The Final Boss Has Returned 125

Chapter 125

Seocho-dong Simseong Town.

In the massive conference room of the building where Simseong Group’s headquarters is located, a meeting was being held led by Shin Jeong-hyeok, the crown prince of the Simseong Group.

At the head of the conference table.

Vice Chairman Shin Jeong-hyeok was seated there.

Next to Shin Jeong-hyeok stood his chief secretary, who assisted him 24/7, and at the long conference table behind them sat the Iron Axe Guild members from the United States and the Shooting Star Guild members from Europe, facing each other.

“Welcome to Korea.”

It was Shin Jeong-hyeok who broke the silence of the conference room first.

Shin Jeong-hyeok!

He had acquired two of the nine great guilds through the vast wealth of the Simseong Group.

Originally, his goal was to acquire all three guilds, excluding JDG and Five Eyes, by also incorporating Xiongmao eSports, which dominated the western part of Ard World.

However, unfortunately, his wish did not come true as Xiongmao Group, the Chinese conglomerate and parent company of Xiongmao eSports, rejected Vice Chairman Shin’s guild acquisition offer.

However, unlike Xiongmao eSports, which was operated through sponsors without a parent company, Shooting Star Guild, representing Europe, and Iron Axe Guild, representing North America, came under Shin Jeong-hyeok’s control after fierce behind-the-scenes negotiations. Indeed, it could be said that there was almost nothing impossible with money in a capitalist society.

No matter how famous Over-Rankers or members of the nine great guilds they were in Ard World, they could not refuse the sweet temptation offered by the establishment that ruled the real world.

“Korea. I’ve heard it’s the birthplace of eSports. It’s a new feeling to be here.”

The first to speak after Shin Jeong-hyeok was Paul, the guild master of Iron Axe Guild and a famous Over-Ranker nicknamed the “Axe King.”

Paul, a black man with a solid physique standing at 190cm even in reality, said this with a smile.

The birthplace of eSports!

That’s right.

From the birth of eSports until now, most star gamers have come from Korea, and this was still the case even now, with the virtual reality game Ard Saga dominating the game market.

This was because Eugene, the top-ranked player in Ard Saga, was Korean.

Unlike Paul, who was smiling pleasantly while giving lip service, Layla, another Over-Ranker sitting opposite him, spoke to Vice Chairman Shin in a polite but business-like tone.

“Mr. Shin. What is the reason you have gathered us here?”

Two major guilds representing Europe and North America, respectively!

Moreover, unlike other factions that were hegemons of a single region, these two guilds coexisted in the southern region, engaging in subtle, behind-the-scenes competition.

Layla was curious about the reason why he had used money to bind these two guilds, which had a subtle rivalry due to their competition for hegemony in North America, Europe, and the south, into a single entity.

Of course, she already knew that Shin Jeong-hyeok had terminated the contract with the Simseong Milky Way Guild, which had fallen from the ranks of the top 10 guilds.

The Simseong Milky Way Guild, whose contract was terminated, lost even the right to use the name “Simseong Milky Way” and disbanded, with its remnants being absorbed by JDG, which had conquered the north with Drakan.

In such a situation, it was not surprising that Shin Jeong-hyeok would acquire a guild to replace the Simseong Milky Way Guild.

The problem was why he had spent so much money to acquire two guilds simultaneously!

Shin Jeong-hyeok smiled when asked that question.

“There’s only one thing I want from you.”

After saying that, Shin Jeong-hyeok took a deep breath to calm his trembling heart and spoke again.

“To kill that bastard Drakan, and furthermore, to destroy JDG and Jeil E&M!”

Sparks flew from Shin Jeong-hyeok’s eyes as he said those words.

Shin Jeong-hyeok.

He wanted to humiliate Drakan, JDG, and furthermore, Shin Ha-yeon, who had dared to hurt his pride, no matter the cost.

If Drakan had been an ordinary person, Shin Jeong-hyeok could have used his wealth and power to make his life in Korean society so miserable that he would want to disappear. However, unfortunately, Drakan’s surroundings were protected by Shin Ha-yeon, a fellow chaebol, making it impossible to attack him in reality.

Therefore, the only option left was to thoroughly destroy Drakan and his party in the game.

That was exactly what Shin Jeong-hyeok had in mind.

“That’s going to be difficult right now, boss.”

Paul expressed his disapproval after hearing those words.

“He’s right. We might have been able to do it before, but now that Drakan has become an Over-Ranker, we can’t just touch him recklessly.”

Layla agreed with Paul.

She was right.

Drakan!

Before he ascended to the position of Over-Ranker, it might have been possible, but now, even with the two guilds united, it was close to a hopeless endeavor.

Shin Jeong-hyeok’s brow furrowed deeply when he received the negative response.

“What’s the reason?”

“Are you asking because you don’t know, boss? They have more power than us. Drakan is not alone. He has JDG and Ignis by his side, the named streamers of Jeil E&M, his fandom, and crucially, the users and powerhouses of the Dark Alliance. Fighting them now would be a sure defeat.”

Paul kindly explained to his employer, in summary, why it wouldn’t work.

As he explained, even with the two guilds combined, Drakan’s side currently had more power.

JDG!

Led by the Over-Ranker Ignis, their power, having conquered the north following the east, was considerable, and Drakan had the support of the Dark Alliance’s powerhouses and users.

