The Final Boss Has Returned 153

Chapter 153

[Quest ‘The End’ completed.]

[All stats increased by 344.]

[Level Up!]

[Quest ‘Ard World’s Counterattack’ completed.]

[Your quest contribution rank is 3rd.]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

[All stats increased by 533.]

[Reward ‘Hive Mind’s Heart Fragment (Legendary)’ has been sent to your inventory.]

Drakan cleared the quest completion notifications popping up in front of him one by one.

Leveling up wasn’t that important now that he had practically reached the maximum level, but it was still a pleasant feeling to see his stats increase.

Moreover, it was encouraging that his contribution rank was 3rd despite joining the quest midway.

Considering that 1st place was Eugene and 2nd place was Ignis, it was an even more impressive achievement.

[Phase 2, Broken World has ended.]

The system went silent after the last notification.

‘Phase 3 isn’t open yet?’

Drakan’s eyes gleamed.

Judging from the lack of information about Phase 3 opening, it was clear that like how he and Eugene stumbled into Broken World while raiding a dungeon, they would need to trigger something to unlock the next phase.

“Drakan-nim.”

A voice called out to Drakan.

It was Eugene.

Drakan stopped pondering.

It wasn’t like he could find the trigger right away.

‘I’ll have to tell Shin Ha-yeon to search for the trigger.’

Thinking that, Drakan looked at Eugene.

“Thank you for your hard work on this raid. If it weren’t for you, Drakan-nim, I wouldn’t have been able to do it alone.”

Whether he knew what Drakan was thinking or not, Eugene said so and offered his hand with a smile.

It was a gesture for a handshake.

Drakan grasped Eugene’s hand and shook it.

“Likewise, it would have been impossible without you.”

Drakan said with a smile.

He wasn’t wrong.

From the beginning, the Hive Mind raid was incredibly difficult, requiring the combined strength of all of Ard World, including Drakan and Eugene.

Of course, Drakan’s insides twisted just from offering such lip service, but for the grand scheme of rebellion, he still had to yield to Eugene for now, and Drakan wasn’t foolish enough to ruin his plans by letting his emotions get in the way.

“Then, this is the end of our alliance.”

“That’s right.”

Drakan replied indifferently to Eugene’s words.

Drakan and Eugene.

The unprecedented alliance between the two had come to an end.

Eugene felt a bit of regret at Drakan’s firm answer.

Drakan. He was certainly his enemy in the past, but not anymore.

He had returned completely different from the past, and in this war, he had been a reliable helper and companion who shed blood together.

If it weren’t for Drakan, he wouldn’t have been able to get help from other forces in this war.

“It’s time to part ways now.”

Eugene smiled faintly at Drakan’s words.

If it were possible, he would like to continue with him, but Eugene already knew that it wouldn’t be.

So, regrettably, he had to let Drakan go.

“I understand. You’ve worked hard. If there’s a chance next time, I’ll see you again.”

“Yes.”

Though he wasn’t sure if that chance would come again.

Drakan swallowed those words and turned around.

Thus, the temporary alliance between Drakan and Eugene, which had been formed for the first time, came to an end, and the place Drakan headed after withdrawing from the Broken World was the Floating Castle Voltaha.

▄ ▄ ▄

Sky Harbor.

Unlike ordinary harbors, I disembarked from the airship docked at the massive harbor with the sea of clouds and the vast blue sky as its backdrop, along with Shin Ha-yeon.

Countless users bustled about Sky Harbor, and next to it, a gigantic airship was being constructed at the Sky Shipyard.

I muttered as I watched the scene.

“It’s changed beyond recognition.”

Indeed.

Just as I said, Floating Castle Voltaha had changed beyond recognition.

When I came here for the quest, Floating Castle Voltaha was a wasteland of ruins, but while I was in Broken World, it had transformed into a plausible city.

“I agree.”

Shin Ha-yeon whispered in a sweet, singing voice beside me.

I smiled at her agreement and said,

“Well, considering the amount of money poured into it, it would be stranger if it hadn’t changed.”

The amount of money invested in the normalization of Floating Castle Voltaha was astronomical!

So it would be stranger if it hadn’t changed.

Thinking so, I slowly strolled through the floating city with Shin Ha-yeon.

It wasn’t just the harbor that had changed in Voltaha.

The collapsed Voltaha Castle had been rebuilt, standing majestically in a form almost identical to its previous iteration, and the Steel Palace, which clearly showed the passage of time, also welcomed me with its refurbished appearance.

I received greetings from users, occasionally taking selfies with them, and leisurely entered the Steel Palace.

“It’s back to its old self.”

I smiled as I looked at the steel throne gleaming under the light.

The Steel Throne.

The Overlord’s throne where I once sat and commanded all of Ard World.

That place had finally regained its original form.

I slowly climbed the stairs, sat down on the gleaming throne, and activated Management Mode.

[Aerial Mobile Fortress Upgrade]

Aerial Mobile Fortress Upgrade!

Without hesitation, I pressed the button with the astronomical amount of gold and required materials listed below it.

[Are you sure you want to proceed with the Aerial Mobile Fortress Upgrade?]

Perhaps because of the exorbitantly expensive materials required for the upgrade, a confirmation window popped up once more.

“Execute.”

I dismissed the confirmation window without delay.

All the materials, including the Hive Mind’s Essence, had already been procured with Shin Ha-yeon’s cooperation.

