"Is that a Sight Priority item?" Zinus asked.

"It is. We'll need it to get through here, won't we?"

Raider-exclusive items fell into six main categories. First were Buff Items, which enhanced stats or provided practical advantages. Second were Camping Items, which offered protection or stress-reducing buffs during rest. Third were Event Items, which provided an edge in surprise scenarios or sight battles. Fourth were Information Items, which could reveal a dungeon's layout, monster count, or traps. Fifth were Companion Items, which offered party-wide benefits like buffs, teleportation, or communication. And sixth were Sight Items, a diverse category that included vision-expanding tools, radars for detecting hidden objects, and items that granted a decisive advantage in sight battles.

The Sight Priority item fell squarely into that last category.

[Using Sight Priority.]

[You have secured five faces of the Win/Loss die.]

A message materialized before Sebastian.

"Excellent. Five faces of the die secured."

"So we can't lose the sight battle," Bernard noted.

"Exactly. And as long as we win, they won't even know it happened."

In a sight battle, only the party that initiated contact was aware of the event. The loser might notice afterward, depending on the outcome, but with five out of six die faces secured, defeat was impossible. Sebastian took the lead, striding confidently toward the scout goblin's position.

[The scout goblin's vision and Sebastian's vision have clashed.]

[The Win/Loss die is being rolled.]

An orange message appeared as a spectral die tumbled through the air. The result was instantaneous.

[The number on the die is 2.]

[With a hand of 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6, Sebastian is victorious!]

[The Sebastian Raid Party has gained the upper hand in the battle for vision.]

As expected, Sebastian won. Control of the immediate area's vision shifted to the raid party. The goblin's sight range shrank to almost nothing, and a safe path was illuminated for them. They slipped past the oblivious sentry and continued their advance on Balak.

---

Taehyun stared in disbelief as the raid party's icons suddenly appeared near the Valley of Silence. 'How did they get through the forest?!' They had never appeared on his screens, and no event messages had popped up. Night was falling; if they breached the dungeon now, it would be a catastrophe.

He frantically checked the feeds from the scouts he'd spread throughout the woods. All of them were still sharing their vision. 'Wait… why does this one's screen look so narrow?' He focused on one goblin's feed, which was significantly smaller than the others. He immediately pulled up its status.

[Advanced Goblin (Elite Soldier)]

[Rank: D]

[Level: 28]

[Class: Scout]

[Title: None]

[Affiliation: Balak]

[Loyalty: 63]

[Favorability: 38]

[Obedience: 61]

[Skills: Focused Shot, Agile Movement]

[Special Ability: None]

[Strength: 4] [Endurance: 3] [Agility: 9] [Stamina: 2]

[Mana: 2] [Divinity: 1] [Affinity: 8] [Luck: 8]

[Status: Sight Battle Defeat Penalty (Low)]

'A Sight Battle Defeat Penalty?!' Even with a vision-expanding item, spotting a scout goblin first in a dense forest was incredibly difficult. And he had received no notification of a sight battle. That could only mean one thing: they had spotted his goblin first and won the ensuing conflict. 'Was it just dumb luck?'

The odds of winning a die roll were fifty-fifty. It was possible they had simply gotten lucky. But Taehyun knew better. 'Would that snake, the one who has been playing mind games and manipulating every situation to his advantage, really bet the raid on a coin toss?'

He had only observed Sebastian for a short time, but he knew the man was dangerously clever. He moved like a viper, coiling and striking in a single, fluid motion. For someone like that to rely on luck?

'Absolutely not. He must have used something besides a vision-expansion item to spot my goblin first. Then he used another exclusive item to guarantee victory in the sight battle.'

The pieces began to click into place. He didn't know the specifics, but he understood the general flow of events. And with that understanding came the chilling realization of just how much danger he was in.

'This is no time to dwell on how he did it. This is bad. I have to at least eliminate that bastard Ryu!'

Taehyun's eyes narrowed. Ryu was still moving through the forest alone. He had lost the main party, but he could still take out this piece. He immediately redirected his forces.

[Five Elite Advanced Infiltrator Wild Dogs are attempting an ambush.]

[Ten Elite Advanced Rogue Goblins are attempting an ambush.]

[Ten Elite Advanced Scout Goblins draw their bowstrings.]

[Hit Rate: 50%]

The ambush was sprung. A volley of arrows sliced through the air.

[The ?-Rank Swordsman(?) Raider Ryu has noticed the ambush.]

[He dodges the wooden arrows.]

The perceptive swordsman moved like a blur, the arrows whistling past him as he broke into a run. But he couldn't outpace the wild dogs, creatures born for infiltration. They closed the distance in a heartbeat, lunging for him.

[The Elite Advanced Infiltrator Wild Dog's Bite skill has hit the ?-Rank Swordsman(?) Raider Ryu.]

'Yes!'

Even for a powerful warrior in disguise, escaping an ambush of this scale was no small feat. Ryu kicked out, dislodging the wild dog clamped to his thigh, but more dogs and a swarm of thief goblins immediately surged forward to take its place. With a grimace, he drew his sword.

[The Noble Chivalry skill of the ?-Rank Warrior(?) Raider, Ryu, has been activated.]

[Ryu's class disguise item has been destroyed.]

