The Final Boss Has Returned 166

Chapter 166

“As promised, I will sell Simseong Iron Stars to Jeil Group.”

It was the sale of Simseong Iron Stars!

That’s right.

The sale of Simseong Iron Stars was one of the stakes in the bet between Shin Ha-yeon and Chairman Shin Hyeon-sik regarding the outcome of the war.

“What about Vice Chairman Shin?”

“As promised, he’ll be sent to the US branch for two or three years to cool his head. His childish pranks are enough for a lifetime.”

Chairman Shin Hyeon-sik sipped the tea on the table as he spoke.

The subtle scent of the tea tickled his nose.

The second stake of the bet.

It was to send Shin Jeong-hyeok to an overseas branch.

And Chairman Shin Hyeon-sik readily accepted that stake.

Simseong Group’s main business was manufacturing, including semiconductors and smartphones, not the culture industry.

Ard World was an attractive market, but not attractive enough for Simseong Group to enter.

Of course, Simseong Group operated sports teams, but Chairman Shin Hyeon-sik thought Shin Jeong-hyeok’s recent obsession with Ard Saga Second was excessive.

As the crown prince who would inherit the vast empire of Simseong Group, obsessing over such trivial matters was a bad habit.

And if this opportunity could correct that habit and broaden his perspective, Chairman Shin Hyeon-sik was willing to accept the stake of the bet.

“You are right, Chairman. Jeong-hyeok really needs to fix his temper.”

Shin Ha-yeon smiled and lifted her teacup.

Chairman Shin Hyeon-sik looked at her and slowly spoke.

“But tell me, if I had won, were you really thinking of selling the entire New Media Business Division of Jeil E&M, including Drakan?”

“Yes.”

Shin Ha-yeon nodded at Chairman Shin Hyeon-sik’s words.

The counter-offer that Shin Ha-yeon had to pay if she lost the bet.

It was the condition that she would hand over the New Media Business Division of Jeil E&M, the division that oversees all businesses related to Ard Saga Second, including Drakan, Ignis, and JDG, to Simseong Group.

“I don’t care whether I win or lose, but what made you confident enough to bet that?”

And it was, as Chairman Shin Hyeon-sik said, a fatal stake.

Unlike Simseong Group, whose main business was manufacturing, Jeil Group’s main business was the culture industry.

Of course, Jeil E&M was a huge company.

From cable broadcasting stations to music records, performances, and entertainment management, it was a large company worthy of being called a media behemoth that supported the entire culture industry of South Korea.

Compared to the entirety of Jeil E&M, the New Media Business Division could be said to be not a big stake.

It wasn’t that the New Media Business Division was small, but that Jeil E&M was too big.

But Chairman Shin Hyeon-sik knew well.

The New Media Business Division was the so-called ‘future food,’ in which Jeil E&M, no, Shin Ha-yeon in front of him, was enthusiastically investing.

In other words, Shin Ha-yeon had put the future of the giant conglomerate Jeil Group on the scales of the gambling table and made a bet with him.

And this was the reason why Chairman Shin Hyeon-sik accepted the bet she offered.

Although it was much diluted now, Simseong Group and Jeil Group were, after all, relatives worse than strangers, separated due to the management dispute in their fathers’ generation.

He thought it wouldn’t be a big loss for him if he could take away the ‘future’ of Jeil Group with just this much of a bet.

Of course, the result was the opposite, but that wasn’t a bad thing either.

Simseong Iron Stars was a chicken rib anyway, and Chairman Shin thought this much was not a bad price if he could fix Shin Jeong-hyeok’s temper through this incident.

Shin Ha-yeon smiled and answered Chairman Shin Hyeon-sik’s question.

“Drakan-nim.”

“Drakan?”

“Yes, Drakan-nim. Since Drakan-nim would never lose, this bet was mine to win from the beginning.”

Shin Hyeon-sik laughed at her words.

Shin Ha-yeon.

Shin Hyeon-sik knew well that she was not an ordinary person.

She was a monster who not only pushed out her male siblings in a body of a woman whose right to inherit was not recognized, but also turned her father into an old man in the back room.

Shin Ha-yeon was a truly legendary figure, rarely found even in the business world where sibling rivalry was common.

Therefore, Chairman Shin Hyeon-sik did not underestimate Shin Ha-yeon simply because she was young.

‘So that’s the person Shin Ha-yeon chose.’

Shin Hyeon-sik’s eyes narrowed.

He had never seen Shin Ha-yeon mention that she trusted her subordinates.

That’s why he might be more curious about this person called Drakan.

Moreover, there were widespread rumors that Drakan and Shin Ha-yeon were in a romantic relationship.

“How much do you trust him?”

“Drakan-nim is my partner. Without Drakan-nim, I wouldn’t be able to gain control of the new media market represented by Ard Saga Second.”

“So that’s how it is.”

Shin Hyeon-sik nodded at Shin Ha-yeon’s words, who did not hide her ambition.

Control of the new media market.

It was already an open secret in the business world that this was what Shin Ha-yeon wanted.

Beyond the distribution business, including department stores and hypermarkets, and the media business represented by K-pop and the Korean Wave, Shin Ha-yeon’s ultimate desire was to seize control of the new media market represented by Ard Saga Second.

And the pawn she put forward to gain control of the new media market was Drakan.

Shin Ha-yeon was saying that.

