Chapter 48
My top priority in this life was clear.
Root out the shadowy forces strongly suspected of involvement in the assassination of Hunter Seo Boseok.
Then wipe them out in one fell swoop.
That didn't mean slaughtering them all.
I don't have that kind of raw power.
To take down multiple guilds single-handedly, I'd need at least three S-rank Hunters.
Short-sighted revenge would just poison me in the long run.
It was just a hunch based on circumstantial evidence, but North Ocean Corp's involvement was all but confirmed. On the other hand...
Gwang-san Corp is a bit murkier. Still...
They're guilty.
With my knowledge of the future, I couldn't help but suspect Gwang-san Corp's complicity.
In some ways, they're even more vicious than North Ocean.
Crunch.
My jaw clenched without me realizing it.
Gija-ryeong glanced at me cautiously.
"...Was your old job that bad?"
In a way, she'd hit the nail on the head.
KBC is a notorious black company too.
But I needed to adjust the angle a bit.
"It wasn't the job itself. It was the top brass."
I slipped some beef to Hemo on the sly as I spoke.
"Everyone at HTN knows KBC's leadership is rotten, right?"
"It's not just our network. Anyone in the know is aware. Especially that president's personality—it's infamous."
"The type that sticks to one side like a bat, then flips to the other?"
I chuckled and elaborated.
"I didn't say a word."
"Same difference."
"...Let's move on."
"Anyway, now that North Ocean's cut her loose, she'll latch onto someone else. High chance she's already packed up and jumped ship."
"If she leaves North Ocean..."
"The only viable option left to stir things up is Gwang-san Corp."
"Do you have some basis for saying that?"
Gija-ryeong started to pull out her notepad slyly. From the counter, my classmate—who'd been waiting for his moment—shot her a glare and pointed a finger.
Beneath the TV playing the news, "NO FILMING ALLOWED" was scrawled in bold red letters.
"It's not filming, it's reporting..."
"Let me see. My knife's gotten dull—needs sharpening."
"..."
Her hand emerged from her shoulder bag empty-handed.
I got to the point.
"If KBC hooks up with Gwang-san, it'll give HTN a real headache."
"Probably. Gwang-san's not like North Ocean."
I nodded slightly.
Gwang-san is a true powerhouse guild in name and fact.
North Ocean's stock had tanked just from me siphoning their books at my old job. All flash, no substance.
Gwang-san wouldn't suffer the same fate. They were a full tier above the mid-tier North Ocean.
Gija-ryeong winced, maybe from smoke in her eyes.
"That's a nightmare combo—Gwang-san and KBC."
"No need to worry too much. If North Ocean even forms a temporary alliance with us, KBC will have to play it safe."
"Why's that?"
Whoa. When did he sneak up?
The shop owner wedged himself between us, silently adding more meat to the grill while prompting an answer.
We've schemed here so often, he must've caught on.
Gija-ryeong didn't hide her discomfort. My classmate brushed it off lightly.
"We're in the middle of something important, boss."
"Make yourselves at home."
"..."
"It's fine. He can hear this."
"If Wonseok says so..."
It was fine. In my experience, few people had a tighter lip than this guy.
"Until recently, North Ocean and KBC were tight enough to set up a ghost company called Gammuchi Media. They've got dirt on each other."
"The key here is getting North Ocean to show some cooperation. They're busy in Paju right now—do they really want to get tangled in this?"
"Just their Paju branch."
"North Ocean split into branches?"
"Yeah."
"Since when?"
"Today."
Recently, I'd drawn up two consecutive Eternal Pact Contracts infused with the Eternal Blessing.
Both parties were from North Ocean.
But the one with the original, Namgung Hyunil, was heavily restrictive.
By the contract, he'd be stuck in Paju for a full decade.
The deal with Namgung Hyuni was the polar opposite.
It centered on detaching him from the original body.
Namgung Hyuni had looked extremely uneasy.
I'd strong-armed... convinced him using North Ocean Corp's revival as bait.
After hours of hesitation, he'd finally signed, eyes squeezed shut.
"Whether the guy who signed admits it or not, North Ocean can't afford to be picky right now."
"B-but it's still North Ocean."
"Exactly. They're all about self-interest. Dangle the right bait, and they'll bite."
"And that bait is Gwang-san?"
My classmate nailed it.
"Gwang-san has a great public image, right?"
"Yeah... They handle most potion production and mana stone processing. Plus..."
"Word is, they've started research on elixirs recently. And making solid progress."
The elixir was a panacea that cured all ills.
"A cure-all? Sounds too good to be true."
My med-school classmate jumped in as expected.
Probably lingering resentment toward "potions" for stealing his future.
Sharp observation, buddy.
I nodded emphatically.
"It's pure media hype. Won't happen for years."
"...? How would you know?"
Because I came from the future.
I skirted around it, pulling out a prepared excuse.
"There's a whole hunter world you don't know about, kid."
"What a prick."
"I-is that true?"
"Believe it or not, that's up to you, reporter. But I guarantee it—they'll fail."
"...!!"
Elixir production was eight years away from now.
Events had unfolded as I remembered so far.
No way something huge like elixir success gets rushed ahead.
Besides, in the future, Gwang-san Corp wasn't even the one who first succeeded with Potion: Elixir.
But ultimately, the elixir did debut under Gwang-san Corp's prestigious name. Because later, they'd kidnap the creator.
The truth is...
The elixir was born from the hands of a former Korea University professor. Forced into retirement, he developed it through personal research.
Even more impressive: he did it while moonlighting as a cleaner.
The core ingredient for elixir isn't something Gwang-san's channels can source.
Anyone sharp would've caught on.
The first to create the elixir in the world was me—no, ours...
It was a flash.
...!
A vivid montage rushed by. My eyes, my vision, flushed red.
