Giant Hornet (2)
Wait, but now that I think about it, why are these guys' levels so high?
Way higher than I imagined.
I figured the commander types would be in the low to mid 300s, like that mantis or the spider before.
But these ones were higher than even Karamaks or Arachne.
Good thing I didn't rashly go after their main force.
If the giant hornets are this strong, their main camp might have even higher-level ones.
Yeah, can't let my guard down here.
"Master, what should we do?"
Azkai whispered secretly.
He was staring at the giant hornet executives with his vertically slit pupils.
The way he flicked his tongue showed he was itching for a fight with them.
"Hm. Let's wait for now."
Taking them all out at once might draw the legion commander or other division commanders.
Azkai looked confident, but we still hadn't scouted the giant hornet legion commander's level.
No harm in playing it safe.
Their vice legion commander was level 398, so the top dog was definitely over 400.
At least on par with Azkai.
If the legion commander turned out way stronger than expected, we could be in real trouble.
Still, if things go well this time, Azkai could level up a ton.
Right now, Azkai was our heaviest hitter.
The stronger we made him, the safer we'd all be.
Hope the next guardians we summon are as strong as Azkai.
We could probably call more in the Guardian Room by now.
Hit the main camp after summoning extras.
I mapped out our next moves in my head as we slipped away quietly for now.
『Master, shall I activate Veil of Illusions?』
Veil of Illusions.
One of Lulumiel's skills.
A powerful illusion spell that formed a barrier, hiding us from enemies.
"Yeah, please do."
Instead of heading to a cave to camp, we chose to deploy the veil in a forest clearing.
Woooong!!
Lulumiel's tiny yeouiju pearl glowed, spilling out multicolored mana.
Flash!
Rainbow mana spread everywhere, forming a massive barrier.
No one would spot us from outside now unless they got really lucky.
"What if a giant hornet bumps into the barrier?"
『It'll get hit with hallucinations and naturally veer off around the edge!』
Sure enough, a few massive giant hornets flew by nearby and curved around just like she said.
"Whoa, this is seriously good."
『Hehe.』
At my praise, Lulumiel clutched her yeouiju to her chest with her tiny hands and giggled happily.
"You said we could fish them in one by one like this, right?"
『Yes! I'll get ready.』
Our plan was simple.
Lure in the ones passing by, one at a time, into the barrier.
Then wipe them out inside.
The veil couldn't block pheromones, but I could purify those.
Flash!
An illusion appeared at the barrier entrance.
It looked exactly like Azkai.
Bwoooong!
"Kiriririt?"
A giant hornet flying by spotted the fake Azkai and charged straight at it.
Like a feral beast on the hunt.
Swoosh!
The illusion Azkai bolted toward the rear—the entrance path into the barrier.
Bwaaaang!
The giant hornet chased furiously.
It had no idea it'd crossed into the barrier.
"Kirrit?"
It froze midair.
We'd popped up right in front of it, catching it off guard.
"Welcome to your first visit."
I grinned and greeted it warmly.
But I didn't kill it right away.
This one was our test subject.
"Thunder Bind—"
Bzzt-zzt-crackle!
Chains of lightning, boosted by my Dragon Heart mana and Lulumiel's buffs, wrapped around it.
"Kiririk!"
Clang!
The bind shattered on contact.
Figures.
My level was still way too low.
"Alright, then—"
Next up: Tar Bomb.
Boom!!
Tar slime erupted from its wings.
"Kirarararat!"
It went berserk from the sticky gunk coating its body and charged me.
To impair its flight with wingbeats, I need to hit precisely between the joints where new wings sprout.
Just coating the wings wasn't enough.
Back when I leveled to 90, I'd succeeded once at first but failed repeatedly after.
Just smearing tar on the wings only pissed it off without grounding it.
Of course, it never got close to me anyway.
Bam!!
The moment it dove at me—
Azkai stepped in and slammed it into the ground.
We tested a few more spells before I called him over.
"Azkai."
"Yep. Time to finish it."
He got it instantly just from his name, moving in perfect sync.
We'd been training together so much lately that he could read my intent on instinct.
We kept luring and practicing on passing giant hornets even after that one.
Now we were just waiting for the commander types: the vice legion commander and division commanders.
"Yawwn. When're they coming?"
I was dozing off to kill time when—
Bwaaaaaang!!
A wingbeat louder than any before echoed.
Huh?
My eyes lit up as I spotted the approaching one.
Because—
***
Bendilax.
While scouting the forest, he sensed something off.
What is it?
A strangely dissonant space.
Just an ordinary clearing you could find anywhere in the woods, yet it kept nagging at his senses.
Hmm.
He hesitated, then approached cautiously.
Definitely weird.
It felt a bit artificial.
His senses were sharper than most, but the real reason was Lulumiel tweaking the barrier to feel slightly off—just enough bait for commanders.
And Bendilax, passing by, took the bait hook, line, and sinker.
Bwooooong!
He hovered closer, antennae on his head vibrating rapidly to probe for anomalies.
