As the group ventured deeper among the trees, the air grew dense and humid. The sun's rays could barely pierce through the thick canopy, and a deep, almost imperceptible hum began to vibrate in the atmosphere, forcing every muscle in their bodies to tense.
Thunder, who was leading alongside Lusian, neighed uneasily. Blue sparks ran through his body as the beast's instinct sensed the approaching danger.
—What's wrong, boy? —Lusian whispered, adjusting the reins while carefully scanning the forest.
Then, a flash crossed the darkness between the trees.
It was so fast they could barely follow it with their eyes.
A massive bee emerged from the undergrowth and launched itself directly at the group, kicking up leaves and dust in its wake.
Thunder neighed with fury.
His body was covered in bluish light.
A lightning bolt pierced through the forest.
The bee crashed violently to the ground, writhing as electric discharges ran through its charred body.
Albert stepped forward.
His movements were precise. Calculated.
With a clean spin of his sword, he severed the creature's wings before piercing its head in a single blow.
The insect convulsed violently for a few seconds. A thick, dark violet fluid oozed from the wound while its legs twitched erratically.
Then it went still.
The veteran observed the corpse with a grave expression.
—A swarm must be nearby —he said firmly—. Individually, these bees are class C… but in groups they can reach class B.
He planted the tip of his sword into the ground, still watching the forest.
—And if a hundred of them appear… they could even bring down a high-level magical beast.
The group exchanged tense glances.
One of the knights spoke cautiously:
—We could try to capture them… their venom and stingers sell for a very good price, my lord.
Albert slowly shook his head.
—Five or six men would die before managing it. It's not worth it.
Lusian frowned, imagining how deadly a full swarm must be.
—Are they really that dangerous?
—More than they seem —Albert replied gravely—. Their venom doesn't just burn flesh… it also blocks the flow of mana.
The veteran slightly raised his gaze. His expression suddenly changed; a shadow of tension crossed his face. He stepped back in silence, as if something in his own thoughts had made him reconsider the situation.
Albert continued, discreetly pointing at the silver earring on Lusian's left ear.
—If everyone had an artifact like that, which protects against most poisons, we might consider it.
Lusian touched it with mild surprise.
—This? I didn't even know I was wearing it.
Albert raised an eyebrow.
—It's an artifact of the Douglas family. Expensive, unique, exclusive. If you inject mana into it, it activates a purification spell. It will heal you almost instantly… if any of these bees manage to sting you.
—Almost all poisons? —Lusian asked, intrigued.
—Almost all —Albert replied—. Only three are impossible to neutralize. Two are extremely rare and absurdly expensive; not even the Emperor of Ithaca would risk using them.
He paused briefly.
—The third is the most dangerous, because it acts within seconds. It paralyzes the body and blocks the flow of mana. If it hits you… you wouldn't even be able to activate the artifact.
A chill ran down Lusian's spine. He imagined his mana stopped, like a river blocked by a boulder, and a sense of alarm spread through his body.
The knights exchanged glances, aware that the forest hid far greater dangers than simple giant bees.
Silence fell again, heavy and expectant, while shafts of light filtered through the mist and branches. Every breath seemed to amplify the distant hum, reminding them that in the Cymopelia Forest, even the smallest creature could be lethal.
Albert stepped forward, and his voice echoed firmly through the trees:
—Keep your eyes open. If you hear a loud hum, do not try to fight; fall back and protect yourselves with magical barriers. We will not allow a swarm to take us down.
Lusian watched the bee's corpse and the venom still bubbling on the ground. The forest was alive… and hungry.
Thunder snorted, and a spark ran through his body. Lusian nodded, adjusting his grip on the reins.
—Let's move —he said quietly—. This is just the beginning.
While Albert and Lusian assessed the situation, the knights returned hurriedly from deeper in the forest, bringing news from the hive.
Unlike what Lusian expected, the hive only contained around one hundred and thirty bees.
In his previous world, a common hive could contain tens of thousands.
But here, the balance of nature worked differently.
