Adventurer of Many Professions

The moment the queen bee spotted Raymond, she didn't hesitate for even a second. With an ear-splitting buzz, she flapped her wings furiously and launched herself straight at him like a bullet, her massive body hurtling through the air.

The other three stinger wasps, meanwhile, continued their slow, labored effort to carry the mangled decoy queen deeper into the woods. Their pace was sluggish, almost pathetic, but it bought Raymond precious time. He let out a quiet breath of relief. If all four had rushed him, especially with the real queen bee among them, the odds would have been grim. But it seemed that while the queen was intelligent, she wasn't particularly strategic or perhaps Sylph's 'Exploding Fireball' had rattled her instincts.

Whatever the reason, Raymond had no time to dwell on it. The queen bee was already upon him, her speed far surpassing that of the ordinary stinger wasps. She darted toward him like a predator laser-focused on its prey.
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Raymond sidestepped at the last possible moment, his body a blur as he dodged her charge. In the same fluid motion, he brought his long sword down in a deadly arc, aiming for her oversized body.

But just as the blade was about to make contact, the queen bee jerked backward, seemingly disappearing in an instant. The sword struck only air.

'What the—?!'

Raymond's eyes sharpened, tracking her movements. It wasn't teleportation, it was sheer speed. The queen's wings had vibrated so rapidly during her retreat that she had moved faster than his eye could follow.

'She's not just big; she's fast. Faster than anything I've ever fought.'

Before he could fully process this, the queen retaliated. Her body twisted mid-air, and her tail arched like a scorpion's, her venomous stinger; nearly twice as long as those of the other wasps, shooting forward. The glistening black needle aimed directly for Raymond's face, its tip deadly sharp and unrelenting.

It was too close. Too fast. Even with his battle-hardened instincts screaming at him, there was no time to dodge sideways.

Raymond reacted on reflex, dropping low and sliding under the attack. The poison needle grazed his eyelashes, so close he could feel the rush of air as it passed.

As he slid beneath her, he countered. His long sword swung upward in a swift arc, aimed squarely at her exposed abdomen. The queen bee was directly above him, and the reach of his arm and sword, nearly two meters; put her within perfect striking distance.

But the queen wasn't done yet. She flapped her wings furiously, propelling herself upward and backward just in time to avoid a fatal blow.

'Swish!'

The blade missed her abdomen, but her long, slender stinger wasn't so lucky. The sword sliced clean through it with a satisfying 'snick!'

The severed stinger fell to the ground, twitching for a moment before going still.

The queen bee let out an enraged, guttural buzz, her body trembling with fury. The stinger was her most lethal weapon, her greatest offensive tool and now, it was gone.

'Buzz!'

With a burst of speed, she darted behind Raymond, spinning in mid-air to position herself for a sneak attack. Her four front legs extended, claws reaching for him like grappling hooks. She moved with deadly precision, aiming to strike before he could recover from his slide.

But Raymond was ready. Twisting his body with practiced agility, he rolled to the side and avoided her claws. At the same time, he swung his sword upward with all his might, aiming for her head.

This time, the queen bee didn't retreat. Instead, she opened her massive black mandibles and 'caught' the blade in her jaws. The sudden, metallic 'clink' of teeth meeting steel echoed in the clearing.

Raymond's eyes widened in shock. He tried to pull the sword free, but the queen's bite force was unbelievable. Her jaws clamped down with the strength of a vise, rendering his sword immovable. Even with all his warrior strength, Raymond couldn't budge the blade.

The queen bee's wings buzzed again, and this time, they lifted her and the sword, off the ground. She rose higher and higher, her powerful wings easily overcoming the sword's weight. Raymond's feet left the ground, and he realized she was trying to carry him into the air with her.

'Damn it!'

He knew exactly what she was planning. If she flew high enough and released him, the fall would turn him into little more than a bloody smear on the forest floor.

Raymond gritted his teeth and tried to counter. He tightened his grip on the sword and shifted his weight, attempting to swing her downward and smash her into the ground like he had done with the other wasps.

