Chapter 49
The big news of Eugene and Drakan’s meeting was being broadcast nationwide through live cable game channels.
And among the countless viewers watching the broadcast was Verda, a member of the Lightwing Guild, Eugene’s colleague, and the guild’s mage.
Unlike the Jeil Content Hub building, the Lightwing Entertainment building stood north of the Han River!
On the wall-mounted TV in the meeting room there, the scene of Eugene apologizing and Drakan responding was playing out, but the atmosphere was as chilly as the Arctic.
The people in the meeting room were Verda and the manager of the Infinite Eugene Church, Raiden.
“I am deeply sorry.”
Raiden, a handsome man with narrow eyes behind glasses, was dressed in a suit, kneeling on the floor with his head bowed.
Raiden!
One of only twenty Over-Rankers in Ard World, nicknamed the Sword Emperor, and the leader of the Infinite Eugene Church, a massive organization considered equal in power to the ten major guilds. The power he held was truly formidable, but it couldn’t stop the current situation.
This was because the woman in front of him was a colleague of Eugene, who held absolute power in Ard World, and all of his power came from Eugene and his colleagues.
Furthermore, the culprit who had created the humiliating scene of him having to personally apologize to Eugene was a member of the Infinite Eugene Church, so as the leader, he was left speechless.
“I told you not to touch Drakan for the time being.”
Verda said in a cold voice, looking at Raiden.
Verda, a beautiful woman with a frosty expression, sighed inwardly as she looked down at Raiden.
Eugene. He was an idealist who was known for being kind, naive, stubborn, obsessed with principles, and unwilling to compromise with reality, to the point where some called him a pushover.
But unfortunately, the world wasn’t easy enough to live in with only such noble ideals.
Just as the saying goes, “Clear water has no fish,” to maintain hegemony in Ard World, it was necessary to exercise a certain degree of ‘flexibility.’
There was only one reason why Eugene, who lacked such ‘flexibility,’ was still able to hold hegemony in Ard World.
It was because Verda and the Infinite Eugene Church had been working tirelessly behind the scenes to maintain that hegemony.
From shaping online public opinion and controlling the media to distributing profits among allied guilds and even resorting to covert operations if necessary to gather information on dangerous users!
Verda willingly took on the dirty work to maintain Eugene’s hegemony.
Just as there is a shadow where there is light, Verda knew all too well that the world could not be ruled by playing the saint, so she willingly took on the role of the shadow for the sake of the man she loved.
And she believed that without her, Eugene’s hegemony in the world would have been impossible.
Just as one could conquer the world on horseback but not rule it, the revolution could be won with noble ideals, but the power seized through revolution could not be sustained by ideals alone.
And Verda knew this very well.
Of course, Eugene and the other carefree Lightwing Guild members thought that her work involved things like foreign negotiations, mediating disputes between guilds, and formulating strategies, and Verda had no intention of correcting their misconception right now.
And she had no intention of revealing the details of her work to Eugene in the future either.
She didn’t want to hurt his feelings, and if he knew everything she had done, he would surely distance himself from her, and Verda didn’t want to see that happen.
“I apologize.”
At Raiden’s words, Verda tapped her finger on the desk.
Drakan came to her mind.
Drakan!
Verda had realized from the moment Drakan’s video was released that this whole incident was his scheme from beginning to end, but there was nothing she could do.
There were no flaws in the game Drakan had set up, and the only path she could choose was to counterattack using Eugene.
Not only had the reputation of the Infinite Eugene Church been sacrificed, but now that all the behind-the-scenes work had been exposed, they wouldn’t even be able to engage in covert operations for the time being. Drakan had gained a tremendous advantage from this incident, and she had suffered a decisive defeat against him.
‘As expected, he’s not an easy opponent.’
Verda’s hand trembled.
And in her vision, the image of Eugene and Drakan shaking hands on the TV flickered faintly.
▄ ▄ ▄
Eugene, and Drakan.
The historic moment of the two giants representing the past and present meeting and shaking hands in reality for the first time was soon announced through various special articles with photos taken by reporters’ cameras.
[Video: Historic Meeting of the Two Top Rankers]
[Photo: Eugene and Drakan Shaking Hands]
[Eugene, “Sorry to meet you for the first time in reality under such unfortunate circumstances.”]
[Drakan, “The incident is all in the past. No need to apologize.”]
Eugene. His already high image soared even higher as a result of this incident.
Although he had said it during the live broadcast, the impact of actually putting those words into practice was significant.
Countless people talk about the virtues of reconciliation and forgiveness, but how many actually practice them?
Through this incident, Eugene once again proved that he alone was the most noble hero in Ard World, the only user worthy of bearing the weight of the title “Hero.”
Of course, Eugene wasn’t the only one who benefited from this event.
Public opinion towards Drakan was also gradually changing as a result of this meeting.
Until the meeting with Eugene, many users were suspicious of Drakan.
This was because many users still remembered his actions in the previous game.
