Chapter 83 – Showing the Taste of Honey

“Yum.”

Aileen swallowed the honey jelly. As soon as she put it in her mouth, the honey jelly melted, and sweetness spread throughout her mouth along with the unique flavor of peanuts.

[You have consumed the poison honeybee’s peanut honey jelly.]

The honey jelly made from the nectar of peanut flowers had the effect of strengthening magic-related talents, just like the cherry tomato honey jelly, so Aileen had been eating the two alternately lately.

“Khehehe. Delicious.”

While Aileen was happily eating the honey jelly like that,

[Talent: The hardened Dragon Heart is slightly strengthened.]

[Talent: The limit of the hardened Dragon Heart has been exceeded.]

[Talent: The hardened Dragon Heart grows into a slightly soft Dragon Heart.]

The talent of Aileen, who had consumed the honey jelly, grew.

“Khehehe. It worked!”

Thump, thump… thump, thump…

Aileen rejoiced as she felt the beating of her Dragon Heart, which was now beating almost smoothly.

“Grandfather! My talent grew!”

—As expected of my granddaughter! Grandpa believed in you!

“Then teach me how to polymorph now!”

—P-Polymorph? Why?!

“Khehehe. I want to quickly polymorph and play with Se-jun!”

—No! That rascal… cough! Granddaughter, fortunately, polymorphing is still difficult with your current skills.

“Still?!”

—You still have a long way to go! First, let’s try what you can do now.

Kaiser comforted Aileen and had her grasp the abilities of her grown Dragon Heart. For now, adapting to the grown Dragon Heart was the priority.

***

Buzz.

Buzz.

Cueng!

[Meat smell!]

Cuengi lightly threw a punch filled with mana toward the poison honeybees approaching with the smell of meat.

Boom!

Cuengi’s fist created a powerful vacuum ten meters ahead, knocking the poison honeybees unconscious.

And Se-jun was gathering the poison honeybees that had been knocked unconscious by Cuengi’s attack.

“Poison honeybee. You must only eat honey from now on. Got it?”

Buzz.

[Yes.]

The poison honeybee answered quietly at Se-jun’s words. Se-jun was coaxing the poison honeybees with honey taken from Cuengi’s snack pouch, teaching the eastern poison honeybees the taste of honey to make them give up carnivory.

Of course, there was resistance from Cuengi, but they reached an agreement to double his honey once they returned.

[A wild poison honeybee decides to follow you.]

“Great.”

Se-jun felt proud looking at the 302nd poison honeybee that had converted.

At first, he had planned to eliminate all the eastern poison honeybees,

‘If only I could let them know the taste of honey…’

Suddenly, he thought that if he could convert the poison honeybees, it would be a great help to his farm. As the fields had been expanding lately, Se-jun had been wishing for more poison honeybees.

So, as a test, he caught one poison honeybee, coaxed it by showing it the taste of honey, and the result was successful. The poison honeybee that tasted the honey turned to Se-jun’s side all too easily.

Indeed, a poison honeybee was still a honeybee. Once it knew the taste of honey, it immediately gave up meat.

“Good. At this rate, we will make 1,000 poison honeybees join our side today!”

Pyak!

Cueng!

At Se-jun’s determination, the black rabbit and Cuengi also shouted cheerfully. For the two of them, anything was fun as long as they were with Se-jun.

While they were coaxing the poison honeybees like that,

Pyak!

The black rabbit pointed to a spot. There stood a giant, three-meter-high poison honeybee hive shaped like a tower.

“I wonder if that will work too?”

Se-jun approached carefully.

And,

“Cuengi, shake it!”

Cueng!

At Se-jun’s instruction, Cuengi grabbed the hive and shook it mercilessly.

Buzz.

Buzz.

The poison honeybees inside the hive came out to attack Cuengi, but

Cueng!

the poison honeybees’ stingers were only slightly prickly to Cuengi. A few hundred of them could not pose a big threat to Cuengi.

Pyak!

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Furthermore, the black rabbit knocked the poison honeybees unconscious with its hammer, blocking them from approaching Cuengi.

“Guys! Good job!”

Se-jun cheered for the black rabbit and Cuengi from afar.

