The Final Boss Has Returned 43

Chapter 43

I continued the explanation with a cheerful laugh.

That’s right.

As I said, none of the users knew how far along I was in the quest.

This was because I hadn’t uploaded any videos.

When I said this, Ignis gave a faint smile, as if he had realized something.

As the head of JDG, he seemed to be worth his salt, as he seemed to have figured out the strategy I was going to talk about.

“So, if I upload a video to my official channel, subtly cut off right before I receive the Abyss Pearl recovery quest, and make other users think that the quest progress is sluggish, they’ll have no choice but to bite the bait.”

When I said this, everyone’s eyes were on me.

I continued speaking without minding them.

“Those who are tricked will contact the Merfolk and prepare for an attack. And after our side reads the attack timing through the ‘informant’……”

I said, tapping the table.

“If we welcome the overconfidently attacking enemy forces with pre-set traps and ambushes! We can easily and cleanly solve both the quest and the Infinite Eugene Church! It’s killing two birds with one stone.”

After listening to me, Ignis looked at me and slowly said.

“However, if you upload the video, the enemies will also know the contents of the quest. What if they don’t choose to attack immediately and instead dig traps in the basement of the palace, the quest objective, and wait for Drakan-nim?”

Ignis’s counter-argument certainly made sense.

“That’s a possibility.”

Therefore, I acknowledged his counter-argument and continued to answer.

“But the probability of that happening is low. They will try to finish the job before I level up and become more threatening, and before they get caught red-handed with their underhanded tactics.”

I answered Ignis, recalling the psychology of the Infinite Eugene Church.

Of course, as Ignis said, there was also the option of them waiting for me, but I viewed that possibility itself negatively.

The Infinite Eugene Church!

The important thing for them was to nip me in the bud before I grew, not to wait for me to grow.

They knew that the more I leveled up, the more threatening I became.

Moreover, their quest interference was an unfair underhanded tactic!

Considering that it would take at least three months of preparation to properly攻略 the Abyss Curse quest I received, even if we assume there was no ‘informant,’ the probability of them not getting caught red-handed with their underhanded tactics within that three-month preparation period was close to zero.

Moreover, Lexus, the Eastern Branch Manager, was a named user I had even heard of, who spearheaded the World Revolution and fought against me in the past!

Therefore, he would also know me well, and he would definitely know that I am more adept at dirty tricks than anyone else.

He would also know that if I was given a lot of time, I would notice their underhanded tactics, so he would definitely be thinking of finishing the job as quickly as possible before I could grasp the situation and prepare.

If the enemy was someone who didn’t know me well, it wouldn’t be a problem, but if the enemy was someone who knew me well, it would be right to use their perception of me against them.

Just like when I dealt with Jacques, the ruler of Lawless Port.

The probability of my guess being wrong would be slim, but even if they made such a choice, it wouldn’t matter much to me.

“Well, if the enemies make such a foolish choice, we’ll just launch a surprise all-out attack while they’re focused on the trap. They wouldn’t be prepared either, and our side also has the unexpected power of Kraken. Besides, I can summon Kraken anywhere in the sea with the ring’s effect, so a diversionary tactic would also be good.”

This was because I already had a plan B in mind for that situation.

Anyway, as long as we had an ‘informant’ within them, I could fluidly adapt to the situation and use their plan against them.

It would feel like playing the classic game ‘StarCraft’ with maphack enabled.

The Infinite Eugene Church bastards would be dancing in the palm of my hand.

Perhaps if it was the Infinite Eugene Church with Eugene, they might have a chance, but without him, they could never defeat me.

Ignis nodded at my words, and Shin Ha-yeon said with a bright smile.

“Drakan-nim is right. Moreover, if this is successfully concluded, we can use this incident as an excuse to drag Eugene’s reputation through the mud, so the result would be killing not two, but three birds with one stone, or perhaps even more.”

I nodded at her words.

She was right.

Even though the Infinite Eugene Church bastards claimed to be a separate organization from Eugene, as a fandom, Eugene wouldn’t be able to ignore their actions.

Of course, if I died according to their plan, the story would be different.

Even though public opinion about me had changed, there were still quite a few users who disliked me, and they would automatically shield the Infinite Eugene Church bastards who killed me.

Moreover, even though I had a fandom, it was still in its infancy, so if I died, it would definitely lose its cohesiveness and scatter like grains of sand.

And in that situation, their act of killing me would definitely be perceived as so-called ‘justice served’ and ‘refreshing.’

But what if I didn’t die according to their plan?

What if, on top of that, it was revealed that they were the ones behind the underhanded tactics?

There would be no situation they would want to avoid more than that.

However, I intended to give the Infinite Eugene Church bastards that situation they wanted to avoid, the worst possible future.

I said to Shin Ha-yeon, still maintaining my smile.

“Very good. Proceed as planned.”

Shin Ha-yeon nodded in agreement, and I laughed, imagining the hellish moment the Infinite Eugene Church would face.

Truly, it was a pleasant conclusion to the meeting.

▄ ▄ ▄

Ard Live Drakan Official Channel!

The comment section of his channel, which had surpassed 500,000 subscribers following the Lawless Port Recapture, looked different from the past.

