Chapter 206
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 206
Chapter Title: Finale
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His actions toward the Dragon Lord flashed before his eyes.
Seong-hyeok was dumbfounded by the current situation, brought about by the sign language for 'mountain'.
“The effect is undeniable.”
The blue sky, which would normally have been a pleasant and invigorating sight.
But it had been a long time since this space was like that.
[Blue Dragon Pairun Lv. 85 (★★★★★+)] - ???
[Red Elder Dragon Gulm Lv. 90 (★★★★★+)] - ???+
[Gold Elder Dragon Lesswing Lv. 90 (★★★★★+)] - ???+
······.
The notification sounds for the enemies appeared endlessly.
Under normal circumstances.
A single dragon could ruin an entire country. Now, about twenty of them had appeared. The situation was dire.
Bzzzzzz!!!!
Bzzzzzzzzzz-!!!
Sensing the crisis, the vast bee army gathered with the furious buzzing of their wings.
Even the residents, who had accumulated a fair amount of combat experience on the farm, were tense, of course,
“Gr-grrr……”
“Captain Gwinte. What do we do?”
Even the Golden Trolls, who had never been flustered since joining them, were chattering their teeth!
After all, if not just one or two, but twenty-odd dragons were to unleash their breaths, the destructive power would be beyond imagination.
It would undoubtedly cause significant damage to the residents and the bees alike, but Seong-hyeok was not without a plan.
- You're really something else. Among all the dimensions I've experienced, there have been plenty of crazy bastards who don't value their own lives, but you're at the top of the list. The very top.
“I'll take that as a compliment. It's just that the bees' lives are more important to me.”
[Riggle's Soul Contract]
* Effect - Information Trade: By fulfilling the conditions set by the 'World', you can purchase various information through the server administrator.
* Effect - Interference Restriction: You can refuse interference from server administrators or Transcendent Beings.
Not a contract with a Transcendent Being, but an Incarnation Contract made directly with the dimension's administrator.
Information Trade, Interference Restriction, and so on.
He had enjoyed decent benefits as a player, but now, a new function had been added to match his level and Riggle's elevated status.
* Effect - Incarnation's Resistance: Resist unreasonable interference from server administrators or Transcendent Beings.
It was the Incarnation's Resistance, which allowed him to resist the interference of a Transcendent Being.
As far as Kallash was concerned, even if he had achieved this by sacrificing his own lair, there had to be a limit.
Common sense dictated that if twenty dragons could appear in Chapter #5 all at once, it would no longer be a fight between incarnations, would it?
[Using Incarnation's Resistance.]
[The entity that ignored movement restrictions will be banished.]
[The entity that ignored movement restrictions will be banished.]
[The entity that ignored movement restrictions will be banished.]
······.
With the activation of the effect, about five dragons were cast back into the rift.
Well, even so, there were still 15 dragons remaining.
Among them were three elders, but it was still a much better situation compared to the beginning.
Besides, not all Transcendent Beings were hostile to Seong-hyeok.
[The Transcendent Being, Insect Queen Nainkito, consumes her wings as a sacrifice to use the power of ■■■. Temporarily and greatly increases the power of the designated target.]
[The Transcendent Being, Seeker of Madness, Bo, consumes his tears as a sacrifice to use the power of ■■■. Temporarily and greatly increases the power of the designated target.]
[The Transcendent Being, The Patient One, Sion, consumes his scabbard as a sacrifice to use the power of ■■■. Temporarily and greatly increases the power of the designated target.]
“……Thank you.”
It wasn't expected, but it was support from the trio of Transcendent Beings who had been with Seong-hyeok from the very beginning.
In addition, Insect King Prainkito and the Goddess of Abundance, Prepion, also lent their power, but,
['The World' is observing the excessive interference of power.]
Unfortunately, the World's interference cut in tactlessly.
As the being that had granted Seong-hyeok his first death, he felt somewhat targeted, but the power he received from the three Transcendent Beings was more than enough.
