Chapter 73

'A shaman? Again?'

Suho looked puzzled. The circumstances were entirely different from his encounter with Rakan, the King of Beasts, yet the result was similar.

Granted, it had been because of Gray, but Rakan had been friendly toward him from the start, willingly appointing him as a shaman for Gray's sake.

But this time, he had "usurped" the position?

[The King of Beasts, the Monarch of Fangs, claps and roars with laughter at Querehsha's dumbfounded expression.]

["Rakan, you bastard!"]

Querehsha vented her fury at Rakan.

["You're already dead, yet you dare interfere with my rites!"]

Only then did Suho understand. At first, he had thought Rakan's aim was for him to acquire the title Natural Enemy of Insects.

'But that wasn't it.'

Now it seemed Rakan's true intention had been to forcibly wrest the office of Shaman of Insects from Querehsha.

Suho looked around at the countless insect remains scattered as far as he could see. They were all pieces of Querehsha's soul, too.

'Rites, huh...'

Sometimes, when people fought, they threatened their opponents with, "Today's the day they'll be holding memorial rites for you!"

But looking at this...

'I suppose I've practically performed the rites myself.'

Outside, the queen bee Arsha and Lee Minsung were busy sacrificing countless humans to perform rites for Querehsha. Yet here Suho had supplied the sacrificial offerings with Querehsha's own insects.

'Does that even make sense?'

[The King of Beasts, the Monarch of Fangs, explains that Querehsha's insects were originally the vengeful spirits of those she had devoured.]

'Vengeful spirits?'

In other words, Suho had avenged the insects Querehsha had killed.

'Oh, so that's why I'm the Shaman of Insects. Not Querehsha's shaman.'

Querehsha was both an individual and a colony. By performing rites for the insects, Suho had simultaneously become Querehsha's shaman.

["... You've won."]

At last, Querehsha conceded defeat. The quest timer had not even run out, but she looked exhausted, as though she had aged centuries in an instant.

["Haah. You relentless little wretch. You're more of a bug than the insects themselves. Your father's son, through and through..."]

Insects scattered from Querehsha's enormous body as it began to shrink. Then she assumed the female form in which she had fought Sung Jinwoo long ago and descended before Suho.

DING!

[Time Remaining: 1 hour 29 minutes 34 seconds]

[You have completed 'Emergency Quest: Querehsha's Venom Crucible.']

[You have leveled up!]

The quest had ended before the four hours were up. Querehsha, who had forcibly initiated it, had lost the will to continue.

She glared at Suho with venomous resentment.

["Do you realize you've all but killed me twice?"]

'Let me ask you one thing.'

Suho cut her off and got straight to the point.

'Did you orchestrate the tragedy happening outside?'

["Ha. How absurd."]

Querehsha gave an incredulous laugh.

["I am a Monarch who died long ago. All I can do is wander the world of nothingness. What exactly do you think I could have orchestrated?"]

'The queen bee Arsha. And Lee Minsung.'

["Who are they?"]

'You don't know either of them?'

Suho's expression turned peculiar. Querehsha looked bored, as though she could not care less.

[The King of Beasts, the Monarch of Fangs, explains that a dead Monarch cannot exert any influence on the real world without a shaman.]

It was just as Rakan said. A dead Monarch could do nothing.

Even Rakan normally lay dormant in the world of nothingness, consciousness and all. Only when Suho did something related to Rakan could the Monarch awaken and watch the outside world, through a channel called a "dream."

The same was true of Querehsha.

'This is ridiculous.'

The way Suho regarded Querehsha changed slightly. Outside, Arsha and Lee Minsung were sacrificing countless lives in hopes of inheriting her power, yet Querehsha herself knew nothing about it.

["I think I understand the situation."]

Querehsha snorted. Then she gathered insects from the ground to form a chair and sat down, crossing her legs.

["There have always been insects coveting my power. Even after I became a Monarch, their vicious struggles never ceased."]

Before he knew it, Querehsha had regained the haughty bearing of a queen she had displayed upon first appearing. She recalled the fierce struggles of her life.

["I was the one sovereign who survived those brutal struggles to reign supreme. Yet at the same time, I was prey that could be devoured at any moment."]

A brutal world of eating and being eaten. That was the world of insects.

["In other words, any insect that eats me can become a Monarch."]

'Then the ones outside performing rites to succeed you...'

["Must intend to summon my vengeful spirit, however briefly, and tear into it."]

The corners of Querehsha's mouth curled into a mischievous grin. Yet there was something weary about it.

["They do not serve me. They're nothing but ravenous creatures who want to swallow me whole. Just as you were doing until a moment ago."]

Feeling a little awkward at that, Suho considered his words before speaking.

'You didn't taste very good.'

["Why, you...!"]

Querehsha's temper flared, and her hands tightened into fists on the chair's armrests. But then she let out a short laugh and leaned back with a self-deprecating expression.

["Yes, well... If I must be eaten by someone, it's only natural that it should be the one who killed me. Had your father been an insect, he would have inherited all my power long ago."]

