The members of Kang Oh's team had been decided. It included Kang Oh, Valan, Nile, Sephiro, Bart, Helena, Asu, and Isshin.

There were eight people total.

Eder was missing from the team.

For all his strength, Kang Oh wasn't sure he'd be able to beat Inarius the first go around, so he decided to leave Eder out of this. After all, he was an NPC, and wouldn't respawn after death.

Valan was a different story. No matter what happened, he was strong enough to save himself.

Supernova Nile!

Wyvern Master Sephiro!

Genius Bart!

The Witch of Annihilation, Helena!

Kang Oh had a long-standing relationship with them. Plus, they were all Masters and Numbers.

In Asu's case, he brought her along because she was a Phoenix Knight.

Inarius was a Fire Dragon that spewed flames that were even hotter than hellfire. Not only could the Phoenix devour these flames, but it lent its fire immunity to its guardian, the Phoenix Knight.

Moreover, Asu had gotten much stronger from her time in the underworld. The Soul Guardians had passed down several of their secret moves to her. She definitely wouldn't get in their way.

Finally, Isshin was Nile's friend. He was a Paladin of Life.

It served the God of Life, Luhan, and was a hidden class that could effectively tank and heal simultaneously.

Although he hadn't become a Master yet, there was no questioning his competence. He was a high ranker that, together with Nile in the old Steel Heart Guild, had performed admirably during a raid.

Kang Oh had gathered reliable and distinguished members for his team. None of them were rabble!

Now they needed to prepare for the Inarius raid.

First, Kang Oh gathered the three master craftsmen: Dink, Risela, and Hoffman. They were the ones responsible for the dragon belt that he wore!

He also invited Grano, a professor of the Tower and a magic tool engineer. Kang Oh had once traveled the desert with him at his side.

Kang Oh asked them to create equipment for his team. Him and Man Bok provided them with dragon/other precious materials.

However, they wouldn't be able to finish his commission in just a day or two.

It took a whole month.

In the meantime, Kang Oh and his team hunted raid bosses in order to refine their teamwork.

Their first target was Lich Akkad.

The Immortal King, Akkad!

He was an Immortal Monarch that was far stronger than the Lich he'd previously defeated, Lich Eclipse.

The Great Change created an ancient tomb deep underground. The ruler of this tomb, as well as the raid boss, was Lich Akkad.

Players hadn't successfully defeated it yet. That's how powerful it was.

Not only was it guarded by thousands of powerful undead, but there were two Bone Dragons as well.

They weren't 'fake' Bone Dragons like Akite; the power of darkness was infused in dragon bones, resulting in their creation.

Although they were weaker than Akite, they were amongst the strongest undead-type monsters.

However...!

Before Kang Oh and Valan, these mighty Bone Dragons were nothing more than dinosaur fossils in a museum. They were absolutely no threat to them.

Nile, Asu, Bart, Helena, and Isshin completely demolished the thousands of undead.

The Immortal King, Akkad, was a pain in the ass to deal with.

It possessed powerful curses, could summon undead on a large-scale, and could also use mastered ice magic.

Akkad's most dangerous spell was Absolute Zero. This spell was a calamity that'd freeze anything in its path.

However, Kang Oh's party had Rudy on their side. No matter how cold its environment was, a Phoenix's flames would never go out.

Isshin was the one who'd destroyed Akkad's life vessel.

His hammer, which contained the energy of life, smashed apart the pot filled with death energy.

Guaaaah!

Akkad turned to ashes, leaving behind glimmering items on the floor.

[You are the first to defeat the Immortal King, Akkad.]

[Akkad has dropped its highest ranked items.]

[What a great feat.]

[Fame has increased.]

[You have acquired the title, Bringer of Light.]

[You have leveled up.]

Kang Oh split up the items right then and there.

Helena benefitted the most. She was given the grimoire that contained 'Absolute Zero'.

* * *

Krocsar was their next target.

It was a Spider Queen, which was located in the innermost section of a huge cave within the heart of the Great Forest!

The Spider Queen's exoskeleton was so tough that it was comparable to the world's hardest metal, adamantium!

There were several Cannon Ants riding on its back, which repeatedly spat acid at them.

The queen's room also contained eight passageways, and soldiers ants continuously came out of them.

However, Kang Oh and Valan were the world's sharpest swords. They cleaved through the Spider Queen's tough exoskeleton with Divide the Sea.

Bart and Helena used AoE magic to wipe out the queen's minions.

In order to become Grandmasters, they were currently undertaking a god's task.

From what he heard, Hernandez, Raon, and Arthand were all doing the same thing.

Kang Oh would just have to wait and see who became a Grandmaster first.

Sephiro and Waryong did spectacularly against the ants, while Asu and Nile focused on the Spider Queen itself. Isshin just smashed the ants' heads with his hammer.

In the end...

Shake, shake.

Krocsar's antennae shook violently, and its giant body fell to the side.

Thud!

[You are the first to defeat the Spider Queen, Kroscar.]

The second raid was a resounding success.

Nile obtained an SS-rank belt, while Isshin received metal gloves that boasted incredible defense.

* * *

Dragons were the most skilled in magic by far.

A dragon's heart had nigh limitless mana, and a dragon's spells were both stronger and on a much larger scale than any other race. Thus, their spells were more like natural disasters than magic.

No one knew how skilled Evil Dragon Inarius was at magic. The only thing that he could hope for was that it was inferior to the Divine Dragon.

