Reincarnated To Evolve My Bee Empire - Chapter 37

Chapter 37: Provoke the bee and suffer her sting!
I stared into the monster’s eye and as it shifted, letting in more light, could see more of its features.

It was badger-colored, but bug-shaped. Its limbs looked those of an insect, but covered in thick fur instead of chitin. Animal eyes looked from a small, bug-like snout with a small, bug-like mouth.

Another of this world’s versions of what I already knew.

〔Badger〕

〔Health〕: 115 / 115

〔Stamina〕: 81 / 81

〔Species〕: Honey Badger

〔Age〕: 1942 d

〔Remaining lifespan〕: 6818 d

〔Attributes〕

> Strength: 54

> Agility: 47

> Endurance: 72

> Defense: 65

> Intelligence: 21

> Perception: 60

〔Special abilities〕

Powerful Stench I, Sharp Teeth III, Digging Claws VI, Thick Fur II, Thick Skin VI, Berserker, Venom Resistance I

〔〕〔〕〔〕

I was stupefied with shock.

Stats didn’t scale with size directly, I could tell by now.

But what did the numbers matter when the thing could just flatten me with a smack of its leg? It already flattened a few unfortunate bees, and none of them could deal it a single point of damage!

Around me, bees shouted in alarm and anger. A few tried to charge the badger with hammers and stingers, but it paid no attention to their efforts.

Most bees, to my relief, followed Ambrosia’s orders and flew deeper inside the hive, clutching to the honeycombs.

Many frightened eyes turned to Ambrosia and me for directions. My own fear grew stronger.

Next to me, Ambrosia raised her arms.

“Don’t panic! We will make it through, together, as always! The colony will survive! Stay away from the hunter—we need a plan!”

She looked at me, meeting my eyes, then reached out and patted my cheek.

“Nectus. Calm down. The hive needs you now—and a plan. More than ever.”

Ambrosia’s touch snapped me to reality.

What I couldn’t do for myself, I could do for a beautiful, big-chested woman!

‘System, equip my Homeland Protector title!’

<Done, user.>

I immediately felt a rush of strength.

〔Drone Bee〕

〔Name〕: Nectus Stingprince

〔Active title〕: Homeland Protector

〔Health〕: 21 / 21

〔Stamina〕: 22 / 29

〔Attribute points〕: 3

〔Species〕: Common Honey Bee

〔Age〕: 103 d

〔Remaining lifespan〕: 88 d

〔Attributes〕

> Strength: 14

> Agility: 41

> Endurance: 24

> Defense: 11

> Intelligence: 100

> Perception: 43

〔Special abilities〕

Flight, Horizontal Gene Transfer

〔Titles〕

Drone-Consort, Homeland Protector

〔Genes〕

Enhanced Intelligence X, Technology: Primitive Containers, Increased Lifespan II, Fast Learner I, Enhanced Endurance II, Enhanced Strength I, Danger-Averse Reflexes, Venom Resistance I, Heat Resistance I

〔〕〔〕〔〕

With my base 22 stamina and 11 strength, the buff was small—but it spread to all the bees in sight! They looked like they got a second breath.

The badger moved, breaking a bit more of our hive cave entrance and reaching deeper. The bees pressed closer to the honeycomb to escape its claws, which were only several meters away from the first cells.

All the facts I could recall about badgers and bees flew through my mind.

Badgers ate honey, but they were really attacking beehives for the larvae—my baby daughters!

A badger’s hide was so thick, bee stingers couldn’t penetrate it.

But their eyes and noses were still vulnerable!

“Yes, Ambrosia! I have a plan.” I clenched my fists. “Everybody, we will fight that fucker off! I need… Today, I need your sacrifice! The hive needs your sacrifice!”

There was no other way. Hammers of our Foremen Bees won’t deal the badger enough damage to make it flee. Only stings could have this effect.

It was the death of a few, or the death of us all.

“Surround the beast, then sting its nose! Make it flee in pain!” I shouted, pointing at it. “Only the nose—it will close its eyes if you get close to them!”

The nose was a car-sized button on the end of the monstrous badger’s short snout.

“Yes! For Father, for the Queen, for the hive!” a bee near me shouted, flying toward the pointed target.

“We will be heroes!” a Warrior Bee declared. She raised her stinger, but was still holding the hammer.

All the bees near me flew forward. There were too many to count, and too many to attack the badger all at once—the entire hive was fighting.

The badger recoiled from the hive, but the bees kept charging. I took flight with them, and there were so many bees around that I had to follow the flow or get knocked down.

Outside, the bees spread out more, and the badger was waving its legs to shoo them away. From here, I could see that despite the oval bug-like form, it only had four limbs, with three of which it was holding onto our pillar mountain.

For its size relative to us, it was agile—but knocking off all the bees was like trying to fight clouds. Their agility and gene-enhanced reflexes helped them deftly dodge.

Soon, I heard the creature screech in pain! A heroic bee sacrificed herself for that blow.

〔Badger〕

〔Health〕: 110 / 115

〔Stamina〕: 69 / 81

The badger slapped its nose, crushing the unknown hero, and yelped louder. This weakened the monster’s hold on the pillar mountain.

With another yelp, the badger began falling. Bees scattered away from it; a second later, it landed with a thud in the forest beneath, losing 10 more health.

The creature was so huge that the treetops weren’t hiding it as it scrambled to its feet and ran off.

A few bees tried to follow it, but I stopped them.

“Enough!”

There was a pause. I looked around us.

“We won, girls. Unless lightning strikes me this instant…”

The sky was clear today. Not even a comet.

I let out a cautious breath.

“Then this time we *really* won! The badger won’t dare to return even after its sting heals.”

A swarm of bees surrounded me immediately with wide smiles.

“Father helped us defeat the hunters twice!” a bee shouted.

There were more shouts.

“Father helped us protect the hive!”

“Father made us heroes!”

“Everybody is a hero now!”

“And we can get back to work!”

“Back to work, back to work!”

I laughed in disbelief.

“Work? After *today*? Forget *work*, I’m inventing nation-wide celebrations, singing and entertainment dancing *this instant*! Everybody, follow me!”