Chapter 18 – Queen Bee
"Dannie, stop staring at the bees. They might be exhausted and injured, but they definitely won't back down if they feel threatened by you," Joren said, warning her.
Joren also stated that they should inform the other two that no dangerous beasts were here and they could stay a bit longer.
She nodded in agreement.
Still, she couldn't help but look back at the colony of bees, then glance toward their food source.
Without thinking much, she went to the flowers and the thick golden substance around their base, carefully gathering some into her palm. The air was sweet with the scent of nectar, but there was a faint tang of smoke — a reminder of what had happened to their hive.
As she turned toward the bees, their buzzing grew louder, the rhythm uneven and alert. Wings twitched, and several lifted slightly off the ground, ready to defend what little they had left.
"Easy," Dannie murmured softly, holding her hand low and steady. "I'm not here to hurt you."
Joren tensed behind her, his crossbow already half-raised. "Dannie…"
"I know," she whispered, never taking her eyes off the bees. "Just trust me."
Dannie wanted to take a gamble. They were already in danger, and she needed whatever possible help she could find. The bees might help her in some way or another — so even with Joren present, she had to do this before it was too late.
She gathered more of the golden substance and placed it near the bees, adding a few flowers beside it. The bees hesitated. One of the larger ones hovered near her, carefully examining her, feeling the vague connection between them, before landing on her wrist. Its tiny legs pricked her skin, but Dannie didn't flinch.
She willed herself to trust her instincts — and the system that marked her as a specialist with her skill bond offering.
Slowly, she extended her other hand and offered the nectar she gathered once more. The bees gathered closer, buzzing uncertainly before dipping into the golden liquid. Their movements softened, and the faint hostility in their rhythm began to fade.
"They're hungry," Dannie said quietly. "They've lost their hive and probably their queen. They're just trying to survive."
Joren lowered his crossbow slightly, his expression uneasy but curious. "You sound like you can understand them. How do you do that?"
"In a way," Dannie replied. "Bees don't talk — they resonate. Their rhythm changes with emotion and purpose. I can feel it when I focus."
Joren didn't speak. He thought of something, but instead of asking, chose to remain silent. Better not to question what he already suspected.
Dannie smiled faintly, brushing her thumb across the back of the bee still resting on her wrist.
She stood slowly and looked deeper into the grove, her senses brushing against the faint hum of mana that pulsed beneath the soil. Something was calling — weak, faint, but distinct. The connection wasn't with her, but with the swarm.
"The queen's still alive," she said suddenly.
Joren blinked. "What?"
"I can feel her essence. It's faint — but it's there, somewhere nearby. The colony hasn't given up yet."
Her eyes glimmered as determination set in. "If I can find her, maybe I can stabilize the swarm."
Joren sighed, still doubtful of everything, especially her being so peculiar compared to common knowledge. "For as long as you don't mean harm to us — to me — then you… do what you want to do," he said, trailing off before adding quietly, "I'll keep a blind eye to everything if you want to conceal it."
Dannie smirked. "Fair enough."
With the weakened bees trailing faintly behind, they started moving toward the pulsing trace of mana deeper in the grove — unaware that the faint scent of decay and acid ahead would reveal not just the queen's condition, but what truly destroyed their hive.
The deeper they went, the heavier the air became. The faint hum of mana that guided Dannie seemed to echo inside her chest, steady and fragile, like a heartbeat that could vanish at any moment.
Joren followed closely, his crossbow raised, scanning the shadows. The cave's shallow space became even narrower, and the surface was covered with patches of blackened soil and shimmering acid burns. The scent of decay grew stronger with every step.
"Careful," he muttered. "This kind of trail doesn't fade fast. Whatever did this might still be nearby."
Dannie didn't answer. Her focus was fixed ahead, on the weak light that pulsed beneath a fallen huge rock. She knelt, brushing away a cluster of burned stones and debris — and froze.
Nestled within a hollow patch of the stone was a small, trembling form — a queen bee nearly the size of her hand. Its wings were cracked, its abdomen scorched with faint green burns. Yet even in its weakened state, it glowed faintly with golden mana.
"The queen…" she whispered. "She's still breathing."
The bees that followed her buzzed softly, forming a ring around the hollow as if recognizing their monarch. Dannie could feel the faint pull between them, threads of mana reconnecting, fragile but alive.
"What… are we going to do now?" Joren asked, crouching beside her.
"It's something… that only I can do, I guess."
She placed her hand near the queen's body, channeling her mana in slow, steady waves. Her low soul heal skill began to glow — the same one she once used to stabilize injured spirits. The connection sparked, forming a faint golden thread between her and the queen.
The spirit within the queen bee grew stronger. The swarm responded — dozens of small bees aligning their rhythm with hers. For a moment, Dannie felt the pulse of their shared instinct — unity, grief, loyalty.
