Chapter 38: The 76th Attempt

[Guild] Bambi: No way, unbelievable.

[Guild] Manager Go: FP, is this a surprise gift T_T?

[Guild] Manager Go: Bro, I’m touched T_T

[Guild] Taki: LMAOOOOOOOOOOO. Nice.

[Guild] Bambi: The mages' focus fire really shredded them.

[Guild] Woong: Ah, if you had told us in advance lol

[Guild] Woong: Then we could've joined in lmao

Cheers kept bursting through my headset.

Though I did catch someone muttering awkwardly at the end.

—It was a spur-of-the-moment thing, but I'm glad it worked out.

Relieved to avoid being labeled traitors, we heaved a sigh of relief.

If it had failed, we’d probably have been bombarded with curses.

[Karma Guild: 5,250 points]

As Karma surged into the center, our score shot up.

—Blue, please supply potions to the center trio. In about 30 seconds, everyone fall back.

[Party] Ro: The attack set really works wonders.

[Party] Proposal: Yeah, getting hit by Apple really drove that home, man lolol

[Party] Ro: Happy’s holding out for sure now.

[Party] Ro: If you had finished off even the boss,

[Party] Ro: We could've swept them with ease.

[Party] Proposal: Including me would be a stretch.

[Party] Proposal: It’s a relief we took out Happy and you at least T_T

I peeked at my equipment window, feeling oddly proud.

Thanks to our true buffer, I’d gotten my anti-personnel set together one step sooner—didn’t expect to feel this smug about it.

[Blue has given you 83 Red Potions.]

[Guild] Woong: Low-levels, head west GO GO GO

—If you can’t hold out, stand by at the boundary line.

In the center, only Cheonjon, Haema, and my character remained.

A few steps behind, Ro, Proposal, and InFP—the high-damage dealers—were spamming AoE skills nonstop, while Woong watched the 3 o’clock direction from the very back.

It was a pretty flawless defensive posture.

Moments later, Hana Guild came sprinting in and stopped at the last line of defense.

As Cheonjon unleashed AoEs, the poorly positioned low-levels dropped like flies.

With most retreating out of fear, only Musin and Gomae charged in without hesitation.

—Cheonjon, Haema. It's back to fighting for position… Oh, come on.

[Guild] Taki: Those loser bastards LMAO

I thought they’d try to pull Cheonjon to their side again, but Musin and Gomae just circled to the right.

“Maybe it's because I’m out here in the open?”

Yeah, if it were me, I wouldn’t move either.

—Hmm, looks like they’ve given up on position. Happy, feel free to cook them as you wish.

[Guild] Blue: LMAOOOOOO

“Those two must be burning up inside.”

Watching the two of them hobble around, loaded down with debuffs, I felt a twinge of pity.

Their guild members were watching nervously from afar… I couldn't help but feel a grudging respect for Musin, who always solo-carried like this.

[Guild] Bambi: When a debuffer holds the line, they really can’t make a move...

[Guild] Hungry: This is just too good for us~ lolol

[Guild] Assassin: Happy, you might want to fall back haha

[Guild] Blue: Nah, we can’t go easy on them lol we're winning completely here.

[Party] Cheonjon: Those buffs look like they’re running out...

[Party] Ariel: I can’t get in there lolol Urgh

As Cheonjon’s buffs threatened to expire, the Hana Guild dealers lurking on the fringes suddenly charged in together.

“Huh? What’s this? Are they just going for an all-out rush?”

—Everyone get in!

The surprise attack threw everyone into a frenzy.

All at once, the center filled up with allies and enemies.

Characters were darting everywhere, and my HP bar was spinning out of control.

“Times like this, I envy the dealers!”

Dodging the dogpile, I slipped out from the center.

I right-clicked like mad, throwing slows at anyone nearby.

Order didn’t matter. If they were close, they were probably high rankers anyway.

[Inspector has used Ominous Steps.]

[Inspector has used Unlucky Song.]

“Huh? What? I just scared that one off with Unlucky Song! There's no way it's already worn off… Ah! Hannari!”

Using the big tree at one o’clock as cover, Hannari was slithering around like a snake.

If I left them alone, it’d only hurt me, so after making sure there were no threatening dealers nearby, I dashed over and sealed Hannari.

But the moment I hit them with Unlucky Song, the chime for Holy Absolution rang out right next to me.

With the skill seal instantly broken, Hannari strutted right past and ran downwards.

I let out a dumbfounded exclamation at how fast it all happened.

“What the? Who did that?”

Just as I was looking for the culprit, I saw a bunch of characters bolting up top.

I didn’t catch the ID as they zipped off-screen, but by the looks, it was definitely a buffer.

“Are all of these buffers?”

I counted at least five.

I knew they were lower level than me, and any of our dealers could one-shot them… but as a debuffer, I couldn't help worrying.

If those guys kept at it and leveled up, they’d be a real pain later.

“No way. Better nip this in the bud…”

Resolved to make a desert massacre, I headed back to the center.

Cheonjon and Ro, armed with attack sets, had already driven out the mid-tier dealers.

Meanwhile, Haema kept Gomae busy, letting our dealers move freely.

“Time to strip some buffs again.”

I was in the middle of diligently applying debuffs to make it easier to take down Musin, when—

[Guild] Blue: Oh boy...

Woong's character suddenly burst in from behind.

