Mana Rejection Cure (3)
Rumors spread like wildfire.
Kim Taeju, the chairman, was trying to invent a Mana Rejection Cure?
The entire Samhan Empire was abuzz.
Whenever people met, that was the topic—and reactions fell into two camps.
One was belief.
Kim Taeju would pull it off again this time.
Hadn't he proven it time and again?
None of the new drugs he'd developed were ordinary.
The other was skepticism.
Even for Kim Taeju, a Mana Rejection Cure was impossible.
This was different.
Mana rejection wasn't a disease or an acquired condition.
It was a congenital issue, inherent from birth.
No artificial treatment could overcome it.
All they could do was pray for a miracle.
Two opposing attitudes.
Faith and doubt.
Samhan Empire's Emperor Ryu Taehyeon fell into the former camp.
He believed firmly.
After all, he'd witnessed a miracle himself.
"Surely you're not doubting him, Suhu?"
Geum Suhu bristled.
"Come on! Do you think I'm the kind of guy who doesn't know faith when he sees it? Just thinking of the peaches, the mystical liquor—plenty to believe in there."
"True, you didn't get to eat the peaches, but you did sample the liquor."
"...Tch!"
If Kim Taeju actually created a Mana Rejection Cure?
It would be a revolution, a miracle, a world-shaking event.
Not just for the Samhan Empire, but the whole world.
"Mana rejectors in our empire alone number about twenty million."
"Assuming they're all cured... Whew, it's staggering. Anything we can do to help?"
"Streamline the patents and food-and-drug approvals to get it to market fast."
"That's a given. Even if there are side effects, so what? Push it through anyway."
Side effects?
As long as it didn't kill them.
"Speaking of which, we can't miss this opportunity."
"What opportunity?"
"The Amerian Republic. Time to start a PR war."
"Pardon?"
The emperor clicked his tongue and continued.
"Suppose Kim made the Mana Rejection Cure. Would he sell it to the Amerian Republic? Yes or no?"
"Hm, of course he would. Countless lives are at stake."
"Exactly. Knowing his character, he'd never turn away, even with the copycat drug feud. But we need to fix their bad habits, right?"
"Agreed, but how?"
"We'll play the villains. Pick a few Amerian media outlets first..."
Geum Suhu jumped into action immediately.
He roped in major Amerian news agencies and broadcasters, unleashing the stories simultaneously.
They even sprinkled in the copycat drug dispute.
Naturally, Amerian Republic citizens were stunned.
The fatigue-recovery drinks they'd been chugging were illegal copycats?
Counterarticles exploded right away.
The PR war ended quickly.
Because it was the Amerian Republic, not Samhan.
But the emperor and Geum Suhu were satisfied.
They'd planted the seed.
Hywhite Pharma CEO Fred Miller sneered dismissively the moment he heard about the Mana Rejection Cure trials.
Ridiculous.
Mana rejection?
If it were a disease or poison-induced, maybe he'd get it.
To Fred, Kim Taeju was overestimating his abilities.
Some things work, some don't.
It'd be faster to just make a new body.
Or hope for a 0.000001% miracle.
Truth be told, Fred doubted even the supposed miracle cures for mana rejectors.
They probably weren't rejectors to begin with.
Misdiagnosed with something else.
Cases like that were common.
Lived as rejectors their whole lives, only to find out it was a different illness.
Cure's impossible.
Definitely a petty media ploy by Samhan or Taehong Bio.
The cure story dropped, and the copycat issue blew up simultaneously.
Try to take me down with this crap?
Too pathetic to even laugh at.
He fired off counterarticles anyway, just to stir things up.
The Amerian Republic was his turf.
PR wars didn't scare him.
Probably knew President Billy Pitman's daughter was a rejector, hence the angle.
Backfire, actually.
Nothing crueler than false hope that never comes.
President Billy Pitman learned the news in his daughter's hospital room.
And he raged.
Using his weakness as leverage in the copycat dispute—obvious.
Those bastards. Think I'll bow and apologize?
No more falling for it.
How many had approached promising to cure her?
All scammers.
Shaman claiming Native Amerian descent, awakener with healing magic skills, cult scientist with a "breakthrough" cure.
All took the money and ran.
This media blitz was the same.
Deliberately so.
Infuriating.
"Ryu Taehyeon, you son of a bitch!"
Even if the copycats were real, exploiting Rachel's mana rejection to sway opinion?
Pitman's resentment only grew.
Taeju immersed himself solely in research.
Ignoring the outside world entirely.
He even left Ilbaek and the disciples to handle distractions, lest they interrupt.
Copycat disputes included.
What mattered now?
Lives weighed on his shoulders.
But progress stalled.
Symptoms improved while the effect lasted, but a day later? Back to square one.
He tried everything.
Even tossed in spirit peaches.
Still the same result.
Only life-prolonging therapy was possible.
The constitution's the issue.
There was a fix, of course.
Induce bone transformation and marrow shedding.
Rebirth in a new body.
But feed them spirit herbs to trigger it?
Unlike normals, compatibles, or awakeners.
Mana was poison to rejectors.
One bite, and boom—body explodes.
