The Final King Has Returned — Chapter 139
“It’s because the four powers refuse to work together.”
Ignis answered immediately upon hearing my question.
The moment I heard his words, I could more or less grasp the current situation.
There were many users in Broken World who traveled solo or in small parties, but the majority of guilds belonged to one of the four powers.
Yujin and Five Eyes!
Ignis and JDG, and Jeil E&M and the Dark Alliance!
Xiongmao Esports!
Simseong Iron Stars!
It was no exaggeration to say that these four great powers currently divided Broken World among themselves.
Of course, as befitting the Hive Mind’s headquarters, the number of monsters was staggering, but so long as there was a “Contribution Ranking,” countless people were hunting them down at even greater speeds. As a result, the monsters were being pushed back.
In any case, the four great powers weren’t cooperating with one another.
Since it was certain that the rewards for the Myth-grade quest were determined by the Contribution Ranking, they had each entered into separate battles to secure better rewards for themselves.
“I see.”
I looked at the map of Broken World Ignis had pinned to the board and thought.
Like Arde World, Broken World was also comprised of a single massive continent.
The Final Forest, where I had been and where the lycanthrope village was located, was literally at the corner of the continent, while the Primordial Highlands, where the Hive Mind was located, lay at the center of the continent.
Truly, a terrain that screamed artificiality.
Looking at that terrain, I fell into thought.
‘I don’t think this is a problem that can be fixed by recklessly joining forces.’
This mess had occurred because they refused to cooperate and fought separate battles.
But that didn’t mean carelessly joining hands with other powers wasn’t dangerous.
Because it could easily become a case of doing all the hard work for someone else’s benefit.
“Not only is the enemy army concentrated in the Valley of Origin, the entrance leading into the Primordial Highlands, but an Alpha Mind named entity, ‘Tyre,’ is guarding it as well.”
“Yujin should have enough firepower to break through. Why is he just sitting still?”
Hearing Ignis’s words, I asked again.
Let’s say the other powers can’t break through the Valley of Origin.
But Five Eyes under Yujin had more than enough strength to break through it.
And for good reason—Yujin had more Over Rankers under his command than all the other powers combined, so it was strange that he hadn’t broken through yet.
“He says it’s because he cannot guarantee the users’ safety.”
Ignis answered my question.
Guaranteeing sufficient safety.
It was certainly a reason that bastard Yujin would think of.
“Then what about the request for cooperation?”
“He sent cooperation requests to all three powers, including us. But all three powers are currently refusing his demands.”
At Ignis’s words, I fell into thought once more.
The reason the other powers had rejected Yujin’s proposal was, as expected, because of the Contribution Ranking.
The Primordial Highlands.
It was as clear as day that this field, home to the Hive Mind, would be the final act of the Myth-grade quest.
And in such a situation, no one wanted to deliberately do Yujin a favor or play second fiddle to him.
That was obviously their true intention.
Of course, in Ignis’s case, it was probably because he couldn’t proceed recklessly without asking for my opinion.
“So the frontline is in a stalemate right now?”
“That’s correct.”
“Then we’ll have to be the ones to break that stalemate.”
I smiled as I listened to Ignis.
Fortunately, we held the knife by the handle, so it seemed we could obtain what we wanted regardless of contribution points.
I opened my friends list for the first time in a while.
My friends list was desolate.
Excluding the popular streamers affiliated with Jeil E&M, including Ignis and Sin Hayeon, there was only one person left.
Yujin.
I took a deep breath and pressed the button to send him a whisper.
“Hey. Yujin. You eating properly?”
* * *
The Primordial Highlands.
The Five Eyes forward base stood directly before those highlands, which rose so high they could be called the roof of Broken World.
At the center of it all, within a massive tent, a heated debate was underway.
“Do you think they will cooperate with us? We must break through the Valley of Origin even if we have to accept sacrifices.”
Five Eyes.
Though they were called the Five Eyes, in reality, there existed an implicit hierarchy even within Five Eyes.
The guild that held the number two ranking after Lightwing Guild was none other than Breaker Guild, which had aided the Revolutionary Army organization during the old World Revolution days.
Breaker Guild.
This guild, which had been the most representative of the small-to-medium guilds crushed under the Guild Alliance and the Ironblood Alliance in the previous game, began sponsoring Yujin the moment he rose to prominence.
And in the end, together with the Revolutionary Army, they toppled the Guild Alliance and the Ironblood Alliance and joined as a member of Five Eyes.
The guild master of Breaker Guild, Sword Emperor Arzen, was the one raising his voice and insisting on the attack.
Sword Emperor Arzen.
Guild master of Breaker Guild and the strongest Over Ranker, known to be closer to EX-grade than anyone else.
When he spoke up, those among the other gathered guilds who agreed with him began to emerge.
“Arzen’s right, Yujin. At this rate, we’ll just muddle along and end up unable to do anything.”
A cold voice echoing agreement with Arzen’s words resounded inside the tent.
