Chapter 1
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Prologue
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prologue.
-If bees become extinct, humanity will follow within four years.-
A hypothesis, part joke, part truth.
But this hypothesis, at least for humanity today, would never hold true.
Why, you ask?
Because…
[Would you like to place the Ruby Gem Queen Bee (★) into the Guardian's Extra-Large Acorn Beehive (★+)? YES / NO]
“Yes, I will.”
Honeybee Guardian, Yu Seong-hyeok.
For as long as he was alive and kicking, bees would never go extinct.
In this world, there are people who, once fixated on something, will pursue it to the ends of the earth.
Of course, most give up after a few days, their passion cooling as quickly as it flared.
But "most" implies the existence of a few rare exceptions.
Some of them remain engrossed for half a year, a year, or even five years. Others, until the day they die.
These are the ones commonly referred to as "oddballs."
And in that regard, Yu Seong-hyeok was unequivocally one of the latter.
“Ugh, they’re just creepy. Seong-hyeok, you really like them that much?”
“Wow. Don't you ever get tired of them? How can you always be looking at just them?”
“What a fanatic.”
It was no wonder; those who watched him from the sidelines could only shake their heads at his near-obsessive behavior.
Truth be told, the event that sparked Yu Seong-hyeok's fascination with bees was not a pleasant one.
A single bee that attacked him from a flower he had touched unknowingly as a child.
The first pain he had ever felt in his life.
And though it was not what Seong-hyeok intended, it was the first time he had taken a life.
That was the beginning.
The spark that ignited Seong-hyeok's peculiar curiosity.
From that day on, Seong-hyeok gathered as much information about bees as he possibly could.
He'd often hit a wall, having lost his parents in an accident and grown up in an orphanage, but as they say, a difficult path only fuels the desire to overcome it.
Seong-hyeok did his best to handle everything he could on his own.
To help the orphanage run smoothly, he did chores like cleaning and washing dishes even at a young age. In return, the director provided him with the bee-related books and materials he wanted. When he entered middle school, he even got a part-time job with the director's permission.
“Thank you for everything, Director.”
“I’ve also found a job for you, one that aligns with your interests. I know you’ll do great, Seong-hyeok.”
And so, several years passed.
Seong-hyeok turned 24, and even after leaving the familiar orphanage to live on his own, he never lost his interest in bees.
Some said that Seong-hyeok's interest would one day flicker out like a candle.
Bees weren't some profound philosophical topic; they were just one species. If he kept studying them with such fervor, they argued, he would eventually learn all there was to know.
Of course, Seong-hyeok hadn't completely ignored this possibility, but he decided not to think about it for now.
Stopping the race just because there’s a finish line.
To Seong-hyeok, that was simply incomprehensible.
“When that time comes, I’ll just find something else to obsess over.”
For now, all that mattered was dedicating himself to his current passion.
But was it as if someone had read his mind?
[A Transcendent Being recognizes this dimension.]
[The dimension is undergoing a system modification update. 1, 2, 3%...]
“...What is this?”
It was as if someone had scribbled in midair.
Text written in an unknown language.
It was a script he had never seen before, not English or French, yet for some reason, he could read it naturally.
At first, he thought he was hallucinating and rubbed his eyes, but the percentage in the text kept climbing.
“Hmm? Am I dreaming?”
If this was a dream, it was an utterly incomprehensible one.
But soon, as the percentage reached 100%, Seong-hyeok was able to understand the current situation.
[...100%, modification update complete. We wish you survival in the new world.]
[Please select a class. Time remaining: 1 hour]
※ Warning! A fatal penalty will be imposed if you do not select a class.
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[Notification]
※ The list of available classes is influenced by the deeds of your life thus far.
[Class List]
* Beekeeper (★)
* Alchemist (★)
* Mad Researcher (★★★★★) - Unique (3 candidates currently unchosen.)
* Honeybee Guardian (★★★★★) - Unique (1 candidate currently unchosen.)
※ Unique is a class that only one person per dimension can possess. / TIP - First come, first served.
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Reality had transformed into a game, all thanks to the intervention of a "Transcendent Being."
Honestly, because he was so obsessed with bees, Seong-hyeok had virtually no experience with games, but he could at least tell that the more stars a class had, the better.
Furthermore, of the four classes available, two of them—a full half—bore the "Unique" keyword, meaning only one could exist per dimension.
However, for Seong-hyeok, who had dedicated his 24 years to the singular path of bees, the choice was practically already made.
[Do you wish to select ‘Honeybee Guardian (★★★★★) - Unique’? YES / NO]
※ A class, once chosen, can never be changed, so please decide carefully.
“YES.”
[You have changed your class to ‘Honeybee Guardian (★★★★★) - Unique’.]
[Player Yu Seong-hyeok's record has been updated. Please check via the status window.]
A choice of class made without a shred of hesitation.
