Chapter 151
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 151
Chapter Title: Kim So-jeong
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"You've all seen the strategy videos, so you know the drill..."
Han Minguk's eyes swept over the nine beauties.
Just like they'd been through an intense battle up until now, everyone's gear was scratched up or shattered all over their bodies.
"The fight with the Flameblaze Orc boils down to handling the Flame Wolf summons, Flame Slash, and Flame Chains. First up, let's talk precautions for the Flame Wolf summons."
The briefing dragged on as they faced the dungeon's final boss. The heroes nodded along, committing Minguk's words to memory once more in their heads.
The dungeon that Minguk and the GGW raid team were tackling right now was known as one of the toughest in the [B-1] difficulty tier—'Flame Canyon Orc Citadel,' infamous for having the most special mobs.
To add more detail, 'Flame Canyon Orc Citadel' was packed with countless orcs, the humanoid monsters they were most famous for, which was why most raid teams avoided it like the plague.
No matter how strong a hero was, if they got caught by an orc by some bad luck, they could turn into the orc's flesh urinal in seconds and fall to corruption just as fast.
That's why 'Flame Canyon Orc Citadel' often had 7- or 8-star dealer heroes diving in to reset the timer when it got dangerous.
Of course, the heroes in the GGW raid team had zero worries about corruption.
GGW had Han Minguk, who had perfectly satisfied Shiranu i Mai—even after she'd been corrupted by the 'Succubus Queen - Ludi a.' Sure, some orcs might pack bigger gear, but Minguk's stamina and skills were leagues above those savage brutes.
"Alright, let's jump into the try. It's a high difficulty and our first time, so we'll do about ten runs just to get a feel for it."
"Everyone, watch out for corruption."
Hyun-ah followed up Minguk's words with a warning to the team.
Minguk was the raid leader, but they still had to be careful. Even in Korea, over a dozen heroes fell to orc corruption every month. And with that, the battle began.
- Kwa! Ranu a! Mui kumka!
The moment the heroes crossed the safe line, the Flameblaze Orc roared and charged. Main tank Hyun-ah immediately blocked its path, pulling aggro, while Tanya backed her up from behind, fending off the boss monster's attacks.
Kwaang! Kang!
The orc, spewing flames from its body, swung its massive greatsword mercilessly. Hyun-ah didn't flinch at the 'Flameblaze Orc's' extraordinary force, blocking or countering without fear.
Ever since acquiring the Legendary class Phoenix Knight, her tanking confidence had skyrocketed. Watching her play, Minguk wore a pleased smile. He was already excited to see how the tanker prospect rankings would shift.
"No DPS yet! Wait until aggro's stable, then start dealing."
Minguk called out to the ranged dealers sensing their mana surge behind him, ready to attack.
Aggro was pulling fast, but it was still shaky. If the dealers opened up, it could flip in an instant.
Plus, humanoid monsters like orcs were notoriously tricky to hold aggro on. They had to play it safe, even if tries dragged on.
About 30 seconds into the tank-versus-boss one-on-one?
"Now!"
Minguk shot his arm up high, having watched Hyun-ah build aggro with her heals. Right away, mana orbs, arrows, spells, and more flew toward the Flame Orc amid a cacophony of noise.
The full try kicked off, but every time one of the Flame Orc's special patterns popped, they had to reset from the top.
Still, with each wipe, the GGW raid team's coordination sharpened noticeably. They were adapting fast to the monster and its abilities.
By the fourth try, they'd mapped every pattern of the 'Flameblaze Orc.' Synced to Minguk's lead, they hammered the flame-wrapped orc with glee.
And on the sixth try...
"Wolves down!"
Shiranu i Mai shouted back to base after dropping the Flame Wolves the boss had summoned in a last-ditch frenzy at the try's end.
▶ Cleared "Flame Canyon Orc Citadel."
▶ Awarded 5 Achievement Points to Hero Pad.
▶ Hero Compendium entries refreshed.
The raid ended right then. The 'Flameblaze Orc' base was facing collapsed in a bloody heap. Seeing it, Shiranu i Mai clenched her fist.
"Nice!!!"
"Good grab!"
The heroes erupted in cheers as the monster they'd burned revival stones on try after try finally fell.
Minguk shook his head with a sigh, reviewing the last try in his mind.
Aside from a few slips adapting to new patterns they'd never seen, the movement and teamwork were solid overall. Everyone felt a step stronger than before.
'Must be all that grinding in Vietnam.'
Plus, they were all talented and passionate. Now it was time to check the rewards from all that hard work.
"Ah! Aah...!"
The disappointed groan from up front cut through the victory cheers, drawing eyes.
The 'Flameblaze Orc's' reward chest held a Yellow-grade crystal, at least.
But GGW hadn't braved the corruption risk in 'Flame Canyon Orc Citadel' just for a Yellow-grade crystal.
