Chapter 15
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: The Lich's Folly
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WEEEEEEEEEEENNNG---!!!
BUZZZZZZZZZ--!!!
But there was no room for complacency yet.
Even after killing most of the enemy forces and dealing with the elite Flash Golems, the most dangerous foe—the field boss—was still alive.
To ensure the bees who had fought to the death hadn't died in vain, Seong-hyeok had to eliminate the lich, the source of the undead.
And yet, for some reason?
Despite having lost his entire army, a truly perilous situation.
The lich surveyed his surroundings with a relaxed expression.
“Kekeke, thank you. Thanks to you, I've acquired many new test subjects.”
“...”
The word 'test subjects'.
Seong-hyeok gritted his teeth as if he'd expected what was coming next.
“All death shall become my strength, my army! Arise!”
Shudderrrrrr-
WEEEEEEEEEEENNNG--- WIIIIIIIII-
[Ruby Gem Worker Bee Zombie (★-)]
[Ruby Gem Worker Bee Zombie (★-)]
[Ruby Gem Scout Bee Zombie (★)]
...
The necromancer's formidable power.
It was the ability to create an endless army from death itself.
This meant the corpses of the countless bees who had died using their stingers could be recycled into Belmorne's forces.
“I will grant you the despair of being killed by your own kin!”
The fate of the bees, sacrificed for their hive, only to be exploited even in death.
It was a sufficiently threatening situation, but neither the bees nor Seong-hyeok were worried at all.
Why, you ask?
Hadn't it been mentioned before?
That Seong-hyeok had 'expected' Belmorne to do this.
To be blunt, raising the bees' corpses as undead was the worst possible move Belmorne could have made.
“You-you creatures! Where are you looking!”
WEEEEEEEEEEENNNG---!!!
[The Honeybee Guardian's class specialization, Beloved by Bees, is activated.]
[Ruby Gem Worker Bee Zombie (★-) feels boundless goodwill toward you.]
[Ruby Gem Scout Bee Zombie (★) feels boundless goodwill toward you.]
[Ruby Gem Honey Pot Bee Zombie (★) feels boundless goodwill toward you.]
...
* Beloved by Bees: Your affinity with all species of bees across all dimensions is maximized.
Beloved by Bees, one of Seong-hyeok's Honeybee Guardian class specializations.
A power that maximized his affinity with all bee species across all dimensions.
Naturally, this included the bees that had become undead.
In other words, the undead Belmorne had raised were not there to protect him.
[They express extreme hostility toward the being who is hostile to you.]
Quite the opposite—they were undead that threatened their caster, Belmorne, in order to protect 'Seong-hyeok'.
With lifeless, eerie eyes flashing, the bee zombies' hostility focused on a single point.
“Y-you stupid insects! Your enemy isn't me, it's them!”
Missing heads, spilling guts, their stingers lost.
Reborn as undead, the bees remembered only one thing: their duty to protect Seong-hyeok and their hive.
And so, even as their bodies were crushed and shattered into pieces, they furiously slammed themselves against Belmorne.
In truth, the power of one or two bees was negligible.
Their levels and star ratings were pitifully low, and unlike skeletons, the lich Belmorne's defenses were surely several times tougher.
However, Belmorne had used his full power to raise a vast number of zombie bees.
Ironically, this led to a result where Belmorne met his end at the hands of the very undead he had summoned.
“My... my research is not yet complete! This... this cannot be...”
[You have hunted the field boss monster, Lich Belmorne Lv. 19 (★★★-). You have acquired experience, 27,600 coins, a ★★★- Item Draw Ticket, and Lich Belmorne's Dark Essence (★★★-).]
[You have leveled up. You have gained 5 stat points.]
[You have leveled up. You have gained 5 stat points.]
[You have leveled up. You have gained 5 stat points.]
...
[You have met the conditions for skill acquisition. -> Lv. 18, experience creating or using processed propolis products]
[You have learned the skill, Guardian's Propolis Processing.]
[You have met the conditions for skill acquisition. -> Lv. 20]
[You have learned the skill, Guardian's Venom Processing.]
[You have met the specific awakening conditions. -> Lv. 20]
[You have learned the skill, Bee Venom Acupuncture.]
[You have met the specific awakening conditions. -> Lv. 20]
[The Honeybee Guardian's Retinue Power has strengthened. The number of queen bees you can possess has increased by 1.]
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[Guardian's Propolis Processing (Lv.1)]
* Classification: Skill
* Mana Cost: 20
* Required Materials: Propolis
* Effect (Active): Use propolis to create processed propolis-related products. (No cooldown)
* Description: Consumes propolis and the caster's mana to create processed propolis-related products. As the level increases, you can obtain a wider variety of higher-grade finished products.
※ There is a chance to obtain a processed product with the 'Guardian's' keyword.
[Guardian's Venom Processing (Lv.1)]
* Classification: Skill
* Mana Cost: 10
* Required Materials: Bee Venom
* Effect (Active): Utilize bee stingers or venom to create processed venom-related products. (No cooldown)
* Effect (Passive): Enables the collection of venom through bee stingers and ovipositors.
* Description: Consumes bee stingers or collected venom and the caster's mana to create processed venom-related products. Also enables the collection of venom through bee stingers and ovipositors. As the level increases, you can obtain a wider variety of higher-grade finished products.
※ There is a chance to obtain a processed product with the 'Guardian's' keyword.
[Bee Venom Acupuncture (Lv.1)]
※ Can only be used when equipped with a needle or bladed weapon.
