Chapter 109
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Awakening the Hive
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Bzzzzz~
The bees’ bond, united by a powerful collective intelligence.
Seong-hyeok was well aware of how remarkably strong it was.
But even so, it seemed that those of the same species shared an even deeper connection.
It had to be true, because Dongchung-i had flown straight to Seong-hyeok’s hand.
Right to the space where the liquefied Cordyceps extract sat.
“...Did you come here because of this?”
Bzzz.
His Honeybee Link, an ability to share emotions that was limited to bees.
To others, it might have seemed like a rather useless class specialization.
But wasn't it said that nothing in this world was truly useless?
Bzzzzzz~
Dongchung-i understood his intent perfectly, conveying its response with a flutter of its wings.
As if it already knew the solution, the bee’s confident demeanor eased the worries that had been nagging Seong-hyeok.
“Alright, go ahead. I’ll trust you.”
It was only natural for a parent to trust their child.
[Peridot Cordyceps Legion Commander Bee (★★★★) uses Peridot Cordyceps Extract (★★★★).]
[The power of the Cordyceps Extract is applied.]
The moment Seong-hyeok gave his permission, Dongchung-i began to consume the Cordyceps.
While not as large as Deundeun-i or Teunteun-i, it was still bigger than the average bee, and it devoured the liquid at an unimaginable speed.
“It’s good to see you eat well.”
His satisfaction at Dongchung-i’s hearty appetite was brief.
A moment later, the notification he had been waiting for sounded in his ears.
[Target of consumption is a bee. Bee Awakening Agent is applied.]
[A special power will blossom, stimulating the bee from within.]
[An additional effect has manifested for the Peridot Cordyceps Legion Commander Bee's (★★★★) skill, Cordyceps's Poison Sac.]
The effect of the ‘Bee Awakening Agent,’ which activated when consumed by a bee.
A new power added to its existing skill.
The moment he confirmed it, Seong-hyeok understood what Dongchung-i had been thinking.
______________________________
[Cordyceps's Poison Sac (Lv.8)]
* Effect - Cordyceps Bee's Vitality (Passive): Due to its tenacious life force, you can harvest the Cordyceps mushroom growing on its body without the Peridot Cordyceps Legion Commander Bee having to die. A one-day waiting period is required for harvesting after the effect manifests. This effect can only be applied 4 times. Current applications: 0 / 4
* Effect - Matured Cordyceps's Nutrients (Passive): Activates upon the death of the Peridot Cordyceps Legion Commander Bee. A special mycelium absorbs the nutrients from the corpse, causing a Matured Cordyceps to bloom.
______________________________
New, enhanced passive effects had been added.
Although it had the drawback of being applicable only four times per bee, compared to obtaining just one mushroom at a time, this effect was truly astonishing.
“...This means I can cultivate Cordyceps myself, doesn’t it?”
The advantage was clear: by consuming one Peridot Cordyceps, he could definitively obtain four more over four days from a single Dongchung-i.
On top of that, a Dongchung-i that had been enhanced by the Bee Awakening Agent would yield not just a regular Cordyceps upon its eventual death, but a ‘Matured Cordyceps.’
Given that even consumables like honey tea had different effects based on their grade, a ‘Matured’ version would undoubtedly boast a much greater effect than the original.
“Dad always believed in you, Dongchung-i!”
Bzzzzzz~
A bee that always had a thorough plan.
Dongchung-i wiggled its rear, the mushroom on its back now even larger than before.
* * * * *
Seong-hyeok’s apiary was home to a vast number of bee species, spanning a wide variety of types.
Some might think that the most important product one could get from bees was honey, but that was only half the story.
Bzzzzz~
Sqt— Squeeeze—
Bee venom, a defense mechanism for the bees.
Thanks to the bees, who understood Seong-hyeok’s wishes perfectly through Honeybee Link and squeezed out as much venom as they could without hindering their self-recovery, he always had a large supply. The synergy between this abundant venom and Seong-hyeok’s innate Mad Researcher's Karma was beyond imagination.
“...Sometimes, it feels like you have more talent for traps than I do, hyung-nim.”
“You think so?”
Seong-hyeok's crafting knowledge was enough to make even Cheon-su, a trapper, shake his head in amazement.
Starting with the most basic venom grenades, he now mixed the venom with juice extracted from poisonous mushrooms to create liquid toxins, which he applied to arrowheads or loaded into artillery shells.
Thanks to this one substance, Seong-hyeok's apiary was on the verge of becoming a shelter armed with natural biochemical weapons!
And was that all?
The multifaceted charm of the bees was unique.
The list of products the bees could create grew daily, depending on the species.
Among them, the one that pleased Seong-hyeok the most was, of course, the Cordyceps.
Bzzzzz~
One Cordyceps, obtained through the sacrifice of a single Dongchung-i.
But now.
That single mushroom was being passed around among all the Dongchung-i in the farm, creating a perpetual cycle that produced Cordyceps without any need for sacrifice.
Furthermore, having a surplus meant he no longer had to hesitate in using them.
Naturally, Seong-hyeok did not use them frivolously.
“Thank you, Dongchung-i.”
This was all the result of the first Dongchung-i’s sacrifice, something he must never forget.
[A special power will blossom, stimulating the bee from within.]
[An additional effect has manifested for the Imperial Topaz Architect Legion Commander Bee's (★★★★+) skill, Wild Hive Construction.]
[An additional effect has manifested for the Ruby Gem Dark Lilyzer Legion Commander Bee's (★★★★) skill, Black Magic - Undead.]
[An additional effect has manifested for the Diamond Geumgang Colossus Legion Commander Bee's (★★★★+) skill, Geumgang Colossus.]
…….
As time passed, the now-abundant Cordyceps were distributed to the other elite bees.
