Passerby Villain In A Wizard World

Fortunately, they didn't seem to notice him, even though he was covered in honey. Strangely, Honeyfang Butterflies were insensitive to any kind of honey, whether it was local or infused with mana.

In fact, the honey produced by these creatures was called Mana Nectar, as it was extremely rich in mana and easier to absorb.

As Ian made sure he was properly hidden, he looked at the large nest on the cliff in front of him and marveled at the sight.

However, he found out that maybe, because they couldn't smell honey, there was heavy defense everywhere.

Just when he was entangled about whether to return and choose another swarm, a sudden heavy sound echoed through the nest, causing the entire area to become pitch quiet.

"Duhd, dudh."

Ian was sure that it was the sound of a heartbeat coming from the peak cavern, as it was quite loud.

"Swoosh!"

Suddenly, all the Honeyfang Butterflies around the nest became restless and flew away in groups. It was as if they had encountered a vicious threat.

Ian looked at the sudden commotion around him and felt creeped out. Fortunately, he had hidden himself quite deeply; otherwise, even if they couldn't smell him, he would have been found out.

"Dudh... Dudh... Dudh..."

The heavy heartbeat was regular and deafening, making him nervous. By the time he came out of his hiding place, there were no butterflies in the entire nest.

Except for the heavy beating sound and the increasing danger signals, Ian found nothing.

"What should I do?"

Ian looked at the empty nest and loads of unguarded honey within his grasp and thought of his next plan.

Although the risk was great, he thought that he could at least sweep one nest before the danger arrived.

"Shit... Let's do it."

If he wasted time thinking, it would be even more dangerous. So, he didn't care and began to climb the cliff towards the nearest nest as fast as he could.

"Dudh... Dudh... Dudh..."

The heavy heartbeat from the peak was getting louder and louder as the mana around the entire area began to churn.

Ian reined in his nervousness and climbed to the nest within minutes. After arriving at the nest, he saw hive after hive of Honeyfang filled with pupae.

Maybe because they sensed danger, they were squirming restlessly in their cocoons, making the scene even more eerie.

However, Ian didn't care and took out his blade, beginning to scrape everything in his sight filled with mana nectar. Because he was in a hurry, there was other debris mixed in it, but he didn't care.

Even a second wasted might bring him greater danger.

Just when Ian stuffed all the honey he had collected into his small bag inside his ring, the regular sound of the heartbeat began to fluctuate, as if whatever entity it was was about to wake up.

Ian had just taken out the smaller container filled with local honey he had brought when entering the forbidden area, prepared in case of emergencies. As he was about to empty it to collect more, an intense sense of danger struck him, sending a shiver down his spine.

So, without thinking much, he emptied the jar over his head, covering himself with the honey he had brought, and directly jumped from the top of the cliff.

Fortunately, his body was strong enough, and he didn't get injured. However, the dread and extreme danger he sensed were getting nearer and nearer.

"I hope it is a Honeyfang Butterfly."

Ian couldn't help but pray as the mana within a more than hundred-mile radius was already ricocheting violently. If it was any other monster or unknown existence, his little trick could do nothing. 

Fortunately, the entity at the peak of the cliff seemed only half awake when decided to run.

After escaping for a while, Ian finally returned to his path away from the violent mana fluctuation area.

'That was a close call.'

He couldn't help but praise his good luck. If he had been a minute late, he didn't know if whatever that entity was would have found him. Just from the aura, he felt that it must be hundreds of times stronger than him.

Just when Ian was thanking his fortune, a heavy gust of wind came behind him, followed by a loud flapping sound. However, this time, the sound wasn't from the thousands of butterflies but from a single entity.

'Damn it!'

Ian didn't dare to neglect, quickly found a narrow crevice in the mountain, and dived right into it. After that, he covered himself with bushes and whatever he could find, as there was no time to run.

"Wooosh!"

He had just hidden below the crevice when a heavy storm hit the place where he had been, swinging all the bushes aside.

Ian tightly grasped the cover above his head and looked through the small hole towards the sky when he saw an extremely large, colorful butterfly—far more beautiful than the others—with a large venomous fang flying overhead at extreme speed.

By the time he came to his senses, it was already out of sight. Fortunately, it didn't find him or even bother to scan the area.

"Damn! I was really lucky."

After seeing the Honeyfang Butterfly that was larger than a Griffin, he was sure that if it had found him, he would have been dead just by its gaze. It was terrifying to the extreme. He didn't even know what realm that creature belonged to.

'I need to hurry up.'

After finding that there was such a creature here, how could Ian have the guts to hang around? Fortunately, it flew in the opposite direction from where he was going.

After this incident, Ian didn't try to gain any further benefits and honestly retraced his steps. Since he was extremely careful this time, it took him double the time to return compared to before, but he arrived safely without incident.

When he climbed down the peak and emerged from the dark area, he saw his horse leisurely eating fodder.

'Fortunately, nothing happened to it.'

Ian thought; otherwise, he would have had a headache returning home.

So, he allowed the horse to eat for a while, arranged his things, and rode it away from the forbidden area at high speed. Although there were twists and turns, this journey was very fulfilling for him.