Chapter 63
[Drakan. Interview reveals his six-year hiatus for the first time. It’s been revealed that he was aboard a deep-sea fishing vessel to pay off his debts.]
[ (Photo) Drakan kneeling before the users, “I sincerely apologize for all my past wrongdoings. I will not repeat such evil acts in the future.” ]
[Eugene helps Drakan to his feet. “I trust Drakan’s promise and hope for good results in the future.” ]
The biggest news among them was me kneeling and Eugene helping me to my feet.
Screenshots from the broadcast, as well as clips and animated GIFs, were spread all over the internet, including SNS and the Ard Forum.
[ (KingGodTV) Drakan’s hiatus! Was he actually catching tuna on a deep-sea fishing vessel??]
[ (I Apologize.) Drakan’s national apology announcement! Bbooshung-bbashung!]
[Shocking Horror!! Eugene acknowledged Drakan?!]
Of course, Ard Live was also in an uproar.
The hyena-like creators, who flock to any issue, were already churning out all sorts of thumbnails and spewing out their own theories about the interview content and my apology.
Nevertheless, the overall public opinion was flowing in a direction satisfactory to me.
As I expected, through this interview, I was able to completely turn the tide of public opinion.
However, that didn’t mean it was all over.
There were still many star users above me, like the stars in the sky, and Eugene was at the pinnacle of those star users.
There was still a mountain of things to do to get closer to Eugene.
Just as I was thinking that……
“Drakan-nim.”
Shin Ha-yeon, who was sitting next to me, spoke to me.
I took my eyes off my smartphone and looked at Shin Ha-yeon, and she leaned closer to me and whispered in my ear.
“Today’s interview was really good. The response is also flowing positively as expected.”
I nodded at Shin Ha-yeon’s words.
But apart from the content of her words, Shin Ha-yeon’s expression was strange.
It was slightly different from her usual smiling face; she was wearing a somewhat bitter smile.
“However, I……”
Shin Ha-yeon started.
“I don’t want to see Drakan-nim kneeling like that…… ever again.”
I laughed at her words.
She and I are allies.
This is just a guess, but from her perspective, perhaps seeing me kneel felt similar to her kneeling. I didn’t care if I sold my pride, but she did.
Thinking that, I looked straight at her, who had lowered her head, and said,
“That will never happen again.”
Never again!
I will not kneel again.
Pride may not put food on the table, but I didn’t want to sell my pride too cheaply.
I thought so.
Shin Ha-yeon, who heard my words, raised her head.
Her usual smile was hanging on her lips as if nothing had happened.
▄ ▄ ▄
After many twists and turns, the interview was successfully concluded, and the long journey from Lawless Port to the Pirate Archipelago came to an end for now.
And now, I was being briefed on the results of that journey by Team Leader Lee of the support team at the top of the Jeil Content Hub building.
“The public opinion of the users regarding Drakan-nim is currently flowing in a generally favorable direction. Most users, excluding some old-generation users who have been playing since the previous game and the extreme fandom of the Infinite Eugene Church, are positively evaluating Drakan-nim’s apology.”
The first topic that came up in Team Leader Lee’s briefing was the trend of public opinion!
This was natural in a way, because the most important thing for me right now was to grasp public opinion.
The current situation could be described in one word as riding a tiger!
I succeeded in turning around a significant portion of the public opinion surrounding me by using Eugene in the interview.
Not all, but most people, as I expected, believed the words I said in the interview – an apology for past wrongdoings and a promise to prevent recurrence.
This was all thanks to Eugene, a reliable guarantee.
But I couldn’t be satisfied with just this.
In terms of running, it was as if I had just reached the starting line.
It goes without saying, but to defeat Eugene and ultimately reclaim the hegemony of the Ard World, I needed more public support than now.
In order to gain that support, it was time for me to live up to the public’s expectations and trust.
And Shin Ha-yeon thought the same way. She was pouring enormous material support towards me, to the point where outsiders might think it was inefficient.
However, that didn’t mean that I hadn’t produced any results compared to Shin Ha-yeon’s investment.
“That’s enough about public opinion trends. I checked it earlier. Did you prepare the settlement report for this quest?”
“Of course. I will begin the settlement report now.”
From Lawless Port to the Pirate Archipelago!
While conquering three large quests, I gained quite a lot.
And now it was time to receive a report on how the seeds I had sown had grown.
“First, Lawless Port.”
Lawless Port!
My first territory!
Its development was displayed through a presentation.
[Lawless Port Granado]
[Development Level: Upper Level 1]
[Granado, a city of outlaws that has maintained its existence in the Ard World for a long time, is a city of evil where outlaws and numerous vicious criminals from all over the continent flock to avoid death or are exiled, and at the same time, it is the garbage dump of the Ard World.]
[Ten years ago, due to the Great Cataclysm that shook the continent, the surrounding ground subsided and came into contact with the sea, transforming the city of outlaws into a port of outlaws.]
[The new ruler who returned to Lawless Port poured astronomical amounts of money into the city’s development and built a super luxurious casino. Now, Lawless Port will be transformed into a city of gambling and entertainment, not just a destination for smuggling and a city of outlaws.]
[Military: B] [Military power is sufficient to defend the city from enemy invasion.]
[Economy: A] [Economic power is at a high level.]
[Public Order: B+] [As long as you are careful in back alleys and at night, there will be no problem staying in the city.]
[Culture: A] [Lawless Port is a mecca for gambling, pleasure, and entertainment.]
