After a brief break, I logged back into the game. I had stepped outside to show my face to my mom, who had just returned home from work. Now, I could focus on the game without any interruptions for a while.
"Is everyone back?"
I had given the smokers a generous 10 minutes to finish their break. As the raid members returned, everyone seemed satisfied.
"Let's continue. Check your buffs. If anyone is low on potions, please let us know in advance."
We resumed the raid. The atmosphere within the raid was quite good. This was the first good raid of Deren Online, and while the difficulty level was designed to be easy, facing monsters with actual weapons instead of using a keyboard and mouse made it feel much harder.
As we pushed forward, we encountered the fourth boss.
[Beastmaster Big House]
This was a notoriously difficult boss. True to his title as a beastmaster, he was accompanied by the massive White Frost Wolves. There were two strategies for handling this boss. In the first, two sub-tanks would take control of the wolves, simply holding them in place while the main tank focused on Big House, and all the DPS targeted him. Since Big House was the main boss, once his health dropped, the wolves would automatically die.
The second strategy involved killing the White Frost Wolves first. While this minimized unnecessary patterns, it also extended the raid time. The longer the fight, the more likely the DPS would run out of mana. If the DPS couldn't use their skills efficiently, it meant lower damage output, and Big House's berserk phase would last longer.
The berserk phase of bosses was particularly dangerous. It was best to finish the fight quickly.
Most raids in this world chose the second strategy, but I opted for the first.
"Healers, assign one to each sub-tank, and then have the sub-tanks move the wolves as far away from the boss as possible. DPS, ignore the wolves and focus on the boss. Save your long cooldown skills for when the berserk phase hits."
"Are we not killing the wolves?"
"No, we're not."
I was the raid leader. While it was fine to question the tactics, they needed to follow my orders for now. When recruiting, I had set the condition that no one would challenge my calls until the strategy was complete, even if my orders seemed strange. The raid members, remembering that, simply nodded.
And so, the battle began.
As I charged forward, swinging my sword, the sub-tanks followed my instructions and led the large Frost Wolves to the edges of the battlefield. Two healers assigned by the priest leader followed them. Since this was going to be a short fight, the two healers' mana would last until the end.
The sub-tanks were well-chosen, specifically selected for their expertise in aggro management, and they performed their roles flawlessly.
[Hahaha! You foolish humans!!! I'll feed you to my wolves!]
With a loud roar, the beastmaster swung his massive iron club. The attack sliced through the air and shook my entire body.
Clang!
The force of the blow reverberated through my shield. My vision shook wildly, but I hadn't fallen. With minimal movement, I deflected the attacks I couldn't block and sliced at the beastmaster's wrist as his club whooshed past overhead.
Behind the beastmaster, countless spells rained down. The DPS line's attacks steadily chipped away at his health. When his health hit 50%, a new phase triggered.
[Darlings!!! Show them the power of the Frost Wolves!]
As ordered, the Frost Wolves unleashed an AOE skill. But since they were far away from the main group, the DPS was unaffected.
I quickly checked the status of the raid. The first thing I looked at was the sub-tanks' health. Their red health bars fluctuated as they were healed, but overall, they were stable. I could relax and focus on the boss.
I continued the same process: blocking, deflecting, and steadily building aggro with each strike. Eventually, the beastmaster entered his berserk phase.
[Kraaaaagh!]
Now it was a race against time. The beastmaster's berserk phase also triggered the wolves to go berserk. My request wasn't complicated: the mages unleashed their powerful skills, which they had been saving for this moment. The DPS chart spiked as the rankings shifted dramatically. Helena, a mage with a blue robe, dominated the top spot.
Thud!
As the beastmaster's health hit rock bottom, his massive body collapsed to the ground.
I immediately checked the loot. Two mage-exclusive armor pieces had dropped. Mage gear was relatively easy to obtain, usually selling for 200–300 gold. This time was no different: the robe sold for 300 gold, and the shoes for 250.
"Only the final boss remains."
We had taken down all the first bosses. Now, only the massive boss monster, [Red Orc Gladiator Crier], was left. This hulking red orc exuded an entirely different aura from the others we had encountered. The scars etched all over his body were a testament to the countless battles he had fought.
