Boom! Boom! Boom!

"Whoo~ Seopseop, looks like moving to a new faction was a good idea, huh?"

"Yeah, you're right."

The party leader of the Seopseop Party, 'Seopseop,' and his two party members, both Rangers, looked down from the high cliff, marveling at the chaotic battle below.

Seopseop's unusual party composition, with two Rangers, had allowed them to effectively clear instance dungeons by utilizing the hybrid characteristics of the Ranger class's long-range and close-range abilities. 

However, in order to properly attempt a raid on the Green Dragon as part of the Beta Empire, their only option was to join Plan B, the guild led by Gyuham Jo Hyunsu. But joining such a large PvP guild would mean being forced to participate in wars and other activities.

Seopseop, wanting the freedom to play as he liked, had chosen to move his entire party to the Alpha Empire.

It turned out to be an excellent choice.

"We’ve combined the faction battleground mechanics and gathered information from previous players to come up with a perfect raid strategy without even needing to try it first. And with our extensive knowledge of Astria Online's mechanics and skills... no doubt, it's the Chris raid team."

"The 'Red and White' raid guild. They only cooperate with GG Squad for world bosses like this one but otherwise operate independently. I’m sure our guild will be the first to clear the upcoming Legend-level raid dungeons as well."

"And then there’s..."

The terrifying world boss, the 'Green Dragon.'

And standing boldly against it, the brilliant white flash—'Rain.'

The main tank of the Red and White guild was showing overwhelming skill in this battle.

Her divine-like movements were beyond the confines of mere skills, completely shattering everything known about Astria Online’s mechanics until now.

“When this raid footage goes up, it’s going to blow up.”

Seopseop chuckled bitterly as he looked up at the Green Dragon, which had just started flapping its wings.

Flap, flap, flap.

Whooooosh!

"Alright, it’s our turn now."

Creak, creak, creak.

Both Rangers manned the ballistas, aiming at the projected flight path of the Green Dragon as it ascended vertically.

These ballistas had been set up by NPCs during previous attempts to slay the Green Dragon. The large, magically enhanced bolts were designed to pierce through the dragon's wings, which were not protected by its scales.

Vwooom!

Seopseop activated his Ranger Tower skill, 'Perfect Aim,' as a blue aura enveloped his body and flowed into the ballista's bolt.

They wouldn't get a second chance.

They had to make this shot count.

Flap, flap, flap.

Kraaaaah!

The Green Dragon’s massive body filled their entire field of vision as it soared up to the cliff’s edge.

Vwooom!

Green energy started gathering around the dragon’s mouth.

It was the flying phase of the breath attack pattern.

The dragon's wings were fully spread wide.

And at that moment, the ballista’s tightly drawn string released, launching the enormous bolt.

Fwoosh!

Thud!

Kraaaaah--!?

The dragon's body wavered in the air as two massive bolts, empowered by the Rangers' skills, tore gaping holes in its wings.

Unable to keep its balance after the shock of having its wings ripped apart, the dragon’s colossal form came crashing down to the ground.

Boom!

The impact caused the ground to shake violently, sending up a cloud of dust that enveloped the cliff below. At the same time, the two Rangers, having consumed floating potions, leaped down from the cliff.

Tap!

Seopseop smiled as he saw the relieved faces of the Red and White guild members surrounding him.

"Ranger team, mission complete. We’re joining the fight."

---

[World Boss]
[Green Dragon]
[HP 49,052,141/200,000,000 (24%)]

Flash!

Crack, crack, crack!

I dashed across the enormous body of the dragon, using flash strikes to peel away more of its scales.

Just like when I first exposed the scales on the dragon’s neck, the melee DPS followed my lead, beginning to strip away more scales from the dragon’s body.

Grrrraaargh-!

The dragon twisted and roared, but it couldn’t recover from the impact and damage it had taken from the fall. It lay there helplessly, its defenses crumbling under the relentless assault of the raid party's weapons.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With the scales peeled off and the soft flesh beneath exposed, the ranged attackers’ spells continued to bombard the dragon. The two Rangers who had just joined us were now weaving through the battlefield, aiding in the attack.

This first world boss, the 'Green Dragon,' was challenging at the start, but the longer the fight went on, the easier it became. It felt like this was a prototype for future world bosses.

But we couldn’t afford to let our guard down yet.

The Berberia Forest was a faction battleground.

Though GG Squad, Baekgoldan, and No Mercy were holding off the opposing faction, it was impossible to completely block the entire forest. If a heavily armed PvP player showed up, our raid team, equipped for PvE, wouldn’t stand a chance.

We could be wiped out—not by the Green Dragon, but by players from the opposing faction.

Chris's shout echoed across the battlefield.

"We need to take down the dragon before any threats show up!"

In truth, this was the hardest part of the raid.

If we failed to finish off the dragon and got wiped out now...

Tap, tap, tap!

Vwooom!

A massive orb of energy formed as magic gathered around Beimerung and the other mages.

This was the Engineer Tower skill, 'Arcane Burst.' As a mage, it dealt immense damage, but the preparation time was long.

However, with the dragon groggy and having lost its magic resistance, now was the perfect time to unleash it.

