The Cursed Blacksmith Who Regressed - Chapter 88

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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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Episode 88

Choi Hyun said.

“But do you know why they’re specifically in pill, powder, and patch forms?”

“It seems like they wanted to differentiate portability and administration methods, but rather than just these simple issues, I think each one has completely different purposes.”

“That’s right. How do you think they differ?”

At that question, everyone started thinking.

The first to raise his hand was Yun Dae-woo, whose dream was a panacea.

“Pills are for immediate recovery through ingestion, powder is for people who can’t chew, so they can mix it with liquid to consume, and lastly patches are for people who can’t do either of those, allowing recovery just by absorption through the skin.”

“Oh, that’s almost right.”

“Really?”

“As you said, pills are aimed at immediate recovery through ingestion. But we’re planning to make both powder and pill forms dissolvable in water. Sometimes certain wounds need to be soaked in the medicine itself, not just sprinkled on.”

“But in that case, couldn’t you just sprinkle the powder directly?”

“That’s right. That was the original purpose of the powder. To help treat by sprinkling on external wounds. Burns and such might be difficult to treat with just patches or liquids, right?”

“Then wouldn’t the patch’s role become a bit redundant?”

“Patches will target continuous recovery. Do you know about nicotine patches?”

“Yes, I do. Smokers use them when trying to quit cigarettes.”

“Right. Nicotine gradually supplies nicotine through skin attachment to control addiction. Recovery patches work the same way. Among healers’ recovery skills, there’s something called dot heal, which recovers a set amount over a specific time period divided by time units. The recovery patches we’ll make are like that too. When attached, recovery occurs slowly over time. That would make them much more versatile.”

Especially in situations where health is being depleted in real-time, recovery patches would demonstrate great power.

“Later, we’ll apply these to provide nutrition and hydration too. Then we won’t need separate combat rations. And if we start reducing baggage like this, we won’t need to hire porters either, and it’ll become natural to find one more practical party member for that spot.”

“Then party strength would be enhanced, so conquest rates would increase. But will the healers just sit still?”

“What if they don’t sit still? Will they go on strike? If they want to, tell them to go ahead. I heard that in the past, when doctors felt their livelihood was threatened, they went on strike and caused many problems in the medical system. Even though they received a lot of criticism from the entire nation, the government eventually sided with the doctors’ convenience. Why do you think that was?”

“Because ultimately there were no replacement personnel.”

“But now there’s a substitute, right? Then the fight wouldn’t be established. And while I don’t plan to step forward unless necessary, if an extreme situation arises and I reveal that I planned this for the public good, I can easily gain the upper hand in public opinion battles too. I hope such a situation doesn’t arise though.”

Choi Hyun says with a smile.

However, everyone felt that smile was a bit frightening.

“Probably when product manufacturing starts, not just healers but buffers will feel threatened too. They might think ‘aren’t we next?’ and join forces.”

“This isn’t the right timing to say this, but I suddenly remember that. Martin Niemöller, wasn’t it? A poem written by a pastor…”

“When the Nazis came for them?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

There’s a famous poem called “When the Nazis Came for Them.”

When the Nazis came for the communists,

I remained silent.

I was not a communist.

Then they locked up the social democrats,

I remained silent.

I was not a social democrat.

Then they came for the trade unionists,

I remained silent.

I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews,

I said nothing.

I was not a Jew.

When they came for me,

there was no one left

to speak for me.

It was a poem criticizing the majority who, while not actively supporting Nazi atrocities, condoned them through indifference.

Choi Hyun really liked this poem.

After all, this message about keeping quiet until you’re threatened and then collapsing was exactly the same as the situation where humanity perished because people only thought of their own safety and didn’t help others in his previous life.

Choi Hyun’s eyes gleamed even more coldly.

“Tell them to raise their voices. If they can unite, tell them to combine their strength to their heart’s content. I might look like a Nazi to them, but if I can just end this age of great upheaval, I can become even more than a Nazi to them.”

“Well… honestly, those who do business with people’s lives are the healing Nazis, what kind of Nazi would that be?”

“Exactly.”

“I really hope we can dominate the recovery market so healers become normalized.”

Everyone agrees with Choi Hyun’s words.

Choi Hyun smiled again and said.

“I hope healers become normalized too. Actually, healers should know how to fight. Who knows what will happen in Gates and Dungeons, yet they just want to stay in the back and only heal?”

“That’s what tanks are for, isn’t it?”

