Chapter 68
3rd Floor Raid (4)
Darkness.
All around, nothing but pitch-black darkness.
- Is this a broadcast error?
- I can’t see anything.
- ???
- What’s going on?
- Did the drone break?
Aside from the rapidly scrolling stream of live comments on the right side of the screen, there was absolutely nothing visible.
[ has finally cast .]
[You must defeat him before falls. Once begins, every player here will fall into eternal slumber.]
[Time remaining until : 29 minutes 59 seconds]
So this is the final phase, huh.
Even a time attack? Meaning if we don’t clear it in time, the entire raid team dies?
That’s just absurd.
‘First, assess the situation.’
I looked around quickly, but nothing was visible.
Sight was completely cut off.
At least the good thing was—
“Everyone okay? Can you hear my voice?”
“We can hear you!”
“What do we do now?”
—we could still hear each other.
I exhaled lightly and shouted, infusing my voice with mana.
“Any injuries?”
“No serious injuries, just three with minor wounds!”
Good.
We survived Phases 1 and 2 just fine.
Sure, I used up quite a bit of mana, but in exchange, the raid’s strength stayed intact.
Now, priority number one is lighting up this darkness.
And the way to dispel darkness is, of course, light.
I immediately began casting a spell and conjured flames.
“Fireworks.”
As soon as I activated the spell, balls of flame appeared around me. Seeing this, the other players followed suit, casting their own light spells.
Fwoooosh—!
Paaaat!
Sparks of light began to flicker within the darkness—but not nearly as bright as we’d hoped.
Then, as if waiting for us to make light, a message box with a red border appeared.
[Darkness devours the light.]
[The effects of light generated by mana are severely reduced.]
So it’s another raid gimmick. No matter how much mana we poured in, the light wouldn’t grow brighter.
At best, we could see the faint outlines of people near the glow.
In other words, we had to find the Knight Commander hiding in this void-like dark—
and kill him within 30 minutes.
The mechanics felt downright malicious.
But no worries.
“World Tree’s Eye.”
I had a cheat code for situations like this—my third eye.
No matter the darkness, this eye sees through essence itself.
‘Hmm.’
Through the World Tree’s Eye, I saw the raid members’ positions clearly.
Thankfully, the momentary flash of our magic had helped people group up nicely.
Now to find the Knight Commander… but he wasn’t visible.
So that’s how you want to play, huh?
Couldn’t see the boss, but I did spot two paths ahead.
I sprinted down the one to the left, following where the Eye guided me.
As I got closer, a strange smell filled the air.
When I arrived, I realized what it was.
‘Oil?’
Inside a massive wooden barrel was some kind of liquid.
From the smell, it seemed like oil. To be sure, I dipped a finger in—
and a message popped up.
[You have discovered !]
[Oil of Dawn]
Grade: Unknown
Description: Oil meant to drive away the night.
That wasn’t here before—must be a new object added for Phase 3.
Then what’s on the other side?
Just as I turned to look, a voice came through the earpiece.
“Raid Leader, there are these weird wooden sticks here. When I touch them, I get a message—something called .”
“Got it.”
No light from spells or skills.
In that situation, we just happened to find oil and torches.
The puzzle wasn’t hard to piece together.
‘Light the torches with the oil to reveal the boss?’
Time to test the theory.
I grabbed one of the torches, dipped it in the Oil of Dawn, and lit it using a small spark of magic.
Fwoooosh—!
Unlike before, this flame blazed brightly, pushing back the dark.
[ burns brightly!]
[ reveals himself from within the darkness!]
As if to confirm I was right—
【So fragile… such a frail thing, hope is.】
From nothing, a massive black greatsword suddenly swung at me.
I instinctively punched forward.
Our attacks crossed in an instant.
His sword barely grazed me, while my fist headed straight for his abdomen—
‘Got you—’
—but right before it landed—
Flick.
The gust from his sword swing snuffed out the torch.
My punch hit nothing but air.
[ melts back into the night.]
[Time remaining until : 24 minutes 32 seconds]
[The night grows darker.]
- ?????
- How are you supposed to clear this??
- Didn’t we just see the boss??
- Why’s it black again??
- Aaaaahhh
- Is this even beatable????
- The timer’s way too tight;;
- Is this designed to be cleared??
…This rat bastard.
So he plans to just stall until time runs out, huh?
But fine.
I’ve got the gist of the mechanic now.
So basically, lighting the oil makes him appear.
“Raid members, ready?”
Alright, time to end this.
Normally, we’d have the tanks light the torches while the DPS attacked the revealed boss…
But really, why bother?
Would you believe me if I said I could tank and DPS at the same time?
I grabbed a whole barrel of oil, poured it over myself, and grinned as I snapped my fingers.
“Every circus needs a fire show, right?”
[Unique Trait <Skill Archive – Mad Tower Lord Belua>]
[Skill: Fire Protection (3rd Circle)]
[Unique Trait <Skill Archive – Battle God Jerach>]
[Passive Skill: Diamond Body]
[…Fusion Successful!]
[Unique Trait <Skill Archive – Meteor Shower Origin>]
[Skill: Hell Wanderer]
[For 30 minutes, you are immune to all fire-type damage!]
Let’s put on one hell of a show.
Fwoooooosh—!!