* Classification: Skill
* Mana Cost: 0
* Effect (Passive): Allows you to see a living creature's pressure points.
* Description: By identifying an opponent's pressure points, you can inflict fatal damage or grant beneficial effects. As the level increases, you can identify more and deeper pressure points and gain various additional effects.
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Was it because, no matter how numerous the bees were, Seong-hyeok was the one controlling them all?
A level 19 field boss.
By monopolizing all the experience from Belmorne, a formidable 3-star (★★★-) boss, Seong-hyeok's level instantly shot up to 20.
While he was pleased to have secured so much loot and the corresponding skills, Seong-hyeok couldn't bring himself to smile.
With the death of the necromancer Belmorne, the undead bees had reverted to mere corpses.
A wave of bitterness washed over him as he gazed at the bodies of the creatures he considered his children, scattered across the ground.
“...Dad will remember you.”
The profound devotion of the bees, who had thought of their dad even in death.
Whether it was the effect of his class specialization or not, Seong-hyeok didn't care.
“Let's go, everyone. Time is short if we're to rebuild what's been broken.”
Wiiiing- Wiiiing-
The deaths of the bees who had sacrificed themselves for the colony.
To ensure their sacrifice was not in vain.
Seong-hyeok pushed past his grief and, as always, prepared to resume his beekeeping.
* * * * *
- Hah. Did I send someone too strong to deal with this honey-sucker?
The being who had extended its control over Belmorne.
Honestly, Riggle had expected Seong-hyeok to fall before such a powerful adversary.
And for good reason. Lich Belmorne was one of the top three most powerful field bosses to have appeared on the Korean server.
His destructive power, capable of not just fighting but self-producing elite monsters, could easily crush a moderately powerful shelter.
And he was a necromancer, to begin with.
A lich, a being whose class utilized death as its own power, was perfectly suited for this chaotic world.
But the clash between Lich Belmorne and Seong-hyeok had unfolded in a way even Riggle hadn't anticipated.
- Oh? What's this? This guy's a pretty decent product.
Who would have thought he'd turn the necromancer's power of death against him?
Moreover, judging by his calm demeanor, it was clearly not just a lucky break.
It was a calculated improvisation, fully anticipated and intentionally provoked.
- A guy like this is worth raising.
Bestowing a trial, and then rewarding its conquest—that was the proper way to elevate a pet's status.
After a moment's thought, Riggle drew upon his authority and exerted his influence on the player, Yu Seong-hyeok.
[For one time only, when using an item or skill with a ★★★- rating or higher effect, the target player's luck will be raised to MAX.]
A perfect example of giving the disease and then the cure, treating life as a trivial game.
But no one could argue with the pet of a Transcendent Being.
Have you ever seen livestock question a person who stops short of slaughtering them to offer food instead?
No, in fact, the difference in the 'class' of existence between a Transcendent Being's pet and a human was arguably even greater than that.
- Well, anyway, use this to get a good item from the draw ticket. I'll look forward to your future growth.
The ★★★- Item Draw Ticket he would have gotten from killing Lich Belmorne.
Riggle prayed that the most suitable item for the guy would appear from it.
But could Riggle have ever imagined?
The Honeybee Guardian, Yu Seong-hyeok.
While ordinary players would have used the item draw ticket first, Seong-hyeok, as a beekeeper, prioritized the restoration of nature—a decision that would soon snowball into something immense.
* * * * *
As always, nature was truly a mysterious thing.
The undead, beings of corruption.
As if their rampage had never happened, their corpses became fertilizer for the earth, restoring the damaged soil.
Wiiiing- Wiiiing-
WEEEEEEEEENNNG---
And there were creatures who contributed greatly to this natural recovery.
They were the bees, small but diligent workers.
The scout bees, boasting the swiftest movements, flew ahead to find clusters of flowers and natural vegetation, and then the worker bees and honey pot bees would set out to collect from them.
Flitting between various flowers, they collected nectar and transferred pollen, fulfilling their duty as pollinators, and slowly, countless flower buds began to bloom once more in nature.
If anyone had witnessed it, could they have helped but marvel at this beautiful rebirth of nature?
“Whew...”
And just as the bees diligently tended to nature and gathered honey, Seong-hyeok was anything but idle.
Harvesting honey, the alpha and omega of beekeeping, was a given.
He also created processed goods from the harvested byproducts using his human knowledge, and whenever the cooldown was up, he constantly crafted beehives, the homes for his bees.
Truly, it was a situation that kept one man incredibly busy.
“Another refreshing day.”
But even as sweat poured down his face, a smile never left Seong-hyeok's lips.
The natural environment was recovering rapidly with each passing day, and his diligent work brought fulfilling results.
Furthermore, as the 20th day approached, Seong-hyeok sensed that the time had finally come.
What time, you ask?
Isn't it obvious?
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[Dimensional Queen Bee Capture (Lv.3)]
* Classification: Skill
* Mana Cost: 0
* Effect (Active): Captures a random type of queen bee with a rating from '★-' to '★★★+'. (20-day cooldown)
...
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Dimensional Queen Bee Capture, with its long 20-day cooldown.
It went without saying, but to bees, the value of a queen bee was incomparable to tens or even hundreds of thousands of worker bees.
Indeed, the Ruby Gem Queen Bee's swarm had started with just a single queen.
Wasn't it the greatness of the queen bee that had turned it into a swarm of hundreds of thousands?
“Today is the day I capture that great queen.”