Using the faint floral scent to lure the bee swarm into attacking the Seirin Group, then masking himself with the foul corpse-stench flower to avoid the bees… this allowed Law to lurk on the outskirts of the chaos, waiting for an opening.
If a target exposed a weakness under the onslaught, he would strike without hesitation.
Every time he strikes once, he would immediately retreat. Whether successful or not, if there was no clear opportunity, he wouldn't make a move, keeping the risk to an absolute minimum.
Not even a scratch was acceptable!
Even if his carefully crafted trap didn't yield results, Law would never allow himself to be injured. Because he knows very well that when outnumbered, every injury is a step closer to death.
When there were only a dozen or so bees left in the swarm, Law decisively retreated. With a few leaps, he quickly vanished into the forest, leaving behind a seething and helpless Seirin Group.
Despite using the bee swarm to create an opportunity, Law had only managed to kill two artificial creatures and a single Seirin Group's member.
His efficiency was terribly low. After all, the other side has overwhelming numbers, and when they gathered together, it was like an iron wall, so breaking through wasn't easy.
'Looks like I'll have to wear them down slowly.'
With that, Law swiftly made his way toward the beehive.
Using the information obtained from the White Smoke Font, he had mapped the forest's wildlife and laid this trap accordingly. On one hand, he could attack the enemy, and on the other hand, he could also take the opportunity to take the honey from the beehive.
Leaping past thick, thriving trees, Law soon arrived at a clearing about the size of a basketball court. At its center, there's a massive mound of dirt, about three to four meters tall. Scattered across the ground around it were bones from unknown creatures.
That pitted, rough-surfaced mound was the littlasps' hive.
Knowing that the soldier and worker bees had already flown out, Law approached it directly. With a swipe of his blade, he began slicing open the hive.
Hiss!
As Law cleaved away large portions of the dirt mound, a hissing sound filled with anger and fear came from inside. It was the cry of the queen.
Hearing the hissing sound, Law ignored it. He wasn't here to fight the queen, as his target was the honey.
After a while, Law destroyed the mound into pieces, revealing most of the queen's bloated body. It was also then that he found the place where the littlasps stored the honey.
Without giving the queen a second glance, Law took out a large leaf he had casually removed and covered the amber-like honey with it. Then, he put both of his hands in it, and dug out a hefty glob wrapped in the leaf.
The littlasps' honey is very similar to malt syrup in both appearance and characteristics, but it didn't stick to your teeth.
After wrapping a ball of honey with the leaves, Law left contentedly, leaving behind the slightly desolate and dilapidated beehive.
He did not kill the queen bee, because the littlasps are a rare species… each destroyed colony was one less in existence. He was already satisfied as long as he can get the honey.
As the saying goes, when catching fish, keep the big ones and release the small ones.
…
Late at night, Law cautiously avoided the Seirin Group's patrols and returned to the cave where Sanbica was staying.
Once the sun set, even with the moon shining brightly outside, the cave's unique structure turned it into a pitch-black space.
"You're back."
Seeing Law coming back, Sanbica said subconsciously.
Her words carried a subtle warmth, a certain tone that felt a little special, but the person involved didn't seem to notice it herself.
Law was stunned for a moment. With the help of the light from his phone, which had a very long standby time, he was able to see Sanbica's normal expression and responded with a nod.
He plopped down on the hay pile, putting his phone beside him to act as a makeshift lantern.
Mobile phones in the Hunter x Hunter World can be described as black technology. Although Law's phone does not have solar charging function, its standby time is extremely long, making it a favorite among Pro Hunters.
After putting down his phone, Law pulled out the large leaf bundle containing the honey and two small twigs.
"What is this?" Sanbica asked curiously. From the moment Law returned to the cave, she'd been able to catch faint whiffs of sweet, floral honey in the air.
"Honey, but more like malt syrup."
Law smiled as he peeled back the leaf, revealing a solid mass of honey that looked a lot like amber.
With the leaf lifted, the sweet fragrance became even more distinct.
"Malt syrup?" Sanbica tilted her head in confusion. She knew about honey, but she had never heard of malt syrup.
Judging from her reaction, it was possible that malt syrup simply didn't exist in the Hunter x Hunter World, or maybe it did, but she just didn't know about it.
"It's a kind of sweet treat." Law explained as he picked up one of the small twigs.
Thinking about malt syrup, a memory appeared on Law's mind.
Back when he was a kid, there had been an old man in a straw hat who rode a bicycle with a rectangular metal box fixed to the back.
Whenever the old man pedaled down the alleyways, calling out with his signature chant, a bunch of children would come running, flocking around him.
That box… was filled with malt syrup.
At this time, Kuro swooped over and stared fixedly at the honey, practically drooling.
Law glanced at him, then picked up a small glob of the honey that looked like malt syrup, and imitated the old man's movements in his memory. He wrapped it around the branch and slowly turned it, making a ball with distinct layers and textures, and then handed it to Sanbica.
"The flavor and texture should be different from regular honey." Law smiled.
"Do I eat it directly?" Sanbica asked.
Law nodded and said, "Just think of it as a lollipop."
Sanbica blinked in understanding, then opened her mouth slightly like a curious kitten, extended her tongue, and licked it hesitantly. After pausing, she licked it again… and again.
'She really was treating it like a lollipop...'
Law mused silently, but heard Sanbica say, "It's delicious."
"Try biting it." Law said.
Upon hearing this, Sanbica put the honey into her mouth, mouth, and bit down. She began chewing slowly as the sweet aroma filled her entire mouth.
"Does it stick to your teeth?" Law looked at Sanbica, whose cheeks were slightly puffy.
"No." Sanbica shook her head, "But it doesn't really taste like honey."
"Yeah, just think of it as malt syrup."
Law smiled, then wrapped one for himself, and prepared to try it himself.
Although the grade of this honey is between C and B, it is very difficult to obtain and is a relatively rare sweet treat from nature.
Kuro watched eagerly from the side but didn't dare to ask for it.
Buzz.
Just as Law finished making his own ball, his phone vibrated slightly. He picked it up and saw that it was a message from Machi.
'They're here? Just in time.'
After reading the content of the message, a hint of joy flashed across Law's eyes.
Even though he has been in the upper hand these days, he knew that in the long run, he wouldn't be able to wipe out the enemy completely on his own. And without eliminating the enemy, he will not be able to leave Demon Island with Sanbica.
But now, with help from Machi and the others, his chances of clearing them out had just gone up.
He quickly typed out a message, gave a brief description of his location, and edited in the information he had about the enemy.
When he was about to send it, Law suddenly looked at the honey in his left hand. Then, with a playful grin, he formed a peace sign and snapped a photo with his phone. He added a sentence and hit send.
…
On a grassland somewhere on Demon Island, Machi held up her phone so the others could see.
They gathered around the phone and swiped the screen. When they scrolled to the bottom, they saw a picture with a line of words behind it.
[Come quickly… there's delicious honey!]
Staring at the image and the note, the group fell completely silent.
'Had we been worried for nothing?'