The Final Boss Has Returned - Chapter 134
Not only had he poured an enormous sum of money into constructing an airship, but Drakan's feat of ascending to the Floating City aboard that very ship!
His movements were being broadcast to the entire world through Drakan's official channel.
[Wow lol so this is the Floating City. lol]
[For real, it's floating in the sky;]
[I should've applied for the expedition too;]
[Too bad I got dropped from the roster;]
Floating City Voltaha!
People went wild at the sight of the massive earth and castle floating in the sky, a spectacle one could only see in fantasy.
But there weren't as many users watching as one might think.
This was because the Broken World event was currently underway.
A quest bestowed upon every user for the first time in Ard Saga's history!
And to top it off, it was a Mythic-grade quest, a situation that had drawn the attention of many users.
Broken World!
The fact that they could go to another world excited the users, and countless users headed toward Lorraine Castle, where the dimensional gate was located.
And leading the charge in conquering the Broken World were the super-guilds that had gone from being the Ten Great Guilds to the Eight Great Guilds.
The Dark Alliance and JDG, led by Ignis!
Having been the first to enter Broken World, they transported materials for constructing a base through Broken World on Drakan's orders, built a base camp, and gradually expanded their territory by subjugating surrounding Plants.
The first facility Ignis built while establishing the base camp was the Dark Temple!
It was a device that allowed Transcendents from the Ard World to wield their power in this otherworld where their power did not reach.
[Oh, Ignis is doing pretty well this time.]
[He was always just following Drakan around, but as expected, an Over Ranker's name carries weight.]
[For the Alliance!]
Alliance users gathered at the forward base Ignis had built as if they had made a promise.
Leveraging his experience running a large guild, Ignis operated the base camp efficiently and rationally, and the alliance users were satisfied with his camp management.
Though Ignis had entered Broken World early, the one achieving the highest results was none other than Yujin.
Yujin the Hero!
Their forces, commanded by a top ranker and backed by Five Eyes, the strongest power in Ard World, had not only built a massive base camp in Broken World but were sweeping away surrounding Plants and even Colonies with overwhelming force.
And the coalition users and the Infinite Yujin Church were going wild over Yujin's exploits.
[This is what a coalition is!]
[Kya, as expected of Lord Yujin!]
[The immovable top ranker of Ard World…… Yujin…….]
[Co. a. li. tion. long. live!]
[lol what's Drakan doing? Still fooling around up in the sky?]
[For real, not even a glimpse of Drakan lol. Guess he's scared of Lord Yujin. lolol]
[Our Lord Drakan is in the middle of a Conquest Quest right now? He's gonna come and conquer everything when it's over. For real.]
[You guys wouldn't even be able to see Broken World if Lord Drakan hadn't built the dimensional gate. lol]
[Welcome, black ox.]
[A cow is talking, not a person. lol]
[This is a comment that black oxes cannot see.]
In that way, coalition and alliance users were rallying around Yujin and Ignis, but not all coalition users had joined under Yujin.
“There is an important expedition this time, yes? Gather a force that can definitely defeat him.”
Vice Chairman Sin Jeonghyeok!
Because the Simseong Iron Stars guild in the south, having received his orders, was gathering southern users and acting independently in Broken World without following Yujin and Five Eyes.
That wasn't all.
The Chinese guild Xiongmao eSports was also separately recruiting Chinese users—whose sheer numbers were formidable thanks to the effects of human-wave tactics—each challenging the quest conquest in their own way. So it was a situation where the alliance was united while the coalition was fracturing.
'The situation is favorable for us.'
And Drakan, who had received that information via whisper while atop the Floating City, smiled.
Because the enemy was divided.
Strictly speaking, Five Eyes, Xiongmao eSports, and Simseong Iron Stars were different forces, not even allies.
However, as long as they belonged to a single category called the 'Coalition'—a potential hostile force against the Alliance—they were potential enemies that would eventually have to be eliminated in the main story.
And the current situation, where these potential enemies were splitting apart on their own without him lifting a finger, was inevitably extremely favorable for Drakan.
'But even so, that bastard Yujin's forces are indeed solid.'
The reason Drakan still couldn't let his guard down was because, despite the Coalition's fracture, Yujin's forces remained intact.
Five Eyes!
The prowess of the Five Eyes that dominated Ard World was such that even with fellow coalition members Xiongmao eSports and Simseong Iron Stars acting independently, they were as strong as all the remaining forces combined.
Yujin.
The golden tower he had built up over more than two years in real time was far too solid to collapse from something of this magnitude.
In fact, Yujin was the one ranked first on the scoreboard, so that said it all.
'An expected result, but it still stings.'
Drakan's eyes gleamed.
Yujin taking first place in the score ranking was a result he had already anticipated, but seeing it in person was a different feeling.
But even that would be soon.
EX-grade!
The very moment when he cleared the Conquest Quest and rose to the same standing as Yujin, that bastard!
Drakan intended to light the fuse and detonate the bomb he had planted within Yujin and the Lightwing Guild—a trigger for schism.
