Chapter 80

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Chapter 80: Poxxon (1)

A sewer filled with a stench that makes you want to block your nose.

Several flashlight beams swayed back and forth, sporadically illuminating a massive new figure.

"Jan! It's escaping! It's heading your way!"

"Don't worry! I'll stop it!"

A man replied confidently as he set up his shield and lowered his body, ready to face the charging giant mutant rat.

At the moment he braced himself for the impact—

Boom!

"Urgh!"

An overwhelming pain, as if all his bones were shattering, twisted his face.

But ultimately, he withstood the rat's charge.

"I-I’ve caught... it."

"Great job, Jan! Everyone, attack!"

With the mercenary leader's command, the monster collapsed lifeless onto the filthy sewer floor.

"Hah, hah... Is this another request completed?"

"This one was quite tough."

Breathing heavily, they managed to string words together.

The sewer's stench was awful, but worse was the water rising up to their calves, making even running a severe drain on their stamina.

After confirming the giant rat's death, the mercenary leader gave an order.

"Take a break, everyone. Drink potions and regroup. You'll need the strength to haul this heavy thing to the surface."

"Phew... Roger that."

Jan was the first to uncork a potion bottle.

As he gulped it down, a fellow mercenary chuckled.

"Look at you! Still drinking those Blue Tower potions. These days, White Tower potions are the rage."

"Hah, there must be a reason why the cheap ones are so cheap."

"Didn’t you see all the comparison tests? The White Tower potions are proven to be even more effective."

"If that's true, why are they so cheap?"

"Because the Blue Tower has monopolized the market. If newcomers want to break in, they have to take some losses."

"Hah!"

A man downed a low-tier White Tower potion in one go and shrugged.

"Plus, this one tastes way better. Once they gain more market share, they’ll hike the price, so drink up while you can."

"Hmm..."

Indeed, White Tower potions were causing a sensation among mercenaries recently.

The buzz was that anyone not drinking them was a fool.

Should he consider switching suppliers?

The shop he frequented for years was run by a relative of a Blue Tower mage.

Naturally, they only stocked Blue Tower potions.

But after this mission, he planned to explore other shops.

"So, got any recommendations among the White Tower potions?"

"Of course. The potions are great, but the supplements—ugh!"

Suddenly, the excitedly chattering mercenary coughed up blood.

Startled, Jan rushed to support him.

"Hey! What’s going on? Were you injured badly during the fight?"

"N-no, I wasn’t... cough!"

"Damn it, Jan! Get him to the surface right now!"

Following the leader's urgent command, Jan carried him up to the surface, but his condition was already critical.

"Hey! Dawson! Breathe! Open your eyes!"

"Urgh... gurgle..."

Foaming at the mouth and rolling back his eyes, the mercenary died suddenly, beyond anyone's help.

And similar incidents began to occur across the city of Mosque simultaneously.

* * *

"…What did you say?"

Oscar stared in disbelief at Lena White, the woman who had burst into the special operations office.

She repeated her statement, confirming what he had just heard.

"Mercenaries have died after consuming our potions. Articles are flooding in, and mercenaries and their families are threatening lawsuits."

Sweat beaded on her forehead.

It seemed she had dashed up the stairs, too impatient to wait for the elevator.

"Please, take a seat. Fran, could you bring some tea?"

"On it."

Lena, still catching her breath, began speaking urgently.

"Oscar, something about this feels off."

"What do you mean?"

"I don’t think our potion manufacturing department produced defective products."n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Why do you think that?"

"There are too many strange things. For starters, you know as well as I do that our potion production process is flawless."

Oscar nodded.

It was true.

Their production system was so thorough that defects were virtually impossible.

Stability checks were conducted three times before a potion was finalized.

Even if something defective were made, it would have been caught during these inspections.

"And here’s the kicker: these incidents are only happening in Mosque. Across the entire continent, only Mosque has reported six cases so far."

"…That’s certainly suspicious."

"One more thing. The media seems to have been waiting for this—they’re churning out aggressive headlines like clockwork."

Lena handed him a freshly printed newspaper.

[The Potion of Death! White Tower potions linked to mercenary deaths.]

[Killer Potion: Deadly toxin found in White Tower products.]

[Trust Shattered! Potions meant to save lives bring death instead. A deep dive into the Mosque tragedy.]

"…"

Every headline was sensational and hostile.

If, as Lena suggested, the media had been waiting for this moment, it hinted at possible manipulation.

"Let’s start by having these articles taken down."

"Impossible. We already tried."

"…The press refused a request from the Tower?"

Magic Towers wielded significant influence, recognized by the empire as official military entities.

For them to ignore such a request…

It could only mean the opposing force was equally influential or the media had been heavily incentivized.

Lena cautiously spoke again.

"Could the Blue Tower be behind this?"

"…"

Oscar pondered for a moment before shaking his head.

"I don’t think so."

"Why not? The Blue Tower clearly stands to gain the most from this."

"This move is too sloppy."

If the Blue Tower Master had truly intended to bury the White Tower, they would have done so much more thoroughly.

The scheme would have unfolded so naturally that even those on the receiving end wouldn’t suspect external manipulation.

