“You’re just accepting the proposal?”
“They’re offering to build a mega-factory for free. It’s too good to refuse. That’s not pocket change.”
No matter how much money Lee Tae-sung had been raking in lately, building a factory of that scale cost a fortune.
Even he would have to go into debt to build it right now, so he couldn’t pass up a free opportunity.
“So you really plan to go through with production?”
“Of course.”
“Hmm… I understand you have some method, Guild Leader, but if something goes wrong, the elixir formula could fall into Japanese hands.”
Manager Song Sang-yeop’s concern was understandable.
He knew that Lee Tae-sung’s factory, despite seeming lax, boasted an eerily ironclad security system.
It had rendered every spy operation, infiltration attempt, and illegal Hunter intrusion futile.
But he wasn’t sure what would happen if a country got serious about meddling.
“It’s fine.”
Yet there was confidence in Lee Tae-sung’s voice.
Of course—Abeson had personally drawn security magic circles on the Alchemical Furnace to make theft impossible.
‘Unless you know magic, there’s no way you can break through.’
Even an average mage wouldn’t cut it.
You’d need to be on par with Abeson, who had once ranked among the top ten mages on the West Continent.
In short, impossible.
Moreover, that security had been further strengthened recently.
“You’ve reached the Peak Realm? Then you can handle Spiritual Will now?”
“I’m not skilled at it.”
“Knowing how is enough. Even that alone greatly expands what you can do.”
Originally, only the Alchemical Furnace had security, but now it could be applied to the finished products as well.
He had added a process at the end of manufacturing where the elixir merged with Lee Tae-sung’s Spiritual Will.
Without Lee Tae-sung’s Spiritual Will, it wasn’t an elixir—just tasteless water with healthy ingredients.
Less effective than government-approved health supplements.
Since a master at the Peak Realm could easily imbue paper with their Spiritual Will, Lee Tae-sung filled several small pieces of paper with his will every morning and sent them to the factory.
A simple but powerful security measure.
And the factory wasn’t being built just anywhere—it was in China.
If problems arose, there were several formidable backers who would have Lee Tae-sung’s back.
“You don’t have to worry about theft of core parts or finished products.”
“Understood. If you say so, Guild Leader, I’ll proceed.”
Manager Song Sang-yeop still looked worried, but hearing Lee Tae-sung’s confidence, he decided to trust him.
—
“Your Excellency, the Foreign Minister. They’ve finally taken the bait.”
“Haha. Easy. These Joseon people are so greedy.”
Foreign Minister Suemori Ryota laughed warmly.
“However, building the factory in China will require quite a large sum of money.”
“That’s fine. That’s what investment is for.”
China’s Hwaseong Holdings Group was raking in considerable profits, and the Japanese right-wing groups holding its shares had plenty of deep-pocketed backers.
Draining those shadow funds would make building even a huge factory feasible.
Of course, it was still a large amount…
“Once we steal the formula and start producing it ourselves, we’ll treat that amount as pocket change.”
“That’s true.”
The aide nodded and checked off the additional items.
“We’ll build the factory so it only looks decent from the outside.”
The cost of a factory varies wildly depending on internal equipment.
A state-of-the-art automated facility costs a fortune, but using cheap materials and systems can save huge amounts.
The aide thought it was right to cut costs since they were building the factory for the operation anyway.
But the Foreign Minister shook his head.
“No. Build it as high-end as possible.”
“…Sir?”
“Those guys sell elixirs in tiers, don’t they?”
Taesung Guild sold two types of elixirs: Lowest Grade and Lower Grade.
However, only Lee Tae-sung knew that—other guilds called them Stage 1 and Stage 2 Elixirs.
“It’s said that taking the same stage elixir multiple times has no effect. You must consume a higher stage to increase mana.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“The Taesung Guild might also have the formula for Stage 3 and above. If the factory equipment is good, they’ll likely install all their manufacturing facilities there. That means more types of formulas we can steal.”
“Ah!”
If the factory equipment was mediocre, it could end up as a place that only produces Stage 1 elixirs.
To prevent that, they needed to make it jaw-droppingly impressive.
Besides, by leveraging the guanxi they’d built in China, they could even reclaim the factory ownership later.
What could a Korean guild, famous only in Korea, possibly do in China?
“As expected, you’re wise, Foreign Minister! I’ll proceed immediately.”
“Good. Report progress periodically.”
The aide bowed deeply and left.
The Foreign Minister lit a cigarette and put it in his mouth.
Smoke billowed up.
‘If I handle this well, I might be able to challenge for the prime minister position next time.’
The current prime minister was a trusted figure who had served two terms, but Ryota was also a politician who had accomplished major tasks.
If he could claim credit for bringing the elixir formula, becoming prime minister wouldn’t be a dream.
Amidst the rising cigarette smoke, the Foreign Minister dreamed a happy dream.
—
One of the Hunter Association’s top priorities is crime prevention.
Ordinary crime was naturally the police’s domain, but the Association managed crimes involving Awakeners.
Awakeners with superhuman abilities easily fell into elitism and became criminals, and even if not, the crimes they committed were often catastrophic.
The Gangnam Station incident was no different.
“Hoo… We almost had a major disaster this time. A terror attack at Gangnam Station, of all places.”
“Tell me about it. Just thinking about it makes my head spin.”
At the secretary’s words, Executive Director Choi Hyeon-woo from the Association wiped the sweat from his forehead.
Even now, recalling when he heard the news made his skin crawl.
Not long ago, a Gate Incident in Gangwon Province had thrown the Association into chaos.
The monsters had gone berserk, suddenly executing tactical group maneuvers to break through the Rankers’ defense lines and then crossed through the Dimensional Gate to appear in Korea.
