The Chairman of Pharmaceutical Company is a Poison King - Chapter 146

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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 146: Illusory Magic Circle

Moscow War Memorial Museum.

Matsumoto, Yonson, Abraham, Carmen, and other Black Mafia Elders were hiding there.

The results of the war were extremely satisfactory.

They had succeeded in deepening the conflict between the Royalist and Republican factions, causing terrorism and finally triggering a civil war.

After that, it was smooth sailing.

Absorption magic circles spread throughout Moscow.

The absorption targets were the souls and thoughts of humans who died in the war.

These were precious resources that served as materials for dark magic refinement.

Incidentally, the corpses were turned into Undead.

Each magic circle was connected to the others like a spider web.

The absorbed thoughts and souls were transmitted to where Drek Karaks, their master, resided.

Thus, he would become a god transcending human status.

This War Memorial Museum served as an intermediate base that gathered the energy transmitted from magic circles throughout Moscow and sent it to the final destination.

So they too received some benefits.

Though not a direct soul connection, they had indirectly connected to the Demon Realm through dark magic contracts using human resentment.

Ahhhhh!

They had experienced it.

A feast of pure demonic energy they had never encountered before.

They had also witnessed it.

The transcendent beings living in the Demon Realm.

The connection was extremely brief.

But thanks to that, their dark magic mastery, which had stagnated at 7th Class, leaped to 8th Class in one go.

Nevertheless, the ritual was not yet complete.

“We just need to fit the last puzzle piece.”

“Well, we’ve done everything we need to do, so all that’s left is waiting.”

“Alex Caesar, that bastard will complete it for us.”

“Still, we mustn’t let our guard down. Not until the European Imperial Forces march into Moscow.”

The completion of the ritual was only a matter of time.

But then?

Thud!

“Huh?”

“Ah!”

“Th-this!”

“…Did everyone feel that?”

Everyone knew.

One magic circle had been destroyed.

It was made to be unaffected even by direct artillery hits.

“Why on earth?”

“It might be an accidental incident.”

“No way. We didn’t make the magic circles that carelessly.”

“Someone needs to go and check directly…”

That’s when it happened.

Thud!

“…Again?”

“Hmm.”

“It’s not a coincidence.”

Another destroyed magic circle.

And as time passed, one more…

Thud!

“Damn it!”

“This time it’s the Kremlin magic circle, right?”

“That’s right. That place is guarded by a Death Knight.”

Three had been destroyed in succession.

Someone was definitely doing this intentionally.

“Who could it be? The Royalists? Or the Republicans?”

“It could be a third party. It’s impossible for ordinary Awakened.”

“It might be possible if it’s a Raid Team with three or more Masters.”

“No way. These aren’t magic circles that mere System Awakened can destroy.”

“Could it be?”

As if something occurred to him, Abraham suddenly raised his head and spoke.

“…Kim Tae-ju?”

“That can’t be. Isn’t that bastard in the Pacific Ocean?”

“No. I heard he entered Yangsan Port yesterday.”

“Even so, it would take time for him to get here.”

“There’s no one but Kim Tae-ju. Isn’t the reason we’re conducting the ritual by causing this war precisely because of that bastard?”

A variable had emerged.

A huge variable that could cause the ritual to fail.

Elder Matsumoto spoke with a serious expression.

“Should we inform our master?”

The elders’ gazes focused on Carmen.

She was the one in charge of communication with him.

“No. Currently, he is facing a critical juncture. We absolutely must not disturb him.”

“Then should we just let that bastard destroy all the magic circles?”

If all the magic circles disappeared, the ritual itself would become impossible to proceed.

Carmen pondered deeply.

Then.

“I’ll handle it for now.”

“Elder Carmen will go personally?”

“Yes, you don’t need to step forward.”

Carmen stood up abruptly.

Their master had told them never to confront Kim Tae-ju until the ritual was complete, but the situation had changed now.

