The Legendary Regressor Devours the Tower - Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The place Woo Mincheol led them to was underground.

It had originally been used as a parking lot, but when he bought out the entire building, he converted the parking lot into a laboratory.

“More importantly, why is that guy following us?”

Woo Mincheol’s gaze shifted to Jang Byungjun, who was observing the surroundings with crossed arms behind Sungwoon.

“He’s the money bag.”

A huge sum of 10 billion won.

To think that man was the exact source of that huge sum.

The overflowing aura surrounding him was no ordinary thing.

He had to be a skilled expert who had climbed at least past the 15th floor.

Since all he needed to do was hand over the elixir and receive the 10 billion won, Woo Mincheol decided to ignore it.

Woo Mincheol handed Sungwoon a glass bottle containing a purple liquid that was kept in the laboratory.

“This is it.”

So this is the Tears of Belos.

Belos was named the Tears of Belos because it was created by combining venom harvested from a viper named ‘Bella’ and a toad harboring deadly poison named ‘Rosto’.

‘Though it’s still incomplete.’

Sungwoon also knew that the Tears of Belos was incomplete.

‘If I remember correctly, it was only completed right when the climb began.’

The reason it remained incomplete for a long time was because Woo Mincheol’s recipe was not perfect.

‘Qi of Iliphia.’

The Qi of Iliphia possessed the power of healing.

Healing in an elixir centered around poison?

Ironically, the Qi of Iliphia, which possessed healing powers, reacted with Rosto’s deadly venom to double its toxicity while losing its healing capability.

Two years later, it would become common knowledge, but at the present point in time, it was a fact that had yet to be revealed.

“Are you sure about this?”

Sungwoon tilted his head after inspecting the elixir.

“What about it?”

“Is it really 100% completed? Doesn’t look like it.”

Damn it.

How the hell did a wet-behind-the-ears brat like him know?

In times like this, he had to push harder.

After all, the one desperate here wasn’t him, but that brat.

“If you don’t like it, give it back!”

“Sure thing.”

Contrary to expectations, Sungwoon nodded without even a moment of hesitation.

“Huh?”

The one flustered by such a reaction was Woo Mincheol.

“I don’t buy elixirs whose effects haven’t been verified.”

“Ha, are you saying the elixir I made has defects?”

“I will provide the materials.”

“Huh?”

“I came here believing in your alchemy, Halabeoji. If the materials are provided, you can complete it, right?”

“I mean, that’s true, but…”

Woo Mincheol unwittingly nodded.

“So it really wasn’t completed after all.”

As if he had expected as much, Sungwoon chuckled.

Only then did Woo Mincheol realize he had made a mistake, his face flushing red.

“Ahem, so you’re saying you’ll provide the materials?”

“Yes. But in exchange, please discount it to 2 billion won.”

“Say what?!”

Cutting a whopping 8 billion won from the 10 billion won promised initially?

He could understand asking for a 1 to 2 billion won discount, but wasn’t 8 billion won a blatant rip-off attempt?

As Woo Mincheol was about to yell out in rage, Sungwoon raised an index finger and added a condition.

“From now on, I will also supply any materials you want at a cheap price.”

“A cheap price?”

“Yes. I will make arrangements so that you can get them at half price.”

All of these funds would come from the Association, but for the Association’s caliber, an amount like this was nothing.

“Is that really true?”

Woo Mincheol’s eyes went wide.

Besides the Tears of Belos, there were dozens of elixirs he had yet to complete.

Trial and error aside, the biggest obstacle lay in procuring materials.

Not only would the material supply issue be solved, but if the price was cut in half, he would be able to start experiments on the remaining elixirs as well.

It was a sweet offer that was simply impossible to refuse.

“Yes. However, please allow me to take the completed elixirs first. I’ll pay the proper price for them.”

Woo Mincheol’s alchemy was the real deal.

Just like in his past life, if his elixirs were added to the mix, he could accelerate his climbing speed.

“Fine. Let’s do that.”

The deal was struck.

‘Fascinating.’

