Chapter 70
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 70
Chapter Title: The Armored Swarm
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Clang— Claang—!
The sound of a hammer striking echoed from the smithy.
With the scorching heat of the furnace and molten minerals, the inside of the building felt like a sauna.
But Kim Cheol-gang, drenched in sweat, didn't stop hammering.
Clang— Clang—!
Even as sweat beaded on his forehead and dripped into his eyes, he acted as if it were nothing.
His eyes remained wide open as he hammered away repeatedly.
During the crafting process, even a momentary pause or a misplaced strike could lead to a fatal flaw in the equipment. Looking away was out of the question.
In a way, the grade of a finished piece of equipment was a matter of pride for a blacksmith.
That's why, despite the stinging in his eyes, his focus was solely on the hammer and the anvil.
Szzzzzzzz—!
Finally, as if the work was complete, a considerable amount of steam rose as the heated equipment was cooled in a prepared bucket of water.
Bzzzzzz—
Buzzzzz—!
Bees, by nature, have an extreme aversion to heat.
Because of this, the bees passing by that area buzzed their wings in irritation, expressing their annoyance as they flew around the smithy.
“Heh heh heh, you little rascals. Don’t have to be so cold.”
He had made the equipment for the bees, after all, so a wave of disappointment washed over him as they simply passed by.
But what could he do?
Just as people have their preferences for hot and cold, bees were bound to have things they disliked.
“Still, they’ll come to like me now.”
From the pieces he had just finished to the small steel items piled high in a corner of the smithy.
From a distance, it might have looked like a mere collection of scrap metal, but upon closer inspection, each and every one of these was a piece of armor.
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[Miniature Armor (★★-)]
※ Caution! Due to its extremely small size, adjustment-related systems do not apply.
* Classification: Armor
* Defense, Magic Resistance +20
* Health +200
* Shock Absorption Rate 20%
* Durability: 30 / 30
* Description: A ★★- grade set of armor boasting a miniature size, crafted by a highly skilled blacksmith. High-purity minerals were used, but its performance has been degraded due to its extremely small size.
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Created with the bees as the target.
It was, true to its name, miniature armor.
Of course, as the description stated, the fact that its performance was degraded due to its small size was unacceptable to him as a ‘master craftsman’, but…
“Still, being small means it uses fewer materials and can be mass-produced. I’ll just have to get used to making up for the shortcomings.”
Kim Cheol-gang had compromised on that point to some extent.
In any case, the fact that it required fewer materials due to its size was a significant advantage, and a blacksmith could, with effort, overcome this drawback eventually.
And above all…
“Mr. Cheol-gang. We’re here!”
“Hello!”
“Oh my. Look who’s here, my little cuties.”
The twin sisters had arrived at Cheol-gang’s call.
With the power of their two unique classes, Fairy's Hand and Pure Packager, combined with the bee cocoons that were as plentiful here as minerals, they were one of the finishing materials needed to ‘complete’ the miniature armor.
“Alright then, I need you to wrap these with a fairy’s blessing.”
“Leave it to us!”
“We’ll work hard to keep the little bees safe!”
Just as bees form a collective and live with their roles distributed, was it not the same for humans?
Another collective existed on the apiary farm.
The humans had begun to cooperate to ensure their own safety and prove their worth.
And so, the days flew by in the blink of an eye.
* * * * *
For Seong-hyeok, the night had previously been, in a word, a time of relentless work.
Normally, a person would require consistent sleep, no matter how long they could endure, but this was a topsy-turvy world.
For instance, Seong-hyeok, who could now display superhuman strength through his stats, had no problem functioning even without much sleep.
Of course, that didn't mean he could go without sleep entirely.
It was just that the necessity of resting through sleep had drastically decreased compared to before this chaotic world began.
And he suspected that this was likely due to the ‘Endurance’ stat.
In fact, Endurance was the stat that had benefited the most from the ‘Processed Bee Product Aficionado’ title, and in the process, Seong-hyeok found his need for sleep diminishing over time.
“Seong-hyeok, don’t you ever get tired?”
An effigy was watching Seong-hyeok as he worked.
