The One Thing You Should Never Do at a Funeral
(Photo of the system message listing the raid participants)
Message popped up out of nowhere and I was like what the hell — they actually cleared it lmao
For months the rankers were just staring each other down in the world's most intense game of chicken, so I figured it'd take at least another three months. And then they just… beat it.
Says Nya-nya and 5 others though — so a six-man clear?
How the hell did six people clear that;;;
(Screenshots of several old posts mentioning Nya-nya's name)
I wasn't totally sure, but looking at the posts, a user named Nya-nya has come up a few times — known as the one with the best training results.
Rumor has it she's also the sole owner of a legendary weapon.
And most importantly: for the past few hours, not a single gallery regular who's been clearing quests at Lea-chan's nest has been online lmao
Sitting out a mega-plot-hook like this? Just watching from the sidelines?
No shot. They all went and killed the boss together, fr
Thud-thud-thud-thud!
"What the hell is this…"
"Who was it?! Who took it down?!"
"Who even is Nya-nya?"
The moment the news broke, the top rankers waiting at the forward base made straight for the ogre colony.
Today's scheduled hunt of the colony's ogres had belonged to Hajin's guild. Calling it a "hunt" made it sound like Hajin was raking in some massive personal profit, but that wasn't the whole story. Steadily thinning the ogres weakened the power of the Demonkin who held the region — which in turn kept them from launching attacks into human territory. Dealing with the ogres was a sacred duty of the heroes, the saviors of the world.
"Hajin!"
"Hajin-nim!"
"Was it you?! Who's Nya-nya?"
"Is Nya-nya one of your guild members?"
BeastfolkLover and the other top rankers spotted Hajin and came sprinting over. Hajin and his guildmates were standing blankly in front of the altar, and he was every bit as flustered as they were.
No way — they cleared it on the first try?
It was true that Hajin had given his little sister Haring the strategy guide — but only through Phase Two. He hadn't known much about what came after, and even if he'd handed her the full clear, he never would have expected them to actually pull it off.
Six people.
Not sixty. Not even sixteen. Just six. Six people.
No matter how high their levels or how good their gear, taking down the Ogre Lord with a party of six was something that defied everything he knew about the game. He'd been certain they'd fail and call for help so they could clear it together…
She could've at least told me they were going to one-shot it…
It was extremely awkward, but the situation was already in motion. Hajin had wanted the Ogre Lord dead as soon as possible, sure — but the intel he'd used had cost him real resources and real time. Even if he couldn't land the last hit, he at least needed the raid participation rewards to recoup his losses.
"Three weeks of chores isn't gonna cut it. Make it three months."
Hajin muttered under his breath, then shook his head at the players swarming around him.
"It wasn't us."
"Then who was it?"
"Come on! You guys were hunting today, so it had to be you, right?"
"Nya-nya isn't in your guild? Isn't she one of the streamers?"
"No, she's not…"
Hajin turned his head. Haring and the others still hadn't come out, and he had no idea what had actually happened inside. He couldn't even begin to guess how they'd cleared Phase Three with zero information.
In the distance, a woman with flowing purple hair was walking toward them, her heels clicking against the ground.
Click. Click.
"Lady Yeoje."
Vice Guild Master of Cheonsang. Yeoje. Ranked eighth.
"I just heard the news. The Ogre Lord has been defeated."
"It wasn't us."
"From what I gathered on the way here, Nya-nya is a hero receiving instruction from the dragon of the Red Mountain."
"……"
"It would seem this was the work of the dragon's disciples."
"Is that true?!"
"Yeoje! Is that confirmed?"
"Nearly certain. The party size was far too small for a standard raid group, as well."
At Yeoje's words, the top rankers around them erupted into murmurs. The truth would have come out eventually — but it had come out far too fast.
At this point… I might as well blow the whole thing wide open.
It was already beyond his control. Hajin decided to just make the facts public. He switched on his stream and gave a nod.
"Shall we wait together, then? I'm curious who they are myself."
"Heh heh heh… Why not…"
Rrrrrumble…
"Uh…?"
A sudden tremor. The rankers crowded around them flinched and looked up.
Crrraaack…!!
The altar began to collapse.
Inside the audience chamber, everything had frozen solid — as if time itself had stopped. Nya-nya had collapsed under the extreme cold, and the remaining three were still hammering away at the ogre. Under normal circumstances, its overwhelming stats and attack patterns would have led the heroes straight to their deaths. But its body was already frozen solid from head to toe. There was nothing a frozen ogre could do.
"Did we get him?!"
"Is it dead?!"
"Hey — no resurrection flags, please."
Haring's blade completely severed the ogre's neck. Contrary to the resurrection flag she'd been fretting over, a message window bloomed before their eyes with a cheerful burst of fireworks.
The Corrupted Ogre Lord has been defeated.
Raid Participants: Nya-nya and 5 others.
Praise to the heroes for their great achievement.
"I landed the last hit, so why am I not listed first!!!"
"Nya-nya-nim basically did everything."
"Looks like they finished it with DoT."
"Aww, man…"
Haring poked at the ogre's corpse with a sulky expression, but she wasn't genuinely upset or disappointed. She and Nya-nya had been the MVPs of this fight — and without Nya-nya's staff, it would have been genuinely brutal. If a damage meter existed, Nya-nya would almost certainly be sitting at the top.
"If I'd known, I would've had Nya-nya open with the first strike."
"Nope. From what I know, its body regenerates every time it transitions to a new phase, so it probably wouldn't have counted as a kill."
"Ahh…"
Whatever the case, the subjugation mission was over. System messages were flooding in like crazy, and their levels had already climbed into the low sixties. Lea's quest still hadn't registered a report, so those rewards hadn't come through yet — but everything else had paid out.
Haring grinned as she checked her new titles and drop items, then suddenly turned her head.
Drip… drip…
The ogre still lay frozen and collapsed. The audience chamber was still freezing cold; without the cold-weather gear they'd prepared in advance, they could easily have frozen to death right alongside it.
Drip… drip…
The subjugation had succeeded. The quest was cleared.
And yet…
"Why…"
"Let's go see Lea-chan!"
"But why aren't we getting kicked out?"
"Huh?"
"What?"
Only then did Hidene and Ka-zen sense that something was wrong. Defeating a boss was supposed to eject you from the altar. The subjugation and reward settlement were both finished — and they were still inside.
Drip… drip…
That strange sound of flowing water, ongoing since earlier. The black demonic energy that should have been frozen solid was still streaming freely.
The ogre's body heaved.
The Ogre Lord — frozen solid, its head completely severed — was getting up.
"Oh shit. It's actually reviving?"
"I TOLD you not to say the resurrection flag!!!"
"That's the one thing you should NEVER do at a funeral!!"
Haring and the other two yanked out their weapons and charged. At the low sixties, their attacks were viciously sharp — but the black mana erupting from the ogre's fingertips was faster.
FWOOOSH!
A hole punched clean through Haring's chest.
Ma… magic?
An ogre using magic? Haring stared at it in disbelief — but looking closer, the ogre wasn't the one attacking.
Higher up. Above it.
A vast, black skeletal form was flickering into view, puppeteering the ogre's corpse.