Chapter 200
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 200
Chapter Title: Declaration of War
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“...Did we do it?”
The dragon hunt had proceeded smoothly, just as planned.
And this time, it wasn’t just a matter of taking them down one by one like before.
There were three of them.
What’s more, one of them was a ‘???+’ grade, a rank Seong-hyeok had never seen before.
There had been several dangerous moments where a single misstep could have led to death, but Seong-hyeok had survived.
[Title, Gourmet - You have met the awakening conditions for Elder Dragon Slayer. -> Hunted an Elder Dragon]
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[Heart of the Elder Green Dragon Bellairun (★★★★★+)] - Legendary-rank Treasure
※ Upon consumption, this item becomes bound and cannot be unequipped. To obtain ownership, the bound target must be killed.
* Classification: Consumable, Material
* Related to: Draconic language, all types of mana, forest essence, high-grade poison
* Upon consumption, you will acquire the Authority Specializations ‘???’ and ‘???’ one time only. Current consumption 0 / 1
※ ??? (Permanent): ???
※ ??? (Permanent): ???
* Usage Restriction: All stats 4,000 or higher
[Eye of the Elder Green Dragon Bellairun (★★★★★+)] X 2
[Scale of the Elder Green Dragon Bellairun (★★★★★+)] X 115
[Blood of the Elder Green Dragon Bellairun (★★★★★+)] X 924
…….
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And then came the application of high risk, high return.
Having dealt with powerful monsters like dragons, a new title and a trove of top-tier items naturally followed.
The sight alone was enough to lift his spirits, but first things first.
Before joy, Seong-hyeok offered his condolences.
“Thank you, everyone. I will never forget your sacrifice.”
When you broke it down, it was no exaggeration to say that Seong-hyeok had contributed 1% to the dragon-hunting plan, while the honeybees had done 99%.
From the honeybee CCTV to their fearless engagement in the battle against the dragons, they had given their all.
Having observed and studied honeybees for so long, Seong-hyeok knew better than anyone.
They were the epitome of altruism, benevolent beings who gave everything without reservation.
But as always.
For Seong-hyeok and the honeybees, mourning the dead was but a fleeting moment.
“You all worked hard, too.”
*Bzzzz—*
*Buzzzzzzz!*
The honeybees’ way of life prioritized work over grief.
They would keep the sacrificed in their hearts, but the celebratory toast with the survivors would be brief.
“What a persistent, nasty fate this is.”
A total of six dragons had now appeared on Earth.
And this time, three had come at once, including an Elder Dragon. Could the dragons truly have done that on their own?
“Not a chance.”
It was one thing to say that he and his bees were exceptionally strong, but frankly, the dragons’ power was not something to be trifled with.
A single one of them had been enough to turn Russia to ash and treat the capital of the United States as its plaything. They were a monstrously powerful species.
Would the ‘world,’ so obsessed with balance, have simply stood by and watched as so many of them crossed over?
Some might scoff and call it an overreaction, but unfortunately for them, Seong-hyeok had experienced the status of a Transcendent Being for a full hour, albeit not through official channels.
That was why he knew.
“I know you’re watching. Stop hiding like a rat and come out on your own, like the lizard you are.”
Somewhere out there, Transcendent Beings were watching his every move, grinding their teeth.
[The Transcendent Being, Dragon Lord Kalash, is observing you.]
Among them was the Dragon Lord, the very cause of the current situation.
[The Transcendent Being, Dragon Lord Kalash, uses the power of ■■■. He is attempting to temporarily invite you to his lair. Will you accept? YES / YES]
※ If you do not choose, a selection will be made automatically in 10 seconds.
“I had no intention of refusing anyway.”
Determined to sever this tenacious, ill-fated connection with the dragons once and for all, Seong-hyeok chose YES.
“You would be wise to abandon any thought of leaving here unscathed, you insignificant creature.”
“What a shame. I was planning on leaving unscathed.”
In a world turned upside down, he faced an old man brimming with hostility.
As Seong-hyeok sat across from the being burning with fury, a triumphant smile graced his lips.
* * * * *
What made a Transcendent Being transcendent?
They were wielders of overwhelming power, beyond any comparison with Players.
Seong-hyeok was no exception to that rule, and the pressure of facing a Transcendent Being’s hatred was truly immense.
“Grrr! You insect! I’ll crush you!!!”
His appearance might be that of an old man, but his essence was that of a dragon far more vast than any creature he had ever met.
His roar alone was enough to send shivers down one’s spine, but the fear was only momentary.
*Pzzzzzt—!!!*
“Kuaaaargh!”
The world’s shackles bound the Dragon Lord.
No matter how powerful he was, he could not escape them.
“So impatient. I knew you’d be like this.”
If the Dragon Lord could have killed him here, he wouldn’t have needed to summon more dragons to Earth; he would have killed Seong-hyeok a hundred times over with these forced invitations.
Seong-hyeok met Kalash’s gaze, which held a murderous intent, as if he would tear him to shreds at any moment.
“If you don’t mind, shall we talk?”
“Ha! Talk? Did you just say talk? With the enemy of my children?”
“This is pretty serious.”
He knew that different species would have different perspectives.
Even among humans, individual values varied wildly, so why would dragons be any different?
But their way of thinking was beyond imagination.
It went beyond mere pride in their own supremacy; they only remembered the wrongs done to them.
A self-centered worldview.
“Hey, there’s a limit to hypocrisy. Are you the only ones whose lives matter?”
From the population of Russia incinerated by Porleirn when he first appeared, to the countless honeybees sacrificed in the ongoing battles with dragons, the list was endless.
But on this point, Seong-hyeok gave up trying to persuade him.
