Just as with the dungeon, the fortress had a Manager Mode. Taehyun immediately opened the shop and began browsing for essential upgrades.

[Watchtower (Stage 1)]

[Description: A tall structure built to observe the enemy or surrounding movements.]

[Cost: 2,000 Zen]

[Barricade (Stage 1)]

[Description: A means of marking a boundary and enclosing a certain space.]

[Cost: 3,000 Zen]

[Mounted Crossbow (Stage 1)]

[Description: An interception weapon that can be installed on castle walls or watchtowers.]

[Cost: 5,000 Zen]

'This should be a good start.' The fortress was too valuable to lose. Despite the steep cost, he purchased all three without hesitation.

[Watchtower construction in progress.]

[Barricade construction in progress.]

[Mounted Crossbow installation pending.]

As soon as he confirmed the purchase, progress bars appeared in his manager view. He immediately assigned the men from Dallas Village to the construction.

[Able-bodied male residents of Dallas Village have been assigned. Progress rate has doubled.]

[Residents assigned to watchtower construction have begun to slack off.]

[Progress rate is decreasing again.]

'Damn it. Just because I threatened them doesn't mean they'll actually work hard.' Taehyun sighed and dispatched a squad of goblins to act as overseers. Under the watchful eyes of their new supervisors, the villagers reluctantly began hauling materials, and the progress bars returned to a steady pace.

---

Meanwhile, in the Raider Association branch in the small city of Partren, the monthly briefing was in session.

"The Belon Raid Party has successfully conquered the C-rank Dungeon Rescater; the daughter of Viscount Willis has been abducted into the D-rank Dungeon Crawlo; C-rank Raider Bermolt has become the first in Partren to achieve B-rank; the Memvis raid guild has been recruited by the Niflheim Empire… Another mountain of paperwork this month."

Branch Manager Gelix set down the report, already feeling the familiar weight of exhaustion.

"That's not all, Director. There's more at the bottom."

"I know, I know. My eyes are just a little blurry," Gelix snapped.

"Yes, sir."

Gelix shot a brief glare at his subordinate before returning his focus to the report. His gaze fell upon the last entry.

"Hmm. Bolton. Has this man not returned yet?"

"No, sir. We've had no word from his party."

"…Hmm."

D-rank Raider Bolton. He was a rising star who had cleared several D-rank dungeons in just a few months, a strong candidate for a C-rank promotion. He was a staunch freelancer, having turned down offers from every major guild. And now, he was missing.

"He was on a hot streak, always working with Braeam. Which dungeon did he challenge this time?"

"A new D-rank dungeon called Balak, sir."

"Balak… the one discovered in the Silent Valley."

"Yes, sir. What are your orders?"

Gelix fell silent for a moment, stroking his chin. 'A raider with his experience failed to conquer a new D-rank dungeon?' A flicker of suspicion—the possibility of a Dungeon Master—crossed his mind. "Hmm. Let's give it a few more days. If there's still no word by then, declare them deceased."

"Understood."

After the briefing concluded and the staff member had left, Gelix remained, staring at the report.

[Bolton Raid Party: Bolton, Braeam, Reden]

"Even with a rookie like Reden, Bolton should have been more than capable of clearing a new D-rank dungeon," he murmured to himself. As a shield bearer, Bolton had a flawless record of protecting his party. He was a solid leader who didn't crack under pressure.

"…I'll send a few more parties to investigate. We'll see what's really going on out there." Unaware of Taehyun's existence, Gelix set the report aside, a seed of suspicion planted in his mind.

---

[Watchtower construction complete.]

[Balak Fortress's field of vision has slightly improved.]

[Barricade construction complete.]

[Balak Fortress's Endurance has slightly improved.]

[Crossbow installation in progress.]

'Just as I thought. Using the villagers as labor cut the time down significantly.' In a single day, the watchtower and barricade were finished. They were only basic structures, but the fortress was already far more defensible. Taehyun noted the expanded vision and Endurance, then turned his attention back to the dungeon itself.

[Installation Methods]

[Dungeon Remodeling]

[Dungeon Alteration]

[Traps]

[Structures]

[Crystal Sphere]

[Expansion]

[Upgrade]

[Special Items]

'I have enough installations for now, and more traps would be redundant. That leaves remodeling or alteration.'

With Balak still at D-rank, his options were limited. He narrowed his focus to the most practical categories: remodeling, alteration, structures, and expansion.

'I spent 10,000 Zen on the fortress, which leaves me with about 20,000. I need to budget for my soldiers' equipment and classes, so I should keep this purchase under 10,000 Zen.'

He had already twisted the corridors, but that wasn't enough. He opened the Dungeon Alteration shop. 'I've already modified the hallways. This time, let's change the rooms themselves.'

The shop offered a variety of strange and complex modifications, but one item in particular captured his attention.

[Room Position Change (Stage 1)]

[Description: Allows you to change the position of a room within the dungeon.]

[Cost: 4,000 Zen]

The description was simple, but the preview image that appeared below it was anything but.

'Split the path after the first room?' he mused.

It was a classic dungeon design, placing the second and third rooms on opposite sides of a fork. After clearing the first chamber, the raiders would be forced to choose a path, sowing confusion and doubt. 'A raider's torch gauge depletes based on the corridor's length. If I vary the distance to the second and third rooms and alter their internal layouts, it will significantly disrupt their advance.'

With his decision made, Taehyun immediately purchased the room repositioning upgrade. He arranged the second and third chambers opposite each other and then modified the lengths of the corridors leading to them.

