Chapter 58: The Archmage’s Hidden Legacy

Giant, Hyeonmu, White Tiger, Iron Tower, Patchon, Blue Dragon….

These were Korea’s famous large-scale guilds.

Their Guild Masters were now gathered in front of an abandoned factory site that had long since ceased operations.

Every single one of them was casting wary glances at the others.

“Does no one have anything to do? To think you’d all have the leisure to come to a place like this,” Gu Sang-min, the Guild Master of Giant, said with a sneer as he looked at the others.

“You’re all Guild Masters of major guilds, yet all you do is suck the marrow, don’t you? Sitting at a desk, scribbling on documents. Meeting reporters for a bit of a photo op and gaining popularity?”

“Hmph. Giant Guild Master. You’re here as well, so how can you say such things?”

“I just cleared a mission this morning. I’ve already finished all my work.”

“……”

The other Guild Masters looked away as if they had a guilty conscience.

As heads of major guilds, almost all of them were Rankers.

And while it was not known to the public, Rankers had certain obligations.

However, since those duties were often too dangerous to undertake easily, they were obligations that the Rankers were not particularly fond of.

Regardless, the Guild Masters exchanged wary glances and entered the factory grounds.

The reason they were so on edge with one another was simple.

‘Is this the right place? Why is it so dilapidated?’

‘Did they really make that amazing Elixir here?’

‘If it was made with this kind of facility, there’s no way the supply will ever be sufficient….’

The factory that Kang Wooju had rented under Lee Taeseong’s instructions was a place that had stopped operations long ago and now only leased out land.

Most of the time, it was used for movie filming, but Lee Taeseong had intentionally rented it to test whether mass production would be possible later.

Naturally, it didn’t meet the standards of the Guild Masters, and they were currently sizing each other up to ensure they could be the first to purchase the Elixir.

“Oh my. This place has become a regular gathering of celebrities!”

Kang Wooju emerged from the back and greeted them.

“Welcome, Guild Masters.”

“Mr. Wooju. I heard you transferred. To think you’d be in a place like this instead of Blue Dragon. Why didn’t you just come to our guild?”

“Haha. I wasn’t really feeling that place. There isn’t much to learn under an ordinary genius.”

“?”

Avoiding the confused gaze of the Hyeonmu Guild Master, Kang Wooju guided them further inside.

“Come, come. This way. Let me introduce you to our Guild Master, Lee Taeseong.”

The Guild Masters’ eyes gleamed.

‘I’m finally meeting the most famous person of late.’

‘The Supernova Rookie, Lee Taeseong…. No wonder it was so hard to see his face; he must have been going for a mystery concept.’

Up until now, many Guild Masters had wanted to see Lee Taeseong.

Especially after the Charles Agreement ended successfully, national interest in him had surged.

The large-scale guilds were curious about how he had treated the American Ranker and wanted to get close to him.

However, there was nothing they could do.

He had to actually leave his house for them to meet him!

‘No matter where we looked, we couldn’t find him.’

Welcoming ceremonies, invitations, parties, and even staged accidental meetings—nothing worked.

And for good reason: during all that time, Lee Taeseong had been cooped up in his house playing Dream World.

Excluding the time spent sleeping and going on missions, he kept his external activities to a minimum and spent most of his time training in Dream World!

Initially, the Guild Masters thought it was a mystery concept or a tactic to raise his value.

But in reality, Lee Taeseong simply didn’t go anywhere, and since the Association refused to cooperate, they couldn’t even obtain his contact information.

They had flocked here not only for the Elixir but also to finally see Lee Taeseong in person.

“Hello. I’m Lee Taeseong.”

And so, Lee Taeseong finally met the Guild Masters.

They all beamed and pulled out their business cards.

“My, it’s a pleasure to meet you. You look just as impressive as the rumors say. With looks like yours, you should have been a celebrity, not a Hunter… Haha. I’m Gu Sang-min, the leader of the Giant Guild.”

“I’m Jang Baek-gil of the Hyeonmu Guild. I should have visited sooner, but I’m glad to finally give you my greetings.”

