The Final Act

Seeing him deliver his lines, I knew we’d successfully pushed the phase within a minute.

I flicked my eyes to the side to check the Damage Meter.

Once we pushed the phase, concrete numbers appeared where only question marks had been before.

'100% defense penetration and 40% boss damage. Even with everything else stacked for speed, I’m only at 27%...'

It was clear that Seo Ian and Hong Jehun’s raw damage output was no joke. They didn’t have the Weakness God skill, so unlike me, their defense-ignoring damage only applied at 50%. Yet, the fact that the percentage gap between us was so small spoke volumes.

'And that’s even though I’ve only been hitting the Reverse Scale until now.'

The Reverse Scale. It was a weak point that appeared as a red glow when using Hawk's Eye. It felt like hitting it once applied some kind of debuff, as the damage dealt to the boss increased by 1.5x. Not only that, but consecutive hits increased the damage even further—by about double, by my estimation.

Anyway, the Pierrot’s Reverse Scale was the star painted on the right cheek of its mask. Only I had been hitting it; the others hadn't. Naturally, because I hadn't told them.

Was it ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠out of greed for contribution points? Hardly. It was because of what Park Siwoo had mentioned about "foreign friends." Information was power. I didn’t know why, but radio waves worked inside the Tower. If they were on a real-time call and happened to be watching us, and I revealed the Reverse Scale, wouldn't other countries' towers easily breeze through the phase too?

I needed South Korea to remain firmly in first place in the Special Floors so I could rest comfortably in my own home. Why would I leak information about the Reverse Scale for someone else's benefit?

That was why I had intentionally delayed my first hit. I made sure my shot blended in when everyone else’s attacks were creating a chaotic mess. Why? So they wouldn't be able to guess where the hit came from that caused the "1.5x damage increase" notification.

...But there was one strange thing. Why did those two only hit the legs? Even if they didn't know about the Reverse Scale, they should have known that hitting the head would increase damage... I’d ask them about that later.

This was the same message I’d heard last month at the Temple, the previous Special Floor. But there was one additional line.

The moment that sound echoed, *snap!* All the lights in the arena went out, and we were plunged into darkness. Immediately, *tap!* A single spotlight turned on, illuminating the boss, the Pierrot. Then, a second *tap!* rang out, and all the remaining spotlights converged into a single beam, pouring down directly onto the top of my head.

'Ugh, blinding... and it's so hot, I'm going to go bald.'

I covered my stinging eyes with my hand and squinted. Before I could even open them properly, a concise sentence drilled into my eardrums, making me frown.

"Ah, shit."

Even though I knew the call was connected, a curse slipped out before I could stop it. My gaze instinctively drifted toward the empty air to the Pierrot’s right.

"Wait, the 'Target' is me right now?"

Is the system spotlighting me because I'm the target, or what?

-Kee-hee-hee-hee!!

The Pierrot’s voice echoed through the arena. Its head tilted sharply. Our eyes met. It pulled something from inside its cloak: a massive, blood-caked acrobatic hammer. Instantly, the smell of raw blood filled the air. The corners of the mouth painted on its mask tore open even wider.

Just as I swallowed hard at the eerie sensation, it lunged toward me in a flash, as if teleporting. The hammer soared high into the sky.

'Wait, hold on!!'

-CRASH!!!

I rolled my body reflexively to dodge.

'Wait, my body feels way too light...'

For a moment, it felt as if my body was about to float away. I was surprised by how quickly I’d adapted to it.

Im Hyunjin’s voice came through my right wireless earphone. Seeing I was in danger, he must have temporarily funneled the buffs meant for the entire guild toward me. Good instincts.

"Thanks! You saved me! Now, about this turn..."

The Pierrot was struggling to pull its hammer out of the floor, having missed its attack. Man, looking at that, if I’d taken even one wrong hit...

I shouted into the earphone, "The aggro can jump now, so someone take it, quickly!"

