Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Rain vs. Gyuam Jo Hyeon-su (1)
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*BOOM! KABOOM!*
"Whew~ Seopseobi, I'd say switching factions was a great call, wouldn't you?"
"I couldn't agree more."
Seopseobi, the leader of the Disappointed Party, and his fellow party member, both Rangers, watched the melee on the distant cliff below, letting out sounds of admiration.
The Disappointed Party, with its unusual composition of two Rangers including the party leader, had excelled as a vanguard, clearing instance dungeons by leveraging the Ranger's hybrid short- and long-range capabilities.
However, to properly participate in the Green Dragon raid as part of the Betarion Empire, their only option was to join Plan B, the guild led by Gyuam Jo Hyeon-su. Joining such a large-scale PvP guild would have forced them into activities like faction wars.
Wanting to play freely, Seopseobi had chosen to move his entire party to the Alpharion Empire.
And it turned out to be an excellent decision.
"By synthesizing the characteristics of the faction battlefield with information from users who've attempted this before, they've established a perfect strategy without even needing a trial run. Add to that their extensive knowledge of Astria Online's mechanics and skills. This is Chris's Attack Squad, all right."
"The raid-oriented guild, Red and White. They only cooperate with the GG Clan for things like faction battlefield world bosses, but otherwise, we're free to do as we please. When the Legendary-difficulty raid dungeons come out later, I'm sure our guild will be the first to clear them."
"And then there's her."
The fearsome world boss, the Green Dragon.
And the white flash of light fighting it head-on, Rain.
As the main tank of the Red and White guild, she had put on an overwhelming performance in this battle.
Her god-like movements, untethered by the framework of skills, completely shattered the established conventions of Astria Online.
"The video of this raid is going to cause an uproar when it gets posted."
Seopseobi let out a hollow laugh as he watched the Green Dragon begin to flap its wings.
*Flap, flap, flap.*
*WHOOSH!*
"Alright, it's our turn."
*Creeeak.*
The two Rangers, each manning a ballista, took aim at the Green Dragon's projected flight path as it began to ascend vertically.
These ballistae must have been set up by the NPCs who had attempted to slay the Green Dragon. The massive arrowheads, treated with special magic, looked capable of tearing through the dragon's unprotected wings.
*Vwooom!*
The Ranger's Tower of Training skill, Sure Hit, activated. A blue aura enveloped Seopseobi's body and flowed into the ballista's arrowhead.
We won't get a second chance.
One shot, dead on.
*Flap, flap, flap.*
*KRAAAAA—!!*
In an instant, the Green Dragon's massive body soared above the cliff, filling the Rangers' entire field of view.
*Vwooom!*
A green energy began to gather in the Green Dragon's mouth.
Mid-air flight, breath pattern.
Its wings were spread wide.
At that same moment, the massive arrows, nocked on fully drawn ballista strings, were fired.
*FWOOSH!*
*THWACK!*
*KRAA—AACK—!?*
The dragon's body staggered in mid-air.
The two massive arrows, enhanced by the Rangers' skills, had torn huge holes in its wings.
The shock of its shredded wings sent the dragon tumbling, unable to control its body as it plummeted to the ground.
*KABOOOOM!*
The dragon's body slammed into the earth, sending a massive tremor through the area. A cloud of dust rose, obscuring the view below the cliff. At the same time, the two Rangers, having drunk Levitation Potions, leaped down after it.
*Thud!*
Seopseobi smiled as he looked at the welcoming faces of the Red and White guild members surrounding them.
"Two Rangers, mission complete. We're rejoining the fight."
***
[World Boss]
[Green Dragon]
[HP 49,052,141 / 200,000,000 (24%)]
*Flash!*
*Whack! Whack! Whack!*
I dashed all over the dragon's massive body, using Flash Strike to peel off its scales.
Just as I had first stripped the scales from its neck, the melee DPS followed my lead and began dismantling the dragon's defenses.
*Grrrrk—!*
The dragon roared in agony and thrashed its body, but it hadn't yet recovered from the impact and damage of the fall. It lay helplessly prone, its defenses being stripped away by our party's weapons.
*BOOM! KABOOM!*
Where the dragon's scales had been peeled away to reveal its flesh, the ranged DPS's magic spells exploded relentlessly. The two Rangers who had rejoined us were also weaving across the dragon's body.
The first world boss, the Green Dragon. The beginning is tough, but it gets easier. It's almost like a prototype for world bosses.
But I couldn't let my guard down yet.
Berbeia Forest. This was a faction battlefield.
The GG Clan, the White Skull Gang, and No Mercy were holding back the enemy faction, but they couldn't form a perfect defensive line across the entire expanse of Berbeia Forest. If users armed with powerful PvP gear were to break through, our attack squad, equipped with PvE gear, wouldn't stand a chance.
We could be wiped out not by the Green Dragon, but by players from the opposing faction.
Chris's shout echoed across the battlefield.
"We have to take down the dragon before any threats arrive!"
In truth, this was the hardest part, more so than the raid itself.
If our attack squad were to be wiped out now, unable to finish off the dragon...
*Fzzt— Fzzt— Fzzt!*
*Vwooom!*
With Beimerung at the center, the mages' mana gathered to form a massive sphere of energy.
The Arcanist's Tower of Training skill, Arcane Burst. Befitting the mages who were responsible for our firepower, it could deal enormous damage, but it had a long cast time.
However, it was extremely effective against the dragon now, in its groggy state with its magic resistance gone.
