The Chairman of Pharmaceutical Company is a Poison King - Chapter 20

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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 20: Master? What’s That? (2)

At the point when humanity was gradually adapting to the invasion of mana, the first to appear were mana adaptees. People who accepted and adapted to mana.

Following them came mana compatibles, whose physical abilities were enhanced by mana.

At this point, the term “mana rejecters” was coined. You could say they were people left behind by change?

And finally, the awakened.

Those who fight monsters with their bare hands through system level-ups.

Now, 300 years later.

In terms of population composition, mana rejecters make up about 5% of the total, mana adaptees 70%, and the rest are mana compatibles and awakened.

No one knows the exact number of awakened.

Some scholars speculate that with the Samhan Empire’s population of 600 million, there are easily over 2 million awakened.

The awakened in the military are included in statistics.

Of course, the military doesn’t reveal exact numbers.

Same with masters – no one knows exactly how many there are.

Due to the military’s nature, masters have their identities exposed, so their numbers can be estimated, but civilians are different.

Some are officially known, while others hide the fact that they’re masters and live quietly.

Nogo-dan Guild Leader Lee Jeong-hak is a known master.

One of the three pillars managing Gurye City.

That’s why he was acquainted with Master Oh Jin-hyeong of the Jirisan Masu Defense Corps.

“What brings you here? To this free city?”

“Huh? Do I need your permission to come here?”

“Of course not. I’m asking if I should interpret this as the military intervening in incidents that occurred in Gurye.”

“Hey, would I go against His Majesty the Emperor’s will? I didn’t come as a soldier. I came as a free citizen too. Just call me Mr. Oh Jin-hyeong.”

Oh Jin-hyeong wasn’t the only one who jumped down.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Three men in simple athletic wear also jumped down.

Faint markings etched where one cheek connects to the jaw.

The facial markings indicating awakened become smaller and fainter as their rank increases.

In other words, they are all masters.

Colonel Gu Jun-yeong, Colonel Park Pil-seong, Colonel Hong Jun-tae – division commanders of the Jirisan Masu Defense Corps.

‘Shit.’

Lee Jeong-hak bit his lip hard.

One mountain after another.

Regardless of Lee Jeong-hak’s feelings, Oh Jin-hyeong approached Baek Hong-pyo with a relaxed attitude and exchanged greetings.

‘Mr. Baek called them.’

The military supply contract for mosquito poison antidote.

There was sufficient justification to ask for help.

Not only Oh Jin-hyeong but the three masters also played innocent.

“I came to Gurye to have fun too. I’m Gu Jun-yeong, just call me Mr. Gu.”

“Right, I’m not even wearing a military uniform.”

“Just call me Jun-tae too.”

“We were taking a helicopter drive when Brother Jin-hyeong suddenly jumped out. So we followed him down.”

Drive my ass.

They all came knowing everything.

All the masters of the Jirisan Defense Corps had appeared here.

And they lined up to approach Baek Hong-pyo.

“Oh my, Mr. Baek, are you hurt anywhere?”

“Who did this? Just tell us.”

“Should I prepare some medicinal tonic for you?”

“Don’t do that, send some idle officers from your unit for security purposes. He’s someone who supplies antidotes to our military – we can’t let him face dangerous situations.”

“Should I do that?”

Baek Hong-pyo shook hands with each of them, expressing his gratitude.

The phone call from Kim Tae-ju this morning.

When he heard the news that four Sangsikipa members who had invaded his home to capture him had been caught, he wasn’t very surprised.

Ma Sang-sik is an awakened.

His organization members are also crazy bastards living on drugs.

On the other hand, Kim Tae-ju is not awakened.

However, he had heard about Kim Tae-ju’s hidden abilities from Chang-hun in advance.

He was skilled enough to take out 20 storm weasels in one shot?

Of course!

Someone who creates antidotes for mosquito poison and spore poison, which were thought impossible, couldn’t be an ordinary person.

But what Kim Tae-ju said afterward.

He reported it to the Gurye Autonomous Committee Vigilante Group, so don’t worry about it.

Once a report goes in, Guild Leader Lee Jeong-hak would move personally, since it’s such a big matter.

This isn’t good.

The vigilante group isn’t an organization that stands for justice.

Guild Leader Lee Jeong-hak even less so.

Kim Tae-ju isn’t a docile person either.

The charisma felt whenever encountering him occasionally.

Would he bow his head just because someone’s a master?

What if a conflict arises by any chance?

That’s why he called Master Oh Jin-hyeong.

Such and such happened, so please come for a moment.

And his prediction was right.

Guild Leader Lee Jeong-hak, who had been watching, sighed.

‘Can’t be helped.’

Master Oh Jin-hyeong and three other masters.

Moreover, they’re military men.

They’re not people who can be reasoned with through dialogue.

He’ll withdraw now.

If he stayed here any longer, he felt like he’d collapse.

But he would definitely hold them accountable.

