LS 120

9. The incoming DPS must be beautiful for the outgoing support to be graceful

Demon Hunter had a total of 230 HP bars. In Phase 2, Momba’s Echo had 180 bars, so this was significantly higher. One thing was clear: Demon Hunter had the most HP of any boss released so far in Sword of God.

When the raid members first saw the health bar, they all let out stunned noises. Someone even scoffed, but they quickly pulled themselves together and charged toward the boss. It didn’t take long for them to realize that a wide map and a small boss model were a terrible combination.

First, Demon Hunter frequently teleported to the edges of the large map. With the random weather debuff slowing both movement and attack speed, it wasn’t easy for the raid members to keep up, even with support buffs. It honestly felt like they were spending more time chasing the boss than actually hitting him.

“This bastard won’t stop moving.”

Everyone silently agreed with Noodle’s grumble. Demon Hunter was the smallest boss model in the entire game, which made landing hits much harder. For melee DPS like Noodle and 4Evil, who needed to stick close, it was even more exhausting.

Naturally, the pace of reducing the health bar was slow. Dohee and Moonhyuk kept up their damage and movement speed buffs, applied defense debuffs to the boss, and the raid used Despair Bombs in turn to lower his defenses, but still, two out of every five attacks would miss. It just wasn’t easy.

“We’re gonna spend our whole lives chasing this guy’s butt.”

Dohee wondered if there wasn’t a better way. That was when Tando offered an idea.

“Ah, there’s this special potion called the ‘Swamp Bomb.’ I actually made a few just in case, but I didn’t bring them in. We’ve only shaved off five bars anyway. Should I grab them and come back?”

“That’s a good idea. Let’s reset.”

Everyone agreed with Tando’s suggestion. They had only dealt five bars of damage, so there was no hesitation in giving up the run. Plus, there was a tiny bit of hope that if they re-entered, they might get a better version of this cursed random map.

The Human raid team quickly gave up the clear and returned to the save zone. As Tando went to get the bombs, Moonhyuk asked quietly from beside Dohee.

“But, um… what’s that?”

Swamp Bombs, like Dark Bombs, were mostly used in PvP. Naturally, most people didn’t know about them, and no one had thought to explain. Most of the Human raid members were used to PvP content thanks to Dohee’s constant pushing, so no one had considered Moonhyuk might not know. As he asked, the chat quickly filled with people either asking or explaining what the bomb was.

“Oh, it’s used mostly for PvP like Dark Bombs. It decreases the opponent’s movement and attack speed by 30 percent. Only expert potion makers can craft it, and I guess Tando made some.”

“Ah, I see…”

“It’s not usually used in raids, but in a case like this, it helps.”

Swamp Bombs were actually easier to craft than Dark Bombs, made with simpler materials. The crafting difficulty wasn’t high, but since few people used them, they weren’t actively traded between players. Tando had apparently gone all-in on making potions and bombs for this raid. Having a potion master in the raid felt reassuring at moments like this.

“Got everything. Let’s go.”

Tando’s voice came through the headset before the explanation even ended.

The raid re-entered the map energetically, only to groan moments later.

[System] Due to the influence of ‘Lost Jubitte,’ the weather on the map is set randomly.

[System] Rain imbued with dark energy begins to fall.

[System] Movement speed and attack speed reduced by 15% due to the rain.

[Raid] SoftRiceCake: Are you kidding me, why is it the same damn map even after re-entering

[Raid] SoftRiceCake: Don’t tell me there’s only one map and they’re bluffing lol

[Raid] PrettyHealerHyung: [crying emoji] ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

The raid’s small hope shattered just like that. But there was no time to mope. The battle resumed, and once again, they silently began chasing after Demon Hunter’s tiny frame. That was when Tando threw a Swamp Bomb at him.

[System] ‘Tando’ has used ‘Swamp Bomb.’

[System] Enemies within the bomb’s range have their movement speed reduced by 30%.

[System] Enemies within the bomb’s range have their attack speed reduced by 30%.

[System] Debuff duration: 20 seconds.

The effect didn’t last long, but it was very effective. With the sharply reduced movement and attack speed, the raid could land their hits much more easily.

“How many can we use?”

When Dohee asked, Tando replied,

“It’s a special bomb, so probably about five times total? Usually, you can only use five per phase.”

“Then let’s go all in right now.”

