Chapter 204
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 204
Chapter Title: The Bee Sting Business
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In this topsy-turvy world where the law of the jungle had become common sense.
It was only natural for people to gather where there was power.
The Korean bee farm, in particular, was home to numerous queen bees, making it one of the safest places in the world. It was inevitable that a considerable number of people would flock to it with each passing day.
*Bzzzz—*
*Buzzzzz—*
“Those who passed the interview, please follow the guide over there.”
“There are traps in the surrounding area, so be sure to follow the bees’ guidance!”
“If you harm a bee, a hundred million lives won’t be enough to save you, so be careful.”
Just a few months ago, the farm had consisted of Seong-hyeok, Yeon Su-hee, and Im Seok-cheol.
At most, there were only five people. Now, it had long since surpassed a hundred thousand—tens of thousands of times that number.
Because of this, it had reached a point where it was impossible for everyone to eat in one place. You can only imagine.
Of course, the food situation was resolved by assigning chefs to various locations as the number of residents grew, but the real issue was the bee sting acupuncture.
“Seong-hyeok. The effects are needless to say, incredible, but treating everyone is going to take more than a day, don’t you think?”
“Brother. Is there anything I can do to help?”
“Just give us a task, anything!”
Thanks to the sacrifice of the Troll Empress, Seong-hyeok’s bee sting acupuncture had unlocked a new level of power.
Beyond improving vigor and skin, it also permanently increased stats.
For players, there was no way they would pass up this near-omnipotent effect, which had no limits besides a cooldown.
And this power was also a potent strategic weapon for Seong-hyeok.
‘It’s important for me to get stronger, but humanity needs to get stronger too.’
Just as the total population had been a condition for the #5 Chapter update, he couldn’t rule out the possibility that it would be a factor in future updates as well.
Besides, in order to overcome the Transcendent Beings who treated humans like their playthings, gaining strength was a crucial first step.
In any case, Seong-hyeok had no reason to worry about the number of people.
“Don’t worry, I have a plan for that too.”
The real problem was the lack of ‘manpower’ to administer the bee sting acupuncture.
But when you thought about it, didn’t Seong-hyeok have plenty of reliable hands at his disposal?
*Bzzz!*
*Buzzzzz—!*
At Seong-hyeok’s call, a swarm of Healing-Venom Bees approached as if they had been waiting.
Unlike other honeybees with barbed stingers, their stingers were shaped more like a hornet’s, allowing them to sting multiple times without their insides being pulled out—a unique advantage of the Healing-Venom Bees.
Furthermore, they naturally possessed a ‘healing’ property.
Having confirmed through Greendale, Murion, and other reports that multiple stings posed no threat to one’s life, Seong-hyeok already knew how he would utilize this.
[Using Bee Unity.]
[Using Bee Unity.]
[The designated Healing-Venom Bees are imbued with the same venom as the bee sting acupuncture.]
…
* Effect - Bee Unity (Active): For 30 minutes, allows designated bees to use the venom currently on your bee sting. (No cooldown, 50 Mana cost)
It was none other than using Bee Unity, a skill he had acquired upon awakening his bee sting acupuncture.
What happened after he imbued the Healing-Venom Bees with the same venom was obvious.
*Buzzzzz!*
*Buzzzzz—*
With their incredible collective intelligence, and as befitting the familiars of the Honeybee Guardian, the bees had a knack for bee sting acupuncture.
Each and every one of them perfectly performed the role of a nurse for Seong-hyeok.
Fueled by his immense mana, about a thousand Healing-Venom Bees moved in perfect unison, injecting their stingers into the residents.
[Bee Sting Acupuncture Great Success! The Honeybee Guardian's blessing is temporarily engraved upon the designated player.]
[The Mastery of Bee Sting Acupuncture spreads throughout the body.]
…
“N-No way. The bees can use Honeybee’s buff too?”
“Getting stung doesn’t hurt at all! In fact, it’s refreshing!”
“Th-This is amazing! My joints feel like they could fly!”
The painless sting unique to the Healing-Venom Bees combined with the bee sting acupuncture.
This was the true power of the special venom, which cherry-picked the best of both worlds.
Besides the various outstanding effects and the soothing relief it brought to every joint, the most important thing was that it solved the biggest problem.
“If we can do a thousand people per session, this will be over in no time.”
A task that would have been impossible even if Seong-hyeok had worked all day long by himself.
But with the bees acting as his hands, it was a different story.
Now, a thousand people could be treated in the time it would have taken to do one.
And was that all?
[Star Sapphire Bee Larva Pupa (★★+) has completed its eclosion process.]
[A Star Sapphire Healing-Venom Bee (★★★★) is added to the swarm of the Star Sapphire Queen Bee (★★★★★+).]
[Star Sapphire Bee Larva Pupa (★★+) has completed its eclosion process.]
…
Even at this very moment, numerous Healing-Venom Bees were being born and emerging as adults.
What would happen if the number of bees needed to administer the treatment continued to grow, all while consumables specialized for mana recovery, like Spore Honey, supported Seong-hyeok from behind?
It would go far beyond a mere thousand.
A bee army of tens, even hundreds of thousands, could potentially administer bee sting acupuncture to all of humanity.
Of course, to see the ‘Mastery’ effect, the venom needed to be high-quality, at least 5-star grade, but this was where the effects of Bee Unity shone.
