The Chairman of Pharmaceutical Company is a Poison King - Chapter 10

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 10: You Fight!

I ordered a complete set of equipment.

Phantom fox leather coat, wrist and ankle guards with belt, vest and pants, willow leaf throwing knives for deploying Ilseom (Flash), storm butterfly needles and bloodletting needles for Bipok (Flying Waterfall), butterfly-shaped Blood Butterflies…

I’ll have to wait a week.

In the spare time, let me gather enough antidote ingredients.

So I collected poisonous herbs, processed them, and made concentrated solutions.

Sales of the mosquito antidote are also going smoothly.

Though sales have decreased, they still sell out when push comes to shove.

The media also belatedly got enthusiastic about covering the story.

The local newspaper ‘Gurye Freedom Daily’ reported:

【Baek’s Drug Shop’s mosquito poison antidote is sweeping through Gurye.】

【Who is developer Kim Tae-ju? Nothing is known except his name and age.】

【What’s the reaction from raid team members active in Gurye? All praise.】

【Mosquito poison antidote saved Gurye. Possibility of monster wave reduced.】

【Citizens welcome Baek’s Drug Shop’s success. Owner Baek Hong-pyo has long worked for Gurye’s underprivileged.】

But something feels a bit strange.

Despite Baek’s Drug Shop sweeping the Gurye pharmacy market with the mosquito antidote, it’s been strangely quiet.

Other pharmacies and pharmaceutical companies must be suffering huge losses, so shouldn’t there be some kind of action by now?

They should be panicking, testing the waters, or desperately analyzing the medicine.

Trying to make generics, that is, copy drugs.

Medicines needed for raids have simplified approval procedures, but patent rights are virtually non-existent. As long as the drug components aren’t identical, it doesn’t violate patents.

For example, you could copy and make a similar antidote, then just mix in a few vitamins and pass safely.

But even if they analyze it, can they really figure out the processing methods of Honweonmusangdokryeongong?

‘It’ll take at least two years.’

Maybe even longer.

The mosquito antidote.

It’ll be a reliable cash cow for several years.

Tae-ju had breakfast through room service in his hotel room.

A luxurious lifestyle he was experiencing for the first time in his life.

Even when he was in Paju Domain, it wasn’t to this extent.

Actually, there’s no comparison.

Paju was a poor domain after all.

Having finished eating, he was about to get ready and go out.

But then!

Ring ring!

A phone call came just as he put on his outdoor clothes.

‘Is it Boss Baek?’

It wasn’t.

– Hey, Kim!

“…Ah! Hello.”

The broker I knew when I briefly worked as a porter.

– Why is it so hard to see your face? Did you quit work? Are you sick or something?

“Yes, I’m taking a break for now. You’re doing well as always, right?”

– Sigh, I’m doing well, but the demand for porters has increased like crazy lately. There are many places looking, but not enough people. Monster raid teams have increased tremendously in Gurye because of the mosquito antidote.

“That must be tough.”

It seems to be a butterfly effect of the mosquito antidote.

Indeed, Gure Free City was experiencing another period of prosperity.

Raid teams were flocking from everywhere.

The Jiri Mountain Wilderness is one of the regions famous for high monster density within the Samhan Empire.

Until now, hunting satisfaction was at its lowest because of those damn persistent mosquitoes, but now it’s different.

– So I have a favor to ask.

“What is it?”

– One porter flaked out. Can you help me just this once?

“…Uh.”

– Could you substitute as a porter? I’ll pay you generously.

I’m conflicted.

I don’t need to do porter work anymore, but…

“Alright. I’ll help you, just this once.”

– Oh! Thanks. Really, thank you.

I just can’t refuse.

When I first came to Gurye without a penny and started working as a day laborer porter, this broker was the one who helped me in various ways. Of course, it was also because I did good work.

There’s a saying to repay kindness tenfold.

Even if not tenfold, I should at least do this much.

Of course, grudges should be repaid a hundredfold.

Tae-ju took out his large-capacity porter backpack.

I was originally going to throw it away.

I left the hotel and headed to the meeting place.

The site where the old Jiri Mountain National Park Parking Lot used to be.

‘Those must be the people.’

The broker had sent a photo of the raid team leader via smartphone.

“Hello. I’m Kim Tae-ju, the substitute porter.”

Then the team leader frowned deeply and snapped.

“Fuck, why are you so late? Do you know how much time was wasted because of you?”

“…I told you I came as a substitute.”

“So what? What do you want me to do about it? Stop babbling and just carry the backpack and follow.”

I think I came to the wrong place.

I can see why the original porter flaked out.

‘They really reduced the raid team numbers a lot.’

Originally 15 members was the standard.

But the current number is 7.

2 porters, 3 aptitude users, 2 awakened.

