Chapter 2
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 2
Chapter Title: The First Hive
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“This is why you always have to be prepared.”
Besides, Seong-hyeok didn't just have the skill.
As the sole human candidate for the 'unique' class of Honeybee Guardian, one of Seong-hyeok's hobbies was making beehives in his spare time. Because of this, he always had a stock of high-quality wooden planks and honeycombs.
“Hmm, shall I give it a try then?”
Honestly, while he had plenty of experience building beehives by hand, this was the first time in his life he’d ever crafted one using a game-like system.
But Seong-hyeok had learned long ago at the orphanage that to survive a changing world, one must adapt.
[Using skill, Guardian's Beehive Crafting (Lv.1).]
[80 Mana consumed.]
[Do you have additional materials to use? YES / NO]
Just like before, using the skill presented him with a choice: YES or NO.
Seong-hyeok naturally chose YES and took out the wrapped honeycombs and wooden planks from the bag on his back.
[Required materials have been met. Do you wish to automatically complete the beehive crafting? YES / NO]
“No. There’s no dedication in something made that quickly.”
For Seong-hyeok, a man who had walked the path of the honeybee and nothing else, letting a game system auto-craft a beehive was simply unacceptable.
[You have selected manual crafting. Please begin crafting the beehive. Time remaining: 2 hours]
※ Warning! If crafting is not completed within the time limit, the materials used will be destroyed.
“Bring it on!”
Having chosen to craft it by hand, Seong-hyeok rolled up his sleeves and threw himself into the task, drawing on all his accumulated experience.
About forty minutes passed.
[Beehive Crafting Great Success! The Honeybee Guardian's blessing is engraved upon the beehive.]
[Guardian's Extra-Large Acorn Beehive (★+) has been crafted.]
With the promising words 'Great Success!', a ★+ grade Guardian's Extra-Large Acorn Beehive was completed.
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[Guardian's Extra-Large Acorn Beehive (★+)]
* Classification: Miscellaneous
* Currently empty.
* Occupancy: 0 / 80,000 (+10,000)
* Current Honey Status: 0%
* Health: 1,050 (+250)
* Defense: 17 (+5) Magic Resistance: 8 (+2)
* Durability: 350 / 350 (+50)
* Description: An extra-large ★+ grade acorn beehive engraved with the 'Guardian's' keyword. It has been crafted to be exceptionally sturdy and robust.
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The extra-large acorn beehive’s stats not only had a '+' next to the ★ grade, but it was also engraved with the 'Guardian's' keyword, which only appeared by a certain chance.
Seong-hyeok, seeing its sturdy-looking exterior, felt a deep satisfaction that made him forget all about his hard labor.
“Kuhu, dedication and effort never betray you.”
Well, it was just a theory, so he couldn't be certain, but he was sure something this good wouldn't have appeared if he’d let the system 'auto-craft' it.
Things like this really made him believe that experience is the greatest asset.
If Seong-hyeok hadn't known how to build a beehive, he would have been forced to choose the auto option.
Bzzzz-! Bzzzzzz-!
“Haha. You like this place too, huh?”
The Ruby Gem Queen Bee flapped its wings around the beehive Seong-hyeok had built, as if it wanted to make it its home right this instant.
Like a pet recognizing its new house, its eagerness made Seong-hyeok feel even prouder.
“Alright. I made it for you, after all.”
[Do you want to place the Ruby Gem Queen Bee (★) into the Guardian's Extra-Large Acorn Beehive (★+)? YES / NO]
“Yes, I will.”
[The Ruby Gem Queen Bee (★) has secured a home.]
[Egg-laying will now commence!]
As the queen bee entered the empty hive, she began to lay eggs.
However, there was one fact Seong-hyeok had forgotten.
[Honeybee Guardian's class specialization, Guardian's Vigor, is activated.]
[The Ruby Gem Queen Bee's (★) egg-laying speed is doubled.]
“Oh?”
It was one of the four traits of his new class, the Honeybee Guardian: Guardian's Vigor.
* Guardian's Vigor: Wherever an affiliated queen bee is, her egg-laying speed, hatching speed, and emergence process are doubled.
At a glance, it might just seem like the growth process was merely doubled, but in the long run, this changed everything.
Moreover, the Ruby Gem Queen Bee wasn't from Earth, but a creature from a dimension called Deltaria.
Laying two eggs per minute, with eggs hatching in eight hours and larvae becoming adults in just eighteen, their growth rate was already incomparably faster than that of Earth's bees.
And now that incredible speed was doubled?
This meant the Ruby Gem Queen Bee would lay four eggs per minute, and those eggs would emerge as adults in a mere thirteen hours.
Was that all?
Assuming it laid four eggs a minute without rest, that would mean an addition of 5,760 bees per day.
“Isn't this the very joy of studying bees and their colonies?”
Moments like this made the natural world seem truly mysterious.
A tiny bee, barely the size of Seong-hyeok's finger.
A small kingdom, started from a single bee, would soon be filled with many more worker bees as time went on.
“I never thought I'd start my beekeeping career this way, but hey, what's good is good. For now, I can't wait to taste that Ruby Gem honey!”
