The Final Boss Has Returned 86

Chapter 86

[My back keeps itching. I have a feeling that the employer who hired you is trying to backstab me, just like in the old Infinite Eugene Church scandal.]

Drakan!

The suspicion he casually mentioned on the broadcast had already been clipped, turned into a GIF, and spread across the internet. Like all rumors, it started to gain weight as it spread.

Drakan had rolled a very small snowball, but as it wandered the internet, it gradually grew in size until it transformed into a house-sized mass.

[Did you hear about it this time? Someone hired Karun to try and backstab Drakan?]

[There’s a rumor that Rio was also used by Karun.]

[Isn’t this Eugene’s side deliberately trying to check Drakan before he gets bigger?]

[What a load of bullshit, are you an idiot? You’re an idiot, you bastard lol Why would Eugene-nim care about a small fry like Drakan? Ah lol]

[Eugene’s fan, welcome lol Hey lol Drakan-nim has been around for so long, how could he not see something like that coming lol You don’t know how Drakan-nim became a top ranker in the past?]

[So where’s the evidence? Bring the proof; your speculation is crazy]

[I don’t think it’s Eugene, and based on reasonable suspicion, I’m guessing it’s the Infinite Eugene Church. They have a history, they have a history]

By the time Drakan’s words had taken root, sprouted, and even bloomed, suspicion had turned into speculation, and speculation into certainty.

The Infinite Eugene Church is targeting Drakan once again!

That was the conclusion reached by the gossipers, and the fact that the extreme fandom of the Infinite Eugene Church, each individually, participated in the Northern Alliance to bring down Drakan, only amplified this groundless rumor.

[Again? Suspicion of collusion between Karun and the Infinite Eugene Church. Is it real?]

[(Exclusive) The Northern Scandal, We Dig into the Truth.]

And those who took the bait were the so-called ‘tabloid’ gaming media, especially the low-quality webzines.

Of course, it was natural that Shin Ha-yeon’s influence was behind this flow of public opinion.

For her, the ruler of Jeil Group, manipulating gaming media, which was nothing more than an internet publication far inferior to major newspapers, terrestrial broadcasts, and comprehensive programming channels, was a very easy task.

As the media took the bait, these rumors were amplified and reproduced, and as a result, Eugene’s image began to suffer.

From accusations of poor fandom management to questions about where Eugene was and what he was doing while Drakan was suffering like this!

Public opinion began to worsen uncontrollably, and this situation eventually reached the ears of Eugene and the Lightwing Guild members.

Lightwing Entertainment Building.

A brightly lit conference room, an impressive place with a panoramic view of Seoul’s cityscape.

The interior of the conference room, which only Verda had been in, was now filled with all the Lightwing Guild members for the first time in a while.

Silence fell over the room as all the Lightwing Guild members, including Eugene, took their seats.

[Hey Eugene, what are you going to do?]

And the one who broke the silence was Eugene’s close friend and Over-Ranker, known as the Fist King in Ard World, MuscleMan.

At MuscleMan’s words, Eugene opened his mouth heavily.

“Are there any confirmed facts about this suspicion?”

“Not yet.”

Verda answered in a firm voice to Eugene’s question.

But his heart was pounding like crazy.

‘Drakan, I was too careless.’

Drakan!

He had not only exceeded his expectations by winning the naval battle perfectly using the Undead, but he had also used his characteristic deviousness to grab Verda by the ankle.

‘How could he mobilize the Undead without Contribution Points……’

Verda’s head was in a whirl.

Contribution Points!

It was common knowledge in Ard World that even a friendly ‘Allied’ faction wouldn’t move easily without the price of Contribution Points.

Of course, there were a few special relationships that bypassed or didn’t apply to this rule, but of all things, Drakan had managed to form such a relationship.

This was something Verda hadn’t anticipated.

Anyway, since there was no point in crying over spilled milk, there was no need to think about Contribution Points anymore.

Now that they had acquired this information through this trial and error, they just needed to make sure they didn’t fall into the same trap twice.

And there was no evidence in this world that she and Karun had colluded.

Verda wouldn’t have handled things so carelessly as to leave any evidence behind.

But ironically, that was the problem in this situation.

The reputation that the Lightwing Guild, and Hero Eugene, had built so far was based on ‘Justice against Injustice’ and ‘Fair Judgment’.

And in the current situation, where the suspicion raised by Eugene had ballooned like compound interest, if the Lightwing Guild didn’t take any action and the suspicion remained unanswered, the users’ opinions would undoubtedly deteriorate uncontrollably.

As everyone knows, rumors spread like wildfire, but the stories that correct those rumors don’t spread as easily.

Of course, with the concrete support base of the Infinite Eugene Church, the possibility of reaching the worst-case scenario of the collapse of Ard World’s hegemony was low, but in the long run, it was a clear loss.

‘There aren’t many ways out.’

Verda unconsciously lowered her hand, which had begun to tremble slightly, under the desk.

