The Final Boss Has Returned
Episode 15
Yujin’s expression was resolute.
If they PK’d for their own gain without any reason, they were no different from the Guild Alliance!
That was what Yujin thought.
“Besides, we’re in the middle of an important quest right now.”
“But still!”
Sharp objected to Yujin’s words, but this time, Verda backed Yujin up, looking Sharp straight in the eye as she spoke.
“Lord Yujin is correct. If we kill Drakan now, we’ll lose more than we gain.”
“Can you tell me why?”
“First of all, it is an indisputable fact that even if we kill Drakan now, Sin Ha-yeon will not abandon his ambitions.”
“Then we just go to war with them!”
“We have no justification.”
Verda replied to Sharp’s rebuttal in a firm tone.
“The users follow the Lightwing Guild’s rule because we possess justification and legitimacy. And the foundation of our legitimacy can be traced back to the World Revolution six years ago, when we overthrew the Guild Alliance’s oppression.”
The Guild Alliance.
Before Yujin appeared—a massive alliance of guilds that had ruled over Arth World!
They eliminated their opponents without hesitation, suppressed user dissent, and exercised ruthless iron-fisted rule.
The reason Yujin could stand against the Guild Alliance and Drakan—who had been a top ranker at the time and stood at their pinnacle—was because the users were dissatisfied with the Guild Alliance’s oppressive rule, and Yujin was seen as an alternative to it.
Thus, Yujin successfully carried out the Rebellion Quest, and the Lightwing Guild was able to drive out the Guild Alliance in an incident called the World Revolution.
“If we—such a guild—were to remove Drakan or start a war without reason, just like the old Guild Alliance, our legitimacy would be tarnished. And Sin Ha-yeon would not miss that opportunity; he would use his power to move public opinion and tear us apart.”
Verda knew this all too well.
No matter how fair and just Yujin was, not all users in Arth World supported him, and that fact had already surfaced in the form of resentment toward the Church of Infinite Yujin.
Besides, the world was vast, and many rankers harbored ambitions for the top ranker’s position.
The reason they complied with Yujin’s reign without complaint was that the legitimacy he possessed still remained unblemished.
But the moment Yujin broke the principles he himself established and removed Drakan first without justification, a crack would form in that legitimacy.
Verda predicted that at that moment, not only Sin Ha-yeon but also other rankers who had been harboring ambitions would simultaneously tear into Yujin and the Lightwing Guild like hyenas.
Therefore, from Yujin and the Lightwing Guild’s standpoint, killing Drakan first without any justification would cause more harm than good.
“Thus, killing Drakan first without justification, or declaring war on Jeil E&M first from our side, would bring more harm than good. It would be better to lure them into total war and crush them head-on so they can never harbor such ambitions again.”
Verda and Sharp’s gazes met in the air.
“Furthermore, we are currently undertaking a Saga Quest. We don’t have time to concern ourselves with the likes of Drakan, as Lord Yujin warned.”
Having heard Verda’s explanation, Sharp pouted and buried her face in her chair.
It was because her words were true that Sharp no longer had anything to say.
“Verda’s right. Not only do we have the Saga Quest, but unless they break the rules first, we have to play by the rules too.”
Yujin clapped his hands to lighten the mood as he spoke.
“And don’t worry too much.”
At Yujin’s words, everyone’s gaze turned to him.
A smile formed at the corners of Yujin’s mouth as he studied the faces of his comrades looking at him one by one.
“Just because we’re playing by their rules doesn’t mean I’m planning on losing to the likes of them.”
In Yujin’s eyes as he spoke, there was a resolute determination mixed with the composure of a top ranker.
Hero Yujin. And the Lightwing Guild!
He intended to show the challengers aiming for the top ranker’s seat the true worth of that undefeated name.
* * *
While the internet, as well as the Lightwing Guild and Yujin, were all abuzz with talk of Drakan’s return.
The man at the center of it all, Drakan, had left the dungeon and was checking his status window while hunting trolls in a field to reach level 100.
[Saga]
[Steel Sovereign]
[Grade: Legendary]
[Saga Level: Beginner Tier 8]
[Drakan, the leader of the Ironblood Alliance known as the Steel Sovereign, was a conqueror who reigned at the pinnacle of Arth World and once achieved the grand feat of unifying the continent. Though he was defeated in battle against Hero Yujin and countless other heroes, eventually losing his throne and meeting a miserable downfall, his tyranny left scars on history that cannot be erased. Drakan’s name, which changed the map countless times and created innumerable victims, is still synonymous with tyrant.]
[Saga Technique]
[Steel Sword Path]
[Grade: Legendary]
[Saga Level: Beginner Tier 7]
[Where Drakan passed, only ruins and corpses remained, and behind his steps followed a path of blood and steel. The all-in-one sword path of offense and defense, which seemed to reflect his hegemony, boasted extreme destructive power and absolute defense.]
[Combo Attack: Damage increases exponentially with consecutive successful attacks.]
