[RAIDS ONLINE @ Location - Area CC+1, Barren State.]
Right now, Luel and SilverPup are camping in the middle of nowhere, waiting for any Ragnarok Beast to appear nearby.
"Pfft!... So you got sucked dry by a colony of Bloodsuckers?... You're such a noob, Lucent! Hahaha!"
"I didn't call you here to laugh at me, SilverPup..."
"I'm sorry... Hahaha!"
As SilverPup said, Luel had been pathetically killed by a colony of Rank E Bloodsuckers—some of the weakest Ragnarok Beasts in RAIDS ONLINE.
If there was one silver lining to Luel's embarrassing death, it was that it didn't trigger his anxiety or a panic attack when he woke up in the middle of the night in his bed.
It wasn't that Luel had become resistant to those episodes. It's just that the way he was killed this time didn't actually hurt that much.
Rank E Ragnarok Beast: Bloodsucker—its anesthetic venom numbs the pain with each bite, leaving Luel feeling less and less... until nothing at all.
His latest defeat left his Link Force at just 1 percent, forcing him to accept his deal with SilverPup: the Orion Guild would help him recover his Link Force.
Still, Luel's discomfort around people hadn't changed. He was fine back during the Boss Raid because everyone's attention was on Cerberus and the other Ragnarok Beasts.
But this time would be different.
Now, all of Orion Guild's players would focus solely on helping him. The idea of being the center of attention again—surrounded, watched, judged—was a sure way to trigger his insecurities.
That's why Luel had only asked SilverPup for help.
"Now that I remember—in your second raid video, you also got chased by a swarm of Rank E Mutated Rabies before Cerberus showed up."
"Don't make me remember that... It was way scarier than it sounds."
Luel's face twisted with dread as he recalled the grotesque movement of the Mutated Rabies, with their extra limbs and horrific mouths.
SilverPup, however, kept laughing as she tried to explain what Luel kept doing wrong in RAIDS ONLINE.
"Pfft! I guess you're one of those players, Lucent."
"One of what kind, exactly?"
"The kind who never reads the instructions on the back of the box. The kind who skips the tutorial just to jump into the action. The kind who gets beaten over and over again by the same boss but still refuses to look up a guide online!"
Contrary to her claims, Luel had read the back of the RAIDS ONLINE box. He didn't skip the tutorial either—mainly because his newfound idol, Selene, was there with him.
But the idea of researching Ragnarok Beasts, mastering his Devour Beast Class skills, or even just learning how not to die against Rank E mobs?
Yeah. That hadn't occurred to him.
"What I'm trying to say is—Rank E Ragnarok Beasts may be weak alone, but swarms are much more dangerous than a single Rank C. And trust me, if you see one, its colony isn't far behind. If you can't kill them in one strike, then you better be ready. They'll call for backup."
Of course. That should've been obvious.
That was Luel's only thought as he sat beside the campfire, listening to SilverPup's lecture.
---
—SCREEECHHH!—
"Come on, Lucent! It's just a pig—you can handle it!"
"It's not a pig! It's a freaking wild boar with a unicorn horn!"
[Rank E Ragnarok Beast, Codename – Uniboar.]
"Pig or boar, same thing! The meat's still pork, right?"
"It's called freaking venison!"
"Liar! Venison is deer meat!"
"You're really not helping, SilverPup!"
—SCREEECHHH!—
In the desolate, barren landscape—what used to be a forested state full of wildlife—Luel was currently fighting a Rank E Ragnarok Beast called Uniboar, while SilverPup sat on a nearby boulder, casually watching.
The Uniboar stood two meters tall, with a single horn jutting from its forehead like a unicorn—hence the name. It was bigger than most Rank E beasts, but with only one attack pattern, it wasn't considered difficult.
Its only move: a straight charge meant to impale its target with its horn—accompanied by a tremor as its hooves slammed the ground.
—SCREEECHHH!—
The Uniboar charged, making the ground shake as it rushed at Luel.
'Charge'
Luel activated his Charge skill, sidestepping swiftly to the beast's left.
'Orion Claws'
He slashed toward the Uniboar's side with his glowing silver aura claws, but just before they connected—
—WHAM!—
Luel was struck by a delayed shockwave from the Uniboar's dash. Sent flying, he crashed to the ground several meters away.
"See? Like I said, you're not thinking about how to actually fight your opponent, Lucent."
"Then tell me already how to beat this wild boar, SilverPup!"
Still sitting on the ground like a grumpy child, Luel watched as SilverPup hopped off the boulder and calmly walked toward the beast.
"You see, Lucent... You can't attack the Uniboar from the sides while it's running. Its tremor ability creates a delayed shockwave behind it. If you dodge too close to its flanks, you'll get hit even if you move in time."
As she explained, the Uniboar locked onto her and charged.
"The best way to fight this pig is to face it head-on—show it who the stronger beast is!"
—BAMMMM!!!—
The Uniboar crashed into SilverPup, unleashing another powerful shockwave. The air itself seemed to shudder.
But the beast didn't impale her.
Just before the horn could pierce her, SilverPup dodged a hair's breadth to the side and caught the Uniboar's horn with her left hand—stopping its charge dead in its tracks.
"See how easy it is, Lucent?"