NOVEL NEXT Ch 52
Chapter 52
Two elite bees and the equivalent of an elite bee in just an instant.
Needless to say, their arrival has been a game changer for Sung-hyuk’s beekeeping farm,
[The Imperial Topaz Princess Bee (★★★★-) has settled into her home].
[Laying activity has begun!]
The most outstanding of all is one of the most essential elements of bees, ‘quantity’.
And it is this princess bee that is responsible for it.
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[Imperial Topaz Princess Bee (★★★★-)]
※ Under the Imperial Topaz Queen Bee’s lineage, the Princess Bee has limited evolution.
* Brood : 1,454 (1,454 eggs)
* Possessing parent species allegory process : Imperial Topaz Silkworm Bee(★★★-) -> 3.6%(+0.4), Imperial Topaz Architect Corps Commander Bee(★★★★) – Elite Bee -> 0.022%(+0.009)
* Laying Speed: 7 eggs per minute
* Hatching Speed: 6 hours
* Allegory Process: 15 hours
* Skills : Laying(Lv.5), Princess’ Pheromone(Lv.5), Poison Sting(Lv.2), Flight(Lv.4), Princess’ Bee Cocoon(Lv.1)
* Health : 450(+210) Mana : 450(+120)
* Attack : 25(+6) Defense : 30(+7) Resistance : 22(+5)
* Description: A ★★★★-ranked Imperial Topaz princess bee that lives in the dimension Deltarian. There is a small penalty to the chances of spawning offspring compared to the Queen. The Imperial Moth’s cocoon has awakened the power to spin threads.
※ A princess bee with an owner. Depending on the owner’s level, the stats are partially adjusted.
[Princess’ Bee Cocoon (Lv.1)]
* Category: Skill
* Mana Cost: 0
* Effect (Passive) : Every 12 hours, produce 1 Princess’ Bee Cocoon.
* Description : An ability gained by absorbing Imperial Moth’s Cocoon. It indirectly benefited greatly from its proximity to the Queen, producing a higher quality cocoon. As the level increases, a greater amount of cocoons can be produced, and the chance of getting a higher rank increases.
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‘Well, it’s still not as good as the queen.’
Compared to the Queen Bee, who had increased her laying level to 11 and was able to lay 15 eggs per minute thanks to evolution, she could only lay 7 eggs per minute at level 5.
Frankly speaking, it was a bit unfortunate that the odds of birth of the higher species’ evolutionary process and the egg-laying rate were absurdly low compared to the Queen’s, but Sung-hyuk’s thoughts were only temporary,
His mind was soon filled with positive thoughts.
“Still, this is a huge power increase compared to nothing, hmm.”
It’s common sense that it’s better to have something than not to have it.
Having 7 eggs laid per minute is actually a bit of a disappointment when measured against the Imperial Topaz Queen Bee, but otherwise, it’s still impressive.
[Bee Guardian’s Class Specialization, Guardian’s Reliability, is Triggered].
[Imperial Topaz Princess Bee’s (★★★★-) egg laying speed is doubled].
Best of all, Sung-hyuk has a unique class specialization, Bee Guardian’s Reliability, which is rated 5 stars.
With twice the laying speed, the Princess Bee’s number of eggs per minute would rise to a whopping 14.
And assuming she continues to produce a steady stream of eggs throughout the day, that’s a whopping 20,000 additional bees!
“Awww, that’s great, keep up the good work, little princess.”
The advantages of having more bees are significant.
The most basic is that they’ll be able to collect honey faster, and with a larger swarm size, they’ll be able to be more proactive in battle.
Unfortunately, this also means more bee deaths.
But that is how bees have always functioned.
Colony.
They are the epitome of altruism, willing to sacrifice themselves if it means they can contribute to the growth and nourishment of the collective.
If the rate at which they multiply is even faster than the rate at which they die, can anything possibly stop them?
Especially in a world that is so far off the grid.
In the game’s system, the bees aren’t just a bunch of mindless beings who swarm for the sake of swarming.
There are even elite bees who are capable of commanding as commanders, and they have the ability to utilize items such as weapons and buffs crafted by Sung-hyuk and Cheonsu at the appropriate time to further boost the power of their swarm and make it more deadly.
Is that the end of it?
[You have found Natural Vegetation, Peridot King Green Enoki Mushroom (★★★-)!]
A new type of mushroom that is continually being discovered.
Their potential value is more than just their edibility.
“Wow, they’re finding things worth studying again, huh?”
In addition to his life outside the beehive, Sung-hyuk was born with the inherent talent of a Mad Explorer.
As a result, his obsession with discovering and ‘experimenting’ with things has always led to new kinds of poisons and items that he can utilize alongside the bees’ byproducts, so there’s always room for further improvement.
[The Transcendent Being, Madness Seeker Bo, praised this attitude as a very good one].
Even a Transcendent can appreciate Sung-hyuk’s exploratory instincts.
Could he be responding to that?
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[Peridot King Green Enoki Mushroom(★★★-)]
* Category: Consumable, Ingredient
* When consumed, it reduces health by 300 over 30 seconds. Causes paralysis and high fever for 30 minutes.
* Description: A ★★★- ranked Peridot King Green Enoki mushroom native to the dimension ‘Earth’, with an unusual hyphae that only grows with the help of a specialized insect. Due to its powerful toxin content, it causes symptoms of high fever with paralysis upon ingestion.
※ When consumed and used, there is a 26% chance to obtain a fully usable Peridot King Green Enoki Mushroom Spore (★★+).
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As the label indicates, the new “King” mushroom has a different effect than the previous spore mycelium bees have been spreading,
As much as its effects, the individuals who dispersed it are also far from typical ‘Elite Bees’.
