Chapter 3
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 3
Chapter Title: The Guardian's Candle
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The reason honeybees are classified as one of humanity's most beneficial insects isn't just because they produce honey, a well-known health food.
Pollination.
They play a more significant role than any other insect in the reproduction of plants, one of nature's most essential processes.
Instead of draining flowers of all their resources and causing them to wither, they actually aid in pollination, enriching nature and helping more flowers to bloom.
And that's not all.
They even produce honey from the nectar they gather, making them truly beneficial insects that do nothing but good, from the perspective of both humanity and nature.
[A Ruby Gem Worker Bee (★-) has gathered honey. Current Honey Status: 0.067%]
With the bee population still remarkably low, the rate at which the honey status increased was slow enough to make a snail look fast.
However, Seong-hyeok didn't rush them.
There was a good reason for that...
[A Ruby Gem Bee Pupa (★-) has completed its emergence.]
[A Ruby Gem Worker Bee (★-) has been added to the Ruby Gem Queen Bee's (★) swarm.]
[A Ruby Gem Worker Bee (★-) has been added to the Ruby Gem Queen Bee's (★) swarm.]
...
Even without his urging, the queen bee was continuously laying eggs, so it was only a matter of time before their numbers grew.
And it was obvious what an increase in bees would lead to.
[A Ruby Gem Worker Bee (★-) has gathered honey. Current Honey Status: 1.323%]
[A Ruby Gem Worker Bee (★-) has gathered honey. Current Honey Status: 1.668%]
[A Ruby Gem Worker Bee (★-) has gathered honey. Current Honey Status: 2.099%]
...
As time passed, the work speed increased at an incomparable rate, as if they had motors attached to their feet.
With so many diligent little workers, this was a perfectly natural outcome.
"I wonder if I'm working them too hard right after they're born."
The bees tirelessly flew out on expeditions, entering and exiting the hive to gather honey without a moment's rest.
Moving their wings and shaking their plump little behinds for hours on end, not just for a few minutes, must have been exhausting, yet the bees showed no signs of fatigue.
While this was partly due to bees being inherently altruistic and diligent creatures, willing to sacrifice their lives for the hive, Seong-hyeok knew there was another reason.
His Honeybee Guardian trait was playing a major role.
[The Honeybee Guardian's class specialization, Guardian's Aura, is activated.]
[Ruby Gem Worker Bees (★-) do not tire easily while working.]
A truly marvelous game effect that prevented the bees from tiring just by his mere presence.
Thanks to this, the rate of honey collection began to soar relentlessly, like a stock on a bull run, showing no signs of slowing down.
The result...
[The Guardian's Extra-Large Acorn Beehive (★+)'s honey status has reached 80%.]
[Honey is now ready for harvest!]
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[Divine Beekeeping (Lv.1)]
* Classification: Skill
* Mana Cost: 0
* Effect (Passive): Perform beekeeping with divine dexterity.
* Description: Harvest honey and other spoils from a beehive. As the level increases, you can obtain higher-grade honey and a greater quantity of other spoils.
※ At a certain probability, you will obtain royal jelly, beeswax, and propolis as additional spoils besides honey.
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The alpha and omega of beekeeping.
"Finally, honey!"
Seong-hyeok welcomed the news of the honey harvest with open arms.
* * * * *
The reason so many people love honey yet hesitate to take up beekeeping is simple.
The counterattack of bees protecting their home.
Normally, these cowardly bees would flee in fear rather than attack a person, but it's a different story when they're defending their hive.
Whether the person is their keeper who feeds them or not, they are immediately treated as an enemy and attacked with stingers.
That's why one usually has to anesthetize the bees with smoke or wear full protective gear like a beekeeper's hat and suit, even in the sweltering summer heat. But Seong-hyeok had no such worries.
[The Honeybee Guardian's class specialization, Beloved by Bees, is activated.]
[The Ruby Gem Worker Bees (★-) show you boundless affection.]
Bzzzz— Bzzzz—
Even as he approached the hive bare-skinned, the bees didn't attack. Instead, they buzzed around him, shaking their plump behinds affectionately, much like a puppy.
Their impossibly cute display made him want to pet them, but Seong-hyeok steeled himself.
"Sorry, little ones. I'm going to harvest the honey first."
Bzzzz— Bzzzz—
As if they understood his words, the bees flew off on another expedition to gather more honey, just as he wished.
Not to be outdone by these paragons of diligence, Seong-hyeok began his own task, carefully scraping the honey from the hive.
But perhaps it was thanks to his passive skill, 'Divine Beekeeping'.
