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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 10
Chapter Title: Potions Without Side Effects
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After entering the rift, Yeon Sung-hun handed a bottle of potion each to Lee Ha-na and Kim Jun-su.
The two tilted their heads as they took them.
"It's similar to the one we drank last time."
"Ugh... The aftereffects were no joke... Especially the muscle pain."
Kim Jun-su grimaced openly, and Lee Ha-na's face wasn't much better as she accepted her potion.
"This one's fine. I boosted the effects and eliminated the side effects."
"Oh? For real, hyung?"
Yeon Sung-hun nodded to Kim Jun-su, who perked up and asked.
Kim Jun-su's eyes sparkled as he stared at the potion.
The previous potion had been incredibly effective despite the severe side effects like muscle pain.
But this one had no side effects and even greater effects? Even for Kim Jun-su, who was still young and naive about the world, the value of such a potion was obvious.
"Hyung, your awakening is a total jackpot. Making potions like this! I'm glad all that hard work over the past two years paid off!"
He hadn't actually awakened, but Yeon Sung-hun smiled quietly, feeling Kim Jun-su's genuine joy as if it were his own.
"Should we drink it now?"
"The effects should last about two or three hours. Drink it ahead of time."
"That long?"
Lee Ha-na's mouth fell open in quiet admiration.
Yeon Sung-hun just shrugged lightly at her reaction.
Separate from their awe, by his own standards, this potion still wasn't the best he could make.
Leaving Yeon Sung-hun, who clicked his tongue in regret, the two uncapped their potions to drink.
"Ugh... The smell is a bit..."
"Eugh...! It stinks!"
Yeon Sung-hun spoke calmly as they pinched their noses and wrinkled their faces.
"Good medicine always tastes bad—or smells bad, in this case."
"...Feels like it's not just the smell?"
Lee Ha-na stuck out her tongue after a small sip.
Kim Jun-su looked like he was about to gag.
Yeon Sung-hun clicked his tongue briefly at their reactions.
"Can't you endure it for that kind of efficacy?"
"...It's a taste I never want to have again, but..."
Lee Ha-na muttered softly, her gaze shifting to the status window floating in the air.
An exclamation escaped her lips.
"Whoa, the stats really shot up! In raw numbers, it's five times the usual!"
"Jackpot! Total jackpot, hyung!"
Kim Jun-su thrust up a thumbs-up in agreement with her awe.
Yeon Sung-hun nodded slowly at their enthusiasm.
'Maybe the boost is bigger because their base stats are lower than Han So-yul's. I wish I could check the exact numbers...'
Unfortunately, without awakening, Yeon Sung-hun had no status window like theirs.
Since regaining his past life memories, he hadn't envied awakened hunters much, but the status window was definitely something he coveted.
It would let him objectively verify potion performance, which even his past life hadn't fully grasped.
As Yeon Sung-hun instinctively clicked his tongue in regret—
Kim Jun-su spoke up in an excited voice.
"What you said earlier wasn't just talk, hyung. With this, it's really possible! The best raid team in Korea—no, the world! Golden Raid Team!"
Yeon Sung-hun chuckled at him, then spoke calmly.
"Potions will play a big role in our raid team's future goals, but don't get too dependent on them."
No matter how much he'd doped with potions in his Faust days, they couldn't match knights who'd trained their whole lives—true Aura Masters.
'Of course, I eventually turned them all into roast with thunderbolt potions.'
But those were special Faust potions, not standard ones, so it didn't count as an example.
No matter how much potions boosted physical abilities, what mattered most was the individual's honed skill.
"The real key is basic competence. If you slack off relying on potions, I'll kick you out without mercy."
Kim Jun-su nodded heavily, meeting his steady gaze.
He was excited by the potion's power, but thankfully not foolish enough to let it go to his head.
"Got it, Raid Leader hyung!"
"...Pick one. Raid Leader or hyung."
"It's a nickname full of respect and affection!"
Yeon Sung-hun chuckled as Kim Jun-su clung to him playfully.
It didn't feel bad, even from a grown man.
Was it because he'd known him so long? Or just Faust's influence from a long life?
To Yeon Sung-hun, Kim Jun-su seemed more like a little kid than just a younger brother.
'When will I get this guy up to snuff?'
It wouldn't be easy.
"So, Sung-hun-ssi. Will you keep providing these potions from now on?"
"Yes, for smooth rift explorations. We came to an F-rank today for warm-up and prep, but we'll gradually tackle higher ranks."
For the still low-spec Golden Raid Team, his potions would be essential.
Lee Ha-na nodded in agreement.
However.
"Hmm. Will you keep giving them out for free like today?"
"I won't charge you two separately."
Lee Ha-na shook her head at his calm reply.
She spoke evenly.
"I don't know the details, but I get how valuable these potions are. You couldn't buy them for any price. And probably only you can make them, Sung-hun-ssi."
Yeon Sung-hun was a bit surprised by her direct gaze.
Her assessment was spot on.
