Chapter 273. Shareholders’ Meeting (1)

The reception room was lavish rather than refined, its opulence bordering on excess. Portraits of a well-built man adorned the walls, and a gentle warmth filled the space.

It was a region known for its cold, yet the master of this place was a being of long life and robust constitution, never requiring heating. Still, today was different, as there was a guest worth the effort.

“Thank you,” the young woman said softly. “I will repay this kindness, I swear.”

“Haha! We’ve known each other for ages. What kindness are you talking about?” The man laughed heartily. “Think of this as your own home and stay as long as you like.”

At the far end of the large table sat a woman with translucent skin and sea-colored hair, appearing ethereal. She trembled faintly.

Across from her, a heavily armed man chuckled. “So, I heard a rebellion broke out. Were the insurgents really that strong for you to defect like this?”

The woman looked up. She had once been the master of the sea and director of the now-vacant Sales Bureau. Her name was Mu Byun.

“They are ruthless,” she said, her voice trembling. “They dried up the sea itself without a shred of guilt. They’ve also been stirring chaos among the bureau heads with every trick imaginable...”

“Hmm? I thought it was the chief secretary who dried up the sea,” the man interjected.

“That’s absurd,” Mu Byun replied immediately. “That wretch, Mirabo—no... that girl isn’t capable of something like that. She’s far too meek, the kind who’s spent centuries dancing in the palm of that old man’s hand.”

“Well, that may be true,” the man conceded.

“And besides,” she continued, her voice tightening, “there’s no way I would have been defeated by her alone. Cheong Ryeon-Hwa, that wretched woman, joined the rebels and lent them her firepower...”

Her words trailed off as she dabbed at her tears with her sleeve.

“Hmm... So they do have some talent,” the man mused. “To bring all those formidable bureau directors over to their side...”

“A stray stone rolled in out of nowhere, and now it’s about to ruin our entire company,” she said bitterly.

Our company?

The man’s expression shifted ever so slightly at those words.

Sensing it instinctively, Mu Byun pressed on, her voice breaking. “You raised me from the field, invested so much in me, and now this happened. How could something like this happen to our precious company?”

She trembled once again. Only now did it become apparent that her once-lush hair had thinned drastically, leaving her appearing almost pitiful.

At the tragic yet faintly ridiculous sight, the man chuckled and waved his hand dismissively. “Enough of that. Go get some rest. I’ve prepared my finest room for you.”

Mu Byun bowed her head repeatedly. “Thank you. Truly, thank you!”

After expressing her gratitude several more times with firm handshakes, Mu Byun left under the guidance of the attendants.

The moment she disappeared, the man pulled out a handkerchief and wiped the hand he had just shaken.

“Rebellion...” he muttered under his breath.

As if in response, the temperature in the room plummeted.

Flick—

The candles went out one by one, plunging the room into dimness. Frost crept over the already narrow windows, obscuring the view outside completely.

“I warned her time and again that blindly expanding the business wouldn’t end well,” he said coldly.

“Greed has brought about her downfall,” the head attendant replied.

The hearty, laughing man from moments ago was nowhere to be found. His eyes were now frigid, and the orders he gave were even colder. “If she starts spouting nonsense, kill her quietly with no witnesses.”

“Yes, understood. Then how should we respond on our end?”

“For now, we watch,” he answered. “After all, it’s not just anyone. We’re dealing with the Undying, aren’t we?”

There was no rush. Given who their opponent was, it wouldn’t be strange if everything returned to normal as though nothing had happened, and the rebels were purged in due course.

“But, if this truly was the end and the rebellion had truly succeeded, then we’ll have to weigh the gains and losses,” he murmured.

Is this an opportunity or a crisis?

No one could say but a faint smile tugged at his lips.

“This is going to be interesting.”

***

Eun-Ho was still staring at the trial window that should have disappeared long ago.

“Ah, right. Oppa!” Bo-Ra approached with a troubled expression and handed him a small pouch. “I gathered as much as I could, but the explosion was too strong. There isn’t much left. Most of it seems to have melted away.”

Inside were fragments of shattered blades, each broken into irregular shapes. They were pieces of the Sky-Shattering Blade, which had torn itself apart and detonated within the dragon’s skull. The once razor-sharp edges were gone, replaced by warped, half-melted remnants. Even being generous, it was hard to call it a sword anymore.

Yet, he could still see it clearly in his mind. It was the blade that throbbed at the scent of blood, the edge that radiated a chilling sharpness, its hilt embedded with a flaming orb.

“There’s more left than I expected,” he said.

“Yes. Thankfully, it didn’t melt completely,” Bo-Ra replied.

A mix of gratitude and regret slipped out without him realizing it. “That’s not something to be thankful for.”