That was directed at the Ace and the Sub-leader, who had been holding back their damage while watching me. Yeah, I wasn't talking to you.

The Pierrot raised its hammer again. Even though I’d dumped my defense, I’d put a lot of effort into my speed. I was staring wide-eyed, planning to dodge after seeing the movement, but—

*Clang!*

"You cheeky bastard... how dare you! Trying to lay a hand on our benefactor!!"

Seo Ian dove between me and the Pierrot, parrying the hammer with a powerful upward strike. The sound of steel clashing rang out violently. Sparks flew, and the Pierrot was pushed back.

"Hey. Hong Jehun, you want to take it?"

Even from where I stood, I could see the smirk behind Seo Ian’s helmet.

"Save me. You saw the speed it was lunging at."

"Control your damage well. If it jumps, I’m not bringing it back."

After issuing that warning, Seo Ian jumped forward again and said to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠me, "Once the aggro is completely on me, you just stay in the back and deal damage. Not behind me, but behind the Pierrot. Got it?"

It took some time for the aggro to shift. It was around the time Park Siwoo and Team Leader Oh Wontaek said we had five minutes left. And soon, I understood why Seo Ian had insisted on "behind the Pierrot."

Once I moved, her playstyle changed. Minimal defense, maximum offense. At a glance, it was a radical style of "giving flesh to take bone." It seemed she hadn't been able to fight in her true style until now because she was busy protecting my glass-cannon body.

"Understood."

I saw Park Siwoo, who had been firing his gun, scurrying between the audience seats. As expected of an enchanter. He was starting to clear out the gathering zones that only I could see.

I pushed aside my regret and started firing my crossbow again. I’d given up on gathering. Because of contribution points? That was part of it, but mostly because I felt like we could actually clear this. A First Clear. Who wouldn't be greedy for that?

-It’s your fault for doing it wrong! Kee-hee-hee!!

Suddenly, a new line of dialogue. Could it be? ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠No, surely not?

"This bastard?!"

Increased defense against melee attacks. Seo Ian’s eyes widened. Red veins were clearly visible on her eyelids.

Simultaneously with that notification, the Pierrot shrank down to human size and multiplied into several copies in every direction.

"Benefactor! This bastard is actually using shadow clones now?"

Seo ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Ian laughed like she’d lost her mind. Then she looked straight at Hong Jehun. "Hey Hong Jehun. This looks like an illusion pattern, right?"

"Can you take the aggro instead? It says melee defense is up."

Hong Jehun asked with a calm smile. "Tanking? Is it possible?"

"If it’s an illusion pattern, tanking is impossible. Everyone has to fend for themselves."

"Forget it. But if the aggro jumps even once, you’re dead, seriously."

The remaining HP was low, but the speed at which it was dropping had slowed significantly. I could feel that Seo Ian’s damage had decreased, and Hong Jehun was noticeably increasing the intervals between his attacks to avoid pulling aggro.

Anyway, the illusion pattern. I’d heard of it. Out of many, only one was real. Since attacking them didn't make the illusions disappear, the strategy was to wipe them out with area-of-effect skills. Or just beat them all up evenly.

But... I had a feeling there might be another way. I blinked my eyes. When you're curious, what do you do? What else? Use Hawk's Eye!

"This is tricky."

There was only one Pierrot with the Reverse Scale. I tried to identify and point out the real one, but it wasn't easy. They were all tangled up, making it hard to call out their positions... The one that was 3rd from the right and 5th from the top a moment ago had now shifted to 6th from the right and 4th from the bottom.

How was I supposed to pinpoint that? And... first and foremost, helping Seo Ian survive that dogpile seemed like the urgent priority.

"Im Hyunjin!"

As expected, a good supporter has good instincts. If the situation hadn't been so dire, I would have been deeply impressed.

