Chapter 317
Chapter 317
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 317
Chapter Title: Hornet Havoc
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"Sure enough... this is a first."
Rubbing his chin as he surveyed the jungle zone, Katt said that.
There was considerable interest gleaming in his eyes—it seemed her personality, which always showed a huge fascination for new things she'd never seen before, had been thoroughly piqued.
"Katt. Let's head in."
Of course they would.
Winia had given the okay, after all.
They'd come to the jungle to uncover the truth about these killer hornets. Honestly, he was sick to death of the jungle by now, but with no alraune around, there didn't seem to be much to fear.
—Buzzz! Bzzzz!
"GyaAAAAAHHH!!!"
No, judging by the screams coming from nearby, there was plenty to be afraid of.
—Bwoooong!!!
Even before they'd reached the jungle, along the long straight road leading there, they'd witnessed giant hornets launching attacks several times already.
These weren't like the venomous bugs from the Abyss he'd seen before—these were on a whole different scale in size.
Hornets as big as large dogs were stabbing their stingers into adventurers heading for the jungle, then four or five of them swarming to tear the bodies apart and fly off with the chunks.
It was such a shocking sight that they could only gape in stunned silence. This was the moment the rumors proved true: killer hornets rampaging and slaughtering people.
No wonder the merchants were tearing their hair out.
They themselves were fine, of course, but these young, green adventurers were dying in real time.
Splattered blood was even drawing out low-level monsters like goblins, creeping forward cautiously—but they too got snagged by the hornets, shredded in seconds, and turned into green meatballs.
Just like chlorella.
—Buzzz! Bwoooong!!
The airspace had already been seized.
There were no birds in the sky anymore. The only things flying were these massive killer hornets.
That scene stretched from the road all the way to this clearing right at the jungle's edge.
This was serious.
If those things multiplied enough to form an army and swarm the city, it wouldn't be fun at all.
"Kwaaahhh!!"
Another scream drew their eyes to three adventurers locked in a bloody fight with a swarm of hornets over there.
"You fucking bastard!"
"Behind you! Watch your back!"
The adventurers were smashing hornet heads with axes in a desperate struggle, but their light armor left their backs exposed. Stingers pierced through, and they collapsed screaming as if the heavens had split open.
"Guhk!"
The venom packed a punch.
With that final scream from the backstabbed one, he slumped to the ground.
"Damn it all!"
—Thwack!
The other two, fueled by rage, pulverized the hornet that had stung him. A bit late, but solid response time.
The hornets themselves weren't that strong, but the problem was how they flew in packs, striking freely from any angle. Tough for rookies to handle.
—Bwoooong!!!
In the end, the fight wrapped up with three hornets and one adventurer dead. The two surviving hornets fled toward the jungle.
"Goddamn it!"
At least they'd repelled them—no chance of the corpses being snatched.
No, that was the misfortune.
As the two survivors hacked off the hornet heads, they rifled through their dead comrade's pockets. Spitting curses, they bolted.
Using even a teammate's death for profit—that was adventurers for you, exemplifying their scummy nature to the hilt.
A snapshot of the world's filth.
The most surprising part? Claudia found the whole thing hilarious. She covered her mouth, chuckling softly as she patted his shoulder.
...She really did have a unique sense of humor.
Anyway, those guys wouldn't make a living as adventurers in the city anymore now that their buddy was dead.
As he mulled that over, the guy he'd thought was a corpse suddenly lurched to his feet.
"What the hell?"
Was the hornet venom not lethal poison, just paralysis? Total chaos. The revived guy realized his gear was gone, bellowed in fury, and scanned around wildly.
Fat chance—his thieving teammates had vanished long ago.
Finally giving up, he trudged off—only to run smack into incoming hornets. He fled in blind panic, pursued relentlessly.
"Heh heh heh."
It was such a textbook adventurer skit that even he had to chuckle like Claudia. Winia snickered too, calling them idiots.
The killer hornets had gifted their little group some solid laughs.
"Hee hee hee. Blackie, they look like total morons, right?"
"Heh heh. Real fucking idiots."
"Blackie used to have that vibe back in the day."
"Fuck."
He'd thought so for a while now: Winia was just the type who enjoyed watching the weak suffer—straight-up bad personality.
Which he liked, though.
"Still, they're creepy as hell. Blackie's dick is cute at least, but bugs are just gross."
"Why's my dick coming up all of a sudden?"
"Just is."
Lately, Winia had been obsessed with his down there, playfully slapping his crotch as she said it. Claudia chimed in.
"Hee hee hee, Katt's isn't cute—it's impressive. How good is it?"
"True that. But to me, it's just cute."
Keep saying that, and he'd get hard.
Scanning the surroundings again, Claudia spoke up.
"Isn't it fun? Hornets that huge. Even sand hornets weren't this big."
"What's a sand hornet?"
