The Healer Who Knows Aggro

"This healer can clear it... probably?"

"Shut up! Everyone quiet down! They said this dungeon is hard! Everyone! There's nothing we can do about it being hard!"

Kang Min-seo, eyes squeezed shut and yelling, was forced to camp at the entrance of the Mooncloud Smelter.

Tenth wipe.

Kang Min-seo's stream today was on the verge of chat mutiny after ten straight wipes without even clearing the first boss.

The vibe was already tense since she wasn't playing League of Legends, and it wasn't like she was smashing dungeons or cracking jokes—it was this awkward, total shitshow of repeating the dungeon ten times, wiping each go. No wonder the chat was pissed.

"Ah, seriously, is there no way? Huh? Can't we do some recruitment or something to find a healer spot?"

"Ah, for real, Sky hyung. Who raises a tool and then recruits?"

The only reason the stream hadn't imploded yet was because Kang Min-seo was half-collabbing with three other streamers, waiting for the next healer.

"Healers are, ah, seriously... Like in League of Legends with MMR matching—why isn't there a system like that? How long do we have to wait? For real."

"No, Sky-ssi. You can't say that in front of Minseo-ssi. She's been waiting three hours to recruit a healer."

"Ah... yeah, ha... sorry."

Kang Min-seo was too exhausted to even respond to the desperate banter ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠from streamers Sky and Ramju Thunder as they tried to fill the dead air.

"Ah, seriously, isn't there any decent tool anywhere? Can't we just throw in a bot? Bot? Bandages? Bandages work?"

"We tried that... Bandages get canceled if you take a hit, so you need a real healer. Without one, it's impossible."

Kang Min-seo propped her chin on her hand, staring blankly at the scrolling chat.

"Y'know... I've been thinking about this game. Too many DPS. Way too many DPS, so structurally there just aren't enough healers and tanks."

"Daydream, you say that while maining Gunner?"

"Ah, but it's true. Am I wrong? Fuck, just look at Mage, Black Mage, Gunner—three DPS specs each? Warrior's got one tank and two DPS."

"Still, our party's better than those pure DPS groups. We've got you too, Min-seo."

"Ah, well~ Sky-ssi, Thunder-ssi, Daydream—you're all great. I just came for the carry."

"But watching you earlier, you were solid... It's the tools that suck, the tools."

Kang Min-seo was at the point where she didn't care if it was a tool or whatever—just get any healer, clear the damn dungeon already.

If we clear this, I level up... learn new skills, unlock the next zone... and it drops blue gear, that axe. Looked pretty good...

Truth be told, solo questing would've leveled her faster than camping the dungeon entrance, but streamers couldn't just drool over grinding mobs for hours while half-assing their job.

And it wasn't even dropping good gear, so her combat power wasn't rising—she'd get wrecked in the next zone.

"Oh, got an application... uh, this one."

Sky, the party leader and Rogue main, spoke up.

"Holy Knight— that okay with you, Min-seo-ssi?"

"Holy Knight? Perfect! Love those! Accept! Quick, accept and let's go!"

"Eww, Holy spec for real? They say it's the crappiest healer tool."

Daydream, the Gunner who'd been tool-bashing all along, chimed in.

"Fine, accepting. Let's just rush in, smash it, and done."

"Whoa, check that brutal nickname."

"Huh? What?"

Kang Min-seo jolted at the unexpected name, reaching for her keyboard.

"You know them?"

Daydream, who'd mentioned the nickname, sounded surprised.

"Ah, not from my guild or anything. Remember that lowbie dungeon last time? Alphadisco Excavation Site? This is the one who carried me through first."

"Whoa, so they're a pro. We're clearing this time, right?"

At least it was someone Kang Min-seo knew. The streamers' mood lifted, and she dove into the dungeon entrance with eyes full of hope.

Absolutely no wipe! No deaths!! The other healers were just weird!

Kang Min-seo hummed to herself and started progressing through the familiar dungeon.

"Oh, whoa. This feels totally different."

"Ah, chill with the hype. It's just trash mobs—what's different?"

Jeong Hana, now partying with the four streamers, didn't type a single chat. She just silently healed.

Three up ahead... grab these...

Kang Min-seo, who'd looped this dungeon ten times, cleared the patrolling trash mobs with mechanical speed.

Five minutes later, the party reached the first boss.

"Sky-ssi, Daydream-ssi, Thunder-ssi. You all know the strat, right?"

"Ah, of course. Prepped all the YouTube guides."

The streamers all nodded the same, so Kang Min-seo typed.

Temperer Garena.