‘If it’s the Blue Tower Master I know, that’s exactly what they would’ve done.’

Yet this incident was clumsy, sloppy.

It reeked of an amateur’s handiwork.

‘They may have a bit of size, but they’re not experienced in this sort of thing.’

This suggested that the perpetrators were likely a new noble faction or a fledgling business.

But why would such entities bother to tarnish the White Tower’s reputation?

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Furrowing his brows, Oscar asked,

“Has our side officially released a statement about this?”

“We’ve prepared a rebuttal article, but we thought it best for you to make the final call.”

“You did well. For now, stay silent. The White Tower won’t release an official position.”

“What? Are you serious? Don’t we need to clear up the misunderstanding as quickly as possible?”

“Even if we release a rebuttal or an official statement, it won’t clear up the misunderstanding.”

Rushing into a clumsy and premature response would only add fuel to the fire.

Rising from his seat, Oscar spoke firmly.

“I’ll go to Mosque myself to find clues.”

He turned to Fran.

“Let’s go.”

“Huh? Me too?”

Fran, who had been hiding in the corner after serving tea, widened his eyes.

“Of course, you’re coming. You’re involved, after all.”

“...How am I involved? Just because we once made a potion together?”

“No. Your family’s Sirius Trading Company distributes our potions across the continent.”

Of course, the Sirius Trading Company had no reason to stab the White Tower in the back.

However, if someone wanted to sabotage the White Tower, leveraging Sirius Trading’s distribution network would be the most effective way.

“It’ll be easier to get cooperation from the Sirius Trading’s Mosque branch if you’re with me.”

“Well, if it’s for that… fine.”

Oscar turned to Lena.

“What’s the status of the potions distributed in Mosque?”

“We’ve recalled them all and stored them in the Sirius Trading’s warehouse.”

“Good work. Until we arrive, make sure no one touches them.”

* * *

Mosque was a neighboring territory to Sirin, just a five-hour drive away.

Naturally, Oscar and Fran hailed a taxi.

Their previous driver had taken them as far as Sirin, then returned to Vince, rendering the luxury vehicle a beautiful but useless toy until they found a new driver.

“...So this is Mosque. It’s my first time here.”

Fran muttered in awe as he stepped out of the car.

Though the cities weren’t far apart, Mosque’s atmosphere was noticeably different.

Unlike Sirin’s pristine white aesthetic, Mosque had an abundance of drab gray skyscrapers.

“It’s a completely different vibe from Baran, where everything is flashy buildings and neon lights.”

Oscar, observing the gray forest of buildings, remarked,

“I hear this city has a lot of emerging businesses. That also means there’s plenty of friction. It’s even home base to mercenaries because of that.”

Wherever there’s profit, there’s conflict—and mercenaries thrive in such environments.

“On top of that, the surrounding forests and rivers bring in monsters, so there’s no shortage of work for them.”

If he weren’t a mage, Oscar thought, he might have chosen this city as a base until he grew stronger.

“So, where are we headed now?”

“Sirius Trading Company. We need to examine the potions in question first.”

They headed straight to the Mosque branch of the Sirius Trading Company.

As they entered, staff who had been waiting for their arrival approached.

“Are you the representatives from the White Tower?”

“Yes. I’m Oscar Crucian, head of the White Tower’s Potion Division.”

The sheer presence of such a high-profile figure left the staff stiff with tension.

Fran stepped in to ease the atmosphere.

“Relax, everyone. We’re not here to eat you.”

“T-Thank you, young master.”

A middle-aged man swallowed nervously before introducing himself.

“I’m Paul Wagner, head of Sirius Trading’s Mosque branch.”

“Pleased to meet you, Paul. May we examine the recalled White Tower potions?”

“Of course.”

Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Paul quickly led them to the storage area.

“Wow… Are all these potions only sold in Mosque?”

Fran gawked at a storage room packed to the brim with potions.

The towering stacks nearly reached the ceiling, numbering tens of thousands.

“Yes, about 70,000 units. Recently, some of the White Tower’s potions have even surpassed the Blue Tower’s in sales volume.”

“I’d heard the Potion Division was profitable, but seeing it with my own eyes is something else.”

Still overwhelmed by the sight, Fran rolled up his sleeves and turned to Oscar.

“Whew, looks like this will take more than a day or two to sort through. Let’s get started.”

“Start what?”

“Checking the potions for poison with scanning magic, of course. We’ll have to go through them one by one from the top.”

Oscar let out a dry laugh.

“When are you planning to finish at that pace?”

He prepared a large-scale scan spell.

Fran, startled, stopped him.

“Are you insane?! Scanning this many potions at once could overload your brain!”

“I’ll be fine. I’ve scanned larger quantities before.”

As Fran muttered “...Monster,” under his breath, Oscar cast his spell.

“Scan.”

A wave of magic swept through the storage room like a laser.

Oscar’s gaze turned cold.

“Interesting.”

“What’s interesting? Did you find poisoned potions?”

Fran, impatient, asked eagerly, but Oscar slowly shook his head.

Among the nearly 70,000 potions, not a single one contained any trace of poison.

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