The Final Boss Has Returned – Episode 13
Fandom!
I furrowed my brow at the unexpected word.
I had fully expected what came before.
It was an extremely sensible and rational strategy: public opinion of the Infinite Yujin Church had changed from the past, creating an opening in Yujin’s defenses, so we should target that.
But a fandom?
Six years ago, when I had stood at the pinnacle of Arde World, I had followers who went by the name of guild members, but a fandom had not existed.
Fandoms were an unfamiliar, distant concept to me.
“A fandom?”
“That’s correct. Unlike the previous game, at the current point in time of Second, where internet broadcasting through Arde Live has become extremely active, the role of fandoms has become very important.”
“Like the Infinite Yujin Church, right?”
“That’s correct.”
Team Leader Yi nodded at my words.
“The roles fandoms play are diverse, but the most important among them is the fact that fandoms serve as the foundation for shaping internet public opinion. Therefore, to achieve victory in a confrontation against Yujin, a fandom is absolutely necessary.”
“So times have changed….”
Times had changed.
It was something I had been experiencing firsthand over and over again.
And to adapt to this changed era, and to defeat that guy just as Team Leader Yi said, I too needed a fandom like the Infinite Yujin Church.
“To build a fandom, you must first capture users’ attention on Arde Live. I shall now brief you on that strategy.”
Listening to Team Leader Yi’s subsequent briefing, a smile formed at the corners of my mouth.
* * *
The Return of Drakan, the Former Top Ranker!
The Meeting of Drakan and Yujin!
The dialogue between the two celebrities sparked an enormous controversy, burning through not only the Arde Forum but other communities, SNS, and even Arde Live.
[Drakan’s a has-been from when? lol He’s the guy who got wrecked by Yujin back in the ending days, yet he’s still getting all hyped. Wake up, idiots. Nope, he ain’t making a comeback~]
[You damn Yujin simp]
[Yep, he’s ruined lol]
[People who bash Yujin be like: does bashing Yujin make your specs better?]
[Typical shielder: if you kiss Yujin’s ass you think he’ll give you something. Yes, next honorary shareholder!]
[Yes, next guy who got cleaned out while PKing lol]
Infinite Yujin Church!
Because there were so many tyrannical acts they had committed while controlling internet public opinion until now, users who finally had material to bash the Infinite Yujin Church after a long time were excitedly propping up Drakan as the counterweight.
Of course, those who truly liked Drakan were few in number, and the majority intentionally praised Drakan to bait and stoke their resentment toward the Infinite Yujin Church.
But regardless, it was an undeniable fact that Drakan was the only user across both the previous game and Second who had properly faced Yujin head-on.
This was the reason Drakan remained a hot topic.
He was the sole user who had pushed Yujin to a hard fight, the sole user who had fought Yujin in a head-to-head match, and the only user who had dominated Arde World before Yujin.
This symbolism still clung to Drakan like a shadow even after six years, and because of that, the weight of Drakan’s name remained great.
[Jeil E&M signs exclusive contract with Drakan.......]
Amidst this, new fuel was thrown onto the fire like oil on a burning house.
Articles announcing that Drakan had signed with Jeil E&M were uploaded simultaneously to portals through various gaming media, as if they had been waiting for this moment.
Jeil E&M.
There wasn’t a single user who didn’t know this gigantic corporation, a media conglomerate of South Korea with a foothold in Arde Saga as well.
When news spread that Jeil E&M, the giant corporation that had signed exclusive contracts with numerous famous rankers and named players, as well as the massive guild JDG shining at 6th place in the guild rankings, had signed an exclusive contract with Drakan, the internet, which had been slowly cooling down, began to boil once more.
[The Yujin simps who said Drakan fled with his tail between his legs can’t comment now, right? You guys are trembling with excitement, huh? Doing comment part-time jobs from your basements until you die of blood pressure lol]
[What’s a big corporation going to do by entering this? Is Jeil really overreaching like that, and with a has-been no less?]
[Info) Jeil is a company that signed an exclusive contract with a 6th-place guild. They can’t scout for shit]
[Why are you going on about 6th place, do you even have a guild to your name?]
[Paid commenter above, fuck off]
[Do they think Jeil is some mom-and-pop store? If they push in, even if the Yujin simps thrash around, you never know who’ll win now lol]
Jeil E&M had scouted Drakan!
While all communities including the Arde Forum were buzzing with this shocking news, a video was uploaded to Arde Live, the dedicated video streaming platform for Arde Saga.
[Breeeeeeeeep!]
[Kreek! Kreeek! Kreeek!]
A user clad in beginner’s gear, holding a dark-red sword.
It was a video of Drakan blowing a signal horn in the tutorial dungeon to gather goblins, then ruthlessly slaughtering them to the point where the viewer would pity the goblins.
