A Beekeeper in a Magical World

Watching the seven small creatures display their abilities before him, Hua Mi felt a sense of contentment but, deep within, a nagging sense of discord lingered.

Questions sprouted in his mind.

"Is this... truly reality?"

"Why am I farming in a forest?"

"Where do I come from?"

"And where did this vine, birthing seven flower spirits, come from?"

"How did I cultivate these flower spirits?"

As the questions piled up, clarity crept in gradually. The more he pondered, the more loopholes he discovered. Many seemingly logical aspects turned out to be disjointed.

Here he stood, like a floating weed, rootless, without an origin or an endpoint, aimlessly adrift.

"This doesn't seem right... What have I forgotten? I need to remember, and quickly."

Hua Mi felt trapped in a lightless, sealed space. The only way to uncover the truth was to shatter this blockade.

With a focused gaze, Hua Mi conjured a fragment in his mind. It seemed akin to an attempt he made not long ago to break through a barrier, mirroring his current situation. However, that previous attempt was an outward rush, from the exterior to the interior. Now, it was the reverse, an attempt to break out, from the inside to the outside. Nevertheless, the principle remained the same.

Almost instinctively, Hua Mi wielded his mental strength into a sharp blade, stabbing fiercely at the barrier before him, successfully creating an opening.

From there, it was simple—starting from this gap, he slashed with determination.

True light flooded in through the breach, while the dissipating mist in the forest swiftly regenerated.

The entire farmland before him was instantly engulfed in mist, yet the seven small creatures either didn't notice or deemed it routine, continuing to frolic within the swirling mist.

"Huayu Town, honey, bees, guardians of the Black Forest..."

Familiar words began to flood his mind one after another, gradually lifting the veil that had shrouded the truth.

Just then, the Orange Flower Spirit abruptly warned, "Stop playing! There's a monster approaching!"

The Orange Flower Spirit possessed far-reaching senses, able to detect disturbances from afar.

"Brother, quickly hide inside the wooden house! Wait for us to drive the monster away!"

Yet, Hua Mi didn't budge. Instead, his eyes scanned the surroundings, growing sharper by the moment—observing the fields, the wooden house, and every single tree.

While surveying the area, a group of demon bats had already arrived.

These beasts were about half the size of an adult, exceptionally agile despite their enlarged red flower spirits, which slowed their movements considerably.

Confronting these nimble aerial monsters without an advantage, Hua Mi promptly dispelled his enlarged form, reverting to his usual size. As the eldest among them, he led his six sisters to confront the swarm of bats within the mist.

Meanwhile, Hua Mi stood his ground, his gaze shifting from the farmland to the wooden house and then to the trees...

As he surveyed his surroundings, a swarm of demon bats arrived on the scene.

These monsters were about half the size of an adult, but their agility was unmatched. The enlarged flower spirits they possessed slowed their movements considerably.

Dealing with these agile flying beasts didn't favor him, so he decisively dispelled his enlarged form, reverting to his normal size. Taking on the role of the elder brother, he led his six sisters to engage the bats within the swirling mist.

Hua Mi remained stationary, his eyes scanning the area. "I'm not just a farmer living here... I'm a beekeeper from Huayu Town, the guardian of the Black Forest!"

Suddenly, his pupils flickered with a pale flame-like gleam.

The mist surrounding him vanished instantly, and the fog in his mind dissipated simultaneously.

He was completely lucid now.

"This isn't an illusion..." The flames in Hua Mi's pupils continued to burn, yet he didn't detect any sign of an illusion. Everything appeared utterly real, yet undeniably not reality.

"This is a dream."

Based on the information he gathered, Hua Mi made an initial assessment.

Releasing his mental power inward to probe himself, he sensed a peculiar detachment characteristic of dreams.

Resorting to the conventional method of pinching himself, he did so.

He felt pain, but it was markedly different from real-life pain—sharper but less intense.

He was dreaming, yet his mind remained as clear as it would in reality.

Ordinary dreams typically prompt individuals to awaken upon realizing they're dreaming, yet he showed no sign of breaking free from this dream.

All of this hinted that this dream wasn't ordinary.

It was likely sustained by a magical effect, making it resistant to easy collapse.

This also meant that besides himself, there should be an instigator of this dream.

The question was, who was the instigator?

What was their objective?

And a concern that troubled him greatly: what would happen if he died in this dream? Would it eject him back to reality, or would it bring forth some unfavorable consequence?

Hua Mi wasn't willing to take that risk.

Even if death here was inconsequential, becoming a vegetable or something of the sort was something he couldn't accept.

Looking up at the sky, the seven creatures within the dream battled the demon bats.

They exhibited their unique abilities, coordinated among themselves, weaving through the bats effortlessly, far more skilled than their real-world counterparts.

"These abilities are clearly modeled after the Seven Little Brothers..."

This deduction led to the realization that the events in this dream weren't entirely decided by the "instigator." It was improbable for the other party to construct a setting resembling the Seven Little Brothers. This was an expression of Hua Mi's own will.

"The other party probably didn't anticipate my mental strength, to directly see through this dream."

This gave him an advantage, a chance to strategize.

Amidst the combined assault of the seven sisters, the bats were either falling or fleeing, victory seemingly within reach.

Suddenly, one bat seized the moment when the seven sisters were distracted, finding a gap in their defense, lunging forward, breaching their line of defense, and diving towards Hua Mi.

"Brother!"

"Be careful!"

The seven sisters were too late to intervene, their cries of alarm ringing out.

Facing the monster's dive, Hua Mi instinctively attempted to summon his bees, but nothing happened. That's when he realized: in this dream, he had no magical tools, including his bees.

He had only himself to rely on.

Thankfully, his mental power and physique remained at their real-world levels.

And there was "Clairvoyance."

The bat was already swooping down towards Hua Mi.

With teeth dripping with slime and claws resembling dried branches, the bat was formidable, yet Hua Mi wasn't defenseless.

Eyes ablaze, he seized the moment, swinging his hoe down at the bat.

Bang!

"Squeak!!"

The bat screeched sharply upon impact. However, being a demon creature, ordinary farming tools weren't enough.

The wooden handle of the hoe snapped with a crisp sound, the energy of the swing not fully transferred to the bat.

Although it didn't kill the target, it inflicted some damage.

More importantly, it momentarily controlled the bat.

The bat briefly lost balance, providing Hua Mi with

an opportunity to counterattack.

Before the bat could regain its balance or reposition itself, the farmer swiftly reached out with two sinewy hands and firmly grabbed its legs.

The bat screeched, attempting to break free from his grasp, but darn it, this farmer possessed an astonishing amount of strength.

Flapping its wings vigorously, the bat couldn't budge his hands.

Feeling the struggling force transmitted through his hands, Hua Mi couldn't help but sneer.

Being somewhat strong was quite reasonable in this kind of setting, right?