Post-apocalyptic world with Bees

Chapter 16

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[Peridot Ramdoc Suicide Bee (★★+)]

* Possesses Skills: Foraging (Lv.2), Sting (Lv.6), Flight (Lv.4), Ramdoc Ignition (Lv.3)

* Honey Storage: 0/25

* Health : 333(+38) Mana : 120(+10)

* Attack Power: 31(+6) Defense: 20(+4) Resistance: 12(+2)

* Description: A ★★+ ranked Peridot Ramdoc Suicide Bee inhabiting the dimension ‘Greem Poisonous Zone’. This self-destructing bee has a grotesquely inflated belly. When it encounters an enemy, it ignites the venomous fluid in its venom sacs and then clings to it in any way possible, exploding its belly and self-destructing.

※ These bees belong to a queen bee with an owner. Their stats are partially adjusted based on the level of their master.

[Ramdoc Ignition (Lv.3)]

* Classification: Skill

* Mana Cost: All

* Effect (Active): Heats up the venom in the venom sacs, which then explodes in reaction to an enemy being stung, dealing great damage.

* Description: Heats up the venom in your venom sac, causing it to expand and explode in response to an enemy being stung. As the level increases, the damage dealt by the explosion increases.

※ When used, there is a 100% chance of death.

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A lethal bee whose name suggests “self-destruction”.

While normal bees are not automatically killed by attacking an enemy without a skin layer on their body,¹ this is not the case with the Suicide Bee.

It’s a vicious skill that literally blows up its own stomach in close proximity to an enemy, spraying it with venom.

In fact, the skill’s description even goes so far as to say that there’s a 100% chance of death with absolutely no chance of survival.

*BuzZzzZz!* *BzzZzzZttTtt!*

Unlike the Rubigem Honeycomb Bees, which are generally large and chubby, this Peridot Ramdoc Suicide Bee has an unusually protruding belly that makes it look a little off-putting.

However, Sung-hyuk doesn’t discriminate against it and reaches out to pet it.

“Come here. Little friend.”

*WeEeeiiIiinnggGgg~~*

It looks like they developed their organs this way to protect their home in the wild originally.

Moreover, it is a creature with a sad fate that somehow the use of its skills directly leads to its death.

However, another way to look at it is that instead of sacrificing 100 other bees, he can save the lives of countless bees if he utilizes his destructive power properly.

How can Sung-hyuk discriminate against such a wonderful creature just because he looks ugly compared to the other bees?

“Please take care of me in the future, and let’s continue our work together.”

*BZzzZzzzTtt* *BbZzzZz*

The two high-level peridot bees joined forces to protect Sung-hyuk’s farm.

In the event of a battle, Sung-hyuk will now have a better strategy.

The new product was described as having the best tangy flavor when the toxicity of Peridot bees is matured.

Sung-hyuk resumed his diligent beekeeping activities with his new friends in order to obtain Peridot honey.

* * * * *

A swarm of peridot bees has been added to the family.

While their strength is impressive, it’s up to Sung-hyuk, their owner, to ensure that sacrifices are minimized.

“Dad must work hard to keep our little ones and the queen safe.”

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[Guardian’s Poison Processing (Lv.1)]

* Classification: Skill

* Mana Cost: 10

* Required Ingredient: Bee Venom

* Effect (Active): Utilizes the bee’s stinger or venom to craft venom-related items (no cooldown).

* Effect (Passive): The bee’s stinger and ovipositor allow you to harvest venom.

* Description: Utilizes a bee’s stinger or harvested venom and the caster’s mana to craft poison-related items. Also allows you to harvest venom through the bee’s stinger and ovipositor tubes. As you level up, you will be able to obtain more varied and higher-grade finished products.

※ There is a small probability that you will gain a processed item inscribed with the keyword ‘Guardian’.

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When one thinks of a bee’s arsenal, the first thing that comes to mind is a powerful defense mechanism.

Needless to say, it’s the stinger and the venomous fluid in the venom sac, which is connected to the stinger and the ovipositor tube.

A deadly weapon, commonly referred to as Bee Venom.

