Chapter 25

In his opinion, the best way for a newbie tank to learn was to just go in head-on and break a few bones here and there. That should build some grit.

'I guess it's understandable that a newbie would ask something like that,' Jin-Hyeok sighed internally. He swallowed his annoyance and explained himself as politely as he could.

"That monkey was dubbed as King Fist Monkey because he only fought other Fist Monkeys. Isn't your defense far superior to the attacks of a swarm of random apes? Even if your defenses collapse, I don't believe you'll die in a single blow."

"You don't think I'd die?" Jae-Hyeon asked.

"Mhmm, probably," Jin-Hyeok replied.

"...probably?"

"Uh-huh."

"What if you are proven to be incorrect?" Jae-Hyeon inquired.

"Well, then, that's just bad luck, isn't it?" Jin-Hyeok responded.

Mok Jae-Hyeon turned white as a paper.

Jin-Hyeok decided to provide the party with some extra pointers just in case. Though he felt these pointers were so obvious that he wasn't sure they needed to be said at all.

"By the way, there's no way the other Fist Monkeys would have just sat there and taken the King Fist's slow strike, right? He'll almost certainly have some kind of special Skill to help him land his attacks, such as something to help him close his distance or increase his attack speed for a brief period of time. I'll observe him with my Broadcaster's Truesight and report back to you."

In this manner, Jin-Hyeok and his party members discussed various aspects of the upcoming battle.

Jin-Hyeok had always thought that ten minutes of free preparation time before a boss fight was a very long time. But today, it felt rather short, because his team members were all just that much of a beginner.

"Alright, let's do this."

[10 minutes have passed.]

[King Fist Monkey 'Alexander' makes his entrance.]

Lo and behold.

An incredibly bulky and muscular monster that was closer to a gorilla than a monkey revealed himself.

It was Alexander. He looked just like in the photograph Jin-Hyeok had seen.

"Stay on hold. It's not time yet," Jin-Hyeok said.

Mok Jae-Hyeon was gripped with fear.

They had talked about their strategy for the upcoming fight for ten minutes, but the real thing was always a different matter to a theory.

Jin-Hyeok suspected that Mok Jae-Hyeon would succumb to Alexander's pressure and use his Wood Fortress too soon.

"First, use your Wood Spears!"

Fortunately, Mok Jae-Hyeon had enough sense to follow Jin-Hyeok's instructions. He launched the wooden spears, one of his few offensive Skills, into the air and toward Alexander's belly.

'There we go,' Jin-Hyeok thought.

KREEE!

The King Fist Monkey was enraged at Mok Jae-Hyeon for using a weapon other than his fists. He approached Mok Jae-Hyeon with the step of a boxer rearing to swing, beating his chest in the manner of King Kong.

"Wood Fortress in three," Jin-Hyeok estimated.

Jin-Hyeok noticed Mok Jae-Hyeon's eyes were completely closed.

He could hear Mok Jae-Hyeon muttering "F*ck... f*ck..." but chose to ignore it. In this situation, that was understandable.

Mok Jae-Hyeon may have been a timid newcomer, but what truly distinguished him was that he always did exactly as he was told.

Mok Jae-Hyeon used his Wood Fortress ability exactly three seconds later.

THUMP!

The spherical wooden fortress successfully withstood the King Fist Monkey's punch, protecting the person within.

'Nice… he held out way better than I thought,' Jin-Hyeok thought.

That attack just then was the King Fist Monkey's 'Right'—his right hook, which was a swing which he put all his weight behind. Out of all the King Fist Monkey's attacks, this one possessed the most pure lethal power.

'He should be able to take more abuse.'

Jin-Hyeok estimated that Mok Jae-Hyeon could take another ten hits. Sure, he'd get his fair share of non-minor injuries in the process, but it was the tank's job to bear the hurt and pain.

Mok Jae-Hyeon had the King Fist Monkey's full attention. That was excellent.

It was now the twins' turn.

Their expressions were hardened with resolve. It seemed they, too, were about to fight the battle of their lives.

'...damn. I want to join in.'

Jin-Hyeok suppressed his desires. If such a trivial temptation was enough to win him over, he would never be able to fulfill his dream of contentedly living his days out as a Yeonhui-dong real estate owner.

