As soon as I spotted the incoming swarm of red bees, I knew I had to act fast. After all, my perception of hatred always warns me of danger. Before the bees could attack me, I quickly constructed an improvised trap made of stones and sticky earth, hanging from a tree branch. As they began to fall into it, I focused on my "Percentage Chance" skill, which at that moment showed a 50% chance of success.
I decided to take the risk, grabbing my short sword, Crusher, and cutting the trap's rope. With its weight crashing down on the swarm of bees, I began to attack. Blow after blow, death after death, I fought with determination. The blood of those bees flowed abundantly, but thanks to my "Percentage Resistance to Poison," I avoided paralysis. My "Lucky Adaptation" skill also played its part, helping me adapt to the situation.
After eliminating the threat, I rushed to the nearby river to cleanse myself of blood and stickiness. Immersing myself in the cool waters, I felt the blood flowing off me in liters, and every movement of the water caused my hair to stick from the remnants of the bee bodies. After emerging from the water, I carefully placed the collected cores and stingers in my bag and headed towards the nearby town.
Upon finally reaching the town, its moderate size struck me as entirely different from what I was accustomed to in my world. The architecture reminded me of medieval times, with sandstone cottages and delicate elements of magic visible at every step. At the town gate, I was stopped by a guard who explained that to earn money, I must undertake various physical tasks.
Impatient, I asked him where I could sell the cores and stingers of the bees I had collected earlier. He looked surprised but pointed to a square sandstone building, which was likely the place where I could make the transaction. Ignoring his expression, which clearly said "buzz off," I headed in that direction, lightly smiling to myself.
Upon reaching the building, which turned out to be the headquarters of the mercenaries' guild, I joined the queue, waiting for my turn. Without registering with the guild, I couldn't sell my loot, so I patiently filled out the registration form. I decided to use the pseudonym "Tranch Bler," and in the "Powers" section, I described my abilities as: perception, assessing chances, and average resistance to poisons.
However, I had no intention of revealing the true names of these skills, as they were too peculiar to disclose. I thought to myself, who would have time to check such details anyway? After completing the registration, I could finally sell my loot: cores and stingers of bees, for which I received 50 low-quality crystals.
Upon leaving the guild, I learned that the town operates on a crystal-based economy, with each crystal having its own value. Low-quality crystals are the lowest level of crystals used as currency in this world. Their value is relatively low but widely accepted in everyday transactions. The value of this crystal is equivalent to one point, and a medium-quality crystal is worth 100 times more than a low-quality crystal. Meanwhile, a high-quality crystal is worth a whopping 10,000 times more than a medium-quality crystal.
After leaving the guild, I decided to visit the tavern to rest after a day full of fighting and negotiations. I found a modest tavern where I rented a room for one night, paying 2 low-quality crystals. The entrance to the room was not inviting - it lacked comfort and elegance, but I had no other choice.
I laid my sword, Crusher, by my side and lay down on the bed.