Chapter 169
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 169
Chapter Title: Garuda's Elite Guard
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The raid resumed.
The target was an 【A-7】 difficulty dungeon. According to the quest from Ppuu, it housed wyvern soldiers under Baranoras's command. It seemed to function as a sort of supply depot.
'This the right one?'
<[Yes, Minguk.]>
At Ppuu's response, Minguk looked up at the entrance to the 【A-7】 dungeon.
The dungeon's exterior, as indicated by Ppuu and the quest, looked no different from the other 【A-7】 dungeons Minguk had raided so far. He'd expected something special since it was a supply depot, but...
'So what makes this 【A-7】 dungeon different from the others? The raid difficulty?'
Minguk recalled the details of the quest Ppuu had given him.
This quest, which offered three Green-grade crystals as rewards, required taking down the wyvern soldiers under Baranoras—boss of the 【A-7】 dungeon and guardian of the supply depot—before facing "Gale Baranoras" himself.
It was about cutting off Baranoras's hands and feet before the real battle began.
And with their current forces, this was the only way to stand a chance against Gale Baranoras.
Team GGW, made up of 5-star heroes, could handle monsters up to 6-star at best. Against a special variant, they'd need to shatter dozens of Revival Stones—the odds of success weren't great.
In contrast, Ppuu had described Gale Baranoras as a 7-star special monster. It would take R's first string to manage it. Without weakening it through the quest as Ppuu suggested, there was no way their current team could win, even in a hundred lifetimes.
"This place...?"
"Something feels off."
After setting up the Revival Stones and entering the dungeon, Hyun-ah and the other heroes tilted their heads, faces tense.
They all seemed to instinctively sense a powerful enemy inside. It was a bit unexpected.
After all, this wasn't Team GGW's first 【A-7】 raid. But only Minguk, with the quest, knew what lurked within.
So-jeong approached Minguk and spoke. The others chimed in too.
"Doesn't feel good. Probably a notorious named boss."
"Gonna be a tough day."
"We got enough Revival Stones, right?"
No one shrank from the dungeon's ominous aura.
Some even burned with fighting spirit, as if saying "Bring it on." The god-tier Revival Stones seemed to bolster their courage.
"We'll scout the dungeon's layout first and proceed carefully. Rushing in blind will just waste Revival Stones."
Minguk addressed the team.
Unlike the initial tension, the fight went smoother than expected. Some foes were new, others familiar, but all matched the strategies in the Hero Pad guides.
After shattering a dozen Revival Stones and pushing forward, the final boss appeared.
It was a massive drake with blue scales. The Hero Pad only displayed "???" for its info.
"That can't be a dragon, right?"
Tanya sighed at Yuna's question.
"If that were a dragon, we'd be dead already. Only Leviathan from the Twelve Calamities looks like one."
"It really looks like a dragon, though."
"Eh, probably a lesser breed. No way a real dragon shows up in 【A-7】. That'd be at least 【S】."
While the two chatted, the others searched dragon info on their tablets.
Minguk did the same. But soon, everyone's faces twisted oddly as they stowed their tablets. So-jeong spoke up.
"Searched everywhere—nothing. Means it's an unidentified monster..."
Garuda's avatar from the last diffusion event flashed in their minds. That one had been unidentified too.
Giselle grumbled irritably.
"Is this country cursed or what? Why are unidentified monsters popping up everywhere all of a sudden?"
"No wonder it felt off from the entrance..."
With zero intel, they'd have to learn attack patterns on the fly and adapt tactics in real time.
Fortunately, their raid leader was the exceptional Han Minguk. And they had plenty of Revival Stones.
"What's the plan?"
"We take it down."
Minguk replied matter-of-factly to So-jeong's question.
Defeating it would destroy the temporary dungeon and complete the quest. They had to drop this one to face Gale Baranoras soon.
"Main tank Hyun-ah, Tanya as sub-tank—focus on pattern reading. Hand off aggro if debuffs become an issue."
"Got it."
