The Final Boss Has Returned 102

Chapter 102

Monster Land!

This vast field, marking the boundary between the North and the West, was a zone that existed in the previous game as well.

And Monster Land truly lived up to its name, boasting a monstrous density of monsters, comparable to a dungeon.

From small Goblins to colossal monsters like Cyclops and Drakes, Monster Land was a veritable encyclopedia of monsters. And Drakan was currently traversing this land with none other than Eugene, just the two of them.

“The monster density seems to increase the further in we go, just like before.”

The skills Eugene displayed, as witnessed by Drakan himself, were truly extraordinary, befitting a top-ranked player.

Just as he said, Monster Land was a place where not only the density of monsters but also their level increased exponentially the deeper one ventured.

And the Wolf’s Den, the destination of Eugene and Drakan, was located near the center of Monster Land.

Therefore, Drakan was able to enjoy monster hunting to his heart’s content after a long time. While hunting monsters, Drakan continuously observed and analyzed Eugene’s combat.

Know your enemy and know yourself, and in a hundred battles you will never be in peril!

In order for Drakan to eventually confront and defeat his sworn enemy, he needed to know what skills he used and how he fought.

Of course, there were videos uploaded by Eugene, and Drakan had fought against him countless times in the previous game, so he had a rough understanding of his fighting style. However, Drakan believed that seeing is believing, and nothing could be better than witnessing it firsthand.

‘It seems his skill composition hasn’t changed much from the old days.’

After observing Eugene’s combat firsthand, Drakan’s analysis concluded that overall, his skill composition hadn’t changed much from the previous game.

Eugene’s class, ‘Hero,’ could be broadly categorized as a Paladin-type Hidden Class. It was a complete class possessing all skills, from self-healing and tanking to dealing damage.

A cheat class so powerful that it required wielding all sorts of Hidden Pieces and Legendary grade items, and even acquiring Mythical grade skills, just to achieve balance!

That was Eugene’s class, ‘Hero.’

And since he inherited the ‘Hero’ Legacy, a Mythical grade Legacy at that, in Second, his basic skill composition remained largely the same as in the previous game.

Of course, there would be differences when delving into the details.

Anyway, despite venturing deep into Monster Land, it was vast, and a considerable distance remained until they reached their destination, the Wolf’s Den.

“Let’s take a short break.”

Even a top-ranked player’s combat endurance wasn’t infinite.

Therefore, they inevitably needed to take breaks along the way.

It was a break disguised as a rest stop after entering Monster Land.

Drakan gathered some firewood from the surroundings and started a bonfire.

Crackle, crackle.

[Bonfire has been set up.]

[Health regeneration temporarily increased by 5%.]

[Mana regeneration temporarily increased by 5%.]

Drakan gazed silently at the burning bonfire.

In the dark blue night sky, two moons, one emitting a blue light and the other a red light, hung overhead.

Taking a break in Monster Land, with ‘Eugene’ of all people, felt awkward.

But Drakan knew.

Now was the perfect time.

The time to sow the seeds of discord and doubt within the enemy camp, the Lightwing Guild.

Once they entered the dungeon, it would be too late.

This was because they had agreed with Eugene to start broadcasting inside the dungeon.

It wasn’t the kind of conversation to have while broadcasting, so now, before entering the dungeon, was the opportune moment.

Thinking so, Drakan called out to Eugene, who was sitting across from him.

“Hey, Eugene.”

“Yes, Drakan-nim.”

“Did you manage to resolve the issue with your companions that we talked about earlier?”

Drakan cast the bait that would lead them down the path of discord and ruin.

And Eugene took the bait.

“Haha. Yes. I’ve managed to resolve it, more or less.”

Eugene wiped the cold sweat off his brow as he recalled the meeting.

Even Eugene, as insensitive as he was, couldn’t be oblivious to the unusual atmosphere in the meeting room yesterday and the fact that his decision was the cause.

However, he had merely chosen the lesser of two evils instead of the worst-case scenario that would hurt the other two.

That’s what Eugene thought.

Drakan looked at Eugene and said in an indifferent voice.

“Resolve it? Well, I don’t think so.”

At Drakan’s words, Eugene awkwardly scratched his head, and Drakan continued to snowball him.

“I don’t think incidents like today have been isolated, am I wrong?”

Drakan’s gaze fixated on Eugene.

He had known about the relationship between Eugene and the three women since six years ago, and he was still receiving reports on Eugene through Jeil E&M. Therefore, Drakan could easily deduce that this kind of love triangle wasn’t a one-time occurrence.

At Drakan’s words, Eugene gave an awkward laugh.

The amount of cold sweat on his forehead increased.

Drakan was right.

Incidents like today weren’t isolated.

There had been countless such situations, as far as Eugene could remember.

“How did you know?”

“Just as you know me well, I know you better than anyone else.”

Drakan responded immediately to Eugene’s question.

Excluding Eugene and his companions, Drakan was the person who knew Eugene best.

This was because he needed to know everything about him in order to take revenge.

“That’s certainly…… true.”

