Chapter 17: Gold Ninja(1)

Everyone initially thought that clearing it on the first day was impossible.

They assumed the raid would disband after just defeating a few bosses at best.

However, as the situation of the raid group was broadcasted live, many people realized they were wrong.

When the first boss was taken down, the reaction was minimal, reflecting the low expectations people had.

Even with the second boss, the reaction remained the same.

But after the third boss was defeated, posts in the Deron Gallery surged explosively.

It was as if the chat in the broadcast was flooding; multiple posts appeared all at once.

This indicated that a large number of users were watching Yeon’s raid group broadcast.

[Deron Online Gallery]

[Middle school girl raid group defeats 3rd boss live lolol] [6]

[Military-served middle school girl leader declares attempt, shocking…] [10]

[Watching the broadcast, the raid looks easy] [2]

[Tomorrow’s random raid will be hell lololol] [11]

But no one mentioned a First Clear.

Two months had passed since the raid had been released.

During that time, top-ranking players had attempted the raid but had not managed to clear the [Red Orc Empire].

The reaction from the players was natural.

However, as time went on, and bosses were defeated one by one, a single thought crept into the minds of those observing.

“Could they get the First Clear?”

It seemed possible.

This was the first raid group, meaning they hadn’t even practiced together before.

But they defeated each boss without a single reset.

And the speed was impressively fast.

As a whole page in the gallery was nearly filled with posts about Yeon’s raid group, more people started tuning into the broadcast.

With so many people watching, posts in the gallery updated rapidly as well.

This was because users were using the gallery as if it were a chat window for the broadcast.

Then, the first attempt on the final boss began.

The start wasn’t bad.

Since no one expected a first-attempt clear, the audience wasn’t surprised even when the raid wiped.

Thus, the second and third attempts followed.

A collective sigh of regret arose.

They were so close to clearing it.

Everyone had high expectations, but a massive troll by a damage dealer caused another wipe.

[Are they not replacing the DPS line? This is so frustrating lololol] [11]

[Took screenshots of those guys’ usernames] [7]

As the attempts dragged on, the viewers began to feel not just boredom but annoyance.

They could do it.

It looked that way.

They’d gotten right to the brink of clearing it.

But the mage line continued to troll, one after another.

Time doesn’t stop.

It ticked closer to 10 PM, the set end time for the raid.

It was frustrating.

This thought crossed the minds of everyone watching the broadcast.

If they replaced the DPS line, they could probably clear it easily.

The small girl, Yeon, the raid leader, possessed overwhelming skill.

Everyone in that raid group knew it.

You could tell just by the way they looked at the problematic DPS line with increasing disdain.

At that moment, Yeon finally lost her temper.

“Is it… is it really that hard? No. Is it difficult? Everyone, is it really difficult? You can’t do it?”

She started talking to herself.

But her next words contained criticism toward the problematic members.

Everyone knew they were the problem, so they had nothing to say.

The mages fell silent and lowered their heads.

[Middle school girl leader can’t hold it in and ends up scolding…] [15]

[I thought she’d start swearing, but even her words are nice] [7]

[I wish she’d scold me too…] [22]

However, Yeon never resorted to profanity.

With a deep, meaningful sigh, she released all her emotions.

Watching this, everyone thought the same thing: Yeon must be quite mature for her age.

This wasn’t the patience of a typical middle schooler. She displayed a depth of character more fitting for an adult.

It was at that moment that Yeon checked the time and mentioned a strategy change.

She announced it would be the last attempt. Only then did everyone else check the time, realizing the promised 10 PM deadline was approaching. They thought Yeon was trying to maintain her “middle school girl” image to the end.

A series of incomprehensible arrangements followed.

She switched out the main tank, assigned two healers to herself, and even instructed them to ignore the elite orcs.

But the small girl didn’t seek understanding from others. She initiated the attempt immediately.

The beginning mirrored the previous runs. As the mages unleashed their overwhelming firepower, the boss’s health rapidly declined.

With its health dropping, the orcs began pouring in.

Everyone anticipated a wipe at this point. Without clearing out the elite orcs, even the tanks wouldn’t hold up. If the tanks fell, the aggro-free elite orcs would scatter, tearing apart the DPS line.

That would mean a wipe.

Yet, Yeon defied everyone’s expectations.

She began kiting 30 elite orcs, executing precise strikes on their weak points with seamless, fluid movements.

She didn’t let a single one slip.

As everyone watched in awe, the gallery’s reactions exploded.

Since they were all dedicated players, they understood immediately just how difficult this feat was.

If she stopped, she would die. It was like walking a razor’s edge along a cliff.

“Can the so-called top raid tanks do this? lololol” [51]

“(GIF of Yeon kiting 30 orcs)”

“Now this is a tank lololol. Those ‘rankers’ who strut around acting superior would get wiped in a second here lololol. If you want to argue, post a video of yourself kiting 30 elite orcs lololol.”

[Comments]

[“lol reminds me of those guys”]

[“Sing-sing?”]

[“Shh, mention it and they’ll start digging holes lololol”]

“Is this what talent difference looks like…? Are we playing the same game?”

“I can do this too lol (joking)”

“I’ll show you once I hit max level.”

“Do you think they’ll clear it this time?”

“They’re mid-try; looks promising.”

“But what if another wave of orcs appears?”

Kiting 30 orcs was an impressive feat not easily replicated, but one concern weighed on everyone’s mind.

With firepower concentrated on the boss, its health was dropping rapidly. But judging by the battle’s progress, another wave of 30 orcs would likely spawn.

What would they do then? Would the remaining off-tank handle the next wave?

Then, at that moment, orcs began pouring in from all sides again.

Yet the off-tank didn’t move. They only stayed by the mages, monitoring the boss’s charge pattern.