“That’s true, but they shouldn’t depend only on tanks. Just like children who grow up overprotected end up unable to do anything, healers should be raised like soldiers, like medics. Knowing how to fight with weapons when necessary. When you go to the battlefield together, where is there someone who should only be protected? Sacrificing my own body to save teammates. That’s the basic quality of a healer.”

“Now that I hear it, that’s right. I guess I was thinking too much in gaming terms. In reality, they should become medics, not game healers.”

“Right now there’s a joke going around that if you want to make money, awaken and become a healer, but once the healer system is normalized with recovery medicine, healers will eventually fight for victory from an equal position like other job classes. Now then.”

Choi Hyun said, pulling out the practice materials he had prepared.

“Let’s talk about recovery medicine manufacturing methods. We plan to release licenses later, but until recovery medicine market stabilization is achieved, we must maintain exclusive supply thoroughly. This is that recipe.”

They examine the ingredients and combination methods.

But Lee I-hyeon, who was looking at them, furrowed his brow.

“This is all…?”

“Yes.”

“It’s this simple?”

“What would be difficult about it? Frankly speaking, it’s focused only on recovery. Mix this and that to make the raw materials and you’re done?”

“Ah, no… earlier you said you’d make pills, powder, and even patches?”

“That’s secondary processing now. We just need to make the raw materials. Do you know how beverages are made in factories? When making beverages in factories, they blend concentrate with purified water, then inject carbonation, seal it, and it’s done. Simple, right?”

“I know that, but… still, it’s so simple it’s almost disappointing.”

“We should be grateful that even recovery medicine is simple. Here, as long as mana and alchemy skill levels support it, mass production is possible. By the way, don’t worry about mana quantity issues since I’ll solve that for you.”

“I wondered why there was no talk of additional hiring for Alchemists.”

“Actually, six people is too many for recovery medicine manufacturing. But I hired all of you because we’ll be running other projects simultaneously. So, in that sense, what you’ll be doing from now on is making raw materials for recovery medicine. When those manufactured raw materials go to the production line, they’ll process them into various forms automatically. So, do you have any questions now?”

At the question about whether there were any questions, everyone looks at each other.

As if there would be any.

When the work process is this innovative and clean, what more could they be curious about?

Kang I-hyeok answered as the eldest representative.

“No.”

“Good. Then everyone work hard practicing puzzles and making raw materials. I don’t plan to hire additional Alchemists until all of your alchemy levels reach the maximum.”

Then Kim Yeon-ho, the alchemist whose dream was chimeras, raised his hand high.

“Yes, Yeon-ho.”

“I… don’t have any questions, but I have one suggestion.”

“What is it?”

“If you don’t have plans for additional hiring for a while, we’d like to create a team name for ourselves.”

“A team name?”

“Being part of the Paragon Alchemist Department is good, but we’d like to create and officially use a team name just for us, for meaning and solidarity. Like Hwageum Guild.”

A moment of silence.

Then everyone burst out laughing.

“Ah, I thought he was going to say something else.”

“Kim Yeon-ho is really funny.”

“You were quiet all this time but thinking about that?”

“That’s amazing, really.”

Then Lee I-hyeon also raised his hand.

“I like it too. From what I can see, starting with recovery medicine, it seems like we’re going to make a huge mark in Alchemist Player history. So I’d like to have a symbolic team name.”

At those words, Choi Hyun smiled with satisfaction.

“That’s good. It gives meaning too. So Yeon-ho, do you have a name in mind?”

Then, as if he had been waiting, Kim Yeon-ho answered.

“I’ve been thinking about this for a really long time, and our alchemy circle shape is a hexagram, right? So I’d like to call it Yuk-mang-seong. If it’s a shape with six triangular pyramids gathered around a hexagon center, it seems to symbolize you and us.”

Yuk-mang-seong.

The hexagram, also called a hexagram, had symbolic meaning in Israel as the Star of David and the Shield of David.

But more than anything, Kim Yeon-ho’s interpretation that Choi Hyun was at the center was appealing.

Choi Hyun smiled and said.

“That’s good, thinking of me too. I’m in favor. What about everyone else?”

“Yuk-mang-seong, that’s good. I’m in favor.”

“I’m in favor too.”

“Me too.”

“I like that the President is at the center. I’m in favor too.”

“Of course I’m calling it.”

Everyone thought positively and agreed.

This was the moment when Paragon’s one and only Alchemist team, ‘Yuk-mang-seong,’ was born.

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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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