Chapter 43
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Mass Production Complete
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After his clandestine meeting with Seong A-reum, Yeon Sung-hun threw himself into potion production above all else.
He drastically cut back on the potions supplied to the Black Market. While he didn't go into detail with Jeong Hyun-su, he did give him a heads-up that something big was coming soon.
How they handled it would be up to Jeong Hyun-su and the Black Market's capabilities.
The regular rift explorations came to a complete halt.
The potions that had been distributed to the guild members were now all earmarked for the guild alliance.
Only Choi Yeon-ah knew the full story; the rest of the guild members were simply thrilled at the extended vacation.
Since it was all due to Yeon Sung-hun's personal circumstances, they were still getting paid steadily during their time off—who wouldn't be happy about that?
Of course, Choi Yeon-ah, who knew the details, had no intention of letting the raid members lounge around enjoying their break.
She grabbed those planning overseas trips with Seo Jin-su at the helm and forcibly dragged them to the training grounds.
They occasionally went on rift explorations among themselves, but without Yeon Sung-hun and his potions, they stuck to D-Rank and lower rifts.
Rather than hunting monsters, it was more for gathering materials—and Yeon Sung-hun was deeply grateful for Choi Yeon-ah's "consideration," such as it was.
On top of that, because he'd been so busy, he couldn't tend to Ulr properly, so he took the sulky beast out for walks now and then, like casual outings.
In the midst of all this, the preliminary survey team that Seo Jin-su had recommended earlier joined up fresh.
He hadn't had much time to chat due to his packed schedule, but he'd had a good, long talk with Yoon Ji-su, who had originally led the team.
Yoon Ji-su was a solid C-Rank hunter, a pretty decent guy overall.
For one, he took great pride in his work.
Preliminary survey teams weren't full raid parties, so they often got looked down on by regular hunters, but Yoon Ji-su couldn't care less about that.
On the contrary, he carried himself with considerable pride, insisting that rifts couldn't be properly explored without them.
Above all, just as Seo Jin-su had said, he had a real knack for fitting in with people.
He didn't shrink back at all in front of Yeon Sung-hun, the guild master and a total stranger.
From the conversation, it seemed he'd gotten a heads-up from Seo Jin-su about Yeon Sung-hun's not-so-secret secret. Even so, she carried herself with total confidence.
Yeon Sung-hun viewed that positively.
They wouldn't often team up in rifts since it was a survey team, but at least they'd mesh well with the existing guild members.
He hadn't seen their skills firsthand yet, but becoming team leader of a mega-guild like K.G at a young age, plus Seo Jin-su's enthusiastic recommendation, suggested they were highly capable.
Yeon Sung-hun sincerely welcomed Yoon Ji-su and the preliminary survey team.
He later heard that Seo Jin-su had pushed so hard for Yoon Ji-su and her team because he had a rational crush on her.
It was a recommendation laced with personal interest, but since their skills were genuinely solid, Yeon Sung-hun let it slide without comment.
He merely passed the story along to Han So-yul and watched as she teased Seo Jin-su mercilessly.
With that, Yeon Sung-hun put most everything else on hold and immersed himself solely in potion making.
He sourced materials from those gathered directly by the raid members, regular shipments from the Black Market, and additional supplies via Seong A-reum and the guild alliance.
And so, about a month passed.
Meeting Yeon Sung-hun again, Seong A-reum was shocked once by his utterly haggard appearance—unrecognizable from before—and again by the sight of potions stacked neatly in boxes, filling one entire side of the room.
She opened her mouth in a voice more bewildered than surprised.
"You... you really made this many?"
Yeon Sung-hun let out a chuckle at Seong A-reum's awestruck exclamation.
The past month had been grueling for him too—a workload that even peak-condition Faust might have envied.
His mana circuits, abused over the month, left his whole body aching.
"Eh, I put in some effort."
"...And yet you skimped out on us before when you could make this much?"
"If I made this many every day, I'd drop dead."
Seong A-reum scanned Yeon Sung-hun's outward state once more at his quiet words.
He looked no different from a zombie.
According to her trusted intel source (Choi Yeon-ah), he'd even downed awakener pills to keep going...
