This wasn't a regular raid team. These were people had just gathered and barely had their first run together. I couldn't judge their skill, so I only looked at their specs. A total wipe was more than expected.
The flow that had been going well was broken. It meant that the situation needed to be reassessed. After everyone respawned, they gathered in front of the boss in silence. The atmosphere was different now. They watched my every move in a subdued manner.
I checked each of the mages who had died earlier using Blink. Did they realize their mistake? They couldn't even meet my gaze and only hung their heads.
I didn't sigh. A raid leader must always remain calm.
"Bad luck. Let's take a 10 minute break and go again."
Since everyone had been wiped, the buff effects had worn off. A break was necessary.
I crossed my arms and pulled up the video of the previous playthrough. Everything was perfect. There were no flaws in my play. It was just the mages' mistakes. Even though I knew that, I kept replaying the video.
10 minutes.
It's a very short time. After confirming that the raid members had wrapped up their break, I spoke.
"Let's go again. This time, don't use Blink."
And so, the second attempt began. The same scenario unfolded. The boss's aggro was pulled, and the sub-tanks were placed on the mage line to hold the aggro of the boss's charge pattern. Then we transferred the aggro again. I calmly monitored the situation as it proceeded. Up to this point, there were no issues. Everyone was doing well.
But the problem arose when the boss's health dropped to 50%.
[Help our lord Crier!]
As before, elite orcs poured out from all directions, accompanied by the orcs' war cries. The elite orcs' attacks wouldn't break the mages' mana barriers with just one or two hits. As long as they kept the mana barrier up, they could hold out until the sub-tanks took over the aggro.
However, the feeling of panic leads to mistakes.
"Ah!"
With a brief scream from one of the sub-tanks, several orcs rushed toward the mage line. The orcs that had broken into the line swung their swords, pounding on the mages' barriers. It wasn't a crisis. If they stayed calm, the sub-tank would approach soon and reclaim the aggro before anyone died.
"Move! Move!"
Not all the DPS were lacking. A blue ice sphere fell over the orcs that had broken through.
Boom!
It was an ice-element spell, a skill that freezes any target within its range for a certain period. But despite immobilizing the orcs, some mages still used Blink.
"I told you not to use Blink!"
This time, three mages used Blink. At that moment, Crier, as if waiting for this, pushed me aside and charged toward the mages.
Thud, thud, thud!
The massive body swiftly ran toward the mages.
Boom!
Crier's enormous greatsword slammed into the ground, sending out a massive shockwave. The three mages who couldn't Blink were knocked down. But it was fine. There were still enough DPS left.
"Don't attack the boss! Clean up the orcs first!"
The sub-tank briefly held Crier's aggro and moved it away from the mages line. The elite orcs poured out regularly. The longer the battle dragged on, the worse it would become.
"Once you're done, attack the boss!"
Once the elite orcs were dealt with quickly, the ranged spells began to rain down again. Crier's health dropped rapidly.
When the boss's health reached 30%, the orcs cried out again.
[Help our lord Crier!]
At that moment, an unexpected charge pattern was triggered. Crier slammed his massive arm onto the ground, shoving me aside.
Boom!
I bit my lip. The pattern was messed up. The boss's charge pattern triggered before the sub-tanks could pull the aggro from the elite orcs.
[Dieeeee!]
Crier's sudden charge shook the mages line hard. The mages who used Blink and those who didn't were split. The mages were in the middle of casting long spells to deal with the elite orcs. Less than half of the mages canceled their castings and used Blink. In one hit, half of them were wiped out. This was an unavoidable situation. It wasn't anyone's fault.
"Again!"
Retry.
It was the second total wipe.
* * * *
Everyone watching the stream thought:
'Can they even clear it today?'
It was already the tenth attempt. As time dragged on, the players' concentration started to wane. Mistakes that hadn't happened at the start were piling up, eventually leading to the raid's wipe. The girl wasn't smiling. She wasn't angry either. She simply soothed the raid members in a calm tone.
[Seems like we won't clear it today?]
[Isn't it almost 10 PM?]
[Oh no... isn't middle-schooler-chan supposed to go to bed by 10 PM?]
Up until the third attempt, people had hope. They thought they could clear it. On the third try, they had brought the boss's health down to 15%. But that was the only time. After that, they hadn't managed to get the boss's health below 30%.
[But didn't they clear all the other bosses on the first day? Isn't that pretty good?]
[At this level, the raid is solid enough]
[From what I see, the problem is with the mages. If they swapped out the underperformers for higher-tier DPS, they could probably clear it]
[Lol, for real, remember those idiots' names and avoid them]
While the chat continued, the raid team was wiped again. The viewers thought the girl would calm the raid members again with her usual composed voice.
But no, she didn't.
"Ah—"
A short sigh escaped her, but the emotions contained within it were boiling.