This was the brief impression of Jang Byungjun, who had been watching the entire situation from a slight distance.

It was an unbelievable course of action for a climber who had barely finished climbing the 1st floor.

‘How on earth did he find out about a place like this?’

An elixir that increases poison resistance.

It seemed he was planning to use it when raiding the 2nd-floor boss.

If the effect was grand, the difficulty of raiding the 2nd floor would plummet drastically.

Could it be that he will record a miraculous result this time as well?

“Sungwoon-ssi.”

Jang Byungjun approached Sungwoon and called out to him in a low voice.

“Yes. Are you asking how I know all of this?”

As expected, he knew how he was looking at him.

Jang Byungjun, after contemplating for a moment, slowly nodded.

“Yes. To be honest, I’m curious.”

“It’s one of the pieces of information I obtained by throwing myself into various places just to survive.”

“…I see.”

Jang Byungjun nodded.

Although it was a bit vague to call it a perfect explanation, he decided not to ask any further.

“More importantly, the finances are fine, right?”

Just the material costs alone amounted to 2.5 billion won.

Moreover, he promised on the spot to pay 2 billion won.

Was that all?

He said he would supply the materials requested by Woo Mincheol at half the current market price, and the Association would have to shoulder all of that loss.

Even so, Jang Byungjun answered nonchalantly.

“Of course. It’s an investment for you, Sungwoon-ssi, so this amount is nothing.”

Sungwoon smirked.

‘There’s a hidden motive behind his words.’

From the tutorial to the 1st floor.

Because he had proven himself definitively, they were able to boldly invest billions of won.

If he had gotten a lower-than-expected score on the 1st floor, there would be no such boldness.

In that case, all the more reason to exploit them thoroughly.

“Learn it well.”

Sungwoon shifted his eyes toward Han Geonu, who was standing blankly nearby.

“Huh? Learn what?”

“Why do you think I called you all the way here?”

All Han Geonu had done was retrieve the materials from the Association and hand them over to Woo Mincheol.

“Uh… material procurement?”

He answered after wracking his brain as much as he could, and fortunately, that answer was correct.

“Correct. From now on, you just need to bring whatever materials that gentleman desires.”

“Then when do I climb…?”

“The Association will help you with that.”

“Is that true?”

Han Geonu looked back at Jang Byungjun behind him with a desperate face.

“…Well, if it’s Sungwoon-ssi’s request.”

To be honest, he didn’t like it, but if it was for Sungwoon, he could make the investment.

It was a satisfactory answer.

Because in order to make proper use of Han Geonu, he needed to grow to a certain extent.

“Master, did you call for me?”

Just then, the disciple summoned by Woo Mincheol came down to the underground laboratory.

“Hmm?”

Sungwoon recognized that disciple at a single glance.

‘Crosswalk.’

The man in his 20s whose shoulder he had bumped into at the crosswalk in front of the Association.

That man was right before his eyes now.

‘Ah, it was Lee Sanghyeon.’

Woo Mincheol’s disciple.

The alchemist Lee Sanghyeon.

Back then, he had taken the full brunt of time’s harsh toll, compounded by the side effects of an experiment that melted off half his face, made all his hair fall out, and rapidly aged him to look like he was in his early-to-mid 50s.

That was the reason he hadn’t immediately recognized Lee Sanghyeon with his normal face.

“Now, greet them. This is the person who will be our VIP client from now on.”

Woo Mincheol introduced Sungwoon’s group.

Main client, Sungwoon.

Money bag, Jang Byungjun.

Lackey, Han Geonu.

He whispered quietly that the main client, not the money bag, pulls the strings, so he should get on Sungwoon’s good side, but perhaps due to Super-sensation, Sungwoon was able to hear every word of it.

“Hello. Um, I’m sorry about last time.”

At the repeated apology, Sungwoon gave a bright smile.

“If you’re really sorry, I’ll be in your care from now on.”

There was nothing bad about establishing a favorable relationship with Lee Sanghyeon.

Because the elixirs completed by his hands would be a tremendous help in climbing the Tower.

