A Beekeeper in a Magical World

According to the records in the adventurer's guide, the fangs, eyeballs, claws, and venom of the Stone Skin Spider are all excellent alchemical materials. Describing its entire body as treasure might not be an exaggeration. However, even though it's deceased, its limbs remain stiff for a while, making it difficult to divide with ordinary tools.

Hua Mi, having taken another Feather-Gliding Illusion Pill, focused his energy to create an extremely sharp hand blade, dissecting the Stone Skin Spider and retrieving useful parts, storing them away.

This little episode tonight brought him considerable gains.

"I wonder how many gold coins I can get for these; can it cover the price difference for the spatial ring... It's just a Level 3 magical beast, probably still a bit short."

Unfortunately, to save space, he left all the materials he'd collected at home, or selling them together in Mordu would have been sufficient.

Of course, among these Level 3 magical beast materials, the most precious was the information—the location of the Beyond Tree.

After scavenging the battlefield, Hua Mi returned to the tent against the stone wall, continuing his meditation.

No unexpected incidents occurred afterward.

Occasionally, monsters came to the lakeside for water, mostly below Level 3, more of the low-level type not even mentioned in the adventure manual.

Hua Mi paid no attention, focusing on recuperation.

---

Watching the blood-sucking creature lunge forward, the ninja's body slightly leaned back. Simultaneously, his hands swiftly interlaced in mid-air, weaving a dense layer of threads into a tight net in front of him.

However, Clark showed no signs of slowing down, merely crossing his arms in front of him and charging straight ahead.

Crash!

The net instantly shattered. Despite the sharpness of the threads, they only tattered his clothes a bit, leaving no wounds.

Clark extended his iron hook-like claws, gripping the ninja's neck, continuing his forward momentum.

Bang!

The ninja crashed heavily against another stone wall, creating a sizable dent, debris cascading down.

Gripped tightly by the neck, the ninja's eyes rolled back, blood mixed with saliva trickling down, body convulsing.

But the next moment, a strange smirk formed on his lips.

"Monsters are just monsters, devoid of any intellect. So boring."

A faint voice echoed behind Clark, and the 'ninja' pressed against the wall inexplicably disappeared.

By the time Clark attempted to react, it was already too late.

He felt a hand lightly press against his back, black runes spreading all over his body, as if encased in an indestructible armor, rendering him immobile.

"The vessel of the blood-sucking curse. The higher-ups might appreciate it, but you're too impetuous. Capturing you is too troublesome. So, die for me!"

Swish!

A bone-like short blade swung horizontally toward his neck, lodging halfway through. However, it failed to decapitate, stuck in the middle.

This fellow's flesh was too resilient, even his 'false limb blade' couldn't sever it.

Moreover, the blood at the wound turned into countless strands, resembling living worms, writhing intensely, merging.

Remarkable healing ability.

Witnessing this, the ninja infused energy into the blade, generating numerous bone spurs, separating the wound.

Dark, dense blood spurted from Clark's wound.

"You're not the actual vampire; just a derivative..."

After this confrontation, the ninja had formed a preliminary judgment on this bloodsucking creature.

The fresh blood spurting from the derivative's neck did not fall to the ground. Instead, it transformed into a dark red mist in the air.

"What?!"

Realizing the danger, the ninja tried to retreat, but it was too close.

The mist surged towards him, piercing his body.

"Ugh!"

The ninja instantly felt most of his vitality drained away.

The mist struck again from behind, passing through his body.

Finally, he fell to the ground, weakened.

Biting his finger, he slammed it on the ground.

But before the spell could complete, the vampire derivative kicked him hard in the back.

The ninja's chest caved in, crossing the stream, crashing into another stone wall, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Huff... huff..."

Struggling to breathe, his vision tinted red. Watching the vampire derivative casually withdraw the prosthetic blade from his neck, the mist returned to the vicinity of his wound, swiftly absorbed, visibly healing.

"Didn't expect such power from a mere derivative... the abyssal power is indeed formidable, cough... However, I've noted your tricks. Next time we meet, you'd better bring something new."

Clark held the prosthetic blade, bloodlines emerging on his hand, eagerly winding around the blade, forming layers resembling living flesh, faintly pulsating like muscle fibers.

