"Of Course I Know It's Not Your Fault, Carbanog."

'Of course, I know it's not because of you, Carbanog.'

'But it feels weirdly annoying, so shut up for a second.'

"Fill me in on the situation."

"Yes. We saw the posts on the community boards and dispatched our guild members..."

Lee Da-bi quickly began her briefing. The community boards were currently in utter chaos.

The Allied Raid Team was formed by Lin Zhipeng and rankers from small-to-mid-sized guilds.

To outsiders, they might have scoffed, thinking, 'They're trying to hunt a dragon? They must be insane!' But everyone gathered here was a ranker.

Naturally, they had a plan, and they had run the numbers before stepping forward.

They took pride in knowing Pan-On far better than the keyboard warriors gossiping on the outside!

The Allied Raid Team did not let their guard down; they planned meticulously.

Fortunately, they had a reference point to study: Kim Tae-hyun's Hakkaras raid!

It was still one of the most-viewed videos and a legendary moment in Pan-On history.

The Allied Raid Team rewatched the footage countless times and even tracked down players who had participated to interview them.

—"Hmm. So while Kim Tae-hyun summoned a demonic army to bind Hakkaras's feet, they used the artillery to deal maximum damage, and then, uh..."

—"He turns him into a rabbit?"

—"Turning him into a rabbit... Hmm... Right... That is *such* a helpful reference!"

—"And then Kim Tae-hyun goes inside to deal damage."

—"How did he survive the attacks?"

—"Well, Kim Tae-hyun's evasion is legendary... but dodging a dragon's attacks is still insane."

—"It's fine. We have our own methods."

—"Can't we just call Kim Tae-hyun? Lin Zhipeng, since you're Taiwanese, you could just ask him, right?"

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

At those words, the other rankers objected in unison.

—"No way!"

—"Absolutely not Kim Tae-hyun."

—"Why would you even think of calling him?!"

They didn't hesitate for a single second!

—"Wh-what? What's with you guys? Did you get scammed by Kim Tae-hyun or something? Are you veterans from Pan-On 1?"

—"...No, it's not because of that..."

—"You didn't get scammed?"

—"No, I mean, that's not the reason..."

—"Did you get scammed or not?!"

—"Do you want to die? Want to duel right now?!"

—"Ah, no, I was just asking. Calm down."

Why do the guys who got scammed by Kim Tae-hyun react so violently whenever his name comes up? the ranker wondered.

Meanwhile, the rankers who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠had been victimized by Tae-hyun glared at him and thought:

'I'm definitely going to make sure this guy gets scammed by Kim Tae-hyun later.'

'This absolute newbie...!'

It was a feeling only those who had suffered could truly understand!

—"Ahem. Anyway, there's only one reason we aren't calling Kim Tae-hyun."

—"?"

—"If Kim Tae-hyun shows ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠up, our share of the rewards will shrink to practically nothing."

—"...!!!"

A highly pragmatic reason! Yet, it was one that could not be ignored.

Why else would these rankers gather to form a raid team? And specifically exclude the giant guilds?

'If the giant guilds get involved, our cut will plummet. Plus, who knows what kind of underhanded tricks they'll pull.'

'Lately, all the attention is focused on the giant guilds buying up territories and waging territorial wars anyway...'

The giant guilds threw massive amounts of cash around as if boasting about the astronomical investments they had received.

It was a level of Donjiral that solo rankers couldn't hope to match!

Tae-hyun, who could draw hundreds of thousands of viewers worldwide just by turning on his stream, was the anomaly. Normal rankers couldn't pull off such feats.

This Allied Raid Team was their counterattack. A strike back against the giant guilds!

—"But if we call Kim Tae-hyun, what happens? Our rewards will plummet."

—"And all the spotlight will vanish too. The title of the video won't be 'Allied Raid Team's Dragon Raid,' it'll be 'Kim Tae-hyun and His Sidekicks'!"

—"I-I get it now."

—"Good. Even if we can't tank like Kim Tae-hyun, we have our own ways to survive."

After thorough analysis, the Allied Raid Team summarized the four key requirements for the raid:

1. An NPC capable of holding Nitinger's aggro during the raid.

2. An item that can temporarily seal Nitinger's power.

3. Skills capable of dealing damage to Nitinger.

4. A method to survive Nitinger's attacks.

—"We have no answer for number 4."

—"Yeah, number 4 is a lost cause. We'll just have to defend as best as we can, and if that fails, accept the casualties."

The rankers gathered here had already braced themselves to die at least once. If you're hunting a dragon, that's just par for the course!

—"What about number 1?"

—"We're hiring high-level mercenaries left and right. They'll move around to draw aggro. As for number 2, put your faith in Lin Zhipeng."

Number 2 was precisely how Lin Zhipeng had managed to convince the rankers.

The scroll items Lin Zhipeng had acquired: Dragon's Fall Scroll and Dragon's Ruin Scroll!

Powerful, broken items obtained after completing a chain quest in the Asbian Empire!

It was because of these items that they could even dream of planning a raid on Nitinger.

—"Ever since Nitinger woke up in the Volcanic Zone, he's been lingering nearby. He's probably waiting for someone to bring him the stone tablet."

—"Fighting him there is suicide. It's a dragon's home turf. We have to lure him out somehow."

—"Lin Zhipeng, do you have a location in mind?"

—"Yes."

—"Where?"

—"The Sea of Three Paths."

