Chapter 77
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: A Bustling Farm
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“I haven't seen you around recently. I never thought I'd find you here.”
“An old man has to find his own way to survive, doesn't he?”
“That's true.”
The two of them had a history.
They were none other than Go Dal-su and Lee Yeon-bun.
They had both lived fairly close to each other in their previous shelters, and their personalities and ways of life were compatible enough that they had gotten to know each other through occasional visits.
Watching the two of them exchange pleasantries, Seong-hyeok felt a sense of relief wash over him.
‘Thank goodness he's not focusing on me.’
Go Dal-su, the message terrorist who was practically obsessed with him.
He had been worried that Go Dal-su would try to strike up a conversation during the entire meal, but now he had the perfect shield in Lee Yeon-bun!
Regardless, with the number of people swelling to over 500, mealtimes became distinctly more boisterous than before.
“Wow, this is so delicious!”
“It just melts in your mouth!”
“The flavor of this gukbap... The savory taste is incredible!”
“Th-the effects are unbelievable!”
From those marveling at the flavor and buffs of the food, made with excellent, high-quality ingredients and a special touch,
Buzzzzzzz-
Buzzz-
“Hiiik!”
“Ack! Cough, cough!”
to those who shrieked in surprise at the sight of the approaching bees.
After all, even for those who knew the bees’ charm, no matter how cute the species, they were still fundamentally insects.
In other words, bugs.
Honestly, if a bug approached you while you were eating, it was only human to be startled.
What's more, hadn't some of them seen the swarming legion of bees before?
*Gulp.*
Furthermore, there were their behinds glittering in the sunlight, and the stingers located there.
Just as most people feel fear when they see a syringe, it was an undeniable fact that a long, sharp bee stinger was also an object of terror.
“Don't worry, sis. The bees won't attack unless you attack them first.”
“That's right, that’s right. Look at this. See how it’s just sitting there, wiggling its butt? That means it wants you to pet it. You should try it, big bro. They're super fluffy.”
“...R-really?”
“Ahem. Well then, shall I g-give it a try?”
But the fear of the bees was only warranted if they attacked.
At the words of the twin sisters, who had already built a bond with the bees since becoming residents, those who had been making a fuss clutched their pounding hearts, looked at the bees, and reached out their hands.
“Whoa, whoaaa, it's so fluffy.”
“It feels like I'm touching a high-end stuffed animal.”
“It's warm...”
“I-I want to touch one too!”
As with all things.
The first step is the hardest, but it gets easier from there.
As one or two people formed a bond with the bees, those who had been watching quietly from behind followed suit.
Especially the young children and the young women who looked like students, who came forward to stroke the bees.
“Kyaaaa-!”
“S-so cute...”
Honeybees, one of the very few social insects in existence.
Like humans, they lived in groups with each member having a specific role, but bees and humans were fundamentally different.
The bees were thoroughly steeped in altruism, devoid of the individualism and selfishness of humans who pursued their own interests above all else.
Therefore, the bees interpreted the actions of others in the simplest, most straightforward way possible.
Buzzz- Buzzzzzzz-♬
Kindness for kindness, hostility for hostility.
Building bonds with people in this simple fashion, the bees, as always,
Bzzzzzz-
wiggled their butts with a flutter of their wings.
* * * * *
The 500 new residents who had joined them.
They were assigned roles in combat, gathering, and processing according to their respective jobs and began their activities.
Among them, those who went into combat for the first time couldn't help but express their bewilderment.
“An elite monster?”
“Th-these things are too strong!”
Due to the powerful forces that attracted monsters—the World Tree, the gold mine, and the wild beehives—Seong-hyeok's farm was always surrounded by higher-level and elite-class monsters than the outside world.
Naturally, the new residents could only express their dismay in the face of such powerful monsters.
But as strong as the monsters were, the bee farm had reliable reinforcements.
Buzzzzzzz-!!!
They were none other than the bees that had been clinging to the nearby flowers, collecting pollen and nectar.
Bzz-bzz-bzz-!!!
Clad in splendid armor, Teunteun-i began to summon the nearby bees.
Boasting a massive body, Teunteun-i bravely led the charge, performing an acrobatic flight before ramming straight into a monster.
“Kuweeeeeek-!”
Like a cannonball flying freely, Teunteun-i delivered a powerful shock to the monster.
Following it, hundreds.
No, what must have been thousands of armored bees delivered follow-up body slams like bullets.
“Ku, kuuuuiiik!”
“Kieeeeeek!”
Whether they were normal or elite, no monster could withstand the bee legion's charge and were sent flying.
Whether it was intentional or not, the people whose lives had been saved and whose hunt had been made easier by the bees' help instinctively bowed their heads in thanks.
Buzzz- Buzzzzzzz-!
As if understanding, Teunteun-i responded with a flutter of its wings.
Then, at its signal, the nearby Honey Pot Bees approached and offered honey tea to the injured.
“Th-thank you.”
“We'll drink it well.”
The bees were incredibly reliable, helping with the hunt and even healing them!
But surprisingly, the wonders of the bees didn't end there.
“Kieeeeeek!”
“Kuweeeeeek!”
A massive horde of monsters, as if they had just respawned, came charging in a large group.
It was a terrifying procession of monsters, but for the bees, such a clustered group was easy pickings.
That was because...
Swoooosh-
Boom- Craaaash-!
The cluster was met with the taste of direct hits from artillery shells and traps.
“...This is totally insane.”
