First Raid

The Deron Gallery erupted in flames, metaphorically speaking, as posts about a raid leader known as Yeon, flooded the boards.

[Deron Online Gallery]

[Elementary School Raid Leader in Duel, Live!]

[Middle School Raid Leader Crushes Shing Shing Member]

At first, everyone had doubts. After the conversation between Yeon and Shing Shing guild was made public the previous night, a duel was scheduled. Most people assumed that Yeon wouldn't show up—after all, what did she have to gain? It was a battle where only losses awaited.

But she showed up. Not only did she come alone, but she also accepted the duel.

And then she defeated a Shing Shing Paladin.

It wasn't supposed to happen. Paladins are known for their ridiculous survivability, often leading to long, drawn-out battles when they duel. But this was different. It was swift and decisive—a small girl shattered the Paladin's helm with surgical precision.

[Live! Middle School Raid Leader: "Next"] 

As the event continued, interest surged. Numerous users on the ground reported on every moment, uploading screenshots. The cute custom character, combined with her arrogant words and, more importantly, the skill to back it all up, made this a topic of intense fascination.

[Live: Middle Schooler's Second Duel!]

People thought it would be fine if Yeon lost at this point. She'd already won over the crowd. Even if she lost the next duel, her reputation would remain intact, and her guild recruitment would be a breeze.

But.

[Shing Shing Loses Again!]

[Knight Beheaded in Seconds]

She won the second duel too. And in the same overwhelming fashion. The narrative that her first victory was a fluke was quickly dispelled.

[Third Duel, Live!]

[Shing Shing Guild's Shame!]

[Isn't That Ice Mage Rank High?]

Without pause, the third duel began. Everyone expected a loss this time. After all, her opponent was an Ice Mage ranked 25th in the arena.

But once again, Yeon defied expectations.

[Ice Mage Defeated!]

[Rank 25? More Like Rank Zero]

[Middle School Raid Leader's 'Drift Charge' is Insane]

(Clip of Yeon planting her sword in the ground mid charge to change direction)

[Comments]

[Did she react to the Mage's Blink?]

ㄴ[Looks like it. If you look closely, her eyes track the Mage's movement.]

 ㄴ[Can people actually do that?]

 ㄴ[I can.]

ㄴ[Is this a pro player's alt?]

[Yeah, she must be a pro.]

ㄴ[Will she get the first kill on the raid now?]

 ㄴ[That might be tough, but...]

[If I were the raid boss, I'd let her kill me.]

As the duels ended and Yeon left the scene, the gallery stayed ablaze. Several analysis posts made it to the top, dissecting Yeon's gameplay and even her character customization. Meanwhile, raid enthusiasts began to entertain a tantalizing possibility:

[Could she actually be the first to clear the raid?]

Yeon had proven her abilities. She had taken down an arena-ranked Mage with overwhelming skill. Though only her PVP prowess was confirmed, many assumed that her PVE abilities would be just as impressive. Most of the top raid groups were made up of players who had first made names for themselves in the PVP scene.

As a result, raid applications for her group surged.

* * * * *

After reviewing the applicants thoroughly, Yeon managed to fill her 40-member raid group. Although this was their first attempt, meaning adjustments might need to be made later, they were ready to go.

She set up a group chat for the raid and split the 30 Mages into three teams. Each team had an experienced Mage as a group leader. It was a 40-man raid, and it would be impossible for her to manage everyone on her own, so delegating was necessary.

The Healers—all 7 of them—were grouped under one Priest leader. Then there were the two remaining Tanks. These two would be under her direct management since tanks played a pivotal role in this raid. It was easier to manage a smaller tanking team.

With her duties divided, Yeon could focus on leading the raid itself.

She pulled out her phone and sent a message to the raid chat. Conversations had already started to pick up, but a raid leader needed to speak only when necessary and keep things brief.

[Raid Leader: Make sure everyone watches the raid strategy video. No one is allowed to be late. 5:10 PM sharp.]

[Mage Team 1 Leader: Aww, Raid Leader, do you log in right after school ends?]

[Priest Leader: Do you actually go to school?]

