Chapter 14

Seriously?! I unconsciously yelp. Well, I really didn’t yelp since it was physically impossible for me. But regardless, I was still able to make a pathetic whimper because of sheer shock. And don’t blame me okay. I mean, come on! I knew that the thing lurking under the lake was ridiculously powerful, but I didn’t expect it to be an actual DRAKE!! Seriously man, this thing was supposed to appear only when the character’s level was already high (that was what normally happened in games and novels at least). But what about me? I was still a weak ass wolf!! A newbie!! An undeveloped MC!! So, why was that thing here even though I am still playing the tutorial!!

While I was there complaining behind the boulder. I saw the army of bees begin to make their move.

Led by the Bee General, the army of bees began to fly around the Swamp Drake. It was unbelievable but probably because of the presence of that Bee General, the bees were moving with incredible coordination. They were moving like a single entity circling around the Drake. Looking at their movements, I couldn’t help but be reminded of that snake I have fought against before. But that was not the most surprising thing. Inconceivable as it was, those swarm of bees moving around the Swamp Drake were all just camouflage. Why? Well, it was because as the swarm of bees was encircling the Swamp Drake, some bees were moving independently towards the white flower.

Witnessing that scene, I couldn’t believe that those same bees were of the same species as those dumb bees I have encountered before. Those bees were actually using tactics to fight the Drake… Unreal… It was a sight to behold. With this, I could now certainly say that monsters who have managed to evolve were not simply powerful. Most likely, they were all quite intelligent as well to some degree. I wonder if the snake I have fought before was an evolved species as well…? But of course, the Swamp Drake would not let the bees have their way just like that…

Before the stray bees managed to reach the flower, something fast and sharp cut through the air. And that thing did not stop at just killing the numerous bees flying around the Drake, it also managed to slice past those swarm of bees and kill all the strays which were trying to steal the white flower.

After killing all those stray bees, the Swamp Drake then proceeded to go on a rampage and slice apart the formation of the bees. Whatever it was that the Drake was doing, it was sharp and swift enough to shred those unfortunate bees into tiny pieces upon contact.

Bits and pieces of shredded bees flew in every direction. In a word, it was a massacre. Those bees didn’t even have any chance to strike back using their needles, because when they tried, they were mercilessly sliced apart before they even managed to reach the Swamp Drake. But amidst all of that, one particular bee was dancing in the air dodging all of the Swamp Drake’s attack. And that bee was the Bee General.

Despite facing an enormous and incredibly powerful opponent, the Bee General was flawlessly evading all the attacks that the Swamp Drake was throwing at it. As a matter of fact, the Bee General was even slowly trying to move towards the Swamp Drake. But as the distance between the Bee General and the Swamp Drake decreased, the Bee General began to struggle in avoiding every attack. Clearly, the Bee General was at a disadvantage since it couldn’t even afford to be hit even once. Honestly, I personally thought that even just a simple graze would be enough to end the match. The Swamp Drake’s power was just that far ahead compared to the Bee General.

Probably realizing the same thing as me, the Bee General slowly moved away from the Swamp Drake while gesturing the other bees to do the same. But of course, the bees' escape came at a price. And that price was the life of their comrades, because by the time the bees managed to get out of the Swamp Drake’s range, about half of their forces were already dead.

Unfortunately, the Swamp Drake wasn’t done yet.

As if adding salt to the monster bees’ wounds, the Swamp Drake started shooting bullets of water. Every single water bullet was fast. In fact, I even found myself having a hard time following the trajectory of each bullet. The bullets also carried an incredible power within them. It was actually to the point that when a bee was hit, it would explode leaving nothing but a green liquid behind.

Probably to counter that, the bees spread around on the command of the Bee General. Because of that, the Swamp Drake sprayed a barrage of water bullets around like a freaking machine gun. Of course, it also meant that staying on a single spot for too long would result in certain death.

Shit, shit, shit, shit!! I cursed while jumping and running around for my dear life.

At this time, I stopped observing the battle between the bees and the Swamp Drake and focused entirely on trying to preserve my well-being. Not good! If I get hit even once, I will be turned into mincemeat!!

A cold chill ran through my whole body every time a water bullet grazed past my fur. And that fear only got worse when I saw a water bullet hit the ground and essentially dig deep enough to form a small lake.

I ran and dodged, ran and dodged, ran and dodged for god knows how long. I even tried hiding behind a huge boulder only to be left speechless when I saw a water bullet destroy one in front of my eyes. Fortunately, before I became completely out of breath, the barrage of water bullets stopped. And that’s when I noticed that I was already just a few meters away from the cliff.

Finally having time to breathe, I tried to steady my breathing and looked up. To my surprise, it looked like the bees had managed to fare better than I was since it seemed like they only sustained a few casualties on their ranks. Though unlike before when they chose to clump together, the bees were now flying while maintaining quite a distance between one another. Well, I was pretty sure that the reason why the bees managed to minimize the casualties was because of that strategy.

