The Hunter of the Other World Who Is Being Misunderstood - Chapter 68:

Then Seonwoo Yeon nodded her head as if she understood.

Of course, the variable of unexpected events always remains, but worrying about such small probabilities every time will prevent you from succeeding in this industry.

“Take care and good luck.”

“Ah, yes!”

Seonwoo Yeon soon disappeared behind the gate.

I glanced at the spot where she had disappeared and stretched slightly.

“I’ll just do some web surfing in the meantime.”

Long live automatic hunting!

***

Meanwhile.

Inside the gate.

Seonwoo Yeon cautiously proceeded with her exploration, feeling the tickle of the flower scent on her nose and the gentle touch of the grass under her feet. Then, soon a monster came into view.

-Buuuuuu…

Just the size of a forearm, a honeybee buzzed by. There was a large fan-like sound coming from the flapping of its wings.

Beep.

[The Scout Bee]

[Grade: C]

[Description: A regular monster that appears in the killer bee’s nest. When it feels threatened, it secretes a pheromone that attracts a swarm of bees.]

Seonwoo Yeon nodded as she checked the analyzer’s information.

‘Good. There is no variation.’

The most important thing to watch out for at this gate is precisely those scout bees. She must be careful because scout bees call nearby comrades as soon as they are attacked.

So Seonwoo Yeon quietly circled around behind the monster, ensuring it didn’t notice her, and delivered a decisive blow.

“Kiiiek!”

Whoosh.

The result was successful.

Seonwoo Yeon’s awakened ability is wind. It has advantages in terms of speed and noise compared to other awakened abilities.

‘That’s enough!’

The scout bee was successfully killed. However, as she approached the corpse of the scout bee to retrieve the magic stone, at that very moment…

-Buuuuuung.

Once again, the sound of buzzing wings echoed from the sky. When she raised her gaze in surprise, what she saw was another scout bee flying menacingly….?

‘Two scout bees?’

Seonwoo Yeon hurriedly used her skills against the monster that suddenly appeared.

Whoosh.

The bee, whose head was cut off, fell to the ground immediately with the sound of a sharp wind. However, even after defeating her opponent, Seonwoo Yeon couldn’t shake off her suspicions. She had heard that scout bees didn’t typically roam in groups. So why were identical monsters appearing one after another?

“Why is it different from what I studied in advance?”

A small sense of unease settled in her chest. And this anxiety soon became reality.

-Buuuu…

A loud noise began to erupt from the giant beehive embedded in the center of the dungeon.

‘It’s too late to kill the second scout bee!’

Through this, Seonwoo Yeon was able to learn one thing. The scout bee has already called for reinforcements.

However, this much was fine. It was common for assassination attempts on scout bees to fail.

‘I’ve heard that experienced hunters sometimes deliberately provoke scout bees for a targeted hunt’

Do you know why Killer Bee’s Nest is considered relatively easy even among C-Class? This was because the number of monsters was absolutely small. So usually, touching a scout bee doesn’t cause a big problem.

-Buuuuuung.

-Buuuuuuu

-Wuuung…

Seonwoo Yeon’s body stiffened at the unfolding scene.

“Ugh.”

Why are there…so many monsters?

The sky is filled with swarms of bees. A group so large that it casts a shadow in a dungeon that was once lit by clear sunlight appears.

-Buuuuuuuuuuuung…

An exceptionally abnormal number. Seonwoo Yeon immediately recognized that this was the result of something catastrophic.

‘The staff must have incorrectly registered the gate’s saturation level!’

It’s a mistake by the Hunter Association! If a gate is left unchecked, the number of monsters gradually increases. Normally, by the 6th day or so, it should be labeled as ‘saturation state’ to indicate this.

The label ‘saturation state’ was a kind of warning indicating danger. It meant to be cautious because there were more monsters than usual. However, the fact that this label was missing means…

‘They must have entered the gate creation timing incorrectly. The saturation state should be automatically indicated by the program.’

A cold sweat pours down her face.

-Buuuuuuung!

What should she do? The swarms of bees are getting closer even at this moment.