[Raid Leader: Yeah, I go to school. I'll log in as soon as I get home, so don't be late]

[Mage Team 2 Leader: Hahaha, school LOL]

Was it really that funny that she was still in school?

Yeon sighed, running her hand across her forehead. It was 3 PM—still some time before her classes ended.

* * * *

"Hayeon."

"Oh, Sohee."

"What are you looking at?"

"Oh, just... chatting with some people I know..."

"I see."

Sohee nodded, placing a small piece of candy on Yeon's desk. It was a milk-flavored chewy treat, Sohee's trademark offering. She always handed out sweets to her friends.

When school finally ended, Yeon raced home, not looking back once. She made it home just before 5 PM and logged into the game. Her mother was still out, and her brother was probably tucked away in his capsule, just like her.

As soon as she logged in, a flood of messages popped up. Guild invites, friend requests—she rejected them all.

She also cleared her friends list, except for her raid members.

It was 4:55 PM, and there was still a bit of time. She headed to the auction house and bought plenty of potions and buffs, not just for herself but for her raid members as well. There's always someone who forgets to bring enough, and as a raid leader, she would have to be understanding. With 40 people in a raid, it was inevitable that someone would slip up at least once.

With everything prepared, Yeon headed to the meeting point: the Red Orc Empire, the raid's starting location.

The towering walls, blood-red spires, and ominous structures scattered around gave the place an eerie, unsettling atmosphere. No monsters were around, as the entrance to raid dungeons was a safe zone.

"Raid Leader is here!"

Many members of her raid had already arrived early, prepping for the raid. Yeon couldn't help but smile at their dedication. She waved to them and found a large rock to sit on as they waited for the last few stragglers.

The atmosphere was filled with a faint sense of anticipation. As a raid leader, her job was to turn that anticipation into confidence.

When the time came, she stood up and spoke.

"Group leaders, check your members and report."

"Mage Team 1, all 10 are here."

"Mage Team 2, all 10 present."

"Mage Team 3, we've got 9. One person's running two minutes late."

"Two minutes is fine," Yeon nodded. It was the first raid day; she could afford to be lenient.

"All 7 Priests are here!" called the Priest leader.

Yeon glanced around her, noticing the two heavily armored Tanks standing beside her.

"We've got 39 people, with one running late. Once they're here, I'll explain further."

As soon as she said that, a Mage blinked into view, making his way to the raid group.

"The last person's here."

With all 40 members present, Yeon began the briefing.

"I trust you've all watched the strategy videos. If you have any questions, ask your group leaders. I'll be handling the loot distribution personally. We're not doing a speed run, so after every boss, we'll auction the loot for gold."

"How much does the auction start at?"

"100 gold, for everything. If anyone has a problem, speak up now."

Of course, there would be complaints. With so many people and various loot systems, competition would be fierce. But for now, no one spoke up.

"We'll also get 1 reward token per boss as personal loot, which you can exchange for raid gear in the capital city's center. You all know the system, right?"

The Raid Token system ensured that even if players didn't get gear from bosses, they could still exchange tokens for raid gear. However, only the final boss dropped weapon tokens, meaning no matter how diligently they raided, without defeating the last boss, they couldn't get raid-tier weapons.

"Raid Leader," someone called out.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Can we beat the final boss?"

A brief silence followed.

The one who had asked was a Mage who already had some raid gear equipped. Yeon nodded confidently. She knew from watching the video—if she were there, the final boss could be beaten.

"Let's go inside. Make sure you're all buffed up."

At her command, the raid members began using their buffs and potions. Yeon herself chugged several alchemy potions in preparation.

[40-Man Raid: Red Orc Empire]

[Do you wish to enter?]

[Once entered, your character will be bound to this instance]

[YES - NO]

There was no need to hesitate. Yeon leaped into the air as she tapped the 'YES' button. Old habits die hard; even in her previous life, she'd always jumped into raids this way.

The raid entrance was... jumping in.

Thud.

She landed on the dungeon floor, then turned around. None of her raid members had made the same sound—everyone else had simply walked in.

"Raid Leader's feeling pumped," someone joked.

"She jumped in."

"Classic middle schooler."

Was... jumping into a raid not a thing here?

Flushing with embarrassment, Yeon rubbed her cheeks and quickly turned around.