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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: Woori Group's Pursuit
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The bidder who had won Yeon Sung-hun's potion at the previous Black Market auction was Woori Group, one of Korea's major conglomerates.
Already a top domestic conglomerate before the Rift crisis, Woori Group had gone from strength to strength afterward, rolling out a slew of products made from Rift byproducts.
In particular, with a guild under its umbrella, its influence in the hunter world alone put it in the running for first or second place domestically.
Oh Young-gyu, president of Woori Chemical—a pharmaceutical arm of the group and the chairman's third son—frowned at the report in his hands.
"Still no results?"
"I'm sorry, President. We're working hard, but..."
Song Byeong-jae, head of Woori Chemical's potion division and a hunter with the Alchemy skill, broke out in cold sweats.
It had been quite some time since they'd acquired the potion and begun research, yet no meaningful progress had been made.
When he'd first heard about the potion, Song Byeong-jae had been brimming with confidence.
Even upon laying eyes on it, he'd been impressed by its superior quality and refinement—but still confident.
That self-assurance, however, had been utterly crushed in less than a day.
Despite deploying appraisal skills and all manner of specialized equipment, they hadn't identified a single precise ingredient.
The potion—meticulously blended in intricate ways—was already a wholly new substance unto itself.
After the research team, including Song Byeong-jae, had poured their all into it, they'd barely pinpointed a few materials, but the recipe itself remained a complete mystery.
"Do you have any idea how much money we've sunk into this? How much cash went into that one little vial, huh?"
"...I'm sorry, President."
Song Byeong-jae bowed repeatedly toward Oh Young-gyu, who was far his junior.
Oh Young-gyu eyed him with clear displeasure and flicked the report in his grip.
"What the hell is this half-baked report? Never mind the rest—why do the results keep changing every damn time?"
At Oh Young-gyu's pointed remark, Song Byeong-jae bowed his head deeper, face burning with shame.
They'd managed to cobble together some recipes by inferring from the few materials they'd identified.
But the outputs not only fell woefully short of Yeon Sung-hun's potion—they varied wildly with every attempt.
Song Byeong-jae and the team couldn't for the life of them figure out why.
They knew missing key ingredients meant it couldn't match Sung-hun's brew, but the constantly shifting effects had them tearing their hair out.
"I'm sorry. It's just that our skills are lacking..."
"You're telling me Director Song—whom we paid top dollar to recruit—and our top-tier research team lack the chops? What, is the guy who made this potion some Einstein? Huh? You advertising yourselves as incompetents now?"
Even as Oh Young-gyu's voice dripped with sarcasm, Song Byeong-jae had no retort.
Setting aside that Oh was his boss and from the owner family, the simple truth was they hadn't grasped even the basics.
In truth, this outcome was beyond their control.
How could they, who'd always relied blindly on their skills to whip up potions willy-nilly, hope to imitate Yeon Sung-hun's?
It was all just as Sung-hun had foreseen.
The only surprise—if it could be called that—was how much worse their skills were than even he'd imagined.
By his standards, they weren't alchemists at all.
They merely wielded the skill, nothing more.
They lacked the foundational knowledge, conviction, and true proficiency alchemy demanded.
Had Sung-hun known them better, he might've been genuinely furious—rare for him—at these unqualified hacks sullying his work.
A real alchemist with basic credentials? He'd click his tongue but acknowledge them.
These were mere pretenders, no better than the charlatans he'd once decried.
Sung-hun tolerated incompetence, but never fakes like these.
"The chairman himself is watching this closely. You've done well so far, Director Song. Let's just push a little harder, yeah?"
"...Yes, sir. I'll give it my all."
"I don't want your all—I want results. Results I can accept. What is this garbage report?"
"...I have no excuses. I'm sorry."
Drawing on years of experience, Song Byeong-jae offered no pleas—just abject apologies.
His young boss clicked his tongue in irritation but mercifully let it drop.
"I'll give you one more chance."
"Thank you, President."
"But remember—we didn't pay through the nose for you for nothing. Get results, somehow. This is your last shot."
"...Yes. I'll stake everything on it."
