The Ainkart Holy Kingdom. For decades, it had stood as a bastion of power, maintained by unwavering faith in its god. With a formidable army of paladins and priests, it was dedicated to the sacred duty of judging heretics.

Just recently, however, information had arrived that sent the entire nation into high alert: the demonic masters of the dungeons were planning to set foot upon their sacred land.

Pope Luminus swiftly convened a meeting of the high priests. Within a day, dozens of them, along with the Paladin Commander, Wigan, had gathered in the capital's grand temple.

"I trust you have all been briefed," Pope Luminus began, his voice echoing through the hallowed hall. "The Dungeon Masters recently held a large-scale gathering. It has been announced that they intend to invade our sacred Ainkart Holy Kingdom."

A wave of outrage swept through the assembled priests. The Ainkart Holy Kingdom was a blessed nation, firmly maintained under the grace of the god Behel. Not even the great empires and kingdoms of the continent dared to tread upon its soil. The idea of demons invading such a place was an unforgivable blasphemy.

"For those demon bastards, whose very existence is evil, to even consider invading this holy ground... We cannot stand idle!" one high priest roared.

"We will rally the temple's forces!" another declared. "We must be the ones to strike first and cut the demons down!"

"Deploy the Inquisitors at once!" a third demanded. "We will start with the nearest dungeons and make those fiends taste the wrath of God!"

The high priests rose from their seats, their faces contorted with righteous fury, all demanding to be the first to bring God's hammer down upon the Dungeon Masters. Leaning against the back wall, Paladin Commander Wigan watched the scene unfold with quiet detachment.

Pope Luminus raised a hand, silencing the chaotic uproar. "This time, I have no intention of sitting back and waiting for an invasion. A list of the dungeons that pose the greatest threat to our kingdom has been delivered to us. We have been given an opportunity."

He unfurled a long scroll upon the table. On it were written dozens of dungeon names, along with their ranks. The high priests murmured in admiration at the Pope's foresight and crowded around to examine the list. Wigan, his interest finally piqued, stepped closer.

"When do we begin?" he asked.

"The day after tomorrow," Luminus replied. "Starting with the nearest dungeons, we will instill the fear of God in those demon bastards."

"Hmph. May Behel's protection be with us," Wigan said.

With this new intelligence, his schedule was about to become very busy. He slipped out of the meeting hall and activated a communication device.

"I assume you were the one who provided the information," he said into the device.

—"Bwahaha! You found me out. How did you know?"

"You're the only demon twisted enough to do something like this," Wigan replied. "And given the level of detail, you must have done extensive research."

The list contained more than just dungeon names. It detailed their locations, ranks, military strength, and even key strategic information about their interiors. It was clearly the product of a great deal of time and effort.

A witch-like laugh cackled through the device.

—"I was a bit busy, yes. But you know, while I managed to gather decent intel on even the A-rank Dungeon Masters, there was just one of a lower rank who proved impossible to predict."

"A lower rank?" Wigan said dismissively. "It's probably just some backwater dungeon. Is it really worth our attention?"

—"Hmm, I don't think so. He's really fascinating. He subdued Sebastian while he was still D-rank, and now I hear he's swallowed up Lasten near Partren. Kyahaha."

Lasten was notorious as the most troublesome dungeon in the West. Ruled by a host of powerful fairies, it was the strongest of the C-rank dungeons and had been deemed unconquerable. Yet this upstart had not only defeated Sebastian as a D-rank but had also claimed Lasten for himself.

Wigan's curiosity was stirred. "He certainly sounds unorthodox. I'd like to meet him myself."

—"No! You stay away from him. I put him on the list, but if you go yourself, my entire plan will go up in smoke."

"I'm not exactly free myself," Wigan admitted. "I plan to send the raider Lexner to deal with him."

—"Oh my. Has he conquered Dens already?"

"I'm told he's nearly finished."

—"Bwahaha! That's perfect. Someone of Lexner's caliber will be more than enough to handle Balak. My plan will proceed flawlessly."

"The dungeon you couldn't predict," Wigan mused. "I suppose I'll look forward to seeing what it has to offer."