[Aura: Releases mana externally to materialize it. Can surround a weapon with aura to drastically increase destructive power and cutting force.]
[Conqueror’s Hegemonic Step]
[Grade: Legendary]
[Saga Level: Beginner Tier 1]
[A thousand years ago, in the era of the Steel Sovereign, Arth World trembled in fear at Conqueror Drakan’s every step, and none existed who did not submit to his rule. Conqueror’s Hegemonic Step is a footwork technique derived from the Steel Sovereign’s saga, a saga technique embodying the fear and overwhelming pressure of the Steel Sovereign.]
[Saga Armament]
[Ironblood Executor]
[Grade: Legendary]
[Saga Level: Beginner Tier 6]
[A famed sword Drakan, the Steel Sovereign, obtained after conquering the Dwarven Kingdom. The dwarven artisans had to swallow tears of blood and forge this sword for the tyrant. For a long time thereafter, it devoured the conqueror’s enemies, but was eventually destroyed in the battle against Hero Yujin.]
[Blood Drain: Absorbs 10% of damage dealt to enemies as HP.]
‘My skills have become quite usable at this point, and if I catch just one more troll, I should be able to reach level 100.’
Having checked his character info and remaining EXP, Drakan closed his status window. A smile tugged at his lips as he raised the Ironblood Executor and plunged it precisely into the nape of the troll warrior charging at him.
“Kiiiiiek!”
The troll turned gray and disappeared with a scream!
Along with it, a notification window began flashing in Drakan’s vision.
[Level Up.]
[You have reached level 100.]
[You can now receive an Oracle Quest.]
[The Demon God of Darkness bestows an oracle upon you.]
Drakan smiled as he looked at the message that appeared last.
Oracle Quest.
It was because the quest he had longed for the most—the one said to be granted by a Transcendent contracted to a user who reached level 100—had finally revealed itself.
* * *
[Beginning of the Dark Journey]
[Grade: Heroic]
[The Black Ring Society, a group of dark mages that once ruled Outlaw Harbor, was defeated in the struggle for Outlaw Harbor over a decade ago and is now hiding in a remote village.]
[Although the Black Ring Society is currently in hiding while watching the Pirate King’s moods, it is said to have been an organization that spread its infamous name across the entire world in the past…….]
[Go to Argan Village near Outlaw Harbor and make contact with the village chief!]
[Will you accept the quest?]
The Oracle Quest that arrived the moment I reached level 100, just as the dedicated support team had predicted.
The quest’s grade was none other than Heroic.
In Arth Saga Second, which had the same six-grade classification system as its predecessor—Common, Rare, Mystic, Heroic, Legendary, and Mythic—the Heroic grade could be considered the practical final grade, excluding the nearly unobtainable Legendary and Mythic grades.
I smiled and willingly accepted the Heroic-grade quest.
“I accept.”
[You have accepted the quest.]
[The Demon God of Darkness smiles.]
[The Demon God of Darkness intends to bestow the contract skill ‘Demon God’s Seal’ upon you, the contractor.]
[Will you learn the contract skill ‘Demon God’s Seal’?]
[Demon God’s Seal]
[Grade: Mythic]
[Type: Active]
[Mastery Level: None]
[When used, a mark proving you are the contractor of the Demon God appears on the back of your left hand.]
[Activates ignoring all status effects.]
[This skill’s activation cannot be blocked by any means.]
[This skill is permanently bound and can never be deleted.]
Contract skill.
A method by which a Transcendent bestowed their power upon a contractor in the form of a skill; it was one of the few opportunities for a Saga character—who had restrictions on learning skills—to bypass those restrictions and acquire a skill.
The Demon God of Darkness!
Other than point sponsorship, he had shown almost no reaction since forming the contract, yet this was the first time he had bestowed a contract skill upon me.
‘Though it’s a rather useless skill.’
The problem was that aside from making the seal appear, it had no other effects—a skill that looked like nothing more than an empty husk on the surface.
But it didn’t matter.
According to the experience of a veteran among veterans like me, there had never been a time when a skill or item obtained during a quest turned out to be useless!
Even this contract skill called Demon God’s Seal, whose only impressive aspect was its grade, would surely have a use someday.
Thinking so, I spoke.
“I acquire the skill.”
[You have acquired the contract skill ‘Demon God’s Seal’.]
[The Demon God of Darkness lets out a satisfied laugh.]
I gazed quietly at the notification window containing the Demon God’s emotional expression and thought,
Well, charging straight to the quest destination and banging my head against the ground like in the old days wouldn’t be so bad, but I had a dedicated support team.
When else would I use an ultra-luxury support team composed entirely of experts if not at a time like this!
The times have changed!
The old-fashioned way of charging in blindly like in the old days no longer works.
Preparation averts disaster. Thorough preparation and analysis!
That was indeed one of the most useful weapons I had right now, and unlike villains in fiction, I had no intention of holding back such a good weapon.
My thoughts having reached that point, I logged out right then and there.