The clone made of shadows, Cha Hye-rin, curiously followed him around, keeping him company.
“It’s amazing, you and the bees. The way you both work without rest.”
“The same goes for you, doesn't it? I don’t know about your main body, but it must be hard to control a clone while you’re asleep. Or are you always awake?”
“Hehe. Why don’t you try and guess?”
“…How dull.”
He couldn't tell if she was being truthful or not, but he felt absolutely no ‘hostility’ from Cha Hye-rin.
Since their previous conversation had fostered some ‘goodwill’ through the bees, Seong-hyeok had no intention of being hostile toward her either.
A player he didn't want as an enemy, even if she couldn't be a perfect ally.
That was what Seong-hyeok had instinctively felt about Cha Hye-rin since their meeting.
“But with the Chinese players swarming in, I can’t afford to waste time resting. After all, if they’re going to launch a surprise attack, night is better than morning.”
And it seemed his instincts were right.
Players.
In other words, Cha Hye-rin was talking about killing people.
He had no intention of spouting naive sentiments about humanity in a war where you kill or be killed, but her remark about going out to kill people as if she were racking up points made it clear she would be an incredibly troublesome enemy.
“You’ve changed a lot, too.”
“And you’re still the same as ever?”
In this topsy-turvy world, transformed into a game by the intervention of Transcendent Beings and pets.
In this place that felt like the end of the world, Seong-hyeok and Cha Hye-rin watched each other’s actions as they talked.
Bzzzzzzing~
Bzzzzzzzzzz—
All while the bees tirelessly collected honey.
* * * * *
“It’s finally done!”
“Woooooah!”
“You worked so hard, mister!”
Amidst the usual repetitive work, a cheer loud enough to shake the building rang out.
Seong-hyeok, summoned by the three residents who had been cooped up in the smithy for a while, couldn't help but be surprised.
As if they had planned a surprise, bundles of items were neatly wrapped and stacked in a corner of the building.
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[Pure Armor Bundle (★★+)] x 20
* Classification: Consumable
* Description: A ★★+ grade armor bundle inscribed with the 'Pure' keyword. Due to the neat packaging, no durability has been lost. Upon use, you will acquire the packaged armor along with the 'Pure Armor Packaging' buff.
※ Pure Armor Packaging: For 10 hours, Defense and Magic Resistance are increased by 5%. However, items that have already received the Pure Packaging buff cannot receive the effect again even if repackaged until the cooldown is over. (Cooldown: 20 hours)
※ Package Contents: Miniature Armor Infused with Fairy's Power (★★) x 500
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There were 20 bundles, each containing 500 pieces, which meant a total of 10,000 units.
Furthermore, being a man who lived and breathed bees, Seong-hyeok instantly knew who the owner of the equipment named ‘Miniature Armor’ was.
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[Miniature Armor Infused with Fairy's Power (★★)]
※ Caution! Due to its extremely small size, adjustment-related systems do not apply.
* Classification: Armor
* Defense, Magic Resistance +30(+5), Movement Speed +1%
* Health +400, Endurance +3
* Shock Absorption Rate 45%
* Weight has been significantly reduced by the fairy's power.
* Durability: 60 / 60
* Description: A ★★ grade set of armor infused with a fairy's power. By incorporating a bee cocoon imbued with a fairy's power into the finished product, its defensive capabilities have been improved, allowing for freer movement.
※ Currently under the effect of Pure Armor Packaging. (Remaining time: 10 hours)
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Bzzzing—
Seong-hyeok summoned one of the bees working nearby.
And just as he expected…
Without any confusion, the bee equipped the completed miniature armor on its own, following Seong-hyeok’s command.
Buzzz?
It was the first time it had ever worn equipment.
The bee moved itself around, puzzled by the feel of steel.
But perhaps it was because the added ‘fairy’s power’ made it lighter and the bee cocoon allowed for completely unhindered movement?
Wiggle— Wiggle—
The bee soon expressed its joy at its increased stats by wiggling its bottom.
Without a second thought, Seong-hyeok began to undo the remaining bundles one by one, calling over the nearby bees.
