Episode 145

The room was a dense thicket of trees and undergrowth. This was no ordinary forest. Ancient trees soared to the ceiling, their branches interwoven with overgrown vines, giving the chamber the feel of a primordial jungle. Valona stared up at a towering tree, her mouth hanging open.

'H-how can a forest this massive exist inside a dungeon? I've never heard of an environment like this.'

The room itself was vast, as if it had transcended the very limits of a B-rank dungeon.

"The wood won't even catch fire. What is this place?" a raider muttered.

"First two forests, and now another one inside? This is a nightmare."

"L-look at that! That tree is touching the ceiling!"

A murmur of shock and awe spread through the party. Valona, forcing an air of composure, let out a refined laugh.

"W-what is there to be so surprised about? Dungeons like this appear from time to time."

"She must have cleared dungeons like this before, being a high-tier B-rank raider."

"I don't know, this feels like it's beyond B-rank…"

"If she says it is, then it is. Our job is just to follow."

Valona was a reputable, high-tier raider. Despite her foul personality, her skills were acknowledged by the Raider Association. They had followed her on this raid because they trusted that reputation. Unnecessary doubt would only breed dissent.

"But that doesn't change what happened in the Forest of Silence."

"That was probably because of that dungeon-affiliated raider. And the High Elves attacked without even showing up on the radar."

"Argh, who cares! My friends died because of that bitch."

Discontent was simmering among the hired raiders. Valona sensed it, a cold sweat breaking out on her brow.

'I left the marker at the entrance, so I'm fine. If I use a return item right after the location transfer, I can escape the territory instantly. That leaves me with buffs, vision priority, radar, comrade-saving coins, and effect-reversal cards. It's more than enough to clear this place.'

The memory of her humiliation in the forest was still fresh, making it impossible for her to consider giving up. Clinging to that hope, she turned to Paris.

"Paris."

"Yes, my lady!"

"Report on our camping items and supplies."

"We have brought ample provisions to account for the maximum number of rooms, my lady—camping items, tools, exclusive gear, food, and daily necessities."

Their supplies were plentiful. Conquering Balak should still be well within their capabilities. Satisfied, Valona gave the order to advance, and the exploration of Balak began in earnest.

---

[Valona's raid party has entered the third room.]

They had bypassed the second room entirely, thanks to a fork in the corridor.

'Her first source of confidence is her ample supplies. The second is the location transfer marker she left at the entrance. The third is this forked corridor structure,' Taehyun analyzed.

They had been unnerved by the dungeon's appearance at first, but Valona's feigned confidence had settled their nerves.

[Raid Party Stress Index]

[Sapadin Raid Party Average: 14/100]

[Hired Raid Party Average: 31/100]

The resentment among the hired hands was growing, and their stress levels were steadily climbing.

[A lost cat has appeared in the third room.]

[B-rank raider Decard follows the cat.]

[The lost cat has vanished, leaving behind 20,000 Zen.]

As they began to encounter more traps, the party's bounty hunters were put to work.

[B-rank raider Hadas has detected the location of a binding net.]

[Hadas's stress index decreases by 1.]

[Hadas's performance score increases by 60.]

Gradually, the traps and installations he had set were being disarmed or discovered.

"They came here with their information exposed, so they deserve a reward," Taehyun mused. "Shall we start by killing all the bounty hunters?"

"Just give the order, my Lord," Grai's voice echoed in his mind. "The newly summoned A-rank soldiers are ready."

"No, sending A-rank soldiers would be too boring. You and the ambush squad will handle it. But your target is only the bounty hunters. Kill every last one of them."

"Understood."

Grai and his squad took up positions in the seventh room. Meanwhile, the raid party, having cleared the fifth room, was setting up camp. Taehyun checked the Crystal Sphere's mana levels.

[Balak's Crystal Sphere]

[Rank: A]

[Level: 1]

[Mana Level: 850/850]

[Upgrade Value: None]

Its promotion to A-rank had increased its mana capacity by 400. He could now use Breath of Death four times in a row. But he had no intention of doing so. A single use would be more than enough.

[The B-rank Dungeon Master's unique skill 'Breath of Death' has been cast.]

[For a set period, the raiders' health will be drained.]

[For a set period, the raiders' fatigue will accumulate.]

'Simple B-rank priests don't have limited-use skills. And with the party size penalty, they'll be conserving their abilities. For now, they'll only be thinking about defensive barriers.'

They couldn't even cast healing and buff spells freely. The proof was the number of raiders still nursing injuries from the forest. Taehyun watched the party descend into chaos, a satisfied smile on his face. Just then, Raimond's voice slithered into his mind.

"Pfft… My, my. This is quite an artistic sight. To see raiders in such disarray. Perhaps my being summoned by you, Master, was fate." The warlock chuckled, clearly enjoying the spectacle.

"Hey," Taehyun thought back sharply. "I don't recall giving you a means of communication."

"What are you talking about?" Riel asked, confused.

"Not you." Taehyun waved a hand at her and waited for Raimond's reply.

"This is my personal messaging magic, sire," the warlock explained. "On the Astral Continent, my powers are categorized as skills and abilities, so I can only bring a fraction of them. In my own dimension, however, it is a different story. 'Pfft…'"

"Another dimension, you say."

"Oh. You seem to believe me, despite this being your first mercenary summoning."

