The Final Boss Has Returned 100

Chapter 100

Inside the Lightwing Entertainment Building’s conference room after Drakan’s departure.

An awkward atmosphere hung in the air within the room where all of Lightwing Guild, including Eugene, were gathered.

This was because Eugene had stubbornly decided to tackle the problematic 2-player dungeon with a third party, and not just any third party, but Drakan.

Within the conference room, filled with an air colder than the arctic glaciers, MuscleMan, Eugene’s best friend and the one who had brought him into Ard Saga, sighed inwardly as he looked at Eugene.

‘You idiot.’

Though he was his friend with benefits, frankly, Eugene was clueless when it came to romance, to the point of being infuriating.

It had been a whopping six years since Elena, Sharp, and Verda had developed feelings for Eugene.

More than half of the ten years it takes to change the world had passed, and despite the three women’s constant approaches, Eugene’s insensitivity showed no signs of improvement.

Mistaking clear expressions of romantic interest for camaraderie was his specialty, and laughing off blatant seduction was already a daily occurrence.

The insensitive protagonist straight out of a classic romantic comedy manga!

That was Eugene.

The problem was that, unlike in manga, harems weren’t acceptable in reality, and ultimately, the uncomfortable truth was that he would have to choose one of the three. Whenever faced with such a situation, Eugene would slip away like a loach.

Just like with the current 2-player dungeon situation.

Of course, there wasn’t much MuscleMan could do against the pressure from the three women, and more importantly, he was secretly in love with Elena, the guild’s healer and saintess.

That was the reason.

The reason why MuscleMan didn’t actively intervene in his best friend Eugene’s romantic problems.

He harbored a secret hope that if Eugene chose someone other than Elena, maybe, just maybe, she would turn to him.

“Hey, Eugene.”

Sharp was the first to break the prolonged silence.

“Yeah?”

“Are you out of your mind? You’re going into a dungeon with that Drakan guy?”

True to her ‘tsundere’ personality and harsh speech, Sharp shot a direct question at Eugene.

This time, they had planned to force him to choose one of them.

The other two agreed with this plan, and they had pressured all of Eugene’s acquaintances, including MuscleMan, not to accept his dungeon raid proposals, hoping to create a situation where he would have to choose.

Since then, there were times when Sharp couldn’t sleep, excited by the prospect of being chosen.

But that expectation was shattered today.

Eugene.

He once again chose no one.

And the third party he chose was none other than Drakan.

Hearing Sharp’s question, Eugene replied,

“What’s wrong with Drakan-nim? He might have been bad in the past, but he’s a decent person now. He’s reflected on his actions.”

Eugene had already decided to fully trust Drakan, but that wasn’t the answer they wanted to hear.

Sharp snorted and turned her head.

“That’s not the point, oppa.”

And following Sharp, Elena, the guild’s healer, spoke up.

The beautiful young woman with cute twintails and an equally cute impression looked at Eugene and continued,

“Why didn’t you choose one of us three?”

Eugene was flustered by Elena’s direct question.

Even the insensitive Eugene knew that if he chose one, the other two would be hurt.

He scratched his cheek, laughed awkwardly, and slowly replied,

“If I choose one of you, the other two will be hurt.”

Eugene’s go-to logic, his trump card!

The three women felt the urge to protest his logic rising in their throats, but it subsided as they saw the bitter expression on Eugene’s face.

After all, all three of them loved Eugene for his frustrating, insensitive, yet kind and caring nature.

In the end, the three decided to let it slide again.

They still couldn’t overcome the fear of being hated by Eugene if they pushed him further, and the fear of being rejected by him.

Of course, they all knew that this precarious situation would eventually end one way or another.

But even so, they all held onto the hope that their sweet dream, however fleeting, would last a little longer.

“Eugene-nim is too kind for his own good.”

Verda’s words finally broke the icy atmosphere somewhat.

“So, you really have to go with Drakan?”

At Sharp’s grumbling, Eugene scratched his head and replied,

“I made a promise, and it’d be rude to break it now.”

He keeps his promises.

Knowing Eugene’s principle, the three women sighed inwardly.

Since they had decided to let it slide this time, they could only hope that the dungeon raid would end without any incidents.

Moreover, no matter how cunning Drakan was, it was nearly impossible for him to cause trouble in a mere dungeon raid.

Only Verda felt an unexplainable anxiety at the mention of Drakan’s name.

▄ ▄ ▄

After successfully concluding the negotiations with Eugene.

I immediately logged into the game.

[Welcome to Ard Saga Second, user.]

The scene that greeted my eyes along with the login notification was the Hall of Glory!

The hall looked exactly as it did when I logged out.

Even Nosferatu, the Blood King who had given me the quest, was still there.

I rose from the ice throne.

This was because the Lightwing Guild was sending someone to deliver the Twilight Stone to me at the Snowy Plaza.

Of course, I had drawn up a contract and paid the purchase price in advance before logging into the game.

It was Shin Ha-yeon’s money, not mine, but in any case, the Twilight Stone was finally within my grasp.

I left the Hall of Glory with a smile.

[Greetings, Apostle.]

[May infinite glory be upon the Apostle.]

I received greetings from passing Liches and Death Knights as I exited the Winter Palace and headed towards the Snowy Plaza, our agreed meeting place.