“I’m from the Iron Tower Guild—”

*Thud.*

Once someone reached the level of a major guild’s leader, eloquent speech was a basic requirement.

They pushed forward with smiling faces, trying to strike up a conversation with Lee Taeseong by any means necessary.

“Let’s head inside first. It’s a bit strange to talk while standing out here.”

Lee Taeseong guided them to where the original factory office used to be.

***

Lee Taeseong had no intention of building friendships or networking with the major guilds.

He was already very close to the siblings from the Blue Dragon Guild, and he had significant connections in both the United States and China.

That was more than enough for his guild to expand.

Consequently, he wasn’t greedy, and the Guild Masters could sense his attitude.

‘Usually, nobodies would try anything just to get a word in with us….’

‘The rumors in the media weren’t exaggerations.’

If he could maintain such an attitude in front of the heads of major guilds, it meant his skills were just that certain.

“Have you all come here because you want to buy the Elixir?”

At Taeseong’s question, the Guild Masters nodded simultaneously.

Why else would these busy people come all the way to a place like this?

That was how shocking the Elixir was.

“That’s right, Guild Master Taeseong. Honestly, I was shocked after trying the sample. To think you can artificially produce an Elixir that increases the amount of mana….”

The other Guild Masters gave looks of agreement.

Things like Elixirs or Skill Runes, which were the means for Hunters to grow stronger, only appeared as mission rewards.

They were exceptionally rare.

Even though very specific Alchemist-class Hunters could craft them, it was incredibly difficult and could only be done in tiny quantities.

Because of this, Lee Taeseong’s Elixir was innovation itself.

“Since you sent us samples, I assume you have the intention to sell them?”

“Yes. However, there’s something you must know. This is a one-time consumption. It won’t have much of an effect starting from the second dose.”

“The fact that it works even once is incredible. I’ll buy it regardless.”

Everyone looked as though such a thing wasn’t even an obstacle.

It would be great if they could see effects from multiple doses, but it didn’t really matter if they couldn’t.

“Very well. However, since we haven’t set up automated facilities yet, mass production is currently impossible.”

The amount from a single cauldron wouldn’t be enough to satisfy their demands.

He felt like he could increase production if he researched it further.

He would have to go to Dream World and seek advice from the mages there.

However, at those words, the Guild Masters’ eyes lit up.

“In that case, sell it to our Giant Guild first!”

“Giant Guild Master, don’t cut in line!”

“Hyeonmu will pay one and a half times the amount any other guild offers. In exchange, we want the condition of priority for the entire stock.”

“What? You want to play the money game now?”

“You paupers should go somewhere else.”

“Should I start liquidating my private assets?”

“Go ahead!”

If the quantity was small, they had to get it first.

Had they not tried it themselves?

Even for Rankers like them, an increase in mana was enough to make their heads spin.

What if they could give the Elixir to their entire guild membership?

The guild that could strengthen its members first would rise to the top!

Then, they wouldn’t all be lumped together as “major guilds”—the top rankings might actually change.

‘Perhaps we could become the guild that represents Korea…!’

Once humans reached a certain level of wealth, they tended to seek honor.

This was especially true for business people, and the Guild Masters here were no different.

Since they were Rankers representing Korea, they were already admired, but what if their guild became the absolute best?

Just imagining it made their hearts race!

“We’ll pay double!”

“You think we’re the only ones with money? Triple!”

“We’ll sponsor the Taeseong Guild itself! You can use the name of the Iron Tower Guild whenever you want!”

“Our name? Where would he use the name of Iron Tower? People will just call him ignorant.”

“How dare you!!”

The atmosphere between the Guild Masters was overheating.

It looked as though they might grab each other by the collars and start fighting.

Just as Lee Taeseong was looking troubled, wondering how to handle this….

“Wait… what’s going on here?”

Manager Song Sangyeop entered the factory site.

He looked at Lee Taeseong, Kang Wooju, and the other Guild Masters with bewildered eyes.

He had received a sudden call from Kang Wooju about wanting to rent the factory site and had helped with the process.