"Bees from the desert. They'd swarm oasis villages sometimes. Tasty, though—I remember roasting them whenever we caught any."
"Weird delicacy."
Seemed like the oasis villages in Claudia's desert were total punching bags.
Anyway, following her lead, they entered the jungle. Familiar foliage and vines greeted him right away, but he wasn't scared anymore.
Alraune Slayer—Great Demon King Kim Katt—no longer feared the jungle.
—Buzzz! Buzz!
Almost immediately, killer hornets sucking sap from a nearby tree flapped their wings fiercely in warning.
Had the whole jungle become hornet territory? They were clinging everywhere.
—Rustle.
Not just hornets—other adventurer groups were pushing into the jungle in packs too.
Roughly twenty in total, six parties or so.
With people coming in droves, even killer hornets weren't rushing attacks recklessly. The parties split off immediately, heading deeper via different paths.
"Katt. Let's go further in. So many weird plants."
"Yeah. Let's move."
They too advanced, avoiding the other adventurers.
Moving in groups spooked the tree-hugging hornets into the sky. Maybe off to alert their nests about human intruders.
"So damn humid. Bugs everywhere. Getting bit on the tits would suck."
Winia sighed, her cleavage on display as they walked.
Come to think of it, she'd been stuck on this look lately: a robe exposing the upper chest, wide-brim hat, and cloak.
Definitely risky in the jungle.
"Then why not wear something else?"
"Huh?"
She shot him a glare.
"Blackie, you know why I've been wearing stuff like this?"
...No clue?
Confidence in her chest?
Or too big and stuffy?
"'Cause Blackie likes it. Show some consideration?"
Shocking!
"N-No way! Sorry! I'll swat every mosquito!"
"Hee hee. That's the spirit."
He drew his sword instantly, slashing flying bugs out of the air. Winia giggled, egging him on, so he broke into an impromptu sword dance.
"Hmm... maybe I should change too."
Claudia eyed her own outfit.
She was in full-coverage black leather gear that hugged her body, topped with a jacket. Ladder armor reinforced key spots for defense, cape draped over.
Perfect match for her image and fighting style.
"Katt, that bikini armor from before? Want me to switch?"
"Heh heh. No need, Claudia. You look stunning in anything."
"Oh my."
Sweet talk, but bikini armor? No way.
Still, walking the streets, you'd spot women in pretty provocative getups. Some female warriors even rocked straight-up bikini armor with just a cloak.
Men too—like Katt in the arena or Radiant Cross holy knights, strutting in underwear.
Unfathomable culture alongside the martial artists.
His take: wearing weird outfits was probably showing off strength. Like ancient Earth warriors painting up and donning feather gear.
—Rustle.
Like that, he guarded Winia while scanning around as they moved.
—Twitch, twitch.
Claudia's ears flicked now and then, picking up sounds.
Truth was, Claudia excelled at hearing in open spaces but struggled in dense foliage like this.
Desert-honed ears lost edge in leafy terrain.
"Ah, Blackie, that way."
Winia actually navigated better.
She could gauge terrain and plot paths. They ended up following her lead.
Oddly, the jungle monsters overflowing last time were scarce now. Even the cries everywhere had long been drowned by hornet wings.
Sky full of just hornets.
Had hornets wrecked the ecosystem?
If so, overflowing hornets could overrun the jungle, spill into outer areas, even threaten the city.
But no full crisis yet—more like gradual cleanup than total extermination.
Felt like once enough time passed and mages investigated, a full jungle purge squad would form.
If they dragged their feet, it'd go tits up.
—Crunch.
After pushing in a ways, they bumped into another adventurer group by chance.
Six of them... not confirmed bandits yet. Hand on hilt, he greeted warily—no brawl, they nodded back and vanished quick.
Party had a mage—bandit-proof.
—Bwoooong!!!
Instead, hornets dove in soon after.
They readied for battle wordlessly.
Claudia took stance; Winia began chanting.
—Fire Bolt.
Flame bolts erupted from her staff tip, streaking out to nail airborne killer hornets dead center.
—Splatter!
—Boom!
Direct hits sparked mini-explosions; guts fried, six hornets plummeted limply. Mage-level precision and power.
In that split second, she'd finished chanting, locked targets, unleashed multiple fire bolts—all hits.
"Execution Swordsmanship!!!"
Incoming ones were for him and Claudia.
Big as large dogs, but they couldn't withstand his strikes.
Mount Pressing Strike form—he slammed vertically; caught hornet bisected clean.
"Oh... check this out."
A thrill tingled up his arms.
First real use since switching swords, but the new claymore fit like an old glove.
Added length and weight amped his swings' power.
Didn't expect such clean cuts.
—Screee!
Wrists twisted for rising diagonal slash—side hornet cleaved.
Efficient power delivery. Felt damn good. Savoring the upgrade, he cleaved more incoming hornets.