Chapter 13: First Raid(2)

As I walked forward, a sky dyed in red unfolded before me.

Since, according to the story, it was a situation where the human faction had invaded the orcs’ fortress, a loud bell signaling the intruders rang out from the spires scattered everywhere.

[Intruders! Intruders!]

“Everyone, get ready.”

The first thing encountered upon entering the raid dungeon wasn’t a boss, but a wave of elite-grade monsters.

“I’ll take the first group. The other two tanks, please handle the following waves.”

The first wave of elites consisted of 10, followed closely by a second wave of 20, which, if split evenly between the tanks, could be managed without much trouble.

The three tanks had significant roles.

If the tactics went awry and we got wiped out, we’d have to repeat the process multiple times just to break through the entrance.

I lightly swung my sword, looking at the approaching horde of orcs.

Their elaborate armor signaled their elite status.

It was just like in the video.

Nothing had changed.

Recalling my previous experiences, I started running forward.

I didn’t worry about healer allocation.

That’s what the class leaders were for.

The player chosen as the priest leader would distribute the healers effectively.

As the golden light burst forth from my sword, I shot forward.

After casting buffs, I used the [Charge] skill.

I didn’t rush too far ahead, keeping the distance from the healer and the damage dealers in mind.

Bang!

I dashed forward and collided with an elite orc warrior.

Using the skill at the optimal distance, I managed to stun the enemy.

Then, I swung my sword.

With an exaggerated motion, my upper body rotated.

A golden crescent-shaped slash grazed the bodies of the orcs.

Then, the orcs’ attacks began to pour in.

Strikes and arrows rained down from all sides, quickly draining my health.

However, the rapid healing from the healers was able to replenish it.

“Hyah!”

My fierce battle cry drew laughter from the raid members.

Hearing their laughter, I felt my face grow hot, and my ears tingled.

I was aware that my voice sounded rather girlish.

But what could I do?

Grabbing aggro required this.

After activating a shout-based skill to provoke the monsters, their aggro locked onto me for a set period.

Then, the mages’ area-of-effect spells began to pour in.

As dazzling flashes of light decorated the sky and struck the ground, the elite orcs melted away in an instant.

Due to the intense firepower, the monsters’ aggro started to shift.

I immediately swung my sword.

These orcs, already weakened by the mages’ spells, were soon felled with a single strike to the neck.

Then, the second wave began to pour in.

[Stop them!]

At the loud roar of the orc, the two tanks waiting behind charged forward.

Both knights had chosen knight as their second rank.

With the new aggro management skills they had acquired, they wouldn’t easily lose control of the monsters.

As my side of the monsters was gradually cleaned up, the mages redirected their area-of-effect skills.

I immediately gathered the remaining monsters and led them into the area where the spells rained down.

Everything was proceeding according to the tactics.

Once the second wave of elites was mostly dealt with, the mages switched the direction of their spells again.

Like before, I, along with the sub-tank, led the nearly defeated monsters into the area of effect.

The health levels of each tank remained steady.

No monsters had shifted their aggro to the mage line.

It was a perfect situation.

I stepped back to observe the situation.

“Once we’re done, take a minute to replenish mana and cooldowns. We’ll proceed to the first boss right away.”

The moment we wiped out all 30 elite orcs, I heard heavy footsteps echoing from afar, and a massive orc emerged, charging forward.

This creature looked more like an ogre than an orc.

[Gatekeeper Dune]

The first boss.

It wasn’t a creature with any particularly difficult patterns, so its difficulty level wasn’t that high.

“Foolish humans! I’ll make you regret this!”

Gatekeeper Dune roared loudly, pounding the ground.

However, it didn’t come closer.

Raid bosses wouldn’t move unless players crossed a certain threshold distance.

I exchanged glances with the other class leaders.

Each nodded, signaling they were ready.

Then, I enveloped my sword in a golden glow.

“It’s possible for the aggro to shift mid-fight. Please, you two, just apply debuffs and stand by.”

I addressed the two sub-tanks.

Honestly, there was little chance the aggro would shift.

I was that confident.

[Gatekeeper Dune]

This was a massive creature, vastly larger than a typical orc.

Perhaps about 5 meters tall?

Its intimidating presence would naturally make anyone facing it feel small.

Its wide, open mouth drooled, and its bloodshot eyes made it clear that this boss was not in a normal state.

“We’re going in.”

It was the signal from the raid leader.

Immediately, buff effects flared from the dealer line.

This time, I didn’t charge in alone.

Even as a tank, taking consecutive hits from a boss could bring me down quickly.

I matched my pace with the healer and dealer line as we approached.

We got close enough for Gatekeeper Dune to register my presence.

The massive orc swung its giant club instantly.

Chains wrapped around its arms rattled menacingly.

“Die!”

Right from the start, it was using an area-of-effect attack.

I ducked and rushed forward.

The healers had moved in far enough.

I immediately slashed the orc’s arm with my sword and then quickly moved to the side.

I successfully gained the initial aggro.

Now, I just had to keep raising the aggro level to ensure it stayed focused on me.

For tank-class jobs like paladins or knights, there was a hidden passive ability not shown in the skill window.

[Monster Threat Level +50%]

I turned the gatekeeper to face away from the dealer line to prevent its area attacks from raining down on them.

