The Final Boss Has Returned 5

Chapter 5

A smile automatically spread across my face as I vowed to turn Ard World into the bastard’s grave.

The revenge I had longed for so much!

It was a smile of joy, stemming from the fact that my revenge could be carried out even more perfectly through the Hardcore System. It was so delightful and exhilarating.

Eugene. All the foundation he has built in reality so far originated from ‘Eugene’ in Ard Saga.

But if that Eugene disappears from the game, everything he built up through the game will vanish like a bubble.

Just like me five years ago, who briefly unified the continent, only to be defeated by Eugene and forced onto a deep-sea fishing vessel, burdened with debt.

Therefore, unlike other users who were still complaining about the Hardcore System, I truly, wholeheartedly loved it.

You get one shot, I get one shot!

What a realistic and egalitarian system that perfectly reflects the spirit of the times!

‘This is what you call a god-damn game!’

Thanking the developers of Ard Saga, I charged towards the Dire Wolves chasing the users, wielding Iron Blood Executor.

Monsters are experience points!

Monsters are items!

Monsters are gold!

I hadn’t forgotten the three principles that govern Ard Saga.

Of course, the Dire Wolves in the combat tutorial didn’t drop items or gold, but they did give normal experience points.

So, it was party time from now on.

“Whimper!”

“Yelp!”

Every time Iron Blood Executor cut through the air, the sorrowful cries of the Dire Wolves echoed.

The sounds of dogs being slaughtered on a hot summer day filled the tutorial area.

[Level Up!]

Along with it, a pleasant notification window filled my vision.

Some returning users, who noticed my sudden rampage and realized what I was doing, tried to follow my hunt, but I caught glimpses of them falling behind in shock at my speed.

‘This is the last one!’

Having defeated almost all the remaining Dire Wolves, the last one remaining came into my view.

“D-Don’t, don’t come near m-me! G-Good boy, w-wolfy?”

“Grrrrrrr!”

I mercilessly struck the back of the wolf threatening the newbie user with my sword.

“Yelp!”

The Dire Wolf let out a sudden scream, but I mechanically swung my sword until the monster died, and finally, its body scattered into gray dust.

[Level Up!]

Level up!

This sound was always pleasant to hear.

Just hearing it sent a thrill through me.

I closed my eyes, savoring the afterglow of the level-up notification, and smiled.

▄ ▄ ▄

Once all the Dire Wolves disappeared, the second tutorial followed immediately.

[The Interface Tutorial will begin shortly.]

[Please listen carefully to the following explanation.]

[The Status Window displays your current status and….]

The second tutorial was really nothing special.

The Interface Tutorial, as its name suggests, was a section for learning the interface of Ard Saga Second. It was all about explaining functions like the Status Window, Skill Window, and Party Window, and opening and closing them as instructed.

Having studied the information beforehand, and with the interface not being much different from the previous game, I endured the tedious explanations while waiting for the final tutorial.

[A Dungeon Gate will be summoned shortly for the final tutorial.]

[You can now use the party function.]

[TIP. Conquering a dungeon alone is difficult. Form a party with fellow users and cooperate to conquer the tutorial dungeon together!]

How long did I wait?

Finally, a welcome notification appeared before my eyes.

The final tutorial guide window popped up.

Dungeon conquest.

Seeing that objective, a smile played on my lips.

The notification window didn’t just appear to me, so after checking the content of the final tutorial, the users quickly came to their senses and started looking for parties.

“Anyone looking for a party!”

It would have been fine up to that point.

I didn’t care if they formed parties amongst themselves.

But the problem was that the skills I had displayed while slaughtering the Dire Wolves earlier had attracted a lot of people who were now bothering me.

“Hey, want to party with me?”

“No.”

“Let’s party up. My hyeong is the guild master of the Muwol Guild. After the tutorial, I’ll put in a good word for you…”

“I said no.”

Countless party requests were pouring in.

Some users even mentioned the names of guilds I had never heard of, but I thoroughly put up a wall and didn’t join anyone’s party.

No, there was no need to join.

There were no users worth partying with, and I was confident that I could conquer the tutorial dungeon alone, easily and quickly.

If I could do it all by myself, there was no need to carry the burden of party members.

It was when the users, after my continuous and cold rejections, shook their heads and stopped approaching me.

The space in the middle of the grassland where I and the users were standing shimmered, and soon a gate made of blue light revealed itself.

[The Dungeon Gate summoning is complete.]

