36. Life or Death
Above, the massive swarm of bees still buzzed through the air.
I had to leave this place as quickly as possible.
That thought formed—but it came a step too late.
A bee landed on my back.
A sharp pain shot through my spine.
!!!!????
Pain!
Stung!
Something is being injected into my body from the site of the sting!
Poison!
If a bee attaches to my back, I am helpless.
No—there is one option.
MP remaining low? I no longer care.
I manipulate the thread with thread control, anchoring it to the bee on my back.
Secure it. Bind it.
Now!
I grab the thread and hurl the bee off my back, using a back-throw technique!
I want to finish it—but fleeing takes priority now.
I hide in the shadow of a rocky outcrop near the wall.
The wall and rock here should obstruct the bees’ massive bodies—entry is impossible.
As expected, the few bees that pursued me circled for a moment, buzzing, then abandoned the attempt and flew away.
I survived—barely.
But I am not unharmed.
I cannot see it with my own eyes, but a large hole now exists in my back.
HP remaining: 6.
One strike took thirty HP.
No surprise.
I knew my Defense was low.
Rather, I am grateful for the spider’s Life skill that allows survival after such severe damage.
Poison Resistance also proved beneficial.
Whatever was injected at the sting site was undoubtedly poison.
Whether or not the poison was neutralized, in that state, it was impossible to distinguish between poison damage and sting damage. Without Poison Resistance, he would be dead by now.
This injury would prevent movement for some time.
Whether natural healing would occur was uncertain.
In that case, aiming for full recovery through level-up, as before, was preferable.
Thus, retrieving the bee he had just restrained and thrown aside served both experience gain and food acquisition purposes.
Still, leaving this location was unwise.
Better to attach a thread using thread manipulation and pull it gradually.
Suddenly, a bad feeling arose.
He cautiously peered out from behind the rock.
There, the bee struggled, still restrained.
And approaching slowly, another monster.
『Elrovaradraad LV5 Status鉴定 failed』
A snake.
It came after me!?
No... that's not right.
Same level, but a different specimen.
This is bad.
That snake, which is boss-class in strength from my perspective, might be fairly common around here.
If it finds me in this injured state, I'm finished.
The snake approached the bee slowly.
Please... just take the bee and go. Don't notice me.
But the snake did nothing to the bee.
Not that it could.
Something tore through the snake's body at incredible speed.
What...?
Am I seeing wrong?
The snake—protected by tough scales—was shredded like paper.
A snake with speed comparable to mine.
No reaction. Not even time to react.
『Earth Dragon Araba LV31 Status鉴定 failed』
There, standing calmly.
Contrary to its name, its form resembled that of a wolf more than anything else.
Limbs pressing into the earth.
A long, extending tail.
No wings.
There stood a dragon—majestic and imposing.
This is bad.
The instinct of a spider, the reason of a human, the scream of a soul—each one united in voice.
That one cannot be fought.
There is no chance of victory.
The opponent exists beyond the realm of win or loss.
To it, I am nothing more than prey.
Not even prey.
Once within its sight, consumption is inevitable.
An existence so far beyond.
Level difference? That is a trivial matter.
No matter what, that one is impossible.
The Earth Dragon Araba chews through the fragmented serpent, piece by piece.
I press myself down, breath held.
[Proficiency has reached threshold. Skill 'Stealth LV1' upgraded to 'Stealth LV2'.]
Silence!
Please just shut up!
What do you think will happen if it notices us!
The Earth Dragon Alaba finished chewing through the fragmented serpent, then stood and left without so much as a glance at the swarm of bees.
— Thank goodness.
I don’t know whether it didn’t notice me at all, or noticed and chose to ignore me. Either way, I’m alive.
I’ve faced death many times before. I’m facing it now. But this… this was the first time I’ve felt truly, irrevocably close to dying.
Just remembering it makes my skin crawl.
No.
This area, where that thing wanders, must be evacuated as soon as possible.
I scan the surroundings.
This is beneath the vertical shaft I fell through.
The shaft’s diameter appears to be around one hundred meters.
Depth? Likely more.
Height is unclear.
The massive swarm of bees covers the upper air like a wall.
Good thing distance prevented identification.
Otherwise, identifying that many would have likely caused me to lose consciousness from the pain.
To return to the original area, I would have to move toward that massive swarm.
And climb the cliff while doing so.
Impossible.
In this position, pinned flat against the cliff face, combat is unfeasible.
Movement is restricted. Targeting is impossible. Even drawing thread becomes unreliable.
A field that completely nullifies my strengths.
Meanwhile, the insects can move freely through the air.
No chance of victory.
Yet exploring the surface, where such a creature exists, is suicide.
At the bottom of the vertical shaft, several passages branch off.
Take a gamble. Try a different passage than the one it retreated through?
Not possible.
With this level of injury, even encountering a minor monster would be fatal.
Bad.
This might be a dead end.