[You have successfully defended against the B-rank raid party's attack.]

[Defense Rank: S]

[You have acquired 250,000 Zen as a bonus for the S-rank defense.]

[The experience of Balak's soldiers increases by 700.]

[The combat experience of the Goblins has increased slightly.]

[The combat experience of the Orcs has increased slightly.]

[The combat experience of the Wyverns has increased slightly.]

[The combat experience of the Lizardmen has increased slightly.]

[The combat experience of the Fairies has increased slightly.]

[The combat experience of the Trolls has increased slightly.]

[The combat experience of the Minotaurs has increased slightly.]

[The loyalty of Balak's soldiers decreases by 10.]

[The obedience of Balak's soldiers decreases by 5.]

[You have acquired 3 C-rank raider corpses.]

[You have captured 46 C-rank raiders.]

[You have captured 1 B-rank raider.]

[You have acquired 15,000 Zen from the corpses of the Rexner Raid Party's raiders.]

[You have obtained all equipment and items from the Rexner Raid Party.]

The raid by the B-rank Rexner Raid Party was over. They had broken through to the final room using Time Freeze, but Balak had managed a last-ditch reversal with suicide bombs.

'I earned a decent amount of Zen, but their loyalty and obedience took a big hit.'

He had gained much from this defense, but he had also lost a great deal. He'd lost his entire ambush unit, and half of his soldiers had been killed by the raiders. On top of that, the soldiers who died as suicide bombs had caused a drop in morale across the board; their loyalty and obedience had fallen because he had sacrificed them.

'Still, stopping a B-rank raid party is a victory.'

He had blocked the Holy Kingdom's preemptive strike and completely shattered Mihye Han's expectations. She must have known the true strength of the Rexner Raid Party. She might not have known about Time Freeze, but she knew they were an opponent that Balak, a mere C-rank dungeon, should not have been able to stop.

But Mihye Han had been too simplistic in her assessment.

'The size of the dungeon isn't everything, you fucking bitch.'

Just as he had proven when he stopped Sebastian's raid party, Taehyun didn't fight with brute force alone. He didn't employ the same tired strategies as every other Dungeon Master. He faced his enemies with his own unique style, with psychological warfare being a key component. He never fought with the simple mindset of just defending.

Surely Mihye Han, the top-ranked B-rank, knew this to some extent. And yet, she had judged him solely on Balak's stage of development, likely clinging to the fixed idea that there were limits to what strategy and psychology could achieve. By stopping this raid party, Taehyun had landed a heavy blow against her arrogance.

'I may accept help, but I will never serve under anyone. How dare she treat me like a toy.'

Taehyun wasn't one to let an attack go unanswered, not even from Hyuntae, who had bared his fangs first. The B-rank number one, Mihye Han, would be no exception.

'I'll lay low for now. But when the time is right, I'll be sure to bite back.'

---

First, he needed to replace the soldiers who had died. Most of them were D-rank, and he was tempted to use this opportunity to upgrade his entire force to C-rank. But D-rank soldiers still had their uses. The ambush unit led by Grai, which had been composed almost entirely of D-rank soldiers, was proof of that.

'It's foolish to only summon soldiers that match my own rank. Even low-rank soldiers have unique strengths and weaknesses. If utilized properly, they can be incredibly useful.'

D-rank Goblins, for instance, were specialized in reconnaissance and ambushes. While their stats were lower, they were invaluable when operated as a specialized unit. Taehyun summoned a mix of D-rank and C-rank soldiers.

[Intermediate Goblin × 30]

[Intermediate Lizardman × 15]

[Intermediate Orc × 20]

[Intermediate Wild Dog × 10]

[Intermediate Fairy × 10]

It was a total of 85 soldiers, all of the Intermediate sub-rank. With his Zen reserves low and shop prices rising, he couldn't afford a random summon.

'I won't get greedy. I can always increase my soldier population or raise the dungeon's rank later. For now, this will have to be enough.'

