Chapter 303: First Full Album (39)

“You are still alive. We should be fine then.”

This message struck a chord within me. Truth be told, since all but one tank and I had fallen in the first phase, it probably would have been wiser to simply start over. But they insisted on pressing forward, and who was I to argue?

Moreover, I must confess that I found a certain thrill in these precarious moments that occurred in chaotic raids.

- Okie

I responded succinctly and my fingers danced across the keyboard. My eyes darted faster than my fingers moved as they scanned the battlefield. The dragon’s relentless assaults were brutal, but there was no room for comfort there. I could potentially resurrect a handful of fallen comrades with a well-timed burst of my healer’s spells.

“Wow, this player is just as good as our Hyun-Woo~"

Ji-Hyuk was now liberated from the fear of death. He cheered us on with vigor, his spirit undimmed by his spectral status.

The notorious tank for his extravagant investments in MMORPGs was indeed as formidable as rumored. He adeptly maneuvered through the boss's unfamiliar attack patterns. Although the tank was the sole focus of the onslaught and deftly avoided blows, his health was still plummeting.

Thanks to his awakening skill, the dragon’s health was rapidly draining as well.

‘It seems manageable.’

It appeared that the dragon was the only challenge of Phase One. It seemed possible for us to conquer it with apparent ease. First and foremost, our gear was up to the task since it was robust and reliable.

After what seemed like an eternity, the dragon fell in a dramatic cutscene and marked the end of Phase One.

- Wow... this is actually possible.

- Both of you are doing incredibly well aww

- Watching this felt like a descent into hell. Is this really a raid for beginners?

- It’s quite doable, perhaps because the healer’s skill kept me from losing too much health??

The tank generously credited me with the success of clearing Phase One and began sprinting toward the next challenge. A deep trust abruptly formed. With this person at our side, advancing to the mid-section seemed within reach even if our novice raid group couldn’t achieve the final goal.

However, this newfound confidence quickly crumbled as we entered the next area.

Ji-Hyuk marveled at the tank’s fluctuating health bar with a mix of awe and mischief. “Wow, it feels like watching sound waves ripple. Incredible."

Why does the health bar ripple, you ask? Because I was feverishly replenishing it as it drained.

I gritted my teeth and started a frenzied assault on my keyboard. The tank excelled in gameplay, yet his tanking skills seemed lacking.

During the mob pulling section in the passage to the next phase(a harrowing stretch where mobs burst forth to block our progression), the tank brimmed with overconfidence and surged ahead while neglecting the growing distance between us.

This misjudgment meant that all the mobs' aggression was directed at him. If only he had maintained a moderate pace and allowed me to keep up and heal... But his hastiness made my task nearly impossible. The sheer number of mobs and the relentless attack tested the limits of my healing abilities.

His health oscillated wildly and he was inching closer to death with each passing moment. My mana was now scraping rock bottom.

- Tank, could you please slow down a bit? ??

- Or maybe pull just a few mobs at a time?

As I was unable to stand his decision, I sent a message in the chat. But my intervention inadvertently backfired.

- Ah, okay

- Sorry

- I apologize

- ;d

The tank’s attempt to respond in the chat led him to absorb every incoming attack. Damn, it would have been simpler to let the tank fall and meet my own demise. Why did I invest so much in this?

“Hyun-Woo, isn’t your health also dangerously low?"

“Yeah, I’m aware."

I immediately used an instant DoT heal[1] on myself and downed a mana and health potion to the tank. There was no time or mana left to heal myself otherwise.

- LMAO the healer’s potion ahahahhaha

- 😂😂😂😂

- You seem to be in pain, healer lol

- Trying to save this? Gosh, the determination of a true Korean ??

At that point, I couldn't even see the chat anymore.

First, I just needed to keep the tank alive and replenish his health and mana before moving on to Phase Two. Given the tank's style, it seemed that the boss phase would actually be easier and more relaxed compared to the mob section.

“Look at Hyun-Woo's face, everyone. He is so serious."

I could feel Ji-Hyuk aiming the camera at my face. I just focused on the monitor and smiled.

“Huff... Huff..."

All I did was pound on the keyboard, but my breathing became rough. It had been a while since I experienced this.

But in the end, I did it. I managed to keep the tank safe through the mob section.

- Great job, healer.

- Haha, nah. It was nothing.

After catching my breath for a moment, I pushed myself up and dashed back to where the chaos of Phase One had unfolded.

“Ah, I need to resurrect you now. Once we are in the next phase, it might be too late."

I couldn't say for sure how much screen time my actual face would get, but it felt like I was the protagonist of the game.

- I'd like to say something before we confront the next boss.

All the previously fallen members had been revived, and right before entering Phase Two, the steadfast tank who had accompanied me all this time initiated a new chat message.

