The boss of the third gate is the fallen Paladin Alphenheim.
With a cape adorned with cool patterns fluttering, the black knight made his entrance, the one who had frustrated the Han-yul Guild countless times.
I don’t really know why a fallen Paladin is guarding a Dragon’s nest, but it’s got a nice design, so I’ll let it slide.
Alphenheim is tricky for two main reasons.
Firstly, he wields a gigantic greatsword as an area attack, and the range is so vast that most of the map gets hit, except for a little corner.
Secondly, he has an invincible skill that makes him completely immune to damage.
Despite being a fallen Paladin, Alphenheim has the ability to use holy power, allowing him to temporarily become invincible with holy magic.
He separates his life force into crystals scattered all over the map.
These solid crystals hold Alphenheim’s essence. If we don’t break them first, we can’t deal any damage to the main body at all.
It’s a really tricky gimmick and pattern.
When we try to break the crystals, area attacks fly in or the soldiers he commands block our paths. If luck isn’t on our side, it’s not uncommon for one or two members to get taken out.
Once one or two start falling, naturally, the raid can’t progress normally. Then it’s back to square one.
“Let’s take a quick break and go back.”
“No rush, let’s take it slow.”
“Don’t get careless and get taken out. If you feel an area attack coming, just back off.”
But with our party members getting skilled from the repeated attempts, and having an unyielding commander with razor-sharp orders,
– We defeated the fallen Paladin ‘Alphenheim’!
No matter how tough the boss, there was nothing we couldn’t handle.
This guy, no matter how impressive you think you are, you’re just AI. No matter how twisted your patterns get, there are still limits. Come back in 100 years. I’m not sure if I’ll still be around by then.
– Ugh, ugh! No one can pass beyond here…!
Nah, that’s not true. We will pass.
I stepped lightly over the body of Alphenheim, who was desperately blocking the path until the end. With this, the third gate was cleared.
“Wow! Now onto the fourth gate!”
“It’s going smoothly, really smoothly.”
“If we play our cards right, we might even reach the fifth gate today?”
What do you mean fifth gate? We have to take down the Dragon too. It would be nice if people had a bit more confidence.
[Isn’t the Teacher being a bit too generous?]
[Kayak has the right to say that, lol. Almost all the work is done by her and Han-yul together.]
“Do you think you should take it, Jin?”
“Hmm… I’m not sure. It’s a nice sword, but do I really need it?”
“Come on! You’re the one who dealt the most damage, so it’s practically yours!”
“Yeah, yeah, I’m just being humble… or something.”
“Seriously, just take it already! If you don’t, I might grab it myself!”
“Alright, alright, I’ll take it!”
“Finally, some sense! Now you can stop moping around and be the awesome warrior you are!”
“Awesome warrior? Ha, I just got lucky!”
“Whatever you say, Mr. Lucky! Now go flaunt that shiny sword!”
“Sure, let me just figure out how to wield it without dropping it on my toes first…”
“Did you ask for Kayak?”
“Um… No. It’s fine, let Han-yul do it.”
After all the hard work, I can take that much. I’ll catch the dragon and get the reward.
With that response, I raised my sword. The transparent blade shone brightly in the light.
“I’m good enough with ‘An-sae.'”
“…Is the sword’s name An-sae? I’ve heard that name somewhere…”
[An-sae LOL]
[Is it An-sae because An-sae made it?]
[There’s something romantic about naming a sword after a person.]
[For real, it sounds like it came straight out of a novel.]
[This guy…! I can tolerate being insulted, but not An-sae!]
[If the sword breaks, does An-sae die too?]
[An-sae is still just Kayak’s tool, huh…]
[An-sae, who was busy running the casino, is startled LOL]
[Kayak’s number one sword, An-sae, whoa.]
Han-yul, who seemed to be deep in thought for a moment, finally took the sword and equipped it.
“Okay, then… I’ll use it well.”
*
‘Was the raid this easy?’
This was a common thought among the Hana guild members.
For them, the raid had never been an easy task. Just a few days ago, it wasn’t.
They struggled with mismatched teamwork, invested a lot of time, but saw no results. If they threw some feedback to their teammates, it only worsened the atmosphere.
In this tense environment, the viewers were either oblivious or trying to stir trouble, eagerly poking fun at the streamer.
When they fired off a few snide comments, the streamer ended up looking like a disdainful broadcaster looking down on the viewers.
As this situation continued for just two days, the raid felt like hell.
It certainly felt that way.
– Entering the 5th Gate.
– Warning! The dragon’s wrath will sweep over you throughout the map!
– ???: How dare you invade my nest… The price will not be settled even with your lives.
When I finally came to my senses, we had already reached the final gate.
The cause was simple. The guild members would not suddenly awaken to the point of mastering the raid, so there could only be one change that could be called an improvement.
“Kayak, I’m going to the left. Healer, can someone please watch me?”
“Yup!”
Even though she contributed the most to the team, she didn’t say much.
Her orders were concise and efficient. It seemed she was very aware that she was a sub-order, not the main one.
It would be a big deal if she said too much and her audio overlapped with the main order, drowning out the calls.
It was a big deal as well.
– Ice Spirit, Pros
The fifth gate, being the final one, erupted with all sorts of named mini-bosses, including the real boss, the Dragon.
One of them, Pros, was approaching the party from the left.
“Kayak, can you handle it alone?”
“Just one healer should stick with me! I can manage alone!”
Kayak was saying she would take it on solo.
In reality, named mini-bosses were designed to restrain at least 3-4 players. So witnessing Kayak essentially holding back the fight alone was utterly ridiculous for the Taker.
The raids so far had mostly been like this.
Without a doubt, she, who contributed the most within the team, was throwing herself into the toughest battlefield, standing alone against the enemies. It was as if she was shouldering a ridiculously heavy log by herself.
– Ice Spirit, Pros is retreating!
– It’s cold… so cold… will you make it cold one day….
However, instead of having her shoulder shattered under the burden of that log, she was showcasing a strength act by lifting it and splitting it apart. The members of Han-yul’s guild couldn’t help but be amazed.
“Nice job, Kayak!”
“Show me the Dragon’s head! We need the Dragon’s head!”
“Uh, um….”
Was it because the target Dragon was right in front of her? Kayak looked rather excited, somewhat out of character.
She spoke in a calm, low voice about wanting the Dragon’s head, creating a strange dissonance.
Han-yul internally thought while watching her, “She’s really a strange person…”
From the moment she proposed a duel during their first meeting, he sensed she was no ordinary individual.
More of a crazy person than an ordinary one; if you used a coarser expression, almost like a madwoman.
Yet, with such a madwoman on their side, it felt incredibly reassuring.
Looking back now, he thought asking her for help was a brilliant choice.
Thus, Han-yul thought to himself, “It’s all thanks to Kayak that we made it this far, maybe I should let her have the Dragon?”
Though he had said it was pure competition, the circumstances had changed considerably now.
Still, being a person with a conscience, he couldn’t just zip his lips after receiving so much help from her.
“I should tell the guild members.”
Let’s offer the last hit on the Dragon to Kayak.
He nodded in agreement.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
