The Final Boss Has Returned — Episode 96
Having finished everything there was to do in Management Mode, I closed the window floating before my eyes.
With this, the Northern cleanup was more or less finished for now.
‘It’s about time I headed to Monster Land.’
My next destination was already decided.
Monster Land!
It was time to find the place called the ‘Wolf Den,’ where the Lycanthrope clan had remained until the very end.
I had been slowly mulling over strategies in my head—whether to go alone or call for others—when, at that very moment, a black bat flew in through the open gates of the Hall of Glory, soon transforming into a handsome man with a pale face who knelt before me.
It was Nosferatu, the Vampire King and leader of the vampires.
“O Apostle.”
Nosferatu’s voice echoed through the Hall of Glory.
“I have a favor to ask.”
“What favor?”
From Nosferatu’s words, I caught the scent of a quest, and Nosferatu continued.
“We vampires have spent the last two thousand years hiding in the shadows of the world, hunted by humans. But now that you have completed the Dark Territory, Apostle, if you would only permit it, our clan wishes to end our wandering life and settle in the Dark Territory.”
Nosferatu was reciting facts I already knew through the notification window that had appeared when the vampire clan joined the alliance some time ago.
I stared at him silently without a word.
“But for our clan to settle stably, we must manifest the legendary barrier spoken of in myths—the ‘Polar Night,’ where not day but eternal darkness fills our stronghold, and only night continues forever.”
And finally, the main point came from Nosferatu’s mouth.
“The theoretical knowledge and base materials needed to manifest the Polar Night barrier are already prepared. However, there is but one thing—the Twilight Stone—that our clan’s power could not obtain. I humbly beg you, if the Apostle would procure the Twilight Stone, our entire clan shall swear loyalty to you by the ‘Blood Oath,’ going beyond the obligations of our alliance.”
The moment Nosferatu finished speaking, a notification window appeared before my eyes as if we had made an appointment.
[A quest has been generated.]
[Polar Night]
[Grade: Legend]
-Since the failure to rebuild the Dark Empire of Apostle Sion, the vampire clan has lived a wandering life for the past 2,000 years, drifting across all of Arde World without a fixed base to escape the Hunters and the Inquisitors of the Church.
After more than 2,000 years, the Dark Territory has finally been fully realized in the North, and the vampire clan has been able to put an end to their life as rootless hermits.
However, for the vampire clan to fully settle in the North, they need the mythical barrier magic of a bygone age that protects them from the curse of the sun—Polar Night.
To complete Polar Night, the barrier magic that protects the vampire clan along with the Necklace of the White Night, an item passed down through generations of Vampire Kings, the core of the barrier—a Twilight Stone—is required.
During their long wandering life, the vampire clan gathered numerous materials, but they could not obtain the Twilight Stone, the core of the barrier.
-The Vampire King wishes to entrust this matter, upon which the survival of the clan rests, to you.
-Do you accept the quest?
Despite having joined the alliance, unlike the Orcs, the vampires had not been unlocked as a playable race!
An additional quest to unlock them as a playable race had finally revealed itself.
I looked at the description window and slightly furrowed my brow.
‘Twilight Stone?’
Twilight Stone!
Even I, who had played the game countless times from the previous installment until now and conquered all manner of myths and legends of Arde World, was hearing this item’s name for the first time.
Moreover, because the three characters for ‘Twilight Stone’ were nailed down as the quest completion condition, unlike the previous Kraken resurrection quest, I couldn’t just buy any random material to skip it.
“I accept your request.”
[You have accepted the quest.]
I accepted the quest for now.
Whatever the quest reward, unlocking the vampires as a playable race was more advantageous for me.
Furthermore, if my speculation regarding the opening of the ‘Faction’ written about in the Dark Council was truly correct, unlocking a new race might become something far more important than simply forming favorable public opinion through the release of new content.
“Thank you, O Apostle.”
When I accepted the quest, Nosferatu expressed his gratitude, bowing his head deeply.
I looked at him and spoke.
“Do you happen to have any clues regarding the whereabouts of the Twilight Stone?”
It wasn’t as if I could search blindly; unless it was written in the quest information window, I needed to gather information to find the Twilight Stone.
Of course, I had a capable dedicated support team and JDG kindly cooperating with me, but that didn’t mean I needed to entrust everything entirely to them.
When it was my turn to act, I had to act.
And thanks to my long experience as a veteran player, I knew very well that the basic clue to starting a quest had to be obtained from the quest-starting NPC.
No, it didn’t even require veteran experience; it was practically common knowledge for any user playing Arde Saga.
“I cannot be certain, but I have heard a rumor.”
And as expected, the thread of a clue flowed from Nosferatu’s lips.
“What rumor?”
I asked back, and soon Nosferatu continued his answer.
“A few years ago, there is a rumor that the Hero Yujin obtained a Twilight Stone from a certain dungeon.”
And hearing the clue I had just obtained, I was shocked.
Wait, why is the Hero showing up here?
* * *
Conference room on the top floor of the Jeil Content Hub Building.
There, I sat with Sin Ha-yeon and Ignis, verifying the authenticity of information I didn’t particularly want to believe was real.
“The information that the Hero Yujin obtained the Twilight Stone has been confirmed as true. It was loot obtained by the Hero Yujin and the Lightwing Guild when they cleared the dungeon ‘Tomb of the Eclipse’ a year ago in real time, dropping from the boss monster ‘Devourer of Darkness,’ confirmed to be a Legend-grade material item.”
Hero Yujin!
