Marigold – A LitRPG

Well, I guess unless the system timer broke, the [Well nourished] effect has something to do with the fact that the 2-day time became 18 hours in just a little over 2 hours! That's what, 2x faster?

At least it confirmed my theory: [Effects] are more than just pretty words on a screen! These are literally buffs and debuffs. I can't see their detailed descriptions to know their exact effects, and I don't know a way to get that information! Maybe increasing the level of [Analyzing] wasn't certain, but it might be necessary for me to increase my own level! Something I didn't realize until today! After so much work and creation, I don't seem to have earned any famous XP, and I don't even have an XP bar. I might be earning XP and not even know it! I would bet more on the fact that to level up, I need to kill other creatures because, as far as I've discovered, craft jobs don't give XP!

Leaving my anger with the system aside, I returned to the task of tidying up my little house. The nut that lit everything still occupied the center of the burrow, and after seeing some pieces of [Common Hard Wax] on the side that had been left over from my previous construction, I decided to attach the small lamp to the ceiling! Using generic honey (useless in my opinion), I created a little [Common Wax], used it to wrap half of the walnut in wax, and left the other half free to shine. With a single piece of special wax, I placed it on top of the walnut, where it already had wax, reinforcing everything with a bit more wax. Then I used what was left of the common wax in my chest to stick the improvised chandelier to the ceiling, and I must say, it turned out great! Now the whole place was illuminated by the bright walnut lamp, and the considerable-sized ball no longer got in my way. When it dies off, I just have to stretch my arms and give the lamp a light slap to light it up again. I also opted for this design because if the walnut stops shining at some point, I can simply tear off the old one with ease and replace it with a new, bright one!

Satisfied with my work on the chandelier, I soon left my house with the aim of filling the large dam with honey! Since, with my experience with the little soldier larva, I knew that it needed a lot of honey to satisfy his hunger.

After a long day of work and a lot of willpower—because seriously, the whole process of making honey is extremely exhausting physically and mentally!—the big reward was 2 levels in [Create Honey]

.

I had finally filled about 3/4 of my entire tank with honey from [Grand Boungain]. Sometimes, I had to feed the soldier again, and again he ate large amounts of honey! About an hour ago, this little guy started creating silk! It started with a few threads, and soon he was fully wrapped in a cocoon. This could only mean one thing: I would finally get my long-awaited soldier!

Now should be the final moments before he emerges. I was very nervous! Would he be conscious? Sentient? Or neither? Just a drone with no will of his own?

I had no idea.

I tried to analyze his [Status] and all I could do was analyze the cocoon he was in.

I was nervous, like a father in the emergency room waiting for news of his son's birth, not knowing when it would happen.

I stood there, looking at the cocoon, drinking the precious honey that I had made with so much hard work as if it were water because of how nervous I was. Soon, movement came from the cocoon, as if something was tearing it from the inside. I got up immediately, and after a few moments of struggle, a bee, different from me but still similar, emerged from the big cocoon.

It was a bee larger than me and seemed much stronger. He had the same body composition as me—4 arms, 2 legs, 2 eyes, 2 wings, and fangs—but the similarities ended there. His arms were much more robust than mine, and he had what seemed to be an exoskeleton with a metallic appearance, with yellow and black colors typical of bees. His shoulders were wide, with more natural armor, his head was smaller than mine, his eyes were larger, and his fangs took up most of his face. They were really scary, clearly very powerful. He had 2 antennae like me, but they were longer and hung forward. His bee butt was smaller, and his stinger was larger than mine. His 2 legs were large and robust, and he had armor. The wings were huge—so much so that they grazed the ground, very different from mine. My wings were small but very powerful. As I looked at him, the image of a military soldier with all the protective equipment came to mind.

As I stared nervously at him, not knowing what to do or say, I was suddenly startled by a deep, masculine voice coming straight from his jaws.

"Mom... What's my purpose?"

...

...

I DON'T EVEN KNOW MY OWN PURPOSE, AND NOW YOU WANT ME TO GIVE YOU A PURPOSE?!

"Hmm... Then... so... You know, right? Protect me from the dangers of the world and things like that?"

