After leaving Choi Eun-seok's room, Chairman Choi Chang-sik handed us a thick briefcase filled with documents.
"These are all the medical records related to Eun-seok's condition.Truly… do you think you can do this?"
I was already more than half certain.
If I had the Stage 1 Elixir, then Choi Eun-seok's illness could either be cured completely—or at the very least, alleviated to a level extremely close to full recovery.
That was why I answered with confidence.
"Yes. We can do it, Chairman."
"…Earlier, my eldest son may have spoken a bit coldly.But the truth is, countless people have tried to exploit our family's desperation over the years.They came to take advantage of our situation.Do you have the confidence not to disappoint me?"
I sensed trembling nearby.
Dong-sik was shaking in fear.
But I did not waver.
"Of course, Chairman.Two days from now.Once treatment begins, your youngest son's condition will begin to improve dramatically.We successfully restored Min Seo-ah's skin—something every authority in dermatology and plastic surgery declared impossible.Please trust in our technology."
"…Very well. I will trust you once.But if you disappoint me—be prepared for the consequences."
Though aged, his eyes were still sharp as blades.
Even I—despite my confidence—felt a chill run down my spine.
And Dong-sik… I was honestly worried he might wet himself at any moment.
"We will not disappoint you, Chairman."
"Good. I expect that to be true."
At that moment, angry footsteps echoed down the hallway.
"I've been listening, and this is going too far."
It was Choi Eun-hyuk, the eldest son, who had been in Eun-seok's room earlier.
"You're trying to deceive my father with absurd nonsense.The world's leading experts already said a cure is impossible.And yet, you're exploiting an old father's desperation for his son—Are you trying to make a fortune off this?!"
The fact that he would say this in front of the man who would pass the group down to him showed just how furious he was.
And honestly—it was understandable.
As Chairman Choi had said earlier, scammers had approached them endlessly over the years.
Every one of them had spoken confidently, just like I was doing now.
Given that history, it was only natural for Choi Eun-hyuk to distrust us.
I answered calmly, keeping my tone gentle.
"Please calm down, Young Master.I understand that you've been through a great deal.But we are different.We have already cured Min Seo-ah's burn scars.We are confident in our technology."
But his anger did not subside.
"Every quack said the same thing!They all took massive advance payments and failed.Some even gave Eun-seok strange substances that made his condition worse!And now you expect us to believe you—when the world's top experts already declared it impossible?!"
So they had even paid huge advance fees before.
That explained everything.
Their desperation had driven them to try anything—folk remedies, pseudo-medicine, anything that even hinted at hope.
But our case was different.
We were a registered corporation.We had results.
Being lumped in with frauds stung a little—but I endured it.
"There have been many cases throughout history where authoritative experts were wrong.What we developed is a new technology that has never existed before.It cannot be judged by conventional standards.And more importantly—we already have a successful case that everyone else deemed impossible."
Choi Eun-hyuk snorted.
"Successful case?Fixing externally damaged skin and fixing skin destroyed by an internal disease are completely different things."
…That wasn't entirely wrong.
If I hadn't decrypted the Stage 1 Elixir, I wouldn't have dared make this promise.
Back at the restaurant, I would've politely declined their request.
His anger continued.
"And what—experts can be wrong?Then tell me—where did you graduate from?Which university gave you the confidence to look down on world-class scholars like this?"
…Why was he suddenly bringing up universities?
That was a textbook appeal to authority fallacy.
Before I could respond, Chairman Choi spoke.
"Eun-hyuk. Watch your words.These people are here to help Eun-seok.And as I said earlier—they have results."
"F-Father… I understand, but those results have nothing to do with Eun-seok's illness—"
"I want to grasp even a straw if it means saving Eun-seok.As his brother, do you not feel the same?"
"…That's not—"
Choi Eun-hyuk fell silent.
After a long pause, he sighed weakly.
"Father… please be careful.If they give Eun-seok something strange again and something goes wrong—That would be disastrous."
"I know.That's why I'll be watching closely.And I've already warned them."
Choi Eun-hyuk turned sharply toward us, glaring.
"I'll be watching you.Don't you dare do anything reckless to my brother."
With that, he bowed to his father and walked away down the corridor.
Chairman Choi looked at us apologetically.
"My eldest can be a bit cold.I apologize.But even so… please take good care of Eun-seok.I'll place my trust in you."
Compared to when we first met him, his posture had softened noticeably.
He could no longer afford to be domineering.
That alone showed how deeply he loved his youngest son.
We left the mansion and returned to our warehouse in Park Jae-seok's car.
Before leaving us, Park Jae-seok said:
"I'll come to pick you up here tomorrow afternoon.Please take good care."
The car disappeared down the road.
Dong-sik let out a long breath, his stiff posture finally relaxing.
