Chapter 26
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 26
Chapter Title: Player Rankings
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Nature could sometimes be like a nurturing parent, embracing all, but at other times, it could take countless lives.
Whether for sustenance or to protect the swarm, killing was an inevitable occurrence.
Naturally, the same was true for the honeybees. They carried the bodies of their fallen comrades, one by one, back to the bee farm.
The lifeless bodies of the honeybees were stacked neatly in one place, like building a tower.
For Seong-hyeok, the Honeybee Guardian, recycling the bodies of the already dead was a truly unfortunate and sorrowful task.
But he couldn't forsake the benefits before him for the sake of sentimentality.
Steeling his resolve, Seong-hyeok gave a final pat to the cold, stiff corpses.
“To reduce the sacrifices, Your Majesty Ruby Gem. I'm counting on you.”
*Buzzzzzzz-!*
[Ruby Gem Queen Bee (★★★+) uses the skill, Queen's Black Magic - Undead (Lv.1).]
[400 Mana is consumed.]
[Raises corpses within the area of effect as undead.]
[Due to the user's low understanding of the skill level, the stats of the commanded undead will be lowered.]
*Woooooong-*
*Buzzzzz- Buzz-*
As the skill was used, the honeybee corpses began to rise, one by one, just as they had when Lich Velmorne raised them.
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[Ruby Gem Worker Bee Zombie (★★-)]
* Skills: Foraging (Lv.5), Poison Sting (Lv.4), Flight (Lv.4)
* Health: 123(+43) Mana: 38(+20)
* Attack: 18(+7) Defense: 15(+7) Magic Resistance: 11(+5)
* Description: A ★★- grade Ruby Gem Worker Bee Zombie that inhabits the dimension 'Deltaria'. Due to being reanimated as an undead, the use of some skills is restricted.
※ This is a swarm belonging to a queen bee with a master. Stats are partially increased according to the master's level.
[Peridot Worker Bee Zombie (★★-)]
* Skills: Foraging (Lv.4), Poison Sting (Lv.5), Flight (Lv.3)
* Health: 260(+66) Mana: 69(+28)
* Attack: 27(+6) Defense: 21(+8) Magic Resistance: 15(+6)
...
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Unlike when they were vibrantly alive, they were now undead.
In other words, zombies. Perhaps it was the effect of being brought back to life this way?
Collecting honey was, of course, impossible, and many of them lacked poison stingers.
Some even had torn wings, making proper flight impossible.
However, that didn't mean they were entirely worthless.
“I'm sorry, everyone. Please endure this one more time for the survival of more honeybees.”
The sacrifice of the few for the sake of the many—a phrase one often hears in life.
The role given to the honeybee zombies was to be a kind of sacrificial lamb, to save the lives of the living honeybees.
*Buzzz- Buzzzzz-*
*Crackle- Crackle-*
Did they somehow sense Seong-hyeok's sorrow?
The honeybee zombies approached Seong-hyeok.
Their fluffy fur had turned dull and dry. Some couldn't even fly and had to be supported by other bee zombies as they came to rub against Seong-hyeok.
Even though he couldn't communicate with them, the actions of the honeybee zombies seemed to say, "Don't worry," and "We're content with this."
Feeling their cold, lifeless touch, he was overcome with emotion.
“...I'll be counting on you.”
As their guardian and father, he chose the path that would minimize the honeybees' sacrifices.
Seong-hyeok drank royal jelly pills and bee venom honey tea, wishing to grow stronger quickly.
* * * * *
The Ruby Gem Scout Bees and Honey Pot Bees had been instrumental from the start, but for a species that formed swarms and acted like an army, the power of an elite bee—regarded as something more than just a higher-tier species—boasted more than double the efficiency of others.
Hadn't the Teunteun-i alone made a monumental contribution by drastically reducing sacrifices when fighting monsters within the territory?
In that respect, Lily's performance was impressive not just in combat, but in other areas as well.