“Well then, shall we gratefully claim our spoils?”
“Kuaaaaaaaang-!!!”
Now all that was left was a relentless downpour of experience chunks.
He hurried to prepare to welcome the gift-wrapped present personally sent by the Dragon Lord, alongside his bees.
* * * * *
Thud- Thud- Thuuuuud---
Heads, wings, torsos.
Dragons fell from the sky, critically wounded in various vital spots by the Bee Sting Art.
They were still breathing, but once they crashed to the ground, they were as good as dead.
“Fire-!!!”
Boom boom boom-
Kabooooom-!!!
As if the impact from the fall wasn't enough, it was followed by a concentrated barrage from wax turrets and various projectiles.
“Chaaaaaarge-!!!”
“Take care of the reptiles!”
Next came a continuous assault from the bees, residents, forest races, and the Golden Trolls.
No matter how powerful or resilient the dragons were, there was no winning against a mob.
[You have hunted Blue Dragon Pairun Lv. 85 (★★★★★+)] - ???
[You have hunted Green Dragon Raymode Lv. 85 (★★★★★+)] - ???
[You have hunted Gold Elder Dragon Lesswing Lv. 90 (★★★★★+)] - ???+]
······.
A feast of endlessly ringing notification sounds.
However, as these were forces the Dragon Lord had painstakingly prepared, it wasn't all good news.
Seong-hyeok's immense stats.
Thanks to his endurance, Seong-hyeok had a vast amount of health, and with his agility and control, he could evade all of the dragons' attacks. But the bees could not.
The dragons' various spells and powerful, fiery breaths.
An altruistic act to protect the queens and residents on the farm.
[Current health is below 5%.]
[Guardian's Resolve has been deactivated.]
Guardian's Resolve, deactivated due to his diminished health.
The result was just as Seong-hyeok had expected.
[Peridot Worker Bee (★★★+) has died.]
[Ruby Gem Honey Pot Bee (★★★★) has died.]
[Peridot Ramdok Suicide Bee (★★★★) has died.]
[Imperial Topaz Worker Bee (★★★+) has died.]
······.
Countless bees were born each day, but even so, to Seong-hyeok, the Honeybee Guardian, each and every one was a precious life, like his own children.
“Let's end this as quickly as possible. You roasted bastards!”
The longer the battle with the dragons dragged on, the more bees would be sacrificed.
To minimize this, Seong-hyeok pushed himself despite being at 5% health. Perhaps that overexertion became his downfall?
“Finally caught you, human!!!”
The counterattack from an elder dragon that should not have been able to keep up with Seong-hyeok's speed.
Seong-hyeok had been hasty, but there was a secret behind the absurd power the beast unleashed.
[Blue Elder Dragon Geriaron Lv. 91 (★★★★★+)] - ???+'s Dragon Heart is in an overload state due to Kallash's Crest.]
[All stats are increased by 1,000%. Will die in 3 minutes.]
※ Caution! If death occurs due to overload, the Dragon Heart's grade will be significantly lowered. It is recommended to defeat it within the time limit.
The overload of the Dragon Heart, which provided endless mana.
[The Transcendent Being, Dragon Lord Kallash, laughs, saying he will not forget your sacrifice.]
The beast, having gained temporary immense power by shouldering the penalty of its own life, gripped Seong-hyeok tightly. As if on cue, the remaining dragons fired their breaths at him.
Even for Seong-hyeok, who had no measures in place for his own death, this was a situation where he would die a futile death.
But for some reason?
[The Transcendent Being, Dragon Lord Kallash, explodes in frustration at the current situation.]
Despite being engulfed in a breath of immense firepower, with the elder dragon holding him already melting away, Seong-hyeok remained unscathed.
There was a reason for this.
[You have met the conditions for skill acquisition. -> Level 80]
[You have learned the skill, Bee's Sacrifice.]
“……This, could it be?”
