The Chairman of Pharmaceutical Company is a Poison King (Novel) - Chapter 23 - Hunting the Giant Asiatic Black Bear (2)

Chapter 23 – Hunting the Giant Asiatic Black Bear (2)

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Translated by Pratt

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net
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Everyone was busy: the interior facilities and finishing work inside the building, the construction of the manufacturing plant, hiring employees, and selling antidotes at the drug shop.

Taehong Bio, designated as a military supplier.

With even soldiers dispatched to guard the construction site, ordinary people could not even approach.

But the Jirisan Demonic Beast Defense Corps came with an earnest request.

Could he not supply even just ten sets of the Spore Poison Camel Roe Deer antidote, saying it was absolutely necessary for live-combat readiness training?

Originally, he had planned to begin production after setting up mass-production facilities, but when they called once a day, there was no enduring it.

Readiness training, my ass. They were probably dying to eat roe deer meat.

What choice did he have?

Tae-ju made one hundred sets and sent them to the corps.

Even if it was annoying, he had to satisfy the needs of a major customer.

After making that delivery,

Tae-ju entered the Jirisan jungle.

His goals were five stars of the Primordial Everchanging Poison Spirit Art,

and securing a Giant Asiatic Black Bear’s gallbladder by killing one.

He had already been going in and out for several days, but reaching five stars still felt distant.

‘Am I being too greedy?’

No matter that he had gained enlightenment, it had not even been a month since he reached four stars, and yet he was already aiming at five, and he also had to keep stabilization of the Poison Essence in mind.

‘I’ll think about stabilization after reaching five stars… let’s move quickly.’

Tak!

Tae-ju’s figure shot forward in an instant.

Drifting Gale Step.

This footwork too was a lightness art Tang Gun-ak had often used.

Phantom Maze Step was optimized for combat, while Drifting Gale Step specialized in moving to a specific destination as fast as possible.

The reason he insisted on running fast was because he did not want to encounter useless demonic beasts.

Demonic beasts that toppled over because they could not endure his hidden weapons or poison qi were of no help to his training.

The training method of poison arts was completely different from that of ordinary circulation arts.

Experience more poisons.

And thereby promote the growth of the Poison Essence.

He had to imprint the qualities of the unique poisons possessed by diverse living creatures onto the Poison Essence.

Every poison in the Jirisan jungle would become blood and flesh and inner power for Tae-ju.

Spirit medicine, in truth, was of no use to him whatsoever.

That was why he was trying to sell it.

Pabat!

As he ran through the jungle, when he smelled something suspicious,

‘A Poison Sap Roughbark Tree.’

The world had changed because of mana, but living things still protected themselves in much the same way.

This tree secreted poisonous sap from its bark to block ants, woodpeckers, and insects that gnawed on its trunk.

Tae-ju dipped a finger into the sap gathered on the bark and put it into his mouth.

‘…It’s sweet?’

Poison was usually not sweet.

Rather than protection, was this an attack?

Searching again for another poison,

he found one more.

‘A Blue-Belly Shaman Frog.’

It was a frog with an intensely blue belly.

That part was poisonous.

A kind of anesthetic. If it got you, you fell asleep.

Without waking up, endlessly, and then you died of hunger.

He collected this as well.

Ssssss!

He also spotted one huge centipede.

‘A White-Eyed King Centipede.’

It was bigger than most snakes.

Each segment of the centipede had an eye attached to it.

How strong was its poison?

It was beyond words.

Strong enough to kill even an orc in one hit.

Grab!

When he caught it in his hand,

Crunch!

it sank its venom fangs into the back of Tae-ju’s hand.

‘Ugh!’

It stung.

But he left it just like that.

Because the method of taking in poison had to differ as well.

Compared to taking it in through the digestive tract by eating it, receiving it like this, directly injected into the blood vessels, was far more effective.

Just like getting an IV drip, he drew in the venom in one long pull, and the White-Eyed King Centipede wriggled and then went limp.

‘…Still far off?’

His dantian was quiet.

He had mastered countless poisons, but there was no sign that the Poison Essence was about to move.

‘It can’t be helped. If I keep stuffing down everything without being picky, eventually…’

At that very moment!

A chilling killing intent stabbed down his spine.

‘Hm?’

Sssst.

Something moved.