In any case, the most important factor was how well their dragon equipment would fare against a dragon's powerful magic.

At first, the Dwarven Blacksmith, Hoffman, suggested that they use Violf's Platinum in order to reflect the dragon's spells.

However, Grano was against it.

"Completely reflecting a dragon's spells is impossible. Why don't we instead focus entirely on dragon magic, and make the armor as resistant to it as possible?"

You go to a pharmacist for drugs, while you go to a mage for magic.

Hoffman, Dink, and Risela accepted Grano's reasoning, and began creating armor that'd reduce the damage of Inarius's spells as much as possible.

That's how the armor set, 'Dragon Slayer', was born.

Hoffman called Kang Oh to his personal workspace.

"Please take a look."

"Understood."

[Dragon Slayer's Heart]

The breastplate of the Dragon Slayer set. It was created for the sole purpose of fighting a dragon, and was made by craftsmen and a magic tool engineer.

Those who seek to fight a dragon should first procure this set of equipment.

+ 3 Set Effect: Dragon Slayer's Successor. You do not tremble in fear before a dragon. A dragon's roar will not reduce your morale or your abilities.

+ 4 Set Effect: Magic Reduction. Reduces the damage of a dragon's spells by 50 - 90%.

+5 Set Effect: Dragon Killer. Deal double damage against a dragon.

Rank: SS.

"How is it?" Hoffman asked.

"It's great," Kang Oh replied.

The Dragon Slayer set was definitely a requirement when fighting dragons.

There was, however, a downside to it.

It didn't have an item effect that'd help him deal with a dragon's breath! A dragon's breath was their most powerful attack, so if it protected them from that, then they'd have nothing to fear.

"Is there no way of adding an effect that'll protect us from a dragon's breath?"

"Completely nullifying a dragon's breath is impossible. It's not magic, but the power of nature itself. It's similar to how we can't stop floods or forest fires from starting," Grano replied.

"I see. Understood. Please make this armor set for my companions."

There were two types of Dragon Slayer armor.

One was made of Dragon Bone and precious stones, while the other was a lighter leather armor that was created out of Dragon Scales and Dragon Skin.

Their effects were similar, but the plate armor had higher defense and was heavier, while the leather armor was weaker in the defense department but far lighter.

Kang Oh, Valan, Nile, Sephiro, Bart, and Helena chose the leather armor, as it'd be much easier to move around in.

On the other hand, Asu and Isshin, who both had knight-type classes, chose the heavier armor. Knights had a special ability that increases the performance of heavy full plate armor.

His teammates also made separate requests. For example, Sephiro wanted a belt, Bart and Helena wanted an accessory, Isshin wanted a belt, etc.

Kang Oh asked Eder for a secret drug that'd increase his abilities, and commissioned Strawberry Milk (the alchemist that created the Elixium for him) for healing and buff potions.

Their preparations for the fight with Inarius were progressing smoothly.

* * *

Their third raid involved the Nine-Headed Hydra, Kargagon.

Defeating a raid boss that was over level 500 wasn't an easy task.

However, it wasn't that hard either due to Kang Oh's all-star team.

Fourth was Thunder Cura.

It was the ruler of Thunder Cliff, and unleashed powerful lightning at its enemies. Cura actually looked like a Dokkaebi.

Plus, it was said that Cura was the Lightning God's third son.

It was stronger than the three raid bosses Kang Oh's team had faced before.

They felt goose-bumps across their bodies when Cura covered the world in lightning.

However, it was weaker than a dragon. There was no reason Kang Oh's team wouldn't be able to beat it when they were gathered to kill a dragon.

Moreover, the more raids they participated in, the better their teamwork became.

Cura left an incredible blade behind.

It was called the 'Lightning's Heart', and was created by the Elvish Blacksmith, Sun Lei, someone he had bad memories of.

The only ones who used swords were Valan, Kang Oh, and Asu, but... Kang Oh could only use demon swords and Valan had no interest in quality swords.

Ultimately, Asu became the possessor of two of Sun Lei's creations: the Fire's Heart and the Lightning's Heart. She had no interest in dual-wielding, so she decided to swap between them using Switch.

"At this rate, I'll gather all of the Heart Series," Asu smiled and said.

Sometime later...

Hoffman told him what he'd been waiting to hear. The anti-dragon equipment was finally finished.

* * *

Now they were fully prepared to take on Inarius.

"Please kill him no matter what, and avenge Hoff and our tribe for everything he's done to us," Hoffman said passionately, staring at Kang Oh with bloodshot eyes.

This was a man who'd lost his wife and son at the hands of that dragon. Kang Oh could feel the weight of his words.

"I'll kill it. I promise."

Kang Oh's party, wearing their red colored Dragon Slayer set, headed to the Phamas Mountains' northernmost point.

Sometime later...

They arrived at a mountain with two peaks like a demon's horns.

The mountain was called Munir.

In the ancient tongue, Munir meant twins. The twin peaks, which stood side-by-side, were called that because they were indistinguishable from each other.

At the moment, however, it was called the Antagos Mountain, or 'That Mountain'.

Antagos.

This too had a meaning in the ancient tongue. 'Anta' meant nightmare, while 'gos' meant despair. The two words had been fused together.

Nightmare and despair.

That's what the dwarves called this mountain ever since Inarius, the Black Nightmare and the Wings of Despair, turned this into its nest.