The morning sunlight filtered through the tree hollow once again.
I opened my eyes, and the first thing I saw was Waspy curled up deep in the hollow. Its breathing was much steadier, and its injuries seemed to be slowly healing.
Brownie was still sleeping, making soft snoring sounds.
I sat up, looking at these two companions. Last night's thoughts surfaced in my mind again.
About levels, about growth, about the rules of this world...
I had the system panel and could see this information, but what about Brownie and Waspy? Did they know how they got stronger?
"Squeak squeak?" I gently nudged Brownie.
"Mmm..." Brownie groggily opened its eyes. (What's wrong?)
"Squeak squeak squeak." I said. (I want to ask you something. Do you know the concept of 'levels'?)
"Squeak?" Brownie tilted its head, looking confused. (Levels? What's that?)
As expected, it didn't know.
I looked at Waspy. It had woken up too and was grooming its wings.
"Buzz?" Waspy also shook its head. (I don't know either.)
"Squeak squeak squeak." I changed my approach. (Then have you noticed that after eating, your body gets stronger?)
Brownie paused, seemingly recalling.
"Squeak..." It said. (It seems... there's that kind of feeling? But I thought it was just being full.)
"Buzz buzz." Waspy also nodded. (There is a warm feeling, and my body seems a bit lighter.)
I continued asking: "Squeak squeak squeak squeak?" (What about skills? Have you noticed that the more you use certain movements, the easier they become?)
Brownie's eyes lit up.
"Squeak squeak!" It said. (Yes! I used to get tired climbing trees, but now I can climb for a long time without getting too tired!)
"Buzz buzz." Waspy also said. (Flying too. I used to need rest after flying a while, but now I can fly much longer.)
I nodded and began summarizing: "Squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak." (So, when we eat, fight, and practice, we all get stronger. This isn't random—it's a rule of this world.)
Both companions looked at me thoughtfully.
"Squeak squeak squeak?" I continued asking. (Do you think eating different things makes you stronger in the same way?)
Brownie thought for a moment: "Squeak squeak..." (Eating fruit makes you stronger very slowly, almost can't feel it. But eating bugs is more noticeable?)
"Right." I said. "Squeak squeak squeak squeak." (The stronger the food, the stronger we become.)
Waspy suddenly buzzed several times.
"Buzz buzz buzz buzz." It said. (I had this feeling too when I hunted with the swarm before.)
"Buzz?" (What feeling?) I asked curiously.
"Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz." Waspy explained. (Attacking very weak magic beasts, like Stone Beetles, eating them afterward barely makes you feel stronger. But if we hunted stronger beasts, like Thorn-Tail Rabbits, eating them afterward gave a very obvious feeling of getting stronger.)
"Buzz buzz buzz." It continued. (The swarm usually attacked medium-sized prey together. That's when the feeling of getting stronger was most obvious. After each successful hunt, I could feel myself becoming much stronger.)
I nodded thoughtfully.
"Squeak squeak squeak." (So, stronger prey makes us stronger.)
Brownie and Waspy both nodded in agreement.
After a moment of silence, I suddenly spoke: "Squeak squeak squeak squeak?" (So... do you want to try hunting a Vine Serpent?)
"Squeak!?" Brownie jumped in shock.
"Buzz!?" Waspy was also stunned.
"Squeak squeak squeak!" Brownie quickly said. (That's a Vine Serpent! How could we possibly beat it!)
"Buzz buzz buzz." Waspy also said. (Vine Serpents are dangerous, and I'm still injured...)
"Squeak squeak squeak." I said. (Hear me out.)
I looked at them and analyzed seriously: "Squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak." (First, Brownie, that snake took your shelter, so we know exactly where it is. Second, based on what Waspy just said, powerful prey can make us stronger quickly.)
"Squeak squeak squeak squeak." (Also, I have a special perception ability that can sense a magic beast's strength. I've observed those Vine Serpents—they're not as strong as you'd think.)
Of course, I was referring to the system panel, but I couldn't be too explicit.
"Squeak squeak squeak squeak." (Most importantly, there are three of us. We can cooperate. If we really can't win, we can still run.)
Waspy hesitated, then buzzed a few times.
