Chapter 43
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Rival?
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'Hold on.'
Suddenly, a story about Han Minguk that her little sister had mentioned came to mind. It was related to Revival Stones, no less.
"H-Han Minguk Raid Leader probably has some Revival Stones in his personal possession. Why don't you ask if the clan could purchase some from him? If he seems uncomfortable, withdraw the offer immediately."
"Pardon?"
The secretary gave Oh Hyun-jung a puzzled look at her abrupt instructions.
"Does Han Minguk Raid Leader have any Revival Stones?"
"I'm sure he does."
According to Hyun-ah, Minguk had received a large number of Revival Stones from some influential figure before joining the clan. Hyun-jung herself had heard about it directly when she signed the contract with him. And the amount was a whopping hundred or so.
She'd also heard that when preparing for the Raid Qualification Exam, Minguk had shouldered all the Revival Stones himself, leaving Hyun-ah feeling terribly guilty.
'Well, the biggest headache for anyone prepping for the Raid Qualification Exam is always the availability of Revival Stones...'
The Hero Association provided two Revival Stones each to heroes taking the exam, but for rookies who were barely qualified, scraping together enough with just that quantity to meet the exam requirements was no easy feat.
After pondering for a moment, the secretary asked Hyun-jung,
"If Han Minguk Raid Leader agrees to sell some Revival Stones, how should we handle the purchase funds...?"
"Oh, I'll take care of that."
Hyun-jung replied with confident assurance. The clan had plenty of spare funds for a few dozen stones.
'I was saving them for Hyun-ah later, but...'
And if the young clan's finances got tight, she was even prepared to sell off the gear she'd used back in her days as an 8-star hero. That's how much Hyun-jung loved the R's clan.
"You want me to sell Revival Stones?"
An unexpected visitor had arrived at the Newbie Team 4 meeting room. It was the secretary of R's clan leader Oh Hyun-jung, Hyun-ah's older sister. After a polite knock, she entered and cautiously asked Minguk if he could sell any Revival Stones.
"Yes. Due to clan circumstances, we have no stock left to support Team GGW. With next year's clan evaluation coming up, most of the Revival Stones our clan produces are being allocated to the first raid team. We considered buying from the auction house, but mobilizing 100 to 200 million dollars at once is beyond our current finances."
"I see..."
Minguk nodded as he listened to the secretary. He didn't fully grasp the details, but it seemed the clan had its own complications.
Honestly, it was a bit of an unreasonable request. Asking him to advance Revival Stones needed two months from now. Still, it looked like they'd done their best to secure the ones Team GGW would use.
"That's when we heard that Raid Leader Han Minguk personally has a small quantity of Revival Stones."
"I see."
Ninety stones counting as "small"... Well, from the perspective of a major clan churning through hundreds or thousands a month, it probably was.
"We'd like you to sell as many as you're willing to the clan. The ones we purchase will go straight to supporting Team GGW."
Minguk felt a bit dazed as he listened to the secretary continue.
"Uh... so, you're saying I sell the Revival Stones, then get them back as support to run the raid?"
"That's correct."
In the end, it meant getting paid and still using the stones...
He felt oddly guilty toward the clan. Revival Stones weren't cheap, after all. But since he hadn't procured them himself—they'd come straight from Chaos upon arriving in this world—he didn't feel much greed for them.
"No need to feel sorry for the clan. Supporting Raid Leader Han Minguk is an investment in your growth. The more you grow, the more profit our clan stands to gain."
"Oh, really?"
Minguk scratched his cheek at the secretary's words, which seemed to read his mind.
Having served the leader for so long must've honed her insight to a razor's edge. After some thought, Minguk pulled his chair forward. Without Revival Stones, they couldn't even challenge the 【B – 8】 dungeon anyway.
"Alright, then I'll sell fifty. Out of those, please support thirty to GGW. Count fifteen as the allocation for two months from now, and the other fifteen as a bonus."
"Understood. We'll handle it that way. Thank you for your generosity, Raid Leader. The leader will be grateful too."
The secretary felt profound relief at Minguk offering more than expected. There were already multiple places needing Revival Stones. The twenty left after supporting GGW would cover a month's worth for two newbie raid teams.
With everything settled, Team GGW secured thirty Revival Stones for their upcoming raids. Minguk would receive about six million dollars—the sale proceeds—tomorrow or the day after.
"So, now we tackle the 【B – 8】 dungeon?"
"Yeah."
Minguk replied to Yuna, who had been quietly sitting in the corner of the meeting room until the secretary left.
Now that they had the Revival Stones, it was time to seriously assault the 【B – 8】 dungeon. They only had five days left anyway. And he already had a target in mind.
'Tomb of the Condemned'
A 【B – 8】 dungeon located in Gwangjin-gu. It was a short one featuring three boss-grade monsters. As a 【B – 8】 rated by the Hero Association, the final boss was naturally a Rank 4 monster.
