Chapter 12: The Final Boss Has Returned
The return of Steel Monarch Drakan caused an enormous stir throughout the world.
Tutorial Overall Ranking updated to 6th place!
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Truly displaying overwhelming performance and garnering attention from the very start, the climax of his unfolding story was none other than his meeting with Yujin.
[I'll do it. That promise. What, you don't believe me? Should I write up a contract or something?]
[We're not at the point where we can shake hands yet.]
The video of his meeting with Drakan, posted on the Ard Live Yujin official channel, recorded astronomical views in an instant and was the talk of the town.
[Look at the way Drakan talks. What kind of tone is that to use toward God Yujin?]
[Wow, I'd die happy if I could shake hands with Yujin-nim just once, but he kicked that away lol. Seems his temper is still the same;]
[Drakan? Who the hell is that? Even if he was famous back in the day, isn't he a has-been now?]
[Ah, you know Drakan! He really is a son.of.a.bitch!]
[Is that promise even trustworthy? That Drakan keeping a promise? A guy who can't live without lording over everyone?]
[He definitely has some ulterior motive. I can't trust him.]
The countless comments on the video of their meeting mostly praised Yujin, cursed Drakan, and suspected his intentions.
To them, Drakan was the great villain of all under heaven, and it was only natural that they couldn't readily believe a promise from such a villain swearing he wouldn't repeat his evil deeds.
Rather, because he had accepted Yujin's promise so readily and emptily, even more people believed Drakan had some other scheme up his sleeve.
However, unlike the comment section of the Ard Live Yujin channel, which was mostly dominated by Yujin's hardcore fandom—the so-called "Church of Infinite Yujin"—public opinion on "Ard Forum," a massive game community covering Ard Saga, was not entirely favorable.
This was because the opinions of some users who had long harbored resentment toward the Church of Infinite Yujin due to its excessive fanaticism had finally exploded.
[Look at the Yutkwis going into praise mode again, disgusting;;]
[I don't hate Yujin, I hate the Yutkwis. Seriously, the Yutkwis ruin Yujin's image]
[He did keep things under control, but he never put on a holier-than-thou act like Yutjin... and he never had malicious rabid fans like the Yutkwis... Drakan-nim... I miss you.......]
Of course, Yujin was still the pinnacle of Ard Saga and a top ranker, and his fandom was far more massive than most idol fandoms. So when Yujin's fans saw him getting bashed and joined the keyboard war, Ard Forum began to spiral out of control to the point of lagging on connection.
[They're bashing him like they're gonna die just because he refused a handshake with their cult leader. Seriously, what's so special about a handshake lolol. Did Yutjin plate his hand with gold?]
[Then is refusing a handshake normal? So fucking rude. Yujin-nim lowered himself and reached out first lol]
[Lowered himself my ass. Yutjin is the rude one. Does Ard belong to him? He's just running his mouth about evil deeds and whatever]
[Did you get your ass kicked by Yujin-nim or something? Why are you so fucking twisted? This is why it's pathetic seeing noob bastards shut up and suck up to high-level players lololol]
[You think your level's higher than mine, noob? Have you even taken down a boss? You probably only saw it on stream lololol]
[Level my ass, I even fought Drakan one-on-one in Part 1. Looking at you, you clearly didn't play the previous game. If it were the previous game, you would've had to pay a hundred gold as an entrance fee every time you entered a dungeon because of Drakan lol. It's pathetic seeing people who don't even know Drakan sucking up like wannabe hipsters]
As anti-fans and rabid fans alternately hit the Best board and comments continued to explode like madness, Ard Forum became a complete mess. And as the keyboard war intensified, users eventually began asking after each other's parents' well-being.
And that entire situation reached the ears of Jeil E&M and Drakan intact.
* * *
Immediately after accepting Sin Ha-yeon's contract, my life changed 180 degrees on the spot.
"Move into the Jeil E&M Content Hub. Preparations are already complete, so you just need to bring yourself."
The first thing that changed was my residence.
Jeil E&M Content Hub.
This high-rise building in Seoul, owned by the Jeil Group, housed lodgings for other rankers contracted with Jeil E&M besides me, studios used for streaming, restaurants providing meals, a gym and martial arts dojang for physical conditioning, various convenience facilities and offices, and a management team residing on-site to oversee them.
Having moved into the Content Hub, the first thing I met was none other than the Drakan dedicated support team, which existed solely to support me.
"Nice to meet you, Drakan-nim. I am I Gijun, the team leader of the Drakan dedicated support team. Please feel free to call me Team Leader I."
A conference room on the top floor of the Content Hub building.
In this room filled with a long table and chairs, I sat at the head seat and looked over the members of the dedicated support team, including Support Team Leader I Gijun.
