Chapter 31

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 31

Chapter Title: Earning Diligently

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Inside the workshop, an interview with a family was playing on the large monitor covering the wall.

[Truly... I don't even ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠know how to thank you... Our Si-woo... Sob... Every night, he'd scream in pain, scratching his whole body, and as his mother, there was nothing I could do for him.]

The woman on screen couldn't hold back her surging emotions and broke into sobs.

[Even the hospital said an S-rank healer couldn't fix it... They just told us to prepare our hearts for the worst...]

The reporter with the mic gently turned toward the child nestled in her arms. The kid still looked pale, but his expression was serene, as if freed from excruciating agony.

[It doesn't hurt anymore. My body was always burning hot, but now it's cool. Thank you...]

Over the image of the child giving a small smile to the camera, the woman's trembling voice overlapped once more.

[Rabbitfoot Company gave my child, my family... a miracle. I'll never forget this grace, not for the rest of my life...]

I stared blankly at the screen.

A single potion I'd impulsively made to recruit Seo I-hyun. This was the butterfly effect it had triggered.

Watching something I'd created change someone's life stirred up a rush of emotions I couldn't quite put into words.

"Master."

Just as I was about to sink into sentiment, Chun-sik's voice came from beside me. He'd already claimed the seat next to mine.

"Seeing ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that lady cry makes me tear up too. It's touching."

"Yeah."

I nodded without thinking. I'd felt something similar with Seo I-hyun, but this was definitely a different experience.

'Wait.'

That was when it hit me—a great idea.

I glanced at Chun-sik. He was glued to the screen, eyes sparkling. Now was my chance.

"Ahem."

I cleared my throat and opened my mouth as naturally as possible.

"Alchemy that can help people like this... isn't it awesome? You could make stuff like that if you studied just a bit more..."

I wheedled him in the most emotionally charged voice I could muster.

"Guess I should study a little more, huh?"

A brief silence.

Chun-sik looked at me with utter pity before speaking.

"Wow... Master, you really nailed it."

"......"

"This isn't just motivation. It's masterful gaslighting—using emotions to ignite a work ethic..."

"Hand over the tablet."

I snatched the tablet from his paws.

"What kind of crap have you been picking up?"

"It's not even been 10 minutes! Give it back! We had a deal!"

"Quiet. Let's see if I give it back to you."

I was too soft. I'd been a fool to let him have it out of pity, even for 10 minutes.

"Wuu... That's cheating!"

Ignoring Chun-sik's indignant squeaks, I logged into the Hunter Gallery on the confiscated tablet.

Sure enough, it was buzzing with talk about Rabbitfoot Company.

I quickly scrolled through the flood of posts.

'...Impressive.'

This was Seo I-hyun's handiwork.

He'd first seized the image of a benevolent company with free aid. Using that as leverage, he'd even secured government funding for rare disease support.

Meanwhile, he'd zeroed in on stats showing significantly higher incidence rates among families with Awakeners.

Awakeners—high-earning hunters, that is.

Most of those patients could easily cover treatment costs. So, providing free aid to just a select few and taking credit was all it took.

Public opinion, profits, even government grants. He'd caught all three rabbits at once.

A satisfied smile crept onto my face as I muttered,

"My eye for talent is spot on."

"Hmm... Is it? Or maybe it was just clueless luck..."

Chun-sik lost his tablet—and dinner too.

A month passed.

Under Seo I-hyun's command, Rabbitfoot ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Company had firmly established itself. He flawlessly handled media relations, marketing, distribution networks, and even outsourcing material processing—every aspect of operations.

Thanks to him, I could study alchemy with Chun-sik and still have time for gaming—a dream work-life balance.

Vrrr—

I had Yongyong's VTuber stream on lazily when Yuna called.

"H-Hello?"

- It's me. Busy?

"N-No. What's up?"

- This month's settlement is out. I'll send the details—check them.

"O-Okay, hold on..."

I switched to speaker and pulled up the tablet on my desk. Yuna's monthly settlement report had arrived.

And I froze at the number on screen.

'...200 billion.'

90% of net sales after taxes.

I'd expected it, but seeing the actual figure was still shocking.

Potions that used to come out one or two a day were now mass-produced by the hundreds.

Even after healers swallowed their pride and dropped prices—forcing us to lower recovery potion rates accordingly—this was the result.

"Jackpot."

- Total jackpot. Anyway, your share's deposited in your personal account—check it.

"Y-Yeah. Thanks."

With trembling hands, I opened my bank account. Nine zeros ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠glowed surreal in the balance.

My long-forgotten first goal resurfaced.

'5 billion.'

Enough to buy one Elixir ingredient: the Tear of the Ancient Spirit.

And now, my account held that amount—dozens of times over.

"Yuna."

- Yeah?

"Can you get me the Tear of the Ancient Spirit?"

- Uh... Isn't that for hunter gear crafting? Making gear? It's pricey... Nah, doesn't matter now.

Yuna trailed off, then agreed readily.

"...For potion-making."

- Got it. These take time to source, though—okay? Gotta wait for auction listings.

"Y-Yeah. Not urgent."

- Anything else?

"Oh. Hold on. L-Let me compile a list and call back..."

I hesitated, then pulled up the Alchemy Gallery.

"What I can get right now..."

I alternated between Alchemy Gallery and web searches for ingredients—ones on Earth and those with zero info.

Sorting them, the projected cost shot past 600 billion in seconds.

"......"

I was amazed at myself for taking even that absurd number in stride now. My sense of money was totally numb.

I called Yuna back.

"F-First, grab these: Blackback Shell, Silver Sand, Dawn Scales..."

A dry chuckle seemed to echo from the phone.

"...Since the Healers' Union collapsed, Rabbitfoot Company's growth has exceeded all expectations. They've replaced most existing healers' demand, and the mid-to-low-end recovery market is effectively a monopoly."

Korea's strongest guild, White Tiger's headquarters. The top-floor strategy planning room was thick with icy tension.

The reporting man swallowed dryly and continued to the key point.

"...And reverse-engineering the recovery potions failed all five times. We traced the material processing outsourcers and identified raw ingredients successfully, but... combining them yielded no meaningful effects."

He paused before delivering the lab's final conclusion.

"The core is a special mana control beyond current mana engineering analysis."

Bang!

One exec slammed the table.

"Ridiculous! You mean we can't replicate a mere potion?!"

"It's not a tech gap issue, sir. This is completely alien to existing mana engineering. Even our mobilized mage hunters are stumped."

As the mood soured, the planning director stepped in with the crumpled report.

"In effect, guilds using Rabbitfoot potions show stark gate-clearing efficiency gaps compared to those that don't."

Urgency laced his voice.

"If this continues, gate assaults themselves will be beholden to Rabbitfoot Company."

The room temperature seemed to drop further. In the heavy silence, the exec at the head of the table spoke coldly.

"If we can't imitate it."

Greed glittered in his eyes.

"We'll have to swallow it whole. The company itself."