A Beekeeper in a Magical World

"Ten Ninjas" was a special operations unit composed of ten ninjas directly under the president of the Abyss Research Association. It was considered his private organization, independent of any association ties.

This organization was shrouded in mystery, merely a topic of gossip in the streets, rumored to execute secretive tasks on behalf of the association.

Previously, Carter had only heard vague whispers about it.

As for the profession of a ninja, he was somewhat knowledgeable.

Originating from the Eastern Continent, this profession had only made its way here a few decades ago, renowned for its enigmatic and unpredictable combat style.

The members of Ten Ninjas were undoubtedly among the elite of their kind.

"Is that wandering bard still alive?" Carter asked calmly, unperturbed by the situation unfolding before him.

He had many questions lingering in his mind before this encounter.

However, with the appearance of this ninja before him, many of his speculations found confirmation.

He had almost pieced together the sequence of events.

"Aren't you curious about anything regarding me?" Carter placed his right hand behind his back, the ring on his index finger faintly glowing. "For example, whether I came alone or if there are others aware of your secrets, besides me."

"No need for that."

The ninja gripped the shuriken horizontally, his gaze instantly turning icy.

Swoosh—

The ninja's eyes widened suddenly.

A burst of qi blade pierced through his chest from behind.

"Got him?"

Carter observed the scene before him, finding it almost unbelievable how easily he had defeated his opponent.

The continuous flow of water sounds masked the noise of elemental generation.

He had the advantage of terrain.

The ninja's arms fell weakly by his sides, the shuriken in his hand dropping to the ground without the expected metallic clash, instead, a swishing sound, turning into a puddle of water.

The ninja's body also shook violently for a few moments, gradually fading, turning transparent, then with a 'swoosh,' it transformed into a puddle of water, flowing into the nearby continuous stream of sewage.

Water clone!

Carter attempted to raise his right hand to cast a spell but suddenly realized, at some point, his entire body had been entangled by incredibly fine threads, rendering him immobile!

The spell he prepared couldn't be invoked.

His magical power seemed to be draining continuously.

"!"

A sudden sharp pain shot through his wrist.

The tendons in his hand were effortlessly severed by the threads.

His hands fell weakly, and the glow of the ring faded.

"See, it's not just you who knows how to use a clone."

The ninja's head peeked from behind him, speaking with a hint of amusement and mockery in his tone.

"Regarding dealing with you mages, I'm an expert... Well, you're done for. Why don't we play something interesting? Guess how many pieces you'll become in a while."

The ninja's ten fingers were each wrapped in a faint blue glow, with fine threads encircling them.

These threads entangled, branched, and encircled Carter's body, targeting vital spots like his neck.

"I guess thirteen pieces."

The ninja spoke and abruptly pulled his hands back.

Clang—

The threads instantly tightened, emitting a sharp, vibrating sound.

Carter resisted the leakage of magical power, concentrating to create a layer of elemental armor on his body.

Crack, crack, crack—

All the threads snapped.

Carter collapsed, only able to twitch despite his best efforts.

Despite the hastily formed elemental armor protecting his body from being divided into several pieces, it couldn't entirely resist the cutting of the threads.

Every tendon in his body was severed.

A fatal wound on his neck continued to spurt blood.

The ninja clicked his tongue, walking over to him, stepping on his body and pressing several times.

"Struggling at death's door will only give you a few more minutes. Why not let me have some fun? Do you expect some miracle in these minutes? Who would come to save you in a place like this?"

At this moment, Carter couldn't hear what was being said.

He focused all his energy on maintaining his vital signs.

But in the darkness, a hoarse, deep voice suddenly came: "Perhaps he's waiting for me."

The ninja's pupils trembled, looking sharply in that direction.

In the foul-smelling wind, mixed with a hint of blood, a ragged figure stood not far away, resembling a wild beast.

Although it was an eerie and wild appearance, the figure oddly held a delicate glass bottle in their hand, containing some red liquid.

"Squeak," twisting the cap tightly, stowing it into their spatial equipment.

Probably not human.

The blood-red pupils and the exposed sharp teeth were obviously not human features.

Moreover, an aura of bloodlust emanated from them.

A vampire?

In the sewers of Mordu, there were such creatures?!

The creature shook its neck, suddenly stomping with its right foot—

Boom!

Leaving behind a pit formed by shattered bricks, the entire figure flew towards them like a projectile.

Fangs like swords, claws like hooks.

The ninja widened his eyes, reflecting the rapidly approaching fierce face in his pupils.

...

Hua Mi walked to where the two were, condensing the remaining holy light within into a palm strike, cutting the threads entangled around them.

"Saved!"

The duo lay on the ground, trembling all over.

Apart from fear, there was also the joy of surviving a disaster.

After a brief moment, they managed to get up and express their gratitude.

"Your performance just now was amazing."

"You killed the stone skin spider in one move!"

"Is that the legendary divine technique that controls light as a weapon? Are you the chosen one from the legends?"

...

Facing the almost reverent gazes of the two, Hua Mi replied casually, "Just a little trick. Speaking of which, how did you end up attracting that stone skin spider?"

"It's just our bad luck."

"Interestingly, stone skin spiders don't usually appear here; they usually stay in the inner mountainous areas."

"Not entirely, these brainless creatures often wander and get lost."

"Maybe today isn't a good day for an adventure. How about we come back another day?"

"Agreed."

The two quickly reached an agreement and prepared to leave.

"Unfortunately, we're both penniless and can't repay you for your kindness." One of them scratched his head awkwardly. "But the stone skin spider's body is all treasure, and it's all yours."

"You need to save face," his companion retorted mercilessly, "It was originally done by someone else, so it should all belong to him. What are you saying? No sincerity at all."

After scolding his companion, he respectfully said to Hua Mi, "If there's anything you need us to do, please command. Even if it means going through fire and water, sacrificing our lives... my friend wouldn't hesitate either."

...

Hua Mi casually asked, "Do you happen to know the whereabouts of the Otherworldly Tree?"

Initially not having high hopes, Hua Mi was surprised when the person nodded repeatedly, "I happen to know the location of an Otherworldly Tree, although it was discovered a long time ago, it's likely still alive... Do you have a map? I can mark it for you."

H

ua Mi immediately took out the adventure manual, flipping to the page with the map.

"It's here. I remember there was a pile of rocks near that tree, seemed like the ruins of a collapsed structure, but unfortunately, I was busy running for my life and didn't get a good look."

The person drew a circle in the inner mountainous area on the map and continued, "The inner mountainous region is more dangerous than outside, and we, being rookies, wouldn't be of much help there. But I believe in your strength; you won't need assistance."

Looking at the marked spot on the map, Hua Mi decided that a trip to the inner mountainous area was now necessary.

It wasn't too far in a straight line, so leaving early tomorrow seemed ideal.

With a firm decision, Hua Mi put away the map.

After profuse thanks, the two hurriedly left the scene.

Next was scavenging time.

The entangled silk threads formed by the two masses of silk couldn't go to waste, they were bundled into a sticky ball and stored in the ring.

Next, Hua Mi walked towards the stone skin spider lying under the rock wall.