The festival that began with Journey’s event was in full swing.  
Everyone was singing and dancing joyfully, except for a few who couldn’t fully enjoy themselves.  

---

“…So, what do we do now?”  
“That’s what I’m saying. Ah… I really thought we had the first clear this time.”  
“Come on, don’t lie. We didn’t even land a single hit. What first clear?”  
“Whose side are you on?”  
“You... Are you working for the Gravekeeper or something?”

---

These were the raiders, especially those from the guild *Pizza is Hawaiian,* who had been chasing the first clear of the Gravekeeper raid boss. To them, the Gravekeeper was an enormous mountain that had to be conquered, but one that seemed impossible to overcome.  

Honestly, if you could personify the word "unfair" into a character, it would be the Gravekeeper.  
Still, the reason they hadn’t given up was because the greater the challenge, the sweeter the victory would be when they finally conquered it.  

---

“Raids are only fun when they’re hard. If they’re too easy, what’s the point?”  

---

The idea of joining forces with their comrades to overcome a high mountain—there was a certain romance to it!  
Of course, the glory that would come with it was also appealing.  
For these reasons, they held onto hope, searching for even the smallest opening in the Gravekeeper’s patterns.  

---

“I think the problem with the Gravekeeper is that it’s a realistic boss. It doesn’t feel like an MMORPG boss.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“Think about it. In real life, would a boss telegraph its attacks by marking a player’s head with ‘I’m going to hit you’?”  
“Uh… no?”  
“That’s why we need to approach this realistically too. We shouldn’t just tank hits and survive with healing. We have to avoid getting hit altogether. Obviously, that’s easier said than done.”

---

Even though *Silia Online* prided itself on being realistic, previous bosses had always followed MMORPG rules.  
They attacked the player with the highest threat, followed predetermined patterns, or randomly selected attacks from a set of possibilities.  
It was up to the players to react accordingly, but personal skill couldn’t be ignored.  
However, the Gravekeeper was different.  
It broke free from the system's chains that had bound other bosses.  

That’s why the Gravekeeper was regarded as a stain on Demonin’s reputation, with players criticizing it so much.  

Their conclusion? If they wanted to defeat the Gravekeeper, they had to abandon their old ways of thinking, just like the Gravekeeper itself.  

---

“Healers, don’t go out of your way to heal. Stay as far back as you can. If a tank or DPS gets hurt, they’ll come to you for healing. If things get dicey, just throw up a shield. And if the Gravekeeper comes near you, run without looking back.”  
“Tanks, don’t hesitate to fight. Hold on like your life depends on it. Even if you survive alone, it’s over if everyone else dies. Stick close to the healers when needed.”  
“Finally, DPS, watch for openings while the tanks are holding it down. Don’t just attack recklessly; coordinate your strikes so the boss has no room to breathe. Always keep in mind that an attack could come your way at any moment.”

---

At first, things didn’t go well.  
Breaking away from the comfortable MMORPG systems they’d relied on made every attempt feel like a disaster.  

They died waiting for heals.  
They died trusting their shields too much.  
They died chasing the boss and losing balance.  

Death, death, death.

Even the small progress they had made regressed.  
The community mocked them for their failures.  
But sometimes, you need to take a step back to move two steps forward.

---

“I see it… I see your attack pattern! Strong, strong, strong! Ahhhh, save me!”

---

*Clang!*  

---

One of the DPS managed to block the Gravekeeper’s sword for the first time.  
Of course, he was immediately killed by the next attack, but it was an encouraging sign.  

---

“You’ve finally become human…”  
“From a worthless scrub to a fighter who can block an attack. As the raid leader, I can die happy now.”

---

That night, the raid leader opened a bottle of wine he had been saving for a special occasion.  
What could be more special than the day when a once-hopeless DPS finally proved their worth?  

As they got more used to the Gravekeeper’s attacks, their movements became smoother.  
The *Pizza is Hawaiian* guild and the others they had been sharing information with were all smiling now.  
They finally felt like they were making progress.  

---

“No denying it’s a poorly designed boss… but maybe it’s the perfect fit for a game as freeform as *Silia Online*.”

---

Their excitement reached a fever pitch, with some even romanticizing the Gravekeeper, despite how many times it had cut them down. Their delusions burned so brightly that those watching from the sidelines began to worry they’d burn out entirely.  

And that’s when the honorary firefighter, Journey, appeared.  

---

*Ssss…*  

---

“….”  
“….”

---

Journey doused their tiny flames of happiness with a cold bucket of reality.