But this wasn't an ordinary wasp. The queen's size and strength dwarfed her subordinates, and her wings gave her an unparalleled advantage in the air. Without solid footing, Raymond had no leverage. His efforts were futile.

'If I hold on, I'm dead.'

Without hesitation, Raymond made the only choice he could. He let go of the sword.

The sudden release sent the queen bee surging upward, the momentum almost carrying her out of control. She buzzed furiously, regaining her balance mid-flight. Holding the sword in her jaws, she flew a hundred meters into the darkness of the woods before spitting it out and returning to face him.

The two of them stared each other down. Both had lost their greatest weapon, the queen her stinger, and Raymond his sword.

But as the queen hovered menacingly in the air, her wings vibrating with rage, Raymond did something unexpected.

He laughed.

It wasn't a nervous laugh, nor was it one born of desperation. It was confident, sharp, and edged with defiance.

"You think you've taken away my strength?" he said, his voice steady, his eyes blazing. "You've only made this fight more interesting."

The queen bee buzzed angrily, readying herself for another charge.

Without his sword, Raymond still had his fists and that was all he needed.

Not just a warrior, not just a swordsman, Raymond was also a fighter. A fighter with devastating combat skills. He clenched his fists, pulling on the leather straps of his boxing gloves, and took a deep breath. His muscles coiled like springs, and he dropped into a boxing stance, his body shifting into perfect balance.

Raising one hand toward the queen bee in a taunting gesture, he smirked. "Come on. Let's finish this."

Of course, the queen bee had no idea what the gesture meant. But she didn't need to know. All she saw was an unarmed human who had lost his weapon, and to her, that meant prey.

The queen buzzed angrily, her wings vibrating with a furious rhythm. Deciding to end him swiftly, she dove down at full speed, her massive jaws wide open, aiming directly for Raymond's head. Her intent was clear: crush him, rip him apart, and feed his remains to the injured decoy queen.

'Buzz!'

The sound of her approach cut through the air like a blade.

But Raymond was ready. His deep breath focused his strength, and his eyes locked onto the descending queen. The moment she came within striking distance, his body moved like lightning.

Bone Crusher.

A faint blue glow enveloped Raymond's right fist as he powered up his skill. The energy crackled invisibly, and as he swung his fist, it left a glowing blue trail in the darkness, like a comet blazing through the night.

The queen bee sensed the danger too late. She beat her wings frantically, trying to pull back or swerve out of the way. But Raymond's 'Bone Crusher' was faster; faster than any sword, faster than the queen's desperate retreat.

'BOOM!'

Raymond's fist smashed into the queen bee's jaws with terrifying force.

'CRACK!'

The once-impenetrable black mandibles shattered like brittle glass, fragments flying in all directions. The sheer impact of the punch carried through the queen's body, and her tiny neck couldn't withstand the force. With an audible 'POP', her neck snapped, and her head was torn clean off.

The black, lifeless head tumbled through the air and landed on the ground with a dull 'thud', rolling to a stop like a discarded stone.

But the queen bee's body wasn't finished yet. Headless and thrashing, it flapped its wings erratically, rising into the sky in a blind frenzy. It spun wildly, turned in jagged loops, and then, as if losing all control, dived straight downward.

'BANG!'

The headless body smashed into the earth with tremendous force, sending up a plume of dust. When the debris settled, Raymond's eyes widened slightly at the carnage before him. The queen bee's body had crumpled into a grotesque heap of shattered exoskeleton and splattered internal organs, her remains spread across the clearing like a gruesome offering.

Raymond stood still for a moment, catching his breath. "Well," he muttered, glancing down at his glowing hand, "guess I didn't need the sword after all."

But there was no time to rest. From the corner of his eye, he saw movement near the woods. The decoy queen, still being carried by the three remaining stinger wasps, had reached the edge of the trees. They buzzed urgently, as if trying to flee deeper into the shadows.