If these potions hit the market, they'd sell out instantly at any price.
He planned to sell them eventually, but not yet.
"I can't just take something this amazing for free. Beyond our relationship, it wouldn't be right. We couldn't pay proper value anyway, but no compensation at all..."
"That's fine, Ha-na-ssi. I get what you're saying."
Lee Ha-na cautiously gauged his mood.
Worried she might have offended him.
Yeon Sung-hun smiled faintly at her.
"I'll keep supplying the potions. It's necessary for the future. And I still won't take anything for it."
"But..."
"No payment, but I'll ask something in return."
Lee Ha-na and Kim Jun-su both tilted their heads at his measured words.
"You could call it compensation. Instead of money, I want your labor."
"Labor?"
"Yes. Specifically, material gathering."
Yeon Sung-hun smiled warmly at their puzzled looks.
Just the two of them wouldn't suffice for his plans, but he'd scale up the raid team gradually.
He explained calmly, and Lee Ha-na nodded before asking quietly.
"Sung-hun-ssi, are you planning to start a guild later?"
Yeon Sung-hun nodded.
"Yes. More like a company, maybe, but essentially."
"'Essentially' means there's more after that?"
"Sharp as ever."
Yeon Sung-hun chuckled, thinking of the Tower of the Sage.
The massive organization his past self, Faust, had led.
Influencing not just an empire, but an entire continent.
Building that fast would be tough, but it was his goal.
"I get your goal, Sung-hun-ssi... or should I say Raid Leader? I'll help as much as I can."
Lee Ha-na said, her cheeks slightly flushed.
Yeon Sung-hun smiled back.
"Thanks, Ha-na-ssi."
"No problem."
Yeon Sung-hun and Lee Ha-na exchanged quiet smiles.
"Me too! I'll help hard!"
Kim Jun-su chimed in, and the three reaffirmed their resolve.
Doped with Yeon Sung-hun's potions, Lee Ha-na and Kim Jun-su cleared the rift exploration without issue, despite it being their first in a while.
They struggled more with gathering materials under his guidance than hunting monsters.
Starting from scratch without prior knowledge naturally took time.
It'd be a while before they got the hang of it on their own; he'd have to teach them personally for quite some time.
Or make them a material guidebook.
Considering future raid team growth, that might be better.
'Yeah, definitely.'
Teaching every newbie one-on-one would be inefficient.
Afterward, Yeon Sung-hun took them through more rifts.
With body enhancement potions and a few others prepared, they tackled several more without tiring.
Low-rank rifts, but multiple per day meant more income than before, and both were satisfied.
'For now, stick to low-ranks until they get comfortable.'
Once they were ready, he'd ramp up the ranks.
Finishing the day's explorations, Yeon Sung-hun headed home instead of the workshop.
In his hands weren't takeout food like usual, but potions—for his mother and sister.
Unfortunately, not healing ones.
Even for him, limited materials couldn't cure them yet.
Not his sister's lower-body paralysis, nor his mother's unclear chronic illnesses.
These were more like tonics—health supplements.
Faust-brand ones, truly enhancing health, not mere over-the-counter vitamins.
"This is really that good for you?"
Lee Hee-yeon tilted her head, taking the glass bottle of bluish liquid from her son.
She knew potions were amazing, but thought they only healed wounds.
Most hunter potions were recovery types, excluding a few enhancers, so her view wasn't wrong.
Yeon Sung-hun's were just special.
He spoke confidently to her skeptical gaze.
"Yes, really good. It'll chase away fatigue, ease aches, and it's great for your skin too."
"Oh? Really?"
Hooked by the skin benefit, Lee Hee-yeon uncapped it.
The thick, foul stench that burst out made her grimace.
Yeon Hae-eun, taking hers beside her, scrunched her face too.
"Ugh—it stinks!"
"...The smell is a bit off."
With his sister and mother saying so, Yeon Sung-hun smiled awkwardly.
From Han So-yul to Lee Ha-na, Kim Jun-su, and now family—he had to admit it.
His potions smelled bad... unpleasant.
Most of Faust's recipes were like that.
Faust hadn't cared.
But Yeon Sung-hun did.
'The smell is... pretty bad.'
Truth be told, his past self, Faust, wasn't delicate.
Hailed as a continental hero, but lacking outside alchemy.
That was the Golden King, Faust.
'I'll improve this step by step.'
Altering perfected recipes wasn't easy, even for him, but necessary.
The smell was too foul.
Plus, surpassing Faust here? Faust hadn't bothered, but it fired him up.
'I'll do it.'
As he quietly burned with resolve, complaints poured from his mother and sister.
"Eek—the taste is foul too!"
"It tastes like... herbal medicine..."
"Even that would be better than this..."
Yeon Sung-hun let out a shallow sigh at their focus on taste over effects.
Imperial royals couldn't get these special Faust potions, yet this reaction.
It was frustratingly lamentable.
He smiled wryly, watching them hunt for candy.
From smell to taste.
He had to improve it fast.
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