"This is the final fight. Don't get too relaxed just because it's been smooth sailing so far. Check your buffs, and let's head in."
After confirming that everyone was ready, I walked forward. At that moment, the red orc standing in the clearing opened his glowing red eyes.
[So, you've made it this far...]
"Mages, save your Blink skills. If you Blink while trying to chase after him, you won't be able to avoid his charge pattern. Sub-tanks, stay near the mages and grab aggro when he charges. The main tank will take over after that."
I let out a sigh. Honestly, this boss wasn't that difficult either. Back in the game, anyone could clear this raid as long as they played well. Even pickup groups eventually cleared the [Red Orc Empire] raid.
"Let's go."
The battle began. I immediately dashed forward, slashing at his massive leg.
Slash!
A golden arc of light left a deep cut.
[Kraaaaagh!]
While I successfully grabbed the initial aggro, the real challenge began after that. Crier's entire lore was built around him being a natural-born fighter, honed by countless battles. As soon as the fight started, his berserk mode was triggered. His already massive body grew larger, and his attack speed increased dramatically.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
My hand holding the shield shook violently. One wrong move, and I would be knocked down. I quickly angled my shield and slashed my sword.
Clang!
My golden-imbued sword clashed with Crier's serrated greatsword, sending sparks flying. At that moment, my skill activated.
[Counterattack] A skill that allows you to retaliate after blocking an enemy's attack.
There was a strict timing requirement, but I pulled it off. A red burst of energy erupted as my sword slashed across Crier's chest.
"There's no special burst window! Just dump everything whenever you can!!!"
Seeing the DPS chart not rise fast enough, I shouted. Responding to my command, the raid members buffed up and unleashed a barrage of skills.
Thud!
Suddenly, Crier's massive sword struck my body, sending me flying backward. His charge pattern had triggered.
[Annoying bugs!]
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Crier turned and began charging forward. A menacing red aura flared around him.
"Mages in his path, Blink out now!!!"
[Kraaaaaa!]
As Crier charged, his sword slammed into the ground, sending a massive shockwave through the area. Some mages managed to Blink away in time, but not all of them.
The raid team of 40 had been reduced to 39.
I immediately shouted to the healers.
"Don't waste the resurrection! Save the cooldown!"
My blood was boiling. This wasn't even a difficult pattern to avoid, yet someone had died. Frustration rose in me. If they had been paying attention, they could have easily avoided it. But they died, meaning they weren't fully focused on the raid.
Meanwhile, Dogrik, the sub-tank positioned with the mages, skillfully grabbed the boss's aggro. I immediately charged back and let out a shout.
"Hiyaa!"
With that, the aggro returned to me. I led the boss away, keeping as much distance from the DPS as possible. The charge pattern could come out at any moment, and the more distance I maintained, the better they could react.
The charge pattern triggered three more times, and four more mages died. I made a mental note of their names, silently giving them each a yellow card.
Then it happened. When the boss's health dropped to 50%, the next phase began.
[Help our lord Crier!]
The citizens of the Orc Empire came to aid their king. From all sides, red orcs began pouring in.
"Sub-tanks! Grab the wave of monsters!!!"
The sub-tanks, positioned with the mages, naturally took the aggro of the approaching elite orcs and began running in circles to keep them busy.
Then the mages started using Blink. It looked like they were trying to avoid the orcs that had gotten too close. But this was a mistake. If they used Blink now, they wouldn't be able to avoid the boss's charge pattern later.
"Don't use Blink!!!"
But it was already too late.
Crier slammed me away and turned to charge at the mage line.
Thud!
Crier's massive sword crashed down on the mages. The shockwave left 10 mages as gray silhouettes on the ground.
"Ah…"
Ten DPS had died in a single boss pattern. This meant we couldn't quickly deal with the elite orcs. The fight dragged on. The healers couldn't focus on healing. Their mana rapidly drained. So far, 15 DPS had died, leaving the remaining DPS to pick up the slack. In an attempt to compensate, they used more skills.
But their mana started to dry up, and they couldn't handle the elite monsters. The healing output decreased.
The first attempt ended in failure.