Post-apocalyptic world with Bees

Prologue

-If the bees go extinct, humanity will go extinct in four years.-

A half jesting, half-serious hypothesis.

However, this hypothesis never holds true, at least not for current humanity.

Why is that?

That’s …….

[Do you wish to place the Rubigem Queen Bee (★) in the Guardian’s Oversized Acorn Hive (★+)? YES / NO]

“Yeah, I’ll put it in.”

Bee Guardian, Yoo Sung-hyuk

As long as he’s alive and kicking, the bees will never go extinct.

In this world, there are some people who get obsessed with something and are willing to do nothing but harp on it to death.

Of course, most of the time, the best intentions are often fleeting and quickly fizzle out due to a lack of commitment.

However, when we say “most”, we mean that there are a few exceptions.

Some of them start as short as half a year and stay in it for a year, five years, or until the end of their lives.

There are others who are considered “Deviant” in the common sense of the word.

And along those lines, Yoo Sung-hyuk is clearly an outlier in the latter category.

“Ew, that’s gross, but Sung-hyuk, do you like it that much?”

“Wow. Don’t you ever get tired of it? Why do I have to see it all the time?”

“It’s a real poisonous tree.”¹

Those who watched from the sidelines could only shake their heads in disbelief at what bordered on obsession.

Well, as it turns out, the story of how Sung Hyuk fell in love with bees isn’t actually a very fond one.

A bee attacked him on a flower he’d touched carelessly as a child.

The first pain he had ever felt in his life.

And although it was not what Sung-hyuk had intended, it was Sung-hyuk’s first experience of killing.

That was the beginning.

Sung-hyuk’s curiosity was piqued.

Since that day, Sung-Hyuk has been gathering as much information as he can about bees.

He lost his parents in a childhood accident and grew up in an orphanage, which often pushed him to his limits, but it’s said that the harder the road, the more challenging it is.

Sung-Hyuk tried to do as much good as he could on his own.

To ensure the smooth running of the orphanage, even at a young age, he was involved in household activities such as cleaning and washing dishes, and the director supplied him with books and materials on bees, when he became a middle school student, he even worked part-time with the director’s permission.

“Thank you for your support. Director.”

“I made sure the job was as close to what you wanted as possible.. I believe that if it were you, Sung-hyuk, you would definitely be able to do well.”

And then, years later.

At the age of 24, Sung-hyuk left the orphanage to live independently, but he never lost his interest in bees.

Some say that Sung-hyuk’s interest will one day cool down like a blown-out candle.

It’s not like bees are some kind of philosophical subject, they’re just a species, and if you keep studying them like that, you’ll eventually get to the end.

Of course, it’s not that Sung-hyuk didn’t think about this at all, but at least he decided not to think about it right now.

One shouldn’t stop running because there’s an end.

This is incomprehensible to Sung Hyuk’s common sense.

“By then, I’ll be attached to something else anyway.”

For now, all Sung-hyuk can do is do his best with what he’s currently passionate about.

But did someone read his thoughts?

[The transcendent perceives this dimension].

[The system is updating the dimension: 1, 2, 3%…….]

“…. What is this?”

As if someone had scribbled in thin air.

Characters written in an unknown language.

A text I’ve never seen before, neither in English nor French, but for some reason he could read it naturally.

At first, he rubbed his eyes, thinking he was hallucinating, but the “%” kept going up.

“Hmmm, am I dreaming?”

If this is a dream, it doesn’t make much sense.

Soon, however, the ‘%’ reaches 100%, and Sung-Hyuk is able to understand the situation.

[……100%, revamped and updated, best wishes for survival in the new world].

[Please select your job, you have 1 hour left].

※Attention! There is a fatal penalty for not choosing a profession.

______________________________

[Notification]

※The list of available jobs is influenced by the karma of your life to date.

[Job List]

* Beekeeper (★)

* Alchemist (★)

* Mad Explorer (★★★★★) – Unique (Currently, 3 candidates have not yet been selected.)

* Bee Guardian (★★★★★) – Unique (1 candidate has not yet been selected.)

※ Unique is an occupation where there is only one per dimension / TIP – The first person to grab is the owner.

