Chapter 48
As soon as Eugene turned on the broadcast, the number of viewers started to increase exponentially.
The number of subscribers to Eugene’s official channel was a whopping 100 million!
Furthermore, due to the ongoing Infinite Eugene Church scandal, the eyes of all users, both domestic and international, were focused on Eugene. As he started the live broadcast, so many people tuned in that there were concerns about the server crashing.
[First, I would like to apologize. I feel a moral responsibility for the immoral actions committed by the Eastern Branch Manager of the Infinite Eugene Church, and I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely apologize to Drakan-nim for the immense pain caused by this incident. I plan to arrange a separate meeting with Drakan-nim later to apologize in person.]
Saying this, Eugene stood with an incredibly serious expression and deeply bowed his head.
The camera captured Eugene’s entire body in this posture.
[Hul, Eugene-nim ㅠㅠㅠㅠ]
[Eugene-nim is personally apologizing ㅠㅠㅠ]
[And to Drakan no less…….]
[He doesn’t need to apologize himself. As expected of Eugene-nim’s personality……. Just lightlightlight]
As soon as Eugene bowed his head, the real-time chat exploded.
Eugene.
The top-ranked player of Ard World!
The fact that he, who reigns over hundreds of millions of users playing Ard Saga Second and possesses overwhelming power, unhesitatingly bowed his head and apologized, instantly cooled down the public opinion that had been threatening to burn down the Infinite Eugene Church.
Unlike the proverb that says ripe grain bows its head, people were well aware that the privileged and high-ranking officials in reality rarely bowed their heads.
In such a situation, Eugene’s actions of not only sincerely bowing his head and apologizing, but also going to meet Drakan, his former enemy and potential future rival, in person to apologize, carried immense power, enough to stabilize the inflamed public sentiment.
[I will never condone Lexus’s evil deeds simply because he was the Eastern Branch Manager of the Infinite Eugene Church, and I will hold Lexus and his party accountable for violating the principles. The Judgment Guild is currently on its way to the East to apprehend them, and I will make the results public as soon as all measures are taken.]
Judgment Guild.
This massive guild, shining brightly at 2nd place in the overall guild rankings, was nicknamed Eugene’s Sword.
One of the four guilds allied with the Lightwing Guild and a major force in the past Revolutionary Army, the Judgment Guild was now the enforcer who carried out Eugene’s will, punishing evil and acting as the police force across all of Ard World.
The news that the enforcers of the Judgment Guild, feared more than the Grim Reaper by PK players, were going to apprehend Lexus and his party caused the chat window to explode.
[The very model of an apology;;]
[Honestly, it’s not even something Eugene-nim needs to apologize for; He’s cleaning up the mess the Infinite Eugene Church made~]
[Our Eugene-nim is suffering because of the Infinite Eugene Church;;]
[If ‘that cult’ had just issued a proper apology, it wouldn’t have come to this ㅉㅉ. They’re a stumbling block, a stumbling block. I’m telling you, that cult is ruining Eugene-nim’s image;]
They might not like the Infinite Eugene Church, but they don’t dislike Eugene!
The majority of the users’ sentiment was once again shifting towards Eugene.
This was only natural.
His reign, which lasted for six years from the previous game to Second, wasn’t perfect, of course. Eugene was also human, so he made mistakes and had his flaws.
However, the difference between other rulers, the privileged class in reality, and Eugene lay in his noble personality.
Although he was criticized by the new generation of users for being stuffy, old-fashioned, frustrating, and a pushover, his strengths were being maximized in this current situation.
[Lastly, I would like to sincerely apologize for causing inconvenience to everyone who loves Ard World with this unfortunate incident. I am truly sorry.]
Eugene. He once again bowed deeply and apologized, and the broadcast ended.
Afterward, the impact of Eugene’s apology was so great that the public opinion that had been slightly tilting towards Drakan began to turn around.
[Honestly, I see Eugene in a new light; I thought he was a frustrating pushover, but he’s unexpectedly a cool guy.]
[Goodㅋㅋㅋ I’m joining the Infinite Eugene Church today]
Even the sentiment of the new generation of users, who had been displeased with Eugene, temporarily turned favorable!
And this change in public opinion immediately reached Drakan’s ears.
▄ ▄ ▄
“As expected.”
Eugene’s apology!
And the subsequent shift in public sentiment didn’t surprise me at all.
Rather, it was an expected outcome.
He was the one who had defeated me and ruled the world for the past six years, backed by overwhelming public support.
Moreover, he had the ‘legitimacy’ of the revolution, and he was still a noble hero.
With such a Eugene sincerely stepping up and bowing his head to apologize, it would have been stranger to me if public opinion hadn’t shifted.
“Still, the Eastern users and some of the new generation users are still supporting Drakan-nim.”
Shin Ha-yeon, who was sitting next to me, said with a smile.
I understood the underlying meaning of her words and nodded.
“It’s fortunate that there’s no fandom exodus.”
My fandom!
I was satisfied that they hadn’t abandoned me.
Since I couldn’t defeat him yet, neither in public opinion nor in power, I had to bide my time and wait for the right moment.
‘I expected him to make this move, and he did move as I predicted, but even the great Eugene can’t prevent the Infinite Eugene Church’s image from plummeting.’
My target wasn’t Eugene anyway.
The Infinite Eugene Church!
My goal was to further damage their image and sow seeds of distrust towards them, and I had successfully achieved that goal.