“The deaths of insignificant vermin are not worthy of being considered life.”
“...Oh, is that so?”
To this creature, humans were like livestock.
No, like the microorganisms or bacteria living inside one’s body, which aren’t considered life.
Even so, it wasn’t a huge problem for Seong-hyeok.
Honestly, he had no reason to forgive the dragons, who had claimed the most honeybee lives.
“If you return now and meet your end along with those filthy insects, I will cease my interference with Earth.”
“Funnily enough, I came here to give you an answer on that very subject.”
He had no intention whatsoever of smiling and shaking hands with a creature making such a ridiculous proposal.
“Your dragons give some sick EXP, you know? Keep sending them like this. I’ll make good use of them.”
“...Y-Youuuu!”
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
And a bitter feud for a bitter feud.
“Let’s get along well from now on.”
With this official declaration of war, Seong-hyeok raised his middle finger to the old dragon’s face.
* * * * *
The larvae, born from the continuous efforts of the queen and princess bees, consumed the honey collected by the worker bees, growing rapidly and undergoing metamorphosis to emerge as full-fledged honeybees.
*Bzzzz—*
*Buzzz—*
Thus began the honeybee’s journey with its birth.
The battle against the dragon horde had left many vacancies among the worker bees.
For that reason, the bees focused solely on work the moment they emerged from their pupal stage.
The life of a honeybee was one of pollinating entomophilous flowers across the globe and gathering honey.
As their master, Seong-hyeok did his part to support the efforts of these fairies of nature.
[Guardian’s Special Assorted Fruit Pollen Meal (★★★★+)]
[Guardian’s Special High-Concentration Honey (★★★★)]
[Mad Guardian’s Royal Jelly Stick (★★★★★+)]
…….
“Everyone, eat before you work!”
There was no better seasoning than care.
The nutritional meals were filled with Seong-hyeok’s affection for his bees.
They all shared common traits: long-lasting effects and stat boosts.
Besides that, they were packed with essential nutrients for work and tasted exceptional. No honeybee would refuse.
*Buzzzzzzz!*
*Bzz-bzz-bzz—!!!*
Bees that were about to head out and those that had just returned from work.
The swarm, large enough to be called a legion, swarmed the food, gulping down the pollen pellets and honey.
“Is it that good?”
*Buzzz!*
Pure, 100% real honey and royal jelly.
And a delicious mealtime enhanced by Seong-hyeok’s skill.
In an instant, only empty containers remained as the bees took off to work again, their movements light.
This was largely due to the food’s effects, but the buffs he provided as the Honeybee Guardian were also significant.
[Honeybee Guardian’s job specialization, Guardian’s Aura, is activated.]
[Imperial Topaz Worker Bees (★★★+) will not tire easily during their tasks.]
[Ruby Gem Scout Bees (★★★★) will not tire easily during their tasks.]
Just as the basics are most important.
Guardian’s Aura had been a major influence from the very beginning.
In a way, it was a simple effect that didn’t raise any stats, just preventing fatigue, but when that effect applied to a legion of bees numbering in the hundreds of millions, it was a different story.
[Peridot Worker Bee (★★★+) has collected honey. Current honey status: 68.454%]
[Peridot Cheonlamdok Legion Commander Bee (★★★★★) has collected honey. Current honey status: 69.002%]
[Ruby Gem Worker Bee (★★★+) has collected honey. Current honey status: 73.245%]
…….
After completing their tasks, there was no need for ‘rest’ to recover from their labor; the work continued without a pause.
And was that all?
[Natural Flora, World Tree Wild Ginseng (★★★★★), has been discovered!]
[Natural Flora, Peridot Green Shade Bush Clover Mushroom (★★★-) Cluster, has been discovered!]
[Natural Flora, Peridot King Amanita Mushroom (★★★+) Cluster, has been discovered!]
…….
It went beyond simply filling the honey reserves, extending to the gathering of natural flora!
Moreover, Seong-hyeok had more than just his job specialization.
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[Guardian’s Bounty (Lv.11)]
* Classification: Skill
* Mana Cost: 10,500
* Effect (Active): For 24 hours, the movement speed of all honeybees belonging to the retinue increases by 60%, and their honey storage capacity increases by 30%. (Cooldown: 24 hours)
* Effect - Honeybee Acceleration: For all honeybees within a 50km radius, this effect is amplified by 6 times.
* Description: Summons the guardian’s bounty, increasing the efficiency of the honeybees’ movement speed and honey storage. The effect strengthens as the level increases.
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Guardian’s Bounty was a prime skill for his honeybees, acquired when he reached level 55.
The mana cost per use was considerable, but the active effect was beyond imagination.
Movement speed and honey storage.
Two elements absolutely essential for a honeybee to efficiently gather nectar from flowers.
These were increased by a significant amount, and the duration was a full 24 hours.
*Buzzzzzzz—*
*Bzzzz—*
With faster speeds and larger storage, the honeybee swarms worked even more smoothly.
In particular, the speed of the bees in the apiary adjacent to Seong-hyeok was nothing short of astonishing.
[Honeybee Acceleration effect is active.]
[The honeybees’ movement speed and honey storage capacity increase dramatically.]
Through the ‘Honeybee Acceleration’ added to Guardian’s Bounty, the bees now boasted a 360% increase in movement speed and a 180% increase in honey storage—a six-fold boost.
It was as if a tiger had sprouted wings.
The admirable creatures ceaselessly found their tasks and acted upon them.
But, like master, like bee.
[Honey is ready for harvest!]
“Shall I get to work now, too?”
To repay the bees for their tireless harvesting.
It was time for Seong-hyeok to begin his own work.
The work necessary to raise funds, grow stronger, and oppose the Dragon Lord.