I was back in the Everglades portion of the continent less than an hour later. The rain was practically deluge but it did nothing to dampen my mood. The monsters were either in hiding or they were avoiding me. It took me nearly another ten minutes before I found something to fight. It was a creature that looked a lot like a crocodile. Only it was twice as big and its scales looked stronger than steel.

It was perfect for target practice. I unleashed my aura in its full glory. There was an immediate difference. The new strand didn't just make it stronger it was like I was weightier. The forest around me still felt like a battlefield from my killing intent but now it felt like a proper war zone. I wasn't sure if that meant each Strand would be a multiplier or if it was something specific to this one.

Either way, it didn't matter. The beast oriented on me and charged. It sounded like an elephant was rushing toward me but there was little it could do. I laughed and focused on my newest Tao. A bolt of compressed spatial energy shot forward. The attack pierced straight through the reptile's shell as if it wasn't there and came out the other side. The attack happened so quickly that for a moment I wasn't sure it was real.

It was like a scene from a movie or cartoon where me and the monster stared at each other. As if we were waiting for something to happen. Then the beast collapsed and energy flowed into my dantian. The process was so anticlimactic that it felt like a trick. I slowly made my way over to the body and sent it into my ring. I wasn't sure what alligator meat would taste like but I had to admit I was pretty curious.

The energy from the kill was disappointing but not surprising. I took a deep breath and tried to rely on my luck to tell me where to go but the feeling was gone. I wasn't sure if that meant there was nothing special near here or if I just couldn't find it. After ten minutes I decided to pick a direction and just start running.

Over the next three hours, I found several interesting things. Most of which were weird plants in a variety of colors. None of which caused that hunger to spread through my body. I figured that Desbera would appreciate them or Azariah would sell them. I was just about to look for a place to rest when I heard the sound of battle. It took me a few minutes to figure out where it was coming from but when I found them. I was worried.

It was a group of five, four researchers and their defender fighting a hornet. Only the hornet was as big as a dog with a stinger that was closer to a small sword than anything reasonable. The defender had already been poked full of holes and was dying. The biggest problem was the monster's speed. It twisted and turned in the air with all the grace of a normal-sized wasp.

The thing's speed made the warrior seem like he was standing still. That didn't stop the man from giving it his all. He was barely able to stand but he kept trying. Just as the wasp was about to end the man's life I decided to act. Psychic Aegis appeared in its wall form between the two. The stinger slammed into it but it might as well have been a child punching a chunk of steel. I unleashed a trio of psychic blades two of which were imbued with Tao.

They found their mark before the overgrown bug had a chance to realize it was in danger. Surprisingly enough it wasn't killed. The ugly thing struggled to turn toward me so it wasn't much of a threat but it was impressive nonetheless. I unleashed another trio of blades and this time I received the confirmation. I stepped out from behind my tree and jogged over. An anti-poison pill is already in my hand. I placed it into the warrior's mouth before laying him on the ground.

"It's alright I got you." Once he finished swallowing the first pill I added another. This one is a proper healing pill. I wasn't sure if the wasp was poisonous but it felt like a good precaution. It took him nearly a minute to regain the color on his face. Now that I could see him he was surprisingly young. Probably no older than 21 or 22. He had dirty blonde hair and severe sun burns going across most of his body.

"Uh thank you for the help." A man's voice pulled my attention away from the warrior.

The man who spoke was rather rotund, bald, and wore a white lab coat. I wasn't sure if he was an actual researcher before or if he was just trying hard to look like one. "Right, I think this guy will be fine but the bug did a number on him. What the hell are you guys doing out here?"

"Ah well, we were attempting to get a sample from a hive but were caught."

It took me several seconds to process what he just said. When I did I practically jumped to my feet. "You mean there is an entire hive of these things? And you all thought it would be a good idea to approach it?" I scanned the sky half expecting to see a swarm of wasps. When I confirmed that we were fine. I knelt and put the warrior on my back. "Stay close. We are going to get you out of here."

