Chapter 87
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 87
Chapter Title: The Diamond Geumgang Queen Bee
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87
It shared the same proboscis specialized for sucking honey, but beyond that, it possessed a pair of sharp mandibles with a uniquely prominent shape.
Although the Diamond Geumgang Queen Bee, armed with a weapon sharp enough to slice through most things in a single go, had landed on his shoulder, Seong-hyeok wasn't worried at all.
*Bzzzzzzzzzz—*
After all, the master of this Diamond bee was none other than Seong-hyeok himself.
Besides, hadn't his affinity reached its maximum thanks to his class specialization as one beloved by bees?
“Pardon me for a moment, Your Majesty.”
This queen seemed to have evolved her physical organs, making her a solid, reliable presence that would surely protect the beekeeping farm and its bees in the future.
Seong-hyeok checked her information.
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[Diamond Geumgang Queen Bee (★★★★)]
※ Has undergone 1 stage of physical organ evolution.
※ Has undergone 1 stage of focused torso organ evolution using Queen Hornet's Geumgang Serrated Mandible (★★★+) as a supplementary material.
* Has not yet found a home.
* Swarm Size: 0
* Growth Rate: 0%
* Available Superior Species Eclosion Paths: Diamond Geumgang Warrior Bee (★★★-) -> 10.2%(+3.5), Diamond Geumgang Serrated Mandible Bee (★★★-) -> 10.2%(+3.5), Diamond Geumgang Colossus Legion Commander Bee (★★★★) - Elite Bee -> 1.002%(+0.322)
* Spawning Speed: 2 per 3 minutes
* Hatching Speed: 20 hours
* Eclosion Process: 41 hours 25 minutes
* Skills: Spawn (Lv.6), Queen's Pheromone (Lv.9), Poison Sting (Lv.6), Flight (Lv.7), Tough Body (Lv.5), Queen's Geumgang Serrated Mandible (Lv.2)
* Health: 2,850(+1,550) Mana: 1,520(+670)
* Attack: 185(+59) Defense: 260(+74) Magic Resist: 214(+68)
* Description: A ★★★★-grade Diamond Geumgang Queen Bee native to the dimension 'Colossal Rock Gidran'. Through focused evolution of its physical and mandibular organs, it has developed a tough body and sharp mandibles. It has awakened the formidable power of its mandibles due to the Queen Hornet's Geumgang Serrated Mandible.
※ This Queen Bee has a master. Some of its stats are boosted according to its master's level.
[Tough Body (Lv.5)]
* Type: Skill
* Mana Cost: 0
* Effect (Passive): Significantly increases defensive stats (Health, Defense, Magic Resist).
* Description: Possesses exceptional defensive capabilities due to its physical organs. Defensive stats increase significantly as the level rises.
[Queen's Geumgang Serrated Mandible (Lv.2)]
* Type: Skill
* Mana Cost: 0
* Effect (Passive): Significantly increases Attack.
* Effect - Hardness of Geumgang (Passive): The higher the Attack, the greater the additional increase to defensive stats.
* Description: An ability acquired by absorbing the Queen Hornet's Geumgang Serrated Mandible. As a queen that benefited from direct consumption, its effects are further enhanced. Attack is significantly increased by the Geumgang Serrated Mandible. Attack increases significantly as the level rises.
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“This is insane…”
Despite being a queen, her attack and defense were high enough to rival Teunteun-i.
Furthermore, her skills were nothing to scoff at.
Beyond a simple stat boost, she even gained a synergy effect from the additional 'Hardness of Geumgang,' and it was no joke.
Combined with the authority of Seong-hyeok, the Honeybee Guardian, didn't this mean that with every increase in strength, a bruiser that could both deal damage and tank would be born?
“Still, I guess it’s hard to have a perfect all-rounder.”
But perhaps God was fair, for even with such amazing stats, there was a catch.
Just like the Peridot Queen.
No, her spawning and eclosion speeds were even more atrocious.
Even if the Guardian's Reassurance cut the time in half, it was still, frankly, an absurdly long wait.
“Tsk. Can't be helped.”
Dwelling on shortcomings was not a good habit.
In truth, even if her spawning speed was terribly slow, the Diamond Geumgang Queen Bee had a remarkably high chance of producing superior species.
From the 10% rates for the Geumgang Warrior and Serrated Mandible bees to the 1% for the elite bee, her probabilities were outstanding compared to other queens.
Moreover, Seong-hyeok currently possessed a trump card that could overturn these weaknesses.
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[Resonance with the Queen Bee (Lv.5)]
* Mana Cost: 700
* Effect (Active): Increases the probability of the desired bee type to 100% for the next egg the Queen Bee lays. However, the selection is limited to the available superior species eclosion paths. (Cooldown: 22 hours 30 minutes)
* Effect - Happy Queen (Passive): The growth rate of a Queen Bee under the effect of Resonance with the Honeybee Guardian increases at a decent rate.
* Effect - Diligent Queen (Passive): The spawning speed of a Queen Bee under the effect of Resonance with the Honeybee Guardian increases 9-fold for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
* Description: Through deep resonance with a Queen Bee, you can have her lay an egg that will hatch into a desired type of bee. The effect becomes more potent as the level rises.
[Queen Hornet's Carapace (★★★+)]
* Type: Material (Evolution)
* Related to becoming harder.
* Description: The ★★★+-grade carapace left behind by a dead Queen Hornet. The carapace is made of a material sturdier than most minerals of considerable strength and hardness. A user with good crafting skills might be able to use it as a material for weapons and armor.
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“I’ll have to focus on the Diamond queen for a while, at least for her evolution.”
He would dote on her with Resonance.
