The moment she activated the skill, March 7th saw the version of herself in front of her transform into a real True Sting. The bug looked at her calmly, almost as if trying to lure her in.
Seeing how calm the bug was, March 7th composed herself. Five seconds was a short time, but in that instant, she felt as if time around her had stopped, her thoughts rapidly accelerating.
"Damn bug, I'll show you what I'm made of."
"No wait—if I kill this big bug here, the whole room will be covered in its bodily fluids. Ew! That's disgusting."
"So what should I do? Lemme think… Ah! Got it!"
In the first second of using the BKB-like skill, March 7th crouched down.
The True Sting, unsure of what she was doing, didn't immediately react. It was relying on its natural racial talent, using a special ability to cause intelligent lifeforms to hallucinate and then kill them while they were defenseless.
Because of that, it didn't understand what March 7th was planning when she crouched. Curious, it watched as she lowered herself—then suddenly realized she had vanished from view.
Just as it was wondering where its prey had gone, it felt a chilling sensation on its rear end.
What March 7th had done was simple: she applied what she learned from Pei Guang. Using stealth, she snuck behind the True Sting and shot an arrow right into its backside.
As she loosed the arrow, March 7th couldn't help but recall everything she'd been through. Legion's spawns, Abundance's abominations, even the Lord Ravagers: she'd taken them all out with sneak attacks like this.
Now this bug was getting the same treatment as a Lord Ravager! Thinking that way, the bug should feel honored!
To avoid the bug exploding and messing up her room, as her arrow landed a critical hit, March 7th used Six-Phased Ice to perfectly encase the creature.
In an instant, the bug felt an icy chill from the inside out. It was frozen solid into an ice sculpture.
Looking at the ice sculpture, March 7th stored it in her inventory. The fact that she could store it meant it was definitely dead. This kind of dead bug-ice-sculpture, she figured, might fetch a decent price.
"Ah~ I really am a thrifty, resourceful girl~"
March 7th nodded in satisfaction at the frozen True Sting in her inventory. If she couldn't sell it, she'd just treat it as a trophy.
After all, it was one of the rare enemies she'd personally taken out, and it had even tried to impersonate her. That gave it a bit of collector's value—though… it was kinda super ugly?
While she was lost in thought, someone knocked on her door. Outside, Pei Guang's voice called: "March~ You done yet? I found a bug in my room. Stelle's was clear. I finished off the one in mine. How's it looking over there?"
March 7th: "All done~ Just double-checking~"
Pei Guang: "Alright~"
March 7th did another sweep of her room. After confirming there were no other bugs or eggs, she stepped out.
Pei Guang: "All set?"
March 7th: "Yup~ Get this: I found a big bug pretending to be me. That creep got frozen into an ice sculpture and shoved into my inventory. Think it could sell for a good price?"
Pei Guang: "No idea, but rare stuff always fetches good money. If it's dead enough to store, we can take it to a world where True Sting ice sculptures don't exist, package it nicely, and sell it high."
The two chatted as they walked back to the main hall. But just as they returned, Pei Guang saw Stelle bending over, intensely focused on the Universal Synthesizer.
Curious, Pei Guang walked over and followed her gaze. Inside the synthesis machine, an insect egg had somehow appeared—and it looked like it was on the verge of hatching.
Staring at the egg, Pei Guang's mind started racing.
There were tons of materials inside that machine he had absolutely no use for. But as a player, even if an item was useless or worth giving away or trashing, he could at least decide what to do with it. One thing a player absolutely couldn't accept was a bug eating their stuff.
Stelle's thoughts were the same as his, and because of that, Pei Guang knew exactly what she was about to do. She wanted that bug, in the very moment it glimpsed a beautiful world, to understand the cruelty of it.
At first, it was just the two of them watching, but it quickly became three—Pei Guang, Stelle, and March 7th—all anticipating the birth of a new life. And as if sensing the emotions around it, the insect egg began straining to break through its thin membrane.
It succeeded. It came into this world, born within a Universal Synthesizer filled with food. At that very moment, Stelle gently took it out from the machine.
It sensed the gentle aura from Stelle. It clung to her hand, as if mistaking her for its mother. But unfortunately, True Stings had no concept of parents.
Stelle gently took the bug out, and before it could react, threw it to the ground. What awaited it next was the sole of her boot.
The bug was crushed.
At the moment it burst, Pei Guang summoned Savory Truefire, fusing its soul and fluids into one. March 7th, meanwhile, took out her camera and captured the scene—but unfortunately, even if other bugs saw this photo, it wouldn't stir any reaction.
As the bug was completely destroyed, the three of them simultaneously felt a strange sense of accomplishment. Especially Stelle, who straightened her back and smiled, feeling like she had done something monumental.
Compared to the proud trio here, on the other side, Welt sighed as he watched their actions. His sigh wasn't out of disapproval for what they did, but rather a reminder to himself: he had to maintain his identity… he couldn't play around with them like that.
However, just as the three finished dealing with that bug, Pei Guang felt provoked. He sensed something challenging him, and instinctively turned his head to look at a radio on the other side.
From inside the machine came a humming sound. The humming was beautiful, but to Pei Guang's ears, it was a declaration of war.
Pei Guang walked over and saw a small True Sting hiding inside the radio. It was the source of the humming. Pei Guang hadn't expected a bug's singing to sound better than his.
That bug couldn't be allowed to stay. If it was already singing better than him today, who knew what terrifying things it might do tomorrow?
As flames ignited, the scent of roasted bug wafted from the radio. The soft music playing from the machine mixed with the crispy aroma of grilled insect, bringing a satisfied smile to Pei Guang's face.
The bug was small, but full of protein, and cooked with Savory Truefire, it would definitely be a delicacy in desperate times.
Roasted True Sting +1
However, Pei Guang also felt a tiny bit of guilt inside: he had just snuffed out a bug with musical talent. He really was awful. But as he smelled the savory scent rising from the roasted bug, he couldn't help but feel a tear slip from the corner of his mouth.
Even though True Stings had strange shapes, for a qualified player, if it's edible, it's worth trying.
While Pei Guang was lost in his thoughts, Dan Heng walked over. "More of those bugs?"
Pei Guang: "Yeah, but I already roasted this one. Want a bite?"
Dan Heng: "You go ahead."
Pei Guang: "No rush, I'll save it for now. Could come in handy later—either when we've got nothing else to eat or when we run into someone who's into this sort of thing. It's a shame I'm not high enough level or strong enough. Otherwise, I'd love to try roasting that giant thing we swallowed earlier. Wonder what it would taste like."
Pei Guang did some mental math. If that thing really was planet-sized, and he used up all his accumulated resources to cook it… he might be able to roast a single whisker?