Fortunately, it was in rural Gangwon, and Lee Tae-sung had arrived just in time to stop them—otherwise, there could have been massive casualties.
Right after that, the entire Association went into overtime handling the aftermath.
Then, as if on cue, the Hunter missions changed, dragging out the overtime even longer.
From executives to entry-level staff, everyone was working overtime.
Their hair was greasy, dark circles deep under their eyes.
In that situation, the Hunter missions changed, prolonging the overtime.
Endless inquiries from Hunters, score supply and casualty predictions, mission success rate forecasts, Dimensional Barrier sustainability predictions—all the old formulas were wrong, and new ones had to be calculated.
The Association researchers screaming was an open secret.
Such days continued, and then the terror attack at Gangnam Station happened.
The news reported it as a gas explosion, but the Association had long since figured out it was a terrorist act by a Hunter.
Another event that pushed back any hope of a regular end-of-work schedule for the staff.
“Executive Director. The CCTV analysis is complete. Here’s the person who stopped the terrorist.”
The Association had brought the CCTV footage from the building faster than the police—the entire original, no copies.
As Executive Director Choi Hyeon-woo was about to check it, the secretary who handed it over spoke in a dark voice.
“It can’t be verified. That means they’re not registered in our database. However… there’s a high probability they’re an unregistered illegal Hunter.”
That was a serious problem.
It was fortunate the terrorist was stopped, but an illegal Hunter could cause another incident.
Judging by how they killed without hesitation over grudges, these were people with nothing to lose, and such cases almost always led to trouble.
“Is this a scheduled bomb? Give it here.”
Executive Director Choi wore a grave expression as he reviewed the CCTV footage.
When he played it, a very familiar face appeared, surprising him.
“…Secretary Kim. Didn’t you see this back then?”
“Sir?”
Seeing the secretary’s confusion, Choi tilted his head.
“That’s strange. Why didn’t you… Ah, you were on vacation recently. That explains it. Look at this.”
What Executive Director Choi showed the secretary was footage from an external camera mounted on the helicopter that Hunters had used during the Gangwon Gate Incident.
Lee Tae-sung and a bald man beside him.
As the man placed his palms together, the monsters were instantly annihilated.
“W-What is this!?”
The secretary covered his mouth in shock.
In all his time at the Association, he’d heard stories of powerful Hunters, but never one that could kill multiple monsters at once with a single gesture.
“Wow, an incredibly powerful Hunter.”
“Right. And… the person who performed during the Gangnam Station incident is the one next to him. That guy is also absurdly strong.”
Judging by the footage of a building pillar exploding and flames spreading, the terrorist Hunter was quite powerful.
Clearly at the Ranker level.
Yet the man in the CCTV subdued that terrorist in an instant and turned him to ash.
That overwhelming strike and the brutal sight of leaving no corpse, even for an enemy, was terrifying.
“They could be unregistered Hunters, or even foreign Hunters.”
“How could such people be by Hunter Lee Tae-sung’s side?”
“He spent quite a long time in the United States and China. He might have befriended them there.”
“But following him all the way to Korea is strange.”
“Forgot? The Taesung Guild Leader has elixirs.”
“O…!”
Elixirs that increase mana.
Considering the obsession Hunters have with elixirs, it was plausible the two would follow Lee Tae-sung.
“Fortunately, if they’re acquaintances of the Taesung Guild Leader, they probably won’t cause trouble recklessly. But we should meet them anyway. I need to personally check their inclinations and ask them to be careful in Korea.”
To catch a tiger, you have to enter its den.
Executive Director Choi stood up abruptly and took the elevator to the floor below.
He saw employees working frantically.
“Manager Song. Are you busy right now?”
“Yes, I’m handling the Taesung Guild’s overseas factory setup.”
“I see. Busy as you are, make some time. I’m planning to visit the Taesung Guild Leader now. I think it’d be better if you came along.”
“Understood.”
Since Song Sang-yeop had been in charge since Lee’s early awakening, even Executive Director Choi felt more comfortable going with him rather than alone.
Song also knew that having him there would make things smoother, so he moved along.
Exelsia Cheongdam.
After passing through several security checks, the two entered and were able to meet Lee Tae-sung.
“Welcome.”
“Sorry for visiting without an appointment.”
“No problem. I was just about to play some games.”
Lee Tae-sung pointed at the capsule in the living room and shrugged.
He had finished his real-world tasks and was about to focus on quests in the Dream World.
They’d arrived just before he logged in, so it wasn’t much of a disturbance.
“The reason I came today is a matter of concern.”
Executive Director Choi talked about the Flame Emperor and Goeseung he’d seen on CCTV, and how the Association viewed them with wariness.
“So I wanted to come directly and tell you what you need to be careful of.”
“Ah, those two…”
Lee Tae-sung made a slightly troubled expression.
Seeing that, Executive Director Choi suddenly felt uneasy.
‘Oh no. Are they already out causing trouble again?’
“They’re actually in the room right now, but it’s best not to disturb them. They’re busy watching Season 2 and said not to bother them.”
“…Sir?”
Instead of answering, Lee Tae-sung pointed toward the inner room.
The soundproofing was so good they hadn’t noticed, but as they got closer, faint sounds leaked through the gaps in the door.
“I’m dying! Even the Buddha would surely be furious seeing this! That’s not how you do it, you fool!”
“Are they idiots? How can they be so clumsy? Even a talentless criminal wouldn’t move like that!”
“……?”
“……?”
Executive Director Choi Hyeon-woo and Manager Song Sang-yeop tilted their heads in confusion, wondering what on earth this was all about.