With that, he ended the communication. He paused in the corridor, glancing back at the entrance to the meeting hall.

'Foolish old men,' he muttered under his breath. 'This is not a place I'll be staying for long.'

---

A few days after the Ainkart Holy Kingdom declared its counterattack, its forces began to move. Legions of paladins, priests, and temple-affiliated raiders rose up as one. They began by systematically conquering the surrounding dungeons, and news of their crusade spread across the continent like wildfire.

The news eventually reached Taehyun, who was training Mederia and the fairies in the Ice Palace.

'Hey, hey. This is no joke. Those god-worshipping fanatics have completely lost it. It looks like they've mobilized everyone—Inquisitors, Holy Knights, Priests, Raiders—for a massive counterattack.'

"For them to be moving already... It's too soon," Taehyun said, a sense of unease creeping over him.

'Hehehe. That's just what those bastards do. When they get pissed, they charge. We're a demonic race that rejects the power of their god. You think they'd ever like us?'

Junhyun was right. The Holy Kingdom's faith bordered on zealotry. They were the type to foam at the mouth and charge at the mere mention of a demon.

Taehyun glanced at the handwritten letter in his inventory and bit his lip. He had just secured a crucial stepping stone, but now a major obstacle had appeared before he could even begin his work.

'I was planning to consolidate the surrounding areas one by one, but now I have to focus all my attention on dungeon defense. I even got the letter in advance to time my takeover of the territory... This is incredibly annoying.'

He already knew that one of the Dungeon Masters had leaked information to the Holy Kingdom. Still, the speed of their advance was alarming. It would be impossible without detailed intelligence on each dungeon. The traitor must have spent a great deal of time and effort on their investigation.

"Any idea who's heading my way?" Taehyun asked.

'Yeah, I do. Rexner, the guy who conquered the B-rank Dungeon Dens just yesterday, is being dispatched. Be careful. Like I said before, that bastard's had his eye on you from the beginning. He probably jumped at the chance to take on Balak.'

Rexner, a B-rank Raider. According to Junhyun, he was not only a Player Raider but also a Holy Knight of the Ainkart Holy Kingdom. The news left a bitter taste in Taehyun's mouth.

Until now, Taehyun had been the only one who knew a traitor lurked among the Dungeon Masters. But once the Holy Kingdom launched its counterattack, that information would become worthless. He would lose any leverage he might have had with Seonghwi. Besides, even knowing a traitor existed, he had no idea who it was.

"Alright, I get it," Taehyun conceded. "Contact me immediately if you learn anything else."

A chilling cackle echoed through the connection. "Try to stay alive. If you die before I get the chance to kill you myself, I'll hunt you down in the afterlife and kill you again."

With that, the communication with Junhyun ended. With Mederia and the fairies now at a respectable level, Taehyun returned to his dungeon.

---

"You called for me, Master."

Taehyun had summoned Mederia alone. She had surpassed level 30 in the Ice Palace and was now equipped with frost-infused armor, but she still lacked a proper weapon. With the replenishment of his main forces delayed, he had to at least arm his Guardian.

"I'm going to get you a weapon," he told her.

"You do not have to," she replied softly. "What I have now is enough."

"No. The situation has changed. Just wait." Taehyun opened the weapon shop and scrolled through the selection of bows. Like Grai's sword, most rare-grade weapons were expensive, but he had managed to save a decent amount of Zen from annihilating the raid parties in the ancient ruins—Zen that was supposed to be for rebuilding his army. With a heavy heart, he purchased the bow.

'A B-rank Raider is coming,' he reasoned grimly. 'Simply increasing the number of soldiers is useless. I don't even know if psychological warfare will work on him. For now, my only option is to build a strategy around my two Guardians and the ambush unit.'

If the raid party was B-rank, the rest of its members would be at least C-rank elites from the Holy Kingdom. His monsters, inherently weak to holy power, would be at a severe disadvantage even if they were of a similar rank.