"Tch—out."
With a final tongue-click and a dismissive wave—like shooing a stray—Oh Young-gyu sent him packing.
Song Byeong-jae bowed deeply one last time and bolted from the office.
Oh Young-gyu tsked again at his swift exit.
"Manager Jin."
"Yes, President."
Oh called to his loyal aide, who had waited unobtrusively in the corner.
"Any luck tracing the potion's source?"
"Sorry, President. They've covered their tracks tight."
"What do those filthy underground rats have to hide that's so damn much?"
Tch—Oh Young-gyu rubbed his furrowed brow.
This was no small matter.
The investment was hefty, and the potion's performance blew existing ones out of the water.
Anyone not a fool could see its value.
And his father, Chairman Oh Jeong-nam, had his eye on it too.
To gain even a slight edge over his two older brothers in the succession race, Oh Young-gyu had to claim this potion for himself.
"Manager Jin."
"Yes, President."
"The potion maker. Find them, by any means."
"How far should I go?"
"No need to play by daylight rules with underworld scum. Use whatever it takes."
"Understood."
Jin Seong-jun bowed deeply without a word, as if this were routine.
And so Woori Group set out to track down the potion's creator, Yeon Sung-hun.
A specialized training ground for hunters on the city's outskirts.
Yeon Sung-hun and the raid team were drenched in sweat, pushing their bodies to the limit.
Sung-hun had gathered them to teach swordsmanship.
He hadn't forced anyone.
It was more suggestion than anything.
But the team had taken it as a must-do.
After safely clearing the Rift, Sung-hun's casual "Why not learn the sword from me quietly?" had Lee Ha-na—and even Kim Jun-su—dragging themselves here, tears in their eyes, like swallowing bitter medicine.
Choi Yeon-ah tagged along since everyone else was in; she couldn't sit it out.
Unlike the others, though, she seemed to genuinely relish these after-hours sessions.
She'd always been a training fiend, by her account.
Since awakening as a hunter, she'd frequented sword dojos and the like, mastering not just swordplay but various martial arts.
"This sword style... it's really something."
Training alongside the others under Sung-hun, Choi Yeon-ah murmured in quiet admiration.
An S-Rank hunter—equivalent to an Aura Master by his past life's imperial standards—giving her seal of approval.
Sung-hun shrugged lightly.
Nothing new there.
This style, dubbed the "Imperial Standard Swordsmanship," had been wielded by the empire's Aura Masters, after all.
Of course, they hadn't used it unchanged; each adapted it to their style. Still, it formed their foundational technique.
"The balance of offense and defense is outstanding. No standout strengths, but the stability is rock-solid—you can't overlook it. Actually, that stability is the style's greatest asset."
This time, Sung-hun let out a soft sound of surprise.
She'd nailed its essence in one go.
Having diligently trained in swordsmanship and martial arts post-awakening, it was perhaps no shock.
"You could freely adapt it from this base without issue. Perfect as foundational swordplay. Oh, not that it lags behind others—far from it. Just that its flexibility is..."
"You can stop. I get it."
Sung-hun chuckled easily at her faintly flustered look.
Caught up in the topic she loved, she'd rattled off her analysis without realizing.
Suddenly self-conscious, Choi Yeon-ah pivoted topics.
"Never pegged you for a swordsmanship expert too. Another facet of the alchemist's vast knowledge?"
"Something like that."
More his insufferable old friend's doing than alchemy proper—but Sung-hun kept that to himself.
As she eyed his usual nonchalant shrug, Choi Yeon-ah pressed.
"Did you create it yourself?"
"No, I learned it from someone else."
"I see. Must be quite the person, then."
Sung-hun paused mid-correction of Lee Ha-na's form.
His friend's face naturally surfaced in his mind, and he smiled quietly.
"Yeah, one hell of a guy. The type who pulled off the impossible without breaking a sweat."
The world hailed Faust as hero and genius.
But the true hero, the real genius, was someone else.
No denying Faust's genius in alchemy, but elsewhere...? Eh.
Unlike Faust, who invited question marks, his friend was different.