He had been unable to do so because Sung Jinwoo was a human, not an insect. The same applied to his son, Suho.

["No matter how many of my insects you've eaten here, you can never become the Monarch of Insects either. You simply do not meet the qualifications."]

'So I end up as a shaman instead.'

["Hmph. I had no intention of giving you even that. Why would I do you any favors? But... since you've already usurped the office, I would appreciate it if you found a suitable successor to inherit my power."]

'And what's so appealing about you that I'd do you a favor?'

["Am I not rather appealing by human standards?"]

At Suho's retort, Querehsha showed off the female form she had assumed.

'Enough jokes. So what can the Shaman of Insects do? For reference, as the Shaman of Beasts, I can let this successor possess my body.'

["Arwoof?"]

Suho held the small, adorable Gray up in one hand to show her. Querehsha clicked her tongue.

["Poor Rakan. To have such a pathetic little pup as a successor."]

[The King of Beasts, the Monarch of Fangs, bristles with—]

Suho casually ignored Rakan's message and looked at Gray.

[Gray Lv.14]

Fang Wolf

Still, thanks to all his hard work hunting insects today, Gray's level had doubled in a single day.

'I'm jealous.'

["Arwoof?"]

Suho, meanwhile, was now level 29. Naturally, the higher his level became, the more experience he needed to level up.

Considering that, gaining a level in such a short time was impressive enough. And with time frozen in the real world, he had effectively grown stronger in less than a second.

Querehsha regarded Gray as utterly insignificant, yet she also seemed envious.

["Still, I do envy Rakan. To have found a successor among his own bloodline. I have no suitable successor, so Spirit Possession is impossible."]

'What? So being the Shaman of Insects is worthless.'

["But you can do something else instead."]

As soon as Querehsha finished speaking, a message window opened before Suho.

DING!

[Your quest completion reward has arrived.]

[The following reward is available.]

Reward: 'Blessing: Blessing of Plagues'

[Blessing: Blessing of Plagues]

The blessing of the Queen of Insects, the Monarch of Plagues.

Querehsha, the Monarch of Plagues, has chosen you as the queen's shaman (Shaman).

The shaman can imbue their body with deadly poison.

-Effect 'Poison Arts': You can freely manipulate poisons you have ingested.

'Oh?'

Suho's eyes lit up. It was a blessing worthy of the Monarch of Plagues.

Until now, Kandiaru's Blessing had made him immune to all poisons. Now he had gone beyond immunity and gained the ability to manipulate those poisons at will.

["Hehe. Rejoice as much as you like. From now on, you are a walking plague."]

Querehsha folded her arms triumphantly and proclaimed with confidence,

["Well? It will be far more useful than letting a little pup like that possess your body."]

* * *

Meanwhile, above Lim Taegyu and Baek Miho, who had now ventured deeper into the hive...

BZZZZZZ!

All the clouds in the sky turned into swarms of bees and descended upon them.

"Ugh. These things are a pain to deal with."

Baek Miho looked dismayed.

As a close-quarters fighter, all she could do against such vast numbers of tiny monsters was endure their attacks with her body, drawing on her mana to bolster her defenses.

But Lim Taegyu was even more dismayed. S-rank hunter or not, he was an archer. Most of his skills were related to archery, and even the new skills he had learned from expensive Rune Stones only increased his agility and accuracy.

The problem was that, poisoned by royal jelly as he was, he could barely defend himself with mana the way Baek Miho could.

"Sorry, but I'll have to rely on you."

"Why did you even come along, then?"

"..."

At Baek Miho's reproach, Lim Taegyu ducked behind her, looking embarrassed.

Then his senses were assailed by a feeling of dread.

"W-wait. Those bees, don't tell me...!"

"What?"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

"...!"

At that moment, the bees at the head of the swarm began exploding on their own. As golden mist blanketed the area in the wake of the explosions, Lim Taegyu shouted urgently.

"Hold your breath! This mist might be the same kind of poison that got me!"

"...!"

Baek Miho hurriedly held her breath and covered her nose and mouth with her hand. If the mist poisoned her, she might become unable to use mana, just like Lim Taegyu.

'Wait. What about Hunter Sung Suho?!'

Suddenly remembering Suho, Baek Miho looked back. With even an A-rank hunter like herself and an S-rank hunter like Lim Taegyu struggling in this crisis, she was worried about the C-rank Suho.

But then...

'... Huh?!'

Baek Miho was horrified. When she turned around, she saw that far from holding his breath, Suho was taking the deepest breath he could.

"Huuuuup!"

"What are you...!"

Baek Miho tried to stop him, only to nearly inhale the poisonous mist herself. She hastily held her breath again.

At that moment, system messages appeared before Suho as a peculiar smile spread across his face.

[You have ingested 'Poison: Lee Minsung's Royal Jelly.']

[You can now manipulate 'Poison: Lee Minsung's Royal Jelly.']