Second Try Idol

The cast members lived up to their promises, nimbly dodging a sequence of four consecutive attacks that had nearly wiped them out last time. This time around, they could even use their own attacks.

Although they still weren’t as proficient as seasoned players, they had made remarkable progress compared to their previous attempt. Ji-Hyuk stood out among them, especially since he had previously mentioned clearing the Dark Citadel before the shoot.

“Look, Hyun-Woo. Am I good or what? Come on, give me some props."

“Ah, you are doing great~ Wait, hyung. Watch out there...!"

Before I could finish my warning, Ji-Hyuk hummed a tune and effortlessly dodged out of the way. It was a surprising revelation playing online games with someone who not only had talent, but had put in hard work. His character oozed confidence. Although his attacks were less frequent than that of others, his focus on evasive maneuvers made my job as a healer much easier.

“Hyung, you've really gotten better."

“Right? See? My members clung on to me and taught me so much. I even got chewed out by our youngest. This is all for you, Hyun-Woo."

“Cool, very cool."

After I responded casually to him recounting his trials, a genuine smile spread across my face. The effort everyone was putting into clearing the level was palpable through their characters and Disiscord comms. Unlike last time, when only two of us had been left standing, this time, we breezed through the first phase.

“Yes! We did it!!! Look at that!" Comedian Seong Jin was unable to contain his excitement. He jumped up and pointed at his monitor. It seemed he had embellished his gaming experience during the pre-interview, likely out of eagerness to join the show.

I nodded along with Seong Jin and advised, “We should move quickly to the next area while the monsters swarm. Just handle the ones in front, and we can dash to the next location."

“We are not killing them all?"

“No, they can't follow us into the next section. Let's avoid them as much as we can. Tank, if you could keep attracting their attention, please.”

“Yeah, sure."

The CEO’s calm voice came over the line, reinforcing the plan. Now, everyone seemed to be demonstrating their true skills. Having voice communication made our movements much more coordinated, unlike our last session which had been limited to chat messages. It seemed we might actually pull this off.

Then came the second phase, where we had previously declared defeat. We ventured into it after ensuring everyone was healed up.

“…Oh? Wow." I couldn't help but let out an impressed murmur. Everyone was handling the challenges better than anticipated. They even seemed to outperform some veteran players who typically passed the first phase without needing a strategy guide. It could be because their fingers got warmed up or they had diligently studied a strategy guide.

“Please use the awakening skill here, tank. Everyone, gather near the tank."

“Yes!"

“Ah, I am a bit far. I might not make it in time."

“Shaman, do you see the pink skill in your skill window? Click on the archer there and use that skill."

“Oh! It pulled me right over. I thought it was a teleport!"

“That’s the Temptation skill. It instantly brings a designated target closer. Remember to use it in emergencies."

“Okay, captain."

What was happening? Why was everyone playing so well all of a sudden? It was only our second attempt, and yet everyone performed as if they were seasoned raiders and sharpened their skills as though they had practiced countless times. Soon, I discovered why.

“The Criminal Punishment phase is right up next."

“Yes. Get ready for consecutive AOE attacks!"

“Consecutive, yes!"

Everyone except On Jeong-Woo had thoroughly pre-studied the phase. Now, the second phase seemed like a breeze as we attacked and defended with gusto. It was as if I had entered a random raid match only to find it populated by experts. Our teamwork was impressively solid.

Before we knew it, the second phase was done. The team had skillfully gotten their revenge.

“Good job, everyone."

“Wow, we actually cleared it with this team."

“We still have one phase left."

This was impossible. It seemed unbelievable how well we were doing. Surely, someone besides Ji-Hyuk must have cleared it before during their practice, despite claiming otherwise.

I continued to heal, amazed and astounded. They had performed so well that, unlike last time when I was healing and reviving until my mana ran out, today I hardly needed to use the revive ability.

However, the final phase of the Dark Citadel remained. Only Ji-Hyuk and the CEO had cleared it before, and we couldn’t finish it in one go as expected. I fervently healed, but the party members fell to the intensifying attacks of the final boss one by one. It culminated in a total wipeout.

- Nice try, everyone.

“Ah, it's such a shame. A few more tries, maybe? What do you think, everyone?"

“Yeah, we were handling the final boss up until the middle at least. Maybe with a few more tries, we could actually do it."

The strong sense of disappointment was palpable, but everyone seemed eager for another go. However, the director decisively instructed us to exit the Dark Citadel.

- We sincerely appreciate your passion, but our aim is higher. Why not try the end-game content Flame of Conviction when you are mentally and physically ready?

It seemed the director believed that focusing on clearing Dark Citadel would shift our goal from Flame of Belief to Dark Citadel.

“Sounds good!"

“Agreed!"

“It does feel like we are getting the hang of it. Maybe we can handle at least the first phase next time?"

- Think of today as just getting a test. This is more about gaining experience than clearing.

The director pragmatically tempered the party's enthusiasm with a dose of reality. The gimmicks[1] in Dark Citadel, though complex, were familiar to those who had experienced previous raids. Even the most puzzling second phase, the Unfortunate Detective, could be roughly figured out easily if one thought about it. ‘Ah, so that's what needs to be done.’

Of course, at the time of its release, the gimmicks had been more complicated than they were now. However, this raid was said to be the toughest ever, and the members' gear would only be considered basic in the Flame of Belief.

“Shall we enter now?” I calmed the party members down and moved the cursor over the raid entrance button. Everyone said it was challenging, but just how tough could it be?

I glanced at the CEO, who appeared equally tense. Considering how the CEO, who had been playing One Hours since its inception, was this nervous, it really had to be a formidable raid.

“Let's go in then."

“Yes!"

“Let's do this!"

I clicked the [Enter] button with trembling hands.

We had skipped every story, so the cutscene started with characters unknown to me. The protagonist, though once thwarted, did not let his conviction wane in the face of darkness. As the black screen filled with a flame symbolizing his conviction, the player's NPC[2] comrades followed him with grave expressions. The cutscene ended, and we found ourselves in a brightly lit space.

“Let’s start.”

Once the CEO Lee Mi-Hyang spoke, the party members walked forward. The silence was thick, and it was broken only by occasional awe-struck exclamations at the grandeur of the raid environment. We reached the first phase.

Whoom—

A sound like stepping on a mine preceded a grotesquely red monster swooping in.

“Uh, is that the boss?" I asked.

Boom!!!

“What in the—"

“What is this?"

And just like that, it was over. When I regained my senses, everyone was down. A single attack from the red creature had wiped us out.

After a moment, I pieced together the situation and muttered under my breath, “C… CEO... isn't this a bit too strong of an attack...?"

Getting wiped out as soon as we entered the phase seemed overly harsh.

“Ah..."

The CEO was apparently as taken aback as the rest of us, and was at a loss for words. After a brief pause as I drew on our past experiences, I suggested, “It looks like the only way is for the tanks to time their shields perfectly around everyone."

At the moment of the wipeout attack, the tanks could deploy a protective skill around all party members, and another healer and I could perform a mass heal.

But reality was often less forgiving than planning ahead. Befitting a final content raid, synchronizing the skills of tanks and healers to perfection was extremely difficult. In the end, we had to wrap up the shoot without even getting another look at the first phase boss.

1. In gaming, a "gimmick" refers to a unique or special game mechanic, feature, or trick that distinguishes a particular level, puzzle, or challenge. These can include specific behaviors, patterns, or puzzles that players need to understand and manipulate to progress or succeed in a game. ☜

2. Non-Player Character. They are the characters controlled by the game's software rather than by a player, often used to provide quests, information, or other interactions within the game world. ☜