Solo Max-Level Newbie - Chapter 342: The 2nd Veteran Corporation Shareholders' Meeting
A nameless ruin at the edge of the 40th floor.
Dark clouds loomed overhead, and in this dreary place, a few figures had gathered.
There were three: the senior administrator Hasting, the head of the Ataraxia family, Exenscion, and a red-haired woman.
“Damn it! What the hell is going on?”
Hasting’s body shook violently with rage, unable to contain his frustration.
His clenched fists looked ready to smash everything around him.
“He was far stronger than we anticipated. If I had joined the fight, I too might have lost my life.”
Exenscion spoke heavily.
Even Nietzsche, who wielded **Nihilism**, and the **Demon King**, a deity from the Demon Realm, had been no match for him.
Even if Exenscion had intervened, the outcome wouldn’t have changed.
And let’s not forget, Jinhyuk had sent **Shub-Niggurath** back to the dimension it came from without issue.
That alone meant they were dealing with a monster at least three levels higher than their initial assessment.
At that moment…
“How strong could this guy possibly be for all of you to be grumbling like this?”
The woman who had been silent finally spoke.
She appeared to be a small girl with short, cropped hair.
However, judging her by appearance alone would be a foolish mistake.
This was **Tamia**, the **Red Dragon**.
Among the dragon race, she was one of the most powerful, inheriting the blood of the fearsome Red Dragons.
“He’s the human who keeps thwarting my plans. He even managed to win over that wretched Bendivia, rendering all my efforts meaningless.”
“Hah. Bendivia, that dark elf administrator, right? I remember her being quite prickly. For him to have won her over… that must mean he’s quite something.”
Tamia muttered in mild admiration.
Until now, humans had been nothing more than toys to crush or incinerate based on her whims.
They were fragile beings who turned to ash at a mere flick of her hand.
But now…
She found herself becoming slightly intrigued by this human named Kang Jinhyuk.
For the aloof Red Dragon, this was an unusual occurrence.
“He’s nothing more than a nuisance. More importantly… do you think the dragons will accept the proposal?”
“Well, dragons are notoriously independent, so getting them all in one place will be tough. But if you offer them enough gold and treasures, I’m sure I can sway them.”
“If that’s all it takes, there’s no need to worry. I can provide as much treasure as necessary.”
“And don’t forget what you promised me.”
“I remember. I’ll ensure you inherit the title of Lord, Lady Tamia.”
Hasting nodded.
The current Lord, a **Gold Dragon** who had lived for over 2,000 years, was of an ancient class of dragons.
He was well-regarded for his wisdom and kind nature, which had earned him the support of many dragons, allowing him to retain his position for over 100 years.
But for Tamia, it was unbearable to see a dragon less capable than herself holding the position simply because of age.
That’s where Hasting had come in to scratch her itch.
He proposed killing the old dragon and taking the position herself.
As long as the stage was set properly, the Lord could be replaced with the right justification.
“So, what do you want me to do?”
“We will handle three locations. You, Lady Tamia, will lead the dragons and take care of the most troublesome one.”
These locations included Jinhyuk’s stronghold in the Giant’s Fortress, the Elven Forest, the lake where the Frostblade Tribe resided, and the asylum that Andria managed.
They were all places connected to Jinhyuk in some way.
“No matter how strong that monster is, he can’t defend all those places.”
With a large-scale invasion led by the powerful dragon race, there would simply be too many places for him to defend.
At some point, Jinhyuk would have to choose what to protect and what to sacrifice.
And if he made even one wrong move in his strategy…
That would be the moment to destroy everything Jinhyuk held dear.
‘I will stop him from ever reaching the top of the Tower.’
Hasting began preparing his next move.
All of this…
To maintain the balance of the Tower.
To prevent a repeat of the nightmare that occurred when the balance was broken…
***
A rare moment of peaceful rest.
[Meet at Exit 1 of Gangnam Station by 2 PM tomorrow. If you’re late, I can’t guarantee your survival.]
With this warm message, the second shareholders’ meeting of **Veteran Corporation** was called to order.
The idea was to strengthen the bonds among the employees and create a friendly, harmonious atmosphere within the company.
Of course, the main goal was to identify and weed out any rebellious elements who might have developed other ambitions during the quiet times.
However…
The shareholders’ meeting, which was supposed to be intense, was unexpectedly canceled.
“I came out to have fun, not to waste time sitting in some boring meeting!”
Thanks to Alice’s strong objection, the meeting venue was changed.
The new condition was that it had to be a place they had never been to before and where everyone could have fun.
Thus, the decision was made: they were going to a PC café.
Though VR game rooms were more popular these days, PC cafés still held a special place in many people’s hearts.
Alice looked around curiously.
“Oh, I’ve heard of this place before. Is this where young humans waste their lives away?”
“Yeah, some people spend their entire day here.”
In fact, some people stayed at PC cafés for over a month, only leaving when they got kicked out for smelling too bad.
“I’ve never been to a place like this either.”
“I was busy catching up on my studies. And you dragged me here for this?”
Teresa and Chun Yoosung both chimed in.
“Hey, sometimes it’s nice to take a break like this.”
“Damn it. I prefer taking photos of birds or watching movies to relax.”
