The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

“How did the negotiations proceed?”

“Fortunately, it seems our interests align considerably with theirs. The discussion is progressing well.”

“How is the relocation of players and NPCs going?”

“The recruitment targeting beginners and wandering refugees is showing promising results. If everything goes smoothly, we might be able to declare ‘independence’ soon.”

A lavishly decorated conference room. About twenty individuals were gathered, continuing their meeting. The notable thing was that the location was not on Earth. They were in a large hotel banquet hall in the free city of Connect.

The First Hotel.

Since the beginning of the Connect service, it had consistently remained the top luxury hotel.

Its facilities were more convenient than the best hotels on Earth, and its accessibility to portals connected to various parts of Connect made it incredibly popular.

The attendees of the meeting were quite distinguished. It was a gathering of the heads of the world’s top corporations, people who often appeared on the front pages of the news.

Their nationalities varied, representing the United States, China, Japan, russia, the United Kingdom, Korea, and other leading countries.

However, the tone of their conversation was far from cordial.

“Let me emphasize once again, trust no one. Governments are too slow to act because they have to appease their citizens. And those idiots prattling on about corporate ethics should be excluded. In a scenario where the future of the world is uncertain, indecisive people are of no use.”

Leading the meeting was the renowned American social media entrepreneur, Gene Ryan.

“Agreed. It’s no longer a hypothesis but a fact that Earth and Connect are linked. Anyone who can’t acknowledge that after seeing this is a fool.”

On a magic screen installed on the conference room wall, a video was playing. Various images of people demonstrating unusual abilities were shown on the split screens.

From someone creating flames in their palm to someone crushing a steel plate with a bare fist. Though these were minor superhuman abilities, the fact that they were filmed on Earth suggested a lot.

“Chairman Alex Song was right. The answer to Earth’s anomalies should be found in Connect. Regardless of the direction, we need to firmly establish our presence in Connect.”

“That’s precisely why this ‘Pioneer Association’ was created by various chairmen. Leaders like us need to become pioneers guiding the less capable masses.”

Everyone nodded in agreement with Chairman Ryan’s statement.

“Then let us conclude this agenda item. Through negotiations with the empire, we will establish our stronghold in the Eastern Forbidden Zone’s Elemental Jungle. Our affiliated large guilds have already secured substantial areas, but it’s still not enough.”

A map was spread out. The pioneering areas of the First Knight Order stretched along the border between the kingdom and the Elemental Jungle.

Beyond that, from the southern vicinity to the top center, large guild alliances’ territories were marked in blue. It covered around 30% of the estimated total area of the Elemental Jungle.

To the slightly north were the elf strongholds, and the remaining eastern areas colored in black were all occupied by the empire.

“We’re not in a long-term relationship with the First Knight Order or the kingdom. So, there’s no need to share long borders with them. This is the new terrain map that will form after our negotiation with the empire concludes.”

The guild alliance’s territory stretched long towards the central upper area from the southwest. And a black corridor cutting through the southern part of the Elemental Jungle. They intended to provide the empire with a passage to the kingdom.

“When the empire secures the corridor, it will inevitably clash with the kingdom or the First Knight Order! We can take advantage of the chaos to reap benefits, like kicking out the First Knight Order entirely or targeting the elves to seize their assets. And if the empire isn’t as strong as expected, attacking them to take over the whole Elemental Jungle wouldn’t be a bad option.”

Though these were only preliminary plans, if everything went as planned, there would be no losses. And those gathered had enough power to ensure this plan’s success.

The most formidable power of all: ‘money.’

“So, esteemed chairmen, please continue to prioritize securing gold in Connect. Once circumstances change, currency exchange could become difficult.”

“Of course. We will press our collaborators to secure adequate funds.”

“And… as a reminder, it could become troublesome if our group’s identity or objectives are exposed. Please ensure confidentiality.”

“Naturally. We will enforce strict oversight.”

A few minor issues were then discussed, and the meeting concluded. The business magnates shook hands and left the banquet hall, going their separate ways. However, a few individuals who had left regrouped in a prepared room.

“How are the acquisition efforts going?”

“It’s proving more difficult than expected. Items meeting the criteria are rare…. It’s all because of those First Knight Order bastards, isn’t it? What are they thinking, assigning bodyguards to anyone who steps outside?”

“Exactly. They used to only guard First Company people, but now even cooperating guild rankers get protection…. Could our information have leaked?”

The figure at the head of the table shook his head at the anxious voice.

“Impossible. The targets we’ve picked are thoroughly isolated socially. No one’s going to notice a couple of orphans or gaming addicts disappearing.”

“That’s true. Taking care of those societal rejects who know nothing but gaming is almost a public service, hahaha.”

The assembled individuals laughed together.

“The problem is that we can’t procure enough targets as things stand. Shouldn’t we lower our standards a bit?”

“Hmm…. Even if their rank is lower, they should at least be rankers for the data to be useful.”

“Researchers are always like that. No matter how much support they get, they claim it’s never enough. We’ve poured money into this for years, and they haven’t even managed to replicate a single simple function of the capsule! I wonder if this project is even feasible.”

