LS 110

Once they cleared Phase 1, “A Harsh Desert Where Even One Oasis is Hard to Find,” the map automatically transitioned. The desert map where they had battled Rabiuna sank downward, giving way to a sand swamp, and the raid members were all sucked into it.

The screen went black before slowly fading back in, accompanied by eerie drumbeats and a chilling melody that crept in through the speakers. Though the screen had brightened, it was as if they were deep inside a cave – only the immediate surroundings of each player were illuminated, while everything else remained shrouded in darkness.

The Human raid team had landed in what seemed to be a kind of maintenance room, the entry area where players could repair gear or restock potions before heading to the next phase. Even if the raid was halted and they exited the dungeon here, it functioned as a save zone, letting them restart from Phase 2 on their next attempt. The team didn’t rush forward; instead, they calmly refilled their potions, repaired gear, and scanned their surroundings.

[Raid] PrettyHealerHyung: [tears emoji] This place feels like a horror movie…ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

[Raid] SoftRiceCake: Fr… why is it so dark

[Raid] Oreckthat: Oreckebab will slay them all!! ᕙ( •̀v•́)୨

[Raid] 4EvilPrettyGirl: Just don’t get skewered again

[Raid] Oreckthat: So mean…. (๑˘･з･˘)

“When everyone’s done with repairs, we’ll head out. Just let me know when you’re good.”

After relaying the message to the team, Dohee turned to look at Moonhyuk, who was already done prepping and staring blankly at his monitor. On his screen, Dohee’s stream was currently playing. Smiling, Dohee called out.

“Hyung.”

“…Huh? Yeah?”

Moonhyuk blinked, pulling his gaze away from the screen. Their eyes met. His cheeks were flushed, pink like a ripe peach, probably from sitting in front of the hot computer, tense the whole time. Dohee reached out and brushed back Moonhyuk’s bangs, which were damp with sweat. Then he picked up a nearly melted iced chocolate drink next to the keyboard and handed it over. Moonhyuk accepted the glass without protest and happily slurped it down.

“You did well.”

“Huh–r-really?”

Moonhyuk’s face lit up. Dohee gave a shrug and a grin. This was probably being broadcasted live, but Moonhyuk’s face wasn’t on screen, so it didn’t matter.

And Dohee meant it, he genuinely thought Moonhyuk had done well. Sure, Phase 1’s boss, Dark Rabiuna, wasn’t the hardest, but for someone with little raid experience like Moonhyuk, it would’ve still been a challenge. And yet, he’d kept up just fine, adapting on his own with solid instincts. Of course he was proud. He hadn’t even died, except to the wipe mechanic. Sure, supports had higher defense, but to think this was the same guy who once said, “I didn’t take the bus, though,” was a wild improvement.

“Yeah. Really. If anything gets tricky in Phase 2, just ask right away. I’ll call out the important timings.”

“Okay!”

The enthusiastic reply made Dohee smile as he turned back to his monitor. The chat was blowing up.

[Raid] SoftRiceCake: Omg IngSupp’s replies are TOO CUTE LOL

[Raid] SoftRiceCake: He radiates harmless energy… wait, this guy’s older than GoSupp???

[Raid] SoftRiceCake: It’s like watching a fish caught in the wrong ocean…..;;;;

[Raid] Oreckthat: RUN INGSUPP~~~!!! ヘ(°◇°)ノ

[Raid] PrettyHealerHyung: A fish caught in the wrong ocean… [crying emoji]

[Raid] PrettyHealerHyung: But GoSupp really takes care of him hehe

[Raid] PrettyHealerHyung: Literally the only Human guild member who doesn’t get yelled at for skipping PvP… #1 spot….

[Raid] PrettyHealerHyung: ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠㅋㅋㅋㅋ

[Raid] SoftRiceCake: lmfaooo I’m cryingggg

[AahOneMoreDrink has donated ₩10,000!] LOL is he your hyung or a baby? That “You did well” and the “Okay~” reply was so sweet it gave me goosebumps hahaha

[VanillaMilk has donated ₩1,000!] Fuck just admit he’s gay. They say all perfect dudes are gay anyway. Save some space in the world for the rest of us, you bastard.

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He is gay. Well, only for me. That’s what Dohee thought as he responded:

“AahOneMoreDrink, VanillaMilk, thank you for the donations. My hyung used to be a total newbie. But now he’s gotten pretty good.”

whatthepunk: Yeah yeah, we get it, your hyung is the best, okay

MasterKeyNeon: LMAO is this kindergarten?