“Of course, Drakan-nim is also my lover personally.”

Shin Ha-yeon added those words, showing Shin Hyeon-sik a sincere smile, different from before.

She was right.

Drakan.

He was truly the only partner Shin Ha-yeon had in mind, and she sincerely believed that no one else deserved to be by her side.

If she had poured the same support into someone else, could that person have achieved the same results as now?

Shin Ha-yeon thought absolutely not.

She thought that her support was important, but in the end, it was because of Drakan that they had reached this point.

She was sure that even if she had given someone else the same support as Drakan, they would not have achieved this much.

‘My insight was not wrong.’

Shin Ha-yeon recalled her first meeting with Drakan.

She met Drakan at this very place, at this very spot, and recruited him to Jeil E&M.

When she met Drakan, Shin Ha-yeon was certain.

Drakan was the perfect candidate for rebellion.

And today, Drakan finally proved to the world that he was the only talent for rebellion by reaching EX rank.

And Shin Ha-yeon was overjoyed by that fact.

Shin Ha-yeon smiled.

“It’s a good time.”

Seeing Shin Ha-yeon smiling, Shin Hyeon-sik smiled faintly, finished the tea in front of him, and put down the empty teacup.

“Thanks to you, I enjoyed a good show.”

“It was a good meeting for me too.”

“I hope things will continue to go well for you.”

Shin Hyeon-sik said so and got up from his seat, and Shin Ha-yeon kept smiling as she watched him.

Thus, the secret talks between the rulers of the two major conglomerates at the Sky Lounge of Jeil World Tower came to an amicable end.

▄ ▄ ▄

After the Battle of the Black Plain ended with the defeat of Simseong Iron Stars.

Xiongmao eSports surrendered as if they had been waiting.

[This war was unilaterally initiated by Simseong Iron Stars, and since they have surrendered, there is no longer any meaning for us, Xiongmao eSports, to continue the war. Therefore, we declare our surrender.]

Right after Xiongmao eSports surrendered, the war finally ended with the victory of Drakan, JDG, and the Dark Alliance.

But the users’ attention was not on the outcome of the war.

As soon as the news that Drakan had become an EX-Ranker spread, the entire internet was turned upside down.

[EX-Rank for real?]

[Drakan?]

[Honestly, wasn’t it an expected result? lol]

[Drakan-nim is now on par with Eugene lol]

[Is the Infinite Eugene Church’s reign finally coming to an end?]

[Long live Drakan-nim!]

[Kyaa lol The Yu-kkwis’ collective silence is so good lol]

[It’s the Heuk-us’ world now!]

Drakan!

His reaching EX rank did not simply mean that a ranker on par with Eugene had appeared.

Drakan was a former rival of Eugene, the current head of the Dark Alliance, which was the opposing faction of Eugene, and the de facto center of the anti-Infinite Eugene Church forces.

The fact that he had reached EX rank meant that a true counterpart to Eugene had finally appeared.

[Did you see Overlord’s Sword? lol]

[No, the sky splits with just one swing of the sword? Oh lol]

[Really on par with Eugene now;]

[- What are you talking about? No matter how strong Drakan is, he can’t compare to Eugene-nim yet;; Did you already forget what Eugene-nim showed during the Broken World?]

[- You’re a Yu-kkwi]

[- Yu-kkwis are still alive lol Ah lol Go to your cafe lol]

Moreover, users paid attention to the divine power Drakan showed on the battlefield.

Overlord’s Sword and World of Steel.

People began to be enthusiastic about Drakan’s appearance, which was truly overwhelming and capable of quickly incapacitating two Over-Rankers.

The followers of the Infinite Eugene Church, sensing the atmosphere of public opinion, desperately defended Eugene and tried to belittle Drakan by engaging in keyboard battles simultaneously across the internet, but it was impossible to pick up spilled water.

That wasn’t all.

Aerial Mobile Fortress Voltaha.

It was natural that enormous attention was focused on the super weapon that overwhelmed the battlefield with just a brief appearance at the end.

[Is that Voltaha?]

[It’s Voltaha lol]

[No, when did they build that?]

[I heard building that was the Awakening Quest]

[It’s truly Drakan’s era now ah lol]

[The waves in front of the Yangtze River are leaving lol]

Internet opinion was already heating up in support of Drakan.

Drakan.

It was the moment when the tower of public opinion that he had painstakingly built since his return to Second finally shone, and at the same time, it was the moment when the karma of the Infinite Eugene Church’s extreme fandom, which had been wreaking havoc on the internet, came back to them.

Thus, the users’ opinions were finally completely divided into two sides: the Holy Alliance and Eugene, and Drakan’s Dark Alliance.

It was the moment when Drakan’s public opinion division operation was a complete success.

Just as the entire internet was buzzing with Drakan’s ascension to EX rank.

Another major incident that shook the internet began to appear in news articles.

[(Breaking News) Simseong Iron Stars acquired by Jeil E&M. Is there a ‘Seismic Shift’ happening in the Eight Great Guilds?]

[Industry’s first ‘Big Deal’ concluded. Simseong Iron Stars becomes ‘One Family’ with Drakan and JDG.]

[Simseong Group sells Simseong Iron Stars. Is it an aftereffect of the defeat in this war?]

It was the sale of Simseong Iron Stars!

It was the moment when Chairman Shin Hyeon-sik fulfilled his bet with Shin Ha-yeon.