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The Hunter Management Bureau's work was quick, perhaps thanks to Yoo So-eun's strong influence.

After confirming the effectiveness of the advanced potion sample, the Management Bureau recognized my exclusive right to manufacture and sell it, and the legal review was completed shortly thereafter.

The down payment was initially 5 billion won, but we agreed that I would receive 10 billion won on the condition that the Management Bureau would secure the first sales. The profits would be split 7:3, and a contract extension would be negotiated after three years.

At first they had refused, saying that 10 billion was too much, but when I said it would be provided free of charge only to hunters belonging to the special force, they readily agreed.

Potions also effectively healed and relieved fatigue for ordinary people, so they wouldn’t suffer any loss.

I set the price at 800,000 won for a 500ml bottle. That was cheap compared to the 1,000,000 won per bottle that had been the cost before my return.

[Didn't you say you wanted to make money? Aren't you selling it too cheap?]

"It was too expensive before. They were profiteering."

Each Poison Spider's poison pouch could make about 70 to 100 potions.

Since the magic power needed for the purification effect of the Advanced Potion Crafting Skill Book was only 0.1, it was quite a bargain.

Of course, that still took a lot of mental energy, but it didn't matter to me.

"In the past, making potions was difficult because there was a high probability of failing to control your magic power even after obtaining the Skill Book and the recipes. That's why the price was so high."

[Magic power control... After all, it's the same principle as treating a patient using inner energy. When I was in the Martial World, I saw someone who treated others similarly. He was an old man called a Phantom Magician...]

'Tell me later.'

[Are you acting up just because we’re close now? Interrupting an old man... You have an awful personality. Do you want to get beaten up?]

'Sorry. It's just that I'm busy.'

[Hmph! You can train to handle your inner power while crafting potions.]

'That's also what I wanted.'

Since I couldn't craft potions at home, I bought a building in Woolee-dong.

All of that was done by Lee Seong-jin. Even now, he was busy establishing our guild and developing the Gate Detector I had told him about.

In the future, this place would also be used as our guild building.

The Heavenly Demon told me to invest in real estate or stocks because I knew the future, but I wasn’t interested in speculation.

The Hunter Management Bureau constantly sent over poison pouches collected from the gate, so I concentrated on crafting potions for the time being.

Of course, I continued training my martial arts in my free time.

As the potions piled up, I became accustomed to using my inner power.

When I produced about 10,000 potions, I raised my Heavenly Demon’s Origin Art to 50%.

"Just by controlling my inner strength, I’ve made this much progress."

[Practice makes perfect. That's how you can effectively use the internal energy accumulated in your energy center.]

"Is it possible to reach 100% by continuing with this training?"

[No. What matters is quality, quantity, and efficiency. Though in my opinion, it seems that the Skill Book's 'purification' effect also affects your inner power.]

"The quality and efficiency conditions have been met, so the rest must be quantity."

[That's right! Do not neglect to practice the basics.]

"I will continue until I reach 100%."

At 100%, I could practice the basics without sitting around.

[Still, I think sitting practice is the best.]

As we chatted, I felt a familiar presence.

"Seol-ah is coming."

[Now you’ve reached the point where you can distinguish people only by their energy’s presence.]

"Not all of them."

[You punk, as expected...]

“No! Seol-ah is just a friend.”

[Is she really?]

Knock, knock-

Seol-ah had arrived.

"Oppa, I'm here."

"Oh, welcome."

"I thought someone else was here. I heard voices."

"You must be hearing things."

"That's weird."

"Anyway. Did you fill out all the forms?"

"Yes. Uncle Lee Seong-jin helped me, and he told me to fill this one out after I talk to you."

"Really? Let me see it."

Seol-ah handed out the documents required to establish our guild.

Upon closer inspection, the details were written quite meticulously. There was even a guild operation plan outlined.

"I have to pick a guild name?"

"Yes, do you have one in mind?"