Her mind filled with faint whispers, not of words but of impressions:
Protect… Restore… Survive…
One thing she found strange was that the queen began healing herself — the queen had healing power!
With her soul heal and the queen bee's natural restoration, it wouldn't be long before she fully recovered.
"Almost there," she murmured.
The golden glow deepened as the cracks on the queen's body began to faintly mend. The acid burns dulled, replaced by faint lines of amber light. But just as the link stabilized, the ground trembled — a faint, liquid hiss echoing through the cave.
Joren instantly aimed his crossbow toward the sound. "Something's moving!"
A thin trail of green smoke seeped from behind the rocks. The air grew hotter, carrying the stench of venom and rot. Dannie's head snapped up.
From the darkness slithered a serpent-like creature, its scales slick and dripping with corrosive fluid. Its narrow face split into four curved mandibles, and its breath melted the ground it touched.
"A Venom Drake spawn…" Joren muttered, grimacing. "No wonder the hive burned. Maybe after the owner was gone and the hive weakened, this beast came next to finish the job."
The creature's glowing eyes fixed on them — more specifically, on the queen bee.
"It's after her," Dannie said, realizing it almost instantly. "It attacked the colony because they were already weakened — it wants to feed on her mana!"
The swarm stirred, buzzing louder in distress, circling defensively. Dannie clenched her jaw, standing protectively over the wounded queen.
"Joren," she said, voice low and steady, "keep it away from us."
Joren cocked his crossbow, muttering, "You'd better have a plan."
Dannie extended both hands, her mana flaring brighter. "I do."
The queen bee's glow pulsed in rhythm with hers. The swarm responded, their wings vibrating faster, the golden threads linking them to Dannie and their queen flaring to life.
For the first time since the fall of their hive, the bees moved with purpose — drawn together by Dannie's will.
She whispered under her breath, "Let's show it… that even the smallest swarm can sting."
—
Ding!
Successfully subduing the Queen Bee! System update in progress…
—
Name: Dannie Silve
Alias: Bee Tamer
Race: Human (100%)
Age: 16
Sex: Female
Level: 16
Progress: 98%
Division: Soul / Spirit
Rank: B
Specialty: Beast Domination
Talent: Bee Evolution
Element: N/A
Attributes
Strength: 17
Agility: 19
Intelligence: 20
Constitution: 16
Points: 25
Core Skills
Bond Offering: 2
Empathy: 1
Tamer: 1
Authority: 1
Specialist's Third Eye: 1
Behive: 1
Soul Chaos: 2
Obtained Skills
Weapon Mastery: 10
Observe: 15
Mana Harmonization: 4
Soul Sensitivity: 2
Low Soul Heal: 2
Low Presence Detection: 2
Soul Defense: 2
Low Hymn: 2
—
"Urgh…!" Dannie gasped, clutching her forehead as the third eye—symbolizing her as specialist—as the system's light flared through her body.
The sudden link between her and the Queen Bee deepened — threads of mana spiraling from her soul and twisting into the creature's. Her vision blurred as the resonance hit her core.
The air vibrated. Her mana veins felt like they were on fire.
She wanted to scream, but the sound wouldn't come out.
Information flooded her mind — instincts that weren't her own.
Flight patterns. Hive structure. Command signals. The will of a queen.
Her pulse synchronized with the faint hum surrounding her.
Joren took a step closer, lowering his weapon as the golden glow around her intensified. "Dannie! Hey—what's going on with you?"
She didn't respond.
The Queen Bee's light merged into her golden third eye, the swarm vibrating in sync with her heartbeat.
The system's voice echoed faintly in her ears:
—
[Bond Formed: Low tier Queen Bee – Primary Hive Core]
—
And then, the world tilted.
Her knees buckled. Her vision spun in dizzy spirals of golden light and color.
"Dannie!" Joren shouted, catching her arm before she fell completely.
She could barely hear him. Her consciousness flickered between her mind and something deeper — the soul plane of the hive. She could feel the queen's heartbeat resonating with hers, alive but fragile.
Then, without warning—
"I knew it," Joren said softly, almost amused. His expression darkened under the dim light. "You're also a Specialist. Be grateful that I'm a kind person, Dannie. Not everyone's like me — some would've taken advantage of your weakened state right now."
His words barely reached her.
Everything felt distant — muted.
The Queen Bee's presence flickered within her, faint but stable. The swarm around her buzzed protectively, as if sensing her vulnerability.
And then—
A faint green shimmer erupted from the ground where the Venom Drake's remains had fallen.
"Collect," Joren muttered.
In an instant, the snake beast vanished into thin air — stored, sealed, or taken by something beyond her understanding.
Dannie's vision dimmed.
Her body collapsed to the ground, her consciousness diving deep into darkness as the golden lights intertwined around her.
The last thing she heard before everything faded was the faint hum of bees and the sound of Joren's fading footsteps.
Then — nothing.