Mana Rejection Syndrome Cure (1)
The grand hall of Jami Palace in the Heavenly Realm.
Figures sat in chairs arranged in a wide circle.
The Supreme Emperor, Yerrae, Yeomra, the Dragon King, Seowangmo, and Taesangnogun.
Their expressions were a complex mix.
Yerrae meditated with half-closed eyes.
The Supreme Emperor sighed in disbelief.
Yeomra puffed away on his long pipe, smoking tobacco.
The Dragon King glared disapprovingly at Seowangmo and Taesangnogun.
A long discussion had already taken place.
But there had been no progress at all.
In truth, it was less a debate and more a denunciation of the Heavenly Realm's failings.
Taesangnogun, looking weary, spoke up.
"Well now, just changing my outfit once has turned me into a criminal."
Grumbles and complaints erupted at the old man's grumbled words.
"Do you think we're making a fuss over one outfit? The order of the upper realms is crumbling right now."
"Since when did immortals become so obsessed with worldly desires?"
"Tsk tsk, it's as if the pure path of the Dao has vanished. We can't just sit idly by while the Heavenly Realm falls into chaos..."
Taesangnogun, legs crossed, raised his hand.
"Ah, enough already."
He then pulled a red paper pack from his clutch bag.
"...And what's that?"
"Tobacco. Things are so stuffy and unproductive, I need a smoke."
Yeomra's eyes lit up at the word "tobacco."
"What kind of tobacco looks like that? And what's that black picture on the paper pack? Isn't that a human lung?"
"It means your lungs end up like that if you keep smoking. Better than a filterless pipe, though."
Taesangnogun peeled off the plastic from the cigarette pack and placed one between his lips.
Then, a shiny metal object appeared in his hand.
Flick!
With a crisp sound, the lid popped open.
Click!
A flame sprang up.
"Is that from another world too?"
"Dupont lighter... Tsk, stop asking. It's annoying to answer. You lot lecture me endlessly about worldly desires, and now this."
"..."
As he raised his hand to light it with the Dupont lighter, a wristwatch shyly peeked from his sleeve.
Legs crossed, cigarette in mouth, lighting up.
The whole process flowed as smoothly as water.
It was a motion he'd mastered through special training with Dokseon.
He took a deep drag.
Fsssh...
The bright red ember glowed in the Jami Palace hall.
"Hoo!"
White smoke billowed from his mouth.
Taesangnogun, cigarette pinched between his fingers, checked the time on his wristwatch.
"Time's already gotten this far."
No one spoke.
They all stared blankly at Taesangnogun's performance.
The males' chests swelled with grandeur.
They didn't know why, but it happened to all of them.
Seowangmo, on the other hand, smirked disdainfully.
"No need for further discussion, then. I know exactly what you think of us."
The Dragon King shot back at Seowangmo with evident irritation.
"And you still say that, knowing full well? How long do you plan to toy with immortals and shatter the upper realms' order?"
"Watch your words. It was already ruled harmony, not chaos."
"Ha! On that scale Yeomra made? So easily, with just some trinket?"
Yeomra bristled.
"Dragon King, mind your tongue. 'Some trinket'? It's a balance crafted according to the principles of heaven and earth!"
"That's exactly the problem. Because of your scale, the Heavenly Realm's in that state..."
"He's right. How old is that balance? We need to verify if it's faulty or sound."
"Wh-what! How dare you speak such nonsense!"
Suddenly!
"Silence, all of you!"
Seowangmo shouted with furious eyes.
"I don't care how you see us. I came here to deliver a notice."
The Supreme Emperor tilted his head.
"A notice?"
"No more Immortal Peaches entering the Heavenly Realm, Yerrae Realm, Hwangcheon Realm, or Dragon Palace."
"...What?"
"Are you deaf? No more Immortal Peaches. And forget about ascension too."
What on earth was this?
All authority over Immortal Peaches and ascension rested solely with Seowangmo.
