NOVEL NEXT Ch 29
Chapter 29
________________________________
[Abundant Shirbon Steamed Potatoes(★★)]
* Category: Consumable, Ingredient
* When consumed, the individual is granted Abundant Shirbon Steamed Potato’s Luck, along with a feeling of abundant satiety.
* Abundant Shirbon Steamed Potato’s Luck: Increases Strength and Endurance by 3(+1) for 60 minutes, and increases the speed of all types of gathering activities by 18(+3). In addition, the number of items gathered is slightly increased due to Abundant Luck. (Cooldown 60 min.)
* Description: A ★★-grade Shirbon Steamed Potato with the keyword Abundant stamped on it. Simply consuming it will give you an overwhelming feeling of abundance and a sense of energy to get you through the day. It will also increase your luck in all kinds of foraging activities, and the output of your foraging. However, you must consume the entire contents of the prepared steamed potato for this effect to take effect.
※Note: Shirbon Steamed Potato buffs from the same family do not stack.
________________________________
‘This is……’
A buff that simply increases one’s abilities.
Due to various processed honey products, Sung-hyuk is now someone who doesn’t even bother to differentiate between types of products.
However, there is an option to catch his attention at once.
It’s the ability to speed up one’s gathering activities and enchant one’s gathering results with luck.
For Sung-hyuk, who was working on his apiary farm, it was more valuable than any other item.
‘This is amazing!’
The effect of this is that Sung-hyuk’s beekeeping hauls will now yield more honey and beeswax when he forages.
Or even royal jelly and propolis. What if he could get even one more important ingredient like bee venom?
Even if it’s only a small amount, Sung-hyuk has 10 beehives, and if he includes bee venom, he has a total of 11 gathering sites.
In other words, for Sung-hyuk, a small amount is not considered small at all because of the volume.
“I used to have better ones, but it’s a shame this is all I have left because we used them to stay alive while being chased by the Stinger.”
“I see.”
Yeon Soo-hee’s strong voice comes through as she speaks with regret, suggesting that her real potential is not yet fully expressed.
It doesn’t take Sung-hyuk long to figure out that this woman, who is Lim Seok-chul’s wife, is the real leader of the group, rather than Lim Seok-chul, whose job classification is revealed first.
Indeed, this individual is the highest 4-star (★★★★) and a presence that has amassed the karma corresponding to her unique profession.
While her appearance may seem like an ordinary wife, one should never judge solely based on the “surface” in the current new reality.
“Did you like my items? There are also many cute bees in this shelter, and I can provide you with even higher quality food than this if you wish. If you’re open to take us in, I’ll show you everything, starting with my job specialization.”
They literally recognize their commodity value, which is why they choose to work at Sung-hyuk’s beekeeping farm.
In other words, they’ll show him all their hands if he’ll just let them into the bees’ shelter.
It’s certainly not a bad offer for Sung-hyuk, who’s slowly becoming overwhelmed by the growing number of hives and struggling to run the beekeeping farm on his own.
However, if he takes the deal now, it could come with a headache in the future.
‘I can’t build a shelter based on a relationship of equality based on job specialization.’
Yoo Sung-hyuk’s apiary.
This shelter is a fortress that Sung-hyuk and his bees have built since the emergence of the disaster in their world.
Sung-hyuk created the location, his bees are in charge of security, and the honey, which is the most important food, is being supplied by Sung-hyuk.
It goes without saying that there is a hierarchy.
For example, the hierarchy of Gab and Eul should have been nailed down and locked up from the very beginning.
“If you can provide me with a steady supply of food that has this effect, the value shouldn’t be too low.”
“If that’s the case, then……”
“Just one thing, though. I don’t want you to forget that it’s the bees that made this area what it is, and it’s the bees that protect it, as you’ve seen in the battles, and they’re risking their lives to keep it that way.”
The first time using informal remarks since meeting them.¹
As a result, Sung-hyuk’s demeanor becomes significantly heavier, to the point where it’s hard to recognize him as the same person.
“So if you wish to enter my shelter, please be appreciative towards the bees at all times, even on a normal day. And, hopefully, you’ll do something definite to reduce their losses as much as possible.”
A 24-year commitment to bees.
He may not know much about other things, but when it comes to bees, he certainly has a deep knowledge of them.
It may sound a little condescending, but it will make it easier to deal with them in the future.
“I can understand where you are coming from…..”
“I’m deeply sorry for the cost to those little bees, and I’m very grateful to them for saving us. Thank you, bees.”
“I won’t forget about this, so thanks, bees.”
Did his words have an effect?
The group sincerely thanked the bees that were buzzing and flying around them.
*Buzz!!* *Weing~~* *Bzzz!!*
As if their words and demeanor were not fake.
A group of bees cease their work and respond to their gratitude with a dance, swaying their bodies as if to acknowledge their thanks.
The importance of the bees, the de facto owners of Sung-hyuk’s apiary farm.
Now that that’s been firmly established, it’s time to ease the somewhat tense atmosphere.
“Hmmm. Anyway, if you go above and beyond the required extent of your efforts, I’ll reciprocate in kind. As you know, I have quite a few health products, starting with all sorts of processed honey products, which are great for skin beauty and virility.”
“Oh, thank you so much. Honeybee.”
“Is that really true, because I always thought you were just watching the exchange and eating your fill….”
“Hahaha, it’s so embarrassing to hear that it’s good for the virility.”
In the context of relationships, rewards based on discipline are necessary, just as in any hierarchical structure.
“Now, I’d like to ask everyone to introduce themselves and share their job specialties and levels.”
With the somber mood lifted, Sung-hyuk’s apiary welcomed four new residents.
* * * *
The days at Sung-hyuk’s beekeeping operation have always been the same.
