Chapter 18
Chapter 18
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 18
>Chapter Title: I'm the Tank
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>“Kaizer’s party is quite famous. They’re called the strongest party that’s smashed through invincible bosses and dungeons.”
Those were the words of the reporter during an interview before Delrock met its downfall.
What’s the secret? What kind of tries do they usually do? What do they do in their downtime?
Do-hyun had answered calmly, from trivial updates to heavy questions.
“We just play normally. We chat by the campfire, and when we find a new dungeon, we try it out.”
“The secret? Just... everyone doing their roles well?”
When the reporter retorted that those roles weren’t something ordinary people could do, Do-hyun had to tilt his head, but Kaiser’s image was so solid that people seemed to accept it without issue.
Some fans even loved the human touch in those little updates.
As the interview was wrapping up.
“Ah, I can’t not ask this.”
The reporter locked eyes with him, genuinely curious.
“I know the standard party setup is one tank, two DPS, and one supporter like a healer.”
“Yes.”
Do-hyun nodded.
It was the most basic, textbook composition.
Of course, it varied slightly by party style.
Like dropping the supporter for an extra DPS, or all melee DPS or all ranged, or doubling up on supporters to buff the tank....
Parties came in all shapes, but there was one unchanging rule.
“But what’s unique is that Kaizer’s party has no tank. I hear it’s all DPS... How does that even work for raids?”
The existence of the tank.
There might be one-man tank teams, but no party without a tank existed.
No, it couldn’t exist.
“Doing raids without one-on-ones doesn’t even make sense... Some fans are even saying it’s the ‘kill-before-you-die’ meta. Kill ‘em before they kill you.”
Raids couldn’t happen without one-on-ones.
Aggro management, boss marking, pattern breaking.
The tank handled the core roles in raids.
No matter how well DPS dealt damage and dodged, without that, it was all for nothing.
It was an ironclad law and common sense, no matter how skilled you were.
“That’s why people imitating Kaizer’s party are getting flak for turning into trolls.”
As the reporter chuckled lowly, Kaizer’s party was both an object of admiration and the father of trolls.
A troll factory churning out countless trolls.
Yet they flawlessly took down bosses like it was nothing.
The strongest party.
How was that possible?
“Tank... yeah, important.”
“Yes.”
And now, the reason was finally being revealed.
Even the veteran reporter tensed up, scribbling notes at this historic moment.
What method would it be?
As the creator of countless metas, had Kaizer invented another groundbreaking one?
Reporters and gamers alike focused on the interview, awaiting Do-hyun’s answer.
After seconds that felt like eternity, Do-hyun spoke.
“So I do it.”
“......Pardon?”
“The tanking.”
“......?”
The reporter was dumbfounded.
Kaizer was armed to the teeth with DPS skills and items.
Unmatched in PvP, the most precise DPS dealer in raids.
The pinnacle of DPS calling himself a tank?
But Do-hyun wasn’t lying.
“If one-on-oneing the boss is tanking... then I’m doing it.”
Breaking patterns, grabbing aggro, enduring boss attacks—if that was tanking, Do-hyun handled it perfectly.
He broke every pattern with clean strikes, naturally pulled aggro, and dodged or parried every boss attack.
Thus, Kaizer’s role was tank.
“......”
Faced with the absurd claim, the reporter was speechless, like his mouth was glued shut.
Countless rebuttals rose to his throat, but he couldn’t spit them out.
If not tanking, what else could handling all that be?
He was just a DPS tank.
......Who dealt a ton of damage.
* * *
>Kuuoooh!
‘......Does this even make sense?’
Shield Supreme was feeling the same bewilderment that reporter must have.
And in real combat, no less.
Stab!
Kuh!
“Damn... broke the pattern again.”
“Whoa. How’s he breaking it without Bash?”
“Breaking the mixer was legendary. Still gives me chills thinking about it.”
The principle for breaking boss patterns was simple.
All bosses had telltale motions before patterns; interrupting those canceled the pattern.
The motion got cut, so it didn’t activate, but it registered as activated.
That’s why tanks packed at least two or three hard CCs in their skill sets.
No position could frontline and perform that role like a sturdy tank.
That was common sense, the basics.
‘......That guy’s a DPS?’
But now, that common sense was crumbling.
He exquisitely broke every pattern, pounding the boss one-sidedly, then dodged around to regain aggro and resume DPS.
Rinse and repeat whenever a pattern showed.
‘To think patterns could be broken like that......’
Unbelievable, even seeing it.
Why else would tanks spam hard CCs?
To force-break patterns, you had to time it perfectly to prevent the motion—impossible without CC.
