[Shocking News – The world is stunned by the announcement of the most perfect new drug ever created!South Korea's Luktic receives praise from across the globe!]
[Luktic's products leave Americans desperate!Governments around the world beg with clasped hands, asking for exports to their own countries!]
[Luktic's technology shocks the world!America is moved to tears, Japan is left reeling, China burns with envy, and Germany does somersaults in disbelief!]
These were the kinds of videos racking up millions of views as they rode the Korean YouTube algorithm day after day.
So-called "national pride" content.
Recently, creators in that genre had begun mass-producing videos centered entirely on Luktic.
And there was a reason for it.
Major media outlets had widely reported that Luktic's products had ranked number one in online sales in the United States.
"Tsk…Well, to be honest, that's a bit exaggerated."
In reality, the products had reached first place only within the retail stores and online platforms operated by Target, one of many U.S. distribution companies.
However, the media framed it as if Luktic had taken first place across all U.S. retail stores and e-commerce platforms.
Since yesterday, articles with that narrative had begun flooding portal news pages at an astonishing pace.
Perhaps the government had lent a hand.
After the press conference announcing approval of Luktic's new drugs, the administration's approval ratings had shown a statistically meaningful increase.
It felt like they were thinking, Strike while the iron is hot.
Meanwhile, a large number of letters and postcards had begun arriving at Luktic's headquarters from all over the country.
Most were messages of gratitude.
People wrote that thanks to Luktic's new drugs, a family member's life had been saved, or that they had finally escaped a horrific illness.
Similar testimonials were spreading rapidly online and across social media.
As time passed, public opinion within Korea was steadily becoming more favorable—toward both me and Luktic.
I received a report from my secretary.
"CEO, Target has requested an additional shipment.They estimate that the inventory imported during the last shipment will be completely sold out within two weeks."
Just as the patriotic YouTubers claimed, Luktic's products were not actually number one in every U.S. retail outlet and online platform.
But ironically, that made the sheer scale of the American consumer market even more tangible.
Just one distributor's retail network ranking first in sales—
and yet, products worth hundreds of billions of won were selling out in barely two weeks.
It was a vivid demonstration of the terrifying purchasing power of the U.S. market.
If demand at this level continued steadily in the U.S.,Luktic would begin posting revenues worthy of a full-fledged conglomerate starting this very year.
"Our Yangseo County factory still has enough production capacity, right?"
"Yes, CEO. There's still plenty of room.Current utilization is around 60%."
Six months ago, Chairman Choi Chang-sik of Daesung Group had invested ₩500 billion into constructing a massive factory complex in Yangseo County.
Looking back now, it had been an extraordinarily wise decision.
That enormous production capacity could now absorb the black-hole-like demand pouring in from the United States and convert it directly into revenue.
Once approval for the modified new drug hair-loss treatment came through and manufacturing and sales began,Luktic's already steep revenue curve would accelerate exponentially.
We would become, without question,the number one pharmaceutical company in South Korea.
No—judging by the current trajectory,we might grow into a company ranked among the largest in the world.
And yet, a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
Was the Akashic Records unlocking knowledge only in the field of medicine?
That seemed unlikely.
The very first technology I had unlocked was alchemy—the transmutation of base metal into gold.
If that was the case,then perhaps technologies and knowledge just as powerful and transcendent as medicinewould eventually be unlocked in other fields as well.
I recalled the progress gauge displayed on the quantum computer back at my house in Yangseo County.
[Hair Growth Agent] (Tier 1)Progress toward next knowledge: [1 / 1000]
Once that gauge was filled,perhaps I would finally obtain the answer to that question.
Then, another concern surfaced.
Now that Luktic's name was beginning to spread worldwide,wouldn't the global pharmaceutical giants—Big Pharma—start taking notice and moving against us?
Compared to the pressure and attacks Shinjeon Pharmaceutical had once directed at us,what these multinational giants could unleash would likely be on an entirely different level.
Just in case,I decided that from now on,I would need to find a secure location to store the quantum computer.
***
White, Chairman of WhiteLily,one of the world's top three pharmaceutical corporations,had recently been feeling an unusual sense of tension.
The cause was a newly approved drugfrom a small East Asian countrythat the global pharmaceutical industry had long considered a peripheral market.
According to the reports he received,two drugs had just been approved:
The Skin Regeneration Agentand Elixir.
Of the two, the truly threatening one was Elixir.
The Skin Regeneration Agent was certainly innovative—but its effects were largely limited to treating burn scars.It wasn't a drug that would shake the entire pharmaceutical industry.
Elixir was different.
According to the Korean regulatory authority's official data,Elixir was not limited to treating a single disease.
It showed meaningful therapeutic effectsacross a vast range of rare diseases, chronic illnesses,and even cancer.
There was a reason Luktic had dared to name their drug"Elixir"—a term historically associated with panaceas and immortality.
"Elixir…The universal cure, the elixir of life spoken of in medieval alchemy.What an arrogant product name."
Across the global pharmaceutical industry,emergency alarms were already ringing.
