The Cursed Blacksmith Who Regressed - Chapter 89

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

Episode 89

After Yuk-mang-seong was formed, Choi Hyun immediately met with Jang Hae-hyeon.

“Yes, Director.”

Jang Hae-hyeon smiled brightly.

Why was he smiling?

He asked.

“Is there something good happening?”

“I think there will be soon.”

“What kind of thing?”

“I don’t know. But seeing how you suddenly called for me, Director, something good must be about to happen, right?”

Haha.

Now he seemed to have developed foresight too.

Well.

What he was about to discuss was about recovery potions, so from Jang Hae-hyeon’s perspective, it could only be good.

Choi Hyun said.

“If you’d call it good, then it would be good news. Since it’s about business.”

“Oh, business! That’s great. I love all the business talks you bring up, Director. In that sense, what kind will it be this time?”

You seem to be expecting too much, so I feel a bit pressured to tell you…”

“Then I won’t expect anything.”

“Really?”

“No. Just like you can’t hide love and a cold, how could I possibly hide my expectations for you, Director? I want to hear it.”

“Haha… Then let me tell you, this business is about recovery potions.”

“Recovery potions?”

Suddenly?

It was a completely unexpected genre, so he blinked his eyes.

Choi Hyun told Jang Hae-hyeon exactly the same things he had told Yuk-mang-seong.

And when the story was completely finished, Jang Hae-hyeon’s mouth was open wider than he had ever seen before.

“…This is the plan. What do you think, President?”

“…”

“…President?”

“Oh… I’m sorry. I was so surprised that I momentarily lost my words.”

“What do you think?”

“Well…”

Jang Hae-hyeon froze again with his mouth open.

Why was this gentleman acting like this?

Was there some problem?

Puzzled, he looked at Han Yu-won who was nearby.

But.

“…”

Han Yu-won was the same.

She was frozen with her mouth half open.

A chuckle escaped him.

Their reactions were funny.

Choi Hyun clapped his hands loudly.

Then, like people waking from hypnosis, Jang Hae-hyeon and Han Yu-won simultaneously snapped back to reality.

“Both of you, snap out of it. I can understand the President doing that, but what are you going to do if even the Manager acts like that?”

“Ah, I’m sorry. This is… I definitely heard it with my own ears and listened from beginning to end when the President was hearing it, but even hearing it directly, it doesn’t seem to make sense.”

At those words, Jang Hae-hyeon also belatedly nodded.

“Yes, this really… doesn’t make sense. I knew you were an amazing person, Director, but this is really…”

Jang Hae-hyeon trailed off.

Choi Hyun said.

“So both of you are thinking positively about it?”

“No, how could I have any opinion about this? If we can really make such recovery potions, we should do it immediately. I’ve long been aware that the healer industry openly abuses their power. But if we can make recovery potions of that level and distribute them cheaply, I naturally think the healer industry will normalize.”

“That’s good. Then since this is strictly speaking manufacturing, I understand that Daesan will handle the mass production work.”

“And Paragon will make the raw materials?”

“Yes, the core raw materials will be made by the Yuk-mang-seong friends. Anyway, the important thing is the work of mass-producing with the raw materials, so there’s no particular need to use Alchemist Players. Ah, but that doesn’t mean we can use ordinary people. They need to be awakened ones who can at least learn this skill. They don’t have to be hunters.”

“That’s because of the secondary processing method, right?”

“Yes, no matter what, since the raw materials are classified as items, for secondary processing we need at least the combination skill, which is a common skill, even if not the alchemy skill.”

“Then we can build a factory and hire people, but make having the combination skill a hiring condition.”

“If needed, say we’ll provide combination skill pages too. Combination skill pages are abundant in the market. And if we pay a bit more generously than regular civilian production jobs, I think we can secure enough manpower. Among awakened ones, there are quite a few who give up becoming hunters because they dislike dangerous work.”

That was true.

Not only young and strong people become awakened.

Awakening occurs regardless of target – children, women, the elderly and weak, disabled people, etc.

Among them, naturally there are those who don’t meet the minimum requirements and can’t take the hunter exam, or refuse to become hunters for psychological reasons.

‘There’s no reason you must become a hunter just because you awakened.’

There are no disadvantages that fall on you for becoming a hunter but not leveling up or hunting monsters.

There aren’t even legal sanctions.

“Understood. Then I’ll start procuring related materials and immediately build a building and secure production lines.”

“Thank you. I think you can proceed with hiring after sufficiently stockpiling recovery potion materials while the building is being constructed.”