Seriously, that Bee General is a really good leader for a monster. Guess for now I’ll avoid fighting a group of bees if they are being led by that thing as much as possible.

Thanks to that clever strategy probably made by that Bee General, the battle between the bees and the Swamp Drake was now at a stalemate. Although even after losing more than half of their forces, the bees seemed to be still determined to steal the white flower.

Just what is with that white flower that those bees are so determined to get even at the cost of their life? I couldn’t help but ask. Unfortunately, I didn’t get enough time to try and deduce the answer.

Without any warning, the Swamp Drake let out a mighty roar. Hearing that, I Instinctively ducked to the ground. Thankfully, that decision proved to be the right choice because a powerful shockwave erupted just a split second after that roar resounded.

The air raged and the earth shook. And unlike the howls of the two alphas from my memories, this particular roar was so unbelievably loud that I even had to cover my ears using my paws just to prevent my eardrums from shattering to pieces. But that was not the end of it, because when the loud sound finally subsided, a fear of mine became reality…

Remember that time when I first woke up in this place and found myself anxious about those huge boulders up above? Well, that fear of mine came true. Because now, a multitude of those boulders up above were now falling down like some goddamn meteorites. The worst thing was, one of those things was falling directly towards me.

HOLY CRAP!!

Panicking, I immediately moved out of that place. But honestly, I didn’t know where I should run because there were too many boulders falling down that evading them all seemed like an impossible task. Fortunately, I managed to evade the boulder falling down on me just at the right time. But in exchange, I was thrown off by the shockwave produced by its impact and the next thing I knew was hearing the sound of whistling air in my ears. To explain it in simple terms, I was falling down the cliff.

Not good, not good, NOT GOOD!!

While I was falling at a terrifying speed, I desperately tried to balance myself in the air to at least avoid falling head first to the ground. Fortunately, it looked like the cliff was so high to the point that I even had time to fix my posture. And just right on time when I finally fixed my position midair, I saw some crystals below jutting out from the walls of the cliff. After I saw that, I gritted my fangs and grabbed one of the crystals with all my might.

I felt a jolt of pain all over my head because of the sudden impact from grabbing a crystal. But despite that, I still felt relieved because I managed to stop my fall. Unfortunately, that relief only lasted for a moment because amidst all that pain, I heard the sound of relentless buzzing near me.

When I searched around with my eyes, I saw a squad of bees inching towards me. I tried flailing my legs randomly to shoo them away but it only served to agitate the bees more than before. Right after that, I felt a piercing pain on my back, and it was also accompanied by a notification saying that I was poisoned.

Goddamn bee!! That hurt!!

Once again, I was in a pinch. Fortunately, I have the skill antibodies now, so I didn’t have to worry so much about the poison. The problem was I was still literally hanging in the air bleeding on my back. And to make matters worse, I could also see the other bees preparing to attack any moment from now.

Damn it! I can only think of one way out of this situation. And once again, I have to rely on my goddamn luck for this!!

Just like that time with the snake, it looked like I once again needed the help of lady luck. But this time, it was more of a pure dumb luck than relying on my skills. And if you're curious about the solution that I was saying. Well, it had something to do with the sheer number of bees flying around in this cliff. In short, I would have to let myself free fall and hope to fall directly above an innocent bee. Of course, I could only come up with this idea because I could hear a deafening sound of buzzing which signifies that there were numerous bees dwelling in this cliff. I know, I know, even with that reasoning, it was still a really crazy idea. Unfortunately, the only two choices this time was to either bet on that probability or be skewered to death by this group of bees. That was why I naturally chose the former.

Here goes nothing!!

It was a really long fall. And as the wind brushed past my furs, I also passed by a lot of bees flying around the cliff. Fortunately, it seemed like those things had no interest in chasing after me so I wouldn’t have to worry about being swarmed and skewered by bees in midair. The problem was I was free falling with nothing to hold onto.

As my time in free fall increased, and so was my anxiety. During that time, I even started thinking that maybe this was the end of the line for me. But just when I was about to lose all hope, I saw a silhouette of an unsuspecting bee hovering directly below me.

The moment I saw that, I desperately tried to hide my presence and fall with as much silence as possible. Luckily, the bee didn't notice me until the end, and I managed to fall directly on its back.

At the same exact time that I hit the bee, I immediately grabbed onto its back with my mouth. Of course, I also made sure to be careful enough not to kill the bee with it. But probably because of the sudden pain and impact, the bee’s flight wavered and we zigzagged down the air.

The bee desperately flapped its wings and tried to throw me out from its back. But I was stubborn and I kept holding on despite the bee’s desperate attempts and efforts. Because of that, the bee and I went from a zigzag flight to spinning around in the air. Honestly, I completely lost track of time because of how long the bee and I spun around the air. But for better or for worse, all of that ended when I felt a sudden jolt of pain all over my body.