The Final Boss Has Returned — Chapter 39
[Horn of the Thunderbird]
[Grade: Legendary]
[Durability: 5000/5000]
[The horn growing from the tip of the head of the Thunderbird, a legendary monster and the boss of the dungeon ‘Thunderbird’s Nest.’ It is the source of the Thunderbird’s authority to command lightning, and contains undulating lightning power.]
[Can be processed into a powerful Lightning-attribute enchant item.]
[When used as a material for equipment production, it grants powerful Lightning-attribute magic power.]
“We were just finishing up the Simseong Milky Way Guild’s Thunderbird’s Nest dungeon raid, so I was able to acquire it. What do you think, Drakan-nim? Do you like it?”
Simseong Milky Way Guild!
Like JDG, it was a super-giant guild backed by a chaebol group called the Simseong Group. If JDG was the hegemon of the East, the Simseong Milky Way Guild was the hegemon of the North and a super-giant guild ranked 7th in the overall guild rankings—one of the Ten Great Guilds.
And the Thunderbird’s Nest dungeon raid was a raid that the Simseong Milky Way Guild had prepared for with all their might!
The boss monster of Thunderbird’s Nest, the Thunderbird, was estimated to be level 700 or higher, so I had heard that Spear King Rio, the guild master of the Simseong Milky Way Guild and an Over Ranker, as well as all of the guild’s top elite members, had mobilized.
But to think that raid had just finished, and Sin Ha-yeon had acquired the Horn of the Thunderbird from it—truly, it was something I couldn’t have predicted.
I smiled faintly and said.
“Yes, I like it.”
I rubbed the Horn of the Thunderbird with a calm expression.
Crackle! Snap crackle!
A tingling electric shock transmitted to my hand as I stroked the horn.
Sin Ha-yeon’s expression brightened slightly at my answer.
I looked at her, smiled, and continued.
“But whether that friend likes it, well, I’m not so sure.”
“What… what is this?”
When my gaze turned toward Nereus, he stumbled over his words as if flustered.
I looked at Nereus, grinned, and pushed the Horn of the Thunderbird toward him.
“What do you mean. Didn’t you say earlier that as long as you had a Legendary-grade Demon Stone or an item equivalent to it, you could restore the Kraken? That’s why I got it.”
[The Sea Demon King is surprised by your words.]
[The Sea Demon King looks at you and smiles.]
[The Destruction Demon King pouts his lips.]
[The Dark Demon God smiles in satisfaction.]
[The Dark Demon God sponsors 10,000 points.]
[The Sea Demon King sponsors 10,000 points.]
Messages from countless Demon Kings flickered, and I was soon able to recover more than the price of the Friend Summon modification points.
But the one who reacted most violently to the Horn of the Thunderbird I brought was none other than Nereus.
Nereus stared at the Horn of the Thunderbird with his mouth hanging open, and as I sat perched on the chair, looking at the window that had popped up asking ‘Will you accept the quest?’ I continued speaking.
“So, is this insufficient?”
“This is….”
“Here, the appraisal certificate.”
Before Nereus could even speak, Sin Ha-yeon smiled and took out an appraisal certificate from her inventory, placing it down beside him.
Indeed, expensive items originally came attached with things like appraisal certificates or guarantees endorsed by Magicians, Appraisers, or Blacksmiths.
Having checked the appraisal certificate Sin Ha-yeon had placed down, Nereus looked at me with eyes grown wide and round and said,
“How could it be lacking? At this level, it’s more than enough.”
“Then there’s no need to recover the Pearl of the Abyss right this moment, is there?”
“Of course. What’s important right now is the Kraken’s recovery, after all.”
The moment Nereus finished speaking, notification windows began appearing in a dizzying flurry in my field of vision.
[Nereus’s favorability has greatly increased.]
[You have fulfilled a hidden raid condition.]
[The quest ‘Reclaim the Pearl of the Abyss!’ has been annihilated.]
[Your level has increased.]
[Your level has increased.]
……
[All stats have increased by 10.]
[The Undefeated Armor ‘Black Divine Armor’ is unlocked.]
[Black Divine Armor]
[Grade: Legendary]
[Undefeated Level: Beginner Stage 1]
[Dark full-body armor symbolizing the Iron Lord, Drakan. Following the famed sword Executor of Blood and Iron, it is a tribute item Drakan demanded from the Dwarf Kingdom. It is armor made from an alloy of clouded iron and adamantium, and its defense is said to be like an iron wall.]
[Countless have tried to pierce the Black Divine Armor’s defense and kill the Tyrant Drakan, but none aside from the Hero Yujin succeeded.]
[Befitting the Blood and Iron Sovereign who dyed the continent in blood, this armor is imbued with the blood, resentment, grudges, and curses of countless people.]
As I expected, the quest was cancelled.