"Our Drakan dedicated support team is composed of the best experts in their respective fields, and we will not spare any support until the day Drakan-nim reaches the top."
The pride in Team Leader I's voice was no lie.
The support team included expected personnel like video editors and marketing staff, but also experts in fields I hadn't even considered, such as fitness trainers and kendo masters.
The total number of the gathered Drakan dedicated support team was twenty.
Twenty people had assembled solely to support me.
"We will handle all external matters going forward, so Drakan-nim only needs to focus on the game."
Truly, an environment where I could focus solely on the game had been created.
Sin Ha-yeon, managing director of Jeil E&M.
It was a moment where I viscerally realized the fearsomeness of the wealth possessed by that third-generation conglomerate heiress.
"So, what's the reason you called me? Is the introduction over?"
"No."
At my words, Team Leader I shook his head.
He adjusted his glasses and turned on the projector, bringing up a presentation screen.
Displayed in the presentation were captured screenshots of Ard Forum's Best posts and comments.
"This is the current public opinion of the users."
The users' public opinion, which I hadn't had time to examine due to being busy with the contract and other matters yesterday, was laid bare in the presentation.
"It's not as bad as I thought."
I muttered while looking at the presentation.
Just as I said.
The public opinion was not as bad as I had thought.
Contrary to my expectation that it would be entirely one-sided praise of Yujin, the users were fighting over the video of my meeting with Yujin.
That ratio was exactly half-and-half, as if cut cleanly with a knife.
"That is correct."
Team Leader I nodded and spoke.
"Yujin himself is, looked at personally, a person without any gossip or flaws. But his fandom is not."
"So you're talking about those Church of Infinite Yujin bastards......"
I spoke, recalling the fervent zealots.
Church of Infinite Yujin!
They had existed six years ago as well, and their existence was one of the many reasons I had lost to Yujin.
Six years ago. I, who led the Guild Alliance, suppressed the dissatisfaction and rebellion of ordinary users with the powerful might and overwhelming authority born from the united organizational strength of the Iron-Blood Alliance and the Guild Alliance.
Of course, the ordinary users far outnumbered us, but they had neither a focal point nor organization.
Therefore, ordinary users could not stand against the Guild Alliance, which possessed definite military strength, a systematic and unified organizational structure, and a flawless chain of command.
Before Yujin, users who rebelled against my rule had occasionally existed, but they failed to cause a resonance on Yujin's level and were quickly suppressed because they couldn't win the sympathy of ordinary users and only devoted themselves to personal resistance.
But when Yujin appeared, the situation completely reversed.
Yujin's overwhelming popularity created countless followers regardless of online or offline, and those followers soon formed a fandom named the "Church of Infinite Yujin" and began organizing in the form of a fan club.
Until then, I had been underestimating their danger.
And when Yujin began the rebellion quest, the Church of Infinite Yujin combined forces with several small-to-medium guilds to build a united organization similar to the Guild Alliance under the name Revolutionary Army. As countless ordinary users dissatisfied with the Guild Alliance joined, the scale of the Revolutionary Army increased exponentially.
The dissatisfaction of ordinary users that had been suppressed all this time!
That moment when it met the catalyst called the Church of Infinite Yujin, organized under the name Revolutionary Army, and finally exploded!
That time when the impregnable fortress called the Guild Alliance crumbled and I fell!
I still could never forget it.
"Yes. You may or may not be aware, but public opinion regarding the Church of Infinite Yujin of the past that Drakan-nim remembers and the Church of Infinite Yujin of the present is quite different."
Team Leader I spoke thus and used a wireless remote to change the slide.
Cleanly organized information about the Church of Infinite Yujin appeared on the screen.
"If the Church of Infinite Yujin of the past was the vanguard of the revolution against the Guild Alliance and the hope of ordinary users, the current Church of Infinite Yujin is currently incurring great antipathy from users due to blind and excessive praise and deification of Yujin, and additionally due to the intolerance of criticism toward the Church of Infinite Yujin and Yujin stemming from the chosen-people mentality of being Yujin's fandom, as well as comparing Yujin to other rankers to belittle them."
"In short, Yujin is fine but the Church of Infinite Yujin is hated. That's what you're saying."
"Precisely."
Listening to Team Leader I's answer, I smiled.
It is the law that where there is light, there is shadow, and everywhere, there are people who say NO when others say YES.
Even Yujin, who had seemed so perfect, was after all only human, so he had limits, and gaps had formed.
Controlling every single member of a fandom was close to impossible, so this could be called an inevitable result in a way.
"So, you're saying we target that gap?"
Team Leader I nodded at my question and answered.
"That is correct. We will target those users to change public opinion, and we will create Drakan-nim's fandom."