Chapter 342: The 2nd Veteran Corporation Shareholders' Meeting
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 342: The 2nd Veteran Corporation Shareholders' Meeting
An nameless ruin on the border of the 40th floor.
Under a sky heavy with dark clouds, a few shadows had gathered.
Three figures: Hastings, a High Manager; Exencion, the head of the Ataraxia family; and a red-haired woman.
"Damn it! What on earth happened?"
Hastings trembled slightly, unable to contain his rage.
His tightly clenched fists looked ready to smash everything to pieces at any moment.
"The power he possesses was greater than expected. Had I joined the fray, I might have lost my life as well."
Exencion spoke in a heavy tone.
It was a situation where even Nietzsche, who possessed Nihilism, and a Demon King, a deity of the Demon World, were no match for him.
Even if Exencion had joined, turning the tide would have been impossible.
Hadn't Jinhyuk even sent Shub-Niggurath back to her original floor?
He had to be considered a monster at least three tiers above their initial estimates.
Right then.
"Just how amazing is this guy that you're all groaning like this?"
The woman, who had been silent, finally spoke.
She had the appearance of a small girl with short hair.
However, it was foolish to judge her age solely by her appearance.
The Red Dragon, 'Tamia'.
She was one of the ancient dragons who inherited the blood of the Red Dragons, the most powerful among the dragon race.
"He is a human who interferes with everything I try to do. He even won over that damn Bendivia, rendering all my efforts useless."
"Heh. Bendivia? Isn't she that Dark Elf Administrator? I remember her being incredibly prickly. To win her over... he must really be something."
Tamia let out a soft exclamation of admiration.
Until now, humans had been nothing more than toys to be trampled to death or burned to ashes on a whim.
After all, weak humans turned to ash with a single wave of their hands.
But now...
She was starting to feel a spark of curiosity toward this player named Kang Jinhyuk.
For an incredibly proud Red Dragon, this was highly unusual.
"He is merely an annoying human. More importantly... do you think the dragon race will readily accept our proposal?"
"Well, dragons are so self-centered that gathering them in one place won't be easy. But if you prepare plenty of gold and treasures, we can coax them somehow."
"Do not worry about that. I can procure as much gold and treasure as needed."
"And don't forget what you promised to give me."
"I know. I will ensure that Lady Tamia succeeds to the position of Lord."
Hastings nodded.
The Gold Dragon currently serving as Lord was an Ancient-class dragon over two thousand years old.
Good-natured and wise, he had been chosen by many dragons to hold the position for over a century.
However, Tamia disliked that an old dragon, who had merely lived a long time and was weaker than her, held the position of Lord.
Right then, Hastings had approached her and scratched that itch.
Kill the incompetent dragon.
And take his place.
He had enticed her, saying that if the stage were set properly, the Lord could be replaced with a justifiable cause.
"So, what is it that I need to do?"
"Our side will handle three locations. Lady Tamia, you just need to lead the dragons and wipe out the most troublesome one."
The Citadel of Giants, where Jinhyuk's base was located.
The Elf Forest.
The lake where the Frostblade Tribe resided.
The psychiatric ward managed by Andrea.
They knew every single place connected to Jinhyuk.
"No matter how great of a monster he is, he won't be able to protect all of them."
A large-scale invasion spearheaded by the powerful dragon race.
Having so many places to defend meant he would inevitably be forced to abandon at least one.
And if he made even a single wrong move amidst the countless tactics and strategies...
That would be the moment they could tear down everything Jinhyuk held dear.
I will stop him from reaching the top of the Tower at all costs.
Hastings began preparing yet another move.
All of this...
To maintain the balance of the Tower.
To prevent the nightmare of the Tower's broken balance from repeating itself...
* * *
A rare, peaceful break.
[Be in front of Gangnam Station Exit 1 by 2 PM tomorrow. If you are late, your survival cannot be guaranteed.]
Along with this warm invitation message, the 2nd Shareholders' Meeting of the Veteran Corporation was convened.
The intention was to foster camaraderie among the employees after a long time and create a warm, friendly company atmosphere.
Though, the biggest reason was actually to weed out any reactionaries who might have harbored second thoughts during their time apart.
However...
The shareholders' meeting, which was supposed to proceed in a chilling atmosphere, fell through surprisingly easily.
"We came out to play, and We have no desire to waste Our time sitting through a stiff meeting!"
Due to Alice's strong insistence, the meeting venue was changed.
The condition was that they go somewhere they had never been before, but it had to include something everyone could enjoy together.
The place they decided on was a PC bang.
Although recently losing ground to VR-only game rooms, it was still a highly popular spot for many.
Alice looked around in wonder.
"Oh. We have heard of this place a few times. Is this the place where young humans grind away their lives?"
"Well, there are people who shut themselves in here all day."
At its worst, some people even ate and slept here for over a month.
It was quite common for them to get kicked out because they smelled so bad.
"It's my first time in a place like this too," Teresa said.
"I'm busy enough catching up on my studies during my breaks. Did you really call me here just to go to a place like this?" Yu-seong grumbled.
Teresa and Cheon Yu-seong each chimed in.
"Isn't it nice to do something like this for a change of pace once in a while?"
"Damn it. For a change of pace, I prefer going to take photos of birds or watching a movie."