"Buzz buzz buzz buzz." (Actually... Vine Serpents aren't particularly strong.)
"Squeak?" (Not strong?) Brownie looked at it in surprise.
"Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz." Waspy explained. (They mainly rely on camouflage and ambush. If discovered, their actual combat ability is average. And... they're not good at dealing with flying enemies.)
"Buzz buzz." (The swarm hunted Vine Serpents before. As long as we weren't ambushed, they weren't hard to deal with.)
My eyes lit up.
"Squeak squeak!" (See! We have Waspy who can fly, Brownie who's very fast, and me. If we coordinate well, we might actually succeed!)
Brownie looked at me, then at Waspy, seemingly hesitating.
"Squeak..." (But Waspy is still injured...)
"Buzz buzz." Waspy said. (If we wait a few more days, I should be mostly recovered.)
I nodded: "Squeak squeak squeak." (Then we'll wait until you've recovered. These next few days, we'll make a plan first.)
Over the following days, we waited for Waspy to recover while formulating a battle plan.
I kept preparing food for Waspy.
I noticed on its panel that its HP was slowly increasing.
[HP: 15/30]
[HP: 20/30]
[HP: 25/30]
At the same time, I was also observing the tree where Brownie's old shelter was.
That Vine Serpent usually coiled around the trunk during the day, camouflaged as vines, then became active around dusk.
I carefully observed its movement patterns, noting the positions where it frequently appeared.
[Vine Serpent]
[Level 6/20]
[HP: 90/90]
[MP: 30/30]
[Strength: 10]
[Defense: 4]
[Speed: 10]
Level 6, 90 HP.
For me right now, it was indeed a formidable enemy.
But not impossible to defeat.
I called Brownie and Waspy together and began explaining the battle plan.
"Squeak squeak squeak squeak." (First, Brownie is in charge of luring. You're fast and agile—the snake shouldn't be able to catch you.)
"Squeak squeak!" Brownie nodded.
"Buzz buzz buzz." (Then I attack from the air?) Waspy asked.
"Squeak." I nodded. (Right. While it's chasing Brownie, you attack from the side or behind with your stinger.)
"Buzz..." Waspy's voice sounded somewhat downcast.
I noticed something was wrong with its mood.
"Buzz?" (What's wrong?)
"Buzz buzz..." Waspy hesitated for a long time before saying. (I... I might drag you down.)
"Squeak?" (Why would you say that?)
"Buzz buzz buzz buzz buzz." Waspy said quietly. (When I hunted with the swarm before, my toxin always made prey more aggressive. Other wasps' toxin could paralyze prey, making it easy to swarm attack. But my toxin makes them hallucinate, their attacks become chaotic, making them more dangerous instead.)
"Buzz buzz..." (Many companions got injured or even died because of this. That's why I was expelled...)
Its voice grew quieter and quieter, wings drooping.
I looked at Waspy and suddenly understood.
It wasn't that it didn't want to help—it was afraid of getting its companions killed again.
"Squeak squeak squeak!" I said firmly. (That's because the swarm didn't know how to use your special ability!)
"Buzz?" Waspy looked up at me.
"Squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak." I said seriously. (Hallucinations aren't a flaw—they're a special weapon. If prey falls into hallucinations and its attacks become chaotic, isn't that the perfect chance for us to attack?)
"Squeak squeak squeak squeak." (The swarm used paralysis toxin because they needed to swarm attack. But we're different—we can take advantage of the prey's confusion!)
Brownie was also squeaking beside us: (Right! We trust you!)
Waspy looked at us, its eyes gradually brightening.
"Buzz..." (Can it really work?)
"Squeak!" I nodded firmly. (Absolutely!)
I continued explaining the battle plan: "Squeak squeak squeak squeak squeak." (Waspy, your job is to make the Vine Serpent hallucinate. The more confused it is, the safer we are.)
"Squeak squeak squeak." (Then Brownie continues using your speed advantage to harass it, while I attack its vital points.)
"Squeak squeak." (The three of us working together will definitely succeed!)
Waspy's wings began vibrating again.
"Buzz buzz!" (I understand!)
Two more days passed, and Waspy's injuries had basically healed.
[HP: 28/30]
Though not fully recovered yet, it was enough for battle.