Chapter 18
Why was he suddenly asking about a drink?
There was a murmur from the crowd, but Cho Gyuhwan, a seasoned HTBC reporter, paid it no mind.
With this many reporters around, asking the same questions as everyone else wasn’t going to boost ratings anyway.
He might as well ask something a little offbeat and snag an exclusive, even if it was a bit silly.
With that in mind, Cho Gyuhwan had asked almost casually—and saw the corners of Kim Segyun’s mouth lift.
“Oh, this...”
Was he smiling?
Kim Segyun’s lips parted as he wore a meaningful smile.
“It’s an Elixir.”
“...Pardon?”
“I’m a little tired, so I’m drinking it to get back in shape.”
You crazy bastard!
Murmurs erupted from every direction.
Sure, Hunters made good money and staying in peak condition was important, but there were limits.
An Elixir worth tens of millions of won per bottle, guzzled down at a public interview like this...
Had he already gotten hooked on throwing money around?
Or was he simply born with a silver spoon in his mouth?
Either way, he might have cleared two Impossible Gates, but he was still a low-level rookie.
Thinking of the image that was about to get tossed in the trash, Cho Gyuhwan awkwardly followed up.
“You drink Elixir... as a fatigue reliever?”
“Huh? Ah... Aaaah...!”
Kim Segyun even clapped his hands as he snickered.
After laughing to himself for quite a while, as if something were so funny, Kim Segyun slowly spoke.
“This isn’t the Elixir you’re thinking of.”
“What? But you said Elixir...”
“It does contain Elixir, and it’s expensive, but it’s not the kind you know that costs tens of millions of won a bottle. A pharmaceutical company I know gave me a few of their new products as sponsorship samples, and they work so well that I always bring them along when I go into dungeons. This costs about 20,000 won a bottle.”
A fatigue-relief drink for 20,000 won a bottle.
It was expensive, but considering the unusual nature of a Hunter’s job—where they put their lives on the line—and the value of an ingredient like Elixir, the price wasn’t unreasonable.
At least it was far more reasonable than the insane alternative of guzzling down original Elixir worth tens of millions of won a bottle as if it were a fatigue reliever.
“Well, I got a few bottles to use as samples. Why don’t you try one, Reporter?”
Cho Gyuhwan reflexively caught the bottle Kim Segyun tossed his way.
“Power Q... Elixir... Is this Saeil Power Q?”
Saeil Power Q?
Wasn’t that a famous energy drink that almost every Korean had heard of?
The manufacturer, Saeil Pharma, was also famous for being on the verge of collapse.
“Yeah. They say it’s a new product from Saeil, and it works amazingly. I bet every Hunter will want to buy it. Even non-Hunters would find it useful before an important event.”
As he finished speaking, Kim Segyun urged Cho Gyuhwan on with a glance.
“Uh, um... Thank you. I’ll try it.”
The combination of an easy-to-drink energy drink and an Elixir, a name that felt intimidating all on its own.
The reporters seemed curious enough that their attention shifted away from Kim Segyun for a moment.
Cho Gyuhwan’s Adam’s apple bobbed.
After gulping down the Power Q Elixir, Cho Gyuhwan’s expression went blank.
“Th-This...”
He’d actually been a little—or rather, quite a bit—tired.
It was normally time to clock out, but he’d come in grumbling about what kind of lunatic called a press conference at ten at night.
But all that fatigue seemed to wash away in an instant.
It felt almost blissful to have his fatigue relieved!
And Cho Gyuhwan’s complexion, changing by the second in a gradual transformation...
was being captured by the many cameras in the room.
Including a close-up of the Power Q Elixir label.
**
After the press conference, the articles and online community reactions were quite interesting.
[From clearing a Stage 3 Impossible Gate to reaching Stage 11. ‘Hunter Who Challenges the Impossible’ Kim Segyun, undecided on his next Impossible Gate?]
[Conquering the Unconquerable: A Preview of the Great Hunter Kim Segyun’s Journey!]
There were articles that covered me normally, of course...
[Power Q Elixir: The Key to Clearing Impossible Gates?]
[Saeil Pharma to Release Fatigue Reliever Containing Elixir?]
[HTBC Reporter’s Changing Expression Becomes a Hot Topic. ‘Gradient’-Level Fatigue Relief? When Will Power Q Elixir Be Released?]
If anything, there were more articles about Power Q Elixir.
─So when’s Power Q Elixir coming out?
─LMAO holy shit, did you see the HTBC reporter’s face changing? He went from zombie to human in real time.
─I wouldn’t have believed it if they’d called it an ad, but some random reporter drank it at a press conference lol legendary.
