Chapter 171
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: The Dragon's Secrets
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171
Korea and Washington.
The distance alone was truly mind-boggling.
There was the option of having Cha Hye-rin and Kang Yeon-ah go first to establish a large-scale dimension tunnel, like they did for North Korea, but that was inefficient when time was of the essence.
However, it wasn't as if Seong-hyeok had no other way.
Honeybee Movement, a ridiculously overpowered travel skill.
Although its drawback was that only he could use it, the most crucial part of this dragon raid was activating the inhibitor up close before the creature returned to its main body.
Besides, Seong-hyeok's travel wasn't truly alone.
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[Dimensional Beehive (Lv.13)]
* Classification: Skill
* Max Storage Capacity: 0 / 7,000,000
* Mana Cost: 500
* Effect: Summons the honeybees stored in the Dimensional Beehive. (Cooldown: 30 minutes)
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A legion of seven million honeybees accompanied him via the Dimensional Beehive.
On top of that, there was Cha Hye-rin's ability to hide within another's shadow.
He had formed a sort of small, elite party, and the result was a resounding success.
“Good work, everyone. You too, Hye-rin.”
“You did most of the work, really.”
*Bzzzz—*
*Buzzzzz—*
Unlike the two previous dragon raids, this subjugation ended without a single casualty.
But it wasn't all over yet.
“Hey. Wake up. How long are you going to be out?”
*Slap— Slap—*
Telairn lay sprawled on the ground in his polymorphed state.
He only regained consciousness after a few of Seong-hyeok’s heartfelt slaps across the face.
“You, you scoundrel!”
The moment he opened his eyes, he lunged at Seong-hyeok.
Unfortunately for him, Telairn’s body refused to budge, contrary to his will.
“Guh, gggghhh!”
An excruciating pain followed instantly.
The itching and throbbing agony wracking his entire body was more than even Telairn, who had lived for eons, could bear.
Well, it was only natural that he couldn't.
“It’ll hurt more if you move, so stay still.”
Seong-hyeok had personally crafted various 5-star grade bee venoms.
He had injected them into various acupressure points, so the venom would wreak havoc inside him every time he tried to move.
Yet despite the pain, his life force was tenacious.
“Everyone, if you please.”
*Bzzzz—*
*Stab— P-p-p-p-stab—*
Thanks to the healing venom bees’ treatment, Telairn couldn't even die.
“Grrr, you vicious bastard!”
The honeybees’ venom could be a poison or a medicine depending on how it was used.
Could there be a more suitable tool for torture?
Of course, he had never once in his life considered using his bees for torture, but this time was an exception.
‘I need information.’
Information on the dragon race, who would continue to be a problem for Seong-hyeok in the future.
Including Telairn, he had now achieved victory against three of them and possessed the greatest military power on Earth, but Seong-hyeok still lacked information.
How many dragons were left, how many ‘???’-grade monsters existed and into what species they were divided, and finally, the reason the world had changed like this and when this situation would end.
In reality, Seong-hyeok was like a frog in a well.
He could use the ‘Information Trade’ he’d obtained through his contract with Riggle, but it wasn't a perfect solution.
‘Why are there so many damn restrictions?’
Not only did it demand an astronomical number of points for trivial information, but some information was completely inaccessible.
In the end, there was no better source for proper intelligence than a dragon.
Not to mention, they were the ones who had inflicted the most damage on his honeybees.
‘Horrifying.’
The corpses of dragon-tooth soldiers and chimeras were scattered everywhere.
Among them were monsters, but most were mixed with human parts.
The dragon's viciousness was clear; he had used them to his heart's content and then repurposed them for experiments.
Was there any need to feel guilty about torturing such a creature?
“Let me know when you feel like talking.”
“Hehehe! Pathetic. You think I’ll give in to something like this?”
The torture by bee venom continued.
Telairn kept spewing insults through his open mouth, but his tune changed after a few hours.
“Gh, ggggh!”
There's a saying that one gets used to repeated pain.
That might be true to an extent, but it didn't apply to bee venom.
The numerous acupressure points and the various venoms injected into them mixed, creating an endless series of new and different pains.
The shock was something that not even a dragon who had lived a long life could withstand.
“Grrrrrrrk—”
As if moved by the chain reaction of the venom, Telairn’s body twisted in all directions.
“Kill me! P-please, just kill me!”
Was this what it felt like to wish for death?
Telairn cast aside his draconic pride and begged to be killed.
But what Seong-hyeok wanted wasn't the spoils he was already guaranteed to get from the creature.
“It’s okay. We still have plenty of time. It’s only been ten minutes, you know?”
“……”
Torture becomes truly terrifying not when there is no hope of survival.
It’s when you realize that the very possibility of death has been eliminated, and you must endlessly repeat a pain that feels like an eternity.
Since he couldn't even lose his mind, the outcome of the torture was already a foregone conclusion.
“I-I’ll talk. I’ll tell you everything I know, so please, just stop and kill me!”
“Wouldn’t it have been nice if you’d just said so from the start?”
A dragon was nothing but a corpse without its pride.
But even such a being stood no chance against Seong-hyeok and his honeybees.
* * * * *
The saying, “There’s no place like home,” was a perfect fit for Seong-hyeok.
“Yeah, this is way better than hunting.”
Although he hunted to grow stronger, a beekeeper finds true joy in the process of harvesting honey.
