Like every other VRMMORPG, RAIDS ONLINE has various ways a player can be killed. They could be trampled by a giant Ragnarok Beast—like what happened to Luel during his first encounter with Cerberus—torn apart, burned by flames, drowned, electrocuted, frozen to death, or worse.
Any of these deaths inflicted by Ragnarok Beasts are terrifying, especially since the players can feel pain almost as if they were truly dying.
It's a design choice by RAIDS ONLINE to make players value their avatar's life and discourage intentional deaths or player killing—or at least, that's what the developers say. That's why, despite countless complaints from players around the world, RAIDS ONLINE never changed this brutal aspect of the game.
Yet, whatever the reason may be, experiencing something that feels like dying is horrifying. And right now, Luel is enduring the most brutal and terrifying death possible in RAIDS ONLINE—being slowly digested inside the belly of the Rank A Ragnarok Beast, Cerberus.
"...ARGHHH!..."
"...You, faqing dog!..."
"...We're going to kill you someday!..."
As screams of pain, rage, and desperation echo within Cerberus's belly from the players swallowed along with Luel, multiple notification sounds ring in his head:
[Warning: Player's heart rate rising beyond normal.]
[Warning: Brainwave activity indicates extreme anxiety and trauma.]
[Warning: Emergency Logout initiated.]
[Warning: Emergency Awakening function activating.]
And then—silence.
[Player Lucent has died.]
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After being forcefully logged out by the VR gear, Luel wakes in the middle of the night, still gripped by the horrifying sensation of how Cerberus killed him.
The trauma triggers anxiety and a panic attack, setting off the SOS signal on Luel's health monitoring watch.
His cousin, Rammie, rushes to check on him after receiving the alert. She expects to find Luel unconscious and collapsed on the floor again. But when she arrives in his room, she's surprised—he's awake.
Expecting another panic attack soon—since he, SilverPup, and the rest of the Orion Guild are still in the middle of raiding Cerberus—Luel prepares his medicine and a bottle of water before lying back down and logging into RAIDS ONLINE again.
He manages to take the medicine, but his pale face, drenched clothes, and trembling hands show just how much pain he endured before it took effect.
That night, Luel couldn't sleep. Every time he closed his eyes, he relived the horror of being digested inside Cerberus.
Morning nears, and Luel still can't sleep.
To pass the time, he searches for the video of their Boss Raid.
He opens the RAIDS ONLINE website and finds the official Orion Guild channel. The video of the Boss Raid has already been uploaded—not just to the Orion Guild channel, but also to SilverPup's, Lucent's, and several other channels, including those of uninvited players—the so-called Thrash Mods.
"So this is what SilverPup meant when she talked about 'picking up the leftovers.'"
Videos uploaded by the Thrash Mods are gaining massive views, which isn't surprising. After all, this raid featured one of the rare Rank A Ragnarok Beasts—Cerberus. On top of that, it was hosted by Orion Guild, one of the highest-ranking guilds, and featured SilverPup, a top-ranking member who's popular in her own right.
Another reason the video went viral: the presence of two players with high-starting Link Force—Lucent and BlueHeroine.
Luel is definitely curious about SilverPup and BlueHeroine's backgrounds. He wants to do some digging later, but for now, he clicks on the Boss Raid video uploaded to Orion Guild's channel.
He skips the part where his avatar, Lucent, was still alive. Not because it was awkward to watch himself.
After his death, the footage shows nothing short of a massacre.
Cerberus took pleasure in killing players slowly and painfully. Some were burned by dark flames, scorched by black lightning, or frozen by shadow-ice. Others were crushed under Cerberus's feet, torn apart by its jaws, or—worst of all—swallowed whole.
Watching the part where players are tossed into the air and land straight into Cerberus's mouth brings back the memory of his own death. Luel closes the video.
Instead, he searches for a different one—one he's certain is on the RAIDS ONLINE official channel. The one showing the battle between BlueHeroine and the Rank B Ragnarok Beast Icarus.
He finds it under the RAIDS ONLINE Officer channel.
When the video begins, Luel sees an impressive display of BlueHeroine's skill as a player.
She lures Icarus away from Cerberus's massacre and engages the beast in a one-on-one aerial fight under the night sky.
As a Vermilion Beast Aurora user, BlueHeroine's class, is the only one capable of freely soaring through the air. And she shows just how powerful that avatar can be.
Icarus flies upward, ignites its body in flame, and unleashes a massive burst that explodes mid-air like a fiery sphere. It's a powerful wide-range attack, but BlueHeroine counters it.
She activates her Halo Skill, releasing a vermilion light that clashes with Icarus's flame. The skill can't completely negate the blood-red fire, but it disintegrates enough of the attack for her to safely pass through.
The battle continues in the ruined city skyline. BlueHeroine weaves between collapsing skyscrapers, using the terrain to lose Icarus's pursuit.
For nearly thirty minutes, she leads the beast across multiple districts, even passing through areas where other players are engaged in their own raids—some of whom are caught in Icarus's flames.
Eventually, BlueHeroine escapes by diving into the ruined underground railway system.
It was an incredible fight—one that showcased how a player with only 35 percent Link Force could avoid death at the jaws of a high-ranking Ragnarok Beast.
But that's not what's on Luel's mind right now.
He stares at a close-up shot of BlueHeroine's face as she flies through the underground tunnels.
"Weird... she definitely looks familiar..."