Chris was working in her lab, projecting a hologram simulation.
It was a replacement for the old PPT presentation software, making it easier to visually convey information.
"Minah at 5 o'clock, Dalboreum at 7 o'clock, FishCatchOne at 11 o'clock, RedHotChicken at 1 o'clock."
Chris organized the raid members' positions for the second special phase at 60% HP of the first boss, the *Black Dragon*, and decided to take a short break.
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She needed some caffeine.
---
Sitting on the terrace with her coffee, Chris checked the time.
It was 3 AM.
The time when everyone should be asleep.
Even though it was a weekday, the schedule for a full-fledged raid team aiming for a first clear was grueling.
For the *Hongbaek Raid Team*, they began at 8 PM and continued until 2 AM. If the team was close to a clear, they would extend the session. Weekdays required six hours, while weekends stretched to over twelve hours.
It was a schedule impossible to maintain without being fully committed to the game.
*Sigh.*
Chris let out a deep sigh.
This was *Astria Online's* first raid dungeon.
It was on a completely different level from elite dungeons. The damage from the bosses was overwhelming, and the mechanics were tight on time.
Moreover, from phase two onwards, the enhanced mechanics were introduced.
Magic spears specifically targeted the ranged DPS, while corrupted *Ents* continuously harassed the melee DPS in the center of the battlefield.
Not only did they have to deal with the *Black Dragon*, but they also had to manage gimmicks and extra monsters simultaneously, causing the progress to be slow.
There had been special phases at both 90% and 60%, which meant there was sure to be another at 30%.
Given the trends in phase two, phase three would likely involve five *Ents* and five magic circles.
Indeed, the *Tree of the Abyss*, a legendary raid dungeon, was not easy even from the first boss.
"But..."
Chris had no intention of spending an entire month on this raid.
Her goal was to clear it within a week.
Tomorrow, the first boss had to be cleared, and they had to start working on the second boss strategy.
Otherwise...
Before returning to her room, Chris stopped by Rain's room.
On the door, instead of the usual "Do Not Disturb" sign, there was a cute piece of paper with neat handwriting.
"Do not enter. -Rain-"
"Heh."
Chris couldn't help but smile.
How cute.
But at the same time, she was anxious.
Even with 12 players, this raid was demanding. Yet, Rain was attempting it solo.
Her motivation probably stemmed from a duty Chris couldn’t fully understand.
If she believed even half of what Han Yeoreum, the team leader, had said...
Wouldn't this high synchronization rate cause her extreme pain?
Chris could only hope Rain would pull out if her condition worsened.
The game had safety mechanisms. If a player's mental state couldn’t handle the stress, the capsule would automatically eject them. Chris would also receive an alert.
If that happened, she wouldn’t hesitate to burst through the door and drag Rain to the hospital.
"But still..."
If it were Rain, maybe...
She might be able to overcome the hurdle of a 12-player raid designed for teams, all by herself.
---
[First Boss]
[Level 53]
[Black Dragon]
[HP: 200,000,000 / 200,000,000 (100%)]
---
*Step, step.*
Standing before the first boss, the *Black Dragon*, I tapped my feet lightly.
It was already late at night.
Everyone else was asleep.
But I wasn’t tired. My body felt fine.
I reviewed the information I had gathered so far.
The boss had 200 million HP.
At 90%, a special phase occurred, and three magic circles appeared around the edges. You had to step on them in the correct order to deactivate them.
The *Ents* that spawned during the special phase attacked from the center. They could be purified using the *Essence of the World Tree* after stepping on the magic circles.
I hadn't seen what would happen at 60% or 30%, but it would definitely be an enhanced version of the mechanics.
The enrage timer was 12 minutes after the start of combat.
If 12 minutes passed, the *Black Dragon* would forcefully enter its flight phase. By then, there would be no magic circles. Needless to say, it would be impossible to clear.
There were two major issues with attempting this solo.
The first was damage.
The *Black Dragon's* 200 million HP was balanced for 12 players.
By precisely targeting weak points between its scales with my sword, I could deal increased damage, but it wasn’t enough to match the output of 12 players.
During the time I spent analyzing the special phases, I had already gauged my own damage output.
Solo, I couldn't deal 200 million damage in 12 minutes.
"But..."
[*World Tree's Belt*]
[Elite]
[Strength +50, Agility +50, Intelligence +50]
[Unique Ability: Negates lethal damage once. However, HP remains fixed at 1% until combat ends (Cooldown: 30 minutes).]
I touched the belt that *Igraine* had given me.
“Fixed at 1% HP.”
I could use this to deal more damage.
[*Ilsen (One Flash)*]
[Cooldown: 1 minute]
[Invincibility during use]
[Can use the true version when HP is below 1%.]
[*Starlight Sword Aura*]
[Cooldown: 1 minute]
[Unleashes sword aura imbued with starlight five times in a 15m x 3m area (500% of Starlight Slash's power 4 times, 2000% once).]
[Can use the true version when HP is below 1%.]
If I could endure the pain once, I could use my special skills as much as I wanted throughout the battle.
I had already come close to death a few times while analyzing the patterns, but I managed to escape.
The reason I hadn’t used this ability while gathering data wasn’t because I was afraid of the pain.