Magical bees required enormous concentrations of mana to develop. And the more mana each creature absorbed, the fewer individuals the hive could sustain.
A simple rule.
A natural exchange between quantity and power.
Albert frowned upon hearing the report.
—If they all attack at once —he said gravely—, not even Thunder could protect us. We would all die.
His decision was immediate and prudent: abandon the attack.
But Lusian kept his gaze on the faint smoke rising from the hive. He remembered countless battles in the game; there, mistakes carried no weight. Here, however, every error could cost lives.
Still, the magical honey was tempting: rich in mana, capable of strengthening the body, increasing mana, and a valuable resource for potions and rituals.
Finally, he spoke calmly:
—Albert… we could do it, if we split them up.
The veteran raised an eyebrow.
—Split them?
—Yes —Lusian explained—. We attack from four different points, forming an X and keeping distance between the groups. The swarm will split and lose coordination. They'll be easier to handle.
Albert watched him in silence.
—And where did you learn that?
—I heard it in Trhuin —Lusian replied, trying to sound casual—. Some adventurers were talking about hunting similar nests.
The veteran crossed his arms.
—If you're wrong, men will die. Can you carry that burden?
Lusian swallowed. He was not used to strategies involving real lives.
—Yes —he said firmly—. If the plan fails, I will take responsibility.
Albert looked at him for a few more seconds and finally nodded slowly.
—Very well. We'll do it your way. But remember, Lusian… a strategy is worthless if you forget that lives do not reset.
The group quickly reorganized. Four assault squads, each composed of three knights and a mage. Fire would be their main tool.
Albert raised his hand, his sword already wrapped in burning energy.
—Now!
Fireballs cut through the air and exploded against the hive.
The entire forest responded with a roar of buzzing.
As Lusian had predicted, the swarm fractured into four groups.
The plan worked… until Lusian's squad received the most brutal impact.
Twenty-nine bees rushed directly at them.
Thunder neighed loudly.
A lightning burst exploded around him, spreading across the ground like a shockwave, illuminating the forest with blue flashes. Most of the swarm was instantly paralyzed, twitching under violent discharges.
Lusian, protected by his bond with his beast, remained unharmed.
But the nearby knights stepped back amid sparks and static, straining to maintain formation.
Five bees, resistant to lightning, broke through the chaos and charged directly at him.
Lusian turned his sword and concentrated mana into the blade.
But Albert was already there.
Two precise slashes cut through the air.
The first bees were thrown back before they could even comprehend what had happened. The rest were finished off by the knights in a clean, almost automatic coordination, as if they had repeated that maneuver hundreds of times.
On the other fronts, the squads faced their own challenges. Some men were stung, but antidote potions took effect immediately.
When the last buzzing faded, the air was filled with smoke and the smell of burned honey.
Albert surveyed the battlefield with a critical eye.
—Twenty-one killed before contact… —he murmured—. The idea worked better than I expected.
Lusian lowered his gaze, relieved. No one had died.
Albert ordered them to regroup and move forward. The queen had to be nearby: guardian bees never strayed far from the heart of the hive.
Minutes later, the buzzing returned.
But this time, it was different.
It was not the sound of a swarm.
It was a deep, heavy vibration, as if hundreds of wings were beating in perfect rhythm beneath the earth itself.
The air began to grow saturated with mana.
Even the knights' horses stepped back uneasily.
From within the hive emerged a gigantic shadow.
The queen.
Her body was several times larger than the ordinary bees. Plates of black crystal covered her exoskeleton, forming a natural armor where mana accumulated as if it were a second skin.
Four guardians descended beside her.
They were not ordinary bees.
Their size and magical pressure were enough to rival Class B monsters.
Thunder raised his head.
His silver mane began to glow.
Blue lightning crawled across his body.
Lusian felt the magical beast's power rising beneath him.
It was terrifying.
And precisely because of that, he understood Albert's concern.
—Young master, —the veteran said without taking his eyes off the queen—. Remember what we discussed.
Lusian slightly turned his head.
—I know.