______________________________

Reality has become a game, thanks to the intervention of a being called the Transcendent.

Honestly, Sung-hyuk has pretty much stayed away from gaming since he became obsessed with bees, but he seems to know that the more ‘★’s on a job list, the better.

What’s more, a whopping 2 out of 4 jobs have the keyword ‘Unique’, which means there can only be one per dimension.

But for Sung-hyuk, who has devoted 24 years of his life to following the bees, his career choice is practically a foregone conclusion.

[Select ‘Bee Guardian (★★★★★) – Unique’? YES / NO].

※ Once you decide on a job, you can’t change it again, so please decide carefully.

“YES.”

[You have switched to the profession ‘Bee Guardian (★★★★★) – Unique’].

[Player Yoo Sung-hyuk’s record will be updated, please check the status window].

A class choice without any hesitation.

______________________________

[Yoo Sung Hyuk].

* Age: 24

* Level: 1

* Profession: Bee Guardian (★★★★★) – Unique

* Number of Queen Bees available: 0/1

* Coins: 0

* Skills: Dimension Queen Bee Capture (Lv.1), Build Guardian’s Hive (Lv.1), Divine Beekeeping (Lv.1)

* Health: 200 Mana: 100

* Attack: 6 Defense: 3 Magic Resistance: 3

* Stat Points: 0

* Strength: 7 Dexterity: 16 Durability: 20 Control: 12 Spirit: 10

[Job Specialization – Bee Keeper].

* Beloved of Bees: Your affinity with bee species in all dimensions is maximized.

* Bee Venom Immunity: Grants full immunity to harmful poison effects associated with bees.

* Bee Link: You can only communicate your thoughts to the bees you are affiliated with.

* Guardian Reliability: No matter where your queen bee is, she’ll lay eggs and hatch twice as fast, as well as speed up the eclosion² process.

* Guardian Spirit: Bees don’t tire easily when it comes to their work.

* ???

______________________________

“Is this real?”

Sung-hyuk could see nothing but ‘Capture the Dimension Queen Bee’.

If this game-like system isn’t a dream, Sung-hyuk is ecstatic that he might be able to encounter new bees.

* * * * *

After choosing a profession and checking his status.

Sung-hyuk didn’t hesitate to pull his cheeks together.

“It’s definitely not a dream, judging by the pain.”

Such a ridiculous situation in a world that was normally going well.

He’d have preferred it to be a dream.

For Sung-hyuk, who focuses on one thing and sticks to it, getting caught up in something that doesn’t even make sense is something he hates.

However, as you live in this world, there are bound to be deals that you can never refuse.

______________________________

[Dimension Queen Bee Capture (Lv.1)]

* Classification: Skill

* Mana Cost: 0

* Effect (Active) : Captures a random type of queen bee of rank ‘★-‘ to ‘★+’ (cooldown 20 days).

* Description: Captures queen bees of different types that exist in different dimensions. As your level increases, the chance of a failed capture decreases, and the rank of the captured queen increases.

※Only failed capture reduces the cooldown to 24 hours.

______________________________

“A new species of bee, a whole new level, I can’t stand it.”

For Sung-hyuk, who has lived his life outside of bees, meeting a new species of bee is like winning the lottery for an ordinary person.

What’s not to like?

The long 20-day cooldown and the possibility of failing to capture the bee are a bit daunting, but that’s exactly why Sung-hyuk didn’t hesitate to try the skill.

[Use Skill, Capture Dimensional Queen Bee (Lv.1)].

[Bee Guardian’s net swings across the dimension].

[Capture Success! Do you want to add the Rubigem Queen Bee (★) to your population? YES / NO]

※ If NO is selected, it will be treated as a failed capture.

“Nice!”

He’ll never know if it’s the low probability of a failed capture or just a stroke of luck, but it’s a successful capture.

When asked if he wanted to register, Sung-hyuk said YES without hesitation.

[Rubigem Queen Bee (★) is registered to player Yoo Sung-hyuk. Current remaining Queen Bee population: 1 / 1]

“A Rubigem Queen Bee, I’ve never heard of such a thing!”