The problem was how much *Isulbi's* body could handle such severe pain.
I wasn’t sure, but could I survive twenty times? After that, my body might start to fail.
In other words, I had a limited number of lives.
A "life" is something like the lives a player has in a shooting game.
How many lives does *Isulbi* have left?
Anyway, after clearing this today and getting some rest, I might be able to handle a bit more.
"I have to finish this in one go if possible."
The second problem was the gimmick execution.
The special phase mechanics were designed for 12 players.
The melee DPS needed to draw the *Ents' aggro*, while the ranged DPS stepped on the magic circles to deactivate them.
Even if I dodged the *Ents' attacks*, it would be a challenge to deactivate all the magic circles scattered around the large battlefield within the time limit.
In the end, it was a matter of speed.
Even though I was already fast, I needed to be overwhelmingly faster than the average player.
But I thought I could solve this problem too.
The power contained in my sword techniques when my HP was below 1%.
"This feels similar to the mana I used back in my *Hero* days."
In-game, classes like swordsmen and martial artists didn't have the concept of MP, but that was just a game mechanic.
I knew how to harness this power.
I could try using it by partially restricting its release, holding some of the energy inside my body.
If that worked, I could temporarily amplify my physical abilities.
*Smack!*
I slapped my cheeks to focus.
*Step.*
Then, I stood before the massive form of the *Black Dragon*.
I had spent a lot of time analyzing and refining my strategy to achieve a clean clear.
Hiding my nervousness, I smiled.
"Now, it's time for the real fight."
---
[First Boss]
[Level 53]
[Black Dragon]
[HP: 198,641,059 / 200,000,000 (99%)]
---
*Boom, boom!*
The *Black Dragon* slammed its massive front legs at me. I dodged deftly, swinging my sword as I moved.
*Boom!*
*Step.*
On the third strike, I grabbed onto the dragon's enormous foot and spun my body in midair.
*Swish.*
As I rotated, my sword drew a half-circle, slicing along the *Black Dragon's* neck.
*Swoosh!*
The damage was decent. The dragon's scales weren’t a problem for me.
Though it was still a dragon, its size was smaller than the *Green Dragon*, the world boss. I didn’t need to make risky leaps to hit its weak spots.
*Kaahhh!*
The dragon let out a furious roar.
*Wooooong!*
Simultaneously, dark spears began to form around it.
Twelve of them.
For a 12-player raid, one spear per player.
But since I was solo, all of them were targeting me.
This was the most dangerous normal attack pattern.
*Woooooong!*
The twelve dark spears began chasing after me.
*Tap, tap, tap!*
I immediately started running, circling around the *Black Dragon*.
*Whoosh!* The first spear whistled past me as I ducked. The second, I dodged by twisting my waist to the left.
The third and fourth, I jumped over simultaneously. Fifth and sixth—aimed at me while I was still airborne—were dodged with a backward mid-air dash. *Tap!* I landed smoothly.
Seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, and eleventh.
I successfully evaded eleven spears in total.
*Swish!*
The final spear hurtled directly toward me.
This time, I didn’t dodge.
As it neared, I reflected for a moment.
HP as a stat... It's strange, isn't it?
Of course, in a raid dungeon, most attacks are instant kills.
But if you lose an arm or a leg, how much HP do you lose? If you’re left with 1% HP, does that mean you’d be fighting with one arm or one leg? Heh. In reality, you’d die from shock.
Either way, surviving with low HP isn’t ideal.
It's better to die cleanly.
*Thunk!*
"Ugh."
The spear slammed diagonally down, piercing through my abdomen and embedding itself into the ground.
The pain of being impaled was unbearable, and a groan escaped me.
God, I hate this feeling.
In reality, which organs would have been torn apart by now? Either way, I'd be dead, right?
I’ve experienced this a few times, but it’s still disgusting.
It’s like being a frog in a dissection lab.
*Thud.*
When the spear disappeared, my body collapsed onto the ground.
*Whoosh!*
As my vision began to blur, green light enveloped me.
I bolted upright.
*Wooooong!*
The wound in my abdomen was now glowing with green light.
The gift from *Igraine*.
[Unique Ability: Negates lethal damage once. However, HP remains fixed at 1% until combat ends (Cooldown: 30 minutes).]
I gave a small nod of gratitude.
"Thanks, sis."
Now, I can fight at full power.
*Click.*
I took a stance, aiming my sword at the *Black Dragon’s* advancing foot.
And unleashed a torrent of sword auras.
*Slash, slash, slash!*
Golden sword energy slashed through the *Black Dragon's* foot, causing blood to spurt from the wound.
*Kaahhh!!!*
*Boom, boom!*
The dragon roared in pain, taking two steps back.
*Flash!*
In an instant, I chased after it, my body becoming a blur as I slashed through the *Black Dragon's* massive body.
*Boom, boom, boom!*
The violent storm of sword strikes left deep wounds across the dragon's form.
*Kaahh! Kaahh!!*
Could a dragon even show confusion on its face?
The *Black Dragon* seemed utterly bewildered.
I looked back at it and smirked.
"How’s that? Hurts, doesn’t it? I might not be as strong as I used to be..."
But with this power...
A fat lizard like you, I can tear apart all on my own.