It Turned Out to Be a Staff

"We're... going to fight Stinger Bees?"

In the camp, Seja clutched the freshly maintained Oak Club tightly, the tip of her tail trembling slightly. Her nervousness was plain to see.

Just thinking about Demonic Beasts like Stinger Bees frightened Lizardfolk.

Even a lone Stinger Bee could make a strong Lizardfolk roll around on the ground in agony.

With bad luck, they might even have to amputate a limb to survive.

If they ran into an entire swarm pouring out, even the larger beasts of the swamp would suffer. The tribe's most elite Hunting Squad would turn and run at the sight of them.

Was she really going to fight Stinger Bees... or deliver herself as rations to them?

"Are you scared?"

Seja nodded, then shook her head, looking somewhat guilty.

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

"I know Nature Spells."

She waved the Oak Club in her hand and struck a spellcasting pose, as though doing so could give her a little confidence.

Huh?

So this Oak Club, which could be used like a spiked mace, was not a melee weapon meant to physically send Stinger Bees to the afterlife?

Chen Yu felt as if he had misunderstood something.

This was the oak branch he had personally helped pick out three days ago... The reason for choosing it had been simple: it was thick, straight, and heavy. When swung, it would whistle through the air like a tiger, guaranteed to clear out a whole patch of Stinger Bees in one blow.

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

He had never imagined that Seja intended to use it as a staff.

No wonder she had treasured this oak branch like a jewel these past few days, stripping its bark, polishing it, and maintaining it so carefully. She had put her whole heart into it.

Still, clubs and staffs looked pretty similar...

They were both sticks. Using one as a staff should... be fine, right?

Chen Yu suddenly felt a little guilty, though outwardly he maintained the composure expected of an Envoy.

Seja had not noticed his thoughts at all. Still immersed in delight, she showed off the staff in her arms, clearly treating it as a precious treasure.

"My original Black Willow Staff was lost while I was fleeing. Without a staff, casting spells never felt quite right."

"But this one is so much better!"

"It's made of Iron Oak, hard and heavy, symbolizing strength and resilience. Casting with it makes spells less likely to be interrupted."

"You can't find oak of such good quality out there."

As long as it worked.

"As long as you like it."

In truth, Iron Oak like this was everywhere in the depths of the Swamp. It was not rare at all.

But seeing how much she loved it, Chen Yu decisively swallowed the truth that had risen to his lips.

Forget it. It was a new staff, after all. Let her be happy.

"What spells do you know?"

Chen Yu intended to get a thorough grasp of their capabilities before battle, so they could deal with the Stinger Bees more easily later.

"Spells... I only know two."

According to Seja, one was called Swamp Stealth. After casting it, it could increase the caster's speed while sneaking through the Swamp and leave no footprints behind. When cast on someone else, its effect was halved.

No wonder he had never seen any Lizardfolk footprints in the Swamp. So there was such a miraculous spell.

If Seja had not lost her staff, then even if that pack of Gnolls turned the Swamp Forest upside down, they would have struggled to find her.

"What's the other one?"

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

"When I went with the Hunting Squad to capture Hard-shelled Water Lizards, I relied on vines to catch them."

"As for using it to catch Stinger Bees... I've never tried."

When speaking of hunting, Seja had been holding her head slightly high, but the moment Stinger Bees were mentioned, she lowered it again in uncertainty.

"It's fine. Hide in the back and watch me work."

Now that he knew about the vine spell, Chen Yu felt even more confident.

After all, what troubled him most was not the Stinger Bees themselves, but that towering oak tree.

That tree had to be around ten meters tall. He could squirm for ages and still not reach the top, all while being harassed by Stinger Bees along the way. It would be difficult to reach the Stinger Bees' headquarters.

If they could use the vines to knock down the Stinger Bee Hive first, dealing with the Stinger Bees would become much easier.

"Let's go."

Carried by Seja, Chen Yu left the camp and faced that towering oak tree.

"Set off. Our objective is to wipe out the Stinger Bees!"

"Mm, let's go!"

Seja was infected by his stirring mood, and much of her nervousness was swept away.

For a moment, she felt as though she had returned to the solemn occasions after the Icebreaking Festival in years past, when the Hunting Squad set out.

Her clansmen had seen them off, praying and blessing them... They had entered the Swamp Forest carrying the tribe's hopes, opening new land and hunting.

Now, the tribe was a homeland she could never return to, yet here, she seemed to have recovered a little of what she had lost...

Chen Yu and Seja slipped into the Swamp and quietly raised their heads above the water.

It was morning. The Stinger Bees were still resting inside their hive, while the beetles that were usually so noisy hid beneath the tree roots, asleep and motionless. If one did not look closely, they resembled little black stones.

"Envoy, what do we do now?"

"Follow the plan. First, knock down the Stinger Bee Hive."

"Ah? Oh."

They had a plan?

She had not known.

Never mind. She only had to listen to the Envoy's command.

Standing in the Swamp, she raised the Oak Staff with both hands and chanted a strange yet rhythmic language.

Chen Yu watched the Oak Staff with great interest. This was his first time encountering a so-called spell, and he observed intently.

Under Seja's chant, green light gradually flowed from the Oak Staff, like moving swamp water. It then scattered into specks of light that drifted around the oak tree.

When the light specks touched the Swamp Vine Wood hanging from the oak tree, the vines actually seemed to come alive before Chen Yu's slightly astonished eyes. They crawled along the oak branches and wound toward the Stinger Bee Hive.

"Buzz buzz—!"

The Stinger Bees in the tree had clearly noticed this bizarre sight as well. The noisy buzzing of their beating wings shattered the morning silence. They poured from the hive in swarms, attacking every vine that approached.

But it was already too late. One vine had long since climbed to the Carrion Beehive and wrapped around the place where it clung to the oak tree, twisting and tugging.

Only a few seconds later, a massive black shadow fell from the treetop and hit the ground with a thud.

The Stinger Bee Hive had fallen.

"Success."

Seja gripped her staff tightly, cheering inwardly.

"Good. Let's hide first."

Hearing the buzzing coming from within the hive, Seja obediently dove into the Swamp, asking curiously in her heart.

"What now?"

Lizardfolk lived by riverbanks and swamps year-round. Diving and holding their breath were as ordinary as eating and drinking.

Diving was nothing to Seja. As long as she did not move violently, she could stay underwater for half an hour.

"Silly, aren't there lots of beetles on shore?"

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

"Oh, oh, I understand."

Seja hurriedly checked the staff in her hand, afraid that it would fail her at the critical moment.