Although Eugene cleaned up the mess with his apology, the users’ antipathy towards the Infinite Eugene Church only intensified.
If there’s a winner, there must also be a loser.
Eugene protected his image with his apology, but in inverse proportion, the public opinion towards the Infinite Eugene Church, which had forced him to bow his head, was plummeting.
Since Eugene and the Infinite Eugene Church were inseparable, this karma would eventually return to Eugene like a boomerang!
I smiled as I thought so.
Just then.
“Executive Director-nim! Drakan-nim!”
Bang!
Team Leader Lee burst through the conference room door, panting, and looked at Shin Ha-yeon and me.
“Eugene has come to the front of the building with reporters.”
Eugene, as he had declared in the broadcast, had come to find me.
Upon hearing Team Leader Lee’s words, I rose from my seat.
It was time to meet him.
▄ ▄ ▄
Jeil Content Hub Building!
A crowd was gathered in front of this building, standing tall in the heart of Seoul.
In the midst of it all, stood Eugene.
Dressed impeccably in a suit, Eugene, with his handsome face, was looking towards the entrance of the Jeil Content Hub Building.
And soon after, a man emerged from the building entrance, contrasting with Eugene, with a strong, almost villainous appearance.
It was Drakan, Eugene’s rival and a former top-ranked player.
Eugene and Drakan!
The moment had finally arrived where the two giants, who had once competed for the fate of Ard World, faced each other in the real world.
Click! Click!
Reporters relentlessly flashed their cameras to capture this historic moment.
However, neither Eugene nor Drakan paid any attention to the reporters’ actions.
In the world they saw, there were only the two of them.
Their gazes clashed in mid-air.
After a strange battle of nerves, it was Drakan who spoke first.
“It’s the first time seeing you in reality, Eugene.”
Drakan smiled as he looked at Eugene.
That’s right.
As Drakan said, it was the first time the two had met face-to-face in reality.
Of course, they had clashed countless times in the virtual reality world.
Six years ago.
During the World Revolution, Drakan and Eugene clashed constantly, sometimes fought directly, and even killed each other.
Drakan recalled the Eugene of the past.
His appearance hadn’t changed much, then or now.
The difference was that Eugene, who was a handsome young man with a slightly youthful charm due to being a high school student back then, had now entered his twenties, six years later, and his beauty had been further upgraded. It was a bit childish to say, but he was undeniably handsome, a unique and exceptional beauty.
This was the complete opposite of himself, whose appearance had become rough after experiencing various hardships and working on a deep-sea fishing vessel.
‘From head to toe, he and I are so different.’
Drakan compared himself to Eugene as he looked at him.
Looking at Drakan, Eugene said,
“Yes. This is our first meeting in reality, Drakan-nim, and I apologize for having to visit you under such unfortunate circumstances.”
“You don’t need to apologize.”
Drakan immediately replied to Eugene’s words.
The scene of Eugene personally apologizing to him would undoubtedly be incredibly satisfying.
However, Drakan knew that he couldn’t just indulge in that momentary satisfaction.
Strictly speaking, if he accepted Eugene’s apology without any action, after he had sincerely apologized and even come to apologize in person for the transgression committed by some of his extreme fans, which wasn’t even his fault, it was clear that the tide of public opinion would irrevocably shift towards Eugene.
And Drakan couldn’t stand to watch that happen.
The strategy Drakan adopted was to act magnanimous, like Eugene, and generously overlook and conclude this matter.
Then, by riding on Eugene’s positive image, Drakan’s own image would also improve.
That was what Drakan was aiming for, and he was willing to go to even greater lengths to sway public opinion in his favor.
So, Drakan smiled pleasantly, revealing his teeth.
“After all, it was those people who committed the wrongdoing, and I’ve handed down the appropriate punishment of banishment, and that’s the end of it.”
Eugene’s eyes widened slightly at Drakan’s following words.
Drakan!
Eugene hadn’t even imagined that he would be so lenient.
‘This isn’t like him.’
Just as Drakan knew Eugene well, Eugene also knew Drakan better than anyone else.
A man who relentlessly pursued his own interests, selfish to the point of being unmatched, and would stop at nothing to achieve them!
That was the Drakan that Eugene knew.
However, six years later, Drakan was acting differently from the image that remained in Eugene’s memory.
Not long ago, when he said he burned down the city during the Lawless Port Recapture Battle for the sake of the users, when he spared the lives of Lexus and his party after they failed their scheme, and even now, at this very moment.
From Eugene’s perspective, Drakan’s actions seemed completely different from six years ago.
‘Has he really changed?’
Thinking this, Eugene bowed his head.
“Still, I apologize.”
“I’m the one who should apologize for making you come all this way for such a trivial matter.”
Drakan smiled and extended his hand to Eugene in response to his apology.
Eugene looked at Drakan’s outstretched hand.
Drakan!
He suddenly remembered the time when he had offered a handshake when Drakan first returned.
Back then, Drakan had refused his handshake, saying they weren’t close enough for that, but now he was the one offering his hand first.
Seeing Eugene hesitate, Drakan lightly shook his outstretched hand and said,
“What are you doing? Are you going to leave my hand hanging like this awkwardly?”
“Are we…… close enough to shake hands now?”
At Eugene’s question, Drakan nodded.
“Yes.”
Hearing Drakan’s answer, Eugene finally smiled and extended his hand to grasp Drakan’s.
Click! Click!
And it was only natural that the camera flashes went off relentlessly to capture the historic moment of the two shaking hands.
