Your Raid Leader

With the raid—the biggest task currently in Deren Online—completed, I found myself with nothing to do.

Sure, I could farm dungeons for gold or hunt monsters in the field, but my attention was drawn to the battlefield instead.

The battlefield was a large-scale PvP event involving 50 players on each side. The objective was to defeat the enemy faction's commander NPC to end the match. Along the way, players could capture strategic points to gain buffs or summon NPC allies for their team—or, conversely, lose them to the enemy.

Because the battlefield hosted 100 players and numerous NPCs, it was a vast map. In my original world's version of Deren Online, many players often AFK'd during these matches. I doubted it would be much different here. But that didn't bother me. My purpose wasn't to win the match itself—it was to earn honor points and raise my reputation with a specific faction.

Most players aimed to purchase items using the tokens awarded at the end of each battlefield match. However, as someone already participating in raids, I didn't particularly covet battlefield gear.

Standing in front of the bulletin board that allowed entry to the battlefield, I noticed a crowd had gathered. While battlefield gear wasn't on par with raid equipment, it was still high-tier, which explained the swarm of players.

Players appeared and disappeared rapidly, a testament to the popularity of this content. Pushing through the crowd, I approached the board and interacted with the system.

The faction choice screen appeared. I already knew which side I'd choose.

[Faction Selection – Frostwolf Clan]

Without hesitation, I selected the Frostwolf Clan and started the matchmaking process. Soon, a loading screen appeared.

[Matchmaking – Frostwolf Valley]

Once the matchmaking was complete, I was greeted by a snow-covered field blanketed in white.

The chill in the air created a frosty mist with every breath I took, and the crunching sound of snow underfoot added to the immersion. In the distance, I could hear the war cries of NPCs, confirming that this was indeed a battlefield.

It was both familiar and unfamiliar.

Before long, other players began appearing around me. Enveloped in beams of light, their figures materialized one after another until there were 50 of us in total, myself included.

I turned my attention to the players around me, analyzing their classes and levels.

Most were in their early twenties, with the lowest level being a level 15 archer.

The level 15 archer immediately drew disapproving glances from other players.

Was the archer class really that poorly regarded? I tilted my head curiously, observing the reactions of those around me.

Just then, the man standing next to me gasped loudly and shouted.

"Y-Yeon is here!"

"Yeon?"

"Yeon, as in that Yeon?"

"Who's that?"

"Isn't she that streamer?"

"She's the middle school raid leader…!"

I frowned. I had become far too famous.

Not that I disliked this sort of attention—back in my original world's Deren Online, I used to dream of moments like these.

But this world was different.

Here, it wasn't just a username on a screen or a voice coming through a headset. It was like standing face-to-face with people in real life.

And their stares were… heavy. Uncomfortably so.

[10, 9, 8…]

As the countdown to the start of the match began, the priestess standing next to me hesitated before timidly speaking up.

"Um… could you show us your sacred sword, please?"

I nodded and unsheathed the sword.

Srrrng—

With a soft, metallic ring, the sword emerged from its scabbard, scattering a warm, golden light that shimmered like sunlight.

"Wow…"

Voices filled with awe and admiration echoed from all around me.

Their gazes, a mix of envy and jealousy, only made me lift my chin and puff out my chest a little.

At that moment, a paladin standing at the front of the group sighed and muttered under his breath.

"Ugh… way too many archers."

His priest companion nodded in agreement but kept his gaze fixed on me.

"Still… with her here, maybe we stand a chance, right?"

"You think so…?"

I frowned at their words.

Did having too many archers really decide the outcome of the match? It didn't make sense to me.

I was about to voice my thoughts when the transparent barrier in front of us disappeared.

The battlefield had begun.

As soon as the barrier lifted, the players around me rushed forward.

Among them, the archers were the first to dart ahead, moving with remarkable speed. I followed behind them, keeping pace with their swift movements.

