The Final Boss Has Returned 182

Chapter 182

“For the freedom of all users, I will defeat Sword Emperor Argen!”

This declaration, made by Eugene during a live stream, spread like wildfire across the internet.

But Eugene’s words didn’t stop there.

[In the war against Argen, I will take the lead, and Drakan-nim will be with me.]

Drakan!

The man who had now undeniably emerged as Eugene’s rival would be joining forces with him!

The impact of Eugene’s declaration was nothing short of colossal.

Eugene.

It was true that his standing had been significantly tarnished due to a series of scandals and the defection of Lightwing Guild members.

However, Eugene was still the top-ranked player in Ard World, the user who had maintained hegemony for the longest period after the World Revolution, and the user supported by countless others.

Not just his hardcore fandom, represented by the Infinite Eugene Church, but the underlying sentiment of the general user base also supported Eugene.

Therefore, even though Drakan had pulled Eugene down from his pedestal, more than half of the general users still supported him.

And this was the first hard-line statement Eugene had made since the World Revolution.

Moreover, the content was shocking.

Argen is trying to sell Ard World to an external force!

But I can’t stand to see that happen, so for the freedom of everyone, I will defeat Argen!

Finally, with the added bombshell of Drakan joining him, as soon as Eugene’s live broadcast ended, all the users of Ard World began to stir.

[Eugene-nim is right, really. If Argen wins, it’s no different than SI Games taking over Ard World lol]

[Honestly lol Why would SI Games sponsor Argen exclusively if they weren’t looking for glory? It’s obvious lol They must still think users are pigs lol]

[SI Games, those guys put a ton of random boxes in their mobile games, and these days they’re doing a lot of DLC shenanigans with their packages, right? Isn’t it obvious what will happen if they take over Ard World?]

[Christmas Special Package Release! Only 498,700 won!]

[You have depleted all your fatigue. To continue playing, charge gems and purchase fatigue potions!]

[Ugh, I hate paying to win;;]

[It’s going to become a pay-to-win game lol]

[Horrible;]

Among them, what shook the users’ opinions the most was the statement that Argen would sell Ard World to SI Games.

SI Games!

The global mega-corporation that ruled the world of gaming until the advent of Ard Saga!

And at the same time, SI Games was also a company notorious among gamers for its image of ‘pay-to-win,’ ‘luck-based failure,’ and ‘paywall failure.’

Therefore, the image of SI Games among gamers was truly rock bottom.

It was to the point where there was a running joke among gamers that Ard Saga’s greatest achievement was the downfall of SI Games.

Of course, even before Eugene mentioned SI Games, rumors had been circulating beneath the surface that Sword Emperor might sell Ard World to SI Games.

However, Sword Emperor, or rather, SI Games behind him, had been suppressing those rumors through public opinion manipulation, preventing them from surfacing.

Sword Emperor Argen.

One of the fundamental reasons he had envisioned the Three Kingdoms Strategy was to buy time to change the negative public opinion about SI Games among gamers into a positive one through various PR activities such as manipulation and advertising.

But now, the moment Eugene directly mentioned SI Games, all the public opinion manipulation that SI Games had painstakingly built up became meaningless.

Eugene.

The power he possessed to mobilize public opinion, the absolute influence stemming from the support of the users at the grassroots level and the reputation he had built as a top-ranked player, was not something that could be blocked by the paltry public opinion manipulation of a mere corporation.

[I can’t stand to see that happen.]

[Honestly, I’m a sucker, but this time I’ve decided to side with Eugene.]

[I hate Eugene, but I hate SI Games even more;]

[I also hate Drakan, but I really hate SI Games lol]

[I acknowledge Drakan this time. Honestly, I didn’t think he would cut ties with Jeil Group.]

[Drakan is a bad bastard, but at least he’s only a bad bastard in the game. Compared to Argen, the traitor trying to sell the game, Drakan is an angel, an angel.]

[Look at how public opinion is unifying lol Is this the moment of national cooperation lol]

Moreover, Eugene was not alone.

Drakan!

Eugene’s rival, the user who now had a loyal fandom second only to Eugene, and the leader of the Dark Alliance, as the fact that he was joining forces with Eugene became known, his fandom, the Black Cows, and the users of the Dark Alliance also began to agree with the opinions of the Infinite Eugene Church and the users supporting Eugene.

I hate Eugene!

But I hate SI Games even more!

The Holy Alliance, which occupied half of Ard World, and the Dark Alliance, which occupied the other half!

The moment a miracle occurred where the opinions of almost all users belonging to the two factions aligned.

[We will not become pigs!]

[Long live Ard World!]

[If you’re a gamer, please support Eugene and Drakan!]

[Honestly, this is not about the Alliance or the Dark Alliance. We have to crush Sword Emperor, the one who’s trying to turn us into pigs lol]

[Sword Emperor, step down!]

[Let’s all lie down ●▅▇███▇▆▅▄▇]

[●▅▇███▇▆▅▄▇ I’m lying down too.]

[We really have to lie down. Do they still think gamers are pigs? lol]

[Sword Emperor, this guy is a total traitor;]

[He’s not Sword Emperor, he’s Sword Wanyong lol]

[Sword Wanyong, get lost]

[Trying to run the game in a user-hostile way lol]

The opinions of all general users came together as one.

And that unified public opinion immediately exploded.

All internet sites, all communities, all SNS were filled with denunciations of SI Games.

