Chapter 3

The river to the east of Maildia came into view after about an hour of driving.

Even from a distance, the noisy flapping of wings could be heard, indicating the presence of Killer Bees.

Since this area was a flower field, it might be attracting the bees.

Straining his eyes from afar, he could make out their figures. They were quite large, visible even from this distance. They must be as big as half my body, he thought.

Come to think of it, was the objective of this extermination quest to wipe out all of them? He should have confirmed that when he took the quest.

Ah, since it's a quest, the event window should have the details.

Thinking this, he checked, and sure enough, the quest information was there.

【Killer Bee Extermination】

Exterminate 20 Killer Bees inhabiting the Yuritt River area to the east of Maildia.

Proof: Killer Bee Stinger

Reward: 10 silver coins

【Herb Gathering】

Gather 10 Sahira Herbs, which are the materials for a low-level potion, in the Yuritt River area to the east of Maildia.

* If you gather high-quality Sahira Herbs, the reward will increase.

Reward: 10 copper coins per Sahira Herb

20 copper coins per high-quality Sahira Herb

He had been so focused on the Killer Bee extermination that he had forgotten about the herb-gathering quest.

The reward was in copper coins. Since 100 copper coins equal 1 silver coin, 100 silver coins equal 1 gold coin, and 1000 gold coins equal 1 platinum coin, the herb-gathering quest was a bit on the low side.

Well, it's a low-difficulty quest that doesn't involve fighting monsters, so it makes sense.

Still, couldn't the reward be a bit better...?

That's it! If the quest doesn't work, what about production?

In this Another World, there are production classes like Alchemists, who can create potions and other medicines, and Blacksmiths, who can craft and repair weapons and armor.

You can also pay NPCs for materials and money to have items crafted, though it's more expensive and the item performance is worse.

Since it's still in beta, information on producible items hasn't been gathered, but maybe the information on the materials needed for a low-level potion can be found.

It might be more cost-effective to gather the materials and have them crafted directly rather than taking quests to earn money.

I'll check the strategy wiki later to see what items are needed for crafting.

For now, I'll gather a bit more than the quest requires.

First, I need to ensure the area is safe.

From previous hunting experience, I know that in Another World, the spawn locations of monsters are unclear and they don't respawn if you stay in one place.

So as long as I thoroughly defeat the enemies, they won't interfere with my gathering.

I'll make sure to fight them properly.

The level of the Killer Bees is 4-7. My current level is 5.

The level difference isn't insurmountable.

Like the Forest Wolves, I'll get within range of "Mana Bolt" without being noticed and approach the Killer Bee from behind.

Almost in range—aim the staff at the Killer Bee and prepare to use the skill—

—At that moment, I was blown away.

What happened!?

Fortunately, there was no pain, just a strong vibration, stronger than my phone's vibration, and I quickly got up, confused, and looked around.

There was a Killer Bee about to attack me.

Damn, it must have circled around behind me!

"Mana Bolt Lv3!"—I had leveled up and gained a few skills. "Mana Bolt Lv3" consumes more MP but has increased power and range—aiming, I activated the skill.

But the Killer Bee dodged it.

The attack missed, and the Killer Bee lunged with its stinger, bad!

I dove to the ground, but a shock ran through my shoulder. The stinger must have grazed it.

The situation worsened.

The Killer Bee I was targeting noticed the commotion and headed my way.

I thought insect-type monsters would be weak, but I was wrong.

I didn't expect a flying, fast-moving monster to be so troublesome.

If I don't do something, I'll be at a disadvantage two-on-one.

Looking at my stats, if this happens two more times, my HP will drop to zero and I'll die.

I have to take this one down...

That's it, I'll use that!

"Spider Net!"

Fine threads of magic spread out in all directions from me.

The Killer Bee tried to avoid them, but the threads spread too quickly and it was caught.

It wasn't immobilized, but its movement was hindered, and its speed dropped significantly.

"Mana Bolt Lv3!"

A purple bolt pierced the Killer Bee. The battle was decided.

Good, the skill choice was successful.

Spider Net: Unleashes magical threads centered on the user, reducing the movement speed of enemies for 10 seconds.

The short duration and range made it difficult to use, and I thought it was a PvP skill like in traditional MMORPGs, but I see, it's useful against enemies like this.

"Mana Bolt" is a non-homing, straight-line attack, so if your aim is off or the target is hard to hit, it's difficult to land.

So, you need a strategy to make it easier to hit.

It makes sense, but in most MMORPGs, you just click on the enemy and it hits.

Impressive, VRMMORPG! You have to consider the nature of the monsters and skills to fight effectively.

Oh, the Killer Bee is coming. I'll think about it later.

I'll take care of the Killer Bees the same way!

*

The door of the Maildia Adventurer's Guild opened.

The boy who had visited just four hours ago—Chaos—walked in.

Carlo's gaze fell on Chaos.

Chaos spotted a familiar face, approached Carlo's table, and slowly placed his palm on the table.

Clatter—twenty insect stingers were carelessly placed, along with a bundle of ten high-quality Sahira Herbs.

"The quest is complete."

(He's the real deal!)

Carlo was inwardly impressed.

It's extremely difficult for a new player to defeat Killer Bees alone.

This confirmed that the one who had slaughtered the Forest Wolves was indeed Chaos.

While he didn't come out unscathed after taking on twenty Killer Bees, he was capable enough.

Still, he didn't expect him to take on twenty.

When Carlo assigned the quest, he didn't specify the number of Killer Bees to kill.

That's because there are many Killer Bees, and they are always a target for extermination.

He thought ten would be the maximum, but Chaos exceeded expectations, showing exceptional skill.

Moreover, all the Sahira Herbs were of high quality, indicating a talent for discernment.

No one would doubt his abilities after seeing this.

"Here, twelve silver coins. The Killer Bee extermination is always available, so if you have time, take it again."

Chaos nodded and left the guild.

(I've confirmed his abilities. Now, I need to check his background and behavior.)

Carlo, left alone, sorted the stingers and herbs into the delivery bags while thinking.

From what he could gather, there was no one matching Chaos's description on the criminal or blacklist.

However, he was still a suspicious character.

Therefore, he needed to be monitored, and by a skilled adventurer.

(No, is there someone suitable for the job?)

Preferably a veteran and trustworthy person—

While Carlo was pondering, the guild door opened again.

The sound of metal clashing echoed as the visitor, clad in dull, shining armor, entered.

The visitor was a large man in his thirties with short, blue hair and sun-tanned skin. He had a beard and a friendly smile.

"Hey, Havoc, you're back?"

"Yeah, just now. The new guy did better than I thought."

"How was it? Can he join the party?"

"He's strong-willed and a bit of a wild horse, but he has talent. Well, adventurers need a bit of a competitive spirit anyway."

"Ah, the elf girl, right? She's tougher than she looks."

"Ha ha ha, don't tell her I said that! She seems to care about it!"

It's rare to see an elf, a long-lived subrace, around here.

Elves are generally proud and difficult to get along with, so it's hard for female adventurers to join parties.

But Havoc's party was recruiting new members after two of their members retired.

His party had female members and no prejudice against elves, so the guild introduced her to them.

Hearing that she was doing well in Havoc's party, Carlo felt relieved.

Havoc's party had a good track record and was trusted by the guild.

"Hey, Havoc."

"Yeah, what is it?"

"The new guy in your party, there was another one besides the elf girl, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

Havoc looked puzzled.

"I have a favor to ask—"

Carlo smiled, as if an idea had struck him.