Named Executioner Sertan by the Association: a giant monster shrouded in a black hood.
From strategy videos, Sertan's special patterns seemed straightforward. No major differences from what they'd faced before, so Hyun-ah should tank it without issue.
A raid ultimately boiled down to three elements: the tank's specs to withstand the boss's attacks, the dealers' damage output to fell the boss before the healer tapped out, and the healer's recovery to keep the tank alive amid enemy assaults. With those in harmony, any raid was doable. And Sertan was within GGW's grasp.
Its patterns were ordinary, but Executioner Sertan's attack style was unusually unique among Rank 4 monsters.
Tomb of the Condemned – Executioner Sertan
▷ Executioner Sertan attacks only with its special skill, Executioner's Scythe. This deals damage in a near-120-degree fan shape forward. Thus, all heroes except the tank must avoid standing in front of Sertan.
▷ Executioner's Scythe will drain about 50% of a tank's life even assuming a successful defense with 【Gear Score – 110】 gear. Its attack power is immense, so the tank must use survival skills judiciously.
▷ Executioner's Scythe is blockable. Dealers must successfully block it on the raid leader's call or based on the tank and healer's situation.
▷ The healer must promptly restore the tank's life against the heavy damage from repeated Executioner's Scythes. Manage mana carefully to avoid depletion.
There was also an "Execution Chain" pattern that damaged and bound heroes in place. But it was just a basic floor dodge—nothing to worry about.
As long as they didn't stupidly get chained right in front of Sertan.
Frankly, with GGW's perfect trio of raid elements, this was an easy clear. Minguk planned to conquer the Tomb of the Condemned today and claim the quest reward: a Gold Ticket.
"U-Um, Raid Leader... I'm really sorry, but..."
Ye-rin bowed her head apologetically to Minguk.
"Yes? Something you need to say?"
"I have a really important appointment today..."
"Ah..."
But Minguk's plans had to be pushed to tomorrow. Both dealers, So-jung and Ye-rin, had prior commitments. So-jung had plans with her daughter, and Ye-rin had something personal and urgent.
'Well, we haven't had much rest. They wouldn't say it, but it must've been tough.'
"Yeah... I guess so."
Minguk nodded at what wasn't quite a scolding from Hyun-ah. Seeing the dealers hesitate out of concern for him as raid leader reminded him of a recent chat with clan staff.
As R's Newbie Team 4 raid leader, Minguk had inevitably heard about the other newbie raids' exploits. Those in similar straits cleared just one or two dungeons a week—70% success, 30% failure.
A clan staffer mentioned three dungeons every two weeks was standard. Meanwhile, GGW had looped the Illusion Dungeon over ten times last week alone. Worlds apart.
Pulling ahead even on clan-supported Revival Stones wasn't normal. And they'd poured all that time into raids, leaving no personal downtime.
"Let's rest today and regroup tomorrow to tackle the 【B – 8】 dungeon."
Minguk said. Even with one day off, they had four days left. The Tomb of the Condemned was a quick clear anyway—one day job.
- ...Let's regroup tomorrow and tackle the 【B – 8】 dungeon.
"Phew... Thank goodness."
Ye-rin breathed a sigh of relief at the raid leader's announcement postponing the schedule by a day. If today's raid had gone ahead, she'd have been in real trouble. She had a date with her boyfriend.
- Does the raid leader give kisses if you ask nicely?!
It had been two weeks since Ye-rin teasingly asked if male hero Raid Leader Han Minguk would give her a kiss. But she hadn't shared so much as a touch with him since. She'd secretly hoped, but Minguk had been too swamped and seemed to have forgotten.
Plus, from the recent team vibe, she could tell tank Oh Hyun-ah and dealer Kim So-jung had joined Minguk's "cartel." The subtle atmosphere and naughty scents were dead giveaways. Dealer Choi Yuna still seemed unsure, though.
Being the only one left out among the five—and Minguk not making any moves—left her a bit miffed, but not that disappointed. She had a boyfriend, after all.
"Hee-hee."
Imagining her boyfriend at home, Ye-rin got into her car after leaving the clan house. A white sedan.
MALTA 13. A mid-size sedan from a domestic megacorp, powered by a mana engine. Too pricey for average folks, but no sweat for a hero like her.
Ye-rin, who joined R's from Hero Academy's 64th class this year, was a rising star dealer.
She'd worked harder than anyone to graduate as a 2-star hero, drawing offers from top ranker clans. She chose the prestigious R's—great terms too.
"Hum-hum-hum."
As a hotshot hero, elite dealer Jung Ye-rin had a regular-guy boyfriend. They'd been dating just over half a year. She was the only one in the cartel without one. No marriage talks yet, but she was planning that far ahead.