"Muahah."

"H-Hey! What is it?"

"MUAHAHA!"

The manic laughter continued, unabated. The torch's remaining duration, the corridor's length—it all clicked into place. The two paths were of different lengths. One was unusually long, the other short. If they took the long path on the right, their torch would extinguish just before they reached the end, even if they lit a fresh one.

The left path, however, would leave them with light to spare. The right path was a perfect ambush point.

'So, the right path is a trap,' Sebastian realized. 'If I had chosen it by chance and not used the radar, we would have been slaughtered.' He had intended to go left from the start, so the radar might have been unnecessary, but under the debuff, he couldn't afford any risks.

"Muahah. Ah, it's nothing. Come on, let's get a move on."

Having thoroughly unsettled his companions, Sebastian finally composed himself and urged them forward. Avoiding the trap, the raid party proceeded down the left corridor and entered the second room.

---

'He didn't split his forces, as expected. And he got lucky, avoiding the right path.' Taehyun watched on the monitor as Sebastian's party chose the left corridor. They had used a radar to uncover his trap, but since they were headed left anyway, it made little difference. He redirected the forces from the right path back toward the first room. His new objective was to eliminate their priest in this next encounter.

[C-Rank Sebastian's raid party has entered the second room.]

Inside, a new Mana Nullification Trap had been installed near 'Madrid's Bookshelf'. It would neutralize Zinus's barrier magic while his monsters took out at least one or two raiders.

'The ambush squad from outside has returned to Balak. I'll have the soldiers from the right corridor circle around and attack them from behind.' Taehyun had already positioned his mage imps and archer goblins at the far end of the room. He also recalled Riel.

"Is there something you need, Master?"

"You were right," Taehyun admitted, his voice serious. "I let him get in my head, and I became anxious. I'm sorry. I need your help now."

Realizing he had regained his composure, Riel nodded readily.

"Of course. Just give the word."

"Good. Can you cast your buffs from here?"

"Yes, it's possible."

"Alright. Stand by. When I give the signal, buff the soldiers I designate."

"Understood."

Sebastian's party was already approaching the bookshelf. Taehyun's eyes were fixed on the totem hidden behind it as he confirmed his soldiers' positions. The warrior goblins and imp spiritists were moving into place behind the raiders. The main ambush squad was still some distance away, but this would be enough.

'Now!'

The moment the party passed the bookshelf, Taehyun triggered the trap.

[D-Rank Mana Nullification Trap has been activated.]

[Raider's magic will be nullified throughout the second room.]

Simultaneously, archer goblins and mage imps emerged from the corridor ahead.

[Elite High Archer Goblin's Focused Fire skill is aimed at D-Rank Shield Bearer Raider, Isaac.]

[Elite High Mage Imp's Fireball hits D-Rank Archer Raider, Milisha.]

The battle erupted. Milisha, the archer, was the first to fall. Isaac raised his shield a second too late; she was already incapacitated. Taehyun hadn't killed her, but their ranged threat was neutralized. Zinus was rendered useless by the trap, and the rest were still weakened by the debuff.

'My forces here are all ranged, but they should still win,' Taehyun thought as the melee raiders charged. Isaac absorbed the brunt of the arrows and fireballs while the others pressed the attack. At that moment, Taehyun gave the signal.

[Named B-Rank Supporter, Riel of Healing, has cast Sublime Will.]

[The health and Endurance of the Elite High Archer Goblins have been increased for a certain period.]

[The health and Endurance of the Elite High Mage Imps have been increased for a certain period.]

As Riel's power washed over them, the targeted soldiers' defenses surged. The five monsters at the front line miraculously survived the raiders' onslaught. Taehyun immediately ordered a retreat. The raiders gave chase, eager to finish them off—and that was their fatal mistake.

[Elite High Warrior Goblin's Wind Slash hits D-Rank Priest Raider, Coldron.]

[D-Rank Priest Raider, Coldron, has died from the unexpected attack.]

[Elite High Spiritist Imp's Fire Bullet hits D-Rank Archer Raider, Milisha.]

[D-Rank Archer Raider, Milisha, has died from the unexpected attack.]

Two raiders fell in quick succession, struck from behind. It was the ambush from the soldiers who had circled back. Sebastian ground his teeth in fury as the rear guard, their job done, swiftly melted back into the darkness. In the second room, Taehyun had successfully eliminated both their priest and their archer.

---

"Those bastards! Let's go after them!" one of the raiders roared.

"Stop," Sebastian commanded.

"Why? That's the way back! We can catch them!"

"No. If we go that way, we die," Sebastian stated coldly. "The ambush squad from outside has returned by now. Our targets will link up with them, and we'll be walking into a trap."

He ground his teeth, his gaze falling upon the totem hidden behind the bookshelf. He hadn't entirely ruled out the possibility of the other soldiers circling back, but he'd never imagined being hit with magic nullification. The ranged units appearing from the front, the perfectly timed buff—he had been completely outplayed in this room.

"Dammit! Milisha! Coldron!"

"We promised we'd become C-rank together! How could you die on me, you bastard!"

The party's morale had plummeted. Without their priest and archer, their situation was dire. 'He was targeting our support from the very beginning. You really got me good, Mr. Dungeon Master!' Fury warred with a twisted sense of admiration, and the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably. He stomped on the totem, shattering it under his boot.

