The Count’s Youngest Son is a Player

Chapter 105

A stylish conference room spacious enough to accommodate 20 people comfortably. Employees of various ages were sitting together, exchanging cautious conversations with stern expressions.

“Manager Kim, have you heard anything?”

“I don’t know either. The meeting was suddenly called.”

“What on earth is happening? The head of operations personally calling for a meeting…”

“Could it be because of that matter? The First Knight Order Academy.”

As the surrounding employees reacted in agreement, furrowing their brows, “I heard that news leaked out days ago, yet why is there such a commotion again?”

“Shh, be careful what you say. The director is also present here…”

“No, it’s just frustrating. We can’t do anything about it, so what can we do?”

This was the operation team of Connect, where only managers or higher gathered, yet it was the largest department within Connect, with over 20 members.

Then, the door creaked open, and a man in his late 40s strode into the conference room. With his slightly sharp impression, perhaps due to his rectangular glasses, he was none other than Chae Ilhwan, the planning director and head of operations of Connect.

“I’ve called for this urgent meeting because there is an urgent matter to discuss.”

On the large screen in front of the conference room, the title of the proposal was projected in large letters:

[“Real-time Broadcast and Advertising Negotiation for the Special Program ‘Battle’ in the First Knight Order Academy Entrance Exam”]

The content revolved around Connect directly broadcasting one of the exams, “Battle,” held as part of the entrance exam of the First Knight Order Academy, negotiating with broadcasting companies interested in the rights to broadcast, and engaging an advertising company. However, there was one item that caught the attention of the employees more than the rest…

– Proposers: Young master Raul de Ashton and representative Bae Dohyun of the First Knight Order

– Approver: CEO Mok Jaewoo of Connect (Seal)

“Oh my, the CEO is directly involved in this proposal?”

“The proposers… the First Knight Order? Why would the First Knight Order be involved here?”

The conference room fell silent for various reasons, with both team leaders and employees looking visibly uncomfortable.

Thud.

Director Chae Ilhwan slammed the desk, shouting, “Does this make any sense?”

The room fell silent.

“Although you didn’t say it directly, it was evident that you disappointed the CEO.”

Chae Ilhwan scanned the faces of his employees, his breathing becoming rougher for a moment.

“Why was this proposal initiated by mere game characters and outsiders instead of our own employees!”

“…….”

The employees avoided Chae Ilhwan’s eyes as if feeling ashamed.

“I will keep a close eye on things from now on. It would do you all good to keep your reputation intact by ensuring that such incidents do not happen again. And make sure to prepare the proposal thoroughly for smooth progress.”

“Oh, understood.”

Manager Choi, head of operations, wiped cold sweat off his forehead and bowed to the CEO.

Thud.

As Director Chae Ilhwan left the room, sighs echoed throughout the conference room. But it was short-lived.

The employees sprang to their feet as if fire had ignited beneath them, taking out their smartphones.

“Manager Kim, have you sent the proposal? Get it reviewed and convene a team meeting!”

“Manager Choi, assemble the streaming team immediately and check the equipment!”

“Director Kim, contact the PR team right away….”

The operations team at Connect headquarters swiftly began to take action.

* * *

“One spot left for hunting dog pack elimination. Welcome warriors above level 15!”

“Looking for a party at the entrance to the eastern forest. Level 17 archer looking for a party at the entrance to the eastern forest!”

“Selling two-handed steel axe for warriors, leather greaves. With over 70% durability, no level restriction. Make an offer!”

‘Plaza of Encounters,’ now established as the new central hub in Mira, was bustling with players looking for parties and individuals seeking trades.

Situated in the next sector of the summoning plaza where players were initially summoned, this place was named ‘Plaza of Encounters’ due to an unusual statue of two bears shaking hands in the center.

Surrounded by various restaurants, coffee shops, and pubs, it had become a popular spot frequented by players.

‘Somehow, it feels peaceful here.’

Raul sat on a bench in front of a trickling fountain, watching the passing players. It felt strange to be mingling among the players in the guise of Bae Dohyun, as if he had returned to the pre-rebirth gaming days.

Watching the players as if recharging, listening to the fountain’s sound almost like music, how much time had passed? Raul heard Rabel’s cheerful voice in his head.

“The promotional video and announcements are up on the official website!”

“What’s it about?”

“Just a moment. Wow~ Are they seriously planning to boost the game? It’s everywhere on various portal sites and communities!”

“Great. Inform Bernard and the branch heads to prepare without delay.”

“Got it.”

Unlike the excited Rabel, Raul remained calm. He had anticipated this turn of events anyway.

“You can redirect the players’ complaints elsewhere and promote the company. We can even earn advertising revenue. We can’t afford to prepare sloppily.”

Despite being titled as the first full-dive virtual reality game, the actual number of players was not high due to the constraint on capsule production.

As the issues had not cooled down yet, continuing to fan the flames would be beneficial for the company. This opportunity couldn’t be missed.

