Unbelievable. Are you kidding me? 50% reduction of points? This is daylight robbery! Call the manager, I wish to speak with him, right this instant!
More importantly, where the heck is my overpowered ability? All I see are support skills damn it. So what, I am actually a true-n-proven weakling here and that would stay for a long long time? I oughta…! Hell difficulty right off the bat for a newbie, seriously?
I have to do something, and quick. My mind spun rapidly for solutions, survival tactics, and contingencies I could set up. First off, I am a honeybee without his comrades. Typically, an insect colony type monster are the weakest individually. That means: hiding in the shadows and ambushing. For now, this place seemed safe, so this would be my base. I have to map out my surroundings and know about my enemies as much as possible. Then I hafta plan when, where, and how to strike.
But before I could even think of battle—I have to get used to my body first, as effective as I could train it before I go weak and hungry.
Wait a second, don't honeybees eat nectar to survive? No, that was true of ordinary ones, but I am a monstrous honeybee. I could probably eat normal and magical, if it exists, flower nectars, but most likely I have to eat meat to satiate myself. Water too.
To test it out, I brought out my proboscis tongue. Even going so far as taste-testing the sea waters flowing inside the grotto. Water seems clear, of course it tasted awful salty. But what do ya know? Honeybees can actually safely drink seawater, though they still prefer clean water. How about my mandibles?
*Clack clack* Niceee. I could use it to bite. While I may never know my full anatomy, I have to let my instincts guide me here.
With the plan settled, it’s shopping time. ‘When he brought out the shop, he shopped all over the system’, indeed! With a measly 45 points, I have to really be careful of what I should be buying. First off, this damn vision problem.
I splurged 15 points down the drained for the Vision Focus lvl 1 Core Ability. And… nothing changed. What the? Just when I was starting to get anxious, a system info popped out:
* Vision Focus lvl 1 Core Ability is an active ability used to focus on a particular point or region with your eyes. To activate, you can either say Vision Enhance or mentally command it.*
Oh okay… I guess it’s better than nothing. Attempting to activate took me several tries before I got my mind intensely lasered on that one skill and thought its name out loud. Suddenly, one far away pebble I've been eying got tunneled into my vision. As if the other images became blurry through a camera lens. I turned it off and was satisfied. Although I have 360 degrees vision, it's really useless beyond ten meters. One of the silver linings however are my ocelli. Motion-detecting eyes using the sun and its light. Although it really feels feverish jumpy to be literally attuned to ultraviolet waves. It feels like being Neo from M*trix, able to see the lines of codes making up of the simulation, I guess.
Next up, I bought navigation auxiliary ability tier 1. All of them are obviously good for a weakling like me but navigation is the most important. Except its preeettyy difficult to use. I thought the Navigation would make a mini map show up in my perception, but it's more like a mental mind map. If it stopped there, it would've been fine but it's adjusted to my new perception too. Which means—it's not a normal mini map, it's a bee mini map of the places I travelled! Aghawababushfeh!
I turned it off instantly. Tracking is useless too, in that regard. Good thing I held off buying that and the Tier 2 Navigation.
Next up I have to decide between Stealth Lvl 1, +3 stat points, +2 skill points. The skill points are too expensive, they may not give me the immediate boost I need. Stealth is of course great, but how would I be able to kill others if I am so god awful weak? I just gotta wing it, rogue-like style. +3 points it is. A total of 41 points—leaving me with 4…? Motherfu—
This feat was at the risk of my own life. One mistake and I coulda gone straight back to the prophet dude. Yet, only 45 points—45 points!? It’s not just about me being a cheapskate, this store is literally a lifeline for me.
This Evo 2 requirements item, to boot, no idea on what that is but if it’s like a class progression system and I have to have learned specific skills, killed a certain boss/es, or require specific items before I could evolve, then sh*t. If that’s the case, I have to upgrade the store as soon as possible before I could purchase anything else.
Composing myself, I set off to getting used to my body. Flying, stinging, biting, sprinting, rolling, sidestepping with my legs. I must look like an idiot dancer to any outsiders.
Just like that, one or two days had passed by before I believed I was ready, plus my strength was starting to wane. Now is the best time to scout and hunt. Square the F up monsters, I amma sting you to death!
....
Through the tall thickets of the forest beside the coastal shore, a solitary small plated worm-like creature, separated from its colony, was burying through the ground, appearing to dig its prized prey of a decaying meaty chunk into its nest. Small was relative, as it measured 10 meters long and 3 meters wide.
It paused its movements, raising its head into the air, turnings its head to and fro like a bird of prey. After short seconds, it resumed its work. Up high in one of the branches of a tree, a silent honeybee was stalking the worm, readying to launch itself at the closest vantage point. Its stinger pointed readily down. When the worm lowered its guard down just as it was about to bury itself in the soil, the honeybee shot off.
KILL! Make it there, damn it!! Inches away from piercing the wretched worm, as the stupid prophet above would have it, the worm reacted with a lightning-fast movement, dodging the stinger whereby it pierced the soil.
