Then Seonwoo Yeon nodded her head as if she understood.

Of course, the variable of unexpected events always remains, but worrying about such small probabilities every time will prevent you from succeeding in this industry.

Take care and good luck.

Ah, yes!

Seonwoo Yeon soon disappeared behind the gate.

I glanced at the spot where she had disappeared and stretched slightly.

Ill just do some web surfing in the meantime.

Long live automatic hunting!

***

Meanwhile.

Inside the gate.

Seonwoo Yeon cautiously proceeded with her exploration, feeling the tickle of the flower scent on her nose and the gentle touch of the grass under her feet. Then, soon a monster came into view.

-Buuuuuu

Just the size of a forearm, a honeybee buzzed by. There was a large fan-like sound coming from the flapping of its wings.

Beep.

[The Scout Bee]

[Grade: C]

𝔣𝖗𝔢𝔢𝔴𝖊𝖇𝖓𝔬𝔳𝖊𝔩.𝔠𝔬𝖒

[Description: A regular monster that appears in the killer bees nest. When it feels threatened, it secretes a pheromone that attracts a swarm of bees.]

Seonwoo Yeon nodded as she checked the analyzers information.

Good. There is no variation.

The most important thing to watch out for at this gate is precisely those scout bees. She must be careful because scout bees call nearby comrades as soon as they are attacked.

So Seonwoo Yeon quietly circled around behind the monster, ensuring it didnt notice her, and delivered a decisive blow.

Kiiiek!

Whoosh.

The result was successful.

Seonwoo Yeons awakened ability is wind. It has advantages in terms of speed and noise compared to other awakened abilities.

Thats enough!

The scout bee was successfully killed. However, as she approached the corpse of the scout bee to retrieve the magic stone, at that very moment

-Buuuuuung.

Once again, the sound of buzzing wings echoed from the sky. When she raised her gaze in surprise, what she saw was another scout bee flying menacingly.?

Two scout bees?

Seonwoo Yeon hurriedly used her skills against the monster that suddenly appeared.

Whoosh.

The bee, whose head was cut off, fell to the ground immediately with the sound of a sharp wind. However, even after defeating her opponent, Seonwoo Yeon couldnt shake off her suspicions. She had heard that scout bees didnt typically roam in groups. So why were identical monsters appearing one after another?

Why is it different from what I studied in advance?

A small sense of unease settled in her chest. And this anxiety soon became reality.

-Buuuu

A loud noise began to erupt from the giant beehive embedded in the center of the dungeon.

Its too late to kill the second scout bee!

Through this, Seonwoo Yeon was able to learn one thing. The scout bee has already called for reinforcements.

However, this much was fine. It was common for assassination attempts on scout bees to fail.

Ive heard that experienced hunters sometimes deliberately provoke scout bees for a targeted hunt

Do you know why Killer Bees Nest is considered relatively easy even among C-Class? This was because the number of monsters was absolutely small. So usually, touching a scout bee doesnt cause a big problem.

-Buuuuuung.

-Buuuuuuu

-Wuuung

Seonwoo Yeons body stiffened at the unfolding scene.

Ugh.

Why are thereso many monsters?

The sky is filled with swarms of bees. A group so large that it casts a shadow in a dungeon that was once lit by clear sunlight appears.

-Buuuuuuuuuuuung

An exceptionally abnormal number. Seonwoo Yeon immediately recognized that this was the result of something catastrophic.

The staff must have incorrectly registered the gates saturation level!

Its a mistake by the Hunter Association! If a gate is left unchecked, the number of monsters gradually increases. Normally, by the 6th day or so, it should be labeled as saturation state to indicate this.

The label saturation state was a kind of warning indicating danger. It meant to be cautious because there were more monsters than usual. However, the fact that this label was missing means

They must have entered the gate creation timing incorrectly. The saturation state should be automatically indicated by the program.

A cold sweat pours down her face.

-Buuuuuuung!

What should she do? The swarms of bees are getting closer even at this moment.

L, lets run away!

Seonwoo Yeon instinctively ran towards the entrance. However, just as she was about to retreat through the gate, a certain sentence flashed through her mind.

Ah!

Something a hunter should never do.

That is crossing a passage while the monsters still hold hostility. Gate creatures dont usually go outside, but if a hunter attracts aggro, they can easily follow.

I cant go out now!

To escape, she must first distract the attention of the bees. However, the flying-type monster boasts incredible speed, so there is no way she can outrun it with a humans legs!

Kyaak!

While Seonwoo Yeon hesitated, she was surrounded by a swarm of bees.

Whoosh.

Seonwoo Yeon closed her eyes tightly against the onslaught of bees and fought back.

Whoosh!

As the basic wind attribute skill, Air Cutter, was activated, the corpse of the monster cut in half fell heavily to the ground.

Heuk!

But this is just the beginning. Theres still a long, long way to go with these bees.

Its gross!

With a pale face, Seonwoo Yeon engaged in the hunt. Since it is a fight between B-Class and C-Class, she has an overwhelming advantage in terms of firepower. The number of killer bees has steadily decreased.

However, the same applied to Seonwoo Yeons magical power.

Its getting harder to breathe.

Her mana is being consumed rapidly. If things continue like this, her body wont be able to keep up with the hunting speed.

Please, someone help me!

Seonwoo Yeon half fell into a panic state.

It was that kind of moment.

I think were halfway there.

Dimly.

A human voice flows through the noise of a swarm of bees.

Lets see, just take a quick look at how much progress has been made

The man who appeared at the gate had a rather cold look. He noticed Seonwoo Yeon, who was engaged in a struggle near the entrance, and abruptly stopped, then questioned her with a puzzled voice.

Whats all this?

Kiryeo-ssi!

