"That bastard has killed hundreds of people in this city alone! How can you tell me to just stand by and do nothing!" Nelson, the branch manager of the Magrit Raider Association, slammed his fist on his desk, his face a mask of fury.

The C-rank raider, Sebastian, had committed countless atrocities under the Association's supposed protection. It was one thing to murder fellow raiders during a dungeon clear because he didn't like them, but now he was butchering the city's own residents. It was nothing short of a massacre.

"I can't take it anymore! I'm kicking him out of my city right now!"

"That is not possible."

Just as Nelson reached for his communication device, a knight in black armor leveled his blade at him.

"Ugh… Sir Rudin, knight of the Peyton Ducal Family, are you blind to what that monster has done? How in the world can you expect me to tolerate this!" Nelson snarled.

"No further discussion is necessary," Rudin replied, his voice devoid of emotion. "This is my lord's command. Please comply."

The Peyton Ducal Family. And Rudin, the knight dispatched by them. This was why Nelson's hands were tied. Rudin had arrived in the city shortly after the C-rank raider Sebastian, with a singular mission.

'I am here to protect Sir Sebastian. I will remain with him until he decides to leave.'

His mission was to watch over and protect Sebastian from the shadows.

'Protection, my ass,' Nelson fumed internally. 'There's no one in this city who could touch that bastard. He's on par with a B-rank raider, for crying out loud!'

Sebastian was a rookie who could rival a B-ranker, which made Nelson wonder why the powerful Peyton Ducal Family was backing him in the first place.

"Damn it!"

Defeated, Nelson sank back into his chair, forcing himself to calm down. He hated being strong-armed by the Peytons, but he had also accepted a hefty sum of money from Rudin. For now, he had no choice but to watch and wait.

'Come to think of it, Gelix mentioned that bastard might be heading to the small city of Partren for a request soon.'

He recalled the notice from a few days ago. Viscount Crowley's son had gone missing after a raid attempt, and Sebastian had been hired for the job. If the information was correct, he would be leaving tomorrow.

'Just one more day. If I can get through today, that bastard and this knight will both be gone.'

While trying to appear compliant under Rudin's watchful eye, Nelson silently prayed for tomorrow to come quickly.

---

Meanwhile, back in Balak, Taehyun ignored his exhaustion and immediately began calculating his earnings.

[160,000 Zen]

'Excluding the 50,000 Zen I started with, I earned a net profit of 110,000 Zen.'

Between the clear rewards for each floor and the loot from spirits and guardians, the grueling expedition had been worth it.

[Balak Soldiers: 25]

However, having his army of fifty cut in half was a staggering loss.

'Hmm. Should I take this chance to summon some new C-rank soldiers?'

With no other immediate use for the 160,000 Zen, the idea of a C-rank unit summon card was tempting. But first, he checked the status of the Minotaur that had been promoted.

[Intermediate Minotaur (Prime Elite Soldier)]

[Rank: C]

[Level: 31]

[Class: Frenzied Shieldbearer]

[Title: None]

[Affiliation: Balak]

[Loyalty: 65]

[Favorability: 40]

[Obedience: 62]

[Skills: Berserk, Shield Block, Shield Bash]

[Special Ability: Taunt]

[Strength: 11] [Endurance: 9] [Agility: 2] [Stamina: 9]

[Mana: 1] [Divinity: 1] [Affinity: 1] [Luck: 2]

'So they gain a special ability!' The Intermediate Minotaur, now a Prime Elite Soldier, had acquired Taunt. 'So that's the key. They have to be promoted to Prime Elite to unlock a special ability.'

The ranks weren't just a simple hierarchy; each tier held significance, and the Prime Elite rank granted a unique power. He had assumed only Supporters and Named-rank units could have special abilities. This was a game-changing discovery. Taehyun resolved to promote his other soldiers as quickly as possible.

'From now on, I need to use the training function more often and deploy everyone in battle whenever I can.'

Since no new raid parties had appeared, he had some breathing room. He switched his focus to internal dungeon management.

[Switching to Manager Mode.]

[Your vision expands to the entire interior of Dungeon Balak.]

As his perspective widened, the Dungeon Shop window materialized.