Well, even on Earth, completely new animals, plants, and insects are discovered from time to time, but for Sung-hyuk, the important thing is that this new species is a ‘bee’.

______________________________

[Rubigem Queen Bee (★)]

* Has not yet found a home.

* Brood: 0

* Growth rate: 0

* Egg laying rate: 2 eggs per minute

* Hatching speed: 8 hours

* Allegory Course: 18 hours

* Skills: Spawn (Lv.1), Queen’s Pheromone (Lv.1), Poison Sting (Lv.2), Flight (Lv.2)

* Health: 85(+5) Mana: 25(+5)

* Attack: 6(+1) Defense: 2 Resistance: 1

* Description: A ★-ranked Rubigem Queen bee found in the dimension ‘Deltarian’. Unlike other bees, Rubigem bees are characterized by a very fast hatching and pupation process, and when you add them to your hive, you get Rubigem honey, which is great for energizing them when they start laying.

※ This is a queen bee with a master. The stats are partially adjusted based on the level of the owner.

______________________________

“Ohhhh!”

It’s not just any honey, it’s Rubigem honey!

As a bee freak, Sung Hyuk has tried every honey on earth, east and west, but never Rubigem honey.

It’s no wonder, then, that the Rubigem queen bee is a species of bee from an unheard-of dimension called the Deltarian.

“This is not the time.”

The idea of a new source of honey was born.

But it’s impossible to get honey from a single queen bee.

The first step is to create a home for the queen so she can start laying eggs in peace.

______________________________

[Guardian’s Hive Construction (Lv.1)]

* Category: Skill

* Mana Consumption: 80

* Effect (Active): Craft a random type of hive (cooldown 3 days).

* Description: Consumes mana generated by your body to create a hive that allows the queen bee to start a colony. As your level increases, you will be able to craft higher-grade hives.

There is a chance to get a stronger, better hive with the keyword “Guardian” engraved on it.

A higher quality hive can be obtained by adding wood and honeycomb as additional materials besides mana.

______________________________

Luckily for Sung-hyuk, there is a class skill that fits the bill perfectly.

“After all, one must be thoroughly prepared.”

Furthermore, Sung-hyuk doesn’t just have the skills.

As a human being who had chosen to be the only candidate for the “unique” job of bee guardian, one of Sung-hyuk’s hobbies was building beehives when he had time, and as a result, he tended to have a collection of wooden planks and beehives that were always of good quality.

“Hmm, shall we give it a try?”

To be honest, he had a lot of experience making beehives by himself, but it was the first time in his life that he utilized the game’s system to make a beehive.

However, Sung-hyuk realized in the orphanage that when the world changes, you have to adapt accordingly to survive.

[Skill, Build Guardian’s Beehive (Lv.1)].

[Costs 80 mana].

[Do you have any items to use as additional consumable materials? YES / NO].

The same YES or NO choice is asked again with the use of a skill.

Sung-hyuk’s answer was a resounding YES, and he pulled out the beehives and wooden planks he’d packed from the bag on his back.

[Materials required for crafting have been met, do you want to automatically complete the crafting of the hive? YES / NO]

“No. It’s not sincere if it’s made out of thin air.”

While he’d love to see the game system auto-build hives if nothing else, it would be totally unacceptable as a hive for bees.

[You have selected manual crafting, please begin crafting the hive, you have 2 hours remaining].

※ If the crafting is not completed in the remaining time, the materials will be lost.

“Whatever!”

Choosing to go the manual route, Sung-hyuk rolled up his sleeves and made the most of his experience.

And just like that, 40 minutes or so passed?

[Successful hive building! The hive will be inscribed with the Bee Guardian’s blessing].

[Guardian’s Oversized Acorn Hive (★+) has been crafted].

A ★+ rated Guardian’s oversized acorn hive, complete with a pretty good-looking “Great success!” text.

______________________________

[Guardian’s Oversized Acorn Hive (★+)]

* Category: Other

* It is currently empty.

* Capacity: 0 / 80,000 (+10,000)

* Current honey status: 0%.

