The Final Boss Has Returned 50

Chapter 50

[The Merfolk join the Ancient Alliance.]

[The quest objective for ‘Apostle’s Path’ has been updated.]

[Level Up!]

[Level Up!]

…….

[Fame increased by 3453.]

[All stats increased by 30.]

…….

[As a quest completion reward, you can choose one item directly from the treasure vault of the Palace of Mano.]

[As an additional quest reward, you will receive the Abyss Pearl. Receive it directly from Nereus.]

[The Dark God smiles with satisfaction towards you for successfully completing the quest.]

[The new race ‘Merfolk’ has been unlocked.]

[One of the Dark God’s creations and blessed by the Sea Demon Leviathan, the Merfolk are a race with the appearance of being half-human and half-fish. While they mainly live underwater, unlike the Mermaids whose lower bodies are fish, they possess legs and can freely move on land.]

[The Merfolk, as a marine race, can freely move underwater, including the seabed, and receive stat bonuses in underwater fields.]

[From now on, you can choose the new race ‘Merfolk’ when creating a character.]

[The starting point for the Merfolk is the Great Atoll, the capital of the Merfolk Kingdom.]

[New possibilities have opened up in Ard World. Participate in the new history.]

The level and stat increase notifications, always a pleasure to hear, followed by the messages from the Demon Kings and reward items. And then, what I saw was none other than the new race unlock message!

This meant that the number of races new users could choose from had increased from the existing three – Human, Elf, and Dwarf – to four, including the Merfolk.

This was an achievement that no one had ever accomplished, throughout both the original Ard Saga and Second.

While unlocking new classes was a common occurrence, unlocking a new race was closer to the realm of speculation. And now, that new race had been unlocked as a playable race.

‘I didn’t expect a new race to be unlocked.’

I smiled as I looked at the message.

I had anticipated being able to choose an item from the treasure vault as a reward.

Well, rewards for quests of this scale were usually like this.

Receiving the Abyss Pearl, the original objective of the quest, as a bonus reward was unexpected, but not a bad thing.

But what was important now wasn’t my quest reward, but the unlocking of the new race.

Unlocking new content was always a welcome event for users. And it was obvious that public opinion of me, who had achieved the feat of unlocking a new race that no one, not even Eugene, had accomplished, after the Black Magician class, would improve even further!

I smiled with satisfaction, feeling full just from imagining it.

Just then.

[Drakan-nim.]

Shin Ha-yeon whispered to me.

[What is it?]

[The Pirate Alliance fleet has appeared on the horizon.]

Shin Ha-yeon calmly explained the situation, and I hung a smile on my lips.

That’s right.

Today was exactly the 23rd day in game time since I started the Merfolk quest!

In other words, it was the D-day that the Pirate Alliance bastards had boldly declared in front of me.

[I’ll be there soon.]

I cut off the whisper and spoke to Nereus, who was kneeling before me.

“Nereus.”

“Yes, Apostle-nim.”

“Enemies have invaded my base, Lawless Port Granado. Gather the army immediately.”

“According to the Alliance’s rules! The Apostle-nim’s enemies are the enemies of our Merfolk Kingdom. I will obey your command.”

Listening to Nereus’s immediate answer, I stroked the ring on my right hand.

Now, it was time to make those pirates drink seawater until they burst.

▄ ▄ ▄

The Pirate Alliance!

Their notoriety, which was practically equivalent to ruling the eastern seas, wasn’t earned for nothing.

Their notoriety stemmed from their powerful strength, and their strength stemmed from their powerful fleet.

The Pirate Alliance fleet!

That fleet was the symbol of the violence and fear the Pirate Alliance possessed, and the reason they could rule the seas.

The grand fleet of the Pirate Alliance, possessing power comparable to a nation’s naval force!

Among them, the Pirate Alliance’s 2nd Fleet, led by Edward, the second-in-command of the Pirate Alliance, was now displaying its majestic appearance in the waters off Lawless Port Granado.

