[A D-rank raid party has appeared at the edge of the Barren Plains.]

Six days after he'd repelled the first attack, a new party of raiders emerged from the plains.

"Five of them this time," Taehyun noted.

"And judging by their gear, they have a standard party composition," Riel added.

"Looks like it." Taehyun quickly scanned the information flickering on the screen.

[Sit]

[Rank: D (Intermediate)]

[Level: 10]

[Class: Thief]

[Title: None]

[Affiliation: Erden]

[Stress: 7/100]

[Status: Relaxed.]

[Relationship with Comrades: Cain (Good), Gorden (Good), Mirna (Affection), Roman (Good)]

[Description: A member of the Erden guild, maintaining a mid-tier ranking among D-rank raiders. He always raids with a fixed team. This attempt was assigned by Gelix, the branch manager of the Raider Association in the small city of Partren.]

'The leader, Sit, is a Thief. Cain is a Warrior, Gorden a Shield Bearer, Mirna a Priest, and Roman a Mage.' This second party hailed from the Erden guild. Their stable relationships suggested a team that had worked together for a long time.

Taehyun stroked his chin, studying their well-rounded composition. 'Partren… that's where Bolton's party came from. If the local association manager sent them, they must be here to investigate.'

It made perfect sense. A raid party that set out to conquer a new D-rank dungeon had vanished without a trace.

'So the plan is to send a few more parties to test the waters.' The Branch Manager's intentions were transparent. For now, Taehyun's only goal was to stop Sit's party at all costs.

'If I fail, I die.'

His eyes gleamed as he leaned closer to the screen.

Meanwhile, Sit's party had entered the Barren Plains and already spotted the familiars circling overhead.

"Familiars," Sit remarked. "I heard there might be a Dungeon Master, but I didn't actually expect to find one."

"It's too early to say," Gorden countered. "Branch Manager Gelix mentioned it, but plenty of dungeons have familiars without a Master these days."

"That's true." Sit nodded and drew a dagger. "Still, we should eliminate any potential threats."

Whether a Dungeon Master was present or not, familiars capable of sharing their vision were a nuisance. With a short grunt, Sit flicked his wrist, sending the dagger spinning through the air.

'Kkyuuk!'

The blade struck one of the bat-like creatures, White Eye, squarely. It shrieked as it plummeted to the cracked earth.

"That's one," Sit said, dusting off his hands.

Mirna walked over to the fallen creature. "Let's see… from the looks of it, this is a D-rank support summon."

"So it's a D-rank dungeon, no doubt," Roman, the mage, concluded.

"Not just a D-rank dungeon, Roman," Mirna corrected gently. "A 'new' one."

"My dear Mirna, there's no need to be so precise."

"Oh, but there is," she insisted, her gaze sweeping across the sky where several more familiars were circling. "We should take down any others we see on our way."

One of the twelve screens flickered and went black. Taehyun scowled from his chair and turned to Riel.

"What happened? Bolton's party never spotted the familiars."

"They must have used a Vision Expansion Item beforehand," she explained.

"A Vision Expansion Item?"

"Yes. It's an item raiders can purchase before a mission. A Vision Expansion Scroll doubles their sight range for two days."

It was the third raider-exclusive item he'd encountered, after the camping kit and the torches. If Riel was right, this party could see every one of his airborne scouts. He was about to order the remaining familiars to retreat when Riel grabbed his wrist, shaking her head.

"Don't, Master. Recalling them now would be a clear admission that a Dungeon Master is present."

"What does that matter?" he shot back. "Their goal is to conquer the dungeon regardless. They must have dealt with Dungeon Masters before."

"That may be true, but raiders who 'know' a Dungeon Master is present are entirely different from those who don't."

"…For example?"

"It becomes a battle of wits," she said, her tone serious. "A psychological game. Both sides try to anticipate the other's items, routes, and strategies. Your existence will be revealed eventually, but for now, you still have much to learn about raiders. It's best to keep your identity concealed."

A Dungeon Master inherently had the upper hand, but raiders could dismantle that advantage with a combination of items, equipment, buffs, teamwork, and psychological tactics. The proof was in their continued success, even against dungeons run by Masters.

"I see," he conceded.

"I apologize for stopping you so abruptly without explaining," Riel said softly. "But please know, it was for your own good."

"You don't have to apologize. I get it." Finally understanding, Taehyun turned back to the monitors. One by one, they were going dark. They were only cheap, 100-Zen summons, but the loss still stung. Chewing his lip in frustration, he began deploying scout goblins to replace them.

[The scout goblins' vision is clashing with the Sit raid party's vision.]

[A win/loss die is being rolled.]

Suddenly, an orange system message materialized, and a spectral die tumbled through the air.

[The die roll is 3.]

[The scout goblins, holding a hand of 1, 3, and 6, are victorious!]

[The scout goblins have gained superiority in the vision battle.]