‘He’s following the magic circle connection lines. I need to wait for him in advance.’

She was confident.

Brute force wasn’t everything.

The being from the Demon Realm that Carmen contracted with upon reaching 8th Class was the Succubus Queen.

A great demon with the authority of dreams.

The Succubus Queen’s abilities made it possible.

There was no need for direct confrontation.

Everything would take place in dreams.

An illusory dark magic circle that guides specific targets into dreams.

Within it, everything was possible.

It didn’t matter if she failed.

She just needed to die alone.

Die alone?

She would definitely drag that bastard with her.

But it wouldn’t be eternal death.

Their master would surely resurrect her.

* * *

Tae-ju continued following the demonic energy transmission line.

It’s the same every time.

Ibaek-i and Sambaek-i handle the undead.

He destroys the magic circles.

‘Why are there so many?’

There were magic circles everywhere.

Mainly in places where many people come and go.

Department stores, government offices, large restaurant districts, schools….

‘How did they carve all of these?’

They must have planned this for a long time.

Probably since they made contact with him in Paju.

But he destroyed them all without exception.

Along with the undead guarding those places.

‘By now they should have noticed my existence….’

Is it still not enough?

Then he’ll just keep destroying them.

This time he can see quite a large line.

Tae-ju follows that line.

When he arrives at the destination….

‘A military base?’

But no undead soldiers were visible.

The magic circle was drawn on the floor of a building presumed to be the headquarters.

“Ibaek-i!”

“Meow.”

“Go outside and look for any undead. If you find them, send them off.”

“Meow!”

After confirming that Ibaek-i had gone outside.

Swish!

Tae-ju drew out the Divine Spirit Flying Blade.

An immortal’s treasure containing more divine energy than any other hidden weapon.

Just stabbing it into the center of the magic circle would end everything.

Thunk!

Crackle crackle crackle!

The magic circle lost its power and disappeared.

‘That was rather anticlimactic.’

That’s when it happened.

Wooooooong!

“Hm?”

The energy of demonic power stirring.

A sticky and foul stench.

The smell was coming from above his head.

“The ceiling….”

Tae-ju raised his head and looked up.

Whoooosh!

In an instant, the magic circle drawn on the ceiling activated.

‘What is this?’

Demonic power came rushing down.

‘Oh?’

Tae-ju felt the demonic power entering his mind.

It seems like a magic circle that affects human consciousness….

But it’s crude.

Utterly sloppy.

‘Should I destroy it?’

By raising his divine energy and swinging the Divine Spirit Flying Blade just once, he could destroy such a flimsy magic circle in one blow.

‘…No.’

One of the reasons for destroying magic circles.

It was to meet the bastard who pulled this kind of stunt.

If he stays still, they’ll appear, so he can’t miss this opportunity.

Tae-ju decided to obediently play along.

Let’s see what they’re up to.

Soon.

His vision gradually becomes blurry.

He feels slightly drowsy.

A state of being half asleep and half awake.

‘Is this like a lucid dream?’

Suddenly!

Rumble rumble rumble!

The building’s structure begins to change.

The walls and floor expanded as a round circular arena rose up.

And before he knew it, Tae-ju was sitting in a large chair.

Far across from him, someone else was also sitting.

It was a woman.

Naturally, she must be a black magician.

Finally, they met.

“So you’re Kim Tae-ju.”

“And you? That ‘master’ bastard Edward mentioned was a man… Are you a Black Mafia Elder?”

“…Shut up! How dare a mere human mention that person!”

“What’s wrong with it? He’s a coward who hides behind others and only sends subordinates.”

“Insolent fool, even caught in my illusion magic circle, your mouth still runs.”

“I let myself get caught, you know?”

“Hehehe, yes, thank you for letting yourself get caught.”

Carmen became confident.

The outcome of this battle depended on whether the target got caught in the illusion magic circle or escaped from it.

