Zone Settings.
Kim Taeju stopped by on his way home from work and brought Baek Changhoon and Jang Suncheol along with him.
Having spent ten straight days in the forest, the two were in rough shape.
"You've worked hard. Take it easy for a while."
"...But we have to head back into the forest tomorrow."
"No need. You've done plenty. You've gotten loads of real combat practice."
"Yes!"
The reason Taeju had taken Baek Changhoon and Jang Suncheol with him was to hone their registered skills through live combat.
They'd done more than enough.
The processing of the Giant Half-Moon Bear's gall bladder had turned out satisfactorily too.
Now it was time for other tasks.
"From here on, you'll learn how to finalize the antidote formula using the Five Elements Divine Art."
"Huh? But that's a secret technique... you can really just teach it to us like that?"
"Name one thing I've taught you that wasn't a secret technique."
"Well, that's true, but... still, we're so grateful. To think you'd trust us this much."
"We'll study hard so you won't even have to lift a finger to produce the medicine, Chairman."
Baek Changhoon was moved to tears, while Jang Suncheol steeled his resolve.
"You're still scouting for useful people, right? Keep an eye out among the orphanage alumni too."
"Yes, sir. We're looking right now. Talented and hardworking..."
"Suncheol, it's not about talent—it's trust! That's the only thing that matters."
"That's a given. And you make the final call anyway, Chairman, so we just find candidates and handle the interviews."
"Sure, but..."
He could rule out prospects with a glance at their faces.
They might call it unscientific, but based on Dang Gunak's experience, it was almost always spot-on.
These two would eventually become the operational heads of the civilian awakener guild he planned to establish.
The Taehong Guild would handle hunting, gathering medicinal ingredients, protection, and security.
He needed more people.
To build a faction and forge a true family, people came before money.
This was why venerable clans like the Namgung, Pang, Un, and Dang had wielded such power in the martial world.
Whether direct or collateral kin, they were bound by blood, united by ties of flesh and loyalty.
Of course, shared blood didn't prevent betrayal or backstabbing.
The same went for Taeju's people.
Baek Seoyeonn, Baek Changhoon, Jang Suncheol, the orphanage alumni working at the company, and those introduced through Baek Hongpyo—they'd all grown incredibly close to Taeju now.
This was the way forward: advancing together with good people by his side.
What was the point of success if he couldn't share the happiness?
He needed people to share it with.
"I'll give you some vacation time before the lessons start. Rest up and come back refreshed."
"Awesome!"
"Shower first thing."
Taeju headed home as well.
He needed to tidy up his infinite storage space too.
Suddenly!
Hm?
The Taehong Bio headquarters building still had its lights on.
It was past quitting time.
Who's there? Still working overtime?
Early on, manpower shortages had made it unavoidable, but now with plenty of staff, he'd banned extra night shifts.
I'll check it out before I go.
And hammer it home: no overtime, no exceptions.
As he entered the company building, the security guards spotted him and hurried over.
"Chairman! What brings you here...?"
"Looks like someone's pulling an all-nighter."
"It's President Baek Seoyeonn. She hasn't left yet."
"Ah, really?"
If it was the president, that was different.
But what could be keeping her so late?
He'd have to stop by and see her.
Meeting Baek Hongpyo had been a stroke of luck, but Baek Seoyeonn—introduced by him—was a godsend too.
She'd set up the company's systems in record time and was already planning their New Seoul expansion.
A total workaholic, and it worried him.
Hiring talent to run and grow the company? That was something he could never do.
It was just as vital and valuable as crafting new drugs.
Did being the Absolute Poison Demon—no, Poison Immortal Dang Gunak—mean he excelled at everything?
Far from it.
He'd been hopeless at managing the clan or its finances.
He'd blown through fortunes crafting poisons.
That's why he'd brought in reliable people, appointed them as stewards, granted them the Dang surname, and entrusted them with full authority.
I should give her a bonus at least.
Baek Seoyeonn seemed to live at the orphanage without even her own place.
He could buy her a nice building near Gure Castle with performance pay or a reward.
Land prices had crashed lately; it wouldn't cost much.
Knock knock.
Taeju knocked and entered Baek Seoyeonn's office.
"Who is— Chairman!!!"
"Head home and get some sleep already. If you're short-staffed, hire more people."