The Peach Garden was in the Heavenly Realm too.
Because it was the best place for peaches to grow.
And the heavenly treasures known as Celestial Peaches, nurtured by spiritual veins and immortal energy.
"The extras will go to the immortals. One per day each."
"Heh, outrageous."
Taesangnogun chimed in.
"What's the problem? Can't our immortals have one Immortal Peach a day?"
"Heh heh, are you truly sane? Handing out immortal energy willy-nilly to immortals would disrupt heaven and earth's order..."
"That damn order, order! Don't even utter the word! Are we the ones disrupting order?"
"..."
Silence fell over them all.
Taesangnogun had changed.
He'd agreed to one Immortal Peach per month, and now he was backtracking.
And Seowangmo was in cahoots with him.
The upper realms' accord was shattering.
Seowangmo stood abruptly.
Taesangnogun uncrossed his legs and rose from his seat.
"Let's go."
"Old man, how much time left?"
"We can leave now. Dokseon kindly delayed the sale a bit, but it's tight. Hurry."
Then,
"W-wait!"
The Supreme Emperor tried to stop them.
"Then the Heavenly Realm will close its gates to the human realm too. No more immortals descending to the human world. You too, Seowangmo."
"Do as you like."
"...You're serious? You really don't need to go to the human realm?"
"The Heavenly Realm's more fun. Far more than that mortal Jianghu world! Come visit if you're curious; we won't stop you."
Baek Seoyeonn immediately informed Geum Suhu about the Vitality Surge copycat drug incident.
Geum Suhu reported it straight to the Emperor.
"Those damn bastards!"
The Emperor exploded in rage upon hearing it.
Daring to copy Samhan Empire's patented drug at will?
"What should we do?"
"Contact the Amerian Republic embassy. Tell them to go to the White House and lodge a protest!"
"How strong?"
"Hard! Order that copycat pharma company to halt production immediately."
"Demand compensation?"
"Of course. Tell them if they let it slide, we'll retaliate."
Unlike 300 years ago, Ameria's glory had faded.
Not like the old days when they ruled the world under the name United States.
The Pacific had become a den of sea beasts.
Ameria's boasted carrier groups and fighter jets were inoperable.
Nuclear weapons?
What good were they?
Nukes were mutual assured destruction weapons.
The Samhan Empire possessed ICBMs capable of reaching the Amerian mainland.
Of course, the Amerian Republic was still a powerhouse.
A vast republic that had swallowed Mexico and Canada.
Large population too.
A nation's true strength came from its people, after all.
Domestic economy ran smoothly because of it.
But international trade continued.
Via air and land routes.
And as beast dense zones were cleared, trade was increasing.
Thus, ignoring copyrights and patents to pirate foreign goods was tacitly forbidden.
Copyrights and patents were a nation's sovereign assets.
Ignoring them inevitably sparked conflict.
And if conflicts escalated, war might follow.
The world had nearly ended from mana invasion and beasts—did they want humans fighting each other now?
No UN or WTO, but nations had diplomatic ties.
Samhan had an embassy in Ameria, and vice versa.
Samhan and Ameria were allies.
She expected compliance.
Amerian President Billy Pittman wouldn't ignore Samhan's Emperor.
But?
"Our ambassador says Billy's reaction is lukewarm."
"What?"
"No firm answer, trying to brush it off. Looks like they're stalling."
These bastards?
Testing the waters for war?
The Emperor's face darkened.
"I'll call him directly. Connect the hotline."
Amerian Republic President Billy Pittman rubbed his tired eyes after ending the call from Samhan's Emperor.
He'd been chewed out thoroughly; he'd live long now.
He asked his White House secretary.
"Investigation results?"
"Yes, Taehong Bio's product and Hybaek's match perfectly in composition. But due to formulation or materials, efficacy is lower."
"Damn it! No wonder they came out swinging."
This was a real pickle.
