85 Level. This is the point where a new class is unlocked.
The party members began to carve their way forward, each using their new skills.
Splendid effects erupted from all sides as swords clashed and echoed.
The paths inside the royal palace weren’t that complicated.
As we blocked waves of elite monsters along the open path, the first named monster made its appearance.
A cold chill emanated from the sword at my fingertips.
It was due to the passive skill of the White Dragon Swordsman I had chosen at rank 8.
Each sword strike, scattering into the air, was infused with that icy coldness.
The coldness spread like a white mist, mingling with dark magic.
“Yahp!”
Swoosh!
With a short shout, the moment I downed the monster, the first named monster finally revealed itself.
[Intruder from Another Realm: Jaan]
According to lore, it was the royal family’s top shaman, possessed by the deities of another realm.
One could find more detailed lore on sites like wikis, but it wasn’t particularly vital information.
“Everyone, use your buffs. We’ll enter in 20 seconds.”
Upon my command, the party members immediately began using their buffs.
I also pulled out and used every buff potion at my disposal.
Tier 8 alchemy potions that boosted attack and defense, maximum health and mana, combined with the Divine Blessing of the Sun that amplifies all stats.
“Let’s move in.”
Dogrik, following my order, pulled out his shield and advanced forward.
Thus, the battle began.
We were lagging behind. Because of that, a lot of information about the first named monster had already been revealed.
We knew the strategy. I had watched various videos to learn where and what patterns would emerge.
But knowing it in my head and having my body respond were two different things.
We faced wipes, resurrected, and repeated retries.
In the end, after 10 attempts, we finally took down the first named monster.
Not a bad performance for the first raid of the season.
*
“Wow. This is tough…”
The main tank, Dogrik, muttered in a weary voice.
The raid, already scheduled to end that evening, continued on.
As a result, we were left facing only the final boss of the raid.
Dogrik was right. It was tough. No need to express it any other way.
Everyone was exhausted. It was a moment that called for a short break.
I planted my sword into the ground and spoke.
“Let’s take a breather!”
Despite it not being an officially designated break, there were no complaints.
Everyone lay down on the ground, their faces showing fatigue.
There might not have been physical exhaustion, but mentally, all of us were worn out.
I leaned against my sword and glared at the final boss, [God of Another Realm: Elder].
The grotesque mass of tentacles standing in for the head, a hybrid of the Emperor and the leader of the Ming Religion.
The God of Another Realm, Elder, had fully descended.
Aside from the final boss Elder, enemy strategies for all named monsters had been revealed.
There were over ten trial videos available.
But only Elder’s strategies had not been disclosed.
Aside from one or two trial videos, there was virtually no information. In other words, we had to take down this creature using our own unique approach from start to finish.
As I was deep in thought, a good ten minutes had passed.
I turned to survey the party members.
Those who had briefly left to smoke had all returned.
I pulled my sword from the ground, resting it over my shoulder.
“Everyone, get ready.”
Current time: 9:05 PM.
The promised raid end time was 10 PM.
There wasn’t much time left, but I was determined to give it my all.
“We’re moving in!”
It seemed Dogrik had the same thought as he shouted excitedly and charged forward.
The battle against the final boss, Elder, begins.
At that moment, horrifically grotesque black tentacles shot up from all corners of the boss room.
Gripping my blazing sword, I charged towards Elder.
Just then, a bolt of lightning struck from the sky, transforming my body.
Boom!
I didn’t forget to don my wings. In an instant, massive demonic wings unfurled from my back, creating the form of a white dragon at the tip of my sword.
“Hah—”
Letting out a low breath, as I swiftly swung my sword, the image of the white dragon expanded, trailing behind like a long tail.
The skill of the White Dragon Swordsman was short, simple, and powerful.
[Wheel Wind]
As my body lightly lifted off, I began to spin, and the white dragon at the sword tip unfurled its tail, spreading widely.
Swoosh!
I felt the sensation of slicing through Elder’s body clearly at my fingertips.
There was not a moment’s hesitation. All my nerves were focused at the tip of the sword.
The moment the skill’s motion ended, my sword halted as well.
I instantly triggered my next skill.
Crackle!
In that moment, the standing space distorted, and I melted away, replaced by a pure white dragon.
The swift sword strikes resembled the fangs of the dragon.
Swoosh!
As the long, flowing tail of the white dragon released a strong blizzard, the next attack followed.
[White Dragon Strike]
It was the most powerful damage skill of the White Dragon Swordsman.
As my entire body transformed into the image of the white dragon, I pierced the target five times before vanishing.
As the skill concluded, I returned to my original spot, and upon Elder’s body, cold sword strikes erupted like white snowflakes.
A cold snowfall swirled right before my eyes.
At that moment, an incomprehensible roar erupted from Elder’s mouth.
[■■■!]