Drakan was extremely selfish and would not hesitate to use and discard others for his own benefit. He was a tyrant who had enriched himself by imposing heavy taxes and entry fees on ordinary users under the guise of waging war.
Six years later, Drakan returned to Ard Saga Second and showed completely different behavior – readily agreeing to Eugene’s request, burning down a city instead of engaging in urban warfare to save the lives of users – but that’s why there were more skeptical eyes questioning his sincerity.
However, through this meeting, Drakan succeeded in dispelling, if not completely, then at least to some extent, the doubts about his sincerity.
If the users’ view of Drakan before this meeting was, “Is this guy for real?”, it changed to, “Maybe he really has changed?” after the handshake with Eugene. This was truly a remarkable development.
In any case, from the perspective of both Eugene and Drakan, this event was a win-win situation.
While the internet was buzzing about the meeting between Drakan and Eugene.
Drakan was continuing his quest in Ard World, beneath the eastern sea.
▄ ▄ ▄
The Great Atoll!
The former capital of the Merfolk Kingdom, this massive city, surrounded by beautiful coral walls and reminiscent of a pearl inside a clam, fell easily into the hands of the Merfolk army.
This was possible because the main force of the Mermaid army had been annihilated in the recent battle of Aqua Haven, and the Governor and General, Antaeus, as well as the guardian beast, Scylla, were all dead.
The remaining Mermaid remnants in the Great Atoll resisted to the end, but I summoned Kraken, and the Mermaid remnants had no power to stop the summoned Kraken.
After the Great Atoll fell into the hands of the Merfolk army, it didn’t take long to reclaim the entire Merfolk Kingdom.
And finally, the end of the long quest began to appear before my eyes.
Pearl Plaza, the center of the Great Atoll.
Unlike when the Mermaids ruled, the translucent barrier had been restored, returning the underwater city to an environment similar to the surface. The plaza, where the blue sea could be seen like an aquarium, was now packed with Merfolk.
“What a grand event.”
I muttered, looking down at the Merfolk gathered below from behind the podium set up for the event.
Just then, the band below the podium began to play a resounding march to signal the start of the event.
Watching the fantastical scene of them playing drums made of clam shells and wind instruments made of conches, I stepped onto the podium with the box I had received beforehand.
Merfolk King Nereus was standing there.
“Merfolk King Nereus, receive the crown.”
I recited the prepared lines and opened the box.
Then, a crown made of red coral was revealed.
[Ten Thousand Year Coral Crown]
[Grade: Legendary]
[The crown passed down through the Merfolk royal family. It symbolizes the authority of the Merfolk King.]
[Made by the first Merfolk King Triton, who mined and processed the oldest ten thousand year coral from the Ten Thousand Year Coral Reef. It is imbued with the blessings of the Sea Demon King and Kraken.]
[Item Effects]
[Charisma +10]
[All Stats +10%]
[Attack Power +10%]
[Defense Power +10%]
[Health Regeneration +100%]
[Mana Regeneration +100%]
[Water Resistance +100%]
[Ice Resistance +100%]
[King of the Sea: The Merfolk King is the king of the sea. Can command and control marine monsters.]
[Ruler of Water: Can freely manipulate seawater. Can even create tsunamis depending on the amount of mana used.]
[Usage Restriction – Merfolk King]
A legendary grade item with an amazing array of options that would make anyone’s jaw drop!
It was an item that could fetch at least 2 billion won if sold at auction, but unfortunately, this item symbolized the authority of the Merfolk King, so I couldn’t own it or wear it.
Looking at the tempting but unattainable item, I placed the red crown on the head of Nereus, who was kneeling before me.
[Nereus has equipped the Ten Thousand Year Coral Crown.]
With a bland message, I uttered the lines I had promised beforehand to Nereus, who was still kneeling.
“In the name of Drakan, the contractor of the Dark God, I recognize you as the rightful king of the Merfolk Kingdom.”
Nereus, hearing my words, raised his head.
“As the Merfolk King, I declare: I, Nereus, and the Merfolk Kingdom, along with the eight Merfolk tribes, will not only join the ancient alliance but also recognize Drakan-nim, the contractor of the Dark God, as the Apostle of Darkness and obey his words.”
The moment Nereus finished speaking.
[Quest ‘Revival of the Merfolk Kingdom’ completed.]
Finally, a notification appeared, signaling the end of the long Merfolk quest.
Of course, that message was just the beginning.
I pretty much get goosebumps every time I see characters that act for their leader’s benefit instead of their will like that. I involuntarily imagine myself in the position of the leader, and there’s a sense of betrrayal and filth similar to ntr watered down. I’m not obsessed with maintaining clean hands, but any sins I commit must be done with knowledge and resolve.
Sins done “for me” are still mine to bear, because they wouldn’t have happened without me and I couldn’t control my subordinate. There are things more important to me than profit and power, and you spit in the face of my trust and make a mockery of my ideals by treating them as a weakness you need to sacrifice yourself in the shadows to fix.