The Final Boss Has Returned 167

Chapter 167

Simseong Iron Stars is being sold!

Moreover, the acquirer of Simseong Iron Stars is none other than Jeil E&M, the company to which Drakan belongs!

That incredible news was enough to pour oil on the flames of the internet public opinion already buzzing about Drakan’s ascension to EX rank.

[Hul? Simseong Iron Stars is being sold? Is this official?]

[Yeah, the official announcement just came out.]

[Are they crazy lol? Jeil is acquiring them?]

[Wow, Jeil’s capital power is insane;;]

[If Iron Stars and JDG merge, wouldn’t that become the largest guild?]

[Still, they can’t compare to Five Eyes;;]

[In terms of single scale, it might be the biggest.]

[Since Lightwing is an elite force, if we’re just talking about size, they might reach the top;]

To use the media’s expression, it was a “Big Deal” in every sense of the word. The merging of the two guilds brought about a tremendous shock.

Until just a moment ago, these two guilds were at each other’s throats, engaging in war and desperate to devour each other. Now they were suddenly sharing a roof and eating from the same pot!

Even in a capitalist society, this was truly unbelievable, an unprecedented event.

[Vice Chairman Shin Jeong-hyeok, appointed to Simseong Electronics’ US branch.]

Meanwhile, the fact that Vice Chairman Shin Jeong-hyeok was appointed to Simseong Electronics’ US branch also surfaced and became a hot topic.

[What’s going on? Why the sudden appointment to the US?]

[Is there a power struggle within the Simseong Group?]

[Shin Jeong-hyeok, who was supporting Iron Stars, has gone to the US lol. Is that why they sold it?]

Rumors about Shin Jeong-hyeok’s move to the US and the sale of Iron Stars were rampant, but they quickly subsided and sank below the surface.

Simseong Group and Jeil Group.

The two chaebols, ranked 2nd and 4th in the business world, joined forces to bury the rumors.

While all sorts of speculation were running wild on the internet, Jeil Group’s acquisition of Simseong Iron Stars was proceeding rapidly.

And finally, after the acquisition of Simseong Iron Stars was complete, Shin Ha-yeon separated the New Media Division, which had been just a business unit of Jeil E&M, and established it as a subsidiary.

The name of the company was Jeil New Media!

It was the moment a giant user management company was born, commanding JDG, Iron Stars, and numerous named users and streamers, including Drakan.

And naturally, the real power of Jeil New Media went to Drakan.

Jeil New Media Headquarters.

Having moved from the Content Hub Building they had been using to a massive office building in the heart of Seoul, the main conference room of Jeil New Media was occupied by the usual members, Shin Ha-yeon, Ignis, and Drakan. But there were two new faces added to the mix.

“I never thought the boss would change so quickly.”

“I never imagined in my wildest dreams that you would become my boss.”

They were the two Over-Rankers, Paul and Layla, who until recently had been part of Simseong Iron Stars and had waged war against Drakan.

The two looked at the man sitting at the head of the table, Drakan, with a strange gaze.

Just as the saying goes, yesterday’s friend is today’s enemy, and yesterday’s enemy is today’s comrade. In Ard World, there were no eternal enemies or friends.

However, it was inevitable that the sudden shift from enemies to allies would feel a bit awkward.

After all, they had been fighting tooth and nail just a few days ago.

“Well, you don’t have any hard feelings towards me, do you? Let’s be professional.”

Drakan said, looking at the two.

“That’s not the case. It’s already over, so what’s the point?”

“It was a war that was impossible to win anyway. And it’s a bit awkward to say this now, but Mr. Shin wasn’t a very good boss.”

Paul and Layla answered with a smile to Drakan’s question.

As Drakan had said, they were professionals and held no personal grudges against him.

It was Vice Chairman Shin Jeong-hyeok who held the grudge, not Paul and Layla.

Of course, during the war with Drakan, they had felt ambition to defeat him and gain fame, and they had also felt humiliated after being completely crushed. But those were only temporary emotions.

In the real world, Paul and Layla were not foolish enough to jeopardize their work due to such fleeting emotions towards their new boss, Drakan.

Above all, Drakan had already achieved EX rank, a class one step higher than themselves, who were Over-Rankers.

Looking back, it was only natural that they had lost to Drakan, a player who had reached the same level as Eugene. Therefore, Paul and Layla were able to quickly accept their defeat.

Moreover, the moment they witnessed his overwhelming power that tore through the sky during the war, Paul and Layla were ashamed of their past selves who dared to dream of challenging his dominance.

Furthermore, the offer made by Drakan and Shin Ha-yeon was not bad.

Shin Jeong-hyeok.

All the various benefits that he had promised and provided were still being honored even now that they were part of Jeil New Media.

So they had no complaints.

No, they were actually looking forward to it.

Drakan.

The legend of the past, and the one who was still writing his legend in the present. The one who was being mentioned as Eugene’s only rival throughout past and present. They were looking forward to what he would accomplish with them in the future.