"Think what you want. More importantly, did you just send me a message without my permission? It sounds like you're watching the monitor, too. Are you looking to die?"

Raimond fell silent. Remembering that mercenaries were desperate to be employed, Taehyun pressed his advantage.

"You know this is a gross invasion of my privacy, right? Direct mercenary or not, I could just terminate your contract right now."

"I-I apologize, sire! I will cancel the magic at once!"

"I hear you mercenaries are quite interested in the Astral Continent. It must be disappointing to only be summoned for thirty minutes. How about I make it so you can never come back at all? What is that magic of yours? No, this won't do. We're writing up a formal contract first."

The voice in his head vanished. He must have hastily severed the connection. Still not satisfied, Taehyun drafted a contract on the spot.

"Next time I summon him, he's signing this first."

"Master, what have you been muttering about?" Riel asked.

"Ah, nothing. Just a gloomy subordinate getting out of line. I put him in his place. Now, let's get back to watching the raid party."

Taehyun refocused his attention on the screen.

---

[The raid party has entered the seventh room of Dungeon Balak.]

They had reached the seventh room. Though they had arrived faster thanks to the forked path, the party was in no mood to celebrate.

"Lady Valona, wouldn't it be better to use the effect-reversal card?" Paris pleaded. "At this rate, the damage from the health and fatigue drain will cripple us in the next fight."

"I'm aware of that. Don't get out of line. You're just Paris."

"My apologies. I forgot my place and ran my mouth."

"Hmph. Forget it. The reason I'm not using the card is to counter the Dungeon Master's items. You should try thinking before you speak."

She was saving the effect-reversal card to nullify either the soldiers' buffs or one of the Dungeon Master's items. Since they had packed more than enough supplies, they just had to endure the duration of Breath of Death. If they slowed their pace, it wouldn't be too much of a burden.

"As expected of you, Lady Valona. But are you sure this is wise? The other raiders are struggling."

"Hah. Useless fools. Let them struggle. Am I supposed to babysit the mercenaries I hired, too?"

"Ahem. You might want to lower your voice…"

"Ah, shut up! Get lost!" Valona shoved Paris away.

In the back of the group, the hired raiders' expressions hardened. She had absolutely no regard for them. It was only natural that their resentment deepened.

"What are you all standing around for? Get into formation, as I instructed!" she barked.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say."

"A high-tier B-rank raider gives an order, we have to obey."

Grumbling, the raiders moved into position and began to explore the seventh room. A large patch of sticky traps lay directly ahead.

"Bounty hunters, disarm those traps immediately! The vision scroll has worn off, so stay sharp!"

At Valona's command, six bounty hunters moved forward.

[B-rank raider Hadas has disarmed a sticky trap.]

[B-rank raider Vetex has disarmed a sticky trap.]

[B-rank raider Adimuns has disarmed a sticky trap.]

As the traps were cleared, Valona scanned her surroundings, her senses on high alert. Suddenly, soldiers burst from the woods on both sides.

"Centaurs, werewolves, and Fenrirs! All B-rank ambush units!"

"What are you waiting for?! They're clearly after the bounty hunters! Engage!" Valona screamed.

"Understood!"

The raid party reacted quickly, following their pre-arranged tactics. Shield bearers cast their skills, intercepting the charging werewolves and Fenrirs.

'Swish, swish, swish!'

The remaining ranged attackers laid down covering fire against the centaurs, protecting the vulnerable bounty hunters.

"Hup!" Valona herself joined the fray, felling werewolves with practiced ease.

As the battle erupted around them, the bounty hunters scrambled to retreat to the safety of the main group. At that moment, a single knight emerged from behind the monster lines. He moved like a blur, dodging the arrows of the ranged raiders as he charged straight for the bounty hunters.

'He's fast!' Valona thought, barely tracking his movements as she drew her bow.

He casually slapped her arrow aside and continued his grim work, cutting down the bounty hunters one by one.

"Stop that knight! Now!" she shrieked.

"Th-the bounty hunters… they're all dead."

"Argh! Useless trash! At least track him!"

"…He's already gone."

In a flash, the knight had slaughtered all the bounty hunters and vanished without a trace. Valona ground her teeth, throwing the arrow in her hand to the floor in frustration. They had killed the ambushers, but a single enemy had wiped out their specialists. This would cripple their advance. Now they would have to deal with every trap and installation by brute force.

"Aaaargh! This is so infuriating!" she screamed, her stress already amplified by the lingering effects of Breath of Death.

---

[Raid Party Stress Index]

[Sapadin Raid Party Average: 34/100]

[Hired Raid Party Average: 59/100]

The stress was mounting. The annihilation of the bounty hunters had driven another wedge between the groups.

'Combined with the effects of Breath of Death, a full-blown mutiny is inevitable,' Taehyun thought with satisfaction.

He smirked as he watched the raid party slow to a crawl. The duration of his skill was nearly over, but it had already served its purpose.

"The objective has been completed, my Lord," Grai reported.

"Well done. The fact that they aren't turning back means they still haven't given up."

"They are foolish creatures."

"Yes," Taehyun agreed. "They are."

The raid party was camping yet again to recover their health and stamina. They might have plenty of supplies for now, but that wouldn't last long.

'Now that they have to break through every trap themselves, their item consumption will skyrocket. Enjoy it while you can. Soon, you'll be desperate for even a single torch.'

And so, the third day of the raid slowly drew to a close.

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