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The Final Boss Has Returned 8

8

Chapter 8

As the contract with the Dark God was finalized, the surrounding scenery shifted in an instant.

[You have arrived at Stronghold, the starting point for human users.]

[Stronghold is a city built through the cooperation of all human nations to welcome users arriving in Ard World. In this city, where you will find various facilities such as training grounds, temples, and job-specific guilds, and a diverse population of instructors, merchants, and pilgrims, users will take their first step on the grand journey to becoming heroes.]

A clear, high blue sky and a large city beneath it came into view.

This was Stronghold.

The starting city where users who chose the human race during character creation gathered after completing the tutorial.

And the first sight I saw upon arriving in this starting city was…….

“Wow!!”

“Eugene!”

The vast plaza was filled with a massive number of users, like a concert, and their deafening cheers.

“Eugene-nim!”

“Eugene-nim looked at me! I definitely made eye contact with him!”

“Eugene-oppa!!”

Looking at the enormous crowd gathered in the plaza, I quickly understood the reason.

No, I couldn’t help but understand.

Because the owner of the name the users were calling out was approaching me right now.

The Hero Eugene, his annoyingly handsome face appeared in my view.

And following behind him, four other users also caught my eye.

Eugene, that bastard’s posse who followed him like shadows.

I gritted my teeth and clenched my trembling fists.

If I didn’t, it felt like my boiling rage would overflow.

‘News spread faster than I thought….’

I had anticipated that Eugene would try to find me somehow if he heard the news of my return.

But I hadn’t expected it to be this soon.

An unprepared encounter with my nemesis was unpleasant.

‘I spent too much time in the reward room.’

Was it because I spent too much time choosing which Transcendent Being to contract with?

In any case, it was already happening, and I couldn’t turn back.

I suppressed my still trembling hands and surging anger.

Now that things had come to this, there was no other option but to utilize this opportunity of meeting him.

While countless thoughts flashed through my mind, he and his posse had already approached and stood before me.

Eugene’s handsome face filled my vision.

“It’s been a long time, Drakan-nim.”

Polite words flowed from Eugene’s mouth.

Six years!

That was the time that had passed since Eugene and I last met.

It hadn’t even been ten years, the time it takes for mountains and rivers to change, yet it was surprising to see him politely greeting me.

“As expected of Eugene-nim!”

“Wow, to politely greet even that kind of person, our God Eugene’s personality is truly the best!”

“I want to be greeted by Eugene-nim too….”

As soon as Eugene finished his greeting, all sorts of cheers and exclamations erupted from the surroundings.

It was an extremely disgusting and unpleasant experience, but I couldn’t leave this place.

If I ran away now, I would be branded a coward in front of all these users.

Even if I had to be called a bastard, I had to at least show a semblance of being on par with Eugene.

Thinking that, I spoke in a trembling voice.

“It’s been a while.”

“Congratulations on your return.”

Eugene smiled faintly and offered me congratulations in response to my words.

I didn’t reply to his greeting.

Because it felt like Eugene no longer saw me as a competitor, judging from his greeting just now.

The composure of the strongest, standing at the peak, was oozing from his words and actions.

And seeing him like that, my heart was twisting with a dreadful and agonizing pain.

“What’s with that guy, why isn’t he saying anything?”

“Is he perhaps jealous of Eugene-nim?”

“How dare he not respond to Eugene-nim’s congratulations!”

The crowd began to interpret my silence in their own way, but I didn’t get swept away by their reactions and continued to remain silent.

Seeing me like that, Eugene continued his speech.

“The reason I came here is because I wanted to receive a promise from you, Drakan-nim, in front of all these users.”

A promise?

My eyebrows twitched at his words.

“What kind of promise?”

“A promise that you won’t repeat the same atrocities as in the past.”

The atrocities he was referring to were the control of hunting grounds and dungeons based on the Guild Alliance, the heavy taxes imposed on shops and mines in territories, the guild blacklist, and the indefinite kill orders, all of which I had committed in the previous game to complete the Overlord Quest and secure war funds.

Hearing Eugene’s words, I finally realized why he had brought all these users to me.

‘He’s playing cute with his head.’

He had brought the users as his backdrop to have me publicly acknowledge the promise of not repeating my atrocities.

Just like six years ago, to pressure me with public opinion on his side!

Realizing that, I threw my head back and burst into laughter.