“...Ha, hahaha.”
Watching the monsters get wiped out by natural biochemical weapons, the new residents could only stare with dumbfounded expressions.
* * * * *
The positive functions of Seong-hyeok's bee farm.
There was the bees' help in hunting, but there were also many other benefits.
“Hey, Mr. Jeong! Come over here and look at this!”
“My goodness, what is all this?”
“This is amazing!”
“There are high-grade gathering items overflowing on this side, too!”
Bees were the most beneficial of beneficial insects, carrying pollen and performing only helpful functions in nature.
Thanks to the efforts of the worker bees, who had dedicated themselves to their work since birth, flowers bloomed everywhere around the bee farm, and as a result, a wide variety of other natural vegetation grew alongside them.
And most importantly, there was something the bees directly influenced.
[You have discovered a colony of Natural Vegetation, Peridot Enoki Mushroom (★★-)!]
[You have discovered a colony of Natural Vegetation, Peridot Amanita Mushroom (★★★-)!]
[You have discovered a colony of Natural Vegetation, Peridot Oyster Mushroom (★★-)!]
...
These were the mushrooms that grew from the spores naturally spread by the Spore Mycelium Bees and Dongchung-i as they roamed around collecting honey.
“It's a complete mushroom field.”
“Hehehe. The grade is high, and the gathering EXP is no joke!”
And was that all?
[The World Tree's Embrace is in effect.]
[The growth rate of all growable natural vegetation and crops within the World Tree's domain increases by 100%, and the appearance rate of rare natural vegetation slightly increases.]
In addition to the bees' help, there was the newly added fantastical species, the World Tree.
Thanks to the tree that wielded great power over nature, the growth rate of the nearby vegetation was accelerated as if it had grown wings, and rare natural vegetation that would normally be seen once a day, if at all, was now discovered in droves.
“My goodness! Am I dreaming or is this real?”
“Grandpa, there are some over here too!”
“Alright! I found it! I found it!”
For those with gathering-related jobs, it was a scene of natural vegetation that could be called a utopia without exaggeration.
What's more, they had the reliable bees as bodyguards.
The gatherers, no longer having to worry about being stabbed in the back, worked busily with smiles blooming on their faces.
* * * * *
Combat and gathering.
And beyond that, the stables for raising livestock and the greenhouses for growing crops.
Numerous people began to fulfill their respective roles at the bee farm in various ways.
But among them, the ones who took on the most important role were undoubtedly the blacksmiths assigned to the smithy.
“Hoh, are all these minerals really for us to use?”
“My goodness! Such an unbelievable purity. With this, crafting amazing equipment will be a piece of cake!”
“Are you really providing these minerals at wholesale prices? We will never forget this kindness!”
At first, the blacksmiths had expressed joy at the minerals supplied by the gold mine.
However, they never could have imagined it.
“Hey, the reinforcements have finally arrived. I'll be counting on you all to follow these crafting methods. I'll ask each of you to handle an easy quota of just 1,000 pieces for today.”
“...Excuse me?”
“What are you all standing around for! If you have time to question me, you have time to swing that hammer! If you don't meet your quota, you won't be sleeping-!!!”
“...”
The smithy, which boasted an absurd quota of 1,000 pieces per person.
It was the only place where a scene from hell, rather than a field of blooming smiles, was unfolding.
* * * * *
“Ugh, what a waste.”
As soon as he returned after finishing the war with the Chinese server, Seong-hyeok clicked his tongue at the state of the beehives.
Was it because the extra-large beehives weren't filled with much honey?
No, it was the opposite.
The amount of honey in the hives had not just exceeded 100%, but was so full that a considerable amount had been discarded on the ground.
“You all worked so hard to gather it. I'm sorry, guys.”
Was it because of the game's system?
Whether the honey storage was at 80% or 130%, for some reason, the maximum amount that could be harvested in a single attempt was only up to 100%.
Naturally, he had to give up the honey that had overflowed.
‘But I can't afford to give up anymore.’
Through this trip, he had keenly felt the limits of manual harvesting.
In fact, as the number of bees increased, the rate of nectar collection was bound to become unimaginably fast.
Of course, with manual harvesting, he could cover it with his stats if he was always on the farm, but situations like this one, where he had to leave, whether by choice or not, were bound to happen again.
And fortunately, Seong-hyeok now had a solution for this.
‘Auto-Extractor Beehives. I'll pour my coins into this.’
The ability to craft Auto-Extractor Beehives was a skill he had finally acquired upon reaching level 40.
Since Seong-hyeok was overflowing with coins, it wasn't difficult to purchase high-grade lumber.
“Hmm, turning lumber into plywood is a piece of cake. Just leave it to me.”
“I'll be counting on you.”
And with Im Seok-cheol to process the lumber into plywood, it wasn't difficult at all.
______________________________
[Sturdy Naban Plywood (★★★)]
* Category: Material
* Description: A ★★★-grade Naban Plywood with the 'Sturdy' keyword, processed from Naban logs by a skilled carpenter.
[Sturdy World Tree Plywood (★★★+)]
* Category: Material
* Description: A ★★★+-grade World Tree Plywood with the 'Sturdy' keyword, processed from World Tree branches by a skilled carpenter.
______________________________
Thus, he obtained high-quality plywood through coins and the World Tree.
With the materials and the skill ready.
With no reason to delay any longer, Seong-hyeok set to work on crafting his first Auto-Extractor Beehive in a space that could accommodate many bees, even among the extra-large hives.