NOVEL NEXT Ch 33
Chapter 33
The two-star Akir honey apples brought by Yeon Soo-hee are incredibly refreshing.
It was as juicy as she said it would be and the description on the item, so much so that it ran down his hand.
“This is amazing.”
“Isn’t it?”
It tastes best after a hard day’s work.
The refreshing flavor of the juice and the feeling of quenching one’s thirst is indescribable.
After devouring the Akir honey apple in the blink of an eye, Sung-hyuk reaches for the next one, which is a bit smaller, but still the same Akir honey apple.
“Oh, you shouldn’t have that one…….”
“I just wanted to compare.”
This is what he did, just for the sake of comparison.
After all, it’s always best to taste a product rather than just judge it by its appearance and effectiveness, right?
*Crunch!*
The same crunchy texture.
The juiciness and aroma that accompanied it was definitely a honey apple sweetness that wasn’t bad.
But had he already eaten something too delicious earlier?
Sung-hyuk could understand why Soo-hee had discouraged him from eating it.
“Mmmm. From now on, I won’t be able to eat anything but Soo-hee’s honey apples.”
“Hohoho, don’t worry, I’ll always take care of that. But will you have to keep sending those cute little bees?”
“They’ll come on their own, even if I don’t send them.”
The amazing feat of bees to find and seek out places wherever there is a source of nectar.
As long as it is present, they will instinctively go there even if Sung-hyuk doesn’t give them any orders.
“Then I’m going to finish up the rest of the work: honey and vinegar. Also, meat that can be used as cooking ingredients can be purchased at the exchange and prepared in the warehouse, so you can take out as much as you need.”
“Thank you for your consideration, Mr. Sung-hyuk.”
When someone has the talent to cook in a professional manner, it would be a fool not to utilize it.
Sung-hyuk possessed honey and vinegar that he could obtain by gathering and processing himself, but also purchased meat without hesitation, which tended to be quite expensive on the exchange thanks to the fact that he had a large amount of coins.
With Sung-hyuk cultivating honey apple farms, Seok-chul took the opportunity to construct not only greenhouses but also ‘warehouses’ that offered effects such as maintaining freshness, space utilization, and security. This led to a significant transformation.
[Player Yeon Soo-hee (Mom’s Homemade Food) – Level 17 has taken in ‘Akir Honey Apples (★★) X 64’ from the Sturdy Parkison Plywood Beeswax Warehouse (★★+)].
[Player Yeon Soo-hee (Mom’s Homemade Food) – Level 17 has taken “Guardian’s Rubigem Honey Vinegar (★+)” x 20″ from the Sturdy Parkison Plywood Beeswax Warehouse (★★+)].
[Player Yeon Soo-hee (Mom’s Homemade Food) – Level 17 has taken a ‘Gradle Pork (★★-)’ x 3′ from the Sturdy Parkison Plywood Beeswax Warehouse (★★+)].
[Player Yeon Soo-hee (Mom’s Homemade Food) – Level 17 has taken a Rubigem Honey (★) x 34′ from the Sturdy Parkison Plywood Beeswax Warehouse (★★+)].
….
To be honest, no matter how close he had gotten to them, Sung-hyuk was not naturally inclined to trust people.
That’s why he only gave the bee venom to Kang Cheon-su when he had a good reason for doing so, and kept the other items under his control.
However, since the warehouse was set up with automatic alerts due to the ‘security’ feature, Sung-hyuk has been able to ease his worries.
At the very least, the items in the warehouse can’t be touched unless he’s given permission.
‘If one knows the value of life in the first place, they won’t make rash decisions.’
There are well over a million bees around.
The bees were currently escorting them, but if they got greedy, they could turn on them in an instant.
Having seen the battle with the Stinger with their own eyes, they were unlikely to be so flippant as to ignore the power of the bees.
‘Well, at any rate, it’s amazing how much difference four people can make.’
Trusting people too much can be a problem, but so can being too paranoid.
For now, Sung-hyuk is happy enough with the changes that their inclusion has brought to the farm.
Of course, even if Seok-chul and Soo-hee had not arrived, Sung-hyuk would still be running the apiary as he usually does.
But even then, it wouldn’t have been possible to build greenhouses and warehouses, to farm and cook, or to set traps to make it safer.
‘Seeing this, man is not a creature that can live alone.’
This is not only a consequence of the changes in the world due to the game’s system, but also the way the world has always been.
No one is perfect at everything.
Some people are good at some things, and some people are bad at others.
Just as others can fill in the gaps, they can do what Sung-hyuk can’t do.
For a brief moment, he wonders if he was right to save them when they were being chased by the Field Boss.
*Weing~~* *Buzz!!*
The Rubigem scouting bees, sensing the emotions of Sung-hyuk due to the influence of the bee link, rush over to him as if to praise him.
“Yeah. It’s all due to you guys.”
If the scouting bees hadn’t found them in the first place, Seokchul and the others wouldn’t have made it this far and would have become manure for the Stinger and become parts for the white bones attached to its body.
When thinking about it, Queen Rubigem’s foresight gives him goosebumps.
In the first evolution, if Sung-hyuk had evolved the organs instead of choosing to evolve the wings and pollinator tubes to create the scout bees as the parent species, he would have never found them.
“After all, I have to respect the queen.”
She was thinking too far ahead.
