A close friend once told me there are three ways to really react to adversity.

You either keep going on, give up, or worst of all, give in. At the end of the day, no matter how tough the challenge, the only way you're getting out is through.

I let those words echo through my mind as I, Mike "John Steelsong" Kang, led the team through a particularly annoying end boss in Crystal Harmony Online.

God, I wish you were here, Bob.

Taking a deep breath, I activated my [Defensive Stance] and signaled the start of the pull with a wave of my hand.

Our team sprang into action with practiced ease.

Jack and I charged in first, our massive shields raised as our damage dealers and healers followed closely behind.

I had faith in my team. We'd slammed our faces on this all week.

This was it. This was the pull.

Selenius the Unforgiven was a formidable foe, towering over us like a mountain. It had six legs, each one ending in a razor-sharp claw, and a thick exoskeleton covered in jagged spikes.

A horrific, mutated humanoid upper body sat above its exoskeleton, dripping with noxious green acid and poison. This battle would demand every ounce of our skill, focus, and teamwork.

As a Bulwark, my primary role was to control the battlefield, using my taunts and crowd control abilities to keep the boss's attention on me while my teammates dealt damage and healed our wounds. Bosses in this game had pseudo-random attack patterns, so I had to be ready to react to anything that Selenius threw our way.

Selenius lashed out with one of its massive limbs, aiming for Jack, who had taunted the beast with a vulnerability acid debuff. I saw an opening and quickly activated my [Shield Slam] ability, a powerful attack that would force the boss to shift its focus onto me.

With a thundering crash, my shield collided with the limb, momentarily staggering the creature.

This brief respite allowed our damage dealers to go on the offensive, their weapons and spells erupting in a symphony of destruction.

Noxi darted in and out of the shadows, her twin daggers slicing an opening through the exoskeleton. Nihlus hurled molten orbs of fire, scorching the boss's inners, while Helena unleashed a torrent of air that buffeted our foe and buffed his critical hit rate.

Saren channeled his arcane energies into a relentless flurry of songs, before he fired a rain of arrows at Selenius. Viviana and Lumina flinched as they dashed in front of us, throwing up a shield as a rain of venomous spikes showered over us.

I kept a close eye on my teammates' positions and health bars, ready to use my shield to protect them from Selenius's devastating attacks. I carefully timed my taunts and crowd control abilities, ensuring that the boss and its reinforcements stayed focused on me and Jack.

But then, Selenius did something unexpected. It let out a deafening roar, causing the ground to shake and the walls to crumble.

Before I could react, one of its claws came down on me, sending me flying across the room. The impact knocked the breath out of me, and I struggled to get up as Selenius turned its attention to our weakened team.

This was it. The moment of truth. Would we keep going on, give up, or worse, give in?

I gritted my teeth and forced myself to stand up, even as my vision blurred and my head spun.

"Keep going!" I yelled at my teammates,
rallying their spirits. "We can do this!"

Jack and I executed a delicate dance, trading the boss's attention back and forth to keep it off our damage dealers and healers. We had practiced this many times before, and our coordination was flawless. Timing tank swaps in this fight was extremely delicate, and one mis-timed cooldown would mean a wipe.

But, apart from that one hiccup, the pull was perfect.

Soon, the tide of battle was turning in our favor, and Selenius's health bar dipped perilously low. I kept my eyes on its limbs, anticipating a last-ditch soft enrage mechanic. We were one of the forerunners, and no team had published footage on this battle yet.

Sensing its impending doom, the boss unleashed a desperate, last-ditch attack—a massive wave of noxious green sludge that threatened to wipe out our entire team. With my trigger ready to go, I activated my [Battle Hymn] ability, enveloping my team in a protective shield as our Desperation bar drained from my ability. A heroic tune filled the air as I blew on my horn, and a shield from the war god himself sprang up around us individually.

The Desperado absorbed the brunt of the shockwave while I charged through the acid, leaping up to grab the demonic monstrosity in a grapple hold. A debuff icon appeared over its head as its defense stat dropped precipitously.

Viviana and Lumina immediately followed up, cast a flurry of healing spells, quickly restoring our health. They had blown all their cooldowns, and wouldn't have it for the enrage timer. But, we were well ahead of the damage check.

"Send it, guys! This is it!"

I called for an all-out assault on Selenius. The screen in front of my visor rumbled as teamwide buffs stacked.