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[Bee's Sacrifice (Lv.1)]
* Category: Skill
* Mana Cost: 5,000
* Bee's Sigil: 0 / 100
* Effect (Active): Engraves a Bee's Sigil on a designated target. (Cooldown: 6 hours)
* Effect - Altruistic Bees (Passive): When you or a sigil-engraved entity faces a mortal crisis, 50 bees will die in their place.
* Description: To protect their master and queen, the bees offer their own lives. As the level increases, you can engrave more sigils, and the number of bees that die will decrease.
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As if to live up to the name 'Bee's Sacrifice'.
Thud-thud-thud-
[Peridot Worker Bee (★★★+) has died.]
[Ruby Gem Scout Bee (★★★★) has died.]
[Ruby Gem Worker Bee (★★★+) has died.]
······.
Fifty bees, now corpses, plummeted to the ground.
It goes without saying how Seong-hyeok felt as he watched the bees—the ultimate altruists—who had saved him and met death in his place without a moment's hesitation.
“……Daddy won't forget you.”
A deep sorrow welled up from the bottom of his heart.
Since all of this was triggered by his own carelessness and inadequacy, what came next was obvious.
“Let's end this here.”
The elder dragon that had captured Seong-hyeok.
Roughly tossing aside the corpse of the beast, already roasted by its kin's breath, Seong-hyeok ferociously charged at the remaining dragons, the very cause of this disaster.
* * * * *
BZZZZZZ!!!
BZZZZZZZZZZ!!!
Amidst the death and sacrifice of their comrades, the bee army, with furious beats of their wings, joined Seong-hyeok in subjugating the dragons.
A fierce battle against fifteen dragons, including several elders.
In the midst of it, there were casualties among the bees, residents, and forest races, but it was not all loss.
“Finally…… is it over.”
Just killing one yielded experience and spoils.
The value of a dragon was perfect in every aspect.
Having obtained fifteen of them, could one even imagine the resulting benefits?
Just as the saying goes, crisis is opportunity.
The farm's residents achieved tremendous growth in their levels.
Furthermore, the acquired spoils would pass through the hands of the blacksmith and the mad researcher to return as valuable armaments.
However, the first place Seong-hyeok headed was not to the dragon corpses piled with spoils.
“Everyone, you've all worked so hard.”
“No. You're the one who suffered the most, Seong-hyeok.”
“O-Oppa! Thank you for staying alive!”
“……The things you say.”
And the residents of the beekeeping farm who fought alongside him, risking their lives,
Bzzz~
Bzzzzz~
“You all worked hard, too.”
Their ferocious demeanor from the battle was nowhere to be seen, replaced by an overflow of affection from the bees.
And…….
“Everyone. I will not forget.”
The casualties that occurred during the clash with the dragons.
The sacrifices of the residents, including the bees who were crushed or turned to dust by the overwhelming firepower.
“Hic. Sob! Don't worry, Chang-su. I'll survive and live for the both of us and protect Ssik-ssik-i.”
“How could you go first like this, you bastard? Thank you for saving me, really!”
The weight of death was by no means light, and bereaved families who had lost friends and family had emerged, but Seong-hyeok was no longer the orphan who lived alone, nor just a researcher who only studied bees.
“I will take full responsibility and lead us forward without any more sacrifices.”
The beekeeping farm.
He was the guardian of all bees spread across Korea, Africa, and beyond Asia to the rest of the world, and the master of this shelter.
“So please, may you rest in peace……”
The bees and humanity.
Shouldering their lives, Seong-hyeok hurried to do what he had to.
* * * * *
Bzzz~
Bzzzzz~
Even if the world were to end tomorrow, today the swarm of bees acted upon their given 'mission of labor' without fail.
War and mourning.
It might seem strange to labor after all that, but what could be done?
That is the life of a bee.
If one is captured by sorrow and laments, but does not act, the world will never change.
Just as the bees worked, Seong-hyeok also began to tirelessly restore the destroyed nature,
['The World' is watching you carefully.]