OllehOllehCalf: He was a newbie two months ago? Okay, respect.

SecurityToolAudit: His voice is so cute, won’t he do a face reveal?

botori: He’s just a normie, so what’s the point? It’d only be annoying. Why are there so many clueless morons here lol

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Dohee actually liked that people were calling Moonhyuk “your hyung” or “his hyung” in the chat. Our hyung had an adorable voice and was damn good now. That pride swelled up inside him. Just as he was about to open his mouth to urge the raid team along, another donation alert chimed in.

[ollaolla920 has donated ₩2,000!] Human raid is in FIRST PLACE RIGHT NOW!!!! Checked all the forums and y’all are the fastest holy shit let’s gooo FULL CLEAR GO HUMAN~!!!~

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“Oh, we’re the fastest? Guess we better get going on Phase 2. Is everyone ready?”

Voices answered from all directions.

— Yeojin and Yeohoo ready.

— I’m good too.

— Same here!

— Noodle, did you check your gear durability?

— I SAID I ALREADY DID, DAMMIT~ Seriously, why is Tando so aggravating even over voice chat?!

— Aww, just checking in case you forgot. Noodle’s always a bit slow, y’know~

— Wow, this dude’s unbelievable.

Before the flames could flare between Noodle and Tando, Dohee chimed in again.

“Okay. Anyone else?”

[Raid] 4EvilPrettyGirl: This lord is ready. 11

[Raid] SoftRiceCake: 11

[Raid] Oreckthat: 11 ₍₍ ◝(・ω・)◟ ⁾⁾

[Raid] PrettyHealerHyung: 11 [heave-ho emoji]

“I’m ready too.”

With Moonhyuk’s reply, the whole team was ready. Dohee clicked the “Proceed to Dungeon” button at the top of the screen, and a popup appeared for all players.

[System] Would you like to proceed to ‘Buried Ruins of the Underground Cult’?

YES / NO

1/10

As each player clicked YES, the counter ticked upward. When it hit 10/10, the save zone disappeared, and the sound of water droplets began echoing, drip, drip, drip. Their surroundings remained dark. Visibility was halved compared to normal. Neither cleansing skills nor potions restored sight. The raiders cautiously inched their characters forward.

A few steps in, torches on the walls began to flicker on, illuminating the way. Soon they realized they were walking through a damp, man-made tunnel.

The walls were all square bricks. There was no sunlight or sound of wind, only the soft drip of water and splashes with every step. Judging by all that, they were clearly underground.

“Do we just keep going?”

The passage was linear, allowing only forward movement. No monsters or traps had appeared. As Dohee voiced his suspicion, Tando responded first.

— Let’s just keep moving for now.

Without argument, the raid continued forward. Eventually, the space ahead brightened slightly, revealing an open chamber, and a system message appeared.

[System] You have entered the ‘Twelve-Pronged Cavern’.

[System] Only those who find the correct path will be permitted to proceed.

[System] If you fail to find the path in time, all raid members will return to the save zone. (Time Remaining: 4 minutes 58 seconds)

— What the hell is this now…

Noodle’s voice muttered through the headset. Dohee raised an eyebrow.

“Seriously, what now?”

The whole team was clearly caught off guard. They’d expected to just walk forward and naturally enter Phase 2 after reaching the cave’s end. No one saw this sudden pathfinding game coming. The stream chat was flooding with question marks.

True to its name, the Twelve-Pronged Cavern branched into twelve paths from the chamber they now stood in. The tunnel they’d entered through led back to the save zone, so excluding that, eleven paths remained. Though whether eleven should be considered lucky was debatable.

[Raid] PrettyHealerHyung: Can we just pick a random one…?ㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ

[Raid] SoftRiceCake: Yeah, right… lmao

Dohee scratched his chin, frowning. It definitely didn’t seem like they were meant to pick randomly, but there were no clues. The passages all looked identical – no sounds, no markings, no indication of what lay ahead. Everything was too dark to make anything out past the entrances.

— Should we just yolo it?

Yeojin asked, but no one volunteered to take that risk.

“There’s gotta be a trick to it…”

— We’ve got 4 minutes and 21 seconds left.

Noodle grumbled. As he pointed out, time was ticking, and they still had eleven paths to deal with. They couldn’t just sit around scratching their heads. It was time to take action.