A mission as a Honeybee Guardian he had not intended.
But Seong-hyeok's mind was already filled with thoughts of tasting honey from a new dimension.
* * * * *
As always, people in society act according to their respective roles.
Students and teachers go to school; office workers commute by car or public transport.
Life flowed naturally within this established environment.
[System modification update for the dimension is in progress. 1, 2, 3%...]
[Please select a class. Time remaining: 1 hour]
※ Warning! Failure to select a class will result in a fatal penalty.
“What's this? Am I still asleep?”
“Oh my, Mrs. Hyun-su, are you seeing this too?”
“Huh? I've read about this in a novel.”
“Did some genius hacker show up?”
“...A class, Warrior (★)? What is this.”
Faced with the strange text that appeared before them, people reacted in various ways.
Some were curious, some ignored it completely, and others questioned the very concept of a 'class'.
But the dimensional system modification applied to Earth wasn't just about adding classes.
“Kikik! Kiiieek!”
“Kieeeeeeek!”
Sudden, beast-like screeches erupted.
People who turned their heads in that direction were in for an even bigger shock.
“...Wh-what is that?”
“Are they filming a movie or something? How can the makeup look so real?”
“I-I don't think that's makeup... Look at the size, they're not adults, they're like children.”
A short, green-skinned creature.
It was a being unlike anything they had ever seen in their lives, but that wasn't the real problem.
“G-Goblins?”
[Goblin Lv. 1 (★-)]
[Goblin Lv. 1 (★-)]
[Goblin Lv. 1 (★-)]
…….
Like monster indicators in a game, the name 'Goblin' was displayed next to a level.
At the same time, they noticed the small but sharply honed daggers clutched in the creatures' hands.
“Th-they look dangerous. Shouldn't we run?”
“Nah, they're probably toys.”
“They look a bit too menacing to be toys...”
Smile~
Click- click-
Until that moment, people were hesitant, maintaining an uncertain posture.
Was it mob mentality?
No one made the first move to run; instead, they pulled out their smartphones to capture photos and videos of the goblins.
But the atmosphere changed in an instant.
Shunk-
Splurt-
“G-Gaaaargh!”
“H-huh?”
As soon as a goblin got close to a person, it thrust its dagger forward.
It pierced through the thin layer of skin with terrifying ease.
A torrent of blood gushed out, followed by a piercing scream of agony.
But for the goblins, was this the finest of feasts?
“Kikikikik!”
“Kiiik! Kikikik!”
Stab- Stab- Stab-!
“Gack, gurg-guh...”
The goblins swarmed the fallen person, beginning to hack them to pieces.
The sickening sound of tearing flesh filled the air as crimson bloodstains began to pool on the ground.
“B-bleargh...”
“Wh-what is that?”
The faces of the onlookers turned deathly pale as they watched the creatures, now drenched in human blood, stuff entrails into their mouths and chew them like gum.
It was all too real.
And yet, so far removed from reality that some people retched and emptied their stomachs.
But unfortunately for them, the goblin pack, having swiftly dealt with one person and left only a bloodstain behind, were not kind enough monsters to wait.
“Kieeeeeeeeek-!!!”
“Kieeeeeeee---!”
With a shriek, the goblins began their indiscriminate assault.
“R-run!”
“Aaaaargh!”
“H-help me!”
Some people turned and fled without a second glance.
“Fuck! Don't run, pick a class and fight! You've all played games, right? They're just goblins!”
“They're nothing without those daggers. Use your jacket to deflect them!”
“Bring it on, you shorty bastards!”
Others quickly chose a class and confronted the charging goblins.
Flee or fight.
Honestly, it was impossible to say which of the two choices was the right one.
Those who chose to flee wouldn't be able to secure any loot from hunting monsters, but for the moment, they could at least save their own lives, thanks to those who fought and drew the monsters' attention.
But one thing was certain.
In this chaotic world, turned into a game by the system update.
To survive, one had to level up and become stronger.
“3, 2, 1...”
But as the saying goes, there are always peculiar exceptions in this world.
While countless people were engaged in a desperate life-or-death struggle against monsters.
Seong-hyeok, living in harmony with nature as a man of the wild, was calmly counting down.
[The Ruby Gem Bee Pupa (★-) has completed its emergence process.]
[A Ruby Gem Worker Bee (★-) has been added to the Ruby Gem Queen Bee's (★) swarm.]
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[Ruby Gem Worker Bee (★-)]
* Skills: Forage (Lv.1), Poison Sting (Lv.1), Flight (Lv.1)
* Honey Storage: 0 / 10
* Health: 21 (+1) Mana: 11 (+1)
* Attack: 2 Defense: 1 Magic Resistance: 1
* Description: A ★- grade Ruby Gem Worker Bee native to the dimension 'Deltaria'.
※ This swarm belongs to a queen bee with a master. Stats are partially boosted according to the master's level.
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Bzzzz- Bzzzz-
With the notification, a single bee emerged from the acorn beehive.
“Welcome, little one.”
As the first member of his forces appeared, wiggling its plump and fluffy rear, Seong-hyeok expressed his sincere joy.