It had been six days for Alvaric. He was starting to adapt. His body was adjusting, and he had found the Ant Bee nest.
He hadn't entered it yet, but he now lived near the Ant Bee nest. Whenever he felt thirsty, he would kill an Ant Bee and drink the liquid in its abdomen.
It contained a decent amount of water. However, Ant Bees were terrifying monsters. They had stingers that could paralyze with a single strike. But the payoff was worth it for Alvaric.
His hand was paralyzed for two hours, but he got water. It was a fair trade—even though he had to endure excruciating pain during that time.
"Should I go inside?" Alvaric wondered.
He stared at the Ant Bee nest in front of him. He was only 100 meters away, hiding behind a large rock. He had been there for two days without going anywhere.
Ant Bees looked like regular ants, but the difference was their size and their bee-like stingers. A level one Ant Bee was the size of a thumb, but a level two was the size of a human palm.
Alvaric glanced at his system.
[Level: 5]
[HP: 150/180]
[MP: 15/15]
[Stamina: 80/80]
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 6]
[Intelligence: 5]
[Luck: 120]
[Skill: Regeneration (passive)]
Alvaric had gained four levels, but his stats were still low. He was only slightly stronger than a regular human. He wasn't confident that he could make it out alive if he entered the Ant Bee nest.
He did have an advantage: his HP and stamina would regenerate over time. The wounds he suffered also slowly healed by themselves. This was good—because the effects of the Ant Bee's sting faded faster.
"If I go in and rely on my regeneration skill... would that be enough?" Alvaric shook his head. That seemed like a bad idea. "I guess I have to endure a bit longer."
He leaned against the large rock. Alvaric decided to wait for the Ant Bees to come out of the nest and kill them one by one. That was how he had been surviving and leveling up.
Alvaric tried to sleep, but he glanced at his system again.
[Mission: Kill Giant Sandworm]
[Reward: Random Epic Skill, Legendary Item]
The reward was tempting, but the mission felt impossible. Kill a Giant Sandworm? That was practically suicide. Alvaric doubted he could survive that.
He decided to stick with the Ant Bees and survive. He hoped someone would eventually come and bring him back to Earth. Although, that hope seemed as foolish as killing a Giant Sandworm.
Without realizing it, Alvaric had stayed in the same place for a month. He was stronger now. He had leveled up many times.
[Level: 25]
[HP: 899/900]
[MP: 25/25]
[Stamina: 280/300]
[Strength: 35]
[Agility: 12]
[Intelligence: 10]
[Luck: 250]
[Skill: Regeneration (passive)]
He had prepared everything he could to enter the Ant Bee nest. His body was now covered in the hide of Ant Bees and Sad Crawlers.
He felt strong enough. With 900 HP regenerating at 5 per second, he should be able to withstand their attacks—unless there were more Ant Bees than he had imagined.
"I should be able to defeat the Ant Bee Queen," Alvaric said confidently.
His goal was the egg chamber inside the nest. It was also cooler in there—a perfect place to live.
Besides, Alvaric had been killing Ant Bees daily for a month. Their numbers should have decreased. At least, that's what he believed.
Alvaric nodded. "Alright. I'm ready."
He stepped into the dark tunnel of the Ant Bee nest, his heart pounding. The air was thick with the stench of acid and dampness. Dim light from colorful crystals lining the walls provided minimal illumination. It helped—just barely.
"I forgot it'd be dark down here." He scratched his head.
He continued walking deeper, holding one of the crystals he found inside. And then—he saw something shocking.
Alvaric's eyes widened. In front of him were hundreds of Ant Bees. At first, they didn't notice him, but one by one, they turned. Their glowing red eyes made the atmosphere even more tense.
"Damn. Why are there so many of them?" Alvaric cursed.
Not dozens. Not just a small colony. There were hundreds of palm-sized Ant Bees with gleaming stingers, marching. Now, they had stopped. Alvaric was sure this wasn't all of them—there were four more tunnels branching ahead.
His estimation was wrong. Completely wrong. He had become too confident after killing Ant Bees outside the nest for a month.
But seeing this many, it was clear his efforts hadn't reduced their population at all.
He had forgotten that ant queens could give birth to hundreds of offspring in a short time.
"I should've known that," he muttered.
His mind had been clouded by the desert heat and his ambition to conquer the Ant Bee nest. It made him forget that ants were one of the fastest-reproducing creatures.
Suddenly, the system flashed red:
[Warning! Hidden Quest Activated!]
[Kill Queen Ant Bee!]
[Reward: Evolution Skill (Passive), +5 levels, Unique Item]
"Huh? A hidden quest?" Alvaric didn't expect something like this. He got a little excited and assumed a stance.
He nodded and charged forward, armed with a sharpened stone he had fashioned into a knife.
[Knife Stone: Attack +10]
He began fighting the Ant Bees. He took damage, but as expected, his regeneration was incredibly helpful. His body healed quickly.
Level 1 Ant Bees only dealt 3 damage. Level 2 Ant Bees dealt 10.
Alvaric just had to retreat when his HP dropped too low. Once it was back to full, he attacked again. It was an effective strategy—he had already defeated 20 Ant Bees in a short time.
"This isn't so ba—" Alvaric swallowed hard.
The level 1 and level 2 Ant Bees made way. He sensed something terrible, and sure enough—a massive Ant Bee the size of an adult human emerged from the tunnel.
At first, there was only one. Then, three more followed.
[Monster Detected: Ant Bee (Level 5)]
"This is bad news," Alvaric groaned.
He wanted to run, but the path behind was blocked by smaller Ant Bees. He clicked his tongue in frustration. This wasn't something he could handle.
Alvaric realized he had made the wrong decision. "Am I really this stupid?" he muttered bitterly.