GBAS 24

With a map like this, it would be difficult to follow and care for each team member one by one. But he couldn’t just leave them to fend for themselves either. Unlike a Bishop, who could move anywhere while casting a buff skill, a Bard had one major handicap.

The Bard’s handicap was in their mobility.

When they started playing, stage devices would rise from beneath their feet, and once on stage, Bards couldn’t leave that stage for a certain period. This was because the buff effect would be lost the moment they stepped off the stage.

It would be right to stop the skill in a dangerous moment regardless of whether the buff disappeared or not, but sadly, for three minutes after starting the performance, they couldn’t voluntarily get off the stage under any circumstances.

If they broke that rule and were forced off the stage, they would receive a debuff called ‘Performance Ban!’. This debuff had an extremely long duration. A whopping 24 hours. The Bard who had stopped their performance at will would have to shed tears and simply wait for the long cooldown to pass with a repentant heart.

Hyunwoo, pondering how to survive the devil’s three minutes, first brought up the settings window. What he wanted to adjust was Frost’s combat mode. After changing its status from among various options to ‘Protect – Preemptive Attack’, the sword-shaped icon floating above the wolf’s head changed to a shield shape.

After finishing his check, Hyunwoo looked at the party member list on the left side of the screen.

Among those who had finished healing with the items he had given them, one person’s health bar was particularly stained black. The black part of the health bar indicated the amount that couldn’t be recovered by self-healing abilities.

Ah, right.

Come to think of it, he hadn’t given any to Baek Jooin yet. Hyunwoo, who had been alternating his gaze between the bottle he had been holding in his hand all this time and Baek Jooin, finally made a decision and started walking.

The place Hyunwoo headed was, of course, next to Jooin. Standing behind Baek Jooin, Hyunwoo reached out his long arm and tapped the left shoulder with the strap on it. Jooin looked back with a slightly surprised face at the sudden contact.

[General] Jooin : Huh?

[General] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : Uh

[General] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : Wanted to give you

[General] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : this

The question mark floating above Jooin’s head only disappeared after Hyunwoo sent a trade request.

[General] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : Let me know if you need more

When the Bard-exclusive elixir, so hard to obtain that he couldn’t remember the last time he’d used one, entered his inventory, Jooin’s expression became a little peculiar. He raised his head to give thanks, but Hyunwoo was already long gone.

A hard fist flew and slammed into the back of Hyunwoo, who had finished his task and returned to his original spot like an arrow. Hyunwoo, who collapsed without even letting out a yelp, saw yellow chat messages appear one by one at the bottom of his screen.

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : What’s with you

Ouch, that hurts. He was good at picking a spot he couldn’t even reach to hit.

[Whisper] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : What!

When he replied with a grimace, JuJuGeneralAssembly said with a disdainful expression.

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : You gave them to us reluctantly

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : But you tell him to ask if he needs more? lolol

JuJuGeneralAssembly, who had fired off his words in a rush, bent down and muttered, glaring fiercely at Hyunwoo.

[Whisper] JuJuGeneralAssembly : Such a damn fuss

Meanwhile, the party members were watching one spot with faces full of excitement at the sudden outbreak of violence. JuJuGeneralAssembly, who left a little knock on Hyunwoo’s head and stood up straight, walked past him and waved his hands as if it were nothing.

[General] JuJuGeneralAssembly : It’s nothing

[General] JuJuGeneralAssembly : Ooh the mantis is out, shall we get started??

At JuJuGeneralAssembly’s words, everyone spun around like an arrow. As if to prove his words weren’t a lie, a faint vibrating sound, like the clashing of an insect’s thin wings, could be heard from far away.

Frrrrrr-!

Along with it, a strong wind blew. The wind was so strong it even sent the rock fragments on the floor flying, and Camellia hurriedly took out her shield.

Hyunwoo quickly scanned his surroundings. The Ranger and Avenger were already on top of the tree trunks, in attack stance, and on either side, the Shooter Bomber and Mage stood their ground.

The sound stopped for a moment, and the Bishop, FlatDumpling, used that gap to cast a skill.

