Insect Ruler
Wild Raccoons

Ryuu crouched lower, pointed his spear swiftly, and waited for Yuji to make a move. Among them, in a clear place among the trees, their prey had frozen.

...[.Wild Raccoon — Level 2] ...

The animal was larger than any raccoon he was familiar with, and his back was covered in gray thorns which made him appear larger. It hasn't even reached its knees yet. Inevitably he felt that their preparations might be a little excessive, if this was all they had to deal with in the hunt.

Yuji took a step closer, his sickle arm ready to attack. The raccoon reacted, lifting himself higher. Ryuu saw a faint tremor, just before launching his attack.

A small nail shot shot shot towards Yuji.

"Revelation!" Shouted Ryuu.

Quickly at Ryuu's warning, Yuji ducked down, lifting his shield. It was nothing more than a large piece of bark around a rough wooden trunk frame. But the nails hit him and did not penetrate. Obviously, they didn't have much of a blow.

Ryuu sighed and launched the [Magic Missile] skill towards Raccoon. The creature was now facing towards him, and the skill attack successfully hit him. Bam! The raccoon was thrown a little far away from him.

He stepped forward as he jumped to the side, blabbing furiously. He knew that he was dragging one of his hind legs, and his back looked somewhat charred.

Ryuu will send some [Magic Missile] back, but Yuji stepped forward now, so he stopped himself. There's no point in hitting him. Instead, he watched, preparing for another attack, as he continued the attack.

The wild raccoon was fast and agile, clearly faster than him. But Yuji is much bigger and has a wider range. His first sweep missed, but his second limb managed to cut off the little monster. He was pushed to the side again. Ryuu used that opportunity to release another [Magic Missile]. He hit and turned the squirrel. Then Yuji stepped forward and lowered his sword.

Ryuu grinned as the monster stopped moving and Yuji stepped back to wipe his sword on the grass.

The scent of blood was oozing in the air, but he was much more excited by the experience they expected to gain than his food.

“Mother, Some more hits and we might level up again!” yuji said that sounded cheerful.

"Maybe." Ryuu shrugged and walked over to look at the Raccoon more closely. He rarely saw the other monsters he killed, and he was a little curious about the monsters here and the difference with animal monsters.

“But it will probably take more than just our first level rise. You usually need more experience for each level in a row. Plus, our level now is also higher, so I guess, opponents at Level 2 might provide less experience.”

Yuji shrugged his shoulders. He can't blame her for that. None of them really knew how the System worked. And it wasn't difficult to find monsters to fight in this forest, so leveling up shouldn't be difficult. Assuming they win every fight, that's all.

He waits while Yuji begins processing Raccoon's carcass here, mostly letting his blood flow and removing his intestines. His skin gets a few scratches and tears in the process, a reminder that he is still a Soldier and not an experienced hunter and gatherer.

He'll offer help, but he probably won't like it. Okay, maybe he just used that as an excuse because he didn't want to do it, but that doesn't mean he didn't push himself.

Then a new scent reached his nose and Ryuu instantly gave a goosebump. If he had hair on his arm like he used to, he would be standing straight now. There's danger here, more than what they've faced before. And it's close.

"Yuuji!" hisses.

Yuji had already paused for a moment in his work. He let the raccoon fall to the ground, forgot, and came to his side, his weapon bristling.

Ryuu kept his eyes fixed on the direction the threat was coming from, even as he started to retreat. Yuji did the same. He could feel the tension rising within him.

None of them were fast enough to avoid what was about to happen.

It plunged from the sky in a dark blur, accompanied by a creak like metal bars on metal. It took a while for Ryuu to see more than fuzzy feathers and claws, but as his speed slowed as he approached the ground, he could clearly see the giant bird of prey.

[Elang Talon — Level?]

Its head and neck had feathers, but in truth, the monster resembled an eagle. Which is too big. Its fur is dark, with only a few bright spots, and its beak appears very sharp.

