Chapter 196
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 196
Chapter Title: The Fruits of Labor
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Securing subordinates through the first Corruption.
Furthermore, after learning that he could select not only the queen bee's skills but also those of the elite bees under her command, Seong-hyeok's progress became even more unstoppable.
[The Spinel Queen Bee (★★★★+) has become Player Yu Seong-hyeok's subordinate through the Harvest of Corruption. Current number of remaining subordinates: 9 / 10]
[The Spinel Ice Legion Commander Bee (★★★★-) learns the skill, Ice Spear (Lv.1).]
…
He was practically invincible when it came to bees.
Under the effect of the 'One Who is Loved by Bees,' he repeatedly made the queen bees of Africa his subordinates one after another.
Naturally, the chain reaction of acquiring skills following the Harvest of Corruption meant the additional effects Seong-hyeok gained could not be ignored.
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[Wind Curtain (Lv.5)]
* Classification: Skill
* Mana Cost: 500
* Effect (Active): Spreads a wind curtain within a 1km radius of the user. (Cooldown: 10 minutes)
* Effect - Wind's Aid (Passive): Increases the movement speed of targets recognized as allies and allied projectiles within the curtain.
* Effect - Projectile Obstruction (Passive): Reduces the speed and power of all incoming enemy projectiles or nullifies them.
* Description: Wields a wind curtain imbued with a special energy. It applies respective effects to allies and enemies passing through it, and becomes more powerful as its level increases.
[Steelification (Lv.4)]
* Classification: Skill
* Mana Cost: 0
* Effect (Passive): Permanently increases defense by 4% and durability by 2%.
[Ice Spear (Lv.1)]
…
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Following the Chain Sickle he had first acquired, he was now obtaining skills one after another.
Well, the skills themselves weren't particularly outstanding, but this was Seong-hyeok we were talking about.
All he had to do was infuse them with bee venom.
After all, his Bee Sting Acupuncture was essentially just stabbing.
It couldn't compare to other rankers or unique classes who wielded massive area-of-effect magic and moved with complete freedom.
But the important thing was that Seong-hyeok was the world's number one ranker, surpassing them all with his overwhelming stats, honed by his class specialization and honey-processed goods.
Just as Strength and Agility greatly influenced close combat and the physical body…
…Spirit Power determined the might of magic.
Spirit Power: 4,260 (+1,026)
The answer was simple when that stat easily surpassed four thousand.
*Crackle—*
“…It's pretty big.”
A spear of ice so massive it looked as if he'd brought an entire Antarctic glacier with him.
Its appearance alone set it apart from ordinary magic, but that wasn't the only surprising thing.
“Hmm. I wonder if I can use it like this?”
As high as his Spirit Power was…
…no, his control stat was even higher, since it also affected his close-quarters combat.
The advantage of this was that it didn't just end with brute force.
*Crack, crackle!*
He broke down the inefficiently large Ice Spear, dividing it into numerous smaller pieces.
And the changes to the Ice Spear didn't stop at just being divided.
*Fwoosh!*
The flames of a Red Dragon, acquired by consuming three legendary-grade Dragon Hearts.
If those ignited pellets of Ice Spear were to rain down on his enemies, he didn't need to test it to know the destructive power.
“Thanks to the bees, I can finally make proper use of ranged attacks.”
Not only could he handle things with just mana, without having to throw himself into the fray or use up his precious venom bombs…
…but the ability to respond to battles that didn't always go exactly as planned would be a huge advantage.
Moreover, the greatest effect of Seong-hyeok's stats was that they didn't just influence him alone.
*Buzzzzz!*
*Bzz, bzz, bzz!*
Based on the authority of the Honeybee Guardian, all bees that became his subordinates received benefits corresponding to his stats.
Within that framework, the actions of the bees, now several times stronger than before, were set.
Having become much faster and able to store more honey, they did as they always did.
*Flap, flap, flap—*
*Vrrrrrrr—*
A swarm of bees, their entire bodies plunged into flowers, greedily consuming nectar.
“Yeah, that's more like you.”
Do they say that bees are bees, whether in Korea or Africa?
For some reason, the bees all showed the same unchanging behavior.
He wanted to savor their cute antics, but he also had to think about the mountain of beekeeping work piled up in Korea while he was away. He searched all over Africa for the one remaining queen, but…
“Hmm. Are there no more queen bees?”
Judging by the worker bees currently flying around Africa, there were only nine queens.
The thought that he would have to leave one subordinate slot open lasted only for a moment.
“Wait a minute… I don't have to wait for a new queen to appear in Africa, do I?”
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[Dimensional Queen Bee Capture (Lv.13)]
* Classification: Skill
* Mana Cost: 0
* Effect (Active): Captures a random queen bee of grade '★★★★-' ~ '★★★★★+'. (Cooldown: 18 days)
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The skill that had captured countless queen bees, starting with the Ruby Gem Queen Bee, the Peridot, the Imperial Topaz, and many others.
Dimensional Queen Bee Capture, the very skill that had made Seong-hyeok who he was today.
But as they say, old habits die hard.
Until now, the standard procedure had been to immediately make the captured bee a subordinate.
But looking back now, the skill description never said anything about them 'returning'.
“It was only related to making them subordinates. This means I can use it separately.”
He could capture a new queen and bring her to Earth at his will.
