The Final Boss Has Returned 113

Chapter 113

Eugene and Drakan’s Joint Broadcast!

Their joint broadcast, which started without any warning, garnered a lot of attention from the beginning due to the unusual combination.

And the result of the duo’s collaboration, once unveiled, was a resounding success.

The biggest point of interest for viewers was the surprisingly decent chemistry between the two, who in the previous game were practically at each other’s throats.

Of course, it was already known that the relationship between Eugene and Drakan wasn’t entirely hostile.

This was evidenced by incidents like Eugene personally seeking out Drakan in reality to apologize for the Infinite Eugene Church incident, Drakan kneeling during an interview where Eugene was a surprise guest and Eugene helping him up, and Eugene selling a key item for the Vampire quest to Drakan.

However, such news vaguely heard through media was fundamentally different from the joint broadcast.

Drakan, and Eugene!

The two were in the same space, interacting with each other in a strangely friendly yet not-so-friendly manner, conquering dungeons together, and even getting sucked into another world and completing quests together. These scenes were enough to visually shock the users.

[This is the real legendary collab out of everything I’ve seen in recent months]

[Real talk, no one could have imagined this lol]

[Wow, what’s the reason they’re holding hands now? I’m disappointed, Eugene]

[Stop talking nonsense, you over-immersed fool lol]

[Tsk tsk, the level of this guy who’s excited about a trash bus driver like Drakan]

[Stop fighting, you crazy bastards]

[I just want them to keep doing content together without fighting lol]

[Honestly, I see Drakan in a new light this time. It all seemed fake, but he’s the ‘real deal’ that even Eugene-nim acknowledged lol]

[Lol Drakan is really the best. Always supporting you ^^7]

It goes without saying that the broadcast broke the all-time record for the number of viewers on Ard Live. It also dominated the portal’s real-time search rankings from 1st to 4th place, and the GIFs and clips captured from the broadcast had already spread widely across the internet.

The impact of this collaboration was undeniable, as the number of viewers for other popular streamers noticeably decreased while the duo’s broadcast was being streamed live.

Of course, if Eugene and Drakan had simply cleared a dungeon and ended the broadcast, the buzz wouldn’t have been this big.

However, the problem was that the content they unintentionally revealed during the broadcast was the core of Ard Saga Second.

[But how do you go to that Broken World?]

[How would I know lol]

[(Serious) I’m disappointed there are no beautiful girls in the other world. Miracle Entertainment.]

[-You’re a damn nerd]

[-Otaku]

[But if it’s Phase 2, does that mean there’s a Phase 3 and stuff?]

[Seems likely]

[Then there must be an ending too, right?]

[That seems almost certain? I saw it in the Analysis King’s video]

[Is Analysis King official? lol]

The opening of Ard Saga Phase 2, Broken World!

It almost completely ended the ongoing and pointless debate about whether or not Ard Saga Second had an ending, which had been raging since the game’s launch.

In the early days of Second’s launch, when asked about the ending, Miracle Entertainment’s official response was “Find out in the game.” Finally, that had come to fruition.

Of course, there were still a few opinions that argued that just because there were phases didn’t necessarily mean there was an ending. However, the majority of users were convinced of the ending’s existence.

And naturally, the attention shifted to the ending reward.

The ending reward of the previous game was a whopping 100 billion won in cash!

Then how much would the ending reward this time be?

Some users, curious about this, inquired with the developers about the ending reward. However, the only response they received was a mechanical “We cannot answer that question,” and the users’ curiosity only grew.

▄ ▄ ▄

Buzz.

The capsule door opened.

I stepped out of the open capsule and tried to calm my pounding heart.

“Phew.”

Even though it was all for revenge, and for the live broadcast and the public opinion, a sense of humiliation surged up belatedly for pretending to be friendly with that bastard Eugene and for this whole damn situation.

Grit.

I gritted my teeth.

The torrent of emotions I had suppressed during the broadcast with that bastard, all for the sake of revenge, felt like it was rising up to my throat.

It was all because I was still weak and Eugene currently held the hegemony in this damn game.

If I were stronger, if I were a top ranker!

I wouldn’t have had to show such a humiliating appearance in front of Eugene!

Of course, it wasn’t that I couldn’t have openly confronted him head-on, but for my ultimate goal of ‘dividing the enemy ranks’ and to further expand my support base, I needed to act.

The public, who ultimately shape public opinion, were not stupid.

I had continuously diluted public opinion about me in various ways, steering it in a positive direction, but there were still many who doubted me.

To dispel people’s doubts, I needed a dramatic performance, and that was to show live that I had gained Eugene’s trust.

None other than that Eugene himself showed on live broadcast that he seemed to trust me, so I wouldn’t be held back by my past anymore.

‘I didn’t expect it to take this long, though.’

Gaining Eugene’s trust was a resounding success.

From the beginning, he was a sucker who foolishly believed in the goodness of humanity, and I had persistently exploited that weakness, eventually gaining his trust easily.

The problem was that the joint broadcast, which was originally supposed to end after clearing a dungeon, had been extended.

For the sake of revenge, I could lower myself, use him, and gain his trust, but that didn’t mean my desire for revenge had completely died.

Thump.

My heart pounded like crazy.

I looked out the window of the room where the capsule was installed and quietly controlled my anger.