"I was just finishing up to leave."
"Hmm, your skin looks great. ...Ah! You finally took the elixir."
"Hee-hee, thanks to you, Chairman. I should've taken it sooner. I don't feel tired at all even with the overtime. ...But your skin looks smoother too—what's your secret?"
"That obvious?"
They traded compliments on each other's improved looks.
The elixirs had worked wonders.
The originals only affected mana compatibles and awakeners, but Taeju's versions worked on regular people too.
She'd probably become a mana compatible herself.
"Anyway, perfect timing. I have a report for you."
Baek Seoyeonn fetched her tablet and showed it to Taeju.
"These are candidates from the New Seoul branch to join us. I selected them considering skills, character, diligence—all of it."
"Already?"
They were diverse.
Men and women, all ages.
"And I've narrowed down candidates for the New Seoul branch headquarters. These are in Shinjong-ro District..."
"Pricey."
"No choice. It's New Seoul."
The cheapest was a 20-story building in the low 100 billion range; 30- and 40-story ones ran 200-300 billion.
But there was good reason for picking expensive ones.
Taeju had told her to.
Time to shatter the prejudice that a rural Gure outfit couldn't make real money selling drugs.
"Don't worry about price. Go for accessible spots that really stand out—buy those buildings."
"Yes, sir!"
"We're not occupying them alone anyway; rental income will cover it."
"And this too..."
The next page was a report on two upcoming new drugs.
She'd even named them ahead of time.
Wound treatment: Taehong Fresh Flesh Growth.
Tonic: Taehong Vitality Surge.
"Hmm, Fresh Flesh Growth, Vitality Surge..."
"Kinda folksy, right? But that's what's selling these days."
"...If it's selling, that's what we go with."
What did names matter anyway?
Drugs won on efficacy.
"Patent prep going smoothly?"
"Top-level security. Factories and production facilities are under construction on land we bought on New Seoul's outskirts."
Patents were key.
Strike fast before competitors caught on.
Once approved, they never expired.
But getting them wasn't easy.
"Let me know when you're ready. I'll help where I can."
"Yes, sir!"
Connections mattered hugely in official processes.
Not for anything illegal—just to fend off sabotage.
Does Major General Oh Jinhyeong have connections in New Seoul?
Probably just military ones.
Maybe he should've gotten closer to Fifth Prince Ryu Jincheol.
Need to expand my network...
Taeju said to Baek Seoyeonn,
"Remember that Leaders Club invitation?"
"Safely stored away."
"Hand it over. I'll check it out after the Jirisan subjugation ends."
Baek Seoyeonn lit up.
"Yes!!! Thank you. ...Want the Noble Purples marriage agency invite too?"
"No! Pass on that."
The company was growing fast.
Leaving it all to Baek Seoyeonn and Baek Hongpyo while pretending ignorance would be irresponsible.
His family was getting bigger.
And it would only grow more.
I've got to do what I can.
Taeju returned home.
After greeting the staff, he showered, changed into casual clothes, and then...
Infinite storage space.
A cube-shaped space appeared in his mind's eye.
Normally vast, but shrunken here for an overview.
Time to set up zones.
Fine for small items, but for bulk and variety, compartments were essential.
If only it auto-sorted like a game inventory.
Hidden weapons over here.
Whoosh.
A transparent barrier sliced through the 3D space.
Hidden weapons zone.
60% of total space.
Too big?
He could readjust later.
How many leaf darts would fit?
Tens of millions?
Whatever.
No complex math.
He stored all his current and spare hidden weapons, sorted by type.
He made an equipment zone too.
About 5%.
Guns and such needed storing.
Civilians who were mana compatibles or awakeners could own firearms with military permits.
Tricky process, but the army made it easy.
15% for daily necessities.
Subdivided: food, clothes, survival gear, etc.
Taeju headed to the basement shelter beneath his home.
Essential when building in Gure.
Fully stocked: ramen, canned goods, snacks, preserved and dried foods, drinks, liquor...
Thorough as always.
Who'd ordered it stocked like this?
President Baek Seoyeonn, naturally.
He sorted them by category.
Remainder: miscellaneous zone.
Subdivide this too?
Then—
What's this?
While scanning the infinite storage space, he spotted something odd.
