It'll Take At Least a Year

"...For real."

"Is this for real?"

"Lea! Lea! Lea!"

"They're not letting us back in."

In front of Lea's nest entrance, the users who had swept ranks 1 through 6 stared blankly at the firmly sealed opening, their initial joy turning to dismay.

The quest they'd been given was on a whole different level of difficulty from before.

"No way, even the rankers can't take it down..."

"We're rankers now."

"Damn."

"Ah."

The Corrupted Ogre Lord. Level 65, raid boss. On paper, it might not seem like much compared to late-50s level users, but a boss was a boss. Even with countless top rankers and guilds pooling their strength, it had taken months without success—that was the Corrupted Ogre Lord.

Of course, the lack of cooperation between raid parties was the biggest factor. Still, the Ogre Lord remained brutally strong. If it were easy, a single party or a coalition of two or three would have cleared it ages ago.

NyaNya let out a deep sigh.

"What do we do? Lea said not to come back until we beat it, and she sealed it tight."

"We were just grinding goblins and orcs, and now this..."

"Ughhh..."

"The rewards are insane, though."

Not 20k EXP—200,000. In a situation where levels were already grinding to a halt, that kind of EXP windfall?

"We'd hit... like 70?"

"Pretty much right around there, yeah? No telling how much our EXP bars will jump."

No one else but these six could keep up—they were guaranteed to reach heights unattainable by others. The Flame Dragon's Direct Disciple title would surely outshine "Apprentice Disciple" or "Official Disciple," but the real prize was that selection right.

All eyes turned to NyaNya.

"If we're lucky, we get one shot at it."

Like NyaNya's End of Frost. The chance to snag a legendary weapon that could upend the meta.

The quest and Lea's words didn't mention "first clear," so everyone who accepted it could potentially claim the rewards. They just weren't saying it out loud, but they were all green with envy over NyaNya's staff.

Haring's face fell at the sight of it, but she quickly steeled herself.

"Alright. This time, I'm getting something legit."

"If NyaNya uses her staff once, wouldn't it shatter?"

"Yeah, she'd probably pass out right after."

"Still, one blast and done—profit."

"Or team up with other rankers to tackle it..."

"They'd all swarm for the last hit."

"Even so, can we really do it just us...?"

Lea's disciples huddled together, but no solid strategy emerged. It was only natural. They were all newbies or casual players who hadn't been rankers before—zero detailed raid knowledge, no Ogre Lord pattern breakdowns or force analysis.

There had been an early united raid stream on ogre subjugation, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠but it cut off mid-fight. Later solo party attempts never made it past the early-middle phases either. Without slamming their heads against it personally, there was no way to know.

"Anyone know a ranker from those united raids?"

"Not me."

"Nope."

"Husk might."

"Oh! Right! He was in a united party. We could just ask Lea real quick and—"

"He's probably quit by now. And even if he told us, it'd be some twisted version."

"Ah."

Silence fell again. They tapped every connection—Prolazia galleries, random inquiries—but came up empty. Even Evan from the vanguard (no longer vanguard, just main quest now) knew nothing; he focused on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠main quests, not raids.

Haring scratched her head, then tentatively raised her hand, drawing all eyes.

"...There is one person who might know."

"?"

"Who?"

"...Damn it."

Do I really have to ask him?

＊

Prolazia's pro broadcaster and rank 11, Hajin, found himself in a bizarre spot.

"Who the hell...?"

His rank had plummeted nearly 7 spots in a week. No clue who'd climbed over him, but this weird shakeup in just seven days? Other rankers must've hit some hidden piece, but the familiar names were all below him now. The top spots? Mostly private.

Ranks stayed hidden unless registered on the hall of fame. Meaning these new climbers were total unknowns.

"Some group hidden piece?"

Hajin shelved the mystery to focus on the task at hand. He needed to level up fast, clear hidden quests, then dive into ogre subjugation. The delays were stirring noise, game-side and stream-side. Honestly, he half-hoped someone else would just do it.

Stream-wise, him landing the last hit solo would be ideal, but this dragging limbo sucked. Viewers hated boredom most.

Crack!

"Hajin! Cleared 'em all here!"

"Got it! I'll handle the report!"

"Sure!"

Hajin turned after handling the ogre swarm with his guildmates and fellow streamers. Most parties had bailed, but maintaining quest influence mattered. High-level mobs gave solid EXP too...

"What the hell's this now."

Hajin scowled at the sudden chat ping.

Haring. Real name: Jin Haring. His little sister, the one who'd found the dragon first. She'd begged for Prolazia so much he got her a rig, and ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠now she was deep in hidden quests. Impressive, annoying— he'd considered visiting, but too busy. No real need anyway.

"Hunt it? This?"

Hajin eyed the floating chat window skeptically. He knew the dragon wasn't some basic NPC. As a streamer, he swam in community hype, and Husk's near-perma ban was huge news—no one in top ranks or streaming missed it.

Obviously, if the dragon stepped in, the Ogre Lord was ogre was. But could her disciple, Haring, pull it off?

That hidden piece from there must be nuts.

"Legendary weapon did look juicy. Teaming up... Nah. I'd draw everyone."

Hajin was too famous; one move and crowds swarmed. Haring? Unknown—perfect for a stealth clear.

Deal sealed.

＊

"Bliss..."

A week after the heroes had all left, inside the nest. I was finally enjoying some peace.

No heroes training in the clearing and ruining my naps, no constant visitors pounding the entrance. Just the chirp of small birds and the cool whisper of wind.

Pure freedom.

I'd layered a barrier over the whole nest—only drops when I head out—so no way they could break through, no matter how hard they tried.

Lounging in dragon form, I grinned in victory.

"Heh heh heh. Gave 'em a tough quest—oughta take a while, right?"

Adella said even the strongest current heroes couldn't take down the Ogre Lord united. Heroes can't handle one Ogre Lord? Mass-produced scrubs, whatever.

Point was, Ogre Lord strong, heroes weak.

"At least a year, easy."

Even with my training and quest buffs, they'd need time. Probably die trying over and over.

I sank deep into the fluffy nest and closed my eyes.

No more, no ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠less—just three years of sleep.