Ryuu ducked based on his instincts, sensing which waves were coming in. He rolled to the side and got back up, blinking to clear his sight. The young tree beside him was now twisted, tilted to the side, and stuck on another branch of the tree.

“Oi! you ugly bird!” yell Yuju. He stomped and tapped on his shield, clearly trying to attract the monster's attention.

The bird squealed again, though it sounded more bearable. His beaded-like eyes were fixed on the Vanguard Warrior, Yuji, and the eagle flapped its feathers as it leaped towards him.

Ryuu cursed and stepped further to the side. She had doubts about the wisdom of Yuji's plan, but she had no better idea. Such large monsters were supposed to hide among the trees, even though the forest here was quite bright and they were in a place that could be called an open ground. But he doesn't seem to care.

As he shot towards Yuji, Ryuu unleashed the [Magic Missile] skill, hitting him right in the middle of the neck. The monster shuddered while Yuji dodged to the side, seeking refuge behind the tree. But it seemed like it was nothing more than an inconvenience. And now he's back facing her.

This was clearly a monster of a higher level. Ryuu inched towards the carcass of the squirrel they killed and kicked it towards the bird, hoping that the Raccoon came here only for that and would leave them alone after getting food.

The eagle looked at the raccoon, then looked back at it. It takes one step forward, ignoring the prey on offer. Obviously, he wanted more snacks.

"Damn it!" ryuu darted to the side, trying to find shelter behind another tree.

He quickly checked out where it belonged. Only a little more than half left. With the reduced regeneration of mana, he would not even regain a single point before it was no longer meaningful. There was no point in trying to save his MP for later, but it only gave him a few more casting.

He heard the monster circling to get to him and ducked low, rushing towards another tree. Something hit something he had just hidden, and he could feel its vibration from here.

Ryuu straightened his body and looked at his opponent. He tilted his head slightly, then he could see her tense up before starting to move again.

Now he understood why it was given that name. The monster moved with a strange pattern and meandered through the forest, avoiding the trees as if the tree was not there as it moved around in circles. A gust of wind gathered around his wings, allowing his movements, and he could sense the hint of mana within.

Too soon, it hit him again. Ryuu stuck his spear into the ground and ducked to the side as best as he could. He felt one of his clawed legs run past his head. His spear hit his chest, but it nearly slowed him down, and then it broke.

While cursing, he rolled to the side. Yuji throws a stone at his beak, distracting him and allowing him to escape. Ryuu crouched behind another shrub, although the shrub did not provide much protection, the remains of his weapon were discarded.

Now he only has a few stones and claws. And Yuji, of course. He needed to make his attack meaningful.

At least the bird doesn't seem very smart. He allowed himself to move away from Ryuu, turning towards the Warrior again.

He hesitated, unsure of what he could do. Before he could take action, Yuji had already rushed over. He grimaced as he watched the object slide towards him, accompanied by a swirling air stream. It struck Yuju's shield, almost tearing it from his hand, but the attack was like hitting a stone wall. He didn't even need to take a step back.

Of course he realized it. He was the only Insect Warrior here, his [Wrath] Skill had to be active. So pushing is considered to hinder his movement? He shook himself from a daze and ran over, trying to align the shots with the other [Magic Missile].

With his shield out of position, Yuji could not fend off the next attack from the bird. His beak pecked at him, and Ryuu heard a crackling sound as the shell on his left shoulder broke. His sickle limbs drooped to the floor.

Ryuu launched another [Magic Missile] towards the bird. This time, he hit the back of his leg, right where he met his body. The bird jumped up and down as if it had been pierced by a lightning rod, and again screeched. The smell of burning feathers told him that he might be hit by a weak spot.

Ryuu continued forward, trying to swallow his nervousness. Whether or not, Yuji will not be able to last long alone. “Hey, stupid bird!” he's summoned.

The monster turned to face him again, crouching down slightly as it prepared to jump.

