Chapter 13

Fandom!

At the unexpected word, I furrowed my brow.

The preceding content was fully anticipated.

Thanks to the shift in public opinion regarding the Infinite Eugene Church, a weakness had emerged in Eugene, and exploiting that was a very common-sense and reasonable strategy.

But a fandom?

Six years ago, when I was at the pinnacle of Ard World, I had followers called guild members, but no fandom existed.

The concept of a fandom was unfamiliar and distant to me.

“A fandom, you say?”

“That’s correct. Unlike the previous game, in the current era of Ard Saga Second, where internet broadcasting through Ard Live is active, the role of the fandom has become very important.”

“Like the Infinite Eugene Church?”

“Precisely.”

Team Leader Lee nodded at my words.

“The role of a fandom is diverse, but the most crucial aspect is that they form the foundation of shaping online public opinion. Therefore, to secure victory against Eugene, a fandom is absolutely necessary.”

“Times have changed, haven’t they……”

Times have changed.

It was a statement I continued to experience repeatedly.

And for me to adapt to these changed times, as Team Leader Lee said, to defeat him, I needed a fandom like the Infinite Eugene Church.

“To build a fandom, we must first capture the attention of users on Ard Live. From now on, I will brief you on the strategy for that.”

As I listened to Team Leader Lee’s subsequent briefing, a smile formed on my lips.

▄ ▄ ▄

The return of the former top ranker, Drakan!

The encounter between Drakan and Eugene!

The conversation between the two popular figures ignited an enormous buzz, not just within the Ard Forum, but also across other communities, including social media and Ard Live.

[Drakan is talking about being a has-been from who-knows-when lol Eugene already crushed him ages ago, and he’s still bluffing. Wake up, you fools. Yeah, he’s not going to fail~]

[You’re a Eugene fanboy]

[Yeah, he’s gonna fail lol]

[People who criticize Eugene think their specs will improve if they do lol]

[People who defend Eugene think they’ll get something for sucking up to him. Yep, honorary shareholder!]

[Yep, the next guy who gets cleaned up while PK-ing lol]

Infinite Eugene Church!

Because they had committed so many misdeeds while controlling online public opinion, users who finally had something to criticize the Infinite Eugene Church with were excitedly praising Drakan in return.

Of course, only a minority genuinely liked Drakan. The majority were intentionally praising him to provoke the Infinite Eugene Church due to their antipathy towards them.

However, it was an undeniable fact that Drakan was the only user who had properly faced Eugene head-on in both the previous game and Second.

This was the reason why Drakan continued to be a hot topic.

He was the only user who had ever made Eugene struggle, the only one who had fought him head-on, and the only one who had ruled Ard World before Eugene.

This symbolism remained like a shadow, following Drakan even after six years, and because of this, the value of his name was still significant.

[Jeil E&M signs an exclusive contract with Drakan……]

Meanwhile, as if pouring oil on a burning fire, new fuel was thrown onto the flames.

News that Drakan had signed a contract with Jeil E&M was uploaded to various gaming news outlets as if they had been waiting for it.

Jeil E&M.

There wasn’t a single user who didn’t know about this giant corporation, a media conglomerate in South Korea with a stake in Ard Saga.

As news spread that Jeil E&M, a large corporation that had signed exclusive contracts with a considerable number of famous rankers and named players, including the massive guild JDG, ranked 6th in guild rankings, had signed an exclusive contract with Drakan, the internet, which had been cooling down, started to boil again.

[Eugene fanboys who said Drakan ran away can’t comment now, can they? Shaking and agitated? They’ll have a heart attack from working as comment trolls in their basements lol]

[What’s he going to do after joining a big company? Jeil is taking a big risk, signing a contract with a has-been]

[Information) Jeil is a company that signed an exclusive contract with a 6th-ranked guild. They don’t know how to judge people]

[What’s with the 6th-ranked talk? Do you even have a guild with a castle?]

[The guy above me is a troll, good job]

[Do they think Jeil is some small-time shop? Once the push starts, it won’t matter how much the Eugene fanboys struggle lol]

Jeil E&M has recruited Drakan!

While all communities, including the Ard Forum, were buzzing with this surprising news, a video was uploaded to Ard Live, the dedicated video streaming platform for Ard Saga.

[Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeep!]

[Keeek! Keeek! Keeek!]

A user wearing beginner’s clothing and wielding a dark red sword.

It was a video of Drakan blowing a signal whistle in the tutorial dungeon to gather goblins and then mercilessly slaughtering them to the point where it was almost pitiful to watch.

