LS 105

Exactly at 11 o’clock, the server opened.

The moment it did, Dohee and Moonhyuk furiously clicked the update button and stared anxiously at the loading bar as the update files downloaded. All their raid prep had already been completed the day before. Thanks to Daeyoung’s help, Tando had crafted various potions and distributed them evenly among the guild members.

Everyone had to carry the must-haves: the Potion of Light’s Authority, which temporarily absorbed 70% of incoming damage, and the Bomb of Despair, which reduced the boss monster’s defense. In addition, special potions like Antidote Elixir (which gave immunity to debuffs) and Rush Pills (which caused burst damage) were divided among the party. Since each character could only bring a limited number of potion types into the raid, they had chosen carefully.

They also packed the highest-quality healing potions, and healers and supporters added Mana Amplification Potions to their inventory. Since they had skills that could help replenish mana for DPS, it was crucial to avoid running dry mid-raid.

The second the update finished, Dohee clicked the login button and let out a deep breath.

The members of Human had logged out the night before in front of the “Unknown Statue” just in case. It was partly to prepare for potential update bugs – SoGod had a history of sometimes failing to trigger the automatic quest prompt – but also to save every precious second once the prompt appeared.

Everyone participating in the Demon Hunter full clear was already in the pre-made GameTalk group chat. Dohee was the fastest to log in. As soon as his character loaded near the Unknown Statue, players began appearing one by one. Despite over 100 channels being open, raiding teams were flooding in from all over.

Among those in the GameTalk group, the ones with their mic on were Yeojin, Yeohoo, SiblingSpicyNoodle, and Tando. The ones using chat only were Oreckthat, 4Evil, SoftRiceCake, and PrettyHealerHyung.

“Everyone here?”

Voices responded one after another, confirming they were all in.

[General] SoftRiceCake: god i’m shaking;;

[General] Oreckthat: LET’S GOOOO~!!!!

Dohee hit the raid setup button and started inviting the guildmates. Beside him, Moonhyuk was completely speechless. A glance showed he was clearly stiff with nerves, it made Dohee almost laugh. He was nervous too, but seeing Moonhyuk’s face melted the tension a little.

“I’m entering the raid name.”

— Got it~ Divide up the parties too.

Yeohoo’s voice came through the headset. Dohee nodded and quickly organized the raid. Just as planned, he split the guildmates into two parties and typed the raid name “Human” into the “Adventurer’s Monument.”

“Check that you’ve all got your potions and that your equipment durability is good. If it’s worn down, repair now.”

— Ah! Shit, timeout!!

— Noodle didn’t repair his gear.

Tando’s playful voice followed Noodle’s panicked shout. How were these guys exactly the same in GameTalk too?

[Raid] SoftRiceCake: You two… You’re not gonna fight in the raid, right? ^_ㅠ

[Raid] PrettyHealerHyung: [heave-ho emoji] Let’s gooo!!!

[Raid] 4EvilPrettyGirl: I have awaited this day

[Raid] 4EvilPrettyGirl: The Demon Hunter shall meet its end by our hands today

Whether they were nervous or not… they all acted just like usual, and Dohee didn’t know whether to be reassured or worried. He let out a snort and spoke again.

“Noodle, if you’re done repairing, let’s go in.”

— Done!

— Let’s do this, LET’S GOOO!

Hearing YeojinHae’s excited shout, Dohee clicked on the Adventurer’s Monument. A pop-up window appeared.

<Lost Demon Hunter>

Tears of the Demon Hunter #.1

Clear “A Desert Where Even Finding an Oasis is Hard” (Normal) 0/1

Obtain Kelathus’s First Divine Relic: *Banjo* 0/1

“Those whose sincerity reaches the heavens will gain loyal allies. Pray to the gods, and radiant light shall shine on your path. When the Empire’s swords are gathered, a new era of salvation will begin.”

Join forces with your allies to defeat the Lost Demon Hunter. A great reward awaits you, adventurer!

Enter dungeon?

YES / NO

! Note

You must have Kelathus’s Emblem in your inventory to enter.

You must complete the quest “In Search of the Sacred Relics” to qualify for entry.

Enter your raid name at the Adventurer’s Monument before entering.

If you clear the dungeon without registering a raid name, it will not be recorded.

Once all raid members confirm, you will enter the dungeon.