The boss that had split Kang Min-seo's skull ten times.

"Go! Then let's pull! Three! Two! One!"

Kang Min-seo charged the boss, slamming skills in sequence to build resources.

"Ah, seriously... You guys have no idea. GutRipper's amazing..."

Overflowing with confidence, Kang Min-seo mashed her 1 key to attack and stack resources.

These resources went by many names, but the key point was one: they let you use big spenders.

Kang Min-seo dumped all her stacks into Armor Rend.

"Ah, ah, this fucker's bullshit again—ah, for real!"

As she hammered skills, the boss suddenly turned from the tank toward Daydream.

With the boss's shout, a crimson hook shot out, snagging Daydream.

"Ah!! What the...?"

Daydream, mid-curse, saw his HP jump from low to full and quickly kited away.

"Oh, our support feels totally different. For real."

"No, Daydream-ssi, you said tools earlier."

"Ah! Seriously Thunder-ssi! It's different! Didn't you see it go straight to full? Not like that recovery druid before."

Daydream and Ramju Thunder bantered while nonstop dumping DPS on the boss.

"Ah, coming again. Again."

Less than 20 seconds later, the hook flew at Ramju Thunder.

Chomp! Her mage got dragged, HP plummeting.

"Wha—oh? Whoa? Dying... wait, she's alive?"

"Damn, this guy's national power level. National power."

Sky, who'd been silent DPSing, praised as Kang Min-seo sweated, taunting the boss back to her desperately.

Why does this boss keep targeting our DPS? That's why we wiped last time too.

Anyone in the know would've had no comeback to the barrage of swears at Kang Min-seo's play.

Jeong Hana, astonishingly silent in chat, calmly topped off the DPS whose HP hovered at "could die any second."

"Ah! Line drop! Guys! I'm surviving this time for sure!"

As the pattern kicked in, Kang Min-seo tensed up for real.

Eleventh time.

She'd never passed this pattern.

The boss hurled molten metal from his left hand at Daydream.

"On me, stuck on me! Shuba! Me!"

Sizzle sizzle scorch—!

A purple puddle formed under Daydream's character, a clockwise-burning effect spinning toward 12 o'clock.

At 12, it explodes for massive damage.

Knowing this, Daydream stayed put, isolating far from allies.

—Boom!

Molten metal erupted; Daydream's HP tanked to low.

"Ah, water! Water water! Water! Support quick!"

Daydream screamed, but Jeong Hana only healed Kang Min-seo.

"Not me dying..."

Daydream grumbled but kept extreme DPSing the boss nonstop.

Then he noticed something off.

Wait, why's my DPS lower?

Before his question resolved, Kang Min-seo couldn't withstand the boss's barrage, her HP dropping.

"Ah, dying... blood... ah, cooldown. CD! CD! CD! Anyone please! Save m—ah!"

Screaming her lungs out, Kang Min-seo accepted all skills on CD. In her final moments, banking on RNG auto-block, she died.

"Ah, doesn't seem like it'll work..."

Free from the tank, the boss shredded the remaining three DPS skulls, then finished Jeong Hana.

"Ah... fuuuck..."

Sighing as she hit respawn, Kang Min-seo trudged back.

"Ah, is it just impossible? Really? So wasteful waiting..."

"Ah, too bad. Support seemed good."

"Didn't give me water earlier, but did we mess up? DPS wasn't landing?"

The ghostly party respawned outside, grumbled, re-entered, found corpses, and revived.

"Ugh... let's try once more. I'll pop an extra pot too."

It'd felt different with Jeong Hana, but Kang Min-seo, a bit hurt, typed anyway.

Kang Min-seo didn't want another wipe.

"What? Listen to that tone."

Daydream snapped at Jeong Hana's chat. He was infamous for his temper anyway.

"No, we do know how..."

After ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the eleventh wipe, Kang Min-seo felt wronged.

The chat dogpiling "you're the problem" stung extra.

Jeong Hana ignored Daydream entirely.

"......What's aggro?"

"What's aggro? Minseo-ssi?"

"What's aggro?"

"Aigo, no idea. English is too hard, dunno what it means."

The unfamiliar term blanked everyone—even chat exploded with hooks—as Jeong Hana kept typing.

"Uh... uh... Has this person played Shield Warrior too...?"

Kang Min-seo, stunned that Jeong Hana knew her class better than she did, typed frantically.

Aggro.

A word everyone knew by now.

But in a world without Lost of Fantasy, the concept was novel and alien.

Jeong Hana had finally explained the concept to Kang Min-seo.