“We will heal you right away, Shouta.”
“There won’t be any scars.”
“Ah, thanks. But don’t rush it, it’s not as bad as it looks.”
“But how could we not be worried after seeing that!?”
“Think about it from our perspective!”
Aira roughly pulled the stingers stabbed into me, and I was bleeding all over. The pain wasn’t as bad as I would’ve expected, but that might be down to the difference in stats.
Still, I guess it was a shocking sight. If that happened to Maki and Ayane, I don’t think I’d stay calm even if they told me it was all right.
“Maybe it does not hurt because you were hit with a numbing poison as well. And that leads you to not properly feel your condition.”
“We have plenty of magic energy, so let’s prioritize the wounds. Ayane, I will detox, so please go ahead.”
“Got it!”
Numbing poison? I did feel sluggish during the battle, like I couldn’t use my strength. Is that why it’s not so bad? But depending on the situation, I might be close to death and not realize it. Hm… Scary.
“Hahaha, you looked like a hedgehog, Shouta.”
“Big brother, you’re too nonchalant! Even if you’re strong, if you keep being like that, my sisters-in-law will always be worried!”
“Yes, sorry.”
Kasumi seems calmer after I apologize, and she sits on the ground after a big sigh.
“Don’t worry us any more.”
“Yes, my bad. And it was all down to a bad call from me.”
“Well, that can’t be helped. Enemies didn’t disappear the other times we destroyed hives, so it makes sense to think it wouldn’t be over until they were all down.”
“I think it’s irregular to have something so tough in the first place. It had that high Constitution, and that self-repair ability to make things worse. I can’t imagine it would be possible for a regular adventurer to destroy it.”
“Yes. But speaking of things that are odd, that abnormal amount of monsters appearing at the same time. I feel like there are still gimmicks to uncover.”
I feel like this just went in a bad direction, and it would be easy to get through if we went about it in a different way. If that’s not it, the level of difficulty goes well beyond what’s reasonable, with stuff like over ten rare monsters.
“Yes. Thinking back, this forest has an abnormally high difficulty level compared to the rest.”
“I think multiple rare monsters appearing is already strange.”
“With stuff like this, we’re usually running around nonstop without realizing we’re in a mine field. Since the monsters disappeared after the last hive was destroyed, we must’ve missed something along the way. But we did achieve our goal, so what are you gonna do, Shouta?”
Yes, I got the trophy, so my business here is done. But my pride won’t allow me to move on when there’s still a mystery here, and I’m too curious to focus on something else.
I could clear the mountain area, raise my administrator level to three, and ask, but I feel like that’s cheating.
“…Of course, investigate it thoroughly.”
Everyone smiles.
“That’s what I thought, Shouta.”
“Of course~!”
“You really are like dad with stuff like this.”
“Investigating is nice, but we should rest first.”
“We should reflect on what happened here before moving on. Not just charge forward without a plan.”
“Okay. Let’s go back for today.”
We inspect our equipment, and walk through this deserted forest.
We walk through the forest a lot to return to the campsite.
Despite everything, we finished the investigation without a lunch break, so we’re going back early for the first time in a while. Speaking of which, it’s been a while since I had a tough fight like that, so I’m tired.
I’m also hungrier than usual, so I want to go back quickly and rest.
“It’s quiet.”
“Shouta, are the monsters not back yet?”
“Yes, no reactions at all.”
The colonies formed around the hives, and with no hives, there are no bees. It’s been half an hour since we destroyed the powered up one, but there are no red dots on the map.
Hives don’t show up on the map, so I can’t know for sure if there aren’t any in the forest now, but I can assume there aren’t because there aren’t any maroon bees.
But I can’t actually know.
“The way they don’t respawn is also a mystery.”
“What if we rest for today and they still don’t respawn tomorrow?”
“Hnn… I guess we’ll give up and go to the mountain. I won’t be happy about it though.”
As we talk, I see an opening in the forest. Looks like we’re reaching the entrance. I can hear commotion coming from the camp, and the smell from multiple people cooking. We’re not quite at the camp yet, but my senses are starting to become well beyond those of a normal person.
As I think that, I feel like I hear the annoying wing sounds I heard so much before.
“…!!”
I turn around, and see the forest, but nothing more.
But the map shows a vast number of red dots spawning in three locations.
“Shouta?”
“Did something change?”
I take the jewel from the waist bag and connect it to the map. Now everyone can see it.
“This…!”
“Wah, what is this? Wow…”
“They’re just spawning now.”
“I wonder what the condition for them respawning is. Time… Forty-seven minutes have passed since we took down the powered up one.”
“Then maybe…”
I look around.
We’re not in the forest anymore, we’re on the hill where the entrance is.
“Maybe they respawn if no one is in the forest.”
There are four unresolved mysteries regarding bees.
How they’re called, how to easily destroy hives, how to make it so not so many appear, and the conditions for their disappearance after the hive is destroyed. Where should we start…
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