Wow, a double alarm. At the same time, a brilliant blue light exploded from the tip of Hong Jehun’s staff. The light took shape, turning into several dragons that swept violently across the floor. It seemed to be a system-based attack made of light that passed through other objects and only hit the mobs.

"That one!"

One Pierrot got caught in the light. Everyone saw it clearly. The firepower shifted toward that spot. Remaining HP: 2%.

-Kee! That hurts, you bugs!!

Whether it was a pattern-change line or not, the Pierrots that had stepped back gathered into one, then split apart again. There were far more of them than before.

"I wondered when he’d pull that stunt."

Having experienced this often, Seo Ian didn't even get angry; she just steadied her stance. But... "There’s not even 3 minutes left, do you think we can catch it?"

"In this state, it’s impossible. Everyone here must have burned through their AoE and major skills the moment the Pierrot appeared."

That was true. In the Special Floor, mana was infinite, but cooldowns didn't disappear. That meant we couldn't tell who the real one was. If so...

"What if we knew who the real one was?"

At my question, Seo Ian and Hong Jehun exchanged a fleeting glance. "Is it doable? No. We’ll do it."

Behind her helmet, her eyes had gone cold. But the will burning within them was more intense than ever. Personally, this was the part of Seo Ian I was drawn to. The reason I’d felt more for Seo Ian, who was 2nd, than Hong Jehun, who was 1st at the time. That attitude of trying to get it done no matter what. That will to prove it through results without long words. Honestly, wasn't that cool?

"Then, as Guild Leader, I should help. Isn't it the Guild Leader's job to help the guild members run wild comfortably?"

I adjusted the crossbow I was holding. The ones that had finished splitting were rushing at Seo Ian again. I aimed at the feet of the ones bunched up in front of her and pulled the trigger. A broad mist spread out. One Pierrot got caught in it—*tick!*

*Tick! Tick! Tick! Tick! Tick!* The damage-over-time effect, boosted by the speed increase, triggered much faster than before.

I stepped back slightly and shouted, "I’ll consider this our guild dinner for today! I’ve set the table, so please, enjoy!"

At that moment, Seo Ian and Hong Jehun’s eyes flashed with an unprecedented sharpness. Both of them gripped their weapons tighter and unleashed their skills toward the "real Pierrot" caught in the mist. Sensing the end was near, they both fought with a fierce intensity, not caring if the aggro jumped.

BOOM!! THUD!!

I also blinked and began firing rapid shots at the Reverse Scale. Instantly, the numbers on the damage meter spiked again.

Crazy. My contribution dropped this much just because I stopped dealing damage for a bit? But the total amount... must have increased...

I spun my hope-circuit and kept my fingers moving until the very end. The remaining boss HP: 0.01%.

'Did we get it?'

The moment that thought crossed my mind, we were all facing each other inside the temporary guild office. Seo Ian looked around at everyone and asked, "Who got the last hit?"

The nuance was that it wasn't her. "I don't think it was me. I was interrupted while casting," Hong Jehun said. It wasn't him either. "I was interrupted right before I pulled the crossbow trigger," I said. It wasn't me either.

I looked at everyone. "But someone must have hit it, right...? We aren't the only ones entering the Special Floor?"

It was a wish. I—no, all of us—were spinning our hope-circuits, waiting for the system notification. Remaining boss HP: 0.01%. First place was guaranteed anyway. We had achieved an unprecedented breakthrough of the final phase of a Special Floor. But I didn't want to stop there; I wanted to finish it. Since we’d started it, wouldn't it be satisfying to see it to the end?

Before long, a *ding!* sound cut through the suffocating silence.

"That’s it! This is it!!" Seo Ian shouted, her cheekbones rising to the sky. Smiles spread across everyone’s faces. Following that, another notification rang out. An announcement that everyone in the world was waiting for with one heart. It was the "Special Floor Ranking Announcement," which displayed the rankings by country.

First place was ours anyway. The point of interest would be which countries took 2nd and 3rd.