Crushing the Gwichuk Guild (1)
The president appeared to be about to explode with rage, but he somehow managed to hold it back.
And in the end, he nodded.
The hospital bills were approaching three hundred million won—hardly pocket change. But even so, it was unlikely that he would allow his son to be labeled a criminal just because of that money from a wealthy family.
“Very well. Now, please make sure to firmly educate your son not to call or approach Yejin-ssi again. If this happens one more time, he will face legal punishment without fail.”
I gave the president a light bow while staring daggers at me, then left the president’s office.
* * *
A short while later.
We loaded the four Rot-infected Han Yejin family members into a soundproof ambulance and rushed them straight to the Jeguk Medipharm Research Institute.
Throughout the entire ride, Han Yejin kept crying, convinced that all the hardships she had endured would finally be resolved and that she could now care for her family without money worries.
When I told her the hospital bills were also taken care of, she looked at me in surprise and asked where I had gotten so much money to repay it.
“That bastard showed me the black-box video of him harassing Yejin-ssi, and he immediately offered full compensation.”
“Really, Oppa… I’m so grateful.”
Adamantium……
Adamantium……
Even in the middle of it all, I kept praying silently in my heart.
After the move, the patients had all settled into their new isolation rooms.
Han Yejin showed no hesitation about undergoing drug testing.
That was because of the Rot virus’s nature. Since it was already the worst possible situation, clinical trials would not make it any worse anyway.
Han Yejin signed, and a lab-coated researcher wearing a hazmat suit entered the isolation room first and injected Gini-1 into her father.
The effect of the injection was nothing short of miraculous.
Just three minutes after the medication was administered, the father’s eyes, which had been dazed and begging to be killed, began to regain their light.
“Ah, Dad? Are you okay? You look better already?”
He blinked around, then looked at Han Yejin outside the isolation window and said, “....Where is this~? Where am I~? I~ just woke up… Aaa~~”
“Uhehehe, Dad! Do you recognize me hehe?”
The father stared at Han Yejin for a long time and said, “You… you are~ Yejin… my precious~ Yejin~”
“Ahuhuhuhuh. Yes, Dad! It’s Yejin, Dad! Which one am I? Do you remember?”
“The second~! First is Changjin! The youngest is Gyujin! You are the second, Yejin~”
That was more than enough to confirm the drug’s effectiveness.
Rotters sometimes remembered their children’s names or their guild names, but they could never recall specific numbers.
Han Yejin sobbed in relief and finally reunited with her awakening father, separated only by the glass wall.
The two exchanged many words and finally let go of their pent-up emotions.
Her father was still somewhat slow-witted, but basic communication was now possible, so the experimental drug’s performance was more than sufficient to confirm its success.
A short while later, Han Yejin, who had been monitoring, turned to Jang Hancheol and me and said, “I’m really grateful. But… could you please allow me a moment alone with my father and me?”
Jang Hancheol agreed and turned off the recording camera.
And the two of us stepped out of the soundproof ward’s waiting room.
* * *
“Dad!”
“Mmm~ my precious~”
“By any chance… Dad, when you were a hunter back then, do you remember where you put the belt you used?”
“...Belt? Belt! Yeah, right~ I forgot~ Yejin~ there~ there’s liquid~ I need to find it~”
“Where? Where is the location?”
“The belt is hidden~ in the tower~ right inside the tower~”
“Which floor?”
“1st~”
“Which part of the 1st floor?”
“That~ where~ is it~”
* * *
Jang Hancheol laughed brightly and spoke to me.
“How on earth did you develop such a miraculous medicine by yourself? Thirty of my company’s researchers worked around the clock for four years and still made zero progress…….”
“It was just good luck.”
“Would you mind telling me what your major was in university?”
“...It was in the Department of Archaeology. I didn’t graduate; I’m on a leave of absence.”
“Heh heh.”
Jang Hancheol looked utterly dumbfounded.
Even his expression seemed to say, “What the hell was that?”
“...Anyway, now that clinical trials are over, mass production will be necessary. Please prepare accordingly.”
Entering the Tower era had simplified 1- to 4-phase trials that once took up to 7 or 8 years. As long as the efficacy was proven, simple approval would allow immediate sales.
There were simply too many people dying or suffering from the new disease to afford lengthy experiments.
Of course, if side effects were discovered, the manufacturer and seller would face enormous punitive damages, so companies imposed their own strict standards.
“With this level of efficacy, approval should come within days. Mass-production equipment can be set up quickly too. I’ll leave the patent application to our legal team and it will sail through smoothly. Oh, and are you making good progress on corporate registration?”
“Ah, that part—please give me a few more days. I’ve been too busy developing the experimental drug and couldn’t spare the time.”
Jeguk Medipharm positioned itself as a CDMO company covering research, development, and clinical trials, but that had only recently become serious under Jang Hancheol’s leadership. Before that, it had been the industry’s top company through outsourcing and sales alone.
It was a company with long experience in efficiently extracting and selling volume.
So, with me as the brain and Jeguk Medipharm as the hands, it was already a given that Gini-1 would rapidly dominate the global market.
The world was vast, and Rot patients were overflowing.