Since the channel was created and the video was uploaded immediately after the news of his contract with Jeil E&M, Drakan’s channel was quickly discovered and became a hot topic among users. Soon, the news spread to other communities, and the number of subscribers, views, and comments began to increase exponentially.

[Wow! He’s hogging everything! Old habits d*e hard, right? Disgusting, right?]

[Farming newbies is so OP;; All the newbies are running away;]

[He’s been away for so long, just looking at his movements, he seems like a total has-been? If it wasn’t for the Legacy system, this trash game, he wouldn’t have been able to step foot back in]

[With a good Legacy, anyone can do that much in the tutorial. And it’s only possible because other people have already uploaded a lot of tutorial videos. If he had done it in the early days like Eugene, he wouldn’t have made it to the top ranks. Good luck]

[Oh, then try it. Why can’t you? Ah! You can’t, so you can’t join Eugene’s guild and just suck up to him online lol]

[Ah, I really hope Drakan gets serious and starts playing properly and buries all the Eugene fanboys. The Eugene era is pure suffering, really]

Numerous comments were posted on the video in an instant, and it quickly turned into a mudslinging match as the Infinite Eugene Church and other users started fighting there as well.

However, the consensus among users who watched the video was that it was impossible to determine whether Drakan’s skills were truly outstanding based solely on the tutorial dungeon footage.

The method of using a signal whistle to summon and slaughter goblins was certainly somewhat novel, but that was all.

Any user with decent physical skills, or even returning players, could easily handle goblins in the tutorial.

After all, while the goblin AI was quite decent, it was ultimately a beginner monster, and with countless strategies already researched, goblins were nothing more than a snack to experienced users.

Goblins are just goblins, even in a group!

It’s impressive, but I could do it too!

Isn’t this bullying newbies!

It’s all thanks to his Legacy!

I could do that too if I had a good Legacy!

That was the majority opinion of the users who watched the video, and because of that, there were more negative comments in the video’s comment section.

Just then.

A second video was uploaded to Drakan’s channel.

People clicked on the consecutively uploaded video out of curiosity and were soon shocked.

[First, I’ll verify my level.]

The beginning of the video started with Drakan verifying his level.

As Drakan adjusted his status window, his nickname and level appeared on a translucent window.

[Drakan]

[Level 12]

Level 12.

That was Drakan’s level.

Soon after, as Drakan adjusted his status window again, a different screen appeared.

[Iron Blood Executor (Legendary)]

[Beginner’s Outfit (Common)]

[Beginner’s Leather Boots (Common)]

It was his equipment window.

[By now, you’ve all probably seen my first video. And many of you have questioned my skills.]

After verifying his equipment window, Drakan spoke while looking straight ahead.

[When was this video filmed?]

[This isn’t live, right?]

[Look at him talking informally, so rude;;]

Users watching his video commented in real-time, and Drakan’s video continued even amidst the comments.

[No, but even I could do this, right? Is Drakan just relying on his Legacy? He’s a total has-been? You might be muttering these words.]

A subtle, confident smile was drawn on Drakan’s face as he spoke.

Drakan opened the point shop window while talking.

This also appeared in the video because he had pre-adjusted the settings of the shop window.

[Experience Coupon]

[Price: 1000 Points]

[Doubles the experience gained for 2 hours.]

[Usage Restriction: Below Level 200]

[The item’s effect will not apply to characters exceeding Level 200.]

[Applied immediately upon purchase.]

What Drakan bought from the point shop was an experience coupon.

Unlike the previous game, in Ard Saga Second, the numerical value of level wasn’t absolutely crucial.

From level 380 and above, often referred to as the max level, where the required experience points drastically increased, a character’s specs were determined by factors like contract status, good unique traits, or good Legacy skills, Legacy weapons, items, and stats, rather than just level.

That’s why items like experience coupons, although with many usage restrictions, were sold in the point shop, unlike the previous game.

This was possible due to the game structure of Second, where character specs were determined by Legacy skills, unique traits, items, and class, rather than just level.

However, points, unlike cash in other games, couldn’t be purchased with real money and weren’t a currency that could be traded like gold.

The only way to obtain points was through the patronage of Transcendent Beings and quests, so not everyone could buy experience coupons.

[Buying an experience coupon at level 12?]

[Just how much patronage did he receive?]

[Is he crazy?]

Drakan’s level was only 12.

It was a level where even ordinary users would struggle to gather 100 points.

Yet, he casually bought a 1000-point experience coupon!

This fact alone showed that Drakan’s starting line was different from that of ordinary users.

While the users watching the video were surprised, Drakan spoke in a confident voice in the video.

[But this is where it ends. From this moment on, no human will ever doubt my skills again.]