Perhaps because I was an adult now, unlike the high schooler I was back then, he had put some thought into it, but there was one thing he had overlooked.

I knew very well, through the bitter experience of failure, that such methods of control were wrong.

“What’s with that guy?”

“Is he really crazy?”

Ignoring the whispers of the crowd, I looked at Eugene, who seemed flustered by my sudden laughter, and said,

“I’ll do it.”

“Excuse me?”

Eugene’s eyes widened at my answer.

He probably hadn’t expected me to agree so readily.

His flustered appearance genuinely amused me, so I laughed and said sarcastically,

“I’ll do it, that promise. What, don’t you believe me? Should I write you a contract?”

I wasn’t an idiot.

The methods I had used in the previous game, which Eugene referred to as atrocities, were already failed methods and would never succeed again.

In the previous game, the users had already experienced the so-called “World Revolution,” where they, centered around Eugene who had received the Rebellion Quest, had overthrown the ruling structure of the Guild Alliance, including myself.

If I tried to forcefully control those users again like I did six years ago, it would only lead to the emergence of a second Eugene, a third Eugene.

And the reason for my and the Iron Blood Alliance’s downfall in the previous game was precisely because we had ignored public opinion.

Six years ago, I thought I could suppress the users’ dissatisfaction with force, but I realized how foolish that idea was only after being on a fishing boat in the middle of the ocean.

You can conquer the world on horseback, but you cannot rule it.

You can seize hegemony with force, but you cannot maintain it with force. I realized far too late that to maintain the hegemony you’ve acquired, you need the support of the general users.

‘I can never surpass him with such flawed methods.’

Eugene. To catch him, I needed a more sophisticated method that could garner the support of the users, not the brute force and control I had used in the past.

“Oh, no, it’s not that I don’t believe you. I don’t need a contract either.”

Eugene shook his head with a slightly flustered expression and said in a serious voice and with a serious expression,

“Drakan-nim, I believe in your promise. And everyone here will be witnesses to this promise.”

I didn’t say anything to Eugene’s words.

As I expected, he was subtly pressuring me to keep my promise by bringing up the users.

It was something I had already anticipated, so it didn’t faze me.

Using public opinion to his advantage had been his specialty since six years ago, so it wasn’t anything new.

I responded with a meaningful smile and said,

“Go ahead then.”

“Thank you for your promise.”

Words of gratitude flowed from Eugene’s mouth.

To think the day would come where I would receive thanks from him!

I’m worried the sun might rise from the west tomorrow.

“So, is that all you have to say?”

At my words, Eugene stared at me blankly and said with a smile as he extended his right hand,

“We sincerely welcome you back to Ard World, Drakan-nim.”

The bright smile on his face, and his right hand that seemed to be requesting a handshake!

And listening to the crowd’s cheers for Eugene, which were now becoming tiresome, I said,

“Hey.”

“Yes?”

Eugene asked back with a slightly dazed expression at my call.

I looked straight into Eugene’s eyes and said clearly,

“We’re not close enough to shake hands yet.”

As soon as I finished speaking, boos and curses poured out from the crowd.

The atmosphere had already turned cold, and the gazes of Eugene’s posse behind him were shooting lasers at me, as if they wanted to kill me.

Despite that, I still had a relaxed smile on my face.

It wasn’t a forced smile.

I was actually feeling good right now.

Because I could read the bewilderment in Eugene’s expression before me.

It was always enjoyable to mess with your enemy.

“I understand.”

Eugene said as he withdrew his extended right hand.

“It was a fruitful meeting.”

“Likewise.”

After hearing my reply, Eugene politely excused himself and left the plaza with his posse.

Watching his retreating figure, I thought to myself.

Although it was a bit nauseating, it was indeed a fruitful meeting, just as he had said.


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(🇰🇷)The Final Boss Has Returned

🇰🇷)The Final Boss Has Returned

끝판왕이 돌아왔다
Score 7.4
Status: Ongoing Type: Author: Released: 2020 Native Language: Korean
Drakan, a former top-ranked player and Guild Master of the Iron Blood Alliance, returns to the virtual reality game Ard Saga Second after six years, driven by a burning desire for revenge against Hero Eugene, the player who defeated him and brought down his guild. He finds himself in a drastically changed world: the game has been reset, a new Legacy System allows players to inherit the achievements of their previous characters, and the rise of Ard Live, a real-time streaming platform, has revolutionized the game’s economy and social dynamics.

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