Chapter 58: The Giant Bee and the Black Bear

The Three-Headed Mighty Bears were furious. Earlier, two foolish Wind Wolves had invaded their territory and caused trouble. Now, at their very doorstep, a whole group of low-level beings had appeared, among them a human. The Three-Headed Mighty Bears resolved that today, they would make these intruders pay dearly, teaching them the cost of provoking a high-level magical beast.

Yet, just as they were about to charge the hateful crowd, the sky suddenly darkened. A swarm of Azure-Winged Bees sped toward them. The Three-Headed Mighty Bears felt a surge of joy, for these bees were their good neighbors, with whom they had always gotten along splendidly.

If any reckless magical beast dared to disturb the hive, the bears would drive it away. In return, the Azure-Winged Bees would share their sweet, fragrant honey—a delicacy that made the bears’ mouths water at the mere thought.

“Why are these good neighbors flying out in such neat formation today?” wondered one of the bears, its simple mind imagining a welcome, or perhaps a generous sharing of honey. They failed to notice the fierce intent in the bees’ approach.

As the swarm drew near, the Three-Headed Bears halted, ready to greet them. To their surprise, the bees made no gesture of friendship. Instead, with a sudden dive, they attacked.

A loud buzzing filled the air—not a greeting, but a barrage of sharp stingers.

The two larger bears, being fifth-level magical beasts, were unharmed by the stingers. But the cub suffered terribly, stung dozens of times in an instant. Howling in pain, it clutched its head with massive paws and fled. Even the two adult bears, despite their size, offered no resistance. Turning their three-meter-tall bodies, they bolted, running faster than they had when chasing the corpse wolves. In the blink of an eye, all three had vanished.

The swarm pursued them, their buzzing growing louder. The Three-Headed Mighty Bears shrieked in terror, fleeing at breakneck speed until they disappeared from sight.

“Strange,” said Kuss, puzzled, as he watched the jubilant Roland. “Those two fifth-level bears are actually afraid of third-level Azure-Winged Bees?”

Roland grinned. “Uncle Kuss, the queen bee just explained it to me. Decades ago, when those two bears were still third-level cubs, they tried to steal honey from the hive. The queen led the bees in teaching them a harsh lesson. Since then, the bears have been terrified of the bees, but their craving for honey keeps them nearby.”

“One day, a group of magical beasts attacked the hive. The two bears bravely helped drive them off. The bees forgave them and allowed the bears to live in a cave near the hive. Whenever beasts disturb the hive, the bears help chase them away, and the bees share some honey as a reward.”

“Over time, the bears grew quickly, becoming fifth-level magical beasts. They even had a cub. Though they matured, the memory of that thrashing from the bees remained etched in their minds. Even now, as fifth-level beasts, they fear these third-level bees!”

Roland recalled the yellow oxen raised by the townsfolk of Bosang. When calves, they were tied to a stake. Naturally, they resisted, but lacking strength, they could not break free. Years passed, and the calves grew strong. Yet, because of their childhood failures, they believed they could never escape the stake, so they stayed bound, despite being more than capable of breaking free.

Kuss laughed. “It’s not just magical beasts or oxen. Even among humans, who pride themselves as the most intelligent beings, there are many such cases. Childhood failures leave shadows in the heart. When they face that same situation as adults, their improved abilities are shackled by those old fears.”

As the two spoke, the swarm that had chased the bears returned. Roland was astonished to see the tiny bees carrying their enormous hive. Over a thousand Azure-Winged Bees vibrated their delicate wings, making the hive seem to float through the air.

The swarm approached Roland. The queen bee gave a low buzz, and dozens of bees carefully “set down” a small piece of the hive before him.

Roland reached out and took it, finding it filled with sparkling, amber-colored liquid.

“This is Azure-Winged Bee honey,” explained Kuss. “Though not as potent as the Queen’s Essence, it has beautifying and rejuvenating properties.”

Roland’s eyes lit up. “Beautifying and rejuvenating? My father, Gergil, is prematurely aged from hard work, and my mother, Isa, would surely love it. Let me try it first!”

He fetched a small bowl from the necromancer’s space, tilted the hive fragment, and watched the amber liquid pour in. Sunlight danced across the bowl, making his mouth water.

Unable to wait, Roland brought the bowl to his lips and took a sip. Instantly, a sweet, fragrant taste flowed down his throat, warming him to the core. He sighed contentedly. But just as he was about to enjoy another sip, his sleeve was tugged sharply, almost causing him to drop the bowl.

Looking down, Roland laughed. The donkey had wandered over, gazing up at the bowl with longing. Roland scolded it fondly and fetched a small basin from the necromancer’s space, pouring all the honey in and adding some water to dilute it. The basin was now half-filled with honey-water, which he set on the ground.

The donkey sniffed the mixture, its eyes brightening with delight. After a tentative sip, it plunged its head in, greedily gulping down the honey-water.

Roland added some water to his own bowl as well; the pure honey was simply too sweet.

He had barely had a few sips when Little Black’s head appeared. In the blink of an eye, the donkey had finished all the honey-water, and its eager gaze made it clear it wanted more.

Soon, it drank three more basins, its belly bulging with satisfaction. Only then did it stop pestering Roland, who shook his head and smiled wryly. “Now that these Azure-Winged Bees have become undead, I wonder if they can still make honey. If not, every drop I drink will be one less forever.”

Roland waved his hand, storing the hive and the swarm of bees in the necromancer’s space. With the two corpse wolves gone, there was plenty of room. Otherwise, the giant hive would never have fit. He also gathered some flowering plants from the hillside and tossed them in.

To his delight, a short while later, the bees—including the queen—emerged from the hive and began gathering nectar from the flowers. Roland no longer worried about his honey or the Queen’s Essence running out.

With matters settled, Roland breathed a long sigh of relief and turned his gaze to the dark cave nearby. He strode toward it, his heart full of anticipation.

“Ancient relics, potion alchemy—here I come!”