'If I'm going to do this, I have to win.'
Don's gaze sharpened, the last trace of hesitation disappearing completely.
This wasn't a fight he could brute force. The difference in raw stats was too clear, if he tried to stand his ground and trade blows directly, he wouldn't last long enough to make a difference. He would simply die before he even realized it.
So he would win with wit, not strength.
His hand moved instinctively to his inventory. Bee Stingers. Twenty-nine of them, rough, simple, crude. But right now, they were weapons. If he couldn't outlast the boss in a direct exchange, then he would bleed it down slowly, methodically, like a hunter.
The quest didn't matter. Even if he used every single one, he could farm more. With his current damage, killing thirty bees was trivial. But a boss was something else entirely. Quest rewards were uncertain. Boss drops were guaranteed. That alone decided everything.
His eyes hardened. Then he moved.
He turned and charged straight toward the Queen Bee, his body cutting across the open terrain in a clean, direct line. At the same time, he bit down on a Red Potion, the liquid spilling into his mouth as his HP began to climb. The distance closed in seconds, and then he shifted. A sharp sidestep, a slight pivot of his hips, and his entire body slid along the edge of the Queen Bee's attack range, narrowly avoiding its frontal line as he slipped into its flank.
His dagger plunged forward.
[640!]
The blade sank deep into the creature's side.
His eyes flickered. 'Two percent? Not bad.'
But the Queen Bee reacted instantly. Its massive body lifted off the ground with a violent burst of force, wings roaring as it twisted mid-air. Then its stinger shot forward, fast, blindingly fast.
The attack slammed into Don's shoulder. Pain exploded through his body, sharp and overwhelming.
[Critical Hit - 202!]
He sucked in a sharp breath. One hit and nearly everything was gone. There was no room for error here, not even a single misstep. Without hesitation, he disengaged. His body pushed backward, feet digging into the ground as he forced distance between himself and the boss. His hand moved instantly, another potion, another bite. At the same time, he threw a Bee Stinger.
The projectile cut through the air, but the Queen Bee twisted mid-flight, its body shifting just enough to dodge it.
[Miss!]
Don's expression stiffened. He pulled another stinger, adjusted his angle, and threw again.
[250!]
A clean hit. His lips curled slightly. For a fleeting moment, a ridiculous thought crossed his mind, if he had a hundred of these, he could stand at range, chip away safely, finish it cleanly. Perfect execution. But reality wasn't that kind. No shortcuts, no easy wins. Only clean execution.
He swallowed another potion as the cooldown ended, feeling the warmth spread through his body as his HP climbed. Safe. For now.
Not wanting to waste any more time, he moved again. Forward. Closing distance. Fast. But the Queen Bee reacted, turning sharply, but Don was already gone from its front. His body dipped low, his steps light as he slipped behind it once more. His dagger flashed, a clean strike, and he was already moving.
The stinger came again. Faster, sharper, more precise.
Don's body reacted instantly. A sliding step, a burst of acceleration, and he slipped past the attack by inches, the stinger slicing through the air where his chest had been a fraction of a second earlier. Then he countered.
[672!]
A faint smile touched his lips. But it didn't last.
The Queen Bee adapted. Its movements changed, sharper, more aggressive, less predictable. Before Don could fully reposition, it struck again. The impact landed clean, and his arms went numb instantly. His muscles locked for a split second, his grip loosened, the dagger almost slipping from his fingers.
[Paralyzing Attack applied.]
[HP Loss: 96]
[Attack Speed reduced by 50% for 10 seconds]
Don's expression darkened. Attack speed was everything. It was his rhythm, his flow. Without it, he wasn't just weaker, he was exposed.
There was no choice. He ran. Not in panic, but with purpose. Distance. Reset. Survive. His steps carried him across the clearing, weaving slightly, adjusting angles to avoid a straight chase path. Behind him, the Queen Bee roared forward, its massive body tearing through the air with relentless momentum.
Time stretched. One minute. Three. Five.
The fight dragged on, relentless and exhausting. Every exchange chipped away at the boss. Every mistake chipped away at him. By the end, the Queen Bee's HP had dropped by two-thirds.
But Don was worse off. Only two Bee Stingers left. Only two Red Potions remaining. And worse, he had learned something he didn't want to know, the Queen Bee's weak point at the waist joint was reinforced. Hard. Unyielding. There would be no shortcut, no instant kill. Every bit of damage had to be earned.
Don exhaled slowly, forcing his breathing to stabilize.
Then something changed.
In the distance, near the hive, a flicker of light. Firelight. And faintly, voices. Players.
Don paused for the briefest moment. Then a slow smile spread across his face.
Perfect. More players meant chaos, more pressure, more variables, and most importantly, more opportunity. The Queen Bee was already heavily damaged. If others joined in, they would help finish it. And as long as he maintained aggro, the rewards would still be his.
Without hesitation, he turned and sprinted toward the hive. At the same time, he threw another Bee Stinger.
The thing pierced through the air with great speed and hit the queen bee squarely on its body, the aggro held and the Queen Bee followed, raging and relentless, its buzzing growing louder, heavier, like a storm bearing down on his back.
Don continued his hit-and-run, his movements tighter now, more careful, conserving every bit of stamina. But his resources were gone. Potions, finished. Stingers, gone. Nothing left but execution.
Finally, he reached the narrow entrance near the hive. A tight passage, two to three meters wide. Don slowed, not stopping, but controlling his pace. His breathing steadied. His grip tightened. His eyes focused.
Behind him, the Queen Bee closed in. Ahead, the flickering firelight grew brighter. Voices became clearer. Players. A battlefield was about to form.
A faint smile appeared on Don's lips, cold, calculated, anticipating.
'This is where it gets interesting.'