I hated worrying about things like this.

"Let's name the guild Byeong & Seol."

"What kind of name is that?!"

Seol-ah yelled.

[That name is stupid.]

"Do you have any better ideas?"

"Nothing specific..."

"Then just go. We don't have to waste our time on this."

"No way! Absolutely no way! It's so stupid!"

[That's right. It's stupid, after all. How about Heavenly Demon Guild?]

"What do you think about the Heavenly Demon Guild?"

[That's right!]

"I don't think it's a good idea to use the name of a perennial herb belonging to the orchid family."

"What?"

She explained in detail the Heavenly Herb, commonly used in herbal medicine.

[This girl!]

"Then, Seol-ah. Why don't we take the letters from our names and call it the Woolee Guild? Coincidentally, this neighborhood is also Woolee-dong."

"Why are you so obsessed with our names? Any combination of our names is strange... Leeseol, Woobyeong? Look! It’s weird, right?"

[Yeah. Why are you so obsessed with those names? And if you're going to put a name on it, why leave Lee Seong-jin out? Even if he's the puppet boss, it’s too sad.]

"Leeseol sounds good."

"Sigh… You have bad taste in names."

"What a pain. Name it yourself!"

"Shall we put it off for now?"

"No, I have to stamp it to get our subsidies."

Once permission was granted to establish our guild, they would provide a subsidy of 100 million won per year under the condition that the government managed it.

Later, when the economy was revitalized with the parts from monsters, that subsidy rose up to 1 billion, but it was dependent on the size of the guild. For now, we would get at least this much. As we received the subsidy, regular audits would be required, so we needed to be careful about the information we gave to the financial auditors.

"Are you really going to name it Byeong & Seol?"

Without answering, I wrote the guild's name down using a ballpoint pen, initialed the documents, and stamped it.

I didn't want to waste any more time on an unproductive argument.

"It's really stupid!"

"That's enough. If you don't like it, you can apply for a change later."

"Okay."

Seol-ah's expression became sullen.

"And I fixed some things. Submit them to the Management Bureau as they are."

"What?"

Seol-ah looked at the documents, and her eyes widened.

"I'm a co-representative with Mr. Lee Seong-jin?"

"So you can have more freedom when you perform your duties."

"Aww! Thanks, Oppa!"

Seol-ah's expression quickly changed, and she left with a beaming smile.

[You sneaky bastard!]

"What?"

[Do you think I don't know you appointed Lee Seong-jin and Seol-ah co-representatives to do the things you don't feel like doing?]

"Not necessarily."

[It would be nice if you practiced martial arts as hard as you used your head to trick people.]

"Now, shall we start moving?"

[Always changing the topic. Where are you going?]

"I need to craft some usable weapons and armor."

[Is it time for that gate to open?]

"Didn't I say I would take everything I could?"

[I'm looking forward to it. Kukuku]

"I have to level up this time around. I haven't used the title effect of 'Shining SOLO.'"

I strapped on my big backpack and headed to the roof of the building.

[Looks like you have a lot to bring back this time too.]

"I'll have to get an assister later."

[Assister?]

"An assistant... or, you can think of them as a luggage carrier."

When I got up to the roof, I felt a refreshing breeze heralding late spring.

[Certainly, this place has more of Mother Nature’s energy than other places in Seoul.]

"It must be because Bukhansan Mountain is nearby. I'll take you to a better place today. But... first of all, we need cooperation..."

I sent a text to Yoo So-eun and soared into the sky.

Whooosh-

Heavenly Demon Air Stride had already reached beyond 60%.

***

A few hours later, I passed where Baekdu Daegan branched off from Chugaoryeong and continued through North Korea's Oseong Mountain to Daeseong Mountain in Hwacheon, Gangwon-do.

I moved to the heights of Daeseong Mountain using the Heavenly Demon Stealth and Heavenly Demon Air Stride.

[You mean it'll appear here?]

