A Beekeeper in a Magical World

The heavy bear paw of the black bear slammed down towards the figure in the black robe.

In the darkness, a muffled sound echoed.

However, the heavy blow passed through the figure, creating a large pit in the ground.

The sudden attack caught the black bear off guard, its crimson eyes shrinking as it glimpsed a flash of light. Before it could react, pale flames surged towards it, covering the ground.

"Phantom Sphere, quite handy."

Just then, Hua Mi had infused mental power into the Phantom Sphere, activating a distorted magical field that enveloped him and Xiao Bai.

So, what the black bear saw was an illusion, deviating from their actual position. Missing its target, it exposed its vulnerability.

Hua Mi controlled the raging fire bees, dispersing them in an array, burning as they pressed forward.

Simultaneously, Xiao Bai used the Staff of the Guardian to unleash azure flames.

At such proximity and with a sudden assault, the black bear couldn't react in time.

Instantly surrounded by azure flames.

Due to its massive size, it wasn't entirely engulfed.

Yet, some parts of its fur were already ablaze.

The black bear stood tall, raising its arms but not lunging forward.

Instead, it roared deafeningly.

"Roar!"

Accompanying the roar, high-pressure water vapor gushed from its body, extinguishing the flames.

The raging fire bees were also scattered.

Hua Mi promptly adjusted his mental power, manipulating the swarm to regroup from all directions.

"Magic?"

This black bear could actually use magic and understand the restraining relationships between them.

It wasn't an ordinary beast; it possessed considerable intelligence.

Next, the black bear directly ignored the illusion formed by the distorted magical field, accurately fixing its crimson eyes on their actual location.

This further confirmed the fact that the opponent was an intelligent being.

"Dodge!"

Seeing the black bear charging straight at them, Hua Mi instructed Xiao Bai to evade but held his ground, his gaze fixed on its movements.

The black bear's thunderous palm swirled towards him.

Hua Mi's gaze narrowed, raising his arms—not to directly block the attack but to converge around the massive bear paw.

Without making contact, the bear paw seemed to lose its momentum in an instant, effortlessly intercepted.

But that wasn't all.

Hua Mi swiftly spun his body. Using his right foot as support, his left foot drew an arc on the ground while pushing both hands in another direction.

The black bear brushed past him, sliding several meters before halting.

Enraged, the bear turned around, stubbornly charging at him again.

Hua Mi replicated the same move, neutralizing its assault with the Yin-Yang Field, maneuvering it like dribbling a ball.

After a series of exchanges, the black bear grew weary.

No longer recklessly charging forward, it pounded its front paws on the ground.

Hua Mi felt the ground tremble beneath him, cracks converging towards him from all directions.

He leaped atop the swarm of bees, ascending into the air.

Almost in that instant, a rocky spike shot up from the ground where he stood.

"Close call..."

Hua Mi broke into a cold sweat, dodging another gust of wind.

"Take this!"

Twirling his arms, the wind gust spun and struck the bear solidly.

The bear, tough as it was, barely flinched from the direct hit, losing only some fur.

"This is going to be a tough fight..."

Hua Mi braced himself, skillfully managing his mental power, manipulating the swarm while Xiao Bai occasionally caused disturbances with her limited abilities.

Her capacity only allowed for disruptive azure fire attacks, which was commendable in itself.

The Staff of the Guardian significantly boosted her endurance.

As for Hua Mi, he consumed several Enigmatic Nectar Pills, constantly replenishing his mental power.

Moreover, he continuously diverted a portion of his mental power to control the bloodsucking bees.

Distracted by Hua Mi and Xiao Bai, the black bear found it challenging to notice a swarm of small insects quietly siphoning energy from its body.

Even if it did, it wouldn't matter.

Hua Mi could have the bloodsuckers temporarily retreat and return to siphon whenever necessary.

This was the nauseating aspect of swarm warfare.

The bear, having lost its rationality, struggled most against this unpredictable, elusive, and highly adaptable strategy.

Under the relentless assault of the swarm, the robust bear gradually found itself at a disadvantage.

Moreover, it seemed that, with its dwindling stamina, it hesitated occasionally.

As if there were two wills within it—one ruthless and bloodthirsty, the other desperately suppressed.

Regardless, this favored Hua Mi.

Ultimately, succumbing to Hua Mi's onslaught, the bear howled weakly, collapsing heavily to the ground, panting heavily, unable to continue the fight.

"Phew... quite tenacious."

Hua Mi breathed a sigh of relief, contemplating how to deal with it.

Suddenly, he noticed a transformation in the bear's body.

Just as Hua Mi began to relax, his tension spiked again, uncertain of the bear's next move.

Could this thing have a second form?

Subsequently, Hua Mi watched as it slowly shrank amidst agonized moans, shedding its black fur.

In about a minute, it transformed into a humanoid—

To be precise, a fruit man.

Fortunately, he was lying on the ground...

It was evident that this person had a very robust physique, standing at a towering two meters with explosive muscularity. Although the fur had vanished, leaving a hairy body, his voluminous dark-gray long hair nearly covered half his back.

"Kids shouldn't look at this."

Hua Mi stopped curious Xiao Bai from approaching and stuffed her into his pocket.

Was this a beastification patient?

Just like Col.

Tonight was the night of the full moon, and he seemed to have lost control.

Almost incapacitated by the fight, he reverted to his original form.

Hua Mi, holding the Staff of the Guardian, cautiously approached and tapped his head.

The bear-man first moved his fingers, then exerted all his strength to roll onto his back, lying sprawled.

"!!"

Jarring!

Hua Mi averted his gaze from a certain part of the man's body, thinking, compared to his physique, he was just average.

"Let's talk nicely, no need for sudden moves."

Hua Mi assessed his face—elongated with high brow bones, giving him sunken eye sockets, not particularly ferocious.

After the recent battle, he appeared drained, depleted by the bloodsucking bees, looking fatigued, eyes wide open as they met Hua Mi's.

"Have you regained your senses?"

"..."

He seemed to say something, but Hua Mi didn't catch it.

"What did you say?"

"Kill... me."

"Kill you?"

"Kill... me..."

This time, Hua Mi clearly heard what he said.

"He says I should kill him."

He didn't want to live.

His expression of misery wasn't just due to exhaustion.

He felt life was meaningless.