Chapter 27
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Newbie Team 4
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"Can we really take on 【B – 8】?"
"W-what?!"
Hyun-ah's eyes widened in shock at Minguk's mutter. She quickly shook her head.
It was a dungeon one level higher in difficulty than those in Difficulty 9. Even just that single step made a huge difference. The equipment items dropped by boss monsters were a prime example.
Boss-grade monsters in 【B – 8】 difficulty dropped items with Gear Scores between 100 and 120. And at extremely low odds, they could even yield Revival Stones or Gold Tickets.
Moreover, starting from 【B – 8】 difficulty, 4th-grade boss monsters appeared. It was just a difference of one number, but countless heroes who underestimated it and charged in had lost their lives in the dungeon or suffered mana contamination.
"I don't think we can manage it, right?"
To tackle 4th-grade monsters, the norm was to gear up heroes to at least Gear Score 110, raise their star ranks to 2 or 3 stars, and attempt it after multiple tries burning through Revival Stones.
"We still need to sync up our teamwork a bit more, and get some better gear too, don't you think?"
"Yeah, probably."
"Yeah. We could handle the 3rd-grade monsters in 【B – 8】, but 4th-grade is too much."
Minguk pondered Hyun-ah's response for a moment before deciding to postpone challenging 4th-grade monsters. The quest only required clearing within a month anyway.
Giving that much time clearly meant they should prepare more before tackling 【B – 8】. And in their current situation, the fastest way to boost specs was upgrading hero gear and acquiring Mana Crystals to raise star ranks.
'Guess that settles our next dungeon.'
It was a dungeon that dropped Mana Crystals.
Strength, Agility, Stamina, Intellect, Mental Power. Absorbing the various crystals from dungeon rewards boosted the corresponding hero stats. Training could achieve it too, but crystals were far more efficient.
In Minguk's team, only Ye-rin was a 2-star hero. Including himself, the other four were just 1-star. That said, he'd heard Hyun-ah and So-jeong were on the verge of 2 stars. Oddly, 2-star Ye-rin ranked lower than 1-star So-jeong.
Tap tap. Tap.
Minguk's fingers drummed on his Hero Pad. Profiles for Oh Hyun-ah and Jeong Ye-rin popped up on the screen.
"……."
As her face appeared on the Hero Pad, Hyun-ah glanced sideways at Minguk's movements. She was curious why he'd suddenly pulled up her profile, but asking felt a bit embarrassing.
Minguk checked Hyun-ah and So-jeong's profiles. Their stats were nearly at 2-star levels. Hyun-ah lacked a bit in Stamina and Mental Power; So-jeong in Strength and Agility. But the gaps were tiny.
"Two of them? Or maybe even just one would do."
"The threshold for 2-star heroes?"
"Yeah. To hit the next dungeon faster, we need to think about strengthening the raid party more efficiently…."
"…You're after Mana Crystals, right?"
Minguk nodded. From his knowledge, 3rd-grade monsters and up dropped Mana Crystals. But only specific special variants did.
Hyun-ah stared at him silently. Sensing her gaze, Minguk asked.
"What? Did I miss something?"
"You know only special variants among 3rd-grade monsters drop Mana Crystals, right?"
He knew. Hero Academy taught it. Though it was the original owner's memory, now that he'd adapted to this body, it felt like his own.
But most raid parties didn't hunt for Mana Crystals, even though it was a fast way to grow stronger. The reason was….
'The ones that drop them are pretty damn tough.'
And even catching them didn't guarantee a drop—odds were low. Plus, Mana Crystals only reacted to the mana of heroes who'd participated in the raid. Non-participants got nothing from consuming them.
Still, they were worth the investment. Far quicker than training or practice.
"The usual droppers are rated 3+ grade, so…."
"We can take them with our skills."
Hyun-ah swallowed her words at Minguk's confident tone. Fair enough… With his leading, they might even handle monsters a notch above 3rd-grade.
"We'll think more about Mana Crystals later. For now, I just wanna head home and rest."
"Huh? Oh?! Yeah! Let's go!"
With that, Minguk nuzzled into Hyun-ah's arms. Her eyes turned to hearts at his sudden display of affection.
Rose Shield clan's newbie Team 4 meeting room.
"…Mana Crystals?"
Ye-rin asked.
"Yes. We're targeting 'Flame Bridge' for Strength and Stamina Crystals."
"Cough?!"
Ye-rin choked at Minguk's words. So-jeong and Yuna couldn't hide their shock either. Only Hyun-ah, who'd heard already, kept a straight face.
