Chapter 198
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 198
Chapter Title: Garai Raid
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- ...He's so handsome.
Han Minguk felt a swell of quiet satisfaction inside at the voice that reached him midway through entering the dungeon.
He was just an average guy back in his world, but here he was a hero—the savior of humanity—and the ultimate heartthrob. He had more than ten girlfriends or friends with benefits. Sure, none of their bodies were technically his own, but that hardly mattered.
But those smug thoughts vanished like smoke the moment he passed through the gate.
Kyaak!
A monster with bird-like wings let out a shrill cry.
Turning his head, Minguk saw Vanessa, the main tank who'd entered first, grappling fiercely with a harpy. Of course, it was a one-sided fight—Vanessa was smashing the harpy with her shield and holding the upper hand.
No matter that she was a tank; Vanessa was an 8-star hero. There was no way a mere regular monster like the harpy could stand up to her. Sure enough, with a loud thud, the harpy that had charged in so boldly was reduced to pulp and flung to the ground.
"Regular monsters are spawning all the way to the entrance now. We need to pick up the pace."
Minguk addressed his team.
The appearance of monsters like this meant the dungeon's power was regenerating. In other words, the named bosses they'd taken down before could respawn at any moment.
The only way to stop that was to collapse this temporary dungeon entirely—which meant they had to take down Garai no matter what.
"How much time do we have?"
"Hmm... Maximum of twelve hours? Since monsters are spawning at the entrance, the first named could respawn in as little as eight."
Chloe pondered Minguk's question for a moment before answering.
'Twelve hours max...'
Minguk nodded to himself. With Chloe's extensive raid experience, her estimate was as good as gospel.
And factoring in that each try took twenty to thirty minutes, they had about twenty attempts left.
Even if not, they had to down Garai before dawn tomorrow.
The dungeon timer still had some buffer, but after yesterday's events, he couldn't trust it completely. And even that "buffer" was just two days at most.
Thinking back to the pale-faced Vietnamese officials and soldiers waiting desperately for the dungeon to vanish made it clear they needed to clear this as fast as possible.
"We'll push straight to Garai. If any regenerated traps pop up, destroy them thoroughly."
Recalling the ordeal of clearing the paths yesterday, it was best to smash every trap they could. The Imperial Guard heroes were already scorching everything in sight—monsters and dungeon features alike—as they advanced.
"This try's goal is to test if we can block the fireballs. When Garai winds up for one, I'll signal—Dian, pop Hero's Roar; healers, focus all heals on the main tank, and don't forget the shields."
"Got it."
"Understood."
The Imperial Guard heroes grasped Minguk's intent immediately.
He was the raid leader who'd proven himself in the Thai dungeon and Garai's advance base. No one questioned his calls or showed any discontent.
And with that, the fight began.
"More playthings, eh? You're not the ones from before."
"That was just the appetizer. We're the main course!"
With their shouts, Vanessa and Dian charged in. While the tanks held Garai's aggro, the dealers scrambled into position.
Minguk checked their spots and raised his own wand. He targeted the tank blocking the monster's strikes with her shield and activated his recovery skill.
Fwaaah!
His mana began channeling through the wand. A refreshing sensation washed over his body.
It was a pleasant feeling, like his body was being purified—completely different from the rush of hostility and battle fury he felt when DPSing as a dealer.
That was probably why most healers didn't mind healing the wounded.
Minguk's recovery skill enveloped Vanessa next, mending her cracked wrist from Garai's attack in an instant.
The dealers' assaults followed. Blasts of searing mana erupted from all sides, hammering Garai with devastating force. Any one of those hits would be lethal to a normal person.
"Pathetic worms!"
But such attacks couldn't pierce the shield of an 8th-grade monster like Garai.
Still, enough sustained damage would eventually chip through to the boss itself. Knowing this from countless raids, the dealers pressed on relentlessly.
Occasionally, a heavy blow would stagger Garai, drawing its gaze to the dealer who'd landed it.
But every time, a tank's taunt snapped its attention back—tricking it into thinking the tanks were the real threat.
"Targeted! Remy, get out!"
"Whoa?! I've got aggro!"
This was their first try of the day, but Minguk and the Imperial Guard were already adapting fast, drawing on yesterday's hard lessons. True to their elite status, they quickly found their battle rhythm.
"Feather Storm! Everyone back!"
"Fall back now!"
"Ranged, keep hitting! Tanks, block the feathers!"
"Remy! Hands aren't moving?! Burn that mana already!"
