Chapter 172
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 172
Chapter Title: Mobile Beekeeping
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172
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[Rose Quartz Queen Bee (★★★★★)]
※ Spawning organs have undergone one stage of evolution.
※ Concentrated evolution of reproductive organs…….
※ Mandible enhancement evolution…….
※ Pollen evolution…….
* Has not yet found a nest.
* Current Swarm: 40,548
* Growth Rate: 0.6%
* Current Superior Species Emergence Progress: Rose Quartz Princess Bee (★★★★+) -> 0.053%(+0.018), Rose Quartz Floral Bee (★★★) -> 3.3%(+1.7), Rose Quartz Queen's Legion Commander Bee (★★★★★) - Elite Bee ->0.302%(+0.122)
※ Can possess a maximum of 4 Princess Bees. Current number of Princess Bees: 1 / 4
* Spawning Speed: 24 per minute
* Hatching Speed: 5 hours
* Emergence Process: 14 hours
* Skills: Spawn (Lv.17), Queen's Pheromone (Lv.13), Queen's Pheromone - Flower Blooming (Lv.6) Stinger (Lv.3), Flight (Lv.8), Spawning Acceleration (Lv.4)
…….
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Just like the Imperial Topaz Queen Bee, this was an individual that had achieved concentrated evolution in its spawning organs.
And indeed, she was a queen worthy of such ‘pride.’
Wiggle, wiggle—
An extra-large beehive had been assigned to the Rose Quartz Queen.
Inside, a staggering forty thousand larvae were currently growing!
Compared to the thirty-million-strong bee army, that number might not seem very large, but that wasn't the important part.
“This speed is just insane.”
The fact was that all these larvae had been born in a mere three hours.
It was a result further amplified by various effects, including Seong-hyeok's job specialization, skills, and all sorts of nutritional supplements, but it was a testament to the might of a queen specialized in ‘spawning.’
And was that all?
“There are the princesses, too.”
The possibility of adding four more Princess Bees.
Seong-hyeok had already experienced firsthand how much the Imperial Topaz's Princess Bees could affect the total number of bees.
So, what if four Rose Quartz Princess Bees were added to the mix?
“……”
It was truly astounding.
Literally, it wouldn't be long before the total number of bees on the honeybee farm surpassed the tens of millions and hit the one-hundred-million mark.
It was obvious, but the more bees, the better.
They would revive nature through pollination in every direction.
And from the flowers they bloomed, they would collect nectar, providing even more abundant and richer honey.
Furthermore, the skill possessed by the Rose Quartz Queen Bee amplified that effect even more.
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[Queen's Pheromone - Flower Blooming (Lv.6)]
* Classification: Skill
* Mana Cost: 500
* Effect (Active): For 60 minutes, dramatically increases the amount of pollen carried by bees and the blooming speed of flowers within a 1,200KM radius.
* Description: An ability acquired by absorbing the Ten Thousand Year Herb. As a queen who directly benefited from its consumption, the effect has been further enhanced, greatly influencing the blooming of pollen attached to the bees' bodies. As the level increases, the range expands, and the blooming speed increases.
[Spawning Acceleration (Lv.4)]
* Classification: Skill
* Mana Cost: 1,000
* Effect (Active): For 20 minutes, spawning speed is quadrupled. (Cooldown: 90 minutes)
* Effect - Queen Bee's Heart (Passive): When activated, grants the same effect to Queen Bees located within a 1KM radius.
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Flower Blooming and Spawning Acceleration.
When Seong-hyeok first saw these two skills, he had been ecstatic.
“It’s unbelievable, seriously.”
A skill that increased spawning speed.
As someone who shared a resonance with the Queen Bees, Seong-hyeok knew better than anyone what that meant.
Laying an immense number of eggs in an instant.
It was as clear as day that a considerable number of superior species and elite bees would be born in the process!
“…Hmm.”
Well, it wasn't as if the "more the merrier" principle for bees only had upsides.
The number of flowers wasn't infinite, and since this bizarre new world had unfolded, many acacia and various other flowers had been destroyed by monsters.
In such a situation, if only the number of bees continued to increase, their ecosystem could collapse.
But Seong-hyeok had his own confidence.
“I just need to increase the number of flowers to match the number of bees.”
In a way, it was a simple principle.
If the number of mouths to feed increased, the solution was to increase the corresponding food supply.
The Flower Blooming skill, which boasted a considerably wide range of application, would play a part, but the real game-changer was something else.
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[Guardian's Extra-Large Draconian Auto-Honey Extractor Mobile Hive (★★★★★+)]
* Classification: Miscellaneous
※ Auto-Honey Extraction: When honey status reaches 100%, collects the honey and generates byproducts nearby. (Cooldown: 8 hours)
※ Red Dragon's Heat: Increases the movement speed and attack power of bees that enter and exit this hive by 10% for 1 hour. (Cooldown per individual: 60 minutes)
※ Gold Dragon's Aura: Increases the health and mana of bees that enter and exit this hive by 20% for 1 hour. (Cooldown per individual: 60 minutes)
※ World Tree's Bounty: Dramatically increases the amount of honey obtained during collection.
* Currently empty.
* Capacity: 1,325,095 / 1,550,000 (+450,000)
* Current Honey Status: 14.3265%
* Health: 105,000 (+45,000)
* Defense: 935 (+460) Magic Resistance: 860 (+430)
* Durability: 3,700 / 3,700 (+800)
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Red and Gold.
An extra-large hive crafted from the byproducts of two dragons.