[Ruby Gem Dark Lilyzer Legion Commander Bee (★★★) uses the skill, Lilyzer Pheromone - Foraging (Lv.3).]
[350 Mana is consumed.]
[The honey foraging speed of honeybees within the area of effect increases by 15%.]
An increase in honey foraging speed.
A 15% increase might seem small at first glance.
Assuming it took 10 seconds to gather honey, it would only shorten the time by a mere 1.5 seconds.
But that was only looking at the skill in isolation.
[The effect of 'Lilyzer Pheromone - Foraging' is applied to 41,327 allied units within a 3km radius.]
The pheromone's effect applied to a staggering 40,000 bees—not in the tens or hundreds, but a five-digit number.
A simple calculation showed it wasn't just a 1.5-second reduction, but that multiplied by 40,000. The addition of a single elite bee brought an enormous advantage.
Moreover, some of them were collecting Peridot Honey, which was considered more valuable than Ruby Gem Honey, further increasing its worth.
“Now, if only the number of Lilys increases...”
The fact that it could be stacked up to 10 times.
And that its effect grew stronger as the skill level increased.
If all these factors came together, the more the honeybee army gathered, the more their efficiency and power would become immense.
[Honey is ready for harvest!]
It was only natural, but as the honey collection process sped up, the rate at which honey accumulated in the hive would inevitably increase.
Furthermore, the collected honey would be processed by Seong-hyeok, sold through the marketplace, and naturally bring him a large amount of coins.
“I'm practically raking in money.”
Coins in Possession: 316,520
The processed goods from Ruby Gem Honey, which sold in sheer volume,
and the processed goods from Peridot Honey, which fetched a handsome price thanks to their attack power-increasing effect.
On top of that, with the processed royal jelly and propolis products that Seong-hyeok carefully controlled and distributed on the marketplace, the rate at which his coins increased was charting an upward curve day after day.
*Buzzz- Buzzzzz-*
“Yes, this is all thanks to you cute and diligent bees.”
The efforts of the honeybees, in whom not a speck of laziness could be found.
As they say, no one who has lived in a capitalist society hates money.
As the coins piled up, the corners of Seong-hyeok's mouth curved into a crescent moon.
“I wonder how the outside world is doing.”
Even for Seong-hyeok, who had dedicated his 24 years to a life of beekeeping, he knew it wasn't good to be too immersed in nature.
It might have been different in the old world.
But in this bizarre world, one's life could be in danger at any time, anywhere.
The people outside were, to Seong-hyeok, suckers who bought his processed goods...
No, they were customers and potential shields who could protect the lives of his honeybees, so it was best to keep track of them to some extent.
“Well, it's also a good chance to check the market prices on the marketplace.”
Although he was currently selling at a reasonable price through his monopoly, you never knew.
It wasn't entirely impossible for players to appear on the marketplace, reselling Seong-hyeok's constantly sold-out items.
As he browsed the marketplace and community forums, an interesting post caught his eye.
【Jeongrichung: Your current level and coin ranking status. Curious about where you stand? I, Jeongrichung, will organize it for you! P.S., I will update this daily. If you have a moment, please give it a thumbs up. Salute! ^^7】 - Views 3,563,2...
“Oh, so the classification of upper class based on financial status has already begun?”
Even in this bizarre world, the Republic of Korea was still the Republic of Korea.
Just as you'd expect from a liberal democracy, people were already starting to divide themselves into upper and lower classes based on levels and coins, creating a wealth gap.
“But is it really a good idea to make this public?”
It's often said that the more power you have, the better it is to hide it.
Having a lot meant, in other words, that you had a lot to lose.
But the world was full of attention seekers, and there were plenty of people who wanted to properly utilize their power.
- First, please be assured that this information is based solely on data compiled from verified evidence.
However, this is based purely on individuals, not shelters, so please don't assume it is 100% accurate.
Additionally, for the level rankings, I have included the top 5 based on those who gave their consent to be revealed, along with their introductions. I, Jeongrichung, believe there are likely many more powerful individuals in our proud Republic of Korea!
