Chapter 80
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 80
Chapter Title: The Guardian Cubs
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[Special Quest: Danbi's Prenatal Care]
- The pregnant Danbi cannot hide her craving for the wild tree honey and wild ground honey in your hands. -
※ These spiritual items, possessing excellent effects, will have a beneficial outcome for the unborn fetus.
※ The unlocking of a special power depends on the amount of wild tree honey and wild ground honey invested.
* Failure Condition: None
* Reward: Loyalty from Yongbi and Danbi↑, increased stats for the newborn cubs, and a chance to unlock a special power.
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“Ugh…”
A special quest that popped up unexpectedly when certain conditions were met.
Reading the quest details, Seong-hyeok couldn't help but sigh.
This wild honey, with its sticky, sweet flavor, was something he wouldn't give up even with a knife to his throat.
But even for Seong-hyeok, there were some things he just couldn't ignore.
“This is just too unfair.”
One of those irresistible pleas was Danbi's round, pleading eyes, filled with the craving of a pregnant mother. Seong-hyeok's grumbling was short-lived.
He let out a deep sigh, resigned to giving her one of each, the tree honey and the ground honey.
But in his focus on the wild honey and the quest, Seong-hyeok had forgotten one crucial fact.
“Kkuuiiing!”
“Don't tell me that's not enough?”
“Kkueoong! Kkuwong!”
“…”
Danbi, a field boss monster, was a ‘Giant’ Asiatic Black Bear.
As you could see with your own eyes, her raised paw was the size of an average adult man's torso.
Naturally, her large size meant a large appetite.
“Alright, eat it all. Give birth to a healthy one.”
“Kkuuiiing!”
A mother's heart, enough to make even Seong-hyeok's experimental instincts take a step back.
[You have cleared the Special Quest, Danbi's Prenatal Care.]
[Reward: Loyalty from Yongbi and Danbi has greatly increased. The newborn cubs' stats will be increased and a special power is guaranteed to be unlocked.]
“Well, I can always just harvest more wild honey.”
Whether human or beast, a mother's love was a powerful thing.
Setting aside his disappointment, Seong-hyeok invested all the World Tree honey he had just acquired in Danbi.
* * * * *
A contribution of nine pieces each of World Tree honey, both from the tree and the ground.
And with that, Seong-hyeok witnessed it.
Lick— Lick—
Chomp chomp chomp chomp—!!
The first bear mukbang he'd ever seen in his life.
Watching her lick the wild honey and shove the entire honeycomb into her mouth, chewing voraciously as if possessed, he thought she had the appetite to make it big as a streamer.
“Good boy. You must be hungry too. Want some of this?”
“Kkueo, kkueoong!”
The father bear, Yongbi, was drooling buckets, his desire to eat palpable, yet he held back and kept his distance from the wild honey, likely for the sake of the fetus in Danbi's belly.
Moved by the praiseworthy sight of the bear suppressing his gluttonous instincts, Seong-hyeok slathered a generous amount of World Tree honey on some beef jerky he had for a snack and handed it to him.
Chomp chomp— Chomp chomp chomp chomp—
“You two are really something.”
Like husband, like wife, as they say?
Yongbi and Danbi.
Both were incredible eaters, putting on a mukbang show that could whet anyone's appetite.
It was impressive enough to stir the appetite of Seong-hyeok, who was already quite full from eating wild honey himself.
“Alright, you two eat up. Yongbi, you stick close to Danbi. Got it?”
“Kkuwooeong!”
He didn't know how much time was left, but the quest condition had mentioned ‘imminent labor’.
There was no way to know exactly when the birth would begin.
So, Seong-hyeok simply took all the precautions he could.
* * * * *
“Kuaaaaaang—!!!”
Danbi's contractions started late in the dawn.
While most of the residents were asleep.
Seong-hyeok, who felt little fatigue due to his high endurance, and Yeon Su-hee, who had been checking on the greenhouse, came running with surprised expressions.
“What in the world is going on?”
“I think Danbi's going into labor.”
“What? Where is she? I'll go help right away.”
“You don't need to be so alarmed.”
He had expected it to start soon, but he never thought the labor pains would come in less than a day.
Su-hee, startled by the brief explanation, rushed over with Seong-hyeok, but thankfully, the worst-case scenario they had worried about for the birth did not come to pass.
Wheeing— Wheeeeing—
Wiiiieeeeeng—!!!
The Honeybee Rescue Squad, always working and on standby.
As soon as Danbi's contractions began, they swooped in as if they'd been waiting, continuously bringing the vitality-recovering World Tree Honeybee Tea to her mouth.
[Using Guardian's Tri-color Honey Beeswax Candle (★★★-).]
[Using Guardian's Tri-color Honey Royal Jelly Pill (★★★).]
[Using Bountiful World Tree Leaf Tea (★★★+).]
….
And even using various consumables that boosted stamina recovery!
All of these were items Seong-hyeok had entrusted to a nearby Lily, asking her to watch over Danbi's condition just in case.
“That's it, Danbi. Breathe slowly. Calm your mind and push with your lower belly. Yongbi, you stay by Danbi's side and cheer her on!”
“Kkueoooong!”
Experience is not to be underestimated, they say.
Following the bees' support came Yeon Su-hee's perfect handling of the situation.
With the dependable father bear, Yongbi, cheering her on from the side, Danbi followed Su-hee's cues, taking a deep breath and pushing hard with her lower abdomen.