"Why can't we do it?"
It was a mutter to herself. But everyone heard it.
"Is it really that hard? Is it? Is it hard for you guys? Is it really hard? Can't you do that?"
Cold words flowed from the girl's lips. Her gaze was harsh. Her tone was no longer calm like before. Her sharp voice began to crush the mages' spirits.
"Why can't you do it? Why. Can't. You. Do something so simple?"
At that moment, the girl's icy gaze turned toward one mage. He was the one who had failed to deal more damage than the tanks and had the most deaths recorded in the raid.
Everyone expected harsh words to follow. But instead, the small girl sighed, letting it all go.
"Ha... everyone, let's do one last try. After this, we'll distribute the gold. I'm going to change the tactics, so please pay attention."
She mentioned changing the strategy. It was strange. From the outsiders' perspective, the raid's tactics were perfect. The DPS just weren't skilled enough to execute them properly.
* * * *
I took a deep breath. I wasn't myself; I had gotten too emotional. The underperforming raid members were frustrating me so much that I had almost lashed out. But a raid leader must take responsibility until the end. I couldn't betray the trust of the raid members who believed in me. No matter how poorly someone was performing, calling them out in front of everyone wasn't the right thing to do.
I'd delay the DPS line replacement for later. Today, I would see this raid through with the current team.
My head felt like it was burning. My overwhelming talent was already finding multiple solutions. The tactics... the tactics needed to change.
"We're switching the main tank."
"Huh? Suddenly?"
I mentioned changing the main tank. Everyone started murmuring in confusion.
"Dogric, you'll take the main tank position, and I'll switch to sub-tank."
Dogric's skill was reliable. As long as the healer line was strong enough, holding the position wouldn't be difficult. Dogric nodded and began checking his gear.
I was calculating how many healers I would need for the new tactic I was planning.
At least one. At most, two.
"Put four healers on the main tank, two on me, and one on the other."
The priest leader nodded with a puzzled expression.
It was time to explain the new tactic I had come up with.
"Mages, this time, don't attack the elite orcs. Focus only on the boss. Whatever happens, just focus on the boss. And don't use Blink, except for the charge pattern."
They would probably be confused. But this was the right move. The battle needed to end as quickly as possible before everyone's focus deteriorated any further.
"Dogric, do the same as I did. After the charge pattern, take over the boss aggro from the sub-tank and move it to the corner. I'll handle all the elite orcs."
After finishing, I exchanged glances with the raid members. Everyone looked confused, but they nodded nonetheless.
And so, the next attempt began.
Dogric rushed forward and started tanking Crier, just like I had done before. Crier's patterns weren't that difficult. The problem came when the elite orcs appeared once Crier's health dropped to 50%.
As the fight dragged on, Crier's health dropped rapidly. Then, it happened again.
[Help our lord Crier!]
The orcs' war cries, which we had heard far too often, echoed once again. I immediately charged toward the elite orcs. My head was burning. Even though I was in the tank position, if I took too many hits from the 30 elite orcs, my health would drop faster than if I were hit by the boss.
I dodged when I could and used my shield to deflect attacks. But I made sure to pull all the orcs' aggro. Since the healers' healing could pull the aggro away, I had to keep swinging my sword while moving.
I ran quickly, weaving through the orcs. I had to make sure I firmly held the aggro of all 30 elite orcs.
"Focus on the boss! Don't worry about here! Sub-tanks, only watch for the boss's charge pattern!"
I handled it all alone. I kept kiting the 30 orcs, maintaining just the right distance without getting too far away from them.
Without dealing with the elite orcs, all the firepower focused solely on the boss. Crier's health quickly dropped to 20%.
Then, once again, the orcs' war cries rang out.
[Help our lord Crier!]
Another 30 orcs appeared. I had to handle them again. Not a single one could be missed. I swung my sword quickly and steadily. As the golden blade of light grazed the orcs, the 60 orcs behind me continued to follow me closely.
If I stopped, I would die. If I got too far, the 60 orcs would scatter, and the raid would be done.
There could be no mistakes. My head felt like it was overheating. It felt like my brain would cook from the heat. I dodged and swung. As the wide-reaching golden blade grazed the orcs, the aggro was updated. I focused solely on that.
I concentrated harder than ever. The sensation of the sword in my hand became even clearer.
As I lost myself in the moment, moving my body, all 60 orcs following me collapsed at once, and a grand, booming voice echoed.
[This... this can't be... my empire...]
Thud!
Crier's massive body fell to the ground.
[Server: Achievement unlocked! The title "The One Who Crushed the Empire" has been sent to your mailbox.]
A translucent message window appeared through my blurry vision. My hands trembled. My head, pushed to the limit, throbbed. My legs gave out, and I collapsed onto the floor.