'The Sebastian raid party is a C-rank group focused on melee classes. Aside from Sebastian, who is top-tier C-rank, the rest are D-rank. I haven't identified all their skills, but I know the mage, Zinus, has a barrier spell.' He had seen its effect at the fortress; Zinus had burned through all his mana, casting it repeatedly, but it had successfully blocked the attacks. 'Is there something I'm missing? Something I haven't noticed? Something suspicious that I've subconsciously ignored?'

He pulled up the raid party's information again.

[Sebastian(?)]

[Rank: C (Top-Tier)]

[Level: 34]

[Class: Swordsman(?)]

[Title: Rookie Raider]

[Affiliation: Peyton Duchy]

[Stress: 0/100]

[Status: Relaxed]

[Relationship with Companions: Millisha (Hostile), Kelburn (Hostile), Isaac (Hostile), Bernard (Hostile), Coldron (Hostile), Ryu (Hostile), Zinus (Hostile)]

[Description: A C-rank rookie raider personally hired by Viscount Crowley. Currently leading a raid party assembled by Branch Manager Gelix. All detailed information on Sebastian is hidden.]

First, the question marks beside his name and class were bothering him. They had to be there for a reason. It was either a hidden truth or information he was deliberately concealing. The abysmal relationship with his companions supported that theory; he was likely hiding his true identity even from them.

Second, his affiliation: the Peyton Duchy. According to the intel he'd extracted from previous raiders, Duke Peyton was the true power behind the Moras Kingdom and the undisputed ruler of the North. For Sebastian to be affiliated with a family famed for its sword mastery was… odd. The Raider Association was an independent entity, a neutral power that stayed out of national conflicts. Yet Sebastian was tied to a duchy. That meant not even the Association could touch him.

Third, his relationship with his companions. Every single one was marked as hostile. This meant Sebastian was fighting a war on two fronts—against Balak, and against his own party. He was surrounded by enemies, forced to play a dangerous psychological game with both his target and his supposed allies. He was fighting utterly alone. Sebastian was a far more formidable opponent than he had first appeared.

Fourth, he was hired by Viscount Crowley but was leading a party assembled by Gelix. This suggested Gelix was wary of Sebastian and wasn't pleased with the Viscount's choice of hire. Sebastian was clearly a person of interest, a known threat even among his peers, and he had the backing of the powerful Peyton Duchy to prove it.

Fifth, Ryu's class was also a question mark. Ryu, the other swordsman. His class was hidden, just like Sebastian's. But that wasn't all.

[Ryu(?)]

[Rank: ?]

[Level: 35]

[Class: Swordsman(?)]

[Title: ?]

[Affiliation: ?]

[Stress: 0/100]

[Status: ?]

[Relationship with Companions: Millisha(?), Kelburn(?), Isaac(?), Bernard(?), Coldron(?), Sebastian(?), Zinus(?)]

[Description: ?]

Ryu's profile was almost entirely redacted, far more so than Sebastian's. He had to be using a powerful item to conceal his information. 'He has even more to hide than Sebastian.' While Sebastian had only obscured his name and class, Ryu had hidden everything. He might be an even greater threat.

Taehyun finished his review and sighed, no closer to a solution.

"Psst… even after all that, I'm no closer to an answer." For now, all he could do was focus on the Forest of Silence. He rubbed his tired eyes, trying to center himself. Just then, a red message flashed on the screen.

[An Elite Advanced Scout Goblin has discovered the D-rank swordsman raider, Ryu, in the Forest of Silence.]

Finally. Taehyun snapped to attention, his eyes locking onto Ryu's feed. He was moving through the forest alone, longsword at the ready, his head on a swivel. 'Where are the others?' Taehyun had his goblins sweep the area, but they found nothing.

'Normally, I'd order an immediate all-out attack…' But he paused, forcing himself to think like his opponent. 'What would Sebastian do?' The answer came almost instantly. 'A diversion!' They hadn't entered the forest right away because they anticipated being pursued. Sending Ryu in alone now was a calculated move to capitalize on that delay. If Ryu was bait, the rest of the party would be taking another route, using him to draw the eyes of Taehyun's soldiers so they could pass through safely.

'Is he a sacrificial lamb? No. As bad as Sebastian's relationship with his team is, he wouldn't throw away a man before the raid has even properly begun. That means Ryu is skilled enough to handle whatever I throw at him and escape.'

A grim smile touched Taehyun's lips. 'I'll admit, you're impressive. But this is as far as you go. I lost the first round, but I won't lose this one.' He ordered the bulk of his forces to continue monitoring Ryu, but detached three scout goblins, sending them fanning out in different directions to find the main party. 'The second I find them, I'm sending everything I have.' They wouldn't be able to split up any further.

The battle for vision was about to begin. 'This is a fight between our items now, too. I've bought some things in advance. I absolutely cannot lose.' In a dense forest, vision was everything. He had to anticipate a potential sight battle, predict the enemy's use of vision-expanding items, and control the flow of the engagement. His eyes never left the screen, tracking Ryu's every move.

