NOVEL NEXT Ch 7
Chapter 7
By the 13th day, Sung-hyuk and the farm had gone through quite a few changes.
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[Yoo Sung-hyuk]
* Level: 12
* Coins Owned: 33,728
* Health: 300 Mana: 300
* Attack: 21 Defense: 12 Resistance: 15
* Stat Points: 0
* Strength: 17 Agility: 31 Durability: 30 Control: 12 Spirit: 30
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Sung Hyuk, who was first level 9, was able to gain three more levels to achieve level 12.
And in the process, Sung Hyuk learned one important thing.
[You have met certain awakening conditions -> Level 10].
[Bee Guardian’s power becomes stronger, increasing the number of queen bees you can hold by an additional 1].
The number of queen bees that Sung-hyuk can have has been increased from a maximum of one to two.
“A queen bee is a power to a beekeeper, so it’s highly welcomed.”
Right now, the value of the Rubigem queen bee’s influence is not insignificant.
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[Rubigem Queen Bee (★)]
* The nest currently exists.
* Brood: 116,678 (7,722 Eggs / 2,322 Larvae / 4,688 Pupae / 101,946 Worker Bees)
* Growth rate: 99%.
* Spawning rate: 4 per minute
* Hatching time: 8 hours
* Allegory Course: 18 hours
* Possesses Skills: Spawn (Lv.3), Queen’s Pheromone (Lv.2), Poison Sting (Lv.2), Flight (Lv.2)
* Health : 130(+35) Mana : 70(+35)
* Attack : 12(+3) Defense : 5(+2) Resistance: 3(+1)
….
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In fact, the original population of just one queen bee has now grown to well over 100,000.
It’s gotten to the point where it’s impossible to house all the bees in just one of the Guardian’s oversized acorn hives, which can only hold up to 100,000 bees.
But even as the population exploded, Sung-hyuk wasn’t too worried.
“Because there’s enough houses to go around.”
[Guardian’s Oversized Night Beehive (★+)]
[Guardian’s Oversized Fir Tree Beehive (★+)].
[Guardian’s Oversized Thornwood Log Beehive (★★)]
Crafted a Guardian’s Hive, which he had been using sparingly whenever his 3-day cooldown came around.
Thanks to the different materials and methods used each time, Sung-hyuk now has three different types of hives, not including the first acorn hive.
“I feel like I’m playing a game and my research is being crushed at the same time. Is it any wonder the concepts are different since they’re bees from another dimension in the first place?”
Normally, you’d have to separate the brood with the new queen in order for things to work.
But is it because of the mechanics of the system?
Or is it because of the tight grip Sung-hyuk has on the control of the Rubigem queen bee?
Whatever it was, the bees managed to transfer the larvae and pupae to the queenless hive on their own, and they started collecting honey there, too.
*Buzzz!* *Weing-!* *Buzzzz!*
“Yes, you cute little things, your queen’s bedding is, of course, the finest.”
A total of 4 different beehives that Sung-hyuk owns.
In three cases it was ★+, but in one case it was a different story.
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[Guardian’s Oversized Thornwood Log Beehive (★★)]
* Category: Miscellaneous
* Curse of the Thorn Tree is applied to enemies when they are hit.
※ Curse of the Thorns: Decreases Health by 1 per second for 30 seconds (stacks up to 5)
* Currently empty.
* Capacity: 0 / 133,000(+18,000)
* Current honey status: 0%.
* Health: 4,350 (+1,250)
* Defense : 57(+18) Resistance: 25(+9)
* Durability: 550 / 550 (+80)
* Description: This is an oversized, ★★-ranked hive of thorny wood engraved with the Keyword of the Guardian. Its sharply spiked spines unleash a curse of thorns on the target it is struck.
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A ★★-grade beehive crafted by reaching skill level 2 in beehive crafting and utilizing a log of the otherworldly vegetation that was available on the Market.
The old acorn hive wasn’t bad, but as they say, newer is better.
Sung-hyuk decided to turn it into a home for the Rubigem queen bee.
“Come on, little queen. Shall we move into our new home?”
The perfect home for something more robust and capable of counterattacking.
But why is that so?
There’s no news from the Rubigem queen bee, who should be able to understand Sung-hyuk’s words by heart anytime soon.
*Buzzz!* *Buzzzz!*
“What the hell, what’s wrong with you?”
What’s more, the bees seem to be dancing around the hive in circles, almost as if they’re trying to instill a sense of anxiety.
Even for Sung-hyuk, who has been watching for the past 13 days, he has no idea.
An anomaly that seems to tell him there’s something wrong just by looking at it.
However, Sung-hyuk wasn’t too fazed.
“If there’s a reason, they’ll tell me, and if they don’t, I’ll just have to figure it out somehow.”
The Rubigem Queen Bee is the first individual that Sung-hyuk obtained in the changed new world.
As a bee guardian, he has no intention of giving up easily.
Above all, the changed new world is a place where game systems are the foundation.
And sure enough?
Just as Sung-hyuk thought, a message is sent to him regarding the cause of the current anomaly.
[You have met the requirements to evolve the Rubigem Queen Bee (★): -> 100% growth rate, 100,000+ bees in your colony].
[Please choose the path of evolution as the owner of the Rubigem Queen Bee (★). 30 minutes remaining].
※ Note: If you do not choose an evolutionary path in the remaining time, it will be randomly selected.
Honestly, when he first saw the Rubigem Queen Bee option, one of the things he was most curious about was the growth rate.
Since it didn’t even have a level like a player, he thought something would happen if it was completely filled.
But that was actually the evolution of the Rubigem queen bee?
“This is a total goddamn game.”
