Chapter 94

We trudged up the mountain all night long. The time was 5:40 AM. Due to considering my collection, we slowed our progress, but I had a pleasant harvest.

"Hiyama, let's move a bit more to the right."

"Is it around here, Yun?"

"Yeah, there's the eighth excavation point around here, so please dig there."

Following Hiyama, who was making the path, I stood in front of the excavation point. The excavation point can be identified if you have the corresponding skill. The points available for collection can change daily, and some are fixed. The amount and quality of what can be excavated also vary by location.

I held a small pickaxe in one hand, placed my feet on the rock face, and leaned back as if sitting in a chair, holding onto a rope to maintain my posture while swinging my hand.

"...Alright. This place yields high-quality items."

Perhaps because of the location, the ore I could obtain was mostly silver, with iron being about half high-quality and half regular. Additionally, I could get rare ores like Blue Light Ore and Black Iron Ore, though in small quantities.

The purpose of coming to this area for collection was to secure a certain amount of Blue Light Ore, but there was an additional harvest.

Black Iron Ore was also a new material. From this night's excavation, I collected more than enough, and I was satisfied.

Iron: 120, Silver: 100, Blue Light Ore: 55, Black Iron: 35. Oh, I got another Black Iron, making it 36.

I tried to suppress my grin of joy and silently continued swinging the small pickaxe to collect everything from the excavation point.

However, even with this much ore, when smelted into ingots, the volume would be reduced to one-fifth. Furthermore, depending on what I was making, I might need two or three ingots, and in the case of weapons, sometimes five.

But for personal use, it was more than enough. If I made a defective accessory, I could melt it down and remake it into an ingot. At my current level, I could do that.

Previously, the iron scraps I produced during the crafting process could now be turned back into ingots, though with some loss. Ten iron scraps could be combined into one ingot.

It's good to keep things and not throw them away. I thought to myself, reflecting on this.

"Hey, miss. It's almost dawn. We'll greet the morning at the next break."

"Understood!"

Following Hiyama's guidance, we climbed to a particularly wide area.

"I'm tired. After watching the sunrise, I'll log out and get some sleep."

"Good work, Taku. But after a full night, didn't your level go up?"

"Yeah, I'm level 14. I recovered the SP I spent, and the other senses grew because we fought a lot on the way up."

"I'm level 13. I couldn't participate in the battles, so the other senses' levels are..."

Well, my archery skills improved a little from the ground battles, but the others didn't.

"Hey, Ivan, how much longer until sunrise?"

"About fifteen minutes."

"Sunrise. May it bring good fortune."

Hiyama started praying towards the unseen sun. I felt it was a bit off, but...

--- Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble

As we relaxed and gazed in the direction of the rising sun, a deep, resonant sound echoed from our stomachs, gradually approaching from below.

"What's that sound?! From below—"

It erupted from below. In the darkest part of the pre-dawn, a sound source even darker than the night spewed out like a geyser and stagnated in front of us.

A black mass. No, a crowd of black objects, producing a dissonant, deep sound.

"These... are they a swarm of Bunker Bees!? But why here..."

"Yun!? Light the insect repellent!"

Taku quickly gave the order. Following it, I lit the solidified insect repellent sticks and spread the smoke around.

The bees, which had increased their volume by resonating and overlapping their sounds, gradually dispersed.

A sigh of relief escaped me, but I quickly swallowed it.

There was something... in the crowd of bees!?

"...! It's huge!?"

I stared intently. A particularly large bee with emerald green eyes, the segments of its compound eyes as beautiful as a mosaic of emeralds. When my reflection appeared in each segment, something flew out from among the insects.

"!? Yun!"

Taku pulled my arm, but something passed by and pierced my arm. I winced in pain, but that wasn't the main issue. A thick, milky white cone, thicker than my arm, was embedded in my left arm. Purple smoke was emanating from its tip, spreading a stinging odor that hurt my eyes.

The damage was about 15% of my HP, but I also received a strong status effect, "Poison 4."

I used a recovery and antidote potion with one hand, but one wasn't enough. I needed another antidote.

"What is this...?"

"This is the queen of the Bunker Bees. Commonly known as the Queen Bunker Bee."

The air was already filled with the scent of insect repellent, and most of the bees had started to flee. However, the Queen alone remained, her emerald green eyes fixed on us.

"Hey, can we beat it? There's drop information, so..."

"Of course, the kill information is limited, but we can beat it. Actually, the encounter rate is low, but the kill rate is higher."

"That means..."

"...It's strong. Even a well-prepared party struggles. If you encounter it unprepared, you usually run. This thing is like a natural disaster wandering the field."

So, you're saying we can't win. We were short on numbers, levels, and combat skills. The terrain was a narrow cliff, and we were literally in a back-to-the-wall situation.

"Let's skip the details. Tell me the weakness. Hey, Hiyama, it's heading your way!"

"Watch out! It's coming towards you, Ivan!"

"Ha ha ha! A dance of fire with bee missiles! Feels like being the victim in a Western movie."

"Bad omen, man."

I stood up and glared at the bees. Skill—[Knowledge of Ingredients]. A support skill that reveals the enemy's vital points.

However, there were no markers indicating weaknesses in the black and yellow striped pattern of the bees.