Among the ships of the 2nd Fleet, sailing forward with their huge sails spread, cutting through the calm sea, what stood out the most was the gigantic warship located in the center, which looked to be twice the size of the other ships.

This massive warship, with a broken skull-shaped figurehead on its bow, was none other than Edward’s flagship and the flagship of the 2nd Fleet, the ‘Broken Skull’.

The deck of the Broken Skull.

A bald man, Edward, who was watching the front while facing the sea breeze, was shouted at by a pirate who ran up to him in a hurry.

“Edward-nim!”

“What is it?”

“A report from the lookout! On the Black Spire, on the Black Spire, there’s no white flag!”

“Is that so?”

After receiving the report, Edward looked forward once again.

Thanks to their rapid advance, Lawless Port Granado was now close enough to be seen with the naked eye.

The Black Spire, soaring high into the sky, and the port of Lawless Port Granado came into Edward’s view.

Edward narrowed his eyes and looked at the spire.

The white flag, a symbol of surrender, was nowhere to be found on the Black Spire.

Seeing this, Edward clicked his tongue.

“In the end, he refuses the offered drink and chooses the punishment. The Dark God’s contractor. He’s more foolish than he looks.”

The Dark God’s contractor, Drakan!

The new master of Lawless Port Granado had refused the incredibly generous offer from Pirate King Drake.

Then, there was only one ending left.

A sea of fire!

That’s right.

Having refused the offer, the only ending allowed for Drakan was for Lawless Port Granado to be engulfed in flames.

The Pirate King was generous, but he never showed mercy twice, and he was a ruthless man who always eliminated opponents who bared their teeth at him.

It was because he was such a man that Pirate King Drake was able to become the leader of the Pirate Alliance.

Edward’s blood began to boil.

Regardless of this or that, he was essentially a pirate!

As Edward was someone who felt thrilled by plunder and arson, the future that lay ahead was bound to be satisfying for him.

Imagining the scene of Lawless Port Granado burning and pirates plundering above it, Edward shouted.

“Prepare for cannon fire and landing boats! Let’s show the fury of our Pirate Alliance to Lawless Port Granado and the Dark God’s contractor who refused Drake-nim’s generous offer!”

Just as the pirates began to move in unison upon receiving Edward’s orders.

Splash! Splaaaaash! Swooooooosh!

The calm sea suddenly churned as if a storm had come, and huge tentacles rose from within.

The pirates, staring at the shadow of the giant tentacles that soared into the sky, froze in fear.

“Kr, Kraken, it’s the Kraken! The Kr, Kraken has appeared!”

A pirate, drenched in fear, shouted in a trembling voice.

Kraken!

The legendary monster passed down through tales among the sailors of Ard World had revealed itself in the waters off Lawless Port Granado.

▄ ▄ ▄

Kraken!

The pirates on the Broken Skull were frozen in place at the appearance of the legendary monster.

It is often said that sailors are superstitious.

And the sailors of Ard World were no different.

Rather, since it was a fantasy world where monsters and magic existed, the sailors of Ard World were even more superstitious.

And for the sailors and pirates of Ard World, the appearance of the Kraken was more than enough to instill fear.

Of course, the fear emanating from the Kraken’s body also caused status ailments to the pirates.

“Don’t panic! Attack! Attack, I say!”

The first to recover from the shock was Edward.

Living up to his lofty notoriety, Edward swung his warhammer, the Skull Crusher, and yelled at the pirates. Only then did the pirates, regaining their senses, raise their weapons.

Just then.

Crackle! Boom! Kaboom!

With a deafening roar that seemed to shatter the world, blue sparks flew from the Kraken’s tentacles, and soon turned into lightning that struck the deck directly.

Countless bolts of lightning, too many to count, struck the Broken Skull, and the ship instantly turned into a scene of chaos.

“Kyaaaah!”

“He, Help me!”

“Th, This is madness! The sea is angry! The Sea Demon is angry!!”

