The Chairman of Pharmaceutical Company is a Poison King (Novel) - Chapter 153 - Return
Chapter 153 – Return
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Translated by Pratt
Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Gurye, Samhan Empire.
In front of Tae-ju’s home cultivation room.
Jeong Yeon-hui had come down from Paju and was overseeing the TJ Guild members’ training in Demon-Subduing Sword Art.
“Everyone.”
“Yes!”
The guild members listened intently in a posture taut with discipline.
They had learned Five Elements Divine Art from Tae-ju and Demon-Subduing Sword Art from Sword Immortal’s videos, but Jeong Yeon-hui too was effectively a third master.
“It makes no sense that you still haven’t achieved mastery in Demon-Subduing Sword Art. At this rate, do you think you’ll be able to properly succeed in the Paju DMZ raid?”
“…”
“Look at Europe. The undead crisis that broke out out of nowhere. There is no guarantee that something like this won’t happen in the Samhan Empire too.”
The guild members kept their mouths shut tightly.
Every point she was making was correct.
Even though she had learned later than they had, she had already reached mastery.
“A straight and proper sword stroke comes from sturdy lower-body foundations. So from now on, two hours of horse stance.”
The TJ Guild members began horse stance practice in front of the cultivation-room door.
Meanwhile,
Ilbaek-Ibaek-Sambaek, or rather Ibaek at the moment, was staring fixedly at the cultivation-room door.
Something was not right.
He could not feel a human presence from inside.
Why?
His master should be in there.
He could not hear even the sound of breathing.
…Had he died?
That did not seem to be the case.
Because there was no smell either.
Had he disappeared?
Then where on earth to?
“Yaang!”
Thump thump,
in his frustration, Ibaek knocked on the steel door with his forepaw.
Sseut!
Sambaek came out after swapping places with Ibaek and likewise,
“Niaang!”
Kungkwang!
Sseut!
Ilbaek as well,
“Nyang?”
Kkwang kkwang!
What on earth had happened?
It was not as though he had become a ghost.
His master had absolutely ordered them not to come in, but still.
Should they just smash it?
At that moment, the can-opener came running over in a hurry.
“Ilbaek! Why are you banging on the door? Just wait a little. He’ll be coming out soon.”
Foolish female.
What was the use of being strong?
She didn’t even know something had happened inside there.
Did she realize at all that their master had vanished?
“Kyaak!”
“Are you hungry? Shall I open a can for you?”
“…Nyaang?”
“Hohoho, I knew it. I brought one just in case.”
Click.
Jeong Yeon-hui opened one can of top-grade cat food and set it before Ilbaek.
It was around mealtime anyway.
For now, better to eat first and think afterward.
Lick, lick.
After only a few licks, it was gone.
“You really do eat well. Want another?”
“Nyaaaang!”
That’s right, can-opener.
Hurry and open another one.
Click!
His tastes had definitely changed.
In the past he had lived on nothing but chewing up demonic beasts of the same kind.
Now he didn’t even want to smell demonic beasts anymore.
“Nyaang!”
Master?
If they waited, he’d open the door and come out eventually.
He was the strongest human in the world.
* * *
The Immortal Realm.
Everyone gathered together and held a feast.
They took out from infinite space all kinds of wines and champagne, top-grade cheeses and fresh chilled salmon, high-grade tuna sashimi, fruits, and so on.
“Anyone who hasn’t received a dedicated Immortal Realm smartphone!”
No one raised a hand.
He had been scolded by Poison Immortal for giving them away for free again and again, but still.
It was a lively, warm atmosphere.
They did not call it immortal play for nothing. If one put it strongly, it was easy not to notice even an axe handle rotting away.
Everyone was happy.
Except for just one person.
Ahhh!
Far away, one hundred meters off, standing lonely by himself and tilting a wine glass, was Poison Immortal.
It was pitiful.
Tae-ju felt sorry.
That man, who could not join them because of the merging phenomenon brought on merely by their having the same soul.
By contrast, what was this side like?
Even now it was chaotic.
Because he was busy answering the flood of questions pouring down on him.