"Main camp at 6 o'clock. Stick to clustered formation, adjust as patterns demand."
Minguk briskly covered the basics in his briefing.
He wasn't flustered or tense. Raiding blind happened often in Galaxy Girl War—every update.
"3, 2, 1! Go!"
At Minguk's call, Hyun-ah hurled her shield and charged. Tanya stuck close behind.
Melee dealers fanned out at a distance from the tanks. Ranged dealers and healers moved last, prioritizing position over damage.
-Krarararak!
The drake roared fiercely upon spotting them, jaws gaping wide.
Hyun-ah's eyes widened at the intense mana surging in its throat.
"Breath attack?! Dodge!!!"
A wind-charged blast shot out like a laser.
It slammed into the stone wall with a deafening boom. Giselle whistled, glancing back.
"Whew. One hit from that and you're toast."
"Yeah."
Minguk nodded. Dragonkin breath—insane power. Even a tank's shield might not save them.
"Breath is a must-dodge."
Plus, it opened with a nuke on the main aggro target. Note for the tablet later. Another Garuda minion strategy for Team GGW's name.
The real battle erupted, mana swirling in the arena-sized space.
Thud! Thwack!
"Tail! Watch the tail! Everyone knows you don't approach dragonkin from the tail side! Basic knowledge!"
"Barrier!"
The massive drake pressed with raw physicality, spitting breath or summoning wind spirits to corner the heroes.
And...
"Everyone up!!! It's coming from below!!!"
At Minguk's command, the heroes leaped.
Moments later, a ferocious gale tore through part of the battlefield—like a localized typhoon. Getting caught meant instant death.
"What the hell is this thing? So many one-shots?!"
Tanya griped from the front line. Hyun-ah shot back.
"Might drop something good."
"Right. A beast this tough owes us a Pillar of Light at least."
Trial after trial. One slip meant death, shattering Revival Stones repeatedly.
But the heroes adapted, growing familiar with the drake's attacks. Talented as they were, they rarely repeated mistakes.
Minguk sketched a strategy blueprint from each trial's lessons.
<[How's it going, Minguk?]>
'Manageable. Baranoras stronger than this, right?'
<[Of course. As I said, these are mere minions summoned by Gale Baranoras.]>
'What?! Damn it.'
Ppuu's words drew curses.
Imagining a boss that treated this as fodder was chilling.
And Garuda commanding such a beast? Time to grind levels—or stars—fast.
Anyway, the "Blue Drake" Minguk named in the Hero Pad seemed beatable soon. The team felt it too—tension easing as patterns clicked.
'13 hours...'
Half a day glued to this dungeon.
After this, today's schedule was done. Without the quest, 【A-7】 wasn't cost-effective.
Daily quests favored three quick 【A-9】 clears.
Special mobs could've yielded tons of mana crystals, but 【A-7】s were huge, with mostly normal boss adds.
"Woooah!"
"Got it!!!!!"
Four more trials, and Team GGW felled the Blue Drake.
Took longer than expected. It saved its ace pattern for last, forcing extra tries.
"Berserk at the end, huh."
Minguk shook his head at the corpse.
They won, but luck played a part.
Hyun-ah, revived by Phoenix Knight's unique skill, reclaimed aggro, buying dealers precious seconds.
Tricky skills for a 6-star special.
"Time to check rewards!!!"
With cleanup done and revived heroes rejoining, Hyun-ah called out. All eyes on her.
Whoooosh!!!
"Knew it!"
"See? Told you! Tough bastard like that drops big!"
A brilliant light shot from the loot chest, gasps erupting.
Five Green-grade crystals. Three from Minguk's quest, so two pure Blue Drake drops.
The unaware heroes swooned, wishing for dailies like this.
Two gear pieces mixed in—Gear Scores 525 and 530. Useless with Chinese aid, but auction fodder.
"Hmm..."
Minguk checked his quest. Four such beasts to weaken Gale Baranoras. One down—three left.
⋯Huh?
No—two left.