Alvaric stared at the ten Level 5 Ant Bees that had just been released from the stomach of the Prince of Ant Bee. They hissed and glared at Alvaric with deep hatred, as if they held immense anger toward him—even though they had just been born.
"Isn't this cheating?" Alvaric complained. He felt it was unfair to have to fight more enemies than necessary. Fighting just one had already been tough. Now he had to fight eleven enemies at once. "If you dare, fight me one-on-one."
"Cheating? This is my power. You have no right to dictate what I will do," the Prince of Ant Bee replied, displeased by Alvaric's words.
The ant monster raised one of its claws. "You will die here, human." He then pointed toward Alvaric. "Kill him!"
The ten Level 5 Ant Bees began to move, spreading out in different directions, surrounding Alvaric from all angles.
This was bad news for Alvaric. His eyes moved constantly as he gripped the Vappers Dagger, which continued to emit a purple aura.
"I just got a good weapon. There's no way I'm going to die now, right?" he muttered to himself.
Alvaric leapt backward to dodge the first attack. But two Ant Bees bit his leg. His leg was injured. He was nearly slammed down by the two Ant Bees, but he stabbed their heads with the Vappers Dagger.
"Jsstt!" The Ant Bees screamed in pain.
Alvaric was shocked. This was good information. It turned out the Vappers Dagger could injure Level 5 Ant Bees. He grew more confident. Alvaric charged forward, moving nimbly. He dodged attacks coming his way. The Vappers Dagger spun, slicing off the head of one of the Ant Bees. But seven others had already surrounded him!
[HP: 1,300/2,000]
Alvaric glanced at his status bar. He was relieved that 'Enhanced Regeneration' was working quite well.
He got hit again, but dodged it easily. He was still bitten or stung by the Ant Bees a few times, but over time, he adapted and… he managed to kill four Ant Bees.
"I expected as much. They won't be of much use," Prince of Ant Bee observed from afar. "He's stronger than the commander of our colony."
Prince of Ant Bee vomited out several more Level 5 Ant Bees, but this time he also released dozens of Level 1 Ant Bees.
Not only that, he stepped forward and joined the battle. Seeing that, Alvaric bit his lip. "Damn, he's coming in directly. I have to fight."
Alvaric kept moving, becoming more agile. His movements were getting better, but his condition was far from okay. He had just been struck by a deadly slash from the Prince of Ant Bee right on his neck.
[Critical!]
[HP: 427/2,000]
"I already have 2,000 health points, and I'm still cornered. The power difference is too big," Alvaric complained.
He was higher level, but the Prince of Ant Bee was stronger than him. It felt like he was fighting an enemy at level 120. The difference was like heaven and earth.
Alvaric's eyes scanned the surroundings, spotting many Ant Bee corpses. He grabbed parts of their bodies and began eating their flesh to restore his health points.
But something shocking happened. The Prince of Ant Bee suddenly appeared behind him. Alvaric tried to move, but it was too late.
"Damn it. Is this the end for me?" he gritted his teeth.
Slash!
Alvaric closed his eyes, but suddenly he heard a loud crashing sound. When he opened his eyes, he was shocked to see the Prince of Ant Bee lying down with cracked skin.
"What happened?" He didn't understand anything.
[Shield Regeneration has been activated]
[HP: 1/2,000]
"Shield Regeneration? Was I the one who activated that?" Alvaric quickly checked his skill section and sure enough, a new skill had appeared there. "Can only be used once a day."
Not long after, the skill name disappeared from the skill list. Only Enhanced Regeneration remained. Alvaric didn't understand it, but whatever it was, it had saved his life.
Alvaric looked at the Prince of Ant Bee, who was lying down with cracked skin. He nodded and prepared to strike. Hoping this attack would win him the fight.
"Please work."
But just as he took a few steps forward, his body was suddenly flung and slammed against the wall on the other side. When Alvaric looked toward the Prince of Ant Bee, the monster's body was now glowing gold.
"What now?" Alvaric groaned.
The Prince of Ant Bee stood up, and suddenly his body fully recovered. His black skin had turned gold, and an immense power radiated from him.
"Did he evolve?" Alvaric swallowed hard.
[Prince of Ant Bee (Hive Mode) – Level 30]
Seeing that, Alvaric felt all hope vanish. He couldn't beat the Prince of Ant Bee at level 25. Let alone level 30. It felt impossible.
Alvaric shook his head. "It's over."
[02:56]
[02:55]
[02:54]
Alvaric frowned. "What is this? Since when did a timer like this exist?" He found it strange.
But as he recalled the mysterious skill earlier, Alvaric realized that this was the duration of his Shield Regeneration. He had a gamble to make. He didn't know the skill's effects beyond the initial explosion.
I hope I'm right. He stood up, gripping the Vappers Dagger tightly and full of determination. He only had one chance, and this was it.
"If I'm wrong… I die."
Without further thought, Alvaric charged forward. He began attacking the Prince of Ant Bee. At the same time, the ant monster also advanced. Its movements were nearly three times Alvaric's speed.
It appeared behind Alvaric and slashed with its sharp arm. But when the slash touched Alvaric's neck, its arm bounced off and Alvaric wasn't hurt at all.
The Prince of Ant Bee immediately retreated, shocked by what he had seen.
"I knew it."
His hypothesis was right, and Alvaric charged again. He didn't retreat at all. He took hit after hit, unflinching. Though he wasn't hurt, he began formulating another plan. He was slower. If he relied on speed, he would lose because he couldn't match the Prince of Ant Bee.
He needed another way.
"That's it."
He stood still. Focused and controlled his breathing. He stayed perfectly still, taking every hit. The Prince of Ant Bee attacked from various directions. But Alvaric remained unscathed.
"Now I know his attack patterns." Alvaric smiled, feeling confident this would end in his victory. "I'm sure of it."
[01:39]
When the Prince of Ant Bee appeared on the left, Alvaric instantly struck with a stab. One stab that hit the monster's skin, but caused no damage.
The Prince of Ant Bee stepped back. Shocked that his attack had been read. "No. That was just luck."
The Prince advanced again, but the result was the same. He was struck again and again. Until eventually, he grew frustrated.
"Human, I will kill you!" the ant monster roared.
Alvaric smiled. "Go ahead!" he taunted.
The Prince of Ant Bee looked furious. He lunged forward, this time much faster than before. Alvaric grinned even wider.
"This will be your end," Alvaric declared.
As the Prince of Ant Bee's slash nearly hit Alvaric, he dodged it at the last second and then stabbed the same area again.
KRAAANGG!
The Prince of Ant Bee's skin shattered.