When Drakan’s official channel first opened, many people ridiculed or cursed him……

But recently, with the formation of Drakan’s ‘fandom,’ the number of comments supporting Drakan or anticipating new content was gradually increasing.

[When’s the next video coming out?]

[Isn’t this the first Merfolk reveal? I want to see the underwater quest video]

The last video uploaded to Drakan’s official channel was the scene of Drakan meeting Merfolk Prince Nereus!

It was the very situation that many users had witnessed at the docks of Lawless Port.

Just as Drakan’s fans were waiting for the next video……

A new video was uploaded to his channel.

It was a video of Drakan arriving at Aqua Haven, the city of the Merfolk, and receiving a quest from Nereus.

[It’s about restoring Kraken.]

[How?]

[As you know, Kraken is in a coma with serious injuries. Its life or death is uncertain at this point. To revive Kraken, we need a legendary grade magic stone or an item with comparable power.]

[Fortunately, a treasure comparable to a legendary grade magic stone, the Abyss Pearl, is sealed in the basement of the palace in our old capital, Maro. It’s currently in the hands of the Merfolk, but the seal of the Abyss Pearl is not something they can easily tamper with. It would be a great help if you could go there and retrieve the Abyss Pearl.]

With Nereus’s last line, the details of the quest ‘Retrieve the Abyss Pearl’ appeared, and the video ended.

Drakan’s video quickly spread throughout the internet thanks to his fandom, and soon, not only Ard Live streamers but also the Ard Forum and SNS were filled with talk about Drakan’s quest.

Streamers once again began pouring out numerous theories about Drakan’s quest.

[Drakan, this quest…… Well, I don’t think it will be easy.]

[Not only the grade, but infiltration quests, especially those that involve infiltrating the heart of enemy territory, are incredibly difficult. Even the great Drakan will have a hard time this time.]

[I think, since Drakan’s level is still low, right? Since there’s no time limit on the quest anyway, I think he’ll level up a bit, improve his specs, and then try it.]

Numerous analyses and theories poured out on the internet, but the conclusion was simple.

It’s not a quest that can be completed in a short period of time!

It would take at least three months if done properly!

That was the thought of most users.

[But couldn’t he just bring another legendary grade material item instead of the Abyss Pearl?]

[Is that someone’s dog’s name?]

[Jeil could support him, like with the city reconstruction funds~]

[Is Jeil’s support infinite? Honestly, supporting him with the reconstruction funds was a huge privilege. That’s a lot of money. I think Drakan won’t be getting any support for a while until he pays back all the push he got then. lol]

[I agree with the comment above. Even if it’s a large company, where’s a management that keeps giving out support without expecting anything in return? They need to see results before they support him again. Honestly, I think this is Drakan’s time to show results that match the support he received. lol]

[Speaking of legendary grade material items, I just remembered, who bought that Thunderbird Horn?]

[I heard the Simseong Guild Master registered it on the auction house, and someone with a hidden nickname bought it for 1 billion won in cash? Must be a silver spoon~]

Of course, there were a few other opinions, but they were refuted within the bounds of common sense, so there were no more users who expressed dissenting views.

To be honest, it could be said that it was an exceptional case for Jeil Group to provide such support for the Lawless Port Recapture.

The relationship between a management and the user they contracted with was one of mutual support, not a one-sided giving relationship.

There was no investor who wanted to keep pouring water into a bottomless pit!

Well, it might be different if the management was small and Drakan was the sole breadwinner.

However, Jeil E&M, as befitting the reputation of a chaebol conglomerate, boasted one of the largest scales in the industry!

Excluding Drakan, Ignis, and JDG, there were plenty of popular users and rankers belonging to Jeil E&M, so most people thought there was no reason for Jeil E&M to focus solely on investing in Drakan.

Therefore, in the case of Drakan, who had already received significant support, he wouldn’t receive support this time.

That’s what people thought, and in most cases, it was the norm.

And all this information flowed to the Eastern Branch of the Infinite Eugene Church.

“As expected, it seems his quest will take a long time.”

Lexus smiled with joy.

Someone raised their hand and spoke to Lexus.

“Branch Manager-nim.”

“Why are you calling me?”

“How about changing the draft plan?”

“How?”

“The content of the quest Drakan received is to unseal the pearl in the basement of the palace. Wouldn’t it be better to dig a trap in the basement of the palace, the quest objective, and wait to catch him?”

The opinion of the executive who presented a different view to Lexus wasn’t bad, but Lexus shook his head.

“No, that won’t do.”

“Why not?”

“The life of this operation lies in its swift execution. The quest Drakan received is one that requires at least three months of preparation. If we choose to dig a trap, we’ll have to waste at least three months waiting for him to arrive, and during that time, Drakan will definitely notice that someone is working behind the scenes. He’s not that foolish.”

Lexus said, looking at the executive.

Drakan!

Lexus hated him, but he didn’t underestimate his abilities.

Nor did he overestimate his own abilities.

Drakan could be said to be the most skilled person in Ard World when it came to information warfare and dirty tricks, and his ability to subjugate large guilds through war and unify the continent was real.

To give such a Drakan at least three months of time while digging a trap?

This was practically the same as openly advertising to the opponent that we were engaging in underhanded tactics.