The Chairman of Pharmaceutical Company is a Poison King - Chapter 28

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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 28: Copy Medicine? Not a Chance

The Three Han Empire had a fairly large population to match its vast territory. This was the result of numerous Asian immigrants flowing in from ruined China, sinking Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Vietnam, and so on.

The population was mostly concentrated in the northern and central regions.

Here, the north refers to the northern Manchuria and Siberian border region, while the central region refers to the former North Korean territory.

So when the mosquito poison antidote was first released, people showed little interest.

This was because the main habitat of the mutant three-striped mosquito was limited to the southern subtropical rainforest region.

Being masu in name, they don’t leave their habitat except during waves.

Was the mutant three-striped mosquito really that troublesome a masu?

People just thought, “Now those southern country folks will have an easier time hunting.”

However, when news of the spore poison antidote began to spread, people started paying attention.

In short, chaos erupted.

Meat, and very delicious meat at that.

After the mana invasion, livestock breeding also changed.

Most died, but the surviving cattle, pigs, chickens, sheep, and dogs also mutated under mana’s influence.

Some were raised as livestock like before, some became wild and transformed like masu, some had their meat taste altered to become like chewing rubber, and the rest went extinct entirely.

So real meat is very expensive.

Actually raised and slaughtered meat, that is.

Common people mainly eat cultured meat.

With many production companies, there’s variety in types and flavors, prices are cheap, and the high-quality ones are said to approach the taste of premium Korean beef from the past.

On the other hand, wealthy people seek masu meat.

Iron-hoofed mountain goats living in cold mountains, or one-horned spotted cattle living in forests…

Among them, the greatest delicacy is still the Spore Poison Antelope Deer.

The Three Han Empire region is called a Spore Poison Antelope Deer paradise due to its large population, but few people had actually tasted it.

But now the situation has changed.

Gorani meat began to appear on the market.

【New Seoul Masu Meat Auction Market Bustling Daily.】

【Large Restaurants Throughout the Empire Heat Up to Secure Gorani Meat.】

【Prices Dropped Significantly Due to Antidote Development, But Still Expensive.】

【This Reporter Also Tried It. The Majesty of Gorani Meat – Too Intense a Flavor to Convey in Words.】

Spore poison gorani began to be hunted easily.

Even.

【Experts Worry About Gorani Overhunting, Empire Government Also Considering Setting Gorani Hunting Ban Periods.】

Articles like this appeared.

But there weren’t only articles about meat.

【Let’s Prepare Spore Poison Antidote as Household Medicine in Preparation for Masu Waves.】

【Thanks to Antidote, Human Casualties Expected to Drop Significantly Even During Waves.】

People began flocking to Gurye.

Because the principle was that it was only sold in Gurye.

There was no special reason.

It was because supply quantities were insufficient.

Though the number of selling pharmacies increased to 12, daily sales were sold out before afternoon.

Purchase restrictions were useless.

The factory produced day and night.

However, they also had to produce military supply quantities.

On the other hand, Taehong Recovery Medicine spread through communities where awakeners mainly gathered rather than being mentioned in the media.

Title: Are there any suckers here buying 5 million won recovery medicine?

– This must be Taehong Bio’s mistake. There are plenty of cheap mana recovery medicines costing 100,000 won, no, 50,000 won, but they want us to pay 5 million won? I won’t curse them since they have immunity for developing the antidote… but still, this is too much.

└ I’d rather buy cost-effective gorani soup with that money.

└ Right, buying recovery medicine is proof you’re a sucker.

└ Kekeke, there’s one sucker bastard next to me.

└ Seems like Gurye folks are buying one each?

└ Isn’t that expressing gratitude for developing the antidote?

However, as user reviews of Taehong Recovery Medicine were posted one after another, public opinion began to reverse.

Title: Who Dares Disparage Taehong Recovery Medicine?

– Everyone quickly buy one each. This isn’t ordinary mana recovery medicine. Our raid team’s tanker got beaten up by storm weasels and collapsed, had to leave the battlefield, but after gulping down one Taehong Recovery Medicine, he came back to life perfectly fine and resumed tanking.

– This is exactly the same as those items in RPG games. You know healing potions? Mana recovery effect is just a bonus, strictly speaking it’s like a comprehensive recovery potion.

└ Hey hey! Won’t you keep quiet?

└ Such a loose-lipped bastard. I wanted to keep it to myself.

└ Right! There’s not much stock either! Will you take responsibility if it becomes hard to buy because of you?

└ Reseller bastards will swarm again.

└ Cr, crazy! Is it really true?

└ One pill is like securing an extra life.

└ Shit, I need to go buy some but Gurye train tickets are sold out.

Taehong Recovery Medicine reactions also exploded in real-time.

Money began pouring in.

To an unmanageable degree.

Of course, this money would be entirely reinvested.

* * *

New Seoul Mirinae Pharmaceutical Company.

