Chapter 149
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 149
Chapter Title: The Bond of Plants
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A spectacular scene unfolded at the 2nd Integrated Server Auction.
It wasn't just the players who were left speechless by the one-man show of Honeybee, with his giant honeybee avatar, single-handedly dominating the majority of purchases and sales.
- Who the hell is that human? How is he making more than what the Transcendent Beings listed?
- That's not the problem. That crazy honeybee bastard. He's monopolizing most of the items in the auction house!
- Insane... Which server is he from, anyway?
- I heard he's from Korea. The one in charge there is Riggle, right?
- Huh? He's just a 1-star pet. But to have a jackpot like that land in his lap... He's going to be raking it in.
The pets, who could be called representatives of each server, were in charge of managing the commercialized dimensions.
To them, the auction house was an important environment for recovering Coins and improving the quality of players.
Naturally, the pets observing the situation as the auction opened sent envious glances, but only for a moment.
Was it because they, too, were beings with egos?
- It's only possible because, unlike the Transcendent Beings, he isn't restricted by the power of ■■■. If it weren't for that issue, he'd just be a lowly creature who wouldn't even stand a chance.
- W-well, that's true. I heard some of the Transcendent Beings are already gunning for him.
- Acting up like that, it wouldn't be strange if he dropped dead at any moment.
Envy and jealousy emanated from the 2-star pets, who had ranks of two or more characters, and even the 3-star pets.
It was understandable. A 1-star pet, whom they considered inferior, had achieved such a feat.
The resources permitted within his server.
Who could look favorably upon someone with fewer resources and less authority than them succeeding so spectacularly?
Of course, it wasn't just envy and jealousy.
- ...That fool, Totogle. I knew he was an idiot, but he should know his place. How can you compare a mere human to the Transcendent Beings? Setting aside the issue of restrictions, how many cases have there been in all the dimensions of a lowly creature demonstrating this much? You could count them on one hand!
- Transcendent Beings gunning for someone in a commercialized dimension is a common occurrence. And if you look at it that way, you can't overlook the fact that there were also those who sought to protect them.
If things continued this way, Riggle's promotion to 2-star was a foregone conclusion, and with a bit of luck, he could even reach 3-star.
No, he could even become a 4-star or higher pet, placing him in the upper tiers.
It was incredibly foolish to look down on him just because his rank was currently low.
They felt just as displeased, but they subtly started siding with him, offering flattery.
- As expected of my seniors. You have a keen eye, don't you?
- Kehehe! This is just the basics. It's the kind of insight you get with experience, wouldn't you say?
- ...Shameless, sly bastards.
In the end, wherever social life was necessary, sucking up was always rampant.
* * * * *
Capital—one of the unchanging values for anyone who wasn't a barbarian.
Having a lot of money, which was important in both the old world and the new, meant that one could do a lot more.
And this was the result of using that money to slap the Transcendent Beings across the face with all his might on one of those stages, the auction house.
[Using Permanent Tourmaline (★★★★-).]
[Using Permanent Purification Stone (★★★★-).]
...
The territory, already expanded by the honeybees' diligent efforts.
With the number of residents also growing to ten thousand, Seong-hyeok never spared any expense when it came to convenience.
“A good environment is essential for satisfying labor, of course.”
Food, clothing, and shelter—the essential requirements for human life.
Within that context, the more permanent-type stones one had, the better, and their contributions were bound to be remarkable.
From the Ignition Stones used to start fires to the Tourmaline that supplied electricity.
And even the Purification Stones that cleansed contaminated water or poison.
Life had become much more prosperous with the addition of numerous items that inevitably had a close impact on daily living.
And was that all?
Seong-hyeok had invested over 400 million at this auction, and the winning bids for the various processed honey products he'd listed had earned him an additional 200 million from people around the world.
Naturally, the influence of the items he'd bought in bulk with that money on the apiary was beyond imagination.
[Installing Pasture of the Livestock God (★★★★+).]
Along with the ceaselessly ringing notifications, new facilities began to be installed one by one in the apiary.
The livestock pens that were part of the existing shelter were excellent, but they couldn't compare to a 'Transcendent-made' item.
The Pasture of the Livestock God was laden with various effects, including numerous growth bonuses and increased livestock product yields.
Besides, he had poured nearly 600 million into this; wouldn't it be disappointing if this was all there was?
[Beginning to raise Tamed Swift Wolf Pup (★★★★).]
[Installing the Chalice of Nirson (★★★★+).]
[Once a day. It fills with holy water imbued with sacred power.]
[Using Miraculous Flower Nutrient (★★★+).]
[The land infused with the nutrient begins to accelerate.]
...
A Swift Wolf that could be raised as a combat pet, and a chalice that produced holy water just by being installed.
And finally, the application of a nutrient that would be a great help in producing honey, the apiary's main source of income.
The construction of a diverse infrastructure that even a fairly successful shelter would lack.
Well, for an individual, this would be an incredible waste, but Seong-hyeok was never an 'individual' to begin with.
*Bzzzz~*
*Buzzzzzzz~*
Right at this moment, the honeybees, delighted by the new environment, flew over to Seong-hyeok and rubbed against him.
If he could just provide 1% of power to each of these little ones who had been with him from the beginning, their total power could increase by tens of millions of percent.
Furthermore, the honeybees weren't the only ones in Seong-hyeok's apiary.