Drakan looked at Paul and Layla and smiled.

“As expected, a professional attitude. This is why I like professionals.”

Drakan said so in a sincere voice.

Organizations formed based on things like loyalty and camaraderie may appear strong on the surface, but once they exceed a certain size, they become like castles built on sand.

Drakan believed that an organization driven by mutual interests was more efficient in managing a large-scale operation.

Of course, the side effects could not be ignored.

Being united by mutual interests meant that once those interests were gone, the organization would lose its central focus.

The reason why the Iron Blood Alliance and the Guild Alliance collapsed so easily in the latter half of the World Revolution was because the massive benefits that had bound the organizations together, the hegemony of the continent, were gradually disappearing.

‘But this time, I won’t lose, so it doesn’t matter.’

The reason why the Guild Alliance and the Iron Blood Alliance had collapsed so easily in the previous game was because he had been defeated.

And Drakan had no intention of repeating the defeat of the previous game.

Therefore, Jeil New Media would never crumble as easily as the Iron Blood Alliance or the Guild Alliance of the past.

Rather, Eugene.

His Five Eyes would eventually crumble and fall apart.

Thinking so, Drakan looked at Paul and Layla.

In any case, the two Over-Rankers were acting professionally, not letting personal feelings interfere with their work, and following him.

As long as he continued to satisfy their interests, they would never betray him.

They couldn’t join Five Eyes now, and the capitalist handcuffs that Shin Ha-yeon had crafted to bind them were not something that could be easily undone.

“Good to hear that you like the boss.”

“What are the plans for the future?”

Drakan nodded at Paul’s words and smiled at Layla’s question, then immediately answered.

“Hegemony of Ard World.”

Hegemony!

The moment Drakan uttered that single word, silence fell over the conference room.

Drakan.

The fact that he was aiming for the hegemony of Ard World was practically an open secret among the Rankers, even if the general users were unaware.

However, Drakan never outwardly revealed his ambition to challenge for hegemony.

Of course, it was true that Drakan’s actions since his return had been quite unconventional, and he had made several moves that could be contrasted with Eugene’s. However, Drakan himself had never openly declared that he was aiming for Eugene’s position.

But now, here, Drakan had finally declared his challenge for hegemony publicly.

The silence that hung in the air after Drakan’s declaration was broken by none other than Ignis.

“Are the preparations finally complete?”

The preparations he was referring to were none other than the preparations for the challenge for hegemony.

Drakan shook his head at Ignis’s words.

“No, not yet.”

“What part is lacking, boss?”

“Eugene and I are currently both EX rank. If this fight were a one-on-one duel, I’m confident I could defeat him. But the fight with him is not a one-on-one duel.”

Drakan continued, his eyes sharp as he scanned the room.

As he said, if it were a one-on-one duel, Drakan had a good chance of winning.

Even during the World Revolution, Drakan had a slight edge over Eugene in one-on-one combat.

“He has the Lightwing Guild, Five Eyes, the Infinite Eugene Church, the Holy Alliance, and even the strong support of the common people. Compared to that, our power is still insignificant.”

However, war was not fought by individuals, and Eugene still had countless forces at his disposal.

To face them head-on, the power held by Drakan, the Dark Alliance, and Jeil New Media was still quite insufficient.

It was an objective disadvantage in terms of power, and everyone in the room was aware of that fact.

Just looking at the number of Over-Rankers they possessed, they had five, including Sword Emperor Wu Jing of Xiongmao eSports. But Eugene’s side had a whopping fourteen, even excluding Eugene himself, who was classified separately as a Top Ranker.

The numbers simply didn’t add up.

“Then why did you mention the challenge for hegemony, boss?”

Paul asked in response to Drakan’s words.

As Drakan had said, it was too early to declare a challenge for hegemony at this stage.

Drakan smiled at that question.

“We are weak, and the enemy is strong. Then we must first divide the enemy’s forces.”

Drakan’s words were perfectly logical.

The enemy is too strong, so weaken them by dividing their forces!

It was the very basics of strategy.

The problem was that it was easier said than done. It was practically an impossible task to sow discord and divide the solid alliance that had ruled Ard World for over six years since the World Revolution.

“Would that be as easy as it sounds?”

Therefore, it was natural for Layla to express her doubts.

Drakan nodded at the question and said,

“While we were at war with you, I’ve already watered the seeds of discord that I planted.”

The information operations he had conducted through Shin Ha-yeon.

The results were about to show.

“Soon, the seeds will sprout and bloom, so you can look forward to it.”

Drakan said so with a smile.

And not long after, an article was uploaded to a famous paparazzi media outlet.

[(Exclusive) Famous Ard Saga Second user Mr. A, embroiled in ‘cheating’ controversy.]

It was the moment when the seeds of discord that Drakan had sown long ago finally began to sprout.