree’ was really a save point. One of many actually. And Wukong was actually a college grad student from the twentieth century. Who was in the middle of playing his favorite game. A spin-off of the classic tale of the Journey to the West. A fighting and storytelling game told from the Monkey King’s point of view.
Wukong, who was given the same name as the legendary figure, was in the middle of playing that game. Almost finished fighting the final boss for the dozenth time. Trying to unlock an alternative ending of the game. Very close to his goal too, he might add.
Then his alarm for his next exam went off.
Realizing he was about to miss his test, the grad student quickly paused the game and raced out of his apartment. Frantically looking for his car when he made it outside.
Once spotting it, Wukong sprinted towards it. Quickly making his way across the road. Forgetting the number one rule of crossing the street. And didn’t look both ways before crossing.
And boy, did he pay the price for it.
Wukong doesn’t remember much about the accident. The grad student very sure he black out as soon as the car hit him. Which is probably a good thing if he was being honest. All the red head remembers was the deep sleep he was in after it. Being knocked out for who knows how long.
But once Wukong woke up, he quickly found out being hit by a car was the least of his problems.
The grad student groaned as he was shaken awake. An unfamiliar voice he didn’t recognize speaking to him.
“Wukong, wake up already! We don’t have time to lay about all day. We need to get going if we want to get to the next village before nightfall.”
Village? Nightfall? Who talked like that anymore?
The only time Wukong heard people talk like that was in those period pieces drama shows his mom likes to watch.
Finally opening his eyes, Wukong turned to that voice. Bring greeted by a man who looking sternly at him with a frown.
At first Wukong thought the man was a cosplayer. The stranger decked out in ancient monk robes. The outfit being historically accurate and looking to be very well made. But why would a random cosplayer be bothering him, another stranger, about going to some random village?
Then Wukong took another look at the man’s face. And went pale. Because he did recognize who the stranger was.
This man’s face is the very same face that’s been plastered over every piece of merchandise Wukong bought when he first started playing his game. Along with the other Pilgrims who went on the journey. This man sticking out like a sore thump, being the only human among them.
This was Tripitaka himself. A character in the game he was playing just moments ago. Looking down at the grad student with concern.
Wukong screamed.
After a couple of moments of the gamer freaking out and Tripitaka trying to calm him down, Wukong pieced things together pretty quickly. That he had died and had been transmitted into a game.
As the only playable character in it. The Monkey King himself. Evident by the gamer looking down and seeing that he was now covered in red tinted fur. He now had a tail. And his feet weren’t feet anymore but hands.
Wukong had hands for feet. Just like a monkey. Because he was now a monkey man.
The grad student wanted to cry.
The red head was seriously starting to get stressed out. Because not only did he die and got transported into a game, but he also got the misfortune on transmitting into the body of Sun Wukong himself. The Monkey King.
Who has more enemies than Wukong bothered to count. And in this game, every single one of them were out for the monkeys head. Most wanting revenge for something the protagonist did in prior events before the plot of the game even took off.
Which made this already bad situation for Wukong even worse.
Once he got past the absurdity of transitioning into a stupid game, Wukong started planning out his survival. Wanting to avoid all “bad ending” in the game. Most of which involve getting imprisoned and tortured. Mainly by Heaven for failing to complete the journey. But by some demons too. Mainly the more important and powerful ones.
And Wukong didn’t even wanna think about all the different bad ends that losing to them resulted in.
The plan was simple. Stay by Tripitaka’s side, beat up all the demons trying to eat the monk, and help retrieve the sacred Buddhist texts. Which Wukobg had already done in his previous life. Having completed the game a number of times back when he was a grad student. So easy enough right?
Except it wasn’t going to be easy. It was actually going to be much harder than Wukong thought it was gonna be.
Little did the gamer know, he was gonna be fuck in more ways than one.