“The conflicts between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law on Earth seem very severe. Do mothers-in-law really beat daughters-in-law with kimchi?”
“Come on, no. Queen Mother, it’s just a makjang drama.”
“Hohoho, and here I thought so. Even so, it was fun.”
“Is kimchi all? There are many parodies too, such as seaweed slaps, pasta slaps, jjajang slaps, chicken slaps, and bindaetteok slaps.”
“If things go well, perhaps even heavenly-peach slaps?”
“Hahaha, in that case I’d gladly take it.”
Usually the questions were about Earth as seen through dramas.
“Please pass on our praise to the drama actors when you go back to Earth. Tell them it was truly excellent acting.”
“Which drama was it that you watched…”
“I think the title was Day of Glory. That drama themed around school violence and revenge.”
“Ah!”
Tae-ju had seen that drama too.
But,
“I don’t think I can pass that on.”
“Why not?”
“They’re all dead.”
“…D-dead? Truly?”
“That’s because it was a drama that came out three hundred years ago.”
“Mm, that’s unfortunate.”
More than seventy percent of the video content Tae-ju had sent was like that.
They were all dramas produced long, long ago.
That was because Earth today had been developing while restoring the civilization from before the mana invasion.
“I saw in a courtroom drama that even if one committed rape, one got out in three years. Some even got released on suspended sentence. Is that place originally lenient toward criminals?”
“Um, that’s admittedly wrong. If diminished mental capacity is recognized…”
“Well said. Diminished mental capacity! If he got drunk and committed rape, should he not be punished more severely? Why reduce the sentence?”
“Then, Great King, how is it in the Yellow Springs Realm?”
“For us, straight to Lust Hell without exception. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth!”
Tae-ju agreed as well.
How good would it be if all violent criminals could be sent to the Yellow Springs Realm?
“Should I send you a few Judge’s Weighing Weights or Judge’s Rings? If the courts on Earth applied rulings using these implements, I think it might be of help.”
“Hmm, I’ll bring it up for discussion first.”
Of course it would help.
But Earth’s judicial system was not simply garbage through and through.
The system itself was rational.
People were the problem.
Those who abused the law, and rather than fair rulings, used it as a tool for their own interests, the sort who held one standard for themselves and another for others.
“Um, are there gumiho on Earth too?”
“Well, I heard there were once. They say they eat human livers…”
“Ueh? I don’t eat livers. Chicken, maybe, but who spreads such nonsense!”
“Hahaha, even so, in dramas and movies, the gumiho are played by the most beautiful actresses.”
“Oh my? Really?”
“I’ll look some up and send them over.”
And now, gradually,
the people of the Upper Realms had begun using smartphones in earnest.
Click, click, click! They took photos of food and selfies and posted them on SNS.
They connected to multiplayer games stored on the Immortal Realm main server and enjoyed gaming together.
“I’m hereee!”
“It’s Bright Maiden!”
“I’m the one who called her. Through K-Talk.”
“Heh heh heh, come over here, heavenly maiden. Let’s take a picture together.”
Time passed quickly.
And gradually, it became time for him to leave.
He could feel it.
Some feeling of becoming light and floaty, of no longer being able to remain here.
Tae-ju moved Poison Spirit and wrote with Myriad Heavens Flower Rain.
[It seems it is time for me to go.]
[Haah, I see. It can’t be helped.]
Tang Gun-ak’s expression was full of regret.
Tae-ju felt the same.
He had come up to the Immortal Realm, yet he felt as though he had left something undone.
Because with the person he had most wanted to meet and talk with, he had not been able to spend any proper time.
[Are you ready?]
[Yes.]
“Move aside! All of you, back away.”
“Ahem, we heard you already.”
“Anyone who crosses this line will get a proper taste of the Ruyi Staff.”
Already having become Tang Gun-ak’s henchman, Great Sage Equal to Heaven summoned his clones and controlled the scene.
The immortals and everyone else moved far away from Tae-ju.
[Set it all out.]
Tae-ju took out Earth’s goods from infinite space.
Even before it expanded, its size had been equivalent to ten giant food-storage warehouses combined.
