Chapter 197
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 197
Chapter Title: A Sweet Proposition
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The final step in the most crucial honey-harvesting process for a beekeeper.
Normally, selling the harvested honey as is would be fine, but Seong-hyeok wasn't satisfied with just that.
“The real deal is awakening their true potential.”
The infinite possibilities held within the honey byproducts.
Honey itself could be transformed into a versatile range of products like tea, liquor, and soap. Beeswax could similarly be processed into soap or candles.
And precious substances like royal jelly and propolis could be refined into various medicines and cosmetics.
Was that all?
[Mass Processing is being used.]
[The high-concentration process of the Honey Extractor (★★★★-) has been completed.]
[Highly concentrated honey is now available for harvest!]
...
Several devices were now in place to support the production of Seong-hyeok's honey products, which were effectively being supplied to the entire world.
Mass Processing significantly lightened Seong-hyeok’s workload, which was growing by the day, while the Honey Extractor acted as another form of ‘harvesting’ rather than processing, providing him with even higher-quality, high-concentration honey.
And now, there were even the Garnet Gem Bees' honey strawberries and honey grapes, which the bees themselves provided after a natural aging process!
Not only were they grown organically in nature without any pesticides, but the fruits, filled with sweet honey, were almost identical to honey itself.
When mixed into processed goods, they offered nothing but advantages, with no penalties whatsoever. It was truly the icing on the cake.
[Honey Brewing Great Success! The Honeybee Guardian's blessing is engraved upon the Honey Grape Wine.]
[Honey Brewing Great Success! The Honeybee Guardian's blessing is engraved upon the Honey Grape Wine.]
[Honey Brewing Great Success! The Honeybee Guardian's blessing is engraved upon the High-Concentration Bee Venom Honey Strawberry Wine.]
...
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[Guardian's High-Concentration Bee Venom Honey Strawberry Wine (★★★★+)] - Aged
※ No harmful bee venom components remain.
* Classification: Consumable
* Upon consumption, it has an outstanding effect of strengthening the body and applies 'High-Concentration Fruit Wine' to the individual. Permanently increases Durability and Control by 3 one time only. Current consumption: 0 / 1
※ High-Concentration Fruit Wine: For 3 hours, Attack Power and Defensive Ability increase by 20%, and all stats increase by 28(+4). (Cooldown: 6 hours)
* Description: A ★★★★+ grade High-Concentration Fruit Wine inscribed with the Guardian's keyword. The harmonious blend of honey, bee venom, and aged strawberries creates a sweet, fruity aroma that tempts the consumer. The naturally aged honey strawberries have completely neutralized the toxicity of the bee venom, and the wine has been fully aged with high-concentration honey.
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High-quality ingredients and a skilled hand to work with them.
Not to mention a variety of construction facilities.
In such a perfect environment, it was only natural that high-quality processed goods would be produced.
It had outstanding effects, a great taste, and even the potential for a permanent stat increase.
It was an item that would fetch any price if put up for auction.
Yet Seong-hyeok downed the finished product without a second thought.
“Ahh! This is the taste that keeps me crafting.”
As if toying with his tongue.
A sweet harmony of honey and fruit spread throughout his mouth.
Even a considerable tycoon would hesitate to consume a consumable worth millions of coins in a single gulp, but what did that matter?
Seong-hyeok had long surpassed the level of a mere tycoon.
He had entered the ranks of the world's wealthiest, earning billions daily from his honey products.
Besides, wasn't this fruit wine something he had made himself, self-sufficiently, thanks to his bees?
Most importantly, Seong-hyeok had no need to be frugal with such things.
[The Honeybee Guardian's job specialization, Honey Product Aficionado, is activated.]
[You are freed from the limit on the permanent stat increase of Guardian's High-Concentration Bee Venom Honey Strawberry Wine (★★★★+). 0 / 1 Time remaining: 6 hours]
‘Honey Product Aficionado’ was what had made the current Seong-hyeok—a man who could not only crush the Emperor of China in a single blow but also hunt dragons.
