Chapter 29
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: EP.29 Rookie Team 4
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The raid members, everyone except Minguk, couldn't easily pull themselves away from the joy of having defeated the "Flame Bridge - Ifrit."
Though classified as a Grade 3 monster, the Ifrit had tricky attack patterns, and even the slightest mistake during battle could wipe out the entire raid. That's why the Hero Association designated it a special entity. A Grade 3 in name only, but boss-level in reality—that was the Grade 3+ Ifrit.
Especially since conquering the Ifrit hinged largely on the skill of the raid's healer, one of the team members. Healers who felt the pressure often avoided tackling the Flame Bridge altogether, turning the Ifrit into a special boss that few raids attempted.
Even raids confident in their abilities would challenge it for the Mana Crystals, only to face repeated failures that sparked infighting and team disbandments. Top-ranked healers and promising new raids alike usually balked at attempting it.
'To think I took down that Ifrit... me, of all people.'
Her face smudged with soot and grime, looking haggard and worn, Ye-rin still beamed with ecstasy as she checked her Hero Guidebook. Conquest count for "Flame Bridge - Ifrit": 1 time. This was an achievement worth bragging about to anyone. And it was a one-try clear, no less.
Her classmates from Hero Academy would surely have looked at her with envy if they saw it. For Ye-rin, who had just earned her raid qualification, it was an enormous feat.
'Han Minguk!'
Ye-rin's gaze shifted to the male hero joking around with Hyun-ah. He was the raid leader of Rose Shield's Rookie Team 4, a fellow first-year healer hero.
But his leadership in battle was beyond imagination. His healing prowess was impressive too. It was hard to believe he was a lower-rank hero than her.
- Oh Hyun-ah!!! Rush to Kim So-jeong's side!!!
- Back to positions!!! Choi Yuna, opposite side!
The recent Ifrit battle flashed through Ye-rin's mind like a montage. Amid multiple crises, Minguk had resolved them time and again with precise, intuitive commands.
And the result was a successful "Flame Bridge - Ifrit" raid.
'Oh, right...'
As Ye-rin stared at Minguk's face, a sudden realization made her cheeks flush bright red. Come to think of it, if they cleared the Ifrit in one try, the raid leader Han Minguk had promised her a reward.
"He definitely..."
Ye-rin's slender fingers unconsciously brushed her lips.
"Yesss! Loot time!!!"
Hyun-ah's shout drew everyone's eyes to the center of the battlefield. A metal loot chest had appeared out of nowhere, waiting for the raid members.
Fitting for a special entity's chest, it looked different from what a standard Grade 3 monster dropped. Up close, the difference was clear—the Ifrit's iron chest gleamed as if waxed to a polish.
"That's the Ifrit's loot chest...!"
"D-Do Mana Crystals come out of that? What's the drop rate?"
"According to the Hero Guidebook, it's around 30% on average? And there's a record of up to two dropping at once."
"T-Two of them?!"
Yuna, who had asked, widened her eyes at Hyun-ah's words. Her head snapped back to the loot chest. Mana Crystals—rare items that dramatically boosted one's abilities—were coveted by every hero.
The restriction that only participating heroes could absorb them was no issue here. Any crystal that dropped was a guaranteed win.
"Who wants to open it?"
Minguk asked the group. But the response was muted. No one wanted to be the one who touched it and jinxed a Mana Crystal drop—that would feel awful.
Seeing their hesitation, Minguk shrugged and spoke loud enough for all to hear.
"Do low-drop items come out that easily? If it doesn't drop, we just farm it again, right?"
It had a difficulty rating, sure, but they'd already cleared it once. Experience like that was invaluable.
And the gacha didn't lie. A 30% chance meant about three out of ten tries. Spin it enough, and a crystal would drop eventually—even if not right away.
"Come on!"
Minguk clapped to liven up the subdued mood. Then he turned to Hyun-ah.
"We're in Cheonho-dong, so the Cheonho-dong Lucky Girl should do the honors, yeah? Oh Hyun-ah?"
"M-Me? I'm opening it?!"
Hyun-ah swallowed hard at Minguk's nomination. She looked burdened, her movements stiff and robotic as she stood. Her eyes darted to the others, but they all subtly avoided her gaze.
"Fine, I'll do it! No hard feelings if nothing good comes out!"
Throwing caution to the wind, Hyun-ah strode forward without hesitation and flung open the loot chest. Not a moment's pause.
"Wha—what? Whaaaat!!"
Tears welled up in Hyun-ah's eyes as she peered inside. Her emotions flipped in an instant.
"Are you... crying? No! It's fine! Who cares if no Mana Crystal drops? I told you—we can just farm it again..."
Minguk panicked at her intense reaction and rushed toward her. But he stopped midway. Hyun-ah, eyes brimming with tears, suddenly threw her arms up in triumph.
"...It dropped!!!"
"From now on, call me the Cheonho-dong Super Lucky Girl!"