One more option...
Hunwon Musang Dokryeong Gong.
Form a poison core like he did, overcoming rejection.
But unrealistic.
He learned easily thanks to his soul link with Dang Gunak, but it wasn't easy martial art.
How many could even learn it?
And it was Dang Gunak's art.
Same soul or not, he couldn't spread it for a cure.
There has to be a way.
He had to make it.
If his poison arts weren't enough, ascend to Poison Spirit realm and craft it.
Right now, Taeju combined toxins etched into his poison core for the cure.
That's when—
Bzzzzt!
Delivery chime in his head.
It's here.
No matter how exhausted, shipments to Dang Gunak got packed full.
Paused work, checked shared storage.
"...Huh?"
What?
Vibrant plants in the shared storage.
Flowers.
Nothing but flowers.
Not many—20 or 30 stems?
One other item: an air-compatible smartphone.
No sub-space storage even.
Haha, no special occasion...
Between men.
Mastery of Hunwon Musang Dokryeong Gong gift?
Old news.
Anyway, transferred goods, stuffed in department store buys.
Check the phone.
Reason for flowers incoming.
Taeju played a recent video.
Dang Gunak appeared.
Always a welcome sight.
Video continued.
Voice followed.
And—
"...Huh? Flowers?"
Celestial flower field.
So these flowers were all...
"My God!"
Idiot.
Should've realized instantly.
Not ordinary flowers.
Anything from Dang Gunak ever ordinary?
Spirit peaches, immortal liquor, flying swords, talismans, the toxin granting Hunwon Musang Dokryeong Gong mastery.
And these celestial flowers.
Dang Gunak explained their effects.
Taeju nodded vigorously.
This could work.
Celestial flowers, pure and free of messy mana.
Geumjeonghwa and Eumyanghwa...
It'd work, no doubt.
Dang Gunak believed so too.
Geumjeonghwa purified blood, flowing through veins, arteries, capillaries to organs and cells.
Eumyanghwa balanced the body, repairing mana-ravaged equilibrium for adaptation.
Mix in mana-erasing toxins?
Experiment setup in Taeju's mind.
Which toxins to combine, which to drop.
But—
Celestial flowers have a flaw.
Not the flowers themselves—supply volume.
Great or not, insufficient quantities meant failure.
Dang Gunak said as much in the video.
"This is just a sample. Test it out first."
"Mass production later. Once supply's assured."
Taeju agreed.
Research first.
Immortal Realm multiplex.
Today, Haemnak Seonyeo burst in energetically, huge flower in her hair.
Jeans, t-shirt, massive sack on her back, kicking the door open.
"Hellooo! Immortals! Huff huff!"
Immortals startled, took the sack from her hands.
"Whoa! Careful, you'll trip."
"Slow down, slow down."
"Tsk tsk, sweat on your forehead—why run so hard?"
"Heeey! Geomseon, what're you doing? Should've picked me up on the Harley!"
Geomseon scratched his head.
"No one realizes how fast she is..."
"What? How fast can this delicate girl be?"
"Don't you have grandkids?"
"Geomseon's never even married."
"Ah, that explains the lack of sensitivity."
"..."
Was Geomseon the only bachelor?
Most immortals here were ragged old widowers.
So Haemnak Seonyeo quickly won their hearts.
Kind, considerate, polite, cute looks, perpetual mood-lifting smile.
Pure positive energy.
Immortal Realm had women.
Fearsome Seowangmo, seductive Miho Seonja, icy Moon Palace fairy, elusive Haseon-go.
How to compare them to Haemnak?
These days, a day without her had immortals in a panic.
"Where's Dokseon?"
"Upstairs. Going up?"
"Yep!"
"Rest here. I'll fetch him."
Moments later.
Dang Gunak descending the stairs.
"Haemnak Seonyeo, you've arrived?"
"Yes! I picked a whole sack of flowers."
"Haha, good work. Oh! Big flowers."
"From near Jami Palace."
Dang Gunak flinched.
Near Jami Palace...?
"Did you see the Supreme Deity picking flowers?"
"Of course. Even asked why."
"...And your answer?"
"To save lives, honestly. Said he'd pick tons more."
"Ah!"
When they first met, Dang Gunak had briefly explained the flowers' purpose to her.
"What did the Supreme Deity say...?"
"Nothing. And the celestial fields are endless—won't even notice. Hehe."
In the Celestial Realm, celestials and Supreme Deity weren't king and subjects.
Unless she disrupted order, he had no authority to stop her.
Celestials owned the realm.
Supreme Deity just managed it for their happiness.
"I'll pick tons to save lots of people!"
"..."
"Tomorrow, I'll bring little sisters to fill sacks full!"
"..."
Dang Gunak fell silent.
His face flushed.
Haemnak Seonyeo was true celestial nobility.
On another level from these crazy immortals—her presence alone brought joy.
No wonder they went mad for her.
So he felt ashamed.
Luring her with mere trinkets.
"Candy low? Want a chocolate?"
"Yes!"
Even her voice was bright as sunshine.
Supply wouldn't be an issue.
Mana Rejection Cure (3) End
