Aftermath and Preparations
There were three Mines in total.
All of them had died by Taeju's hand.
All the vigilantes and the elite monster special forces unit had to do in that pitch-black slum was clean up the corpses.
When they dug up the front yard of the house where the Mines had lived, countless bleached skeletons poured out.
And that wasn't all.
More came from inside the house.
Along with the personal belongings of the victims.
"Hoo, those fucking bastards."
The skulls varied in size.
Men, women, young and old—all of them.
Oh Jinhyeong, his face flushed with rage, asked Taeju,
"Chairman Kim Taeju, just tell me one thing. How did you kill those bastards?"
"As you can see, I didn't let them go easy."
"Good. You did well. Still, if you'd left even one of them barely alive... you could've kept him suffering for ages, extracted every last bit of info, pretended to kill him when he begged for death only to revive him again and again. That would've been ideal."
Someone even harsher than me is here.
"...Next time I run into a Mine, I'll do it that way."
Taeju watched as they exhumed all the bodies.
Even ones buried recently turned up.
Probably the friend Jang Suncheol had been searching for.
He observed a moment of silence.
Then!
"Are you Cadet Kim Taeju?"
A man who appeared to be elderly approached Taeju, dabbing his mouth with a handkerchief.
"Who might you be?"
"I'm Min Dongyeol of Cheonwang Group."
Cheonwang Group, a local powerhouse in Gurye.
It ranked abysmally low among the empire's corporations overall, but it was still Gurye's top conglomerate.
"Do you know how much I've wanted to meet you?"
"Ah, yeah, sure."
He answered despite the annoyance.
"I've been reaching out through Taehong Bio's secretarial office with a business proposal, but you seem awfully busy. I hardly got any responses."
Busy? More like Baek Seoyeonn hadn't even bothered reporting it because it wasn't worth mentioning.
"This isn't the place to discuss it, but shouldn't we locals in Gurye help each other out?"
Ah, I can guess where this is going.
"Your antidotes and recovery potions seem in short supply. I can help with that. Have our factory do contract manufacturing, and the problem's solved. A royalty deal works fine—just share the formulas..."
"Sorry, but let's talk about that later."
"...Hm?"
"I'm too tired to chat right now."
"Wh-when's later?"
"Who knows. Sometime when the opportunity arises."
Min Dongyeol's face turned red.
Nothing had ever gone against his wishes in Gurye before.
Then someone else stormed up, glaring.
"The young man has no manners. Chairman Min was making a gracious offer."
"And who are you?"
"I'm Ji Gwangin, an administrative officer dispatched by the imperial government."
They really did make it big.
All sorts of weirdos were swarming, desperate for any scraps.
Time to knock some sense into them.
Leave them be, and they'd cross lines like Jo Hoonseok.
Better handle it preemptively.
He'd learned from last time—ignoring it would be idiotic.
But he held back for now.
Too many eyes watching.
"It's not too late even now. Listen to Chairman Min, and it'll benefit you too..."
That was when it happened.
"You fucking sons of bitches!"
Clack!
Oh Jinhyeong, drawing his pistol from his hip.
"Everyone else is busy recovering victims' bodies, and you're here pulling this shit?"
"...Wh-what, Legion Commander? Why so sudden?"
"Why? To put a bullet in each of your skulls."
"P-pointing a gun at an imperial government official...?"
"Hah, you fucking prick. Do government heads not take bullets? If you hate bullets, I can make it untraceable. Castle artificial lake's water was nice and warm lately—send you on a swim."
Ji Gwangin's eyes bulged.
Castle artificial lake.
Jo Hoonseok's body recently found there with his car—could it be?
Oh Jinhyeong turned to Lee Jeonghak.
"Lee Jeonghak!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Write up every damn thing these bastards are doing here in a report. Oh, and that prick Ji Gwangin—we've got evidence on all the bribes he's taken in our military intel files. Launch an investigation immediately."
"..."
Ji Gwangin's face drained of color.
Min Dongyeol's too.
The two scurried away in panic.
Oh Jinhyeong still wasn't done venting.
"Tch! Can't leave Gurye's autonomy committee as is. It's stagnated so long it's rotten. Need to flush it out fast."
Taeju smirked inwardly.
Nice to have the annoyances handled, but wasn't this overkill?
Jo Hoonseok seemed military-handled too.
But on second thought, overkill might be necessary.
Treating bad guys kindly just backfires.
Especially judging by Absolute Poison Demon Dang Gunak's experiences.
Maybe I should go overboard myself sometime?
Anyway, time to head down.
Mines dealt with—back to normal life.
"I'll be going now."
"Yeah, sure. Oh, wait! I've got a favor to ask."
A favor?
"...I'm not re-enlisting."
"Hah, who said anything about forcing you?"
"Then what? Need more meds?"
"No, it's this: the Jirisan Dark Forest grand subjugation op's finally scheduled."
"Ah!"
Oh Jinhyeong said slyly,
"It's gonna be massive. So... I'd appreciate it if you joined."
"Me?"
"First time for a full-scale subjugation. I really want results."
Jirisan Dark Forest grand subjugation operation.
He'd already heard antidotes enabled a shift from defense to offense.
Taeju pondered briefly.
Asking a civilian to join a military op.
Gurye Free City's chronic issue.
Monster waves every five years or so.
Casualties were huge at first, but responses improved: Castle built, underground shelters dug, damages down—but waves still wrecked the city.
So the subjugation wasn't just the military's problem.
Taeju decided.
"Sure, I'll join."
"Great! Thanks. And this op won't just be Jirisan monster defense legion—lots of outsiders too."
"Oh? Like who?"
