Chapter 163
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 163
Chapter Title: The Lone Dragon
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Two dragons, both estimated to be at least level 70.
Just as with their previous breath attacks, facing them would require being armed with suitable weapons and items.
However, Seong-hyeok was confident in that regard.
Coins Held: 630,035,000
A vast sum of coins he had steadily accumulated.
Originally, these funds were meant for the upcoming integrated server auction, but Seong-hyeok shook his head.
“This week isn’t what’s important.”
A battle with dragons was on a completely different level than the monster gate.
Whether it was the bees or the residents, casualties were almost a certainty.
If so, shouldn’t he make every effort to reduce them, even by a little?
“Considering the spoils I’ll get from the dragons, it’s not a bad trade.”
Besides, successfully hunting a dragon was like striking gold, as they dropped incredible loot.
With that, Seong-hyeok took out the golden paper he had tucked away and tore it to pieces.
______________________________
[Chesseur's Golden Carriage Summoning Scroll (???)]
* Type: Consumable
* Summons Chesseur's Golden Carriage.
* Description: Summons the ???-grade monster Chesseur and his giant crescent moon golden carriage. However, you may be attacked if you fail to conduct a satisfactory transaction.
______________________________
*Rumble—*
The item’s simple effect activated.
The clear sky split open, and from within, a massive golden carriage emerged.
It was a breathtaking sight no matter how many times he saw it, but with the quest timer ticking, Seong-hyeok hurried aboard.
“It is an honor to see you again so soon.”
Chesseur greeted him with his usual smile as he entered.
Seong-hyeok cut straight to the chase, asking for what he wanted most.
“Can I hire you?”
After all, Chesseur was also a ‘???’-grade monster, just like the dragons.
With the addition of his level 74 strength, the path to slaying the dragons would be much safer.
Unfortunately, such a loophole didn't work.
“Hmm, while we do sell our martial services, I’m afraid dragons are out of the question. They are valuable customers to me as well.”
“...I figured as much.”
Well, he had somewhat expected it.
Considering the ‘Dragon Slayer’ effect, a merchant who traveled far and wide had no reason to make enemies of them, right?
Moreover, the creature was openly suggesting he could sell items to dragons too.
The thought that he dealt with his enemies was displeasing, but there was nothing to be done about it.
“A merchant does not discriminate between customers, so long as there is money to be made.”
A reply befitting his staunch belief in the almighty coin.
But that was exactly what Seong-hyeok had hoped for.
“Weapons and armor. Show me things suitable for fighting dragons.”
“Hahaha, leave it to me.”
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Living up to his reputation as the auction house’s biggest spender.
He would simply counter capitalism with more capital.
* * * * *
Coins Held: 5,320
“...It sure gets spent in a flash.”
He had blown through the nearly 600 million coins he had saved.
A sense of emptiness washed over him.
But the harvest had been more than sufficient.
[Ingrad's Gauntlet (★★★★★)]
[Intact Core of a Magic Golem (★★★★★)] x4
[Formator's Iron Armor (★★★★★+)]
…….
All sorts of weapons, armor, and items of 5-star grade or higher, things rarely seen even in the integrated server auction house.
Among them, what Seong-hyeok liked most were the ‘materials,’ like the golem cores.
“Consumables are fine too, not just equipment. Please focus as much as possible on defense.”
“I’ll give it my all.”
“You can count on me, Seong-hyeok, my boy.”
Normally, he wouldn’t have bought items that couldn’t be processed.
But Seong-hyeok believed in the potential of the newly joined Mad Seeker.
Furthermore, the apiary’s greatest advantage was its abundance of various skilled artisans, not just the Mad Seeker.
And was that all?
“Please, let me help as well.”
Fairy Queen Harwen, who had successfully recovered and gained new wings thanks to his focused care.
The fairy dust she could produce served as an excellent catalyst in crafting.
______________________________
[Fairy Queen's Aegis (★★★★★+)]
※ Warning! Due to its extremely small size, adjustment-related systems do not apply.
* Type: Armor
* Defense Power +50%
* Durability +65
※ Divine Shield: For 5 seconds, all types of damage taken become 0. However, using this skill permanently consumes 20% of the item's durability. (Cooldown: 3 days)
※ Fairy's Vigor: While active, Defense Power is greatly increased. However, Movement Speed is significantly reduced, and Attack Power is decreased by an amount equal to the increased Defense Power. (Cooldown: 10 minutes)
* Durability: 2,500 / 2,500
______________________________
The result was bee armor completely specialized for defense.
As one could tell from the item effects, a piece of equipment incomparable to any existing bee armor had been created.
The most eye-catching effect of all was ‘Divine Shield.’
It came with the penalty of permanently reducing durability, but the high risk was worth it for the incredible reward.
“Five seconds of invincibility…”
Five seconds.
A duration that could be considered both short and long, securing invulnerability.
It was obvious, but the stronger the opponent, the more powerful this effect became.
Against a dragon, for example, it was a perfect ability.
Just imagine.
What if Deundeun-i wore this, used Giantification to increase its size, and blocked a dragon's attack?
“It could create an opening.”
In a battle where every second was critical, it would create a massive variable.
Now, one might ask how they would attack if they only focused on defense, but the answer to that was already decided.
*Bzzzz~*
*Buzzzzz!*
The bees wiggled their abdomens in response to Seong-hyeok's gaze.
Among them, Ssangdongni, Teunteun-i, and Ssing-ssing-i, who boasted overwhelming attack power, would handle the offense.
