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Chapter 156: Monster Raid

< EP. 27: Monster Raid (2) >

"'Sometimes, it's necessary to leave your comrades behind...'"

"This is a complete mess..."

Kang Junhyuk couldn't close his mouth, witnessing the first party crumble in an instant at just the first stage. I leaned in close to his ear and whispered.

"Observe and learn. If they're acting like that, just consider them as non-existent comrades and move on. Keep that in mind."

"I didn't have high expectations anyway. And my character can't even move forward properly~"

"Are you... a mage?"

"Of course~ My character is a girl, and I named her Mirea~"

Seems like they took the concept from the previous Fire Sorceress, Mirea. Wonder if someone's a fan of the sexy mage archetype...

I shook my head in response to Junhyuk's smile, refocusing on the game screen.

"From a developer's perspective, wouldn't it be better for the spearman to retreat and protect the sorceress and the archer in this situation? What's the plan here?"

But despite the spearman's slow movement, they steadily advanced toward the thief alone.

The thief managed to hold on through evasions and potions, but it seemed they'd struggle if things continued this way.

At that moment, the archer abandoned the monster in front of them and started moving toward the spearman.

Given the low mobility of undead monsters, the archer retreated toward the center of the map, shooting arrows at the enemy.

"Alchemist, turn back to where there are no monsters for now and head towards where the thief is."

Nakamura-san issued some orders to the party to address the current situation, and the archer and sorceress, except for the endangered thief, obediently followed his commands.

"Krrgh!!"

Just as the spearman and alchemist approached the thief, the thief couldn't avoid the skeleton's swinging sword, spilling blood as they fell.

"They're just in a downed state. If we revive them within 5 turns, they can come back. Alchemist, please use the resurrection item when I lure the monsters away."

As the spearman instructed, the alchemist nodded. Nakamura-san attacked a zombie two spaces behind him, drawing it towards him.

Simultaneously, as the thief fell, the remaining undead creatures immediately charged toward the spearman. Despite gradually stepping back in the next turn, both the spearman and archer continued their assault on the undead.

"Grrrr..."

Both the spearman and archer relentlessly attacked a common enemy, effectively diverting their attention.

Occasionally, monsters heading towards the alchemist were drawn closer by the archer's distant arrows.

When the third turn came around for the fallen thief, the alchemist used the Angel's Wings resurrection item to bring them back.

"We did it! They're alive!"

The player who agonized over endangering the entire party due to their wrong judgment repeatedly apologized to their comrades.

"I'm sorry. Really, I'm so sorry."

As the thief revived, the tide turned completely.

The alchemist immediately threw a healing potion at the heavily depleted spearman, restoring their HP, while the archer continued to hide in the corner, drawing their bowstring.

Thus, the monster raid, which had been on the brink of giving up, regained momentum thanks to Nakamura's strategic command.

"Wow, the party leader is amazing, right? They didn't give up on their comrades till the end. Impressive."

Finally, as the last remaining zombie fell to the archer's arrow, the first stage of the monster raid came to an end.

"Wow~~"

What seemed like an easy first stage turned into a crisis due to the sudden actions of the thief, but it was Nakamura's strategy that turned the tables. Users watching the gameplay applauded the spearman's performance.

-STAGE 1 CLEAR.-

-VIP PLAYER: Neraiyuutsu-

As evident from the name "Neraiyuutsu (Snipe)," the MVP of this stage went to the archer. Although the spearman's strategy led the game to victory, the archer overwhelmingly dominated in monster eliminations.

Handing over the rare item 'Boots of Swiftness,' which enhances the wearer's agility, to Nakamura, the archer surprisingly opted to give the item to our leader.

"I didn't come prepared with the right items, causing trouble for the team. It's better for our leader Nakamura-san to have this item."

In turn, the thief also distributed items obtained from the treasure chest among the party members.

After each stage of the monster raid, there was downtime around a campfire for personal adjustments. Also, depending on the leader's decision, they could halt the raid.

In such cases, all party members received a Stage 1 clear badge, allowing them to start directly from Stage 2 during subsequent plays.

Of course, players who survived in the midst of the raid could also retreat. However, in doing so, they had to bear a significant cut in experience points for all party members.

Due to the consumption of resurrection items like the Angel's Wings and numerous healing potions in the first stage, feeling burdened for the next stage, Nakamura suggested a retreat to the party.

Since merely participating in the event meant they could acquire Dragon Emblem 2's full version later on, recklessly risking the loss of characters seemed unwise. It was wiser to return to town and reorganize.

Although it was only the first stage, Nakamura's party, which showed an impressively memorable battle, left the event zone amid users' applause.

And... it was our turn as the next challengers approached.

&

"They're overwhelming. The second party, centered around Kang Junhyuk, cleared the first stage at an amazing speed."

"Whoa!"

"It's lightning-fast if teamwork clicks, isn't it?"

"I think it's more about the party's balance. With two tanks, even if monsters crowd in, there's hardly any impact."

"Isn't it better to have a mage capable of area attacks? If two tanks draw monsters upfront, just melt them away with Fire Wall."

