Chapter 72
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 72
Chapter Title: One Fell Swoop
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“Hold the line! If the shelter is breached, we're all dead!”
“Incoming ranged attacks! Tanks, shields up!”
“Are all the non-combat players safely inside?”
Swarms of Chinese players were descending upon them, all because of the first auction Honeybee had set in motion.
In a world already apocalyptic and fraught with endlessly respawning monsters, the massive nation of China drawing its sword was nothing short of a catastrophe.
Consequently, most players fighting for their lives against the Chinese should have been furious with Honeybee for causing this situation, but surprisingly, only a small minority felt that way.
Why, you ask?
The reason was remarkably simple.
“China. Those bastards are the same now as they've always been!”
“Seriously, our country has always had problems with its neighbors!”
China and Japan, the two nations closest to Korea.
Due to a long and turbulent history, the general sentiment toward them was largely unfavorable.
Besides, the justification China had used for this war was, to put it bluntly, utterly absurd!
“Relax, everyone! We have buffs!”
“Buff cooldowns are up! Everyone, group up!”
“If you're in danger, don't hesitate to drink up! You can always earn more coins, but you only have one life!”
“Ah! Nothing beats the taste of perfectly aged honey wine before a fight.”
But most importantly, there was the significance of Honeybee's very existence.
Just think about it.
Ever since this chaotic world began, Honeybee had been supplying the exchange with countless honey-related products.
As a result, most of those who had been using these products from the early days were Koreans. They had used them to hunt safely, survive, and maintain high levels.
Of course, now that the exchange had been integrated into the Asia server, Honeybee's products were sold everywhere except the Chinese server, which he had restricted. But the Koreans, who had a head start, were generally at a much higher level than players from other servers.
Not only was there a level gap, but what if you added the stacked buffs from the honey products on top of that?
In short, there was a difference in both levels and buffs!
“Hold on! As long as we survive, there's no better time for some sweet farming!”
“You crazy bastard. Talking about farming while killing people gives me the creeps.”
“What do you want me to do? If I don't kill them, they'll kill me.”
“Fair enough.”
Farming people instead of monsters was admittedly unsettling, but true to the name 'sweet farming,' the 1.5x loot bonus from the 'War' event quest offered some very lucrative rewards.
Furthermore, the Chinese players couldn't just pour in unchecked. Thanks to 'Honeybee's Gratitude,' a bounty placed across the entire Asia server, rankers from other servers were now hunting Chinese players to get their hands on the incredibly effective Tri-Color Rock Honey Wine.
*Clang—!*
“Disgusting bastards. How is it that they still haven't changed, charging in with such pathetic excuses as justification?”
“They say you can't fix people, Dal-su. We'll just have to beat some sense into them.”
“Green Bean is here!”
“It's the Ttukbaegi Collector! We're definitely going to win this fight!”
“If you're from Korea, let's all unite and win this!”
“Let's go—!!!”
Moreover, at the forefront of the war against the Chinese players were two Korean players fighting more actively than anyone else: Green Bean and the Ttukbaegi Collector.
The sight of the official first and second-ranked players leading the charge was more than enough to unite the once-divided shelters and groups.
And in that moment, when strangers who might have backstabbed each other at any time became temporary allies who could trust one another with their backs, the Korean players gained an overwhelming advantage.
But there was something they should not have forgotten.
The Asia server.
Especially the might of China, a nation often called the continent, would not collapse so easily.
*Whoom— Whoom— Whoom—*
While the Chinese players bought time with their lives, more than a dozen blue lights began to appear in their rear formation.
The objects, which resembled some kind of unknown placeable structures, were the work of one of the Chinese server's prides, the Emperor's Head.
It was Portal Creation, a skill from the 3-star unique class, Linker Summoner.
And as the name 'Portal' suggested, its function was quite simple.
“Activate multiple portals. Recall!”
*Whaaaaaaaaaam—!!!*
With the skill's incantation, the portals flashed with blue light, resonating with one another.
Then, a single, massive gate materialized in their place.
“W-what is that?”
“What the hell is that thing!”
It was the first time they had witnessed a skill of such an extraordinary scale being cast.
But their astonishment was short-lived.
The Korean players could only watch in horror as an overwhelming flood of Chinese players burst forth from the massive gate.
“Y-you crazy bastards.”
“How are we supposed to stop that...?”
An alliance of shelters, led by the Korean server's official first and second-ranked players.
But faced with a number easily twenty times their own, their morale inevitably plummeted.
“No matter how you look at it, this is just too much!”
“I-I can't do it. This is just a suicide mission!”
“Fuck, I don't want to die a dog's death!”
They say the most important thing in war is morale, don't they?
Their fleeting hope crushed by the endless tide of enemies, some of the Koreans began to flee without a second glance.
“You crazy bastards! If you fall back now, the formation will collapse!”
“S-sorry!”
“Dammit!”
The retreat that started with a few.
Did that act as a catalyst?
One after another, the Koreans stopped fighting, turned, and began to run for their lives.
“They are a tribute for the Emperor! Don't spare a single one—wipe them all out!”
“Waaaaaaaaaaagh—!!!!!"
