Chapter 44
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 44
Chapter Title: The Asian Market Opens
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And, of course, those mushrooms had a significant impact on Seong-hyeok's bee farm.
"Wow. You've prepared a whole feast of mushrooms this time, my lady."
"Hohoho, it's all organic, wild produce brought by the honeybees. I wasn't sure what you'd like, so I prepared a variety. Please, enjoy whatever suits your taste."
"Ugh, I hate mushrooms..."
"What? You don't like this delicious stuff? Yeon-ah, don't you feel bad seeing the honeybees struggling to carry those mushrooms all the way here?"
"Hmph. If you say so, Cheon-su. I'll just have one bite... Wh-what is this flavor!?"
The power of mushrooms with the 'edible' option.
When they met a seasoned and skilled cook like Yeon Su-hee, they were transformed into side dishes like grilled mushrooms, seasoned mushrooms, and hot pots.
Served with an appropriate honey-based sauce, the various dishes instantly captivated even those who were picky about mushrooms.
And was that all?
"B-Boss. What's this?"
"It's a new venom I made by mixing the poison mushrooms I got with bee venom. Try using it to make some traps."
Besides edible ones, the most representative types were poison and medicinal mushrooms.
Through his Guardian's Toxin Processing, Seong-hyeok had succeeded in creating not only a new, more potent venom by combining them with bee venom but also a poison that acted like a medicine, granting beneficial buffs.
Moreover, he discovered something new in the process.
[You have been poisoned by Guardian's Rubydot Red-Spotted Mushroom Bee Venom.]
[The Honeybee Guardian's class specialization, Honey-Venom Immunity, is activated.]
[You are completely immune to the harmful poison effects of the honeybees.]
Perhaps it was because he had used mushroom poison, but by adding 'bee venom'—the honeybees' own toxin—a unique effect was triggered.
Honey-Venom Immunity, one of Seong-hyeok's class specializations.
The effect, which granted complete immunity to the harmful poisons of honeybees, activated, preventing any negative impact on Seong-hyeok.
It might seem somewhat ordinary, but realizing that the side effects of such a potent toxin had no effect on him was a tremendous advantage.
"...If I use this right, I could even make my own personal enhancers."
As the saying goes, poison and medicine are two sides of the same coin. Normally, fine-tuning would be necessary depending on the intended use, but Seong-hyeok no longer had a reason to bother.
As he had just seen, if the side effects didn't apply to him at all, he could think in reverse. He just needed to process a poison with devastatingly severe side effects but an absolutely incredible primary effect!
"Hehehe. It's been a while since I felt this urge to take on a challenge."
The madman's desire to challenge, born from the karma of a Mad Inquirer, had been awakened.
[A Transcendent Being, 'Bo, the Inquirer of Madness,' watches you with a satisfied smile.]
Seeing Seong-hyeok's eyes gleam as he immersed himself in processing, a fellow mad Transcendent Being also smiled.
* * * * *
Perhaps it was the result of Seong-hyeok's innate curiosity, stemming from the karma of a Mad Inquirer.
Or maybe it was the combined diligence of the honeybees and the residents, layered with various buffs and synergistic effects.
The production of processed goods increased thanks to a much larger harvest than before.
As a result, he now had a surplus of the Cheonram Bee Venom Honey Tea, which he previously had just enough of for himself. Not only that...
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[Guardian's Rubydot Dark Cheonram Bee Venom Jester Mushroom Extract(★★★★-)]
※ Remaining maturation period: 300 days (Toxicity will be neutralized upon completion of maturation.)
* Classification: Consumable
* Upon consumption, the target will experience extreme fever and delirium, and 'Guardian's Rubydot Dark Cheonram Bee Venom's Agony' will be applied.
※ Guardian's Rubydot Dark Cheonram Bee Venom's Agony: Strength increases by 3 times (+1x) for 120 minutes. However, if consumed while the toxicity is unneutralized, 8 Strength will be permanently lost. (Cooldown: 60 minutes)
* As an additional effect from the fusion of the Guardian keyword, the effects of the Dark Cheonram Bee Venom Jester Mushroom Extract are further enhanced.
