[RAIDS ONLINE @ Location – Area CC+63, Crossroad City]
"By the way, SilverPup… Aren't there too many players here compared to what you had planned?"
"Ohh!... Don't worry about the uninvited ones. You're new, Lucent, so you probably aren't familiar yet. We call them Thrash Mods."
Before Luel arrived at the location of the Boss Raid, he had received a message from SilverPup containing more detailed information about the upcoming battle.
Two hundred players from the Orion Guild were scheduled to participate in the Boss Raid against Cerberus. These players would be divided into four groups of fifty, each group fighting the Rank A Ragnarok Beast in rotation to extend the duration of observation and analysis of Cerberus.
Of course, Luel was already aware of this plan. What puzzled him was the extra crowd—more than a hundred additional players beyond the scheduled two hundred.
"Thrash Mods?"
"Yep!... They're all here to pick up whatever leftovers we leave behind."
Gathering over a hundred players in one area, however, comes with a price: it attracts swarms of Ragnarok Beasts—both low and high ranks. While waiting for Cerberus to appear, the Orion Guild's two hundred players, including Luel, would have to defend the area from these incoming monsters.
The "Thrash Mods" that SilverPup mentioned were opportunistic players who hoped to fight the swarm—not to help, but to pick off weaker monsters or even steal kills from other players targeting higher-ranked beasts.
"Isn't that against the rules?"
"I see... So you're not just new to RAIDS ONLINE, you're new to gaming altogether. You're so innocent, Lucent."
Luel knew SilverPup didn't mean anything malicious, but it still annoyed him to be looked down on like that.
"And what's that supposed to mean, SilverPup?"
"RAIDS ONLINE is an open-world game, Lucent... The only rule here is survival. That's how things work in an open-world VRMMORPG."
---
"A swarm is coming from the west!"
As if giving the lower-ranking beasts a chance to appear first, Cerberus did not immediately show up. Instead, a horde of Ragnarok Beasts—ranging from Rank E to Rank C—began marching toward the raid site.
"Another swarm approaching from the north!"
Different types of Ragnarok Beasts were being drawn to the massive player gathering: Rank E Mutated Rabies, Rank D Red Hound, Weretiger, Werebear, and Werewolf, as well as Rank C Minotaur, Centaur, and Lycan. Though they moved together, it wasn't as a coordinated alliance—they acted individually, each driven by instinct to kill players and absorb their Link Force.
—WARGHHHH!!!—
—ROOAAARRRRR!!!—
The air trembled as the battle cries of the players clashed with the roars of the Ragnarok Beasts.
"Let's finish this horde before Cerberus arrives!"
At SilverPup's command, the battle began.
All players charged forward to intercept the incoming swarm.
'Orion Fangs'
'Fiamma Blaze'
'Aurora Light'
'Asherah Wave'
'Saber Thunderbolt'
'Alpha Roar'
Devour Skills lit up the battlefield, showcasing the power of each of the six Devour Beast Classes.
A silver aura shaped like a giant wolf surged forward, devouring enemies under the power of Orion Fangs.
Golden flames in the form of a nine-tailed fox incinerated enemies with Fiamma Blaze.
A phoenix wreathed in vermilion fire disintegrated anything it touched with Aurora Light.
Towering tidal waves in the form of a serpent consumed everything in their path through Asherah Wave.
Lightning-formed swords slashed like tiger claws with Saber Thunderbolt.
And a quake-inducing shockwave shattered the ground with every cast of Alpha Roar, echoing like the cry of a primal beast.
Luel watched the spectacular battle unfold before his eyes and finally understood why RAIDS ONLINE had become so popular.
There was no need to craft weapons or armor. No shortcuts with real money. What truly mattered was the strength of the six Devour Beasts that lived deep within each avatar.
And now, as Luel stood before the battlefield, he could feel the call of his own Devour Beast—Orion, the Moonlight Beast—urging him to fight, to devour, and to conquer.
'Charge'
Luel activated his Charge Skill and dashed into the center of the battlefield to join the fray.
"Wait! Where are you going, Lucent?! You're not supposed to fight! You're just supposed to stay put and act like proper bait!"
But Luel ignored SilverPup's words without hesitation.
After all, with such an awe-inspiring battle erupting before him, it would be a crime to stand still and do nothing.