Chapter 31
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Soldier vs. Civilian
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‘There must be something like rice or a similar grain in the natural vegetation of other dimensions, not just emergency crops.’
They say Koreans run on rice, after all.
He didn't know when it would happen, but if he could harvest and eat grain, or even get a building like a mill, he could process it into things like bread or rice cakes.
If that happened, he could make bread or rice cakes and dip them in real honey. The sweet life could truly begin.
‘Well, it's still just a dream for now.’
He hadn't even planted a seed yet, but they say dreaming is free, don't they?
Besides, Seong-hyeok was living proof of such a grand dream.
Some people could never understand Seong-hyeok's single-minded devotion to bees.
But regardless, with the dawning of this bizarre new world, Seong-hyeok was using the knowledge and dreams others had scorned to build a massive apiary.
“Seong-hyeok! I did it! Please, take a look!”
Just as Seong-hyeok was beekeeping with a satisfied smile.
The last of the residents who had recently joined them.
Kang Cheon-su, who had introduced himself as the older brother of the elite porter, Kang Yeon-ah, approached, drenched in sweat.
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[Job Specialization - Trapper]
* Bomb Fiend: Increases the destructive power of explosion and trap-type items by 15%. Only applies when the item is used directly by the user. (Destructive power increases with level)
* Deception: When setting trap-type items, conceals them, making them difficult to spot by eye. Only applies when the item is set directly by the user.
* Dexterous Hands: Greatly reduces the failure rate for delicate tasks.
* ???
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A resident with the unique job of Trapper—the only one in the shelter with a combat-oriented class, aside from the bees.
‘I have no idea what kind of life he must have lived to get a job like this...’
Well, to be honest, he was a little curious about his past, but Seong-hyeok didn't dwell on it.
After all, the most important thing right now was reducing bee casualties in future battles.
In that regard, Cheon-su's role as a Trapper was quite valuable.
“Ooh. Are these like the poison bombs you used during the battle with the Stingers?”
“The bee venom... its effect is amazing, whether ingested or applied to blades.”
“Sir, if you don't mind. Could you put your faith in me just this once? I might not be good at much else, but I'm confident in my trap-making skills. With this, I think I can create something groundbreaking.”
Just as Seong-hyeok was an oddball obsessed with bees, Cheon-su was an oddball fanatically devoted to bombs and traps.
Of course, he hadn't been at it long enough to obtain a 'Unique Job,' but even so, the knowledge Cheon-su possessed was far from useless.
“You need to deliver results.”
“I'll be sure to repay your trust, sir!”
If it were just baseless boasting, Seong-hyeok wouldn't have handed over the bee venom so easily.
The bee venom was a byproduct, a gift, squeezed little by little from the bees' venom sacs—a substance that was practically their lifeblood.
It was a crucial item that could save the lives of countless bees, depending on how it was used, and it could also serve as a material for permanent stat boosts.
‘If it can be used for something better, that's not a bad thing.’
If there was an expert who could handle bee venom more effectively for trap-making, entrusting it to him was a valid option.
He couldn't part with the Cheollam or Lilyzer venom, which were precious materials for his permanent stat increases, as they were too rare. But he could certainly spare the Ruby Gem and Peridot venom.
And the weapons born from that decision were as follows.
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[Meticulous Peridot Venom Bomb Trap (★★)]
* Classification: Consumable
* Place on the ground and input the 'Use' keyword to set it in 10 seconds. It will explode when pressed by a certain amount of weight, dealing fatal damage to all entities within a 22(+2)m radius and inflicting 'Meticulous Peridot Poisoning'.
※ Attack Power 350~580 (Damage varies based on proximity)
※ Meticulous Peridot Poisoning: The poisoned target loses 25(+5) health per second for 1 minute. (Stacks up to 3 times)
* Description: A ★★-grade Peridot Venom Bomb Trap engraved with the keyword 'Meticulous.' Due to the skilled maker's touch, the venom has been mixed in with minimal degradation. Upon explosion, it unleashes both lethal force and concentrated venom, poisoning enemies.