The reaction that followed was truly astonishing.
Bweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeng—!!!
Buzzzzzzzzz—!!!
Just as even the most altruistic person has their own desires, were bees the same?
It was a frenzy for the equipment, like shoppers at a 90% off flash sale at a supermarket.
With millions of bees on the farm and only 10,000 sets of armor completed, a first-come, first-served battle was only natural.
Buzzz-Buzzzzz—!!!
But there was something different from the way humans would shove each other indiscriminately.
True to their nature of prioritizing the ‘collective’, the bees equipped the armor in the order they arrived without fighting or injuring one another in the rush.
Bweeeeeeng.
Bweeeeng~♪
“Pfft!”
“Hee hee! It’s pitiful but so funny!”
In the midst of it all, a Honey Pot Bee that had boldly joined the fray was unable to equip the armor due to its size, and the empty spot was quickly snatched up by a nimble Scout Bee.
Bwe, bweeeeing…….
Was being big-bodied always this sorrowful?
The Honey Pot Bee, with its large frame specialized for transporting nectar.
Overcome with the sorrow of being unable to wear the armor despite having grabbed it first, the little guy waddled over to Seong-hyeok.
“Ahem. I’ll get yours for you later.”
Bweeng!
At his words, accompanied by a pat on its rear, the Honey Pot Bee flew off in delight.
But would the innocent Honey Pot Bee ever know?
That Seong-hyeok had quietly muttered “someday” under his breath.
Bweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeng—!!!
“Wow…”
Putting all that aside, the sight of the bees armed in their armor was truly magnificent.
How should one describe it?
It was no exaggeration to say that seeing them clustered together like well-trained knights was more than just grand—it was a spectacle.
“Heh heh heh! It’s too early to be this amazed. I’ve still got a masterpiece left, you know.”
As if his years of experience had taught him how to please people.
Following the bees' armor, Kim Cheol-gang handed over another piece of equipment.
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[Small Steel Armor Infused with Fairy's Power (★★★)]
* Classification: Armor
* Defense, Magic Resistance +50(+5), Movement Speed +3%
* Health +2,500, Endurance +10
* Shock Absorption Rate 80%
* Weight has been significantly reduced by the fairy's power.
※ Queen Bee Cocoon's Sturdiness: Increases the Defense of allied bees within a 500m radius by 5. (Max 2 stacks)
* Durability: 220 / 220
* Description: A ★★★ grade set of armor infused with a fairy's power. By incorporating a queen's bee cocoon imbued with a fairy's power into the finished product, its defensive capabilities have been improved, allowing for freer movement.
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Unlike the previous tiny sets of miniature armor, this was a considerably larger piece.
However, it was still too small for a person to wear, so it was obvious who its owner was.
Bzzzzzzzzzzing—!!!
Teunteun-i, now a colossal 25cm and large enough to easily crush a giant hornet, made his appearance.
Appearing with the aura of a great general, he flew over at high speed and claimed the equipment before anyone else.
“Heh, now that’s more like it. A general needs to wear armor to look the part.”
“Waaaah! Teunteun-i looks so cool!”
“Hee hee. Pretty and cute.”
The armor made him look even more splendid, and it would reduce the number of casualties in battle.
“…”
Seong-hyeok was grateful for the time they invested, for their effort and its result.
Even if the minerals and bee cocoons they used had come from him, if it weren't for them and their ability to ‘process’ them properly, the bees' armor would never have been created, or if it had, it would have been much, much later.
Letting down the small wall of vigilance he still held toward the newly joined residents, Seong-hyeok approached the three of them.
“Ha ha ha ha! No need to get so emotional. This is just our way of showing our gratitude to the bees!”
“That’s right, that’s right!”
“The cute little bees!”
They each said their piece, smiling.
“Then I’ll be counting on you from now on.”
“We only did what was natural.”
But they could never have imagined.
“For all the bees that exist now, and for all the armor for the bees that will be born in the future.”
“Of course, of course, just leave it to… huh?”
The weight contained within the burden of a 5-star unique class.
Seong-hyeok’s entire reason for being, his fanatical support for the survival of his bees.