The worm shrieked its jagged maw out, releasing a debilitating soundwave. Gragh! That hurts my antennae so friggin much! My ambush failed, shit.
Steering clear of the rampaging worm, I tried to fly away to regroup but I quickly got grazed by a flick of its plated body. That hurt like hell, my exoskeleton rattled with small cracks on the abdomen.
Sent flying away, I used the distance to my advantage and hovered over the worm. Alright, what're your patterns? Left? I go right. A flick of its tail, I go upwards. Going head on? I STING!
With a deft twist of my bee body, I stabbed the worm head on the side, right on one gap of its plates and injected my venom. Quickly taking it out, I flew away to avoid being brought down along with it. The worm crashed to the ground twitching and a swollen area on its head. But it wasn't dead.
How many injections do you need? I'll give you a buffet of bee stings! Fly like a butterfly, sting like a bee!
I attempted my strategy once again but the worm learned its lesson. Counter-stabbing it blindly didn't work, my bee stinger kept sliding off of its plates. I have to strike precisely in the gaps. Then just as I thought I dodged one attack; a surprise flick of the worm sent its tail out—thwacking me by the thorax. My wings barely hang on but there were multiple cracks on my chitin by that one attack. By this point, I was bleeding profusely. Shit, shit. It hurts so much. Did I just rupture my organs? I am not stranger to pain but this is way too different from just receiving pain.
The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.
This worm is the only possible prey I found in the surroundings, any more days of scouting I would simply grow weaker and risk being discovered—and its game over for me. I can't dig a pit like an ant, I can't weave a web trap like a spider, I can't camouflage myself like an insect. My flight is the only thing I have. It's do or die, damn it!
I landed on the ground with my six legs, poised and crouched. The worm peers at my general direction, its beastly intelligence analyzing the state of the battle. It had no eyes nor ears, its receptors only detecting vibration and light. I intentionally made a slight movement. Come to me, worm! It instantly flashes out to me, opening its maw wide. Steady. Steady, at the last second. DODGE AND STING! Sparks flew in the air from the intense collision, a ringing numb sensation spread through my abdomen, then an acute pain.
My stinger pierced through the plate, but the momentum of the worm ripped the stinger right off. You know, when I said flight is the only thing I have? That was a lie. System, buy minor health. I ain’t training for nothing, after all—I gained two new feats whilst bettering myself!
*Confirm purchase?*
Confirm. Then a shimmer of green bright light came over me, my stinger magically growing back from its broken bleeding edge, as well as the numerous wounds over my body. The worm, with a stinger stuck on its head, spun around intending to crush my body. But I was faster, I was more cunning and therefore, more dangerous. I precisely stroke into the same exact spot I pierced through, now swollen—injecting the venom. Dodge again. Repeat. Of course, I wasn't leaving unscathed, its plated body segments kept battering my body.
But even as a world of pain burned me, I kept piercing and piercing, stabbing the same wound over and over again. Even as the worm bit off a part of my wings, a section of my compound eyes barely inches from the brain, and crushed my abdomen and my thorax, I kept pressing on. Injecting all the venom in my body. Die, die, DIE!!! And eventually, just as I was about to give out and purchase another minor healing from the mind-numbing fear, a notification sound rang out:
*You killed a Lumbrica Burrowling Evo 1 Level 4.*
*+2 Level up. +6 Stat Points and +2 Skill Points*
*Feat gained! First kill in a life and death battle! +75 store points. Tier 1 Store Point Reduction 50%, gained +38 store points! *
Then, the worm stopped moving. It ceased to be. Within its crushing embrace, its maw spilling out its greenish yellow blood on the ground, I lay motionless. Ha ha ha. I won. I won! Ahk. I think, I might actually bleed to death, if it weren't for the timely level up that significantly healed me. Its efficacy was on the level of a minor healing, so although my wounds remain, it wasn't fatal anymore. Still though… my first life and death battle. I... this is how my life is going to be from now on, isn't it? From an unforgiving life to an even more ruthless grim life. What a joke of a reincarnation. Well, I have no choice anyway. I did try calling out to the prophet-like figure during my training, calling the system out in very creative ways—no response. To my despair, this is my new reality, I suppose.
Anyway, I have to move quickly. Pretty sure all this ruckus and blood would attract monsters very soon. I got to take what I can, cuz there's no way I could carry this guy to my hide out. Besides, its scent will lead other monsters. With that in mind, I used my mandibles to take a bite in an unprotected area.
*Squelch* Eeeww. F*cking—This tastes like… oddly okay? Huh? Then a feat notification popped up.
*Feat gained! Ate monster meat for the first time! + 45 store points. Tier 1 Store Point Reduction 50%, + 23!*
But I had no time to ponder over it as roars and howling were already converging here. I swallowed as much as I can and bolted out of there like a thief finishing his handiwork in someone's grandparents' house.
...….
You might wonder why I said I should take what I can when I only ate all I could? Well, you see, bees have this other stomach where they safely deposit their foraged nectars. I don't know how it worked, but with a thought in mind, I managed to direct a lot of the chunk of meat into my storage stomach and ate some of it for my digestion.