Although Seong-hyeok was trying to be careful, his hands moved with a literally divine speed, collecting the honey at a rapid pace.
"I-I'm not sure if harvesting it this way is okay."
It could almost be seen as aggressive.
[Harvest Great Success!]
[You have obtained 31 Ruby Gem Honey (★).]
[You have obtained 4 Ruby Gem Beeswax (★).]
[You have obtained 2 Ruby Gem Royal Jelly (★+).]
[You have obtained 1 Ruby Gem Propolis (★★-).]
[You have leveled up. You have gained 5 stat points.]
[You have leveled up. You have gained 5 stat points.]
But as if to mock his concerns, the result of the harvest was a 'Great Success!'
On top of that, befitting his Honeybee Guardian class, he had gained enough experience from the 'beekeeping' activity to level up twice!
And the notifications didn't stop there.
[You have met the conditions for skill acquisition. -> Level 3, experience in harvesting beeswax]
[You have learned the skill, Guardian's Beeswax Candle.]
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[Guardian's Beeswax Candle (Lv.1)]
* Classification: Skill
* Mana Cost: 15
* Required Material: Beeswax
* Effect (Active): Craft a beeswax candle using beeswax. (No cooldown)
* Description: Consumes beeswax and the caster's mana to craft a beeswax candle. As the level increases, you can obtain higher-grade products.
※ At a certain probability, you can obtain a beeswax candle engraved with the 'Guardian's' keyword.
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A Honeybee Guardian skill, unlocked by fulfilling a hidden in-game condition.
It granted him the ability to process the beeswax he had just harvested.
"Right. The true beauty of bees lies in the processed goods that can be created through coexistence with humans."
Besides, there was something he shouldn't forget.
This was a situation where the system of a 'game' applied.
"The finished beeswax candle probably won't just be for lighting a fire."
There might be a special effect attached to it.
Seong-hyeok decided to bet on that possibility.
"Hmm? This one has a probability factor too."
A certain probability.
An element that could make a game be seen as either a masterpiece or a luck-based piece of trash.
Honestly, Seong-hyeok had never once in his life considered himself lucky.
So, was he worried?
No, not at all.
[The number of beeswax required to craft this candle is 4.]
[Required materials have been met. Would you like to automatically complete the beeswax candle crafting? YES / NO]
"NO."
For him, 'effort and sincerity' were far superior to mere 'luck'.
So, he would ignore the game's convenient auto-crafting feature and put his all into crafting it by hand.
As mentioned repeatedly, Seong-hyeok, who had dedicated his life to bees, had tried his hand at nearly everything related to them.
Just as he had experience building hives.
It went without saying that he also had experience making beeswax candles.
Befitting the sole candidate for the unique class of Honeybee Guardian, Seong-hyeok focused all his senses and poured his energy into crafting the candle, and...
[Beeswax Candle Crafting Great Success! The Honeybee Guardian's blessing is engraved upon the beeswax candle.]
[Guardian's Ruby Gem Beeswax Candle (★+) has been crafted.]
Once again, it was as expected.
Along with the pleasant notification of a 'Great Success!', a reddish beeswax candle appeared in Seong-hyeok's hand.
"My skills haven't rusted. This looks like a pretty high-quality handmade candle."
Even without any added pigment, the Ruby Gem Beeswax Candle had a reddish hue that gave it a strangely elegant, antique feel.
Moreover, the Ruby Gem Beeswax Candle was not just for show.
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[Guardian's Ruby Gem Beeswax Candle (★+)]
* Classification: Consumable
* While holding it, input the 'Use' keyword to apply the 'Blessing of the Guardian's Ruby Gem Beeswax Candle' to all recognized allies within a 6m (+1) radius.
※ Blessing of the Guardian's Ruby Gem Beeswax Candle: For 60 minutes, grants warmth and increases Max Health by 360 (+60) and Defense by 8 (+2). (Durability -1, No cooldown)
* Durability: 2 / 2 (+1) - Cannot be repaired.
* Description: A ★+ grade Ruby Gem Beeswax Candle engraved with the Guardian's keyword. Basking in its light seems to temporarily fortify the body.
※ Warning! Buffs from the same series of beeswax candles do not stack.
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The stats of the Ruby Gem Beeswax Candle were confirmed.
Upon reading the description, Seong-hyeok couldn't help but be astonished.
"...I-Isn't this broken?"
Even Seong-hyeok, who knew little about games, could tell.
It was obvious just by looking at his own status window, which showed he only had 250 Health and 5 Defense.
But this candle gave a boost of 360 Health and 8 Defense—
an increase greater than his own base stats.
There was no need to further explain just how immense its power was.