The Final Boss Has Returned 134

Chapter 134

Not only did he pour a massive amount of money into constructing an airship, but Drakan’s exploits even extended to reaching the floating castle via that airship!

His activities were being broadcast worldwide through the official Drakan channel.

[Wow lol This is the floating castle. lol]

[It really is floating in the sky;]

[I should have applied for the expedition;]

[I failed the lottery, so unfortunate;]

Floating Castle Voltaha!

People were excited by the sight of the enormous landmass and castle floating in the sky, something you could only see in fantasy.

However, there weren’t as many users paying attention as expected.

This was because the Broken World event was currently in progress.

A quest given to all users for the first time in the history of Ard Saga!

Moreover, it was because the attention of many users was focused on the quest, which was a Mythical grade quest.

Broken World!

The fact that they could go to another world excited the users, and countless users headed to Lorraine Castle, where the dimensional gate was located.

And among them, the ones leading the charge in conquering the Broken World were the super-large guilds, now the Eight Great Guilds, which had once been the Ten Great Guilds.

JDG, led by Ignis, and the Dark Alliance!

They were the first to enter the Broken World, and following Drakan’s orders, they transported materials to build a base through the Broken World, constructed a base camp, and were gradually expanding their territory by subjugating the surrounding Plants.

The first facility Ignis created while building the base camp was the Dark Temple!

It was a device that allowed the Transcendent Beings of Ard World to exert their power in this other world where their power couldn’t reach.

[Oh, Ignis is doing well this time.]

[He’s always been following Drakan around, but as expected, the Over-Ranker’s reputation is well-deserved.]

[For the Alliance!]

As if they had promised, Alliance users gathered at the forward base that Ignis had built.

Ignis, utilizing his experience in managing a large guild, operated the base camp efficiently and rationally, and the Alliance users were satisfied with his camp management.

Although Ignis was the first to enter the Broken World, the one achieving the highest results was none other than Eugene.

Hero Eugene!

The forces led by the top-ranked player and followed by Five Eyes, the strongest power in Ard World, had not only built a large-scale base camp in the Broken World but were also sweeping away the surrounding Plants and Colonies with overwhelming power.

And the Federation users and the Infinite Eugene Church were ecstatic about Eugene’s performance.

[This is the Federation!]

[Kyaa, as expected of Eugene-nim!]

[The undisputed top-ranked player of Ard World…… Eugene……]

[Fe. de. ra. tion. Rules!]

[lol What’s Drakan doing? Still making a fuss in the sky?]

[Really, Drakan is nowhere to be seen lol Guess he’s scared of Eugene-nim. lol]

[Our Drakan-nim is currently on a Legacy Quest, you know? He’ll come to conquer after it’s finished. Really]

[You guys wouldn’t even have been able to see the Broken World if Drakan-nim hadn’t built the dimensional gate. lol]

[Welcome, Heuk-woo.]

[A cow is talking, not a person. lol]

[This comment cannot be seen by Heuk-woo.]

Thus, centered around Eugene and Ignis, the Federation and Alliance users were uniting, but not all Federation users joined Eugene.

“I heard there’s an important expedition this time? Make sure to gather forces capable of defeating that guy.”

Vice Chairman Shin Jeong-hyeok!

Having received his orders, the Simseong Iron Stars guild of the south was gathering southern users and acting independently in the Broken World, not following Eugene and Five Eyes.

That wasn’t all.

The Chinese guild, Xiongmao eSports, was also individually recruiting Chinese users, whose numbers were enormous due to the influence of the human wave tactic, and each was attempting to conquer the quest, so the Alliance was uniting and the Federation was dividing.

‘The situation is in our favor.’

And Drakan, who received the report through a whisper while on top of the floating castle, smiled.

It was because the enemy was dividing.

Strictly speaking, Five Eyes, Xiongmao eSports, and Simseong Iron Stars were different forces and not allies.

However, as long as they belonged to the single category of ‘Federation,’ which was the Alliance’s potential enemy, they were potential enemies that would have to be eliminated someday in the main story.

And the current situation, where such potential enemies were dividing themselves without him having to do anything, was extremely advantageous for Drakan.

‘But still, Eugene’s forces are solid.’

Nevertheless, what Drakan couldn’t be relieved about was that even though the Federation was divided, Eugene’s forces were still intact.

Five Eyes!

The power of the five eyes that ruled Ard World was so strong that even though Xiongmao eSports and Simseong Iron Stars, also part of the Federation, were acting independently, it was comparable to the combined strength of the remaining forces.

Eugene.

The tower he had built over two years of real-time couldn’t be toppled by something like this. It was that solid.

The fact that Eugene was ranked 1st on the ranking board spoke for itself.

‘It’s a result I expected, but it’s still frustrating.’

Drakan’s eyes gleamed.

Although he had anticipated that Eugene would take the 1st place in the score ranking, seeing it in reality was a different feeling.

But that would be soon.

EX Rank!

The very moment he conquered the Legacy Quest and reached the same level as that guy, Eugene!

Drakan planned to light the fuse of the bomb, which would become the trigger for discord planted within Eugene and the Lightwing Guild, and detonate it.