[Executing Aerial Mobile Fortress Upgrade.]

[Remaining Time: 30 days]

A notification appeared, stating that the Aerial Mobile Fortress Upgrade was in progress, along with a short message.

I smiled with satisfaction as I saw the message and cleared the notification with a wave of my hand.

Now, all that remained was to wait for 10 days in real-time, 30 days in game time.

And I had no intention of wasting that time.

“Have you finished the fortress upgrade?”

“Yes.”

I nodded in response to Shin Ha-yeon’s question.

“Then it’s time to head to the next meeting place. I’ve already booked the plane tickets.”

“Let’s go.”

I logged out as I listened to Shin Ha-yeon’s words.

Now, it was time to head to the next meeting place.

▄ ▄ ▄

Shanghai, China.

A major city and the economic center of China, located on the eastern coast of China and characterized by the Oriental Pearl Tower standing tall in the heart of the city.

The highest skyscraper in this city, the Shanghai Tower, housed the headquarters of Xiongmao Group, a leading Chinese conglomerate that dominated the entire Chinese IT market, from portal sites and mobile messengers to online shopping malls.

The Sky Lounge of the Shanghai Tower.

A secret meeting was taking place in this location, which offered a panoramic view of Shanghai.

“What brings you here to see us?”

Wang Liwei, the chairman of Xiongmao Group, sat facing the two people who had visited him and spoke.

Wang Liwei.

Just entering his 50s this year, he was the one who had built Xiongmao Group, a leading Chinese conglomerate, from scratch.

And the person who was receiving Wang Liwei’s gaze was none other than Shin Ha-yeon.

Shin Ha-yeon.

It was no secret in the business world that she had ousted her father and brothers, who didn’t acknowledge her, and effectively taken the position of chairman of Jeil Group.

Especially since Jeil Group was a giant corporation that dominated the Korean media and entertainment industry, leading the Korean Wave, including K-POP, it was even more impossible for Wang Liwei, a Chinese tycoon closely related to the Korean Wave, to not know her.

“It’s about Ard Saga Second.”

Ard Saga Second.

Wang Liwei’s eyes sharpened at the mention of the name.

Anyone who still considered Ard Saga Second as ‘just a game’ was outdated.

Ard World.

People had already realized the limitless potential of that world, which was practically another world.

This meant that Wang Liwei’s creation of Xiongmao eSports and the group’s full-fledged support for it wasn’t just a hobby of the chairman.

And Shin Ha-yeon had long known that Wang Liwei had more than just a casual interest in Ard Saga Second.

It was only natural to identify potential competitors beforehand, excluding Eugene, for the sake of her goal of conquering Ard World.

“Are you planning to continue your alliance with Simseong Group?”

Shin Ha-yeon asked Wang Liwei with a smile.

Simseong Group.

More precisely, her question was whether they would continue their alliance with Simseong Iron Stars, which Xiongmao eSports currently held.

“That’s a difficult question to answer right now.”

Wang Liwei said so, chuckled, and took a sip of the tea on the table.

The aroma of Pu’er tea, a specialty of Yunnan Province, filled the Sky Lounge.

Shin Ha-yeon smiled as she observed Wang Liwei’s relaxed demeanor.

“Let’s cut to the chase. I’m here to secure the cooperation of Xiongmao eSports.”

“Do you think we’ll accept such a proposition?”

Wang Liwei clicked his tongue at Shin Ha-yeon’s words.

Drakan.

He, JDG, and by extension, Jeil E&M and the Dark Alliance, were not in a mutually beneficial relationship with Xiongmao eSports.

If that were the case, they wouldn’t have formed an alliance with Simseong Iron Stars in the first place.

But suddenly asking for cooperation now?

Rather than being dumbfounded, Wang Liwei was confused as to what Shin Ha-yeon was thinking by saying such a thing.

The Shin Ha-yeon he knew was not someone who would make such a reckless move.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have been able to cut down her brothers and even her father, the group’s chairman, despite being handicapped in the internal power struggle within the group.

This meant that Shin Ha-yeon was not someone to be underestimated just because she was younger than him.

‘She’s up to something.’

Wang Liwei’s eyes gleamed.

Looking at Wang Liwei, Shin Ha-yeon smiled and said,

“I guess words won’t do. Drakan-nim will have to explain it for me.”

Flinch.

Wang Liwei’s eyebrows twitched at Shin Ha-yeon’s words.

Words won’t do?

Suddenly shifting the conversation to Drakan?

What was going on all of a sudden?

The gazes of Wang Liwei, seated in his chair, and Wu Jing, sitting next to him, simultaneously turned to Drakan, who was sitting next to Shin Ha-yeon.

Receiving the gazes of Wu Jing, Wang Liwei, and Shin Ha-yeon beside him, Drakan silently slid a document onto the table for them to see.

And upon examining the document, the faces of Wu Jing and Wang Liwei hardened.

“Airborne Carrier Functionality? Highest Grade Magic Barrier?”

“Enemy Detection within a 5000km radius?”

The document contained a screenshot.

The problem was that the status window in the screenshot displayed truly shocking specifications.

The specifications of the Aerial Mobile Fortress Voltaha.

Drakan’s cold voice reached the ears of the stunned Wang Liwei and Wu Jing.

“We’re not here to ask for help.”

Drakan continued, looking at their astonished faces.

“We’re here to give you the opportunity to help us.”