104. Scarabisk Bug
Everything accumulates from small things.
Of course, a few small minnows won’t change much.
However, it is the foundational work that shapes the ecosystem environment.
Like how each insignificant day adds up to a month and a year.
Or how a person’s age creeps up to thirty and forty, this is no different.
Each small thing is undoubtedly small but forms a crucial foundation that interacts with the surrounding environment.
The accumulation of small things builds the world.
“Indeed, merely creating a riverbed and letting it flow doesn’t make it a river.”
Just digging a long canal wouldn’t turn it into a river.
It was a natural occurrence.
There were necessary elements.
Everything colliding around contributes to creating the river.
From decaying leaves, small pebbles, and rocks to tiny organisms and aquatic plants nestled along the riverbed.
They all work to purify the river water and make the river robust.
In that sense, leaf soil was a more critical element than expected.
It was a precious element to determine the energy accumulation of the river and the survival factors of the riverside creatures.
Buying that also meant a significant point expenditure.
“I really can’t save points no matter how hard I try.”
With consecutive summonings of minnows and leaf soil, Han’s remaining points were exactly 0.
Now was the time to wait patiently.
It was truly a relief that the potato farming had come to an end.
If he still had to rely on points for Muamu’s food intake, he wouldn’t have been able to handle the bleeding.
Han looked in the direction of the stream.
“Ahahahaha!”
Elves were playing drums energetically, jumping around.
Zion and Paphona were splashing water at each other playfully.
Moamua was floating on the water like a corpse, drifting along.
Not only children but also adults were the same.
They dipped their white feet into the surface of the stream and played drums.
Even faced with the existence of a river for the first time, they seemed unfazed.
Yumina was seen among them.
Yumina cautiously dipped her feet into the water.
“Uuuh….”
However, whether it was that she couldn’t get used to the cold sensation of the water, she shivered and quickly withdrew her feet.
“Ah! It feels refreshing.”
“Hmm? Where is that sound coming from?”
From a dense corner of bushes and trees, the conversation of the elves could be heard.
“Ugh!”
There were elves bathing there.
Han, who inadvertently turned his gaze, was taken aback and had to quickly shift his gaze elsewhere.
—
Kwoong-!
A loud rumble echoed.
“Hmm?”
Han raised his head.
He turned his gaze towards the sound.
The sound came from the direction of the barrier.
The elves also raised their heads and looked in that direction.
“What’s happening?”
Han paused his task and glanced in that direction.
[Kirrr!]
“…Is that a monster?”
The source of the sound was none other than a monster.
And not just any monster, it was a giant dragonfly approaching through the sky.
Soon, as they were about to collide,
Kkigig-! Clang!!
The archers loaded arrows into the ballistae.
Irina, confirming that the preparations were complete, drew her sword and shouted.
“Fire!”
Thud!!
With a thunderous roar shaking the ground, a large arrow was shot.
The massive arrow shot with a thunderous sound pierced through the body of the approaching monster.
It was a moment.
The guy couldn’t even scream, and his breath was cut off.
With a large hole in his torso left by the ballista, the guy stopped flapping and fell to the ground powerless.
Han, who was watching, let out a bitter smile.
“This can’t be called a battle. The situation was resolved with one shot from the ballista.”
Ballista.
A war weapon conceived for siege warfare.
From its intended production and conceptual purpose, it was probably the most powerful weapon that the current elves could use.
Due to its remarkable power, the arrows didn’t even seem to be visible in flight.
Recalling the momentum that pierced through the monster’s body entirely, it seemed clear that the arrow had flown much further.
Glancing, Han noticed that the ballista’s arrows were running out.
It seemed like he would need to prepare new arrows soon.
Han approached the already dead bug.
“Hey. What is this guy? I’ve never seen him before in my life.”
Han looked around the guy with a hole in his body, motionless as if his breath had long been cut off.
Above the guy’s head, a brief mark was visible.
[Red Alert Target: Scarabisk Bug.]
[Worker Class.]
Han’s observation of the guy was as follows.
“While the overall appearance is somewhat similar to a terrestrial bug, it’s just about that.”
The guy clearly appeared to be a carnivorous monster.
There were fierce body organs visible at a glance.
Behind the seemingly cute exterior lay vicious jaws and teeth.
Under the round appearance with red spots, hidden were secret and sharp blade wings.
“Ouch!”
Approaching closely and touching the wings, Zion was startled and stepped back.
The end of the wings was so sharp that his finger got cut, forming droplets of blood.