[Guardian's Focused Barrage (Lv.2)]
* Effect - Bee Rampage: The Attack Power of all bees within a 10km radius increases by 11 times.
If the Bee Rampage from Focused Barrage provided proper support, even a dragon would be reduced to a mere lizard in an instant.
And was that all?
It wasn't just the bees who boasted high attack power.
The countless types of processed honey products he had consistently consumed until now.
Seong-hyeok's own strength, honed by them.
______________________________
[Guardian's Dark Cheonramcho Venom Gland Mucus (★★★★★)]
* Type: Consumable, Material
* When consumed, ‘Venom Stimulation’ is applied. When applied to a weapon, ‘Venom Enchant’ is applied.
※ Venom Stimulation: For 3 minutes, Attack Power and Movement Speed are greatly increased. However, while the effect is active, Health decreases by 300 (+170) per second. (Max 5 stacks)
※ Venom Enchant: For 10 minutes, poison damage is added to the weapon.
* Description: A ★★★★★-grade mucus engraved with the Guardian keyword. When consumed, it grants immense Attack Power and Movement Speed, but inflicts critical damage over its duration.
______________________________
On top of that, the venom gland mucus was perfected with the addition of Ssangdongni's venom.
When he reaped the benefits of the effect, stacked up to five times, the attack power Seong-hyeok could unleash for three minutes was beyond imagination.
Naturally, the penalty could be nullified by his class-specific skill, ‘Venom Immunity,’ making it the ultimate elixir exclusively for him.
“Shall we go now?”
* Time Remaining: 4 hours 11 minutes
By the time all preparations were complete, little time remained.
But that wasn’t a problem at all.
[Player Alpha Female has left a message.]
『Setup complete! Come on over whenever you're ready!』
A large-scale dimensional tunnel created by Kang Yeon-ah, the avatar of the transcendent being, the Dimension Walker Blanqui.
A feat that would have been impossible for Seong-hyeok alone.
Together with his now indispensable and trustworthy residents, Seong-hyeok was transported to his destination.
* * * * *
*Bzzz~*
*Buzzzzz~*
Upon arrival, a massive swarm of bees poured out of Seong-hyeok's Dimensional Beehive.
“I’m counting on you, guys.”
Having already succeeded in a subjugation once before, the Architect bees understood Seong-hyeok's request perfectly.
[An Eight-colored Beeswax Wall (★★★-) has been completed.]
[An Eight-colored Beeswax Wall (★★★-) has been completed.]
[An Eight-colored Beeswax Wall (★★★-) has been completed.]
…….
One by one.
Beeswax walls were being constructed in sequence.
There was a possibility that the dragons, who had been secretly gathering their strength, might choose to flee rather than fight, but he didn't need to worry about that.
(Dragons are a race that lives and dies by their pride. It would be one thing if you never encountered them, but if you do, you must be prepared to fight to the death.)
Was it thanks to spending a staggering 600 million coins?
Chesseur had even offered advice on the dragon race.
“It’s tough, but I need you to build them in layers, guys.”
*Buzzzzz!*
The walls needed to be sturdy for a literal life-or-death battle.
As the bees worked their tails off building the walls, Seong-hyeok responded to a whisper he received.
【Silent Harvester: Seong-hyeok. Are you sure there are really two dragons?】
【Honeybee: A Red Dragon and a Gold Dragon. There should be one of each.】
Cha Hye-rin had gone to scout the dragons’ movements after moving Kang Yeon-ah here first.
【Silent Harvester: ...No matter how I look, it seems like there's only one.】
【Honeybee: What? Are you sure?】
【Silent Harvester: Yeah. I can't sense any other presence. I'm certain.】
Who was it that said it?
Reconnaissance is the most powerful weapon of all.
“Everyone! Let's go!”
From two dragons down to one.
A sudden drop in the dragons' combat power.
That was more than enough reason to switch from defense to offense.
* * * * *
A Disaster-class dungeon on the Chinese server.
The dragons' plan was to devour the original master of the dungeon and lure in players with high-grade items as bait.
At first, things went smoothly as they consumed the Disaster-class boss monster, but a problem arose from an unexpected quarter.
“There's nothing but ridiculously weaklings! At this rate, how long will it take to regain our strength?!”
“Indeed. The supply is too meager to support both of us.”
As creatures boasting immense bodies, dragons required a considerable amount of time to lift their penalties.
Having two mouths to feed was, naturally, a disadvantage.
Worse, players had now stopped approaching the area altogether.
Because of this, the dragons proposed a new plan to each other.
“It’s about time we moved on anyway. It would be good to build a nest with what we've gathered.”
“I will finish off the fairies I found before I go. I need to at least have a snack of those insolent things.”
“If that is your wish, then so be it.”
While they both agreed to build their own lairs, their opinions diverged on whether to consume the fairies they had hunted or leave immediately.
And so, the Gold Dragon, Telairn, departed, leaving the Red Dragon alone.
Kasisidor looked at the round sphere and licked his lips.
“You little fairies. Your mental attempts to escape must be reaching their limit.”
Though small, fairies were fundamentally Disaster-class monsters, and the rich mana they contained was a delicacy for dragons.
He felt a sense of satisfaction, knowing he could quickly regain the power lost due to the penalty.
But alas, Kasisidor's wish was not to be granted.
*Bzzzzzzzzzzz~*
*Buzzz-buzzz-buzzz-!!!*
“What is this...!”
As if to rain on his parade, a massive swarm of bees appeared just moments before he could consume the fairies.
Using the giant beeswax walls like shields.
Their majestic advance was more than enough to startle the ???-grade monster.