The hidden hero who righted a crumbling empire, a jack-of-all-trades who achieved anything he set his mind to.
Back then, Faust had figured if anyone was a genius, it was his friend—not him.
He'd never said it aloud, loath to feed the guy's smug grin.
Recalling his friend's face, Sung-hun let out a smirk.
"Must've been incredible if the guild leader speaks so highly. Think I'll ever meet him?"
"...No. Sadly, that's impossible."
"...Oh."
No explanation needed; Sung-hun's faintly bitter expression told her enough.
Choi Yeon-ah clamped her mouth shut.
Regretting her words, she apologized quickly.
"Sorry."
"No, it's fine. Really."
"...I see."
His face seemed genuinely unbothered, but she sensed otherwise.
From how he spoke, they'd been close; she knew well the pain of losing someone dear.
Falling silent, she resumed practicing the imperial swordsmanship, then asked flatly.
"So, what's this style called? It has to have a name."
"Imperial..."
Sung-hun caught himself just short of the original name and paused.
After a beat, he spoke again.
"'Mephisto Swordsmanship.'"
"'Mephisto'? Does it mean something?"
"Nah, nothing special."
"Hm. That the official name?"
"Who knows."
With a playful grin, Sung-hun pointed out Kim Jun-su's sloppy stance.
Shifting focus fully to instructing the team, he signaled no more talk.
Choi Yeon-ah held her peace; she quite liked this "Mephisto" style and planned to master it.
Learn the basics first, then tweak for her style.
They trained from morning till late evening, honing what was now Mephisto Swordsmanship.
In the days that followed, Yeon Sung-hun and his raid team fell into a similar routine.
Rift clears by day, training under his guidance after.
Sung-hun stayed busier: potion-making, family time, occasional Black Market visits.
Rare breaks aside, it was a breathless pace.
Thankfully, the team kept up splendidly.
Feeling their daily growth, they dove in with even more zeal.
Kim Jun-su progressed steadily, but Lee Ha-na's gains were astonishing.
Perhaps thanks to Choi Yeon-ah as her stellar role model and mentor right there?
Already talented, Ha-na built swiftly on the "Mephisto Swordsmanship" Sung-hun taught.
In pure sword proficiency—not skill levels—she'd nearly caught up to him.
Still room for improvement by Yeon-ah's standards, but to Sung-hun, her pace was phenomenal.
Even if swordplay wasn't his forte, matching him spoke volumes of her talent.
Kim Jun-su felt a touch of impatience at Ha-na's rocket rise, but Sung-hun took no special steps.
He figured that urgency would fuel Jun-su's own leap forward.
Only if it threatened to break him would Sung-hun intervene.
For now, let Jun-su overcome it solo.
Thus passed their busy yet fulfilling days.
"...Huh."
Heading home after another routine day, Sung-hun spotted an unfamiliar car parked in front of his place.
A sleek luxury sedan that screamed money.
Staring it down impassively, he frowned.
Bad vibes.
As he halted to eye the vehicle, a man emerged.
Brawny build in a impeccably tailored suit.
His stern face and faint outward aura marked him no ordinary civilian.
The man approached Sung-hun, who subtly fingered a potion in his pocket.
"Good evening, Mr. Yeon Sung-hun?"
"Who're you?"
"Jin Seong-jun, from Woori Chemical's secretarial office. An honor to meet you."
"...Woori Chemical?"
Sung-hun took the proffered business card, brow furrowing.
He'd heard from Jeong Hyun-su that Woori Group snagged his potion.
Clients were supposed to be ironclad secret, but Hyun-su had tipped him off for future ties.
So they were here...
Guessing plenty, he played dumb.
"What business do you have with me?"
"Truth be told, our business isn't with Golden Guild Leader Sung-hun."
They'd clearly done their homework before coming.
Jin Seong-jun made no bones about knowing him; Sung-hun snorted.
Checkmate?
Swallowing his hollow laugh, Sung-hun regarded him coolly.
"If not me, why come here?"
"We're here for the enigmatic alchemist 'F.'"
Jin Seong-jun smiled.
Sung-hun fought the urge to hurl a potion in his face—for real.
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