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[Peridot Hyphomycete Corps Commander Bee (★★★★)] – Elite Bee
* Skills : Foraging(Lv.9), Poison Sting(Lv.5), Flight(Lv.5), Hyphomycetes Venom Sac(Lv.3), Corps Commander(Lv.2)
* Honey Storage: 0 / 785(+45)
* Health : 1,115(+520) Mana : 1,020(+470)
* Attack Power : 73(+12) Defense : 75(+33) Resistance : 66(+29)
* Description : ……Harboring a very special hyphomycete deep within their bodies, they can grow mushrooms of the highest quality in the wild simply by passing by. They are also capable of commanding swarms of bees, which they control with their superior intelligence. Due to the Stinger’s Mycorrhizal Spores, the power of its spore venom has been genetically modified to meet its evolutionary needs.
※ A swarm that belongs to a queen bee with an owner. Depending on the owner’s level, their stats will be partially adjusted.
[Hyphomycetes Venom Sac (Lv.3)]
* Category: Skill
* Mana Cost: Entire
* Effect (Passive): Reduces the user’s Health by 100 per second for 1 minute.
* Effect – Hyphomycete Nourishment (Passive): Triggers when Peridot Hyphomycete Corps Commander Bee dies, causing a blooming hyphomycete to appear as special hyphae absorbs the nutrients from the corpse.
* Effect – Scatter Hyphae (Passive): Once per random hour, the hyphae attached to the body are scattered to the ground along the trail, allowing natural mushroom-related vegetation to grow.
….
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On the surface, this ability doesn’t seem all that different from the Spore Mycelium Bee.
However, as an elite bee, the effects of the mushrooms that are created by the hyphae that the bee spreads are unimaginable.
Just the King Green Enoki mushroom, which came to light recently, possesses a level of toxicity and destructive power that can’t be matched by the Spotted or Clown mushrooms already discovered.
And most importantly…….
“An effect that can only be triggered by death. Isn’t that natural for cordyceps?”
In the first place, cordyceps is a parasitic mushroom that grows by feeding on the nutrients of insects.
In fact, when Sung-hyuk was studying the ecology of bees, he often saw ‘bee cordyceps’ blooming on the corpses of bees.
And while he knows that cordyceps is basically a highly effective medicinal plant,
*Bzzz!* *Weing~~*
It boasts a body as big as it is TunTun.
Sporting an unusual mushroom that protrudes from its head and belly, it cuddles up to Sung-hyuk and rubs up against him, but Sung-hyuk can’t bear the thought of killing it.
“Don’t worry. Dad values you more than mushrooms for now.”
In all honesty, it’s hard not to want to find out the grade and potency of the hyphomycete in the wake of an elite bee’s death in the world.
But while Sung-hyuk may have the makings of a mad explorer, his chosen profession is that of a bee guardian.
Unless, it’s something he has to acquire out of necessity.
If not, then naturally, Sung-hyuk would value the lives of the bees above all else.
[The Transcendent Being, King Frainkito, smiles with a fatherly smile at your affection for the bees].
[Transcendent Being, Goddess of Abundance Prefion advises you that you should wait for nature to take its course in accord].
[The Transcendent Being, Madness Seeker Bo’s gaze lingers in wistfulness].
[Transcendent Being, The Great Golden Goblin Lord Macherti chuckles that the basis of business is selfishness].
….
The different values and preferred forms of entertainment pursued by the Transcendents.
The responses of the Transcendents vary from laughing to weeping depending on Sung-hyuk’s choice.
Sung-hyuk wondered what he should do if he couldn’t satisfy everyone, but he didn’t dwell on it for long.
“What’s the big deal? Even if it’s not a Cordyceps, there are many things worth studying anyway, right?”
For Sung-hyuk, there are many things worth studying, not just cordyceps.
There were also the spore mycelium from the bees, the numerous poisonous mushrooms that they would spread, and the honey and cocoons from the Imperial Topaz bees that he’d get in the future.
There was even room for the byproducts of Soo-hee’s crops and livestock to be mixed in, depending on the situation.
“I haven’t even taken out the real stuff yet.”
Moreover, Sung-hyuk’s lucky streak is far from over with the bees.
Princess bees and Hyphomycete Bee.
After those two, Sung-hyuk had one more thing left.
“Let’s see if this little fellow can get me some wild honey.”
*Buzz!!* *Weing~~*
Another elite bee, the Imperial Topaz Architect Corps Commander Bee, approaches with a golden-hued rump in tow.
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[Wild Beehive Construction (Lv.1)]
* Category: Skill
* Mana Consumption: 1,000
* Required Materials: Beeswax, Propolis
* Number of bees: 0 / 10,000 (Only Imperial Topaz bee species can be placed, and the construction speed and honey collection rate increase with the number of bees placed.)
* Effect (Active): Builds a wild hive that yields special honey, and instructs your bees to store the honey in the hive. However, while this ability is active, bees deployed with the Imperial Topaz Architect Corps Commander are unable to perform any other actions or provide any commands.
* Effect – Adaptive Wilderness Hive (Passive): Depending on the location of the Wilderness Hive being built, you gain Stone, Wood, Or Soil, each specializing in a different effect.
* Description: An ability acquired by absorbing fragments of wild gem honeycomb. It allows one to build a wild beehive from which special honey can be obtained, which is equivalent to the highest quality honey. As the level increases, more bees can be put into the hive, and the chance of getting a higher rank increases.
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An Architect who can literally “build” wild beehives and obtain wild honey, which is said to be the highest quality in the honey world.
The real power of the bee hadn’t even begun yet.