- I think everyone might already know this, but when you see a colored mark on the ground, it indicates an incoming attack.

- Please make sure to avoid it.

- If not, it will really strain the healer.

- Ah, got it!

- Okay ??

The tank offered a few more cautionary guidelines before leading us into Phase Two. The second boss was named the Unfortunate Detective. It was a figure whose very name suggested a penchant for irritating tricks.

The boss stood still, swinging his cane to attack the team members or removing his hat to trap some of them with his techniques.

Fortunately, it turned out that the total wipeout during Phase One was just a fluke due to a series of unexpected attacks, as most people handled this fight quite well and there were no casualties until the midpoint.

- Does Phase Two seem easier or is it just me?

- Am I imagining things?

Someone pondered aloud, and I found myself agreeing. So far, we had been smoothly chipping away at the boss's health with little difficulty. Thanks to everyone’s solid performance, I had the luxury of alternating comfortably between healing and launching attacks while keeping a watchful eye on the boss’s skill animations.

Then, the boss began casting a skill ominously titled ‘Culprit Punishment’ above its health bar.

‘Casting?’

A skill being cast by the boss signaled a need for players to brace for impact. Yet, there were no visual cues on the ground indicating where the attack would land.

‘What’s going on here?’

My puzzlement was brief. Almost immediately, the Unfortunate Detective pointed at one of our team members.

- ?

- ??

- What the heck is this?

- Looks like some mind control technique.

- Guys, why are you hitting me ??

As soon as the detective finished pointing, some of my teammates’ characters began autonomously attacking the targeted team member.

- OMG, it says I'm the culprit!

Above the targeted team member's head, the word Culprit appeared prominently. It seemed that everyone was too engrossed in their own skills to notice the detective’s pointing, and without any clear understanding, they got confused. They furiously typed in the chat.

- Gosh, I'm really going to die here...

- Is there any way to solve this?

- Aah I'm dying, guys... ??

- Seriously, what now?

Eventually, the player marked as the Culprit succumbed to the onslaught from his teammates and died. It was only after the Culprit perished that freedom returned to everyone else’s characters, allowing them to resume attacking the boss.

“What the heck? Why did that guy have to die?”

“...”

It was not entirely clear yet, but ‘Culprit Punishment’ seemed to be a one-shot single-targeted skill. Typically, such skills come with a counter strategy, and players were expected to prepare while the boss was casting.

- I noticed something after 'Culprit Punishment' was cast. The boss pointed at No_More_Nicknames_Left.

- It seems like whoever gets pointed at is then attacked.

- Ugh, so that's why I died ??

I shared all I knew in the chat and refocused on the raid. After Culprit Punishment, our party was hit with two painful area attacks. I swiftly administered healing and maneuvered through increasingly damaging basic attacks until the boss began casting the second Culprit Punishment.

- Culprit Punishment skill casting right now!

With no visual cues during the casting, what basic avoidance could we consider?

“...Ah.”

I paused to think and just before the casting concluded, I turned my character away from the boss as I hoped not to see who the culprit was. Perhaps not witnessing who gets pointed at might just work.

It was a very well-known evasion technique, and if you didn't see who the culprit was from the skill name or gesture, you wouldn't attack them. Soon, someone in the party was marked as the Culprit.

- omg, I'm the Culprit.

- bye, guys... ??

The party members started attacking the targeted player except for me. My character remained free even after my teammate was designated as the Culprit, so I quickly revived the dead party member and smacked the boss, who was just waiting there.

- Hey, healer, how did you do that?

- Wow, as expected from the ace!

- How did you manage that?

- It seems like if you turn your back to the boss just before the casting ends, you don’t get affected by the debuff that makes you attack the Culprit.

- Wow, that’s really cool. You’re so smart.

- The healer really knows how to play the game.

“Wow, our Hyun-Woo is so smart. Hyung got a bit excited there."

“Nah... It's a common evasion technique in this game."

But even a cat may look at a king[2].

I was happy. I thought of my doe-eyed younger members waiting at home, the fox-like Joo-Han, and the most benevolent Goh Yoo-Joon.

'Joo-Han hyung would love this, wouldn’t he?'

I was delighted since I was sure I would get a lot of screen time as the main character.

1. Stands for ‘Damage Over Time.’ The user can instantly start a process where their character begins to regain health gradually over a certain duration. This is particularly useful in combat scenarios where ongoing healing is needed to counteract sustained damage, and where quick activation of skills can make a critical difference in survival. ☜

2. This idiom highlights how praise or a kind word can motivate or uplift anyone, regardless of their stature or usual behavior, similar to how even the most unlikely creature might respond positively to something as simple as praise. ☜