I heard raid team numbers are decreasing due to mosquito antidote sales, but this is too reduced.

“Are we going with this number of people?”

“What? This porter bastard is being cocky… Want to die?”

“Hey hey hey, hold back! If you kill this bastard, who’ll carry the luggage? And you! If you grumble one more time, I’ll cut off your limbs and throw you as monster food. Got it?”

“…”

Birds of a feather flock together. Both awakened bastards are the same.

The aptitude users who came as combat support were no different.

“Gurye porter bastards must be living well, huh? Geez! Are we going with this number of people? First time I’ve heard a mere porter say such things.”

“Cut it out. He might run away if you keep that up.”

“Hehehe, he’s already here, what can he do? If he runs away, he dies by my hand.”

“Tsk tsk, let’s go quickly, before the pros get uncomfortable.”

Whether awakened or aptitude users.

What the hell are these bastards?

I’ve done porter work for quite a while, but this is the first time I’ve met such rude bastards.

Killing intent gradually rises within Tae-ju.

‘I’ll have to kill them.’

Not here, but in a quiet place.

If I infuse the military sword with poison energy and stab them with a ‘stab’, they won’t make it seven steps before dying.

Will the aptitude users and awakened last a bit longer?

‘It would be troublesome if evidence remains, so I’ll kill all 6 with poison and dissolve the bodies in Hwagol Mountain…’

Ah! Hwagol Mountain doesn’t exist yet, does it?

Wouldn’t it be fine to just leave the bodies in the jungle?

The magical beasts will devour them like before.

Suddenly!

‘Huh?’

His mind suddenly snapped back to clarity.

He had been thinking of killing people far too easily.

‘Why am I…’

Even including all 6 except himself, even the innocent colleague porters.

Just because he thought he shouldn’t leave evidence.

‘I need to be careful.’

Tae-ju knew why he had thought that way.

His other self.

The influence of Jeoldaedokma Danggumak.

The poison heart that chose to kill rather than just let pass those who displeased him.

‘Whew!’

Taking a deep breath and suppressing his murderous intent, Tae-ju slowly walked at the rear of the raid team.

A middle-aged colleague porter quietly approached and spoke to him.

“Tae-ju, you endured well.”

Now that he looked, it was someone he recognized.

He remembered working as a porter together before.

“Ah! It’s you, hyung.”

“Hey, since we’ve entered the jungle, let’s endure even if we feel disgusted. If that bastard gets upset, we might really become magical beast food.”

“…Would he really do such a thing?”

“I don’t know about other awakened ones, but those guys are definitely capable of it. The rumors are already widespread.”

“Did you know those guys?”

“The Kwon Dong-seok Raid Team, they’re drifters who recently flowed into Gurye. Those aptitude users are part of the same gang too.”

He thought as much.

No matter how weak public authority was in Gurye, if they kept acting like that, they wouldn’t even be able to form a proper raid team.

“But what rumors…?”

“A few days ago, several porters who went with those bastards went missing.”

“Did the Autonomous Committee just let it slide?”

“Is there evidence? No complaints were filed either, so it just got swept under the rug.”

Anyway, in conflicts involving ordinary people and aptitude users or awakened ones, ordinary people were bound to be at a disadvantage.

After adapting to mana, the population had explosively increased.

The Samhan Empire alone had over 600 million people.

The more people there are, the less life is valued.

Not to mention ordinary people, when mana rejecters died, they didn’t even investigate the cause of death.

“But why did you come here, hyung? There must be many other places looking for porters.”

“Did I know that bastard would be the team leader? If I had known, I wouldn’t have come. Even Mr. Park who bailed probably came here, saw that bastard’s face, and left, right?”

“Ah…”

What a mess.

Anyway, since he was here, he should perform his porter duties.

The raid team entering the Jirisan Wilderness.

As always, the hunting target of this makeshift raid team was blade-tooth martens.

Since they were naturally martens, their fur sold for a high price.

Their teeth too.

The hunt went smoothly.

Though the number of team members was small, perhaps because they had taken the mosquito antidote, the combat personnel freed from protective suits moved well.

Swish!

Thud!

When the awakened one dealt with a marten, the aptitude users skinned it and pulled out teeth, while the porters stuffed the byproducts into backpacks.

“An energy crystal came out.”

“Oh! Bring it to me!”

“Good atmosphere. I feel like I could fly without the protective suit.”

“Hehehe, it was a piece of cake without worrying about mosquitoes.”

Then looking at Tae-ju.

“Hey! You asked earlier if we were going with this many people, right? Did you get your answer? A lowly porter bastard who’s just full of fear…”

“That’s why he’s stuck being a porter.”

Tae-ju didn’t respond.

If his murderous intent rose again like this, he might really kill them.

‘It’s disgusting, but it’ll end quickly.’

