Chapter 19
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 19
Chapter Title: Raid Qualification Exam
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"As expected, it's easy."
Thud!
Minguk closed the Hero Pad. His summary of the Orc Cave strategy was done in no time. It was just a B-9 difficulty dungeon at best. To him, a former world-class GGW raid leader, it was like taking candy from a baby.
For a moment, he wondered how other raid leaders issued orders and cleared dungeons. According to Hyun-ah, even for dungeons this easy, there weren't enough people who could give proper orders, leaving heroes stomping their feet in frustration everywhere.
'What was her name again? Runia, I think?'
He still vividly remembered how flustered Hyun-ah had been right after he arrived in this world, when their Grade 2 hero raid leader had quit the team.
And though he hadn't experienced it himself, the Raid Leader Runia's command skills in his memories were a mess by Minguk's standards. They were no better than total newbies just starting to call orders in GGW.
"Still, the famous raid leaders must be a bit better, right?"
Minguk turned his head. Hyun-ah wasn't ready yet. They still had a little over an hour until the appointed time.
"...There’s a ton of info on the internet."
Minguk dove into the sea of information via computer and immediately logged into HeroTube. A portmanteau of "hero" and "Brown Tube," HeroTube was a video-sharing service showcasing heroes' feats against the dark monsters and the diverse content they created.
Naturally, famous raid leaders' leadership footage was shared as videos too.
"There's all kinds of stuff."
He'd heard that back in the early days, when humanity was fighting desperately for survival against the dark monsters, information control was extremely tight. Makes sense—broadcasting beautiful mana-awakened girls or soldiers dying at the monsters' hands wasn't something you could air.
But after nearly a century of battling the dark monsters, people must have gotten somewhat used to it. Now, videos of heroes fighting monsters were popular entertainment for civilians.
Of course, they obsessed over heroes' rankings and raid successes down to the smallest detail, like fans cheering for idols.
The heroes themselves actively promoted via HeroTube and other channels too. After all, the money and resources poured into them were enormous. A single Revival Stone cost 100 million. And lately, prices were even creeping up.
That's why aspiring heroes, as well as frontline raid clans and guilds fighting dark monsters, frequently uploaded videos to HeroTube.
"Oh?! Delta Force raid team?"
While searching for raid order videos, Minguk clicked on a Delta Force raid video from the US.
He'd heard at yesterday's after-party that America was a raid powerhouse. And Delta Force was a top-tier special forces unit, ranked alongside DEVGRU as the world's best.
He was dying to see how this world's Delta Force raid team performed.
"As expected... they're not pushovers."
Delta Force was facing an A-1 difficulty Grade 8 boss monster named "Dark General - Bartran." It was humanoid but towered at 4-5 meters tall.
The raid leader calling orders for Delta Force was a short-haired beauty. She wore an angular green beret and black camouflage cream under her eyes, exuding veteran hero presence even on video. She seemed to be a ranged dealer using guns.
And her orders were incredibly clean.
"Five Whip."
Bartran's whip lashed out at high speed toward the tank. At the raid leader's call, a heal was cast on the main tank.
"Next, Red Team go left."
At her command, five members dashed left and began destroying the object that appeared before them.
The ten-member Delta Force raid on Bartran proceeded flawlessly without a hitch. From the video alone, it was hard to believe it was a Grade 8 boss monster.
"But somehow..."
Minguk wasn't fully satisfied with Delta Force's order video. The team members were far too familiar with the raid patterns.
Plus, clearing without any real crises meant their skills and gear vastly outclassed the boss monster's specs. Raids like that could be cleared easily if the raid leader just pointed out key moments.
A quick search confirmed that teams capable of tackling A-1 difficulty dungeons were rare worldwide. Delta Force was America's premier world-class raid team, renowned for their feats against dark monsters.
"They seem skilled, but it's kinda meh. If it were a higher difficulty Grade 9 or 10 boss, it might've been worth watching..."
Unfortunately, no such videos existed. Delta Force had only uploaded A-1 clears, just swapping out members.
"Whatcha watching?"
Hyun-ah, now ready, approached Minguk and glanced at his screen.
"Delta Force video? Planning to join them?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, once you pass the Raid Qualification Exam and get your hero license, you can apply anywhere, right? And America's the safest country worldwide, packed with top clans."
Apparently, that's why so many heroes defected there. About 15% of licensed Korean heroes headed to the US—not an insignificant number.
"America, huh..."
Minguk hadn't really considered it. But it did sound fun. Language barriers existed, but tech advancements made it a non-issue.