*Creeak—creeeaaak—!*
[The World Tree of Prepion reacts to the energy of the Miraculous Flower Nutrient (★★★+).]
A tremor from the World Tree, which had established itself as a representative entity of the farm alongside the honeybees.
As a great tree of life, it too must have been affected by the nutrient injected into the ground!
But one must not forget.
The World Tree wasn't the only high-rank plant on the farm.
*Shuddddder—*
“I feel so... languid!”
[The Solar Flower blooms even larger in response to the energy of the Miraculous Flower Nutrient (★★★+).]
[The Multiplying Ginseng becomes deeply intoxicated by the energy of the Miraculous Flower Nutrient (★★★+).]
The Solar Flower and the Multiplying Ginseng.
Both were Treasure-grade items that, with effects like solar crops and various types of ginseng, exuded an influence comparable to the World Tree which had undergone its second growth.
Moreover, as beings that possessed a certain synergy, like the World Tree and the ginseng, the miracle brought about by the nutrient didn't end there.
[Special Condition, 'The Bond of Plants,' has been met. -> Satisfaction of 3 or more high-rank plant entities]
Like a string of sausages.
A single Hidden Piece whose conditions were met by using the nutrient.
"...This is huge."
Was this what it felt like to find a coin on the street?
The numerous derivative effects obtained from using a single item.
The blooming of fragrant flower buds within the farm was satisfying enough, but hadn't they said it's best to maximize one's gains?
“This is all thanks to you guys.”
*Buzzz~*
Thus spoke Seong-hyeok.
All this good fortune was entirely due to the diligent honeybees.
Seong-hyeok, a firm believer in the omnipotence of honeybees, wore a satisfied smile and immediately checked The Bond of Plants.
______________________________
[The Bond of Plants]
* Classification: Special Condition
* Area of Effect: All places where plants exist
* Effect: Photosynthesis efficiency slightly increases.
* Effect - Abundant Plant Reproduction (Passive): Pollen production increases.
* Effect - Tenacious Life Force (Passive): Flowers do not wilt easily, and total life force increases.
* Description: You have satisfied 3 or more extraordinary, high-rank beings. As long as this special condition exists, the probability of plants going extinct in the world will be significantly reduced.
______________________________
“Well now. The honeybees are going to love this.”
There were no special perks like stat bonuses, but the increase in plant germination speed and pollen was fantastic news for Seong-hyeok.
The honeybee population was already growing day by day.
Thanks to their diligent work ethic, they often had to travel far on expeditions because the number of flowers always felt insufficient, no matter how much the World Tree helped. If pollen became more abundant, even more plants could grow in the future.
In conclusion, in the long run, this could lead to increased honey production and the prosperity of the honeybees.
It could generate countless benefits.
Of course, there was just one thing.
The only downside, perhaps because it was a bond between 'plants,' was that it didn't apply to mushrooms, which belonged to the fungi kingdom.
“Well, it's still more than good enough.”
The fact that it didn't apply to mushrooms was just a minor flaw.
* Area of Effect: All places where plants exist
An insane influence, with its area of effect set to every space where plants existed.
For all he knew, as long as this special condition affecting all plants on Earth was active.
The symbiotic relationship between honeybees and flowers would last for a very long time.
Together with Seong-hyeok, the Honeybee Guardian, forever.
* * * * *
The advent of a bizarre new world.
With the appearance of monsters and the transformation of the environment, a significant number of Earth's native plants couldn't survive and had gone extinct.
But was this perhaps a way of cheering on the plants, life forms that bloomed steadfastly even in the harsh earth?
[The Bond of Plants is applied.]
[Nutrients obtained through photosynthesis have increased, and you have gained pollen and a tenacious life force.]
An additional effect was delivered to the plants that had been growing slowly but surely.
It gave them hope, like water quenching a parched throat, and once the plants had a taste of this life, they became even more unstoppable.
*Shudder-shudder-*
Just as humans breathe without being taught, in order to live.
The plants instinctively knew from the moment they sprouted how to efficiently use the nutrients they secured in all the right places.
In a way, it was a rather small amount of power.
But the countless varieties of plants used that power to achieve their own unique growth.
*Creeak—creeeaaak—!*
Flowers bloomed from their buds, and trees grew to immense sizes.
But while some plants bloomed in harmony with one another, there were also those that selfishly monopolized all the nutrients.
*Shuddddder—*
A single plant absorbed the nutrients from the surrounding vegetation, growing at a rapid pace.
[Conditions for evolution have been met.]
An adaptability befitting a world of survival of the fittest.
The creature evolved repeatedly, fitting for this bizarre new world, based on the nutrients it had absorbed.
But was this growing plant not satisfied with developing through photosynthesis alone?
*Creeaak—creeeaaak—!!!*
Its body gradually swelled, revealing wide leaves reminiscent of sharp teeth.
[The Disaster-class Boss Monster 'Predatory Venus Flytrap Kazax (★★★★★+)' and its clones have been born.]
[Predatory Venus Flytrap Kazax Lv. 50 (★★★★★+)] - Disaster-class Boss Monster
[Predatory Venus Flytrap Lv. 41 (★★★★★)] - Disaster-class Monster
[Predatory Venus Flytrap Lv. 40 (★★★★★)] - Disaster-class Monster
...
*Chomp! Chomp-chomp!*
Upon its birth, the creature's predatory nature took over as it greedily devoured the nearby monsters.
Unwittingly, a disaster born from the special condition 'The Bond of Plants' had just been created.