The owner of the voice was a giant of a man, muscular and massive.
Beast King Burhan.
The pinnacle of Tamers who tamed and commanded countless monsters, and likewise the leader of Beast Guild, a member of Five Eyes.
Though not as close as his other comrades, he was a user Yujin regarded as an older brother—a man who had been the leader of a small guild in the previous game and had formed a bond by helping Yujin raid dungeons during his unknown days.
After even he voiced his agreement, the worry on Yujin’s face, who sat in the center of the tent, deepened.
To Yujin, if his comrades were like family, then Five Eyes was an existence akin to a soulmate.
That was how much Yujin cherished Five Eyes.
Because they were the ones who had helped him when he was being persecuted by the Guild Alliance, before he organized the Revolutionary Army.
That was why Yujin couldn’t easily dismiss their opinions.
“But I cannot advance when I cannot guarantee the users’ safety.”
However, even so, he couldn’t let emotion sweep him away and drive other users to their doom.
That was what Yujin thought.
“Inevitable sacrifices are essential to operations, Yujin.”
Sword Emperor Arzen looked at Yujin and said.
Having been with Yujin for a long time, he knew very well that Yujin’s personality was this frustrating.
But right now, he couldn’t simply stand by and let that frustrating side of him be.
Because the final reward of the Myth-grade quest looked far too sweet to pass up.
Especially with the Dark Alliance and Ignis charging up to third place, it was time to press forward, even at the cost of sacrifices, to maintain their position as the frontrunner.
And on top of that, cooperation with other powers!
Wasn’t this just doing all the hard work for someone else to reap the rewards?
But despite Arzen’s persuasion, Yujin’s face didn’t budge an inch.
‘Damn it.’
Arzen sighed inwardly at the sight.
Truthfully, Arzen didn’t quite agree with Yujin’s ideals.
Arzen wasn’t a very kind-hearted person by nature.
He wasn’t a bad person either; he was just an ordinary person who sought his own gain.
That was Arzen’s personality.
The reason Arzen had supported Yujin in the previous game wasn’t because he agreed with Yujin’s ideals.
It had simply been a gamble to drive out the Guild Alliance and become the new establishment.
Fortunately, the gamble had succeeded, and he was now seated in the privileged position called Five Eyes, earning unimaginable sums of money.
‘But Drakan keeps rising up.’
Arzen thought of Drakan.
Steel Monarch Drakan!
Arzen could never be at ease watching the man he thought was a vanished specter return and climb ever higher.
Because his goal was all too transparently clear.
But since Yujin had acknowledged Drakan, and the giant powers of JDG and the Jeil Group were surrounding and protecting him in both the real world and the game, it was impossible to strike at him from this side first.
Because Arzen’s current position came entirely from Yujin.
Arzen struggled to quell his simmering anger.
He couldn’t afford to keep wasting time like this, but unless Yujin moved, there was no other way.
And Berda, the silver-haired wizard sitting beside Yujin, shot Arzen a cold glare and thought,
‘Truly ungrateful wretches.’
Ingratitude.
That was exactly the feeling Berda had toward Arzen.
Of course, Berda also knew full well that it was absurd to think the world could be sustained by ideals alone.
Just as the proverb says that fish cannot live in water that is too clean, and just as someone once said that the world becomes more prosperous thanks to individual selfishness, one could only rule this world by demonstrating at least some degree of flexibility.
Therefore, Berda couldn’t eliminate those who exploited Yujin to satisfy their own greed.
Because they hadn’t yet crossed the line by pursuing their desires to the point of tarnishing Yujin’s name or staining Five Eyes’ reputation, and because their strength was needed to maintain hegemony over the incomparably vast Arde World.
But whenever she saw them openly oppose Yujin like this, Berda, who loved Yujin, couldn’t help but boil with rage inside.
“They are not inevitable sacrifices. The value of every life is equal.”
Yujin looked at Arzen and said.
The value of every life is equal.
Hearing those words, Arzen sighed inwardly once more.
In the end, today’s meeting seemed likely to end without any gains, merely confirming their difference in stance.
At that very moment, as the cold atmosphere lingered.
[Hey, Yujin.]
A voice reached Yujin’s ears.
And Yujin knew that voice well.
‘Lord Drakan?’
Drakan!
He had finally returned to Broken World.
[You eating properly?]
At Drakan’s abrupt follow-up question, Yujin smiled.
You eating properly?
The suffocatingly serious atmosphere felt like it all vanished like a mirage with that single line.
Smiling, Yujin replied to Drakan.
“Yes, I’m eating well. What brings you to contact me?”
As soon as Yujin’s answer ended, Drakan’s voice poured into his ears.
[No need for long talk. You want to borrow our strength, right? Come out. Let’s negotiate.]
Yujin smiled upon hearing that answer.
Because it seemed the lifeline that could finally end the endless tunnel of a meeting was now shimmering in his hand.
Of course, there was a devil at the end of that lifeline, but Yujin didn’t know that yet.