"Everyone knows I'm taking over command since Runia left the team, right?"
"Yeah, but... do you even know how to give orders?"
Lin Sha asked hesitantly. Issuing orders wasn't easy. You had to grasp your allies' conditions and movements while battling monsters, keep it all straight in your head, predict the monsters' attack patterns and special moves, and respond accordingly. Fail at that, and you'd just throw your lives away for nothing.
It wasn't for no reason that only the top graduates from Hero Academy, those with outstanding records, became raid leaders.
"To some extent."
Minguk replied firmly to Lin Sha's question.
This world's raids were new to him, but experience was experience. Leading against a Rank 20 super monster like Uradius was one thing—this was just Rank 3 monsters. He could handle that while slurping down ramen.
Plus, this was a five-person team, not a full raid party. Fewer people meant fewer things to manage, making orders even simpler to call. At the very least, he'd be way better than anyone else here, or so Minguk thought.
But apparently, Lin Sha wasn't the only one looking uneasy. Ashlyn glanced at the staff Minguk was holding and spoke up.
"You said you class-changed too, right? Can you really lead while playing healer?"
"It'll be better than when I was a ranged dealer, at least. And I've got plenty of Revival Stones stocked."
"Haa... If you're that confident, I guess I'll trust you once."
Ashlyn shook her head. If this were some ragtag raid team, she'd have disbanded right there.
But everyone here was aiming to pass the Raid Qualification Exam in a week. Fail that, and they'd waste a whole year. Finding another team on short notice wasn't an option either.
Caught in this awkward spot, Lin Sha and Ashlyn had no choice but to accept Minguk as raid leader. Anxious as they were, they'd have to roll with it.
On top of that, the Revival Stones Minguk had procured played a big role in swaying them. With those, even if they got slaughtered by monsters, they could borrow mana to revive.
"No time to waste, so shall we head to the dungeon?"
Hyun-ah stood up as opinions settled. Minguk shook his head at the sight. He got the urgency, but not everything was set yet.
"Hold on. We haven't decided where to go."
"Where else? A dungeon with Rank 3 monsters, obviously."
"You think there's just one or two of those? Wait a sec. Let's make a plan. Rushing in doesn't mean we can clear it for sure."
Hyun-ah plopped back into her chair at Minguk's words, puffing out her lips. She looked sulky, but Minguk knew from his memories that it was just her playing around.
Blindly tackling random dungeons was inefficient anyway. Clearing one had to boost the team's specs too. At minimum, snag better gear than what they had or a decent skill stone.
And the weakest link spec-wise was Minguk himself.
'Gear's mediocre, and all my skill stones are C-rank...'
So, targeting monsters that dropped healer skill stones or gear made sense.
A quick search on his Hero Pad—the terminal you got after graduating Hero Academy—turned up a solid option among Rank 3 dungeons. It rewarded Rare (R)-grade gear and a B-rank healer skill stone.
The Dark Portal in Bundang: Red Goblin Citadel.
"Red Goblin Citadel? Never been there. Wouldn't retrying a cleared dungeon be safer?"
Ashlyn sighed at Minguk's suggestion.
She had a point—reclearing a known dungeon was easy. But it was a bad move, especially for passing the qualification exam.
"Fair, but imagine heroes seeing our applications after we pass, with nothing but the same dungeon clears. They won't think highly of us."
"True, but... isn't grabbing the cert more urgent right now?"
"And the whole point of the cert is to join a raid team."
"Well, can't argue that."
Ashlyn nodded easily. Just as Minguk said, they were chasing the Raid Qualification Exam to join professional raid teams fighting monsters.
But passing didn't make you a full hero thrown into action. The cert was just the bare minimum—like passing a driving test to drive.
To hero properly, you joined a raid team with monster hunting permits after passing. Not just any team, either. Submit apps, interviews, wait for results—like job hunting.
Heros without teams only fought in massive crises or if they were powerhouses soloing weaklings.
"Red Goblin Citadel's a B-rank 9 difficulty dungeon—the lowest among B-ranks. Worth a shot."
Plus, the spec requirements were low enough for their current gear to clear it.
"You know how to lead it?"
"Of course, Lin Sha."
Minguk said confidently. He'd have to jog his memory a bit, but Red Goblin Citadel was a dungeon he'd cleared countless times before.
Long ago, when it was GGW's toughest dungeon, he'd played it. Hero Pad confirmed: identical to his memories.
"Alright. I'm for Red Goblin Citadel."
"Ugh, humanoid monsters creep me out up close. No choice—me too."
"Sounds good to me."
Ashlyn led, and the others agreed to head for Red Goblin Citadel. Proper raid prep kicked off.
Minguk started with a briefing on the dungeon's monsters. Since it was everyone's first time, they needed details on attacks and special patterns.
After, they discussed skill setups for smooth clears and synergy using their kits. Then they shopped for consumables.
By the end of all that hustling, over two hours had flown by.
"Doing this every day...?"
Just two hours into the schedule, but prep had worn them out. No time to rest, though—the dungeon clear started now.
"Minguk's briefing was pretty solid, though? Could've fooled me into thinking he was a vet raid leader."
"Yeah, way better vibe than Runia's trash leading. Why'd you sit quiet through her crap all this time?"
Ashlyn and Lin Sha asked en route from Pub Novis to the Bundang gate. Minguk's smooth team-leading had surprised them. Hyun-ah eyed his new side curiously too.
"The protagonist always hides his power."
"Spouting nonsense proves you're the Minguk I know..."
"Hey, you think I'd lie?"
"Yeah, yeah. Got it."
Minguk scratched his head at their half-hearted nods. It was true, but no way to prove it.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The B-rank 9 Red Goblin Citadel had two raid bosses, both C-rank monsters.
Drops included Rare (R)-grade healer and melee weapons, plus armor. B- and C-rank skill stones too. Sadly, no Revival Stones—those life-granting stones.
"@#%@#^@#$!"
"#[email protected]#$^@##@"
Entering Red Goblin Citadel, Minguk used a Revival Stone at the entrance first. That way, any accidents meant respawning there.
With it set, he led the team, smashing goblins deeper in. Soon, they reached the first raid monster—a goblin twice normal size.
"Huh? Not bad for a goblin."
Lin Sha whistled at the long, serpentine thing at its core. Minguk flinched awkwardly at her words, but the others seemed unfazed.
"Orcs are bigger, though, right? Hero boards say 19+ ones have orc tales—sizes goblins can't touch. Absolute beasts."
"Heh. That's not huge. Back in America, some guys—especially black dudes—packed anacondas. That's a baby snake."
"..."
What was this conversation? Where was he? Why was he here?
Minguk felt hammered by the women's casual dirty talk sandwiching him. Pure shock and horror. Even youngest Yuna perked her ears, ready to jump in.
'What the...'
But memories confirmed: this world was like that. Endless monster wars decimated men; women awakened mana, flipping gender roles.
After the storm of shock, Minguk started briefing.
"That's Blood Armored Goblin - Patu. Not tough, so no need to stress."
"Easy for you to say, but that smash looks like it'd turn us to paste... You sure we can trust you, Minguk? I pass on getting grabbed, goblin-raped, then rescued."
Hyun-ah's eyes shook at Patu's massive hammer.
Fair—Revival Stone or not, dying to a monster sucked. Worse if captured alive: no revive, just hell till rescue. Goblins had history raping human women.
"Don't worry. Follow my leads, and we'll one-try it."
"Haa... Bastard comes back from near-death all cocky like he hit heaven."
"Anyway, everyone remember the briefing?"
Their stiff faces said no—might need a recap. First-timers were tense.
Chattering filthy fine earlier.