It was hyper-real.
A shard of the past I'd buried deep.
Sharp, asserting its presence.
-Rocks... please... please... those Gwang-san bastards... fuck. If I die like this, I can't face the kids...
Screams.
Despair.
Wails.
Landslides, more landslides.
"Urk."
A groan escaped as dizziness spun my head.
Drip, drip. Red spots bloomed on the table.
Nosebleed.
"Hey!"
My classmate jumped up from grilling. I pinched my nose with the tissue Gija-ryeong thrust at me, then grabbed his sleeve to sit him back down.
"Gonna hit the bathroom."
I fled to the restroom to avoid their grasp.
I splashed cold water on my face and stared into the mirror.
The nosebleed wouldn't stop.
I wiped it with my elbow. Hemo, shifted to slime form, groomed my chin.
Still.
My philtrum stayed red.
"Why... why."
Then I froze.
Why am I...
All this time.
I'd been wiping at my reflection's philtrum nonstop.
"..."
I plugged my nose with my thumb, dislodged the cement-hard blood, then donned the Surprise Texture Mask.
It suctioned tight to my skin. I fiddled with my face a few times.
My racing heart slowed.
"Haa, haa."
I knew what this was.
Panic attack.
It's weirder that it hasn't hit sooner.
Until recently, I was just a paper Awakener. Fled at the sight of monsters.
But now...
"...Let's rest a bit."
I cranked the faucet full blast. To drown out my breathing.
Just a little longer, then head out.
I locked the door and leaned against it, cooling my back.
Hemo slithered out and placed a morsel of meat on my thigh. You'd been hiding that, huh?
"No trouble at all. You've worked hard too. Eat up."
I stroked its water-drop shape. Hemo extended a tendril, sticking a Blood Collection Sticker on me.
"Thanks, Hemo."
Blood flowed through me.
My mind cleared.
"Now I've got a clear plan for crumbling Gwang-san."
Gwang-san Corp's lifeblood business.
Elixir.
I'll claim that secret first.
Like Hemo hoarding meat, I pulled out my stash of pocket change—blood donation certificates—and counted them.
"Time to pay a visit with these."
Current Gwang-san was staking everything on elixir success.
What if they failed?
And worse, if someone beat them to it?
If the first creator announced it through "some broadcaster"?
Could they stay sane?
Gwang-san, pouring all resources into elixir IP?
No way.
"Hoo..."
I stood, turned off the water.
The headache was gone, washed away.
...Already?
Subordinate Han Biyeol donates a portion of acquired experience.
That hunter dispatched to Dapsimni Station—you?
That aside, it's too far from here.
Ah.
Leave a review event, and the Eternal Blessing range expands.
And I'd done the second review event just today.
Roughly 1 kilometer.
That's the effective radius when Han Biyeol donates EXP to me!
By the time I emerged from the bathroom, our table was empty.
Where'd they go?
I'd legally occupied the unisex restroom, so not there...
"That reporter went to the pharmacy."
As I hovered awkwardly, someone tapped my back with their shoulder.
Turning, it was my classmate.
"Said she needed painkillers and stuff. Should be about ten minutes. Has to go outside the livestock market."
His plate held a generous serving of fresh raw beef, still glistening.
I alternated glances between his slender face and thick hands, then chuckled dryly.
"No basic meds in a Majeongdong shop that sees blood all day?"
"Never let it slide. Remember how your rebel streak gave our prof neck cramps?"
Oh yeah. Side note: our advisor was on the Korean Hypertension Society's academic board.
Embarrassed, I changed the subject.
"Anyway, what's this? On the house?"
"Prime stuff. I rarely get it myself. Only Dad or Grandpa snag it for drinks."
"If it's paid, I'll politely decline, boss."
"...Hunters make bank! Skimp on food?"
"All converted to Credits—no cash. Take Credits?"
"Ugh, whatever. Sit."
I grinned.
He placed the meat far from the grill to avoid scorching.
"Dad says if he catches me slicing this secretly, don't bother coming to the shop. 'A guy who can't grill running a meat joint?'"
"Why hand over something this rare all of a sudden?"
"Pulled one vein, gotta plug another. Like what the prof always said."
"Sounded more elegant."
"Essence is what matters. Shovel it in within ten. Don't want HTN YouTube calling us discriminatory."
As if.
I'm the type to take what's offered.
I dug in with chopsticks.
Delicious.
The faint metallic tang wasn't off-putting. The raw edge even enhanced the texture.
As I skipped the salt dip for the classmate special...
He poured cider into a beer glass and spoke.
"Fix that habit, man."
Strictly, nagging.
We'd shared a dorm room in college; he was notoriously intense—with me, anyway.
"Take care of yourself."
"Nothing more irresponsible than telling a hunter that."
"Who tells a guy nosebleeding to take care? Saw you spilling everything to that reporter. Bad for her job and yours."
"Me aside, why drag her into it?"
"It's her job to sell info. Her fingers were itching to jot it down."
"Better she gets the facts straight than twists them."
"Why's Reporter Gija-ryeong working with you?"
"Wants to climb the ladder."
He frowned.
"You think someone like that'll play messenger forever? And from where this third party sits, you're damaging journalism."
He'd assisted our prof as TA, contributed to journals. Qualified to drop "journalism."
He continued.
"Remember Prof. Choi we hated?"
"Yeah, OB-GYN."
"Hated his coldness, but he was right often. One stuck: 'When life's crossroads lose you, recall how humans are born.'"
"Midwife's tale."
Labor pains hit the mother, not the midwife.
Meaning: no use yapping—figure it out yourself.
"Should've nudged her toward her own solutions. My bad. Thanks."
"If you're short-sighted, all us classmates cheated at Go-Stop to get into Korea University Med."
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