“Wow, it’s incredibly sharp.”
“Be careful, Zion.”
“Yes.”
Watching intently from the side, Aisha tapped the bug’s carapace and spoke.
“It’s a very tough carapace. With this kind of material, it must have had excellent utility.”
The round carapace was as smooth as a mirror, reflecting the faces of the elves looking at it.
Han knew well how useful the materials from the Mega Joe Ants they faced before were.
This time, it was a much larger bug.
He thought it would be useful in many ways.
Although it was pierced with one blow from the ballista arrow, it was only because the opponent was who they were.
The giant arrow was a weapon made for siege warfare.
But for some reason.
The system, which had been silent for a while, finally spoke.
[The term ‘Worker’ refers to an entity that embodies the meaning of ‘laborer.’]
“Worker?”
It was the name I saw earlier. It was on the mark of the monster.
[The implication of the term ‘class’ is that it refers to a species where not just one but several entities divide their hierarchy, systematically assigning roles to each other.]
“Wait. Could it be…?”
[The Worker class of the Scarabisk Bug exists to serve the community they live in, with roles including exploration and scouting of the surrounding environment, as well as securing prey.]
Soon after, the system continued as if forewarning.
[Behold, other entities are about to reveal themselves.]
“…!”
***
[Search term: Scarabisk Bug.]
[Related content: No information available.]
“Sigh….”
Han let out a long sigh.
There was no information available.
If even the Hunter Association, where information from countless hunters worldwide is exchanged, had no information, then it meant that this was truly a completely new species that had never appeared on Earth before.
Of course, this wasn’t particularly good news.
In the future, the elves would have to face these creatures without a proper strategy.
It was a risky business.
Dealing with monsters for which strategies have already been developed is easy.
Of course, it is still dangerous to confront monsters, but compared to a time when there were no methods to deal with them, the difficulty level decreases drastically.
It was like taking an exam with a set of incorrect notes attached.
In a situation where there was absolutely no information, dealing with a new species required more observation and information gathering than usual.
To put it bluntly, rushing into battle without a plan could lead to unexpected fatal attacks or ambushes.
In that sense, whether it was Skeletons, Ghouls, or Mega-Joe Ants, they were all stable opponents for whom any further retaliation had already been interpreted.
“….”
The system does not provide answers to such problems.
Or rather, it can’t, to be precise.
In the end, there was no choice but to acquire information on one’s own.
Han’s gaze briefly shifted towards the phone.
‘Perhaps contacting Harin would be better…’
In South Korea.
No, regardless of domestic or international, revealing strategies to deal with newly emerged species was one of the roles carried out by some high-ranking hunters.
Of course, among them, there were only a few hunters with diverse strategies, judgment, or leadership skills, and she, Jin Harin, was one of them.
She belonged to the so-called ‘strategy faction.’
Naturally, she had plenty of experience dealing with species that hadn’t existed before.
Her judgment was undoubtedly very rare.
Even Grade 1 or Special Class hunters were not suitable for high-difficulty dungeons.
Some are suited for battle, while others are more suitable for support, observation, or exploration.
Even those with exceptional abilities had their place in the lower dungeons.
From Noble mtl dot com
As an evolved Hunter, Jin Hwa-rin belonged to the elite hunters in the country thanks to her exceptional adaptability and balance.
“But the problem is… how do I explain the world inside the refrigerator to Hwa-rin?”
In reality, this was undoubtedly a poor judgment.
Not only did he have to explain everything about his refrigerator to her from top to bottom, but he also had to reveal his biggest secret.
No matter how trustworthy she was, it was a separate issue altogether.
In blunt terms, it meant revealing everything about himself.
In the end, apart from Hwa-rin, there was only one option left.
“…I guess I have no choice but to go to the library?”
It wasn’t a particularly appealing option, but there was no other way.
He had to continue the strategy on his own.
At the moment, that was the only way.
He closed his eyes and focused his mind.
***
[Accessing the lower levels of the Akashic Records, the information collective of the cosmos.]
Flash.
When he came to his senses, Han was already standing in front of a massive temple.
A familiar sight.
The library. The Akashic Records.
[…]
“This is serious. This time… this is…”
Murmurs.
Countless ethereal beings murmuring incomprehensible sounds around him.
Their forms were so indistinct, shrouded in mist, that no one could make out their shapes. This was because their channels were perfectly separated, preventing any interference.
“….”
After a moment of observing them, Han stepped into the library.