"Imperial guests and cadets from the officer academy's graduating class. Don't worry—they won't bother you."
Imperial side made sense.
Officer academy cadets?
Graduating class meant awakened, but fresh ones—would they help?
Probably just for observation.
Time to prepare then.
Restock hidden weapons, stabilize his poison core.
The Mine incident threw Gurye into chaos.
The military temporarily took over administration.
Three days: Jirisan monster raids halted, aptitude tests for all resident awakeners, campaign urging reports on suspicious behavior, checkpoints tightened at Gurye station and airport.
Gurye suffered for a while.
But few complained.
Mines were wave-level disasters.
Some called it performative.
Mines only detectable in monsterized state.
If they hid deliberately, good luck finding them.
Three days passed; military withdrew, checkpoints eased.
Gurye Free City returned to normal.
Taeju had slain the Mines but stepped back.
Credit went to vigilantes and special forces—no upside to fame, just hassle.
Except the 100 million won Mine bounty, which he claimed.
Taeju added his own 100 million and handed it to Jang Suncheol, fresh from the hospital.
"Give this to the parents of your sacrificed friend. He basically uncovered the Mines."
"...Thank you, Chairman."
Body healed, but heart not so much.
"Take leave. Rest up a few days."
"No! I'm fine. Totally recovered."
"Won't listen, huh?"
"...Yes, sir."
Mine crisis wrapped up.
Taeju checked his condition in a quiet spot.
Hunwon Musang Dokryeong Gong had reached 6th stage.
But it's not all good. Gotta be careful.
He always knew.
His poison art progress was too fast.
Couldn't be helped.
He knew the path ahead—couldn't detour deliberately.
Might as well push to 7th stage.
Screw stabilization for now.
Then pause, balance mental and physical enlightenment.
The Mines too.
Lucky they were low-rank.
Pre-monsterization, not even Expert level.
So post-transformation, minds intact.
The more I think... it's too similar.
To Demonic Cultists.
Sucking others' inner energy with absorption arts, driven mad, turning monstrous...
What if there's a Heavenly Demon type here?
Plausible theory.
Similar massacres suspected elsewhere outside Samhan Empire.
Higher awakening rank = exponentially stronger monsterization.
Demonic Cult purge.
For Absolute Poison Demon Dang Gunak, it was duty.
So for Earth's Kim Taeju?
Purge the Mines.
No guarantee they wouldn't reappear in Gurye.
He hated seeing his people hurt.
Make more elixirs.
Teach useful martial arts.
Sichuan Dang Clan techniques too...
Clan arts were secrets—not to be shared lightly.
But Taeju planned to spread all Dang Clan arts except Hunwon Musang Dokryeong Gong.
Why not?
I'm Dang Gunak.
Of course, non-transmission to the unworthy (Biin Bujeon)—only teach the morally upright.
Stick to that principle.
Foundation method: Ohaeng Gigong is best.
Basic heart method all Dang Clan members, direct or branch, learned.
Its strength: cultivates five elements qi, usable in pill-making post-5th stage.
Ohaeng Gigong was poison arts' base.
Dang Gunak fused it with various poison insights to birth Hunwon Musang Dokryeong Gong.
All descendants mastered it—direct or branch—all skilled alchemists.
No need for hidden weapons techniques.
Inefficient for monster hunting anyway.
Better basic swordsmanship, spearmanship.
Finally, lightness skills.
Teach just three.
Elite few.
Two candidates: Baek Changhoon and Jang Suncheol.
Groom them for heavy use.
Once proficient, they could instruct others.
Teaching would spawn skills like before.
Baek Hongpyo and Baek Seoyeonn?
Elixirs would suffice.
Keep them healthy and thriving.
Taeju didn't ignore the company entirely.
He discussed Taehong Bio's future daily with Baek Seoyeonn and Baek Hongpyo.
The pair fumed over Min Dongyeol and Ji Gwangin's stunt.
"That corrupt official bastard!"
"We can't let it slide. We must make an issue of it."
Guess they saw him as easy prey.
Taehong Bio was hot, but local to Gurye.
National giants would've crushed them.
"I'll handle the committee myself. And I'm thinking of adding one more drug..."
"What kind?"
"Hemostatic, with wound healing. Plus a fatigue-relief tonic."
"Oh!"
"...Another one? Already developed?"
"Yep."
Just wound salve and tonic?
Aphrodisiacs, intelligence pills, organ-boosting tonics...
Tons more to unveil.
Fundamentally unlike old Earth herbal meds.
No mana back then.
Now mana-infused—Murim-like environment.
All herbs contained mana, i.e., qi.
Blend Murim refining with Earth pharma—surpass old drugs.
"But there's a problem."
"What?"
"Copycats. Analyze ingredients, anyone can replicate."
"Ah."
"Won't seek Gurye approval."
New drugs weren't freely copyable.
But Gurye allowed free licensing and sales.
Patents? Hard to enforce—no patent office.
Other cities: strict approvals, but ironclad imperial patent protection.
"So, expand to New Seoul?"
"Not necessarily. Build a factory in Daejeon, for example..."
Get approval, secure patents.
"Yes! That works. But brace for big corp pushback."
"What kind?"
"I worked at one—know their playbook."
Baek Seoyeonn explained:
"Block rivals' patents, infiltrate spies for formulas, patent stolen recipes first, hostilely acquire promising SMEs, jack up prices on acquired drugs for profits..."
So many flavors?
Total scumbags.
Not ordinary assholes—great assholes.
"Don't worry. Proceed."
"Yes, sir!"
No point fearing maggots while pickling cabbage.
Now, prep for the grand subjugation.
First, "meet" Ji Gwangin and Min Dongyeol.
Aftermath and Preparations End