At that moment, Han Yejin emerged from the waiting room.
“Oppa, there’s something I need to talk to you about in private……”
Jang Hancheol gave a light bow and left the room.
Han Yejin and I sat on a bench with a great view at the end of the hallway. Below us was a beautiful artificial lake.
My heart pounding, I asked, “...What is it?”
“There’s one thing I need to ask you for, Oppa.”
“What is it?”
“Going to the Tower to retrieve something important.”
I swallowed hard.
It was so embarrassing that I wondered if she had noticed.
“You’ve been so good to me so far, and now you’re asking me for this troublesome task too. I’m really sorry. But… the person I trust to handle this is only you, Oppa, around me.”
In that instant, my sister Hwang Eunpa’s name flashed through my mind.
Hwang Eunpa and Han Yejin were best friends……
But Yejin-ssi chose me.
“What exactly do I need to retrieve?”
I asked, already guessing.
“The belt my father gave me back when we were hunters. And… when you retrieve the belt…… Oppa will get the Adamantium inside it……”
How much will she give me?
25%?
10%?
No way is it stingy 5% or 1%?
At that moment.
Click-
A message arrived on her phone.
Click-
Han Yejin checked the content, but she didn’t seem to fully understand what it meant at first.
Click-
Then, as the messages kept coming, she suddenly clutched her mouth and let out a sharp scream.
“Aaaah! No way!”
I was startled and asked, “Yejin-ssi! What happened?”
“Ahuhuhuk, it’s not possible!”
Han Yejin suddenly trembled violently, dropped her phone on the floor, covered her face with both hands, and looked utterly lost.
I picked up her fallen phone and checked the screen.
Four recent messages appeared.
They were all from Go Jutae.
- lol it’s already too late for that guy to retrieve it?
- I’ve already arrived at the Tower entrance with all our guild members lol- I’ll use the Adamantium gift from your dad nicely lol lol lol- tell that bastard to come show off if he has the guts lol lol
Damn it.
“Does the phone have a hidden recording app?”
“Ugh, probably. That bastard must have secretly installed something on my phone. Ahuhuk.”
Hmph.
Go Jutae was also chasing Adamantium.
That’s why he was listening in on Han Yejin’s phone.
And that explained why he could suddenly appear at the Chinese hotpot restaurant yesterday.
Let me see.
If the bastard had been secretly listening to our conversation about the mitigation drug I developed since yesterday……
Of course.
He naturally assumed that once the family reunion happened today, Han Yejin would ask her father about the belt’s location first.
So he had sharpened his ears and been waiting with the guild members today.
Jeguk Medipharm was located in Yongin. No matter how fast we moved, we couldn’t reach the belt before them.
I said in a completely defeated tone, “Damn, everything’s gone wrong……”
I said that, then removed the SIM card from her phone.
If the bastard had been listening all along, he would now think we had given up.
Sure enough, Han Yejin said in a despairing voice, “Ugh, it had to be now that we’re too far from the Tower……”
I immediately switched tactics and told her, “No, it’s actually fortunate that we’re far away.”
“What do you mean?”
“If we hadn’t been so far away… that bastard wouldn’t have made such a huge mistake of sending a text taunt so quickly.”
“A mistake……?”
“Yejin-ssi, tell me the exact location where the belt is hidden right now! I’ll retrieve the Adamantium from them immediately.”
Han Yejin looked at me as if I had said something ridiculous and replied, “It’s inside the gap in the 42nd pillar starting from the Tower’s 1st floor starting point. But how?”
I opened the window and checked the location of the artificial pond below.
Then, to cast Help Aid, I stepped back.
At that moment, Han Yejin shouted at me, “Oppa? What are you doing right now? Are you planning to jump from the 8th floor?!”
“Yes!”
“O, Oppa! Don’t do something stupid! Even if you can make it, the Gwichuk Guild has… dangerous people. It includes ex-yakuza members and even two D-class hunters. It’s impossible for you to fight them all alone……”
I said while casting Help Aid, “Who said I’m fighting alone?”
I finished the line, accelerated, and leaped upward.
Next, I threw my body out the window.
Han Yejin’s face with her mouth wide open flashed into my view.
Puhudududud~
As I spread my limbs wide and fell straight, the sound of my clothes flapping in the wind echoed.
I already had my status window open, so I immediately set the 2nd Basement Level waypoint beneath the expanding surface of the artificial pond.
It was a million miracles that I had even equipped the 2nd Basement Master Key these past few busy days in this situation.
A huge, intangible stamp-like object struck the surface from above.
Kuuuung-
Kwaaang-
The artificial lake water erupted and sprayed brilliant rain in all directions.
Soon I collided with the surface, legs first.
And at the exact moment of impact, I cast .
The 15-meter force surging from the ground and the force of falling from the 8th floor canceled each other out.
Kwahahah!
But because the falling force was stronger, I dropped with a huge splash, creating a massive water tornado.
Still, the cushioning was quite substantial.
Now, the second shock!
The bottom of the artificial lake.
A magnificent pattern waypoint had already formed there.
Kung!
And transmission began immediately.
Jiiwoong-