Dohee clicked YES. A wave of tense breathing crackled through his headset. He glanced at his sub-monitor, chat messages on his stream were already flying. Another popup appeared:

All raid members have confirmed. Do you wish to enter now?

YES / NO

Only the raid leader could see this.

“Going in.”

He clicked YES. The screen faded to black as a message appeared.

[System] The raid team “Human” has applied to enter the “Lost Demon Hunter” dungeon.

[System] If you abandon the dungeon improperly, you will forfeit all rewards.

[System] To end the raid, all raid members must vote to exit.

The screen began to brighten. A cutscene started playing. Dohee tried hitting ESC, but a notice popped up: Skipping unavailable.

“Ah, can’t skip it.”

— You seriously tried the skip button already?

Yeohoo’s teasing voice came first, followed by Noodle’s grumbling.

— They should let us skip this kinda stuff, come on!

— It’s a cinematic they worked hard on. Let’s appreciate it.

Tando’s comment made everyone chuckle.

[Raid] SoftRiceCake: My heart’s pounding. I think I’m gonna explode

[Raid] SoftRiceCake: But this background… damn, it’s beautiful

Dohee glanced at Moonhyuk beside him. He was watching the cutscene with his mouth slightly open, like he was being sucked into the screen. Dohee snapped back into focus and started watching too. He was mostly checking for any hints that might help during the raid.

The screen showed a sun-scorched desert. Cracked earth, sandstorms, wind-swept dunes – dry, barren, lifeless. Slowly, darkness began to creep across the land. As the bright ochre map was consumed by dark reds and muddy browns, a massive scorpion-like monster burst from a dune.

[Dark Rabiuna] You are… ■■■ ■■■ ■■ among us…

[Dark Rabiuna] Twisted ■■ desire… lost their path… must protect the ■■■…

[Dark Rabiuna] Here, you shall not ■■■■■…

The creature roared in a garbled mix of strange language. Thunder crashed in the clear sky, and explosions rocked the desert. The graphics were stunning, particles of sand visibly flew across the screen. It was easily the most high-quality cinematic SoGod had ever done.

Still, all Dohee could think was:

“Where’s the weak point?”

He wasn’t alone. Tando spoke up right away.

— If it’s that kind of monster, probably the tail?

Then Yeohoo added,

— Could be the pincers too.

— Whatever it is, screw it. Just hit it till it dies.

— I-I’m so nervous…

Moonhyuk’s voice trailed off in a whisper.

[Raid] PrettyHealerHyung: Don’t worry, IngSupp!!!

[Raid] PrettyHealerHyung: I’ve got your back!! ㅠㅠㅠㅠ

Laughter filled the headset. As the cutscene ended, the giant scorpion boss appeared in the center of the map. A new quest popped up in the top-right corner of the screen.

Tears of the Demon Hunter #.1-1

Defeat Dark Rabiuna! (Normal) 0/1

And with a resounding drumbeat, glowing text appeared in the center of the screen.

Gate 1: A Desert Where Even Finding an Oasis is Hard

System messages flowed into the chat.

[System] You have entered “A Desert Where Even Finding an Oasis is Hard.”

[System] Defeat Dark Rabiuna and obtain the first divine relic, Banjo.

[System] Monitor ratio has been locked to 16:9 during the raid.

“Sorry in advance, hard to keep up with chat during the raid,” Dohee said to his viewers, glancing at the camera. Then he gave the signal to the raid group via GameTalk.

“Let’s go.”

At Dohee’s command, the Human raid team all charged toward Dark Rabiuna.

💎

One hour before the raid started, Dohee had launched the stream at 10 a.m., exactly one hour before the update finished. After finalizing all the settings and entering the stream title, the only thing left was to go live.

No warning. No announcement. His first stream in years. Saying he wasn’t nervous would be a lie. His heart was racing so hard he almost wished he’d taken something to calm it.

“You’re streaming now?”

Moonhyuk, sitting beside him with his headset in hand, looked over and asked. Dohee nodded and forced a smile.

“Yeah.”

At that, Moonhyuk beamed.

“I’m so happy! I never imagined I’d get to watch from right next to you…”

Meeting Moonhyuk’s shy eyes, Dohee suddenly felt an unshakable confidence, it was all going to be okay. Clicking the “Go Live” button took only a second.

[LIVE] ‘GoingSupporter’ has started the stream: “(Face Cam) Human Guild’s Demon Hunter Full Clear Attempt!”