"Bzzzz… bzzzz…"
The buzzing grew louder with every step we took.
The sound came from everywhere, surrounding the plains.
Claude swallowed nervously. "Okay… you know I'm allergic to insect bites. Goblins might actually be better."
I blinked at him, raising an eyebrow. "Since when?"
Claude waved his hand dramatically. "Since five seconds ago. My body just decided."
Dahlia sighed, shaking her head. "That's not how allergies work, Claude."
Claude nodded seriously. "It is when fear is involved."
I smirked, crossing my arms. "Too late. We're already here."
Claude rubbed the back of his neck, eyes wide. "If only we had brought some insect repellent or something."
Dahlia held a finger to her lips. "Shhh. Listen."
From the vines wrapped around the massive trees, several giant hornets slowly emerged, wings buzzing as they hovered in place. Their sharp eyes locked onto us instantly.
[!] Monster Classification [!]
[Monster: Giant Hornet]
[Rank: D-Class]
Giant Hornets are flying predators that attack venomous stingers. Agile and fast, they attack in swarms from the air. Highly territorial, they defend their hives fiercely. Their keen eyesight and antennae allow them to detect the movements of any intruders.
‹ Giant Hornet ›
HP: 80/80
Claude froze, gripping his whip. "They… they saw us already, didn't they?"
"Yep," I said calmly, tightening my grip on my spear. "Prepare your weapons."
We each summoned our Arcane Weapons with a flash of light.
Dahlia stepped back slightly, holding her trident defensively. "This is going to be difficult… flying mid-air like that. How are we supposed to reach them?"
We glanced at Claude, silently pointing at his whip.
Claude tightened his hold on the whip, looking nervous.
I tapped his whip lightly with my finger. "At least we have a ranged weapon here," I said with a teasing grin.
"No… no," Claude stammered, shaking his head.
I nudged him forward with my elbow. "Come on, it's your turn to shine."
Claude groaned loudly, dragging his feet. "I don't know why I agreed to this…"
Dahlia pushed him gently, smirking. "Just prepare your skill already. Stop complaining."
Claude muttered under his breath but finally stepped forward.
Many hornets buzzed aggressively, circling above us, stingers glinting.
Then, three Giant Hornets swooped toward Claude.
Claude tightened his grip on his whip, eyes narrowing. "I'll finish this with my newly unlocked skill."
Dahlia and I readied our weapons in case Claude messed up, but he didn't wait.
He hovered slightly, lashing and swinging his whip in practiced motions, water forming along its length.
The three hornets launched their stingers.
"Not today! I'm going to wipe those stingers out with one blow!" Claude exclaimed.
"Cascade Arc!"
The whip lashed forward in a wide, sharp sweeping arc. Water surged along its length in a roaring wave, cascading through the air. The force cut through the approaching stingers, slicing them cleanly before they could reach us.
The swarm didn't stand a chance.
Each hornet caught in the wave was knocked back, their bodies slashed and slammed into the ground. The three Giant Hornets dissolved into faint glowing light.
I blinked in surprise. "Wow… that's a huge attack, and you took out all of them!"
Claude landed back on the ground, smirking and snapping his whip back to his side. Water droplets fell from the whip like rain.
"Not bad, huh?" he said proudly, eyes gleaming.
I glanced at the horizon. "More hornets are coming. Get ready!"
A swarm of hornets hovered above, diving toward us.
Their venomous stingers shot straight at us again.
"Cresting Wave!"
Dahlia shouted, raising her trident. A pulsing glow formed at the tip, summoning a medium-sized wave that surged forward. The water shielded us, deflecting the incoming stingers.
"Glacial Shards!"
Claude lashed his whip, releasing three medium-sized ice shards. The extreme sharpness of the ice triggered a critical hit, the shards streaking through the air and instantly piercing the bodies of three hornets.
"Run!" I shouted, pointing toward the open grass plains, gesturing for them to move quickly.
Dahlia's eyes widened, gripping her trident tighter. "This was just the swarm! Imagine if we face the Queen!"
Claude panted, dragging his whip back. "This is exactly what I said!" he added, forcing a grin while glancing nervously at the sky.
Claude turned and faced the hornets behind us, swinging his whip in a wide arc to prevent the stingers from hitting us.
I tightened my grip on my spear and stepped forward. "This is our chance—they're not flying high. Back me up! I'll take them down one by one and kill them mid-air," I said, pointing at the nearest hornets.
Claude wiped sweat from his brow, complaining, "Why do they have to come at us in swarms? I can barely keep up!"
I didn't even glance at him. I planted my feet firmly, raising my spear.
With a swift motion, I leaped at the nearest hornet.
"Burning Armament!"
The tip blazed like a torch. I slashed through the hornet, sending it crashing to the ground in a flash of light.
One by one, I leaped between the hornets, each strike precise.
[You have slain a Giant Hornet!]
[You have slain a Giant Hornet!]
[You have slain a Giant Hornet!]
[You have slain a Giant Hornet!]
[You have slain a Giant Hornet!]
Some hornets fired their stingers at me. I twisted in the air.
"Phoenix Flare!"
My spear erupted in roaring flames, the fire wrapping around the shaft. I thrust forward, cutting through the air as the heat incinerated every stinger aimed at me. Hornets were singed mid-flight, their bodies smoking before crashing to the ground.
Dahlia lifted her trident high, water spiraling around its tip. She thrust it forward, and powerful jets shot out in precise streams, each one striking hornets in midair with explosive force.
The impact sent the insects tumbling, spinning uncontrollably before hitting the ground with a wet splat. Tiny droplets rained down, cooling the heat from my flames while creating a shimmering mist across the battlefield.
Claude snapped his whip in a wide arc, and three ice shards tore through the air, spinning like deadly projectiles. Two hornets were struck, their bodies shattered with a precise critical hit that scattered across the plains. The third hornet slammed into the ground, stunned by the icy assault.
"Keep moving!" I shouted, leaping onto a fallen hornet's body to spring toward another.
"Scorching Surge!"
Small fiery wings appeared at the tip of my spear as I slammed into the hornet, its body dissolving into faint light.
Dahlia called out from behind, sending a water sphere. "Don't let them surround us!"
I landed lightly on the plains, spear ready. "Stay calm, Claude. We've almost cleared the swarm."
We repeated this cycle until the entire swarm was eliminated.
Finally, the last hornet collapsed to the ground. The plains fell eerily silent, except for our heavy breathing and the distant rustling of the massive vine-covered trees.
Claude slumped, wiping his brow again. "Finally… it's done."
I walked over to them. "Fist bump."
The three of us fist-bumped in unison, smiling.
[Congratulations! You have leveled up!]
Lv. 10 → Lv. 14
A notification appeared in front of each of us.
"Yes! I leveled up to 15! And I got a new skill!" Claude jumped up and gave me a quick hug.
"I leveled up to 14 too!" Dahlia raised her hand proudly.
"Good! You can use that skill, Claude, on the Queen!" I said to them.
He nodded
I patted each of them on the shoulder. "We should keep moving and find the Queen."
We continued along the path, moving cautiously and keeping an eye out for any hornets.