“Exactly. The money spent is already astronomical, yet there’s nothing to show for it. At this rate, it’s just a waste of money, isn’t it?”

As some chairmen voiced their complaints, the figure at the head of the table clapped their hands to get everyone’s attention.

“There are no results without investment. Even if the capsules self-destruct upon tampering, the current research isn’t subject to that problem. If needed, we can always dispose of the research subjects, so let’s not be too hasty.”

Reluctantly, the others nodded.

“And we will lower the criteria for securing subjects. Even if they aren’t rankers, as long as their ‘sync rate’ is high, it should suffice. If one test subject isn’t enough, we can always use several.”

“That’s a good idea. We’ll inform the procurement teams accordingly.”

“Remember, this operation must be conducted with utmost caution. If we succeed in this, we’ll be able to control everything in Connect as we please! Not even the First Knight Order will be able to stand in our way.”

“Haha, exactly. Once the research succeeds, we can start by dealing with Bae Dohyun and Kim Ilwoo. They’ve kindly set the table for us.”

The eyes of those gathered gleamed with greed. Researching players’ brains to access Connect using others’ accounts. If successful, taking over the resources of the First Association and the Purple Guild would be a piece of cake.

“Now, let’s all move into action. Ensure that the secured targets are transported to the research lab without detection! Never forget that.”

And so, a hidden faction within the association was extending its sinister reach toward players.

*

Meanwhile, all their suspicious activities were being meticulously reported to Raul.

“These are the individuals who held a meeting this time in the free city of Jena, east of the Marcus Kingdom.”

Raul, reviewing the report handed by Kane, furrowed his eyebrows slightly. There were more significant figures involved than he had expected.

“We couldn’t get the exact details of the meeting, but according to the staff, there were mentions of the ‘empire’ and the ‘Elemental Jungle’.”

“I can guess what they’re up to. Heighten the alert on the Elemental Jungle frontier and monitor the large guild alliance’s activities more closely.”

“Yes, master.”

After Kane left the room, Raul fell into deep thought.

‘How unfortunate. It would have been great to get more detailed information.’

However, it was Raul who had established the hotel’s security system. A hotel with perfect security barriers that prevented any eavesdropping or surveillance by anyone.

Thanks to its thorough security, the hotel was frequented not only by players but also by NPC bigshots, so there was nothing more that could be done.

Though he couldn’t listen to their conversations, just knowing who gathered, the small words they let slip, and the issues they discussed provided adequate information.

Even in this case, knowing which figures were gathering could be invaluable in the future. Raul organized the complex relationship chart spread out on his desk and called Rabel.

“And the targets?”

“They’re moving quite actively. They seem to be exploiting the gaps in the social surveillance system caused by the anomalies effectively.”

“So the force supporting them isn’t ordinary.”

“Probably. They’ve expertly pinpointed downed surveillance cameras, disabled detectors, and unmonitored roads.”

By the 2030s, earth had established a nearly flawless social surveillance system. Surveillance cameras were installed almost everywhere, and various electronic devices people carried exposed their movements nearly 24 hours a day.

Cash transactions had almost disappeared, with electronic payment systems taking over, leading to personal wealth, transaction records, and lifestyle patterns all being stored as electronic information.

Therefore, accessing personal information was not that challenging if one could bypass security. Of course, if it were that easy, the system wouldn’t have been established, but Earth’s anomalies had created gaps in it.

Frequent blackouts, system malfunctions, and physical damages were not inherent issues of the system itself. The culprits exploited these gaps. Accessing the vast stored personal information, they identified potential victims who fit their criteria.

They then tracked their locations, movements, and lifestyle patterns. They targeted places where surveillance and security systems were malfunctioning or down.

People with little outdoor activity, few family or friends. And even within Connect, those who played solo or had a weak presence were targeted.

“Is surveillance operational?”

“Of course. The non-mechanical parts are covered by First Security agents.”

Raul and Rabel were in Connect, and their targets were active on Earth, imposing many constraints. But First Security filled in those gaps.

Besides guarding important players, first Security’s special operations team, acting under Rabel’s direction, was also active in various places.

Currently, they were surveilling not just the men in suits who had taken Bae Dohyun’s life, but also others similarly kidnapping and threatening players.

“When do you plan to strike? The number of victims is increasing more than expected.”

Rabel asked cautiously. As time passed, the movements of the culprits grew faster and more sophisticated. This led to an increasing number of victims.

Some were simply kidnapped, but there were severe cases where individuals barely escaped with their lives. Among those that the surveillance team couldn’t track, there were likely many who had actually died.

However, Raul shook his head.

“…Not yet. Cutting off their tails won’t stop them. At least not until we know who’s at the top.”

The people targeting players in reality weren’t limited to just one or two places. Such incidents were happening worldwide, not just in Korea, making it difficult to identify the actual masterminds.

“For now, let’s gather as much evidence and as many clues as possible. When we’re sure they can’t slip through… we’ll finish this in one decisive move.”

A cold flame of vengeance burned in Raul’s eyes.

(To be continued)