______________________________
[Wild Hive Construction (Lv.7)]
* Effect - Thick Wild Hive (Passive): Constructs a thicker and sturdier wild hive. The amount of wild honey collected increases slightly.
[Black Magic - Undead (Lv.13)]
* Effect - Superior Insight (Passive): The maximum number of controllable undead units increases by 100.
[Geumgang Colossus (Lv.8)]
…….
______________________________
Enjoying the effects of the Bee Awakening Agent, each of them manifested the additional effects latent in their skills.
Bzzz~
Bzzzzzzzz—!
The awakening of the elite bees, who were already performing spectacularly on the farm compared to the ordinary worker bees.
The resulting changes were bound to have a massive, well-rounded impact on all fronts, from combat to production!
But Seong-hyeok knew that the bees’ infinite potential didn’t end here.
“Are you ready, my Queens?”
Bzzzz~
At Seong-hyeok's call, the true cornerstones of the apiary, the veterans who had laid its very foundation, emerged one by one from their hives.
It would be unthinkable not to give Cordyceps to the Queens who had started from humble beginnings to create this grand world of bees.
[A special power will blossom, stimulating the bee from within.]
A single Cordyceps invested in each Queen soon triggered an awakening effect in every one of them.
[An additional effect has manifested for the Ruby Gem Queen Bee's (★★★★+) skill, Spawning.]
[An additional effect has manifested for the Peridot Queen Bee's (★★★★+) skill, Spawning.]
[An additional effect has manifested for the Imperial Topaz Queen Bee's (★★★★★) skill, Spawning…….
“As expected. For you Queens, this is the best, isn’t it?”
Was it true that the classics are classics for a reason?
The awakening of all five Queens was focused on one thing: Spawning.
With the awakening of the power that strengthened the bee legion in the simplest yet most effective way, Seong-hyeok’s apiary, as always, moved forward.
“I’m counting on you all from now on.”
Bzzzzzz~
They would carry out their duties.
* * * * *
The enhancement of the five Queens’ Spawning skill.
While the skill enhancements of the elite bees, each with their distinct characteristics, were certainly appealing, what satisfied Seong-hyeok the most was already decided.
______________________________
[Spawning (Lv.28)]
* Effect - Fast Spawning (Passive): Spawning speed increases slightly.
* Effect - Two Eggs (Passive): At a low probability, spawns two eggs at once.
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“The cornerstone of a healthy apiary is, of course, its workers.”
The greatest strength of the bees, no matter what, was their numbers.
Just as the saying goes that quantity has a quality all its own, the results of applying the ‘Fast Spawning’ and ‘Two Eggs’ effects, unlocked through the Bee Awakening Agent, were astonishing.
Bzzzzzzzz~
Bzzzzzz~
The increased number of bees led to an acceleration in honey collection, territory expansion, and more.
It was a situation that doubled the benefits in every aspect that formed the foundation of the bees' power.
Moreover, the passive effects added to the Queen Bees’ Spawning were a perfect match for Seong-hyeok’s Honeybee Guardian class specialization.
[The Honeybee Guardian's class specialization, Guardian's Reliability, is activated.]
[Ruby Gem Queen Bee's (★★★★) spawning speed is doubled.]
[Diamond Geumgang Queen Bee's (★★★★★) spawning speed is doubled.]
…….
Need I say more?
Guardian's Reliability, the Honeybee Guardian’s top-tier class specialization.
A powerful effect that accelerated spawning speed, hatching, and emergence processes by a factor of two.
When this met ‘Fast Spawning’ and ‘Two Eggs,’ the efficiency skyrocketed to more than double.
Wriggle~ Wriggle~
Bzzzzzzzz—
The emergence of the bees, who grew from larvae to adults in the blink of an eye with each passing day.
With the beautiful afterglow of life's birth, the diligent workers got to their tasks, making the farm ever more prosperous. And in step with these bees, not only Seong-hyeok, but all the various residents of the apiary diligently carried out their own duties.
“Let’s start another fulfilling day.”
“Khahat! Bees, I’ll forge you some kick-ass armor!”
The roles of the humans, who made up the largest portion of the residents and held various jobs.
They had become indispensable to the apiary.
Of course, this didn't mean that the power of the few was weaker than that of the many.
One only had to look at the Forest Species currently active on the farm to know that.
Fw-fw-fw-fwt—!
“Squeak! Squeak!”
“Squeeak!”
From the Digs, the workers of the earth who tilled the soil evenly to facilitate the smooth growth and expansion of crops and plants.
“My companion, I have crafted a new hive.”
“All the collected honey and venom have been stored in the warehouse.”
“My friends! Stay behind me!”
“Forest's Consecration!”
To the Poison Elves, capable of hive construction and skilled in beekeeping, and the Holy Elves, who boasted overwhelming combat power specializing in defense and buffs.
Above all, true to their fearsome title as ‘Disaster-class Monsters’ that appeared with Chapter #3, the impact each of them had on the farm was too great to put into words!
That was why he was constantly monitoring the Asian server's community boards through Jeongrichung, searching for additional Disaster-class monsters like the Elves.
[Monster discovered!]
[Monster discovered!]
[Monster discovered!]
…….
The scout bees reported the discovery of a monster horde.
It was a common occurrence for monsters to approach the apiary in groups, but the ones coming this time were not to be taken lightly.
[Flower High Elf Rayleese Lv. 48 (★★★★★+)] - Disaster-class Boss Monster
[Flower Elf Lv. 42 (★★★★★)] - Disaster-class Monster X 8
“Alright, everyone. Time to greet our guests.”
Bzzz~
Bzzzzzz~
A new Forest Species, elite residents who were also Disaster-class monsters.
It seemed that this time, the World Tree's call had been one step faster than his intel team.