Chapter 56
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 56
Chapter Title: The Bear Taxi
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Carapace Hornets and Foothill Orcs.
Drawn by the wild beehive and the gold mine respectively, they began invading the bees' territory, and a constant stream of notifications flooded Seong-hyeok's ears.
[A Ruby Gem Worker Bee (★★+) has died.]
[An Imperial Topaz Worker Bee (★★+) has died.]
[A Peridot Venom Kamikaze Bee (★★★-) has died.]
[An Imperial Topaz Silkworm Bee (★★★-) has died.]
...
Unlike the battle against the Giant Bear, a field boss monster, these were losses incurred from fighting manageable monsters.
But the bees' sacrifices were by no means in vain.
[You have hunted a Foothill Elite Orc Warrior Lv. 17 (★★+) - Elite Monster. You have acquired EXP, 2,531 Coins, and a Foothill Elite Orc's Tusk (★★+).]
[You have hunted a Foothill Orc Archer Lv. 15 (★★). You have acquired EXP, 71 Coins, and Foothill Orc Hide (★★).]
[You have hunted a Carapace Hornet Lv. 20 (★★★-). You have acquired EXP, 183 Coins, and a Carapace Hornet's Stinger (★★★-).]
[You have hunted a Carapace Hornet Lv. 21 (★★★-). You have acquired EXP, 228 Coins, and a Carapace Hornet's Carapace (★★★-).]
...
As the bees fell, so too did the records of enemy kills pile up.
Back during the battle with Belmorn, the notifications of bees dying would have far outnumbered the hunt logs, but just as Seong-hyeok had grown, so too had his bees achieved incredible growth.
[A trap has been activated!]
['Guardian's Tricolor Honey Beeswax Candle's Blessing' is applied to 3,434 allied units within a 10m radius.]
['Guardian's Tricolor Honey Beeswax Candle's Blessing' is applied to 3,522 allied units within a 10m radius.]
[You have been exposed to the Guardian's Ruby Gem Venom Zone. Movement Speed increases by 6%.] x 2
[You have been exposed to the Guardian's Peridot Venom Zone. Attack Power increases by 12%.] x 2
[You have been exposed to the Guardian's Rubydot Venom Zone. Movement Speed increases by 8%, and Attack Power increases by 15%.] x 2
[You have been exposed to the Guardian's Tricolor Honey Venom Zone. Total Health increases by 1,200.] x 2
[Activating Power of Unity!]
[Defense and Magic Resistance of 1,932,567 allied units within a 10km radius increase by 50.]
...
This was all on top of the various consumable items and the bonuses from the 'Patient One's Unity' he had acquired at the auction.
Bzzzzzzzz-!!!
Wheeeeeee-!!!
Elite bees were positioned among the swarms.
Thanks to their 'Legion Commander's Command' skill, the bees weren't just mindlessly charging forward like units given an attack-move command; they made optimal decisions to minimize casualties.
And that wasn't all.
[A Ruby Gem Dark Lilyzer Legion Commander Bee (★★★★) uses the skill, Lilyzer Pheromone - Defense (Lv. 5).] x 10
[450 Mana is consumed.]
[Health, Defense, and Magic Resistance of bees within the area of effect increase by 5%.] x 10
[The effect of 'Lilyzer Pheromone - Defense' is applied to 1,163,257 allied units within a 5km radius.]
[The effect of 'Lilyzer Pheromone - Defense' is applied to 1,125,766 allied units within a 5km radius.]
...
Like Teunteun-i and Dongchung-i, the Lilies weren't superior in combat, but through the focused evolution of their antennae, they could grant combat-assisting buffs to nearby bees.
Furthermore, the bee legion never let the corpses of bees and monsters that fell in battle go to waste.
[A Ruby Gem Dark Lilyzer Legion Commander Bee (★★★★) uses the skill, Black Magic - Undead (Lv. 2).]
[230 Mana is consumed.]
[Raises corpses within the area of effect as undead.]
[A Peridot Spore Mycelium Bee (★★★-) has died.]
[Natural Vegetation, Peridot Spore Mycelium Bee's Mushroom Spores (★★) begin to grow from the ground.]
...
The Dark Essence of Lich Belmorn.
The black magic of the being that had once caused Seong-hyeok so much pain now served as a reliable ally, protecting the lives of his bees.
Following that was the news of the 'Spore Mycelium Venom Sac' attached to the corpses of the Spore Mycelium Bees, its subtle effect guaranteeing the germination of natural vegetation mushrooms.
The bees fiercely resisted the invading monsters.
Seeing this, Seong-hyeok wanted to jump into the fray and reduce the casualties, but one must act according to their station.
“Destroying the core is the top priority.”
Just as they say, the best defense is a good offense.
