Chapter 180
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 180
Chapter Title: The Honey Cure
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Something that came without warning.
In truth, it was a familiar occurrence in the world today.
Man-eating monsters, of course.
And humans who had acquired jobs, leveled up, and gained superhuman strength.
But even for them, fear was an unavoidable reality.
And the most prominent among them was plague.
From the Black Death of the Middle Ages, it was the worst of scourges, having inflicted immense damage throughout human history.
Fortunately, the strong who had achieved a certain level of growth were not infected unless directly bitten, but sadly, their numbers were relatively few.
“Guh! Grrrrk!”
The weak, who constituted the vast majority of the population.
Those with relatively low immunity were virtually defenseless against the plague.
The infected humans foamed at the mouth, but only for a moment.
Soon, with bloodshot eyes, they displayed extreme aggression toward any living creature nearby.
“Gnash! Gnash-gnash!”
“Damn it! We can't subdue them!”
As if blessed with incredible stats, the madmen charged ferociously even at the shelter's combat personnel, whom they normally couldn't even resist.
A ferocity that never backed down, even with broken limbs, as if they no longer felt pain.
But forcibly quarantining them wasn't the right answer either.
*Crunch! Crunch!*
*Chomp— Riiip—!*
Was it not just their stats that had changed due to the plague?
The quarantine room echoed with horrifying sounds.
They came from the infected biting and tearing at each other, and the result transformed them into something no longer human.
*BANG— BANG BANG—!!!*
“Kuaaaaargh!”
Reminiscent of the undead.
They had become grotesque monsters, fused together while still alive.
Even separating them only changed the scale of the problem.
Faced with the situation of them turning into monsters, humanity was forced to make a decision.
“…I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, my child. I'll follow you soon.”
“Rest easy, lads.”
“Don't think badly of us.”
The sacrifice of the few for the sake of the many.
It was a predetermined disposal, now all too common in this world of survival of the fittest.
“Oh? These things give even better experience? No penalty for becoming a villain, either. Sweet.”
“Their designation itself changed from 'human.' Minions of Twitch, was it? Ugh, just looking at them makes me want to puke.”
“If I were to turn into that, I'd rather just kill myself.”
Among them were those who rejoiced at the lack of a villain penalty and the generous experience,
“What a truly wretched world. Dammit!”
“I can't take it anymore!”
The worst-case scenario, where even those who couldn't endure the life of the weak committed suicide.
But what was a tragedy for humans was something else entirely for other beings.
Namely, for the Transcendent Beings who orchestrated this situation, it was the greatest comedy, a source of pure enjoyment.
[The Transcendent Being, Verm the Corrupted, savors the death of life, remarking that it's quite an interesting sight.]
[The Transcendent Being, Demon King Glock, cheers that this is the very violation he desired.]
[The Transcendent Being, Kirin of the Exploiting Hand, feels a thrill at the sight of parents killing their children.]
As if a blocked vessel had been cleared.
The Transcendent Beings reveled in the spectacle of bloodshed, savoring their amusement.
Knowing there was no better time to pick up scraps, the pets cast aside their pride and groveled, flattering them.
- Did you have an enjoyable time?
- We three 4-star pets pooled our strength to specially enhance the visual aesthetics.
- It strikes me again, but Lord Twitch's plague is magnificent. To think it could transform those weakling humans into such powerful beings... It is an honor far beyond what those insignificant creatures deserve.
Lip service intended to get some crumbs.
In response, the Transcendent Beings gleefully tossed them fragments of their power.
[The Transcendent Being, Twitch, Progenitor of Plagues, shrugs, boasting that his plague is the best in all dimensions.]
[The Transcendent Being, Demon King Glock, gives a thumbs-up to the Progenitor of Plagues.]
[The Transcendent Being, Twitch, Progenitor of Plagues, acts shy, saying it's all thanks to everyone sharing their power.]
It was none other than.
The authority of Twitch, known as the 'Progenitor of Plagues,' and the power of countless Transcendent Beings who had helped manifest it.
No matter how capable that bee fellow was, solving this plague would be impossible.
They were filled with high hopes, thinking they could continue to enjoy this satisfying amusement.
But in the ways of the world, exceptions always exist.
- Huh, huh?
- Is it just me? Why has the infection rate suddenly slowed down so much?
- L-Lord Twitch. They're not getting infected anymore.
[The Transcendent Being, Twitch, Progenitor of Plagues, throws a fit, demanding to know what nonsense they're spouting.]
[The Transcendent Being, Demon King Glock, scolds them for talking rubbish.]
Compared to the beginning, the infection rate had dropped absurdly low.
It was natural for the rate to decrease as the number of living beings dwindled, but this was happening far too quickly.
There was a common reason why the plague had subsided so rapidly.
*Gulp— Gulp—*
One by one.
The honey tea that most players were buying without exception and chugging down.
And the cause was, as expected...
[You have listed 'Guardian's General-Purpose Wildflower Honey Soap (★★+)' on the Exchange for 700 Coins.]
[You have listed 'Guardian's Ruby Gem Acacia Honey Tea (★★★+)' on the Exchange for 1,800 Coins.]
[You have listed 'Guardian's Star Sapphire Chestnut Honey Tea (★★★+)' on the Exchange for 2,200 Coins.]
...
An enormous stock of honey products, being listed at a frantic pace.
And the reason they were selling out as soon as they were listed was simple.
※ Scent of Acacia: Grants complete immunity to all types of plagues and increases movement speed by 30%. This effect lingers faintly in your wake and is shared with others.
※ Scent of Chestnut: Grants complete immunity to all types of plagues and increases defense by 5%. This effect lingers faintly in your wake and is shared with others.