‘Once this quest is over, I won’t have to see that damn bastard’s face for a while, right?’

This incident was unexpected, literally an accident, but once this quest was cleared, I wouldn’t have to see his face in the game anymore for a while.

Appropriate anger could be good fuel for revenge, but I shouldn’t let myself be dragged around by anger.

For perfect revenge, I had to hold the reins of that ill-tempered horse called anger and completely control and utilize it.

I was confident that I could use anything for revenge.

Even if it was myself.

I calmed my pounding heart.

I had voluntarily humiliated myself by pretending to be friendly with Eugene this time, but that didn’t mean Eugene hadn’t been played as well.

Eugene.

He trusted me, but his companions definitely didn’t.

Unlike Eugene, his companions were flexible and not suckers.

If all of Eugene’s companions were suckers like him, Verda wouldn’t have tried to check me.

In that situation, what if Eugene showed himself being friendly with me and even sent a friend request on a public broadcast?

The aftermath was obvious.

‘The seeds of distrust will be properly sown.’

I smiled.

I knew very well how naive he was.

He believed that I had completely turned over a new leaf, and in that situation, if anyone slandered me, he would willingly defend me even if I didn’t ask him to.

Because criticizing someone who has turned over a new leaf more than necessary is ‘wrong,’ he would willingly come to my defense.

Even if it was his companions, who had been through thick and thin with him.

I could say he truly lived up to the name ‘sucker,’ but thanks to that, I could use him.

‘If it’s come this far, even Eugene’s companions won’t back down.’

Of course, in the end, Eugene’s words would prevail, but this was about ‘Drakan,’ not just anything else.

It was clear that Eugene’s companions wouldn’t back down easily.

After all, I was the past rival who had blocked their path, the one Eugene had said was the most difficult to deal with, and the future potential enemy who was still growing into a threatening presence in real time!

The current Eugene was, metaphorically speaking, like someone who was diligently raising a tiger cub, feeding it, giving it water, and bathing it, even though it was clear that the cub would bite his neck and kill him when it grew up.

This meant that his companions wouldn’t stay silent after witnessing such a scene.

Among Eugene’s companions, my target was MuscleMan.

‘MuscleMan, in-game class: Fighter. Eugene’s best friend and the one who dragged him into the game. And he has a crush on Elena from the same guild.’

I recalled the profile of MuscleMan, one of my enemies, in my mind.

The other three women would at least stop their criticism of me at an appropriate level since they had a crush on Eugene, but he wouldn’t.

If Eugene defended me in front of MuscleMan, who was undoubtedly harboring resentment due to his long unrequited love and Eugene’s oblivious and ambiguous attitude towards the three women, especially Elena, whom he had a crush on?

There was no need to say more about what would happen next.

The seeds of distrust between Eugene and MuscleMan would begin to take root, and when the time bomb I had planted during my ‘counseling session’ with Eugene met with the sprouted seeds of distrust, it would eventually lead to a massive explosion.

Eugene.

He built his relationships based on affection, trust, goodwill, and camaraderie instead of self-interest, but that would be his downfall.

Relationships built on self-interest could be restored as long as the price was paid, but relationships built on affection, trust, goodwill, and camaraderie, once broken, were like crossing an irreversible river.

And to make that future of destruction a reality, I could endure any humiliation right now!

I was not an amateur but a professional, and a professional does not let emotions interfere with their work.

Thinking like that, I calmed my hand that was trembling with rage.

“Phew.”

A long, deep sigh escaped my lips.

The flames of revenge that resided within my heart were burning fiercely as ever, ready to incinerate everything.

▄ ▄ ▄

“Hey, Cha Eugene. Even if it couldn’t be helped, this time you went too far.”

Lightwing Entertainment Building Meeting Room.

Just as Drakan had predicted, a meeting resembling a denunciation was taking place, with Eugene surrounded.

And the one leading the charge, raising his voice in anger, was MuscleMan.

“Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten? That bastard Drakan. Don’t you know what kind of person he is? Hey, even if that’s the case, sending a friend request is a bit too much, don’t you think? I know you’re kind, but this isn’t right. You crossed the line.”

A voice filled with anger escaped MuscleMan’s lips as he spoke with a serious expression.

Eugene.

He knew his friend’s personality better than anyone else.

He also knew that Eugene easily believed in the goodness of others.

However, regardless of that, showing trust to that tiger bastard Drakan in front of a live audience and even sending him a friend request at the end was a complete overstep.

Even if he was a sucker and easily believed in goodwill.

He shouldn’t have done that to Drakan, the most untrustworthy and powerful enemy he had ever faced, the past enemy who was currently in league with Shin Ha-yeon and deceiving the world, and the future threat.

Therefore, as his friend, he had to correct his wrong behavior even if it meant giving him harsh criticism.

MuscleMan thought so.

“You know that he’s in a contract with Shin Ha-yeon, don’t you……?”

Just as MuscleMan was about to continue.

“Stop it.”

Eugene spoke in a low voice.

MuscleMan closed his mouth at Eugene’s response, which cut him off mid-sentence, and Eugene looked at him and added a word.

“Drakan-nim is not that kind of person anymore. He’s changed.”

This was the moment Drakan’s scheme hit its mark.