* Health : 1,050 (+250)

* Armor : 17 (+5) Resistance: 8 (+2)

* Durability: 350/350 (+50)

* Description: ★+ rated oversized acorn hive engraved with the Keyword Guardian. It’s very sturdy and well-made.

______________________________

An oversized acorn hive option with an extra ‘+’ in addition to the ★ rating, plus the keyword ‘guardian’ which is said to appear with a certain probability.

Sung-hyuk was pleased with how sturdy it looked, forgetting all the signs of hard labor.

“Well, I guess hard work doesn’t betray you.”

Well, he can never be sure if it’s a result or not, but he’s pretty sure this wouldn’t have happened if he’d left it to the system to do it automatically.

This definitely proves the saying that experience is the best asset a hundred times over.

If Sung-hyuk hadn’t known how to build the hive, he would have had no choice but to go with automatic as his answer.

*Weing!* *Weing!* *Weing!*

“Hahaha. You like being in a house, too, huh?”

The Rubigem queen bee flutters her wings around Sung-hyuk’s oversized acorn hive as if she wants to make it her home right now.

It’s like a pet recognizes its home, and it makes Sung-hyuk’s heart grow fonder as he carries the child.

“Sure. I made it for you anyway.”

[Do you wish to place the Rubigem Queen Bee (★) in the Guardian’s Oversized Acorn Hive (★+)? YES / NO]

“Yeah, I’ll put it in.”

[Rubigem Queen Bee (★) has secured a nest].

[Spawning activity begins!]

The egg-laying process began when the Queen Bee entered the empty hive.

However, there was one thing that Sung-hyuk had forgotten,

[The Bee Guardian’s job specialization and Guardian’s Reliability are activated.]

[Rubigem Queen Bee (★) will spawn twice as fast].

“Huh?”

” Huh?”

That’s one of the five traits that Sung-hyuk possesses as a Bee Guardian, a class he’s earned, and it’s called Guardian’s Reliability.

* Guardian Reliability: No matter where your queen bee is, she’ll lay eggs and hatch twice as fast, as well as speed up the eclosion process.

At first glance, this may seem like a mere doubling of the growth rate in addition to the laying speed, but in the long run, it’s a different story.

Of course, the Rubigem Queen Bee is not a creature of Earth’s dimension, but of a dimension called the Deltarian.

With two eggs laid every minute, eight hours for the eggs to hatch, and only 18 hours for the larva to become an adult, the rate of development is staggeringly fast compared to that of bees on Earth.

But doubling that rate?

This means that a Rubigem queen bee will lay four eggs every minute, and it will take 13 hours for each egg to metamorphose into an adult.

Is that all there is to it?

Assuming they lay four eggs every minute without stopping, that’s a whopping 5,760 additional bees per day.

“Wouldn’t it now be possible to study bees that live in this colony?”

The tiny bee is about the size of Sung-hyuk’s finger at most.

A small kingdom that started with one queen will give birth to many more worker bees over time.

“I never thought I’d get into beekeeping this way, but a good thing is a good thing. I can’t wait to taste the Rubigem honey!”

An unintended career as a bee guardian.

But in Sung-hyuk’s mind, the idea of seeing a new level of honey flavor was on the horizon.

* * * * *

As always, people with social lives do what they do.

Students and teachers go to school, and workers commute to work by car or public transportation.

Life in that environment used to just flow.

[The system is updating the dimension: 1, 2, 3%…….]

[Please select your job, you have 1 hour left].

※Attention! There is a fatal penalty for not choosing a profession.

“What is this, have I been sleeping less?”

“Oh, does Hyunsoo’s mom see this too?”

“Huh? I recognized this from a novel.”

“Is this some kind of genius hacker?”

“Occupation is Warrior (★)? What is this?”

People had mixed reactions to the strange characters that came up.

From the curious to the dismissive, to the unconcerned, to those who question the very idea of a “profession.”

But Earth’s modifications to the dimensional system weren’t just about adding jobs.

“Kwiik!” “Kik-kik”

“Keeeeeeeee!”

A roar that sounded like an unearthly animal cry.

Those who naturally turned their heads in that direction could not help but be even more startled than before.