Taehyun stared at the last remaining screen, bewildered by the unfamiliar phenomenon. A small die icon showing the number 3 hovered over the heads of his goblins.

"What is this?"

"This is the second type of phenomenon after the Surprise event: a Vision Battle," Riel explained. "It occurs when your soldiers' vision overlaps with a raid party's. A die is rolled, and the winner gains the advantage in sight."

"So that's why they haven't been spotted, even with the scroll."

"Precisely." Hearing her explanation, Taehyun nodded, watching his goblins on the hill and his last surviving familiar.

But he couldn't relax just yet.

The fact that a Vision Battle had been triggered at all, despite the distance he'd put between his scouts and the party, meant their sight range was immense.

'If I had lost that roll, they would have been discovered instantly.' A chill ran down his spine. He took a deep breath to steady himself, but something about Riel's timing still bothered him.

"Come to think of it, why do you always wait until these things happen to explain them? This isn't like the Surprise event; I could have prepared for this."

"I am not all-knowing, Master. I cannot calculate the exact range of a Vision Expansion Scroll. And as I've said before, some phenomena can only be truly understood through direct experience."

"And what if they'd been discovered? What would you have done then?"

"It couldn't be helped," she said simply. "Furthermore, the rules governing Supporters forbid me from explaining such phenomena in advance. Please keep that in mind."

"Hmph. Then tell me those rules in advance," he grumbled, his frustration with Sit's party spilling over. He ran a hand through his hair, momentarily flustered by the unfamiliar situation. 'Okay. It's still fine. I have the fortress, and I have the Intermediate Minotaurs as my trump card.'

He forced himself to calm down and refocused on the screen. Sit's party was already approaching the fortress. Taehyun settled in, continuing his lonely battle.

"Well now. A fortress in a place like this," Cain remarked, his hand resting on the hilt of the greatsword strapped to his back. The structure looked bizarrely out of place in the barren wasteland.

"Let's just ignore it," Gorden advised. "It was probably built by orcs. No sense in kicking a hornet's nest."

"You're probably right." Cain agreed and started to walk past the fortress, with Mirna and Roman following. Sit, however, had stopped.

"Sit?" Mirna called out.

He didn't answer, his eyes fixed on the fortress walls. He seemed lost in thought, unable to look away.

"Sit, what is it?" she asked again.

"…It's nothing." A moment later, he shook himself from his reverie and continued on.

[The Sit raid party has passed Balak Fortress.]

[The soldiers within Balak Fortress are disappointed.]

'You lot have no right to be disappointed,' Taehyun thought, glancing at the dejected icons before turning back to the main screen. Sit's party was now entering the Forest of Silence. 'Night will fall soon. They'll use a camping item, just like Bolton's party did.'

Once they made camp, he could begin a war of attrition. Just as he predicted, the party began to set up for the night, and he moved his prepositioned soldiers into place. But as he did, a shimmering white barrier erupted around their campsite.

[The Sit raid party has installed the camping-exclusive item 'Alarm Mana'.]

[An alarm will sound automatically upon approaching the magic circle.]

"What?!"

First the Vision Expansion Scroll, now this. Taehyun's eyes widened at the sight of the white dome. According to the system message, a surprise attack was now impossible. With no other choice, he halted his goblins and wild dogs, forced to do nothing but watch until morning.

As soon as dawn broke, Taehyun looked for his opening. 'I have to use the soldiers from the fortress to inflict some damage. Otherwise, bringing them out here was pointless.'

The troops stationed outside were a fraction of his main force from within the dungeon proper. As Sit's party drew closer to the entrance, he gave the order to attack.

[Five Elite Low-rank Archer Goblins draw their bows.]

[Hit Rate: 40%]

[Seven Scout Low-rank Goblins draw their bows.]

[Hit Rate: 20%]

System messages popped up, reflecting their classes. The distance was great, lowering their accuracy, but with twelve goblins firing, he was hopeful. 'Just let one shot hit!'

A volley of arrows arched through the air toward the unsuspecting raiders.

[The wooden arrow misses.]

[The wooden arrow misses.]

[A wooden arrow has struck Roman's left leg.]

'Yes!' Perhaps his desperate wish had been answered. One of the twelve arrows found its mark, embedding itself in the mage's leg.

[Combat has begun.]

[The Sit raid party has identified the direction of the attack.]

The familiar combat messages appeared, ratcheting up the tension. As the raiders reacted to the ambush, Taehyun sent in the wild dogs.

'Target the priest first!'

The Infiltrators, acting on his command, lunged for Mirna. But Gorden was faster, planting himself in front of her and raising his shield.

[Shield Bearer Gorden's skill 'Shield Bash' activates.]

[The lead Infiltrator Wild Dog is struck by the shield and stunned for 2 seconds.]

'Damn it! At least get the mage!' Taehyun quickly redirected the other dogs toward Roman, but it was too late. Cain's greatsword was already a blur of motion from the left flank.

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