In fact, this case was akin to a gamble. Firstly, there was a question of whether the Connect headquarters would recognize the in-game guilds as negotiation partners or not.

If the headquarters were to firmly assert that all rights within Connect belonged to them, Raul’s movements as an NPC would be severely restricted.

However, Connect Corporation not only recognized the First Knight Order as a negotiation partner but also kindly facilitated the establishment of a corporation, complete with representative registration and setting up of accounts.

The smooth progress of the matter was underpinned by a complex economic and political background. Simply put, Connect Corporation had already planned to activate the corporate registration and gold transactions for in-game player guilds and territories.

Knowing this fact, Raul had made the proposal. One slight concern was whether guilds represented by NPCs rather than players would be acknowledged.

Therefore, by using a small trick and appointing Bae Dohyun as a proxy, the proposal had been made, and the outcome was fortunate.

Another issue was how to send the proposal to Connect Corporation through which channel. Despite cosplaying as a player, Bae Dohyun did not exist in the real world.

If the proposal were sent under Bae Dohyun’s name, there was a high possibility of being instructed to visit the headquarters or to meet in person, which was not feasible.

Thus, the conundrum was pondered upon, but Rabel provided the answer.

“Raul mentioned it last time, right? The Connect system is managed not by humans but by an artificial intelligence supercomputer. Why not directly propose it to the administrator?”

“Well? I’ve never heard of directly contacting the administrator… If there’s a problem, the GM (Game Master) who is called in is not the administrator but a member of the operations team.”

“What? Then what’s this? Doesn’t this button work?”

Rabel raised the system menu and pointed at it with her finger, but Raul couldn’t see anything in his eyes.

“This is strange. I can’t see it. What does it say?”

“It says ‘Call System Administrator’.”

“What?”

Raul’s heart started beating faster.

‘W-wait, could it be?’

Various thoughts crossed his mind as his face paled.

‘Could it really mean that I can call the administrator of the Connect system? Maybe then I can find out how I ended up being reincarnated here?’

Not noticing Raul’s complicated feelings, Rabel casually said, “I’ll press it then.”

Rabel’s finger pressed the button on the screen. Suddenly, a small window appeared in front of Raul.

‘…?’

As the cursor appeared in the previously motionless white window, words began to be inscribed.

– Connect System Administrator D Messenger.

– Scanning user.

– Raul de Ashton. Verified 4th level access rights.

– Please enter your message. A usage fee of 100 coins per message will be charged.

“Oh my goodness! It’s really connected?”

Raul exclaimed in surprise as he typed a message on the messenger.

– Who are you?

– I am Connect System Administrator D. 100 coins have been deducted.

– What is your identity?

– I am Connect System Administrator D. 100 coins have been deducted.

– Where are you located?

– Insufficient permissions. 100 coins have been deducted.

…

– Insufficient permissions. 100 coins have been deducted.

“What is this!”

It claimed to be an artificial intelligence, but it was nothing more than a malicious macro bot. And not just any bot; it was a high-end macro devouring valuable coins.

The response to Raul’s question was simply that there was a lack of authority.

– Then how do I increase my authority?

– Proceed with the scenario.

It was such a simplistic and unfriendly answer. Raul decided there was nothing more to expect.

“Raul, you should ask about the real business.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

He almost got carried away and forgot the original purpose. Raul abandoned his expectations and rewrote his query.

– I have something I would like to propose to the Connect headquarters. Can I submit it here?

– Please upload the proposal. 200 coins have been deducted.

“200 coins for just two sentences!”

Raul pursed his lips and uploaded a copy of the proposal he had written.

– Your submission has been received. A processing fee of 1,000 coins has been deducted. The processing results will be notified to the user’s email within 24 hours.

And even before he could check if there were any usage restrictions, the messenger window closed on its own.

“Raul, the button disappeared!”

Raul frowned at Rabel’s bewildered voice.

“Could it be a scam? Did I fall for it?”

But fortunately, it was not a scam.

In an early-morning email the next day, there was a confirmation of the proposal acceptance along with a scheduled meeting time. And as the complaint processing was completed, Rabel noticed that the call button reappeared.

The meeting with the Connect headquarters was conducted via a video conference, and surprisingly, CEO Mok Jaewoo participated personally. At the First Knight Order, Raul, Bernard, and Bae Dohyun attended, with Raul disguised as Kane, the interpreter.

Negotiations went smoothly, and as previously mentioned, not only was the First Knight Order officially recognized as a corporation, but the distribution of broadcast import related to the academy was also satisfactorily concluded.

However, the unease lingered even after the negotiation ended, due to the meaningful glances CEO Mok Jaewoo kept casting at Bae Dohyun.

The last words from CEO Mok Jaewoo, who even shared his personal contact information, echoed in his ears.

“I have a feeling that I will see Mr. Bae Dohyun quite frequently in the future.”

The meaning behind his smile remained unclear.

(To be continued)