“What?”

My sword had at least retained its form, but the dragon... Eun-Ho thought.

“It died instantly. Its body shattered the moment it hit the ground, then turned to dust.”

Eun-Ho’s eyes narrowed. The sword remained in fragments, yet that monstrous dragon had crumbled into nothing but dust?

That doesn’t sit right with me.

When he had slain the dragon, the system had clearly announced.

[You have seized the possession of the Undying.]

The Undying.

Taken literally, it meant something that could not die. The chairman, who had ruled the company for an immeasurable span of time, was said to be closer to a god than anyone else. HIs true name even meant exactly that.

There’s no point dwelling on it. I’ll deal with it properly.

His decision was made and now, it was time to act.

“What about the ground?” he asked.

“The ground?”

Creatures that crawled back to life like vermin, things that lurked in the back alleys, waiting for a chance to return, and entities that threw the entire company into chaos—Eun-Ho had no intention of seeing that happen again.

“The place where the dragon’s body shattered, what did you do with it?”

They had too much at stake now to fall for something like that again.

***

The former Operations Bureau site had been reduced into ruins after the battle. The employees had long since packed up and left.

In the abandoned wasteland, a blood-red wind began to stir.

Rustle—

It was so faint that no one would notice unless they were looking for it. From afar, it would have seemed like reddish dust shifting lazily in the twilight. However, the truth was different.

The dust was thinking, whispering to itself, “I am the Undying...”

Once, it had reigned as chairman but now, only fragments of its soul remained.

I cannot end like this.

Driven purely by rage, the blood-tainted soul clung desperately to the last shreds of its fading consciousness.

For a fleeting moment, the air in the ruins grew heavier. Unfortunately, there was no one perceptive enough to notice.

It has been some time.

The soul wandered. It had scraped together what little energy remained from the shattered corpse of the ancient dragon, but it was barely enough to prevent complete annihilation.

It requierd a host, a vessel that could sustain it while it rebuilt its strength.

Rustle—

Drifting between instinct and reason, the soul wandered the ruins until it found someone.

“... I told you it happened.”

“What kind of nonsense is that? Giving orders the moment you wake up? What is he, a workaholic?”

“Seriously.”

Two men stood there, dressed in gray work uniforms.

I’ll consume them.

It was ready to burrow into their bodies, hollow them out from within, and reclaim its strength.

Devour them. Devour them. Devour them. Devour them. Devour them...

Driven by that singular urge, it lunged forward but was violently repelled.

Bang!

What? Why can’t I enter? They are nothing special. In fact, they’re utterly insignificant beings.

Bang!

The red fog surged forward again, only to be thrown back once more. As the ominous aura thickened, the workers continued their conversation, oblivious.

“By the way, the new chairman isn’t so bad, right?”

The new chairman?

“Yeah. He even distributed those Elixir of Fortifications.”

“I heard he’s making sure everyone drinks one before starting work.”

An Elixir of Fortification was one that shielded the mind and granted immunity to all mental interference.

No way. Does he know that I’m still wandering here?

“Maybe it’s because he used to be a regular employee,” one of them said. “He definitely cares more about the staff.”

Thanks to their thick uniforms, the workers didn’t notice the chilling air around them as they continued their task.

“Let’s begin.”

“Yeah.”

Boom—

A massive semicircular structure, prepared in advance, descended and sealed off the ruins. Its thick outer walls gave the impression that not even a single breath of air would be allowed to escape.

N-no!

A gray liquid began pouring over the ground where the crimson fog lingered. It spread meticulously, filling every inch of the ruins including the east, west, south, and north.

“I still don’t get this, though,” one worker muttered.

“Get what?”

“Filling the entire place with cement... Are you sure that’s really the chairman’s order?”

Filling it with cement?!

The soul was barely sustaining itself by drawing on the lingering energy within the land. Without a new host, this ground was its only lifeline, like the last ark in a flood.

“I’m telling you, it is. And apparently it’s some kind of specially treated cement.”

“What? Why go that far?”

Whether oblivious or just didn’t care about the truth, the workers finished their job and began to leave.

“I heard there’s some kind of parasite here.”

A parasite?!

The soul trembled with rage, blood-like droplets falling from the fog itself. Yet strangely, it couldn’t muster any strength. Meanwhile, the gray liquid had already spread across the entire ground.

Seriously? A parasite? Those insects dare call me that?!

Fury burned within it, but it was useless.

It’s just mud! I can break through something like—huh?

Fwoooosh—

No matter how the fog churned and thickened, it couldn’t push through the flood of gray slurry pouring in from all directions.

S-stop! Stop!

