Oath: I’ll decide on the party crossing over.
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: Party 1 – Oath, Swakkoong, Killer, Jeon-gi
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: Party 2 – Guri, Furple, Chasa, Freedeal
From there, things progressed swiftly.
[You have defeated Cerberus.]
Thankfully, they hadn’t completely lost their sense of fairness. A magic circle appeared where the summoned creature had fallen—an exit teleportation circle leading back to the main stage.
[Guild] Shokrates: This time, it really feels good.
Everyone agreed.
After overcoming various hurdles, they finally reached the long-awaited 50% phase. Suddenly, Hades cast a massive area-of-effect attack. The ranged dealers and healers quickly pulled back to a safe distance. The ground turned pitch black in an instant—anyone could tell that standing there meant certain death.
Freedeal: Ah, fuck. What the hell is this?
Near the starting point, there was a donut-ring-shaped area that hadn’t darkened. The ranged dealers and healers at the 12 o’clock position sprinted toward it for their lives.
But even using mobility skills, the safe zone was too far away.
[Combat] ‘Chasa’ has cast Shadow Shift.
Of course, this didn’t apply to the Warlock. He now had a new mobility skill—one unrestricted by distance.
Swakkoong: Huh? Huhhh?
As soon as Chasa escaped the black field, the entire stage—except for the platform where Hades stood and the donut-ring-shaped safe zone—vanished. Furple, Freedeal, and Swakkoong, who hadn’t made it in time, dropped like autumn leaves.
[Guild] Freedeal: Gravity OP
[Guild] Furple: Reporting this shoddy construction
[Guild] Swakkoong: ♡-shaped donut ring
[Guild] Swakkoong: I swear, I’m gonna think of this every time I see a donut lololol
Three seconds later, the disappeared floor returned to normal.
Naturally, it was a retry.
***
[The Lord of the Underworld, Hades, attempts a summon.]
After going through the 50% phase, the party adjusted their positions—this time, staying closer to the starting point. They had barely survived the disappearing floor trick when another summon message appeared. The same thought ran through everyone’s minds.
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: Bet it’s Persephone.
[The Lord of the Underworld, Hades, has summoned the Goddess of Spring and the Underworld, Persephone.]
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: Called it.
She was trickier than Cerberus, but this group had been through hell and back. They took down the summoned Persephone and immediately went after Hades. Even outside of his basic attacks, AoEs, field-wide hazards, and special mechanics, his patterns were a nightmare.
Jeon-gi: These patterns are absolute bullshit.
Swakkoong: I think it’s ‘cause he never sees sunlight.
Reflecting on the importance of photosynthesis, Chasa continued hammering in skills. By now, their movements were nearly mechanical. The rest of the team was just as synchronized, executing their rotations with flawless precision. Repetition had paid off.
At this rate, they had it.
Just as that certainty settled in, Hades suddenly disappeared.
Swakkoong: Where the hell did Hades go?
Even though their target had vanished, the party members reflexively kept laying down attacks. Their movements weren’t just skilled—they were rotten with over-experience.
Chasa also set a trap—a skill that triggered damage over time if Hades entered a certain square-shaped area.
Frog: Maybe he’s giving us a break so our fingers don’t cramp up?
Swakkoong: Yeah, right.
“Free, behind you!”
Hades reappeared like a ghost, and the party immediately lunged at him.
Five seconds later, he vanished again, and the floor split—some parts turned blood-red, others pitch-black. A mixed hazard field.
The safe zones and danger areas kept shifting unpredictably. While everyone frantically moved around without a moment to breathe, Hades suddenly emerged behind Freedeal again.
Freedeal: This bastard won’t stop following me.
Furple: What kind of pattern even is this?
Swakkoong: He must really not wanna die.
Burst damage. Vanish. Hazard zones.
Then, burst damage again. Vanish. Hazard zones.
Oath: Next time he shows up, I’ll finish him.
Swakkoong: Damn, that took forever. Good work, everyone!
Just when they were getting used to the pattern, Hades appeared for the third time. Believing it to be the final stretch, the entire party launched an all-out attack.
And then they melted.
[Guild] Furple: ?
[Guild] Shokrates: ???
[Guild] GegulGegulFrog: No room to let our guard down, huh?
[Guild] FreedealHaseyo: God, please no death flag…
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: Ah, lol.
A hollow laugh echoed through the headset.
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: Reflect damage.
