Ch.355[Episode 355] Raid

Sir Dominic thought about the Kraken raid he had experienced during the race a few days ago.

While the event itself was a mess, Sir Dominic had kept the existence of the Kraken in his mind.

More precisely, it seemed he had developed quite an interest in raids.

“But until now, raids…”

Sir Dominic’s expression darkened as he realized he had never experienced a proper raid before.

The raids Sir Dominic had experienced were limited to Konga the Goblin King who had been affected by a bug, and Senator Trom, the minion from Mountain Bridge Marsh who had attacked the Executive branch.

There might have been other minor encounters, but he realized that he had mostly just observed rather than properly participated.

“I suppose I should learn more about raids with this opportunity.”

Sir Dominic muttered as he picked up his phone and began calling someone.

The person who, as far as Sir Dominic knew, was most knowledgeable about raids.

…

“So, you called me?”

Someone chomped on marinated ribs at the meat restaurant while speaking to Sir Dominic.

He had green hands and impressively crooked teeth that urgently needed orthodontic work—Konga the Goblin King.

“That’s right. As far as I know, you’re the most knowledgeable person about raids.”

Sir Dominic said while pouring soda into a glass.

“Well, I am a raid boss myself…?”

Sir Dominic’s statement wasn’t entirely wrong, but for some reason, Konga felt like objecting.

However, he couldn’t nitpick such trivial matters while enjoying free meat.

Konga nodded at Sir Dominic’s words and said with an uncomfortable expression.

“Anyway, you asked me to tell you about raids?”

“That’s right.”

Sir Dominic matched Konga’s tempo and put a piece of meat in his mouth.

“Hmm. Really, what would you have done if I wasn’t off raid duty today and you contacted me out of the blue.”

Konga grumbled outwardly, but inwardly his lips curled up.

He had originally planned to stay home and eat instant food, but thanks to Sir Dominic, he had a chance to feast for the first time in a while.

Konga voraciously stuffed several pieces of meat into his mouth at once and washed it down with a drink.

Truly paradise on earth!

Sir Dominic wasn’t unable to drink alcohol, but he had an obligation to abstain from it due to the Feralant knighthood, so he sipped soda instead of alcohol while waiting for Konga to speak.

“Raids aren’t a big deal. However, for Gachaland raids, you need to know two things before entering and two things after entering.”

Konga put a well-cooked rib into his mouth and chewed.

He seemed to be gnawing on that tough part close to the bone.

Eventually, a clean bone without a single piece of meat attached was spat out of Konga’s mouth.

“The two things you need to know before starting are synergy and adjustment.”

“Synergy and adjustment.”

Sir Dominic stroked his chin as he repeated Konga’s words.

“By synergy, do you mean the synergy I know?”

“That’s right. It’s the synergy that occurs when similar types group together, or when those with special connections meet. In raids, you should prioritize synergy.”

“I see. Good. Then what is adjustment?”

Sir Dominic already knew about synergy, but adjustment was a system he was hearing about for the first time.

“Before a raid, all characters undergo adjustment. Let me give you an example. If friends form a 4-person party for a raid and all are tanks, they won’t have enough DPS to defeat the raid boss. On the other hand, if a party consists of 4 DPS characters, they’re likely to be wiped out by the boss’s first AoE attack. Considering all these factors, the central system redistributes raid-specific stats, and that’s what adjustment is.”

“I see.”

Sir Dominic nodded at Konga’s explanation.

He understood a bit from the verbal explanation, but this seemed like something he would need to experience firsthand.

“Then what should I know after entering?”

Sir Dominic asked while refilling his already empty glass with soda.

“It’s simple. First, you need to learn the patterns.”

“Patterns.”

Sir Dominic nodded again at those words.

He understood immediately just from hearing the word “patterns.”

In fact, when Sir Dominic first came to Gachaland, didn’t he focus all his efforts on figuring out the patterns while facing Konga the Goblin King who was affected by a bug?

“Fortunately, you’re a tank, so you’re well-suited to check patterns.”