Once a report goes up through Administrative Officer Ji Gwang-in dispatched from the Imperial Court, Oh Jin-hyeong won’t be able to make excuses either.

“Well then, enjoy your chat. I’ll be going now.”

“Leaving already? Why don’t you stay a bit longer?”

“I’m busier than you think. I don’t have time to leisurely take helicopter drives.”

“Hmm? That’s rather unexpected.”

“What is?”

“Well, if you were running around so busy, you should have prevented these pieces of trash from causing trouble in Gurye in the first place. What exactly does the vigilante group do? Should I send you some support troops?”

“…That won’t be necessary.”

Lee Jeong-hak returned to his car, inwardly suppressing his rising anger.

And he told the guild members who came with him.

“Load all those Sangsikipa bastards in the car. We’ll deal with them when we get back.”

But Oh Jin-hyeong wasn’t one to just let that happen.

“Oh no, not a chance. Leave those guys here. I’m taking them.”

Lee Jeong-hak’s face turned bright red.

His lips trembling with rage.

“Didn’t you say the military wouldn’t intervene?”

“Tsk, they tried to kidnap my dear friend. You expect me to just sit still knowing that?”

“This is a clear violation of imperial decree. If His Majesty the Emperor ever finds out…”

Suddenly!

Whoooosh!

A terrifying aura erupted from Oh Jin-hyeong’s entire body.

Just because they were both Masters didn’t mean they possessed the same abilities.

“Hey! Lee Jeong-hak!”

“…What?”

“If I cut off your head right here, what kind of punishment do you think His Imperial Majesty would give me?”

“You, even doing this…”

“Take a guess. A warning or pay cut? House arrest? I might get summoned to the Imperial Palace, or maybe get slapped a few times. But that’s something I can easily endure. It won’t be any obstacle to killing a bastard like you.”

“…”

The three division commander Masters also raised their auras and glared at Lee Jeong-hak.

“Won’t you lower your eyes? Being worshipped by people in Gurye has really made you arrogant.”

“Don’t tell me you think we can’t touch you?”

“Don’t be mistaken. I’m a soldier who lives and dies by orders. Even now, if the Major General gives the command, I’ll kill you immediately. What’s the big deal, if they tell me to strip my uniform, I’ll strip it.”

Brigadier General Oh Jin-hyeong chuckled.

“Colonel Gu Jun-yeong, when you retire, I’ll speak to His Imperial Majesty and recommend you to the Gurye City Autonomous Committee. That bastard’s position will be vacant anyway.”

“Oh my, really? That sounds great to me.”

“…What about me instead of Colonel Gu? Wouldn’t I be suitable?”

“Just give the order. Whoever kills anyone first gets to strip their uniform and retire. I’m confident.”

Lee Jeong-hak couldn’t say anything.

The Nogo-dan Guild was Gurye’s top guild.

Their guild profits were enormous too.

Even within the Empire, there were only a few guilds with this much money.

However, in terms of scale, it wasn’t that large a guild.

Looking at the entire Samhan Empire, it remained around mid-tier.

Due to interference from other standing committee members who were displeased with the Nogo-dan Guild’s growing influence, they couldn’t expand the guild’s size.

So except for Guild Master Lee Jeong-hak who was a Master, all the other guild members were of mediocre level.

A power struggle between Masters.

But Kim Tae-ju was so focused on controlling his rising killing intent that he couldn’t pay attention to anything else.

‘Huu, huu.’

He had made a mistake.

It was a foolish act.

His soul was that of the world’s greatest absolute master.

But his body still hadn’t reached that level.

Killing intent should only be released when one was confident they could definitely kill the enemy.

Half-hearted killing intent only made the opponent more cautious.

Kim Tae-ju slowly circulated the Honweonmusangdokryeongong.

His mind became calm.

Lee Jeong-hak, defeated in the power struggle, bit his lips hard.

And then.

“Everyone get in the car! We’re going back.”

Only after getting in the car and closing the door did Lee Jeong-hak finally let out a long sigh.

Honestly, he didn’t even have the strength to stand.

He had been enduring it for the sake of appearances.

Because of Oh Jin-hyeong and the Masters?

No.

“To, to the hospital!”

“…Yes?”

“Qu, quickly! Kheuk!”

Kim Tae-ju’s thrown weapon had caused a wound on the back of his right hand.

It was just a slight scratch, but a sinister energy was traveling through his blood vessels from the wound, invading his heart.

He was desperately trying to block it by raising his mana.

‘Wh, what is this!’

Could it be poison?

It must be.

Someone skilled in poison.

So he would also be able to create antidotes skillfully.

Masters, if not completely immune to all poisons, at least had considerable resistance to poison.

He had actually experienced many poisons.

But this was the first time encountering something as vicious as this poison.

“A, are we still far?”

“We’ll arrive soon.”

“T, tell the emergency room doctors to stand by!”