He released another [Magic Missile], right before he dove to the side again.

He could not see it, but he heard the monster hit a bush and landed near its position. Ryuu turned around, raising his clawed hands, even as Yuji staggered towards him.

He managed to land a crushing blow. As the bird thrashed, he saw one of its eyes was a burning ruin.

Then Yuji was there. He approached from the blind side. While Ryuu straightened his body and hissed towards the monster with a threatening tone, attracting his attention, he pounced.

The monster tried to turn its head at the last moment, but it was too late. Yuji adjusted and pointed his sword through the other eye. He moved a little, then the last [Magic Missile] Ryuu slammed into his neck, making his head flinch again.

For a few seconds, the two of them waited, starting as the monster fell to the ground, twitching. Then Ryuu let his shoulders relax and stepped closer while sighing heavily. He kicked it, but did not respond. Critical blow, I guess.

[WANG DONG!]

[CONGRATULATIONS! You have leveled up!]

“You're really great.” He turned to Yuji, smiling widely.

He lowered his head. He had a feeling that he would blush if he could.

"Thank you, mother."

Ryuu's smile faded into a frown as he observed his injuries. His bleeding seemed to have slowed down, but just from the way the man stood up, he knew the bleeding was severe. “Are you okay?”

Yuji slightly stood up straight and grimaced. “Ano.... Not too bad, don't worry about me, mom.” she rate. “it looks like I won't be able to use my left hand for a while, but I'm not in danger of running out of blood.”

“Let's just wrap, just to make sure.”

Ryuu collected some springy-looking leaves and some vines, then tried his hardest to bandage Yuji's wounds. It was obviously painful, but he kept it in and let it work.

“I went up one level,” he said, trying to twist his shoulders and grimace again.

Ryuu glanced at the dead monster. “Well, I guess because you're hurting right now, it's my turn to do the rough work.”

"But.mom!"

"There's no buts. Do you want to lose a lot of blood? Your wound is healed. If you lose a lot of blood you'll die. I don't want to lose you. So please understand."

"...... B-well.mom...."

Then Ryuu dug a small hole and dried his blood with a few cuts. Then he tried to raise the monster's corpse to be taken to their camp. He staggered over the burden, but kept his feet. This is not a pleasant climb.

Returning to their camp took twice as long as it should have. Yuji walked carefully and slowly, but the real obstacle was the weight of the thing. Ryuu put it down once to rest for a while before starting to carry it again. Maybe he should start exercising. After she took a shower.

He dropped it on the forest floor after they reached the campground, deciding that it would be kept for a while. Then he turned his shoulders and returned to the campfire. There might be something else they can do to deal with Yuji's injury.

As he reached the flames and resisted the temptation to collapse beside him, he heard the sound of cracks. Ryuu froze, but after a while, the incident came again.

He looked at the egg in his small hole. It's starting to crack.

He grins. Then, impulsively, he checked his status panel.

[STATUS]

Host Name: [Null] -

Species: Queen Bee

Level of Evolution: 1

Mana: 4/130

Hive: 2/10

[HOST statistics are currently unavailable. We apologize for the inconvenience.]

The nest limit has increased. Not just one, but two, of 2 will increase. He did not know if the growth was linear, whether the growth was quadratic or exponential.

The nibble that finally came out of the egg brought his attention back to the present. Yuji approached the egg and took a little egg shell from it.

"Welcome." the voice sounded cheerful.

Ryuu examined the newly hatched Warrior. He looks a lot like Yuji. Not exactly the same, there were some minor differences and he could easily tell the difference, but could have been considered a twin.

“Leo,” Ryuu decided his name. “I will call you Leo. Welcome to the world. My son."

He looked at her with wide-eyed expression. "Thank you, my mother."

[Name “Leo” given to Warrior Vanguard Warrior Lvl. 1!]

Ryuu smiled. Nest growing.

"It's time for me to get some Workers' Troops."