Chapter 150
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 150
Chapter Title: The Han River Flytrap
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The items from the auction house not only added convenience but also secured unique advantages through various new facilities.
The resulting changes quickly became more prominent as time passed.
*Clang— Claaaang—!*
Now, along with the three gold mines established on the beekeeping farm, there was a feast of rare minerals that Seong-hyeok had indiscriminately brought in.
And was that all?
“Mr. Cheol-gang. I'm leaving the goods here, okay?”
“Oh, good work, Hyeon-seok.”
The 10,000 residents who had passed the bees' interviews through the first recruitment notice.
Naturally, a few miners were mixed among them, and within the vast territory protected by the bees, they continuously supplied minerals.
Based on this, the combatants and the bee swarm equipped themselves with even higher-quality gear.
But as they say, is the power of capital not limitless?
What was added for the farm's combatants wasn't just the strength of their equipment.
*Th-th-thump—!*
The sound of footsteps rapidly crossing the forest.
Their identities were revealed by sharp fangs.
Giant wolves, easily reaching 3 meters in size.
The reason for the birth of these massive creatures, large enough for people to ride, was obviously capital.
______________________________
[Livestock God's Pasture (★★★★+)]
※ This item contains a fragment of a Transcendent Being's divinity. (Boasts effects far superior to ordinary items.)
* Classification: Structure
* Allied entities and objects within the structure gain 'Livestock God's Vigorous Growth' and 'Giant Livestock'.
※ Livestock God's Vigorous Growth: Stabilizes the mind and body of livestock housed within this safe structure. The speed at which livestock reach maturity and the production cycle of byproducts are increased by 100%.
※ Giant Livestock: The size of growing livestock increases by up to 2 times.
※ Livestock God's Fortune: Once a day, a random entity is instantly grown into a full adult. However, the probability of this effect decreases as the entity's star rating increases.
* Capacity: 250 / 250
* Health: 120,000
* Defense: 1,000 Magic Resistance: 1,000
* Durability: 3,550 / 3,550
...
______________________________
A pasture obtained by competing against rankers from all over the world.
As expected of a structure, not a weapon, that cost a whopping 4.3 million coins, its performance was certainly impressive.
“Sniff! Sniff!”
“Grrrrrrr!”
The search capabilities of the wolves, specialized in tracking and pack life.
Sure, the beekeeping farm had numerous scout bees stationed, but that didn't mean additional reconnaissance was unnecessary.
Moreover, the Swift Wolves had grown so large that they could easily be ridden by people!
“Let's slice 'em all up!”
“Wahahaha! Who knew the day would come when I'd be riding a wolf?”
“You're making a fuss after riding the Danbi taxi.”
“A bear and a wolf are different, aren't they?”
“That's true.”
The biggest change resulting from this was, of course, faster combat through enhanced mobility.
For the beekeeping farm, which was continuously expanding its territory, it was like gaining an invincible army.
Furthermore, equipped with high-quality gear obtained from the auction house and through crafting, the growth of the combatants was all but a foregone conclusion.
They achieved rapid growth amidst much easier battles.
In truth, while items and mounts played a part, the environment had the most significant influence.
No matter how energetic a person is, they can't work all day long.
But as they say, the story changes when you have a driving force, doesn't it?
“During my military service and work life, I thought 'taking the initiative' was all bullshit. But coming here, I realized it's a real concept.”
“True, when you see Seong-hyeok working, you just can't rest.”
“Still, it's the path to getting stronger, right? And we have cute bee supervisors, so it's perfect.”
The contagious workaholism spreading from the ever-restless Seong-hyeok and his bees.
Besides, the residents' rapid growth wasn't solely due to their efforts.
“I heard today's meal is pork that grew even bigger in the pasture. I wonder what honey-aged pork belly will taste like. My mouth is watering.”
“Hey, don't talk about food while we're on the move. I'm starving.”
“Ah, I'm so hungry.”
When you think of the beekeeping farm, you can't forget mealtime.
Fresh honey directly from the bees, crops grown with the power of the World Tree, and now, meat from livestock whose flavor was deepened by the pasture.
If this isn't a holy trinity, then what is?
“Let's hurry up and finish. If we're late, there won't even be any soup left.”
“*Gulp.* Just thinking about it makes my mouth water.”
To the players outside, it was an apocalyptic world where they had to risk their lives just to survive.
But for the residents of the beekeeping farm, each day was filled with more abundant delicacies than the world before.
* * * * *
Do they say pets can't help but be attention seekers?
*Bzz— Bzzzz~*
*Wheeeeee~*
Whenever and wherever, day or night, if the swarm of bees saw Seong-hyeok on their way to an expedition, they would approach him, rubbing against him with a joyous dance.
“This must be why I raise bees.”
The heart of an incredibly happy bee butler.
As if drunk.
The desire to play with the bees to his heart's content surged within him, but unfortunately for the bees, Seong-hyeok was quite busy at the moment.
【Korea/Jeongrichung: Urgent News! Please refrain from approaching the vicinity of the Han River!】
- Beware the Venus flytrap that has appeared in the Han River!
According to investigations so far, it is known to be a plant-type monster, a Disaster-class boss monster, that swallows approaching monsters in a single bite to increase its numbers.
It causes hallucinations and emits a sweet fragrance.
It does not hesitate to lure targets closer, so unless your goal is subjugation or suicide, please do not approach under any circumstances!