My enhanced mobility proved to be a major advantage in the rugged, mountainous terrain. I raced across the snow-covered hills and stopped at a high vantage point that provided a clear view of the battlefield.

Unsurprisingly, most of the archer players also began positioning themselves near my location.

As the paladin had noted earlier, there were 15 archers on our side.

It didn't take long to see why their numbers were a cause for concern.

The archers quickly took up positions at higher ground and began nocking their arrows, aiming down at the enemy forces.

Instead of rushing forward, I chose to observe them for the time being, curious about their strategy.

The paladin's worries weren't unfounded. Most of the archers seemed to focus on positioning rather than actively engaging in combat. Their movements lacked urgency, and their reliance on ranged attacks meant they contributed little in close-quarters skirmishes.

Despite their hesitation, I silently observed from my elevated perch, waiting to see how the situation would unfold.

Thwip-! Bang! Fwing-!

With so many archers on our team, the sheer number of arrows raining down on the enemy was staggering.

The sight of countless arrows descending like a storm was undeniably impressive, but the accuracy? Not so much.

Despite their abysmal hit rate, the archers' expressions remained unchanged.

They seemed used to this, as if they had long accepted their shortcomings. Calmly, they nocked new arrows and fired again.

I couldn't help but stare in disbelief.

Even as the rain of arrows continued, all it achieved was a pitiful display of missed shots.

Finally, I understood why the archer class had such a poor reputation here.

Unlike the auto-targeting systems I was familiar with in my original world, Deren Online in this world relied entirely on non-targeted attacks.

This difference fundamentally altered the difficulty of the archer class, making it significantly harder to play effectively.

If most archers performed this poorly, it suddenly made sense why Hwarang—despite his skill—had been treated so unfairly in the past.

I sighed, running a hand down my face.

At that moment, a short scream pierced the cold air nearby.

"Urgh-!"

Snapping my head in the direction of the sound, I saw a rogue player materializing out of stealth, his dagger plunging into the neck of an allied archer.

"Rogue attack!"

The archers, who had been focused on their ineffective volley, screamed and scattered in panic.

Not a single one attempted to fight back. Instead, they all ran—despite outnumbering the enemy rogue.

I clicked my tongue in frustration.

Just then, a brilliant white flash streaked toward the rogue.

It was an arrow, fired by the lowest-level archer on our team—the level 15 one who had been mocked earlier.

But, like most of the shots before it, the arrow missed its target.

The young archer gritted his teeth and prepared another arrow, determined to fight.

Thunk!

Unfortunately, he never got the chance to release it.

Another rogue, emerging from stealth, drove a dagger into the archer's neck.

I exhaled heavily. Winning this match was going to be nearly impossible.

For the first time, I found myself agreeing with that paladin's earlier comment.

Then, the rogues turned their eyes on me.

A melee fighter, armed with a gleaming holy sword, standing among a group of defenseless archers—it must have seemed odd to them.

For a moment, they didn't attack.

Instead, they hesitated, their gazes fixed on my weapon.

Of course, they recognized it.

The radiant effects of the sword bathed in golden light, were impossible to miss.

Crunch. Crunch. Crunch.

The sound of footsteps approached through the snow.

Although rogues could conceal themselves with stealth, they couldn't hide their footprints.

Crunch.

Now.

Spinning around, I swung my sword in a wide arc behind me.

The blade sliced through the air, and a radiant pillar of holy energy erupted from its edge.

The golden slash tore through the rogue's chest, forcing him out of stealth and sending him staggering backward.

With his invisibility broken, his position was exposed.

I pivoted smoothly and delivered another strike.

Slash!

A golden trail shimmered in the air as the second attack severed the rogue's head cleanly.

But there was no time to celebrate.

More rogues burst out of stealth, rushing toward me from all sides.

The enemy team had far more rogues than archers, it seemed, and they were converging on my position.

Realizing I couldn't hold my ground here, I quickly retreated, sprinting toward the valley below.

Ssssshhh!

Sliding down the frozen slopes of the valley, I used the momentum to increase my speed.

