Chapter 50: Learning from the Past: Combat Techniques (X) Escape Techniques (O)

• Empire Bee Worker’s Pollen-Collecting Fur: Soft fur growing on specific Empire Bees tasked with collecting pollen and nectar. These hairs, which trap powders like pollen, are valued more for daily life applications than for combat.
• Empire Bee Hunter’s Hunting Stinger: The stinger of Empire Bees tasked with hunting and attacking intruders. Since they cannot use poison due to their specific traits, the stinger is equipped with barbs to pierce, gouge, and tear at the enemy to inflict damage.
• Empire Bee Hunter’s Mandibles: The jaws of Empire Bees tasked with hunting and attacking intruders. These mandibles were evolved not for sharpness, but for the sheer durability required to crush hard carapaces.

"Insects are amazing, aren't they? They've evolved simply to be full of murderous intent."

Because they die much, much faster than mammals or reptiles, their forms—stripped of versatility to maximize specialization—exude a certain immense power. If you think about it, as someone who dies much, much faster than tanks or vanguard jobs, isn't this form of mine—stripped of versatility to maximize specialization—exactly the same? My god, in a way, those bees were my reflection... Well, whatever. Thanks for the XP and loot.

"Sunraku-san, could you please look at that and give us a comment?"

"Since they prey on lumps of murderous intent, it's basic logic to layer even more murderous intent on top of it, I guess?"

Right in front of us, an Empire Bee—likely a different class from the Workers or Hunters—is being eaten by a flower(・・・・). No, let me correct that. That is not a flower. I've seen the name and appearance of that insect in the encyclopedia; it probably served as the motif.

"A Flower Mantis, huh... I doubt anyone could spot that on their first try."

"The flower went Gubaah! and transformed, desu wa..."

Emul's words aren't an exaggeration. If it weren't for the sacrifice of that Empire Bee-something, I wouldn't have noticed it either. Its mimicry was that magnificent. Amazing. It changed its body color like a chameleon and adopted a posture that blended perfectly into the flower field. This is trouble; we can't just stroll through here casually...

"Let's hunt it for now."

If I check the item description, I might learn something. I take a throwing knife purchased from the shop out of my inventory... a ranged attack method I learned from the nightmare of that Trash Bird (Toxic Eagle), and throw it at the spot where the Flower Mantis is lurking.

The external impact—specifically one accompanied by damage—signaled that its mimicry had been seen through. The Flower Mantis dissolved its disguise and was blown apart in piece... Oh, oh ho?

"I see... So the best method isn't poison or mimicry, but simply running them over with physics."

"It's a huge bug, desu waaaah!!"

Its shell is worthy of being called armor, and the four horns extending from its head are surely the mark of a king. Though it is an insect, it is decisively different from a bee. It emits a low buzzing sound, heavy enough to support its heavy armor, vibrating deep in our guts.

"A chimera of a Rhinoceros Beetle and a Stag Beetle... Oof, pure fantasy."

The way its left and right mandibles(・) and upper and lower horns(・) clatter and move makes it the ultimate beetle, combining the symbols of both the Rhinoceros Beetle and the Stag Beetle.

"Hmm, shall we run?"

"H-Huh!? We're running, desu wa!? I thought for sure you'd say we should fight..."

"Then, shall we fight?"

"Yay, I'm totally in favor of running! I'll show you a dash like a fleeing rabbit, desu wa!"

No, honestly, I have a strong urge to fight, but after considering various factors, fighting this Kabuto-Kuwagata (Beetle-Stag)... no, strictly speaking, fighting this strong Mob that reeks of being an FoE (Field on Enemy) has more downsides right now.

First, it stands out. It's only a matter of time before people realize I've left Thirdrema, and eventually, people will come to this Prismatic Forest Cave. Actually, people will come whether I'm here or not. I had a feeling that even that Flower Mantis would take about five minutes to kill. If I fight this even more troublesome Kabuto-Kuwagata, I'll likely be stalled for ten-odd minutes or more, and the chances of standing out to other players are high.