The blade elongated, from a short blade to a slender katana.

"No next time. This is where you'll meet your end."

"This blade's not bad; I'll take it."

As he spoke, the blade released a blood aura, slicing toward the ninja.

Boom!

With a muffled sound, the severely injured ninja suddenly enveloped in white smoke.

The blood aura entered the white smoke without the sound of flesh being cut, only the noise of crumbling stone.

The smoke dissipated, and the ninja was nowhere to be found.

Activating his observer ability, Clark surveyed the surroundings, realizing the enemy had disengaged.

But it wasn't the time to pursue; saving someone was urgent.

Putting away his bone blade, he leaped, landing next to the dying Carter.

The neck wound was critical; staunching the blood was crucial, or he'd bleed out soon.

"You're lucky; I've got a fast-acting hemostatic on me... but applying it might sting a bit, bear with it."

Clark produced a small bottle filled with black liquid.

Opening it, about to pour it on Carter's neck, he hesitated.

That crimson blood seemed like an oasis in his eyes, exuding a potent allure.

He abruptly covered his nose and mouth, body trembling violently.

Damn it.

He had reluctantly absorbed some of the ninja's vital essence earlier, ultimately breaking the taboo.

Having tasted blood, human blood now had a stronger allure to him.

Retrieving a half bottle of blood honey from his storage space, he gulped down a few mouthfuls, slightly relieving his symptoms.

Without further hesitation, he poured the black liquid onto Carter's wound.

Hiss!

The black liquid met the wound, emitting a corrosive sizzle, accompanied by smoke and a burnt smell.

"Hmph!"

Carter, on the brink of death, widened his eyes, letting out a groan, body twitching.

"Well, you're instantly more spirited. A medical miracle. This stuff is amazing, truly effective... if only it didn't have side effects like honey."

The wound visibly healed at an observable speed, leaving a grim black scar on his neck, akin to a burn.

Clark stowed away the black elixir, propping Carter up, then hoisting him on his back.

"We need to leave immediately. I can handle one ninja, but another, and we're done for."

"You..."

"What's wrong?"

Clark halted upon hearing Carter's weak tone, inquiring.

"You drank... human blood just now?"

Lying on the back of a vampire derivative, Carter felt nearly zero safety.

Though he was groggy just now, he still saw Clark's craving for blood.

No one could guarantee that this seemingly rational vampire derivative wouldn't suddenly go berserk, seeing him as a portable blood pack.

Aware of his own physical state, he couldn't afford to lose more blood.

Understanding his concerns, Clark reassured, "Don't worry. Although I've become a vampire derivative, I've retained human consciousness. I didn't drink human blood just now; it was a blood honey specifically concocted for me by that man. It's even more effective than human blood. I defeated that ninja because of the blood honey."

"..."

Hearing the word honey, Carter knew who Clark referred to by 'that man.'

A figure clad in a black robe flashed in his mind.

Could it be that he was the one who sent Clark?

Was he this influential?

Though he didn't have the energy to ponder the intricacies now, he instantly felt more at ease.

The vampire derivative seemed reliable now.

With that, he said nothing more, letting the derivative carry him through the underground passage.

---

The first rays of morning sunlight bathed the earth.

Hua Mi exited his meditative state, had breakfast, consumed pills, replenishing his mental and physical strength to their peak before packing up his camping gear. Guiding the swarm of bees, he flew towards the marked points on the map.

Upon reaching the interior mountain area, the mist thickened significantly. The forest seemed to grow in the clouds, its conditions indiscernible from above.

At times, he spotted a few figures maneuvering within it.

Some moved calmly, while others seemed distressed.

Upon entering the mapped area, Hua Mi began a slow descent.

The vegetation here was visibly richer than the outskirts. Although the trees weren't as tall as those in the Black Forest, the leaves were generally broader. Some leaves were ridiculously large, able to shield an adult.

Regarding the terrain, it was relatively gentle compared to the Black Forest.

The map only outlined a rough area; he needed to search carefully in this vicinity.

Hua Mi released a scouting bee, linking into its senses.

Instantly, he discerned three different scent sources.

From three different directions.