Facing a huge boss for the first time delivered an intense sense of intimidation.

But I kept moving, slashing the orc’s arms and legs with my sword enveloped in golden light.

The aggro level rose quickly.

At this rate, I wouldn’t lose it.

No special signal was needed.

The mages immediately unleashed their single-target skills.

The mage class, known for its overwhelming firepower, shone here.

The boss’s health began to drop rapidly.

I focused my mind.

If I allowed the boss’s massive attack to connect, my small frame would falter, and the formation would scatter.

I angled the kite shield in my hand slightly to deflect only the attacks I could.

This minimized the boss’s movements, maximizing the hit rate for the dealer line’s attacks.

[Grr, you pests!]

When Gatekeeper Dune’s health dropped below 20%, the orc’s racial trait activated.

Berserk Mode.

Its body grew larger, and its attack speed increased.

But since it also took 10% more damage, its health started to drop even faster.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The kite shield in my hand shook violently, and my small frame wobbled as if I were about to fall.

But my heightened senses didn’t allow that to happen.

I moved my unsteady body like a dance, swinging my sword.

[300…]

Boom!

It wasn’t long before the massive body fell.

The raid members looked at the fallen boss with bewildered expressions.

“What’s this? The raid leader’s DPS is in 20th place?”

“You managed 20th place as a tank?”

“Wow, you got it on the first try…”

The raid members began murmuring in low voices.

They exist everywhere—those players who end up underperforming even as dealers.

I glanced at the DPS rankings and held my tongue.

We were still in the middle of the raid.

As unreliable as some of them were with their DPS, their absence would still be a problem.

“I’ll check the loot.”

It was the first loot drop of the first raid.

With a pounding heart, I approached and looted the items, revealing a red bracelet and a necklace with a blue gem.

I was lucky.

Raid accessories couldn’t be bought; they could only be obtained through drops.

They would undoubtedly sell for higher prices than armor.

I immediately linked the items in the raid chat.

[Gatekeeper Dune’s Chain Bracelet]

+20 HP, +20 Strength, +20 Intelligence, +20 Agility

Increases all damage by 5%

Reduces incoming damage by 2%

Level requirement: 25

A bracelet worn by Gatekeeper Dune.

Crafted with the armor-smithing techniques of the Red Orc Empire, the bracelet boasted impressive durability.

It was a good bracelet for any class to equip.

The eyes of the raid members changed immediately.

[Grace Sapphire]

+30 Intelligence, -10 Strength

Increases magic damage by 15%

Increases maximum mana by 20%

Reduces Blink’s cooldown by 50%

Level requirement: 25

A necklace stored in the Orc Empire’s treasure vault.

The original owner of the necklace is unknown.

The second item to appear was an endgame item for mages this season.

I rubbed my forehead and spoke up.

“The auction begins. First up is Gatekeeper Dune’s Chain Bracelet. Starting bid is 100 gold.”

Just as I finished speaking, one of the sub-tanks standing next to me raised his hand and spoke.

“400.”

He bid 400 all at once.

Was he trying to assert his dominance? It was indeed a very suitable bracelet for a tank.

I looked at the gold sitting idle in my inventory and thought about it.

It was a good bracelet, versatile enough to be used even after the next episode update.

“500.”

At that moment, a player in the mage line wearing a blue robe raised his hand.

“600.”

“700.”

“750.”

“800.”

“850.”

“900.”

Nine hundred gold.

That was an intimidating amount, even for employed players who spent a lot.

A big spender had shown up right from the first auction.

Was 900 his limit? The mage in the blue robe nodded and stepped back.

In the end, the bracelet went to the sub-tank, a knight.

I needed to check his username to transfer the item.

[Dogrick]

“Dogrick, it’s yours for 900 gold.”

After receiving the gold from Dogrick, I handed him the bracelet.

He equipped it right away, visibly satisfied, even flexing his arm to check it out.

It was time to start the auction for the next item.

“Next item is the Grace Sapphire. Starting bid is 100 gold.”

“Two thousand.”

A silence followed. The one who bid two thousand was the same mage in the blue robe who had previously competed with Dogrick.

“Two thousand five hundred.”

“Three thousand.”

“Three thousand five hundred.”

“Four thousand.”

The one competing with the blue-robed mage was a female mage dressed in a red robe.

The overwhelming bids from these big spenders silenced the other mages.

No one else dared to raise their hands.

Four thousand gold—an amount only someone truly wealthy could afford.

The scale was on a different level.

In the end, the item went to the female mage in the red robe.

[Helena]

That was the female mage’s username.

I handed the item to Helena and received the gold from her.

“Sold for four thousand gold. We’ve gathered a total of four thousand nine hundred gold from the raid auction. We’ll distribute it before we disband, so everyone please wait.”

Despite spending four thousand gold, Helena still exuded an air of ease.

It was clear that this mage must have a massive stockpile of gold in her inventory.

Though the auction was finished, only twenty minutes had passed since entering the dungeon.

I spoke to the raid members, who were still in a bit of a daze.

“Let’s proceed to the next boss. Check your potion durations and follow me.”

The expressions on the raid members’ faces were peculiar. They looked as if they couldn’t believe what was happening.

“Leader, are you playing on an alt character?”

I shook my head in response to the raid member’s question.

No, this wasn’t an alt. This character was my main.