GBAS 54

[Party] SomanghoeSsenTa : Ah, dealers, just trust me! lolololol

[Party] SomanghoeSsenTa : The strongest tanker!

Unbelievable. Now he’s openly taking sides. His booming voice, as if he had a resonator planted in his gut, made my head ring.

Hyunwoo continued his explanation.

[Party] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : Mr. Tanker, when I give the signal, please run to the front right

[Party] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : When you find the nest, just use your basic attack on the egg

[Party] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : and draw aggro

[Party] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : It’s a basic attack, basic attack haha

The second boss, the Harpy, was guarding its own egg in the middle of a nest.

Monsters with the ability to fly were tricky to both tank and deal damage to because they were constantly moving. Harpies were no exception, but the harpies here were relatively easier to deal with than others.

This was because while they flew around attacking like this, if anyone approached their nest, they would immediately fly back to protect the egg.

‘The dealers will manage on their own.’

Hyunwoo, glancing at SomanghoeSsenTa who had now positioned himself diagonally from him, calmed his temper and said in a composed voice.

[Party] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : If the egg breaks, the phase gets messed up

[Party] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : so when it’s below half health, calculate the healing amount as you hit it

Although they had entered a normal dungeon, if a mistake was made and the egg broke, clearing it could become difficult. This was because the enraged Harpy would attack with the intent to burn down all the trees, transforming the dungeon into a notoriously difficult content that even high-level users with hard dungeon experience would curse in unison.

To Hyunwoo’s words, SomanghoeSsenTa replied in a mocking tone.

[Party] SomanghoeSsenTa : Yes, yes haha

Even when someone shows concern, this guy…!

It’s human nature to respond to bullshit with bullshit, and to a troll with trolling. Trying to hold it in felt like it was shortening my lifespan.

“……Ha.”

As Hyunwoo let out a secret sigh, Frost, sensing its summoner’s displeasure, glanced back.

Hyunwoo, meeting the wolf’s eyes, gave a slight shake of his head and then turned his gaze to the harpy that had begun to fly. Frost, turning back to the front, puffed up its fur and growled.

[Party] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : Looks like it’s coming in

[Party] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : Let’s get ready

After casting a simple protection buff on all team members, Hyunwoo gave the signal. The two dealers began casting their skills, and Jooin, as if ready, strummed his guitar.

It was at that moment when everyone had finished their preparations.

As the harpy with its large wings flapped them powerfully, the inside of the mine shook as if caught in a storm.

It was the skill ‘Torrent’. The people standing were pushed back a step or two, unable to withstand the wind. The mine materials on the floor were swept away in all directions.

Now the skill would be on cooldown. If they were to attack, it was now.

Hyunwoo, waiting for the wind to calm down, gave the signal.

[Party] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : go go

Frost charged forward, and the four party members, excluding Jooin who was positioned in a safe zone, began the battle busily.

The bard’s performance was rough from the start. The harsh guitar sound pierced the eardrums sharply.

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

[Max HP, Stamina, and Critical Damage are temporarily increased.]

As Jooin’s buff took effect, strength surged through his body.

Avenger Jaguari leaped from his position. With agile steps, he ran up the wooden pillars that formed the mine walls, found a high spot, and then threw a chain with blades attached.

Chrrrrr-.

As the chain caught on the harpy’s nape, the startled harpy moved its body back and forth. Each time it did, the coiled chain unwound, gradually ensnaring the harpy’s body. The sound of metal clashing against metal stopped, and as Jaguari used an additional skill, a tremendous explosion erupted. The explosives attached to the tips of the blades had detonated. It all happened in the blink of an eye.

Mage CheeseOnionSoup also fired the magic she had pre-cast. A fireball generated at the highest point of the ceiling flew down mercilessly. Fire magic was perfect against wood, metal, and wind types. As skills imbued with red flames poured down, popping sounds like firecrackers were heard.

Frost, tracing the harpy’s trajectory with its eyes, kicked off the ground and leaped. Taking another step in mid-air, Frost opened its jaws wide and bit onto the wingtip of the harpy trying to escape, dangling from it.

The harpy, not falling even with a wolf the size of a house attached to it, quickly shed the leaves from the part Frost had bitten and then struck the wolf’s snout with its other wing.

Thump-!

Frost, having fallen into a dusty pit, shook its head with a snort and glared up.