“Kuaaaaaang—!!!”
Danbi's body trembled violently, a testament to the immense pain of childbirth.
It was a pitiful sight, yet at the same time, her eyes held a determination—an emotion beyond mere tenacity—for the sake of the fetus in her womb!
“Kuaaaa---!!!”
And so the tumultuous time continued.
But wasn't it said that mothers, regardless of species, are magnificent beings?
In the midst of a pain that felt like an eternity.
Danbi's efforts, focused on giving birth without giving up for a single moment.
“You did well. You worked so hard, Danbi.”
“Kkueooo….”
[Danbi's birth has concluded successfully.]
[3 Field Boss Monsters, Baby Giant Asiatic Black Bears Lv. 1 (★★+), have been born.]
[The spiritual items consumed before birth bestow a special blessing upon the newborn cubs.]
[The World Tree of Prepion wishes to make the cubs, who carry its power, into its Guardians.]
“Kkuing, kkuing!”
“Kkuiiing!”
“Kkuaaak!”
Was it proof that her efforts were not in vain?
The birth of three baby bears, who nestled into Danbi's embrace as if it was where they had always belonged.
The addition of the three baby bear brothers would become a reliable force for Seong-hyeok's beekeeping farm in the future.
* * * * *
Three baby bears.
Being Giant Asiatic Black Bears, they were twice the size of ordinary cubs for ‘babies,’ but a baby bear was still a baby.
The three round little furballs, their eyes barely open, flailed their paws and began to suckle at Danbi's teat.
Their adorable movements were as if they had inherited the cuteness gene wholesale.
“Kyaaaa—!”
“Kyaak! They're so cute!”
“Look at them wriggling! They're total fluffballs!”
“Danbi. Can I pet the cubs' little butts?”
It was enough to give Seong-hyeok, who wasn't particularly interested in anything besides his bees, a heart attack just by looking. One could only imagine how the others felt.
Especially the twin sisters Ahn So-hyeon and Ahn So-dam, the young women who had recently joined, and Kang Yeon-ah, who was obsessed with all things fluffy.
Every one of them squealed and cheered at the sight of the baby bears suckling with all their might.
But could they possibly imagine?
That the true nature of these cute, round furballs was that of ‘Field Boss Monsters,’ who would grow into massive Giant Asiatic Black Bears on par with Yongbi and Danbi.
‘No, in a way, they might even become stronger than Yongbi and Danbi.’
[The spiritual items consumed before birth bestow a special blessing upon the newborn cubs.]
The advantage granted by the game system, the most crucial thing in this chaotic world.
Seong-hyeok already knew what powers the baby bears had received from the quest he completed before Danbi gave birth, perhaps because he was recognized as their ‘master’.
※ Blessing of the Runner: Movement speed increases by 50%. (Permanent)
※ Blessing of the Protector: Maximum vitality increases by 10%. (Permanent)
※ Blessing of the Discoverer: The probability of finding natural vegetation that can only be found through special means slightly increases. (Permanent)
The power of the blessings, one applied to each of the three cubs.
‘The first gets speed, the second is a tank, and the third can find rare natural vegetation...’
With ‘Permanent’ attached to each of them, it was obvious at a glance that their brokenness was hard to describe in words.
Literally, the power of these blessings would only become more potent as the baby bears leveled up and grew.
And was that all?
The benefits bestowed upon these three powerful baby bears were not limited to just blessings.
[The World Tree of Prepion wishes to make the cubs, who carry its power, into its Guardians.]
※ Upon becoming Guardians, they will gain immense advantages within the World Tree's domain. However, due to their resonance with the World Tree, if it perishes, the Guardians will also perish.
The World Tree's wild tree honey and wild ground honey.
Both were gathered items heavily influenced by the power of the World Tree's sap and soil.
Was this the effect of Danbi consuming them before giving birth?
The furballs had received an offer from the will of the World Tree to be recruited as ‘Guardians’.
“Hmm…”
The ability to wield powerful strength within the World Tree's domain was certainly an effect Seong-hyeok would welcome with open arms.
From Seong-hyeok's perspective, who had adopted a strategy of gradually expanding his territory from a single location, there was no downside.
Of course, perishing along with the World Tree was a huge penalty, but to put it another way, as long as the World Tree wasn't destroyed, it didn't matter at all.
‘Still, I can't decide this on my own.’
Even if I was their master in name, it was best for the parents to decide their cubs' path.
Seong-hyeok approached Yongbi, who was watching Danbi nurse the cubs with a tender gaze, and asked for his opinion.
“Kkuwoeong? Kkuwong. Kkuwooeoong!”
Honestly, he couldn't be sure if the bear understood human speech, but it seemed he got the gist.
Like the intelligent creature he was, Yongbi seemed to quickly grasp what Seong-hyeok was saying and nodded his head.
When he asked if they shouldn't ask Danbi as well,
“Kkuwong. Kkuwoeong!”
Yongbi nodded his head vigorously once more, as if to say his will was Danbi's will.
It seemed the increased loyalty from the past two quests had played a significant role.
“Thanks. This is for you to eat. And use this as a restorative meal for Danbi's recovery.”
“Kkuuiiing!”
His mind at ease with their decision, Seong-hyeok gifted Danbi, who had successfully given birth, a set of honeybee byproducts as a restorative meal.
[The baby bears have been appointed as Guardians of the World Tree of Prepion.]
He appointed the three furballs, who would go on to do great things, as the Guardians of the World Tree.