Recalling Choi Yeon-ah lamenting that he should at least take care of his own body, Seong A-reum nodded unconsciously.
If he kept churning out potions in this state, he really might die.
His personal relationship aside, if he kicked the bucket, his potions would be gone forever.
That, at least, was something Seong A-reum absolutely could not tolerate.
"I'll bring you some tonics or something."
"My potions are better than most tonics."
"Hm... yeah, fair point."
Seong A-reum chuckled softly and glanced at the stacked potions.
Even looking again, it was an insane amount—the kind that made you gasp.
Converted to cash, it really would make you gasp.
She unconsciously tallied up their value and quietly shut her mouth.
Yeon Sung-hun's potions still fetched hundreds of millions at minimum.
Some went higher, and lately, with no supply at all, they'd jumped to tens of billions...
'One box alone would wipe out years of Dawn Guild's budget...'
Of course, they wouldn't pay auction-level insanity, but there was still a baseline price.
Letting out a quiet sigh, Seong A-reum looked at Yeon Sung-hun, who would soon deliver this haul to the guild alliance and become filthy rich—stupidly rich.
Even Seong A-reum, a top hunter detached from money in many ways, felt a twinge of envy.
"Congrats in advance. You'll be the richest in the country. Top five fingers at least."
Yeon Sung-hun shrugged lightly at Choi Yeon-ah's words.
The fact itself wasn't particularly important.
Time would make it happen naturally anyway.
"That said, I'm worried. Even if the three guilds have money to burn, do they have enough to buy this much?"
It was an amount that even surprised Seong A-reum.
Even K.G, known as the richest guild in Korea—did they have the liquidity for this?
Yeon Sung-hun replied nonchalantly to her quiet concern.
"No issue. I'm planning installments, not lump sum."
"Hm. Installments? You okay with that? As you know, this rift expedition..."
She trailed off without voicing the rest.
No need—both Yeon Sung-hun and Seong A-reum already figured the guild alliance's expedition would fail.
'...With this many potions, honestly, I don't know, but failure's still more likely.'
All three guilds were going all-in, so the fallout from failure would be massive.
Considering that, wouldn't a lump sum be better than risky future payments?
As if reading her thoughts, Yeon Sung-hun spoke flatly.
"Not planning to take cash."
"Then, perhaps..."
"K.G will obviously disband, and the other two will take hits just as bad. Naturally, they'll liquidate assets..."
"You're after those."
Seong A-reum nodded slowly.
She'd been eyeing the same post-failure scraps herself.
But hearing Yeon Sung-hun's plan now meant tweaking her own.
"You after gear?"
"Interested in their buildings and land too. Other interests as well, but you know—too big for our guild to swallow."
"...I see. What about personnel?"
"If there are a few standouts, sure, we'll recruit. But no reckless expansion."
"Playing it moderate, got it. I'll adjust my prep accordingly."
Seong A-reum nodded deliberately, then gathered the potion crates.
Far too much for one person, so Dawn Guild members and Golden Guild staff including Gye Cheong-san were there to help.
As the boxes vanished one by one, Seong A-reum suddenly spoke up.
"Heading straight to hand these over. Come with? Yoo Jun-young'll be there too..."
One of Korea's pinnacle hunters, like Seong A-reum herself.
Yeon Sung-hun wasn't entirely uninterested, but he shook his head.
Win or lose, failure meant ruin either way.
Why bother meeting someone doomed to fall?
Though the potions were done, he'd put off plenty else—and he had no intention of wasting time.
Seong A-reum just nodded at his refusal, no further words.
She'd only asked out of courtesy; no need to carve out time for a goner.
"See you next time then. I'll pass on any new intel right away."
"Yeah, catch you later."
With a brief exchange, Seong A-reum left with Gye Cheong-san to handle logistics.
Yeon Sung-hun watched her go for a moment, then turned away.
Mountains of work awaited, but he planned a short break.
Even by his standards, the last month had been excessive.
First, soothe Ulr, who'd been neglected and was majorly pissed.
Then, spend time with family, whom he'd barely seen lately.
Stretching long, Yeon Sung-hun turned.
One big task down—surely okay to slack a bit now?