If he had escaped, she would have fled immediately to find another method, but since he got caught, it was as good as her victory.

“Do you know where this is?”

“Well, I can see it’s an arena.”

“This is inside a dream we’re sharing. Moreover, it’s a battlefield where we each stake our spoils and duel, with the victor taking everything.”

Inside a dream, he had expected as much.

“Anyway, you want to fight. Then what are you waiting for? Come at me.”

“Hmm, don’t rush so hastily. First, shouldn’t we stake our spoils?”

“Fine, let’s stake something. But what should we stake?”

“Let’s make a contract first.”

Suddenly!

Swoosh!

Letters began to be carved in the center of the arena.

[Carmen has requested a duel. Will you accept?]

“Oh! How strange. Is it because we’re in a dream? By the way, your name was Carmen?”

“Stop playing dumb and give me an answer. What? Are you scared?”

“Come on, as if. Fine! I accept.”

[The duel has been established.]

[Please decide on the spoils.]

Carmen cheered inwardly.

Now he could never escape this space.

Not until victory.

However, there was absolutely no chance he would win.

“I’ll decide first.”

[Carmen’s demanded spoils of war are ‘Kim Tae-ju’s life and body’.]

[Will you accept?]

“Fine, take it if you win.”

[Established. Please demand corresponding spoils of war.]

What should I wager?

“What I want is…”

[Kim Tae-ju’s demanded spoils of war are ‘coming in person to confess all information related to the Black Mafia’.]

[Will you accept?]

“That’s all? Seems a bit lacking compared to your life.”

“It’s fine. That’s enough.”

“Hohoho, good. I’ll give it. If I lose, I’ll come find you immediately and tell you everything.”

Carmen readily accepted.

Such trivial information?

The tide had already turned.

Besides, she would never lose.

[The spoils of war contract has been established.]

Swooosh.

A fragment of demonic energy seeped into Tae-ju’s chest.

Then it burrowed into his heart and settled in one corner.

It was sticky and dense.

More than any demonic energy he had experienced before.

“Shall we fight now?”

Let’s finish this quickly.

Win this ridiculous duel and obtain the spoils of war.

But right then!

[A champion duel through the Illusion Magic Circle will begin soon.]

[The contractor cannot participate in battle personally.]

[Please designate a champion to fight instead.]

“…Champion?”

What’s this now?

Not fighting directly but choosing someone to fight instead?

“There was no mention of a champion duel beforehand.”

“Hmm? Didn’t you know? This is exactly what a demon’s contract is.”

“…An unfair contract.”

“That’s the essence of it. That’s why you shouldn’t carelessly make contracts with demons.”

Carmen with a fishy smile.

She had finally pulled it off.

Kim Tae-ju was as good as dead already.

Not only that?

‘If I make an undead from his body…’

How much would that person praise her?

“Lowly human! Pitiful soul connector, today you will realize that the other world you believe in is merely another human world.”

Carmen raised her hand.

“Who is the strongest being you know? A Grandmaster? A 9th Circle Archmage? A great sage who attained wisdom? Or a dragon? Anyone will do.”

Tssssssst!

Something enormous was appearing in the arena.

“I have seen the demon world.”

Kuuuuuung!

Carmen’s champion finally revealed its true form.

“Not the human realm but the Demon Realm, a higher dimension where countless transcendent beings who have achieved the rank of immortality are scattered about. Let me introduce the Butcher of the Demon Realm, the Immortal King.”

A grotesquely shaped head, with countless flame-spewing eyeballs attached to the skull, a house-sized body, a long thick tail, bipedal but with eight arms combined on both sides.

Ahh!

Carmen was intoxicated with ecstasy.

The Immortal King, in terms of physical abilities alone, was stronger than even a Demon Lord.

It possessed the power to tear even a Dragon Lord to shreds.

An extremely powerful demon realm monster absolutely impossible for humans to face.