And he had packed it full, so how much stuff would come out?
There wasn’t even room to set one’s feet down.
Dozens of cars, scooters, appliances, clothes, fashion goods, foods…, there was nothing that wasn’t there.
It came out without ceasing.
Piling and piling until it turned into a mountain.
Tang Gun-ak took out his goods as well.
Black-darksteel ingots, flowers of the Heavenly Realm, and heavenly peaches.
But compared to the Earth goods, the scale itself was different.
It looked far too modest.
Of course, in value, even exchanging it for several hundred department stores would not be enough.
The immortals shook their heads.
“Tsk tsk, Great Hero Tae-ju brought precious goods in such quantity that our eyes could pop out, and what are we?”
“We can’t match the quality, and the quantity is nowhere near enough.”
“It’s shameful. I can’t hold my head up.”
“I thought we’d repaid it with the Heavenly Peach, but the tables have turned again.”
“Doesn’t this wound everyone’s pride?”
“Whose pride would it not?”
Keeping their hundred-meter safety distance, Tae-ju and Tang Gun-ak switched places.
Each of them put away the goods the other had taken out into infinite space.
Tae-ju finished quickly.
He simply reached out a hand once and put them in.
By contrast, Tang Gun-ak took comparatively longer.
Now all the goods had been packed away.
Tae-ju sensed that the time had come.
[I’m going now.]
[Let’s meet again.]
Farewells should not be dragged out. Keep them brief.
Spat!
Tae-ju’s body vanished in an instant.
“He’s gone.”
“He left.”
“Will there be another opportunity?”
“We’ll have to make one.”
“How?”
A conspiracy began to take shape.
“The Heavenly Peach served as a medium for Great Hero Tae-ju’s temporary ascension, didn’t it?”
“Right.”
“Then if we pass on another treasure comparable to the Heavenly Peach?”
“Oh!”
The immortals’ eyes shone.
“What about the Revival Flower of Purple Tenuity Palace in the Heavenly Realm?”
“The Revival Flower, hmm. But Great Hero Tae-ju is almost no different from an immortal already, so would there be any need for that?”
“Who knows? If he eats the Revival Flower, he may achieve ascension once more.”
The Revival Flower was a heavenly treasure of the Heavenly Realm that could revive even the dead.
“What about the Dragon Palace of the East Sea? How about a Dragon Pearl? Not the fake Dragon Pearl Great Hero Tae-ju sent before, but the real Dragon Pearl.”
“As though the Dragon King would hand it over so easily.”
“Come on, did you think we’d bring it back politely?”
“That’s true enough. Shall we start assembling a special team? Luckily, there is someone here who knows quite a bit about the Dragon Palace.”
The immortals’ eyes turned toward Great Sage Equal to Heaven.
After all, where had he brought the Ruyi Staff from?
The treasure vault of the Dragon Palace.
But,
“I’ve washed my hands clean of all that. From now on I’ll be reborn as a solid businessman.”
“There you go again, running your mouth.”
“A gangster monkey bastard who drags around crowds of clones, and you call that a solid business!”
“Poison Immortal gave you a little favor and now you’ve gotten completely full of yourself.”
“If you want to do it, then do it! Stop babbling.”
“…”
Great Sage Equal to Heaven still needed more time before being completely accepted.
* * *
Spat!
Tae-ju returned to the cultivation room.
Those six hours in the Immortal Realm.
It all felt like a dream.
‘…I’m back.’
He had never intended to remain in the Immortal Realm forever.
Someday he had to return.
Because this was his home.
But he could not help the emptiness in one corner of his heart.
In truth, beyond emptiness, everything felt hollow.
Had he truly become detached from worldly life just because he had ascended?
Was everything futile?
What was the point of people scrabbling and struggling through life?
Perhaps it would not be bad to live like the immortals, cutting off worldly ties and living leisurely, idly.
Tae-ju took out his dedicated Immortal Realm smartphone from infinite space.
Now the connection was cut.
Would the day come when he could use it again?
He opened the album on the smartphone.
Many photos were stored there.
