The Art of Waiting

But waiting was a very difficult thing. Charging forward, surprisingly, was something almost anyone could do. You just had to bravely raise your weapon and run. But waiting was different. You had to endure and suppress the voice inside whispering, Is it now? Now? A choice that could be neither too early nor too late. It was something only those who truly believed in themselves could accomplish.

The Fire Magic Beast roared as it was bombarded by a concentrated barrage of ice magic. No matter how many times it unleashed its ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠area-of-effect attacks, the players swarmed back relentlessly. There were four major guilds gathered here alone! Unlike casual players, they weren't satisfied with a mere handful of contribution points. Since they had joined the fray, every single one of them was aiming for first place. Even if a few guild members fell, the next wave immediately rushed in to take their place.

"Groooar! Groooaaar!"

"The beast is going wild again! Dodge!"

Having fought it for so long, the players had finally grasped the Fire Magic Beast's patterns to some extent. Roaring in that specific manner was a clear signal that it was about to unleash another massive AoE skill!

"Fall back! Fall back!"

"Get out of there!"

The players quickly retreated. A few greedy individuals bravely poured their skills into the Fire Magic Beast, but the others only stared at them with pity. They're going to get themselves killed! After seeing so many others die doing the exact same thing, acting like that was nothing short of foolish.

"We can take it down, right?"

"Yeah. I was a bit worried at first, but at this rate, we've got this."

Such conversations rippled through the guild ranks. Although the Fire Magic Beast was incredibly powerful, its patterns were fairly simple. On top of that, the sheer number of players, cultists, and kingdom soldiers gathered here was staggering! Deprived of support from the Sadiq Church and subjected to a concentrated onslaught, the Fire Magic Beast was gradually weakening.

"Should we all charge in once the next AoE ends? I'm worried about what those bastards from the Eden Guild are planning."

"Eden isn't our only problem. Look over there—Johansson brought his guild too."

"Ah, dammit. Have they no business ethics? What are we supposed to do with this many people crowding in?"

Although the ranker Johansson wasn't leading a giant guild, he was holding his ground with a small, elite guild composed of highly skilled players. They were more than capable of taking down the Fire Magic Beast on their own! With other major guilds thrown into the mix, it was a massive headache.

"Alright. Let's move in the moment that AoE fades."

"Will that be okay?"

"If we wait any longer, we might lose the kill to someone else."

Enraged, the Fire Magic Beast was turning its surroundings into a sea of fire. When an AoE of that scale was unleashed, dodging was the only option. No matter how much fire resistance or magic resistance a player possessed, it was impossible to tank. Even the sturdiest tanks with astronomical health pools were no exception.

"Huh?"

"What is it?"

"What the hell is that? Are those... knights?"

"??"

At his guild member's words, Lee Jun-seop, the Guild Master of the Acacia Guild, furrowed his brows. A troop of knights was charging straight through the sea of flames.

"???"

Everyone doubted their own eyes. What on earth were they doing?

"W-what are they doing?"

Inside an AoE of that caliber, even high-level kingdom knights wouldn't be able to survive for more than five seconds. Yet, the knights charged forward without a single hint of hesitation. They let out a thunderous roar.

"For the Atali Kingdom!"

"Charge! Now is our chance!"

And the one shouting at the very front of the vanguard was none other than Tae-hyun!

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

Right now!

"—Archisus's Blessing!"

Knowing the moment had come, Tae-hyun immediately activated Archisus's Blessing. It was an absurdly broken skill that shared his astronomical Luck stat with all subordinates under his command! Its duration was short. Within that brief window, they had to pierce through the AoE flames and land a decisive blow on the Fire Magic Beast.

"Ride! Ride like madmen! Do not stop!"

The knights' HP and MP were drained, but their other combat stats surged in return. In any case, they were currently shielded by Tae-hyun's colossal Luck.

Message windows flooded his vision. AoE attacks that could be dodged like this were the easiest type of offense for Tae-hyun to counter.

The knights' charge was terrifying. While they were formidable on foot, the true strength of the Knight class shone when they charged at breakneck speed on horseback! As they galloped in tight formation, several skills were unleashed in rapid succession.

"—Radiant Brilliance!"

"—Flag of the Kingdom!"

Thanks to the knights' skills, Tae-hyun and Cain received the buffs as well. Their bodies flashed with light, instantly feeling as light as a feather.

"Strike!"

Crash!!!

The knights' ferocious charge slammed directly into the Fire Magic Beast. This was no ordinary charge; it was a devastating assault amplified by multiple synchronized skills!

"Groooaaargh!"

The Fire Magic Beast, which had been spewing flames in all directions, shrieked in agony as the impact hit.

There was no time to admire the title. The moment the knights' lance charge connected, Tae-hyun leaped off his mount and lunged toward the Fire Magic Beast.

"—Shadow Dive, Shadow Leap!"

Vanishing across the short distance, Tae-hyun materialized directly on the Fire Magic Beast's shoulder.

"—Divine Foresight. Wrath, Circle of Attack!"

Activating Archisus's Blessing alongside a flurry of other skills had drained his MP to rock bottom in an instant. Tae-hyun quickly downed an Intermediate MP Potion he had kept ready. A sharp, carbonated sensation stung the back of his throat.

Crash!

"Kuaaakh!"

...

The empty potion bottle he had mindlessly tossed away had struck the Fire Magic Beast square in the eye. Tae-hyun found it utterly absurd, but he didn't waste a single second. With the beast currently stunned by the knights' coordinated charge, this was his golden opportunity! Tae-hyun's longsword, Yuseong, flared with a brilliant light.