[Party member ‘FlatDumpling’ has used ‘Armor of Wind’.]

[A cool wind envelops your entire body. Physical defense increases.]

While a few buffs followed, Jooin took his position at the very back. Turning the instrument he had been carrying on his back to the front and holding it properly, Jooin found Hyunwoo looking at him, made eye contact, and gave a short nod.

Camellia and Frost lowered their heads and focused all their attention in the direction the sound had come from.

It was then.

[General] Camellia : It’s coming!

The sound of the insect’s wings started again.

[Party member ‘Camellia’ has used ‘Battle Ready!’.]

[Fighting spirit overflows. Max HP and critical hit rate increase.]

The sound got closer in the blink of an eye.

Forcing his eyes, which were closing on their own due to the wind, open and looking straight ahead, he could see a large black shadow moving chaotically between the tangled tree roots.

Simultaneously, from near to far, on the ground and in the air, the mantis’s minions began to spawn one by one.

Thump-thump-thump!

With the sound of something landing, the wind stopped. At last, the boss mob, the Mantis, revealed itself.

The sharp scythes attached instead of hands on both its arms moved slowly up and down. The creature, standing on a thick tree, slowly moved its head as if to size up the challengers and scanned the space.

Its wings on its back seemed to shoot up, and the mantis’s eyes, covered in the same texture as its torso, gleamed.

Krrrrk-!

A threatening cry echoed loudly in the space. Just as it raised both arms as if to leap forward, an unpleasant electronic sound blared from behind.

Turning around, Baek Jooin was already on stage. At Jooin’s feet were two long horizontal speakers, and on either side behind him were woofers and amps larger than his body.

A few slow strokes followed like starting an engine, and Jooin, having finished his sound check, stomped on the effect pedals laid on the floor. In an instant, the guitar tone changed.

Jooin, who had been looking forward and waiting for a signal, swung the guitar, slung down to his hip bone, up high and struck down hard with his right hand.

An explosive sound that made the skin tingle erupted. The battle had begun.

[Party member ‘Jooin’ has used ‘Highway to Hell’.]

[Max HP, stamina, and critical hit damage are temporarily increased.]

Frrrrrrrk!

A cheerful yet heavy guitar riff was layered over the cry of the soaring insect. While Jooin’s left hand moved frantically across the six guitar strings, his right hand maintained its center while continuing to pick swiftly.

Thanks to the Bard’s passive skill, keyboard, drum, and bass sounds were steadily stacked under the guitar riff. A thrilling music, like a shonen manga OST, filled the space.

Camellia, who had thrown her greatsword at the Mantis, slammed her shield into the body of the momentarily distracted monster. The hard armor didn’t budge, but damage was definitely dealt as the health bar at the top of the screen decreased slightly.

Leaping back and away from the monster, Camellia picked up her fallen greatsword and stood before the Mantis again.

[General] Camellia : Going in!

Then she charged at the mantis with her shield.

Frrrk-!

Thump, at the same time as its body was thrown back, the Mantis kicked off and flew up, looking around to find the source of the sound.

[CRITICAL!]

[Your summon ‘Frost (Frost Wolf)’ has defeated ‘Plains Wolf’! +4,120xp]

While an aerial battle was unfolding above, below, they were busy dealing with the swarming minions of the Mantis. Hyunwoo, spotting a swarm of blue flies flocking towards the Bishop FlatDumpling, shot a fireball into their midst.

Weeeeeeeing!

After confirming FlatDumpling giving a thumbs-up from amidst the blazing monsters, Hyunwoo moved back to the rear again.

He had only been gone for a moment, but a dozen four-legged beasts had already gathered below Baek Jooin’s stage. When Hyunwoo shot small ice crystals at them, about thirty pairs of eyes immediately turned to the attacker.

The Mantis, staggering from the pouring arrows and magic attacks but steadfastly surveying its surroundings, finally found the source. Stopping in mid-air, the Mantis slowly lowered its wings and then raised them high. It was the ready stance for activating the ‘Baptism of Fear’ skill.