Photos taken together with many immortals, beginning with Sword Immortal.
Also with the Queen Mother of the West of Peach Blossom Palace and the maidens there.
Yama and the judges, messengers, and reapers.
And Bright Maiden.
Taking a two-shot with Bright Maiden had been extraordinarily difficult.
No matter that it was Tae-ju; if he wanted to take a photo with Bright Maiden alone, he had to wait his turn.
If things had gone slightly wrong, he might not have been able to take it at all.
It was a photo he had barely managed to secure.
The 모습 of Bright Maiden smiling brightly with a huge flower fixed in her hair.
The more he thought about it, the more mysterious a girl she was.
He had taken a group photo too.
Tang Gun-ak was in it as well.
That tiny dot visible in the sky was Poison Immortal Tang Gun-ak.
Even so, if the picture was enlarged, one could at least make out his face.
‘Good grief…’
No matter that it couldn’t be helped because of the soul-merging phenomenon.
Better the soul linkage, in which memories, experiences, and emotions were shared.
‘Let’s go outside.’
He had to return to daily life.
Tae-ju opened the steel door of the cultivation room.
“Nyaaaang!”
Ilbaek leaped up and threw himself into Tae-ju’s arms.
* * *
Even though he had left the cultivation room, there was still much to do.
And there was Tang Gun-ak’s request too.
“…Y-you’re developing a hair-growth medicine?”
Baek Seo-yeon was startled.
A hair-growth medicine?
“Once the demonic-beast raid doping potion is complete, I’ll go straight into hair-growth-medicine research.”
“I-is that possible?”
“We have to try.”
It might even be harder than inventing MRC.
There were hair-growth medicines already on the market, but for people whose baldness had already fully progressed, the effect was insignificant.
At best, they only slowed the rate of progression.
“Ah, right! Chairman, the White House in America contacted us.”
“About what?”
“They say Hwi-baek has been completely processed into bankruptcy.”
“Ah! …And why are they contacting us over that?”
“They said that if we are willing to acquire the factories, they’ll give us priority.”
“Hmm.”
With the bankruptcy, the stock had become no better than waste paper, and the factory facilities and land had passed into the hands of the banks.
A chance to buy them at a throwaway price.
“What do you think, Seo-yeon?”
“I don’t think it’s a bad idea. Demand for Saenggi Bulkkeun is hard to meet through exports alone, and also our internal reserves have piled up too much. We have more than enough room to invest.”
The miraculous fatigue-recovery tonic.
There was never enough of it.
Neither in Samhan nor in the Republic of America.
While Tae-ju had been absent, the container ship had crossed the Pacific again, but even so, it was still insufficient.
“Let’s buy it. Please handle it as the point person, Seo-yeon.”
“Yes!”
“And after the acquisition, use the remaining internal reserves as employee performance bonuses. They’ve been working hard making medicine all this time. Let’s make it a generous payout.”
“Including TJ Shipping and TJ Shipyard too?”
“Of course.”
They were part of the same group after all.
“And I’m planning to hold a feast soon…, in Paju.”
“Understood. About how many attendees will there be?”
“For now, think of Brother Baek Hong-pyo, Seo-yeon, and Jeong Yeon-hui, plus the TJ Guild members, and then ten more on top of that.”
“I’ll prepare it.”
Tae-ju was planning to gather the people with whom he had formed ties.
They would deepen their fellowship and also speak of the things they had not yet finished talking about.
‘The European undead crisis does weigh on my mind, but…’
The war had entered its full phase.
The undead demonic-beast army advancing westward, and the Imperial Army dispatched to stop them.
Fighting on the ground had begun.
A battle of push and pull.
Though it was an undead demonic-beast army exceeding one million, the Imperial Army was not to be underestimated either.
New weapons had appeared.
Weapons far more advanced than the previous crystal weapons.
As a result, the advance of the undead host had slowed slightly.
It seemed that this had greatly encouraged the European Imperial Army.
They appeared confident.
Perhaps because of that, Alex Caesar too declared that he would accept no support of any kind from other nations.
Then they could handle it themselves.