Because the channel was created and the video uploaded immediately after the article about his contract with Jeil E&M, Drakan’s channel was quickly discovered and became a hot topic among users. Soon, the news spread to other communities, and his subscriber count, views, and comments began to increase exponentially.
[Wow! Monopolizing everything again, old habits die hard, right? Disgusting, right?]
[Smurfing is insane;; All the newbies are gonna run away;]
[Maybe because he took a long break, but just looking at his movements he seems like a total fossil? If this weren’t a trash game where legacy gear carries you, he wouldn’t have been able to set foot back in]
[Against goblins, anyone with good legacy gear can do that much. And it’s only possible because plenty of others have already uploaded tutorials. If he did it early on like Yujin, he wouldn’t have even made the rankings. S-G]
[Oh, then why don’t you try it? Why can’t you? Ah! Because you can’t, that’s why you can’t join Yujin’s guild and just suck up to him online lol]
[Ah, I really hope Drakan gets serious and buries all those Yujin simps. The Yujin occupation is fucking hell, seriously]
Countless comments piled onto the video in an instant, and as the Infinite Yujin Church and other users fought there too, it quickly became a mud pit.
But the general opinion among users who watched the video concluded that the video from the tutorial dungeon alone wasn’t enough to know if Drakan’s skill was truly outstanding.
The method of using a signal horn to lure out and massacre goblins was certainly somewhat novel, but that was it.
Anyone with decent physical skills or a returning player could easily handle goblins in the tutorial.
It made sense because although goblin AI was quite decent, they were ultimately beginner monsters, and since strategies had been researched countless times, goblins were nothing more than a light snack for seasoned users.
Goblins are still goblins no matter how many gather!
It’s impressive, but it’s not like I couldn’t do it!
Isn’t this just smurfing!
It’s all legacy carry!
I could do that too if I had good legacy gear!
That was the majority opinion of users who watched the video, and because of that, there were even more hate comments in the video’s comment section.
Right then.
A second video was uploaded to Drakan’s channel.
People clicked out of curiosity at the video uploaded in succession, and soon couldn’t hide their astonishment.
[First, I will verify my level.]
The video began with Drakan verifying his level.
As Drakan adjusted his status window, his level appeared in a translucent window along with his nickname.
[Drakan]
[Level 12]
Level 12. That was Drakan’s level.
Soon after, as Drakan adjusted his status window again, a different screen appeared.
[Iron-Blooded Executor (Legendary)]
[Beginner’s Outfit (Common)]
[Beginner’s Leather Boots (Common)]
It was Drakan’s own equipment window.
[By now, everyone has watched my first video. And many must have doubts about my skill.]
Having finished verifying his equipment window as well, Drakan spoke while facing the camera.
[When was this recorded?]
[It’s not live, right?]
[Look at him speaking informally, what a jerk;;]
Users watching his video commented in real-time, and even as they did, Drakan’s video continued.
[No, I could probably do this much too, right? Drakan’s just relying on legacy gear, no? Totally a has-been? You mutter things like this.]
A strange smile filled with confidence was drawn on Drakan’s face as he said this.
Drakan opened the Point Shop window as he spoke.
Because he had changed the shop window settings in advance, it appeared directly in the video.
[EXP Coupon]
[Price: 1,000 Points]
[Experience gained is doubled for 2 hours.]
[Usage Restriction: Level 200 or below]
[This item’s effects do not apply to characters exceeding Level 200.]
[Applied immediately upon purchase.]
What Drakan purchased from the Point Shop was precisely an EXP Coupon.
Unlike the previous game, in Arde Saga Second, the stat called level was not absolutely important.
This was because from level 380 onwards, the hell zone where required experience increased drastically and which was effectively called the level cap, whether one had a contract, good unique traits, good legacy skills or legacy equipment, items, and stats were what determined a character’s specs, rather than level.
So items like EXP Coupons were sold in the Point Shop, unlike in the previous game; of course, there were many usage restrictions, but they were on sale nonetheless.
This was possible thanks to Second’s game structure, where unlike the previous game, character specs were determined by other factors like legacy skills, unique traits, items, and class rather than level.
But points couldn’t be purchased with cash like other games’ currency, nor were they a tradeable currency like gold.
Because the only ways to obtain points were through sponsorships from Transcendents or quests, just anyone couldn’t buy EXP Coupons.
[He buys an EXP Coupon at level 12?]
[Just how much in sponsorships has he received?]
[Isn’t this insane?]
Drakan’s level was a mere 12.
It was a level where an ordinary user would struggle to even gather 100 points.
And yet he purchased a 1,000-point EXP Coupon without a second thought!
That fact alone was already showing that Drakan’s starting line was different from ordinary users.
While users watching the video were surprised, Drakan in the video spoke with a voice overflowing with confidence.
[But this puts an end to that as well. From this moment forth, no human will ever again harbor doubts about my skill.]