It only lifted the restriction on permanent stat increases for honey products, but when the subject was a beekeeper—and one who had walked the path of the honeybee his entire life—it was a different story.
[The Honeybee Guardian's job specialization, Honey Product Aficionado, is activated.]
[The Honeybee Guardian's job specialization, Honey Product Aficionado, is activated.]
[The Honeybee Guardian's job specialization, Honey Product Aficionado, is activated.]
...
A relay of permanent stat increases, once every six hours.
Health supplements like Royal Jelly Pills and Propolis Films, made with generous amounts of the high-quality ingredients his bees had painstakingly collected.
And he had nine types of these.
No, if he could obtain honey byproducts with their own unique characteristics from the ten queens he had recruited in Africa through the Mark of Corruption, Seong-hyeok's stat growth would truly take flight!
It wasn't a new realization, but the potential of honeybees seemed to know no 'limits'.
*Bzzzz—*
*Buzzzzz—*
And though he wasn't one to judge by appearances, their commendable actions were matched by an adorable quality that made him want to stroke them on the spot.
The bees were, quite literally, endless.
[The honey status of the Extra-Large Wild Beehive - Mokcheong (★★★★★) has reached 100%.]
[The honey status of the Extra-Large Wild Beehive - Seokcheong (★★★★★) has reached 100%.]
[The honey status of the Extra-Large Wild Beehive - Tocheong (★★★★★) has reached 100%.]
[Honey is ready for harvest!]
“It’s finally done!”
The extra-large wild beehives he had been waiting for since their construction was completed.
With perfect timing, they were finally ready for harvest.
* * * * *
Ruby Gem, Peridot, Diamond Geumgang, and more.
The apiary was home to numerous types of honey, and it was filled with ingredients for high-quality processing, such as royal jelly and propolis.
But among them all, the most valuable were the three types of wild honey.
Special honey, collected drop by drop not in an artificial hive made by Seong-hyeok—or any human for that matter—but in a special beehive acquired through evolution.
Thanks to the increased numbers of Imperial Topaz worker bees, including Geonchug-i and his kin, the production was no longer so scarce that Seong-hyeok had to consume it in secret, but it was still far from abundant.
“It would be great if they didn’t disappear after harvesting.”
The worst penalty attached to the special wild beehives.
Unlike regular hives that could be used again after harvesting, these had to be rebuilt after a single collection, making the process of acquiring wild honey quite cumbersome.
But now, those worries were over.
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[Extra-Large Wild Beehive - Mokcheong (★★★★★)]
※ As this is a one-time special collectible, the wild beehive will be destroyed upon collection.
※ Ready for collection!
* Current Honey Status: 100%
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Through the efforts of the diligent bees, the massive wild beehive was finally filled to 100%.
Like the previous ones, it would disappear after a single collection, but the important thing was its size, befitting its name: extra-large.
[Collection Great Success!]
[The sap of the World Tree influences the aging process.]
[Acquired 288 Imperial Topaz World Tree Mokcheong (★★★★).]
[Acquired 9 Imperial Topaz World Tree Mokcheong Royal Jelly (★★★★★+).]
[Acquired 7 Imperial Topaz World Tree Mokcheong Propolis (★★★★★+).]
...
Compared to the previous wild beehives, which yielded a mere ten or so pieces per collection, this was an overwhelming harvest, nearly thirty times greater.
Not only was the quantity massive, but the quality was in no way inferior to the previous ones.
But beyond all that, the most important thing was the large amount of royal jelly and propolis he had acquired, just as much as the wild honey.
These were precious items he was lucky to get one or two of from a wild beehive, and often he got none at all.
“This opens up so many possibilities.”
The wild honey itself offered a permanent stat increase, which meant every item crafted with it came with a permanent stat-boosting option.
With so many of these now available, the next step was obvious.
“Who has time to rest?”
Seong-hyeok’s tenacious connection to honeybees meant he lived and died by them, and he was thoroughly engrossed in his research.
With an abundance of materials, Seong-hyeok began his work once more.
* * * * *
The owner of an apiary that could be called the land of labor, a being captivated by honeybees, the very symbol of diligence.