The users’ opinions didn’t stop there.

Ard World.

In that space belonging to all users, the unified movement of public opinion finally began to take shape and move.

“I will participate in this war.”

“I’m part of the Dark Alliance, where do I go to enlist?”

The most noticeable movement that occurred first was the enlistment of countless users for the war.

From beginners who had just started the game to intermediate users who had just reached max level, to famous streamers and rankers!

The entirety of Ard World was moving in two directions.

Dark Alliance users towards Drakan, and Holy Alliance users towards Eugene.

Most of the wars that had taken place in Second so far, mostly led by Drakan, had largely revolved around ‘excitement.’

Of course, plausible justifications like suppressing pirates were added, but the general users who participated in the war did so to enjoy the content of war itself.

However, the current war was completely different from the wars of the past.

SI Games.

And Sword Emperor.

It was a noble war against a notorious external force that was trying to take over and control Ard World, and at the same time, it was a war of protection to defend the ‘God Game’ that all gamers desired.

As countless users flocked endlessly towards Drakan and Eugene, there were also those who chose a different path.

“Exington Castle is known as an impregnable fortress, but there is actually a weakness in its defensive barrier. There’s a small gate on the northeast side of the castle. If you focus your attack there, you can easily break the barrier.”

“The Valdain Valley appears to be a single path, but there’s actually a hidden side path that goes around the back. However, it’s a path you can’t enter without a guide, so I’ll lead the way.”

Users operating within the territory ruled by Sword Emperor Argen began to leak high-level information, including vulnerabilities of the castle and hidden paths, to Drakan and Eugene’s armies advancing towards Argen’s territory, information that only insiders would know.

And that wasn’t all.

“I can’t stay in this guild anymore.”

“Honestly, with public opinion like this, how can we stay with Troika?”

“Our guild will withdraw from Troika.”

Troika.

The faction formed by the union of Breaker Guild, Blue Phoenix Guild, and Arcane Guild, with Sword Emperor Argen at its apex.

However, it wasn’t just those three giant guilds that made up Troika.

Countless small and medium-sized guilds that had been allied with the three giant guilds since the Five Eyes era could be considered the grassroots power, the bedrock of Troika.

But now, with public sentiment turning hostile, not just uneasy, due to Eugene’s declaration, unable to withstand the pressure of public opinion, not only guild members but also the small and medium-sized guilds that formed the alliance began to betray them one by one.

Sword Emperor Argen.

The vast forces he had built were now slowly crumbling from the roots.

A situation rapidly deteriorating beyond control!

In the midst of this situation, Sword Emperor Argen turned on a live stream to try and manage the situation.

It was to quell the angry public opinion of the users.

[Hello, this is Argen.]

The moment Sword Emperor Argen appeared with a grim expression in the video, the chat room erupted in chaos.

[I’ve endured as much as I can. Sword Wanyong OUT!]

[Get your hands off the keyboard!]

[Guys, you might get sued.]

[Notepad open.]

Chats endlessly mocking Argen!

Looking at those chats, Argen felt his insides burning.

Drakan.

He hadn’t expected him to join hands with Eugene. It was something Argen had not foreseen.

Although the public believed that the relationship between Drakan and Eugene had improved, Sword Emperor Argen knew very well that Drakan never liked Eugene.

Furthermore, the Three Kingdoms Strategy was a beneficial proposal for Drakan as well, so he hadn’t even dreamed that Drakan would break it and corner him like this.

‘Drakan, Eugene, you damn bastards!’

While cursing inwardly, Argen continued speaking, trying to maintain a calm facade.

[First, let’s talk about the exclusive sponsorship from SI Games. Even if I acquire management rights of Miracle Entertainment, SI Games has promised me that they will not interfere in the management of Miracle Entertainment in any way. Here is a part of the contract.]

Argen calmly presented the contract stating that SI Games would not interfere in the management of Miracle Entertainment.

Of course, the contract was real.

Argen.

The reason he had chosen SI Games, rejecting offers from numerous global corporations, was because SI Games was the only one that had clearly stipulated in the contract that they would not interfere with management rights.

Other corporations had tried to interfere in the management of Miracle Entertainment by subtly inserting poison clauses into the contract.

This meant that Argen hadn’t chosen SI Games out of stupidity.

However, that was Argen’s situation, and none of the users believed his explanation.

[lol Who would believe that explanation?]

[It’s obvious they just fabricated a contract to show the pigs since things are heating up lol]

[How much history does SI have of user-hostile operations and deceiving users? lol]

[Really, if there’s anyone who hasn’t been backstabbed by SI yet, they have a titanium back of the head lol]

[But ta-da! There’s no such thing as absolute lol]

[If there are still pigs who believe in SI, especially other game companies besides Miracle, they’re natural monuments and should be sent to a museum lol]

[Are there still any pigs who believe in SI?]

[Who would believe Sword Wanyong’s words?]

SI Games!

The credibility of the company that had backstabbed countless users, treated them like pigs, played DLC games, and manipulated random box probabilities was so low that it had not only hit rock bottom but had also drilled through the ground.

Sword Emperor Argen’s explanatory broadcast failed to explain anything, Sword Emperor became Sword Wanyong, and instead of calming down with the explanatory broadcast, the users’ opinions only flared up further as if oil had been poured on the fire.

It was the moment when the castle built on sand finally collapsed.