59. The Hidden Hive
Carpe was admiring his enhanced Wind Cutter with satisfaction when a sudden question popped into his head.
"Bro, but when you open skill packs, some cards are non-tradable and some are tradable, right?"
-Yeah. Ratio-wise, it's about 80% non-tradable and 20% tradable.
"So what do people do with the non-tradable ones? They can't just shove them in their inventory forever."
Of course, not every skill from a skill pack was useful.
What if you got a 1-star or 2-star skill? Or worse, one that didn't even fit your class?
No user in their right mind would waste precious skill points learning junk skills.
"You can sell the tradable ones at least. But the non-tradables? There has to be some way to deal with them."
-...You're only thinking of this now?
Any other user would've pondered this after pulling crap cards ages ago, but it didn't apply to Carpe.
Repeat.
He had the ultimate cheat skill that other users couldn't even dream of.
As long as his five skill cards weren't all 1- or 2-stars, "duds" didn't exist in Carpe's dictionary.
"This is all thanks to picking a good Patron Spirit. Cheonma's Advent! All Demons Rise!"
-Can't even talk without sucking up...
Still, Cheonma didn't seem to hate the flattery. He cleared his throat with a gruff ahem! before speaking.
-As you know, RaSe gives a skill pack every five levels after your first job change. With 500 million users, that's 500 million skill cards flooding the market every five levels.
And that user base was still exploding in real time.
Left unchecked, tens or hundreds of billions of cards would pile up—no big deal.
-Even for a game built on beyond-Earth tech like RaSe, hoarding that many skill card resources long-term is a burden.
That's why RaSe had a system to reclaim cards from users.
The "skill card fusion" system.
-There's an NPC that lets you combine multiple cards into one new one. Randomly, of course.
"Whoa, RaSe has that too? Man, they really pack in every system designed to piss off players."
According to Cheonma, every major city had a card fusion NPC.
Hand over anywhere from two to six cards, and you'd get one new card back.
"Obviously, higher-grade cards or more cards mean better odds, right? Perfect for driving people insane."
-What can ya do? RaSe IpVen even has a dedicated card fusion board because of this crap system.
Alongside the Patron Spirit board, the "Skill Fusion Board (Sujo Board)" was where the biggest tall tales on IpVen thrived.
Even on the spicy hellhole that was IpVen, the skill fusion board was where the real crazies hung out.
-Anyway, the fusion system lets overflowing non-tradable cards get reborn. Of course, so do the Sujo Board ghosts haunting it.
"...Hoping I never set foot there in my life."
After hearing that horror story, Carpe felt a sudden urge to play more diligently and upright.
"Anyway, skill packs are all opened, so time to wrap up these bugs."
-Solo again today?
"Oh yeah, what're Hana and Tina up to?"
-Last I saw, training the squirrel workers.
"Hmm..."
After a brief ponder, Carpe decided to go solo.
"During the sap beetle quest, even if I kill 'em, they still get EXP. And crucially, solo clears give extra rewards—quest notification said so."
If they'd started together, fine, but passing up bonuses now felt wasteful.
"Anyway, it's all one-shots, so it'll be done today."
Carpe dove back into bug-hunting.
About an hour later.
Sap Beetles Defeated (401/800)
"Phew. Right at halfway now."
-Solid pace. Like you said, done today.
"Ugh... Feels kinda stuffy though."
Carpe scanned the surroundings.
The sap beetles clinging to trees had noticeably thinned out.
"Takes longer to find 'em than kill 'em. Regen is trash."
-Yeah, their respawn's weird.
Normal monsters respawned in a flash of light within zones, but these beetles flew in from somewhere and thunk! stuck to trees.
Then they jammed their snouts in and slurped sap immediately.
-Look peaceful enough. Like bees gathering honey.
"Yeah. Bet they store it in hives... Huh?"
-...Hive?
Carpe and Cheonma locked eyes simultaneously.
-You too?
"You too, bro?"
The same idea had struck them both.
"They fly in from somewhere, so nest nearby?"
-High chance. Worth checking.
Carpe quickly swept the area.
Soon, he spotted a beetle sucking sap from a tree. Its rear pouch was plump after a long feed.
"That one's perfect."
Unlike before, Carpe didn't smash it—instead, he watched quietly.
Slurp— slurp—
As time passed, the beetle's rear swelled bigger.
"...Kinda pisses me off, like a mosquito sucking blood. Just kill it?"
-Now you're empathizing with trees? Hold it together, man.
Just as the sap pouch looked ready to burst.
Flutter!
The beetle-like sap bug spread its wings and flew off.
"Nice. Tail time."
-It's flying slow as hell, and you call it tailing...
Easy to follow.
Overloaded with sap, it wobbled heavily.
Just stroll after the staggering bug.
It headed deeper into the forest.
Flutter! Flutter!
More sap beetles appeared the further in—some outbound for sap, others inbound.
"Jackpot."
About 20 minutes later, they found it.
Pushing through foliage revealed a massive cave.
Carpe's target flew inside; others occasionally buzzed out.
"All hiding here."
-Spot on. Time for Pest Control Carpe.
"Exterminate the source—that's pest control basics."
Swatting flies was temporary.
To wipe 'em out, destroy the habitat.
"Hoo. Here we go."
Steeling himself, Carpe charged into the cave.
Not as dark as expected. Glowing substances dotted the walls faintly.
"Whoa. Jackpot."
Turning the first corner, Carpe gasped.
Wall-to-wall sap beetles.
"Motherlode. Absolute motherlode."
-Nailed the address. Numbers like this? Quest's cake.
Not just quantity—no trees to worry about damaging.
Spam magic freely.
"Melee was getting boring."
Carpe thrust his hand at the wall and cast.
"Wind Cutter!"
Wind Cutter
Boom!
The wind blade roared, shredding the cave wall.
Sap Beetles Defeated (437/800)
Melee one-shots were no match for magic.
Sap beetles got obliterated—but it didn't end there.
Skill enhancement effect: Wind Cutter activates additionally.
The +1 enhancement proced, unleashing another Wind Cutter.
Boom!
Another wave wiped.
"Yesss! This is it!"
Mages lived for magic, like caterpillars for pine needles.
Melee grinding to magic sweeping? Pure bliss.
Sap Beetles Defeated (461/800)
.
.
.
Sap Beetles Defeated (504/800)
"This is gaming. God game! Overwhelming god game!"
-Wouldn't a normal person pause here for reflection, like 'Is it right to farm this easily?'
"Eh, everything's perfect except no drops. God game revoked. A bit short of god tier."
-Your conscience is what's short...
The walls were absurdly beetle-packed.
EXP gains were tiny now due to level gap, but grains made mountains.
Boom!
Sap Beetles Defeated (611/800)
After about 600 kills.
-Hmm. Something's off.
Cheonma spoke dubiously.
"Too easy?"
-That's part of it, but more like... their reactions don't make sense. Kin dying right beside them, and they don't twitch?
Normal: flee or attack.
But they just clung, like ordered to "stay on the wall."
"Huh, makes sense."
-Might be something. Stay alert.
"Got it."
But the hunt stayed smooth, making Cheonma's warning moot.
Sap Beetles Defeated (800/800)
Collect your reward from the relevant NPC.
Quest cleared in about an hour inside the cave.
Plus two levels—now 32. Pace no same-level user could fathom.
-False alarm, huh. Head back? Or more?
Carpe hadn't slacked, but walls still crawled with beetles.
Grinning at Cheonma's question.
"Just one more before we go."
-One more? What?
"You said they look like honey-gathering bees."
Then obviously.
"Time to hunt the hive boss."
The queen awaited.