Albert tightened his grip on his sword.
—Thunder is not just another soldier. He is our last guarantee of survival.
His voice became heavier.
—If he consumes too much mana here and a stronger creature appears afterward... we will have nothing left capable of protecting us.
Lusian looked down at the enormous magical horse beneath him.
Thunder could change the outcome of a battle.
But he was also the reason they could continue moving through this forest.
A card that could only be played when their lives depended on it.
Then the queen released a shriek.
The ground trembled.
The guardians spread out.
They were not waiting.
They were protecting their queen.
Lusian stared at the dark shell.
There was no other choice.
—Albert.
The veteran understood his gaze.
He nodded.
—One attack. Nothing more.
Lusian tightened the reins.
—Now.
Thunder disappeared.
He did not run.
He simply stopped being there.
A blue lightning bolt tore through the forest.
The discharge struck directly against the queen.
The impact illuminated the entire clearing.
Fragments of black crystal flew through the air as several plates of the creature's shell cracked.
But the monster did not fall.
For the first time, Lusian's expression changed.
It had endured.
The queen spread her wings and released a piercing cry.
It was not pain.
It was an order.
The guardians reacted instantly.
One of them descended like an arrow toward the formation of knights.
The mage raised a barrier, but he was too late.
The stinger pierced through the defense before it could fully form.
And sank into the knight's shoulder.
—AAARGH!
The man dropped to one knee.
The sword slipped from his hands as dark veins began spreading from the wound toward his neck.
—The poison! —one of the mages shouted.
The formation faltered for a moment.
The queen seized that instant.
Her body tensed.
For a moment, the entire forest seemed to hold its breath.
Then she released her mana.
The wave of energy struck like an invisible storm.
The ground cracked beneath her feet, and a violent gust tore through the battlefield. Two knights were thrown against the trees, their armor bending from the impact.
One fell without moving.
Another tried to stand, but his arms barely responded.
Thunder stepped backward.
Not from fear.
But from recognizing the strength of the creature before him.
The silver mane of the magical horse stood on end as small sparks raced across his body.
Lusian felt a chill.
The queen was no longer watching the knights.
Not even Albert.
Her eyes were fixed on Thunder.
She had understood something.
The creature was not attacking randomly.
It had identified the greatest threat on the battlefield.
Thunder's power could change the outcome of the fight.
And Lusian was the one controlling that power.
Then one of the knights fell.
The man tried to stand, but his body refused to respond.
One of the wounds beneath his armor was covered in a dark liquid.
Poison.
The others were too busy holding back the queen.
For a moment, no one could reach him.
Lusian did not think.
He jumped off Thunder before anyone could stop him.
The ground trembled beneath his boots as he ran.
—Young master! —Albert roared.
But Lusian was already beside the soldier.
He dropped to one knee and removed the silver earring from his ear.
The artifact glowed the moment it touched the knight's armor.
A stream of mana flowed through the man's body.
The poison slowly began to retreat.
The knight's breathing gradually returned.
His eyes opened with difficulty.
—Thank you...
His voice was barely a whisper.
—Thank you, my lord...
Lusian froze.
Those words weighed more than any attack.
Because in his old world, it would have been different.
A lost unit was simply a lost unit.
One less number.
A defeat screen appearing before him.
But there were no numbers here.
There were people.
People who felt pain.
People who were afraid.
People who had still chosen to stand in front of him.
Not because of the real Lusian.
Because of someone who did not exist.
Because of a lie.
—Protect the young master! —Albert ordered.
—Now!
The knights reacted immediately.
Without questions.
Without hesitation.
A line of shields formed around Lusian while the other warriors continued fighting the queen.
The young noble felt a pressure in his chest.
They were not there because he was powerful.
They were not there because he was invincible.
They were risking their lives because they trusted him.
And that was something he could no longer treat as a simple strategy.
The queen roared.
Her claws struck the ground, and she charged again.
Albert moved first.
He stepped between the creature and the others.
His sword collided with the queen's jaws.
The impact shook the trees.
The blade creaked.