* Description: A ★★★★- grade Rubydot Dark Cheonram Bee Venom Jester Mushroom Extract engraved with the Guardian keyword. It is both a poison and a medicine made by appropriately mixing extracted green jester mushrooms with Dark Cheonram Bee Venom. Upon consumption, it grants surging strength for a long period, but severe side effects will occur if consumed in its unneutralized state.
※ Warning! Buffs from the same series of Jester Mushroom Extracts do not stack.
[Guardian's Rubydot Red-Spotted Bee Venom Powder(★★+)]
※ Remaining maturation period: 23 days (Toxicity will be neutralized upon completion of maturation.)
[Guardian's Rubydot Blue Jester Bee Venom Juice(★★+)]
※ Remaining maturation period: 35 days (Toxicity will be neutralized upon completion of maturation.)
...
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These were the additional processed poison products he completed thanks to the Peridot Spore Mycelium Honeybees.
One slight disappointment was that when he tried using the Dark Cheonram Bee Venom, a mix of Cheonram Bee Venom and Dark Lilyzer Bee Venom, there was no permanent stat increase. Was it because the toxicity was too strong?
Or was it due to the direction he took in its creation?
He couldn't be sure of the reason, but the effects the items possessed were truly astonishing.
Instead of a fixed increase in stats, it was a multiplier.
While such an effect might seem weak for now, it was obvious that its influence would grow exponentially as his stats increased in the future.
Of course, the corresponding toxicity penalty and the long 300-day neutralization period could be a huge drawback, but Seong-hyeok had created it without that in mind from the start.
After all, he had the 'immunity to harmful honeybee venom' from Honey-Venom Immunity.
'I can just pick and choose the good effects.'
Thanks to that, Seong-hyeok didn't have to wait the long 300 days for the poison to neutralize; he could selectively apply only the beneficial effects without suffering any penalties.
"Seong-hyeok, here are the finished dishes."
"No, you made those yourself, Su-hee. You don't have to give them to me to register on the auction house."
"What? But... even so..."
"Effort must be rewarded. Just keep doing what you're doing, and please don't forget your gratitude for the honeybees."
"Thank you."
Now that he had a large quantity of these high-quality processed goods in his hands, wasn't the next step obvious?
[List 'Guardian's Rubydot Cheonram Bee Venom Honey Tea (★★★+)' on the auction house with a minimum bid of 10,000 coins? YES / NO]
※ A registration fee of 1,000 coins will be charged based on the item's estimated value.
[List 'Guardian's Rubydot Lilyzer Bee Venom Propolis Cosmetic (★★★+)' on the auction house with a minimum bid of 8,000 coins? YES / NO]
※ A registration fee of 1,000 coins will be charged based on the item's estimated value.
[List 'Guardian's Rubydot Royal Jelly P...
The auction house, one of the new systems added in the Chapter #2 update.
'Every time I see these fees, they're so outrageous they're practically criminal.'
He didn't know what price the items would fetch at auction, but there would surely be a commission fee on top of this. Yet, he had to pay 1,000 coins just to list them.
In other words, if you weren't confident it would sell, don't even bother listing it.
But as they say, no one knows the value of their product better than the creator.
"YES."
Seong-hyeok chose YES without a second thought.
He was no longer a beggar who had to fret over such a small fee; he was a honey spoon among the top 0.0001% of golden spoons!
Besides, the auction house wasn't the only opportunity presented to him.
The integration of the Asian servers, including China, Japan, and India, with the Korean server's exchange was a chance for Seong-hyeok to greatly expand the premium market for his exclusive honey products.
On top of that, the auction house would serve as an excellent promotional tool to make the name Honeybee known.
Bzzzz- Bzzzzzeee---!!!
"Hahaha. You guys are excited too, huh?"
As if they had read Seong-hyeok's mind through the Bee Link, the nearby honeybees began to dance triumphantly, wiggling their behinds.
Yet, they continued to work diligently, flying back and forth to the hive without rest. Seong-hyeok, determined not to be outdone, let a smile grace his lips.
'The stage is set. Time to make a killing.'