Strengthened by various buffs, Seong-hyeok was now like the tip of a spear.
Wouldn't it be best to pour this power into an attack to cut off the enemy's production at its source, rather than using it for defense?
“Kkuwooooong-!!!”
“Kku-eooooo-!!!”
Just then, the two bears, the husband and wife, roared fiercely as if they had spotted their target.
Wheeeeeee-!!!
[Carapace Hornet Lv. 21 (★★★-)]
[Carapace Hornet Lv. 21 (★★★-)]
[Carapace Soldier Hornet Lv. 23 (★★★)] - Elite Monster
...
Sensing the intrusion, hornets poured out of their nest, but unfortunately for them, they had picked the wrong opponent.
“You're all dead, you bastards!”
A pissed-off beekeeper.
Not just any beekeeper, but one armed with wealth and health supplements.
And the owner of unparalleled stats, boosted by performance enhancers.
In short, faced with their worst natural enemy, Seong-hyeok, the hornets' momentum crumbled like autumn leaves in the wind.
“Is this all you've got? Compared to Teunteun-i, these stings feel like a child's massage!”
It seemed the saying that performance enhancers were effective wasn't just for show.
The immense defensive power gained from consistently raising his durability.
Moreover, having lived his entire 24 years focused solely on bees, the hornets' venomous stings were laughable to Seong-hyeok.
“Kkuing, kku-iing.”
“Kkuwong, kku-woeong.”
The female Giant Asiatic Black Bear praised her mate for choosing submission over fighting against such a strong opponent.
The two of them, befitting their status as field bosses, fought well and played a huge part in clearing a path for Seong-hyeok to the hornet's nest.
Crack-!
Following that was an eerie crunch as the hornet's nest split in two.
With his keen eyes, Seong-hyeok spotted the queen hornet trying to escape through the gap and ruthlessly plunged his bee sting into it.
[You have hunted a Carapace Queen Hornet Lv. 25 (★★★+) - Dungeon Boss Monster. You have acquired EXP, 58,650 Coins, a ★★★+ Item Draw Ticket, and a Queen Hornet's Carapace (★★★+).]
[You have successfully conquered the dungeon, Carapace Hornet's Nest (★★★-).]
[Due to the dungeon's destruction, the combat morale of the Carapace Hornets outside has been greatly reduced.]
[Dungeon Conquest MVP - Honeybee (Lv. 30)]
He killed all the aggressive hornets in the dungeon, but took the wiggling larvae along with the nest without harming them.
A truly clean finish, just like a beekeeper.
As if to commend his actions, the results of monopolizing most of the experience points arrived.
[You have leveled up. You have acquired 5 stat points.]
[You have leveled up. You have acquired 5 stat points.]
[You have met a specific awakening condition. -> Lv. 30]
[The Honeybee Guardian's authority grows stronger. The number of Queen Bees you can possess increases by 1.]
[You have met the conditions for a skill achievement. -> Lv. 30, possess 3 Queen Bees]
[You have learned the skill, Resonance with the Queen Bee.]
______________________________
[Resonance with the Queen Bee (Lv. 1)]
* Classification: Skill
* Mana Cost: 500
* Effect (Active): Increases the probability of the Queen Bee's next egg hatching into a desired type of bee to 100%. However, the selection is limited to the eclosion process of higher species you possess. (Cooldown: 24 hours)
* Effect - Happy Queen (Passive): The growth rate of a Queen Bee under the effect of Resonance with the Honeybee Guardian slightly increases.
* Effect - Diligent Queen (Passive): The egg-laying speed of a Queen Bee under the effect of Resonance with the Honeybee Guardian increases by 5 times for 1 hour.
* Description: Through deep resonance with the Queen Bee, you can have her lay an egg that will hatch into a desired type of bee. The effect strengthens as the skill level increases.
______________________________
“Hoh...”
Level 30.
It was at level 20 that he had acquired Bee Sting Arts, his only current offensive skill.
Since then, he hadn't gained any new skills from leveling up and had been searching for other methods. Who would have thought he'd get one by reaching level 30?
“This is amazing.”
Moreover, its effects were perfectly suited for Seong-hyeok, the 'Honeybee Guardian'.
He could guarantee obtaining an elite bee tailored to the situation, plus it boosted growth rate and egg-laying speed.
Of course, the long 24-hour cooldown was a bit of a shame, but the difference between having it and not was naturally immense.
“I guess when you don't know the way, leveling up is the best answer.”
There's a reason they say 'level is king' in games, right?
While there were ways to raise stats, leveling up was an indispensable element for obtaining hidden pieces like level-restricted skills or awakening conditions.
However, there was also a downside to hunting so much.
[There is no space to store items.]