All the words he'd been holding in exploded out at once.
"Si-woo, what the hell are you thinking?!With just the cream we made, there's no guarantee we can cure that kid!Did you just throw out an empty promise?!Do you have any idea what happens if this fails?!"
I raised both hands to calm him.
"I'm sorry, Dong-sik.You were scared, right?There's something I haven't told you yet."
"…Something you haven't told me?"
"Yeah.A few days ago, I developed another drug—not the skin cream."
"…Another drug?"
"That's right.Something like a mild cure-all."
Dong-sik looked completely blank.
"Taken orally or injected, it can cure most common illnesses.Even terminal patients—those who should've died soon—will have their symptoms greatly alleviated to the point where their lives are no longer in danger."
"…What?Si-woo… did I hear that right?You sound like a snake-oil salesman."
"It's true. Look at this."
I took out my phone and showed him a photo of my father—taken after he was injected with the Stage 1 Elixir.
Dong-sik had seen my father many times before.
The last time was about a year ago.
The man in the photo looked far healthier than back then.
"This… this is your father, right?Is this an old photo from before he got worse?"
"No.I took this two days ago."
"…What?!"
"Doesn't he look healthier than when you last saw him a year ago?"
"…Y-Yeah. He does."
"I injected him with that drug two days ago.His symptoms improved immediately.He's not fully cured—but the doctor said we don't need to worry about immediate danger anymore."
"…That's insane… how is that even possible?"
"I told you before—I've been researching to cure my father's illness.The skin cream was part of that work.And a few days ago, that research finally made a huge breakthrough."
Dong-sik finally understood.
"That's why you were so confident in front of Chairman Choi…But why didn't you tell me sooner?"
He looked hurt.
And honestly—he had every right to be.
"I'm sorry.I was so focused on saving my father that I didn't think straight.You know how critical his condition was…I really am sorry I didn't tell you earlier."
Dong-sik slowly nodded.
"…Yeah.I guess I was thinking only from my own perspective.If I were you, my mind would've been filled with nothing but my father too.I'm sorry, Si-woo."
He really was too kind.
Seeing that only made me feel worse.
I demonstrated the process of creating the Stage 1 Elixir in front of Dong-sik.
When it was finished, the same clear, fragrant purple liquid filled the container.
Dong-sik stared at it in awe.
"This is crazy…You mix all these weird chemicals, and then suddenly sugar, salt, and water—and it boils on its own and turns into something this beautiful…"
"This is the Stage 1 Elixir.The medicine that pulled my father back from the brink of death."
"…Elixir?Si-woo, do you like fantasy games or something?That name sounds straight out of one."
Ah—I'd accidentally used the name straight from the Akashic Records.
"Well… it sounds cool, doesn't it?With this, most illnesses can be cured.Even fatal diseases become manageable."
Dong-sik still looked half in disbelief.
"But if this is real…You're incredible, Si-woo.The cream was already insane—but this?You might change the entire medical industry.Are you some once-in-a-century genius or what?"
"Come on.Let's just say I got lucky."
That wasn't entirely a lie.
I was lucky—to become the owner of a quantum computer.
"…Lucky, my ass.At this rate, you might even win a Nobel Prize.If you commercialize this… how much would it make?You could become the world's top pharmaceutical company."
He wasn't wrong.
The Stage 1 Elixir surpassed every drug humanity had ever developed.
It could cause a medical revolution on par with antibiotics or vaccines.
But there was a problem.
To sell pharmaceuticals, approval authorities required full disclosure of ingredients and manufacturing methods.
Both the elixir and the skin regeneration agent contained elements that would look absurd to modern science.
And above all—
How could I explain the Luktic Basic Catalyst Stone?
I planned to solve that problem through my connection with the Choi family of Daesung Group.
Dong-sik suddenly snorted.
"By the way—That eldest son from Daesung Group, didn't he ask where we graduated from?"
"Yeah."
"I looked him up."
He shoved his phone in front of my face.
Choi Eun-hyuk
Education– Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Korea University– MBA, Harvard Business School
I whistled.
"Wow…Elite through and through.Korea University and Harvard MBA.He really does look like a chaebol heir."
Dong-sik scowled.
"Ugh. Annoying."
"Huh?"
"It pisses me off more because someone like that looks down on us for college.And he's a year younger than us!"
I laughed.
"Relax.After we cure his brother with this elixir, his attitude will flip 180 degrees.We'll go from scammers to benefactors overnight."
"Oh man… I kinda want to see his face when that happens."
"Then let's make sure we do it properly in two days."
"…Yeah."
We transferred the completed Stage 1 Elixir into a refined glass bottle.
Two days later, Park Jae-seok's sedan arrived in front of our warehouse to pick us up.
"Let's go, Si-woo.Let's cure him—properly."
"Y-Yeah… let's."