“We!”

When Se-jun started the chant,

—Pyak! (are one!)

—Cueng! (are one!)

the two shouted the rest of the chant. The three were gradually matching their teamwork. Or rather, Se-jun emphasized teamwork.

As the poison honeybees inside the hive fainted from Cuengi’s shaking of the hive, Se-jun pulled out the unconscious poison honeybee queen from inside.

And,

“Queen. Wake up and try this.”

Se-jun woke the poison honeybee queen up, fed her honey, and urged her to join his side.

“If you go with me, you can eat this every day. Do you want to go together?”

Buzz. Buzz.

[I understand. Please take good care of me from now on.]

[The wild poison honeybee queen decides to follow you.]

[The 1,295 poison honeybees led by the wild poison honeybee queen decide to follow you along with the queen.]

[You have acquired the hive possessed by the wild poison honeybee queen.]

“Oh!”

He had exceeded the target of coaxing 1,000 poison honeybees in one go.

Cueng!

Cuengi cheered at the increase in poison honeybees to make honey.

“Hehehe.”

Pyaaaaak!

Cueeeeng!

Having achieved such a great result, the three were moving the poison honeybee hive near Se-jun’s farm in high spirits, each singing their own song, when

“Kyu-kyu-kyu. Se-jun-nim!”

Iona quickly approached from afar and called out to Se-jun.

Then,

Pyak…

The black rabbit, who looked in the direction Iona was coming from, groaned and clutched his heart.

“Black Rabbit, what’s wrong?”

Pyak! Pyak!

[I think I’m going to die! My heart is beating too fast!]

“No. You’re not dying. That’s…”

Se-jun said, looking at the pure white rabbit running with Iona on its back. What was bound to come had finally come. Spring had arrived for the black rabbit.

“Should I call it love?”

Trying to say it was love felt somewhat cringey. Honestly, it was an emotion Se-jun didn’t know well either.

Pyak?

Cueng?

“What is love? Love is…”

A solo-since-birth guy who learned about dating from TV began to explain love to the novice solo-since-birth animals.

“You just need to remember this. Love is a straight path. It’s not running away from your feelings. And we?!”

—Pyak! (are one!)

—Cueng! (are one!)

“Now, go. Black Rabbit! We will cheer you on!”

Se-jun clenched his fist. He felt more nervous for no reason.

Cueng!

Cuengi, although not knowing what it was, also clenched both fists to cheer for the black rabbit.

And,

Pyak!

Receiving the cheers of the two, the black rabbit stepped forward.

“Iona, what’s going on?”

“Kyu-kyu-kyu. I plan to obtain samples for magic research on the 99th floor of the tower for the time being.”

However, the answering Iona’s gaze was fixed on Se-jun’s lap.

“Is that so? Iona, shall we talk for a bit?”

To create an opportunity for the black rabbit to talk alone with Pyupyu, Se-jun called Iona aside.

***

The black rabbit approached the white rabbit who came with Iona.

Thump! Clack! Thump! Clack!

As he got closer, his heart beat rougher and faster. Uncle said this was love.

Hello! I’m the black rabbit!

Receiving the support of Se-jun and Cuengi, the black rabbit approached and said confidently.

Yeah. I’m Pyupyu!

Pyupyu answered brightly. Although she had heard about them from her master, Pyupyu was very glad to see a fellow rabbit.

At that moment,

Pyupyu, I love you!

Sorry. I don’t have the leisure to be in love.

Pyupyu rejected him flatly.

It’s okay. Then I’ll make you have leisure. What can I do to help you?

I have to rebuild Red Ribbon, the rabbit kingdom, on the 55th floor of the tower.

Really? Then let’s date once we rebuild Red Ribbon!

Do you think rebuilding a kingdom is that easy?

I don’t know. But I’ll do it! So let’s date!

No. Rebuilding a kingdom isn’t that easy…

So, let’s date once we rebuild the kingdom!

Uncle said love is a straight path. That you don’t run away. The black rabbit was charging straight ahead infinitely.

***

A nursing home in Kobe, Japan.

Slide.

The door of the single room slid open, and a man walked in carrying a box full of green onions and sweet potatoes.

