155. Run for It!!
The raid leader's role was, of course, command.
How to tackle the target.
Just as conquering the target was the raid party's simple essence and ultimate goal, the raid leader's competence was measured by how much more efficiently they executed that "how."
Hunters broadly classified raid leaders into three types.
Planners, Instinctives, and Improvisers.
A Planner gathered all available information before the raid and devised a perfect strategy to conquer it.
This was fundamentally the strategic tactical team's job, which was why every raid leader had to pass through that department.
At first glance, it seemed to embody the idea of "preparation is everything," but in raids, the term usually carried a negative connotation.
It was a necessary virtue, but a Planner was useless in unexpected situations outside their script.
In raids, where countless variables arose, even if they anticipated every one, monsters always defied expectations. And when they did, the half-baked Planner couldn't respond properly.
That was why Planners had all but vanished from the industry.
The second type, Instinctives, were a breed even Kang Moo-hyuk struggled to explain.
They drew on experiences and senses honed in hunts, consciously or unconsciously processing every scrap of information to carve out a path to victory on the fly.
Instinctives shone brightest in raids.
Named monsters, including bosses, each had unique skills. Known ones could be prepared for, but with an Unknown, predicting the attack was nearly impossible.
That was when an Instinctive would sense the skill's activation like a ghost.
They might not pinpoint the exact type, but top-tier ones could distinguish single-target from AoE, or buff from debuff.
Joo Se-ah was the prime example.
Finally, Improvisers.
Also called Calculators.
The most common type, but few mastered it perfectly.
An Improviser built on a Planner's information gathering, leading from the front lines while collecting, analyzing, and calculating every variable in real time to respond.
The ideal raid leader incarnate.
Slayer's current expedition leader So Sang-yeop and former leader Seong Seon-je exemplified it.
Seong Seon-je was hailed as Korea's greatest commander in hunter history.
It was ironic that an Instinctive like Joo Se-ah had grown under such talents.
Kang Moo-hyuk chewed the inside of his lip as he watched the raid unfolding before him.
Ultimately, I pursue the Improviser style, but as a non-hunter, I'm just a glorified Planner in practice.
That was why he was a division leader, not vice guild master. A strategic team leader, not a raid leader.
But.
What the hell is this?
What he saw before him.
Mana flow? Waves? Currents?
The final phase of the bomb-spore flower wave.
Giant Bomber!
The boss monster formed by the fusion of bomb-spore flower parent bodies was emanating mana that now...
unfolded right before Kang Moo-hyuk's eyes.
Aside from gate outbreaks dumping mana in an instant, no known phenomenon made mana visible to the eye.
Kang Moo-hyuk, well-versed in hunter history and gate research, had never heard of it.
But he had experienced it once before.
The unknown entity summoned by the goblin matriarch.
For some reason, after that stimulus, he could see mana.
And when he met World Hunter Federation's Aila, he had seen it again—clear, refreshing mana, unlike the ominous haze from the unknown.
That was when he first learned mana had types.
And now.
With the Giant Bomber's appearance, mana was visible again.
Is this a progression of the previous symptom, or something new from nearly dying this time?
He knew seeing mana was a mana addiction symptom.
But since this was his first time facing a boss directly, he couldn't tell if it started with the goblin matriarch or worsened after Sinuiju.
Doesn't matter right now. The key is this.
It helped.
He had more certainty about mana than ever.
Kang Moo-hyuk climbed to the rooftop of a two-story building overlooking the raid site and issued orders to the party.
"Relay to main tanker: Countdown to seed bomb activation. Hold. ...Go! 10, 9, 8, 7…."
Using message skill from his designated courier hunter, he relayed the boss skill timer.
Hwang Dong-soo at the front lines broadcast the countdown from "9" to the entire raid party in a booming voice.
At "5," he stomped his sword into the ground, unleashing a shockwave to hold aggro. His party members pulled back in the gap.
At "2," he swung the broad side of his greatsword in a cleave. The boss staggered back, and Hwang retreated too.
0.
From the jellyfish head of the recoiled Giant Bomber, seed bombs rained down like a showerhead spraying every direction.
BOOM! KABOOM! KABOOmf!
The bombs devastated the surroundings on impact.
Inner seeds caught in the blasts perished. Enraged at its offspring's death, the boss wailed like nails on a chalkboard.
"Relay to main tanker: Hand off after aggro. Tell them to lock it down—no side-stepping. Position shifted. Parties, protect your tankers. Push inner seeds to clear space for them."
The courier hunter relayed Kang Moo-hyuk's nonstop orders to the field.
Even relaying flawlessly was grueling; his raid experience was limited to 12-man parties.