The results of giving such a person a mountain of high-quality ingredients were laid bare before him.
“Phew, is that all of it?”
In his workspace, the wild honey had been completely transformed into high-quality processed goods.
There was ordinary honey tea and honey wine, of course.
But there were also products like soaps and cosmetics, processed with bee venom or infused with aged fruits.
As expected from the meeting of wild honey and Seong-hyeok, the options on the processed goods were all astonishingly good, but that wasn't the problem.
“...Did I make a bit too much?”
The sheer volume was incomparable to his previous supply.
Fortunately, the products had a virtually non-existent expiration date, so releasing them over time was an option. The real issue was that this massive quantity would continue to be replenished steadily.
“Who knew having too much wild honey would be a problem.”
This was wild honey that others considered too precious to even taste.
*Grawrr!*
*Grawr!*
“Yeah. Is it that good?”
There was so much that he could now afford to be extravagant.
Yongbi and Danbi.
Seong-hyeok handed over a generous amount, enough for the baby bears to gorge themselves on, and then pondered over the remaining stock.
“I can’t even begin to guess the premium value of these things.”
Royal jelly and propolis were just as precious, but the wild honey products were even more important due to the cumbersome acquisition process.
Normally, selling them through Chesseur wouldn't have a major impact on Earth, but the problem was Chesseur's distribution method.
“Even if he agreed to take it, it would be 10% at most.”
The fellow's business style was far from selling in bulk for small profits.
Ultimately, Seong-hyeok would have to sell the remaining 90% himself. If he listed all of it on the exchange or auction house at once, the repercussions would be immense.
These items were valuable enough to make even the world's most renowned rankers empty their wallets just to buy one.
Selling out was a given, but he couldn't afford to sell at a loss.
It was disappointing that there was no way to sell them for 'coins' without taking a hit.
Smacking his lips in disappointment, Seong-hyeok’s gaze naturally drifted to the baby bears.
“They really are food fighters.”
The cubs were focused solely on eating, without a single financial worry in the world.
He felt a pang of envy for the carefree youngsters.
But it was only for a moment.
“...If money is the problem, can’t I just accept something else?”
Coins were essential due to their wide range of uses.
However, in this dog-eat-dog world where many gained superhuman strength through karma, there was something more important than money: talent.
Sure, thanks to his past actions and Jeongrichung's assistance, people from all over the world were already flocking to become residents without him even needing to call for them, but the focus wasn't on 'ordinary' residents.
The Middle East, Europe, America, and so on.
The leaders of renowned groups from various nations, powerful players with high-grade unique jobs like Cha Hye-rin or Jjiru.
Most of them were too proud to serve under Seong-hyeok, but now, things were different.
[The conditions for granting a quest have been met. -> Agreement of 3 or more Transcendent Beings, Fee: 100,000,000 Coins]
[The event quest, Honeybee's Wild Honey Products, will be granted to all players across all servers.]
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[Notification]
※ You do not necessarily have to come to my apiary. As long as you pledge to be an ally who prioritizes the protection of honeybees above all else, the reward will be given to anyone.
[Event Quest: Honeybee's Wild Honey Products]
※ This quest can be canceled at any time, and there are no penalties.
* Points will be awarded based on the owner's level and accumulated karma.
* Time Limit: ∞
※ All players who accept Honeybee's proposal within the time limit will receive a reward. However, the type of reward will vary depending on the points.
* 1,000,000+ Points: Frantic Guardian's Queen's Scented Grass Propolis Soap (★★★★★+)
* 300,000+ Points: Guardian's High-Concentration Seokcheong Bee Venom Honey Tea (★★★★★)
* 50,000+ Points: Choice of Guardian's Nine-Colored Royal Jelly Pill (★★★★-) or Guardian's Nine-Colored Chito Bee Venom Honey Tea (★★★★-)
* 1,000+ Points: Guardian's Nine-Colored Beeswax Candle (★★★)
...
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In a way, it was the first step toward what could become a religion devoted to honeybees.
Honeybee's gambit, filled with the bribe of overflowing honey products and wild honey.
And so, it became the catalyst that would once again shake the world.