Chapter 447: Friendship Clan’s Friendship-Breaking Sound (2)
Not only did the fallen tree become a complete mess, but there was no part of him left unscathed in the end.
As if to show that he had been beaten properly by the fire element, his whole body was scorched. He couldn’t even maintain his proper shape.
Since he had been beaten for a long time by an overwhelming mass, he could no longer keep his actual form. Rather, he was pretty lucky to receive only that much damage.
Personally, however, I was a bit bitter.
The result itself deserved to be acknowledged, but my absolute lack of damage hurt.
Regardless of my sentiments, it wasn’t unreasonable for them to be surprised.
It was clear that Lee Cheol-woo, Kim Daegun, Kook Minji, and the rest of the party weren’t expecting much from me. They thought it would be fine enough to have me just do my role, but they were so surprised that their jaws ultimately dropped upon seeing my performance.
The four members tried to read each other’s faces.
To that extent, Light Kiyeon’s achievements were great. It was like I caught the heroic-grade monster with a few magic shots.
Perhaps, in their eyes, I probably looked like Jung Hayan, a genius wizard.
At least, looking at the gazes they had on me, it seemed that it would be okay to think so.
Lee Cheol-woo and Kim Daegun were rubbing their eyes, and the Kook Minji and her gals turned pale.
‘Now you trust me, right? Huh?’
It was clear that they were trying to solve the puzzle of why Pak Sergei and Argirmo came to me and made the offer, even though they knew it was rude.
They might have doubted me before, but now the puzzle pieces fit very easily.
Why?
The answer was too obvious.
‘They offered recruitment because I’m skilled, bitches. That’s how far apart our leagues are. I’m in an entirely different dimension. You misunderstood because you have never gotten that kind of recruitment proposal.’
Even after the battle was completely over, everyone remained silent for about a minute.
At this point, I wondered what kind of attitude I had to maintain. That was because there were too many things I wanted to say.
However, I quickly realized that I didn’t have to decide what to do.
I could hear the voices pouring out before I could even say anything.
“You’re amazing… er, you’re really amazing.”
“How did you do that, Kiyeon?”
“Yes? Just as usual… isn’t it something that any wizard can do?”
“No. I’m telling you, average wizards won’t be able to produce that kind of firepower. Your casting speed is fast, and the power of your magic is too high to say it belongs in the heroic-grade.”
‘That’s obvious. I used a legendary-grade catalyst, so you can’t compare it to the heroic-grade.’
“I-I’m sorry.”
‘Okay. What are you sorry about?’
“No. There is no need to be so sorry.”
“We seem to have misunderstood…”
“I have received a lot of such misunderstandings. I’m used to it. You really don’t have to worry about it.”
“I’m really sorry, unnie. I said some stupid crap.”
‘When did I become your unnie?’
“No, it can happen.”
‘The speed at which these girls changed their attitude isn’t a joke.’
“Please talk comfortably. Can I call you Kiyeon unnie?”
‘Amazing. If it were me, I wouldn’t be able to do that because it’s too shameful.’
“Yes, of course.”
“You didn’t seem to have high magic power, but you’re really amazing!”
Even Kook Minji, who I thought wouldn’t be doing this, was now buttering me up a bit.
‘Ability is something great in the end.’
Honestly, what I was doing at that moment was just amusing myself. It wasn’t a bad feeling to receive such recognition.
I felt like I could see why the old novels’ dragons ran around pretending to be human for so many days. It was hard to explain, but there was a sense of pleasure that tickled my whole body.
‘Right. Since I’m already doing this, I’ll give you some bonus.’
“Oh! And while hunting earlier… there was something that bothered me a bit, can I tell you?”
“Yes. You can tell me, Kiyeon.”
“Um… I’ve actually been in the Red Mercenary Named Monster Response Team before I came here. It’s up to you if you want to accept it, but I keep seeing things that stand out.”
“You mean the Red Mercenary?”
“Yes. It was only for a while.”
“Is that true? Huh. You can go ahead and tell me.”
“I want you to listen without getting offended.”
“Why would I?”
“First, Daegun tends to be a little self-centered. Of course, he has the burden of facing the monster face-to-face on his shoulders, but it would be better if he trusted the priest in the team and gave a wider space. Since there is even a sub-tank.”
I could see the guy blushing.
I wondered if I shouldn’t have said that, but these were all constructive comments, after all.
That time, I addressed the sub-tanker included in the Kook Minji squad.
“Also, you know that the role of the sub-tank in the party doesn’t end when the main tank falls back, in which case you’ll have to enter, right? I don’t know if you two have trouble communicating, but it feels like there is no swap process. The main tank at the front can also be a little more relaxed if the sub-tanker gives the main tank a little more trust.”
“Ah… okay.”
“The two of you have to play your role so that the close-up damage dealer can also have a wider array of actions. Also, there aren’t many party members who wish for the assassin class, Minji. It’s good to keep moving, but your movements distract us… it would be better to provide long-distance support in general. You know how to handle crossbows, right? If the monster’s attention has gotten a little lighter, it wouldn’t be bad to fight as melee, but that doesn’t happen.”
‘You’re not even close to Kim Ye-ri, so you shouldn’t move like that.’