Until now, he hadn’t had the right tools or skills, and he’d been putting it off because his priority was beekeeping, but thanks to Belmorn’s actions as a trigger for vigilance, Sung-hyuk was forced to turn his attention to the subject of battle.

“I have no idea what caused it, but the fact that I was able to get the Peridot Queen Bee, which specializes in venom, was a godsend.”

The addition of the Peridot Bee that ‘Specializes’ in poison due to the evolution of the stinger organ, especially now that he had the skill to process poison, was a stroke of fortune.

It was a heaven-sent situation, so Sung-hyuk decided to actively process and utilize the poison liquid.

“Guys, can you administer the venom here?”

*BuZZz* *BzZzzZ*

The bees, who understood Sung-hyuk’s words perfectly thanks to the Bee Link, eagerly agreed to cooperate.

*Thwack!* *Poke!*

*Prick!* *Prick!*

Sung-hyuk points to the glass plate he prepared in advance, and the bees begin to plunge their stingers down in a coordinated, rhythmic fashion as if they’ve been waiting for it.

“Hey, guys, I know you’re all excited to help Dad, but don’t overdo it. There’s a lot of them anyway, so just a tiny amount.”

The process of extracting the minuscule amount of venom from each individual without jeopardizing the bee’s life.

Thanks to the diligent engagement and altruistic behavior of the bees, Sung-hyuk had no trouble collecting enough venom to meet his goal without causing any casualties among the bees.

“Alright, where should I gather it?”

Now that the bees have squeezed out the venom from their venom sacs, all that remains is to wait for the venom to dry for a while and scrape the congealed bee venom onto a glass plate.

As he collects the substance, which is not a liquid but a powder with a reddish and greenish hue, he begins to place it into the empty jars that have been created by the convenience of the system.

[Gathering success!]

[Obtained 17 Rubigem Bee Venom(★)].

[Obtained 6 Rubigem Bee Venom (★+)].

[Obtained 7 Peridot Bee Venom (★★)].

[Obtained 3 Peridot Bee Venom (★★+)].

Does this mean that processing and gathering skills are equally important?

Sung-hyuk stuck his tongue out at the sight of bee venom being gathered as the passive effect of ‘Guardian’s Poison Processing’ was activated.

“I felt it when I was collecting honey, but it’s really strange.”

No matter how convenient the mechanics of the system are, an empty bottle just appears out of nowhere.

But Sung-hyuk didn’t try to understand it.

The undead and lich he had faced before were too absurd to think about such matters in the first place.

In order to survive for now, he would simply make the most of what he had available.

With that thought, Sung-hyuk examined the bee venom he had acquired.

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[Rubigem Bee Venom (★)] X 17

* Category: Consumables, Materials

* Ingestion and exposure to open wounds reduce health by 30 for 30 seconds. Causes mild pain for 3 minutes.

* Description: ★-grade Rubigem bee venom collected from Rubigem bees inhabiting the dimension Deltarian. It contains a low-effect toxic component and causes a stinging pain when ingested.

※ Note: Damage from bee venom of the same species does not stack.

[Rubigem Bee Venom (★+)] x 6

* Category: Consumables, Materials

* Ingestion and exposure to open wounds reduce health by 40 for 30 seconds. Duration 5 minutes–.

[Peridot Bee Venom (★★)] x 7

* Category: Consumables, Materials

* Ingestion and exposure to open wounds reduce health by 80 for 40 seconds. In addition to excruciating pain, high fever and paralysis occur for 10 minutes.

······.

[Peridot Bee Venom (★★+)] x 3

* Category: Consumables, Materials

* Ingestion and exposure to open wounds reduces health by 100 for 40 seconds. Lasts 15 minutes…

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“It turns out I was right to prepare separate glass plates for each variety.”

Of course, even within the same species of bee, the strength and amount of toxicity varies depending on the difference between the various types.

Sung-hyuk made sure to differentiate between Rubigem and Peridot bees to avoid mixing their venom.

“The ones with + are probably influenced by the higher species?”

Those with an + are literally products that have the effect of the parent species to those without.

Honestly, it would be fine to just apply the powder to the weapon as is.

But using it in such a simplistic way is not only a waste of the skill’s name, “Guardian’s Poison Processing” but also a sin for Sung-hyuk, who has spent his entire life working with the bees.