'I've bought most of the D-rank facilities and modifications. Should I try for some C-rank ones?'

Seeking greater efficiency, his eyes naturally gravitated toward the C-rank section. He selected a C-rank environmental setting to purchase.

[Does not match the rank of the dungeon and Crystal Sphere.]

[Please upgrade the dungeon's rank to C-rank.]

[Please upgrade the Crystal Sphere's rank to C-rank.]

'So this is affected by rank, too.' Due to the low rank of his dungeon and Crystal Sphere, he was barred from purchasing C-rank items. With a sigh of disappointment, Taehyun exited Manager Mode. While the dungeon's rank depended on its overall state, the Crystal Sphere could be upgraded with 'Mana Stones'. Unfortunately, he didn't have enough for a full rank-up, only for stage upgrades.

'I got all the D-rank Mana Stones I could from the Ice Palace, but it's not enough to upgrade to C-rank yet.' He estimated he could reach stage 4 at most. The very next stage was C-rank, but he had no way to acquire more Mana Stones at the moment.

"Riel, is there any other way to get more Mana Stones?" he asked.

"Mana Stones are not sold in the shop, Master. They can only be obtained through exploration or by re-conquering ruins," she explained. "Ohh, are you trying to purchase C-rank items and equipment?"

"Yeah. I was just looking at C-rank dungeon items, but I couldn't buy them. Based on what you said, I guess I'll have to be satisfied with summoning C-rank soldiers for now."

"I'm afraid you won't be able to purchase the C-rank unit summon card, either," Riel added. "The same restrictions apply to equipment and other items."

"Huh? But I summoned a C-rank Minotaur. And my soldiers are wearing C-rank gear from the Ice Palace."

"In the case of soldiers, it is possible to obtain units of a higher rank than the Crystal Sphere through random summons, scouting, or recruitment. Likewise, equipment and items obtained through combat are not affected by the dungeon's rank."

In other words, everything in the shop, except for random summons, was rank-locked. Taehyun sighed and narrowed his options.

'In that case, I should just upgrade the soldiers' sub-ranks for now.'

While the main rank was denoted by letters, the sub-rank was divided into tiers like lowest, low, and intermediate. Taehyun bought a large number of sub-rank upgrade cards and immediately put them to use.

[Elite High-Rank Warrior Goblin (3)]

[Elite High-Rank Mage Imp (8)]

[Elite High-Rank Spiritist Imp (3)]

[Elite High-Rank Archer Goblin (4)]

[Elite High-Rank Infiltrator Wild Dog (5)]

[Prime Elite High-Rank Minotaur (2)]

[Elite High-Rank Rogue Goblin (10)]

[Elite High-Rank Scout Goblin (10)]

All forty-five of his veteran soldiers were now high-rank. Since sub-ranks also boosted stats, this was a significant power increase. Next, Taehyun invested all his D-rank Mana Stones to upgrade the Crystal Sphere to its fourth stage.

[Dungeon Name: Balak]

[Master: Taehyun Yoo]

[Rank: D (Stage 4)]

[Location: A cave deep within the Silent Valley, on the western frontier of the Astral Continent.]

[Supporter: Riel of Healing (B)]

[Boss: High-Rank Minotaur (2)]

[Mercenary: None]

[Guardian & Keeper: None]

[Soldiers: High-Rank Goblin (27), High-Rank Imp (11), High-Rank Wild Dog (5), High-Rank Minotaur (2)]

[Monsters: High-Rank Goblin (27), High-Rank Imp (11), High-Rank Wild Dog (5), High-Rank Minotaur (2)]

[Servants & Maids: Dallas Village Residents (20)]

[Traps: Sticky Trap, Hunting Trap × 2, Arrow Trap, Deep Pit, Mana-Blocking Trap]

[Installed Facilities: Flower of the Abyss Landrozel, Madria's Bookshelf, Ghastly Spider Eggs, Glittering Sack]

[Modification & Change Status: Corridor Change Between Rooms (Stage 1), Room Position Change (Stage 2), Corridor Length Change Between Rooms (Stage 2)]

[Rooms: 6]

[Dungeon Status: The Crystal Sphere's mana has increased due to Mana Stones. It possesses two High-Rank Minotaurs, unbecoming of a D-rank dungeon. The traps in each room have increased the damage dealt to raiders, and the Mana-Blocking Trap has minimized the mages' mana. The Room Position Change is sufficient to confuse enemies. The B-rank Named Supporter, Riel, has increased the health recovery rate of the troops.]