"Here..."
He thrust his long spear into empty air.
Mana resistance tingled through the shaft.
Suspicious. Call for backup.
Bendilax turned to head back—
But then.
Zing. Flash!
Faint mana gathered at his feet and flared.
"...!"
So faint, barely there.
But Bendilax furrowed his brow deeply.
Because with the light, the scene flipped.
Mysterious beings appeared in the empty clearing, chatting right in front of him.
『This one's senses are sharp. Almost got away if he'd noticed sooner.』
"Heh. Got a solid aura too. On par with that spider queen we took last time."
"Probably what you sensed, Azkai. This guy's even higher level."
"No way? Feels weaker in presence, but higher level? Ironic."
Listening to them—
Bendilax realized.
These are the ones.
The existences that wiped out the 2nd Legion—the ones Lady Vestiger was desperate to find.
"Anyone seeing this would think I'm a butterfly caught in a web."
Bendilax tensed up, gripping his main weapon, Venom Lance, tight.
"But you've made a mistake."
Krurrr rumble.
A colossal aura surged from his sneering form.
It shook the Veil of Illusions like a tidal wave.
On par with Azkai's—no, not falling short.
Level 380 showed its true might.
"The legion commander said to report your traces immediately. But facing you myself... do I really need to?"
Whoooosh!!
Massive venom gathered on the Venom Lance.
It radiated overwhelming pressure, pointing right at us.
"I won't kill you. But one limb at a time..."
As Bendilax menaced us with his spear—
"Can't listen anymore. Time to subdue."
"Do it."
Azkai stepped forward.
Bam!!!
A white streak slashed the air.
In a blink, Azkai was in Bendilax's face.
"...!"
There—
Bendilax's eyes widened like marbles.
Clearly rattled by Azkai's speed.
But his body reacted coolly.
Shrieeeeeek!!!
Venom-charged Venom Lance thrust at Azkai's center.
Lightning fast.
Made Azkai look like he was charging into the spear tip.
Impossible to dodge—or so it seemed.
But Azkai's reflexes were innate.
Swoosh.
Like a choreographed play, he fluidly twisted aside, glancing the lance.
Defying gravity mid-blur.
"Wha...!"
Bendilax gasped in shock—he hadn't seen it coming.
That sealed his fate.
Bam!!!!
Azkai's fist pounded his skull straight down.
"Guh!"
Bendilax crashed into the dirt with a final yelp.
One blow.
Victory decided.
Azkai's overwhelming win.
I confirmed it once more watching.
Levels aren't everything.
The level gap between Azkai and Bendilax wasn't huge.
Their auras matched pretty closely too.
But.
This guy seemed weaker than Arachne, the spider queen.
Why?
The ★ mark.
That 'rank' Azkai mentioned earlier—probably the difference in ★s.
★s mattered more than levels.
I etched their importance deep again.
Gotta stock up on ★ shards.
"Master, what now with this one?"
"Just cap—"
Tying him up felt off.
I was about to say finish him when—
Lulumiel stepped up.
『Master! Can I turn him into a puppet? We can use him to lure the other commanders!』
"Puppet?"
What? She can do that?
I blinked, then told her to go for it.
『Yep! Right away!』
Lulumiel approached the unconscious Bendilax.
『Skyblue Marionette!』
Flash!
Silver mana threads spilled from Lulumiel.
Poke!
They burrowed into Bendilax's body.
Flash!
White light briefly poured from him.
『Success!』
Lulumiel wagged her tail and spoke right up.
『Rise!』
Pop!
Bendilax stood bolt upright.
"I await my master's command."
He stood rigid.
Azkai and I stared, slack-jawed.
So natural.
No artificial vibe.
Eyes, posture—all exactly as before.
『I'll station him at the entrance to lure more commanders!』
I nodded, mesmerized.
If this worked?
We could pull them in one by one, clean and easy.
Moments later.
"Bendilax? What the hell's going on?"
Another commander stepped in.
The 4th Division Commander, Clasta.
"You dare pull this crap...!"
He realized the trap and thrashed—
Bam!!
But Azkai's one punch knocked him out cold.
Soon, he joined Bendilax as a puppet too.
『But their levels are high, so I can only control up to three at once!』
Three? Plenty.
We'd already taken out over half the commanders who'd shown up here.
"Bendilax, Clasta. What the...! Ah, no? Gack!!"
In the end, 2nd Division Commander Marcella fell for it too.
That's three.
I grinned.
Wait till tomorrow when my daily growth limit resets, then use these to lure the vice legion commander and 1st Division Commander.
This might be easier than I thought—taking them all out right here.
I'd max my levels tomorrow and farm ★ shards too.
Catching all these commanders could net me at least one full ★.
At first, when they swarmed, I thought we'd have to charge in blindly.
But now? Clean and quiet.
Lulumiel...
This girl.
Way more versatile than I realized.
『Hehe.』
She curved her sky-blue eyes into crescents at my gaze, beaming innocently.