Chapter 17

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Translator: MadScientist

Chapter: 17

Chapter Title: What It Means to Fight Together

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Mitu Guild Leader forcibly swallowed the rough groan about to burst out.

Purple demonic energy flowed across the ground like a swamp on the battlefield.

Just standing on it brought a burning sensation as if the skin were scorching, along with a foreign feeling like wet sand piling up deep in the lungs.

The muscles throughout his body screamed as if lead weights were tied to his limbs.

'Vicious.'

His vision was turning red.

Even for an S-grade hunter's body, the high concentration of corruption was overwhelming. In a normal raid, the healer's mana would bottom out and the front line would collapse—it was only a matter of time.

'If it were before...'

Up to here.

Without equipment to support him, even an S-grade was ultimately human.

The limits were clear, and ordering a full retreat at this point would have been the rational call.

But this time, he neither dropped his sword nor fell back.

'Coming.'

He was waiting. For that one perfect moment that was sure to come.

No one needed to shout orders. No complex hand signals were required.

A fleeting exchange of glances—confirming who had each other's backs—was enough.

The flow of the air shifted.

Thud!

The main tanker up front silently slammed his shield into the ground, and the instant the boss's gaze locked onto him...

Kwaaaang!!

A deafening roar tore at the eardrums as the ground screamed and split open.

A savage weight that would have bent a normal shield like taffy and pulverized the tanker's bones.

Yet the tanker didn't budge a single inch.

It wasn't mere endurance.

Circuits on the shield's surface flashed green, hurling the boss's full force right back at it in a counterattack.

Teng!

“...?!”

The boss's massive arm rebounded into the air, leaving its chest utterly exposed in that unguarded instant from its own momentum.

As if on cue, the mage team leader's finger flicked from the rear.

"Now."

Not a simple mana blast, but a precise combo.

The initial chill hit first, flash-freezing the joints white.

The sound of armor and muscle contracting rigidly—then, with the tiniest delay, a high-heat flame spear burrowed into the frozen cracks.

Pupupu-puk!

Thermal expansion from the drastic temperature shift.

The ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠armor burst like popcorn, raw flesh exposed inside.

Different attributes clashed without mana backlash—like a single massive machine in motion, cooling and explosion in perfect order. A miracle.

Kieeeek!

The boss staggered back with a shriek. No way they'd miss that critical opening.

Swish.

A shadow seeped in eerily silent, perfect stealth muffling ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠even footsteps.

The thief's dagger wasn't a plain stab.

Into that tiny gap where the armor had burst.

The system-corrected blade was drawn straight to the most lethal spot.

Seruk!

No greed—just one strike.

No flashy hack-and-slash, merely a single gleam, and the thief was already gone.

As the boss writhed in agony and fully lost its balance, Mitu Guild Leader's eyes gleamed.

'Now.'

The tanker had opened the way, the mage cracked it open, the thief paved the path. Breaking this flow would be a sin.

He kicked off the ground and leaped, golden aura flowing along the blade.

As if the sword had read its master's will—sharp, without excess.

Certainty in that slashing instant.

This wasn't mere victory—it was the moment human limits were transcended by the wings of equipment.

Kwaaang!!

The purple body cleaved in two midair. The demonic shrieks shaking the entire gate faded, heavy silence descending.

Silence.

No one cheered. Amid the ragged breaths, someone let out a hollow chuckle.

"This actually worked?"

"Whoa, look how clean that was."

The moment their eyes met, everyone felt the shiver.

This wasn't the hunting they knew.

Not some forced bus ride, but perfect synergy where they propped each other up.

Then, a red notice forcibly overlaid every hunter's vision.

Lee Do-ha Party System popped up.

Totally different from the old Association UI.

If you press the button without Lee Do-ha gear, you get insta-cut.

Red warning's brutal af, be careful fr.

Korea Hunter Association Tactical Analysis Room.

In the dark room lit only by monitor glow,

a place usually buzzing with keyboard clacks and reports now hung in stunned silence, like cold water had been dumped over it.

"......"

The analyst stared blankly at his monitor.

Team Leader Kim Hyun-seok approached from behind with a presence, but he couldn't even turn.

"Park Analyst, status report."

"...Team Leader, look at this."

His voice cracked.

Not doubt or confusion—pure awe, bordering on fear.

Kim Hyun-seok glanced at the screen: the just-completed Mitu Guild raid log.

Kim Hyun-seok was speechless.

Corrupted gates normally shaved stats just from breathing.

Even for the nation's #3 Mitu Guild, such a pristine graph was impossible.

Heart rate, mana circuit stability, skill cooldown distribution—

Every graph traced ruler-straight patterns, as if the corrupted environment's penalties were being nullified by the gear.

"This is corrupted zone data?"

"Yes. Sensors cross-verified. No errors."

Kim Hyun-seok rubbed his dry face, chills running down his spine.

This wasn't just good gear.

This was a revolution. Mitu Guild's overwhelming physicals fitted with system wings—a monster.

"He's created a monster."

His mutter hung heavy in the empty analysis room.

What we've been doing ain't hunting—it's been street brawls.

Seeing is believing. Watch this vid.

The video showed a standard C-grade dungeon clear by some ad-hoc party scraped from the boards—not even a famous guild.

But the moment it started, members scattered like scripted, each hitting their position without hesitation.

Kraaaang!

Monster roared and charged—the tanker twisted his shield to deflect, not just holding but crumbling the beast's balance with overwhelming stability.

In that split-second gap,

the thief rose like a shadow, stabbed vitals, and vanished. As the dazed monster flailed, rear barrages from the finished-cast mage poured down like bombs.

Not a word spoken. No eye contact needed.

Yet they moved like one organism.

Tank holds, DPS strikes; DPS binds, mage burns. Seamless links melted the monster without a proper scream.

Video end.

Monster crumbled to ash. But no cheers, no high-fives—the party just calmly headed to the next zone without a glance at the corpse.

Like office workers done stamping papers.

Meanwhile, general party recruitment board.

Checking specs. Interviews required.

No toxic players. Gear inspections strict.

Normally flooded with whispers by now, but the board was dead silent.

FlameGuy anxiously scanned the waiting room.

Not empty of people.

Teeming with hunters, but their eyes glued to smartphones—specifically, the Lee Do-ha party tab.

"Hey, looking for a party? We got a tank spot open."

FlameGuy mustered courage to approach a nearby tanker. The guy turned. [Lee Do-ha's Shield] hung on his back.

"Sorry. I'm queued for that one."

"What? It's full there. We can go now."

The tanker scratched his brow awkwardly.

"Still gotta wait. Better than stressing in a normie party."

He turned back to his screen.

No hesitation in his eyes—just firm resolve to wait rather than risk trolls.

FlameGuy stood dazed.

An invisible wall. Not just gear haves vs have-nots, but shifting common sense.

Old ways couldn't even gather people anymore.

No bullshit.

Everyone just does their job.

Front's solid,

back's stable,

gaps filled instantly.

After it's done,

"One more?"

Comes naturally.

This is a party.

What the hell were we doing before?

Used to need personality checks, skill verifies, troll watch.

But with Do-ha gear, even idiots pull weight—users know best.

No more suspicion tax.

Trust forms, cover weaknesses vibe.

Real revolution, right?

I gazed at the monitor in the forge, smiling faintly.

People aren't just hyped for power.

What they truly craved was eliminating wasted emotions from distrust.

Certainty over suspicion, efficiency over vibes.

The gear became that guarantee.

My hand gripped the heated iron ingot with tongs once more.

"The board's flipped now."