Hunter Kim Kiryeo has entered the nest.

***

Whats all this?

I couldnt imagine it. Who would have thought that a B-Class hunter who was supposed to roam the length and breadth of the dungeon would be beaten like this?

Something is wrong with this.

It seems like the association made a mistake when registering the saturation level! There were way more monsters than expected. I, Im really lucky that you came

Seonwoo Yeon was happy, forgetting for a moment that I had entered illegally, but unfortunately, there was only one answer I could give.

Hunter Kim Kiryeo, can you help me?

I answer that question precisely.

No. I cant help you.

Is there any way? What can an F-Class Awakener do in a nest of C-Class monsters?

But if I show weakness here, yesterdays bravado will be useless. I thought about it for a moment and added an additional explanation.

I might have said it before. I dont want to rely on my awakened abilities unless its absolutely necessary.

Now is precisely that moment!

Is it really?

For reference, monsters in this gate are treated as weak because their magic value is particularly low among C-classes, even if you subtract the characteristics of the number of monsters. The conclusion has already been drawn.

Listen, Hunter Seonwoo Yeon. This is a problem that will be resolved right away as long as you dont panic.

Why would you want someone else to interfere with something you can do yourself?

I confidently made an excuse.

Your skills are sufficient to attack the gate, so I wont help you.

It was a good excuse.

W, what, what did you just say?

Of course, from Seonwoo Yeons perspective, it must have been quite unexpected

Keep calm and hunt slowly.

Theres no other way. I raised both hands in a gesture of not intervening. At that moment, Seonwoo Yeon shook her lips in disbelief.

Kim Kiryeo, you!

It was then. The hunter, who was trembling with a sense of betrayal, suddenly started running towards me.

The kind Earthling probably wouldnt stab me, but the problem was the countless killer bees chasing after her. I lowered my raised hands as I saw the monsters gathering like a swarm of clouds.

Kiryeo-ssi! Please, dont do this! Please, do something about these!

Buuuuuu.

Listening closely from nearby, the sound of the bees was quite ominous.

But I didnt panic even though the C-Class monster was right around the corner. Because it is impossible for this side to intervene in the first place.

Huh?

Buuuuung.

After a while, as the swarm of bees targeting Seonwoo Yeon closed in around us, a strange phenomenon occurred.

Ugh, it stings!

Pak!

It was strange indeed. The swarm of killer bees gathered like a cloud specifically targeted only Seonwoo Yeon, persistently attacking her as if completely ignoring any other hunter present

H, how? Ack!

Countless bees move away from where I am standing. Seonwoo Yeon, unable to understand why she was the only one being targeted, widened her eyes in confusion.

What can I do? This is their characteristic.

As expected, its the same as last time.

At this point, the reason why I had been so relaxed the whole time became apparent.

The bees that appear in [Killer Bees Nest] are basically not aggressive. Recklessly using their stingers could lead to their own demise. In short, killer bees only initiate attacks against threats to their nest.

This means that they just ignore the F-Class whose magic power is like that of newborn ants.

Is this a situation to be happy about?

The cornea somehow became moist.

Anyway, I can stay safe for this reason.

Aaaah!

It seems that Seonwoo Yeon is having a hard time with their attacks. Despite her desperate resistance against the swarm since earlier, her wounds from their stings are gradually increasing.

Poor thing.

Its a very uncomfortable situation to just watch people suffer. So, I decided to give Seonwoo Yeon some tips to overcome this crisis.

Hey, Seonwoo Yeon-ssi!

By the way, the killer bees appearing here are creatures that can also be found in Alphauri. Thanks to that, I also know a lot about their weaknesses.

Ill show you where the dungeon boss is!

What did you say?

If you cant handle that, just kill the queen bee! Once you kill her, the rest will scatter on their own!

Buuuuuung.

A shout flows through the noisy wings of a swarm of bees.

Do you see that big beehive over there? The brown one!

I, I can see it!

Look closely at the pattern on the outside. Do you know what the biggest whirlpool is?

Then I pointed out the exact place where the queen bee was hiding.

The queen is in the center of that whirlpool.

I, I see! So, what should we do now?

Pierce through it with your skill. Tear through the nest along with the boss.

This is the shortcut to attacking the killer bees nest. Find the hidden queen bee and finish it off with long-distance magic. It was a really simple operation.

If you use this method, there are small side effects, but thats okay.

However, despite receiving the strategy for the attack, Seonwoo Yeons expression remained dark.

A whole nest? How do I get such great skills! Ive used up all my mana earlier

Shes run out of mana.

Its a difficult situation to agree with.

Judging from the perspective of someone who has directly experienced the depletion of mana, Seonwoo Yeon still has enough energy left at the moment.

You seem really discouraged.

I looked at the stiff B-Class hunter with pity and eventually came to a conclusion.

That person seems anxious right now, so maybe its best to say something reassuring to help ease the tension, especially if their magic isnt working well.

Is it right?

Having organized my thoughts, I took a step closer to Seonwoo Yeon and gently suggested.

Seonwoo Yeon, you still have plenty of mana left, right?

Yes?

The fact that youre speaking and breathing is evidence of that. Keep going until you cant breathe anymore.

For now, lets calmly let her know that theres plenty of mana to spare.

Because awakened people like us dont die from things like that

In addition, if I give her this advice, Seonwoo Yeon will finally put her mind at ease. This means that there is absolutely no danger to her life if she overdoes it for a moment.

Whats more reassuring than saying theres no risk of death? Now you wont hesitate either.

Smile!

Confident that Seonwoo Yeon had relaxed, I raised my head boldly. However, what I saw in front of me was the stern face of the Earthling

Hmm?

Seonwoo Yeon is looking this way with a pale face.

Whats this, has she got some kind of early hypoxia?