He had come to check if everything was settled, only to be met with this sight.

It wasn’t even a formal event for major guild leaders…. Though flustered, Song Sangyeop quickly grasped what he needed to do.

The Elixir, the price offers, the bloodshot eyes of the Guild Masters—he knew exactly what was happening just by looking at that.

Song Sangyeop sent a look to Kang Wooju, and after the two shared a small nod, they immediately stepped forward.

“Wait a moment! Guild Masters! Please discuss the specific sales plans with me, the Vice Guild Master!”

“The National Hunter Association will guarantee a transparent process. So please, calm down.”

“The manager is right! If you keep causing a scene, we won’t trade with your guild!”

Kang Wooju’s last words were the clincher.

“……”

“……”

Immediately after, the Guild Masters began to follow instructions as if they were well-behaved kindergarteners.

***

‘Phew. I barely survived.’

With the manager stepping in and Kang Wooju assisting him, Lee Taeseong was finally able to escape the situation.

There wasn’t much left for him to do now.

He had shown his face and given his verbal consent to sell.

Since he had left the pricing to Kang Wooju and Song Sangyeop, all he had to do was work hard on making them.

‘The problem is mass production.’

Lee Taeseong couldn’t spend all day just making Elixirs.

He needed to link the cauldrons and the factory organically as soon as possible.

In the process, he also had to think of a way to increase the number of cauldrons.

‘Security is also an issue.’

Only Lee Taeseong and Kang Wooju knew about the cauldrons.

It was fine for now since they had invited trustworthy buyers, but once word spread, there would be those who wouldn’t try to buy them legitimately but would try to steal them instead.

Someone might catch on to the secret of the cauldrons and try to take the whole thing.

Simply put, he had to be careful of industrial spies.

‘It would have been great if I were a mage.’

Then he could have analyzed the magic circles drawn on the cauldrons, set up security devices, and even created additional cauldrons.

But because he was completely illiterate when it came to magic, such things were impossible.

At least, for right now.

*Pshhh*

Lee Taeseong returned home and lay down on the connector.

Though the path ahead seemed daunting, the answer always lay within Dream World.

Lee Taeseong planned to go to the Golden Alchemist’s Workshop and meet Elder Miginic first.

Since he had successfully completed the request and been told he could visit anytime, he figured he should go and seek some advice.

“?”

Suddenly, a voice echoed from his pocket.

Wondering what it was, he checked and saw it was Avison’s Spirit Ring.

Smoke rose and gathered together, transforming into a mage wearing a hooded robe.

He had been quiet ever since the Flame Emperor’s hideout; what was this about?

“Avison. Did you call for me?”

<…Yes. It seems your busy work is mostly finished. Is that correct?>

Inside the Spirit Ring, Avison had been watching what Lee Taeseong was doing.

He knew that Taeseong had received a request from the Golden Alchemist’s Workshop and that since he had succeeded, he currently had no active requests.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“!”

Lee Taeseong’s eyes twinkled.

“Is this a ‘favor’ you’re asking?”

<…….>

A favor from Avison.

A spirit within the Spirit Ring must repay a debt if they receive a favor.

That was the one-on-one trade contract of the Spirit Ring.

Avison didn’t like the fact that he had to repay a favor to Lee Taeseong, the descendant of the Flame Emperor, but he nodded his head regardless.

‘Come to think of it, Avison is a mage too.’

And not just any mage—he was said to be among the top ten of his era.

Wouldn’t he have knowledge of alchemy as well?

If Lee Taeseong asked him to create a mass production process for lowest-grade elixirs, it felt like he could do it easily.

“I understand. Since we’re not strangers, I’ll listen to your request.”

“So, are you not going to ask your favor?”

<…A mage possesses cool-headed rationality. That is that, and this is this. My request is for you to go to the house where I lived when I was alive.>

“Your house? Weren’t you staying at the Magic Tower?”

Avison was from the Red Magic Tower and was a great archmage who had even served as the Tower Master.

“!?”

An undiscovered birth home where a great archmage once lived?

Lee Taeseong suddenly felt the faint scent of a massive jackpot.