Taehyun sent the newly summoned soldiers to the ruins with Grai, then placed a call to Junhyun.

—"Hey! You're alive, Taehyun Yoo. You're so damn hard to kill, it must be fate that I'm the one who gets to end you. Hehehehe!"

"Shut up," Taehyun cut in. "What happened to the dungeons the Holy Kingdom attacked?"

—"What do you think happened? About half the Dungeon Masters are dead. Those Holy Kingdom fanatics are on a complete rampage."

The situation was more serious than he'd thought. Even accounting for the Dungeon Masters who hadn't attended the meeting, losing half their number was a staggering blow. And since the demons weren't intervening, it seemed the full-scale invasion of the Holy Kingdom would proceed as planned. All of this, because of a single traitor.

It wasn't a matter of perspective; she was undeniably a traitor. But Taehyun had no intention of revealing that fact just yet. By visiting Balak, she had essentially announced her betrayal herself.

'How should I interpret this? Is it just confidence? Or did she intentionally let me know?'

Either way, it didn't change the fact that Mihye Han was a lunatic. The former seemed more likely.

'But she's only number one among the B-ranks, not overall. Taking on all the Dungeon Masters alone would be suicide. Does that mean she has a faction, like Seung-hoon?'

The most likely backer was the Holy Kingdom. Since she had sold them information, she was bound to have some kind of relationship with them. Of course, that didn't mean she was their full-fledged ally. The Holy Kingdom's zealots despised demons to an extreme degree. From this, he could surmise two possibilities.

'One, someone in her faction holds a high position within the Holy Kingdom. Two, she has a contract that connects her to only a specific part of the Holy Kingdom.'

He needed more information on her. Now that she knew he had survived the Rexner Raid Party, she would undoubtedly make another move.

'She'll either see me as a nuisance or become even more interested.'

He had his own plans to execute, and the invasion was only two months away. Mihye Han's interference would be a major complication, especially if he had to worry about her faction as well. For now, Taehyun planned to align himself with Seung-hoon.

'I can gauge the strength of Seung-hoon's faction during the invasion. For now, I'll just dip my toes in.'

Like Mihye, Seung-hoon's side would surely show more interest once they learned he had stopped the Rexner Raid Party. They would be a useful check against Mihye's faction.

—"Hey. So, what happened to Rexner? Or Han Seongjun, whatever. Did you kill him?" Junhyun's voice broke through his thoughts.

"None of your business," Taehyun snapped. "That's all I wanted to ask. I'm hanging up."

—"You son of a—"

Taehyun cut the connection and leaned back in his chair. Facing such a strong opponent after Sebastian's raid had left him mentally exhausted. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

---

The Ainkart Holy Kingdom's demon extermination campaign raged on for nearly two more weeks. Dungeons across the continent fell one by one, and about half of all Dungeon Masters were killed. The crusade caused friction with other kingdoms and empires, but the Holy Kingdom's stance remained unwavering.

"What reason is needed to exterminate the evil demons?" they declared.

As a result, relations between the nations soured, and the Raider Association was caught in the crossfire. A few days later, another crisis erupted: the raiders' livelihood was threatened.

"Demon extermination is one thing, but are you trying to cut off our income?!"

"We have families to feed! What are we supposed to do for a living?!"

"Half the dungeons on the continent are gone! You think we'd be happy about that?!"

Raiders began to protest the Holy Kingdom's unilateral dungeon clearing. The Raider Association wasn't directly involved, but as riots broke out in cities across various nations, they were inevitably dragged into the conflict. The situation escalated until the kingdoms began pressuring the Association, demanding a crackdown. The Association's president, Anderno, responded swiftly by revoking the qualifications of some raiders, but the fierce backlash only grew.

Amidst the rising tension, something no one expected happened.

"Hey, look at this! The radar is picking up new dungeons."

