When I tried to enter the remaining tunnels, they were blocked with debris with no room for me to go further or were entirely sealed.

I needed a way to get past them if I was going to complete the quest, so I returned to the central room to think of my next steps. Unfortunately, It wasn't long after I returned that I started to hear faint noises of something moving nearby.

I turned my attention back to the pile of rubble that formed the wall I had slithered through to enter the hive core.

The sounds seemed to be coming from back in the maze of broken walls where I'd left the wasp corpse.

Did that terrifying wasp return?

It was madness to return and meet it head on, so I remained inside the core where I could hide myself and observed it with [Heat Sense].

It was still far so [Heat Sense] did not pick up an outline until I came closer to the pile of rubble that was the entrance.

Out in the crumbled maze, a wasp was wandering through the hexagonal walls. Thankfully, its heat outline was not like the terrifying wasp at all, but of a wasp with large mandibles, a thick body and a tough shell that could only belong on a builder wasp.

I was deeply relieved at this revelation, because a builder wasp was not an imminent threat. I didn't have to be as cautious of it because its senses were not as keen. I just had to wait for it to pass. It seemingly appeared from nowhere inside the maze and I had to wonder if it was the same one that had disappeared earlier.

Had it not died?

However, from its outline, the wasp was empty handed and I wasn't sure it was the same one. This one could've easily wandered in from the outside tunnel.

The wasp did not leave even after a while and it kept moving in a fixed area around the broken walls. I grew curious as to what it was doing outside in the cavern, so I slipped out of the hidden area back to the damaged maze.

Keeping my attention on the wasp's heat outline, I carefully navigated through the dusty walls to circle around it, so I was never in its line of sight. The wasp seemed to be drawn to the areas where the thin walls had been sliced, and I followed after it until it came across the bloodstained trail of the dead wasp. The wasps antennae rhythmically flicked in the air above its head at the purple trail and I took that as a sign of excitement.

Was it looking for the body?

It followed the grisly trail to the walls covered in fleshy matter, arriving at the bloody spot where the body should have been. But it was empty. I recalled I had moved the wasp's corpse away and hid it nearby, not expecting anything to come after it. But now, I grew anxious.

If it didn't find the body, would it sound an alarm?

I quickened my pace towards it, ready to jump out and stop it at any moment. My target, its large mandibles where I expected a loud screech to sound at any moment.

At this time I realised no other wasp had entered the cavern, because the corpse was still in the same place I left it. The silence of the cavern was more than a little ominous as I watched it. The wasp eventually located the body after many long moments, by following the small trail I left behind after dragging the corpse.

Its huge body was blocked by one of the hexagonal walls so I slithered closer, climbing over a nearby wall to get a better view. I thought it would carry the corpse out of the cavern upon discovery, but to my surprise, it grabbed and twisted off each of the wasp's limbs, cracking open the hard shell with its thick mandibles and began to eat it.

The floor was soon covered in a mess of ichor and bits of shattered exoskeleton and my mouth dropped to the floor.

What the heck, that was my food!

The cavern truly had an abandoned feel, and I couldn't help thinking that this was the same wasp that had disappeared earlier. The answer of where the pile of bodies it carried had gone was obvious. The wasp had clearly eaten them. If it could eat its own brethren, then that wasn't outside the realm of possibility.

As I watched it from over the wall, I considered attacking it to fulfil Sensei's quest. This would be the perfect time since it was distracted with eating. That is, if I could fight it and succeed.

It seemed different from the other builder wasps with a much sturdier body, it was likely a higher level. From how easily it had broken apart the dead wasp's shell, its own strength was much higher than the dead wasp.

Perhaps it was stealing the corpses to grow stronger?

Although the wasp wasn't intelligent, it would be a difficult opponent to beat, even if I utilized the element of surprise to attack it. It's tough shell was the biggest hindrance and the reason for my hesitation.

Silence filled the cavern, except for the crunching of its eating. I decided to appraise it to see its level as I might as well use this opportunity to raise [Appraisal].

"If I use appraisal, do you think it would notice?" I asked Sensei. If its detection was similar to that scary wasp I would be in trouble.

«The higher the level of appraisal, the less it will be detected by lower level creatures.» Sensei answered. «However, if that creature's detection is similar to the level of appraisal, there is a greater risk of discovery.»

What a roundabout way to answer. A simple no or yes would have sufficed!

I set my sights on the wasp who was gleefully eating. I doubted its senses were anything to brag about. Wasn't that giving me the signal to go?

I aimed my [Appraisal] at it and the usual simple display was shown.

______________

LV11 Melior Hesperia

Specie: Ailith Vespoidea

HP: ??/?? Defence: ??

MP: ??/?? Intellect: ??

SP: ??/?? Magic: ??

Attack: ?? Agility: ??

______________

The wasp kept on eating, showing no signs of detecting my appraisal, so I kept on going, appraising it repeatedly until my head filled with a sharp sensation that made me wince.

I felt that [Appraisal] was close to levelling so I endured it to appraise it again until I noticed a deep tremble running along the wasp's back. The limbs it used to grip onto its half eaten brethren were now unsteady as the trembling flowed through them. The wasp did not stop eating and continued like it didn't notice.

What was happening with its body?

As I was wondering, I heard a crinkling sound and noticed a vertical crack had appeared along its back. A small seam had begun to open in its hard shell and behind it, a pale green skin like material was revealed.

______________

LV11 Melior Hesperia

Specie: Ailith Vespoidea

HP: ???/??? Defence: ??

MP: ??/?? Intellect: ??

SP: ??/?? Magic: ??

Attack: ?? Agility: ??

______________

My appraisal results had a small change which actually shocked me. The HP parameter seemed to have gone up in number. Was it levelling up?

The tremor through its body increased and the painful sensation in my head only swelled in intensity as its power grew.

And then the wasp's shell began to crumble.

The seam on its back got wider until a large shard fell open and the full extent of its pale new skin could be seen.

Interesting... was it shedding?

The new skin forming underneath looked softer, and reminded me of how the juvenile wasp had looked when it hatched prematurely. If it possessed the same weakness, it's yet-to-harden skin could be something I could exploit.