Nearby, Zinus trembled with fear. 'Forget Sebastian, I'm going to die in here. What do I do? Should I use the Instant Return Scroll? But what if they survive and come back?' His hand drifted toward the scroll in his pocket. He glanced at the bodies of his fallen comrades and squeezed his eyes shut. 'What am I thinking? This is the Dungeon Master's fault. It has nothing to do with Sebastian.' As terrified as he was, he couldn't bring himself to abandon the others.

The party gave their friends a makeshift funeral, burning the bodies as they offered a silent prayer.

Sebastian watched them, his expression one of utter incomprehension. 'To be stuck with sentimental fools in a dungeon run by such an interesting Master. Perhaps it's only natural that I'm at a disadvantage.' He had started with a psychological advantage, entering the dungeon almost unscathed. Now, that advantage was no more.

'First, I need to get rid of this.' The Abyssal Aura still clung to him like a shroud. With no priest and no archer, the stat reduction was a death sentence. 'The most useless one here…'

Sebastian's gaze fell on Bernard. The rogue, the weakest of their melee fighters, was now dead weight.

"Hey. Bernard."

"…What do you want?"

"I need you to die for me."

"What are you—!"

Bernard's shout was cut short as his head tumbled to the cavern floor. The others stared in horror as Sebastian offered them a chillingly sweet smile.

"I'll be taking a more… direct approach from now on," he announced. "We've lost our priest. If you don't want to die, you will do exactly as I say. Follow my orders, and you might just make it back alive."

He punctuated his statement by crushing Bernard's head under his heel.

"Oh, but he's an exception, of course. I killed him myself."

---

[The Indulgence skill of the C-Rank Swordsman(?) Raider, Sebastian, has been activated.]

[All debuff effects on the raid party have been removed.]

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

'So he was hiding something too.' Just like Rudin, Sebastian's true nature was revealed. His class wasn't Swordsman; it was Reaper.

"A Reaper… that must be a hidden class," Riel observed quietly.

"And that Indulgence skill is a problem. Was that one of his trump cards?" Taehyun muttered. "To reveal himself now, with only four of them left… he's done playing games."

He had suspected Sebastian was more than he seemed, but a hidden class was an unwelcome surprise. Still, even a powerful raider was only human; he couldn't win alone. After a moment's thought, Taehyun ordered all his remaining forces to converge on the fourth room, the minotaurs included.

"Are you preparing for a final battle?" Riel asked.

"I am, but I need to buy more time first. I still don't know the full extent of his skills."

On the monitor, the remaining raiders were carefully navigating the traps in the corridor, making their way toward the fourth room. Taehyun took a deep breath and rose from his seat.

"Alright. Let's end this."

"Are you going yourself, Master?"

"I have to. It's time I played my final card."

Clutched in his hand was Director Gelix's handwritten letter.

---

[Kelburn]

[Stress: 80/100]

[Isaac]

[Stress: 70/100]

[Zinus]

[Stress: 90/100]

'Their stress levels shot up just because I killed one person. Pathetic.' Sebastian whistled softly, and a giant scythe materialized in his hands—his true weapon, the C-rank Scythe of Execution. 'Well, there's no point in hiding anything now. I have to force my way to the crystal core.'

The moment the ambush squad caught up to them, it would be game over. He glanced at the three raiders huddled behind him. 'What's wrong with them? It's not just fear. They're… hesitating.' He was wary of betrayal, but that didn't seem to be their intention. It was indecision, not malice, that he sensed. The party passed through the corridor and arrived at the fourth room.

"You've finally arrived. Moo!"

"We've been waiting. Moo!"

Inside, the rest of Taehyun's forces, led by the minotaurs, stood ready.

"What is this? What's he planning?" one of the raiders whispered.

But Sebastian ignored the monsters completely, his eyes locked on the figure standing behind them.

"What do you think?" the figure called out. "I'm stopping your raid."

It was Taehyun, the Dungeon Master of Balak.

"Hey, hey, cut the crap," Sebastian sneered. "Why gather all your troops now? Surely you have more tricks to show me."

"This is everything I have. What more were you expecting?"

"Hah. A massive disappointment," Sebastian sighed, though his eyes were rapidly assessing the enemy. 'Levels in the thirties. All high-grade, with decent gear. Only two C-ranks, the minotaurs. The rest are D-rank.' The minotaur shield-bearers were a problem, but if the other three raiders could just draw their fire, he was confident he could handle them. A smirk played on his lips as he raised his scythe.

"The price for disappointing me is steep, Dungeon Master of Balak."

"That's amusing," Taehyun retorted. "Are you planning to fight alone?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Your companions behind you don't look very eager to fight."

At Taehyun's mocking words, Sebastian glanced back. The three raiders had indeed backed away.

"Hey! What are you all doing?" he snapped. "If you just help me, I can wipe these things out myself!"

Even the promise of victory elicited no response. They simply stood there, hesitating.

"What the hell have you all been so hesitant about?!"

"Perhaps," Taehyun said, his voice cutting through the tension, "they're hesitating because of this."

He pulled something from within his coat and held it up for them to see.

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