Chapter 85
A group of large men in black suits entered the main building first, clearing a path.
Then an elderly man walked calmly between them.
The moment he stepped inside, the atmosphere around him seemed to freeze.
He was Kang Sangcheon.
Chairman of Kangjin Group.
"What brings you all the way here, Chairman?"
The president and several instructors had already come outside to greet him.
Suhyeok followed as well.
"If you'd informed us in advance, we would've prepared for your visit."
Kang Sangcheon tapped the fingers resting on his cane two or three times and slowly looked around.
Eventually, his gaze stopped on Suhyeok.
"...You should know better than anyone why I came all this way."
His eyes narrowed.
"Am I wrong?"
Suhyeok was inwardly surprised as he looked at the old man.
So I finally get to meet him.
I never expected to see someone I'd only read about in books.
Kang Sangcheon was the man who had transformed Kangjin Group into a global corporation.
Despite his small frame, the aura surrounding him overwhelmed everyone nearby.
[Several Constellations express curiosity about the person called ‘Kang Sangcheon’.]
Even Suhyeok didn't know much about him.
Unfortunately, by the time Suhyeok had reached the 40th floor before his regression, Kang Sangcheon had already died.
Everything Suhyeok knew was common knowledge available to everyone.
"..."
That was the greatest obstacle.
Without an advantage in information, it would be difficult for Suhyeok to control the conversation.
More importantly, Kang Sangcheon himself wasn't someone to underestimate.
He had reached his current position after eliminating all of his own siblings.
When it came to removing political or business enemies, he never hesitated.
Even if the target happened to be one of his own children.
And yet he personally came here after hearing that Kang Rahee was eliminated....
That only made Suhyeok more suspicious.
At present, Kang Sangcheon's relationship with the president was the least clear of all.
Even Jang Hyeji had said she couldn't be certain.
"Why aren't you answering?"
Kang Sangcheon frowned.
"Surely you realize I'm speaking to you."
Then he suddenly coughed.
"Cough...!"
"C-Chairman!"
His bodyguards immediately moved as though to call the medical team.
Kang Sangcheon waved them away.
"Hoo.... I'm fine."
"I'm simply getting weaker with age."
At that moment, a distinctive scent entered Suhyeok's nose.
[Warning! You have been exposed to a trace amount of poison expelled from the target's body.]
[Trait ‘Poison Resistance (A)’ activates.]
Suhyeok flinched.
A warning had appeared without warning.
He quickly glanced around.
No one else seemed to notice anything.
...So that's what it is.
Having realized something, Suhyeok stepped directly in front of Kang Sangcheon.
"I assume you're here for a parent-teacher consultation."
"Send your guards away and come inside alone."
"We can talk privately."
Kang Sangcheon stared at him in disbelief for a moment.
Then he scoffed.
"Hah."
"They said the academy hired a new instructor."
"You're certainly an amusing one."
"You want a private meeting with me?"
The smile disappeared from his face.
"Tell me."
"Why should I bother speaking privately with you?"
"This is something I could simply discuss with the president."
At that moment...
If you want to be cured, follow my lead.
I can completely remove the poison accumulated inside your body.
"...!"
Kang Sangcheon's pupils trembled.
Suhyeok's voice had echoed directly inside his head.
Realizing that no one else had heard it, the old man fell silent for a moment.
Then he started walking.
"...Fine."
"Lead the way."
For the past several years, Kang Sangcheon's health had deteriorated rapidly.
Even Kangjin Medical Center, which possessed some of the most advanced medical technology in the world, had been unable to treat him.
And now someone claimed he could cure it overnight.
Could such a thing really be possible?
Kang Sangcheon had spent decades building his company.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he'd reached his current position largely because of his ability to judge people.
...Strange.
This man is truly strange.
The man sitting across from him was the academy's newly appointed swordsmanship instructor.
The very person who had removed his daughter from the representative team.
Kang Sangcheon had come because he wanted to see exactly what kind of man he was.
But...
Every person had a unique color.
That was something Kang Sangcheon had learned over decades.
A truth that had never once failed him.
Yet he couldn't see any color from the man before him.
More precisely...
He couldn't feel anything at all.
Calling it black didn't seem right.
There was only one thing he could compare it to.
An abyss.
Perhaps that was why.
...
His fingertips trembled slightly as he sat facing Suhyeok.
He was nervous.
Kang Sangcheon, a man who had dealt with countless people over his lifetime, was nervous in front of someone who didn't even look thirty.
"...So you're saying my illness is entirely caused by poison."
"How can you be so certain?"
"Do you have proof?"
"Yes."
Suhyeok calmly took a sip of tea.
"Your health probably began deteriorating suddenly over the past few years."
"Once or twice a month, your entire body would turn red and your temperature would rise sharply."
"Then, just as suddenly, your body temperature would plummet."
He lowered the cup and stared straight through Kang Sangcheon.
"The hospital probably told you they couldn't identify either the disease or the cause."
"And naturally, there was no treatment either."
"So you assumed it was some kind of rare disease."
"Am I wrong?"
Kang Sangcheon looked visibly surprised.
Then he let out a hollow laugh.
"You're right."
"They said neither the symptoms nor the cause could be explained by modern medicine."
His eyes narrowed.
"And you're saying you know how to cure it?"
"Yes."
Suhyeok answered without hesitation.
"Immediately."
"Then say what you want."
Kang Sangcheon leaned forward.
"I know perfectly well you have no reason to cure me for free."
"You want something from me."
"No."
His eyes sharpened.
"From Kangjin Group."
Like Calahil, Kang Sangcheon knew how to negotiate.
That meant he knew when to give something up in order to gain something greater.
"Before that..."
Suhyeok spoke calmly.
"What happens in this room needs to remain secret for the time being."
"Fine."
Kang Sangcheon nodded.
"Now tell me what you want."
Suhyeok opened his inventory.
He placed two items on the table.
One was the Trait Potion Jung Woojin had made.
The other was an Elixir he'd prepared separately.
"...!!"
The ability to pull items out of an inventory meant only one thing.
"You..."