Pirates dying from lightning strikes, and the flames that engulfed the ship!

As the pirates’ horrific screams filled the air, the deck of the ship quickly turned into a scene of pandemonium. A giant tentacle descended upon the chaotic deck.

Slap!

The Kraken’s tentacles wrapped around the entire ship along with the sound of waves!

Seeing this, blue aura surrounded Edward’s warhammer, the Skull Crusher.

“That damn squid bastard!”

Fire sparked in Edward’s eyes.

This massive warship he was standing on, the Broken Skull, was his alter ego and pride.

But now, a monster that had suddenly emerged from the depths of the sea was trying to destroy his ship entirely.

Edward could never forgive that, no, he could never forgive this giant monster that had suddenly appeared.

“I’ll kill you!”

With a face flushed red with rage, Edward, wielding his warhammer and exuding a terrifying aura, was about to attack the Kraken’s leg.

Slap!

A wave the size of a house engulfed the deck.

“What the hell?”

Edward frowned at the wave that suddenly engulfed the deck, and then his expression was filled with shock as he saw the figure that emerged from the wave.

A half-human, half-fish with a red crown on his head and shimmering golden scales, a Merman straight out of legends, appeared before him.

“The human with the strongest energy in this area. You must be that Edward fellow.”

Merfolk King Nereus, who had boarded the deck riding the wave, grinned.

In his hand, he held a spear.

“A Merman?”

“That’s right, human. This is Nereus, the rightful king of the Merfolk Kingdom and leader of the Eight Merfolk Tribes. Consider it an honor to face me!”

After finishing his self-introduction, Nereus thrust his spear, overflowing with aura, directly at the bewildered Edward.

Seeing the spearhead flying towards him, Edward gritted his teeth and raised his warhammer to deflect Nereus’s spear.

Both Edward and Nereus were strong individuals, comparable to Over-Rankers!

Whenever the spear and warhammer clashed, sparks of aura flew and shockwaves erupted. But as time passed, the situation became increasingly disadvantageous for Edward.

His strongest force, himself, was tied down by Nereus, and while the remaining pirates were struggling, they couldn’t block the Kraken’s tentacles.

Moreover, with the Merfolk constantly harassing them whenever waves crashed onto the deck, the Broken Skull’s forces had already reached their limit.

“This damn bastard!”

Desperate, Edward cursed and tried to activate ‘Skull Blast’, one of his most powerful skills. However, his intention was not to be.

Crack! Crunch!

The Kraken’s giant leg, overcoming the pirates’ resistance, finally succeeded in completely wrapping around the Broken Skull.

“Oh, no!”

Edward screamed at the sight, and Nereus, looking at him, replied with a sneer.

“Yes!”

As soon as Nereus’s answer fell, the Kraken tightened its grip on the Broken Skull with its leg, and the Broken Skull, true to its name, was broken.

Of course, the Broken Skull wasn’t the only one facing difficulties in the waters off Lawless Port Granado.

The situation was the same for the other pirate ships belonging to the 2nd Fleet.

The Merfolk’s attacks, emerging from the depths of the sea, were far beyond the pirates’ expectations, and they were unable to respond properly in their confusion.

This was only natural, as they had never experienced such an unconventional battle where they were attacked from the seabed, unlike naval battles.

Thus, countless pirates perished helplessly at the hands of the Merfolk.

Furthermore, the problem wasn’t just the Merfolk.

The JDG forces, who had set sail on ships docked at Lawless Port Granado, were taking advantage of the chaos to attack the pirates.

Among them, the user who stood out the most was none other than the Flame Sorcerer, Ignis.

Every time Ignis, who had boarded a ship, waved his hand, flames erupted on enemy ships, engulfing them in fire.

Swooooooosh!

The Kraken, which had shattered the Broken Skull, surged with the waves, scattering lightning and destroying other ships.

The Pirate Alliance!

The moment their legend of invincibility on the sea, their myth of being undefeated at sea, finally crumbled was a historical moment.