─Ah! I want to drink Elixir!
└Quiet down! You’re embarrassing us!
─Honestly, 20,000 won a bottle is a damn steal, isn’t it? I’ll probably never get to drink Elixir in my life, so the fact that a loser like me can at least try some is already enough.
└For real lol Those rich bastards had all this good stuff to themselves? lol
└Who am I? ‘The Super Majesty Amazing Elixir Owner.’
The online community reaction was just as explosive.
It was almost more of a hot topic than the Stage 11 Impossible Gate clear.
“We should thank Reporter Cho Gyuhwan.”
He hadn’t even been given anything... and he’d practically become the product’s spokesperson.
Well, he had gotten something: a drink.
Anyway, he’d looked tired, but I hadn’t expected it to work that well, either.
“Th-This is incredible. To get this kind of response through paid advertising would cost several hundred billion won.”
The head of the PR team’s eyes sparkled with something close to rapture.
“We’re unlikely to get better publicity than this. Still, our PR team will keep stoking the fire. We’ll use outside firms to subtly seed some viral buzz so the attention lasts until launch.”
“Sounds good. I know everyone’s working hard, but let’s keep it up until launch. That’s all for today’s meeting. Oh, CTO, please stay behind.”
Ms. Gyuseon stayed in the conference room as I’d asked after the meeting ended.
I smiled at her and asked,
“How have things been lately?”
“Great... They couldn’t be better.”
“You’re not overworking yourself, are you?”
“Overworking? I’m only working three hours more a day than I did at Seonggwang.”
“...Excuse me, we’ve decided to call that overworking... It’s the social consensus.”
I was pretty sure she’d practically been a voluntary slave at Seonggwang, too. If she was working three extra hours on top of that... did she even go home?
As if she’d read my mind, Ms. Gyuseon said,
“The CTO’s office is spacious and nice. The old lab at Seonggwang was so small there wasn’t even room for a bed.”
“...Don’t tell me you’re living in the CTO’s office...”
“I didn’t want to waste time commuting... Hehe.”
“......”
Press X to pay your respects to the R&D team.
If the CTO, the head of research and development, was working like that, there was no way the rest of the team wouldn’t feel pressured.
I’d have to straighten things out at some point.
It was bringing back my trauma of having to watch a department head who never went home and had no intention of doing so.
“Anyway, what did you need?”
“Oh, I had a few things to ask you. And something to give you.”
“Something to ask me?”
I explained the new No. 3 I’d acquired, then asked her,
“Is there any way to make this divide and multiply more?”
“Hmm, I’m not sure.”
I’d tried a few things, but No. 3 just wouldn’t divide.
I’d asked because I wondered if there was a way to make No. 3 multiply like No. 1 and No. 2, which had grown at an incredible rate in the culture medium she’d developed.
“Actually, the best way is... to recreate its natural habitat. The culture medium falls under that category, too.”
“Its natural habitat... Wait, don’t tell me...”
No. 3’s natural habitat was, of course... volcanic lava—in other words, magma.
“You want me to make magma here?”
“That would be difficult.”
“...What should I do, then?”
“You’ll have to go where the magma is.”
“You don’t mean... a dungeon?”
Ah, so I had to go back to that Stage 11 dungeon.
I really didn’t want to go anywhere near it if I could help it.
It’d be easier to clear now than last time, but...
“Oh, no... If the goal is just to culture them, couldn’t you go to any volcano?”
“...You’re right.”
Am I an idiot?
Instead of going around looking for a volcanic dungeon, I could just visit a real volcano that existed in the world.
Hmm, I felt like my brain had become severely Hunter-brained, already worn down by Hunter life.
“A volcano... Which one would be good? There probably aren’t any in Korea.”
There were no active volcanoes in Korea with magma or lava flowing out onto the surface.
“I’m not sure... I don’t know much about that, either. Japan?”
“Japan... I’d rather avoid going there if I can.”
Of course, it was close, and prices were cheap these days thanks to the weak yen.
It was a great place to visit, but that was only true for ordinary people.
Japan was notorious for making it difficult for Hunters to enter the country.
And this wasn’t just a problem with Japan; our country was also hostile to foreign Hunters.
There was one reason both Japan and Korea had become so hostile toward Hunters.
The world’s most populous country.
The crazy country right next door, plagued by a shortage of Gates.
Hunters from ‘that country’ often entered on tourist visas and became what people called ‘Gate thieves.’
“Hmm, then... America? There’s Kilauea in Hawaii... and Yellowstone National Park... Plus, America’s Hunter policy is the opposite of ours, right?”