Expanding forces under the banner of the Dark Alliance was well and good, but the fastest method was still the enemy's division.
Two years.
Until now, Drakan himself had made relentless efforts to catch up to the two years Yujin had spent, and he had achieved some results, but the reality was that he still fell far short when compared to Yujin's position objectively.
Moreover, Yujin wasn't sitting still either; as long as that bastard continued to grow steadily, Drakan needed to employ two strategies simultaneously: one to climb up, and one to drag Yujin down to his level.
Five Eyes this, eternal alliance that—Drakan knew very well that there was no such thing as an eternal alliance in this world.
Perhaps between individuals, but between organizations, things ran on strict logic of vested interests.
And the same was true of those called Five Eyes.
If the Lightwing Guild, which formed their core, collapsed, the name Five Eyes would vanish without a trace as well.
Drakan smiled, thinking thus.
Because that was the very future Drakan wished for most, and also the moment his true revenge would begin.
[We have arrived at the Wolf Forest.]
Ribery's voice reached Drakan's ears.
Drakan stopped in his tracks.
[Wolf Forest discovered.]
[First Discovery Bonus]
[All stats have increased by 23.]
[Wolf Forest]
[Wolf Forest was once a small forest on the outskirts of Voltaha Castle, a place where wolves and foxes mainly dwelt.]
[Wolf Forest, which had quite the reputation among outsiders as a 'beginner hunting ground,' remained unchanged even after the Great Upheaval and Voltaha's elevation to a Floating City.]
[However, it is not the case that the monsters dwelling in Wolf Forest are unchanged.]
[Those who set foot in this forest for the first time must beware of wolves made far more ferocious by the influence of the Great Upheaval.]
The Wolf Forest, exactly as described in the information window that appeared along with the first discovery notification, came into his view.
“It's been a while since I've been here too.”
[The Sky Wolves dwelling in Wolf Forest are fierce and ferocious. You must be careful.]
No sooner had Ribery finished speaking than howls of wolves detecting intruders rang out from all corners of the Wolf Forest.
Hearing the howls, Drakan drew the Ironblood Executor.
It was time to stretch his body after a long while.
* * *
“Skree!”
Sky Wolves!
They were quite powerful high-level monsters, just as Ribery had personally warned him to be 'careful.'
True to their name, the Sky Wolf pack possessed sky-blue fur and were massive creatures two to three times the size of ordinary wolves, as well as cunning monsters capable of wind-attribute magic attacks.
But their misfortune was that the expedition team, drawn from my fandom, was composed not only of max-level but also expert users with considerable specs—not to mention that I stood at the forefront.
I stepped on the dying Sky Wolf and walked through the forest without hesitation.
Amidst the forest scenery, unchanged from before, I finally found the exit to the secret passage.
“Just as it was.”
The exit to the secret passage was a massive cliff located at the southeastern corner of the forest.
Having confirmed that the cliff terrain was still intact, I placed my hand directly on the wall.
If the secret passage still functioned, its exit would react to me.
In that moment.
Whoooom!
Along with a vibration, a brief notification appeared before my eyes.
[Steel Palace Secret Passage responds to user 'Drakan.']
Seeing the notification I had been waiting for so long—the secret passage responding to me—I smiled.
'It was worth pouring so much money into building the secret passage!'
A memory suddenly flashed by of how I had constructed the secret passage in the previous game with all options set to the highest grade.
[Open the Steel Palace Secret Passage?]
A second notification floated before my eyes.
Looking at the notification, I nodded.
“Open it.”
[The Steel Palace Secret Passage opens.]
Grrrrrrr.
Accompanied by a thunderous roar that shook the earth, the gaps in the cliff crumbled open, revealing the passage hidden within.
[Th-this is the secret passage exclusive to the Lord that was said to exist only in legends……! It really existed!]
Ribery spoke in a surprised voice beside me.
I smiled at Ribery's words and took the first step toward the passage that appeared pitch-black.
At that very moment.
[Steel Palace Secret Passage discovered.]
[First Discovery Bonus!]
[All stats increase by 34.]
[Steel Palace Secret Passage]
[The Steel Palace Secret Passage is an underground tunnel secretly ordered to be built by Steel Lord Drakan in preparation for emergencies, created under the pretext of evacuating high-ranking officials of the Ironblood Alliance in unexpected crises such as the fall of Voltaha Castle.]
[Steel Lord Drakan spent an enormous amount of gold on the secret passage's construction, just as with other facilities in Voltaha Castle, and ordered all devices to be built with the highest-grade materials.]
[Precisely because it was built with such enormous gold, the secret passage paradoxically retained its functionality to this day.]
[This passage can only be opened by Steel Lord Drakan.]
A first discovery message appeared before my eyes.
It wasn't my first time seeing a first discovery message, but learning that a facility I had built in the previous game had since become its own region stirred a fresh surge of emotion.
As I took a step toward the darkness, the magic lanterns hanging on the walls lit up.
And with that.