‘L, let’s run away!’

Seonwoo Yeon instinctively ran towards the entrance. However, just as she was about to retreat through the gate, a certain sentence flashed through her mind.

‘Ah!’

Something a hunter should never do.

That is crossing a passage while the monsters still hold hostility. Gate creatures don’t usually go outside, but if a hunter attracts aggro, they can easily follow.

‘I can’t go out now!’

To escape, she must first distract the attention of the bees. However, the flying-type monster boasts incredible speed, so there is no way she can outrun it with a human’s legs!

“Kyaak!”

While Seonwoo Yeon hesitated, she was surrounded by a swarm of bees.

Whoosh.

Seonwoo Yeon closed her eyes tightly against the onslaught of bees and fought back.

Whoosh!

As the basic wind attribute skill, “Air Cutter,” was activated, the corpse of the monster cut in half fell heavily to the ground.

“Heuk!”

But this is just the beginning. There’s still a long, long way to go with these bees.

‘It’s gross!’

With a pale face, Seonwoo Yeon engaged in the hunt. Since it is a fight between B-Class and C-Class, she has an overwhelming advantage in terms of firepower. The number of killer bees has steadily decreased.

However, the same applied to Seonwoo Yeon’s magical power.

‘It’s getting harder to breathe.’

Her mana is being consumed rapidly. If things continue like this, her body won’t be able to keep up with the hunting speed.

‘Please, someone help me…!’

Seonwoo Yeon half fell into a panic state.

It was that kind of moment.

“…I think we’re halfway there.”

Dimly.

A human voice flows through the noise of a swarm of bees.

“Let’s see, just take a quick look at how much progress has been made…”

The man who appeared at the gate had a rather cold look. He noticed Seonwoo Yeon, who was engaged in a struggle near the entrance, and abruptly stopped, then questioned her with a puzzled voice.

“What’s all this?”

“Kiryeo-ssi!”

Hunter Kim Kiryeo has entered the nest.

***

“What’s all this?”

I couldn’t imagine it. Who would have thought that a B-Class hunter who was supposed to roam the length and breadth of the dungeon would be beaten like this?

Something is wrong with this.

“It seems like the association made a mistake when registering the saturation level! There were way more monsters than expected. I, I’m really lucky that you came…”

Seonwoo Yeon was happy, forgetting for a moment that I had entered illegally, but unfortunately, there was only one answer I could give.

“Hunter Kim Kiryeo, can you help me?”

I answer that question precisely.

“No. I can’t help you.”

Is there any way? What can an F-Class Awakener do in a nest of C-Class monsters?

But if I show weakness here, yesterday’s bravado will be useless. I thought about it for a moment and added an additional explanation.

“I might have said it before. I don’t want to rely on my awakened abilities unless it’s absolutely necessary.”

“Now is precisely that moment!”

“Is it really?”

For reference, monsters in this gate are treated as weak because their magic value is particularly low among C-classes, even if you subtract the characteristics of the number of monsters. The conclusion has already been drawn.

“Listen, Hunter Seonwoo Yeon. This is a problem that will be resolved right away as long as you don’t panic.”

“….!”

“Why would you want someone else to interfere with something you can do yourself?”

I confidently made an excuse.

Your skills are sufficient to attack the gate, so I won’t help you.

It was a good excuse.

“W, what, what did you just say…?”

Of course, from Seonwoo Yeon’s perspective, it must have been quite unexpected

“Keep calm and hunt slowly.”

There’s no other way. I raised both hands in a gesture of not intervening. At that moment, Seonwoo Yeon shook her lips in disbelief.

“Kim Kiryeo, you…!”

It was then. The hunter, who was trembling with a sense of betrayal, suddenly started running towards me.

The kind Earthling probably wouldn’t stab me, but the problem was the countless killer bees chasing after her. I lowered my raised hands as I saw the monsters gathering like a swarm of clouds.

“Kiryeo-ssi! Please, don’t do this! Please, do something about these…!”

Buuuuuu.