Behind me, the pursuing rogues vanished one by one, activating their stealth abilities to hide their movements.

But stealth wouldn't erase their footprints.

Using the tracks in the snow as a guide, I cut them down one by one as I descended the valley.

Their lightweight leather armor offered little protection, and any strike from my sword left devastating wounds.

By the time I reached the bottom of the valley, I had slain seven rogues.

At that point, the remaining rogues abruptly changed direction, abandoning their pursuit.

It seemed they had decided I wasn't worth the effort and were instead heading back to target the newly respawned archers.

Leaving the rogues behind, I continued along the path, cutting down a mage and a warlock as I advanced.

Eventually, I arrived at the enemy's first guard tower.

Capturing this point would shift our respawn location forward, giving us a significant strategic advantage.

But as I surveyed my surroundings, I noticed something strange.

Not a single ally was here.

By now, other members of my team should have arrived. So where were they?

Cautiously, I entered the guard tower.

Suddenly, the ceiling above me collapsed.

An avalanche of enemy players descended, unleashing a barrage of skills.

Time seemed to slow as the first attack streaked toward me.

I scanned the room, taking in the overwhelming numbers and the barrage of spells lighting up the air.

This was a trap.

With no other option, I swung my sword, slicing through an incoming ice orb.

Boom!

The impact of the next fireball struck me directly, sending shockwaves through my body. My vision wavered from the force of the blast, but I didn't back down.

Golden light flared behind me as the [Solar Mantle] activated, enveloping me in holy energy.

Even with the [Solar Mantle]'s protection, my health dropped rapidly under the relentless assault.

I burned through my paladin healing spells, buying myself precious seconds, but the sheer number of ranged attacks was overwhelming.

Despite my efforts, I couldn't hold my ground.

Pushed back step by step, I eventually slammed my sword into the ground and collapsed.

"Wow... how long did she last?"

"Like, 10 seconds?"

"Did you see how many attacks she blocked? That was insane."

"Dude, she's nuts..."

Through the hazy blur of my fading vision, I heard the enemy team's voices.

After a brief loading screen, my vision cleared.

I respawned at the original starting point, where many other players were already waiting.

It seemed the entire forward assault team had fallen for the same trap.

"What do we do now? Just defend and stall for time?"

"Honestly, I think we should just rush in again. The forward towers are already captured."

"With their new respawn zone, reinforcements will arrive too quickly. We should probably just surrender and queue for the next match."

The more experienced players exchanged opinions, most of them leaning toward giving up.

I agreed with their analysis—but I didn't want to lose.

"I'll hold them off."

"...What?"

"I'll hold the bridge by myself. You all circle around and take out their commander. Their respawn zone is too far from the commander's location, so they won't be able to regroup in time."

"Wait, Yeon, that's crazy—"

"Didn't you all just say you were ready to give up? Trust me."

Even if we lost, the outcome wouldn't change much.

Reluctantly, the other players nodded.

As they began moving out, I turned and called out.

"Leave me three healers."

With three healers supporting me, I positioned myself on the massive bridge.

This bridge was the only way for the enemy to reach our faction's commander NPC.

"Can you really hold them here?" one of the healers asked nervously.

I nodded and pulled out a shield I hadn't been using.

Time passed, and soon, red enemy nameplates began appearing in the distance.

Gripping my sword tightly, I took a deep breath.

"They're coming."

The enemy team hesitated briefly when they saw me, but then they charged forward.

The first to reach me was a knight with a massive shield.

He rammed into me, attempting to push me back, but the difference in strength stats was too great.

Instead of me being pushed, it was him who staggered backward.

I shoved him off the bridge and swung my sword.

Boom!

A shockwave rippled through the air, sending the paladin behind him tumbling into the abyss below.

The melee fighters paused, momentarily stunned.

Then, the enemy's ranged attackers began their assault.

Raising my shield and sword, I prepared to hold the line.

With three healers behind me, I could last as long as their mana held out.