Boom! Boom! Crash!

His blade struck rhythmically, over and over. He was flawlessly targeting the minuscule weak points revealed by Divine Foresight. It was a breathtaking acrobatic display performed high above the ground, right on the beast's shoulder! Watching Tae-hyun relentlessly rain down strikes from a precarious position where even maintaining balance was a feat was nothing short of miraculous. Below, the onlookers' jaws dropped.

"Who the hell is that?"

"Is it Johansson? No, Johansson doesn't fight like that."

"That's... Kim Tae-san!"

"What? Kim Tae-san?"

Tae-hyun's name—or rather, his alias—was reasonably well-known by now. After all, the dragon incident on Katerand Island had sent shockwaves through the entire community.

Clang, clang, clatter!

Tae-hyun had been steadily building up his critical stacks for a while now. The stacks kept mounting with every skill-driven strike! He desperately wanted to detonate them, but he forced himself to hold back. Not yet.

Three seconds, two seconds...

"Fall back!"

At Tae-hyun's shout, the knights simultaneously wheeled their mounts around and began to retreat. The duration of Archisus's Blessing was about to expire. Though he wanted to squeeze in a few more hits, Tae-hyun refused to let greed get the better of him.

Greed will only lead to a bloodbath.

Even as he fought atop the blazing, roaring Fire Magic Beast, Tae-hyun remained completely cool-headed. Besides, even if his knights stopped attacking, there were plenty of others ready to take their place.

"Attack! Attack!"

"We can't let him steal the kill!"

Tae-hyun had anticipated the other players' reactions. Realizing they were about to lose the boss to a guy who had suddenly charged in with a troop of knights, the surrounding players began unleashing their most powerful, closely guarded skills without holding back.

"Groooaaargh! Urgh! Argh!"

It was a relentless storm of attacks that paid absolutely no heed to Tae-hyun, who was still perched on the beast's shoulder!

These bastards...

Tae-hyun was caught right in the crossfire. Of course, while he successfully evaded or blocked most of the friendly fire using his Avatar of Archisus class skills, it didn't make the experience any less irritating.

"?!"

An event that absolutely no one present had anticipated was unfolding. An awakening, of all things.

What is this, some kind of robot? Why is it transforming?

Clinging to the Fire Magic Beast's shoulder, Tae-hyun muttered to himself in sheer disbelief. But his disbelief did nothing to change the reality of the situation.

"Groooaaar!"

The Fire Magic Beast roared with newfound vigor!

Suddenly, the beast dropped flat to the ground, shifting its posture from a bipedal stance to a quadrupedal one.

"???"

Pitter-patter!

Tae-hyun, who had been attacking from the shoulder, quickly scrambled up onto its back.

What is wrong with this thing?

The answer became clear almost instantly. The Fire Magic Beast began sprinting on all fours. Its target: the dense cluster of players!

"!!!"

"W-w-what is that?!"

The players, who had grown complacent because the bipedal beast had barely moved until now, shrieked in absolute terror. Running on all fours made it terrifyingly fast.

Thud, thud, thud, thud!

The Fire Magic Beast charged forward, spewing scorching torrents of flame from its entire body. Getting caught in the flames or trampled underfoot meant instant death!

"Aaargh!"

"Run!"

Players who had managed to dodge and endure until now were logged out of the game in the blink of an eye.

"What the hell..."

Tae-hyun barely managed to keep his balance on ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the beast's back. Riding the Fire Magic Beast at full sprint felt like standing on a white-hot iron plate. Flickering tongues of flame constantly lashed out, trying to incinerate him.

Yet, Tae-hyun's evasions succeeded one after another. The occasional tick of damage he did take was minor enough to be ignored.

"—Lucky Strike, Lucky Strike, Lucky Strike, Lucky Strike, Lucky Strike..."

"Just die already!"

Crunch!

Tae-hyun drove his sword down with all his might. Thanks to the chaotic distraction provided by the other players' frantic attacks, he was able to focus entirely on his offense from atop the beast's back. A relentless chain of attacks!

Bam, bam, bam, bam!

Tae-hyun hammered the Fire Magic Beast's weak points with obsessive precision. Unable to ignore the damage any longer, the sprinting beast finally let out a pitiful shriek and collapsed to its knees.

"Groooaaargh!"

Tae-hyun felt it instinctively. This was the moment.

"—Critical Explosion!"

Boom, boom, boom, boom, crash!

The critical stacks he had been hoarding detonated all at once, translating into an astronomical burst of damage. It was an explosion of power incomparable to anything he had unleashed so far!

Message windows flashed rapidly before his eyes. Tae-hyun swiped them all away without checking. That wasn't what mattered right now.

"Tae-hyun! Congratulations on defeating the Fire Magic Beast—"

"Shut up and run!"

"Huh?"

"We're catching the bastard who stole my item!"

Tae-hyun wasn't about to sit back and celebrate just because the Fire Magic Beast was dead. He hadn't forgotten Burford, the thief who had run off with the ring that rightfully belonged to him. The man was bound to be somewhere around this valley, and Tae-hyun was going to catch him before he could escape! With the Sadiq Church crumbling and its members fleeing in panic, now was the perfect opportunity.

"Let's go! Follow me!"

"Y-yes, sir!"

Though utterly bewildered, the knights immediately fell into line at Tae-hyun's command. Rumble—

Kicking up a massive cloud of dust, Tae-hyun and his troop galloped away. Left behind in their wake were the remaining players, staring blankly in the direction they had vanished.

"W-what just happened?"