Chapter 61
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: A Cautious Welcome
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Cha Hye-rin.
The first thing that surprised Seong-hyeok about her request for contact was that it came through a Transcendent Being.
‘She made an incarnation contract?’
Seong-hyeok had known for a while that she was no ordinary person.
She held the status of a VVVIP of a 5-star+ room, a distinction held by only about ten people on the Asia server.
That meant she had a lot of coins, which in turn suggested she was, one way or another, an incredibly powerful player.
“I’ll only disable it for a moment.”
[The Transcendent Being, Shadow Empress Lehurelin, expresses her gratitude.]
Seeing no downside, Seong-hyeok temporarily disabled his block.
[Block has been disabled.]
[Player Green Bean has left a message.]
[Player Ttukbaegi Collector has left a message.]
…….
With that, a flood of countless message notifications poured in.
In particular, the player ‘Green Bean,’ the official number one ranker on the Korean server who had previously set the stage for him, had left over a hundred messages, like some kind of stalker.
“Hah, this is exactly why I blocked them.”
The weight that the name Honeybee carried.
But there was a limit to how much attention one could handle. Frowning at the excessive messages, Seong-hyeok scrolled to the very end.
[Player Silent Harvester has left a message.]
『Seong-hyeok. Do you remember me? It’s Cha Hye-rin. With the upcoming war, I was hoping to form an alliance and merge with your shelter. Would that be okay? We're a small, elite group called Yeonbun Gukbap, quite well-known in our own right, but we have a lot of kids, so we concluded it would be better to merge shelters given the war. Of course, I promise we won't cause you any harm even if you refuse.』
And there it was—the message from Silent Harvester.
Cha Hye-rin’s message.
It was rather long, but the gist of it was that she wanted to join his beekeeping farm as a resident.
Naturally, Seong-hyeok couldn’t help but be suspicious.
‘What is she planning?’
To be honest, the fact that she was family from the old orphanage wasn’t a bad memory for him.
After all, everyone at the orphanage had suffered similar wounds, and because of that, they understood each other’s pain better than anyone.
However, it would be foolish to trust her completely based on that alone.
People inevitably change over time, and more importantly, this chaotic world had become a jungle ruled by the law of the fittest.
For Cha Hye-rin to have amassed so many coins in this environment meant one of two things.
Either she had hunted an overwhelming number of powerful monsters,
Or… she had targeted players who had a lot of coins.
If it was the former, that was one thing, but if it was the latter, it was a different story entirely.
To put it bluntly, it could directly lead to him losing his life.
“Ignoring her isn’t necessarily the best option.”
Avoiding the conversation was one way to handle it, but flatly refusing an offer to join from a player with VVVIP status was by no means a wise decision in the current situation.
Especially with the war against the Chinese server underway, having a powerful player on his side could be a way to dramatically reduce the number of bee casualties.
Couldn't he see that just by looking at his own farm?
Compared to his massive bee army, he had only four residents.
But the infrastructure they had built was something that could not be ignored.
Seong-hyeok and his bees could have expanded their territory on their own, but the buildings, powerful traps, and crops were things he could never have obtained by himself, not even in death.
‘For the sake of future security, it would be good to recruit strong talent.’
From specialized professions to unique ‘Innate’ jobs.
It was always better to have every single player on your side.
“Well, if they get out of line, I can just subdue them.”
Besides, whether Cha Hye-rin’s intentions were good or not, Seong-hyeok was confident.
He had himself, strengthened by various processed honey products, and…
*Bzzzz— Bzzzzzz—*
*BZZZZZZZZ—!!!*
He had his dependable bee army backing him up.
* * * * *
As she was mindlessly cutting down the monsters that had begun to lurk nearby, a notification chimed.
[Player Honeybee has replied to your message.]
At the news of the reply, Cha Hye-rin sheathed her weapon, read the message, and broke into a smile.
- *Hoh, a smile of ‘truth’? I see that human is quite special to you. Is he an ex-boyfriend?*
Was it impossible to fool the insight of a Transcendent Being?
Lehurelin’s keen eye had instantly discerned whether Cha Hye-rin’s expression was ‘real’ or ‘fake.’
At that, Cha Hye-rin’s face turned icy in an instant, as if she were wearing a mask.
‘Mind your own business, you voyeuristic pervert.’
- *How harsh. You only got the message through because of me. Aren’t you being a little ungrateful?*
‘…….’
It was true that Lehurelin, a Transcendent Being, had swallowed her pride for an incarnation’s request. Cha Hye-rin reluctantly conceded the point.
‘He was just… a special kind of family.’
- *Hoh? Does that mean you have no intention of killing him?*
‘How could I kill family?’
The remnants of the Sunflower Orphanage were as precious to her as her current family, ‘Lee Yeon-bun.’
- *To think you’d say that. The thought processes of humans are always so fascinating. Or perhaps, is that a thought only you could have? Well, do as you please. All I have to do is enjoy your story.*
Lehurelin expressed a moment of surprise at the words of Hye-rin, who had slaughtered thousands without a second thought.