Indeed, the instinctive senses of a bee queen in charge of a large swarm are frightening.
“Let’s go, Dad has to work now, so you kids have to get going.”
Patting down the scout bees on the head who are eager for attention and praise is only for a short time, however.
Even though the honey has been collected from the eleven hives one by one, Sung-hyuk still has to perform the secondary processing of making the product.
*Weing~~*
The bees seem to have understood Sung-hyuk’s message, and they dance with a honeyed expression of regret, and then, with aerobatics, they once again set out on a long journey to collect more nectar and conduct reconnaissance.
[Honey Tea Making Success! Bee Guardian’s blessing is inscribed on the honey tea].
[Honey Soap Crafting Success! Bee Guardian’s blessing is inscribed on the honey soap].
[Honey Distilling Success! Bee Guardian’s sigil is inscribed on the honey wine].
[Royal Jelly Concentrate Success! Bee Guardian’s sigil is inscribed on a Royal Jelly Pill].
[Guardian’s Peridot Honey Tea (★★+) has been successfully crafted].
…..
While the bees went off to do their work, Sung-hyuk continued to do the same.
As the number of hives increased, so too did the supply of honey that was collected with every extraction.
Add to that the effect of the ‘Increased Gathering Volume’ attached to food made by Soo-hee, the Abundance Producer, and the result is that the inventory is threatening to overflow!
As a result, Sung-hyuk’s skill processing never stops.
[You have leveled up, gaining 5 stat points].
Sung-hyuk’s leveling up is the result of this synergistic interaction.
After repeatedly collecting and processing massive amounts of food, leveling up to level 27 wasn’t too difficult, even though he was already at level 26.
Moreover, this level up is important for Sung-hyuk.
In a sense, reaching level 27 was not just about advancing by one level, but there were also some very significant milestones,
[You have met certain awakening conditions -> pure Agility stat of 100 or higher, without the effects of items].
An Agility stat of 96 purely excluding the effects of items.
As a result of investing all 5 stat points earned this time, the hidden potential of the Bee Guardian is revealed, just as it was in the case of Endurance and Spirit.
[The Bee Guardian’s power increases: the movement and sensory abilities of all bees in the swarm are enhanced].
[The impact of this power grants faster movement and heightened senses as your Agility stat grows].
*Weing~~* *Buzz!!*
*Buzzz!!!*
The surrounding bees began to speed up with an audible buzz.
“Not bad.”
Although the scouting bees, who normally were on the faster side, and the elite bees such as TunTun and Lily had just become spectacularly fast, this was enough for Sung Hyuk to be satisfied.
Agility is a stat he’ll just have to keep working on.
And most notably, Bee Guardian.
The fundamental strength of the bees, as they say, does not come from an individual.
From the queen, to the worker bees, to Sung-hyuk, who cares for them and can mobilize processed goods that can help the collective.
Up to a million bees,
If all of these powers were to be applied to such a huge swarm that could be called a Corps, the power would be immense.
“I guess this will bring them to the next level.”
After the Endurance and Spirit stats, he unlocked another Hidden Piece Power, this time for Agility.
There’s a moment of anticipation and joy at the prospect of what the remaining Strength and Control will bring.
“Let’s wrap this up, then.”
As they say, if you love it too much, you’ll become like it.
A beehive life.
As a person who was exploring the ecology of bees, which can be said to be an example of sincerity, Sung-hyuk continued processing without getting tired.
* * * *
Working hard without a break.
It can be very tiresome and unpleasant.
Even if someone had superhuman strength, they would still get tired of repeating the same routine.
However, there have been instances when despite the hardships, one’s mood suddenly improves, like a 180-degree turnaround, and that’s a kind of reward psychology.
Well, to summarize it in one word: food.
“You all worked hard, and I prepared a nice meal, so come on in.”
Yeon Soo-hee smiles like an old aunt as she covers the corner of her mouth with her hand.
To be fair, the quality of the meal she’s prepared isn’t even comparable to the previous shirvong steamed potatoes.
The ingredients were abundant thanks to Sung-hyuk’s generous investment of coins and her own efforts working in the green house.
The resulting menu was nothing short of spectacular.
______________________________
[Rich Gradle Peridot Pork and Apple Stir-Fry(★★★-)]
* Category: Consumable
* When consumed, grants the individual the Luck of Rich Gradle Peridot Pork Apple Stir-Fry, along with a feeling of abundant satiety.
※ Luck of the Rich Gradle Peridot Pork Apple Stir-Fry: Increases Strength and Endurance by 10 (+3) for 120 minutes, and increases the speed of all gathering activities by 45 (+10) percent. In addition, because of the abundance of luck, the amount of experience gained from Life skills and the number of gathered items will be increased significantly (cooldown 120 minutes).
…..
[Rich Rubigem Honey Apple Juice (★★)]
[Rich Rubigem Honey Apple Salad (★★+)]
……
______________________________
The first thing that caught my eye was the grilled pork that had been cooked to perfection, and there were some side dishes on top to enhance the taste, but in fact, it was no different from the main dish.
That’s because it wasn’t just sugar, it was stewed apples made with Rubigem honey, Peridot honey, and Akir honey apples, sautéed together.
This was followed by honey apple juice, salads, and a variety of other dishes made with the prepared honey.
The effect is enormous, but it’s also drool-worthy, and the residents’ eyes widen at the sight of it.