“Not simultaneous progress? Won’t that be too late?”

“It won’t be late. Anyway, around that time I’m planning to start and also post job openings for Necromancers, and to draw aggro I’m thinking of releasing the article about recruiting Hunter Maeng Bu-yong then.”

“Ah, so that’s why you’ve been keeping Hunter Maeng on hold?”

“That’s right.”

“But what is Hunter Maeng Bu-yong doing these days?”

“He’s doing homework.”

“Homework, you mean that juggling thing?”

“That and one more thing. I gave that friend one additional assignment.”

“What kind?”

“There’s something called footwork. Since he’s in a position where he needs to move quickly, footwork is essential for him too.”

Maeng Bu-yong’s basic position was tank, but he was a bruiser who could also deal damage.

So footwork was essential.

Jang Hae-hyeon nodded.

“The recovery potions are sudden enough, but by the time that’s finished you’ll be proceeding with Necromancers too… It really seems like you’re handling all the company operations by yourself, Director.”

“I just do some planning and such and tell you about it, but you handle all the actual operations and coordination, President. I’m always grateful for that.”

“Oh my, ideas and planning are the most important things in business, so what are you saying… By the way, didn’t you say you were preparing to go abroad? Are those preparations all finished?”

“Actually, the basic preparations are finished, so I’m thinking of going and coming back soon.”

“May I ask what it’s about?”

“I’m planning to recruit a healer for my party soon.”

“Your party?”

Come to think of it, he hadn’t told Jang Hae-hyeon about Choi Hyun’s direct party.

Without delay, he immediately told him about the direct party.

“Wow, no wonder… Then with you as the leader, Director, plus Maeng Bu-yong, Kim Ha-geom, and An U-ju joining, just in terms of party size it’s truly the strongest party in the country in both name and reality.”

“Yes, I’m planning to go recruit a healer to use in that party.”

“May I ask who that candidate might be?”

“Of course you can. But it’s probably not someone you know. They’re Russian.”

“A Russian person?”

“Yes, do you know of Hasan? Not a person’s name, but a Russian region name.”

“I don’t know much about Russia… Where is Hasan?”

He immediately opened a map on his tablet.

“It’s here.”

“This place is….”

Jang Hae-hyeon, who had confirmed the location, showed a bewildered expression.

“This is right next to North Korea, isn’t it?”

“That’s right. It’s where the borders of North Korea, China, and Russia meet. So in terms of straight-line distance, it’s also the closest place to Korea. Did you know? The famous North Korean Aoji Coal Mine is not that far from here.”

“Are you really going to go there? Director, do you perhaps not know the situation in Russia?”

“I know all the basic situations and circumstances.”

After the Great Catastrophe, North Korea collapsed.

And among countries with vast territories but less developed infrastructure, places like Africa took only a bit more time than North Korea but couldn’t handle the proliferating Gates and Dungeons, following the same path to national destruction as North Korea.

So were the United States, China, Russia, India, and others different?

They were different.

But they couldn’t be said to be completely different.

Since Gates and Dungeons occur randomly and are disasters that can’t even be controlled, countries with massive territories had their governments essentially give up on places called remote villages or backwoods areas.

It couldn’t be helped.

What was happening to the world now was a disaster of unprecedented scale in human history.

A situation where no matter how hard governments tried, they couldn’t care for all their citizens.

So governments of each country were gathering people in one place as much as possible to protect them.

In that sense, Hasan was abandoned land no longer within reach of the Russian government’s eyes and hands.

‘Places like this are mainly used as hideouts for criminal organizations.’

Of course, just because they were criminal organizations didn’t mean they were free from Gates or Dungeons.

But at least they could avoid government regulations, so they preferred to operate in these lawless regions while fighting monsters.

‘And at the current point in time, Shasha is in Hasan.’

Shasha was the name of the healer he planned to bring back this time.

Jang Hae-hyeon said.

“I understand. Then what can I help you with?”

“There’s nothing particular you can help with right now. Just help with naturalization when I bring that person back.”

“Naturalization… I understand. But how will you get to Hasan? There are no flights there since it’s currently an almost abandoned region, and it’s hard to operate ships there too.”

“I’m thinking of going by waterway.”

“By waterway, you mean by sea?”

“Yes, I have a separate method. I’ll tell you the details after I come back.”

“Ah, yes. I understand.”

“Then.”

Jang Hae-hyeon decided to stop thinking any further.

It was unpredictable and he had no confidence in understanding it either.

Choi Hyun, who had gotten up from his seat, then headed to the Summoner’s Guild.

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