Jack and I stood side by side, our shields raised, deflecting the last desperate strikes from the weakened boss.

And then, with a final, anguished roar, Selenius collapsed, defeated at last. As its massive form crumbled to the ground, our team erupted in cheers, celebrating our hard-fought victory.

With a final, anguished roar, Selenius collapsed, defeated at last. As its massive form crumbled to the ground, our team erupted in cheers, celebrating our hard-fought victory.

And so, Team Bob's Pizza secured the World 7th kill of Selenius the Unforgiven on Insanity difficulty.

"HOLY. SHIT. GOOD fucking job guys," Jack breathed heavily through his headset, still catching his breath from the intense battle. "That was insane."

Noxi let out a whoop of excitement, twirling her daggers in the air. "I can't believe we did it!"

Nihlus grinned, wiping the sweat from his brow. "That was definitely one for the record books."

Helena smiled, her eyes sparkling with pride. "I knew we could do it if we worked together."

Saren chuckled, strumming his lute. "I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready for a drink."

Viviana and Lumina exchanged a high-five, their faces flushed with excitement. "That was amazing!"

I looked around at my team, feeling a sense of deep satisfaction. This was why we played. The rush of adrenaline, the thrill of victory, the joy of camaraderie. It was all worth it.

"Yeah. We've done it, guys. Let's... never do a World First race again. That was fucking nerve-wracking."

Everyone laughed, their tension dissipating. We had all been holding our breath, afraid to be the first to speak, all of us feeling the heavy weight of the race on our shoulders.

But now, it was all over. We had succeeded. We had worked tirelessly for weeks, putting in countless hours of preparation, theorycrafting, and practice runs, all for this moment.

I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and satisfaction wash over me. We had been through so much together. The late nights, the frustrations, the setbacks. But through it all, we had persevered. We had become a tight-knit group, bound together by our shared experiences.

As we made our way back to town, we were greeted by the cheers and congratulations of our fellow players. You could see the awe in their eyes, the respect they had for us. We were the first to down him in our data center, and word had spread quickly through the global announcement.

But amidst the cheers and accolades, I couldn't help but feel a sense of emptiness. Something was missing, something that could never be replaced.

Bob.

Bob had been with us from the beginning, a founding member of the team. He was smart, funny, and kind, always willing to lend a hand or a shoulder to cry on. He lived an ocean away, but he was my best friend and co-leader of the Pizza Parlor guild.

And he was gone.

It had been almost exactly one year since Bob had passed away, taken suddenly by a rare form of cancer. We had all been devastated by his loss, but we had promised each other that we would keep playing. That we would keep fighting, and winning, and making him proud.

But it wasn't the same without him. His absence left a hole in our hearts, a void that could never be filled.

Everyone on the team laughed as guild and whispers from friends filled our UI, the tension of the battle easing away.

I couldn't help but feel proud of my team. They had pulled together and executed flawlessly. We had all grown stronger, both as individuals and as a unit.

"Man, I'm calling it a night. That was intense," Jack said, his voice tinged with exhaustion.

Everyone agreed, and we logged out, saying our goodnights and well-dones. I couldn't help but think of Bob. He would have been so proud of us.

"Hey, umn. John? Er, Mike?" Lumina approached me shyly.

But, that was that.

"Yeah?" I turned to face her.

"I know this might sound weird, but... I was thinking. Since we just beat Selenius and all, maybe we could do something to honor Bob? Like a memorial or something? I know you get along with all the big guilds in our Realm..."

She looked up at me, her eyes wide and earnest.

I felt a lump form in my throat. Lumina was right. We couldn't let Bob be forgotten. He had been such an important part of our team, our guild, our lives. We needed to do something to honor his memory.

"Yeah," I said quietly. "I think that's a great idea. Let's talk more about it tomorrow, okay?"

Lumina nodded, her face breaking into a smile. "Okay. Thanks, Boss. Umn. Are you still good to watch All Of Us Are Dead with me this weekend over Discord?"

I smiled back at her. "Of course, Lumina. I wouldn't miss it for the world."

As I logged out, I couldn't help but feel a sense of pride and gratitude for my team. They had stood by me through thick and thin, through triumph and tragedy. And with their help, we had won and now it was time to rest.

My head hit the pillow, and I felt a wave of deep satisfaction wash over me as I drifted off to sleep, finally at peace with the knowledge that we had done Bob proud.