*Bzzzz—*
*Buzzzzz—*
With the help of his diligent bees, the sweet scent of honey steadily filled the hives.
The fruits of their long journeys, of meeting tens, hundreds of thousands of flowers, were always a beautiful sight to behold.
*Swoosh—*
[Great Success in Gathering!]
[The authority of a Bountiful Heart is activated.]
[The effect of Overflowing Abundance is applied.]
[Acquired 238 Peridot Honey (★★+)…]
A liquid jewel, gleaming with a golden hue.
Harvesting the hives while intoxicated by the sweetness of the honey.
To others, it might be considered labor and hard work, but not for Seong-hyeok.
It was the ultimate form of healing, incomparable to anything else.
*Bzzzz—*
*Bzz—*
What could be more fun than working together with his adorable bees?
“You all worked hard today. I’m counting on you in the future, too.”
*Bzz— Bzzzz—*
*Buzzzzzzz—*
Receiving his greeting with a wiggle of their behinds, the bees set off on another journey to the flowers.
Ironically, it was in this seemingly endless Möbius strip of labor that he found peace.
Seong-hyeok savored that peace as he organized his thoughts.
‘…Haa.’
The information he had obtained from torturing Telairn, sealed with a Dragon Tongue Oath.
There was a lot, but the most important piece was the number of dragons.
Not just one or two.
There was a Dragon Lord, one of the Transcendent Beings, and under him, hundreds of dragons.
Needless to say, it was obvious what would happen if that many appeared on Earth at once.
‘We’d be annihilated.’
A true apocalypse for humanity.
From the start, dragons were not a species to be taken lightly.
Even Seong-hyeok had to use every means at his disposal just to stand a chance against them.
Using the inhibitor, he could fight a considerable number of them, but that strategy would only work while they were in their polymorphed state.
Fortunately, the probability of all of them invading was so low it was practically zero.
‘I thought they were just pushovers, but the Transcendent Beings are pretty reliable.’
It was simple when he thought about it.
It was a game not just for the Dragon Lord, but for all the Transcendent Beings.
Would the other Transcendent Beings approve if one of them tried to unilaterally destroy a stage where so many were involved?
They might tolerate a certain level of interference, but they would never stand by if one acted directly.
Well, it might be a different story if future #chapters were updated to allow ‘???’-grade beings to come and go, but for now, it wasn't a problem.
“Getting stronger is the top priority for now.”
An essential element in this ever-changing, chaotic world.
In a world governed by the law of the jungle, the strong are the truth.
His Dragon Tongue had been further enhanced by consuming the third Dragon Heart from hunting Telairn, but what satisfied Seong-hyeok was something else.
[You have met a specific awakening condition. -> Level 70]
[The Honeybee Guardian's authority grows stronger. The number of Queen Bees you can possess increases by 1.]
[You have met the conditions for skill acquisition. -> Level 70, Guardian’s Hive Production (Lv.30), Guardian’s Auto-Honey Collector Hive Production (Lv.10) or higher]
[You have learned the skill, Guardian’s Mobile Auto-Honey Collector Hive Production.]
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[Guardian’s Mobile Auto-Honey Collector Hive Production (Lv.1)]
* Classification: Skill
* Mana Cost: 1,000
* Effect (Active): Produces a random type of auto-honey collector hive. (Cooldown: 1 day)
* Description: Consumes mana generated within the body to produce a mobile auto-honey collector hive that helps a queen bee start a colony. It can move on its own in a desired direction based on the collective intelligence of the owner and the bees. The produced hive will automatically collect honey when its honey status reaches 100%, and the collection will be affected by the owner's skills. As the level increases, you can produce higher-grade mobile auto-honey collector hives.
※ There is a certain chance to obtain a sturdier and superior mobile auto-honey collector hive engraved with the 'Guardian's' keyword.
※ Using wood and honeycomb as additional materials besides mana can produce a higher-quality mobile auto-honey collector hive.
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It was the new slot allowing him to welcome a new queen and the ability to create a unique item he had never seen before—a hive that could ‘move’ on its own.
“First, I should welcome a new queen.”
A bee lover who lived and died for his bees.
At the news of a new queen, more valuable to him than a Dragon Heart, a wide smile blossomed on Seong-hyeok’s face.
* * * * *
The bee rental business was booming day by day.
Not only did it revive the surrounding nature, it also improved the freshness of crops and provided sweet honey.
And it even ensured a certain level of security.
The bees’ efficacy was multifaceted.
【Japan/Nin-nin: I posted a review last time, but this is seriously the best thing ever.】
【India/Imposter with a Fork: It feels like my satisfaction increases every time.】
【Pakistan/Power-Hiding Party Official: For real, lol.】
As the saying goes, a good product promotes itself without any extra effort, doesn't it?
Without needing any shills, the bee rental business was met with constant rave reviews and praise.
As a result, messages from those wanting to make a contract piled up daily, to the point that crafting small beehives had become the Poison Elves’ main routine.
Moreover, while Seong-hyeok had placed restrictions on the bee rental business until recently, he had partially lifted them for another reason.
*Buzzzzzzzzz—*
A single bee with a hefty build flew to Seong-hyeok with a heavy buzz of its wings.
As one could tell from its pink-colored behind, its identity was none other than the new queen bee Seong-hyeok had captured just a few hours ago with his LUCK stat maxed out.