Chapter 63
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 63
Chapter Title: New Faces, Hidden Identities
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The new life skill specialists had joined their ranks.
Lee Yeon-bun's ability to procure meat was certainly top-tier, but that didn't mean the other three were lacking in any way.
"I'm not as good as Yeon-bun, but I know my way around minerals. I can also pitch in on the combat side from time to time."
"I... I can handle gathered materials."
"I... I can package items."
"And since Yeon-bun trusts you enough to share, I'll trust you as well and share my class specialization. Well, it's not a unique class, so it's nothing that special anyway."
Was it that while it wasn't a unique class, his age and the experience that came with it couldn't be ignored?
Kim Cheol-gang, a middle-aged man, possessed the impressive 4-star class of Master Blacksmith.
There was also another surprise.
The twin sisters both had 2-star unique classes; one was a Fairy's Hand, and the other a Pure Packager.
"Well, this is wonderful. A warm welcome to all of you."
And every one of their abilities was exceptionally useful for Seong-hyeok's bee farm.
Perhaps it was the distinctiveness of a unique class, even if its star rank was low.
There was An So-hyeon, with her "Fairy's Hand" class that allowed her to process any gathered material by infusing it with fairy power. Then there was An So-dam, the "Pure Packager," who could package items to ensure a long shelf life without causing any harm to the product.
At first glance, their powers might seem somewhat redundant, but Seong-hyeok's farm was quite special.
[You have discovered a bundle of Natural Flora, Sirbong King Potato (★+)!]
[You have discovered a cluster of Natural Flora, Peridot Enoki Mushroom (★★-)!]
[You have discovered an Imperial Topaz Bee Cocoon (★★+)!]
[You have discovered an Imperial Topaz Bee Cocoon (★★+)!]
...
From ordinary natural flora to mushrooms grown by the Spore Mycelium Bees and cocoons harvested from the Silkworm Bees.
The farm was filled with all sorts of effortlessly gained resources. On top of that were the honey byproducts Seong-hyeok collected, Im Seok-cheol's lumber, and finally, Yeon Su-hee's crops.
It was a place where countless different types of materials could be obtained daily.
Therefore, the twin sisters' abilities could be put to good use, and the addition of Kim Cheol-gang, the blacksmith, was an even more welcome development.
Why, you ask?
"...W-what is all this?"
"Minerals."
"N-no, who do you think I am? Of course I know that. What I want to know is, what's with this ridiculous quantity? And the purity of these things is so high! Is there a mine around here or something?"
"Something like that. There is a mine."
It was one of the major items Seong-hyeok had acquired from the first auction: Macerati's Gold Mine Summon Ticket.
Thanks to the Golden Goblins mining tirelessly in there, one of Seong-hyeok's warehouses was now filled to the brim with minerals.
His original plan was to sell them off once the stock grew larger, but with a blacksmith on board, the story changed.
Rather than just selling primary gathered materials, processing them into useful equipment to use or sell was overwhelmingly better in terms of both experience and efficiency.
"You can use all the minerals here as you please. However, I trust that for everything you use, you'll produce a worthy result."
"Hahaha... Just leave it to me. No, please, let me do it."
"Of course."
Thus, Seong-hyeok decided to make full use of the blacksmith he had just gained.
* * * * *
As the number of bees increased, their territory naturally expanded in search of more flowers.
The benefits included a wider range of activity and a greater honey harvest, but not everything in life came with only upsides.
[A Ruby Gem Worker Bee (★★+) has died.]
[A Peridot Worker Bee (★★+) has died.]
[A Ruby Gem Worker Bee Zombie (★★-) has died.]
...
The constant expansion of their territory inevitably led to bee casualties.
Even with various defensive measures like scouting with recon bees, setting traps based on that intel, and utilizing wax turrets and zombie bees, it was impossible to completely prevent losses from monsters that randomly spawned out of thin air.
Ultimately, to minimize these sacrifices, it wasn't enough to rely solely on the bees; the help of combat players was also necessary.
"Name's Kang Cheon-su. Ah, you're all older than me, so feel free to speak casually. Call me brother."
"Hahaha! You're so friendly, I like you already. I'm Jang Ji-ho."
"I'm Kim Gyeong-bae. Let's get along."
After a round of simple introductions, fitting for comrades who would soon face life and death together, Cheon-su recalled the orders he'd received from Seong-hyeok and continued his explanation.
"Oh? So what you're saying, Cheon-su, is that this forest is basically a minefield?"
"I've handled mines in the military, but I've never stepped on one..."
"Man, you call that a story?"
"Well, the mines I stepped on during the recent skirmishes with some of the outside squads didn't even hurt that much."
The traps were a joint creation of Cheon-su and bee venom, one of the bees' byproducts.
When they first learned that the forest was littered with them, their reaction was surprisingly calm.
During the "Soldiers vs. Civilians" event quest that preceded the war with China, some members of Yeonbun Gukbap had experience with mines and trap items, but with their high levels and stats, they were simply too powerful.
None of them had ever suffered critical damage.
"Hmm, I'm not sure how powerful the traps are outside, but it's probably best to be careful here."
"Hey, look at this body. I can take most traps with my durability."
"I doubt it. You saw them earlier, right? The giant black bears, Yongbi and Danbi. My traps brought them to near-death in one go."
"Puhahaha! You're quite the joker. How could you possibly take down a level 25 field boss with a trap?"