As he pondered, Hyun-ah cleared her throat dramatically.
"Still, I prefer Korea. Blood is thicker than water, right? Our people should fight here. We've got plenty of good clans too. Especially Seoul's R’s? They're pretty famous. You were curious about R’s before, Minguk."
"Ah..."
Minguk nodded slowly.
This body's previous owner had used his pretty-boy looks to exploit Hyun-ah for a shot at R’s. Proof was their current cohabitation.
"Yeah, that's right. Not important right now, though. Passing the Raid Qualification Exam comes first, yeah?"
Not wanting to dwell on the previous owner's memories, Minguk swiftly changed the subject.
"Hurry and get ready. The others are waiting."
"Oh? Yeah, okay."
It was about time to meet the team anyway.
The Orc Cave featured five boss-grade monsters total, and unlike the Dark Forest, the dungeon timer had plenty of time left. The needle hovered between 1 and 2, suggesting it had been cleared just days ago.
"Looks like another team beat us to the dungeon."
"Working Girls, maybe? Orc Cave's popular with them."
"Working Girls?"
Minguk tilted his head at Ashlyn's words. Working Girls? Not Working Moms? The phrasing felt off. Ashlyn looked awkward explaining to Minguk.
"Ugh. How do I even explain this...?"
She threw around dirty jokes freely in front of him, but discussing monster-corrupted Working Girls felt like spitting in the face of fellow female heroes.
Lin Sha came to her rescue.
"Girls who can't get satisfying sex from men and end up clinging to monsters."
"Ah..."
Minguk nodded. It was a trope from 19+ games, so not too shocking.
Still, surprising that some heroes in this monster-fighting world were like that. Lin Sha continued.
"Kinda pitiful, but Working Girls are heroes whose mana got corrupted after losing to humanoid monsters and getting forcibly taken by them."
"...So how do they survive that? Rescue team rushed in?"p>
The question popped up. They were captured by monsters, after all. But the answer was far from what he expected.
"Nah, the monsters just let them go. No one knows exactly why, but corruption's the common guess."
"I see."
Astonishing. Anyway, these corrupted female heroes sought out humanoid monsters whenever their mana flared up uncontrollably. Only after mating did the fits subside.
Even the most resilient woman couldn't endure it. Like hardcore drug addiction. Many ended up taking their own lives.
"Couldn't regular guys calm the fits instead of humanoid monsters?"
"Theoretically, yeah... but no normal man could handle a female hero, right? Male heroes, maybe."
Lin Sha grinned mischievously. Choi Yuna behind her nodded, probably recalling last night.
Chatting about Working Girls, Minguk's group entered the Orc Cave. It really seemed Working Girls had been here—not a standard clear team. The air reeked of musky night-bloom flowers from their antics.
Minguk pinched his nose and asked,
"Hold up. What about guys? Male heroes can get captured by humanoid monsters too."
"Uh... dunno? So few male heroes... probably same fate. Monsters don't care about gender, right?"
"Oh my god."
Minguk's face hardened at Hyun-ah's response.
He absolutely couldn't lose to humanoid monsters. Or carry Revival Stones everywhere.
With that resolve, Minguk's orders and healing in the Orc Cave were sharper and more precise than in their previous two dungeons. Like a blade honed to a razor's edge.
"Going left!"
"Hyah! Lightning Barrage!"
Inspired, the team stayed razor-focused too.
Thanks to that, they blazed through the Orc Cave. Grade 2 monsters were a breeze, and Grade 3s fell in one-shot clears without mistakes. Recent experience had familiarized them with Grade 3 patterns, distinct from Grade 2s.
"5 seconds—Ashlyn, Yuna, fall back."
"Hyun-ah! Aggro! You gotta hold aggro proper for the dealers to DPS!"
"Lin Sha! Step it up! 36 DPS as melee dealer? Hit at least 50!"
Yet unsatisfied with the team's performance, Minguk harshly critiqued every slip-up. Even if the offender hadn't noticed, he caught and called it out instantly.
'...Wow. How wide is his field of view?'
Hyun-ah could only marvel.
Scanning the battlefield mid-intense combat wasn't easy. As tank, she struggled just tracking monster movements.
But not Minguk. He led like raiding was his calling. He'd been terribly ill for days, but now he seemed like a different person.
They'd attended Hero Academy together for over a year and done prelim raids for months, but she'd never seen this side.
Anyway, the team followed his orders without complaint. Strict, sure, but mild compared to other raid leaders—no abuse or insults.
Plus, results were stellar, and his skills top-notch, making resistance impossible.