Confirming the appearance of the Dungeon Gate, I ran faster than anyone else and threw myself into the gate.

[Entering the Tutorial Dungeon.]

▄ ▄ ▄

“It’s a forest.”

After passing through the gate, I looked around the scenery and gave a short remark.

That’s right.

I had fallen into a forest.

Not just any forest, but a dense forest where towering trees blocked the sky, casting shadows on the ground.

It was definitely different from the previous game.

In the previous game, the inside of dungeons were either labyrinths, old ruins, or damp caves.

It was rare to deviate from these three types.

And I was also accustomed to such dungeon environments.

However, the dungeons in Ard Saga Second were a different concept from the previous game.

In the setting of Ard Saga Second, dungeons weren’t transformed ruins, caves, or labyrinths imbued with magic power. Instead, they were a kind of dimensional rift created by the overlapping of different dimensions with Ard World, the world that served as the background of the game.

The Dungeon Gate was the entrance to that dimensional rift.

This setting was fully reflected in the dungeon design, and thanks to this, the dungeons in Ard Saga Second, despite being called dungeons, were essentially designed as small, isolated special fields separated from the outside world.

In short, it meant that the developers were creating things like forests and snowfields, calling them dungeons, and stealing their paychecks.

‘I’ve only heard about it, but this kind of dungeon isn’t bad either.’

Recalling the differences between the dungeons of the previous game and the sequel, I whistled and walked forward, wielding Iron Blood Executor.

Just then.

Rustle.

The bushes rustled, and soon five Goblins popped out and screamed at me.

“Kiiik! Kiiiik!”

“Goblins! Jackpot.”

A smile spread across my face as I confirmed the identity of the monsters.

The place I was in was the Tutorial Dungeon.

It was a dungeon created with the intention of allowing newbies to experience the dungeon function before entering the main game, Ard Saga Second.

Therefore, only one type of monster appeared in the Tutorial Dungeon, and I knew this very well because I had studied it in advance.

And the monster I encountered in this dungeon was a Goblin!

Goblins were low-level monsters treated as pushovers in various fantasy novels and games, and in reality, they were. However, that didn’t mean they were easy monsters for beginners to handle.

Unlike beast-type monsters like wolves or foxes, whose AI was at the level of real animals, the Goblins’ AI was designed to be quite threatening and cunning, capable of using rudimentary tactics.

Therefore, beginners usually formed parties to deal with Goblins, so the tutorial tip window recommending forming a party wasn’t a lie.

Of course, that was for beginners, and to a hardcore player like me, Goblins were insignificant beings, not even worthy of being a snack.

I looked at the Goblins and raised Iron Blood Executor.

“Kyaaaaaak!”

Seeing me, the Goblins bravely charged at me, drawing daggers from their waists, but I effortlessly dodged their attacks and immediately counterattacked with my sword.

“Ugh!”

“Kiiiik!!”

The five Goblins instantly fell to the ground and immediately turned into gray ash and disappeared.

[Level Up!]

Savoring the level-up notification that was rising rapidly because it was the early stages, I checked the items left behind where the Goblin corpses had disappeared.

Unlike the Dire Wolves in the combat tutorial, the monsters in the Tutorial Dungeon properly dropped items and money.

[Acquired 6 Copper.]

[Acquired Goblin’s Dagger.]

As I was collecting the junk items, I saw an item that would quickly end this dungeon.

I picked up the crude-looking horn, seemingly carved from animal bone, and smirked.

[Signal Whistle]

[Grade: Normal]

[Category: Miscellaneous]

[A whistle carried by Goblin scouts to call for backup.]

[Durability 10/10]

That’s right.

The item that would end this dungeon was the Signal Whistle.

With this whistle, there was no need to bother searching the entire forest and beating up each Goblin individually.

Instead of me looking for monsters, the monsters would come looking for me! A new concept of dungeon hunting!

To put this new concept of hunting into practice, I put the whistle in my mouth and blew forcefully.

[Peeeeeeeeeeeek!!]

The sharp whistle echoed through the forest.

And before long, the sound of rustling bushes reached my ears.

The guests had arrived.

“Kyaaaaaak!”

“Time to collect experience points!”

With a joyful heart, I raised Iron Blood Executor and gave the guests a grand welcome. After meticulously collecting the items and money they left behind, I put the whistle back in my mouth.

[Peeeeeeeeeeeek!!]

The sharp and sweet sound of the Signal Whistle tickled my ears once again.