"...No weakness?"

Can we beat a natural disaster with no weaknesses?

"The Queen's problem is the advantage of numbers, always accompanied by a large swarm of Bunker Bees."

"If that's the case, we can handle it alone. Hiyama! Let's pull it down."

"Understood!"

The two of us, targeted by the bees, looked for an opportunity to throw our grappling hooks while dodging.

First, Ivan threw his grappling hook and entangled the bee. A rope entangled a bee the size of a primary school student, and a tug-of-war began between a person and a giant bee. However, the bee resisted by rapidly flapping its wings, like increasing the engine's RPM, dragging Ivan towards the cliff.

"Ivan, I'll help!"

Hiyama's second rope entangled the bee, and the two sides were evenly matched. The bee resisted with a deep, resonant sound, while the muscles of the two men bulged, their feet firmly planted on the ground, and their hips lowered.

A contest of strength, a test of endurance. Both sides were stubborn, using all their might to hold on. It was only a matter of time before we pulled it down.

"Yun, listen carefully. The Queen's strengths are the advantage of numbers from the Bunker Bees and its high defense to protect itself. It also has a long-range needle attack. It has some speed, but its HP is relatively low."

"So, we need to take it down in one hit."

"Can you do it?"

I wasn't sure if I could take it down in one hit, but I could increase the damage Taku could deal.

"Can I go first? You just hit it with all your might."

"Alright, I'm counting on you, Yun."

"Ughhhhhhh!"

"Grrrrrrrrr!"

Ivan and Hiyama, with deep, resonant grunts, pulled the giant bee to the ground. Time was running out. I quickly prepared.

"[Enhance]—Attack. [Curse]—Defense. [Enhance]—Attack."

First, I enhanced my own attack. Then, to increase Taku's damage, I weakened the giant bee's defense. Finally, I enhanced Taku's attack to finish it off.

"...Here it comes!"

I nocked my bow and quickly approached the giant bee, which had been dragged down to the ground. I slid under it, lying on my back between the ground and the bee.

Scraping the ground, I aimed at the bee's underside and fired an arrow.

The arrow, with a red effect and triple ripple, pushed the giant bee's body from below. The rope, stretched to its limit, groaned. Ivan and Hiyama, muscles tensed, held on.

When the arrow pierced an invisible wall and emerged into the sky, a deep blue ripple converged on the giant bee, and the sound of shattering pottery echoed around.

"Taku! Now!"

"—[Fifth Slash]!!"

In an instant, he delivered five slashes.

With each hit, the HP bar dropped significantly, and it hit zero on the fourth hit. The skill, designed for a continuous motion, didn't stop there and added an overkill with the fifth hit. The bee, emitting a death rattle like metal being scratched, fell to the ground.

The threatening enemy, felled by Taku's merciless overkill, evoked a sense of sympathy.

"Good job, Taku and miss."

"Still, what was that? Red and blue?"

The two who had restrained the bee, while retrieving the ropes, asked me.

"Ah, that was—"

That was the bow skill—[Bow Technique: Armor Piercer].

An attack that ignores defense and weakens it, giving the enemy stable damage and debuff effects. Its effect, combined with [Curse], can create a favorable situation for subsequent attacks.

However, the reason why bow skills are considered difficult and unfortunate lies here.

The activation condition is within three meters, almost a contact distance. Just this alone is a high hurdle for archers.

The typical style for archers is long-range shooting with a longbow, like me. Another is mid-to-long-range shooting with a crossbow or shortbow, which are easier to handle.

Both have their pros and cons, but overall, they have the disadvantage of low defense and unsuitability for close combat.

Perhaps, if I were a Scout or Ranger type player, I could incorporate it better, but fundamentally, it's a difficult skill to handle.

"And, it's a difficult skill to use."

That's a simple explanation.

So far, the bow skills have been long-range, rapid-fire, and this close-range defense-piercing attack.

The initial skill for a longbow is a shockwave attack. It's not as flashy as Taku's five slashes in an instant, and it lacks firepower. The effect is beautiful, but that's all.

Thinking about it, the unpopularity of bow skills is understandable.

"Ah, when will bows get the attention they deserve?"

I gazed down at the forest from the cliff, then at the grassland beyond.

Dawn was approaching.

We had climbed all night, fought enemies, and collected valuable items.

The fatigue and sense of accomplishment mixed well, and I felt a unique sensation.

The first speech about the mountains by Ivan didn't seem entirely wrong. I was confident that it was a worthwhile action to take.

"Let's call it a day. Everyone is tired from the all-nighter."

"Right. Especially Taku and Yun, who are new to mountain climbing, might have pushed themselves too hard."

I nodded in agreement with Taku and Hiyama's suggestion. My thinking was already dulled, and the sun had risen sufficiently.

I stood up, stretching, and said a short farewell.

"Today was fun. Ivan and Hiyama, let's do it again if we have the chance."

"Alright, we'll log out and get some sleep."

"Ha ha ha! Even a social nicety is appreciated. Right, Hiyama!"

"Right. See you."

We added each other as friends. Smiling at the two new colorful friends, I logged out.

That's the end of the side story 2, I think.

Changes:

- Third skill → Skill