In contrast, the Chinese roared, their morale soaring with the thrill of war.
A scornful smile spread across their faces as they prepared to charge, anticipating the slaughter to come.
“The Emperor has given his permission! Plunder everything! Kill, violate, and toy with them as you please—take it all!”
A victory for the Chinese server.
The order was given with arms outstretched, full of confidence, as if this mass teleportation had already sealed their victory.
But tragically for them, that would be the last time they set foot on Korean soil.
*Fwoooooosh— Fwoooosh— Fwoooooooooosh—*
“Huh?”
Twenty-three shells tore violently through the air.
They landed right in the middle of the densely packed Chinese players, as if they belonged there.
*Kabooooooooooooooooooom—!!!!!*
And with a deafening explosion, a noxious poison gas filled the area.
* * * * *
“It's a shame to use them all at once, but considering the follow-up, a single decisive blow is best.”
One of the worst drawbacks of the Wax Turret was its 20-minute reload time after firing.
If the bees swarmed it to help operate it, the time could be halved to ten minutes, but in a large-scale battle, ten minutes was by no means a short time.
That's why Seong-hyeok chose to pour every ounce of his offensive power into the first volley.
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[Guardian's Dark Cheonramcho Venom Bomb (★★★★)]
* Category: Consumable
* When held and the 'Use' keyword is activated, it explodes after 10 seconds, creating a 'Dark Cheonramcho Poison Zone' in the surrounding area.
※ Dark Cheonramcho Poison Zone: Targets within the poison zone lose 90(+40) health per second for 10 minutes. However, bees gain a 22(+5)% increase in attack power and a 27(+7)% increase in movement speed (stacks up to 3 times).
※ Dark Undead: 10% of all life forms that die within this zone will rise as undead, following the user's commands for 120 minutes. However, bees that die have a 100% chance of rising as undead.
* Description: A ★★★★-grade Dark Cheonramcho Venom Bomb engraved with the Guardian's keyword. When used, it creates a dark-red Dark Cheonramcho Poison Zone nearby. Due to the Honeybee Guardian's blessing, it does not harm the natural environment.
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The Peridot Bees from the bee farm had perfectly followed the poison tech tree.
Among them, the Cheonram Venom from Teunteun-i and Dongchung-i's Cordyceps Spore Poison were second to none.
Seong-hyeok's special venom bomb was created by mixing three types of powerful venoms: those two, plus Lily's Dark Lilier Venom.
As expected of a 4-star crafted item, its destructive power and effects were astonishingly potent.
[The Transcendent Being, Bo, the Inquirer of Madness's Gaze, exclaims, 'That's it!' while slapping their XX and sponsors 12,000 Coins.]
In fact, when he first crafted it, Bo, the Inquirer of Madness's Gaze, had expressed their delight with a sponsorship.
It was truly an item worthy of drawing an exclamation from a Transcendent Being.
When loaded into the Wax Turrets, the combined destructive power of the turret and the projectile's damage was truly fearsome.
[You have slain Player (Chinese Server) Lv. 13.]
[You have slain Player (Chinese Server) Lv. 12.]
[You have slain Player (Chinese Server) Lv. 11.]
[You have slain Player (Chinese Server) Lv. 11.]
…….
The notification chimes rose in a chaotic frenzy, as numerous as the Chinese players themselves.
But that wasn't the most important part.
* When slaying players from the Chinese server, you will receive 1.5x the loot and a certain amount of points based on their level.
A special bonus applied only to this event quest.
Naturally, the '1.5x loot' also included experience points.
Of course, for the level 34 Seong-hyeok, players between levels 11 and 13 only gave a pittance of experience, but when that 'pittance' was multiplied by tens of thousands, it was a different story.
[You have leveled up. You have gained 5 stat points.]
[You have leveled up. You have gained 5 stat points.]
[You have leveled up. You have gained 5 stat points.]
Three levels gained in an instant.
Reaching level 37, Seong-hyeok felt himself grow stronger and checked the additional notifications that appeared.
[You have met the conditions for skill acquisition. -> Lv. 35]
[You have learned the skill, Dimensional Hive.]
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[Dimensional Hive (Lv.1)]
* Category: Skill
* Maximum Storage Capacity: 0 / 1,000,000
* Mana Cost: 200
* Effect: Summons bees currently stored in the Dimensional Hive. (Cooldown: 30 minutes)
* Description: Allows you to store bees in a Dimensional Hive that only you can see and summon them all at once. The number of bees you can store increases as the skill level rises.
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“Not bad at all.”
He had always been wondering how to move his combat force of bees around, and now he had a useful method called 'Dimensional Hive'.
“Well, that's good. But this is even better news.”
And most importantly, there was one more thing.
[You have acquired points proportional to the level of the slain Chinese players.]
[The point ranking for the event quest, Outbreak of War, has been updated.]
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[Point Standings]
1st - Honeybee: 115,702 points
2nd - Silent Step: 74,235 points
3rd - Green Bean: 26,260 points
4th - Ttukbaegi Collector: 21,110 points
…….
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With a single barrage from his natural biochemical weapon, he had seized first place in the point rankings.