[Room Repositioning (Stage 1)]

[Status: Applying]

[Corridor Alteration (Stage 1)]

[Status: Applying]

[Corridor Length Modification (Stage 1)]

[Status: Partially Applying]

'Good. It's done.' The upgrades had cost him another ten thousand Zen, but he was satisfied with the result.

'I only had thirty thousand Zen to begin with. Considering I have a D-rank dungeon and Crystal Sphere, this was the most practical choice.' With his defensive preparations complete, Taehyun reviewed the altered layout in Manager Mode.

[Installation of mountable crossbows is complete.]

The next day, the fortress was transformed. The newly installed crossbows on the watchtowers gave it a far more menacing appearance.

"This eases my mind, somewhat," Taehyun murmured.

"Even so, you mustn't let your guard down, Master," Riel cautioned. "Raiders have their own items and skills they can use to assault a fortress."

"I've already released familiars and scouts across the Barren Plains," he replied, watching the small creatures flit across the monitor. "We should have a clear view of the surrounding area."

"Of course, but you must remain vigilant. Raiders possess many vision-enhancing items as well."

"Right. I understand." Taehyun took her advice seriously. A warning from a B-rank Named Supporter was not something to be dismissed as baseless anxiety.

[The Scout Goblin promoted to troop leader is bullying the other scouts.]

[The Scout Goblins are saddened.]

'Is strengthening my soldiers all that's left?' he wondered, pointedly ignoring the teardrops streaming from the Scout Goblin icon as he opened the System shop.

[Equipment]

[Items]

[Summon]

[Class]

[Level]

[Skill]

[Special Ability]

'Classes first.' He could always buy equipment later to match their roles. He opened the Class Shop and began browsing the available cards.

[Shield Bearer]

[Scout]

[Knight]

[Swordsman]

[Mage]

[Spirit Master]

[Thief]

[Commander]

[Diplomat]

[Priest]

[Archer]

[Bard]

[Guard]

[Infiltrator]

The shop was filled with a variety of class cards, including some rather unusual ones. 'Most of these special classes are a waste of Zen right now. It would be pointless to buy them.' He focused on finding a suitable class for his Intermediate Minotaurs.

'Given their high health and Endurance, Shield Bearer is a better fit than Warrior. Bolton was quite effective at mitigating damage for his party.' If the Minotaurs could act as tanks, he could minimize his losses against the raiders. He purchased two Shield Bearer cards and activated them beside the Crystal Sphere.

[You have used a Shield Bearer Class Card.]

[A Class-Change Mana Circle is being generated.]

[The magic circle materializes near the Crystal Sphere, drawing on its energy.]

'This is the same effect I saw when I promoted the goblins to scouts. The result should be the same.' He watched the glowing circle form beneath the Minotaurs, tamping down any hope for something more.

[Great Success!]

[Two C-rank Intermediate Minotaurs have been promoted to 'Frenzied Shield Bearers'.]

But just as with his last summon, the words 'Great Success!' flared to life. They had been promoted to an enhanced class.

'Wh-What?!'

Taehyun, who had been watching with no expectations, stared in bewilderment as he pulled up the Minotaurs' new information.

[Intermediate Minotaur (Elite Soldier)]

[Rank: C]

[Level: 6]

[Class: Frenzied Shield Bearer]

[Title: None]

[Affiliation: Balak]

[Loyalty: 62]

[Favorability: 30]

[Obedience: 60]

[Skills: Berserk, Shield Block]

[Special Ability: None]

[Strength: 5] [Endurance: 6] [Agility: 1] [Stamina: 7]

[Mana: 1] [Divinity: 1] [Affinity: 1] [Luck: 1]

'Frenzied Shield Bearer? Is that some kind of berserker? I don't know if I should be happy about this or not. It's… ambiguous.' If the very units meant to protect his front line became uncontrollably aggressive, it could create a whole new set of problems.

"Hmm. A Frenzied Shield Bearer is indeed a special class, but their Berserk skill can lead to difficult situations," Riel observed. "You will need to manage them carefully at all times, Master."

"I see." He had hoped for a clearer answer from his supporter, but it seemed the outcome was entirely up to him.

"This is exciting! Moo!" one of the Minotaurs bellowed.

"The fire in my blood calls me to the battlefield! Moo!" roared the other.

Taehyun sighed, watching the two thoroughly agitated beasts. 'I'll deal with them later. I need to promote the other soldiers first.' The goblins, imps, and wild dogs were still waiting. Aiming for the most balanced composition he could manage, he purchased the remaining class cards. First up were the fifteen Elite Low-rank Goblins.

[5 Elite Low-rank Goblins have been promoted to Archers.]

[3 Elite Low-rank Goblins have been promoted to Thieves.]

[7 Elite Low-rank Goblins have been promoted to Warriors.]

The versatile goblins were split into three core roles. Next were the eighteen imps—a mix of elite and regular low-rank units.

[10 Elite Low-rank Imps have been promoted to Mages.]

[5 Elite Low-rank Imps have been promoted to Spirit Masters.]

[3 Low-rank Imps have been promoted to Mages.]

The imps, natural spellcasters who hurled fireballs, were divided between Mages and Spirit Masters. He'd expected the Spirit Master class to be expensive, but the price was surprisingly reasonable. Finally, there were the Low-rank Wild Dogs.

[8 Low-rank Wild Dogs have been promoted to Infiltrators.]

Their swift, pouncing attacks made them perfect for the Infiltrator role. With all the promotions complete, Taehyun purchased basic equipment suited to each new class, not forgetting to grab some gear for himself and Riel.

'Finally done. I guess that wraps up the preparations for now.'

After selling off all the loot from Bolton's party, his initial investments were complete. Taehyun began redeploying his newly upgraded forces, preparing for the next assault. Four days later, it came, and the tension returned with it.

---

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