However, the new additions to the farm have made a significant positive difference for Sung-hyuk, and the most notable is the highest star among them.
It’s Yeon Soo-hee, a level 15 player with a unique profession of 4 stars.
________________________________
[Job Specialization – Abundance Producer]
* Abundance of Luck: Completed dishes have a high chance to be imbued with Abundance of Luck.
* Masterpiece of Abundance: Increases the amount of experience gained from culinary masterpieces.
* Rich Abundance: Increases the percentage of bonuses when you harvest any agricultural product.
* Fertile Land: Increases the quality of the land located within a 5KM radius around you, increasing the growth rate of crops.
* ???
________________________________
At first he wasn’t sure what the name “Abundance Producer” meant, but the skill sets help him figure it out.
It feels like a cross between a chef and a farmer.
Besides, every dish she cooks, including the abundant shirbon steamed potatoes that Soo-hee gave him at the beginning, is a great help in his foraging activities,
*Munch!* *Nibble!*
“Wow, this is really good.”
For Sung-hyuk, who usually fills his stomach with honey, it’s nice to have something to chew on.
At this point, it was just potatoes, and he could only eat them steamed, but when he dipped them in the freshly collected honey, they melted on his tongue, and it’s no exaggeration to say that it was enough to make his previous meal even better.
“Boss Sung-hyuk, thanks to the assistance of the bees, I’ll make sure you have plenty of good trees. Oh, and let me know if you want any buildings later. I’ll build you whatever you want!”
And of course, there’s Soo-hee’s husband, Seokchul.
A three-star tree slayer with a unique class, his work is not to be underestimated.
Of all the natural vegetation that the scouting bees originally discovered, there were many tree species that they were unable to bring back due to various factors.
However, with his ability to cut down trees, he can now sweep up a lot of useful natural vegetation that was previously only identified.
And not to mention, he was also a skilled enough lumberjack to make Gilite plywood, which was a huge benefit to Sung-hyuk in the present day.
He had actually been worried about how they were going to transport the huge amount of wood, even if they were going to chop it up and process it into plywood, but it turned out that this worry was unnecessary.
“Hey, Yeon-ah, I’m gonna dump it all out here.”
“Okay, Uncle Seokchul.”
Escorted by the bees, Yeon-ah worked in tandem with Seok-chul without any interference from the monsters.
Unexpectedly, she was a porter.
Of course, just as there are different grades of stars for different jobs, she can’t be called an ordinary porter.
________________________________
[Class Specialization – Elite Porter]
* Elite Soul Bag: Holds 3,660 slots worth of items. However, the number of slots occupied varies depending on the type of items you store (the number of slots increases with level).
* Lightweight: The weight of the items you carry is significantly reduced.
* Elite Porter’s Tenacity: Satiety and Stamina are reduced at a slower rate.
* ???
________________________________
Despite her somewhat frail appearance, she has a unique personal history that has led her to choose a career as an elite porter.
It’s a great reminder of how trivial it is to judge someone by their appearance.
“Thank you for your hard work. Let’s eat first.”
“Wow, thank you, Mr. Sung-hyuk!”
“Hahaha, I heard that the rice you eat after work tastes like honey, but I didn’t think I’d actually get to try steamed potatoes with honey, huh!”
“I hope the honey makes it taste good, oh, and by the way, do you mind if I pick out some of the finished plywood to take home?”
“Sure, take as much as you want!”
A job well done is a job well rewarded.
While taking care of their meals, Sung-hyuk picked out some of the plywood that Seok-chul had brought with him that could be used as materials for the hive and promptly built the 11th hive.
[Successful hive construction! The Bee Guardian’s blessing will be engraved on the beehive].
[Some of the items you used as materials had keywords inscribed on them; instead of disappearing, the keywords grant additional bonuses to the item].
[Guardian’s Oversized Parkison Plywood Beehive (★★★) has been crafted].
A nifty little bonus effect of plywood with the keyword “Sturdy”.
While concentrating on the building of this hive, Seokchul and Yeon-ah finished their meal and were watching him intently.
“…. What is it?”
” Uh, I was just watching!”
“Oh, well, you were so intent on your work that I couldn’t help but pay attention. Sung-hyuk. I guess you’re kind of in the same bracket as me, huh?”
“Is that so?”
Well, Seokchul is also a 3-star who has the unique class of Tree Slayer.
Since there are some differences depending on the class, it’s safe to say that he’s just as much of an oddity as Sung-hyuk, despite having a 5-star unique class, Bee Guardian.
“Well, anyway, looking at you working, I’m getting a little fired up. Like I said, just tell me. With my skills, I can build you a fairly useful structure.”
” Hmmm. So do you think you can build a warehouse to store the honey and a greenhouse? I think it would be good for Soo-hee to grow various crops instead of just cooking.”
“Hahaha! I can’t believe you even think about my wife. Thank you very much for this. I’ll definitely do my best!”
The seeds of natural vegetation are always found by the scouting bees, and if not, they can be purchased on the exchange.
And above all, steamed potatoes with honey are delicious, but human desire knows no bounds.
Eating only potatoes is going to cause problems.²
** ** **
TL/N:
1. In South Korea there are 7 Levels of Hierarchy when speaking.
*Three levels with high politeness (very formally polite, formally polite, casually polite)
*Two levels with low politeness (formally impolite, casually impolite)
*The remaining two levels (neutral formality with neutral politeness, high formality with neutral politeness) are neither polite or impolite.
Sung-hyuk suddenly changed from speaking formally polite to the others to casually impolite.
To make it clear that if they did not adhere regarding respecting his Bees’ he would kick them out immediately.
2. A diet of just potatoes will be deficient in vitamins A, E and K, the minerals calcium and selenium, essential fatty acids, protein and dietary fiber.