Of course, it wasn't polite to bring a queen over without asking her opinion, but Seong-hyeok wasn't planning on doing it empty-handed.
He had the Bee Garden, a home for bees that he had meticulously prepared as the Honeybee Guardian.
To this place, where there was no inconvenience in living…
*Flick— Clatter, clatter, clatter~*
[The result of Machete's Golden Fortune Coin (★★★★★+) is heads.]
[The luck of heads is applied.]
[Greatly enhanced luck will find you for your next action!]
[Using skill, Dimensional Queen Bee Capture (Lv.13).]
[The Honeybee Guardian's net is cast into the dimension.]
Flipping the coin, Seong-hyeok began to welcome a queen of the highest grade.
\* \* \* \* \*
His purpose was to grant the authority of the Honeybee Guardian to the queen bees residing in Africa.
Having successfully completed that goal, what greeted Seong-hyeok upon his return to Korea was, without a doubt…
“I-I'm sorry, my companion. The Poison Elves and I did our best to harvest, but this is our limit.”
“It's fine. In fact, this is great.”
[Honey is ready for harvest!]
[Honey is ready for harvest!]
[Honey is ready for harvest!]
…
Without even a moment's rest, to the point that even Greendale and the Poison Elves were exhausted.
The bees' efforts, tirelessly filling the hives on a grueling schedule.
The result was an endless amount of beekeeping work exploding upon him.
Normally, one would click their tongue at such a tedious, even dreadful, situation, but Seong-hyeok, who lived and died for bees, was different.
“You prepared all this for me. I knew I could count on you!”
*Buzzzzzz~*
*Bzzzz!*
Who was it that said…?
…like begets like.
Seong-hyeok rolled up his sleeves with a smile, accepting the work his bees had prepared with all their might.
Since all the automatic honey extractors were deployed in Africa and Russia, the Korean bee farm was filled only with extra-large hives that had to be harvested manually, but this posed little difficulty for Seong-hyeok.
“First, this one!”
[Great Gathering Success!]
[The authority of Bountiful Mindset is activated.]
[The effect of Overflowing Abundance is applied.]
[Acquired 218 Rose Quartz Honey (★★+).]
…
Based on his high Agility and control stats.
Machine-like precision and speed so fast it was invisible to the naked eye.
The work proceeded smoothly, as if he were possessed by a god, just as the skill's name, 'Possessed Beekeeping,' suggested.
The reactions of the residents watching the scene were varied.
“G-Good heavens. Unbelievable…”
“He was amazing when he caught the dragon, but this seems even more incredible.”
Not only were the new residents who had joined while Seong-hyeok was away clicking their tongues in amazement…
“Seong-hyeok is the same as ever.”
“He's truly amazing.”
“Come on, let's learn from him and work hard!”
…but even those who had grown accustomed to his workload were expressing their admiration.
All the hives in the farm had been so full of honey that the notification sounds were a blur.
But even those hives, which had been triumphantly over 90% full, were helpless when they met their match.
[Great Gathering Success!]
[Great Gathering Success!]
[Great Gathering Success!]
…
The gathering notifications repeated endlessly.
Consequently, the heavy hives were instantly extracted, becoming light and slim, and in turn, the bees and Kang Yeon-ah became busy.
*Whir! Buzzzzz!*
*Bzz, bzz, bzz!*
Although they had prepared the honey for Seong-hyeok, the bees were infuriated by the rapid pace of extraction and set off on a long journey to the flowers.
A wide smile briefly formed on Kang Yeon-ah's lips as she watched the bees' plump, desirable hindquarters with satisfaction.
“Huhu, I'm not the same old Kang Yeon-ah anymore!”
After all, she had reached a respectable level, acquiring numerous storage-related skills, and as the incarnation of the Dimensional Mover, Blanqui, she could even teleport.
Furthermore, she now had over ten versatile hands, so what was there to fear?
As an elite porter, she would simply do what she could!
However, her resolve didn't last long against Seong-hyeok's immense and rapid work pace.
“Pant, haah. Oppa! Are you really trying to work me to death?”
“We're not even 30% done. Stop whining when we've barely started!”
“Y-You vicious slave driver!”
His workload was truly phenomenal, no matter how many times she saw it.
But she only grumbled with her mouth.
Kang Yeon-ah's body kept up with Seong-hyeok's pace just fine.
“H-Help me…”
“50%. We're halfway there. Keep it up.”
“Ughhhhh!”
“65%. Almost there!”
“…”
“90%. Just one more push!”
A work site more hellish than hell itself.
But what made it impossible to complain was that Seong-hyeok wasn't someone who just paid lip service to 'leading by example'.
“Right, if Oppa can do it, so can I!”
Her stamina was so low that it wouldn't be strange if she collapsed at any moment.
Even so, she was born with the karma of an elite porter.
In this bizarre world, she endured with her innate grit and tenacity.
“Good work.”
As they say, all things that have a beginning must have an end, and the work was finally done.
The volume of work was so arduous that she never wanted to experience it again, but…
“This is for all your hard work. Try it out later when you're resting.”
“H-Heok!”
[Mad Guardian's Queen Scentgrass Propolis Cosmetics (★★★★★+)]
“I pledge my lifelong loyalty to you, Orabeoni!”
For a woman, it was an incredibly sweet fruit.
The reward was too great to refuse.