---

"Still no sign of any soldiers," Ryu's voice emanated from the Communication Stone in Sebastian's palm.

'The Dungeon Master has definitely spotted Ryu, yet he hasn't sent his forces…'

A wide grin spread across Sebastian's face. He hadn't expected much, but this Dungeon Master was sharper than he'd thought. 'Alright, let's think. What would a Dungeon Master who's figured out my diversion tactic do?'

His mind instantly broke down the possibilities. One: Attack Ryu anyway. Two: Ignore Ryu and spread his soldiers out to cover all approaches. Three: Do neither. Disperse a smaller force to secure vision.

The answer quickly took shape. 'One and two are out. Three is close, but if I were him, I wouldn't risk scattering my main force. So, he must have detached a small number of scouts and sent them to cover the other paths.' There would be units watching Ryu, a main force ready to deploy at a moment's notice, and a handful of scouts trying to find the rest of them. The best move wasn't to rejoin Ryu, but to play right into the Dungeon Master's hands and punch through one of the less-guarded flanks.

'He's probably already considering my use of exclusive items. This is about to become a true psychological battle, a clash of items and tactics.'

Sebastian glanced at the forest entrance, then turned back to his party. They were watching him with wary eyes, ready for anything. 'Oh, that's right. I'm fighting alone, against both the Dungeon Master and my own team.' He let out a soft chuckle and gave the signal.

"Let's move. You've all been waiting long enough. Must be getting antsy."

"Hey," Isaac demanded. "What about Ryu? I kept my mouth shut since he volunteered, but you're not just leaving him behind, are you?"

"Of course not," Sebastian lied smoothly. "We already agreed via the Communication Stone to meet up later." He herded them forward with his words. They shot him suspicious looks, but with no way to verify his claim, they had no choice but to follow, grabbing their gear.

Sebastian led them toward the far-left entrance of the forest.

"Why this way? There are plenty of other routes."

"It makes no difference. We just have to avoid the one Ryu took."

"I'll trust you on that."

"Thanks. I'm so touched I could cry." With an exaggerated flourish, Sebastian quickened the pace. They plunged into the dense trees and undergrowth, making a direct line for Balak. About halfway through, he held up a hand. "Stop. There's a scout goblin in the trees ahead."

His vision-expanding item had picked up the sentry.

"It's just one goblin," Isaac grumbled. "Let's just kill it and move on."

"Hah. This is why it's hard to work with idiots."

"Wh-what did you say?!" Isaac's face flushed with anger, but Zinus put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

"He's right, Isaac. We should wait."

"Why?!"

"Ooh, look at that. Zinus has a brain," Sebastian mocked. "Think about it. Balak's soldiers are lying in wait all over this forest. We sent Ryu in to draw their attention, but he hasn't even been attacked yet. What does that tell you? It means their Dungeon Master 'knows' we're coming in separately."

"S-so?"

"So, the moment we kill that goblin or even enter its line of sight, the rest of his army will swarm this position. I'd survive, of course. But you lot? I doubt it. One or two of you would definitely die or be seriously wounded."

At his chillingly casual assessment, Isaac and the others swallowed hard. In this terrain, the monster soldiers held a massive advantage. A fight here would guarantee casualties.

"…I admit that was stupid of me," Isaac conceded.

"I like a man who can admit when he's wrong. So, what's our next move? Bernard, you first." Sebastian pointed a finger at the rogue.

Bernard calmly laid out his thoughts.

"We either split the party again or go back and rejoin Ryu."

"Wrong. Zinus, your turn."

"Hmm… Win the sight battle and slip past the goblin undetected?"

"Ooh! Correct!" Sebastian exclaimed. "For that, Zinus gets a prize of 10,000 Zen." He tossed a heavy pouch to the mage, who fumbled to catch it, looking bewildered.

The priest, Coldron, scowled and stepped forward.

"I don't care about any of this. Are you just toying with us? What the hell is this supposed to be?"

"It's a quiz, of course. To make the raid more enjoyable."

"Ugh… I don't give a damn about your quiz! The only thing that matters is conquering Balak! You're a top-tier C-rank raider who can go toe-to-toe with B-ranks. You should be able to clear a D-rank dungeon like this with your eyes closed, so why are you dragging this out?"

"Hah. You are gravely mistaken," Sebastian said, his voice losing its playful edge. "I can't conquer any dungeon alone, D-rank or not. And a dungeon that has already consumed a fortress can hardly be called D-rank anymore. Do you really think a place like this will be an easy clear?"

He no longer saw Balak as a simple D-rank dungeon. He assumed it held C-rank soldiers and had been developed to its absolute limit. For a C-rank party, this raid was going to be difficult. More importantly, its Dungeon Master was no fool. He was intelligent and had already embraced the psychological game. The thought of an easy victory had long since vanished from Sebastian's mind.

"Let me make this perfectly clear. I may be leading this raid, but the outcome is far from certain. One wrong move, and we all die. Remember that."

"That being said," he continued, a faint smile returning to his face, "for now, just trust me and follow my lead." He reached into his coat and pulled out another raider-exclusive item.

---

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