The additional effects were one thing, but as the name ‘Mobile’ suggested, the true beauty of this hive was its ability to move under the command of Seong-hyeok and the bees.
This would not only solve the fundamental ecological problem of flower scarcity.
It would also serve as an avenue to bloom a large number of flowers on empty lands all across Korea.
“I’m counting on you, guys.”
Bzzzz—
Bzzzzzz—
Stationary beekeeping had been the method of choice due to the ever-present threat in this world of ruin.
But that was all in the past now.
Buzzzzzzz—
As if to say, "Leave it to us."
With numerous elite bees wiggling their behinds, Seong-hyeok's first mobile beekeeping operation had begun.
* * * * *
The existence of monsters that could appear anywhere, anytime, to strike from behind.
Was it due to their influence?
After a considerable amount of time had passed, at this point…
What most players wanted was set in stone.
‘I want to belong to a large-scale shelter.’
Large-scale shelters were safe havens that could guarantee one's life.
Among them, the one people coveted the most was the honeybee farm in Korea.
Guarded by a legion of cute and adorable bees that even provided honey.
In short, it was an optimal location, unparalleled in terms of safety.
However, as time went by, the weak had come to know their place better than anyone.
“…You have to know your place to live long.”
With the rule of law collapsed, all that remained was the law of the jungle, where the strong devoured all.
Over a not-insignificant period, the weak had learned to cooperate and band together.
They were those who couldn't belong to any shelter, wandering the periphery like people from a slum.
But as they say, humans are animals of adaptation.
It's not the strong who survive, but those who survive who are strong.
These individuals, who boasted the tenacity to have survived until now, had developed their own methods of survival.
“There they are! Level 6 Dire Wolves!”
“Keep a close watch from here. I’ll go get the big brothers.”
Children who had lost their parents to monsters.
Normally, they wouldn't be able to endure this harsh world, but these kids were different.
They had realized that crying was not the solution and had formed a coalition with others in the same situation.
It had been the driving force that allowed them to survive so far, but as the saying goes, not everything in life goes smoothly.
[Field Boss Monster ‘Lizard King Quiral (★★★)’ and the Lizardman clan have appeared.]
“……!”
“We-we have to run! Get up, quick!”
For those who had only ever hunted monsters below level 10, the appearance of a field boss monster was nothing short of a disaster.
Some children collapsed on the spot, paralyzed by the fear of death, while others forced their stiff hands to move, hurrying to flee, but it was no use.
“Shaaaaaaaah!”
A bloodcurdling roar that froze their already stiff bodies even further.
There was no way Lizard King Quiral and his clan would let their discovered prey escape.
“Kikikikik!”
“Kyaaaak!”
The lizardmen charged, thinking that although human children were small, their meat would be tender.
But their thoughts were not to last long.
Bzzzz—
Bzzzzzzzz—
The soft sound of wingbeats echoed from all around.
The lizardmen dismissed it as common insects, but that was a thought they should never have had.
No, honestly, they couldn't even continue the thought.
Because…
Fwoooosh—
Kraaang—!!!
A headbutt from a swarm of bees, consolidated into a single cannonball.
The lizardman struck by it was literally thrown to the ground with every bone in its body shattered.
“Sha, shaaak!”
Was this some kind of suicide attack? Such a brutishly simple ramming tactic?
The immense impact should have affected the bees as well, but unlike the lizardman, they were perfectly fine.
Bzzz— Bzzzz—
Buzzz-buzzz-buzzz—
The sturdiness of the bee armor, crafted from dragon scales, World Tree byproducts, and various alloys mined from the golden mountain.
On top of that, the combat experience they had accumulated against field boss monsters while living on the honeybee farm.
Buzzzzzzz—!!!
And finally, the command of a Legion Commander Bee.
Frankly, this alone decided the course of the battle against the lizardmen.
“Shaaaaaak!”
“Kiaaaaaah!”
Not long after they appeared, the lizardmen were overwhelmed by the bees' encirclement and began to shriek.
As the bees came and went, they collected the byproducts from the corpses of the creatures who had been reduced to a handful of loot.
“Wh-what in the world…”
A rescue by bees amidst a life-threatening crisis.
From the children's perspective, it was a truly dumbfounding event.
But true to their nature as survivors, not all the kids just stood there.
“Th-thank you.”
“Thank you for saving us, Mr. Honeybee. And you too, bees.”
Since the world turned upside down.
They had encountered many, many people, but most were too busy trying to save themselves, leaving the children to be all but abandoned.
How would they feel, receiving a helping hand for the first time in such a situation?
“*Sob*, *hic*…”
“*Sniffle*!”
These were kids who would have been students in the old world.
Having lost their parents and escaped the jaws of death, the children fought back the tears that threatened to overwhelm them.
In a world ruled by the law of the jungle, showing weakness was a direct liability.
Besides, crying wouldn't solve anything.
Did the bees find this sight admirable?
Bzzzzzz—
Bzzzz—
They hovered around the children, offering them lumps of honey they were holding.
“Huh? Is this for us?”
Bzzz— Bzzzz—
“Th-thank you.”
“We’ll enjoy it.”
“Th-this is so sweet! It’s delicious!”
Still children at heart, they quickly became engrossed in the sweet taste of honey.
Watching them with satisfaction,
‘Ignore the humans hunting monsters, and only help them when they seem to be in danger. Oh, and finally, if any humans attack you first, you can deal with them without mercy.’
Bzzzz— Bzzz—
The bees faithfully carried out the orders Seong-hyeok had given them.