“Hey, what’s that?”

“Is this a movie or something, and how is that makeup so realistic?”

A small, green-skinned creature.

It was the first thing they’d ever seen in their lives, but that wasn’t the real problem.

“Go-goblin?”

[Goblin Level 1 (★-)]

[Goblin Level 1 (★-)]

[Goblin Level 1 (★-)]

…….

The level with the name Goblins written next to it, as if to indicate a monster in a video game.

At the same time, a small but sharpened dagger was in their hands.

“Wow, that looks dangerous, shouldn’t we run away from this?”

“Oh, it’s probably a toy.”

“It looks too murderous to be a toy….”

Smile~.

Click-click-click

Until then, people had been fumbling around, making poor judgment calls.

Herd mentality?

No one took the initiative to run away but rather whipped out their smartphones to capture the goblin in pictures or video.

But it only took a moment for the mood to change.

*puwuuk*

*chwaah-ak*

“Kwaaaaak!”

“Uh, what?”

The goblin’s dagger comes out as soon as it gets close to the man.

It pierces through the thin flesh with such ease.

A gush of blood and a tearing scream of pain.

But was it a feast for the goblins?

“Kiki-kiki-kick!”

“Kiik! “kekeke!”

*Puff-puff-puff-puff!*

“Kck, kukkahhhhh…”

The goblins jump on top of the fallen man’s body and begin their assault in earnest.

A trail of red blood begins to stain the floor with an eerie crunching sound.

“Ooh, wow.”

“Uh, that thing?”

The faces of the people who saw the creature covered in human blood, shoveling guts into its mouth, and chewing gum like a gnat, turned blue.

A reality so tangible.

And at the same time, it’s so unreal that some people feel sick to their stomachs.

Unfortunately, the horde of goblins that had just reduced a man to a bloody mess were not kind enough to wait for them.

“Keeeeeeeeek-!!!”

“Keeeeeeeeee—!”

The beginning of an indiscriminate onslaught of goblins, accompanied by screams.

“R-Run!”

“Aaaahhh!”

“P-please save me!”

And a few people ran away and never looked back,

“Don’t fucking run away, pick a class and fight, you’ve never played a game, at best it’s a goblin!”

“It’s no big deal as long as they don’t have a dagger. Get it off their hands!”

“Come on! You bastards!”

Some people quickly chose a class and dealt with the rushing goblins.

Run and fight.

Honestly, there’s no right or wrong answer here.

Those who chose to flee would not be able to hunt down the monsters and secure the loot they would have gotten, those who chose to fight were able to save their lives thanks to the distraction, at least for now.

But this much is certain.

The world has become more like a game with each system update.

In the end, the only way to survive is to level up and get stronger.

“3, 2, 1…….”

But what if I told you that there’s always an oddball in the world?

At a time when many people are busy fighting for their lives against monsters.

Sung-hyuk, who has been living as a natural man in harmony with nature, is leisurely counting the numbers.

[The pupa of the Rubigem bee larva (★-) has completed the pupation process].

[Rubigem Worker Bees (★-) are added to the swarm of Rubigem Queen Bees (★)].

______________________________

[Rubigem Worker Bee (★-)]

* Possessed Skills: Gathering (Lv.1), Poisonous Sting (Lv.1), Flight (Lv.1)

* Honey storage: 0/10

* Health: 21(+1) Mana: 11(+1

* Offense: 2 Defense: 1 Armor: 1 Magic Resistance: 1

* Description: This is a ★-grade ruby ​​gem worker bee living in the dimension ‘Deltarian’.

※ A swarm that belongs to a queen bee with a master. Their stats are partially buffed based on the level of their owner.

______________________________

*Weing-* *Weing-*

A single bee pops out of an acorn hive with a buzzing sound.

“Nice to meet you, kid.”

Sung-hyuk expressed his sincere joy at the birth of the first bee, who appeared wiggling his bouncy, fluffy butt.

** ** **

TL/N:

1. Metaphor used to tell that instead of changing, instead, the habit grew more like a tree.

2. The emergence of an adult insect from its pupal case, the hatching of a larva from its egg.