"Do not enter. -Rain-"
Early in the morning, in front of Rain's room.
Chris was sitting next to the door, dozing off.
Nodding her head.
“Mmm... Our little white one, you can’t get sick...”
*Whirr—Click.*
“Huh!”
Startled by the sound that broke through her drowsy state, Chris quickly looked around.
“What?”
The door opened, revealing a small, pale girl sitting in a wheelchair.
She was dressed in the cute white pajamas Chris had bought her, fitting her small frame perfectly. It looked like she had just finished getting ready.
Rain, who had just emerged from the room, looked surprised to see Chris.
Chris quickly stood up and grabbed Rain by the shoulders.
“Rain, are you okay!? W-What... Did you try the whole night?”
“Ah... yes.”
Chris cautiously studied Rain’s expression.
There was a look of undeniable pain and exhaustion etched on her face.
Chris’s heart sank.
Her eyes welled up with tears.
A pain that felt like her heart was being squeezed.
“If it’s like this from the first day... what are we supposed to do...”
Chris lowered her head.
Rain was fighting this lonely battle.
How could she help?
"...Sis."
Rain gently pulled Chris’s head into her embrace.
"Do I look like I’m struggling?"
“W-What do you mean if not struggling!?”
“......”
Rain’s small, soft hands cupped Chris’s face.
She gently lifted Chris’s head, making sure their eyes met.
Chris stared blankly into Rain’s gaze.
In Rain’s eyes, there was an emotion Chris hadn’t noticed before.
It was... a sense of accomplishment.
“R-Rain!”
Chris’s face brightened.
Rain also smiled warmly.
---
“To think you managed to defeat the first boss alone in just one day... Here, have some more.”
“Ah~”
Rain happily accepted the food Chris fed her.
This was a precious moment of communication they could share once a day.
Chris was determined to fully savor this time together.
Rain had been eating alone for a while now, but thankfully, they were able to have this meal together today.
As Chris watched Rain chew on the meat she had placed in her mouth, she couldn’t help but ask sneakily.
“So, how exactly did you do it? I mean, I know it’s kind of a competition for the first clear, so maybe I shouldn’t be asking, but...”
“Well, since it’s you, Chris, of course I’ll tell you... Ah, uh. Sorry. There are some parts I can't talk about.”
Rain started to speak openly but then hesitated, looking a bit troubled as she averted her gaze from Chris.
Chris nodded in understanding.
The parts Rain was reluctant to share were likely related to the hidden mechanics that allowed her to solo the raid. Whether it was some secret gimmick or a way to deal huge chunks of damage, it made sense that she wouldn’t want to reveal it, especially considering the competitive nature of the first-clear race.
“Well, it’s pretty much just dealing damage, clearing the magic circles in order, purifying the Ents, creating the barrier to block the breath attack, and repeating that.”
Chris blinked, her expression dumbfounded.
“T-That’s it?”
“Uh... pretty much. Oh, and at 60%, four magic circles appear, and at 30%, five.”
Chris had expected that.
But how did Rain manage to step on all the magic circles alone?
Dodging the magic spears while fending off the Ents’ attacks?
Even if she somehow managed to do all of that, she was still just one person.
Physically, it didn’t seem possible within the time limit.
Rain noticed the confusion in Chris’s eyes and shyly scratched her face with a small laugh.
Feeling bad for pressing her, Chris quickly shifted the topic.
“Well, anyway, it just means it’s possible to do it solo. Haha, looks like I’ll have to whip the *Hongbaek* team into shape since we haven’t even cleared it with twelve people.”
Rain giggled softly.
“Sis, don’t be too hard on your guild members.”
Then, with a more tender expression, she whispered to herself.
“...Just two more hurdles, and I’ll be able to meet you.”
“...?”
Chris tilted her head as she watched Rain’s face.
It was rare for Rain to show such affection in her expression.
That was a look Rain usually only showed to her.
But now, Rain was directing that gaze toward someone else in her thoughts.
What...?
A vague sense of unease began to stir in Chris’s heart.
---
Chris tucked Rain into bed after her long raid attempts, gently patting her as she drifted off to sleep.
And when the scheduled raid time arrived, Chris logged into *Astria Online*.
Once a mid-boss was defeated, all raid members would be locked into that particular dungeon.
The current status: at the first boss of *Tree of the Abyss*, the *Black Dragon*.
“Yawn...”
Chris let out a yawn.
But she quickly focused and glared at the *Black Dragon*.
She was tired from staying up all night, worried about Rain, but as the raid leader, she couldn’t afford to show any weakness.
The members of the *Hongbaek* raid team began to gather, one by one, in front of the first boss.
As everyone assembled, Chris began her briefing before they started the raid.
*Whirr.*
A miniature hologram of the first boss’s battlefield floated in front of Chris.
“Whoa, a hologram presentation? Must’ve taken some work to put that together.”
“Today, we’ll be following this positioning. In phase two, RedHotChicken will join, and in phase three, Cherni will also join, making it five players handling the mechanics. The ranged DPS performing the mechanics will have to coordinate smoothly. We’ve assigned backup members in case anyone dies.”
“I see, that sounds solid. But we still haven’t seen the 30% special phase, right?”