White fur glimmered between the tall grass.

What kind of animal had white fur?

‘Could it be a Three-Headed White Tiger?’

But it was too small for that, wasn’t it?

Three-Headed White Tigers did exist in the Jirisan jungle as well.

The divine beast Three-Headed White Tiger.

The reason it became the symbol of the Samhan Empire was simple.

Because the Emperor had killed a Three-Headed White Tiger and laid its hide on the Dragon Throne seat as a cushion.

In other words, it was not worshiped because it was strong,

but because it lay beneath the backside of the noble Emperor.

Three-Headed White Tigers were spread throughout the empire.

But this was not the territory of a Three-Headed White Tiger.

Then what was it?

Rustle.

A gigantic body emerged, parting the brush.

‘…Haah!’

A Giant Asiatic Black Bear.

Now that he looked, the white fur had been the crescent-shaped marking drawn on its chest.

It was the creature he had originally been looking for, but

‘I met it too early.’

He was still only at four stars.

Well, it did not matter.

From the start, he had had no intention of running.

That would be an act that wounded his pride.

And the Giant Asiatic Black Bear might even be an easier demonic beast than expected.

Its body was so large that even if he threw hidden weapons roughly, they were unlikely to miss, though he was worried the hidden weapons might fail to pierce its hide and stick.

“Kuoooooo!”

The black bear let out a roar and stood up on two feet.

Let’s exchange greetings first.

Tsipit!

One willow-leaf throwing knife glowing with a faint green light left Tae-ju’s hand.

At once the beast suddenly swung its forepaw.

Whirl!

Taeng!

The Giant Asiatic Black Bear knocked away the willow-leaf throwing knife.

‘…Damn, it’s pretty fast?’

In an instant!

Swaeaeaeak!

The beast abruptly closed the distance and attempted a body slam.

‘Phantom Maze Step.’

Sseut!

Tae-ju’s body vanished.

Tsipit, tsipit, tsipipit…

Six willow-leaf throwing knives sequentially tore through the air.

Thud, thud, thunk-thunk!

All six stabbed into the beast’s body, but

“Kraaaang!”

The black bear raised itself again, and the knives embedded in it fell to the ground one by one.

‘Oh?’

It seemed they had not gone in even as far as a finger joint.

The hide had to be pierced for poison to enter,

and with any half-baked poison qi, the bear’s gallbladder would neutralize all the poison that entered.

‘So it’s a drawn-out fight.’

Tae-ju took out the Blue-Belly Shaman Frog he had put in his pocket and popped it into his mouth, chewing it up.

He also tore off one segment of the White-Eyed King Centipede lying on the ground and put it into his mouth.

“Kraaang!”

The black bear charged.

Sseut!

Tae-ju’s figure vanished.

Even if he had to use up every hidden weapon in his coat, he would kill it.

Tsipipipit! Tsipit!

Willow-leaf throwing knives rained down.

He mixed in the larger Life-Snatching Throwing Knives as well.

Swaeaeak!

The black bear’s body slam.

And then its terrifying forepaw attacks.

He dodged and sent hidden weapons flying, and when an opening appeared, he stamped the beast’s back with the Blood Seal Poison Palm.

Just because it was huge did not mean he could let his guard down.

If he were caught by its claws, his skin would be torn to shreds.

To be wounded by something like a black bear?

How much would Tang Gun-ak mock him?

Tae-ju raised the Primordial Everchanging Poison Spirit Art to its utmost limit.

Poison qi, full to the brim, struck and flowed through his blood vessels.

Phantom Maze Step unfolded magnificently.

The red palm shadows produced by the Blood Seal Poison Palm embroidered the air.

Swoooong!

He lightly redirected a forepaw that carried tremendous pressure with only a sheet of paper’s difference,

Pow!

and slammed one strike into its flank.

“Kyaaak!”

Bwoooong! Boong-boong!

Enraged, the Giant Asiatic Black Bear swung its forepaws wildly.

But its destructive force and speed could never be ignored.

If he opened enough distance, as if it had been waiting, the beast would charge in hard with a body slam.

Then he would first obstruct it with a Life-Snatching Throwing Knife, then send willow-leaf throwing knives toward the bear’s face, one of its comparatively weaker points.

Tsipit! Tsipipipit!

