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The Final Boss Has Returned 2

2

Chapter 2

The crack of dawn.

The sound of seagulls squawking can be heard from beyond the horizon, thick with fog.

The salty smell of the sea, now familiar, brushes past my nose.

“Hey, Park Jun-pal. Are you really going to stop sailing now?”

A thick voice reaches my ears.

I turn my head.

A middle-aged man in a fluorescent jumper enters my view.

“Yes, Captain Kim. I’ve paid off all my debts and earned enough to start a business.”

Hearing my answer, the middle-aged man, Captain Kim, pats my shoulder.

“Good. You’ve worked hard all this time, Park Jun-pal. And when you go back to land, don’t even look at games. I’ve been sailing for over 30 years, and you’re the first I’ve seen who ended up here in debt because of those electronic games.”

At Captain Kim’s words, I laugh hollowly.

Games!

That’s right, the reason I ended up on a fishing trawler was because of those damn games.

And not just any game, but the world’s first and only virtual reality game, Ard Saga, was the culprit.

‘Back then, I felt like I had the whole world in my hands.’

I fall into thought as I look at the sight of Busan Port, getting closer and closer in the distance.

Ard Saga. In that game, I wasn’t just a user.

A popular user. And not just any famous player, but a top ranker who reached the pinnacle of that other world, Ard World!

Drakan, the Guild Master of the number one guild, Iron Blood Alliance, was my position in Ard Saga.

But despite that, I couldn’t maintain that position until the end.

‘If it wasn’t for that bastard.’

The one who defeated me was a single user.

Hero Eugene, that was him.

The guy who suddenly appeared and spouted sermons about how controlling hunting grounds was bad and whatnot, preaching straight out of a morality textbook, and challenging the Ard World ruled by me and the Guild Alliance through the Rebellion Quest!

I didn’t expect that his Rebellion Quest would succeed and bring down the Guild Alliance, the Iron Blood Alliance at its peak, and me.

At that time, it hadn’t been long since I led the armies of the Iron Blood Alliance and the Guild Alliance to take control of the entire continent.

Continental Unification!

The effort I put in to achieve that continental unification, the final goal of the legendary grade quest I was undertaking, the Overlord Quest, was immense.

Not only did I subdue rival guilds through guild wars and bring them under the name of the Guild Alliance, but I also had to squeeze the in-game resources to the limit to prepare for those guild wars and the upcoming continental unification war.

The purpose of the field and dungeon control, the heavy taxes, and everything else that Eugene pointed out was to secure resources to wage the continental unification war.

I believed that was the only way to complete the Overlord Quest.

However, the funds required for the war far exceeded my expectations, and in the end, I had to borrow an astronomical amount of money in reality and invest it in the game to make up for the shortfall.

At that time, I was foolishly obsessed with the Overlord Quest and the great achievement of continental unification.

Once I unified the continent and completed the Overlord Quest……

I thought I could easily pay off this trivial debt in reality with the money I would earn from the unified continent.

At that time, I was foolishly obsessed with victory, blinded by greed, and a goddamn idiot who would do anything to achieve it.

After scraping together every penny I had, I actually succeeded in unifying the continent.

But that was it.

My hegemony didn’t last even a year.

Eugene!

That bastard who suddenly appeared, accepted the Rebellion Quest, gathered the power of ordinary users to form a revolutionary army, and ultimately brought down me, the Iron Blood Alliance, and the Guild Alliance.

That’s how everything ended, I was defeated, and all I was left with was the massive debt I had incurred by even resorting to loan sharks in reality to finance the war.

That was six years ago.

Six years ago, I sold all my assets in reality, even my items, to pay off my debts, quit the game I loved so much, and worked every odd job I could find for a year, but it wasn’t nearly enough to pay off the debt.

So, in the end, I had to board a fishing trawler to pay off my debts.

Five years have passed since I started wandering the seas, catching tuna, and I was now nearing the end of my twenties, having started in my early twenties.

I wasted my golden youth on a boat paying off debts.

“Yes, I don’t plan on looking at games anymore.”

It was Ard Saga that I loved so much, and it was the job that allowed me, a high school graduate, to earn a decent living and provide for my poor parents. But now, I was sick and tired of Ard Saga.

I planned to open a small restaurant with the money I earned on the fishing trawler and live out the rest of my life simply making ends meet.

Game masters, rankers, hidden classes, guilds, and all that…… I no longer had any lingering attachment to those things.

The arduous tuna fishing had made me forget everything and achieve enlightenment.

Being a game master or whatever only means you’re a master in the game.

Isn’t living a faithful life in reality the true life?

“Right. Forget everything and start anew on land. You’re still in your prime.”

Captain Kim grins at my answer.

“The Captain is right. Mr. Park will do well wherever he goes.”