Second, it's purely disadvantageous. If this were a ground battle, there would be plenty of ways to handle it, but that thing can fly, and it can exert enough horsepower while flying to crush a Flower Mantis in a single blow. Trying to perform acrobatics like jumping onto a runaway car with my current equipment is a bit too harsh. Even putting that aside, it has heavy armor. A flying enemy with extremely limited vulnerable spots, while I only have throwing knives and one other ranged option? It's too much of a Trash Game scenario. At least, right now, while my supply of throwing knives is finite.

"So, regarding our escape route... Woah!"

"Pyaaaaah!"

Full body Spiral Edge... no, I should call it Spiral Mandible (Bite) & Horn. I dodge the charging attack of the Kabuto-Kuwagata as it spins its entire body like a drill. As for Emul, moving truly like a fleeing rabbit, she clings to the nape of my neck. Isn't that becoming your designated seat?

"Hahaha! I won't lose to a straight-line bully!"

At that moment, the Kabuto-Kuwagata's horn passes right by me, having executed a sudden stop and a reverse charge within a hair's breadth of my head.

"Correction. This is a little dangerous."

"Kyaaaaaaaaah!!"

Wow, the attack interval is shorter than I thought. If I mismanage my stamina here, I'm going to get road-killed. Being stingy by nature, I pick up the drop items from the pulverized Flower Mantis—now turned into polygons—before breaking into a run. The Kabuto-Kuwagata reverses again and charges toward us, but I'm already gone from that spot.

"Where are you aiming, stuuuupid!"

"Please stop provoking it, desu waaaah!"

Oops, force of habit.

Personally, I don't dislike "Sea of Trees" type stages. After all, they are treasure troves of obstacles and footholds—extremely convenient fields for running and hiding. Running along tilted trees, jumping from high places using bending branches and leaves as safety lines. Great trees serve as both shields and paths. Honestly, if we played tag in this area, I'm confident I'd never be caught. However, I've been painfully realizing for a while now that the definition of "obstacle" differs between players and monsters. Which is to say...

"Oi oi, you've gotta be kidding me. You don't even care about obstacles? Just how much of a straight-line bully are you...!"

I've been hearing the sound of destruction from behind me for a while now. When I glance back, I see great trees snapping in half, and the Kabuto-Kuwagata shaking its head slightly, looking like it hasn't taken any damage at all... I'm so shocked by its refusal to detour, choosing instead to pursue in a straight line, that my jaw hits the floor. No wonder I thought there were an awful lot of fallen trees in this area... You were the culprit.

"What are we going to do, desu wa!?"

"Thinking about it."

I think as I run unreservedly across a carpet of flowers. Why is this guy chasing me so persistently? I've tried to pass the buck (aggro) to random monsters several times now, but it's all failed. It's too tenacious to be normal. It's a bit too strange to just dismiss as bad luck; there's a high probability I've unknowingly fulfilled some condition.

"What have I done since coming to this area... whoops."

"They're falling on us, desu wa!"

I dodge the bombardment of strange nuts—Armored Apples, maybe?—that look like a fusion of apples and pinecones, falling from the giant tree snapped by the Kabuto-Kuwagata's charge. I catch a few and toss them into my inventory. Saved me the trouble of gathering.

"Butterflies, bees, gathering... Insect types... Rhinoceros Beetles... Stag Beetles... Tree sap? No, considering this area, could it be..."

What comes to mind is the nectar-filled abdominal sac dropped by the Storage Papillon. Since bees and butterflies are actively collecting it, it's highly likely set as the main food source for monsters in this area. So, assuming the main food source for this monster—obviously motif-ed after beetles—is nectar... what is the smart way for a giant body, clearly unsuited for diligently collecting nectar, to gather it efficiently?

"Is it an assassin from United Rounds!?"

Okay, I get it. No wonder my attempts to pass the aggro to the Storage Papillons or Empire Bee Workers failed; they weren't hoarding nectar! Its target is the nectar in my inventory! Aren't you ashamed of trying to loot from others? If you want to do that, go do it in United Rounds!

"Hmm? Ah, so by 'throwing,' you mean..."

Basically, does the nectar-filled sac play the role of an item used to drop aggro? Well...

"I'm not throwing it, though."

"Why not, desu wa!?"

"Emul, remember this... Surrender is wiser than defeat, but it is an act far more regrettable than defeat itself."