---

“Damn it, what’s the problem? Let them do their thing, and we’ll just keep bashing our heads against the boss. What, are we gonna stop raiding?”

---

Despite the outburst, the gloomy atmosphere didn’t lift.  
The Gravekeeper’s small act of humanity—sparing Journey and walking away—was what started all the drama.  

Afterward, Journey hurried to catch up with the boss, shared food, and witnessed the Gravekeeper standing quietly at an unknown grave.  
This glimpse of humanity stirred the entire community.  

---

Now people were saying the Gravekeeper wasn’t a merciless raid boss but an NPC with a complex personality.  
Some even accused those attempting the raid of being violent thugs. It was hard not to feel self-conscious about continuing the fight.

---

“They didn’t say a word when we were getting our butts kicked!”  
“Are we not human too?!”

---

Their frustration boiled over, but no matter how justified, it was just a drop in the ocean.  
Even foreign communities were now caught up in the controversy, leaving the raiders powerless.  
Some supported the raiders, but the timing was undeniably bad.  

Even worse, people had started climbing the mountain just to see the Gravekeeper, reducing the raiders’ time to attempt the fight.  

Honestly, that was the bigger problem than the public opinion.  

---

“Actually, this might be a good thing.”  

---

The raid leader spoke up after observing the situation.

---

“If we’re being honest, the chances of beating the boss by brute force were always slim. Slim might even be generous.”  

---

He had kept up the morale by convincing everyone they could win, but the truth was, they were nowhere near clearing it.  
Everyone turned to the raid leader as he spoke the truth they had all been ignoring.

---

“We should follow the trend.”  
“Are you saying we should quit?”  
“No, I’m saying we take a break. A week off to gather information and improve our skills. Maybe even study some swordsmanship guides or attend a kendo class. Worst case, play some Souls-like games.”  
“You mean we should train ourselves?”  
“Exactly. And if we discover a weakness in the Gravekeeper during that time, even better.”  
“Well… I guess that makes sense.”  
“This feels like one of those stories where the hero meets a powerful enemy, gets defeated, and then goes off to train and become stronger. Isn’t that exactly what’s happening here?”

---

The sharp looks softened, and the raid leader, who had been sweating nervously, regained his composure.  

---

“I’ll talk to the other guilds too. Suggest we all take a short break.”  
“What if they say no?”  
“If they can clear it by charging in, more power to them. But if they could’ve cleared it, they’d have done it already. The other guilds are in the same boat, so I doubt anyone will refuse.”

---

As it turned out, none of the top guilds declined his suggestion.  
They had all realized they weren’t ready to defeat the boss.

Thus, a miraculous alliance was formed.  
The burning competition was set aside for the sake of cooperation, a brief moment of peace later dubbed the “Hawaiian Pizza Talks.”

---

* * *

---

“Kyaah!”  
“Why… why us?!”

---

The group of Apostles screamed in despair as they were flung through the air.  
Not that it mattered—I couldn’t understand a word they were saying anyway.

I couldn’t throw them off the cliff, so I hurled them down the path they had climbed up. Their pitiful cries echoed through the trees as they vanished into the forest.  

---

“Good form, good strength.”  

---

It was a clean arc. If this were golf, it might’ve been a hole-in-one.  
Maybe I had a hidden talent for golf.  
Perhaps I was a genius, tragically unaware of my own potential because I’d never played before.  
Ah, the tragedy of never knowing your talents due to an education system focused solely on memorization.  

---

“…But even that’s better than this world.”  

---

Actually, it’s definitely better.  
Korea had plenty of problems, but at least you didn’t have to worry about your life every day.  
In this world, there are countless children who never receive an education and learn how

 to hold a dagger instead.  
Of course, things were different for the children of the powerful and privileged.  

Anyway, that wraps up today’s defense mission.  
I’d fought mostly with hand-to-hand combat today, trying to preserve my sword, which had developed a larger crack.  
Moving my body more had its benefits too—turns out it’s great for relieving stress.  

As I dusted off my hands, I sensed movement from below the mountain path.  

---

“Hah… hah… there, there it is…!”  

---

A new wave?  
I readied myself for battle, but then a familiar voice hit my ears.  

---

“Hello!”  
“…?”  

---

That voice—it was Journey, or whatever her name was.  
She came up to me, panting, and greeted me with a surprisingly natural accent.

The way she acted so casually, as if she were visiting a close friend’s house, left me speechless for a moment.  

…What’s her deal?