A pre-existing zone in one corner.
I didn't set this...
Suitcase-sized.
It registered because it emitted a faint glow.
That light carried a familiar energy.
Celestial qi.
Probably leftover celestial qi from Dang Gunak after forming the space.
Can it hold items?
Taeju tested with a leaf dart.
Whoosh.
It went in.
A can of Spam,
Whoosh.
Top-shelf champagne,
Whoosh.
A bag of snacks in and out.
Whoosh, swish.
Same as the rest.
He tried retrieving the items from the glowing space.
But then!
Flash!
The light vanished instantly.
And...
Huh? Won't come out.
Some glitch?
Seemed like it.
When he'd received celestial qi from Dang Gunak to draw the infinite storage spell formation, the connection had snapped right at the end.
That might've caused it.
Like a bad sector on a hard drive.
Tch, leave it. Tiny zone anyway.
Just don't put anything there.
Then Taeju forgot all about it.
※ ※ ※
The operation was going swimmingly.
Main forces had closed to within 1km of each other.
Jirisan's regular monsters had become training dummies for beginner awakener officers.
And elite monsters were falling one after another.
Things had gotten to the point where firing missiles in the forest wouldn't spark a wave worry.
They'd nearly wiped the place clean.
Dealing with stragglers drawn by the noise was easier.
One slight concern, though.
Three-headed white tiger.
Even regulars rivaled elites in strength.
No monster in Jirisan could match them.
Silence fell briefly.
It was a plausible guess.
Three-headed white tigers were fiercely territorial.
Only one of their kind per mountain satisfied them.
Elites emerged by devouring their own species.
If they'd slaughtered each other until one survivor...
Taeju was listening to the teams via radio.
Crackle!
"Yes, staying cautious."
He was hunting solo at the moment.
Exploiting gaps in the encirclement, sort of.
The Jirisan subjugation's core strategy was surround-and-destroy.
But plenty of spots had been skipped.
Taeju was hitting those hard.
All for himself.
With Oh Jinhyeong's permission, he'd been solo for five days.
Ignoring regulars.
Elites only.
He kept wearing the fox leather coat.
Suddenly ditching it would draw eyes.
They'd wonder where all those hidden weapons came from.
He'd had it repaired at the leather workshop instead of tossing it.
Just for the operation.
So light and comfy.
Pockets empty now, though.
A pack of elite storm weasels appeared.
Rumble rumble!
They rolled toward him in a ball-like swarm.
Elite storm weasels looked and sized like regulars, so they hunted in mixed packs.
One in there was elite.
Swish!
Thought alone summoned the dart.
Vrrr!
Aura-coated,
Single Flash.
Tzzt!
The leaf dart shot like lightning at the pack.
But before hitting,
Clang clang clang!
It shattered midair.
Regular hidden weapons couldn't handle the aura.
Escape darts lasted once, but these thin leaf darts exploded en route.
Even so.
Perfect.
Every fragment retained aura and poison.
Auto Wide Flash.
Dang Gunak's favorite trick.
Downside: leaf darts were single-use. A bit wasteful.
Pop pop pop!
The weasel pack burst apart, elite included.
Which one's the elite?
The one still twitching.
Finisher: aura-infused Blood Seal Poison Palm.
Splat!
The elite's aura shield was already breached.
Poison inside sealed the deal.
Now, elite mana crystal recovery.
Oh! Got one.
Lucky.
Elites didn't always drop crystals.
But three out of five today had.
Crystals to misc zone.
Zoned up, weapons deployed faster.
Instant launch.
Targets would see magic: darts from thin air.
Smooth now—imagine elite leaf darts that withstand aura...
Right then!
Swish swish!
Mana currents stirred.
What the—?
And far off,
Grrrrrrrrr...
A deep, bone-chilling monster roar.
Flinch!
Even Taeju froze at the primal dread.
Could this be...
Suddenly!
Crackle!
Crackle,
> And Kim Taeju Chairman?
Crackle!
"Ah! Yes! Heard it."
> Be careful. Head back early.
Taeju had no intention of clocking out.
Swoosh!
He was already sprinting toward the roar.
It came from Cheonwangbong Peak, Jirisan's highest.
The roar alone told him: stronger than any elite he'd seen.
Might as well get a look.
End of Zone Settings.