“Even if we get through the second special phase, we don’t know what will happen next. After 60%, it’s uncharted territory for us.”
“No, the 30% special phase will have five magic circles.”
Chris’s confident statement left the *Hongbaek* team members looking puzzled.
“No way...”
Death’sDeath widened his eyes.
Even Beimeirung and Cherni’s mouths dropped open in shock.
Chris nodded.
“Tsk.”
“Again!”
“Ahhhh! Even in a raid dungeon!”
Death’sDeath clutched his head in frustration, while Beimeirung and Cherni looked utterly deflated.
“What is it? What’s going on, Guild Master? Death’sDeath?”
The members who were new to Chris’s raid group started asking anxiously, confused by the unusual reactions.
Chris smiled and addressed the entire *Hongbaek* raid team.
“This morning, the first boss was defeated for the first time. And the person who did it is someone we all know.”
“...!”
Finally, the other members began to catch on.
Spiritmaster Dalboreum cautiously spoke up.
“Rain? Solo? Did she clear it?”
Chris nodded.
The *Hongbaek* raid team was thrown into chaos.
“No, no way.”
“That’s impossible! Seriously?”
“I mean, it's Rain, but still! It’s not an elite dungeon, it’s a raid dungeon!”
Chris grinned wickedly as she watched the team’s reactions.
“That’s why, as twelve people, we have to clear it no matter what. If we take too long, she might be disappointed in us. And if anyone makes too many mistakes... there could be replacements.”
“Gasp!”
Chris had shaken the *Hongbaek* raid team twice over.
---
[First Boss]
[Level 53]
[Black Dragon]
[HP: 59,974,550 / 200,000,000 (30%)]
---
*Flap, flap, flap.*
The dragon began to beat its wings.
The third special phase had started—the flight pattern.
*Tap, tap, tap!*
“We’ve reached the final special phase! This time, it’s five magic circles! We have to grit our teeth and pull through!”
Chris shouted as she quickly ran to her assigned position.
*Tap, tap, tap!*
The other ranged DPS moved in sync to their designated spots for the mechanics.
*Woooong, woooong, woooong!*
*Swoosh!*
Magic spears began to form around the *Black Dragon* and flew toward the ranged DPS who were moving to perform the mechanics.
“Use protective spells—whatever you have! We’ve saved our party shields for this moment, so don’t hesitate to use them for survival! After this, it’s just the normal patterns!”
Raid teams going for first clears are like pioneers, venturing into unknown territory.
The most challenging part was often not knowing what to expect.
But if you had the solution, the challenge was different.
That’s why, after the first-clear team succeeded, others followed suit rapidly.
Knowing the mechanics meant you could prepare ahead of time. You could use skills with long cooldowns confidently, and all that was left was mastering the patterns and movements.
*Bam, bam, bam!*
The *Black Dragon’s* spears were blocked by the raid members’ protective spells and vanished harmlessly.
One by one, the magic circles were stepped on and cleared by the team.
*Tap.*
Chris stepped on the final magic circle, successfully purifying the Ents.
*Woooong!*
As soon as the green barrier appeared in the center of the battlefield, all the raid members gathered inside.
*Bam, bam, bam, bam!*
The *Black Dragon* unleashed its devastating breath
attack, but the raid members were safe inside the barrier.
Chris smiled even amidst the ferocious onslaught of the breath attack.
“With this, all the special phases are done.”
All that remained was to whittle down the dragon’s remaining HP.
---
It didn’t take long after that for the *Black Dragon* to fall.
*Kaahhhh—!!*
*Thud.*
*Ding.*
[Progress in Raid Dungeon ‘Tree of the Abyss’: 1/3]
---
[Void Earrings]
[Legendary Grade]
[Strength +80, Agility +80, Intelligence +80]
[Critical Chance +12%]
[Critical Damage +30%]
[Unique Ability: Additional 10% attack damage]
(Soulbound upon pick-up)
---
“Whoa...! Legendary-grade accessory! Double-digit critical chance!”
“The stats they’re giving out are insane! You barely get a fraction of those stats from leveling up.”
“Look at that, it even has a unique ability. Unconditional bonus damage!”
“Just equipping this would make you the strongest DPS in the *Hongbaek* raid team.”
The joy of defeating a raid boss.
And the sweet rewards that followed.
The most uptodat𝓮 n𝒐vels are published on freёwebnovel.com.
The *Hongbaek* raid team cheered.
“It’s soulbound. Too bad we can’t sell it.”
“Haha! You’re always thinking about money, aren’t you?”
Ranger Gosu clucked his tongue, while warrior Hopkins laughed heartily.
“I’ll start the bidding for the earrings. Starting at 2,000 gold.”
“Gasp!”
“What!?”
Chris coolly made the opening bid.
The massive amount of money left the entire *Hongbaek* team speechless.
The raid resets every week, and the items would eventually become redundant.
Even so, it was an exorbitant amount for the first legendary accessory.
But Chris’s wealth was overwhelming.
“Anyone want to outbid? If not, I’ll distribute the loot after today’s run. We’re moving on to the second area immediately.”
Chris stashed the earrings in her inventory and headed for the newly opened path without looking back.
She was in a hurry.
The first boss had taken longer than expected.
Even the time spent on the auction felt like a waste.
Today, they had to clear the second boss.