“You’re right. America sounds great.”
America’s policy toward Hunters was completely opposite to that of Korea and Japan.
If anything, entering the country was a little difficult for ordinary people, while Hunters were welcome.
As long as they could prove they were Hunters of some repute, they could get a short-term H-1H Hunter visa right away.
The United States’ vast territory was too large for its own Hunters to handle every Gate, so the policy was designed to bring in foreign Hunter labor to keep things running.
The ‘dungeon economy’ run by the countless Hunters coming in from around the world was worth as much as the annual budget of an ordinary country.
Well, of course, I wasn’t going to America to work as a Hunter, so a visa wasn’t all that important.
Still, it was better than going through a rigorous screening process like you did in Japan.
“Kilauea in Hawaii...”
I checked online and found that it was the world’s largest active volcano.
The bubbling lava flowing up to the surface seemed perfect for culturing No. 3.
“Thanks, Ms. Gyuseon. I think you helped me figure it out.”
“I-It was nothing.”
“In that case, this is for you.”
I smiled and handed her a book.
“What is this... Oh!”
She’d been so startled when she took the book that she dropped it, then hurriedly picked it up again and spoke in a trembling voice.
“Th-This...”
“Yes, it’s an Alchemy skill book.”
‘The Alchemist’s Notes,’ which I’d received as a clear reward, was a skill book for Alchemy.
Naturally, it wasn’t something I could use, so I could either sell it or give it to someone. And here was the perfect person for it.
On top of that...
“It’s research combining alchemy and microorganisms, no less. How could I possibly resist?”
The ‘Essence of the Volcano’ hadn’t been made using microorganisms for no reason.
The alchemist believed to have left behind writings in that Gate had researched the use of microorganisms in alchemy and recorded the results in their notes.
And those writings had been turned directly into a skill book item.
It was practically as if someone had threatened me with a knife to give it to Ms. Gyuseon, an Alchemist and a microorganism expert!
“Can I... really accept something like this...?”
Asking if she could accept it? I was practically saying, Please take it!
“Who else would I give it to if not you, Ms. Gyuseon?”
“Th-Thank you...”
Ms. Gyuseon’s large eyes glistened as if she were about to burst into tears.
She sniffled once and held back her tears, then declared in a spirited voice,
“I’ll work even harder!”
“N-No... I’d be in trouble if you worked any harder. Please, just go home.”
What, were you planning to work without even sleeping?
Anyway, it felt like everything was falling into place.
Power Q Elixir was practically guaranteed to be a huge hit, and The Alchemist’s Notes couldn’t have found a more perfect owner.
And finally...
Hawaii...
It was my first time traveling abroad.
I’d flown a few times to get to Jeju, but I’d never left the country at my age.
Even so, traveling alone was a little scary.
And my English wasn’t great.
“...Ms. Gyuseon.”
“Yes?”
“Are you good at English?”
I mean, of course she was.
She’d even graduated from MIT... What was I asking?
“A-A little?”
How modest.
“Then, would you like to come to Hawaii with me?”
“Pardon?”
It definitely wasn’t because I was scared to travel abroad alone.
That’s not it...!
**
“P-Puhahahaha—!”
“Please stop laughing...”
Zephyros laughed for ages, clutching his stomach.
After laughing so hard he was in tears, Zephyros asked between chuckles,
“So, a woman turned you down, and I’m your next option?”
“Ah... I told you, she didn’t turn me down!”
Well, she had, technically.
It wasn’t that she’d rejected me... she was just being considerate.
She would have come if I’d insisted, but she clearly wanted to study the notes as soon as possible. How could I force her to come along?
Anyway, I’d decided traveling abroad alone for the first time was too much, so my new travel companion was Zephyros.
“I don’t know why we suddenly have to go to Hawaii, but Hawaii... isn’t bad. It’s just so expensive.”
“You don’t need to worry about money...”
Zephyros, who’d trusted me enough to put 100 billion won into the Dungeon Development Fund, had hit the jackpot.
I’d also squeezed my eyes shut and invested most of my personal fortune of 2 billion won, earning a 100% return, but...
The size of our investments had made all the difference in how much we earned.
And since Zephyros had gotten in earlier and averaged down at a lower price, his return was close to 150%!
A 150% return on 100 billion won meant a profit of 150 billion won.
Even after forgiving my 20 billion won principal as agreed, he’d still have made 130 billion won in profit.
I’m so jealous!
Well, thanks to that...
I was going on my first trip abroad in a bit of luxury.
I was sitting in first class, flying over the Pacific Ocean.