Countless treatments developed over decades—with enormous investments of capital and time—were now at risk of being rendered obsoleteby a single drug.
Worse still,according to Korean regulators,Elixir's method of administration was astonishingly simple.
Oral intake.Or a single intravenous injection.
That was it.
For now, approval was limited to Korea.
But once Elixir began receiving approval overseas and exports started,the damage to global pharmaceutical companieswould be catastrophic.
Given Elixir's miraculous efficacy,it was also highly likely that fast-track approval procedureswould be applied worldwide.
A doomsday timer had begun tickingfor the global pharmaceutical industry.
"…This cannot be allowed to continue.We must find a way to respond."
White immediately issued orders.
All of WhiteLily's research divisions were instructedto prioritize analysis of Luktic's products and technologies above all else.
WhiteLily's Korean branch had already reportedthat Luktic Cream and Luktic Drink,currently distributed in the U.S. through Target,appeared to be derived from the manufacturing technologiesof the Skin Regeneration Agent and Elixir.
The first step was to determinewhat those products were made ofand how they produced such miraculous effects.
"We possess overwhelming financial power.Mobilize all research capabilities.Analyze their technology and reverse-engineer it.If necessary, we can even buy out their core researchers."
White reassured himself with those words,forcing a meaningful smile onto his face.
***
[visitor2941]:
I bought Luktic products at Target—honestly, the effects are insane.
[investor397]:
I drank Luktic Drink and my cold disappeared in a single day!Even my chronic rhinitis cleared up completely!
[monster13]:
The effects last almost a week from just one bottle.And it only costs $8? This is basically a divine beverage.
[visitor1253]:
And Luktic Cream—what is this?I applied a single cream and my skin improved this much? Unreal.
[revolutionary000]:
To hell with the giant pharma and insurance companies that drained people dry for years.From now on, we just drink Luktic Drink.
On Reddit, one of America's largest online communities,threads praising Luktic products filled the front pages.
Howard,Head of Overseas Product Planning at Target,watched the reactions with deep satisfaction.
A colleague beside him spoke up.
"Howard, this is incredible.Honestly, I was worried sales would spike early and then taper off…but instead, they keep increasing.Word of mouth is exploding."
Howard replied with confidence.
"Haha, of course.You've tried the products yourself, Alex.Once someone uses Luktic's products,there's no going back to anything else."
"…That's true."
The inventory Target had imported was already nearing depletion.
Additional shipments were urgently needed.
Target had already sent a request to Luktic for more supply,and Luktic had responded positively.
Considering the shipping time from Busan Port to Long Beach,new shipments had to depart Korea as soon as possible.
Otherwise, U.S. inventory would run dry within one to two weeks.
"Oh—right. Howard.Are we also handling the import proceduresfor Luktic's new drugs?"
"That's right.Our pharmaceutical subsidiary, Target Medicine,will soon apply to the FDA for approval.We'll mobilize industry experts and lawyersto pursue breakthrough therapy designation, fast-track approval,and every possible method to shorten the process."
"Incredible, Howard.You really found an unbelievable partner."
"All thanks to my daughter.Anyway, if we don't want other distributors stealing them away,we'll need to stay on Luktic's good side."
"Agreed."
***
At the headquarters of WhiteLily,Chairman White was receiving an interim reportfrom the company's Chief Technology Officer.
It was the preliminary analysisof Luktic's products conducted by WhiteLily's research teams.
"Please explain the findings.What exactly are these products made ofto produce such absurd effects?"
"…We… cannot determine the composition."
"…What?"
"And their mechanism of action is even more impossible to analyze."
The CTO spoke hesitantly.
"Our experiments and analyses show reactionsthat cannot be explainedby existing chemical knowledge or medical technology."
"…Are you telling me they're using technology that doesn't exist?"
"We cannot rule that out.It's possible that Luktic possessesa form of technology far more advancedthan anything currently known."
White stared in disbelief.
"Luktic is a startup.Yes, it's growing fast,but it's still nothing more than a 'large startup' from our perspective.And you're saying that such a companyhas developed technology surpassing what global pharmaceutical giants—including us—have poured hundreds of trillions of won into researching?"
"Technological progress isn't determined solely by funding.Usually, yes—but there is one factor that can overturn everything."
"And that is?"
"People.Once in a great while,an overwhelming genius appears—someone capable of overturning all conditionsand producing unimaginable results."
Silence filled the office.
It was the scenario White feared most.
The emergence of a once-in-a-century geniuscapable of overturning the board.
And that genius had appearedin a small country at the far edge of the world.
"…Are you sayingthat such a genius exists at Luktic?"
"Yes.Otherwise, none of this makes sense."
White knew it all too well.
In high-tech industries, once the balance shifts,the entire industry can be rewrittenin the blink of an eye.
If the CTO's analysis was correct,then the pharmaceutical industrywas on the brink of a catastrophic upheaval.
White's face turned pale.
At that moment,a bone-deep fear gripped him.
If this continues, WhiteLily—no, all global pharmaceutical giants—will lose their positions at the top.We must stop this.No matter the cost.