[Level Ranking List]
1st - Green Bean (Level 20): By now, you probably know who I am. The wicked, in particular, should know me very well. Or maybe not, since all of them nearby are already dead? Anyway, I am Green Bean, and I'm in charge of the entire Yeouido branch shelter, including Yeouido Station. Whether you're strong or weak, as long as you can pull your own weight, I'm willing to accept anyone. Feel free to come to Yeouido anytime. Also, I have been waiting a very long time to hear from Honeybee.
2nd - Ttukbaegi Collector (Level 19): Hmm, the guy above said everything I wanted to say. I'm Green Bean's right-hand man, Ttukbaegi Collector. The official 1st and 2nd rankers are in the same shelter, so you can trust us and come. However, as mentioned, you must be able to pull your own weight. And Honeybee. Please, answer our calls!
3rd - Yeonbun Gukbap (Level 19): If you're hungry, order some pork gukbap.
4th - Attention Seeker NO.1 (Level 18): Korean server. And all you attention seekers worldwide. Contact me if you want to join. Big bro is waiting for your call.
5th - Attention Seeker NO.2 (Level 16): My skills are real too, so give me a try~
[Coin Ranking List]
Over 50,000 Coins - 0.1%
Over 40,000 Coins - 0.8%
Over 30,000 Coins - 2.1%
Over 20,000 Coins - 6%
Over 10,000 Coins - 15.3%
Under 10,000 Coins - 75.7%
That is all.
How are your finances? I hope this summary serves as a good reference.
【Comments (13,233)】
- RedCarpet: Green Bean-nim. I respect you!
- Attention Seeker NO.3: Whoa, as expected of my bros. Are you guys really ranked 4th and 5th? My heart is pounding!
- Attention Seeker NO.32: Wow, at least I'm in the top 6% for coins. That makes me a silver spoon, right?
- Unfair World: Wow. Attention Seeker. You're not living up to your name; How is that a silver spoon? That's a golden spoon, for real;
- NoFutureNoMercy: 75.7%... Fuck. I'm a dirt spoon here too.
- DrunkOnNationalism: Still, look at that, 0.1% have over 50k coins. That's the class of the Republic of Korea.
- HowCanYouSleepWithThatManyCoins: If you have the coins and time to post comments here, stop wasting them and go hunt, people.
- AreYouCrazyHuman: ㄴ Beep, you're introducing yourself.
...
The level rankings, coin rankings, and so on.
The content was organized in various ways.
As Seong-hyeok looked through it all, he felt many things, but the biggest surprise was related to the 'Level Rankings.'
“Are there a lot of people hiding their strength? They're surprisingly low-level.”
Seong-hyeok's current level was 24.
Of course, monopolizing the experience from Lich Velmorne and the undead horde was a big factor, but other than that, he had only been beekeeping.
Well, as his territory expanded, it overlapped with monster respawn areas, leading to frequent monster hunts lately. But still, for the official number one ranker on the community forums to be only level 20...
“Don't tell me... I'm not the number one ranker on the Korean server, am I?”
Considering the players who, like Seong-hyeok, hadn't reported to Jeongrichung, it was highly possible that there were other high-level players.
But even so, considering how the leveling speed slowed down over time, it meant Seong-hyeok was, at the very least, one of the top three powerhouses on the Korean server, both in terms of level and coins.
“Haha, how did I get this strong just from beekeeping...?”
It was rather baffling for Seong-hyeok, but to an outsider, it wouldn't have been incomprehensible at all.
*Buzzz- Buzzzzz-*
*Buzzzzzzz-*
The ten beehives spread around Seong-hyeok, and the hundreds of thousands of bees flying ceaselessly to and from them.
No, soon the combined total of Ruby Gem and Peridot bees would reach 700,000.
In farming terms, it was like a man of immense wealth tilling the land.
He was, so to speak, pushing forward with sheer numbers. It would be stranger if he *didn't* get stronger.