NOVEL NEXT Chapter 26: Swarm
The forest was relatively quiet a few seconds ago, but now it becomes noisy, loud buzzing sounds could be heard each time nearer to the players. The buzzing was coming from all sides, making it difficult for them to hear each other speak.
"I fell like something entered my ear. This sound is making me crazy!" Demon Fox said, covering his ears trying to lower the sound, but with little success because the buzzing was too loud for it to work.
One minute later, they could finally see the origin of the buzzing sounds. A swarm of hundreds of bees came out of the forest's trees and surrounded the team members. Each one of them was about 30 cm in height, striped in yellow and black, have two compound eyes, two antennae, two giant wings on its back, four legs, and a big and terrifying stinger in the tip of its abdomen.
The bees weren't strong but the number could make up for the lack of strength. And there are, at least, three hundred of them.
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[Giant Apis Cerana] (Normal) [1]
Description: These bees can swarm over and stinging you to death.
Level: 5
HP: 40
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"Shit! What will we do now? Just looking at them, I feel goosebumps all over." Demon Fox said, looking at the sting of the honeybees that looked worse than any injection that he had ever seen in his life.
"We can only fight them, of course. Better you fight with us, I know you, so if you try to run away because of your fear of the sting, I will make your life hell." Spell Bound warned his friend that where looking like he could flee the battle at any moment.
"Do you think I am the kind of person that would abandon a friend because of this?" Demon Fox asked indignantly.
"Yes! That's why I'm warning you." Spell Bound said with an 'It's obvious' face.
"Hey! It is something I would do in another kind of situation but I am not someone that would run away when a friend needs me." Demon Fox declared like it was an oath.
"I believe you". Snow White said smiling kindly at him but the effect wasn't so good with a bearded face.
"Thank you. You are the best." Demon Fox said complementing the phrase with an 'even with this kind of face', in his mind.
"Get ready for battle, guys! They are almost here!" Ye Yan warned his teammates while trying to think of a strategy to counter the honeybees. "Stay together. Mages and doctors in the center. The other make a circle around them. Kill as many as you can and try to attack more than one at the same time." The mages can only attack one bee with each spell and they use clothes that have low defense, turning them into an easy target. "And Demon Fox, control yourself!"
Demon Fox, after the job change, stoped transforming every 10 minutes but if he became nervous, he would turn into a puppy again, like now. After the words of Ye Yan, he got back to normal and tried to control himself with every fiber in his body.
The honeybees started to attack them but as space was limited, just a few could fight them at the same time.
Ye Yan was using his fan as it was a fly killer swatter, killing them extremely fast. And because of their 0 defense, he could kill one with each attack of his weapon. He turned into a killer bee machine himself.
The other members were not bad either. Conan was moving his big two-hand weapon like an electric fan, protecting the team and killing the bees. Mad Dog was doing the same but with two one-hand swords. I Love Skooma was using his attack speed to kill them fast using a knife in each hand. The mages could one-hit them too, but their attacks were slower because of the cast time and cooldown of their skills. The doctors were helping the team members and Fox Demon, drawing strength from his fear, was attacking in a freezing, using his skill [Triple Shot] to hit 3 bees every time he uses the skill.
With the team working together, attacking and protecting each other, the honeybees' numbers were lowering fast. But some accidents inevitably happened. I Love Skooma was swarmed over by more than 6 bees that started to flutter, increasing his temperature, making him take fire damage [1].
The other were fast and started to attack the bees to save their teammate while the doctors were keeping him alive.
System: Your teammate 'I Love Skooma' was cursed.
"Beware of the curse! Try to no let them swarm over you" Ye Yan yelled at his teammates because the buzzing were too loud to them to heard him.
All party members started to get closer to each other until there is no space for a bee to pass through but enough for the mages and doctor to use their skills.
Ye Yan used Provoke every time it was off cooldown, to lighten the burden over his teammates. His passive skill [Iron-blooded Warrior] make him take little to no damage from the honeybees but he still feel the stings pricking his skin. And thanks to his dodging skill and attacks, the didn't get swarmed by the bees, even when he got 1 meter away from them while circling around trying to reduce the bees that can go in their teammates direction. Like that they can focus more in attack the beed from above.
System: You have been affected by the curse [Allergy].
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[Allergy] (Curse)
Description: You have been sting by bee and it started a allergic raection.
Effect: The player will lose 10HP every 30 seconds.
Duration: 3 hours.
