Raid Triumph and New Bonds

– That… ugh, you spaced out and didn’t clear adds in time, so we phased. Crazy, huh? Adds keep blasting AoE until cleared, so take them out fast. Beta, rotate heals with me. I’ll handle damage reduction.

Should’ve taken adds myself.
Startled, I moved my hands, unleashing an AoE combo.
Lower damage than single-target, but perfect for crowds.

The boss’s AoE hit, wiping 30% of our HP.
Without heals, four hits—or three with crits—would kill us.
Feeling the tightrope tension, I bit my lip.

– Ugh! Focus! It’s DPS time, don’t you see? Talk later! Dragging us here and slacking on DPS? No DPS mechanics, so why aren’t you hitting?!

– …Quiet down, I’m working.

Ouch, caught in the crossfire.
YearRound’s nonstop chatter lived up to his name—talking all year round.
He’d probably float a chattering mouth in water.

PatchNote snapped back, dumping DPS to clear adds.
Seeing the healers’ low MP, I bit my lip again.
We passed the phase, but the next one’s the issue.
How long can we last with no MP?

“Is MP okay? Healers are dry.”

– I’m barely hanging on…

– Run it tight, we might make it.

– Don’t wanna die, save me…

– Invuln skill off cooldown? If you can tank the next buster with it, we might cover.

– Almost ready, should be up before the buster.

– I’ll keep you alive as best I can.

We had to kill the boss before healers’ MP ran out.
The phase screw-up spiked the Critical Point too high.
One mistake could wipe us.
My heart raced.
PatchNote’s chatter noticeably dropped—his mistake must’ve hit hard.
Humans aren’t machines; mistakes happen.

“Let’s melt the boss with max DPS. My Frenzy’s off cooldown.”

– My buff’s ready too.

Sync a damage buff, perfect.
As the boss landed, I popped Frenzy, the Berserker buff, and chained combos.

Red effects flared around my character as PatchNote unleashed overwhelming DPS.
With a time limit, no errors allowed.
Everyone focused—only raid BGM and effects broke the silence.

Well, one other sound: keyboards clacking.
Hard presses don’t boost skills, but I hammered out of habit.
*Tap-tap-tap* filled the room.

– Dunno who, but that keyboard’s getting a workout.

“…That’s me.”

– SoonToDie, huh? Chant the victory mantra!

PotteryMaster’s playful voice made me curse under my breath.
Busy as hell, and victory mantra?

“You’re ridiculous. This is first try, last try—too loud.”

– First try, last try, he says!

– Yo, DPS, step it up! Last try, he says! Who’s covering DPS?!

– Wait, first try? We just started, already last try? Lord… I’m sending a few souls.

– Talk like that, and you win the true last try.

– One pub run, and you wouldn’t say that!

Once the floodgates opened, I half-listened to their chatter.
Should’ve ignored and kept quiet.

—

(3)

Head throbbing, I pressed my temples and sighed.
If chanting “last try” guaranteed a clear, everyone would’ve done it.
I don’t buy superstitions, so I brushed it off as a funny moment.

No giving up after one failure.
Once, twice, thrice, or four times—keep trying.
As time passed, the boss’s HP dropped below 5%, with the Critical Point at 90.

Now it was a race.
Biting my lip, I spammed skills, my body leaning into the monitor, back and neck aching.
Hang in there, creaky body.
Clear this, and I’ll stretch.

The DPS paid off; the boss’s HP hit under 1%.
No percentage display now.

Critical Point at 99.
This was tighter than a high-wire act.
Boss dies first, or we wipe?

The screen flickered black.

Did the Critical Point hit first?
Drained, I slumped, then straightened, burying my face in my hands with a sigh.
A loud scream hit my ears.

– Yaaaah! This is it! Yaaah!

– Yo, chant it! Victory mantra! Last try!

– Arghhh! We cleared it! Like this! Who landed the last DPS?! Nice!

– Ugh… I’m dead…

“…We cleared?”

– Cleared! We did it!

– All thanks to the victory mantra! I called it!

– Then it’s SoonToDie’s chant that did it! He did it! SoonToDie nailed it!

Looking up, I saw the victory cinematic—my character, DontOrderMe, raising a greatsword in triumph.
It was the clear screen.
Jumping up, I screamed, grabbing the monitor.

“Yaaaaaa! One-try clear, insane!”

– Yo, one-beat-late reaction?

– Right? Why so slow? Were you afk?

– Oh, no-fun guy?

Their teasing didn’t matter.
Joke, mock, whatever—clear is clear.
Calming with deep breaths, I screamed again at the loot roll.
The raid dropped a Berserker-exclusive weapon.

“Yaaah! Wait! This! How much is it?!”

– First-clear class weapon? So jealous…

– But SoonToDie, didn’t you spend all your gold on enhancement stones?

– Between us, gold’s nothing… oh, others are here, right.

“Why assume I’m broke? My bank’s loaded with bullets. Gold? I’ll cash it!”

Laughter erupted.
Glaring at their cackling, I thought, *Class weapon dropped, who cares about gold?*
Miss it now, it’s harder later.
Market prices will skyrocket.
Reaching for my stashed bankbook, PatchNote’s low chuckle came through.
He’s laughing now?

– We’re cool. Congrats on the class weapon.

– Yeah, SoonToDie worked hard; it’s yours.

“Did I mention I love you guys?”

– Pffft! Haha!

– …Don’t laugh.

Who cares about laughter?
Laugh all you want, I’m good.
I bid, and everyone passed; the weapon landed in my inventory.
What’s happier for a gamer?
Choked with gratitude, I exited the raid, wanting to repay them somehow.

“Anything… you guys need? I’m thrilled but feel bad just taking it…”

– It’s fine.

– Well… no raid group yet? Wanna form one? Run raids together?

– Huh?

YearRound’s words widened my eyes.
A raid group?
I was thinking of forming one with known players since pubs suck, and he just offers?
So grateful.
How’d he read my mind?

“I’m in!”

– Really? So we’re forming a raid group?

– Count me in!

– Got a tank right here.

– Healer’s ready!

Amid guildmates’ cheers, YearRound laughed, calling it a lively guild.

– Of course. Let’s make a group chat later. For now, next run! Everyone needs gear!

Right.
If we’re forming a raid group, farming gear while syncing is smart.
Nodding to YearRound, I queued the next run.

– Alright, you know the mechanics now, so unless something weird happens, I’ll focus without leading. Let’s wreck Iskaria today!

– Hell yeah! Let’s crush this thug!

– Yo, I could clear this eating ramen now.

Confidence from the one-try clear?
Smiling at the hyped party, I thought about the raid group.

One tank, two healers, three DPS.
Tanks are rare, but one more DPS would make a solid eight-man group.
That guy—he’s still playing, right?
He’s a great DPS.

“Oh…”

– SoonToDie’s down, delete the post.

– Wanna be alone, so everyone log out.

“You guys…”

Got too distracted in a barely-cleared raid.
Missing a floor mechanic, I died on the spot, too embarrassed to look up.
That wasn’t the plan.

“Ahem. People make mistakes. Rez me quick.”

—