Lest we forget, Sung-hyuk spent 24 years of his life devoted to bees, as he also had the right to the same 5-star unique class of “Mad Explorer” before he chose the unique class of Bee Guardian.
It goes without saying, but for Seonghyuk, the evolution of bees, which was the focus of his research, was the perfect opportunity to touch his dormant madness.
* * * * *
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[Notification]
※ The path for the Rubigem Queen Bee (★) to evolve into the Rubigem Queen Bee (★★) has been opened. Please choose the evolution course as the owner. Time remaining: 29 minutes, 52 seconds.
※ If you do not choose an evolutionary path in the remaining time, it will be randomly selected.
[Evolutionary List].
* Egg-laying organ evolution: the speed of the Rubigem queen bee’s egg-laying and the hatching of eggs and the pupation process of the chrysalis are increased / In an extremely low probability, a Rubigem princess bee (★+) is born. Once born, the Princess Bee is treated as part of the Rubigem Queen’s brood. However, Rubigem Princess Bees have limited evolution and you can only have a maximum of 2 of them.
* Stinger organ evolution: the venomous sting of the Rubigem queen and other bees in the swarm becomes more toxic / Low chance of spawning Rubigem acid venom bees (★+) and Rubigem self-destruct bees (★+).
* Evolution of physical organs: health, attack, defense, etc. of the Rubigem Queen and other bees in the colony. Physical features increase: / Low chance to spawn Rubigem Longevity Bee (★+) and Rubigem Serrated Jaw Bee (★+).
* Evolution of wings, pollinator organs: increases the flight speed of the Rubigem Queen and her swarm, and the amount of honey she collects / Low chance of spawning Rubigem Scout Bee (★+) and Rubigem Honeycomb Bee (★+).
※ Be careful when choosing a path based on your evolutionary tree. The evolution of a queen can have an immediate impact on the brood under her control, and the direction you choose can either broaden or narrow your next path.
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“….”
The evolutionary path of the Rubigem queen bee flashed before his eyes.
Sung-hyuk, who had devoted 24 years of his life to bees, wanted to choose all of them, but he controlled his excitement.
“If you’re going to give it to me, why don’t you give it all to me?”
At the end of the day, the big picture of the world is a game.
Even if Sung Hyuk is a 5-star unique class, it’s impossible for him to get all of those evolutions at once.
And neither can he, because that would be a perfect recipe for an unbalanced game.
“It’s all about choice and focus.”
It’s a situation that Sung Hyuk can’t help but find ridiculous, but what can he do?
If this is the system of the game, the limitations of this part must be followed.
Therefore, Sung-hyuk kept his head cold and his heart hot as much as possible.
（Depending on the direction you choose, the next path may be wider or narrower.)
The text says.
What this means is that the evolution of the Rubigem queen bee doesn’t end with one choice and that this choice will determine the next evolutionary path.
“Which path makes the most sense for our survival going forward?”
In broad terms, it is a challenging field that is divided into quantity, toxicity, physicality, speed, and efficiency, all of which require giving up on something.
Obviously, the evolution of each organ has its own set of advantages and disadvantages, as well as its own survival implications.
[As the owner of the Rubigem Queen Bee (★), please choose the evolutionary path. 16 minutes and 22 seconds remaining].
By now, half the time had been spent.
But even so, with the question still gnawing at him, Sung-hyuk took a deep breath as if he were about to make a decision.
“Okay. This decision is not mine alone.”
With determination, Sung-hyuk sticks his hand into the hive.
*Buzzz!* *Bzzzzttt* *Buzzzz!*
Then, as if waiting for Sung-hyuk’s touch, the queen honeybee hopped onto the finger that he held out to her and fluttered her wings, looking so small and weak.
However, the queen bee is by no means a weak individual.
A swarm of over 100,000 bees exists before Seonghyuk’s eyes.
Because it was this great mother, the queen bee, who built that army.
“What does our little queen want to evolve?”
Sung Hyuk asked the Rubigem queen bee a question.
If anyone else had seen it, it would have been incomprehensible.
Of course, bees are insects, and since they communicate through pheromones and dance, they can’t really communicate with humans.
Sung-hyuk has a specialty called “Bee Link,” which allows him to communicate his thoughts, but it’s impossible for him to receive the bees’ thoughts.
But Sung Hyuk is different.
An oddball who devoted his life to honeybees for a seemingly insignificant reason.
As the only candidate for the job of bee guardian, he attempted to make a real connection with the Rubigem queen bee.
*Bzzzttt!* *Bzzzz!*
The desperate flapping, dancing, and sweet smell of honey from the Rubigem queen bee.
The body language of a bee, is not even recognized by the game’s notification sounds.
Sung-hyuk didn’t miss a beat,
“Yep. The Little Queen’s will. I see.”
[You’ve chosen an evolutionary path -> Evolution of wings, pollinator organs].
[Rubigem Queen Bee (★) evolves into Rubigem Queen Bee (★★)].
[Overall stats for the Rubigem Queen Bee (★★) and the bees in her colony have been increased].
[All worker bees in the colony of the Rubigem Queen Bee (★★) will have their rank increased from (★-) to (★)].
[Flight skill level increases: Lv.2 -> Lv.3].
[During the allegory of the chrysalis, there is a low probability that a Rubigem scout bee (★+) and a Rubigem honeycomb bee (★+) will be born].
[The growth rate has been reset to 0%].
[Dimension Queen Bee Capture level increased: Lv.1 -> Lv.2].
[You have met the opening requirements for the Class Specialization, Bee Elite -> Secured the Advanced Species Allegory course].
* Bee Elite: Increases the chance of an Elite Bee appearing, which corresponds to the parent species.
The Rubigem queen bee chose to evolve wings and pollinator organs as she wished.