Konga was well aware that Sir Dominic was a tank.

And he also knew how important the role of a tank was in a raid.

“Now there’s one last thing. This one is the most important.”

Konga ate the last piece of rib with a very serious face.

Then he pressed the call button to summon a staff member, ordered three more servings of ribs, and mentioned the last thing.

“The last thing is… that a raid should be enjoyable with everyone following etiquette and rules.”

“…?”

Sir Dominic tilted his head at Konga’s unexpected statement.

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“I’m emphasizing it because it’s not obvious enough to be important.”

Sir Dominic, who was accustomed to upholding chivalry and following etiquette and norms, didn’t understand Konga’s point, but this was actually a very important issue.

In raids, even a small mistake could have a butterfly effect.

Above all, in situations where one needs to focus all attention sensitively on each of the boss’s patterns, a small mistake could lead to insults and blame.

Especially for those who were used to such situations, they might reach a point where their body reacted with curses before they could even think.

But Sir Dominic, who had never properly experienced a raid, couldn’t possibly know this.

Sir Dominic complacently thought that he would understand this part when he experienced it firsthand.

“I understand for now. So before going, I should ensure synergy and adjustment, and after entering the raid, I should learn the patterns and then fight enjoyably while maintaining etiquette and rules?”

“Exactly. That’s essentially all there is to raiding.”

Konga placed the marinated ribs brought by the staff back on the grill.

Then he carefully put the bones in a separate bag and placed it in his bag.

He probably intended to give them to his pet Tyrannosaurus when he got home.

A brief silence followed during the short time it took for the meat to cook again.

The conversation had been cut off because Sir Dominic had started to recall information about raids.

Only the sound of meat cooking could be heard between them.

Konga, finding this silence awkward, spoke first and blurted out something random.

“By the way, how did you know I like meat?”

“Oh, it’s nothing special. A senior colleague told me that if you want to ask someone for a favor, you should feed them meat first.”

Sir Dominic answered Konga while thinking of v.a.l.l.o.c., who had given him various advice about the lifestyle in Gachaland.

“I don’t know who your senior is, but they’re very wise.”

Konga patted his full belly and grinned.

“Thanks for the meal. Call me if you need help again. I’ll come running anytime.”

Konga said that, downed his last remaining drink, and went outside.

Sir Dominic finished eating the few pieces of meat that had already cooled and got up to head to the counter.

When Sir Dominic returned after paying, Konga was being held by the police along with his pet Tyrannosaurus.

The charge was drunk driving.

It seemed he had tried to ride his pet Tyrannosaurus home as usual while intoxicated.

Fortunately, it was revealed that Konga’s pet Tyrannosaurus had not been drinking, so Konga didn’t lose his license.

…

The next day.

Sir Dominic visited the raid lobby to experience a raid firsthand.

Raids were classified in several ways, including daily raids, regular raids, permanent raids, irregular raids, and so on.

The content of the raids also varied—some were for 4, 8, or 16 people; some were fixed at 4 people but had Normal, Hard, and Hell difficulties; and some required multiple commanders.

As Sir Dominic looked around, his gaze suddenly stopped on one raid.

Sir Dominic, who liked that raid at first sight, walked toward the raid portal and pressed “Find Party,” and since he was a tank, he was able to find a party instantly.

“Nice to m-“

Sir Dominic tried to greet the new people he met, but his greeting fell on deaf ears.

This was because the other party members immediately kicked him out upon seeing him.

“…?”

Sir Dominic was perplexed by what was happening but pressed “Find Party” again.

He instantly found a party again, but was promptly kicked out once more.

Sir Dominic tried several times, but all attempts ended in expulsion.

“What on earth…”

Sir Dominic was bewildered by this absurd situation.

Why were people kicking him out as soon as they saw him?

That’s when it happened.

“Hey, you there. Is this your first raid?”

Sir Dominic heard someone calling from behind him.

He turned his head toward the voice.

And there stood a delicate-looking blonde swordsman and three women.