Expanding his power under the banner of the Dark Alliance was good, but the fastest way was still to divide the enemy.

Two years.

Until now, Drakan himself had made tireless efforts to catch up to the two years that Eugene had spent, and although there were some results, it was still realistically lacking compared to Eugene’s position when viewed objectively.

Furthermore, Eugene wasn’t just sitting still; he was also continuously growing, so in order for Drakan to catch up to Eugene, he needed to employ both the strategy of climbing up and the strategy of pulling Eugene down to his level simultaneously.

They talked about Five Eyes being an eternal alliance and whatnot, but Drakan knew very well that there was no such thing as an eternal alliance in this world.

Perhaps if it were individual versus individual, but organization versus organization operated under the logic of thorough self-interest.

And that also applied to those Five Eyes bastards.

If the Lightwing Guild, which was the center of it, collapsed, the name Five Eyes would also disappear without a trace.

Drakan smiled as he thought so.

Because that was the future Drakan desired the most, and the moment when his revenge would truly begin.

[We have arrived at the Wolf’s Den.]

Libery’s voice reached Drakan’s ears.

Drakan stopped in his tracks.

[Discovered the Wolf’s Den.]

[First Discovery Bonus]

[All stats have increased by 23.]

[Wolf’s Den]

[The Wolf’s Den was a small forest located on the outskirts of Voltaha Castle in the past, a place where wolves and foxes mainly inhabited.]

[The Wolf’s Den, which was quite famous as a ‘beginner hunting ground’ for outsiders, remains unchanged even after the Great Cataclysm and Voltaha becoming a floating castle.]

[However, the monsters inhabiting the Wolf’s Den haven’t remained unchanged.]

[Those who set foot in this forest for the first time must be wary of the wolves, which have become even more ferocious due to the influence of the Great Cataclysm.]

Along with the First Discovery notification, the Wolf’s Den, just as described in the information window, came into his view.

“It’s been a while.”

[The Sky Wolves that reside in the Wolf’s Den are fierce and ferocious. You must be careful.]

As soon as Libery finished speaking, the howling of wolves, sensing intruders, could be heard from all over the Wolf’s Den.

Drakan drew the Iron Blood Executor while listening to the howls.

It was time to stretch his body after a long time.

▄ ▄ ▄

“Whimper!”

Sky Wolves!

Just as Libery had warned him to ‘be careful,’ they were quite powerful high-level monsters.

As their name, Sky Wolves, suggested, the Sky Wolves with sky-blue fur were not only two or three times the size of ordinary wolves, but they were also meticulous monsters capable of wind attribute magic attacks.

However, their misfortune was that the members of the expedition, consisting of my fandom, were not only max level but also high-level users with decent specs, and that I was at the forefront.

I stepped on the dying Sky Wolves and walked through the forest without hesitation.

Amidst the unchanging scenery of the forest, which remained the same as before, I finally found the exit of the secret passage.

“It’s the same.”

The exit of the secret passage was a giant cliff located in the southeast corner of the forest.

Once I confirmed that the cliff terrain was still intact, I placed my hand on the wall.

If the secret passage still functioned, the exit of the passage would react to me.

At that moment.

Woooong!

With a vibration, a short notification appeared before my eyes.

[The Steel Palace Secret Passage reacts to user ‘Drakan’.]

Seeing the notification I had been waiting for, that the secret passage reacted to me, I smiled.

‘It was worth spending a lot of money when creating the secret passage!’

The memory of constructing the secret passage in the previous game, selecting the highest grade options for everything, suddenly flashed through my mind.

[Would you like to open the Steel Palace Secret Passage?]

A second notification popped up before my eyes.

Looking at the notification, I nodded.

“Open it.”

[The Steel Palace Secret Passage is opening.]

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

With a deafening roar that shook the ground, the crevice in the cliff opened as if collapsing, revealing the passage hidden within.

[Th-This is…… the legendary secret passage exclusively for the Monarch……! It actually existed!]

Libery spoke beside me in a surprised voice.

I smiled at Libery’s words and took the first step towards the black passage.

Just then.

[Discovered the Steel Palace Secret Passage.]

[First Discovery Bonus!]

[All stats increase by 34.]

[Steel Palace Secret Passage]

[The Steel Palace Secret Passage is an underground tunnel secretly ordered to be built by Steel Monarch Drakan in preparation for unforeseen circumstances, created under the pretext of evacuating the high-ranking officials of the Iron Blood Alliance in the event of an unexpected emergency such as the fall of Voltaha Castle.]

[Just like with other facilities in Voltaha Castle, Steel Monarch Drakan spent a massive amount of gold on the construction of the secret passage and ordered all devices to be built with the highest quality materials.]

[Ironically, it was because of the massive amount of gold spent on its construction that the secret passage was able to maintain its functionality to this day.]

[This passage can only be opened by Steel Monarch Drakan.]

The First Discovery message appeared before my eyes.

It wasn’t the first time I had seen a First Discovery message, but it felt new to see that a facility I had built in the previous game had become a region in its own right.

As I took a step towards the darkness, the magic lamps hanging on the wall lit up.

And along with that……