'Come on, let's just focus on the stream.'

Because it was the Seo sisters' first time fighting alongside the party, Jin-Hyeok spent extra time explaining how to coordinate their tactics even in the heat of battle.

"As I previously stated, don't just go for his vital spots. Take it slow and safe. If possible, target his ankles, or his thighs if that proves to be difficult."

At the Seo sisters' current skill level, Jin-Hyeok thought it was a tall order to finish off the King Fist Monkey in a single frenzy of attacks. Things could get hairy if they tried to target his critical spots and failed, resulting in the King Fist Monkey's aggro being drawn to the sisters.

With their defensive capabilities, the Seo sisters may struggle to withstand even one blow from the King Fist Monkey.

"Do you both copy? I need an answer."

For Jin-Hyeok, it went without saying, but making sure everyone heard what he was saying was essential in any Dungeon raid. It was a method of ensuring that people understood instructions and that the flow of command was maintained. In his previous life, Jin-Hyeok had always followed this system.

"Copy that."

"Yeah, yeah, I got you."

The sisters became half-transparent. Considering their low Level, their mastery of this stealth ability was truly impressive.

The two dashed at the King Fist Monkey, encircling him on the left and right with their daggers flashing as they engaged him in battle.

Perhaps it was because they lacked experience, but Jin-Hyeok thought their approach to attacking was lacking. Jin-Hyeok felt a twitch of irritation, but he reminded himself that they were still beginners.

"Cha Jin-Sol, get ready."

"Huh? Huh? Right! Okay then!"

"And keep your head in the game. Step up your game."

Though Jin-Hyeok tried his best to get along with his sister and show affection, it was naturally difficult to speak to her nicely on the battlefield.

He'd always wondered why Ruler Players, whose entire job was to command in real time, were always chewing people out, but now he understood why.

"Alright, alright, I got it. Jeez, chill out." Cha Jin-Sol answered.

The King Fist Monkey was landing blow after blow on the Wood Fortress. It looked like it was going to break soon enough.

"It's going to break soon." Jin-Hyeok made it clear.

"Yep."

Cha Jin-Sol looked nervous, perhaps because she was keeping in mind the fact that Mok Jae-Hyeon could very well die if she messed up.

And she would be correct. If she messed up, Mok Jae-Hyeon could indeed die.

C-CR-RAAACK!

The Wood Fortress broke at last.

The next swing of the King Fist Monkey landed right on Mok Jae-Hyeon's abdomen.

THUMP!

"AAAH!"

Mok Jae-Hyeon was thrown in the air. Jin-Hyeok in his point of view, figured he'd probably broken one or two ribs, which, in comparison to the shriek he was letting out, was a minor injury.

Cha Jin-Sol jumped right into action, much faster than Jin-Hyeok had anticipated. She used her healing abilities right away to treat Mok Jae-Hyeon's injuries. Her healing was exceptional, as one would expect from someone with a 9-Star Job.

"Alright, now redeploy your Wood Fortress," Jin-Hyeok instructed.

Mok Jae-Hyeon, who had been lying out on the ground, barely pushed himself up and prepared to reactivate the Wood Fortress.

'Oh? He stood up.'

Jin-Hyeok already marked off Mok Jae-Hyeon as being no longer useful, after he let out such a loud and unwarranted scream, disproportionate to his injury. He'd only broken a couple of ribs. It was only but a scratch.

It was beyond his expectations to see Mok Jae-Hyeon stand back up.

Jin-Hyeok was aware that humans were sensitive to pain. If a person experienced pain that was too much for them to bear, they would become useless at assignments that they were normally good at.

He had expected Mok Jae-Hyeon to be the same, but he was doing quite well.

'Good. He's still useful to me.'

After all, it was an unspoken social rule to exploit and abuse someone who wasn't having any trouble with what they were given.

'Maybe it's because he's got a 9-Star Job, but he has a good sense for battle, at least.'

It was excruciatingly painful for Mok Jae-Hyeon, but he quickly re-deployed his Wood Fortress. Furthermore, he used his Wood Spears ability to draw the King Fist Monkey's attention back to him without being ordered to do so by Jin-Hyeok.