The highlight of the BGM, fitting for the tense situation, burst forth.

The harpy, soaring through the wind, flapped its wings once more. This time, it was Wind Blade. Transparent blades of wind were shot out sharply.

[Party] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : Down!

The Wind Blade grazed past the back of CheeseOnionSoup, who was running to avoid the path marked on the floor. A red bleeding icon appeared next to the name of the mage who had been pushed far back by the knockback effect.

The harpy, having found its prey, charged fiercely towards CheeseOnionSoup. She knew she had to run, but she couldn’t move. The duration of the stiffness debuff she received from being hit by the Wind Blade was still active.

It was at that moment, as CheeseOnionSoup, frightened by the harpy swooping down in an arc from the ceiling to the floor, had cast an emergency shield spell and was waiting for the stiffness cooldown to decrease.

Woof-!

Frost, who had been standing at the edge of the wall, ran up the perpendicular wall and pounced on the harpy that was attacking the human.

Crash-!

The pillar supporting the mine wall collapsed.

Hyunwoo, Jaguari, and CheeseOnionSoup, who had been released from her stiffness, poured skills onto the harpy trapped under the materials. Then, a high-pitched sound that felt like it would tear their eardrums rang out.

Keeeeeeaaaaak-!

As the fear effect in the cry interrupted the party members’ skill usage, the harpy took advantage of the gap, pushed aside the wooden pillars with its wings, and flew up. With each flap of its wings, old wood dust flew about.

To heal the injured team members, the music changed.

[Party member ‘Jooin’ has used ‘Authentic Boom’.]

[HP, Stamina, and Mana recovery, including potion consumption, are temporarily increased.]

By the time they had finished regrouping, the harpy sent another Wind Blade flying.

It was at that moment, as he was frantically continuing the battle with the harpy alongside his party members.

[Party] Jaguari : By the way, guys

[Party] Jaguari : Didn’t you say this wouldn’t even take 10 minutes?

[Party] CheeseOnionSoup : There’s less than 5 minutes until 12 o’clockㅠㅠ!

What?

Hyunwoo’s face contorted as he lifted his head to check the digital clock displayed on the screen.

He had naturally assumed it would take about 5 minutes, that they were in the middle of it, but time had passed much faster and more than he had thought.

Come to think of it, this was originally an easy dungeon where the whole team would deal with the harpy up to its second skill, and then the tanker would draw aggro to the nest, allowing them to comfortably defeat the harpy whose attention was focused there.

No wonder the battle felt endless.

Hyunwoo, realizing something was strange, quickly looked around.

‘The tanker, where did that tanker bastard go!’

While pouring attacks on the harpy, he scanned the map with his peripheral vision and saw a figure standing near the nest, picking something up.

‘That bastard…?!’

Around the harpy’s nest were all sorts of precious metals, gems, and gold coins. They were things the harpy, who liked shiny objects, had brought to decorate its nest.

This isn’t the real world, and he’s abandoning his teammates, blinded by money? The moment he felt pathetic for thinking, ‘What’s the worst that can happen, maybe he’ll break an egg.’

Not far away, Jooin, who was applying another layer of buffs, looked at Hyunwoo. Jooin, noticing the unusual expression on Hyunwoo’s face, mouthed ‘what’s wrong?’, and Hyunwoo just shook his head without answering.

They hadn’t even seen the third boss, and with only 5 minutes left, clearing the dungeon was already out of the question.

“…….”

Despite checking the time, the party members didn’t stop their attacks. It seemed they were thinking of at least getting some rewards by defeating the mid-boss.

Hyunwoo, leaving Frost behind, came out of the attack squad, crossed the center of the mine, and strode up to the nest where the harpy’s egg lay dormant.

‘Hehehe.’

SomanghoeSsenTa, completely unaware of Hyunwoo’s approach, was collecting gold and jewels with a beaming smile.

‘I’ll make a pretty penny if I sell all this, right?’

Just as SomanghoeSsenTa was circling the nest, almost touching the ground, a small gold coin came rolling over. The man, spotting the gold coin stuck in a branch under the nest, his eyes lit up and he bent his head down.

I have to get that!

Just as he was about to reach out his hand, a pair of shiny metal boots came into view.

[Party] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : Sir

[Party] Jeonguk-noye-jarang : What are you doing right now haha?