Listening closely from nearby, the sound of the bees was quite ominous.

But I didn’t panic even though the C-Class monster was right around the corner. Because it is impossible for this side to intervene in the first place.

“Huh?”

Buuuuung.

After a while, as the swarm of bees targeting Seonwoo Yeon closed in around us, a strange phenomenon occurred.

“Ugh, it stings!”

Pak! 

It was strange indeed. The swarm of killer bees gathered like a cloud specifically targeted only Seonwoo Yeon, persistently attacking her as if completely ignoring any other hunter present…

“H, how? Ack!”

Countless bees move away from where I am standing. Seonwoo Yeon, unable to understand why she was the only one being targeted, widened her eyes in confusion.

What can I do? This is their characteristic.

‘As expected, it’s the same as last time.’

At this point, the reason why I had been so relaxed the whole time became apparent.

The bees that appear in [Killer Bee’s Nest] are basically not aggressive. Recklessly using their stingers could lead to their own demise. In short, killer bees only initiate attacks against threats to their nest.

This means that they just ignore the F-Class whose magic power is like that of newborn ants.

‘Is this… a situation to be happy about?’

The cornea somehow became moist.

Anyway, I can stay safe for this reason.

“Aaaah!”

It seems that Seonwoo Yeon is having a hard time with their attacks. Despite her desperate resistance against the swarm since earlier, her wounds from their stings are gradually increasing.

‘Poor thing.’

It’s a very uncomfortable situation to just watch people suffer. So, I decided to give Seonwoo Yeon some tips to overcome this crisis.

“Hey, Seonwoo Yeon-ssi!”

By the way, the killer bees appearing here are creatures that can also be found in Alphauri. Thanks to that, I also know a lot about their weaknesses.

“I’ll show you where the dungeon boss is!”

“What did you say?”

“If you can’t handle that, just kill the queen bee! Once you kill her, the rest will scatter on their own!”

Buuuuuung.

A shout flows through the noisy wings of a swarm of bees.

“Do you see that big beehive over there? The brown one!”

“I, I can see it…!”

“Look closely at the pattern on the outside. Do you know what the biggest whirlpool is?”

Then I pointed out the exact place where the queen bee was hiding.

“The queen is in the center of that whirlpool.”

“I, I see! So, what should we do now…?”

“Pierce through it with your skill. Tear through the nest along with the boss.”

This is the shortcut to attacking the killer bee’s nest. Find the hidden queen bee and finish it off with long-distance magic. It was a really simple operation.

‘If you use this method, there are small side effects, but that’s okay.’

However, despite receiving the strategy for the attack, Seonwoo Yeon’s expression remained dark.

“A whole nest? How do I get such great skills! I’ve used up all my mana earlier…”

She’s run out of mana.

It’s a difficult situation to agree with.

Judging from the perspective of someone who has directly experienced the depletion of mana, Seonwoo Yeon still has enough energy left at the moment.

‘You seem really discouraged.’

I looked at the stiff B-Class hunter with pity and eventually came to a conclusion.

That person seems anxious right now, so maybe it’s best to say something reassuring to help ease the tension, especially if their magic isn’t working well.

‘Is it right?’

Having organized my thoughts, I took a step closer to Seonwoo Yeon and gently suggested.

“Seonwoo Yeon, you still have plenty of mana left, right?”

“Yes?”

“The fact that you’re speaking and breathing is evidence of that. Keep going until you can’t breathe anymore.”

For now, let’s calmly let her know that there’s plenty of mana to spare.

“Because awakened people like us don’t die from things like that…”

In addition, if I give her this advice, Seonwoo Yeon will finally put her mind at ease. This means that there is absolutely no danger to her life if she overdoes it for a moment.

‘What’s more reassuring than saying there’s no risk of death? Now you won’t hesitate either.’

Smile!

Confident that Seonwoo Yeon had relaxed, I raised my head boldly. However, what I saw in front of me was the stern face of the Earthling…

‘Hmm?’

Seonwoo Yeon is looking this way with a pale face.

What’s this, has she got some kind of early hypoxia?