And with that, another problem arose, following the one with the dragons.
It was an entity he wasn't exactly on good terms with, but its appearance this time was not necessarily bad news for Seong-hyeok.
[The Will of the World acknowledges your innate karma and the value of bees.]
[The permanent quest, Guardian of Dimensional Nature, has been granted.]
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[Permanent Quest: Guardian of Dimensional Nature]
- Following the Will of the World, restore the nature located in all dimensions. The World will reward you in proportion to the power you invest. -
※ Locations where special bonuses can currently be received are the Deltaria, Zigrt... dimensions, where much of nature has been damaged by endless war.
※ This is a permanent quest. A certain amount of reward will be granted each time a specific objective is met.
* Forfeiture Condition: None
* Reward: Favor from Transcendent Beings related to the world and nature, Permanent Stat Point Kit (Tradable), Random Authority Kit (Tradable)
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The possibility of now being able to expand his territory and restore nature beyond the dimension of Earth, to Deltaria, the homeland of the Ruby Gem Queen Bee, and other dimensions.
The value of this did not end with just the kits obtained as rewards.
“Now I won't have to worry about the birth rate of the bees, will I?”
With the achievement of level 80, the addition of another new queen bee, the Red Beryl Queen Bee, finally completed the spawning system of 10 queens and 9 princess bees.
Was it thanks to that?
[Ruby Gem Bee Larva's Pupa (★★+) has completed the eclosion process.]
[A Ruby Gem Worker Bee (★★★+) has been added to the Ruby Gem Queen Bee's (★★★★★+) swarm.]
[Garnet Gem Bee Larva's Pupa (★★+) has completed the eclosion process.]
······.
The history of spawning, further accelerated through the secured safety.
This alone was significant, but Korea was not the only place on Earth where bees were born.
Bzzz~
Bzzzzzz~
There were the ten queens in Central Africa bound as vassals of corruption, and numerous other bees added by constantly respawning queen bees.
Thanks to having the entire Earth as his stage, the bee population situation had improved to some extent, but the problem was what came next.
'To think that being too safe is actually a poison……'
The number of bees born, countless each day.
If that continued for a year, ten years, or over a hundred years, it could actually have an adverse effect on Earth's entire environment.
However, if it became possible to introduce the bees' habitats to other dimensions, the story would change.
“I thought it was just prickly. It's surprisingly flexible.”
It was 'The World' that had killed him, but honestly, he didn't even hate it, as it had also saved his life a considerable number of times.
It blocked the approach of Transcendent Beings hostile to Seong-hyeok with movement restrictions, and now it had even granted him the authority to use other dimensions as a stage for his bees.
“Well then. Shall we play along?”
Expanding his territory and spreading the value of bees, of course.
Embracing the anticipation of meeting other bees that might exist in other dimensions, Seong-hyeok accepted the quest without hesitation.
* * * * *
Bzzz~
Bzzzzzz~
Wiggling their fluffy butts, sometimes burying their heads in flowers, the dutiful bees of the beekeeping farm were hard at work collecting honey.
But the true nature of these cute little creatures didn't end with just gathering honey.
[A flower has been discovered!]
[A cluster of flowers has been discovered!]
[A cluster of flowers has been discovered!]
······.
The bees' entomophilous activity, helping to pollinate the trees and flowers that form the foundation of nature.
It wasn't just about plundering honey from a flower once.
The ultimate virtuous cycle, achieved through symbiosis with plants.
All life in nature is precious, but in a way, they sprout life through pollen.
And then, using that to sprout life again and again—a merit unique to bees.
How could one possibly escape from this charm of the bees?
“Admirable creatures. You are the best.”
Twenty-four years.
No, now it's been twenty-five.
He had walked a single path dedicated to bees, but it was the best life, with not a single regret.
With these problem-solvers who diligently handled their given tasks without missing a single day, Seong-hyeok, as always.
Bzzz~
Bzzzzzz~
As the Honeybee Guardian, finished his work alongside the bees.