Chapter 18
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 18
Chapter Title: Declaration of War
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Less than a day had passed since Im Cheol-woo issued his orders.
[Exclusive] ‘Rabbitfoot Potion’ clashes with hunter mana… “Healed wounds rot from the inside out” shocking testimony
[Breaking] Hunter Association initiates safety discussions on ‘Rabbitfoot Potion’… Korean Healers’ Union “Will actively cooperate”
As if by prior agreement, the major news outlets' headlines flooded the portal sites.
The content was uniformly sensational. It was a horrific rumor that the Rabbitfoot Potion clashed with a hunter's mana, healing external wounds perfectly while causing the insides to fester.
The first to react was the domestic Hunter Gallery.
Anonymous communities were inherently vulnerable to opinion manipulation. Especially against hunters sensitive to life-or-death issues, it wasn't hard for an organized group with resources to spread unease.
Breaking) Rabbitfoot Potion makes wounds rot from the inside
(Related news link)
Heals the outside fine but the inside festers and bursts? Is this real?
Whoa, that's fucking horrifying.
Doesn't this turn you into a zombie?
For real lol
Just bullshit. Wasn't this the guild's promo? No one's who actually used it is saying anything.
How many people even used it lol
They only released a tiny amount.
The suspicions snowballed. Organized posters subtly muddied the waters, amplifying distrust in the potion.
But this was just the beginning.
At 8 PM, prime time. The major broadcasters' main news screens switched over.
[A hunter complaining of side effects from the hot-topic ‘Rabbitfoot Potion’ has appeared. Our team has an exclusive interview.]
The screen showed a mosaic-blurred man sitting under dim lighting.
[Emergency Interview - The Mystery Potion, Aftermath…]
“At first… it was like a miracle. The wound from the gate healed in seconds. It was something I'd have been bedridden for days over…”
He began his testimony in a trembling voice before the camera.
A plain B-rank tanker from the Healers' Union, bought off with a hefty sum, but viewers had no way of knowing that.
“But a few days later, the wound site started burning hot. The outside looked fine, but… it felt like something was gnawing at my flesh from inside.”
He clutched his arm in apparent agony. Cold sweat beaded on his close-up face.
“I went to the hospital, and they said the muscles inside the wound had all necrotized… If it continues, they might have to amputate my arm. Please, make sure no more victims like me appear.”
A desperate plea that seemed utterly sincere.
The footage ended there. But its impact was enormous. Vague anxiety instantly turned into concrete fear and anger.
Even the Hunter Gallery, rife with resentment toward healers, couldn't dismiss this as mere fakery.
Anyone see the news? Bye to the potion guzzlers lol
(News footage link)
This is basically just painting over the wound with paint, right?
Not paint, poison lol
Damn, first time I'm glad I missed the pre-order ㄷㄷ
What'd I tell ya lol All you suckers who ate it are screwed
Suspicious how articles are flooding out of nowhere.
Lol if you drank it go find a healer quick
Of course, some hunters tried to discern truth from lies. But their voices were buried under the flood of comments from Healers' Union plants.
And finally, the protagonist took the stage on the fully set table.
Im Cheol-woo, the real power behind the Korean Healers' Union.
Like an apostle of justice speaking for all victims, he announced the Union's official stance.
Amid ceaseless camera flashes on the podium, he continued with a grave expression.
“What bullshit.”
Normal Operations Guild office.
Choi Yuna scoffed at Im Cheol-woo's face on the monitor.
Their scheme was obvious.
A plausible pretext of a safety investigation. Hidden behind it was the cunning trap of delay tactics.
Tie them up in the Association's bureaucratic maze and slowly strangle them over the months of investigation.
Refuse the proposal?
‘It'd be like admitting it's a dangerous fake drug yourself.’
Two choices, neither viable.
How to flip this board? Her head throbbed.
Yuna burst through the workshop door, stomping over to me fuming.
“Argh, I'm so pissed! Did you see the news… Mana depleted again?”
Her gaze dropped. I was sprawled starfish on the plush mat in the workshop corner.
Having squeezed every last drop of mana, my mind felt blankly empty.
“...News...?”
Too drained to lift my head, I stared blankly at the ceiling and echoed her.
“The Healer Union geezers are going nuts trying to kill us. Saying wounds necrotize from the potion. You're sure there's no such side effect, right?”
Her words summoned the faintly scattered knowledge in my head.
“...Ogre bone marrow for regeneration, lava lizard flame sac for vitality, slime mucus for bonding...”
“...”
“...Necrosis occurs when mana disrupts blood flow and osmotic balance, so secondary contraction and drying components only as buffers...”
“Hey, you okay?”
“Ah.”
Yuna's worried voice snapped me back. I'd spent the night devouring the Alchemy Gallery; I wasn't in my right mind.
“W-With the materials I used... necrosis couldn't happen even if you tried...”
“Figured as much.”
She sighed and got to the point.
“Anyway, the Healer Union requested an official Association investigation. Halt sales until it's done. They're planning to tie our hands for months and let us wither.”
Her complex explanations buzzed in my ears. My head ached.
“We need to block this investigation somehow, delay it, or twist the board in our favor...”
As she muttered in anguish,
I gave up complex thoughts and spat out what surfaced in my mind.
“B-But... our potion...”
“Yeah?”
Yuna's eyes turned to me.
“The effect... is good... right...?”
“Obviously...”
Yuna's words cut off. Her frantic pacing halted.
Silence fell. She stared into space.
“...Effect.”
A quiet murmur.
Her eyes met my dazed ones as she turned.
She stared at me, then let out a deflating chuckle, utterly relaxed.
“You're killing me. Yeah.”
All prior anxiety vanished.
“That's all we need.”
With that, she stood without hesitation.
Back in the office, Yuna's eyes were completely different.
First, she uploaded the pre-recorded potion test footage to the Hunter Gallery.
Business as usual. Releasing Rabbitfoot Potion Phase 1 efficacy verification video.
(slime_potion_test.mp4)
The video played without delay.
On screen: a slime with a deep gash.
A few drops of clear liquid fell onto the wound.
Sizzle—
As if rewinding time, the torn edges pulled together and fused in an instant.
The camera panned to the mana scanner nearby. The slime's internal cross-section was pristine.
Damage: 0%. Perfect recovery.
The video's release slammed the brakes on the blind outrage fueled by festering wound rumors.
Not just outside, inside too? What was that interview then?
Instant full heal lol
Slime and humans the same? Ease up lol
Effect is insane though
Fabricated interview versus real efficacy footage.
Public confusion reigned, and the blind bashing paused momentarily.
Choi Yuna seized the moment.
She entered the conference room packed with dozens of media cameras and mics.
Press conference.
Amid a barrage of flashes, Choi Yuna stood at the podium with unshaken eyes.
“Choi Yuna, Guild Leader of Normal Operations Guild.”
Her calm yet firm voice echoed through the suffocating silence.
She paused, slowly scanning the room. Every eye fixed on her alone.
Murmurs rippled through the reporters.
The room's air froze at the unexpectedly hardline stance.
Her sharp gaze pierced the front camera, targeting someone beyond the screen.
A shocking statement. Reporters' typing went frantic.
Choi Yuna enunciated each word like a challenge.
And finally, one more line.
A blatant declaration of war against the Healers' Union.