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After took so many stings, Ye Yan was cursed by them. Before, I Love Skooma have been cursed because he was caught in the [Swarm] skill that have 100% change to inflict curse, but they have a 5% chance to curse on every [Sting] attack. And as Ye Yan got stinged so many times, he got cursed even with his curse resist of 7%, that decrease the chance from 5% to 4,65% and the effects by 7%.
After more than half a hour, they finally killed the last of the bees. The battle was exhaustive, but they gaining a lot of experience points and drops from them. They players went to collect the drops of the bees and two drops from the goblin that they neglected before because of the bees. The items that drop from monster or players will only disappear after 5 hours, so they weren't worried and if it came to worse, they would try to get as many drops before they died. The players didn't drop item upon death inside a dungeon as happen outside, but they still lose 1% experience points. That don't look much but in higher levels this can mean more than a hundred equal level monster worth of experience.
The players they killed before lose 1% of experience each, but they were lucky because any item dropped. The chance of a equipment drop upon death is 10% and a bag item is 1%. And if a player is cursed with [Heven Punishment], that happen when they attack another player first, the experience lost and the chance of drop item upon death is double.
The items that drop didn't go to the players bag but are kept in the [Party Contract Scroll] for 20 minutes until they distribute everything according with the party contract rules and conditions, like if the items will be distribute according to the party leader decisions or if any player can apply to get the item. In this case, the contract will decided at random which player will get it.
The items dropped were basically potions, some level 3 equipment, and miscelaneus items.
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[Back Stab] (Skill Book)
Description: A traitorous attack in the back of the target. Can only be used from behind the enemy.
Effect: Damage the target in 30 + (20*Skill Level)%.
Note: This attack can build aggro. Have 1% change to steal the aggro from the tank.
Cost: 1 AP
Cooldown: 1 minute
Class Requeriment: Thief, Fighter, and Merchant
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[Minor Healing Potion] (Consumable)
Description: Replenish a character's life.
Effect: Restore 40 HP.
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[Honey] (Consumable)
Description: A very sweet and yummy product made by many kind of bees. Can be used in culinary or to made medicine.
Effect: Restore 35 HP.
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[Bee Sting]
Description: A sting from a bee. This item get various original names as people got a test of it. Can be used to make poison.
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[Compoud Eyes Glasses] (Wood, Armor: Headgear - Middle)
Description: A cool glasses that can make the wearer look like a fly. The glasses can protect the eyes but obscure the vision.
DEF + 6
Decrease vision range in 20 meters.
Level Requeriment: 5
Durability: 30/30
Weight: 1
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[Sting Blade] (Bronze, Weapon: Dagger]
Description: A balse made with bee stings. The tip of the blade can cause additional damage.
ATK + 20
DEX + 2
Level Requeriment: 5
Durability: 40/40
Weight: 8
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[Short Sword] (Bronze, Weapon: one-hand sword)
Description: The more basic of the sword model. Even a idiot can use it.
ATK +30
STR +2
Level Requeriment: 5
Durability: 40/40
Weight: 20
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Ye Yan handed the dagger to I Love Skooma that can use two at the same time, and the short sword to Mad Dog. And Thumbelina get the glasses making a hilarious figure when she wear it. He give the [Scroll of Cleansing] that he got from a previous quest to I Love Skooma to lesser the effects of the curse on him because he has less HP than him.
"Wow, this is what is called dungeon drops. Both weapons were of Bronze Rank." Mad Dog exclaimed. The weapons that he and I Love Skooma hold were only Wooden Rank and the attake were very inferior to the new ones.
"But get alive from the attack of so many bees was to easy matter. Who would imagine that the three goblins were the real trap?" Dovakin said a little indignant. He thought that a Normal mode dungeon would be easier. The difficult that the bees pose to players were low, the problem is that the current players equipment weren't good enough to challenge dungeons. ost of them would have died instantanealy because even if the honeybees defense was low, their attacks were high and they can use skills too.
"Now that we saw and feel how difficult the dungeon can be, we have to be more alert and try to use alternative methods of attacks in the battle as we have with the bees. Ye yan instructed his team.
"And the drops are really good too. We can get more equipment and skills too." You could almost see two hearts in the eyes of I Love Skooma as he said it looking at his dagger.
"I want new equipment too." Thumbelina said it in a serious way but with her height and child-like face, it looked like a child asking for a cookie.
"Don't worry, I think that everyone will get good item until we finish the dungeon." Conan said like a parent trying spoiling his child.
"Let's continue! We are only in the beginning of the dungeon yet." Ye Yan remembered the others that they had just entered the dungeon.
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[1] Apis Cerana is an Asiatic honey bee, native to southern, southeastern, and eastern Asia. They use the same attack described but on hornets.