Gritting their teeth, the party dove back into the fight, eventually realizing that Hades’ reflect pattern followed a 3-6-9 cycle.
Oath: Reflection phase, sheathing my sword.
The voice chat had gone completely silent. Other than Oath calling out mechanics, no one spoke.
On the ninth attempt, Hades reappeared right behind Chasa, his health bar nearly empty. It was another reflection phase. With attacks off-limits, there was nothing to do but wait.
Sa-yoon zoomed in on the boss. At the start of the raid, Hades had looked like a handsomely crafted custom model, almost enviable. Now, he was nothing more than that bastard—the kind you just wanted to grab by the collar and shake.
[Guild] Freedeal: This hide-and-seek game is insane lmaooo
[Guild] Killer: Next time, just go for it.
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: Got it.
On the tenth attempt, Hades reappeared—this time with a new pattern.
Thud.
His spear slammed into the ground, instantly cutting everyone’s HP in half and sending them flying. Everyone except one—Killer had somehow dodged in that brief moment.
Before they could even get up, Hades raised his spear again. His absurd speed made one thing clear—he had no intention of letting them off easy.
Swakkoong unleashed a stream of curses, almost a full-on scream.
Thud.
It had taken over ten minutes to bring Hades to the brink of death. Yet in just two attacks, the entire party—aside from the tank—was nearly wiped out.
And then, the spear lifted again.
One more hit would mean total annihilation.
[An ally support skill has been activated.]
Somehow, their gauge had filled. The diamond icon glowed. Sa-yoon hit the button on pure instinct.
[Combat] ‘Killer’ uses Extreme Poison.
[Combat] ‘Chasa’ uses combination skill Venomous Flock.
A piercing screech.
Dozens of spectral birds swarmed Hades, slamming into him one after another. Damage numbers flooded the screen, rising and vanishing in rapid succession.
Then, the screen shifted—transitioning into a cutscene.
“…What the hell?”
Swakkoong: What just happened?
Oath: We… actually cleared it, right?
Furple: This isn’t gonna be one of those where the cutscene ends, and we get thrown into a second phase, right?
Freedeal: I swear I can’t do this anymore. Fuck. I can’t. I just can’t.
Jeon-gi: Guys, I think Frog’s falling asleep.
The cutscene panned across the entrance to the underworld, past the River of Oblivion, the now-empty locations where Cerberus and Persephone had been.
Then, the scene followed the dark corridor Persephone had walked in the teaser, leading to a massive door. As it swung open, it revealed the very battlefield they’d just fought in. Cerberus was resting on one side, and on the twin thrones sat the divine couple.
As the player character approached, a visibly bored-looking Hades handed them a tightly rolled scroll. On Sa-yoon’s screen, Chasa took it; on Shin-jae’s, it was Killer.
They unrolled it—a certificate stamped with the official seal, confirming they had successfully cleared the underworld.
“…We did it.”
Swakkoong: Holy shit…
Freedeal: Fucking finally. We’re free. We’re finally out…
Furple: Uh… is someone crying right now? I hear sniffles. Who is it?
Oath: Jeon-gi’s getting emotional.
Jeon-gi: It’s my allergies acting up, okay?
Swakkoong: Aww, baby’s tearing up~ Still just a little baby~
The real baby wasn’t even crying—just sitting stiffly, staring at the monitor like a statue.
“Not crying now, huh…?”
“Huh?”
“Nothing. Just… you’re pretty.”
Shin-jae’s confused squint looked way too good. This was a problem. Was this just bias? Or was he really so damn handsome that everything he did looked attractive?
As Sa-yoon started doubting his own objectivity, the cutscene came to an end.
Back on the game screen, Hades was gone. In his place, a black chest sat atop the platform.
[You have defeated the Lord of Darkness, Hades!]
[You have obtained the Lord of the Underworld’s Recommendation Letter.]
[Title has been acquired.]
[Achievement unlocked! – First Server Clear!]
[Achievement unlocked! – First Clear!]
[Guild] Chasa: Good work, everyone.
[Guild] Oath’s Vow: You all did great 🙂
[Guild] Swakkoong: GG, GG!!!
[Guild] Furple: Holy shit, we actually cleared it.
[Guild] Freedeal: What even is this lmao
[Guild] Shokrates: HUGE
[Server] ‘Oath’s Vow’ and their party have achieved the first-ever server clear of <Land of the Underworld>.