"Tsk, tsk. That's why your skills aren't improving. If you had spent your breaks gaming like crazy, you'd be way stronger by now."
"W-What did you say?"
Cheon Yu-seong reflexively reached for his waist.
Realizing he didn't have his sword, he gritted his teeth.
"Whoa, don't get so worked up. If you really can't accept it, want to make a bet on a game here?"
"Choose. No matter what game it is, I will prove that I am superior to you."
Cheon Yu-seong, who had sworn he would never play games, took the bait hook, line, and sinker.
I'll have to make this guy pay for all of today's shareholders' meeting expenses.
It was then.
"Thank you. That old man had my life in his hands, but now I feel like I can finally live without trembling in fear."
Melena, who was walking beside him, spoke up hesitantly.
It was called the Demonic Human Association, but in reality...
...it was a decentralized cell thoroughly controlled by Nietzsche.
Because of that, she never knew when she would be used as a pawn and discarded, or ruthlessly killed.
But now, she was finally liberated from that long-standing terror.
"We wanted to express our gratitude as well. If you hadn't come to Gapcheon, we would have all buried our bones there."
"Yeah. We survived thanks to you. If you ever need anything in the future, just let me know. I can be of some help when it comes to summons."
Min Jung-woo and Lee Yu-ri also offered the thanks they hadn't been able to give last time.
How should he put it?
It didn't feel half bad.
Although they had been forced into the company through ill-fated relationships, a strange sense of camaraderie was beginning to form as they spent time together.
* * *
As soon as Alice took her seat, she demanded to order food first.
She seemed to have heard somewhere that PC bang food was so delicious it could rival decent restaurants.
"A handmade hamburger and french fries set, a chicken mayo rice bowl, Chapagetti topped with cheese and a fried egg, and a Coca-Cola with lots of ice. For dessert, a red velvet cheesecake too! Yes, yes. Prepare all of this for Us."
Alice handed the part-time worker a piece of gold the size of a thumbnail.
"Excuse me, customer... Huh? Uh..."
The part-timer was about to complain, thinking it was some kind of prank, but after biting it lightly with his teeth, his expression did a complete 180.
It was real, pure gold.
And quite heavy, too.
Thanks to that, a lavish feast was laid out in less than three minutes.
A few more gold pieces added to the mix, and they had rented out the entire PC bang as a bonus.
The interior was completely empty, save for the members of the Veteran Corporation
"Oh, this is delicious. We would love to hire them as Our personal chef. No, perhaps buying this entire place and visiting occasionally would be a better idea."
While Alice was munching on her food like a hamster, Jinhyuk chose a game for them to play together.
The game was 'LOL (Legend of Legends)', which had reigned supreme in popularity for several years.
"First, let me teach you the controls. Look closely. These are the movement keys, and the ultimate is..."
"Enough. There is no need to explain such trivialities to a genius like Us."
Alice snorted softly.
['Strongest Pure Blood in the Universe' has selected a champion.]
Vladimir.
Alice naturally chose the Lord of Blood.
"We shall play as this one. Though his elegance falls slightly short of Our own, he is a vampire with quite voluminous, noble white hair and fangs."
"Sure, sure. Of course. Then I'll go with this one."
['Colonel Teemo' has selected a champion.]
Jinhyuk chose Teemo, who primarily uses poisonous mushrooms.
The adorable raccoon-like creature packed up his blowpipe and mushrooms.
"We shall show you the difference in our class! This is the power of a great vampire—"
[First Blood! Colonel Teemo is on a rampage!]
Alice's champion flailed around before dying.
"W-We originally intended to give you a handicap at first. This time, for sure...!"
Pop, pop, pop!
Bang!
Mushrooms dyed the entire screen purple.
[Double Kill!]
[Colonel Teemo is Legendary!]
"Aaaaah! Why? Why is he so weak?! You useless brain-eating mosquito!"
Alice shrieked, grabbing her monitor.
As if she had personally eaten a poisonous mushroom, her desperate screams filled the PC bang.
Then...
...it was Cheon Yu-seong's turn.
"Finally, I can settle the score with you."
It wasn't easy in reality, but in a game, things were different.
This was because he had frantically dug through gaming videos under the pretext of analyzing Jinhyuk.
What style he played.
Where he moved at what minute.
What his favorite items were.
He knew them all inside out.
['Those Who Seek Death Shall Live' has selected 'Yasuo'.]
On this sword...
...I wager everything.
"Sorye ge ton!"
Cheon Yu-seong gripped the keyboard and mouse with the most serious face in the world.
And a few minutes later...
"Aaaaargh! Why? Why can't I even win at this?! My calculations were perfect! My analysis was flawless! You show-off samurai bastard!"
Another person was added to the list of those wailing while clutching their monitors.
"Hehe. As expected, our master is amazing."
"Yeah, yeah! Even pro gamers are no match for Master."
"What are you doing? Hurry up and clap! If you just stare blankly, I'll kill... I mean, we're cheering because we really want to."
"I-I'm clapping as hard as I can! Look, my palms are practically on fire."
"Mooogi!"
The Spirit Tree and Goguma cheered enthusiastically from behind.
This shareholders' meeting is a massive success too.
Jinhyuk wore a satisfied smile.
Seeing everyone having so much fun, he thought it would be nice to gather and play together again next time.
And so...
...a day of rest passed.
Only 24 hours remained until the Auction House opened.