Adventurer of Many Professions

In the dense forest, a black and yellow sting wasp hovered in the air, its long, venomous stinger glinting ominously in the sunlight. Its wings buzzed rhythmically as it scouted for prey to bring back to its hive, food for the queen and larvae.

Suddenly, its compound eyes locked onto movement below. Beneath a tree, a plump, white rabbit scurried into view, its soft fur gleaming against the forest floor.

The sting wasp buzzed louder and surged forward, wings slicing through the air as it zeroed in on its unsuspecting target.

The rabbit's ears twitched, catching the sound of fluttering wings. It turned its head, spotting the predator, and bolted. It moved quickly, darting through the underbrush with practiced agility, but the wasp was faster, much faster.

'Bzzz!'

The sting wasp dove sharply, aiming its venomous stinger with deadly precision. With a swift jab, it pierced the rabbit's side.

The rabbit stumbled a few steps forward, but its movements faltered. Blood seeped from the wound as its body began to convulse. Moments later, the rabbit collapsed onto the forest floor, spasming violently.

The wasp hovered above, observing its prey with cold, emotionless eyes. The paralysis and bleeding venom worked quickly, subduing the rabbit as its struggles slowed. Only when the rabbit lay still did the wasp descend, its four sharp forelegs ready to grab the limp creature.

But just as the wasp reached for its prize, its instincts screamed a warning.

'Shhh!'

A sharp, hissing sound came from behind. The wasp froze, its antennae twitching. Without hesitation, it dropped the rabbit and shot into the air with a loud 'buzz!'

'Boom!'

A heavy sword slammed into the ground where the wasp had just stood, carving a deep gash into the forest floor.

"Damn it, I missed!" Raymond growled, pulling his sword from the dirt with a frustrated sigh.

He straightened, his eyes narrowing as he tracked the wasp now circling above. He'd been stalking this area for nearly an hour, waiting for a sting wasp to appear. Spotting the rabbit earlier, he'd used it as bait, lying in wait for the perfect moment to strike.

But the wasp had been too cautious, too quick. Before Raymond could get close enough to execute a proper sneak attack, the creature had sensed something was wrong and escaped his blade by a hair's breadth.

The sting wasp now hovered high in the air, its compound eyes fixed on Raymond, its movements agitated. Suddenly, its long tail twitched, and the sharp black stinger aimed directly at him.

'Whoosh!'

The venomous needle fired from its tail like a bolt of lightning, slicing through the air toward Raymond.

The attack was too fast. Raymond barely had time to react. Gritting his teeth, he twisted his body at the last second, trying to avoid the blow to his vital organs.

'Swish!'

The needle pierced through his leather armor, sinking into his shoulder.

"Urgh!" Raymond gasped, a sharp cry escaping his lips as pain shot through his body. He staggered backward, clutching his wounded shoulder. But before he could regain his footing, the venom took hold.

His muscles locked up, his body convulsing violently as he fell to the ground. His vision blurred, and he felt his limbs seize as if they were no longer his own.
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The sting wasp hovered above, watching him with cold detachment. It seemed to assess the situation, waiting patiently as its venom worked its way through his system.

When Raymond's spasms finally slowed, the wasp tilted its head, satisfied. It descended cautiously, preparing to finish him off with its sharp mandibles. Its plan was simple: kill the larger prey first, retrieve the rabbit, then summon reinforcements to dismember the human and carry the pieces back to the hive.

As it neared the ground, its wings buzzing softly, it approached the motionless figure.

But just as it came within a meter of him, something extraordinary happened.

Raymond's body, which had appeared lifeless moments ago, sprang into motion. With an almost inhuman speed, he surged upward, his hand gripping his sword tightly.

The sting wasp froze, its compound eyes wide with shock. It had no time to react.

As Raymond stood, his sword gleamed like a streak of silver lightning in his hand.

The poisonous sting wasp sensed the danger, its wings buzzing furiously as it darted backward to evade the strike. It was fast, blindingly fast.

But Raymond was faster. With the agility of a fighter, the precision of a swordsman, and the raw power of a warrior, his sword slashed through the air in a deadly arc.

'Swish!'

A cold flash of steel sliced clean through the wasp's body. In the next moment, its head and torso separated, both falling to the ground with a dull thud.

Even decapitated, the creature's body didn't stop moving. Its compound eyes flickered, its six legs kicked frantically, and its wings twitched. But those wings, severed by Raymond's blade, could no longer carry it skyward.

Raymond watched the grotesque display with calm detachment. "As I thought," he muttered. "These ordinary monsters have no intelligence. As long as you think strategically, they're manageable."

He glanced at his shoulder, where the wasp's venomous stinger had pierced his armor earlier. On his way to this spot, Raymond had already drunk a bottle of 'antidote', ensuring its detoxifying effect would last the entire day. The poison had been neutralized before it could do any harm.

The sting, however, had been part of his plan.

When the wasp fired its needle at him earlier, Raymond could have dodged it entirely, his fighter's instincts were sharp enough. But he'd purposely let it hit his shoulder, a non vital spot. Why? To lure the wasp closer. If he couldn't hit it in the air, he'd make it come to him. And it had worked.

Now, looking at the writhing wasp on the ground, Raymond raised his sword again and stabbed twice more, finally ending the creature's frantic movements.

With a sigh of relief, he crouched down and yanked the venomous stinger from his shoulder, inspecting the wound beneath.

"Not bad," he muttered. "The leather armor took most of the hit. The needle barely went in."

But when his eyes landed on the torn leather, his mood soured. Fixing this armor would cost a pretty penny. "This mission's already costing me," he grumbled.

For a moment, he considered repairing it himself. As a craftsman, he had some skill in patching gear, though he wasn't nearly as skilled as the dwarf blacksmiths with advanced 'forging' abilities.

He shook his head. "No, not worth the risk. Better not take chances with something that could save my life."

Still, the thought lingered in his mind: maybe it was time to invest in 'forging' skills. Seeing how much money adventurers poured into repairs, potions, and equipment, Raymond was beginning to understand why craftsmen and pharmacists were so wealthy.

"Like that 'magic recovery potion' Sylph bought," he muttered. "Twenty silver coins for a single bottle!"

With a sigh, he decided to wait until he learned a few more combat skills before adding points to crafting abilities.

The thought sparked another idea, and Raymond quickly opened his adventurer's panel:

Age: 15

Magic Value: 531/531

Occupations: Fighter, Warrior, Craftsman, Magician, Swordsman

Skills: Bone Crushing

Skill Points: 1

Cumulative Value: 65%

Raymond's eyes lit up when he noticed the 'skill point accumulation value'. It had risen from 55% to 65% after killing the wasp.

"An increase of 10%!" he exclaimed. "That's much better than the measly 2.5% I got from those mutant rats. So the 'skill accumulation value' and 'magic value' are calculated differently for each type of monster!"

The realization filled him with excitement. Gaining skill points would be far easier if he hunted stronger creatures like these wasps.

"I only need to kill four more to earn another skill point," he muttered, his resolve strengthening.

His eyes drifted to the rabbit lying on the ground. The poor creature, paralyzed and bleeding out, was barely clinging to life. But its presence sparked an idea in Raymond's mind, a way to deal with the foraging wasps more effectively.

A small smile played on his lips as he rose, gripping his sword tightly. "Let's make this work," he murmured, already formulating his next move.