Albert gritted his teeth as his boots sank several inches into the earth.
Even he was being forced backward.
—Lusian!
The young man looked up.
—Do not use all of Thunder's power.
Lusian's eyes widened.
—What?
Albert pushed with all his strength and managed to redirect the attack.
The queen twisted her body and struck again.
The old warrior blocked once more.
This time, he was pushed several meters back.
—If Thunder releases everything now, he will consume too much mana!
The creature attacked again.
Albert raised his sword.
The collision made his arms tremble.
—After that, we will be defenseless!
The queen pressed harder.
The ground began cracking beneath the old man's feet.
—If something worse appears after this battle...
Albert glanced toward the forest.
Toward the fog.
Toward everything that could still be hiding beyond their sight.
—We will have nothing left to face it.
Lusian clenched his fists.
Albert was right.
He knew it too.
In a video game, using a final ability too early was a mistake.
You calculated.
You saved resources.
You waited for the perfect moment.
But this was not a game.
The soldier he had saved had a name.
The knights fighting beside him had families.
Albert was not a character with a health bar.
He was a person.
The queen charged again.
Albert stopped her.
But this time, his sword nearly slipped from his hands.
The difference in strength was obvious.
He could endure.
But not for much longer.
Lusian looked at Thunder.
The magical horse was still waiting.
Trusting him.
—Thunder...
The creature raised its head.
Lightning began gathering around its body.
The atmosphere changed.
The knights felt the pressure of the mana and instinctively stepped back.
Albert noticed it as well.
For a moment, his eyes met Lusian's.
Before, he would have tried to stop him.
Before, he would have ordered him to retreat.
But now he understood.
This was not an impulsive decision.
It was the decision of someone who had accepted the burden of protecting others.
Albert closed his eyes for a brief moment.
And lowered his sword slightly.
He did not stop him.
Because he also knew the truth.
Sometimes an emergency card only exists because there comes a moment when not using it means losing everything.
Thunder struck the ground.
The sky answered.
A blue storm descended upon the forest.
And for the first time since the battle began...
The queen took a step back.
For the first time since appearing on the battlefield, the queen seemed to hesitate.
Thunder's lightning continued crawling through the cracks in her shell, slowly burning away the layers of mana protecting her body.
The air around her crackled.
The smell of scorched flesh and magic filled the forest.
But she did not fall.
Her wings trembled.
Her legs sank into the earth as she fought to remain standing.
She was still breathing.
Still watching.
Still searching for an opportunity.
The knights held their breath.
Even after receiving an attack powerful enough to break through her defenses, the creature still refused to die.
A Class B beast did not reach that level by chance.
It had survived for years in a world where every day was a struggle.
It was not a powerful monster because it possessed strength.
It was powerful because it had learned how to survive.
The queen slowly raised her head.
Her eyes searched for a target.
An opening.
A mistake.
Then Albert understood.
It was not defeated.
It was waiting.
The old warrior did not look at the shell.
He did not look at the wounds.
He watched the movements.
The way her legs adjusted.
The irregular rhythm of her wings.
The way the dark mana attempted to spread across her body again.
The creature was rebuilding its defense.
But it could not do everything at once.
If it concentrated mana on its shell, its wings became exposed.
If it focused on recovering mobility, its protection disappeared.
A choice.
Only one.
Albert narrowed his eyes.
There it was.
An opening that would last less than a second.
For someone ordinary, it did not exist.
For someone with less experience, it would pass unnoticed.
But Albert had seen hundreds of battles.
He had survived creatures that seemed impossible to defeat.
And he knew exactly when an enemy stopped being an overwhelming threat...
and became an opportunity.
—Now.
He did not shout.
There was no need.
His body had already moved.
Albert charged forward.
His sword ignited with flames as the mana stored within it exploded outward.
The queen attempted to raise her defense.
Too late.
The blade cut through the gap between the crystal plates of her shell.
For the first time, the creature could not resist.
The roar that escaped its throat shook the entire forest.
Its legs gave out.