Dohee and Moonhyuk timed their buffs with the raid’s burst phase, adding more defense reduction and damage amplification debuffs to Demon Hunter. The duration of each effect wasn’t long, but with Demon Hunter slowed down, it was the perfect moment to stack burst damage.

The health bar dropped rapidly, cutting down over 20 full bars in an instant.

“Ugh, even the basic patterns hurt like hell.”

Yeojin’s quiet voice came through. Dohee responded by casting Bayan’s Touch again. Hearing her, Moonhyuk followed and cast the same skill. It was one of the core support skills that created a protective shield.

Yeojin wasn’t wrong. Even supports, who had relatively high defense and HP, would lose a quarter of their health if hit by Demon Hunter’s attacks. For classes with low HP and defense, like Yeojin or Oreckthat, getting hit meant visibly losing nearly half their health every time. The only thing the healers and supports could do was keep up the care as best they could.

The hardest part of Demon Hunter’s basic pattern was when he spun in place with guns in both hands, dealing damage in a circular area around him. It was not only hard to avoid but also extremely painful. With the debuff slowing movement speed, it took serious focus and reflexes to escape the radius without brushing the edge.

On top of that, swirling purple vortexes called “Dark Wormholes” kept spawning across the map. They couldn’t be stepped on at all.

[Raid] SoftRiceCake: Ah…

[Raid] SoftRiceCake: Don’t step on that damn field, guys

[Raid] SoftRiceCake: I died, sorry…

SoftRiceCake accidentally stepped into one and died instantly.

They hadn’t even seen the first mechanic yet, but with his death, the raid agreed to restart. Now that they had learned the basic attack patterns, they figured they could clear the phase faster next time.

[Raid] SoftRiceCake: I’m so sorry ㅠ

[Raid] SoftRiceCake: I barely brushed it twice and just died……ㅠㅠ

[Raid] 4EvilPrettyGirl: I stepped on it once and even I freaked out

[Raid] 4EvilPrettyGirl: Warlords have the highest defense in SoGod

[Raid] 4EvilPrettyGirl: I was basically on the verge of death

“I should’ve healed a little better, sorry.”

Tando apologized, but SoftRiceCake waved it off. After returning to the save zone, the raid restocked potions and gear and entered the map again. They hadn’t even reached the first mechanic yet, and this was already their third reset.

“It’s fine, let’s all focus. About ten seconds after the fight starts, I’ll give the burst buffs. Tando, throw your bomb on that timing, and the rest of you keep your skill cooldowns in mind. I know everyone’s timings are different, but we want to chunk the health all at once, so manage your rotation carefully.”

Dohee gave his team a quick rundown.

But as soon as they entered, the raid was caught off guard again by a new map debuff.

[System] Due to the influence of ‘Lost Jubite,’ the weather on the map is set randomly.

[System] Rain charged with dark energy begins to fall as lightning strikes the ground.

[System] Getting hit by lightning causes paralysis.

“What the hell is this out-of-nowhere lightning, you bastards!”

Noodle shouted in disbelief. It was so ridiculous that Dohee couldn’t help but let out a hollow laugh.

“What does paralysis do?”

The moment he asked, Moonhyuk began frantically clicking his mouse.

“Ah… if you get paralyzed, you can’t use skills or move at all…”

Almost as if to prove his point, Moonhyuk got struck by lightning and muttered quietly,

“Can’t even use potions either.”

The paralysis seemed to last about five seconds. During that time, you couldn’t move, cast skills, or heal. If Demon Hunter hit you while you were paralyzed, all you could do was sit there and watch your HP drain. Thankfully, Moonhyuk had his shield skill up and full health, so he didn’t die.

“You all saw that, right? If you don’t want to end up like Knockoff, be careful.”

“I’m not Knockoff…”

Dohee had called him that out of habit without thinking. His teasing tone and Moonhyuk’s soft mumble made the entire raid burst into laughter. Thanks to that, the tense atmosphere eased just a little.

“Stay sharp and pump out damage.”

After that quick laugh, the raid fell silent again, focusing completely on dealing damage. Now that they’d seen the same patterns a few times, they had gotten used to it, and their damage output had noticeably improved.

“Feels like the mechanic’s about to come out.”

Just as Yeohoo said that, Demon Hunter suddenly moved to the center of the map and raised both hands. Dohee quickly checked the HP bar.

“Down to 200 bars. First mechanic’s coming up. Focus, everyone.”