Chapter 201
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 201
Chapter Title: Garai Raid
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"You know I'm the raid leader of the Imperial Guard, right? You've essentially brought a hero back to life. Doesn't that deserve a reward to match?"
"Yeah, you're right!"
Celeste's words had Chloe clapping in agreement. Han Minguk pondered for a moment before speaking cautiously.
"Hmm... How about some gear suitable for a 6-star hero, then?"
"A 6-star hero can equip up to Gear Score 800 weapons. We should have a few at the clan house back home. The clan leader might grumble, but with my influence, it won't be a problem."
The price tag wasn't cheap, but Celeste accepted Minguk's request without hesitation.
'Perfect.'
This would accelerate their timeline for tackling 【A - 5】 difficulty dungeons. At least until most of the team had top-tier gear matching their star ratings, assaulting 7th-grade monsters would be off-limits.
"But aren't you 7-star?"
"My team is all 6-star."
"Ah... I see."
Minguk's answer brought a tinge of envy to the two female heroes' faces.
"Damn. Think R's would take transfers?"
"Maybe if you defected to France?"
The raid leader's response left Chloe hanging her head. He was a caring leader who put his team first, with skills sharp enough to take down a minion of the Twelve Calamities. A real-life comic book hero stood right before her eyes.
The plane carrying Minguk and the Imperial Guard touched down at Hanoi International Airport.
The distance from Hoabinh to Hanoi wasn't so far that a bus wouldn't suffice. Still, the Vietnamese government, grateful for resolving their national crisis, rolled out the red carpet—literally—for the heroes.
"What the hell is all this?"
As Minguk and the Imperial Guard stepped off the plane, a Vietnamese military band struck up a tune. A long red carpet unfurled, flanked by soldiers standing at crisp attention, awaiting the heroes. They looked like honor guards.
"Whoa..."
"The Vietnamese government's pulling out all the stops. Makes sense—they took down a minion of the Twelve Calamities, Garai no less, who's terrorized Vietnam for years. They must be thrilled."
"Yeah, this is par for the course."
"I'd rather have the cash than this fanfare..."
Voices from the Imperial Guard heroes drifted from behind, but Minguk couldn't focus on them. He could barely hear over the roar.
Waaaaaaaaah!!!
An enormous crowd in the distance unleashed a thunderous cheer. People had flooded the airport to catch a glimpse of the heroes who'd saved Vietnam from the Hordes of Darkness. Their numbers were beyond counting. This incident must have stirred up quite the chaos here.
Minguk endured the military review, fielded questions from Vietnamese reporters, and handled the itinerary in a whirlwind he could scarcely remember afterward.
"Minguk!"
"Oppa!!!"
"Honey!"
Finally, three hours after landing, Minguk reunited with his Team GGW members waiting in Hanoi.
It had only been about ten days apart, but they clung to him like lovers reuniting after years. Hyun-ah especially gripped his sleeve, vowing never to let go again.
"Everyone, you all worked hard. No issues while I was gone?"
"Us? Worked hard? Nah, we just chilled and ate well in Hanoi. You did all the heavy lifting, Minguk."
Hyun-ah piped up immediately, but whispers from behind mentioned dungeon runs that had worn them out.
"Wait, you guys cleared dungeons without me?"
"Uh... Just to keep our combat senses sharp. Nothing big—only 【B】 difficulty ones."
"For real?"
Minguk's eyes widened at Sojeong's reply.
Team GGW's specs could handle 6th-grade special entities in 【A】 dungeons with ease, so 【B】-rank ones dominated by 4th- and 5th-graders were a breeze.
That said, success wasn't guaranteed without a raid leader to direct them.
"Who led?"
"Hyun-ah did. We burned a few Revival Stones at first, but she got the hang of it. We cleared up to 【B - 4】."
"【B - 4】?"
Minguk glanced between Sojeong and Hyun-ah as the explanation continued.
Regardless of difficulty, the fact that his team had solo-cleared dungeons stunned him. Sure, they'd gotten gear boosts, but pushing to 【B - 4】 was impressive. It wasn't an easy clear.
'I misjudged them.'
Team GGW weren't passive heroes from a mobile VR game, blindly following orders.
Even without their commander, they craved growth on their own terms. Minguk welcomed the change—it was a good thing.
"Cleared 【B - 4】? Damn, Hyun-ah, not bad at all."