“I will do my best!”

Lee Sanghyeon answered with a stiff, highly disciplined attitude.

Two days passed.

‘Fascinating. There isn’t a single material to throw away.’

Woo Mincheol marveled repeatedly while looking at the rare materials received through Han Geonu.

Not only were they extremely expensive, but most of the materials were precisely what Woo Mincheol had been looking for.

The problem was whether he could complete the Tears of Belos with these materials.

Just as doubt began to arise, Woo Mincheol shook his head and erased it.

‘This is a matter of pride. I must succeed no matter what.’

If he failed to prove himself now that the stakes were raised, the embarrassment would be all his to bear.

Woo Mincheol unleashed his skill.

First was the skill called Prute Exploration.

With this A-rank skill, he explored the efficacy of the materials, and afterwards, he derived expected results through the S-rank Prute Combination.

However, there was a problem.

‘This isn’t it.’

Even as he plugged the materials into the Tears of Belos one by one, not a single result reached 100%.

Did he mess up the mixture from the very beginning?

For that to be true, the completion rate of the Tears of Belos was already at 90%.

It was not a problem with the mixture itself, but a lack of materials.

Just as his skepticism was gradually growing…

[98% (Dangerous)]

An estimated numerical value of 98% popped up.

‘Huh? It’s close to completion?’

Woo Mincheol’s pupils trembled like an aspen leaf.

‘Wait, why this?’

He had attempted the mixture while keeping all possibilities open.

And the current mixture was simply adding the Qi of Iliphia to the existing recipe.

The completion rate shot up from 90% to 98%.

The Qi of Iliphia possessed the power of healing, so it was used to manufacture potions.

On the contrary, the Tears of Belos was about destruction, damage, and deterioration.

That was why he hadn’t harbored any expectations, so how could such a result come out?

Puzzled, Woo Mincheol tried combining the Qi of Iliphia with other poisons.

As expected, the result was 0%.

Two materials with opposing properties could never be mixed.

‘Fascinating. How is it reacting only to Rosto’s venom?’

Woo Mincheol’s eyes flickered with curiosity, and soon he began rummaging through the other materials.

Just because it reacted didn’t mean he should recklessly attempt the mixture.

Since it was marked as Dangerous, no one knew what consequences attempting it in this state would bring.

‘A stepping stone is needed.’

Rummaging through the materials, Woo Mincheol’s eyes gleamed.

A pure white feather was held in his hand.

It was none other than the White Fairy Wing Feather.

With this, which possessed neutralizing properties, wouldn’t he be able to mix it stably?

[100% (Safe)]

Correct.

The corners of Woo Mincheol’s mouth curled upward.

With an additional 2% increase, it reached 100%, and the Dangerous rating vanished.

It was the moment the Tears of Belos was completed.

Two hours had passed since Woo Mincheol entered into elixir research.

Since it was a task of completing an elixir that was still unfinished, no one knew when it would end.

Han Geonu, who had delivered the materials, sat on a chair and declared that he would wait until it was finished.

“Um… should I bring you something to drink?”

Lee Sanghyeon, who was reading the room from a short distance away, approached cautiously and asked.

“Cola. With ice.”

Han Geonu ordered a cola while trying his best to suppress his annoyed feelings.

“Understood.”

Lee Sanghyeon stepped away to fetch the cola.

Left alone, Han Geonu let out a sigh and ruffled his hair with his hand.

“Sigh, why is he telling me to wait until it’s finished?”

Sungwoon had instructed him to wait until it was completed, receive it, and return.

That no one knew the time it takes to complete a single elixir was a fact that Han Geonu knew as well.

Depending on the alchemist’s capability, it could take a month, several years, or remain incomplete even after a lifetime of research, so waiting until it was completed?

This was practically telling him not to climb the Tower.

“He told me to get support from the Association… When on earth am I going to be able to climb?”

Just when he was feeling gloomy.

“I finished it!”

Woo Mincheol revealed himself.

In his hand was a single glass bottle, which harbored a red hue instead of the purple one seen at first.