'That bastard was a knight all along!' Cornered, his disguise was stripped away, revealing him not as a common warrior, but a highly trained knight. Knights, however, were notoriously vulnerable in dense forests and chaotic brawls. Taehyun didn't order a frontal assault; instead, he had his forces encircle their target. Employing hit-and-run tactics, they methodically chipped away at Ryu's health and stamina.

[A wooden arrow strikes Ryu's shoulder.]

[A wooden arrow misses.]

[A wooden arrow misses.]

Pinned by the melee fighters, Ryu could only endure the relentless volley from the goblin scouts. 'Knights are formidable in a duel, but in a chaotic free-for-all like this, they're laughably weak,' Taehyun mused. Ryu's body was quickly becoming a canvas of cuts and bruises. He gasped for breath, his eyes darting wildly, desperately searching for an escape route.

Convinced there was none, Taehyun slowly tightened the noose, refusing to rush. But in that instant, the unexpected happened.

[The Peyton Swordsmanship of the ?-Rank Knight Raider, Ryu, has been activated.]

[All of Ryu's disguises have been removed.]

[The Forced Breakthrough of the C-Rank Knight Raider, Rudin, has been activated.]

His true identity—Rudin—now revealed, he grit his teeth and lunged at the thief goblin to his left. The goblin's dagger plunged into Rudin's side, but his longsword cleaved the creature's torso in two. He had traded a wound for a kill, and with that opening, he broke through the encirclement and fled. 'I knew he was skilled enough to shake them off, but to think he was also from the Peyton Ducal family…'

Taehyun stared blankly at the monitor, stunned at how easily he'd been outplayed after losing his target. He quickly shook off the shock and ordered the pursuit. 'Chase him! Don't let him get away! Capture him, no matter what!' At his command, the soldiers scrambled after Rudin, the chase continuing under the light of the rising moon.

---

"My apologies. My disguise has been completely removed," Rudin's voice crackled through the communication stone, ragged and breathless.

Sebastian, holding the stone, glanced toward the entrance of Balak.

"Don't worry about it," he replied nonchalantly. "Can you make it here?"

"I don't think so. I'll buy as much time as I can. You should enter first. I'll shake them off and follow when I can."

"No. If I go in with this sorry lot, even I'll probably get wiped out," Sebastian scoffed. "Besides, you're the one who tagged along after I told you not to if you valued your life. Don't you dare die on me. That old man will just find a way to blame me for it."

Just the thought of Duke Peyton's lectures made him shudder. Sebastian casually pulled a coin from his pocket. 'Still, this Dungeon Master is quite something. I thought Rudin could easily give them the slip, but he was pushed this far. The more I see, the more I like him.' A slow smile spread across Sebastian's lips.

It was the first time a mere D-rank Dungeon Master had managed to ignite his interest so thoroughly. He flicked the coin into the air.

[You have used a Save a Comrade Coin.]

[The location of C-Rank Swordsman Raider, Rudin, will be moved to this raid party's position.]

A brilliant blue light erupted from the spinning coin as Sebastian waited for Rudin to materialize. But just as quickly as it appeared, the light faltered and died.

[The Dungeon Master exclusive item 'Item Nullification' has been activated.]

[The effect of the Save a Comrade Coin has been canceled.]

[The transport of C-Rank Swordsman Raider, Rudin, has failed.]

Of all the damn times for a Dungeon Master's exclusive item to counter him at the most critical moment. Sebastian stared blankly at the useless coin on the ground, a feeling like a physical blow stunning him.

"Muahah…"

The corners of his mouth began to twitch upward.

"MUAHAHAHA!"

A peal of manic laughter echoed through the cavern. His party members shot him bewildered looks, but Sebastian ignored them, absolutely reveling in the twist.

"Yes! This is how it should be!" he cackled. "This is what makes a raid worthwhile! This is fun. For the first time in a long while, this is genuinely fun!"

Just when he thought he'd landed a decisive blow, the Dungeon Master had countered with a nullification item. It was as if the man had seen right through his plan to save Rudin.

"Fine. I'll accept the penalty. It should make things a little more even, after all."

Sebastian made the cold decision to abandon his comrade. Seeing the coin fail, the others didn't protest. And so, Sebastian's raid party, now one member short, stepped into Dungeon Balak.

---

While Sebastian reveled in the challenge, Taehyun snapped back to reality.

[You have captured C-Rank Swordsman Raider, Rudin.]

The forest chase had ended with Rudin's capture. He had also nullified Sebastian's rescue item at the perfect moment. But the main party was already inside. He had grossly underestimated them, allowing them to enter his dungeon virtually unscathed.

'He didn't push forward because he had no other choice,' Taehyun realized. 'He did it because he was confident he could win even at the disadvantage of losing Rudin.' The last vestiges of his complacency evaporated. Taehyun took a moment to reflect on his own arrogance, finally giving his opponent the respect he deserved. 'I was looking down on him. I got careless after dealing with a few D-rank parties. This one… he's different. There has to be a reason a man like that is leading a group like this.'

It felt as if a film of dust had been wiped from his eyes. Taehyun took a deep breath and slapped his cheeks, the sting grounding him.

"If I can't stop them, I die. That's all the reason I need. It's time to go back to how I was at the very beginning."

---

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.