'With this, the soldier population limit is now 110.'

Considering he had 45 soldiers remaining, he could summon 65 more.

'There are no more D-rank dungeon items I can buy. It's better to summon more soldiers, buy some equipment, and then strengthen the fortress.'

To replenish his depleted forces, Taehyun made a bold decision and purchased a stack of Random Unit Summon Cards.

'With my current Zen reserves, the 300 Zen price tag is no burden. Besides, the Minotaur is a 500 Zen unit, and I might be hitting the limits of what my current cheap soldiers can handle.'

The low cost of his soldiers was his greatest advantage, but it also meant he would need an ever-increasing number of them to stay competitive. Furthermore, the cost of B-rank and higher units was astronomical compared to lower ranks. The moment his dungeon hit C-rank, the pool for the Random Unit Summon Card would change, and all summon probabilities would plummet. He had to capitalize on the cheap D and C-rank units while he could and hoard Zen.

[You have used a Random Unit Summon Card.]

[A summon circle is being generated.]

[The summon circle is generated near the Crystal Sphere, stabilizing the mana.]

He used all sixty-five cards at once, and a massive summon circle materialized near the Crystal Sphere.

[Success!]

[Great Success!]

[Success!]

[Great Success!]

[Super Success!]

Dozens of messages flashed in his vision as a horde of new soldiers was summoned.

---

"Hmm. This is a pretty good haul, right?" Taehyun asked, surveying his new army.

"Master, I think it's an incredible jackpot," Riel replied, her eyes wide.

"Alright. Let's see what we've got."

He reviewed the list of monsters that had just become soldiers of Balak.

[C-Rank Low-Rank Orc (15)]

[C-Rank Intermediate Lizardman (10)]

[C-Rank Lowest-Rank Fenrir (5)]

[D-Rank Intermediate Goblin (10)]

[D-Rank High-Rank Imp (10)]

[D-Rank Low-Rank Wild Dog (10)]

[C-Rank Intermediate Minotaur (3)]

[B-Rank Low-Rank Troll (2)]

Most were D-rank and C-rank, but he had also summoned two B-rank trolls. Like Minotaurs, trolls were massive and tough, but their most impressive trait was their natural regeneration.

[Low-Rank Troll]

[Rank: B]

[Level: 1]

[Class: None]

[Title: None]

[Affiliation: Balak]

[Loyalty: 40]

[Favorability: 10]

[Obedience: 40]

[Skills: None]

[Special Ability: None]

[Strength: 3] [Endurance: 4] [Agility: 1] [Stamina: 4]

[Mana: 1] [Divinity: 1] [Affinity: 2] [Luck: 1]

Their base stats were naturally higher than a Minotaur's. For now, Taehyun set the new recruits aside from his main force and began outfitting them with basic gear.

'They can be promoted once they hit level 10. For now, I'll just upgrade their sub-ranks.'

After upgrading the new soldiers, Taehyun invested the remainder of his Zen into strengthening the dungeon and its outer fortress.

---

The inn door opened with a creak, and Sebastian stepped out into the street.

"Are you departing now?" Rudin, who had been standing guard outside, immediately approached.

Sebastian gave the knight a brief, dismissive glance before walking past him.

"If you value your life, don't follow me," he warned.

"It is my lord's command," Rudin stated flatly. "Please understand that I have no choice."

He clicked his tongue in annoyance.

Rudin was the type of man who would walk into fire if Duke Peyton ordered it. Sebastian clicked his tongue in annoyance and made his way to a carriage waiting on the outskirts of the city. The coachman, seeing the sword at Sebastian's hip, scurried over, bowing obsequiously.

"Oh my. Are you a mercenary, sir?"

"A raider," Sebastian clipped.

"My, my! It is a great honor, Sir Raider! Where shall I take you?" the man asked, rubbing his hands together.

Sebastian threw back his hood and gave his destination.

"The small city of Partren."

---

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