Chapter 150. The Chairman’s Preparations
On the top floor of the Chairman’s newly rebuilt private building, erected over the site of the structure that had been reduced to ashes during his fight with Ingwang, the Chairman stroked his long beard as he read the report that had just arrived.
“Hmm... The feed cut off inside the Isolated Sea... then he logged out for a short while and went back in....”
His newly appointed secretary reported everything diligently.
Thanks to that, the Chairman was now learning information much faster than before, even things he normally would have discovered only after some delay.
He began thinking about why he had suddenly lost the ability to observe Ingwang’s gameplay.
He had been monitoring Ingwang’s every move.
Yet suddenly, every form of surveillance had stopped working.
What exactly had happened?
Ingwang was somewhat acquainted with Dorfin in reality as well.
What if the current incident was Dorfin’s doing?
For the first time, the Chairman seriously wondered whether he should personally go and check on Ingwang.
“Doridora Dorfin... She probably still has that terrible habit....”
Dorfin possessed the ability to interfere with the flow of everything in the world.
And she enjoyed devouring people who possessed unusual flows.
She would keep them by her side under the name of disciple...
Wait until their flavor grew rich enough...
Then, when it reached its peak, swallow them whole.
The Dorfin the Chairman remembered had not been twisted quite that far.
But after such a long passage of time, it seemed even Dorfin’s tastes had changed somewhat.
Click.
[Yes, Chairman.]
“...Secretary Park. I’m going out for a while.”
[I’ll prepare immediately. May I ask where we’re going?]
“I’ll tell you on the way.”
Secretary Park was stiff and disciplined.
Very different from Secretary Lee, who had been warm and personable.
Remembering Secretary Lee, whom he had personally disposed of, the Chairman felt a considerable amount of regret.
“Haa... She was one of the children I created too....”
Thinking about how she was probably somewhere inside the underground laboratory right now, the Chairman reproached himself for allowing a moment of excitement to make him do something that had never been part of his plan.
In all his long existence, he had almost never become so emotional that he ruined his own plans.
That made his sigh even deeper.
“...Wait.”
Something unplanned.
A time when excitement had caused him to make a mistake.
One person suddenly came to mind.
According to Ruin’s evaluation...
If left alone to grow, he would eventually become a monster capable of placing even the Great Hero of Hope beneath his feet.
Yet because he personally desired a quiet life, he had never truly shone.
A monster who had long since surpassed humanity...
And after crossing over into this world, had unintentionally exerted an enormous influence on the creation of the World Gate.
“Don’t tell me... Ingwang met that bastard?”
Even in the distant past, that man had interfered with the Chairman.
He had even provoked the Great Hero of Hope, whom the Chairman had finally managed to confine, and brought him back into the world.
There was no possibility that a man like that held any goodwill toward the Chairman.
If he was currently inside the World Gate...
Then every one of the Chairman’s future plans could be thrown into disarray.
Ingwang probably believed he had become free because the surveillance around him had not weakened in the slightest.
He had been steadily clearing the game while entertaining the ridiculous dream of eventually striking back at the Chairman.
But now...
He might discover reality.
“Tsk. That would be troublesome.”
Ingwang was a useful piece.
The Chairman had manipulated nearly every aspect of his life for a very long time.
Because of that, Ingwang’s actions had always remained within the Chairman’s palm.
But if that man began interfering...
There was no telling what would happen.
That same man had once changed even the Great Hero of Hope into a completely different person.
He might once again create a major disruption in the Chairman’s plans.
“But I can’t exactly erase the legendary NPC I worked so hard to create....”
“And Ingwang has no way of eliminating that friend either.”
Ingwang was not only the sole survivor among all the test subjects created in the attempt to artificially reproduce Ruin.
He was also exerting a considerable influence on the current world.
When the world was eventually recreated...
And Ruin inevitably returned once again...
Ingwang’s existence would be absolutely necessary.
“...I did get quite a bit of use out of that friend.”
Thanks to Ingwang, he had been able to dispose of useless subordinates with ease.
He had also temporarily halted the disciples of the troublesome Dorfin and Jin.
However...
Chaos of the Fanatics seemed to have been stimulated by Ingwang and slipped slightly beyond his role as an NPC.
It even looked as though he had regained some of his original sanity.
If the Chairman intended to clean things up...
Then sooner would be better.
BOOM!
CRASH!
“They’re here.”
A sudden commotion erupted.
The Chairman leisurely rose from his seat and looked out the window.
As always...
It was another surprise attack from Jin’s disciples.
It wasn’t even particularly surprising anymore.
This happened all the time.
They came almost every day as if clearing a daily quest, caused a huge disturbance for a while, then left.
“Tsk, tsk. Do they think they’ll gain experience points and become stronger like in some game?”
“Hoho.”
The Chairman calmly began preparing to leave.
Even if they somehow reached him directly, there was nothing to worry about.
Who in this world could possibly harm him now?
Perhaps back when the Chairman’s original world still existed.
But now?
He could confidently say there was no one.
“Chairman!”
“Ah, Secretary Park. Calm down. I’m fine.”
“N-No, that’s not it! They went straight for the laboratory!”
“...What?”
Impossible.
With their strength, they shouldn’t even have been able to open the laboratory door.
They shouldn’t have known its location in the first place.
Could it be...?
Was Ingwang among them?
Had Ingwang obtained something inside the Isolated Sea and launched an attack on the laboratory?
But why?
Was he planning to drag all the game characters into reality?
‘Impossible.’
After what happened with Aien...
Ingwang would definitely have developed an aversion to placing game characters inside real bodies.
The Chairman had intentionally sent Aien to him in such a ruined condition that Ingwang would hesitate to ever attempt something like that again.
Ingwang treasured his people.
He wouldn’t willingly do something like that.
“...Don’t tell me....”
There was only one explanation he could think of.
Dorfin or Jin.
Two people who had remained uninvolved until now.
If either of them had begun intervening directly, then it made sense that the laboratory had been breached so easily.
“Why?”
But the Chairman couldn’t understand their reason.
Dorfin was the kind of person who would enjoy watching the children struggle desperately.
Jin would want to watch his disciples grow.
Neither of them should have personally intervened.
Had something changed inside one of them?
Some emotional shift the Chairman could not understand?
He shoved Secretary Park aside and immediately headed down toward the laboratory.
“The Chairman!”
“Get him!”
“Haa....”
The Chairman sighed.
“Judging by the way they’re behaving, this must be Doridora Dorfin’s handiwork.”
Jin valued his disciples.
There was no way he would simply allow them to stand in the Chairman’s path.
This kind of thing was only possible for Dorfin...
Someone capable of throwing away even a person she had accepted as a disciple if she felt like it.
“Move aside.”
“You don’t want to die early, do you?”
“Hmph. Why don’t you die early instead?”
“Tsk, tsk, tsk.”
The Chairman shook his head.
“I truly don’t understand why neither of those two teaches their children any manners.”
He casually stretched out his hand toward those charging at him.
One after another, they were subdued.
Then, almost as though venting his frustration, he snapped the necks of those who could no longer move and continued walking.
“E-Eek!”
“Are you afraid?”