*KABOOOOM!*
*KRAAA—!?*
A huge chunk of the dragon's HP vanished. It had finally entered the 10% range.
*Vwooom.*
Sensing its life was in danger, the dragon twisted its head and began to gather its breath. It wasn't aiming at a specific target, but just planning to spray it wildly in all directions. That alone was threatening enough.
*Tap, tap, tap.*
*Fwoosh!*
A Yin-Yang Master's talismans landed around the dragon, slowing it down. Layered on top of that was a Spirit Master's Undine ability, which succeeded in completely binding the dragon's movements.
*Gr, grrrk—!*
Unable to turn its head, the dragon was sealed in place and began to take the full force of our attacks.
*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*
"Die!"
I also climbed onto the dragon and began to carve into the flesh at the point where its neck and torso connected, where its Dragon Heart was located.
The Green Dragon's end was near.
9%, 8%, 7%.
"We... we did it...!"
Just as looks of euphoria began to spread across the faces of the squad members.
Along with Chris's alarmed voice, the atmosphere on the battlefield changed in an instant.
"A message from We Got Married, the GG Clan's Master! They lost sight of Gyuam Jo Hyeon-su in the chaos of battle! The GG Clan is stretched thin holding back the Betarion Empire's all-out assault! It'll take some time for reinforcements to arrive!"
"The guild master of Plan B!?"
"If a player of his caliber breaks through, we can't fight back with our PvE gear!"
"Hurry, finish the dragon... Guh!"
Just as the squad members' movements grew frantic, the first scream was heard.
The Ranger, Seopseobi, his body collapsing.
And from behind him, a Swordsman user emerged.
He smirked, looking around the battlefield.
"I can't believe you actually made it this close to the kill. Planting a spy in the Alpharion Empire really paid off."
In Astria Online, as long as there wasn't a faction population imbalance, one could easily switch sides by simply forfeiting their contribution points.
Even if they were the enemy faction, it was impossible to completely prevent information leaks.
The guild master of Plan B, Gyuam Jo Hyeon-su.
He had appeared to thwart the Red and White guild's Green Dragon raid.
"Kekeke!"
"Aack!"
"Uwaaah!"
One by one, the members of the Red and White attack squad began to fall to Jo Hyeon-su's swift sword.
After Beimerung and the mages, Cherni, who had been binding the dragon, fell. Jo Hyeon-su then turned his sword on the Warriors.
"Leeeroooy! Hopkin... Ugh!"
Hopkins, who had charged in to apply a status effect on Jo Hyeon-su, froze in place.
"Guh!"
A smile on his lips, Jo Hyeon-su cut Hopkins down.
It was likely the effect of an Elite+ grade Anti-Personnel Crowd Control Resistance Echostone, an item worth thousands of gold.
Chris's pleading shout rang out.
"Rain! Don't worry about what's happening down here! If you kill the dragon, we win!"
*Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!*
I gritted my teeth and began to carve into the dragon's flesh even faster.
I was currently dealing the most damage to the dragon; I couldn't stop my assault.
All I could do was watch.
"Kekeke! Death of Death! If this were the arena, I couldn't guarantee my victory, but here and now, your attacks can't hurt me!"
"Kuh!"
*Clang! Clang!*
Death of Death struggled to face Jo Hyeon-su. But his movements were gradually slowing.
The faint chill emanating from Jo Hyeon-su's sword was the effect of an Elite+ grade Anti-Personnel Freeze Echostone.
With his PvE gear, Death of Death couldn't deal any significant damage to Jo Hyeon-su, who was decked out in PvP gear and Echostones.
The gear matchup was extremely unfavorable. Even the arena's number one player, Death of Death, couldn't stop him here.
"Grrgh!"
With his body half-frozen, Death of Death also fell.
Jo Hyeon-su was using the effect of a Lifesteal Echostone to continuously recover his HP by preying on our squad members.
Now, the only ones left on the battlefield were Chris and one Yin-Yang Master.
But the Yin-Yang Master was busy sealing the dragon's movements. If Chris released the seal to deal with Jo Hyeon-su, the dragon would go on a rampage again. If that happened, we might not be able to finish it off.
Forced to deal with both Jo Hyeon-su and the Green Dragon simultaneously, our attack squad was fighting an extremely disadvantageous battle.
Jo Hyeon-su's sword turned toward Chris.
*Rain, it's just a game. Even if your comrades fall, they're not actually dying.*
*Even if the entire guild gets wiped out, if I finish the dragon in the meantime, it's our victory.*
But.
*The past, a victory built on sacrifice. How did that feel?*
I pulled my sword from the dragon's neck.
And I launched my Flying Sword Technique at Jo Hyeon-su.
*Clang!*
Jo Hyeon-su deflected my sword and looked up at me, perched atop the dragon's body.
"Kekeke, the main tank, are you? I'll deal with you last, so just wait your turn."
"Rain! No!"
Chris shouted, her face pale.
A good tank needs to be good at taunting, too.
Come to think of it, that guy looks like...
That monster race that lives near water, the one that looks like a mix between a frog and a fish.
I smiled brightly and taunted Jo Hyeon-su.
"Mister, you kinda look like one of those fish-men."
Jo Hyeon-su's face contorted.
It seemed I had touched a nerve.
*Thud.*
He leaped up, landing on the dragon's body.
"You little brat, you have a death wish."
*Shing.*
Jo Hyeon-su pointed his sword at me.
And I raised my sword to meet him.