NOVEL NEXT Chapter 77
Kwa kwa kwa kwang!
“Whew~ Seob Seop Yi, I think we made a great choice moving factions, right?”
“Exactly.”
Seob Seop Yi, the leader of the ‘Seob Seop Han Party,’ along with his two ranger party members, gazed in awe at the brawl far below the sheer cliff.
This peculiar party composition, with two rangers including the leader, had effectively tackled instance dungeons as a scouting team, using the range-hybrid traits of the rangers to their advantage.
However, to properly raid the Green Dragon affiliated with the ‘Betarion Empire,’ there was no option but to join the Plan B guild, led by the guildmaster Kyuam Jo Hyun-Soo. Joining such a large PVP guild would force them into activities like war participation.
Wanting to enjoy freedom, Seob Seop Yi decided to move their entire party to the ‘Alparion Empire’.
And moving was indeed a brilliant choice.
“Considering the characteristics of the Faction Battlefield and the information gathered from previous user attempts, we’ve established a perfect strategy without even trying. Plus, our extensive knowledge of Astria Online’s gimmicks and skills. Truly impressive, Chris raid team.”
“The ‘Hong Baek’ raid-oriented guild only collaborates with the GG Guild for the World Bosses in the Faction Battlefield; otherwise, our activities are free. I’m sure our guild will achieve the first clear for the Legendary difficulty raid dungeon coming out later.”
“And…”
The fearsome world boss, the ‘Green Dragon.’
Standing defiantly in front of it was the dazzling white flash, ‘Rain.’
As the main tank of the Hong Baek guild, she showcased an overwhelming presence in this battle.
Her divine movements, unconstrained by the conventional skills, shattered all established norms of Astria Online.
“This raid video is going to blow up when it’s posted.”
Seob Seop Yi chuckled helplessly, watching the wings of the Green Dragon start to flap.
Flap flap flap.
Whooooooosh!
“Alright, it’s our turn.”
Clickity click.
The two rangers, each in charge of a ballista, aimed at the expected flight path of the Green Dragon, which was now ascending vertically.
This ballista must have been set up by NPCs attempting to hunt the Green Dragon. With a specially enchanted massive arrow tip, it seemed capable of tearing through the dragon’s wings, which lack protective scales.
Whooooooosh!
The ranger’s Training Tower skill, ‘Perfect Shot,’ activated. A blue aura enveloped Seob Seop Yi, streaming into the ballista’s arrow.
They wouldn’t get a second chance.
One shot, precise.
Flap flap flap.
ROAAAAR!!
The immense body of the Green Dragon, soon soaring up to the cliff’s edge, filled the rangers’ vision.
Whooooooosh!
Green energy began to gather in the dragon’s mouth.
Aerial flight, breath pattern.
Its wings were fully spread.
And simultaneously, the gigantic arrow hung from the ballista was released.
Fwhooom!
Thwack!
ROAAAR—!?
The dragon’s body swayed in mid-air.
The two massive arrows, combined with the rangers’ skills, pierced huge holes in the dragon’s wings.
Unable to stabilize itself from the shock of its ripped wings, the dragon plummeted to the ground.
Kwaaaang!
The massive jolt caused by the dragon’s body hitting the ground stirred up enormous vibrations. Dust clouds filled the bottom of the cliff. At the same time, the two rangers who had consumed floating potions leapt down.
Thump!
Looking around at the welcoming faces of Hong Baek guild members, Seob Seop Yi smiled.
“Ranger duo, mission accomplished. Joining up!”
*
[World Boss]
[Green Dragon]
[HP 49,052,141/200,000,000 (24%)]
Flash!
Bam bam bam!
Darting all over the dragon’s massive body, they used ‘One Flash’ to shed its scales.
Just like when I first peeled away the scales from its neck, the melee dealers followed suit, joining in the dragon’s scale removal operation.
Grrrroooowwwl!
The dragon screamed in agony, thrashing about but unable to recover from the impact and damage of its fall. Helplessly lying down, it was losing defense against the party’s melee weapons.
Kwa kwa kwa kwang!
Where the dragon’s scales had been torn away, the magic from the ranged dealers erupted in bursts. The two rangers who joined in were also scurrying across the dragon’s body.
The first world boss, the ‘Green Dragon’ was a challenge at the start but was becoming easier as time went on. It felt a bit like a world boss prototype.
But there was no room for complacency.
Berveia Forest, this was the Faction Battlefield.
The GG Guild and Bonebreaker were fending off the opposing faction, but they couldn’t form a perfect blockade throughout the vast Berveia Forest. If users equipped with powerful PVP gear charged in, our raid, clad in PVE gear, wouldn’t be able to hold up.
We could be wiped out, not by the Green Dragon, but by the users from the opposing faction.
Chris’s voice echoed across the battlefield.
“We need to take down the dragon before threats arrive!”
In reality, this was the most difficult part, even more than tackling the dragon itself.
If we couldn’t finish off the dragon and our raid got wiped out…
Pop pop pop!
Whooooooosh!
Focusing on Be Merong, the magic users accumulated mana, forming a massive energy sphere.
The skill ‘Arcane Burst’ from the Qi Gong Master. As the firepower dealer, the wizard could deal staggering damage, but its prep time was long.