"Just spec carry. Still miles behind you."
Hyun-ah blushed at the praise, then murmured softly.
"So when we get back home, teach me proper raid leading."
"Sure. Experience matters most, but theory helps too."
No big ask there.
Plus, with Hyun-ah as vice-raid leader, he could push higher difficulties more comfortably.
Mobile VR game GGW often split raids into two groups for battles—scenarios where a backup leader was essential.
'And for tanks...'
The class closest to named bosses during trials, spotting patterns and changes first-hand.
"Really? For real?!"
"Of course."
Hyun-ah whooped in delight at his firm answer.
That's when Celeste and Chloe from the Imperial Guard approached the reuniting Team GGW.
"Looks like quite the heartfelt reunion. Anyway, Raid Leader Han Minguk—we're parting ways here."
"Heading straight to China?"
"Yep. With our friends from England and Germany."
Minguk's gaze shifted past Chloe.
Knights of the Round Table and Iron Cross clan heroes were checking their gear and luggage. As he watched, a stray thought hit him.
"Huh? What about us?"
Right—Team GGW hadn't received the Hero Association's summons. Celeste caught his mutter and shrugged it off.
"You'll probably head straight back to Korea. No need for GGW now."
"...Heard China's in rough shape."
"After Garai fell, things shifted there too. Minions of Bycon from high-difficulty temporary dungeons started vanishing, letting teams clear them fast."
Minguk let out a low groan as Celeste explained.
Garuda and Bycon must have been coordinating. He'd suspected as much, and the situation confirmed it.
"Yeah. The World Hero Association thinks so too."
Not great news for humanity. The Twelve Calamities teaming up made an already tough fight brutal.
'Still, no immediate crisis.'
According to Ppuu, Garuda had wasted massive Void Mana on this failed Dungeon Break. It'd hole up in the Tower of Birds like a dead rat for years.
"See you next time. Oh, and I'll ship those items straight to R's clan house."
"Thanks."
With cheek kisses goodbye to Minguk, Celeste and Chloe departed. Hyun-ah and the Team GGW girls shot uncomfortable looks at the bold skinship, but the pair winked back at Hyun-ah with extra flair before leaving.
"Guess we head home to Korea too?"
The situation had improved, but something nagged at him.
He wanted to see China's crisis through—especially those high-difficulty temporary dungeons.
Without a summons, though, the remaining ones must be beyond Team GGW's reach.
Hence no call from the Association. Watching the three raid teams board planes escorted by fighters to China, Minguk turned to Sojeong.
"Any word on our clan's first-string team?"
"One sec."
After checking in with the clan, Sojeong replied promptly.
"First string pulled out of the expansion too. Waiting for a flight in Beijing—probably heading home soon."
Another confirmation the expansion was wrapping up. China must be in as much uproar as Vietnam.
"Clan leader says we should return too. Plane's ready at the airport—we board in an hour."
Minguk nodded along.
With Garai down and Ppuu's quests cleared, no reason to linger. They could gear up and clear high-diffs at home just as well.
"Alright, let's head back."
"Yayyy!!!"
"Home!"
The team erupted in hugs and cheers. Nearly half a year of expeditioning was over—they were elated.
Two nations had suffered expansions and sacrifices to stop them, but the heroes held the line. The Hordes of Darkness failed to expand their polluted domain.
Humanity's victory.
"With this expansion's failure, Garuda's gonna have to lay real low. Leviathan won't let it off easy—they're on bad terms."
Boarding the flight home from Hanoi Airport, Minguk settled into his seat, replaying Ppuu's words.
'Garuda lost a ton of Void Mana.'
That meant a massive power drop.
To win the war against the Hordes of Darkness, humanity had to take down the Twelve Calamities—their commanders.
'Next target: Garuda?'
Garuda, king of birds.
The monster that ravaged Cambodia, western Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar lurked in the 【S】-rank Tower of Birds dungeon.
Unlike the others, it shared a grudge with Minguk from past clashes.
But impossible to raid now. Team GGW needed 9-stars across the board to challenge it.
En route to Korea, Minguk searched Korean dungeons on his tablet.
【A - 5】 and 【A - 6】 ones within their power. The crisis reaffirmed it: before powerhouses like the Twelve Calamities rampaged further, raise stars and gear fast.
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