Chapter 54: VS Killer Hornet

Original: Chapter 54: VS Killer Hornet

The Killer Hornet is buzzing around near the ceiling.

It never takes its eyes off me. Its compound eyes are locked on me.

A long, sharp stinger, like a saber, is pointed at my heart.

I’m afraid to blink. If I were to blink and it attacked at that moment, I don’t think I could avoid that stinger Attack.

That stinger is poisonous, so even if it misses a vital spot, I think I’d die if it pierced me. I have to prioritize evasion above all else.

My eyes are starting to strain a little.

Should I take a step back and blink just once? Otherwise, I think it’ll only get worse from here.

I took a step back.

“Whoa, it’s coming!”

The Killer Hornet dove at me, stinger aimed right at me.

It’s so fast.

I definitely wouldn’t have been able to dodge if I had blinked. But—

“I can see you clearly!”

I nimbly sidestepped.

The Killer Hornet’s large wings slightly grazed my arm.

“Now it’s my Attack!”

But before I could even raise my Hammer, the Killer Hornet had already flown up high again.

The Dungeon ceiling is quite high. Even if I stretch out my Hammer, it won’t reach at all.

If I had a ranged Weapon, I could Attack, but I only have a Hammer.

I’ll blink a lot while I have the chance.

“Now, what should I do…”

I guess I have no choice but to dodge and Attack at the same time, relying on luck.

I realized it’s too late to start swinging my Hammer after seeing the Killer Hornet’s movements. I need to be ready from the start.

“I feel a bit like I’m playing baseball.”

Though it’s a bit different from a baseball batter’s stance.

In baseball, they hold the bat upright, right? I’m holding my Hammer horizontally, so it’s a bit different.

I remembered playing a little baseball with the neighborhood kids a long time ago. Even when they gently tossed the ball to me from below, I couldn’t hit it very well.

…The Killer Hornet isn’t diving.

Is it waiting for me to show an opening? If so, will it Attack if I move again? Believing that, I’ll try moving back another step.

I’m a little nervous. If my Counterattack fails, I’ll probably get stung. But I have to do it.

I took a step back with my right foot.

“It’s coming!”

I tightened my grip on the Hammer.

The Killer Hornet’s stinger is aiming for my heart. It was incredibly fast.

I instinctively knew I had to dodge, but my feet were much slower to react than I had hoped.

Whoa, the stinger’s going to hit—

But I didn’t close my eyes. While clearly seeing the Killer Hornet’s glossy body, its fur, and its disgusting eyes, I twisted my body at the last possible moment and somehow managed to avoid it.

It seems like it just barely grazed the hem of my School Uniform. But I dodged it.

“Taaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

In baseball terms, I’m swinging way too late. But I swung the Hammer with all my might. I’ll definitely defeat the Killer Hornet with this one blow.

If I don’t manage to defeat it and it comes to close combat… I probably won’t be able to dodge the stinger then. So I tried to crush the Killer Hornet’s body with all my strength.

“Uaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

I was able to swing the Hammer with satisfying force.

Suddenly, I felt no weight, and I spun around with the Hammer still in my hands.

The Killer Hornet slammed into the wall about 20 meters away. And then, it fell powerlessly to the ground.

“Haa, haa, haa, a come-from-behind home run, huh.”

I observed it for a bit. The Killer Hornet showed no signs of movement.

I have to finish it off just in case. As I started walking, a message appeared.

『You have Subjugated the Killer Hornet』

Ah, that was scary. I’m glad I managed to defeat it properly.

It would be too uncool to lose to an opponent whose Recommended Conquest Level is lower than my own Level.

“Phew, I’m starting to feel warm.”

Maybe I should do one more battle to feel refreshed. I slung the Hammer over my shoulder.

I wonder if there are any Monsters that are just the right Level. I want to fight if there are any Monsters that aren’t too strong.

Wait, I can hear a lot of buzzing sounds—

Instinctively, I looked in the direction of the sound. I shuddered.

“Y-you guys might be just the right opponents for another battle… But I can’t handle that many at once!”

A large number of Killer Hornets are swarming out of one of the paths in the back. Ten, no, there must be twenty of them. There are so many of them that it’s terrifying.

I guess there’s a nest. They must have sensed that their comrade was killed and came out in anger.

“No way, no way. Don’t come over here!”

I started sprinting with all my might, feeling like I was about to cry.

If I can’t escape, I’ll definitely die. My running speed has increased considerably because my Level has gone up quite a bit, but even so, I don’t know if I can escape.

“Survive. Survive. Survive. I’m definitely going to survive!”

I continued to sprint with all my might, screaming.