Though their home dimensions were different, he was Honeybee of the Korean server.
It was time to spread the authentic taste of K-honey throughout the entire Asian server.
* * * * *
The Korean server had undergone many changes in the past week.
The first and most significant issue was, without a doubt, the 'Soldier VS Civilian' event quest.
Thanks to this event, which seemed to overflow with the server administrator Pet's malice, the relationship between soldiers and civilians had long since shed any semblance of patriotism.
On top of that, the Chapter #2 update had been implemented.
"What is this?"
"Transcendent Beings?"
"Wait a minute. According to this, items from Transcendent Beings will be listed on the auction house?"
"Patience always pays off!"
While the intervention of Transcendent Beings was noteworthy, for most players, games were all about items and currency.
Naturally, as Day 38 arrived, marking a Sunday, players all over the world were busy sorting out their finances.
"I wonder what's going to be listed."
"Whatever it is, I have to hit the jackpot with this opportunity."
"Thanks to that bastard Honeybee, I'm stuck selling combat enhancers instead of drugs... I'll use this chance to turn players from other servers into drug slaves."
Since it was the first auction after the update, many were curious about the items that would be listed. Some planned to list their own items to make a fortune.
Others were preparing to unleash the coffers of coins they had earned through monster hunting and various other activities.
However, the Chapter #2 update hadn't just integrated the Asian server's exchange.
The community forums were also merged.
With the integration of the Asian servers, which boasted massive populations from countries like China and the second-most populous India, the atmosphere on the community forums was bound to be different from before.
【China/Fist of Kung Fu: Hey, hey, you barbarians. Back off from the auction while I'm asking nicely. Especially the items listed by the Transcendent Beings—they all belong to China. Touch them and you'll regret it, for real lol.】
【North Korea/Praise the Baekdu Bloodline: Comrades of South Joseon. Are you well? You can't all die. Unification by communization might be a lost cause, but you must serve as nutrients for our spoils of war, no?】
【India/LiveByCurryDieByCurry: Hello, everyone.】
【Japan/LetsWatchAnime: lol, nice to see you all here, at least. Don't die. I need you around to hunt.】
Previously, the community forum displayed about 30 posts per page.
But with the integration of numerous servers, the forum seemed to have been expanded, now listing what looked like 500 posts in tiny text on a single page.
But that wasn't the most important point.
【China/Shengwei: The auction items from the Transcendent Beings belong to China. Touch them and you die.】
【China/Will of Shaolin: The auction items from the Transcendent Beings...】
The posts from Chinese players were practically spam.
As expected from the masters of human-wave tactics.
They posted the same content over and over, as if copy-pasting.
And the views and upvotes shot up frighteningly fast.
【Korea/MyLittleSisterIsCrazy: Oh my god, what the hell is that.】
【Japan/CrazyForMyLittleSister: ? Why is your username so similar to mine?】
【Korea/AttentionSeeker NO.58: lolololol】
The power of an overwhelming population, whether through legitimate or illegitimate means.
Players gasped in astonishment at the might of the continent, which had instantly dominated the BEST 10 posts.
However, whether they were drawing attention or not, the famous players from each country didn't care much.
Why, you ask?
【Korea/Jeongrichung: Proud citizens of the Republic of Korea! If you're all alive, you know what's up, right? No matter what cheap tricks they pull, we have numerous elite allies. From Yeonbun Gukbap, who always provides us with a hea-arty bowl of soup on the exchange, to the master farmer Choi Chun-sik and our other gathering masters! And if you don't know this person, I guarantee you're a spy. Honeybee! The living legend of Korea, the Honeybee himself! From this moment on, I will not take my eyes off the auction house lists, sales prices, and, of course, the sellers and buyers from the Korean server. I will record every single detail and live up to my name!】
Ultimately, the important thing wasn't getting into the top 10 on the community forum.
It was about how many items the powerful players from one's own country purchased in the upcoming first auction, and what items they listed.
It was about using that to demonstrate the nation's strength and crush others through media play. That was the judgment of the community forum's notable figures, blessed with natural insight and a craving for attention.