"Isn't that good party balance?"

"Oh, is that so?"

**Chapter 27: Monster Raid (2)**

"Sometimes it's necessary to leave comrades behind..."

"This is a mess..."

Junpei couldn't close his open mouth, watching the first party crumble in a single moment at just the first stage. I whispered into his ear.

"Observe and learn. If your folks behave like that, consider them as good as gone and move on, got it?"

"I didn't even have high hopes, and my character can't even move forward properly..."

"Are you... a mage?"

"Of course~ A female character named Mirea~"

Was this concept borrowed from the previous Fire Sorceress, Mirea? Maybe someone's a fan of sexy sorceresses...

I nodded to Junpei's smile and refocused on the game screen.

"From a developer's perspective, it'd make more sense for the spearman to retreat and protect the sorcerer and archer. What's with this strategy?"

But despite the spearman's slow mobility, they steadily advanced towards the thief.

The thief, with dodges and potions, managed to hold on, but it looked like a tough situation to maintain.

That's when the archer, leaving the monster in front of them, started moving towards the spearman.

Undead monsters had low mobility, so the archer retreated towards the center of the map, shooting arrows at the enemy.

"Nakamura-san, please turn the alchemist towards where there are no monsters. Then, head towards where the thief is, please."

To remedy the current situation, Nakamura-san issued several orders to the party members. The archer and alchemist, excluding the endangered thief, faithfully followed his instructions.

"Grrr!"

Just as the spearman and alchemist neared the thief, the latter failed to dodge the skeleton's sword, spilling blood as they fell.

"They're just down, not out. If we resurrect within five turns, we can save them. Alchemist, be ready with the resurrection item when I draw the monsters."

Following the spearman's command, the alchemist nodded. Meanwhile, Nakamura seized a zombie two spaces behind and lured it towards himself, drawing it away from the others.

Simultaneously, as the thief collapsed and lost their target, the undead creatures headed straight for the spearman. Despite slowly stepping back on the next turn, the spearman and archer continued attacking the undead.

"Krrrr..."

Both spearman and archer focused their ranged attacks on a single enemy, successfully diverting the enemy's attention.

Occasionally, monsters heading towards the alchemist were pulled closer by the archer, suffering damage from afar.

When it was the thief's third turn in the downed state, the alchemist revived them using an item called Angel's Wings.

"We did it! They're alive!"

Deeply regretting endangering the entire party with their poor judgment, the apologetic thief player repeatedly apologized to their comrades.

"Sorry. Really sorry."

With the thief's revival, the unfavorable situation took a sudden turn.

Immediately, the alchemist threw a healing potion towards the heavily depleted spearman, while the archer kept withdrawing towards the map's edge, drawing their bowstring.

The Monster Raid, almost on the verge of surrender, regained control thanks to Nakamura's tactical skills.

"That party leader's impressive. They didn't give up on their comrades till the end. Impressive."

Finally, as the last remaining zombie fell to the archer's arrow, the first stage of the Monster Raid concluded.

"Wow~"

What seemed like an easy first stage turned into a crisis due to the thief's sudden actions, but it was Nakamura's strategic prowess that reversed the situation. Users watching our play praised the spearman's actions with applause.

-STAGE 1 CLEAR.-

-VIP PLAYER: Neraious-

As the name suggests (Sniper), the highest achieving player for this stage went to the archer. Though the spearman's strategies led to the victory, the archer dominated in handling monsters.

Handing over the rare item 'Boots of Swiftness,' enhancing mobility, the archer surprisingly passed the item to our leader, Nakamura.

"I didn't manage my items properly, putting our team in danger. It's better for the leader, Nakamura, to have this item."

In response, the thief also distributed items obtained from the treasure chest among the party members.

At the end of each stage in the Monster Raid, we had personal maintenance time around the bonfire. Additionally, at the leader's discretion, we could halt the raid. In such cases, all party members received a Stage 1 Clear Badge, allowing us to start from Stage 2 during future plays.

Of course, players who survived during the raid could retreat. However, doing so significantly reduced the experience points for the entire party.

Due to consuming the Angel's Wings resurrection item and numerous healing potions in the first stage, Nakamura suggested a retreat from our current position for the next stage transition. After all, merely participating in the event allowed us to obtain the Dragon Emblem 2's full version later. Returning to the town for reorganization seemed like the wise choice rather than risking losing characters over just the first stage.

Although it was only the first stage, Nakamura's party, displaying a remarkable battle, received applause from users in the event zone.

And... our turn as the next challengers approached.

---

"They're overwhelming. The second party, led by Kang Junhyuk, cleared the first stage impressively."

"Wow!"

"Teamwork makes it lightning-fast, doesn't it?"

"Wouldn't it be better to balance the party? With two tanks, hardly any monsters seem to affect them."

"Isn't it better to have a mage capable of area attacks? If two tanks draw monsters upfront, just melt them away with a Fire Wall."

"Doesn't that make for good party balance?"

"Oh, I see."

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