[Population: 52,420]
[Funds Held: 62,343,210 Gold]
[Monthly Income: 5,750,000 Gold]
[Special Notes]
[NPC outlaws and criminals make up the majority of the residents. Their presence has been worsening public order, but the presence of JDG, which is in charge of maintaining public order, has improved the situation.]
[It is the final destination of the smuggling route that stretches from the eastern sea. Numerous smuggled goods and stolen goods are traded in the black market.]
[At first, the residents feared you, who destroyed the city with overwhelming power, but now they revere you, who developed the city.]
[To properly rule Lawless Port, you must gain recognition from the Five Factions. Show your power and take them under your wing.]
[It is a city where casinos and other gambling and entertainment facilities are developed. The reputation of the super luxurious casino is gradually spreading beyond the east to the entire world.]
[The floating population of foreigners has increased by 1000%.]
[View Major Facilities]
[Port – The destination of merchant ships crossing the eastern sea. Recently, as the ruler gained control of the eastern sea in a naval battle, the volume of cargo has increased.]
[Black Tower – The symbol of the Black Ring Society and black magicians. Many foreigners are visiting to become black magicians, and novice black magicians are coming and going to perform job quests and purchase job items and skill books.]
[Black Market – A black market where various smuggled goods and stolen goods are traded. Secret auctions are held occasionally, and it also serves as a pawnshop for the casino.]
[Super Luxurious Casino – The largest and most luxurious casino in the world. Numerous gamblers are coming and going, and it is a city that never sleeps. It accounts for a significant portion of Lawless Port’s revenue.]
‘It’s amazing to see it again.’
Territory Information Window!
Even though it was information I provided to the support team, it was a status window that made me admire it every time I saw it.
A dramatic change that perfectly fits the expression “The world has changed” compared to the information of Lawless Port right after it was destroyed!
A cataclysm like the one that changed Dubai every day in the past was happening in Lawless Port right now.
“The super luxurious casino in Lawless Port is incredibly efficient in terms of return on investment. It has already recovered all the reconstruction costs of Lawless Port, and the number of users and NPCs heading to the casino is increasing day by day.”
As the presentation turned over, a graph appeared.
It was the casino’s revenue graph.
I, and even Shin Ha-yeon, couldn’t help but smile at the endlessly rising revenue curve, like a virtual currency that rises day by day.
The classic truth that gambling is the most profitable business throughout history was finally coming true in the Ard World.
“At this rate, as Drakan-nim said, Las Vegas and Macau of the Ard World might not just be a dream.”
Shin Ha-yeon, sitting next to me, whispered this in my ear.
I smiled at her words.
Meanwhile, Team Leader Lee’s briefing continued.
“The influx of new users to Lawless Port is also increasing day by day. As the Black Magician class fills the role of the debuff class that has been lacking in the Ard World, it is increasingly being recognized as an essential class that cannot be omitted from party hunting or raid parties. Because of this, new users are constantly flocking to Lawless Port to become black magicians.”
Black Magician!
A new class that I opened as a reward for the Lawless Port recapture battle.
The number of new users choosing the Black Magician class was increasing day by day.
There were several reasons for this.
The proportion of users who liked the concept of a Black Magician who handles the power of darkness was not negligible, but the most fundamental reason was, as Team Leader Lee said, that the value of the Black Magician class was proven in dungeons and raids.
Until the appearance of the Black Magician, there was no proper debuff class in the Ard World.
In such a situation, users quickly caught on to the value of the Black Magician’s debuff skills.
The data screen presented by Team Leader Lee included videos of novice black magicians gathering and using magic to k*ll beginner monsters like rabbits, deer, wolves, and foxes in the fields near Lawless Port, as well as public opinion data on black magicians collected from the internet.
The Black Magician ranked 4th in the new players’ new job recommendation ranking!
Considering that the 1st to 3rd places were Warrior, Wizard, and Priest, the traditional popular classes of the Ard World, this was a tremendous achievement.
I smiled contentedly as I looked at the figures.
The more popular the new class I opened became, the more my influence would grow, so it was beneficial to me in many ways.
“The number of users choosing the Merfolk race when creating a character is also continuously increasing. It is presumed that this is due to the impressive performance of the Merfolk in this naval battle.”
Merfolk!
The new race I opened as a result of the Merfolk quest.
Like the users who changed to Black Magicians, the number of users choosing Merfolk was also on the rise.
The reason was simple: the Merfolk had shown a dazzling performance in the naval battle.
From the naval battle to the landing operation!
The Merfolk led all the battles in the naval battle, and naturally, they received as much media exposure as the users.
[Where can I watch the full replay of the naval battle? I missed it from the middle.]
[You’ve missed half your life. The Merfolk were awesome at the end.]
[Guys, guys, I’m a level 69 Warrior, but I messed up my character development, so I’m thinking of deleting it and raising a new one. Should I switch to Merfolk when raising a new character?]
[It’s definitely the answer to switch over if possible. The racial bonus is huge, and especially for Warrior classes, they even give you exclusive armor through quests.]
[Merfolk are ugly, don’t do it lol.]
[Bullshit. If you’re a man, you’re a Merfolk. Only true men can be Merfolk.]
[I agree. Are the people who criticize Merfolk Elf customization addicts? No doubt about it, right?]
I smiled as I looked at the captured data that Team Leader Lee showed me.
Shin Ha-yeon, who met my eyes, smiled faintly as usual and whispered in my ear in a sweet voice.