“Honey! I’m here!”

The man said, looking at his emaciated wife, Toda, who was lying in bed.

“Kotaro… welcome.”

When Toda reached out her arms, Kotaro gently hugged her.

“I finally obtained the Detoxifying Green Onion. Just wait a moment.”

“Okay. You didn’t overdo it, did you?”

“Don’t worry. I’m a hunter of the Royal Knight Guild.”

Although it cost a huge sum close to 400 million yen, Kotaro did not speak honestly. He could spend even more money if it meant saving his wife, who was in the terminal stage of liver cancer.

He was only disappointed that he could not get enough Detoxifying Green Onions as he wanted. To completely cure terminal liver cancer, 100 Detoxifying Green Onions were needed, but Kotaro could only get 50.

Since the auction sold the Detoxifying Green Onions in batches of 500, the bidding price was too high. Therefore, the guild first bid and won it with the guild’s operating funds, and then distributed it to the guild members.

However, the secured green onions were few, and there were many guild members who wanted them, so most guilds sold the Detoxifying Green Onions first to patients with severe symptoms to reduce conflict.

Instead of a complete cure, they sold only a quantity that could alleviate symptoms.

Splaaash.

Kotaro washed three Detoxifying Green Onions and one Honey Sweet Potato of Strength clean with water and put them in the steamer. Various studies yielded results showing that eating three Detoxifying Green Onions in one meal could maximize efficiency.

“Chew it slowly and thoroughly.”

Kotaro cut the cooked green onions and sweet potatoes into good sizes and began to feed them to Toda.

“Okay.”

Toda carefully ate the green onions and sweet potatoes.

“They say sweet potatoes activate bowel movements.”

“…Okay.”

Toda answered softly, perhaps out of embarrassment. The effect of the Honey Sweet Potato of Strength was so good that she had to go to the restroom within 30 minutes after eating it. Since then, Toda always ate green onions and sweet potatoes together.

And a few days later, when she visited the hospital for a regular checkup,

“This is a miracle! The patient’s cancer has completely disappeared!”

she received a clean bill of health.

“What? Really?!”

Toda could not believe the doctor’s words since she had only eaten 30 Detoxifying Green Onions so far. It was not just an improvement to stage 3 liver cancer, but a declaration of being completely cured!

“Yes! On top of that, all your liver enzymes are above average.”

Toda also went to other hospitals just in case, but they all yielded results showing no cancer cells.

Later, a doctor who heard of Toda’s case published a research finding that the Honey Sweet Potato of Strength increased the efficacy of the Detoxifying Green Onion by five times, and similar cases began to be reported from other hospitals.

It was a tremendous effect. It meant that with just the Sweet Potato of Strength, one could completely cure liver cancer with only 20 Detoxifying Green Onions.

A flood of contacts asking to buy the sweet potatoes rushed to the hunters who had purchased the Honey Sweet Potato of Strength hoping for a strength increase, and other hunters only waited for the next auction where they could buy the Honey Sweet Potato of Strength to open.

***

“Ah! Let me introduce my disciple! Pyupyu!”

Iona, who was talking with Se-jun, called her disciple.

Pyupyu!

At the master’s call, the white rabbit ran over, and the black rabbit followed behind it. Seeing them come separately, it did not seem like the two had become very close.

‘Did the conversation not go well?’

“Se-jun-nim, this is Pyupyu, the princess of the Red Ribbon Kingdom. Pyupyu, greet him. This is the Great Black Dragon, Park Se-jun-nim.”

Pyupyu!

At Iona’s words, Pyupyu lay down and bowed.

“Princess?”

The status of the white rabbit the black rabbit fell in love with was higher than expected. I should make up something for our black rabbit so he won’t feel discouraged, shouldn’t I?

“Let’s go to the farm for now.”

Se-jun returned to the farm, leading the party.

And,

The right hand of the Great Black Dragon?

Chairman Park’s bodyguard?

Black Hammer Pyaki?

While Se-jun was walking, thinking of a status for the black rabbit that wouldn’t fall short compared to a princess,

Tightly.

the black rabbit and Pyupyu followed him, holding their small hands.