Besides, patterns like targeting and feather storms were early-game mechanics they'd seen a thousand times over.
"Everyone's handling the patterns great. No worries about the opener anymore."
Minguk called out as he dodged feathers and ducked behind a tank. Chloe and the melee dealers were already huddled there behind the shield.
"All thanks to the raid leader's sharp calls."
"Yeah, so how about sticking with us even after this try ends?"
Bridget pouted playfully, trying to look seductive. To Minguk, who knew her inside and out, it was just cute.
"I'll pass."
Running with a spec-heavy group like the Imperial Guard wasn't bad.
They were all top-tier heroes in this world. But Team GGW was the crew he'd built from scratch.
The Guards might edge them out in raw stats now, but GGW had better raid awareness from raiding with him so long. And their growth potential? No contest—he couldn't abandon them.
'Not to mention the unique classes...'
Plus, Oh Hyun-ah was a Legendary-class hero.
This was just a special circumstance. Seeing their disappointed faces, Minguk spoke up again.
"Besides, you've got Celeste in the Imperial Guard, right?"
"Uh, well... You don't know what state Celeste is in?"
"No, I know her mana got corrupted."
Chloe looked stunned at his response.
It was common knowledge: corrupted mana meant no raiding. Especially not for a raid leader like Minguk.
But...
"Heard of Shiranui Mai in GGW?"
"Shiranui Mai?"
"...Sounds like a Japanese gal. Anyone know her?"
They all shook their heads.
She was a top Japanese prospect, but not famous enough to reach these elite Imperial Guard heroes. Anyway, Shiranui Mai had also suffered mana corruption from the Succubus Queen.
The Guards' jaws dropped at Minguk's explanation.
"Huh?!"
"Her mana was corrupted, and you know how to fix it? H-how?!"
"It's a method only I can pull off, but no guarantees. Still, worth a shot."
"Of course you have to try!"
Chloe grabbed Minguk's hand and shook it wildly.
Having partied with Celeste for so long, she was heartbroken seeing her sidelined by corruption. But their chat ended there.
"Details later. Everyone, prep to reengage!"
The relentless barrage of feathers was finally letting up.
* * *
The fight progressed smoothly, and on the very first try, Minguk confirmed the hunch he'd had.
They made it to Garai's fireball phase without a single casualty. Targeting, feathers, and more—the onslaught tested the Imperial Guard, but Minguk's handling of even trickier patterns proved unbreakable.
And those under his command were heroes of reversal.
"Insolent fools...!"
"Dian! Ultimate! Shields and heals on main tank, now!"
Minguk spotted Garai gathering mana and barked the order.
Dian activated Hero's Roar instantly; healers blanketed Vanessa in shields. Vanessa thrust her shield forward, bracing for the impact.
"Behold the power granted by Lord Garuda!"
The fireball hurtled toward main tank Vanessa.
Kwajajajak!
A deafening crack as the shields shattered like thin glass.
"Fuck, what kind of bullshit attack is that?"
A melee dealer muttered under her breath. Still, she didn't slack on DPS—tank lived or died, her job was carving the boss.
"Gaaahhh!!!"
Vanessa screamed, eyes bloodshot. But inside, Minguk was cheering.
'She held!'
Hero's Roar boosted her max HP, topped with shields.
Yet her health bar clung to just 6%. But no death meant healers could top her right up.
Whoosh!
Garai wasn't done, though. Shocked the tank survived, it lunged to finish her.
"Heal! Heal her up!!!"
Chloe yelled desperately. And in that instant...!
"Dian! Taunt! Take the hits!"
Minguk's voice boomed across the field. Dian taunted, yanking Garai's aggro. It paused, then swung at her instead.
With a crash, Dian flew back, shield up.
Her health plummeted, but not to zero. In those precious seconds, Minguk and the healers poured recovery into Vanessa, restoring her fully.
"Hmph!"
Garai scoffed at the revived Vanessa and summoned another fireball.
Unlike the first, fear had faded from the heroes' faces. They'd found the way to tank it.
"Same pattern again! Dian, stick close!"
Minguk's directions flowed nonstop.
A tiny timing slip could doom them, so he called taunts himself, steering the fight.
Vanessa tanked the second fireball, then the third. The dealers lit up—victory felt real now.
"Beat this thing to death! Eat dirt, you bitches!!!"
"Any of you undercutting my DPS gets checked after—don't test me!"
"Careful! Stay sharp!"
With fireballs thwarted, a frantic Garai spammed feathers and targeting to pressure Minguk and the Guards.
But they weren't falling for repeats.