[Carapace Hornet's Stinger x 523, Carapace Hornet's Carapace x 615 will be dropped.]
※ Warning! Dropped items that are not natural vegetation will disappear after 1 hour.
It was the simple fact that there's a limit to how many items a person can carry, given the constraints of hands and pockets.
However, pulling some of the bees out of the fierce battle just to pick up items was inefficient.
Realizing anew the importance of Yeon-ah, the porter, his thoughts on raiding the village paused for a moment.
Seong-hyeok's dilemma was quickly resolved.
Wheeeing- Wheeing-!
The Ruby Gem Scout Bee, which could be called his eyes in the sky.
Individuals that were always scattered throughout the forest.
Well, their numbers were far too small to move the items.
But it wasn't as if there was no way.
“See this bee here? Go where it leads you, pick up one person, and come back to this spot. Got it?”
“Kkuing, kku-iing!”
Make it happen.
After assigning the female Giant Asiatic Black Bear, a reasonably fast mount, the role of a taxi for Kang Yeon-ah, Seong-hyeok immediately climbed onto the male's back.
“Alright. Shall we go finish the rest?”
“Kkuwoeong!”
One more dungeon remained.
To finish off the Foothill Orc village and secure his well-earned spoils.
* * * * *
“Seong-hyeok. Do you think he's okay? I'm so worried about the bees, too. Haa, maybe I should have chosen a combat class like Cheon-su...”
The apiary.
Inside the livestock shed built on one side of the farm, Yeon-ah paced anxiously.
It was understandable; just like with the Stingers, she felt a surge of emotion from her own helplessness, feeling that she only received help from the bees and forced them to make sacrifices.
But everything depends on how you look at it.
Unlike Yeon-ah, Seok-cheol and Su-hee, befitting their age, were calmly focused on their work.
“There's no need to worry about young Seong-hyeok and his bees. I'm sure he'll come back safe and sound, ready to harvest the honey filling the hives.”
“That's right. Instead of worrying, let's just do our work. That's a better way to help Seong-hyeok.”
“Y-you think so?”
“Of course. It's obvious.”
Su-hee was feeding the livestock fodder, grain, and fruit, while Seok-cheol was processing the logged wood into plywood.
The two elders' words helped Yeon-ah regain her composure and focus on what she could do.
As an Elite Porter, she was in the middle of storing the plywood Seok-cheol had made into her Soul Bag when it happened.
[Player Honeybee is attempting to whisper to you.]
The 'whisper' notification, a sign that he was alive.
Following the bear quest that had been cleared earlier, she wondered if the battle with the hornets and orcs was also over. Just then, Seong-hyeok's message came through.
【Honeybee: Yeon-ah. A lot of items dropped here. I need you to come and pick them up. I sent a guide, so can you come with it and grab the stuff? I've cleared the monsters on the way, so you don't have to worry, and the guide is an ally now, so there's no need to be scared.】
【Miss Moxie: Hehe, of course! Leave it to me!】
At that, Yeon-ah was overjoyed.
A lot of dropped items meant a lot of defeated monsters.
And that meant they had won, didn't it?
“Hahaha, this is my chance to truly make a name for myself as an Elite Porter!”
Dropped items would disappear in about an hour.
That was why in this strange world, the porter class had a significant advantage.
Bags and carts were inevitably cumbersome in battle, but porters, with their class-specific 'Soul Bag', could carry a large volume of items at once.
“Alright, time to get ready to run while looking at some cute butts.”
There was no need to worry about monsters.
She was doing some light stretches to prepare to follow the bee that would be her guide.
Just then, Yeon-ah noticed a part of the message she didn't quite understand.
“But what does being an ally have to do with being scary?”
A strange question.
Wasn't she, Yeon-ah, a butt aficionado who was now friendly with even the scariest-looking bees, the Peridot Bees?
But soon enough, Yeon-ah understood.
Thud- Thud- Thud-
A sound like an earthquake rumbled as a giant bear approached at a furious pace, running alongside a Ruby Gem Scout Bee.
[Giant Asiatic Black Bear Lv. 24 (★★★+)] - Field Boss Monster
The mark helpfully indicating 'Field Boss Monster' seemed to emphasize the point.
In the blink of an eye, it was upon her, offering its fluffy-looking back as if telling her to get on—a 'taxi' in this strange new world.
“Kkuwong, kku-woeong-”
“...”
Kang Yeon-ah blinked several times at the utterly absurd situation.
A normal person would have been stunned into a stupor or played dead at the sight of this bear's imposing figure, but...
“Hey there. You know, since we're allies now, would it be rude if I... touched your fur? Huh? Please?”
“...Kkuwong?”
Kang Yeon-ah.
True to her unique nickname, 'Miss Moxie', her nerve was truly something else.