"..."
Kim Gyeong-bae, a former fitness trainer, patted his chest as if to say not to worry.
For a moment, Cheon-su felt a little annoyed that his traps were being dismissed.
Just then, the sight of newly spawned monsters approaching brought a smile to his face.
[Foothill Elite Orc Warrior Lv. 17 (★★+)] - Elite Monster
[Two-headed Hog Wolf Lv. 16 (★★+)] - Elite Monster
[Foothill Orc Warrior Lv. 15 (★★)]
[Foothill Orc Archer Lv. 15 (★★)]
...
"An... an elite monster?"
"Their levels are pretty high, too."
Even for them, who had hunted plenty of monsters in the outside world, these were opponents they couldn't ignore.
Still, as seasoned hunters, they were about to prepare for battle without letting their guard down.
"Hmm. Is this because of that settlement that appeared a while ago? They seem stronger. Anyway, no need for you all to step in. Traps can handle enemies of this level just fine."
"...What?"
No matter how powerful a trap item was, the difference between an 'elite' monster and a regular one was immense.
The combatants, who knew this better than anyone from their vast experience, were left speechless.
*Click-*
An ominous sound, as if something that shouldn't have been touched was disturbed.
That was the beginning.
*BOOM-!*
*SHUSHUSHUSHUSHUK-!*
The explosion was followed by a volley of arrows from an unseen installation.
The Foothill Elite Orc Warrior, riding the Two-headed Hog Wolf, tried to fight its way out of the poison cloud, but it was a futile effort.
*THWUMP- WHOOOOOOSH—*
The sound of something heavy being fired was followed by a vicious noise that tore through the air.
*KABOOOOOM---!!!*
A deafening roar erupted, literally flipping the ground where the monsters had been.
"What... what was that?"
"A... a cannon?"
Following the traps came the wax turrets that Geonchug-i had installed throughout the forest.
Witnessing the unimaginable destructive power with their own eyes, they stood dumbfounded and checked the status of the monsters that had been resisting moments ago.
*Thud- Thud-*
There was nothing more to see.
The monsters, riddled with gruesome injuries and poisoned, had stopped moving entirely.
They were already dead.
"That's impossible..."
It was a monster designated as 'elite,' even if it was a step below a field boss.
Having just witnessed such a powerful foe get slaughtered without a chance to fight back, they could no longer make light of the traps.
Just think about it.
That monster, now a bloody pulp on the ground.
The thought that it could have been them sent a shiver down their spines.
That overwhelming destructive power, the agonizing way they succumbed to the poison.
To put it bluntly, one misstep meant instant death, didn't it?
"For the record, the traps used just now are among the weakest I've set up. If it had been the real deal, they wouldn't have even been able to twitch without the follow-up attack."
"..."
As if he knew what they were thinking, or perhaps he didn't, the trapper, Kang Cheon-su, boasted about his traps as if it were nothing.
Seeing is believing, as they say.
They keenly realized that the bees weren't the only fearsome thing in this forest.
* * * * *
Combat specialists and life skill specialists.
It was the first night after the new residents, each with their own specializations, had joined.
While everyone else was asleep, a single figure cautiously slipped outside. It looked around before attempting to leave.
"Hye-rin. Where are you going?"
A low voice called out, identifying her instantly.
Hye-rin turned her head to see Seong-hyeok standing there with a smile.
"Ah, I just really had to use the bathroom."
"I see."
It was a perfectly normal reason.
Even in this topsy-turvy world, bodily functions were a given.
But Seong-hyeok, while nodding in understanding, closed the distance with explosive speed and grabbed Hye-rin's shoulder.
※ Apipuncture Art: Surging Venom Legs: For 60 minutes, your legs will feel no fatigue, and Agility and Control will increase by 30.
※ Apipuncture Art: Surging Venom Legs: For 60 minutes, your legs will feel no fatigue, and Agility and Control will increase by 30.
Seong-hyeok had already maximized his agility by repeatedly striking the vital points on his legs.
"What do you think you're doing, Seong-hyeok?"
Cha Hye-rin reacted sharply to Seong-hyeok, who had approached and subdued her with unexpected speed.
But ignoring her protest, Seong-hyeok continued with what he had to say.
"I have a question. What exactly are you?"
"Huh? What are you talking about? It's me, Cha Hye-rin."
Her appearance and her answer were both perfectly normal.
But while she might be able to fool the other residents, she couldn't fool Seong-hyeok.
How was that possible? It was quite simple.
"No, you don't seem like a living being right now. My bees show neither goodwill nor hostility towards you, and a human should have visible vital points, but you have none. I wanted to ask you right then and there, but I figured you had your reasons, and I don't want to be enemies. That's why I'm asking you privately like this. So, could you explain what's going on?"
"..."
The weight of karma that came with a 5-star unique class.
Was it as they say, that it takes one to know one?
From the moment they first met, Seong-hyeok had sensed Cha Hye-rin's unidentifiable nature.
"Hee, you're pretty sharp, Seong-hyeok. Just like my 'family' should be."
For a moment, Cha Hye-rin's expression faltered before she broke into a smile.
No, to be precise, the figure that was merely wearing a human's skin briefly transformed into a shadow, admitting that what he saw was not her 'main body.' She then shot Seong-hyeok a sidelong glance.
"Alright, we've decided to stick together, after all. But... please don't tell Grandma Yeon-bun. This is a request."
"Fine."