With the unlocking of the RvR system, users were divided into two factions, the Alliance and the Union. Even though the Union had a smaller population than the Alliance, the power held by Drakan, the leader of a ‘faction,’ was not something that could be overcome by the mere union of two guilds.

“Huu.”

Shin Jeong-hyeok cooled his boiling anger after hearing the explanation.

Lack of objective power.

Shin Jeong-hyeok was not stupid enough to misunderstand such an explanation.

Although he sometimes tended to let his emotions get the better of him, he was not foolish enough to throw everything away because of his feelings.

‘I should have acquired Xiongmao eSports after all.’

Xiongmao eSports!

If he had succeeded in acquiring that guild, which was sponsored by China’s Xiongmao Group and had an incredibly large number of guild members, as befitting the name of China!

Thinking that far, Shin Jeong-hyeok shook his head.

Since their owner, Xiongmao Group, would not sell it even for a fortune, there was nothing more Shin Jeong-hyeok could do, no matter how much money he had.

If they had been a domestic company, he could have used the power of the Simseong Group to do something, but unfortunately, Xiongmao Group was a Chinese company, so that was not possible.

“I’ll provide you with as much support as you need. It doesn’t matter how long it takes, just make sure you can completely destroy everything about Jeil E&M.”

Shin Jeong-hyeok trembled as he spoke.

Someday.

Yes, if it meant waiting for the future, he would wait as long as it took.

As long as he could destroy Drakan, JDG, and furthermore, Jeil E&M!

Shin Jeong-hyeok suppressed his ugly jealousy and inferiority complex as he made this resolution.

And the two Over-Rankers were watching Shin Jeong-hyeok with expressions of amusement.

▄ ▄ ▄

The cold silence that followed Secretary Kim’s words.

It was I who broke it.

“This is clearly an act targeting me.”

Vice Chairman Shin Jeong-hyeok!

I had already heard about him from Shin Ha-yeon during the previous war with the north.

A man who, from childhood to the present, had harbored an inferiority complex towards Shin Ha-yeon, a man who could be considered pathetic!

If he had been an ordinary person, it might have ended with just being pathetic, but he was not an ordinary person; he was the successor of the giant conglomerate, Simseong Group.

And that must have led to today’s situation.

“It’s not just you, Drakan-nim.”

Shin Ha-yeon approached and whispered in my ear in a sweet voice.

“He’s aiming for everything I have in Ard World. Really, he’s been a consistently pathetic person since childhood.”

I smiled after hearing Shin Ha-yeon’s words.

She was right.

It was unlikely that Vice Chairman Shin would have spent so much money just to deal with me.

The one he truly harbored an inferiority complex towards was Shin Ha-yeon!

His ultimate goal must be this vast kingdom called Jeil E&M that she had built in Ard World!

“Truly, it’s been a while since I’ve met an opponent who uses their head so adorably.”

The smile on Shin Ha-yeon’s lips deepened at my words.

The scale had certainly become larger than in the previous game.

At least back then, a chaebol had never interfered.

But the essence remained the same.

Interfering with quests, obstructing my movements, and ultimately, waging war.

It was a scheme I had experienced countless times, from the previous game to Second.

“So, what are you going to do this time?”

Shin Ha-yeon’s question pierced my ears like a song.

I took a swig of the bottled water on the table and answered her.

“First of all, they won’t launch an all-out war against us unless they’re crazy. Our forces are overwhelmingly stronger.”

Two guilds that had been vying for hegemony in the south had become one!

It was a significant event, as much as the nine great guilds being reduced to eight, and the power of the new guild that would be born from this merger would undoubtedly be as massive as one of the Five Eyes. However, that did not mean they could defeat me through war.

If they waged war against me, who could wield the power of the entire ‘Dark Alliance’ faction, they would have no choice but to suffer a crushing defeat.

“I would be grateful if they launched an all-out war against us, but they’re not going to do that since they have brains. And we don’t have a justification to start a war either.”

In the previous game, it was possible to wage war without any justification, but not in Second.

Changwang Rio, who had fallen at my hands, had not included nonsense like ‘justice’ in his declaration of war video for no reason.

In the current world where Eugene ruled Ard World, a war without justification would not only fail to gain the support of the users but also risk receiving a command from Eugene in the name of a ‘ceasefire request.’

As someone who cared more about the support of the users than anyone else, a war without justification was a strategy I absolutely could not choose.

Furthermore, the main story of Broken World was currently in full swing.

With the conquest of the colonies rooted in the world being the top priority, there was no need to engage in unnecessary fighting between users.

However, that did not mean we had to sit idly by and be attacked.

“After the conquest of the eastern colony, using the Dark Elves to take control of the Great Southern Forest, and in the process, subtly provoking the enemies who have taken control of the south, inducing them to attack, would be the best option for now.”

Dark Elves!

Using them, the allied race that had joined the Dark Alliance, to spread the influence of the Dark Alliance throughout the Great Southern Forest.

That was the strategy I had come up with.

The Great Southern Forest was an important territory.

If the native Dark Elves continued to expand their territory in such a forest, and the enemies retaliated, it would immediately lead to war. If not, we could consume the entire forest. Either way, it was a win for us and a loss for the enemy.

Thinking that far, I smiled, and seeing that, Shin Ha-yeon gently took my hand and smiled back.

Now, it was time to put the decisions made in the meeting into action in Ard World.