Using the Wood Spears again was a pointless maneuver from Jin-Hyeok's perspective—the monster's aggro was already fully locked in on Mok Jae-Hyeon—but his effort was admirable nonetheless.

"Alright, now repeat from the start."

The exhausting part began now.

'At this rate, it should take about four hours, right?'

The plan was to gradually chip away at the King Fist Monkey little by little until he was cornered.

Actually, four hours was quite timely and efficient. 

When Jin-Hyeok was playing in his previous life, there was a time when a fight lasted several months.

But one thing was certain: this was going to be a long process. Except for the "minor" injuries sustained by Mok Jae-Hyeon at the start, it was a relatively safe strategy of play with a few risk factors to consider.

"We intend to keep repeating this process. It appears that things will become difficult for a while from now on."

Jin-Hyeok believed that no one would bother watching such a boring stream all the way through.

"I will announce the results of this fight in another stream when it's all over."

Yeah, that sounded like a good plan. He could just summarize the fight later in a separate stream. There was no need to continue this one.

Wait, but if he was going to end the stream anyway, didn't that mean he could join in the fight now?

~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~

Fatigue was slowly starting to creep up on Seo Ji-Ah and Seo Ji-Soo.

'I'm tired.'

The fight was likely nearing the two-hour mark.

It was the first time the sisters had fought in this style.

'It's pretty fun, though.'

It was admittedly a little enjoyable to coordinate with others on a defined plan, synchronizing their movements with the rest of the team per someone's command to reach a common goal.

Breathing heavily, Seo Ji-Soo used her stealth ability again.

'We should be able to target his weak spots soon.'

It was at this moment that Jin-Hyeok brushed by her.

"Wh-what are you doing?"

In his hand was a single dagger. It didn't look like it was some special artifact, either.

At that moment, Seo Ji-Ah stabbed Alexander in the thigh. Jin-Hyeok capitalized on the timing to land a stab right in Alexander's neck.

Straight away, Alexander turned all his attention towards Jin-Hyeok. Jin-Hyeok had drawn the monster's aggro.

'Wow, that was all it took to draw his aggro?'

Though drawing the monster's aggro eventually was well within expectations considering what he had done, it was a little strange that Jin-Hyeok was able to draw the monster's aggro that well, as if he was in fact a tank Player.

Jin-Hyeok stood still and looked Alexander up and down, unconcerned that he had just drawn Alexander's attention.

Alexander swung his fist.

'Broadcaster's Barrier.'

THUMP!

Jin-Hyeok was not hit by the King Fist Monkey's punch.

"You're a Streamer! Why did you just charge into the fight?!" Seo Ji-Soo exclaimed, her face flushed with panic. She turned to look at Jae-Hyeon. "Don't just sit there, Mok Jae-Hyeon! Quick, use your Wood Spears to get back his aggro to you!"

As soon as she said that, another swing, this time with a hook, came straight for Jin-Hyeok's temple.

Seo Ji-Soo felt like she was going to pass out from shock looking at the situation.

Sure, Jin-Hyeok could get by with one hit and some luck. Ji-Soo had heard that Streamers possessed a unique defensive ability that allowed them to protect themselves better.

However, two hits would be excessive.

After fighting Alexander for over an hour, Ji-Soo was certain of this.

'You're going to die if you get hit!''

How could a Streamer, the furthest thing from a tank, take on one of those attacks with just his bare body?

The shimmering shield that had just protected Jin-Hyeok's body seemed to have vanished.

'At the very least, I need to redirect his attack!'

Ji-Soo forced her body to move, but the monkey's fist was quicker.

His right arm came down swinging.

'NO!'

Jin-Hyeok skillfully crouched down a little and shifted his weight forward, tilting right and moving towards the monster.

Whoosh!

The fist flew past, going wide.

To bystanders, it appeared to be a close shave. That seemed far too dangerous—the fist seemed to pass by Jin-Hyeok by an inch's hair.

Though it appeared that Jin-Hyeok had barely avoided the attack, he charged straight for Alexander, launching himself with the dagger he held in his right hand for the pit of Alexander's stomach.

Shuk!

The dagger penetrated the monster's solar plexus deeper and deeper.

'What just happened?'