The Vampire King Nosferatu’s information that he possessed the Twilight Stone, the item needed to complete my quest, had been confirmed as true by the support team.
“So, it’s true…….”
I let out a hollow laugh upon hearing that information.
To think that unbelievable information was actually true!
‘No wonder it’s a Legend-grade quest.’
Based on my long gaming experience, if I were to guess, the most standard strategy intended by the quest was clearly to raid the treasure vault of the Lightwing Guild’s guild house where this item was stored.
There would be no reason for the quest’s difficulty to be ‘Legend’ grade otherwise.
The problem was that the Lightwing Guild’s guild house was located in the capital of the Holy Kingdom—a place that was practically the polar opposite of me, the contractor of the Demon God, as it served as the earthly stronghold of the Goddess of Light and the Pantheon, where all the light in the world gathered.
If it were simply a visit to the Holy Kingdom’s capital, it might not be a big deal.
But to commit a crime there, no less than robbing the warehouse of the Lightwing Guild, the world’s number one guild?
It was something only a madman could do.
Setting aside whether it was possible, if I even attempted such a thing, I would surely face concentrated public fire, and the solid tower of public sentiment I had painstakingly built up until now would collapse entirely.
Therefore, clearing the quest through this method was impossible.
Then I had to find an alternative.
“If that information is true, I’ll have to negotiate with that human.”
The alternative was negotiation.
If negotiation failed as well, I would have to find a way to obtain a new Twilight Stone.
“What do we have to give Yujin?”
One of the basics of negotiation was exchange.
As one cannot receive without giving, if I wanted something in return, I had to pay the appropriate price.
“We have more than enough money.”
Sin Ha-yeon immediately replied with a smile to my words.
Money!
As she said, I had an enormous amount of money—so much that it nearly transcended the level of ordinary people’s comprehension.
Of course, it wasn’t my money but Sin Ha-yeon’s, but as long as my blood alliance with her continued, her money was as good as mine.
And while most things in the world could generally be solved with money, the problem was that Yujin was clearly someone upon whom money wouldn’t easily work.
Moreover, as Berda had proven during the war with the North, he was still subtly keeping me in check even now, so the negotiation would clearly be more difficult than expected.
“What else?”
“There are a few Legend-grade equipment and material items in JDG’s warehouse. If cash doesn’t work, bartering is also a good method.”
Bartering after cash.
It wasn’t a bad card.
After all, the Twilight Stone was an item I desperately needed, but to them, it was likely just one of many Legend-grade materials.
“Is there any information on what the Lightwing Guild wants these days?”
“None.”
Team Leader I answered upon hearing my words.
Finding out what the other party wanted was also one of the basics of negotiation, but to want nothing!
Well, he held hegemony over Arde World and was practically the victor in Arde Saga: Second, so I could understand.
It wasn’t exactly good news for me, but anyway, having roughly confirmed the cards on both sides, I ran a few simulations in my head.
What to give and what to receive in the negotiation.
I prided myself on being the person who knew Yujin best in this world, and I knew everything from his personality to his trivial habits.
The reason I knew such things was obvious.
Yujin—that bastard was precisely the target I had to defeat and take revenge upon, which was why I needed to know his every move.
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated; I had to know him well to crush him.
In that sense, putting myself in Yujin’s shoes, I reviewed all scenarios and possibilities including negotiation, and finally, having found the optimal negotiation plan, I smiled.
“I found a way. Initiate negotiations with Lightwing immediately. Team Leader I, contact Lightwing Entertainment. Tell them I wish to purchase the Twilight Stone.”
“Understood.”
Team Leader I nodded upon hearing my order, and soon I received a reply from Lightwing Entertainment.
“Lightwing Entertainment requests that Drakan-nim come directly.”
I smirked upon hearing those words.
Because I could see at a glance they were picking a petty battle of wills.
This dirty, childish attempt to gain the upper hand didn’t seem like Yujin’s idea; undoubtedly, it was the handiwork of that human, Berda.
“Tell them I’m coming. Right now.”
Since they had so adorably initiated a battle of nerves, I had to return fire by pushing up the negotiation time.
Team Leader I nodded at my words, called them right there on the spot, and soon the answer came back.
“They say they will arrange a meeting.”
Having heard that much, I stood up from my seat and spoke.
“Sin Ha-yeon.”
“Yes, Drakan-nim.”
Sin Ha-yeon smiled upon being called.
Her eyes seemed to say she found the current situation interesting.
“And Ignis.”
“You called for me?”
Ignis answered me politely as usual.
I looked at Sin Ha-yeon and Ignis, who were looking at me, and spoke.
“You both, come with me to Lightwing Entertainment immediately. Follow me.”
“Yes!”
“Understood.”
I left Sin Ha-yeon alone as she subtly attached herself to my left side, hooked her arm in mine, and busily sent messages on her smartphone, while I descended to the first floor of the Jeil Content Hub Building with Ignis following behind.
And there, Sin Ha-yeon’s Bentley—which she always rode in—was parked neatly right in front of the building entrance.
“You have arrived, Executive Director, Drakan-nim.”
Chief Secretary Gim, Sin Ha-yeon’s closest aide, wearing sunglasses, lowered his head respectfully toward me and Sin Ha-yeon.
Sin Ha-yeon looked at that sight and whispered to me with an expression that seemed to ask for praise.
“I had it prepared in advance. I did well, didn’t I?”
“Yes, you did.”
Watching Sin Ha-yeon smile at my answer, I got into the car with her and Ignis.
Now, it was time to set the board in earnest.