Episode 132

'At least the Priest or the Bounty Hunter will die,' Hyuk Kang had thought, watching the swarms of stealthed Harpies on his screen. 'Even if they manage a miraculous save, it'll cost them at least two exclusive items.' The Harpies, cloaked by their Named leader's ability, were completely undetectable. The moment the mark was triggered, the ambush would be devastating. 'They made a brat like that their Raid Captain. This is the end for them. I admit, stopping the Sandworms was impressive, but any competent leader could have managed it. This is his limit. Seonghwi, you will regret this.'

He had considered the Resistance a worthy rival, but now they were about to be crushed by the Black Alliance in the very first Faction War. A contemptuous smirk played on Hyuk Kang's lips.

Then, Taehyun deployed the Radar Detection Net, and Priest Nova flash-froze the entire Harpy squadron.

'What?!'

Before he could process it, the Named Harpy, Jangchan, was dead by Taehyun's own hand. The entire battle had been reversed. Hyuk Kang stared at the screen in utter disbelief. An operation involving over eight hundred A-rank troops, coordinated with Position Shift, Vision Priority, and a stealth ability, had been completely dismantled. The dungeon's losses were catastrophic; the raid party's were a single-use skill and one item. The entire board had been flipped by one man.

'The Dungeon Master of Balak, Taehyun Yoo… He might just be the most dangerous opponent in this entire Faction War.'

Hyuk Kang glanced at Chanjae beside him. His fellow leader's face was a mask of stone, clearly thinking the exact same thing. The first Faction War was rapidly spiraling into something no one could have predicted.

---

[You have discovered the A-rank Dungeon Gwadomalla.]

[You have achieved the Raider's accomplishment 'Palace in the Desert'.]

[As a reward, your achievement score increases by 200.]

'What's the use of achievement points for a Dungeon Master? Utterly useless.'

A colossal palace rose from the sands before them. Dungeon Gwadomalla stood alone in the desolate wasteland, its gates thrown wide in a silent, ominous welcome. Taehyun dismissed the system message and assessed his party's condition.

[Seonghwi Hyeon: Relaxed]

[Hyunjun Jo: Impressed]

[Songyi Han: Happy]

[Injong Seo: Wary]

[Taehyun Yoo: Calm]

[Geonwoo Lee: Focused]

[Narae Min: Confused]

Their stress levels were still manageable. Most of them were holding up well.

'Does he even realize he's a raider right now? How can he be so relaxed?'

Even standing before an enemy dungeon, Seonghwi was grinning from ear to ear. He was an impossible man to read.

'And Songyi… this little brat…'

His gaze fell on the girl clinging to his arm. She had not left his side except during combat, and just as the system message indicated, she looked perfectly happy. It was best to ignore her for now. Taehyun sighed and turned his attention to Narae.

'She's the biggest problem right now.'

Her expression was a thundercloud of displeasure. The way she kept shooting him furtive glances before quickly looking away was starting to grate on his nerves.

'She's been glaring at me since we made camp, and now she's just shaking her head to herself. Is she having some kind of existential crisis?'

Whatever was bothering her, it did not seem related to the dungeon itself, as she showed no signs of fear. He would just have to keep an eye on her. Taehyun activated Hunter's Eye, scanning the entrance.

[Sandstorm]

[Desert Lizard]

[Rippling Mana]

[Green Sand]

He spotted shimmering lines of mana stretched across the bridge leading to the entrance, forming a laser-like grid. He methodically picked off the desert lizards, severing the enemy's vision. There were no soldiers in sight, but they had to be hiding. Perhaps in the patches of unnaturally green sand.

His arrows struck true.

Just as he suspected, massive crocodilian monsters erupted from the sand.

'Sand isn't supposed to be green.' Taehyun watched the hulking beasts and began issuing orders.

---

With a final, resounding crash, the last Mutant Crocodile fell. Like the Sandworms, they could conceal themselves underground, but such ambushes were useless against his Hunter's Eye. Geonwoo sheathed his weapon and gestured toward the bridge.

"Taehyun, do we just cross?"

"No. The bridge is laced with mana," Taehyun replied. "It forms a grid, like lasers, but I don't know its effect."

"Should we test it?" Seonghwi asked, a mischievous glint in his eye. He started to stick his leg out, only to get a sharp smack on the back from Narae, who dragged him away.

"Are you still fooling around at a time like this?!" she snapped.

"Oof."

"Ugh. You have zero sense of urgency."

The situation was back to square one, but there were still things to try. Taehyun took a coin from his pouch and tossed it onto the bridge.

It passed through the mana grid with a soft clink and landed harmlessly. It did not seem to react to inanimate objects. As the party watched, Taehyun just shrugged and nocked an arrow.

The arrow flew through the mana field, but again, nothing happened.

"Maybe it's just a bluff?" Seonghwi suggested.

"Could be. I was just running a test," Taehyun said. "Regardless, there don't seem to be any more guards. Let's go."

"Straight across?"

"We don't have to take the obvious path, do we?"