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[Yu Seong-hyeok]
* Age: 24
* Level: 1
* Class: Honeybee Guardian (★★★★★) - Unique
* Queen Bee Capacity: 0 / 1
* Coins: 0
* Skills: Dimensional Queen Bee Capture (Lv.1), Guardian's Beehive Crafting (Lv.1), Divine Beekeeping (Lv.1)
* Health: 200 Mana: 100
* Attack: 6 Defense: 3 Magic Resistance: 3
* Stat Points: 0
* Strength: 7 Agility: 16 Stamina: 20 Control: 12 Mentality: 10
[Class Specialization - Honeybee Guardian]
* Loved by Bees: Affinity with all bee species across all dimensions is maximized.
* Bee Venom Immunity: Grants complete immunity to all harmful poison effects related to bees.
* Bee Link: You can transmit your thoughts to your affiliated bees.
* Guardian's Vigor: Regardless of location, the egg-laying speed, hatching speed, and emergence process of your affiliated Queen Bees are doubled.
* Guardian's Aura: Your bees do not tire easily while working.
* ???
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“...Is this for real?”
Putting everything else aside, the only thing that caught Seong-hyeok's eye was "Dimensional Queen Bee Capture."
The thought that he could encounter new species of bees, if this game-like system was indeed real, filled Seong-hyeok with elation.
* * * * *
After choosing a class and checking the status window.
Seong-hyeok didn't hesitate to pinch his own cheek hard.
“Ouch! It definitely hurts, so I guess this isn’t a dream.”
Ordinarily, he would have wished for such a ridiculous disruption to his perfectly normal life to be just a dream.
After all, for someone like Seong-hyeok, who preferred to focus intensely on one thing, getting entangled in such nonsense was something he detested.
But life always presents offers one simply cannot refuse,
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[Dimensional Queen Bee Capture (Lv.1)]
* Type: Skill
* Mana Cost: 0
* Effect (Active): Captures a random type of Queen Bee between grades ‘★-’ and ‘★+’. (Cooldown: 20 days)
* Description: Captures a Queen Bee from various existing dimensions. As the level increases, the probability of capture failure decreases, and the grade of the captured Queen Bee increases.
※ On a failed capture, the cooldown is reduced to 24 hours.
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“A new species of bee from an entirely different dimension. This, I can't resist.”
For Seong-hyeok, who had dedicated his life solely to bees, meeting a new bee was like winning the lottery.
What was there to hesitate about?
The long 20-day cooldown and the possibility of failure were concerning, but that's precisely why Seong-hyeok used the skill without hesitation.
[Using skill, Dimensional Queen Bee Capture (Lv.1).]
[The Honeybee Guardian's net is cast across dimensions.]
[Capture successful! Would you like to add the Ruby Gem Queen Bee (★) to your capacity? YES / NO]
※ Selecting NO will result in a capture failure.
“Nice!”
Whether the probability of failure was low or luck was on his side, the capture was successful.
To the question asking if he wanted to register it, Seong-hyeok chose YES without a second thought.
[Ruby Gem Queen Bee (★) has been registered to Player Yu Seong-hyeok. Current Queen Bee Capacity: 1 / 1]
“A Ruby Gem Queen Bee. I've never heard of such a thing!”
Sure, new species of plants, animals, and insects were occasionally discovered on Earth, but what was important to Seong-hyeok was that this new species was a "bee."
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[Ruby Gem Queen Bee (★)]
* Has not yet found a home.
* Swarm Size: 0
* Growth Rate: 0%
* Egg-laying Speed: 2 per minute
* Hatching Speed: 8 hours
* Emergence Process: 18 hours
* Skills: Egg Laying (Lv.1), Queen's Pheromone (Lv.1), Stinger (Lv.2), Flight (Lv.2)
* Health: 85(+5) Mana: 25(+5)
* Attack: 6(+1) Defense: 2 Magic Resistance: 1
* Description: A ★-grade Ruby Gem Queen Bee that inhabits the dimension ‘Deltaria’. Unlike other bees, Ruby Gem Bees are characterized by their extremely fast hatching and emergence process. When placed in a beehive to begin laying eggs, you can obtain Ruby Gem Honey, which is exceptionally effective at boosting vitality.
※ This is a Queen Bee with a master. A portion of its stats will be enhanced according to the master's level.
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“Ooooh!”
Not just any honey, but Ruby Gem Honey!
As expected of Seong-hyeok, who was deeply immersed in bees, he had tried all kinds of honey from Earth, both Eastern and Western, but he could say with certainty that Ruby Gem Honey was a first.
It was only natural, since the Ruby Gem Queen Bee was a species that lived in an unheard-of dimension called ‘Deltaria’.
“This is no time to be standing around.”
A way to obtain new honey had presented itself.
But it's impossible to get honey with just one Queen Bee.
First, he needed to create a home where the Queen Bee could begin laying eggs in peace.
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[Guardian's Beehive Crafting (Lv.1)]
* Type: Skill
* Mana Cost: 80
* Effect (Active): Crafts a random type of beehive. (Cooldown: 3 days)
* Description: Consumes mana generated within the body to craft a beehive that helps a Queen Bee start a colony. As the level increases, you will be able to craft higher-grade beehives.
※ There is a certain probability of obtaining a sturdier and superior beehive engraved with the 'Guardian's' keyword.
※ By adding wood and honeycomb as additional materials besides mana, you can obtain a higher quality beehive.
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Fortunately, for that purpose, Seong-hyeok had the perfect class skill.