But for some reason, I felt like more and more users were gathering at the plaza.

‘What’s going on?’

Just as I was wondering if there was a sudden surge in the number of users.

“Is it true that Eugene-nim came to the North?”

“That’s what I heard. He’s at the Snowy Plaza.”

The conversation of passing users caught my attention.

Eugene?

Why the hell is that guy coming here?

Could it be that the person delivering the Twilight Stone was Eugene?

As I thought that far, I immediately felt a sense of absurdity.

I thought he wouldn’t send just anyone for the delivery, but I never imagined he would bring it himself!

The user I expected to meet was MuscleMan, not Eugene himself in person.

I headed towards the Snowy Plaza, pushing through the crowd that was getting denser and denser.

“Oh, it’s Drakan!”

“Where?”

“Whoa, it’s really him, the real Drakan!”

The conversations of users passing by brushed past my ears.

The moment I realized that more and more users were recognizing me.

I had already arrived at the Snowy Plaza.

Unlike usual, the plaza south of Snow Castle was filled with a huge crowd.

And in the center of it, I could spot him.

Eugene. The moment our eyes met.

“Drakan-nim!”

Eugene waved his hand in greeting and called me in a friendly voice.

“Did Eugene-nim just call Drakan?”

“He must have been looking for Drakan-nim.”

“What? When did they become so close?”

Along with him, the murmuring of the crowd gathered in the plaza pierced my ears.

The murmuring voices of the users were all filled with surprise.

Of course, Eugene had donated to my stream and we had encountered each other in interviews before, but it was almost the first time he had expressed such friendliness in public.

The crowd that noticed my arrival voluntarily parted, creating a path towards Eugene as if by Moses’ miracle, and I walked along that path to finally face him in Ard World after a long time.

“This is our second time meeting in Ard World, right?”

“Yes.”

Of course, we clashed countless times in the previous game, but this was our second meeting in Second.

So I nodded vaguely at his words and immediately brought up the main point.

“The item?”

“I’ll give it to you now.”

[‘Eugene’ has requested a trade.]

[Do you want to accept the trade?]

As soon as I brought up the main point, Eugene requested a trade, and I accepted it.

[Trade accepted.]

A translucent trade window appeared in front of me, and Eugene placed an item that looked like the Twilight Stone in his trade window.

“Please check the item information.”

Ignoring Eugene’s words, I checked the information of the Twilight Stone.

[Twilight Stone]

[Grade: Legendary]

[Category: Miscellaneous/Material]

[Durability: 10000/10000]

[An ore that embodies the color of twilight where day and night intersect. A very high-level magic material. A beautiful ore that holds the power of twilight, renowned as a material for equipment.]

Looking at the translucent ore with a mixture of blue and sunset colors, befitting its name Twilight Stone, I pressed the trade confirmation button.

[Are you sure you want to proceed with the trade?]

“Trade.”

[‘Eugene’ has confirmed the trade.]

[Trade completed.]

[‘Twilight Stone’ has been added to your inventory.]

The trade was concluded simply, and while I was checking my inventory to see if the Twilight Stone was there.

“Drakan-nim.”

I heard Eugene’s voice calling me again.

After finishing the final confirmation of the item, I replied to Eugene.

“What is it?”

Eugene hesitated for a moment at my words, then spoke in a cautious voice.

“It was a fruitful meeting today. I look forward to seeing you again.”

The ‘next time’ he mentioned was undoubtedly referring to the 2-player dungeon raid.

I smiled, thinking about the next time.

Eugene!

Every time I faced my archenemy, my desire for revenge still boiled, but I was a person who could control the reins of revenge with reason.

As long as it was for revenge!

I could suppress the boiling desire for revenge and stay close to him.

And why, isn’t there a saying?

The most painful thing is the pain of being stabbed in the back by the axe you trust.

I willingly became Eugene’s ‘trusted axe’, and at the decisive moment, I intended to ruthlessly strike his Achilles’ heel.

Just imagining that moment made me laugh.

Revenge!

That was the ultimate fuel that drove me.

“Yes. See you next time.”

At my words, Eugene smiled and waved goodbye before leaving.

After finishing my meeting with Eugene, I returned to the Hall of Glory inside the Winter Palace, leaving behind the cheering crowd.

On the way, the Demon Kings of the Demon Court sent various reactions about the Hero, but I ignored them.

“You have arrived, Apostle.”

Nosferatu greeted me politely as soon as I entered the Hall of Glory.

I naturally accepted his greeting and opened my inventory to take out the Twilight Stone.

“Is this the Twilight Stone you mentioned?”

Twilight Stone!

As the sparkling ore the size of a human head, which I had purchased for a whopping 3 billion won in real money, appeared in my hand, Nosferatu knelt on the spot.

“Yes, Apostle. This is the Twilight Stone that our clan has been searching for so long.”

Nosferatu knelt, mesmerized by the brilliant light of the Twilight Stone as he spoke.

I handed the Twilight Stone to Nosferatu, who was stretching out his arms towards me, and he received it respectfully with both hands.

[Quest ‘Polar Night’ completed.]

[Level up.]

[Level up.]

……

[All stats increased by 231.]

The moment Nosferatu received the Twilight Stone, quest completion notifications flooded my vision, making it dizzying.