- Holy sh@#!
- CLEAN BOT DETECTED INAPPROPRIATE LANGUAGE!
- ?????????
- Is this even broadcast-safe?
- Whoa
- CRAZY
- ???????????
- IS HE INSANE??
【Y-you… how… how could you… this… this can’t be…】
A walking human torch.
A man who treats hellfire like a sauna.
“That’s me. Meteor Rain.”
I descend.
8.
Kurogane Tatsuya couldn’t speak.
He was staring in awe at the grotesque, fiery scene Yuseongwoo had created.
“He’s vulnerable now! All units, attack! Use all your mana if you have to—unload everything!”
Yuseongwoo’s voice thundered across the raid.
Tatsuya couldn’t understand Korean, but he understood the meaning clearly enough.
“Attaaack!”
“ATTACK!!”
The hesitant players suddenly charged forward, as if possessed.
At the front burned Yuseongwoo, blazing like a comet, and behind him, 24 others followed, screaming, swinging, casting.
Tatsuya ran among them.
‘Sensei!’
How could a human do that?
What kind of life must he have lived to make such a choice—to set himself ablaze?
‘Ahhh—!’
Improvisation, instinctive strategy, flawless execution…
And the will to throw everything away for victory.
Overrated? Just hype?
Whoever said that—Tatsuya would gladly cut them down himself.
He stared at Yuseongwoo’s broad, fiery back as he ran.
The raid leader who poured oil over himself and became a torch.
A radiant flame piercing through a darkness that devoured all light.
“Ikuzeeeeeee!”
He sprinted after the light.
All exhaustion forgotten.
Sometimes, fire bewilders the mind.
But in this moment, being bewitched was fine.
【D-don’t come closer!】
“Come here~”
Just minutes ago, the Knight Commander had radiated authority and menace.
Now, he was cowering.
An S-rank raid—impossible for 3rd-floor players, they said.
Even the Japanese Association told Tatsuya not to join this attempt.
And yet—
【M-monster… You’re… a monster… A devil wearing human skin.】
Behold.
The boss monster trembling in fear, running away.
An S-rank boss meant to slaughter them—now reduced to mere prey.
Paaaaaah!
The light from Yuseongwoo’s flames drove back the night.
Darkness receded.
The one who brought this endless night was fleeing in terror.
【Uaaaaaaaagh!】
The cornered Knight Commander swung his greatsword, but Yuseongwoo dodged gracefully.
It almost looked like he was dancing—
a man wreathed in fire, moving like the flames themselves.
Vwoooong—!
The giant sword sliced the air again and again.
Yuseongwoo slipped through the gaps.
Kraaaaack—!
In the blink of an eye, his fist smashed into the Knight Commander’s abdomen.
The armor crumpled with a horrific sound.
【Gaaaaaaagh!】
How much experience did he need to act like that without hesitation?
‘If it were me…’
Tatsuya gulped and shook his head.
A single mistake would’ve meant death.
But Yuseongwoo never hesitated.
He threw himself down the one narrow path that led to survival among countless fatal ones.
‘Master…!’
Darkness collapsed.
KABOOOOOM!
Every punch made the ground tremble; the Knight Commander’s armor twisted and tore.
Crack!
Yuseongwoo ripped the armor apart with his bare hands, exposing blackened flesh beneath—
and into that opening, the other raid members unleashed their attacks.
KABAAAANG!
Fssssshhhk—!
“Don’t forget to secure your contribution score! Everyone, take a bite!”
Still blazing, Yuseongwoo grinned and waved.
Then he grabbed the Knight Commander’s helmet—
and tore it off barehanded.
【Grggghhhkk…】
Was this really the proper way to clear a boss?
The thought flashed briefly through Tatsuya’s mind, but he dismissed it.
Results speak louder than anything else.
‘He didn’t find a path… he created one!’
Tatsuya’s heart swelled.
All he could do was grip his sword’s handle and stare.
And then, his “god” spoke.
“Hey, Kurogane Tatsuya! Come take a bite too!”
“…Huh?”
“Was that hard to understand? Slice. Like this—yeah, slice. Take a piece.”
“Se-Sensei!”
“What, we’re not strangers, right?”
Such benevolence!
Before, he had given wisdom. Now, he shared his glory.
Tatsuya bit his lip, gripped his sword, and swore silently:
‘I will repay this grace for the rest of my life, Master!’
He swung—
Shhhk!
The blade cut across the Knight Commander’s neck.
The monster trembled, clutching its throat.
【The night… the night is not yet—】
Crunch.
Yuseongwoo twisted the neck before the words finished, grinning wickedly.
“Cut.”
And at that moment—
[ has been defeated!]
[You have cleared the 3rd Floor Raid!]
[There are too many rewards to distribute. Loot will be divided based on contribution.]
[Warning! Error detected in ‘Scales of Justice’! Players, please wait momentarily—]
System messages flooded the screen.
Countless notifications filled their vision, but Tatsuya kept staring at Yuseongwoo.
No—everyone there did.
They all stared blankly at the man still burning like a comet.
An S-rank raid, cleared with zero deaths.
And the one who made it possible was—
“Everyone, don’t forget to like, subscribe, and turn on notifications! Hyah!”
—still waving cheerfully at the drone, wreathed in flames.