“The most uncertain position is the close-up damage dealer in the party… no matter how low your endurance stats or stamina stats, I wonder if you’re spreading yourself too much. I understand if you are concerned about getting injured, but it can’t be helped if you are in the assassin class. When an attack comes, you must either avoid it or lift your dagger with the belief that the tanks will block it. It may sound a little cruel, but you have to be prepared to be seriously injured. The same goes for the long-distance damage. You know that firing arrows until the monster’s attention is totally taken puts a lot of stress on tanks, right?”
“Yes.”
“Also, it seems that Cheol-woo is wasting his divine power. In the case of the monster that just came out, Daegun would have survived even without the buff. After the first buff, it would be better to focus on the team’s close-up damage dealer. Please consider the timing of your healing spell. Casting must be done right before the big attack falls. That way, the divine spell can take effect right after it hits.”
“I see.”
“Everyone’s ability seems to be good, but it feels like you’re not in sync… If you understand the positions of the party members, the results will be much better.”
I was worried about whether I was too direct. However, I didn’t see any hostility in their eyes.
The power that I showed them before certainly helped in making them take my criticisms properly. In fact, Goddess Kiyeon’s speech must have played a huge role.
I said something about the main tank and about the priest, then pointed out something about the sub-tank, mentioning the close-up damage dealer by the end. In that way, the responsibility was transferred to each other.
If only an individual were pointed out, they would just end up feeling bad, but if I pointed out that there was a problem in the group as a whole, the results might be slightly different.
‘It’s great. Very good. You’re too nice, Kiyeon.’
It was enough to make me ponder whether or not I had provided too many services for a party that I would only stay in briefly. As expected, I could see them nodding and conceding.
What was a little sudden was that the party members in that place were showing anxious expressions. It was as if they were trying to create a good impression in the eyes of a large guild’s scout.
‘Okay. I like that attitude. That enthusiasm is important. Your qualities aren’t bad. You can get enough offers.’
Blue wouldn’t recruit them.
However, if they were lucky, a large guild might recruit their party.
“Let’s take the reward first… and then, would you like to make the next named move as I said? I will be prepared for a sudden situation.”
“Thank you, Kiyeon. It seems like we’re only getting help.”
“No. I’m glad I can help you like this. Well, let’s start with the compensation wheel.”
“Oh. Yes.”
[The wheel is spinning.]
[The spinning wheel has stopped.]
[Rare-grade item Warrior’s Horn was selected.]
“Ugh. It’s a rare-grade item…”
“Don’t be too disappointed, Daegun, because there are still two more opportunities left.”
“Okay. We can’t help it anyway. Then, would you like, Minji, to spin the next monster?”
“Okay. Oppa.”
[The spinning wheel is spinning.]
[The spinning wheel has stopped.]
[Heroic-grade lower-ranked monster Hell Gatekeeper Kasarak has been selected.]
‘Well. This is okay too.’
“We will prepare for battle right away.”
Everyone was nodding. Of course, there was a grim expression on their faces.
It started just like before.
Lee Cheol-woo’s buff poured onto Kim Daegun, and Kim Daegun entered the monster’s range, and the battle begins.
‘It’ll be better than before, right?’
It was natural to think that.
Unlike before, when there was no foundation at all, the minimum foundation had been built. However, it also seemed to be just my illusion.
“Swap! Swap!!”
“You can’t get too close, close-up damage dealer!”
“Daegun! You have to turn your head!!”
“Why aren’t there any buffs coming! Buff”
‘Fuck. This is a mess.’
“Minji! The arrows! Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot! Stop the damage! Stop the damage!!”
I was wrong.
The positions weren’t perfectly defined.
Even if you said it was five minutes before the end of the game, there was nothing to say.
If they’d fought like before, they could have caught it even if it took time, but what they were showing now was enough to say that they were on the verge of annihilation.
The sub-tank and main-tank swap processes were bizarre. They couldn’t even execute it properly.
As if she took my word that she should be prepared to be seriously injured, the close-up damage dealer was getting too close and turning the attack into a mess.
Whether Kook Minji wasn’t familiar with a crossbow, she gave the monster a gift of berserk by hitting the crossbow in Kasarak’s left eyeball, and I didn’t know what the long-distance damage dealer was doing at that moment.
Lee Cheol-woo was better, but he gave the buff to the close-up damage dealer sooner than necessary.
Kim Daegun, who was struggling with tanking due to the berserk gift, wasn’t seen to.
‘What are they doing? Really.’
If it continued like that, there was a high probability of them crossing the Jordan River. No, I was certain that they would.
In the end, I was forced to take action.
The situation was dealt with when a fire giant climbed up and hit the Hell Gatekeeper Kasarak’s head. With this, the party could finally take a deep breath.
I was worried that they would turn that ugly attack into my responsibility, but they wouldn’t do that if they had a conscience.
To say that it was my fault wasn’t right, but…
What they chose to do was worse than that.
“Cheol-woo, I trusted you, but no buff came.”
They were now blaming each other.
I could hear the Friendship Clan’s friendship beginning to break.
‘That’s not it, bastards. That wasn’t my intention. I wasn’t trying to ruin your relationships.’