※ Scent of Wildflower: Grants complete immunity to all types of plagues.
Granting immunity to plagues.
An effect that might seem trivial under normal circumstances.
But in the current situation, it was so in demand he couldn't produce it fast enough!
A situation that, following the principles of supply and demand, had Honeybee's coin purse bursting at the seams.
[The Transcendent Being, Twitch, Progenitor of Plagues, lets out a scream.]
[The Transcendent Being, Bel, Origin of Darkness, lets out a sigh.]
Thanks to this, the masterminds behind it all trembled with rage,
[The Transcendent Being, Insect Queen Nineto, cannot contain her laughter.]
[The Transcendent Being, Prepion, Goddess of Abundance, nods, saying she knew it.]
and at their tragedy, a few Transcendent Beings bloomed with laughter.
* * * * *
___________________________________
[Bees' Landmark]
* Classification: Special Situation
* Area of Effect: 700m radius around each bee.
* Effect: Flowers will produce even fresher nectar.
* Effect - Land of Bees (Passive): During pollination, the collected honey becomes richer, and the scent of the flowers is more than doubled.
* Effect - Power of Flowers (Passive): For each flower within the area of effect, the bees' attack power and defense increase by 1% (stacks up to 30%).
___________________________________
Bees' Landmark.
It affected the area around any bee belonging to Seong-hyeok's swarm.
Thanks to the bee rental business, his bees had now taken root not just in Asia, but all over the world.
As a result, the landmark's effect was active in virtually every region, which led Seong-hyeok to his decision.
【Korea/Honeybee: A request to everyone who has leased my bees.】
- To overcome the current plague, please sell me the flower-scented honey harvested with your automatic honey collectors.
The honey tea and honey soap made from this will grant immunity to the plague, and I will distribute them on the Exchange in large quantities at an affordable price.
I would be grateful if everyone could come together to alleviate the suffering caused by this terrible plague. This is by no means a demand; it's fine if only those who wish to participate sell to me.
Sincerely, Honeybee.
Sourcing the honey infused with the scent of flowers blooming across the world, thanks to the landmark's effect.
Now, some might say the number of rented bees couldn't be that high, but there's a reason for the saying, "many a little makes a mickle."
Even if the amount gathered in one place was just one, if there were hundreds or thousands of such places, the total would be nothing to scoff at.
Of course, the initial public opinion in the comments on Seong-hyeok's post was sharply divided.
【Comments (999+...)】
- Japan/Nakamura-san: Immunity to a plague? Is that even possible?
- Korea/PsychoSangbyeong: Why not? If it's Honeybee, I trust him.
- UK/Richard: Look at him, trying to make money even in a situation like this. He's not high on honey, he's high on money.
- Thailand/Sawakkap: In an emergency like this, shouldn't he be giving it away for free?
Questions about the authenticity of the plague immunity effect were a given.
And then there were those who pointed fingers, accusing him of trying to profit from the crisis.
In truth, this was all more or less within Seong-hyeok's range of expectations.
【Jeongrichung: Honeybee-nim. The timing isn't great. No matter how good your intentions, the outcome is likely to be poor.】
Even Jeongrichung, a master at reading public opinion, had tried to dissuade him.
Well, it was somewhat understandable.
The fear of a plague that, upon infection, turned you into something beyond human—a plague with what was essentially a 100% mortality rate.
But Seong-hyeok thought differently.
【Honeybee: A little criticism? They say it helps you live longer.】
【Jeongrichung: ...If that is your decision, Honeybee-nim, then I understand. I will also provide as much support as I can.】
It went without saying, but both the strong and the weak.
Regardless of age or gender, population size was power.
The upcoming #Chapters or ???-grade monsters.
Especially among them, dragons.
What were the chances that a being capable of inflicting near-total annihilation on the capitals of Russia and the United States wouldn't appear again?
*'They'll definitely come again.'*
No, this wasn't a matter of possibility to be debated.
As the #Chapters progressed, the respawning monsters would grow stronger, and with the walls breaking down, the probability of a fresh, unpenalized foe appearing was nearly 120%.
Considering the two dragons had acted together before, if a formidable enemy were to press its advantage with numbers, what Seong-hyeok ultimately needed were trustworthy allies and a human shield.
A mindset that could be seen as cruel.
But this wasn't for his benefit alone.
Whatever the intention, it was a path that would save the most people.
And do things pushed forward with such conviction always turn out well?
[Your listed 'Guardian's General-Purpose Wildflower Honey Soap (★★+)' has been sold.]
[You have acquired 630 Coins after a 10% fee.]
[Your listed 'Guardian's General-Purpose Wildflower Honey Soap (★★+)' has been sold.]
[You have acquired 630 Coins after a 10% fee.]
...
The processed wildflower honey products were selling out as fast as he could list them.
Unlike those from Ruby Gem or Peridot.
This honey, sourced mostly from various African wildflowers rather than Seong-hyeok's own swarm, had no special effects, but there was no better cost-effective item for stopping the plague.
“...Looks like there won't be any time to rest from now on.”
The total population may have dropped below 30%, but humanity's numbers were still vast.
“I'll help as much as I can.”
“You'll have to be prepared.”
“Hahaha. I was born for this kind of work, so don't you worry.”
To preserve humanity from the plague,
and incidentally, to sit on a sweet cushion of cash,
“Here. This is a prototype I devised based on your production methods. You should have plenty of ingredients, so use it to make mass production easier.”
“You'll be blessed for this.”
“I'm already receiving plenty of blessings from the bees. Just make good use of it.”
“Of course.”
[The Transcendent Being, Bo, the Mad Inquirer, sends a look of encouragement.]
Seong-hyeok and Thomas.
The two mad researchers literally began to churn out honey products.