[Meticulous Ruby Gem Venom Arrow Trap (★★-)]
* Classification: Consumable
* Place on the ground or an obstacle like a tree and input the 'Use' keyword to set it in 10 seconds. When the activation condition is met, a volley of poisoned arrows will rain down on the enemy, inflicting 'Meticulous Ruby Gem Poisoning'.
※ Attack Power 130 x 10
※ Meticulous Ruby Gem Poisoning: The poisoned target loses 12(+2) health per second for 1 minute. (Stacks up to 5 times)
* Description: A ★★--grade Ruby Gem Venom Arrow Trap engraved with the keyword 'Meticulous.' Due to the skilled maker's touch, the venom has been mixed in with minimal degradation. When the activation condition is met, 10 poisoned arrows are fired at the designated location, poisoning enemies.
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‘Oh?’
The advantage the bees gained from the poison zones created by the Guardian's venom bombs was gone, but was this the trade-off for having a Trapper like Cheon-su?
Both items had been altered to maximize their offensive capabilities.
Of course, unlike the bombs that only needed to be thrown, these required the hassle of setting a trap and luring an enemy into it, but that wasn't a major problem.
Thanks to the numerous scout bees spread throughout the forest, he already had a good grasp of monster patrol routes and respawn areas.
If he simply set traps in those locations, any unsuspecting monsters that approached would suffer serious damage.
“What do you think, sir?”
Cheon-su's eyes sparkled as he looked at Seong-hyeok, as if waiting for praise.
At 22, he was only two years younger than Seong-hyeok, and seeing him act like this was a bit much, but he had undeniably produced good results, so Seong-hyeok answered honestly.
“They're fantastic.”
“Hehe. Thank you. The materials were so good that even keywords that don't usually stick were applied easily. I gained a lot of experience from this, too.”
“That's good to hear. I'll provide a steady supply of venom, so please keep making them. I'll also assign some bees to you, so I'll need you to handle trap placement.”
“I'll do my best. You can count on me!”
To best utilize the power of his 'Bomb Fiend' job specialization, it was best to have Cheon-su handle the trap installations himself.
The lost experience from monster kills was a bit of a shame, but unless it was a field boss or an elite, it didn't matter much. For Seong-hyeok, who had already reached level 26 by hunting Stingers, harvesting honey was honestly a more efficient way to gain experience.
[Honey status of Guardian's Extra-Large Gilite Blood Jade Plywood Hive (★★★-) has reached 84.53%.]
[Honey status of Guardian's Extra-Large Gilite Lyrium Plywood Hive (★★★-) has reached 81%.]
[Honey status of Guardian's Extra-Large Pakison Plywood Hive (★★★) has reached 86.7%.]
...
[Honey is ready for harvest!]
“Alright, time for me to get to work.”
And so, even with the new residents, Seong-hyeok went about his work as usual.
Just as he was about to hurry and collect the honey from his apiary.
[You have met the conditions for a quest. -> Riggle's Whim]
[The event quest, Soldier VS Civilian, will be given to all players on the Korean server.]
A quest triggered by the sudden fulfillment of a ridiculous condition.
“S-Seong-hyeok, this!”
“I'm looking at it too.”
The contents were not something to be taken lightly.
* * * * *
Day 30 of the bizarre new world.
For most players, it was just another ordinary day, same as any other.
But for the soldiers, who had been confined under a 30-day restriction due to the special circumstances of being in the military, it was a particularly special day.
“We're finally free!”
“How long has it been since we've been outside?”
“Ugh, I thought I was gonna die from the smell of the barracks.”
“Hey. A corporal like you complaining about the smell? You think it's worse than for me?”
[You have met the conditions to lift the restriction. -> 30 days have passed]
[The restriction on leaving, due to powerful modern weaponry, has been lifted.]
The freedom of the soldiers, who had been steadily growing by completing quests assigned according to their rank and dealing with monsters attacking their bases.
Furthermore, the soldiers possessed powerful modern weapons.