The sea south of the Erangs Kingdom, southwest of the Auston Kingdom, and west of the Atali Kingdom!

It was the waters near the Blood Archipelago, the island of the vampires.

The abundance of large and small reefs made it perfect for hiding and setting up ambushes, and its proximity to major kingdoms made logistics and preparation easy.

Of course, from the perspective of the Erangs, Auston, and Atali Kingdoms, this plan was absolutely outrageous.

What the hell are these lunatics doing right on our borders?!

But the Allied Raid Team didn't belong to any giant guilds, nor were they lords of any territories.

Thanks to that, they could pull off this crazy stunt without a single care in the world.

Siege engines were stealthily installed across the reefs.

Though they weren't engineering-based explosive weapons, they were powerful siege engines crafted by players with Advanced Blacksmithing or higher.

Fearsome siege weapons like Ballistas and Catapults were deployed in droves.

On top of that, various traps were laid beneath the waves.

—"The moment Nitinger falls into the sea, his combat power will plummet. We bind him and bring him down!"

—"Excellent strategy."

The plan was perfect. As always, a plan is perfect right up until it shatters.

Their plan, too, seemed flawless.

...Right up until they got smacked in the face by Nitinger.

Nitinger was a monster several times stronger than they had ever anticipated.

—"O great Red Dragon Nitinger! Master of the Volcanic Zone, whose six wings shroud the heavens, whose breath of flame burns fiercer than Sadiq's fire, striking terror into the hearts of gods and demons alike!"

'Hey, do we really have to recite this? It sounds like we're mocking him.'

'According to the lore books, this is his absolute favorite phrase.'

The rankers recited the lines exactly as written in the book. Do dragons seriously fall for this kind of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ridiculous flattery?

—"Hmph. Very well! Lowly mortals, what business brings you here?"

Nitinger's voice rumbled like thunder from deep within the volcanic crater.

Gulp. The rankers swallowed hard and spoke with trembling voices.

—"We lowly adventurers have tracked down the thieves and retrieved your stolen property to appease your wrath, O Nitinger!"

—"!"

Nitinger's wings quivered.

—"Is that true?"

—"Yes!"

—"Then present it to me at once."

—"The thing is... due to certain circumstances, you must retrieve it yourself, O Nitinger."

—"What?"

—"The th-thieves set a trap, making it impossible for us to extract the item. We beg you to retrieve it with your magnificent magic!"

The rankers did everything they could to lure Nitinger out with their Lies. They had to get him to the designated spot no matter what!

—"Hmm... Very well. I shall grant you a single act of mercy."

Perhaps thanks to the earlier flattery, Nitinger hoisted his massive body and prepared to take flight.

—"Then we shall go ahead and prepare to receive you!"

—"Do so."

Once the rankers scrambled away, Nitinger took off at a leisurely pace.

With a colossal dragon soaring high in the sky, what monster would dare challenge him?

Nitinger arrived over the Sea of Three Paths without a single interruption.

Dozens of ships surrounded a small island. Atop the island sat a chest.

—"Is it that chest?"

—"Yes!"

Inside the magically sealed chest was a deadly poison potent enough to kill Cain ten times over.

A lethal poison crafted by the Allied Raid Team with their pride on the line!

—"Hmph."

Nitinger flicked a claw. The chest popped open instantly.

Whoosh!

—"Hmph."

—"..."

—"...Attack!!!"

—"Dragon's Fall! Dragon's Ruin!"

SPLASH!!!

A massive pillar of water erupted from the sudden ambush as Nitinger crashed into the sea.

The gathered raid players erupted in cheers.

"It worked!!!!"

"Phase 1 complete!! Phase 1 complete!! Raise the flags! Start recording! Start the stream!"

"Engage! Activate all siege engines! Fire! Fire!"

A raid they had prepared for countless times. The rankers instantly assumed their roles and sprang into action.

The siege engines creaked as they aimed giant magic spears at the dragon.

"Wow. They're actually fighting pretty well."

"...Tae-hyun. This is the sea right in front of our kingdom... and the nearby Blood Archipelago belongs to the vampires, who are your vassals..."

"What a bunch of scoundrels! How dare they fight right in front of someone else's kingdom!"

'...Carbanog. I feel like there's some hidden thorn in your words...'

"Hmm. Let's keep watching."

Tae-hyun fast-forwarded the video.

Nitinger had fallen into the sea. Both the fall and the weakening debuffs had landed successfully.

Wherever they had gotten them, they had clearly acquired some incredibly powerful magic scrolls.

A barrage of siege engine fire and magic rained down upon him!

Caught completely off guard, Nitinger couldn't even retaliate and was relentlessly pummeled.

Steel cables attached to the siege weapons wound tightly around Nitinger, binding him.

—"Don't focus on DPS yet! Cast curses instead of dealing damage!"

—"We have to lock him down completely! Mercenaries, charge! Circle him and rain down arrows!"

The raid team proceeded methodically, taking their time. They kept Nitinger's focus disrupted to prevent him from counterattacking.

And then, the raid team was obliterated.

"???"

"?????"

Tae-hyun and his companions watching the video were utterly dumbfounded. Weren't they just fighting perfectly fine a second ago?

"W-wait, play that back."

The raid team proceeded methodically, taking their time...

And then, the raid team was obliterated.

"What the hell was that?!"

The raid team had been completely wiped out in a single second!