1.1.13 – Don’t Go Chasing Glimmerwasp

It was a good thing I made sure there was a fire break between when I lit the fire at the entrance and the rest of the trees. If the trees in this area caught fire, I would have literally cooked myself alive being stuck in this giant pit as it was not easy to climb out. Especially if the trees I was using caught fire.

I could smell the smoke and feel the heat as I approached the cave entrance. The faint smell of burnt chitin and chemical sweetness also lingered in the air. One of the wasps probably fell into the fire after I zapped it.

There were 12 wasps total from this nest. The alpha wasp’s body popped like an angry pimple and there was at least one wasp that fell into the fire based on the smell so that left me with a maximum of 10.

The fire was dying down as the cave entrance came into view. There was still some smoke coming from the pile but it was clear enough for me to make out the bodies of the wasps collapsed by the cave entrance.

I quickly did a tally of how many were still in harvestable condition. In the end, there were actually two wasps that fell into the fire, and one where I hit the abdomen instead of the head. Eight wasps total, with maybe three to four ounces of nectar each, looking at the larger bodies of the wasps from this nest.

Not bad for a few day’s work. I gave the wasps with the intact bodies another zap on the head for good measure. Always remember rule number two, Double Tap. Thank goodness I did not need to do cardio with my Nature’s Constitution soul mutation.

I went about absorbing all eight cores from the wasps before they had dissipated.

I let the notifications from the Weave appear with a thought.

[Electro Perception leveled up 6 -> 7]

[You have increased your Mana Core Capacity by 700]

[You have leveled up 13 -> 15]

[Lightning Bolt leveled up 2 -> 3]

[You have increased your Mana Core Capacity by 600]

[You have leveled up 15 -> 16]

[Lightning Infusion leveled up 1 -> 2]

[You have increased your Mana Core Capacity by 200]

[You have absorbed an Orange Core. You have increased your Mana Core Capacity by 48]

[You have absorbed an Orange Core. You have increased your Mana Core Capacity by 53]

[You have absorbed an Orange Core. You have increased your Mana Core Capacity by 49]

[You have absorbed an Orange Core. You have increased your Mana Core Capacity by 54]

[You have leveled up 16 -> 17]

[You have absorbed an Orange Core. You have increased your Mana Core Capacity by 55]

[You have absorbed an Orange Core. You have increased your Mana Core Capacity by 61]

[You have absorbed an Orange Core. You have increased your Mana Core Capacity by 56]

[You have absorbed an Orange Core. You have increased your Mana Core Capacity by 42]

It seemed like the point about deterioration of cores was true, as I received less core capacity from these wasps than those I had killed and absorbed immediately. The cores from the wasps falling into the fire were probably too damaged as I could not feel anything from them.

This was quite a bit of progress from the spells, as well as all the cores I absorbed. The spells probably leveled up based on how much I pushed myself from the extended skirmish. I was probably taking an unusual amount of risk as other adventurer groups probably worked together to take down one or two beasts of the same grade at a time.

I also had my lightning affinity to thank as lightning spells were unusually lethal, at least against organic targets. No wonder the royal family made military service for lightning affinity mages mandatory. I pulled up my status through the Weave and could not help but let out a low whistle.

Three more levels till I see what the threshold for yellow is, though I had a sinking feeling in my stomach it was going to be the same 5x multiplier in requirements.

I dismissed it and got to work, there were eight sacs to harvest and I was not the most proficient in using my knife. I started the painful process of cutting through the chitin and locating the sac to extract the nectar.

It was not difficult but it was tedious to extract the nectar. I did not have a watch but I estimated it was close to two hours before I was done. It was already beginning to get dark and I did not want to find out what beasts roam these forests after sunset.

I climbed out of the karst with a heavy leather pouch slung around my shoulders. I made my way out of the Greywoods as the late afternoon sun was shining through the forest canopy. The weather was starting to cool, as the summer heat that used to linger even till after dark was replaced by that cool autumn air.