The enormous body collapsed to the ground with a thunderous crash.
The earth trembled.
And then...
Silence.
No one moved for several seconds.
The knights stood watching the creature's corpse.
What they felt was not joy.
It was respect.
They had defeated something that could have killed every one of them.
Albert slowly lowered his sword.
The flames surrounding the blade disappeared.
He took a deep breath before looking toward Lusian.
The young man was still standing beside Thunder.
Watching the remains of the battle.
Albert walked toward him.
—Good work, young master.
Lusian looked up.
He waited for the second part.
Because he knew Albert.
And he knew the old man never ended a sentence without one.
The veteran remained silent for a few moments.
Then he sighed.
—But do not make me run after you to save you again.
Lusian blinked.
—I...
Albert raised a hand, stopping him.
A small smile appeared on his face.
—Although...
He looked toward the soldier who had survived.
Then toward the knights still standing.
—I must admit that decision saved a life.
Lusian did not answer.
Because he did not know what to say.
He looked at his hands.
He could still remember the feeling.
The weight of the injured man.
His weak breathing.
The way he had spoken those words.
Thank you, my lord.
In the game, this would have simply been another victory.
A completed objective.
A reward obtained.
A unit saved.
Or lost.
One number more.
One number less.
But not here.
Here, he had heard their screams.
He had seen the blood on their armor.
He had felt how that man was willing to die so he could continue living.
And that was what truly frightened him.
Not losing a battle.
Not failing a strategy.
But becoming used to it.
Becoming used to watching people die in front of him.
Becoming used to accepting sacrifices because they were necessary.
Because, in the end, that was the difference between playing a world...
and living in one.
Lusian slowly closed his hand.
As they gathered the bodies and collected the magical honey, Albert placed a hand on Lusian's shoulder.
—It seems Lady Sophia taught you well. Keep listening to that instinct of yours.
The old warrior paused.
—But remember...
His gaze turned toward the depths of Cymopelia Forest.
—The forest does not forgive the same mistake twice.
Lusian nodded.
That day, he had gained something different.
Not just experience.
Not just power.
He had gained the certainty that knowledge could save lives...
or destroy them, if used without caution.
That night, the group established camp in a clearing deep within the forest.
The mages carved protective runes around the perimeter, and glowing spheres floated above them, illuminating the area with a soft blue light.
Albert organized the guard rotations while the knights raised tents and inspected their equipment.
Lusian sat beside the fire, watching the flames dance and reflect against his armor.
It had been an exhausting day.
But also a revealing one.
During dinner, Albert took out a small crystal vial filled with magical honey.
His expression became solemn.
—With the young master's permission, we will share some of this.
He lifted the vial slightly.
—Magical bee honey is a rare delicacy... and a blessing for those who risk their lives to obtain it.
Lusian nodded with a faint smile.
—Do it. You earned it.
One by one, the knights tasted the honey.
A single spoonful was enough.
A wave of warmth spread through their bodies, as if an invisible current of energy flowed through their veins, revitalizing exhausted muscles and clearing their minds.
Even Lusian felt it.
The mana within the honey mixed harmoniously with his own, subtly strengthening his internal flow.
It was not overwhelming.
It was quiet.
Stable.
Natural.
Albert, after tasting it, spoke with his usual analytical tone.
—It is definitely saturated with mana. It must have been created in an environment where the plants and air were filled with vital energy.
He looked toward the direction of the hive.
—That explains why those bees were so resilient.
Charles Grell, staring at the vial, added:
—I would not be surprised if the hive formed near an underground mana source. If we collect more of this honey, it could be used to create strengthening potions... perhaps even class advancement elixirs.
The words sparked whispers of excitement among the soldiers.
For them, feeling power flow through their bodies was a privilege rarely experienced outside noble families.
Lusian watched their hopeful faces illuminated by the fire.
And he thought about the irony of fate.
In his previous life, sitting in front of a computer, strength was obtained through hours of combat or experience points.
Here, however...
food itself was power.
The only problem was that hunting that food could cost you your life.