A warning posted on the community board.
A boss-level monster with the 'Disaster' prefix is literally a behemoth capable of consuming not just a city but an entire country, but what kind of country was Korea?
【Comment Section (999+...)】
- Korea/TGIF Chimaek and Obesity: Looks like it's time for Honeybee to step up again, huh?
- Korea/Shooting Star: kkkk Please take care of it, Mr. Bees.
- Korea/Attention Seeker NO.892: We're always cheering for you, Honeybee.
- Korea/Attention Seeker NO.1: The Attention Seeker numbers don't just talk. We've made a hefty purchase of processed honey products!
The place where Honeybee, who had already demonstrated his military might to the entire world, resided.
And the mercy of Honeybee, who had a history of single-handedly dealing with an Ancient Troll and even caring for the injured.
Should it be attributed to that?
In other countries, a Disaster-class boss monster was a source of worry and a target for raids.
But in Korea, where Honeybee was, the 'worry' part of that equation had all but vanished.
However, before that, Seong-hyeok was first and foremost bewildered that a 'carnivorous plant' had appeared as a Disaster-class boss monster.
“...Could this be because of the Bond of Plants?”
The Bond of Plants, a Hidden Piece whose effect covered the entire Earth.
It could be a coincidence, but he couldn't rule out the possibility that one of the plants had mutated due to the system amidst its accelerated growth.
Moreover, if it was near the Han River, the Embrace of the World Tree, another power that accelerated growth, would also be in effect.
A creature born seemingly out of a butterfly effect.
The saving grace was that, thanks to Jeongrichung's swift response based on his extensive information network, there were almost no human casualties.
“I suppose it's right for me to reap what I've sown.”
He couldn't be certain, but the circumstances surrounding its appearance pointed to several overlapping factors.
His love for bees overflowed.
But his love for humanity was practically a speck of dust.
However, there was a reason Seong-hyeok was stepping up.
“I wonder what honey made from a carnivorous plant would taste like?”
His mind was filled with thoughts of his bees.
That was the overflowing bee-love of Seong-hyeok, the Honeybee Guardian and mad researcher.
* * * * *
A gaping maw with sharp, serrated teeth.
A threatening appearance that screamed trouble if you got too close.
Any creature that valued its life, unless it was a fool, would avoid it, but Kazax was undeniably a Disaster-class boss monster.
Kazax and its clones didn't just wait with their mouths open.
[Predatory Venus Flytrap Kazax Lv. 50 (★★★★★+) uses the skill, Fatal Temptation Trap (Lv. 15).]
[Predatory Venus Flytrap Lv. 39 (★★★★★) uses the skill, Temptation Trap (Lv. 4).]
[Predatory Venus Flytrap Lv. 41 (★★★★★) uses the skill, Temptation Trap (Lv. 5).]
...
A sweet fragrance began to emanate from Kazax and the other Venus flytraps.
Soon, it drifted on the wind, stimulating the nearby creatures.
“Guooooh!”
“Krrrk! Krrk!”
An Orc tribe that had formed a group nearby reacted, of course.
A large-scale migration of various monsters followed the scent.
The strange thing was that no conflicts broke out.
Normally, even if they were all 'monsters', different species would either flee from one another or fight to the death—that was the nature of monsters.
However, the monsters acted as if they were unaware of the others' existence.
Even when they bumped into each other, they ignored it, approaching the field of Venus flytraps with vacant eyes.
The outcome after that was a foregone conclusion.
*Snap—!*
Like a trap springing shut upon contact, the leaves of the Venus flytraps swallowed their targets in a single bite and clamped down.
The monsters, realizing their plight too late, struggled in agony, but would the flytraps let go of prey already caught?
*Sizzzzzle—*
*Crunch! Craaack—!*
The predation process of the Venus flytraps, using their sharp, serrated teeth along with the secretion of digestive fluids.
While blood splattered and their kin were being devoured right next to them, those lost in the fragrance-induced hallucination remained oblivious, following the same path as those before them, and the feeding repeated.
*Drip— Drip-drip-drip—*
The Venus flytraps finished their meal meticulously, melting even bone dust with digestive fluids and absorbing every last drop of splattered blood through their roots in the ground.
What happened next was the true nature of the Venus flytraps.
[You have met the conditions through satisfactory predation.]
[Predatory Venus Flytrap Kazax Lv. 50 (★★★★★+) uses the skill, Reproduction (Lv. 13).]
A large amount of nutrients obtained after finishing a gluttonous meal.
True to its nature as a plant, it used them to reproduce numerous clones of itself.
With just a little more time, its voracious appetite and reproductive power would be enough to completely cover the Republic of Korea itself.
*Rustle—*
[A Predatory Venus Flytrap Lv. 38 (★★★★★) is born.]
[A Predatory Venus Flytrap Lv. 39 (★★★★★) is born.]
[A Predatory Venus Flytrap Lv. 38 (★★★★★) is born.]
...
Pleased with the clones that had grown instantly through the use of Reproduction, Kazax clacked its serrated teeth in delight.
But could it ever have imagined?
“I heard Venus flytrap leaves are great for medicinal purposes. With this many, I should be able to use them alongside the honey supply without any issues.”
One of the true mad researchers on Earth.
That to Seong-hyeok, who would do anything for his bees, the predatory plant was nothing more than another excellent test subject.