Once again, Jelly charged in and attacked Musin, who was already drowning in debuffs. As if sensing an opportunity.

“What, is this guy’s main a warrior or something? Why is he rushing in like a berserker?”

But this time, it was outside Musin's attack range.

Woong’s main seemed to be keeping his distance, using the strengths of an archer.

“So he’s not totally clueless after all…”

[Guild] Woong: GO GO GO GO

I was momentarily thrown off.

It looked like he was signaling the mages to attack, but why make it so obvious?

—Jelly, if the mages go in now, they’ll all die.

“Right? Musin must have noticed by now.”

Maybe because the dealers didn’t follow, Jelly retreated.

[Guild] Woong: Ah lol

He went quiet after that.

He seemed to realize his mistake, but didn’t bother to apologize… seems like he’s got a lot of pride.

“Likes to take charge, give orders, huh?”

And the more I watched, the greedier he seemed.

“What now?”

While Cheonjon and Musin’s fight dragged on, Jelly moved again.

But this time, it wasn’t the center.

Jelly circled the edge, out of Musin’s range, heading for twelve o’clock.

Then he started raining arrows on the low-levels hanging around there.

Most were true lowbies, and fell instantly to Woong’s regular attacks.

Jelly took down five that way and came giggling back to our lines.

Long-range attacks are an archer’s advantage, sure, but this was a bit underhanded.

“If you’re going to hunt someone, at least go after someone like Pineapple or Assassin, not pick off lowbies… Oh, wait.”

[Party] Proposal: Wow, he just got 5 kills at once.

[Party] Proposal: Should I go too???

[Party] Ro: ...

After guild wars, kills and deaths are posted in the rankings and there are prizes, so of course people get greedy.

But to see a rank 5 character going after lowbies so blatantly… I don’t know.

Jelly kept moving to twelve and six o’clock, assassinating low-levels.

I’d bet he racked up at least twenty kills.

Just as I was feeling secondhand embarrassment, Hana Guild, apparently fed up, struck back.

Jelly was finally caught and killed by Pineapple, Inspector, and Shinyoung, who seemed out for revenge.

[Guild] Gadfly: Hey, you bastard -_- take it easy...

[Guild] Gadfly: So embarrassing lolol

[Guild] Woong: lolol It’s a gift for you, noona.

[Guild] Woong: Gotta get your character’s name up there too lol

I wanted to ask if she even liked that sort of present… but I held my tongue.

[Party] Cheonjon: ffs

[Party] Cheonjon: ah

[Party] Cheonjon: sry sry sry

Nobody said it, but we all knew who that cursing was aimed at.

Ro and Proposal probably felt the same as me, but everyone kept quiet.

The brief awkward silence was soon broken by the shaking screen.

[The Crystal Guardian has appeared.]

[Eliminate the Guardian within 5 minutes.]

—Boss spawned.

[Guild] Manager Go: Boss is here!!!!!!!!

[Guild] Green: Of all times, why now -_- lol

[Guild] Green: Should’ve just not spawned at all lolol

Everyone cursed the timing, since Musin was still holding the center.

[Guild] Bambi: What do we do T_T If we go in, we’ll die instantly.

[Guild] Trauma: At least they can’t come in either, I guess haha

[Guild] Hungry: Junghoon, hurry up and take down Musin~ lolol

[Guild] Gadfly: Youngwook, shoot the boss GO

[Guild] Woong: On it.

[Guild] Manager Go: Ugh, what a mess.

Everyone was wringing their hands because Musin was planted firmly in place.

So I stepped forward.

[Guild] Happy: Please keep supplying blue potions for me.

[Guild] Blue: Blue potions?? Not red ones??

“One out of a hundred times, it’ll land.”

Unlucky Song, the skill that disables enemy skill use.

Against a higher-spec character, the failure rate is high.

And each use eats over 80% of my MP—it's a huge drain.

It's a waste to use on the rank one, but I tried anyway.

“Please work!”

Click, click, click, click, click, click!

I kept my cursor locked on Musin’s character and right-clicked like a maniac.

Fail, fail, fail, fail, fail, fail……

The more I clicked, the more I failed, and my blue potions dwindled fast.

[Blue has given you 37 Blue Potions.]

[Blue has given you 22 Blue Potions.]

“Wow, this is ridiculously hard to land! And all his buffs are down!”

[Musin has used Blazing Inferno.]

[Musin has used Burning Flame.]

Musin noticed what I was doing and focused his attacks on me.

The boss’s periodic AoEs kept coming.

And who knew when a Hana Guild dealer might jump in.

With every failed Unlucky Song, I started sweating nervously as all these threats closed in.

[Blue has given you 17 Blue Potions.]

I almost gave up, but kept clicking, hoping for a miracle.

“Huh?”

Just like that, Musin’s attacks stopped.

My Unlucky Song had landed.

On the seventy-sixth try, no less.

“Awesome!”

—Good. Everyone, get in!

With InFP’s slightly excited shout, Karma guildies surged in.

Our score started soaring.

[Karma Guild: 6,550 points]

—Cheonjon, charge their base.

Cheonjon dashed straight at Musin, who was now retreating.

Hana Guild’s base turned into a warzone in an instant.

As death cries echoed from the characters, the enemies were swept away in one blow.

Watching the screen littered with bodies, I couldn’t help but laugh in satisfaction.