No such granular orders there—just nagging tankers for aggro or complaining about low DPS.
And this was just the global commands.
"3 o'clock: New inner seed squad spawning. 4th party tanker, AoE aggro. Your DPS, mezz 'em. Peel and remove one by one."
"2nd party No Song-rin: Massive inner seeds at 10 o'clock. Stripe tactic—split and disperse. Detailed command to party leader."
"3rd party Hyeon Jeong-geon: Line's buckling. Recover position."
"6th party: Support 3rd. Ranged DPS, suppressive fire on flanks—don't let your party get surrounded. No spamming AoE; snipe."
To high-rankers familiar with raid tactics, Kang gave concise orders, leaving details to discretion.
For others, he spelled it out clearly.
Party terms were hunter basics, used as-is, but with explicit "where and how."
Hunters executed mechanically, stunned.
Raids always this easy?
What? No big deal? I was scared for nothing.
Iron Will's C-grade? Then top guilds must be gods. Non-hunter does this? The rest are untouchable.
Compared to their tension, the smooth raid bred misconceptions.
No one was hurt or exhausted mid-raid.
Ironically, Kang Moo-hyuk was most rattled.
Seeing mana makes this possible? Is this what Instinctives feel?
Mana pooling in the head: seed bombs.
Legs: tentacle sweep.
Mouth: cannon.
He read skill types and timings near-perfectly.
"We've scraped by so far…."
But it wasn't easy.
No crises yet because the main tanker was skilled.
Kang's pre-fight instructions to Hwang for the Giant Bomber were tricky.
Normally, magic incineration's ideal, but no mages, so mana sword—chip away like cauterizing. Max 0.5% body per swing. More, and debris absorbs inner seeds into elite guards. Less still buffs seeds via absorption, but manageable vs. elites. If sizing's hard, just under quarter tentacle length.
Why the "weak" Giant Bomber was tough.
Damage to one-shot chunks, mana control for endurance, patience.
High-rank traits.
Other elites could've swarmed during aggro holds, but No Song-rin and Hyeon Jeong-geon were pinned blocking seed encirclements.
Kang foresaw the line collapsing without them.
Others found it "easy" thanks to elite efforts.
Seeds clump and encircle? Minefield. Annoying numbers, but hold line, and it's time.
Risky, but straightforward.
Don't need Yi Suk-young's recruits. Clean win at this rate.
But Kang forgot the hunter adage.
Three hunters gather, one’s an idiot.
A 1st party DPS watched Hwang's precision work.
Chipping like that? When’ll it die? Doesn't look tough. Why not hack away?
Despite Kang's "observe only" order.
One swing won't hurt.
He ignited his mana sword and slashed a dangling tentacle.
Kang spotted it and yelled.
"Shit! Emergency! Hyeon Jeong-geon, No Song-rin! Burn those severed tentacles on the ground first!"
Sharp order, but the ad-hoc raid's flaw struck again.
The courier fumbled in haste, sending to the wrong target.
Corrected late, but tangled commands left gaps.
Low-ranks couldn't incinerate fast enough.
Three tentacles began absorbing nearby seeds.
Kang confirmed and.
"Full raid retreat."
Ordered withdrawal without hesitation, turning away.
Yi Suk-young was damn good.
Fleeing Chinese hunters from Makyung to North Pocheon ironically proved her range—up to Jilin near their hidden gates.
Kang tasked her knowing this.
Plus, local know-how from long hunts near Tumen River and Da Hong Dan.
Thus, many Da Hong Dan hunters knew her face. She leveraged connections for a second raid party from their intel.
No time for attack vanguard mid-hunt. Leader wants that time cut. Show my stuff, guild spot rises.
Yi was motivated. New guild—aim high.
Accepted Makyung scout for big rewards. Risk for success over safe mediocrity—that drove her hunts.
Kang's hint helped, but grasping his vision and assembling wasn't easy. Low-rank, but admin-savvy.
As she gathered most from marked outposts.
A message arrived via unaffiliated hunter coalition deputy.
"Yi Suk-young, hunter."
"Yessir, Deputy comrade. Whatcha got?"
"Heard whisperin'—that Kang Moo-hyuk leader fella's sendin' messages via courier skill. Lookin' fer ya."
"Say what?"
"Retreat. Straight retreat. Rally at county office."
"Retreat... ya say?"
Yi sensed trouble.
About to request details from Kang's side.
Then, thunderous army boots from afar.
"Wamma? What's that?!"
Unfitting shriek in the thick southern drawl.
Hunters turned.
"Flower clumps... comin' in hordes!"
Inner seeds and a massive unknown beast charged down the road.
Yi shrieked in panic.
"Run, run fer it!!"