“Tsk tsk. No wonder your skills aren’t improving. If you played games like crazy during your downtime, you’d get much stronger.”
“W-what did you just say?”
Chun Yoosung instinctively reached for his waist.
Realizing his sword wasn’t there, he ground his teeth in frustration.
“Hey, don’t get so worked up. If you can’t admit I’m right, how about we make a bet with a game?”
“Choose whatever game you want. I’ll prove I’m better than you, no matter what it is.”
Despite claiming he’d never touch a game, Chun Yoosung eagerly took the bait.
Now he was on the hook, and Jinhyuk planned to make him pay for everyone’s fees at the café.
Just then…
“Thank you. That old man had me under his thumb, but now I can finally live without fear.”
Meleena, who had been walking beside them, hesitantly spoke up.
Despite being part of the **Demon Association**, she had been tightly controlled by Nietzsche’s shadowy network.
She never knew when she might be discarded or killed like a pawn.
But now, she was finally free from that long-standing fear.
“We owe you our thanks as well. If you hadn’t shown up at Gapcheon, we would have all died there.”
“Yeah, you saved us. Let us know if you ever need anything. If it’s summoning-related, I can definitely help.”
Min Jungwoo and Lee Yuri also expressed their gratitude.
It felt… not bad.
Despite how Jinhyuk had been forced into the company through a series of unfortunate events, he couldn’t help but feel a strange sense of camaraderie now.
***
Alice, having found a seat, immediately demanded food.
It seemed she had heard somewhere that the food at PC cafés could rival that of actual restaurants.
“I’ll have the handmade burger and fries set, the chicken mayo bowl, and instant black bean noodles with cheese and a fried egg on top. Oh, and a Coke with lots of ice. For dessert, bring me a red velvet cheesecake! Yes, get all of that for me.”
Alice handed a tiny gold nugget, the size of a fingernail, to the café worker.
“Excuse me, customer, uh, what… wait, huh?”
The worker, who initially thought it was a joke, bit down on the nugget lightly, and their expression completely changed.
It was real gold.
And quite hefty, too.
In less than three minutes, an impressive spread of food covered the table.
With a few more gold nuggets, they even managed to reserve the entire café for themselves.
The café was now completely empty, except for the members of **Veteran Corporation**.
“Oh, this is delicious. I’d like to make the chef my personal cook. Or maybe I’ll just buy this place and stop by every now and then.”
While Alice munched on her food like a hamster, Jinhyuk chose a game for them to play.
The game was **LOL (Legend of Legends)**, which had been the most popular game for several years.
“First, I’ll teach you the controls. Watch carefully. These are the movement keys, and this is your ultimate…”
“No need. A genius like me doesn’t need someone to explain these things one by one.”
Alice scoffed dismissively.
[‘Bloodline of the Supreme Being’ has selected their champion.]
**Vladimir**.
Naturally, Alice picked the blood lord.
“I shall take this one. Though his dignity falls a little short compared to mine, he still has fine white hair and fangs befitting a vampire.”
“Sure, sure. Whatever you say. I’ll pick this one, then.”
[‘Colonel Teemo’ has selected their champion.]
Jinhyuk chose **Teemo**, the character known for using poisonous mushrooms.
The cute raccoon carefully prepared his poison darts and mushrooms.
“Watch closely! I’ll show you the difference in class! This is the might of a great vampire…”
[First Blood! Colonel Teemo is rampaging!]
Alice’s champion floundered and died.
“Well, I was planning to give you a handicap at first. But now…!”
Pop! Pop!
The screen filled with purple from the poison mushrooms.
[Double Kill!]
[Colonel Teemo is unstoppable!]
“Arghhh! Why… why is he so weak? You worthless mosquito!”
Alice clutched the monitor and screamed.
It was as if she herself had eaten the poison mushrooms, her agonized cries echoing through the PC café.
Then, Chun Yoosung stepped forward.
“Finally, I get to settle things with you.”
He hadn’t been able to best Jinhyuk in real life, but things would be different in the game.
He had obsessively studied game videos to analyze Jinhyuk’s playstyle.
He knew exactly how Jinhyuk moved and what items he preferred.
[‘Life and Death’ has selected Yasuo.]
With this sword…
He would bet everything.
Victory was within reach!
Chun Yoosung took hold of the keyboard and mouse with the most serious expression possible.
A few minutes later…
“Ughhhhh! Why… why can’t I win even in this? My strategy was flawless! My analysis was perfect! Damn you, you flashy samurai wannabe!”
Another person joined the ranks of those gripping their monitor in frustration.
“Hehe. Our master is really good.”
“Yeah! Even pro gamers don’t stand a chance against him.”
“What are you standing around for? Clap already! Or I’ll kill you—no, no, I mean, we’re just cheering you on because we love you so much.”
“I-I’m clapping really hard, see? My hands are burning.”
“Tweat!”
Meleena and Goguma cheered from the back.
‘This shareholders’ meeting is going splendidly.’
Jinhyuk smiled in satisfaction.
Seeing everyone enjoying themselves, he thought it might be a good idea to gather together like this again in the future.
And so…
Another relaxing day off passed.
Only 24 hours remained until the auction house reopened.