Yet he was doing it with simple thrusts?
Sure, for greatsword patterns, disarming the sword made sense in theory... but seeing it in practice was absurd.
‘......Do we even need tanks?’
In God of Ose, wasn’t tank the most crucial position?
With a DPS like that handling tank duties better than most and outdamaging average DPS, what was a tank’s value?
For the first time, doubt crept into the tank position.
‘No. Tanks aren’t the problem.’
The problem was Kaizer pulling off the impossible.
He’d held back until the mixer break; now he was dueling like a fish in water.
At first, they’d zoned out after the mixer, so Kaizer tanked briefly, but now Shield Supreme oddly felt like the sub-tank.
Talk about roles reversing....
Kwa-duk—Stab!
“Insane.”
“Look at him picking vital spots only. Should I nickname you ‘Brow Piercer,’ bro? You’re drilling right between the eyes.”
Watching him out-duel even himself felt strangely off.
-HP: [6,231 / 20,000]
Already down to 30% HP.
After the role reversal, clear speed had actually picked up.
Sub-tank proved way more effective than main-tanking, so was it really a reversal?
‘Average clear time was 1 hour 10 minutes, right?’
About 25 minutes in now?
Hitting this pace under 30 minutes felt unreal.
It was miraculous, but time to stop marveling.
‘Phase 2 soon.’
Variant Goblin Warrior entered phase 2 below 20% HP.
And phase 2 was the real deal.
Unlike now, using only Body Enhancement, it would unleash its other two traits.
Patterns so vicious they’d make the mixer seem cute.
That’s why noobs despaired at Variant Goblin Warrior—the infamous newbie killer.
-HP: [4,103 / 20,000]
‘Almost.’
Do-hyun knew it well.
He’d checked the guide before starting.
And the next moment.
[Variant Goblin Warrior's HP has fallen below 20%.]
[Variant Goblin Warrior manifests a trait.]
[Trait ‘Warrior’ manifests.]
[All stats of Variant Goblin Warrior rise, entering ‘Berserk’ state.]
[Trait ‘Variant’ manifests.]
[Inflict four consecutive physical hits, and the entire party gets a debuff. Inflict three consecutive magic hits, and all damage is reflected.]
“It’s here.”
“Phase 2 already...? Feels like not even 25 minutes. This pace is nuts.”
Groans erupted here and there at the phase 2 messages.
Variant trait.
Unlike consistent traits, each boss got unique abilities.
Variant Goblin Warrior’s was a rule.
The infamous 007 Bang.
Forcing you to mix damage types—one different every three hits.
Sounds easy, but tracking it mid-fight was hell.
Mess up and have two party members hit on the third—hell begins.
Newbies without job skills flailing under debuffs against a berserk boss? Near impossible.
‘Three straight magic hits? Instant wipe.’
Magic was three, to confuse.
Even synced parties slipped once; first try? Guaranteed wipe.
A pattern showing why it’s a party dungeon.
“Now the real game starts.”
“Let’s rotate attacks like we planned. Doesn’t matter if it takes time—just stay calm.”
“Yeah, got it.”
“Order again: 1 me, 2 Kaizer, 3 Brow, 4 Yoo-bin.”
Everyone nodded at Shield Supreme’s words.
Do-hyun too.
Phase 2 wasn’t about speed.
They’d take it slow and steady.
Until messages popped for Do-hyun.
[Trait Warrior’s ‘Berserk’ boosts boss physical stats; user attack and move speed -4%.]
[Trait ‘Hero’ blocks mental corruption.]
[Ignores Berserk effect.]
[Immune to Variant effect.]
“......Huh?”
Do-hyun’s gaze naturally shifted to the Variant Goblin Warrior.
‘Come to think of it, Hero trait was status immunity, right?’
Too many traits, and no chance to use Hero’s yet.
Even so, nullifying boss debuffs?
‘That changes everything.’
Four physical hits debuffing the party?
Not anymore.
Well, just for Do-hyun.
“Berserk state, so super calm. Got it? No panic attacks—dodge first, always.”
“Obviously.”
“Kaizer, no objections?”
They didn’t get Do-hyun’s messages, it seemed.
Only he was fine.
As eyes turned to him, Do-hyun replied curtly.
“Wait a sec.”
“......Pardon?”
“This is fastest.”
“What do you—huh?”
“Kaizer bro!?”
The group yelled in confusion at the sudden words.
Do-hyun had charged the boss alone.
Solo debuff immunity?
‘That’s plenty.’
Berserk or not, he’d soloed it from the start anyway.