"Yes. I can get Skill Books and the materials needed for weapon production from the gates created here."

The place I looked at was between a pair of rotten old trees hanging down to form a gateway.

Even without the swirling black portal, it felt like I would go to another world by passing through the branches.

It was a funny system that a gate could be created just because it was shaped vaguely like a door.

After a while, the air began to vibrate.

Whoooong-

The space between the trees was distorted.

[Hmm... the surrounding energy is swirling around that spot.]

"This is my first time seeing a gate being created."

If it weren't for the Heavenly Demon’s Origin Art, it would have been difficult to find this place.

When it reached 50%, my senses became keener, and I could find the place where a gate would be made.

Of course, I couldn't find it right at once. I had to walk around the mountains for a while until I felt some energy gathering.

Whoooong-

As the vibrations in the air became stronger, the speed at which the surrounding energy gathered also increased.

Squelch~

A crack formed, and a black portal spread between the drooping branches.

"I'll clear them all before they crawl out."

[Think of this as training.]

"What's wrong with your voice all of a sudden?"

[I lowered it since you said I behaved like a fool earlier.]

"Just use your regular voice. It's awkward."

[Don't I sound dignified? It worked pretty well in the Martial World.]

"I would expect nothing less from you."

The place inside that gate was called 'Mother's Tears.'

The monsters of this gate attacked the nearby military base, the 15th Division Recruitment Training Center.

Many young people who entered this gate to fulfill their sacred "defense obligations" were killed.

Despite the desperate resistance of the hunters and trainees in the military, they collapsed under an overwhelming offensive.

The shock to the bereaved families was even greater as only unrecognizable corpses were recovered.

When the news was announced, the Republic of Korea grieved collectively with the bereaved parents who had lost their children.

I recall hearing about it on TV and being unable to hold back my tears.

'That can't happen this time.'

I had contacted Yoo So-eun before departing so that no soldiers would be harmed.

[What are you doing?]

"Phones don't work inside the gate. I need to leave our location information before going in."

After sending a text, I hopped straight into the portal.

As soon as I entered the Gate, I felt the presence of monsters already rushing in from all directions.

[It's enormous.]

"They are Stone Golems. They keep regenerating unless you break their core. They’re also one of the only monsters that don’t eat humans."

[At least that’s something.]

"Instead, their cores use human blood as an energy source."

[What?!]

The Stone Golems ranged from 6 to 10m tall and had a millstone-like device carved in their chests. They caught humans and used the device to absorb blood from them.

Naturally, the corpses were crushed beyond recognition during that process.

"There will be no more tears in any mothers' eyes!"

I unfolded a fierce Heavenly Demon’s Royal Stride to close the distance.

[You're losing your sense of reasoning again. That pressure doesn't work unless it's on a living thing, you punk.]

Heeding his advice, I began attacking the Stone Golems.

***

"It's this one."

A video was projected onto the crystal ball when the mysterious man in the robe manipulated it.

"It's a normal human. You mean they were killed by the skill this man used?"

"According to their memories, yes."

"It's a peculiar skill."

"Isn't it related to Wei Jicheon?"

"Didn't you say his skill emits energy with the demon's spirit traces?"

Beep-

While the two mysterious men were talking, an alarm sounded from another crystal ball.

"What is it?"

-The manager of gate number 5,889,189 has made an emergency call.

"Emergency?"

-The demon's spirit traces were detected at their gate.

"Hmm…."

"Isn’t it that mortal?"

"Is there any way to get more information?"

"We cannot intervene with the system."

"It sounds like we should use the gate after all."

"What should we do?"

"Now that we've found the traces, we'll have to catch him. Ask them to raise the gate difficulty."

"The system rewards will also go up if we do that."

"Damn system."

"It's not something we can get involved in."

"Hmm, proceed anyway. As long as the difficulty level goes up, that mortal won't be able to do much about it."

"Alright."