This brat has just been born and already brings me trouble! He stands there looking at me like I know what to do! Just so you know, I am more lost than you! And he really called me Mom?! Now what should I do, correct him? Leave it like that? Technically, I'm his mother, but I wasn't prepared for a sentient being coming out of that egg!

The great bee soldier stood looking at me, analyzing the environment around him as if he were lost, or maybe it was just a child's curiosity? After all, even though he is a super muscular giant in my conception, in reality, he is a boy with less than 5 minutes of life...

I took advantage of the awkward silence and the fact that he seemed distracted and tried to analyze this guy to see what's good about him...

What the heck is that? Is he a monster? Or am I pathetic? Or both?

When I was born, I didn't have that much power! Is this a result of the fact that he is a [Soldier] and I am a [Queen], or are these stats the result of the mysterious effect of [Well Nourished] as a bonus in statistics?

And these [Skills]? I think this at least confirms the idea that there really are offensive-type [Skills]!

And this [Trait] that he has...

How did he get [Super Developed]?!? Was that because I fed him [Boungain Honey]? Or an aftereffect of [Well Nourished]? I don't know! And now he's super developed!

I would say that at least this trait is very good, because seriously? x2 in Strength, Life, and Speed stats? That's clearly a super soldier! Should I put Steve Rogers' name on him to give some luck?

"Hmm... Are you hungry? Or do you need something?"

"Yes, Mother, I am very hungry. I don't need anything more than food and your orders, Mom!"

What a complicated boy.

*"Well... I've been stockpiling honey inside that dike. Feel free to eat as much as you desire. And about your task... could you try to reach Lv 2? If you could do that, it would be very useful for me. And... would you like a name? Calling you 'you' or 'soldier' doesn't feel right... And could you try not to call me Mom? it's a little uncomfortable for me..."

"Of course, Mom!... I'm sorry, Mom, I can't help but call you Mom... it simply seems to me the only correct way to address you, and regarding the task of achieving Lv 2, I can accomplish it without problems! And please feel free to call me whatever you want!"

"Ok... I guess that Mother Thing can be left for later then... but I still have a question. How can you talk so well? You were just born and you don't seem to have any problem having a dialogue with me."

"Well, Mom... I don't know how to tell you for sure, but I can access a link in my mind that allows me to have knowledge of everything you know. I use this form of communication because it is the one that seemed preferable to you..."

"How come you have access to everything I know?! Try to explain better!"

"Yes, I would not say that I know every piece of information that you are aware of, but I can see the bigger picture and have access to general information that you have. I can also make use of anything that you think is necessary for me to know."

"Ok, that must be one of the effects of [Maternal Connection] along with [Memorial Memory] from me? Can you tell me how I feel about you now?"

"Yes, I can say that you are very proud of me, and also that you are afraid of me—not the kind of fear that you might think I would hurt you, but more afraid of how you should act and react to my presence. I feel that you are trying to suppress any feelings you may have toward me, such as attachment or even responsibility, and I can tell that you feel that my creation may have been a mistake."

Damn it! He's aware of the feelings I had towards him all this time and didn't react to it?! Now I feel bad for him. Yes, I'm a little conflicted about the idea of accepting him as my son, plus I had no idea he was aware of it! No matter how much I think, it must be horrible to know that your father/mother doesn't love you and thinks your very existence is a mistake! Yes, I feel very proud that such an aberration of nature is the fruit of my hard work, but I also feel like a real piece of garbage for making him think I hate him!

"I'M SORRY! It's not your fault that I am feeling like this, and you are nothing but a ray of hope in my messy life. I am sorry if I have made you feel bad about your very existence, but this is only because I am in conflict with the idea of being a mother to any other living being, and not because I am mocking your existence!"

"...Thank you, Mom, it is comforting to know that I am not a burden to you, but I have no problem with the way you think of me. My purpose is to protect you, and how I feel doesn't matter for that purpose!"

"Of course it matters, you little shit! You think I'll be able to sleep at night knowing that my own son thinks I hate him?! That's not how I work here!"

"...I understand. So, I don't have any complaints, Mom. I will feed myself, and I will fulfill the task given to me quickly."

I stare at him as he makes his way to the honey tank and then starts drinking the honey down the hole with a tongue even longer than mine, while I stand there still burning with emotion for an insensitive and cold kid...