With the advent of this bizarre new world, many players had become superhuman through stat increases, and the power of modern weapons—which were not items—had diminished somewhat. But this was still South Korea.
Due to the existence of the enemy nation of North Korea, the Korean server's military strength was formidable for a country the size of the Korean peninsula.
Even if modern weapons weren't items, against Goblins or Two-Headed Hounds...
...they would have no trouble dealing with ordinary monsters.
“Everyone, prepare! We must go and help our families and the people waiting for us!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Maintain a perimeter and advance! Eliminate any monsters without mercy, and guide any survivors to safety! Our first objective is to rendezvous with other nearby units.”
“Yes, sir!”
Even though most of them had been drafted against their will, the soldiers were a group dedicated to defending their country.
Befitting their strong patriotism, their ultimate goal was to protect the people and rebuild the nation.
To do that, it would be most efficient to first join up with other nearby military bases.
But ironically, the power of the military, armed with powerful modern weapons, was a force that could both protect and destroy.
It went without saying that Riggle...
...the pet of the Transcendent Being in charge of the Korean server, would not simply stand by and watch.
[You have met the conditions for a quest. -> Riggle's Whim]
[The event quest, Soldier VS Civilian, will be given to all players on the Korean server.]
The event quest, Soldier VS Civilian, was triggered by the absurd condition of "Riggle's Whim."
True to its unsettling title, the soldiers and civilian players of the Korean server were stunned when they read the details.
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[Notification]
※ Greetings, players of the Korean server! You might not know this, but the soldiers in the military bases have just been granted their freedom! And what's this! I, Riggle, am so moved to see so many of you showing such patriotism. But you know... is that emotion really genuine? I mean, I'm not trying to be suspicious or anything. I just got curious, so I decided to run a little experiment. Of course, since this is an impromptu event quest, participation is voluntary. However, you'll have to bear the consequences of your choice. Don't you forget it~
[Event Quest: Soldier VS Civilian]
* When a Soldier player hunts a Civilian player, they will receive 3x the loot and a certain amount of points based on their level.
* When a Civilian player hunts a Soldier player, they will receive 3x the loot and a certain amount of points based on their level.
* Duration: 30 days
※ Players ranked 1st to 10th for most points acquired during the event period will receive immense rewards.
※ During this period, Soldiers and Civilians will be hostile toward each other. Committing murder will not result in an Evil alignment mark.
※ During this period, Soldiers and Civilians will not be able to tell if the other is of Evil alignment.
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Soldiers and civilians.
The quest's contents seemed designed to openly incite conflict among the same people on the Korean server.
Reading it, the soldiers forgot to maintain their perimeter, their faces showing utter dismay.
“Wh-what is this...”
“What is this? Is it telling us to kill civilians? To kill our own people?”
Just moments ago, these soldiers had been filled with the determination to overcome this damn situation, wipe out the monsters, rebuild the nation, and save their families.
But what was this?
A sudden event quest that created opposing factions.
It had completely split soldiers and civilians into two separate sides.
Grind!
“You think this pathetic trick will work on us!”
“Everyone, snap out of it! We can't fall for such a malicious scheme!”
Seeing the panicked soldiers, a few non-commissioned officers and officers tried to rally them, but in truth, they were just as panicked as the enlisted men.
Just think about it.
There were countless military bases and soldiers scattered across the Korean server.
Would every single one of them try to protect the civilians?
What if even one military unit, driven mad by the promise of triple loot, went on a massacre?
Furthermore, there was another variable: what guarantee was there that the civilians wouldn't try to kill the soldiers?
Before this bizarre new world, it might have been different.
But now, thanks to the game-like system, anyone with high enough stats—even an elementary schooler or an old man—could gain superhuman strength, overpower a young man, or equip gear with high defensive capabilities.
(You'll have to bear the consequences of your choice. Don't you forget it~)
And then there was that taunting final message.
It was a warning, implying that those who didn't participate would surely fall behind and regret it. Faced with this, all the soldiers, from officers to enlisted men, were plunged into indecision.