Eugene nodded as if he understood Drakan’s words.

Eugene also prided himself on knowing Drakan better than anyone else.

Six years ago, during the World Revolution.

He and Drakan were on opposite sides.

Six years ago, Drakan was the top-ranked player and the strongest, having achieved the unification of the continent and acquired the first Mythical grade skill. He was also the leader of the massive forces of the Iron Blood Alliance and the Guild Alliance. Meanwhile, Eugene was just an ordinary user with nothing but his Hidden Class and his companions.

In order to break the rock as the egg, he had no choice but to analyze the rock’s weaknesses.

That’s why Eugene knew Drakan so well.

And vice versa.

Drakan!

He was more ambitious than anyone else, but that’s why he was more cautious than anyone else.

The Drakan that Eugene knew was a man who wouldn’t bet unless he was certain, a user who analyzed all variables and circumstances and only jumped in when he had a chance of winning.

And there was no way that such a Drakan wouldn’t have analyzed Eugene, the leader of the Revolutionary Army, who not only challenged him six years ago but also continued to win.

Therefore, as he said, Drakan would be the person who knew him best.

That’s what Eugene thought.

They were lifelong enemies who crossed swords six years ago, but ironically, that’s why they came to know each other as well as companions.

That’s why Eugene and Drakan knew each other so well.

Of course, Eugene was deceived by Drakan’s act and believed that their adversarial relationship had been resolved, but that was another story.

“You know, avoiding it isn’t the answer.”

Roll.

The snowball that Drakan rolled tumbled down the snow-covered slope.

Avoiding it isn’t the answer!

It was an uncomfortable truth that Eugene had been ignoring until now, a truth that neither he nor his acquaintances dared to point out.

Drakan wanted to awaken him to this truth.

Of course, the truth wasn’t pretty, but that’s why Drakan wanted to make Eugene face reality.

After all, the most potent form of violence was the violence of facts.

The Lightwing Guild!

It would be the cruel facts that would pierce a hole in that sturdy dam.

Thinking so, Drakan laughed inwardly.

“But……”

Eugene’s breath hitched as he was struck by an unexpected blow.

Until now, no one had ever said such a thing to him.

Avoiding it isn’t the solution!

There were three people around him, his best friend MuscleMan, the guild masters of the allied guilds, and countless other acquaintances, but no one had ever pointed that out to him.

This was because Elena, Verda, and Sharp had formed a human shield around Eugene, filtering out such conversations.

A desire for the status quo, a wish for him to choose them, and concerns about the repercussions of his choice – these complex emotions intertwined, leading the rest of the Lightwing Guild members to a tacit agreement.

Let’s not bring up the issue until Eugene makes his own choice.

Of course, Drakan didn’t know about such an agreement, and even if he did, he had no loyalty to uphold it.

Drakan’s chest churned as he watched Eugene’s flustered expression.

Revenge!

Rage!

All sorts of negative emotions surged like a wildfire, but Drakan suppressed them.

He had to be careful in rolling the snowball of destruction.

He had to pretend to be helpful, subtly and slowly leading him down the path of ruin without him realizing it.

And to do that, he had to maintain a cool head and control the conversation.

Even a slight misstep could jeopardize the trust he had built so far.

“But……”

Eugene was still hesitant.

Eugene.

He knew it deep down.

That Drakan was right.

He couldn’t avoid it forever.

Even the insensitive Eugene subconsciously knew that he had to come to a conclusion, although he didn’t know exactly what it was yet.

However, Eugene was consciously trying to forget that fact.

Eugene.

What he wanted was to maintain the current situation, where he was blissfully happy. In short, he wanted to maintain the status quo.

The four companions belonging to the Lightwing Guild were all precious to him. They were the companions he trusted and cherished more than anyone else in the world, closer than family.

And Eugene wanted to preserve their relationship as it was, forever and eternally.

Eugene stammered as he looked at Drakan.

And he pondered.

Should he confide his worries to Drakan?

It hadn’t been long since trust began to blossom between Eugene and Drakan.

Drakan was a formidable opponent in the past, someone he couldn’t trust until he knelt before him in the interview. Even now, his companions were subtly wary of Drakan and continued to gather information and monitor his movements.

But conversely, there are things you can’t confide in someone because you know them too well.

So Eugene’s heart was lost, wandering aimlessly.

“What are you worrying about?”

At that moment, Drakan’s words pierced Eugene’s ears.

“Well, that is……”

Drakan silently observed Eugene as he trailed off.

Since Eugene’s emotions were clearly displayed on his face, Drakan could tell that he was struggling with whether or not to confide in him.

And considering his indecisive nature, Drakan could easily predict that he wouldn’t reach a conclusion before the dungeon raid ended if left alone.

Therefore, now was the time for a strong shock therapy.

Thinking so, Drakan looked at Eugene nonchalantly and said,

“Elena, Verda, and Sharp. The fact that these three are in love with you. You’re not unaware of it, are you?”

Upon hearing those words, Eugene froze on the spot.

Drakan smiled inwardly as he watched Eugene’s frozen figure.

Checkmate.