Boom!

Kraaaaah-!?

A huge chunk of the dragon’s HP was shaved off. It was finally down to the 10% range.

Vwooom.

Sensing its life was in danger, the dragon began gathering energy for another breath attack, wildly aiming in all directions instead of targeting specific players. It didn’t matter—just spraying the breath everywhere was dangerous enough.

Tap, tap, tap.

Swoosh!

The Onmyoji’s talismans pinned down the area, slowing the dragon's movements. Meanwhile, the Spiritmaster’s Undine ability was used to further bind the dragon, successfully locking it in place.

Grrrrr...!

Unable to move, the dragon could do nothing but take the full force of our attacks.

Crack, crack, crack!

"Die already!"

I jumped back onto the dragon’s body, tearing into the spot where its heart was, between its neck and torso.

The Green Dragon’s final moments were approaching.

9%, 8%, 7%.

"We did it...!"

Just as joy spread across the faces of the raid members, Chris’s alarmed voice rang out, changing the atmosphere of the battlefield.

"Message from GG Squad’s master, Woo-gyeol! They lost track of Gyuham Jo Hyunsu in the skirmish! GG Squad is tied up holding back the Beta Empire’s full assault! Reinforcements won’t arrive for a while!"

"The Plan B guild master!?"

"If a player of his caliber arrives, we won’t stand a chance with just PvE gear!"

"Quick, we have to finish off the dragon—urk!"

At that moment, the first scream was heard.

Seopseop, the Ranger, collapsed.

And from behind him, a swordsman player emerged.

Grinning widely, he surveyed the battlefield.

"I didn’t think you’d get this close to a clear. Planting a spy in the Alpha Empire really paid off."

In *Astria Online*, it was easy to switch factions as long as public standings weren’t unbalanced. As such, it was impossible to completely prevent information leaks from opposing factions.

Plan B’s guild master, Gyuham Jo Hyunsu, had appeared, intent on sabotaging the Red and White guild’s raid on the Green Dragon.

"Kekeke!"

"Aaah!"

"Uugh!"

Gyuham’s blade cut through the Red and White guild members with terrifying speed, one by one.

Beimerung and the mages fell, followed by Cherni, who had been binding the dragon's movements. Next, Gyuham turned his sword on the warriors.

"Leroy! Hopkins... ugh!"

Hopkins, who had charged in to inflict a status effect on Gyuham, suddenly froze.

"Urk!"

With a smile on his lips, Gyuham easily cut Hopkins down.

The Elite+ grade anti-status effect resistance Ecostone. It was likely the item worth thousands of gold that was making Gyuham immune to such attacks.

Chris’s desperate shout echoed through the battlefield.

"Rain! Don’t worry about down here! If we defeat the dragon, we win!"

Crack, crack, crack!

Grinding my teeth, I continued tearing into the dragon's flesh at an even faster pace.

I was dealing the most damage to the dragon. I couldn’t afford to stop.

I had to watch, helpless.

"Kekeke! Deathmaster! Maybe I wouldn’t be able to beat you in the arena, but here, your attacks can’t even scratch me!"

"Grrr!"

Clang! Clang!

Deathmaster was struggling to keep up with Gyuham, but his movements were slowing.

The faint icy aura emanating from Gyuham’s sword was the effect of his Elite+ grade anti-freeze Ecostone.

Deathmaster, in his PvE gear, couldn

’t land effective hits against Gyuham, who was fully equipped with PvP gear and powerful Ecostones.

The equipment matchup was completely unfavorable. Even the number one arena player, Deathmaster, couldn’t stop him here.

"Ugh!"

Deathmaster, half-frozen, finally fell.

Gyuham, using the effect of his Vampire Ecostone, continued to drain HP from our raid members.

Now, only Chris and one Onmyoji were left on the battlefield.

But the Onmyoji was busy keeping the dragon immobilized. If he lifted the seal to help Chris fight Gyuham, the dragon would rampage again, and we might fail to finish it off.

We were in an incredibly disadvantageous position, having to face both Gyuham and the Green Dragon at the same time.

Gyuham’s sword was aimed at Chris.

Rain, it’s just a game. Even if our teammates fall, they don’t really die.

Even if our guild gets wiped, as long as I finish off the dragon, we win.

But...

How did I feel about victories built on sacrifices in the past?

I withdrew my sword from the dragon's neck.

Then, I launched my sword technique at Gyuham.

Clang!

Gyuham blocked my sword, looking up at me as I stood atop the dragon’s body.

"Kekeke, the main tank, huh? I’ll deal with you last. Just wait your turn."

"Rain! No!"

Chris’s face turned pale as she screamed.

A great tank also knows how to provoke.

Come to think of it, this guy kind of reminds me of something...

A monster species that looks like a mix of frogs and fish, living near water.

I smirked and taunted Gyuham.

“You kind of look like a merman, old man.”

Gyuham’s face twisted in anger.

It seemed I had hit a nerve.

Tap.

He leaped into the air, landing atop the dragon’s body.

“You brat, you’re in a hurry to die.”

Thrust.

Gyuham pointed his sword at me.

I raised my own blade to meet his challenge.