"Wooooh!!! Oh Hyun-ah! Oh Hyun-ah! Oh Hyun-ah!"
Yuna danced in cheer beside Hyun-ah, whose nose was held high. Ye-rin clapped like a seal beside them. Hyun-ah deserved the celebration. Minguk tilted his head as he checked the loot chest.
"...Is this for real?"
The Ifrit's loot chest contained one Revival Stone, plus Strength and Stamina Crystals. Two Mana Crystals in total. Minguk glanced at Hyun-ah, who was staring triumphantly at the sky. She must've dumped all her lifetime luck into this.
"It really dropped."
So-jeong sidled up and stared wondrously at the Mana Crystals. She'd seen them in Hero Academy videos, but this was her first time seeing one in person. First time for everyone here.
"Strength and Stamina. Exactly what we need. Strength to Kim So-jeong, Stamina to Hero Oh Hyun-ah."
"Me?"
So-jeong asked in surprise at Minguk's words.
She'd hoped for the Strength Crystal when it dropped, but with Hyun-ah—the tank she was close to—and Yuna the archer also needing Strength, she'd tempered her expectations. Minguk cocked his head at her.
"Isn't Strength the core stat for a melee dealer wielding a greatsword?"
"W-Well, yes, but..."
Mana Crystals were too precious to hand out purely on that basis. But their rookie raid leader saw it differently. Minguk said firmly.
"Then it's right to allocate the Strength Crystal to the melee dealer where it boosts team power most. That said, you should give fair compensation to the teammates who suffered alongside you."
Minguk tapped his Hero Pad.
"This is a Red-grade crystal effective for 1- and 2-star heroes. Records show heroes who got Red-grade crystals paid teammates an average of five thousand dollars each, based on crystal value."
"I'll pay up!"
So-jeong replied swiftly. Four teammates—twenty thousand dollars total. Pocket change compared to a Mana Crystal's worth. Plus, with her favorable Rose Shield contract, she could afford it.
Hyun-ah was the same. A Stamina Crystal was the ultimate prize for any tank. Finally, Minguk pocketed the Revival Stone from the chest.
"This Revival Stone goes to the team's shared assets. We'll use it on the next 'Ifrit' run."
"Another Ifrit clear?"
"Obviously. You don't want crystals?"
Yuna shook her head vigorously.
"We'll keep farming Ifrit until everyone hits 2-star, then tackle new dungeons."
That way, they'd be equipped for 4-star boss monsters. Minguk turned to Ye-rin next.
"Sorry, but as a 2-star hero, Jeong Ye-rin, you'll be lower priority. Once I hit 2-star, though, all Intelligence and Spirit Crystals from Ifrit go to you."
Ye-rin was the team's only 2-star, so Red-grade crystals wouldn't push her to 3-star. But they'd still max out her 2-star potential, priming her for the next grade.
"Got it."
Ye-rin nodded gratefully at Minguk's consideration. And so the "Flame Bridge - Ifrit" gacha began.
But their first one-try clear was pure luck. The second raid was just as chaotic. In short, no one had the hang of it yet.
Kwajik!
With a gruesome sound, a massive flame wheel crushed Yuna flat. Without her shield, it'd have been instant death. Minguk's heal then enveloped her.
"Choi Yuna! Get your head in the game!!!"
"S-Sorry!"
"Actions, not words!!! Here it comes again!"
Predicting the flame wheels' rolling order and direction, and holding position perfectly, was key—or you'd be in peril in seconds.
A pattern easily dodged in isolation, but the Ifrit's fierce attacks and scorching winds whipping across the bridge kept disrupting senses and positioning.
"Kyaaaaah!!!"
The raid's first casualty. Ye-rin slipped dodging a wheel and fell off the bridge. Even Minguk, who'd kept HP stable, couldn't save her.
"Everyone, focus!!! We'll revive Jeong Ye-rin after the fight!"
They'd prepped the Revival Stone before entering—no big issue. A bit of mental shock from dying, but heroes bounced back.
"One more dealer down, and clear's impossible! Snap out of it!!!"
Spurred by Minguk's scolding, they charged the Ifrit.
But if willpower alone sufficed, it wouldn't be a special entity. In the end, only Minguk and Hyun-ah survived until the Ifrit fell.
"What a mess."
Minguk grimaced. Yuna fell like Ye-rin dodging a wheel; So-jeong lost focus trying to deal solo and got crushed from above.
"Seriously?! No one died on the first clear—why all these mistakes this try?!"
Everyone hung their heads at Minguk's rebuke. No excuses. The healer-raid leader suffering most never got grazed by a wheel—and still nailed his heals perfectly.
"Hoo. At least we got the kill..."
But Minguk's criticism ended there. A kill was a kill, per his past experience.
He hadn't expected perfection on the first retries. More battles meant better movement. And the Cheonho-dong Lucky Girl stepped up again.