I activated Apportation and quickly guided everyone through. We did two more teleports before we were forced to jog. A process that was infinitely more annoying thanks to the constant complaints. By the time we made it back to the temple, I was ready to kill the group myself. "Get the group settled and have someone inform the UWG. We got more of their people. Also, have someone take a look at this guy."

I gestured to the man on my back before handing him off to the lead guard. "He should be fine but he hasn't woken up yet. I am going to head back out. Have everyone keep an eye on the skies. There might be some hornet monsters."

I didn't give anyone a chance to ask any more questions. I turned and broke out into a sprint. A den of big-ass hornets sounded horrible but it also sounded like a great chance to improve my level. I still needed to reach level fifty as soon as I could. Furthermore, the idea of fighting a strong boss monster sounded amazing. It took me nearly three hours to find the hive.

Mostly because it wasn't a "Hive" it was a building in a random city block. Which for some reason was in the middle of the rainy part of the continent. I assumed it was a part of some Floridian city but that was as far as I could guess. I activated Psychic Aegis in its bubble form just to be safe. One hornet wasn't enough to kill me but a dozen might be a bit much. Next, I let my aura fly free.

The sudden declaration was like tripping the alarm system. The sound of dozens of hornets filled the block as they swarmed out from every building. "This would be a lot more fun if you weren't all bugs." I grinned to myself and I imagined myself as an action hero. There had to be at least fifty of the things in front of me. A sight that would have had me ready to piss myself before. Now, it just made me more excited.

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The hornets were the first to move. I wasn't sure how they coordinated with each other but all fifty managed to rush me at once. I activated Psionic Rain and Psychic Blast. Twin mental attacks rained down on the small army but it wasn't enough. I narrowly avoided the first hornet while another two slammed into my shield. Their stingers snapped against my defenses.

I laughed and spun unleashing a trio of mental blades into the closest hornet. The next closest monster shot for my heart. Its stinger shimmered with energy. I ran forward to meet the attack, Psychic Aegis wouldn't be enough to stop it. I sacrificed the front of the bubble to reinforce the rest of it. It felt like time slowed to crawl as the large hornet approached. As soon as it was close enough I shot forward with both hands. I grabbed hold of its stinger and with every ounce of strength that my body could manage, I spun it around and slammed it into the ground.

It felt like a bomb had gone off. The ground around us cratered and for a second I worried that we would fall. I tightened my grip and ripped the stinger off the bug. Before I could deliver a killing blow five hornets slammed into my barrier. Three of the stingers were stopped while the final pierced it. Not enough to threaten me but it was clear that I couldn't rely on my spells. Not against this many.

I couldn't be more excited. Grey mist bellowed out from me as I activated Realm of Consciousness. Psychic energy flowed into me like a river as more and more of the hornets sought me out. Unfortunately for them, they lacked any way to get through the domain. I moved through my domain like a specter. Even unleashing attacks as fast as I could I was dealing with a surplus of psychic energy. The sheer number of them made it impossible to deal with them without taking a few cuts. Thankfully they either weren't poisonous or the poison wasn't enough to hurt me.

By the time I killed the group, my domain had faded and several of my combat spells had come online again. I took a seat in what was left of a sedan and closed my eyes. The enemies put me at the threshold for level 38 which meant I needed to find whatever counted as a queen. I decided to wait a few more minutes just in case there were hornets away from the hive. The last thing I needed was to get attacked on all sides.

When I was ready I entered the closest building. My excitement began to wilt immediately. There were remains inside. I wasn't sure how many bodies there were but they were more than enough to make me sick to my stomach. I expanded my Tao field mostly to keep the viscera from me. The hornets hadn't finished changing the building into a proper nest which was likely the only reason we weren't facing an army. I found a hollowed-out elevator shaft toward the back of the building.

I wasn't sure how falling would impact my new body but I was pretty sure I would be fine. I leaped into the darkness and formed three balls of psychic energy. The indigo light barely illuminated a few feet in front of me. Which gave the whole situation a horror movie vibe. Like I was recording for some future-found footage thing. As I fell the floors told a devastating story. Multiple floors showed signs of a battle. Blood, stains, corpses, makeshift weapons.

