It Was a Staff After All

"We... are going to fight Stinger Bees?"

In the camp, Seja clutched the freshly maintained Oak Club tightly, the tip of her tail trembling slightly, clearly nervous.

The mere thought of Stinger Bees, a type of monster, made the Lizardfolk tremble with fear.

Even a lone Stinger Bee could make a strong Lizardfolk writhe on the ground in pain.

With bad luck, one might even need an amputation to survive.

If they encountered a swarm, even larger beasts in the swamp would suffer, and the tribe's most elite hunting party would turn tail and run.

Was she really going to fight Stinger Bees... or was she just going to be a meal for them?

"Are you scared?"

Seja nodded, then shook her head, feeling a little guilty.

"I, I should be able to help a little."

"I know Nature Spells."

She brandished the Oak Club in her hand, striking a pose as if to cast a spell, as if this could give her a sliver of confidence.

Huh?

So this Oak Club, which could be used like a mace, wasn't a melee weapon meant to physically smite Stinger Bees?

Chen Yu felt like he had misunderstood something.

This was the very branch he had personally helped her choose three days ago... The reason for choosing it was simple: it was thick, straight, and had substantial weight. Swinging it would create a powerful gust of wind, enough to clear a patch of Stinger Bees with a single blow.

If he had hands, he would have wanted one for himself too.

He never expected Seja to use it as a staff.

No wonder she had cherished this Oak Club so much these past few days, stripping its bark, polishing it, and carefully maintaining it with great effort.

However, a club and a staff looked pretty similar...

They were both sticks, so using it as a staff should be... fine, right?

Chen Yu suddenly felt a pang of guilt, though he maintained the composure expected of an Envoy on the surface.

Seja, completely oblivious to his thoughts, was still immersed in joy, proudly displaying the staff in her arms as if it were her most precious treasure.

"It turns out I lost my Black Willow Staff when we were fleeing. Without a staff, casting spells just isn't as smooth."

"But this one is much better!"

"It's made of Iron Oak, hard and heavy, symbolizing strength and resilience. Casting spells with it makes my spells harder to interrupt."

"You can't find Oak of such good quality out here."

As long as it works.

"I'm glad you like it."

In reality, Iron Oak like this was everywhere in the depths of the swamp, not rare at all.

But seeing her delighted expression, Chen Yu decisively swallowed back the truth that was welling up in his heart.

Never mind, it was a new staff after all. Let her be happy.

"What spells do you know?"

Chen Yu intended to conduct a thorough pre-battle assessment so he could better deal with the Stinger Bees later.

"Spells... I only know two."

According to Seja's introduction, she knew a spell called "Swamp Stealth." After casting it, it could increase the caster's speed while moving stealthily in the swamp, leaving no footprints. When cast on others, the effect was halved.

No wonder he hadn't seen any Lizardfolk footprints in the swamp; there was such a magical spell.

If Seja's staff hadn't been lost, that group of Gnolls would have had a hard time finding her even if they had turned the Swamp Forest upside down.

"What's the other one?"

"Vine Entanglement. After casting it, I can control the vines growing in the Swamp Forest to entangle prey."

"When I went hunting Hard-shelled Water Lizards with the hunting party, I used vines to catch them."

"I haven't tried using it on Stinger Bees yet..."

When talking about hunting, Seja's head was held high, but when Stinger Bees were mentioned, she unconfidently lowered her head again.

"It's okay. You hide behind me and watch my show."

Learning about the Vine Entanglement spell, Chen Yu felt more confident.

After all, his biggest concern wasn't the Stinger Bees themselves, but that tall Oak Tree.

Such a tall tree, maybe ten meters high. He had struggled for a long time and couldn't reach the top, and he would be harassed by Stinger Bees midway, making it difficult to reach their main nest.

If they could use vines to bring down the Stinger Bee nest first, dealing with the Stinger Bees would be much simpler.

"Let's go."

Chen Yu was carried out of the camp by Seja, facing the tall Oak Tree directly.

"Let's go, our target is to annihilate the Stinger Bees!"

"Okay, let's go!"

Seja was infected by the passionate atmosphere, and much of her nervousness dissipated.

In a daze, she felt as if she had returned to the grand moment when the hunting party set out after the Ice-Breaking Festival in previous years.

Her tribesmen would see them off, pray for them, and offer blessings... carrying the tribe's hope into the Swamp Forest to explore and hunt.

And now, the tribe was a homeland she could never return to, but here, she seemed to have found a sliver of her lost past...

Chen Yu and Seja infiltrated the swamp, quietly emerging from the water.

It was early morning, and the Stinger Bees were still resting in their hive. The usually noisy Beetles were also hiding under tree roots, sleeping motionlessly. If one didn't look closely, they would appear to be just black stones.

"Envoy, what do we do now?"

"Follow the plan. Let's take down the Stinger Beehive first."

"Huh? Oh."

Did they even have a plan?

She didn't know.

Never mind, she'd just follow the Envoy's command.

In the swamp, she raised her Oak Club with both hands and chanted in a strange, rhythmic language.

Chen Yu watched the Oak Club with great interest. This was his first time encountering what was called magic, and he watched intently.

Under Seja's chant, the Oak Club gradually began to glow with a green light, like flowing swamp water, before dispersing into light spots that floated towards the surrounding Oak Trees.

When the light spots touched the Swamp Vine Wood hanging on the Oak Trees, the vines, under Chen Yu's slightly surprised gaze, seemed to come alive. They climbed the branches of the Oak Trees and snaked their way towards the Stinger Beehive.

"Bzzzz--!"

The Stinger Bees on the tree clearly noticed this strange sight. The noisy buzzing of their flapping wings broke the morning tranquility. They swarmed out of the hive, attacking any vines that approached.

But it was too late. A vine had already reached the Carrion Beehive, entangling and disturbing the connection between the Carrion Beehive and the Oak Tree.

After only a few seconds, a large dark mass plummeted from the treetop to the ground with a "thud."

The Stinger Beehive fell.

"Success."

Seja gripped her staff, cheering inwardly.

"Very good, let's hide first."

Listening to the buzzing from the hive, Seja wisely submerged herself into the swamp, asking curiously.

"What now?"

Lizardfolk had lived by riverbanks and swamps for generations; diving and holding their breath was second nature.

Diving was no problem for Seja. As long as she didn't exert herself, she could stay underwater for half an hour.

"Silly, aren't there many Beetles on the shore?"

"Let them fight for a while first, then we'll make our move."

"Oh, oh, I understand."

Seja quickly checked the staff in her hand, afraid it might fail at a crucial moment.