Originally, pharmaceuticals weren’t a main field for the Mirinaei Group.

Mirinae Electronics, which produces mana crystal semiconductors, was the main focus.

However, when Lee Dong-woo, the group’s second son, took office as president of Mirinae Pharmaceutical, he grew it into one of the empire’s leading pharmaceutical companies.

Especially by successfully launching the highest quality Mirinae Premium Elixir and making it the pharmaceutical company’s flagship product, he solidified his position as royal family.

That same President Lee Dong-woo slammed the desk with both hands in fury.

“You vermin bastards! There’s a limit to my patience. You bastards who only eat and shit, salary thieves, why do overtime? To collect overtime pay?”

The executives and employees just hung their heads.

As soon as new products were released from Taehong Bio, they obtained samples and devoted themselves entirely to research.

They analyzed with cutting-edge equipment, sought advice from renowned scientists, and even directly purchased medicinal materials produced in Jirisan and added them identically, but couldn’t make similar medicine.

Whether mosquito poison antidote or spore poison antidote, all failed.

At least.

“We, we made the recovery medicine almost similarly. Though the healing effect is somewhat inferior.”

“Really? That’s good news. When can you make it identically?”

“We think it’s a matter of time. However…”

“Yes, speak up. Do you need any support?”

“Making one recovery pill requires an entire giant bear gallbladder… and a small amount of elite mana crystal goes in too.”

“What?”

Lee Dong-woo asked, doubting his own ears.

“What’s the wholesale price of giant bear gallbladder?”

“Among frozen preserved ones, if the quality is decent, about 20 million won each.”

“What about the recovery medicine released by Taehong Bio?”

“…5 million won.”

“Get lost! You son of a bitch, get out right now!”

Using 20 million won materials to make medicine less effective than 5 million won ones, and calling it similar?

If elite mana crystals are included, material costs alone would easily exceed 50 million won.

“From now on, dispatch all employees to Gurye! Go there and grill the developer, poach employees, steal, use every means and method to get the recipe!”

* * *

Gurye Taehong Biopharmaceutical Company headquarters.

Baek Seo-yeon had a throbbing headache.

She had turned off her phone long ago.

But the front of the building was lined with reporters.

It seemed like all the media outlets in the Samhan Empire had gathered.

At least the soldiers sent by the Jirisan Masu Defense Corps were blocking the reporters, preventing them from entering the office building.

“Hah, this is driving me crazy.”

She couldn’t even leave work – what kind of situation was this?

Father had secretly fled, claiming he had business, and Chairman Kim Tae-ju had gone hunting in the Jirisan Wilderness.

In the end, Baek Seo-yeon was the only high-ranking executive left at the company.

Finally, Lieutenant Do Min-su, who had been dispatched for Taehong Bio security duties, came over.

“I think you should hold at least a brief press conference to quiet things down a bit.”

“…Yes, I suppose we should.”

“Shall I prepare it for you?”

“Oh, thank you for offering. We’ll handle that ourselves.”

A platform was set up in front of the office building, and speakers and microphones were prepared.

“Thank you for coming from so far away. I’m Baek Seo-yeon, CEO of Taehong Biopharmaceutical Company.”

The reporters’ questions began.

At first, ordinary questions followed – how they developed it, what the sales figures were, whether there would be more new drugs coming out…

Then.

“Actually visiting Taehong Bio, I thought the scale seemed quite small for a pharmaceutical company. Do you have plans to expand your facilities?”

“Of course. We’re planning to purchase land for establishing a second and third factory.”

“Don’t you have any thoughts of building factories somewhere other than Gurye City?”

“No, there are also medicinal ingredient supply issues, and for the time being we plan to increase production centered around this location.”

“Do you have any thoughts of receiving investment?”

“No.”

“What’s the reason for selling the new drug only in Gurye?”

“It’s because of drug approval issues. Later, if marketing approval for the drug comes through in other cities, sales will be possible there too, right?”

Then.

“For the sake of human peace, don’t you have any thoughts of publicly releasing the entire new drug recipe?”

Baek Seo-yeon’s expression instantly turned coldly rigid.

“Who is asking this question?”

“I’m Reporter Kang Do-cheol from Eunha Daily.”

“Reporter Kang, that’s quite a nice sentiment. Have you ever made similar claims at other pharmaceutical companies’ new drug announcements?”

“…”

“I suppose not. So I’m curious about the intent behind your question.”

Eunha Daily Reporter Kang Do-cheol’s face turned bright red.

But without backing down.

“Or how about giving orders through OEM methods? If production volume is insufficient, through collaboration with large corporations that have mass drug production facilities…”

“I understand. We’ll end the press conference here. And from now on, there will be no interviews whatsoever wherever Eunha Daily reporters are present.”

Baek Seo-yeon entered the office building without looking back.

Eunha Daily?

She knew very well who was behind this.