"They say new dungeons have suddenly appeared all over the continent."

"New dungeons! We're saved!"

All across the continent, new dungeons had appeared.

---

"Hmph. That's Duke Nikunbel for you," Mihye Han mused. "So he calculated even this far ahead. Selecting new Dungeon Masters… what a truly demonic idea."

He had planned for any hitches in the Holy Kingdom invasion, and even for the possibility of its failure. He had simply summoned a new wave of Dungeon Masters to restore the dungeon population. Perhaps Duke Nikunbel was even aware of the Dungeon Masters' personal factions.

"A man that meticulous would have to be, to hold sway over the Demon World without a Demon King," Wigan said. "We should assume our faction has already been discovered."

"Oh my, what's gotten into our dear Wigan?" Mihye purred. "Don't tell me you're scared of some high-ranking demon? An S-rank raider like you?"

An S-rank raider—a being whose identity was almost completely unknown. They operated on a different level from A-rank raiders, their identities shrouded in secrecy. The same was true for S-rank Dungeon Masters, yet one was sitting right across from her.

Wigan chuckled at her taunt and drained his glass.

"By the way, do you know why I'm here?" he asked.

"Aah, let me think for a moment… hmm," she said, feigning concentration.

"Ha. Take all the time you need."

Mihye pressed her fingers to her temple, pretending to ponder his reason for visiting. But she soon sighed and gave up.

"I'm not doing it. My head hurts."

"Tsk. You can't even last a minute," he chided. "I'll just tell you. You're aware that half the Dungeon Masters died in the Holy Kingdom's recent preemptive strike, right?"

"Mhm. Of course. I've been so sad about it lately," she pouted. "I really liked that boy, Taehyun Yoo."

The C-rank rookie Dungeon Master, Taehyun Yoo. He was the one Mihye Han had been most interested in lately. But after the B-rank Rexner Raid Party had set out for Balak, she had all but given up on him.

"Hmph. You wanted him that badly?" Wigan asked.

"Of course," she said. "I was the one who told them the Rexner Raid Party was going to attack. I was planning to use that to make him my new toy, of course."

"Then that's a relief."

"…What's a relief?" Mihye's expression grew serious. He wouldn't have mentioned Taehyun without a reason.

"That Dungeon Master, Taehyun Yoo," Wigan said slowly. "He's still alive."

"You're lying."

"It's true. I haven't been able to contact Rexner for two weeks. Just in case, I went to the Valley of Silence and activated my radar… and sure enough, Balak was still there. Isn't that totally surprising?"

The radar used by an S-rank raider was far superior to a normal one. It could even scan the interior of nearby dungeons and confirm the presence of a Dungeon Master. Only then did Mihye realize he was telling the truth.

'Clang.'

The glass fell from her hand. Wigan shook his head at her unnerving expression.

"Taehyun Yoo," she whispered, her voice husky. "He's such a charming man. I want him. I must make him mine."

"There she goes again," Wigan sighed.

"But with Balak's current level of development, it should have been impossible for him to defend against them! And yet, he survived, overturning even my expectations. This is the second time he's surprised me, after subduing Sebastian. Ah! I wonder how much more he'll surprise me when he finally has me in his bed?"

"…Hmph."

Balak's rank was indeed C. Its development and military strength were remarkably low, and its scale was small. The fact that he had stopped the B-rank Rexner Raid Party meant that Taehyun possessed something special.

'In what way is he a monster?' Wigan wondered. 'Strategy? Tactics? Psychology? Or did he receive the blessing of the goddess of fortune?'

The questions were intriguing. Whatever the answer, he was certainly a player to watch. Wigan raised his glass again and glanced at Mihye. She had already slipped a hand beneath her dress, squirming in her seat.

"Aaaah! Taehyun," she moaned.

"Hey. Stop that."

"Haaaaah!"

"Tsk."

Wigan sighed and decided to ignore her.

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