"F-Flame Bridge? You're tackling that?"
Once she'd recovered, So-jeong asked Minguk again, her body trembling.
▷ Only one monster appears in Flame Bridge. Once battle starts, all participating heroes are teleported to the bridge by Ifrit's power.
▷ Ifrit stays at the bridge's end and doesn't move. But every set interval, it hurls three flame wheels. The wheels pass across the entire bridge, then return.
Each wheel covers about 1/3 of the bridge's width and targets right, center, or left. They never hit the same spot simultaneously. A new wheel is thrown when one reaches 2/3 of the bridge.
▷ Ifrit occasionally breathes flames mid-battle. The breath hinders heroes' movement and deals continuous damage. It can also overlap breath with flame wheels.
▷ Falling off Flame Bridge means drowning in the lava river below—instant death. Without Revival Stones, even the body is lost. Especially fatal if the healer falls—total wipe.
▷ 'Flame Bridge – Ifrit' has low HP for its 3+ grade rating, but its attack patterns rival 4th or 5th grade. Hero positioning and healer judgment are crucial.
The strategy summary from a raid that had cleared it made the foe seem manageable. But the videos told a different story.
- Behind! Behind! Wheel coming from the rear!
- No, damn it! Can't move because of the breath!
- Heal! Heal! Save me!!!
The bridge was maybe 5m wide at best? Heroes battling Ifrit on that narrow span looked like hell on earth. Naturally, the team watching zoned out.
Only Minguk thought it wasn't so bad. He'd faced similar patterns multiple times in GGW—practice for movement at worst.
"5m wide? Wider than I thought. Shouldn't be too hard."
No need to line up single-file. 5m wide, decent length. Tank upfront for aggro, dealers and healer behind with room.
So-jeong shot Minguk a 'What the hell is this guy?' look as he muttered while watching. 'Flame Bridge – Ifrit' was one monster newbie heroes—and those hunting Mana Crystals—avoided most.
"Training first, before the raid."
As the battle videos ended, Minguk clapped and addressed everyone.
The Rose Shield building was a 14-story structure, all floors used by clan members. One was a training floor: an entire level turned into a massive practice field the size of a stadium.
"Left! Right! Center!!!"
"Yes sir!!!"
At Minguk's call, the four heroines swinging weapons in the practice room moved in sync. Minguk, standing before them, hurled a rubber ball hard.
Thwack!
"Kyaaack!"
The ball slammed into Yuna, who'd hesitated and failed to dodge.
"Choi Yuna! React faster!!! Luck might save you once, but getting hit by a flame wheel and falling means instant death! Wanna burn alive in flames?!"
"Left! Right! Center order! They return in that order too! Stay center and dodge left-center only—you avoid everything! Why go right? Attack the monster instead! Finishes faster!"
The four who'd shown up casually for "training" bit their lips hard. Minguk's prep for 'Flame Bridge – Ifrit' demanded more than expected.
"Even shoved by flames, wheels keep rolling! Move quicker! It's 5m wide?! Choi Yuna! A slug moves faster than you!"
Yuna caught most of Minguk's critiques.
It made sense. In his judgment, she had the worst reaction speed. So he simulated wheels targeting her position with yells.
Real fight might be easier, but slow responses were still trouble.
'One mistake ends the raid.'
Videos showed many heroes knocked off by wheels into lava. No healer, even Minguk, could save them then.
Dead heroes could Revival Stone back, sure. But fewer attackers meant harder raid.
"…What kinda training is that?"
"Flame Bridge prep?"
"Ooh? Male raid leader? Newbie?"
Heroes visiting the clan building pretended to pass by for a peek at the odd training. But most eyed Minguk, the rare male raid leader.
Yet his serious face deterred even high-star vets and long-timers from chatting him up. Seasoned heroes fighting darkness knew this training was life-or-death.
After two days, their movements synced up. Even much-critiqued Yuna adapted fast. Raid date for 'Flame Bridge – Ifrit' was set.
"4800 dollars."
Before the raid, Minguk bought a Gear Score 110 healer staff at auction. His specs might struggle recovering allies from Ifrit's flame breath.
"Silver Ticket's half off half off…."
Hyun-ah, who'd come along, said wistfully. Silver Tickets maxed at 110 score gear. But snagging specifics meant three spins—awful odds.
"With our luck, even a hundred tickets wouldn't land a 110 healer staff…?"
"Your Cheonho-dong Lucky Girl could pull it for you?"
"……."
Minguk vowed silently: succeed the raid, make someone else open reward boxes. And raid day arrived.