Hassan, an Indonesian crew member I had become close with while working on the ship, suddenly appears next to the Captain, showing his white teeth and supporting the Captain’s words in awkward Korean.

I chuckle at their appearance and turn my gaze back to the sea.

Busan Port, which I haven’t seen in a long time, and South Korea, are welcoming me back.

▄ ▄ ▄

Dragging my suitcase filled with luggage, I arrive at Busan Station.

Since there was still time before the KTX to Seoul departed, I bought a Busan specialty fishcake bar from a store inside the station and sat on a bench in the waiting area.

Busan Station, which I hadn’t been to in a long time, was still overflowing with passengers.

I sat down and stared blankly into space.

Now, I’ll go to Seoul, greet my parents after a long time, show my face to acquaintances, and look for a place to open my shop.

As I was thinking about my future plans……

[It’s already been two years since the release of Ard Saga Second.]

These words came from the wall-mounted TV in the waiting area.

“Yeah, I’m not playing games anymore.”

I muttered those words, trying to ignore what was being said on TV.

It was games that ruined my life.

Six years ago, I was defeated by that bastard Eugene and incurred a huge debt because of that damn game, forcing me to work odd jobs for a year and on a fishing trawler for five years.

I had countless times clenched my teeth on the boat and vowed to never even glance at games again and to live a faithful life in reality.

So, whether it’s Ard Saga Second or Third, it has nothing to do with me.

I tried to steady my wavering heart.

Just as I was making that vow to myself……

[So! For our 2nd anniversary special, we at SBC Games have invited a very special guest to this program. It’s none other than Hero Eugene! Hello, Eugene!!]

The name of that ‘son of a bitch’ reached my ears.

My gaze automatically shifted towards the wall-mounted TV.

My heart pounded as if it was going to explode.

I took a deep breath.

It has nothing to do with me anymore.

Let’s forget the past. I have to forget.

But I want to hear what that bastard has to say.

With that feeling, I focused on the TV.

[Hello. I’m Eugene.]

[I’ve always been a fan! It’s a real pleasure to meet you! Can I ask for your autograph later?]

[Hahaha. Of course.]

As his disgustingly handsome face, comparable to that of a celebrity, appeared on the screen, not only did cheers erupt from the speakers, but even the people sitting in the waiting area began to stir.

“It’s Eugene!”

“God Eugene!”

“Isn’t our Eugene so handsome? Is it okay for a pro gamer to be this good-looking?”

“I agree. And with a perfect personality too, he’s totally a cheat character. No human can be like that. He’s so perfect that he lacks humanity.”

“Wow! I’m so envious of God Eugene’s autograph.”

These meaningless words reached my ears.

My stomach started to churn.

That bastard, who I wouldn’t be satisfied even if I chewed him up and swallowed him, had become everyone’s hero, a righteous apostle.

I barely managed to suppress the dizziness I felt from this damn reality.

It’s not that I didn’t anticipate this situation.

But the feeling of seeing people’s reactions and that bastard’s appearance in real time was completely different from when I was isolated from society, catching tuna on a fishing trawler.

I chewed and swallowed the fishcake as if I were biting into the flesh of my enemy.

It was to control my own emotions, which felt like they were about to explode.

Whether he knew my situation or not, that bastard’s sickening interview continued.

[With the release of Ard Saga Second and the reset of all users’ levels, there were predictions that hunting grounds and dungeon control would be revived, and that the Guild Alliance would once again dominate Ard Saga. Thanks to your efforts over the past two years, Eugene, those predictions have turned out to be just worries. As a fellow user, I’d like to express my sincere gratitude.]

The beautiful caster on the TV screen held out the microphone and asked a question, and that bastard opened his mouth with a serious expression.

[I just did what was right. As long as I’m here, injustices like the Guild Alliance will never rule the Ard Continent again.]

My stomach started to churn at the sound of his disgusting voice.

[Yes, thank you for your answer. And Eugene, do you remember Steel Monarch Drakan by any chance?]

And then……

My heart started pounding like crazy at the sudden mention of my name.


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(🇰🇷)The Final Boss Has Returned

🇰🇷)The Final Boss Has Returned

끝판왕이 돌아왔다
Score 7.4
Status: Ongoing Type: Author: Released: 2020 Native Language: Korean
Drakan, a former top-ranked player and Guild Master of the Iron Blood Alliance, returns to the virtual reality game Ard Saga Second after six years, driven by a burning desire for revenge against Hero Eugene, the player who defeated him and brought down his guild. He finds himself in a drastically changed world: the game has been reset, a new Legacy System allows players to inherit the achievements of their previous characters, and the rise of Ard Live, a real-time streaming platform, has revolutionized the game’s economy and social dynamics.

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