The mosquito antidote really did seem to bring a revolution to magical beast raids.

Just 5 combat personnel were hunting martens.

But that was only possible when the hunting target was blade-tooth martens.

The raid team soon encountered a magical beast famous for being difficult to deal with in Jirisan.

“Grrrrrrrrr…”

A heavy, low-pitched growling sound.

From toes to head, an eerie feeling that made every hair on the body stand on end.

“Uh…”

“Wh-why is that here?”

Red-furred Wolf.

Large body, tough hide that blades barely penetrated, and ferocious aggression beyond measure. The most frightening thing about this creature was…

“Grrrrr.”

It always moved in mated pairs.

“Howoooooo!”

“Hooowwwww!”

With the characteristic howling of wolves, two Red-furred Wolves appeared simultaneously from the front and back.

“Th-this fucking…!”

Beginner-grade awakened Kwon Dong-seok didn’t know what to do.

He had never even thought of going near wolf territory.

Red-furred Wolves that even 4 beginner-grade awakened ones would find difficult to handle.

He had just planned to hunt martens, fill his backpack, and return.

His friend Jang Won-jun, also an awakened one, asked in a trembling voice.

“D-Dong-seok! Wh-what do we do?”

“What do you mean what do we do? We have to run.”

But they couldn’t show their backs.

Wolf magical beasts had the habit of attacking those who showed their backs first.

How to overcome this crisis?

There was a method they had always used.

Utilizing the most useless guys in this raid team.

The Red-furred Wolves slowly closing the distance.

Kwon Dong-seok first gave a look to his friend Jang Won-jun.

Jang Won-jun also knew what Kwon Dong-seok was trying to do.

Throw bait and run away.

They had always overcome crises this way.

The combat support mana aptitude users also exchanged glances while slowly moving. Was this their first or second time? They surrounded the 2 porters like that.

Since there were 2, they would push 1 toward the wolf in front and push the remaining 1 toward the wolf behind.

The moment the wolf magical beasts pounced on the porters, they would run away without looking back.

Tae-ju also realized what they were trying to do.

‘Ha! Look at these bastards?’

This blatantly?

Well!

This is the Jirisan Wilderness.

There would be nothing strange about 2 porters dying to magical beasts, and the dead tell no tales.

“Push!”

Kwon Dong-seok pointed at Tae-ju and shouted to the Aptitude users.

Right then!

Swish!

A silver light extending long from Tae-ju’s hand connected with the crown of the Red-furred Wolf blocking the front.

Thunk!

The military greatsword was embedded in the wolf’s head up to the hilt.

Yet there was still an afterimage remaining.

It was too fast and also precise.

“Huh?”

“I-is it dead?”

“C-crazy!”

The Awakened and Aptitude users doubted their own eyes.

What was this?

Something flashed from that arrogant porter’s hand and one wolf died.

Tae-ju walked forward step by step.

He pulled the greatsword from the fallen wolf’s head.

Then.

The military greatsword came out broken in the middle.

Though it was military issue, it should have had magical beast byproducts mixed in.

“Ah, it broke. Military supplies really are…”

Kwon Dong-seok and Jang Won-jun stared blankly at Tae-ju.

Just how?

A Red-furred Wolf that would be difficult for even 2 Awakened to handle together.

Yet a mere porter handled it so easily?

“Grrr… Growl!”

As its companion died, the remaining wolf growled with eyes filled with hatred.

But it too seemed to recognize the difference in power and couldn’t move rashly, only baring its teeth while crouching low.

The anger contained in the Red-furred Wolf’s howl.

Just hearing it gave Kwon Dong-seok and Jang Won-jun chills.

But they could survive.

If that mysterious porter would handle the remaining one too.

As if everyone had the same thought, the entire raid team was only looking at Tae-ju.

Finally, Tae-ju’s mouth opened.

Looking indifferently at Kwon Dong-seok and Jang Won-jun.

“Fight.”

“What? Uh… yes?”

“I handled one for you. You do the rest.”

“N-no, what do you mean…”

“Fight! We’re porters and you guys are the combat roles.”

Gulp!

Kwon Dong-seok swallowed dry saliva.

How could they handle the fury of a wolf that lost its companion?

“C-could you kill it instead? I’ll pay enough compensation. I’ll give you all the magical beast byproducts and crystals…”

That’s when it happened.

Whip!

An object grazed past Kwon Dong-seok’s right cheek.

With a ‘sting!’ sensation, something warm and liquid flowed down the right side of his face.

When he touched it with his hand.

“Aaaahhh!”

Bright red blood spurting out.

His right ear had disappeared.

Clink clink.

Tae-ju rolled coins in his hand and opened his mouth again.

“Don’t even think about running away. Unless you want a coin embedded in the back of your head! So fight!”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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