The next pattern was a split pattern.
Elder’s body was a fusion of three.
The head controlling Elder’s body, alongside the merged body of the Emperor and the Ming Religion leader.
The combined physical forms of the Emperor and the leader would tear apart, unleashing different attack patterns.
Moreover, the split bodies could not be aggroed by the sub-tank.
The split bodies would summon explosive orbs that detonated upon contact, then teleport and fire powerful beams in their line of sight.
Those beams were powerful enough to dissolve even tank-type jobs.
From now on, it would be the dealers’ and healers’ turn to move busily.
To prevent the beam patterns from hitting the main tank, you mustn’t stand directly opposite him.
Of course, you must also be cautious of the explosive orbs that would detonate upon contact.
Not only did they explode but also created a portal to the other realm for an extended period of time.
The portal would fling any user passing over it outside of the boss room.
Leaving the combat zone meant certain death for the party member.
Reviving would be impossible. That meant watching the raid’s progress from outside the boss room.
Dodging orbs while avoiding the wide beam patterns, yet still needing to deal damage to the boss.
But the patterns didn’t end there. Elder would attempt wide-area attacks using the enormous tentacles scattered around the boss map.
It was impossible to tell who they were aiming at. Everyone had to remain alert and engage in battle.
While swirling my sword, suddenly, the split body of the Emperor teleported directly in front of me.
A beam attack pattern. I immediately escaped my position.
“Dodge!”
It was a straight beam coming right at me. There were no red lines on the ground to warn me.
I had to gauge the attack direction by the sudden appearance of the Emperor’s figure.
Boom!
The extended beam covered everything in its path.
In that single shot, two dealers and a healer were wiped out.
The healers could not use resurrection skills, constantly forced to dodge the explosive orbs and the unpredictable beam patterns.
As the battle wore on, Elder’s health dropped to 50%.
That was when his next pattern began.
Rumble!
Giant portals to another realm opened up to the north, south, east, and west.
They were not ordinary portals. The grotesque tentacles twisted around the edges of these portals, evoking a sense of horror just by looking at them.
But we had to enter those portals.
“Hwarang! Helena! Yerin!”
Four portals required four dealers.
I jumped into different portals alongside the dealers I had called.
Even as the four dealers pursued tactics inside the portals, the battle outside did not stop.
I dashed forward, swinging my sword.
“Hah!”
If we couldn’t break the large jewel at the end within the designated time, an instant-death pattern would trigger.
If the dealers trapped inside the portals all died, and Elder absorbed the full power from the other realm, he’d unleash a devastating area skill, obliterating the rest of the party.
We had to break through swiftly.
The monsters blocking our way weren’t particularly strong.
They were merely patterns set to obstruct our advance.
I couldn’t even afford to waste time swinging my sword at them.
As I raced ahead, the moment my feet lifted slightly off the ground, I began to leap over the monsters’ heads and soared through the air.
Using the [Flight] skill. But I was airborne for only a brief moment.
I furrowed my brow and twisted my body.
With my body turning a bit, my long legs touched the wall. Instantly, I activated the [Charge] skill.
My body rushed forward, still pressed against the wall. I wouldn’t stop. I forced a transition to prepare for the next skill.
In that moment, the activation of the Charge skill ended, and my next skill triggered.
Swoosh!
My halted body propelled once more. A golden light enveloped me, forming a long dragon’s tail.
[Dragon Strike]
A massive golden dragon reached the end of the path.
Now, one more step, and I could break the enormous jewel of the other realm.
But at that exact moment, a message from Dogrik, who was giving commands in my stead, reached me.
Dogrik – [Tidal Wave incoming.]
Yeo – [What? All of a sudden?]
Dogrik – [Got hit by the beam.]
Dogrik’s message was no lie.
As I shattered the jewel and exited the portal, I was met with the sight of party members now gray corpses and an enormous tentacle’s attack waiting for me.
Boom!
“Ugh.”
With a short scream, my body was flattened in an instant.
I sighed and hit the resurrection button.
10 PM.
The promised time was approaching.
Seeing everyone’s weary faces, I couldn’t dare suggest trying again.
“Great job, everyone.”
Sadly, it was time to part ways.
As everyone began to scatter, the Snow Mage approached me cautiously.
“Um, um, Party Leader.”
“Yes?”
“When’s our second guild gathering?”
“Second guild gathering?”
“Yeah!”
I crossed my arms and let out a small groan at the Snow Mage’s words.
Yeah, it had been a while since the first gathering. Other guild members had been asking me when we’d have another gathering.
“Should we schedule it after we clear this raid?”
“Really?”
“Yeah.”
“Woohoo~”
The Snow Mage cheered, flailing her arms in joy.
Isn’t it a bit embarrassing for an adult to act like that?
I shook my head at her over-the-top antics.