Hwaaa, Emul looks dumbfounded, as if she just heard a quote from a great historical figure. But to summarize, this is just talk from a certain Trash Game: "It's several times more pissing-off to surrender and hand over your items yourself and get taunted, than to lose, get all your items looted, and get taunted." That Kabuto-Kuwagata has already taken the Flower Mantis's XP from me. And now it tells me to offer up the rare item I luckily obtained? That... would be irritating, wouldn't it?

"I'll escape out of sheer spite...!"

I've already thought of a plan for that. If I can't push it onto small fry, I'll push it onto a monster of equal standing. That's exactly why I've been running while leading it on(・・・・・・) this whole time. Now then, Mr. Worker. Let me meet your boss...!

When speaking of the characteristics of bees and ants, it has to be the formation of a society with a Queen at the apex. Across all times and places, in fiction utilizing bees or ants as motifs—especially in games where bee-type Mobs appear, the one designed as their boss is invariably the Queen.

With the aura of the "Black Wolf" released from my Curse (Marking), and a superior beetle predator targeting not just the fruits of their labor but their very lives based on the law of the jungle... if these two appear simultaneously, retreating to the nest is the natural reaction. The Empire Bee Worker fleeing back to its nest serves as a locator for me as I pursue it while escaping. Even though this is a game, data designed as mere insects cannot comprehend that they are being made into guides to their own nest.

"I see it, I see it... Thanks for the guidance!"

A giant beehive... Seeing that hexagonal aggregate, I sprint past the Bee Worker with full force, burning through my preserved stamina. The defensive bees—likely Bee Guarders or Keepers, looking different from the Hunters—enter combat stance against me, the intruder attempting to enter the nest.

"Ah, you don't need to mind me. The guest of honor is over here... right!"

A full-power right-angle turn(・・・・) without deceleration, utilizing the correction from Slide Move. It wasn't a dodge, but a movement to make way. And so, rather than the paltry nectar I held, the Kabuto-Kuwagata crashed into the Empire Bee nest—where far more was stockpiled—crushing the bees with the momentum of its charge.

"Hahaha, look at that, Emul. That's a real 'Surprise! Dinner Next Door.'"

The fact that the Kabuto-Kuwagata cannot react to sharp directional changes, that it cannot reverse course quickly without sufficient space, and that in such cases it must crash into something to kill its momentum before turning... Proof, verification, and confirmation were already complete. Faced with an oversized monster like the Kabuto-Kuwagata—a threat so great they couldn't afford to worry about someone like me—the Empire Bees attacked in unison. It wasn't a Giant Monster Battle, but a Giant Insect Battle.

Emul and I held our breath in the shade of a tree, watching the massive brawl between bees and beetle. If I had to compare the scene... it looks like a Sengoku-era RTS where the CPU sends an absurdly strong general charging into your main camp right when all your allied generals are away... Seriously, quit spawning enemy generals right in the middle of the battlefield.

"W-We did it, desu wa! We successfully pushed it onto the Empire Bees! Now, let's hurry and run..."

"Hey, Emul. Look at that..."

Where I pointed, massive amounts of drop items were scattering onto the ground every time the Kabuto-Kuwagata crushed the swarming bees with its horns, jaws, brute strength, and weight... Emul's face, saying "Seriously? Are you seriously saying that?" left a deep impression. Sorry, but schedules, plans, and the strategic "somethings" I construct are usually destroyed by ad-libs.

There's no sign of the other players I was worried about, and thanks to the ambush, the Kabuto-Kuwagata is starting to wear down. The bees go without saying; they're taking massive damage in real-time... Shall we try a little Hyena play?

Author's Notes & Lore:

Ecosystem of the Prismatic Forest Cave A food chain exists within the Prismatic Forest Cave, generally divided into monsters that collect nectar (food for insect-types) and monsters that steal it.

Empire Bees Despite being on the exploited side, Empire Bees rank high in the Forest Cave's ecosystem pyramid due to their mobbing tactics covering individual weakness, and the sheer strength of the Queen and her Royal Guard.

Translator's Remarks:

• Surprise! Dinner Next Door (Totsugeki! Tonari no Bangohan): A reference to a famous Japanese TV segment where a reporter suddenly visits homes during dinner time. Sunraku uses it to describe the beetle crashing into the bees' "home" for a meal.