If only one would lodge in its eye or mouth,

but as if the black bear had no intention of taking it easily, it covered its face with one forepaw and came charging.

“Kwang!”

It was big and fast.

A beginner-rank would fail to dodge the forepaws and get ripped apart, and a regular-rank would be sent flying by its charge.

An expert?

They might be able to face it.

But they would not last long.

Tae-ju too was avoiding a direct clash.

Trusting in Phantom Maze Step and Gale Step, he merely alternated between long range and close range, striking and withdrawing.

But it was strange.

His body was gradually growing lighter.

‘Hmm, nice.’

Senses intensely focused.

Inside Tae-ju’s awareness, only the huge black bear could be seen.

He discarded stray thoughts.

How should he move his body efficiently?

Discard unnecessary motions, move along the optimal path, and at the same time deliver the best possible attack.

The moment he became conscious of it, his body moved.

Could this be enlightenment?

Had he not already attained enlightenment?

Was there still something left?

Tsipipipipit!

Single Flash unfolded in succession.

Pudak! Pudada-dadat!

Pabababak!

Flying Waterfall burst forth before he knew it.

Could the number of hidden weapons really move this freely?

“Ah…”

Only now did he understand.

This was enlightenment of the flesh.

What Tae-ju had understood through connecting with Tang Gun-ak’s soul belonged to the realm of consciousness.

But the body was not the same.

The flesh was wholly Kim Tae-ju’s.

Body and mind were not separate things.

To the enlightenment of consciousness, the enlightenment of the body had to follow along as well.

The moment he recognized that!

Uuuuung.

The Poison Essence shook.

Poison qi surged like waves inside his blood vessels.

‘So this is five stars.’

Whirrrrrrr,

spinning his body like a top, Tae-ju took hidden weapons out from inside his coat and lightly threw them at the Giant Asiatic Black Bear.

Flutter, flutter,

two butterflies flew out.

Up and down, left and right, sometimes diagonally, flying while showing changes here and there, the metal butterflies

Blood Butterflies.

A hidden weapon art usable upon reaching five stars of the Primordial Everchanging Poison Spirit Art.

One needed to be at five stars for the internal energy required to move Blood Butterflies.

“Kuoo!”

The black bear tried to strike down the Blood Butterflies with its forepaw, but…

lightly evading it, one settled on the black bear’s large eyelid,

“Kwang?”

one in its ear,

Thrust!

The antennae of the Blood Butterflies stabbed into the eyeball and the inside of the ear.

Then poison qi was injected.

The scattering property of mosquito venom, the venom of the mutated seven-spotted snake that accelerated bleeding, the powerful acidic qi that melted internal organs from the inside, the spore poison.

Could all of that be neutralized with the gallbladder?

No, before it even reached the gallbladder, the poison had already seeped into the Giant Asiatic Black Bear’s brain.

“Kruk, kruruk…”

The black bear gradually slowed.

Bright red blood flowed from its eyes and ears.

It eventually tried to turn and run away, but…

“Keo-eong…”

It did not last long.

The huge body tipped and collapsed onto its side.

He had finally killed it.

The two objectives had been achieved at once.

The Giant Asiatic Black Bear’s gallbladder.

Let’s carefully take it out properly.

* * *

Imperial Army Jirisan Demonic Beast Defense Corps.

Soldiers of every rank had gathered in the northern jungle region of Jirisan.

Beginning with Corps Commander Lieutenant General Oh Jin-hyeong, there were division commanders from each region, field-grade officers, company-grade officers, noncommissioned officers, and ordinary enlisted soldiers.

The purpose was to test the Spore Poison antidote.

They had found one Spore Poison Camel Roe Deer and caught it so that it could not run away.

The Masters stood closest to the roe deer,

the expert-rank soldiers were farther back,

and then, keeping their distances in order, waited the users, beginners, regulars, compatibles, and ordinary people.

“Begin.”

At Oh Jin-hyeong’s order, Major General Gu Junyeong strode forward at once.

Then he manifested Mana Blade and lopped off the roe deer’s neck in one stroke.

Uuuuuung!

Slice!

Then the bursting nodules exploded.

Pop! Pop!

Spores began scattering everywhere.

Oh Jin-hyeong and the other Masters entered the cloud of spore poison dust first.

After a short time had passed,

“How is it?”

“Nothing at all.”