“A poison is only as strong as the person who utilizes it.”

It’s a common misconception that poison is always harmful and must be eliminated.

In particular, bee venom can be processed into soaps, creams, and cosmetics that are hard to imagine as ‘poison’ depending on the directions in which it is utilized.

“But for now, the best option for me would be to use it as a weapon.”

For soaps and cosmetics, honey, royal jelly, and propolis are already available.

Given the likelihood of the farm being attacked by monsters like the Lich Belmorn, it’s best to consider using the venom as a ‘weapon’.

“Melee combat should be avoided as much as possible.”

Basically, as a Bee Guardian, he’s a class that’s far from combat-oriented.

Well, when he reached level 20 this time, he learned the skill of Bee Acupuncture, which can be classified as a combat skill, and he has the advantage of being able to permanently and steadily increase his stats through his class specialization, Bee Processed Product Lover, but due to the limited cooldown, he still needs more time to become stronger.

Furthermore, Sung-hyuk’s life is more than just his own.

There’s a system in the world whose origins are unknown.

It’s best to keep his life intact, especially considering that his death would have a negative impact on the queen bee and the rest of the colony.

“Assuming I don’t have to approach, throwing is definitely the preferable option.”

Once he’s found a path forward, the next step is rather easy.

Having lived his entire life surrounded by bees, Sung-hyuk knows all about how to utilize bee venom, and now he’s able to incorporate skills from the system into practice.

For example, as long as he has bee venom, which is treated as an essential ingredient without any additional materials, he can spend mana to form empty bottles or other miscellaneous objects.

In other words, things that were originally impossible in the real world can be applied in the name of convenience within the system.

“It shouldn’t be like this, but it’s really fun.”

The world has become a dangerous place where one never knows when or where a monster like Lich Belmorn will appear again.

So it’s normal to take it seriously.

Whether you’re a bee or a human, you only have one life, and it’s precious.

But it’s fun to see materials being used as he pleases and making up for the lack of resources with mana.²

[Great Success in Poison Crafting! The Bee Guardian’s sigil is inscribed on the Bee Venom Bomb].

[Guardian’s Rubigem Venom Bomb (★+) has been crafted].

[Guardian’s Rubigem Venom Bomb (★★-)]

[Guardian’s Peridot Venom Bomb (★★★-)].

….

And as if to recognize Sung-hyuk’s joy, a series of “Great success!” notifications rang out.

At the same time, a series of finished bee venom bombs are created in front of him.

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[Guardian’s Rubigem Bee Venom Bomb (★★-)]

* Category: Consumable

* When held in the hand and the keyword ‘Use’ is intoned, it explodes after 10 seconds, forming a ‘Guardian’s Rubigem Poison Zone’ in the surrounding area.

* Guardian’s Rubigem Poison Zone: For 3 minutes, targets in the poison zone lose 6(+1) Health per second. However, bees gain 6(+1)% movement speed (stacks up to 2).

* Description: A ★★-ranked Rubigem Bee Venom Bomb inscribed with the keywords of the Guardian. When used, it creates a reddish-colored Rubigem poison field nearby. Due to the protection of the Bee Guardian, it does no damage to the natural environment.

[Guardian’s Peridot Venom Bomb (★★★-)]

* Category: Consumable

* When held in hand and the keyword ‘Use’ is spoken, it explodes after 10 seconds, forming a ‘Guardian’s Peridot Poison Zone’ in the surrounding area.

* Guardian’s Peridot Poison Zone: For 3 minutes, targets in the poison zone lose 16 (+3) Health per second. However, bees deal 12(+2)% increased damage (stacks up to 2).

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A type of bee venom bomb with a luxurious red and green glow, encased in hollow glass, reminiscent of a Molotov cocktail.

“Phew.”

As the manufactured products of great success, bearing the keyword of ‘Guardian’, respectively 2-Star-grade and 3-Star-grade, their performance completely exceeded Sung-hyuk’s expectations.

** ** **
TL/N:

1. When the Rubigem Bees attacked those Skeleton Soldiers.

2. MC can expend his mana to create vials, containers and other misc. items.