Tucking the evolution material, the carapace that seemed perfectly prepared for the Diamond Geumgang Queen Bee, into his inventory, Seong-hyeok prayed for her growth rate to quickly reach 100%.
* * * * *
It was a natural phenomenon that always occurred as he expanded his territory.
“Kieeeek!”
“Kwoooaaar—!!!”
Monsters that respawned from all directions and those that had made their lairs in nearby dungeons were now agitated by the Golden Mine, the Wild Beehive, and the World Tree.
They charged aggressively toward the residents and bees of the beekeeping farm.
With each passing day, the monsters grew stronger, not weaker.
A normal shelter would have been overrun long ago, but Seong-hyeok’s shelter, the beekeeping farm, was an insult to compare to the ordinary.
[A Ruby Gem Scout Bee (★★★-) is attempting to scout.]
[Monster discovered!]
[Monster discovered!]
…….
The scout bees, the eyes of the farm, tirelessly zipped around the vicinity day after day.
Thanks to them, the very concept of a 'surprise attack' was rendered useless.
And was that all?
*Shushushuk—*
*Boom— Kabooom—!*
Knowing the enemy's location was a massive advantage in battle.
Now able to turn the tables and launch powerful attacks, the bees, along with Cheon-su's pre-set traps and the wax turret's interceptions, threw the monster formations into disarray.
*Wooooong—*
Then came the counterattack from the bees and combat residents, strengthened by candle and bee bread buffs.
While Teunteun-i’s venom shot from the sky and Ssing-ssing-i’s eight-bladed blender style were prominent, they were sadly overshadowed by the debut of a new great general.
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[Diamond Geumgang Colossus Legion Commander Bee (★★★★)] - Elite Bee
* Skills: Poison Sting (Lv.6), Flight (Lv.7), Tough Body (Lv.5), Geumgang Serrated Mandible (Lv.2), Geumgang Colossus (Lv.3), Legion Commander's Command (Lv.2)
* Health: 4,250(+1,920) Mana: 720(+370)
* Attack: 125(+34) Defense: 380(+134) Magic Resist: 302(+110)
[Geumgang Colossus (Lv.3)]
* Type: Skill
* Mana Cost: 300
* Effect (Active): Body size increases 3-fold for 5 minutes. (Cooldown: 10 minutes)
* Effect - Bee's Bond (Passive): For every 100 bees within a 300m radius, defensive stats increase by an additional 30%. (Max 10 stacks)
* Effect - Lure of the Diamond Stone (Passive): Draws the aggro of all hostile entities within a 300m radius.
…….
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Was it the effect of the focused torso evolution?
Effortlessly dwarfing Teunteun-i, who at 26cm was the largest bee on the farm until now, this new bee reached a size of 30cm.
Deundeun-i, a name befitting the Geumgang Colossus, admittedly lacked Teunteun-i’s toxicity and Ssing-ssing-i’s flashy attack power, but it possessed an effect that drastically reduced bee casualties.
*Bwoooooong—!!!*
*Tzzzt—*
With a furious buzzing of its wings, Deundeun-i’s body began to glow and expand.
The change that occurred around Deundeun-i, now grown to a size of one meter, making one question if it was even a bee anymore, was truly astonishing.
“Kieeeeeeek!”
“Kwaaaaaang!”
'Lure of the Diamond Stone,' one of the effects of Geumgang Colossus.
The monsters, their aggro temporarily drawn by it, unleashed their attacks on Deundeun-i, but it was futile.
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* Health: 12,750(+10,420)
* Defense: 1,140(+894) Magic Resist: 906(+714)
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With 10 full stacks of Bee's Bond, Deundeun-i's defensive stats had tripled.
It was tanking that would put most dedicated tanks to shame.
With Deundeun-i's appearance, the bees could now reliably withstand enemy attacks. Seizing this opportunity, they struck the backs of the aggroed monsters.
*Bzzzzzzzzzing—!!!*
*Bzz-bzz-bzz—!!!*
The newly joined Geumgang Warrior and Geumgang Serrated Mandible bees were also in the fray.
With the contributions of yet another combat-type superior species, clearing the monsters became much faster than before.
*Woooong— Kwhang!*
A monster struck by the joint body slam of a dozen armored Geumgang Warrior Bees convulsed as if hit by a cannonball, foaming at the mouth.
*Crunch! Crunch-crunch!*
Living up to their 'Serrated Mandible' name.
The Geumgang Serrated Mandible bees latched onto the monsters' bodies, chewing away at their flesh as if carving it out.
“Kehek! Kehehehek!”
“Kuh, keoheok!”
Though small, there were dozens of them. Unable to even properly retaliate due to the aggro drawn by the Lure of the Diamond Stone, the monsters' health dropped to zero.
Amazingly, with the addition of the Diamond Geumgang bees, bee casualties not only decreased noticeably but were now approaching zero!
Of course, since they didn't use one of the bees' most powerful offensive tools—the Peridot bees' self-destruct attacks—the hunting speed was a bit slower, but what did that matter?
‘Good work, everyone.’
With the battle safely concluded thanks to the scout bees' 'Scout' ability, Seong-hyeok nodded his head, feeling no regrets, and returned to his duties on the farm: beekeeping and crafting.
“Whew. Seong-hyeok is really something else.”
“DPS, tanking, utility… he’s got it all. It’s seriously no joke.”
“Haha, and that’s not all. They even give us honey, making them the best creatures ever.”
“True. Thanks to them, I’ve been waking up full of energy lately.”
Though it was a daily occurrence, the combat residents were still amazed by Seong-hyeok's incredible bees.
They couldn't even begin to imagine what the limits of these bees were.
Shaking their heads, they began butchering the corpses and continued clearing monsters, following the lead of the scout bees.