It was clear that humans didn't fare well. We had been forced to the bottom of the food chain and even now we weren't doing much better. I turned my attention to the task at hand as I slammed into the ground. The stone floor cracked and I felt a dull ache in my knees but that was it. I had landed in the sewer or what remained of it. Why would a hornet build its nest underground?

I wished the apocalypse had made it smell better down here but that wasn't to be. I circulated my energy just in case and sent my three spheres in front. I walked for another five minutes when I came across something disturbing. It was a hornet, only it lacked wings and could walk on two legs. The thing was almost as tall as I was and was ugly.

The bug man held out a hand, a scream of danger in the back of my mind was my only warning. I ducked to the side just as the point of its stinger shot at me like an arrow. It was nearly as fast as a bullet and hit the wall behind me before I unleashed my attack. Three blades of psychic energy shot back at it. The bug narrowly avoided all three by taking advantage of all four walls.

I barely had enough time to unleash another trio of blades before he closed the distance. I stepped backward to avoid a thrust only to find a second one already aimed at my chest. The Tao field of Adamance exploded out of me just as it met my skin. The bug finally forced me to retreat and I took the second to breathe. The bug didn't waste any movements nor did it react to anything I did. Outside of avoiding my Tao field.

I activated Psychic Blast and the tunnel was bathed in indigo light. The bug leaped to the side narrowly avoiding the attack only to find a spear of condensed space shooting through its stomach. I didn't bother waiting for the kill confirmation and unleashed another trio of imbued blades. For the first time, all three were imbued with a different Tao. They shot forward like javelins, each one aimed for a different third of the body.

Each one hit their mark and I received a surge of spiritual energy. My dantian felt like a lake on the cusp of flooding. I stepped up to the body and flinched. Most of the body was fine except for a triangular cut in its abdomen. It looked like he had been stabbed with a triangle. I collected my body and started my walk. It took me less than fifteen minutes to find the core of the hive.

The hornet queen was an ugly beast. It was around three or four times the size of the other hornets. Its wings were far too small to support its size. It sat on a throne of eggs that made me wish I had fire powers. The eggs made my skin crawl and I wanted nothing more than to burn it all to ash. The queen shifted and released a pulse of psychic energy.

The pulse passed over me and the world narrowed to a pinprick. It felt like I was being dragged into an ocean of water. A second later a second pulse, this one spreading out from the core of my being. The world popped back into focus. Intellect Fortress rapidly drained energy and it was barely enough. The hornet queen shifted and eggs began cracking. By the time I had gotten to my feet, I faced down five of the warriors.

Each one pointed a stinger at me. Psychic Aegis formed in front of me just in time to intercept. It sounded like a cannon had gone off but the shield held. "Alright, now this is a party." I cracked my neck and activated almost all of my remaining spells. The mists of Realm of Consciousness filled the room. The indigo sun of Psionic Rain appeared next. This time imbued with the Strand of Compression. It was nearly half as big as it used to be.

When it exploded it became a downpour of psychic energy. Innumerable needle-like blades shot into the mist. I felt three of the warriors die almost immediately. I decided to ignore them for now. The portal from Apportation opened next. I stepped through and a second later stepped out in front of the queen. Another mental attack tried to stop me but I was ready for it this time.

I gritted my teeth through the pain and conjured spears of spatial energy. The additional mental energy from my domain became the fuel for a barrage of attacks. A trio of imbued psychic blades found their mark a second later. I was about to unleash Psychic Blast when my danger sense went off. I leaped to the side just as one of the remaining warriors appeared. Its stinger slashed toward me like a long sword. I imbued my hand with as much spiritual energy as I could and intercepted the stinger.

Pain shot through my arm but I refused to let go. I shifted my weight and lifted the warrior into the air. Before I could slam it into the ground the final warrior joined the fight. I used its brethren as a shield half expecting it to stop attacking. It didn't.