Chapter 75

Park Hyun-jong’s jaw dropped, unable to close.

The sight unfolding before his eyes…

“Could it be… you!”

Park Hyun-jong looked at Kang Yuseong, who stood beside him, with an expression of disbelief.

He was currently at a pharmaceutical company with Kang Yuseong.

Upon learning the true identity of the product manufactured here, he was utterly astonished.

Stamina Potion-S.

Hadn’t Stamina Potion-I, before this, sent ripples not only through the domestic market but internationally, becoming the ultimate potion?

Kang Yuseong nodded, looking at him.

“That’s right. I am the owner of this place.”

Park Hyun-jong’s brows furrowed deeply.

“Hmm…”

He, too, had once taken Stamina Potion-I.

The Stamina Potion proved highly effective not only for Hunters but also for manual laborers like Park Hyun-jong. He recalled the time he bought a bottle when he was too exhausted to bear it.

‘Stamina Potion…’

And the surprise and shock from that time had yet to fade.

The motto of every pharmaceutical company was the “miracle new drug.”

Park Hyun-jong was someone who had dedicated his entire life to that goal.

However, after taking the Stamina Potion just once, he felt his entire world collapse in an instant.

If a miracle new drug existed, it would undoubtedly be the Stamina Potion.

It was a near-perfect physical vitality restorer, a product that Park Hyun-jong, who had long devoted himself to pharmaceutical research, simply had to acknowledge.

Yet, what was even more shocking was the release of Stamina Potion-S, which perfectly remedied the weaknesses of Stamina Potion-I.

At that time, Park Hyun-jong believed that the developer of this potion was someone on a level he could never even dare to look up to.

But now, he had met that person.

What was even more surprising was that this very person had sought him out.

“Why… do you need me?”

This was the question that arose upon seeing the pharmaceutical company.

He couldn’t understand why they would need him.

Wasn’t Kang Yuseong already a genius who had developed a miracle new drug?

At his words, Kang Yuseong wore a faint smile.

“I’ve done a lot of research on you, Doctor. You were the most crucial figure at Mirae Pharmaceuticals. They even called you the future of Mirae Pharmaceuticals.”

Park Hyun-jong smiled bitterly.

“That’s in the past.”

Kang Yuseong looked at him and slowly shook his head.

“No, that will become your reality starting now. You asked why I need you, didn’t you?”

Kang Yuseong gazed gently at Park Hyun-jong.

Park Hyun-jong involuntarily trembled at the sight of that look.

His gaze was gentle and calm, yet it held a powerful will for what he intended to do.

“Because you can do what I cannot.”

“What… do you mean…?”

Park Hyun-jong furrowed his brows.

Kang Yuseong’s words, coming from someone considered a genius in the pharmaceutical world, were hard to comprehend at first.

“The discovery of the Stamina Potion was merely a stroke of luck. You could say it was one of the gifts brought by the Mega Shock. But that’s all it is. To go beyond that, the specialized knowledge of the past is absolutely necessary. But I lack that.”

“Hmm…”

Park Hyun-jong looked at Kang Yuseong over his glasses.

What this man said.

It was true.

After the Mega Shock, it was indeed true that ordinary people had gained an enormous opportunity to rapidly elevate their status.

Existing intellectuals had fallen, new ones had rapidly risen, and the old rules had completely overturned.

That was another change brought about by the Mega Shock.

“Form a team.”

Kang Yuseong spoke.

Park Hyun-jong stared at him intently.

A team.

The moment he heard that word, a profound resonance echoed within his chest.

“Money is no object. Form the team you desire, Doctor. However, I cannot give you much time. One week. You must assemble your team within that time. I will provide complete support for everything related to it.”

Park Hyun-jong’s face became pensive, his lips pressed firmly together.

Form a team.

Like any other team, a research team’s very essence was its synergy.

As people venturing into the realm of creation, tasked with inventing what didn’t exist before, even the smallest interaction could spark inspiration, or conversely, ruin everything.

He would need team members who could be his hands and feet, and who could constantly challenge and stimulate him.

“One week…?”

That was far too little time to find suitable team members.

Park Hyun-jong realized that Kang Yuseong, for reasons unknown, was pressed for time.

If so, it was time for him to step up.

This was the man who had extended a hand to him, someone who had struggled through life as a manual laborer.

Kang Yuseong nodded.

“The sooner, the better.”

It was an unreasonable demand.

How could a research team be assembled so urgently?

But Park Hyun-jong wore a smile.

“Understood. Then, I’ll begin right away.”

Kang Yuseong looked at Park Hyun-jong and slowly nodded.

‘His eyes… they’ve changed!’

He felt it inwardly.

This was no longer the man who had been worn down by life.

His eyes, instead, shone brightly in the face of this difficult task, and his face was filled with strong determination.

‘Just as I thought…’

Kang Yuseong realized his choice was not mistaken.

Park Hyun-jong would now become a very important person to him.

A research-obsessed scientist.

His strength was desperately needed.

* * * * *

Ten days remained until they would hunt the Earth Dragon Gainok.

But Kang Yuseong had much to do during that time.