So, what about Yeon?

She moved.

She immediately started moving again, pulling the orcs’ aggro just as she had done earlier.

The number of orcs trailing behind the small girl quickly increased.

The total reached 60.

Threatening blades rained down from all sides, but she didn’t stop.

As attacks grazed her skin, her health dropped rapidly, but the two healers following her patched up any gaps.

In a momentary pause, 50% of her health was gone. A single mistake would mean unavoidable disaster.

The healers also showed tension on their faces.

She wielded her sword and shield, even letting out a cute battle cry.

Despite dragging 60 orcs around, she didn’t make a single mistake.

“Tanking 60 elites, lololololol” [112]

“(GIF of Yeon kiting 60 elite orcs)”

“(GIF of her letting out a cute battle cry towards the orcs)”

lololololololololol

[Comments]

[“lol The raid leader watching next to her cursed and turned off the stream.”]

[“Why was he watching?”]

[“Probably trying to study the strategy for the next attempt lolol”]

[“Think they’ll be able to copy it?”]

[“If our tank had this talent, we’d have cleared it by now.”]

[“Is kiting 60 hard?”]

[“Ridiculously hard. If you stop, you’re dead in less than a second.”]

[“Can’t you just shout and run?”]

[“That’s nonsense lol. If you get too far from the monsters, they’ll switch aggro to the nearest person.”]

While everyone was marveling and leaving comments, a new post appeared.

Those watching the broadcast were already aware, but players who couldn’t watch were waiting for updates in the gallery.

“First clear achieved lololol” [75]

Within 30 seconds of the post being published, comments started flooding in.

Attached to the post was a screenshot of the mage’s screen broadcasting the event, displaying the message that his character had earned the server’s first achievement.

It was undeniable evidence of the first clear.

They had completed the raid in less than five hours since forming the party.

Word of the broadcast spread, drawing even more viewers.

As the viewer count passed ten thousand from the initial thousand, it became impossible to keep up with the chat.

Everyone watching the broadcast shared the same thought:

What items did the final boss drop?

It was a natural curiosity. This was the first time the boss had been defeated since the raid’s update.

They knew the boss would drop weapons, but players were especially excited for a unique accessory that only this boss could drop.

After wrapping up the situation, the small girl approached the boss to start looting.

Then, items began to appear in the raid chat.

The boss dropped a total of five items, including two class-exclusive weapons.

Since these weapons were dropped by the final boss, their stats were powerful enough to overshadow every weapon released so far.

But the viewers focused on the three accessories that appeared afterward.

“[Left Fragment of the Sun]”

Intelligence +5 Mana +5

[Maximum Mana +5% Increase Level Requirement 25]

A fragment imbued with the radiant power of the sun. Priestess Karas crafted this fragment into a ring.

[Warrior’s Heart]

Strength +20, Health +20, Agility +20, Maximum Health +20% Increase

Allows usage of the [Berserk] skill

Level Requirement: 25

A necklace crafted from the hardened heart of an Orc warrior, radiating fierce energy.

[Priestess’s Gift]

Intelligence +20, Mana +40, Maximum Mana +15% Increase, Health Recovery +20% Increase

Level Requirement: 25

A bracelet crafted and gifted by Priestess Karas with Cracia’s health in mind.

The first item that appeared was underwhelming, but the following two had incredible effects.

In particular, the Berserk skill attached to the Warrior’s Heart piqued the curiosity of onlookers.

The Warrior’s Heart was an accessory for physical damage dealers, while the Priestess’s Gift was a healer-specific accessory.

Once all members had inspected the items, the auction began.

First up were two mage-exclusive staves, each of which sold for 1,200 and 1,300 gold, respectively.

Now it was time for the accessories.

The mages had no reason to buy these items, so they stepped back to watch.

The third item up for auction was a ring called the [Left Fragment of the Sun].

But it received a surprisingly lackluster response, with no one showing any interest in it.

In the end, the item ended up in the hands of the raid leader, Yeon.

Next up for auction was the [Warrior’s Heart].

“Three thousand.”

The one who bid 3,000 gold was Yeon.

No one else followed up. This item also found its way into Yeon’s inventory.

The next item on auction was the [Priestess’s Gift].

The auction, which started at 100 gold, ended at 1,800 gold after a long bidding war.

The winning bidder was the priest of the raid party.

The auction was over.

The viewers, who were still basking in the thrill of the first clear, started calculating how much gold each raid member would receive.

The total auction proceeds amounted to 12,750 gold. Divided among the 40 members, each would receive 318 gold.

“I’ll distribute it now. Everyone, please line up.”

As the raid leader announced the distribution, everyone began moving to receive their share of the gold.

But the girl’s face turned pale.

“Oh…”

It was 10 o’clock.

The appointed time had arrived.

At that moment, Yeon disappeared without a trace, as if she were Cinderella vanishing from the ball.

Immediately afterward, a post appeared on the Deron gallery.

[Gold Ninja in the Gallery LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL] [21]

(An image of everyone lining up to receive their share)

(An image of the raid leader suddenly disappearing)

(An image showing the bewildered expressions of the raid members)

12,750 gold is now in the hands of the middle schooler captain (recently served in the army) LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL

[Comments]

[Didn’t they just get booted because of the shutdown?]

[Do you really believe that? That they’re really a middle schooler?]

[Wait, they aren’t?!]

[Wow… should I try being a raid leader? How much is that?]

[Hilarious LOL LOL LOL LOL LOL]

[What’s the raid group chat for, then?]

[Just wait for an explanation from them]

[If it really was a shutdown, they’ll be able to log back in the morning]

[Hawawa… I’m a cute middle schooler Hokage-chan…]