“Using just one for this level of efficiency is a steal, an absolute steal.”
The skill effect allowed a single dose of venom to be applied to countless bees, making it incredibly cost-effective.
And so, the bee sting acupuncture for all the residents was completed with maximum efficiency.
But his mana was still high, and his venom supply was plentiful.
【Honeybee: I’m counting on you again this time.】
【Jeongrichung: I’ll draw up the templates, just leave it to me!】
Following the bee rental business, this was another of Seong-hyeok’s original, exclusive, premium services.
The era of the Healing-Venom Bee’s acupuncture service had just begun.
* * * * *
The integrated server community board, where all the players in the country were gathered.
Unlike the regular forums, this space required a hefty fee to post, which meant the rate of provocative, so-called “shitposts” was relatively low.
Thus, in this space where named informants from every country sought their next big scoop, a post from a figure who was always at the center of heated discussion appeared.
【Korea/Honeybee: Bee sting acupuncture service is now open. There are various benefits, so I look forward to as many applicants as possible.】
Honeybee of Korea.
A man whose power and wealth were so renowned that not knowing him would be like living under a rock.
He was a frequent name in the auction house.
And with his rental business, who could be unaware of the bees’ influence spreading across the world?
【Pakistan/GwaroUsa: Bees are legendary.】
【Morocco/Kojima: I agree.】
Though it was just a single post, Honeybee had captured the world’s attention.
Naturally, the players were not ones to skim over the details.
- Wherever you are located, my bees will provide a direct house-call service.
The effects of the bee sting acupuncture last for 24 hours and are as follows:
Mastery of Bee Sting Acupuncture: For 24 hours, all stats increase by 10%, and permanently increase by 1.
Mastery of Bee Sting…
Additionally, the cost is 100,000 coins per session, but the first session is free for all players. (Please be aware that there may be delays if orders are backed up.)
The bees’ venom has been organically refined and has no side effects, so you can trust our service.
Was this just Honeybee being Honeybee?
A buff that could be applied infinitely.
The effects were jaw-dropping.
【Somalia/BringTheCannon: Holy crap. Isn’t this insane?】
【Korea/AttentionSeekerNO.333: Are these effects for real?】
【Japan/ThunderclapFlash: This is crazy, absolutely crazy.】
Players stared in awe.
And how could they not? From vigor to skincare and even hair loss solutions, none of the effects that came with the bee sting acupuncture seemed to have any downsides.
Of course, the world is full of all kinds of malcontents.
【USA/Maximus: No matter how you look at it, 100,000 coins for a single buff? Isn’t that a bit shameless?】
【France/WiseJack: I agree. A full day of life-or-death hunting barely gets you 200,000 coins. This is taking more than half of that, isn’t it?】
【Korea/BackInMyDay: Kids these days! If you’re going to run a service, you need to lower your prices! Sheesh!】
【China/EmperorsMinion: Seriously, how are you going to take responsibility if there are side effects from the sting!】
Some criticized the price of the service, throwing stones at the successful Honeybee’s new venture, but their opinions were quickly refuted.
【Pakistan/HiddenPowerDangmu: He said the first time is free. Just try it once, and if you don’t like it, don’t buy it again. It’s not like someone is holding a knife to your throat and forcing you to get stung lol】
【Germany/Gram: That’s true. If you don’t like it, don’t do it. Cut the baseless criticism.】
【France/WillOfPureWhite: Even if it’s a one-time buff, the permanent stat increase makes it well worth receiving over the long term, in my opinion.】
【Korea/JNorth: If you don’t like it, you know the drill.】
It was expensive for a buff, but the first session was ‘free.’
And who in the world hates free things?
You could just try it once and then decide whether to continue based on your financial situation.
Besides, was this the kind of buff you could get just anywhere?
【Korea/Jeongrichung: You get multiple buffs, not just one, and a permanent stat increase. What’s the problem?】
【France/InfoCrusade: An analysis of the Bee Sting Acupuncture buff. Is 100,000 coins really that expensive?】
【Japan/OrganizedLibrary…】
A single session came with a multitude of effects.
Among them, who could possibly refuse a permanent stat increase?
It was a rare effect, typically found only in high-quality products Honeybee sold, like Royal Jelly, Propolis, and Wild Honey, or in expensive items that occasionally appeared on the auction house.
When you thought about it, the fact that you could gain it as a buff was valuable enough.
*Bzzzz—*
*Buzzzzzzz—*
And putting everything else aside…
The house-call service provided by the Healing-Venom Bees, armed with their fluffy fur and bee armor.
“H-Hey, guys. Please be gentle.”
“I’m in your care.”
*Stab— Stab—!*
The changes that followed the massive, one-time free bee sting treatment were anything but trivial for something achieved with a ‘bee sting.’
“M-My goodness. Is this really my body?”
“Were orcs always this easy to hunt?”
“Damn! I can hunt all day and not get tired!”
The immense power and boiling stamina gained from the bees’ venom.
Thanks to it, difficult hunts became easier, and rest times became shorter.
“Good work, everyone.”
*Buzzzzz—*
Amidst the threat of monsters, humanity grew stronger, while Seong-hyeok raked in the coins.
It was the addition of a satisfying business with no downside for either party.
Alongside the bee rental service, it became one of the two pillars that reminded the entire world of the bees’ importance.