Long story short, contrary to Yeon Sung-hun's hopes, he didn't get that rest.
Simply too much on his plate.
Gye Cheong-san and staff handled most, but some needed his final sign-off.
A month's backlog wouldn't let him breathe.
Plus, with the association's compensation ready from the protest, he had to visit them too.
Unlike past token cash tosses, Gye Cheong-san's tip held water—this reward even surprised Yeon Sung-hun a bit.
First, the guild members' promotions he'd requested were approved.
Choi Yeon-ah smoothly hit A-Rank as promised; for Yeon Sung-hun, Lee Ha-na, and Kim Jun-su, separate reviews were needed, but otherwise, B-Rank upgrades were straightforward.
This was more procedural than reward, though. The real association payout was shockingly good.
Not varied, just one piece of gear—but top-tier performance.
Its name: Hermes' Footsteps.
A rift-origin item letting the wearer fly.
Amazingly, it was Choi Yeon-ah's old gear, sold to the association back then; they'd held onto it instead of dumping.
Reunited with her past equipment, Choi Yeon-ah seemed quite pleased.
It required mana to use, so she couldn't yet, but others could.
Not decided who yet, but priceless even with money—this made the association's "favor" hard to believe.
They must value Yeon Sung-hun that highly.
Perhaps a show of goodwill.
With their stake in the guild alliance expedition, it doubled as thanks for the potions.
Purely calculated politics, but whatever.
The association showing favor to him and Golden Guild was good.
They harped on disbanding constantly, but their clout in the hunter world was immense.
How could such goodwill be bad?
Yeon Sung-hun accepted the reward gladly.
And amid the association payout, another joy: his new house, built alongside guild HQ, was complete.
Unlike the remote guild base, this was downtown for convenience.
No small sum poured in for land and luxe interiors, rushed completion—but seeing the finished home, Yeon Sung-hun was thrilled.
Family reactions were explosive, especially.
"Whoaaa! This is really our house, oppa?! For real?!"
How many times was that now?
Unable to believe it, Yeon Hae-eun kept repeating.
Yeon Sung-hun nodded happily, unfazed by his sister.
"Yeah. It's really ours."
"Whoa! Whoaaa—!"
As Yeon Hae-eun kept gasping, mother Lee Hee-yeon quietly approached Yeon Sung-hun.
"Sung-hun-ah..."
"Yeah, Mom? Like the house? Does it suit y—"
Lee Hee-yeon cut him off with a tight hug—worth more than ten speeches.
"...You worked hard. So hard."
Her hand patting his back, full of pride and thanks.
Stilling at the warmth, Yeon Sung-hun finally spoke.
"...You worked hard too, Mom."
"No, no. You did all the work... You really suffered. I'm sorry, Mom's so sorry..."
Facing his tearful mother, overcome with emotions, Yeon Sung-hun felt his throat tighten too.
House done, they started moving immediately.
All new furniture, no sentimental attachments—so minimal luggage.
Just books, a few clothes; old worn ones long discarded. Moving was a breeze.
Practically just shifting bodies.
Arriving at the new place, family erupted again.
Lee Hee-yeon and Yeon Hae-eun clung, sobbing for ages.
Hardships past and present flooding back, it seemed.
Yeon Sung-hun silently comforted them.
Vowing to ensure luxury from here on.
Starting with healing them properly.
Lee Hee-yeon was nearly fully recovered.
Chronic issues lingered, but steady health-boosting potions had transformed her in months.
Revived skin made her look a decade younger than her age.
Unlike her dramatically improved mother, Yeon Hae-eun showed little change.
Overall health fine from potions, but her legs—the main issue—remained.
Gazing at her still wheelchair-bound sister, Yeon Sung-hun renewed his resolve.
'Gotta push harder.'
Needed sturdier mana circuits for superior potions.
He had plans brewing, but time to accelerate.
With workshop relocating here too, he could go full throttle.
Having sold the old workshop with the move, Yeon Sung-hun entered the new home with family.
Their fresh space ahead.
Watching them tear up in joy and awe again, unable to stop, Yeon Sung-hun smiled softly.
'Let's make it great. Even better from now on.'