Yet now, against a dragon that was groggy and had lost its magic resistance, it was exceptionally effective.
Kwaaaang!
Roar!?
The dragon’s HP chunked down significantly. Finally entering the 10% range.
Whooooooosh.
Feeling the threat to its life, the dragon twisted its head and began to gather breath. It planned to unleash it randomly, not aiming at any target. That alone was threatening enough.
Thump, thump, thump.
Shwaaaak!
As the Onmyoji’s talismans lodged nearby, the dragon’s speed slowed. Over it, the Spirit Tamer’s Undine abilities intertwined, successfully freezing the dragon’s movements.
Grrr!
Unable to turn its head, the dragon became a sitting duck, taking attacks without retaliation.
Smash!
“Dieee!”
I too climbed atop the dragon, targeting the area where its neck connected to its body, right at the dragon heart, I began to dig in.
The death of the Green Dragon was closing in.
9%, 8%, 7%.
“I… I did it…!”
As joy bloomed on the faces of the raid members…
Chris’s startled voice changed the atmosphere on the battlefield.
“Master of the GG Guild, Woo Gyeol’s message! They lost sight of Kyuam Jo Hyun-Soo in the chaos! GG Guild is too stretched thin to fend off the full assault of the Betarion Empire! Support will take some time!”
“The guild master of Plan B!?”
“If a user of that caliber shows up, we can’t resist with our PVE gear!”
“Hurry, finish off the dragon…. Guff!”
Just as the movements of the party members grew frantic, a shriek echoed.
The ranger Seob Seop Yi collapsed.
And behind him, a swordsman user appeared.
He sneered as he surveyed the battlefield.
“I never thought you’d make it this far. Placing a spy in the Alparion Empire paid off.”
As long as there was no personnel imbalance between factions, moving factions easily was simple in Astria Online as long as one forfeited their public standing.
Even from the opposing faction, information leaks couldn’t be fully prevented.
Kyuam Jo Hyun-Soo, the guild master of Plan B.
He appeared to halt the Hong Baek guild’s raid on the Green Dragon.
“Kya-hya-hya!”
Ahh!
Uaaah!
One by one, the Hong Baek guild members fell victim to the swift-moving Jo Hyun-Soo’s blade.
After Be Merong and the wizards fell, Cherni, who had been freezing the dragon’s movements, also collapsed, and Hyun-Soo turned his blade toward the melee dealers.
“Rirroouuui! Hopkins… Ugh!”
Hopkins, who leaped in to inflict a status ailment, froze in his place.
Guff!
Hyun-Soo wore a smile as he dispatched Hopkins.
It was likely the effect of the Elite+ grade anti-status resistance Ecstone, worth thousands of gold.
Chris’s pleas rang out.
“Rain! Don’t worry about the bottom! If we take down the dragon, it’ll be our victory!”
In that moment, I clenched my teeth and resumed digging at the dragon’s flesh with increased speed.
I couldn’t afford to stop attacking since I was currently dealing the most damage to the dragon.
I had to rely on others to handle it.
“Kya-hya-hya! Deathly Death! I might not guarantee my victory in the arena, but your attacks here won’t injure me!”
Ugh!
Clash! Clang!
Deathly Death struggled against Jo Hyun-Soo. But gradually, his movements began to lag.
The chilly aura wafting from Jo Hyun-Soo’s sword was likely the effect of the Elite+ grade freeze Ecstone.
With Deathly Death’s PVE gear, it was tough to deal effective damage against Jo Hyun-Soo, who was bundled up in PVP gear and Ecstones.
The equipment matchup was extremely unfavorable. Even the top arena fighter, Deathly Death, couldn’t hold him here.
Grrr!
Deathly Death also fell, frozen halfway, to the ground.
Hyun-Soo continued to regain HP using our party members thanks to the effect of his blood-sucking Ecstone.
Now the only party members left were Chris and the Onmyoji.
However, the Onmyoji kept the dragon’s movements sealed. If Chris unsealed to face Hyun-Soo, the dragon would rampage again. If that happened, we might not finish it off.
Our raid was engaged in an extremely disadvantaged fight, having to contend with both Jo Hyun-Soo and the Green Dragon.
Hyun-Soo’s sword aimed at Chris.
Rain, it’s just a game. Even if my comrades fall, they won’t die for real.
Even if the guild was wiped out, if I could finish the dragon in the meantime, it would be our victory.
But.
In the past, how did victory feel when it was built upon sacrifice?
I withdrew my sword from the dragon’s neck.
And launched an unarmed attack at Jo Hyun-Soo.
Clang!
Hyun-Soo deflected my sword and looked up at me from the dragon’s body.
“Kya-hya-hya, the main tank, huh? I’ll deal with you last, so wait there.”
“Rain! Noooo!”
Chris shouted with a face pale with fear.
A good tank must taunt well, after all.
Now that I think about it, that guy kind of resembled something.
A monster species that looked like a mix of a frog and a fish living around water.
I smiled cheerfully and taunted Jo Hyun-Soo.
“Hey, you look like a Fishman.”
His face twisted in anger.
Thump.
He leaped onto the dragon’s body.
“Little brat, you’re hurrying my end.”
Swish.
Hyun-Soo pointed his sword at me.
I raised my own sword.