The Mine (1)
Taeju took down another Giant Half-Moon Bear today.
Back at the company, he stored the neatly processed frozen bear gall in the freezer of the medicinal storage room.
That made fifty already.
How many recovery potions could one bear gall make?
Eight at most, if refined into an elixir.
But diluting the potency to one-five-hundredth for mass-produced recovery potions yielded about four thousand.
So, one bear gall a day meant limiting Taehong Recovery Potions to just four thousand units.
Customers clamored for more, but there was nothing to be done.
It was all handmade—how grueling could it get?
Bear galls from Giant Half-Moon Bears weren't infinite, either.
For the time being, he'd stick to hunting.
And he never slacked on training his Hunwon Musang Dokryeong Gong.
Having reached the 5th stage, he charged toward the 7th without looking back.
The 7th stage held immense significance.
In martial terms, it equated to the Hwagyeong realm; on Earth, Master rank.
A poison core at the 7th stage could intoxicate anyone.
It broadened his options, made him fearless in any action.
He could even hurl hidden weapons like scattering sand.
He could always retrieve them all.
What if he achieved full mastery at the 10th stage?
Probably no one on Earth—awakener or monster—could touch him.
Even the 10th stage might fall short, though.
The Absolute Poison Demon Dang Gunak had fully mastered Hunwon Musang Dokryeong Gong at the 10th stage.
But it wasn't enough against the Heavenly Demon.
That damned devil bastard.
In the end, after eons of struggle, he'd awakened the Poison Spirit and melted the bastard down.
Can I reach the Poison Spirit?
The 10th stage was feasible.
He'd experienced it before.
But the Poison Spirit? Even with prior experience, reaching that moment again was questionable.
It wasn't a realm you revisited just because you'd been there once.
That was the nature of the Poison Spirit.
A spirit taking root in the poison essence.
More serendipity than inevitability.
One passage from the Hunwon Musang Dokryeong Gong incantation on the Poison Spirit hinted at the difficulty.
'If you yearn desperately, it shall come to pass.'
That aside.
Lately, too many people were seeking him out.
Media interviews, imperial palace, military brass, key assembly figures—official letters poured in daily for meetings.
He ignored them all.
It was fine.
This was Gurye Free City; elsewhere, he might've gotten a summons.
Time to head out again?
Back to the forest.
At the 5th stage, hunting felt exhilarating.
As long as he avoided the Three-Headed White Tiger, no Jirisan monster scared him.
Even the massive orc hordes that plagued raid teams? One Bi-pok wiped them into rags.
He restocked spare hidden weapons from the equipment warehouse, still in his coat, and reached for the door.
"Chairman?"
Sigh, caught.
"...CEO Baek Seoyeonn."
"Not CEO—Chief Operating Officer."
"Ah, right, Chief Operating Officer. What brings you?"
"Pending approvals. Real estate purchases, equipment buys, sales and net profit reports—you need to sign off."
"You're handling all that..."
"What if I siphon off some slush fund?"
"Short on cash? How much do you need?"
"...Hoo, never mind. Fine, I'll take care of it."
Taeju trusted Baek Seoyeonn as much as Baek Hongpyo.
Months of working together showed her intelligence, shrewdness, fairness, and deep consideration.
That was why the orphanage kids trusted and followed her.
Taehong Bio's staff had already surpassed five hundred.
Hired based on character, not skill.
Skills could be learned.
Not just orphanage grads—their friends, classmates, talented folks poured in through connections.
Employee treatment? Top-tier across the Samhan Empire.
"A few things need your eyes. Spare a moment?"
"You said you'd handle it..."
"Some require the chairman's direct review."
"Alright, let's see."
"This first."
She handed over a neat white card first.
"Congratulations card."
Congratulations for what...?
But his face hardened the instant he saw it.
Well done, my son. Congratulations on your success. Father is always cheering you on. Visit Paju when you have time. Father, Kim Ungbang.
A congratulatory message from his father.
What a joke.
He could tell at a glance.
This wasn't from his father.
Not even handwritten—no signature.
Just printed text.
His father had cut ties.
Indecisive in appearance, but unyielding once decided.
So who? Obviously, stepmother Honda Mitsui.
Not worth reading.
"Toss this."
Rip!
Taeju tore the card to shreds.
"Oh my?"
"Put it in the trash for me. Anything else?"
"...Yes, two invitations arrived. This one first."
Taeju took the ornate gold-foil card from Baek Seoyeonn.
"...Hmm, Noble Purples Matchmaking Agency?"
He vaguely recalled it.
The top marriage agency boasting a 90% success rate.
"Why's this come to me?"
"You qualify."
Membership was strict.
Any awakener could join.
Even mana compatibles if from good families or with a parent at Middle Expert or higher.
"I'm a mana rejector."
"Who'd believe that? Even so, you're in the Empire's top 100 richest. Prime groom material."
"..."
"You should marry someday. Start a family. Noble Purples seems a solid choice."
He'd marry eventually, as she said... but he had zero interest in agencies sorting people by class.
The world divided into mana rejectors, adapters, compatibles, and awakeners—solidifying into a caste-like hierarchy, unspoken.
Gurye was milder.
Remote, free city vibe—no harsh divides.
But the capital region? Different story.
Not overt medieval serfdom, but oil and water separation.
Marriage too.
Adapters with adapters.
Compatibles with compatibles.
Awakeners with awakeners.
One rung up possible.
Adapter-compatible, compatible-awakener marriages.
Provided something compensated the gap.
Money, fame, power, degrees, etc.
All due to genetics.
Awakener parents meant higher odds for awakener kids.
The imperial family tree proved it.
Emperor's children, princes, princesses, grandchildren—masters aplenty, though exact numbers undisclosed.