She had worked at Mirinaei Group’s Future Strategy Office.

When it came to renewing the group’s image, promoting new products, or damaging competitors, the trash journalist group they used most was precisely Eunha Daily.

‘Who do they think they’re fooling?’

Mirinaei Bio must have ordered this, right?

Telling them to take a stab at it.

Actually, she had been a little worried.

Whether they might immediately create a copycat drug.

Of course, Chairman Kim Tae-ju had said there was absolutely no way that would happen and told her not to worry.

A pleasant smile appeared on Baek Seo-yeon’s lips.

‘They couldn’t copy it, could they?’

Seeing Eunha Daily come out like this, she could guess.

She could clearly picture President Lee Dong-woo throwing a fit.

But anyway, the company was too cramped.

More buildings were needed.

The place where Chairman Kim Tae-ju was currently residing was just a 5-story building, and he only used one floor at that.

‘With the money coming in this time, I should build a new mansion for the chairman.’

A company that operated thanks to Chairman Kim Tae-ju.

So this was a more important investment than facility investment.

* * *

Paju Domain in the central-southern part of the Samhan Empire.

The lady of the house, Honda Mitsui, was always depressed.

It was because she felt pathetic about herself, unable to make any response even after hearing about her stepson Kim Tae-ju’s success.

Kim Tae-ju, who was riding high after being selected as a military supply company for the Jirisan Masu Defense Corps.

Rumors were rampant even within the military.

Talk that the Spore Poison Gorani antidote was effective, stories that His Imperial Majesty had personally sent a palace secretary to bring back the antidote and gorani meat.

Then didn’t that mean His Imperial Majesty was also keeping an eye on him?

So she couldn’t rashly interfere.

She couldn’t even think of making contact.

Also, recently an unsettling message had come from Colonel Moritsumi, a Japanese officer working at Army Headquarters.

That Master Oh Jin-hyeong’s aide was investigating the incident that occurred at Seorak Mountain Outpost.

The assassination attempt on Kim Tae-ju, that is.

Jang Indong was said to be dead, but if they kept digging, they could trace back to the mastermind who gave him orders. Then she would be in danger too.

While she was worrying like this.

For the first time in a while, good news reached Honda Mitsui.

Her real sons from her own womb, Taepyeong and Taecheon, had both succeeded in awakening simultaneously and had even gotten leave to come home.

“Come here, you two. Let me hug you just once.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Aw, I’m all grown up now!”

Truly reliable sons, both of them.

They were on a completely different level from that mana-rejecting trash, damn right!

“Oh! Mother, did you hear about Tae-ju too?”

“Shh! Don’t bring up that bastard’s name in this house for the time being.”

“No, but what’s he done to deserve this…”

“I said don’t bring it up! Don’t your mother’s words sound like words to you?”

“Th-that’s not what I meant.”

Honda Mitsui spoke firmly, glaring as if to drive the point home completely.

“Don’t even take interest. Worry about your own futures. Is awakening everything? You need to get assigned to important positions in the Imperial Forces, and think about advancing by raising your grades.”

“…”

“Yes.”

“Even if you become a Master and earn stars, that’s not the end of it either. Look at your father. At his age, he still can’t even leave Paju Domain.”

Kim Tae-pyeong and Kim Tae-cheon didn’t understand why their mother was showing such an overreaction.

He was just a terminal mana-rejector anyway.

Kim Tae-pyeong was 23, Kim Tae-cheon was 22, born in consecutive years.

They were 6 and 5 years younger than Kim Tae-ju respectively.

When they were young, they got along quite well.

He was a bigger, stronger older brother than them.

But after going through puberty, they realized.

That their half-brother was a mana-rejector, a social outcast who could never be welcomed.

From then on, they didn’t acknowledge him as their brother.

They treated him like he didn’t exist at all.

Even when they passed by and encountered him, they wouldn’t say a single word.

Coward, trash, short-lived mayfly, shut-in hikikomori.

Whether he succeeded or not, to Kim Tae-pyeong and Kim Tae-cheon, Tae-ju was that kind of existence.

Meanwhile, Honda Mitsui grew angrier the more she thought about it.

Even if she and he shared no blood as strangers, weren’t her husband and Kim Tae-ju bound by unbreakable blood ties?

Kim Tae-ju had gained power that even the military paid attention to through his successful antidote development.

Why couldn’t her husband General Kim Woong-bang utilize that?

No, he didn’t even seem to have any intention of utilizing it.

Of course, they would have to meet someday.

They had to collect payment for raising him.

It just wasn’t the right time yet.

But with two sons awakening, she wouldn’t qualify as a mother if she just sat still.

‘I need to find some useful elixir to feed them.’

They were still just User grade.

Grade advancement was desperately needed.

She couldn’t expect anything from her husband either.

The household was becoming increasingly difficult.

With insufficient funds even to operate their territory, elixirs were like pie in the sky.

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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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