[Bow of Lingering Mana]

[Rank: C]

[Restriction: Rank C or higher]

[Description: A rare-class bow imbued with abundant magic. Increases the user's magic regeneration speed during combat.]

Mederia's primary skill was her Mana Bullet, an ability fueled by her own mana. The Bow of Lingering Mana was a perfect fit.

"Thank you," she whispered, her eyes wide. "This is the first time I've ever received a gift like this."

[B-rank Named Guardian, Mana Bullet Marksman Mederia, is delighted by her Master's gift.]

[Loyalty has increased by 2.]

[Affection has increased by 4.]

Unlike Grai, Mederia seemed genuinely moved.

"Don't thank me yet," Taehyun said, his tone serious. "Things are about to get much harder. This is just preparation for what's to come."

"I will annihilate our enemies," she declared, her voice firm with new resolve.

"I'd appreciate that. You're dismissed."

"Yes, Master."

After she left, Taehyun let out a long sigh. His entire reserve of Zen was gone. Though spent in preparation for the B-rank Raider, the purchase had thrown his long-term plans into disarray. His ambition to conquer the surrounding towns and cities, forging a proper territory, would have to wait.

He stood, ready to return to the original Balak, when Kinjo scrambled into the room, his voice a panicked squeak.

"M-Master Taehyun! A Dungeon Master! Another Dungeon Master is here to visit!"

---

'Tap. Tap.'

Slender fingers drummed a steady rhythm on the reception room table. The woman sitting across from him had her legs crossed, humming a cheerful tune. She was clearly enjoying herself. Unable to stand the tense silence any longer, Taehyun spoke first.

"Why are you here?"

"Because I wanted to see you, of course," she purred. "Hmm. Why don't you try and guess the real reason I came?" Mihye tossed the question back at him with a playful smirk.

Taehyun's jaw tightened as his mind raced. 'To show up so suddenly, at a time like this…'

The Holy Kingdom's assault had thrown every dungeon into chaos. Each master was desperately fending off soldiers and raiders, fighting just to survive. An A-rank master might handle it with ease, but she was B-rank. Even as number one, she was still a prime target. Yet here she was, casually visiting another dungeon. The answer was painfully simple.

"…So you were the traitor," he stated flatly.

"Oh? And what makes you say that?"

"You're the esteemed B-rank number one. Most masters know the location of your dungeon, myself included. So how is it that you, whose territory is right next to the Holy Kingdom, have time to be here right now? The answer is obvious, isn't it?"

"Hmm, but my dungeon is being stormed by Holy Knights and Priests as we speak," she countered, feigning innocence.

"You wouldn't just abandon it unless you're insane," Taehyun shot back. "You must have made a deal with them beforehand. A little show for the other Dungeon Masters, to make it look like you were being attacked, too."

Even allied with the Holy Kingdom, she couldn't take on all the A-rank masters at once. She had likely allowed a token force into her dungeon to create an alibi. Taehyun needed to know her endgame. This visit was a tacit admission of her betrayal, which meant she had come for a reason.

"So, what is it?" he demanded. "What kind of proposal did you come here to make?"

"BWAHAHAHA!" she roared with laughter, the sound echoing in the small room. "You really are charming. Not wrong about a single thing. Just as smart as I expected. That's why…" She licked her lips, her smile turning predatory. "It'd be a waste to kill you."

"…You crazy bitch." The words escaped him before he could stop them. Mihye was talking about his life as if it were some trinket she found mildly interesting.

"Come work for me," she offered. "With Balak in its current state, you'll never be able to stop the raider, Rexner, who's headed your way. Not without help."

Taehyun remained silent.

"But if I lend you a little hand, you might just stand a chance. Of course, in return, you'll spend your days licking my feet. Bwahahaha!" She stood and tossed a small communication device onto the table. "I'll give you some time to think it over. Rexner is scheduled to arrive in a week, so you have until then to decide. Ta-ta for now!"

With that, Mihye sauntered out of the dungeon. Left alone, Taehyun stared at the device for a long moment before smashing it to pieces against the wall.

"You think I can't stop him?" he snarled to the empty room. "Just watch me prove you wrong."

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