Samhan Empire was an ally.
The Asian superpower expanding territory with elite beast-hunting prowess.
They exchanged know-how on elite hunts, traded goods via air, maintaining close ties.
And now the copycat scandal.
Billy Pittman asked for details again.
"What's Hybaek's Fred Miller's stance?"
"They claim innocence. Say it's a new drug from long-term independent research."
"Your thoughts?"
"Absurd. They won't even show research data."
"That shameless prick!"
"We need to decide now. Accept Samhan's demand or back Hybaek?"
Billy Pittman pondered briefly before continuing.
"How much political funding does Fred pour in?"
"Official or unofficial?"
"Total."
"Thirty million dollars this year alone."
A hefty sum.
Impossible to ignore.
"Economic value of Vitality Juice?"
"Excluding revenue and jobs, the drug alone improved quality of life. I drink two bottles daily myself."
If the copycat was that good, what about the real thing?
Billy's decision came quick.
"Keep stalling. Halting sales now would cause uproar."
The public would revolt.
They were hooked on the effects.
His approval ratings would plummet.
Like old America, Ameria prioritized national interest—even overlooking minor illegalities if beneficial.
And Billy's biggest worry wasn't national, but personal.
Right after the meeting, he called his wife.
"Honey. At the hospital?"
- Yes. With Rachel.
"Seen the doctor?"
- ...Just talked. Back in the room now.
Her voice was somber.
"H-how long?"
- Three months at most...
"Sigh, got it. I'll stop by later."
Rachel Pittman.
Billy Pittman’s beloved daughter, his one treasure in the world.
But only three months left together.
Cursed with mana rejection syndrome.
If it were a disease, he'd fight it—but this was an inborn heavenly punishment, fate itself.
For her health, he'd sell his soul to the devil.
No choice.
For three months, he'd prioritize being a father over president.
Before entering the lab, Taeju stopped at the department store.
Another full-store shopping spree.
The store had stocked up plenty.
"Deliver to the warehouse like always."
"Thank you so much every time!!!"
During experiments, signals came—he needed instant sends.
The shared warehouse had expanded too.
Taeju entered his private lab.
A massive space for solo use.
At the center, a large tank filled with purified water.
Mana rejectors estimated at 5% of the population.
Nearly 200 million out of 4 billion.
Scattered worldwide.
Some bedridden past their twenties, symptoms severe; others still functional.
Some dying right now, no doubt.
He knew as a former rejector.
The excruciating pain they endured.
Had to hurry.
First step.
Taeju recalled his own mana rejector days.
Remembered the symptoms.
'Extract the three-striped variant mosquito poison from the poison core.'
But mosquito poison alone wasn't enough.
It cleared mana from blood vessels but not from infiltrated cells.
Needed something penetrating human cells, poisoning deeply...
'Mix in the Ten-Thousand-Year Centipede's decomposition poison.'
Mosquito and centipede poisons as base.
Plus essences from countless poisons ingested so far.
With Hunwon Musang Dokryeong Gong at great completion, his poison understanding had skyrocketed.
One more thing.
Immortal energy.
The harmonizing force allowing all things to coexist.
Fusing it deepened the poisons' bond.
Dissimilar natures combined into something entirely new.
Poison's dual face.
The other side of poison was medicine.
It killed or saved.
Thus, Taeju's poison core held dual properties.
Poison essence (dokjeong) could be called medicinal essence (yakjeong).
'One drop first.'
A drop of deep blue poison essence condensed like dew at his fingertip.
Drip!
It fell into the purified water tank.
He placed a hand on the tank,
Woooong!
Vibrated to mix evenly.
Spooned some and tasted.
'...Too strong.'
Imbalanced too.
Not the intended result.
Hand back on tank, withdrew the poison energy.
Tone down toxicity.
To human-testable levels.
Reformulate too.
It'd take time, but he'd make it.
Gift hope to all suffering from mana rejection syndrome.