“It’s fine even if the spores touch the skin.”

“Really? Then call the others.”

The soldiers made contact with the spore poison in descending order of awakening rank.

“Expert and above, clear!”

“Regular and above, clear!”

“Beginner and above, clear!”

“User and above, clear!”

“Ordinary enlisted soldiers and above, clear!”

Only then did Oh Jin-hyeong smile in satisfaction.

“The effect is certain.”

“It’s more than worth the price.”

“If anything, it’s cheap.”

“And the duration is a full twelve hours.”

“Send in the cooks!”

At once one soldier came running furiously, dragged the roe deer to a safe place, and began carving it up.

“W-we’re eating it here?”

“What kind of nonsense is that in the middle of an operation? Wrap it up well and put it in your packs.”

Spore poison had gotten on their clothes and equipment, but after about one to two hours, the toxicity almost disappeared.

“It seems we can remain in the jungle for about an hour and then return.”

“Hm? Return? Are you crazy? What a waste of antidote. Right, keep advancing. Search for more roe deer!”

“…Yes, sir!”

Mosquitoes attacked them, but it was no problem at all.

The occasional lesser demonic beasts that charged at them were handled at the level of company-grade officers.

In that way they caught five roe deer in all.

Everyone was happy.

The officers below field-grade judged that there was no way any of that roe deer meat would reach them, but those at the rank of colonel and above swelled with anticipation.

‘Surely he’ll give us at least one leg.’

‘Even just the rib meat.’

‘As for me, the leg bone, simmered thoroughly…’

‘I heard even the head meat is that good.’

But Oh Jin-hyeong’s thoughts were completely different.

‘I’ll hide it deep in the official residence refrigerator and eat it sparingly.’

He had no intention of giving away even one bite of sirloin.

Once antidote supply became active, they would obviously hunt and secretly eat it on their own anyway.

After ending the hunt, Oh Jin-hyeong and his subordinates came out of the jungle and were about to load the packs full of roe deer meat into the vehicles,

and at that very moment!

“You’ve worked hard.”

At the entrance to the northern Jirisan jungle access road, someone stood waiting for them with his hands clasped behind his back.

“…Huh?”

“Mm?”

“Gah!”

He was a sturdy old man with snow-white hair, a stylish silver beard, and even the facial markings showing his awakening were white.

“S-Secretary Geum.”

“It’s been a while, Lieutenant General Oh. Has it been over a year since I last saw you?”

It was Court Secretary Geum Su-ho, who attended closest to His Majesty the Emperor.

Though he was well over a hundred years old, he was the sort of monster among monsters said to be able to subdue an ordinary Master with a single slap, commonly called a Grand Master.

“What brings you all the way here?”

“Why, I heard you men were going to present roe deer meat to His Majesty, so I came running right over.”

“…”

How had he found out?

“Ho, you’ve caught a lot. I can already picture how pleased His Majesty will be. It would be heavy to carry it all the way back to your unit, so I’ll take it here.”

Oh Jin-hyeong stared blankly at Geum Su-ho.

“What? Do you have a complaint?”

“N-no, sir. I do not.”

“Heh heh heh, that’s Lieutenant General Oh for you.”

It was completely ruined.

“I’ll be sure to convey your loyal heart to His Majesty. These days he has little appetite and often skips meals. The quantity of meat is a little lacking, but this much should last him about a week.”

Something in one corner of Oh Jin-hyeong’s chest ached.

He had been robbed in broad daylight, but where could he complain?

“Right! You still have antidotes left, don’t you? It would be shameless to take all of them, so just give me fifty.”

“…Yes! I-I’ll give them to you.”

Fine, take it all. Take it all.

Geum Su-ho moved the antidote sets and the packs full of roe deer meat one by one into his own car.

“But you know, killing Jo Hunseok was fine, but laying a hand on Lee Jeonghak too was too much. If that bastard dies, things get troublesome.”

“Pardon? We didn’t touch him.”

“Then why is he hanging on by a thread?”

“Th-that’s the first I’m hearing of it. What happened to him?”

“Tsk, find out yourself. I’m off.”

Geum Su-ho got into the car and left the northern Jirisan access road.

Everyone left behind wore the hollow expression of people who had lost their country.

“We should’ve just eaten it first…”

Regret always came too late.