Because I had fulfilled the conditions necessary to complete the quest by bringing the Horn of the Thunderbird, the very basis for the quest’s existence disappeared, causing the quest to be annihilated.
This was what it meant for Ard World to have infinite freedom.
A game where, if you had the ability, you could even skip the quest itself!
That was the free gameplay guaranteed by the Ard Saga series.
‘As expected of a god-tier game!’
I savored the continuously refreshing notification sounds.
The level-up and stat-increase notifications that always felt good to hear!
But this time, there was an even better notification.
The unlocking of the Undefeated Armor.
‘This time, the Undefeated Armor has been unlocked.’
Black Divine Armor!
My main item that I had used together with the Executor of Blood and Iron in the previous game had finally come into my hands in the Second.
The Undefeated Level was still low, so the many item options that had been attached in the previous game hadn’t all returned yet, but even this much was more than enough.
[The Demon Kings of the Myriad Demons marvel at the great feat you have accomplished.]
[The Sea Demon King gazes at you with a moved expression.]
[The Dark Demon God smiles.]
[The Dark Demon God sponsors you 5,000 points.]
Seeing the Demon Kings’ messages that followed at the end, I smiled.
Having resolved the quest as well, it was now time to move on to the next stage.
* * *
Drakan, having resolved the quest issue, put the Horn of the Thunderbird back into his inventory and rose from his seat.
“Now that all preparations are finished, let’s go revive the Kraken right away.”
“Understood. But who exactly is that human…?”
Nereus’s gaze turned toward Sin Ha-yeon.
Under the NPC’s gaze, Sin Ha-yeon smiled faintly, stepped right up to Drakan’s side, and spoke.
“I am a companion traveling together with Drakan-nim.”
“I see.”
“Which is why, as a companion, I wish to observe the Kraken’s recovery together with Drakan-nim.”
“If you are the contractor’s companion, by all means.”
[What about Lawless Port?]
[I’ve left it to Calid, so you don’t need to worry.]
Hardly before Sin Ha-yeon’s words ended, Drakan’s whisper flew to her.
Hearing Drakan’s words, Sin Ha-yeon smiled and replied while thinking.
A normal person!
Would have cautiously asked her how she had acquired a Legendary-grade material item instead of dealing with Lawless Port.
No matter that she herself had previously promised unlimited support, ordinary people had small guts, so even after hearing that, they would feel burdened and ask while keeping an appropriate line—one that Sin Ha-yeon saw as an adorably low level.
But Drakan was different.
He unhesitatingly demanded an army, proposed burning Lawless Port, requested funds to restore the burned Lawless Port, and furthermore demanded a Legendary-grade material item called an ‘endgame item.’
Of course, for her, his requests were not difficult.
No, rather, they were very easy.
Sin Ha-yeon held real-world wealth and power in her hands, and with the blades in both hands, there was almost nothing she couldn’t accomplish in reality or in the game.
Yujin.
His persuasion, the hegemony of Ard World he held, and matters related to Yujin including his allied guilds were the only things Sin Ha-yeon could not possess even with wealth and power.
Except for that, everything in this world was no different from a toy that would come into her hands if she willed it.
Obtaining a Legendary-grade material item called an endgame item and the object of envy for many Ard Saga Second users was also an extremely easy thing for her.
‘As expected, joining hands with you was one of the best choices.’
Sin Ha-yeon smiled.
What human in this world could treat her so boldly!
Everyone she had met feared her.
Ordinary people feared her wealth, power, and the name of chaebol; her older brother and younger brother succumbed to the terror of her who had exiled them overseas.
Her father, the chairman of Jeil Group, held secret fear and kept his distance from her, as she had mercilessly shattered even the principle he himself established—that the successor must be a son—stolen the successor’s position, and now threatened even his own seat.
Other chaebols were no exception.
Among chaebols where it was tacitly taken for granted that a man would inherit the group, her existence, having seized power, was practically nothing short of a mutation.
Fratricidal succession struggles were not uncommon, but the fact that the final victor of such a struggle was a woman was a shocking result.
Therefore, other chaebols also feared and shunned her.
Even Yujin, whom she had failed to recruit, feared and was wary of the wealth and power she held.
Only Drakan alone did not fear her.
Rather, his appearance requesting support boldly and without hesitation, and Drakan’s attitude of not fearing her, sparked Sin Ha-yeon’s interest.
This was not an interest in Drakan as the ideal candidate for the rebellion that would topple Yujin going forward and the companion with whom she would grasp the hegemony of Ard World, but rather her own extremely private and personal interest in the human ‘Park Jun-pal,’ who was active in Ard World under the nickname Drakan.
Directed solely at him, who alone among others did not fear her.
[Leaving that aside, weren’t you busy? Why are you trying to stay by my side?]
So to Drakan’s whisper that flew in like this,
[Just because?]
Sin Ha-yeon hid her thoughts and smiled.