Fwoooosh—

The ashen liquid buried everything, erasing even the last traces of the ancient dragon. Until, at last, the fragment of a soul that had once ruled the world was sealed beneath solidifying cement.

***

The corridor was spotless, an immaculate stretch of white with not a single employee in sight. Two figures walked down it, their footsteps echoing softly.

One was a young girl with twin ponytails swaying behind her. The other was a sturdy man dressed in a sharp black suit.

“Choi Seung.”

“Yes, Lady Harona.”

“Remember this,” Harona said in a solemn, authoritative tone. Today, not a trace of intimidation could be found in her voice. “I did not, absolutely did not, come here because I was worried about him. Got it?”

It was hard to take her seriously when she was peeking out from behind a bouquet nearly as big as herself.

“Of course,” Choi Seung replied calmly. “I’m far more concerned about our own safety.”

He really meant it.

With both the bureau director and the division chief missing at the same time, the Management Bureau was in complete disarray. There was nothing left to shield them from the cold winds of restructuring.

“They’re not just going to let us off, right?” Harona muttered.

“Probably not,” Choi Seung said carefully. “There are rumors that they’re replacing everyone. The Management Bureau stayed loyal to the chairman’s faction until the very end.”

Harona sighed deeply, her twin ponytails drooping as if they would touch the ground.

“Ugh, seriously! If I’d known he’d turn out to be this valuable, I would’ve secured my position with him much more firmly!” She even tapped the floor with the tip of her small shoe in frustration. “Honestly, shouldn’t he be grateful to me? I was the one who invested in him first and helped awaken his Eyes, right?”

“That’s true,” Choi Seung admitted.

“And when he was on trial, I stepped in and dealt with the monsters for him, didn’t I?”

“You were repaid for that when he exposed Director Ju Gwang’s corruption.”

“W-well, still! If it weren’t for me, would Lee Eun-Ho have even gotten hired in the first place?”

“I believe he still would have.”

“Hey. Are you joking with me?” Harona puffed up her chest as she blustered, but her small hands were slick with sweat. The bouquet she was holding kept slipping in her grip.

“I think this is the place,” Choi Seung said.

They had arrived in front of the VIP Room where Lee Eun-Ho was staying. By then, even Harona’s legs had begun to tremble.

“Isn’t this bouquet too small?” she whispered.

“If it were any bigger, it wouldn’t be a bouquet. It’d be a wreath.”

“I should’ve gotten a larger fruit basket too...”

“You already bought out every fruit in the area, didn’t you?”

As they exchanged this pointless back-and-forth, a familiar face appeared from the opposite end of the corridor.

“Or maybe I should’ve brought some meat inste—”

“Harona?” Eun-Ho called.

“Ah! You startled me!” Harona’s twin ponytails shot straight up before settling back down. “So you’re well enough to walk around? Shouldn’t a patient be lying quietly in bed instead of wandering about?”

Despite having worried the entire way here, her words came out sharp and blunt.

Still, Lee Eun-Ho didn’t seem bothered in the slightest. “Is that for me?”

“Oh! This? It’s a gift, sure, but it’s not like I brought it because I was worried or anything...” 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

“Thank you.” He smiled politely. “Could you leave it here?”

“Huh?”

There was a reason he seemed so unconcerned. Inside the room he had just slid open, there were already piles of fruit, flowers, and all sorts of elixirs filling every corner.

“All of this is?”

“They were sent from various places,” Eun-Ho replied.

No wonder she had scraped together everything she could find, yet it hadn’t seemed like much. Everything was already here.

“I should’ve gotten here sooner,” she muttered blankly.

While she stood there in a daze, Lee Eun-Ho calmly gathered a few things from around the room and prepared to leave.

Is he preparing to leave?

“W-wait a second!” Harona quickly reached out, her twin ponytails bristling. “Well, it’s lunchtime. Why don’t we at least grab a meal together?”

It had taken real courage for her to say that. However, the response she got was an apologetic look.

“If not, I also brought some tea! We could have a cup—”

“I’m sorry, but I’m a bit busy right now,” Lee Eun-Ho said gently. He gave her a soft smile and gestured politely toward the door, as if ushering her out. “I’ll contact you soon.”

“Oh. O-okay! Contact me, then...”

Swoosh—! Thud!

The door to the room shut in an instant.

Had it always been this big?

Harona stared blankly between the firmly closed door and her now-empty hands before speaking.

“Seung.”

“Yes, Lady Harona.”

The dynamic between them had completely flipped in an instant. Lamenting her sudden fall in status, Harona said with newfound urgency, “Find out everything about Lee Eun-Ho including his food preferences, his clothes, his ideal type. I don’t care what it is, just bring me everything.”

“Food and—pardon?”

“Hurry!”