The Earth Dragon Gainok’s bodily fluid wasn’t the only ingredient needed to create Gil Ji-yeon’s cure.

‘Three-tailed Snake venom, Blue Umbrella Tree sap…’

Kang Yuseong retrieved the notebook where he had jotted down the ingredients for Gil Ji-yeon’s cure, recalling his past memories.

It was the notebook in which he had meticulously planned out his future since his first regression.

Several items on it had already been accomplished, and he had flipped through many pages until he stopped at a section prominently marked “Gil Hyeok-jun.”

‘This isn’t bad.’

Most of the items could be acquired from the Hunter Market if he spent money, but Kang Yuseong had no intention of doing so.

These ingredients primarily came from B-rank dungeons or higher.

Moreover, quite a few ingredients could only be obtained from A-rank dungeons.

He wasn’t one to simply miss an opportunity to train his attack team.

The attack team, consisting of Baek Myeong-han and twelve men, had now transformed into quite seasoned Hunters. While not yet on Gil Hyeok-jun’s level, they weren’t significantly inferior to other guilds’ attack teams either.

That ordinary men could reach such a level was partly due to Kang Yuseong’s excellent leadership, but their own efforts also played a significant role.

‘Shall we head out for a hunt after a long time?’

They were probably itching for action, too.

Kang Yuseong wore a smile that held an unknown meaning.

* * * * *

Kang Yuseong gathered the attack team.

With the expansion and relocation of the factory site, they no longer needed to stay in their dormitory, but they chose to stay there on their own, either hunting or training their physical strength.

In fact, there had been several times when Baek Myeong-han had led them on hunts in Kang Yuseong’s absence.

But each time, they felt it keenly.

It was true that hunting had become easier.

And it was true that they could feel themselves growing stronger.

However…

Their hearts didn’t pound the same way as when they were with Kang Yuseong.

That tingling pleasure throughout their bodies, that heart-bursting thrill, was absent.

But today, Kang Yuseong had finally called them together.

The Hunters gathered, each with an expectant look on their face.

Kang Yuseong looked at them, a smile playing on his lips.

They wouldn’t know.

What was about to happen to them.

“It’s been a while.”

It was a brief greeting.

“Captain, aren’t you being a bit much? We thought you’d forgotten about us.”

At someone’s remark, the Hunters burst into laughter.

Kang Yuseong chuckled softly.

“Well, honestly, I did forget and then rushed over. Just kidding… How about we go on a hunt after a long time?”

Suddenly, the Hunters’ eyes changed.

Kang Yuseong looked at them and continued.

“But just going out is no fun… So let’s do this.”

The Hunters fixed their gaze on Kang Yuseong.

“Survival Hunting.”

Kang Yuseong spoke, observing the murmuring Hunters.

“Three B-rank dungeons, two A-rank dungeons. We’ll clear them without a break.”

“…!”

At that moment, the Hunters’ expressions stiffened.

“C-Captain!”

Clearing three B-rank dungeons was one thing, but two A-rank dungeons consecutively…!

“A-Aren’t you overestimating us too much? We’ll die if we do that!”

The Hunters nodded in agreement with Jwa Myeong-hoon’s words.

“I received reports from Team Leader Baek Myeong-han. Five B-rank dungeons cleared, one A-rank dungeon cleared. An attempt to conquer an ancient dungeon. Those are your achievements.”

Kang Yuseong slowly scanned the Hunters and continued.

“Are you scared?”

At those words, the Hunters’ expressions flinched and hardened.

Those words.

Kang Yuseong had said them before.

It was the same question that had led them back then, when they had to challenge a new dungeon.

Kang Yuseong was asking them the same thing now.

‘Ugh…’

Provoking them wasn’t his goal.

The intention behind that question was…

“I’ll give it a try.”

Baek Myeong-han raised his hand.

It meant, were they afraid to challenge their own limits?

“I’ll… give it a try too.”

Hunters began to raise their hands.

And the true meaning behind Kang Yuseong’s “Are you scared?”

It contained the will that Kang Yuseong would be with them.

It was true then, and it was true now.

The Hunters could feel something they had forgotten slowly growing within their chests.

That fervent something that warmed their hearts.

“Hmph, then I’m in too! Let’s do it!”

Even Jwa Myeong-hoon, known as the coward of the attack team, raised his hand.

Kang Yuseong smiled faintly at him.

Though called a coward, no one fought as fiercely as he did in battle.

And Baek Myeong-han.

Usually polite and respectful, he too became a bloodthirsty beast once a battle began. A man with two faces, utterly unrecognizable from his usual demeanor.

And not just them.

Every member of the attack team gathered here was like that.

Kang Yuseong nodded.

Though he had led hundreds of thousands of Hunters, his heart also pounded the most when preparing for a raid with a small group, just like now.

These moments, working in sync with his people towards a seemingly impossible goal.

His own chest, too, swelled with a fervent something.

“Good. Then, I wish you good luck.”

A new task.

And a new challenge was about to begin.

If they survived this, they would have proven themselves.

That they are worthy of surviving the great catastrophe that is soon to descend: the Second Shock.