The mana was confined to the bridge's surface. While it might be a simple trick, caution cost nothing. Taehyun began climbing along the narrow outer edge of the bridge, bypassing the grid entirely. The others nodded in understanding. There was no need to risk the trap when they could simply go around.

"...Taehyun, I can't get up," Songyi whimpered.

"Songyi, aren't you an Archer?"

"No." She hid her bow and quiver behind her back, shaking her head in denial despite her class being clearly listed. Taehyun sighed and lifted the pouting girl into his arms.

"Excuse me."

"It's okay."

She was light, but the way she snuggled against him was making the precarious maneuver difficult. With breathtaking balance, he quickly crossed to the entrance. The party members left behind could only applaud his agility.

"Didn't the rookie have that gorgeous Supporter at the meeting? Is his real type little girls like Songyi? Isn't that a crime back home?"

"You didn't know? Songyi fell for him the moment he joined the Resistance."

"Seriously? He just shows up and captures the heart—or maybe the childish crush—of an A-rank Dungeon Master?"

"Whatever. Let's just get across."

One by one, the others began to make their way along the edge. Those with agility-focused classes crossed with ease, while the others struggled. Taehyun set Songyi down and turned to help them.

"Never thought I'd need help from a rookie. Thanks, Taehyun."

"If you die here, it becomes a problem for me, your Raid Captain. Now hurry up."

"Ahaha. So cold."

Seonghwi, Geonwoo, Injong, and Hyunjun made it across. Only Narae, the Bounty Hunter, remained. Her class was just as agility-focused as his; this should have been trivial for her.

"Ugh. I have a fear of heights," she whimpered, her face already pale as a sheet.

"Narae, don't look down. Just move," Seonghwi called.

"I-I can't! It's not that easy, you idiot leader!"

"Hmm. Taehyun," Seonghwi said gravely. "This is unfortunate."

He had already given up. The others looked on with expressions of pity. Taehyun sighed and climbed back onto the ledge. He could not lose his Bounty Hunter here; the entire raid would be jeopardized.

"Aaaaaargh! Help me, help me!" she shrieked.

"...Can you hear me?" Taehyun asked, his voice tight with irritation.

"I can hear you! I can hear you!" she sobbed.

He scowled and held out his hand. "Take my hand."

"No! I mean, I can't! I absolutely can't do it!"

"If dungeon soldiers appear now, we're finished. Take my hand!"

"Waaah! I can't!"

An A-rank Dungeon Master, a Bounty Hunter, was curled into a trembling ball, unable to even stand properly because of her acrophobia. Her stats should have been more than sufficient, but her mind was betraying her. She had only ever defended; she had never faced a challenge like this.

'Pathetic. How can an A-rank Dungeon Master be in such a state?'

His patience was wearing thin. Scowling, Taehyun lunged forward and grabbed her.

"Argh!"

"Just stay still," he ordered.

"D-Don't let go! You can't ever let go!"

'I'm seriously tempted to drop her.'

In the end, he carried Narae across to the entrance, just as he had with Songyi.

---

[You have entered the A-rank Dungeon Gwadomalla.]

[A sandstorm is blowing from the east.]

The palace interior was vast and empty. Taehyun felt the desert wind at his back as he surveyed the grand hall.

'No stairs to a second floor? In a layout like this, there has to be a hidden path somewhere.'

His first priority was to check the long corridors flanking the main hall. Just then, Seonghwi pointed to a large statue in the center.

"Taehyun, see its right hand?"

"I see it. It's holding a shield."

"Right. But look at the left hand. The sword is missing. The pose is all wrong; it should be holding something."

Seonghwi was correct. The statue's left hand was empty, but its fingers were curled as if gripping the hilt of a weapon.

'The sword is gone. But why a shield in the right hand? Was the statue's model left-handed?'

The statue dominated the center of the hall, where a grand staircase should have been. It felt too deliberate to be mere decoration.

"How about we check the corridors?" Geonwoo suggested. "Standing here won't give us any answers."

"Geonwoo's right," Seonghwi agreed. "The soldiers are probably hiding in the rooms, waiting to ambush us."

"Ugh, whatever, let's just go," Narae muttered.

The party was getting restless. This was only the first floor of a multi-level dungeon; they had no time to waste. Taehyun nodded, glancing at Narae. She was still shaken but seemed capable of moving.

"Alright. We'll check the rooms on the left first."

"Sounds like a plan."

The party entered the left corridor, which contained eight rooms, four on each side. Taehyun put Seonghwi and Geonwoo in the lead, with Narae in the middle. It was time for her skills to shine. If she could detect traps and other installations beforehand, they could proceed safely. Seonghwi placed his hand on the first doorknob and waited.

[A-rank Raider Narae Min has used Trap Detection.]

[A-rank Raider Narae Min has used Installation Detection.]

Narae's eyes glowed with a faint red light. Her gaze swept back and forth as she scanned the room beyond the door.

"It's empty," she announced.

"Then we're going in!" Seonghwi declared.

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