What does it feel like having two stomachs in one body, you further ask? Interesting question, I could only answer in a way a former man like myself could—like having two different ball sizes. Yep. And you could distinctly make out the difference in shape and size. But inside.
Peh! Enough of that, I want to talk about the taste first. What I expected was a shitty taste of a slimy meat and gore, I found that it tastes like… seafood. Shrimp specifically, with an earthy tangy taste infused to it. Its texture was like a jelly's, juicy and chewy. Even without having to cook, it's actually pretty edible. Not sure if that's a perk of my being a monster.
Next up is the fun part. My gains in the battle. I leveled up twice. Twice! 6 stat points and 2 skill points was really damn good. Even more store points as well—yet still far away from that damn store upgrade BS.
Moving on, with the insight I received from my latest battle, bee sting was my most reliable means of attack. I placed 2 skill points into my Bee Sting. The bite would have to wait. Before I decide where to put my juicy six stat points, I took a look into the guide as there's this suspicion I have.
[ System Guide
Skill Tree Chart – A tree chart of your skill progression, with two distinct tabs namely: Core Abilities (Racial Abilities) and Auxiliary Abilities (Supporting Abilities). Core Abilities have many branching skills categorized into skill paths revolving around your preferred style of combat. Conversely, Auxiliary Abilities are versatile abilities for supporting combat and/or life in general. Both have a separate hierarchy of tiers. Depending on your build, you can choose to focus on one specific skill path, or any combination of skill paths. Standard builds to build around your skill paths:
Phys Offense Build
Phys Defense Build
Mobility Build
Stealth Build
Utility Build
Aether Build (Locked)
…..
…
]
Huh uh. Aether? Clicking it isn't giving me any information. I guess it's like magic? Okay, the guide is way too long, it's a friggin wall of text! Good thing there's a search function, so I found the information I was looking for.
[
….
Stats Details:
Strength: Refers to the amount of power able to be exerted by an individual.
Agility: Refers to the flexibility, speed able to be exerted, and deftness of using one's body.
Constitution: Refers to both the external, internal durability, toughness, resilience and endurance of an individual.
Intelligence: Refers to how much, how fast and precise can the individual process information, and how long they retain such information. Intelligence 10 and onwards imply intelligent consciousness, which adds the intelligence factor of how creative and expansive the individual's mind could be. Could only be improved by manual training, skills, evolution, titles, ???, and ???.
Info: The first three stats form the foundation of one's physical body. More stats will affect the body structure to improve the related stat. You cannot subtract stats. You cannot add points to intelligence. Lastly, the change only applies slowly with sleep. More than 5 points increase would take more than 8 hours of sleep for it to apply fully.
.....
]
Skimming the text, I knew I was right. If there's an imbalance between the three stats, pretty sure they'll break their body. Ain't that how people get their injury from working out? Too much straining of one group muscle will cause it to fracture bones, tear muscles ligaments. I have to maintain an optimal balance.
With that information, I simply decided to add one to agility, five to constitution—making my foundation stats 10, 10, 11. Alright, since this would only apply in my sleep, let's move on. Next, give me the progression in both auxiliary and core abilities.
[
Core Abilities
Primitive Rank – Raw and natural talents. The basic abilities of the user's race, or mutation. Unrefined techniques emerging from one’s inherent traits. (e.g., Bite, Slice, Slash, Pierce, Parry, Sprint etc.)
Mastered Rank - Refinement and Foundation. Techniques evolved through rigorous training and experience, showcasing expert control and a solid foundation. (e.g., Perfect Assault, Graceful Dance, Fortress Body, Nascent Battle Art, Unrefined Elemental Control)
Exalted Rank - Culmination and Ascendancy. Abilities pushed beyond normal limits, accessing one’s deepest potential and utilizing rare traits to its fullest—often linked to unique bloodlines or talents. (e.g., Battle Art Culmination, Peak Mana-Elemental Manipulation, Unique Bloodline Abilities)
??? (Requires Evo 6, Level 200, Tier 6 Store unlocked)
Auxiliary Abilities
Survival Phase – Basic support skills that enhance personal abilities and general utility skills for survival. (e.g. Basic Navigation, Tracking, Resource Identification, Trap Laying)
Crafting Phase – All related support and utility skills to bolster one or multiple crafting professions. Requires foundational skills from Survival Phase. (e.g., Potioneering, Blacksmithing, Woodworks, Tailoring)
Aether Imbuement/Bestowal Phase – Temporary buffs, boosts, and enhancement aether spell formulas to apply unto a living being or a non-living thing via chanting or sketching. The formulas are derivatives of aether runes. (e.g., Minor Agility Bestowal, Minor Luck Bestowal, Minor Vitality Bestowal, Minor Precision Bestowal) (Progression: Minor, Intermediate, Major, Advanced, Peak)
??? (Requires Evo 6, Level 200, Tier 6 Store unlocked)
]