“This is the strongest being I’ve witnessed. It exists in the Demon Realm, so you hurry up and decide too.”

“Uh…”

Carmen with a confident expression as if she had already won.

“This place is virtual but also real. So you can’t summon beings that don’t actually exist or that you haven’t experienced. Still, try struggling. Your impoverished experience will hold you back anyway.”

Tae-ju realized.

The method of champion duels.

This wasn’t a physical space.

The Illusion Magic Circle.

A virtual space created within a dream.

Then that monster before his eyes was also an illusion generated in the dream.

But it was something that actually existed somewhere.

In that place called the Demon Realm that the black mage Carmen claimed to have experienced.

‘So only real subjects can be summoned into the dream?’

She must have known too.

The fact that she had no chance of winning in direct combat.

That’s why she had set this trap.

What would happen if he lost in the champion duel?

‘Probably the demonic energy that burrowed into my heart will act in some way.’

Now it was time to choose.

Either overturn the board entirely, or respond to the dream champion duel.

Overturning it wouldn’t be difficult.

This trivial demonic energy in the heart?

Just move the immortal energy to drive it out.

But then he might not obtain the spoils of war.

All information about the Black Mafia.

So.

“Hey! Let me ask one thing.”

“Give up any thoughts of scheming.”

“That’s not it… this was an unfair contract from the start. Then what about the spoils of war? If I win but don’t get the spoils?”

“Kekeke, you really think you’ll win. But don’t worry. I swear on my mana. If you achieve victory, you’ll obtain the complete spoils of war.”

“Really? Then well…”

Let’s look for a champion.

The first one that came to mind was Ilisambaeyi.

If transformed into its true form, its size at least wouldn’t fall behind the Immortal King.

However, it felt insufficient.

Didn’t Carmen’s champion claim to be a transcendent being that achieved the rank of immortality?

If she could summon from the Demon Realm… what about the Immortal Realm?

‘Dok-seon Danggumak.’

[You cannot participate directly in the duel yourself.]

‘Hmm, so it doesn’t work because it’s myself?’

It was a fairly sophisticated black magic circle.

How did it know that Danggumak and himself were the same soul?

So he decided.

Tae-ju also raised his hand.

‘Will this work?’

Then.

Swooooosh!

A human being generated in front of the Immortal King.

‘Oh! It actually works?’

It was the strongest being Tae-ju knew.

He had heard stories from Dok-seon, seen videos, and experienced it in the third soul connection.

The strongest in the Immortal Realm.

Tae-ju’s dream warrior was none other than the Swordsman.

* * *

Immortal Realm.

The 1st floor of the multiplex was still bustling with immortals.

A social space for immortals.

Like a Leaders Club on Earth.

There was a cocktail bar run by Ju-seon, a convenience store selling various snacks, a dedicated space for smokers, and most importantly, comfortable massage chairs that immortals frequently used.

Iron Seonin entered the 1st Floor Multiplex.

“Ju-seon, where is the Swordsman?”

“Over there in the massage chair… hmm? Is he sleeping?”

“No way! He gives me work to do and then sprawls out sleeping himself?”

“But what’s this about?”

“The Swordsman had a fender bender while driving his sports car.”

“Ah! That… thing about the front bumper getting scratched? I looked at it and couldn’t even see a mark.”

“That’s what I’m saying! Just some debris stuck to it, the paint wasn’t even chipped, so I polished it until it was gleaming.”

The Swordsman treasured his sports car like a sacred relic.

Right after receiving it from Dok-seon, he had lightly scraped against a guardrail while driving.

So he had asked Iron Seonin to repair it.

Iron shook the sleeping Swordsman in the massage chair to wake him up.

“Hey there, Swordsman! Wake up, I’m done repairing your car.”

But the Swordsman continued sleeping soundly with a beaming smile on his face.

“Hehe, he won’t wake up. Must be having some interesting dream.”

“Leave him be. He’ll wake up on his own when the time comes.”

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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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