Meanwhile, Kim Tae-ju watched until the Nogo-dan Guild members completely left, then approached Mr. Baek Hong-pyo.

“You’re not hurt anywhere, are you?”

“Don’t worry. I’m fine. Still, Guild Master Lee Jeong-hak showed some consideration…”

“You think he did that because he’s kind? He was being cautious because it would be big trouble if he hurt you, Mr. Baek.”

Though he said he was fine, was he really not hurt anywhere?

Kim Tae-ju examined Baek Hong-pyo carefully.

Fortunately.

There were no injuries except for scrapes from falling.

Then Oh Jin-hyeong quietly came over and looked at Kim Tae-ju as he spoke.

“Are you by any chance the developer of the mosquito poison antidote…”

“Yes, nice to meet you for the first time. I’m Kim Tae-ju.”

“So we finally meet. I’m Oh Jin-hyeong.”

The two men shook hands firmly.

Mana energy entered through their hands, but he didn’t mind.

It was an act of gauging each other’s achievements.

This commonly happened in the martial world too.

So he subtly revealed his experience and then.

“Thank you for coming like this.”

“…Could we have a brief conversation? I have many questions.”

“Of course. As much as you’d like.”

“Hahaha, I won’t be a bother.”

Oh Jin-hyeong’s earlier intimidating aura was gone, replaced by a pleasant middle-aged man.

“But you know, about that Spore Poison Antelope Deer antidote, by any chance…?”

“Development is complete. We’ll soon enter mass production.”

“Ooh!”

“We also have the meat, would you like to try some?”

“R, really?”

Then the three division commander Masters also.

“Um, Mr. Kim Tae-ju, what about our portions?”

“Yes, we have plenty.”

Zing! Oh Jin-hyeong glared at them.

“You guys just keep a good watch on those pieces of trash. What if they escape like that?”

“Hahaha, don’t worry. They’re tied up tight, so our boys are enough to guard them.”

The Masters’ faces brightened again as Baek Hong-pyo helped out.

That was understandable.

It was Gorani meat after all!

* * *

Sizzle sizzle, smoke rising up.

Gorani meat party.

The charcoal fire was lit outside.

Gorani meat cooking appetizingly on the wire mesh.

With seasoning, vegetables, and ssamjang on the side, it was absolutely perfect.

How could we do without alcohol?

Various conversations flowed.

Mainly about the delivery of Spore Poison Antelope Deer antidote.

They discussed price and quantity, played some push and pull, and even made a verbal contract.

Oh Jin-hyeong was satisfied.

Tae-ju had promised to supply the antidote exclusively through the Jirisan Masu Defense Corps.

Though it was limited to military supplies, this was still an exclusive supply deal in a way.

‘Who would have thought that bringing a few division commanders by helicopter for a show of force would lead to such tremendous profits.’

Tae-ju was also satisfied.

To make antidotes, materials were needed.

How could he collect all those materials by himself?

So he spoke to Oh Jin-hyeong.

Couldn’t the military collect and supply the materials? He wasn’t asking for free, but would pay a fair price to purchase them.

Oh Jin-hyeong readily accepted.

He said he’d execute the collection operation starting tomorrow.

Many other topics came up as well.

What was strange was that no stories about his father General Kim Woong-bang or Paju Domain came up at all.

Tae-ju didn’t bring it up, and neither did Master Oh Jin-hyeong.

If they were both Masters in the military, they should know each other.

They probably knew about the complicated history between them.

The drinking session ended and the helicopter arrived.

After loading the tied-up Sangsikipa members onto the helicopter.

“I’ll handle these guys myself. And the people behind them too.”

“You don’t need to do that.”

“Tsk, this isn’t a personal matter. The safety of our Jirisan Masu Defense Corps is at stake. What would happen if antidote production gets disrupted because of these guys?”

“Hmm… I understand.”

The helicopter took off toward the corps headquarters.

Tae-ju looked at Baek Hong-pyo, whose face was flushed red from alcohol, and said.

“We should start preparing too.”

“Right. We’ll be busy once materials start coming from the military.”

The unexpected clash with Lee Jeong-hak and the drinking session had brought the two much closer.

Tae-ju asked him to speak casually from now on since formality felt burdensome, and Baek Hong-pyo accepted.

“I think we’ll need employees. People who can trim and prepare poisonous herbs according to my instructions.”

“Is it very dangerous? Should I look for Awakened people?”

“No. Even ordinary people would be fine working with gas masks and protective suits. There aren’t any particularly dangerous poisons like spore poison among the materials.”

“That’s easy then. We have our kids too.”

“They sound trustworthy.”

The salaries should be generous—no, enough to rival experienced corporate workers.

Trust between employer and employee comes from money.

Come to think of it, there were many places money would be needed.

That one building alone would be too cramped.

It would be difficult to handle even the currently contracted volume.

‘Build a factory, build a warehouse.’

If that doesn’t work, let’s add one more medicine.

Once people gather, there will be more room to breathe.

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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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