But perhaps that was why?
Lehurelin simply let out a constant stream of laughter, filled with anticipation for what this incarnation she had contracted with would do next.
* * * * *
The master of Seong-hyeok’s Beekeeping Farm was, in the end, Seong-hyeok himself.
When he first accepted them as residents, hadn’t he emphasized the sacrifices and hard work of the bees to firmly establish the hierarchy?
But people’s hearts are bound to change when they live together.
Especially as he spent time with Su-hee, who had granted him one of the great powers from her benefits as an incarnation, the dependable Seok-cheol, and the amiable Cheon-su and Yeon-ah, Seong-hyeok had come to value his residents’ opinions and seek their counsel.
“New residents? As long as they’re not bad people, I think it’s a good idea. The farm is constantly expanding, so the more people we have to cover the land, the better. And even if they approach with ill intentions, we have the bees, so it won’t be a problem.”
“Do as you see fit, Seong-hyeok. I’ll just trust you. By the way, if we get more people, we’ll need to build more houses.”
“New people, you say? Hmm, it’d be great if we got some folks my age. Even better if they’re combat classes!”
“I’m for it, Seong-hyeok.”
Most of them were in favor of adding new residents.
Of course, the arrival of new people could bring danger, but as Su-hee said, as long as the bee army was watching in real-time, they wouldn't be able to try anything rash.
After gaining the unanimous agreement of his companions, Seong-hyeok sent a reply to Cha Hye-rin with his location and a key message not to attack the bees. About half a day passed.
[Player detected!]
[Player detected!]
[Player detected!]
[Player detected!]
…….
A group of players appeared in the sight of the scout bees constantly patrolling the outer edges of the territory.
There were six men with sturdy builds, one elderly person, followed by about four children, and one woman who looked exactly as he remembered her—Cha Hye-rin.
In total, they were a small group of only twelve, and considering that a third of them, four, were elementary school-aged children, the very fact that they had survived out there until now proved they were an ‘elite’ group.
‘And if what Hye-rin said is true, that elderly person must be Yeonbun Gukbap.’
The unique nickname Yeonbun Gukbap was still registered as the 3rd rank on the official Korean rankings.
Much like Seong-hyeok, who sold processed honey products, she had sold gukbap and high-quality pork on the marketplace. With her joining, Seong-hyeok’s farm was sure to become even more bountiful.
“Seong-hyeok. Should I go with you?”
“No. I’ll just take Yongbi and Danbi.”
“Alright. Call me immediately if it looks like there’s trouble.”
“Okay.”
However, that ‘advantage’ was contingent on them joining as allies and residents.
Even though Cha Hye-rin was there—no, precisely because Cha Hye-rin, who he expected possessed formidable power, was there—Seong-hyeok decided to make an even greater show of his own strength.
“Kuaaaar—!!!”
“Kuwong, kuwong!”
Living up to their name as giant moon bears, Yongbi and Danbi boasted sizes befitting field boss monsters.
*Bzzzz— Bzzzzzz—!*
*BZZZZZZZZ!!!*
Thanks to the power of the Honeybee Guardian, which corresponded to his Control stat, his four Teunteun-i had grown from their original 8cm to about 20cm, making them look even more formidable, and they were accompanied by a massive swarm of bees.
As if to show he would not display any weakness, Seong-hyeok, fully armed, immediately arrived at the location of Cha Hye-rin’s party.
“Heh heh…”
“Now that’s quite a sight.”
Were they surprised that he commanded two field boss monsters as his subordinates?
Or were they amazed by the sight of the massive bee army?
Whatever the reason, it had certainly made an impression.
As Seong-hyeok dismounted from Yongbi, taking it as a signal, the elderly person from Cha Hye-rin’s group strode forward and extended a hand.
“Nice to meet you. I’m Lee Yeon-bun of Yeonbun Gukbap. We’ll be in your care from now on.”
“You are most welcome.”
In any case, these people could become residents of his shelter.
Making a show of strength was good, but anything in excess was not.
At Yeon-bun’s gesture of greeting, Seong-hyeok also took a step back and accepted her handshake.
And with that, the joining of the new residents was established.
“First, I’ll guide you there. Please follow me.”
Still, it wasn't the time to let his guard down completely.
Without mentioning the traps or wax turrets installed throughout his territory, Seong-hyeok began to lead them, and the players followed him with tense postures.
But the silent atmosphere didn't last long.
“Wow, so pretty.”
“The bees look so diligent!”
“Um, isn’t that bee getting eaten by that flower?”
“The big bear’s fur is so warm.”
The children, riding on Yongbi and Danbi’s backs, watched in fascination as the bees collected nectar.
Was it true that children were the purest?
Even in this chaotic world, their shyness quickly faded as they spoke their honest thoughts about the bees.
And for a bee-lover like Seong-hyeok, hearing his bees being praised was by no means a bad thing.
A smile unknowingly formed on his lips.
“They’re cute, aren’t they?”
“They seem to be.”
Cha Hye-rin approached the silently guiding Seong-hyeok with a smile.