"Guess we gotta loop it again?"
"Cheonho-dong Lucky Girl? Luck's dipping today, huh?"
"Hey, we still pulled a Yellow-grade crystal!"
Hyun-ah snapped at her giggling teammates.
What Minguk and GGW were after in the orc citadel was the massive greatsword wielded by the 'Flameblaze Orc.' With a Gear Score of 445, it was perfect for Kim So-jeong—the raid's only greatsword user.
The problem? It didn't drop.
"Sigh, sis. Next time, I'll snag that Flame Greatsword for you."
Hyun-ah rubbed her hands apologetically at So-jeong after smacking some righteous nuggies on her cheeky teammates ignoring the Cheonho-dong Lucky Girl's luck drought.
Hero-usable items from reward chests weren't a sure thing—not pillar-of-light level, but still low odds.
So-jeong knew that full well. She wouldn't complain, but she'd be disappointed inside.
"......"
Sure enough, So-jeong's face was stiff. Spotting it, Hyun-ah spoke cautiously.
"...Sis? D-Did you get bummed 'cause I opened the chest and no greatsword?"
"......"
"Sis?"
"Huh? Oh? Oh, no. Nah, it's fine. I was just spacing out thinking about something else. Greatsword? Ah, we'll get it whenever. Worst case, buy it at auction."
So-jeong, staring blankly into space, startled at Hyun-ah's gaze and waved her hands frantically.
"......?"
Hyun-ah tilted her head watching her.
'Some worries on her mind?'
It sure looked that way, but prying felt off. Yuna might get away with it being younger, but So-jeong was six years her senior.
"Great work, everyone."
Minguk said to the team. That wrapped GGW's schedule for the day.
'Flame Canyon Orc Citadel' had tons of mobs and multiple bosses, so even rushing, twice a day was a stretch.
Plus, the interior was massive. The trek out took forever. By the time they grabbed rewards and exited, dusk was falling.
"Good job, everyone!"
"We'll head out first. We're hitting Korea's night markets tonight."
Kendal and Giselle bowed deeply and bolted the second they stepped out.
The other women trickled off one by one, leaving Minguk—who had to file the raid report at the clan house—Hyun-ah, and Kim So-jeong for the limo bus to the clan house.
"Then I'll get off here..."
"Huh? Getting off here?"
Minguk and Hyun-ah eyed So-jeong oddly as she stood before even reaching the clan house. Everyone knew she and her daughter lived in the dorms on the 7th floor.
"Oh, yeah. Got plans tonight."
So-jeong smiled awkwardly. Hyun-ah nodded and pressed.
"Aha! Friend?"
"Uh, well..."
Groan crossed So-jeong's face at the question.
It involved her ex-husband, so spilling to them felt awkward. She glanced at Minguk, then said carefully.
"Family stuff. Meeting someone. Be back soon."
"Aha. Family's the best, right?"
Hyun-ah bobbed her head big.
'Family? Meeting parents after ages?'
Minguk showed no big interest. No reason to pry into family matters.
So-jeong felt a twinge of disappointment but also relief at his attitude.
"Whew."
Stepping off the Rose Shield clan's limo bus, So-jeong sighed deeply at the receding taillights.
Heading to meet her ex—practically a stranger now—felt like a huge betrayal to the Han Minguk cartel she belonged to.
But she couldn't ignore his letter.
"Damn bastard..."
That letter had kept her up all night staring at the ceiling.
She'd botched several times in the raid today because of it. Luckily, nothing crisis-level, so it blew over quietly.
"Why contact me now of all times..."
So-jeong bit her lip hard. It wasn't lingering feelings for her ex.
Of course, she knew how vital a dad was to a daughter. But she'd raised her precious kid beautifully without that irresponsible runaway.
So-jeong was meeting him out of fear he'd harm that beautiful daughter. And if he pushed for custody?
'That'd be trouble.'
A headache waiting to happen.
This country's laws favored men heavily in custody matters. Today's meet had to sever ties for good—no more approaches.
With heavy steps, So-jeong started walking.
Moments later, two figures appeared where she'd stood.
"Doesn't seem like family, huh?"
"...Dunno. But isn't this stalking?"
"Stalking? What're you saying? So-jeong unnie's a teammate. We gotta help."
Hyun-ah told Minguk firmly, her voice and face dead serious.
"Ugh."
He had raid reports to file, strategy vids to watch at home...
Even without that, Minguk hated meddling in teammates' personal lives.
Unless it was dire, nosiness could turn into a nuisance.
Of course, Kim So-jeong's face today screamed home troubles—way off her usual vibe.
"Fine, whatever. But if we get caught?"
"Huh? Who cares? We're just dating."
"......"
Minguk shut his mouth at Hyun-ah's calm reply.
That excuse was airtight. So the pair began tailing So-jeong cautiously.