Occasional exceptions, though.
Like mana rejector Kim Taeju, son of a Master.
As Taeju fell silent, Baek Seoyeonn glanced cautiously.
"Shall I pursue Noble Purples membership?"
"No, pass. I'm a self-starter type. What's the next invite?"
"...Yes, here."
Another invitation.
An opulent card entirely in gold foil.
"Empire Leaders Club?"
"Think this one over."
"It's a social club."
"Not your average one."
True.
Not ordinary.
Famous awakener families, chaebol heirs, academia, legal circles, military, wealthy territory successors—even princes and princesses. Empire's elite youth mingling.
"Membership fee?"
"Fifty billion. Monthly dues one billion separate."
"Why should I join?"
"You're about to be the Empire's top conglomerate chairman. Time to swim with the big fish."
Why bother with that scene?
"Not interested. My playground's the deep end."
"But for the company's future..."
"Oh! Speaking of, you qualify too, Chief Operating Officer Baek Seoyeonn. Top pharma CEO—join up. Bill fees to the company."
"Pardon?"
Baek Seoyeonn blinked in surprise.
"You said it's good for the company's future. Go now."
"Ah, um... Understood. No more invites like this."
She bowed and left.
He'd meant it—genuinely suggested her instead.
Time to hunt, then.
Taehong Bio's expansion showed no signs of slowing.
The original building was near Baek's Orphanage.
Close to Jirisan's forest, cheap land.
Prices had risen now.
Still, they aggressively bought more.
Second factory, medicinal warehouses built on it.
Monthly revenue topped hundreds of billions, all reinvested.
Taehong Recovery Potion lines upgraded: mana steel sealed vessels over pressure cookers, mana crystal heaters over ovens.
Production ran two shifts: Baek Changhoon and Jang Suncheol alternating.
Early days were fumbling failures; now, artisan-level, zero defects.
"Changhoon, you again? You did yesterday too."
"Ah! Chairman, Suncheol had something today. Swapped—I'll do two straight starting tomorrow."
"Something come up?"
"Friend went dark. He's out looking."
"Orphanage kid?"
"Not exactly—slum shanty classmate, close pals."
Shanty town.
Poor folk clustered, high crime.
Even an awakener—unsettling.
Probably fine.
"Hyung Taeju, we could ramp production soon."
"Got the hang?"
"Eight thousand a day, easy."
"Nah, no need. Limited sales for now."
Taehong Recovery Potions were a smash hit.
Word-of-mouth alone sold out pharmacies at open.
Limited stock, only to awakeners and compatibles—still chaos.
More output needed more producers.
Changhoon and Suncheol alone weren't enough.
Hire more Taehong Bio awakeners, feed elixirs to trusted ones, train Changhoon and Suncheol to Expert, teach Yeolyang Gong and Haneum Gong for self-sourcing Giant Half-Moon Bear galls... Long way off.
"Anyway, late. Night already. Head home, rest."
"Almost done..."
Then.
Unfamiliar number.
"Hello."
- Gurye Central Medical Center here. Contacted via patient's phone.
Hospital?
"What's this about?"
- Well...
Taeju's face darkened as he listened.
Gurye had a hospital, sure.
But facilities were subpar, few doctors—folks avoided it.
Only for emergencies.
Taeju rushed to the ER with Baek Changhoon.
"Suncheol!!!"
"...Hyung."
Jang Suncheol lay bandaged head to toe on the bed.
Thankfully, no major injuries.
"What happened?"
"W-Well..."
The story:
The classmate Jang Suncheol had been searching for lived in the slums.
Hadn't come home lately; parents worried.
Fearing the worst?
No answer, self-defense squad alerted—nothing.
They called the son's friend, Jang Suncheol.
"Folks with him said they raided forest monsters, planned drinks after, then he vanished heading home..."
"Raid?"
"Yeah, he's compatible. Said he'd paid off debts, thrilled to leave the slums soon."
"How'd you end up like this?"
Jang Suncheol explained.
Scoured the shanties.
Showed photos, asked around.
Found a clue in a shanty alley.
A single sneaker—he'd bought as a birthday gift.
"Definitely the one I got him. Perfect size."
"Where?"
"Midway up the stairs to Gurye Shanty. Searched around there."
"Then ambushed?"
"Yeah, didn't see faces. Coward snuck up behind... Dragged off in a daze, snuck a recovery potion, nailed one with Chimtu-gyeong, barely escaped."
Taeju's expression stayed grim.
His people getting hurt stung.
Good thing he'd taught Chimtu-gyeong.
And he had a potion.
"Why bandages on your back?"
"Caught while fleeing."
"Let me see the wound."
"...Y-Yeah."
Taeju unwound the back bandages.
"Eek! G-Gently."
"Hold still!"
Deep gash splitting the back to the bone—odd.
Like claw marks, flesh torn from shoulder to hip: five vertical lines.
Could this be...?
Monster?
Impossible.
Shanties were inside Gurye city.
No monsters there.
If not monster, what?
"Exact ambush spot?"
"Chilheuk-dong Shanty, mid-slope."
Shanties sprawled from the hill behind town.
Free city migrants built on unclaimed slopes.
Danger scaled with height.
Base was standard slums; summit perilous.
Even self-defense squads avoided the top.
"My friend's probably dead, huh?"
"Who knows."
"Not easy prey even for villains."
The back wounds gave a hunch.
Not a weapon.
Sword or blade would've sliced clean.
Five lines screamed claws or nails.
Then...
Mine.
Humans turned monster.
Mines ate people.
Favored compatibles and awakeners.
Thus, not treated as human.
Need to check.
If a Mine, no mercy.
Especially in Gurye, his turf.
End of The Mine (1)