Just as a single word can repay a thousand-dollar debt, Drakan had used his tongue to put the Lightwing Guild in debt of more than a thousand dollars.

And now, they needed a solution to pay off that debt.

“Without solid evidence, we can’t move recklessly.”

While Verda was contemplating, Sharp spoke.

“But we can’t just stay still like this.”

Elena, a beautiful girl with a cute impression and twin tails, sitting next to Sharp, replied to her words.

Eugene watched the scene and drank water.

He was frustrated.

Drakan.

His words were persuasive.

Even if the rumors weren’t entirely true, there was certainly room for suspicion.

But there was no definite evidence, no physical evidence, and it was still at the stage of ‘suspicion,’ so even if he wanted to take action, there wasn’t enough justification yet.

Just as Eugene was struggling within the shackles of justification and principle.

“Eugene-nim.”

Verda’s cold voice shattered the silence of the conference room.

“How about mediating a peace negotiation between the Northern Alliance and Drakan?”

Changwang Rio and Drakan!

Mediating the peace negotiations of the war between them!

That was the most reasonable solution Verda came up with after racking her brains.

The cause of all this suspicion was the war between the North and East, which she had created to kill Drakan.

If that war ended, the users’ attention would naturally shift away from the suspicion, and the long-term damage would disappear.

Of course, there might be a slight hit to their public image, but it was much better than suffering the massive damage of losing a part of their support base, as Drakan intended.

‘I’ve been tricked again.’

Verda clenched her fist hidden under the desk, trembling with rage.

Just one word!

Drakan’s single word had not only ruined her plan to deal with him before he grew stronger, but it had also driven the Lightwing Guild into a situation where their support base might be damaged.

‘I will repay this debt someday.’

Verda inwardly burned with anger towards Drakan, who had ruined everything, and turned her gaze towards Eugene.

Seeing the face of her beloved Eugene, who was always handsome and perfectly suited for the term ‘face genius,’ the flames of anger that had flared up in Verda’s heart subsided a little.

Unaware of the blush creeping onto Verda’s face, Eugene looked around and thought.

As always, Verda’s suggestion was reasonable, so Eugene didn’t hesitate much.

“Okay. Verda’s suggestion sounds good. I’ll do that.”

With Eugene’s words, the meeting concluded.

And not long after, an email from Eugene was sent to the accounts of the agencies to which Rio and Drakan belonged.

It was a proposal for mediating peace negotiations.

▄ ▄ ▄

The moment Drakan won the naval battle.

In the North, where the blizzard continued to rage, the Undead rose.

The Undead King!

He had moved the army of the dead under Drakan’s command.

The first to notice this sign was none other than a user hunting the Undead in the Land of Death.

“Uh, what’s that over there?”

A Warrior user, who was diligently leveling up by hunting Skeletons, Zombies, and Ghouls in a party in the honey hunting ground known as the Land of Death, saw something like a dark cloud gathering in the distance.

“Hey, take a look at that with Farsight.”

The Warrior user, sensing something ominous despite the vague sight, asked the Archer user, and the Archer user immediately used Farsight.

And the sight seen through Farsight was shocking.

A massive army of Undead that had never been seen before!

From Skeletons to Death Knights, Liches, and Bone Wyverns!

Countless Undead were marching over the horizon, seemingly endless.

The Archer user’s face turned pale at the sight.

“Hey, hey, we’re in trouble.”

“What’s the matter?”

“Undead! The Undead are coming!”

“What’s the big deal? That’s nothing new.”

“It’s not just that, it’s an army of Undead!”

At the Archer user’s words, the Warrior user’s gaze turned back to the horizon.

And by then, the outline of the rapidly approaching army of Undead was close enough to be discernible even without skills.

The Warrior user’s face also turned pale, just like the Archer user.

“I don’t think this is the time to be leveling up.”

An unbelievable sight even after seeing it with their own eyes!

Looking at the scene, the Priest user muttered in a dazed voice.

“What are we doing? Everyone run!”

The Warrior user shouted and ran first, and the other users followed him.

And soon, the army of the dead crossed the border of the Land of Death and invaded the realm of the living.

“Stop them!”

“Undead! We’re under attack by the Undead!”

“Why are they attacking us all of a sudden?”

A state of emergency was declared throughout the North.

Changwang Rio!

He had taken most of the Northern Alliance’s forces with him, not just to punish Drakan and JDG, but to conquer the East, leaving the North virtually defenseless.

While Snow Castle, the central hub of the North, had some forces, the other strongholds were practically empty.

Moreover, the Undead had been confined to their territory, the Land of Death, for the past two thousand years, fighting amongst themselves.

The two thousand years of peace with the Undead, based on Ard World’s standards, had weakened the North’s discipline, and now, the fortresses that once served as the front lines against the Undead had all been reduced to ruins.

In such a situation, the remaining Northerners were unable to stop the overwhelming Undead forces that suddenly swept down across the North.