Guard duty at dawn was a drag. Hans was supposed to be protecting the village, but all he felt was bored and sleepy. Beyond the fence, there wasn't a monster in sight, not even an animal. He'd been on watch for a month, and the village had remained utterly peaceful.

'That old man worries too much.'

He thought of Renden, the village chief, who was always in a panic. He was sick of the daily lectures on the importance of vigilance. Unable to fight off his drowsiness, Hans slowly began to nod off.

Just then, a figure emerged from the bushes across the clearing.

'So, this is the first target.'

It was the B-rank Hero Guardian, Grai. He had been appointed commander for the village invasion. The village of Melodeun, now visible before him, was their first objective. Fortunately, the guard in the watchtower was fast asleep, oblivious.

'My lord is merciless,' Grai thought, a flicker of admiration in his eyes. 'But he is a Dungeon Master destined to reign supreme. This invasion must succeed.'

He had felt a pang of resistance when Taehyun had used suicide bombers to defeat Rexner, but he had since come to terms with it. A master this ruthless was destined for the throne. Grai signaled to the soldiers concealed behind him.

"Grrrrr."

"Kiek. Kieek."

"Hiss!"

The ambush unit, freshly summoned and armed, tensed for the charge. When Grai's raised hand fell, they surged forward in a wave of savage excitement.

"H-Huh?! Where did these monsters come from?!"

The guard, Hans, jolted awake, but it was too late. Grai's Storm Splitter was already upon him.

"Storm Splitter!"

The powerful blades of wind shattered the wooden fence in a single, explosive blast. The soldiers swarmed into the village, and flames began to lick at the thatched roofs.

"This is… a nightmare," Hans whimpered, collapsing to his knees. The home he had known for years was being torn apart before his eyes.

Grai leaped lightly into the watchtower. The unfamiliar orc loomed over Hans, who trembled in terror.

"This is not a nightmare," Grai's voice was a low growl.

"S-Save me."

"This is reality. Accept it."

The Dragon Flame Sword swept down, and Hans's head tumbled to the floor. Grai glanced at it dispassionately before turning his gaze back to the burning village. Half of Melodeun was already in ruins. The villagers were trying to fight back, but they were being cut down without mercy.

"I will make my lord's name—Balak—known throughout this continent," Grai vowed.

And so, the village of Melodeun became the first sacrifice.

---

Myol was one of the few cities in the West, situated near Partren. Its proximity to the surrounding villages made it a bustling hub for merchant caravans. Nearly all supplies for the villages of the Hairon Forest passed through its gates.

Baron Coris, the lord of Myol, had leveraged this position to maintain a stable income through large-scale trade fairs. With the recent influx of raiders, the city was prospering more than ever. The taxes were low, and the citizens lived well.

Then one day, an unexpected report arrived.

"My Lord Baron!" a knight burst in, breathless. "We have a serious problem!"

"What is all the fuss about?" Coris asked, not looking up from his papers. "Have the merchants thrown another tantrum?"

"It's not that, my lord. The villages in the Hairon Forest… they're being invaded by monsters, one by one!"

"What?!"

Coris shot up from his desk. The forest villages were one of Myol's most vital sources of income. Their destruction would be a devastating blow.

"Where did these monsters come from? Don't my knights patrol the region and cull the wild beasts every month?"

"W-Well, my lord… it seems they are soldiers from a dungeon."

"A dungeon?" Coris repeated, bewildered. "Why would dungeon soldiers, who should be waiting for raiders, be invading villages?"

It happened occasionally, but the area around the Hairon Forest was different. There were no powerful dungeons nearby, and the newer ones had all vanished recently. The few that remained were already being targeted by raiders. It made no sense.

"I believe they are from the dungeon beyond the Arid Plains, my lord."

"That place? Isn't that the one Partren deemed unconquerable? D-Don't tell me…"

"…Yes, my lord. It appears to be the soldiers of the C-rank Dungeon Balak."

Even the local raiders gave Dungeon Balak a wide berth. After it had crushed the Sebastian raid party, its influence had grown until it had suddenly gone quiet. Most assumed it had suffered heavy losses from Viscount Crowley's forces. But now, just two months later, it was on the move again.

"Why in the world would Balak come here?" Coris demanded. "It must have been crippled by Viscount Crowley's army!"

"We have not yet determined the cause, my lord. But it is still just a C-rank dungeon. It may be formidable within its own walls, but it will be no match for us out on the continent."

"We can't be sure," Coris countered, his expression grim. "There are rumors that Balak is responsible for the fall of Lasten. We must proceed with caution. Where are its soldiers heading now?"

The knight unfurled a map and began to trace their path. Suddenly, his hand began to tremble.

"What is it?!" Coris snapped.

"…They're here."

"What do you mean, here?"

"They are coming here," the knight said, his voice barely a whisper. "To Myol."

From the forest villages, they were now targeting the city itself. Coris's face hardened.

"Summon the soldiers and knights at once! We will intercept them before they reach the city!"

"Y-Yes, my lord!"

As the knight scrambled out of the office, Coris, now alone, stared down at the communication device on his desk.

'I truly hoped I would not have to make this call.'

After a long moment of hesitation, he finally picked it up and contacted someone.

---

[You have successfully invaded the village of Melodeun.]

[Through the invasion of Melodeun, Dungeon Balak is slowly becoming known in the western Astral Continent.]

[You have successfully invaded the village of Harun.]

[Through the invasion of Harun, Dungeon Balak is slowly becoming known in the western Astral Continent.]

[You have successfully invaded the village of Vivaldi.]

[Through the invasion of Vivaldi, Dungeon Balak is slowly becoming known in the western Astral Continent.]

In just four days, most of the villages in the Hairon Forest had been wiped out. The Zen gained from each conquest had already surpassed one million, and he had captured hundreds of villagers.

'During the Rexner raid, I held the villagers back to avoid chaos, but things are different now. Hundreds of them will be useful not just for combat, but as a labor force. To conquer this entire region, I'll need their hands.'

The answer was obvious. Even if he conquered the entire territory, he couldn't manage it alone. The most efficient method was to select representatives from among the villagers and have them dedicate themselves to Balak.

'Is there a rule that a Dungeon Master can only raise a dungeon? I'll start with the surrounding area and swallow up the entire territory. Then, I'll utilize it as Balak's territory and create my own villages and cities.' He was concerned about potential betrayal or resistance from the residents, but he figured that as long as he guaranteed their safety, they would eventually be happy to live as part of Balak. Taehyun checked the invaded villages on the world map. Now, only a single village remained before they reached the small city of Myol.

"Hmm. It's about time for Myol to send troops. Why haven't they? The villages in Hylon Forest must be the city's main source of income."

"Perhaps they're just planning to defend the city?"

"No. They're not that stupid. I heard Baron Coris is a noble who hasn't established himself in politics yet. He probably doesn't have any allies to call for aid."

Baron Coris had to stop the dungeon's soldiers with only his own forces. If they chose to defend the city, they would surely lose a war of attrition. Baron Coris had to know that much. Yet, the fact that he still hadn't sent any troops meant something else was going on. As Taehyun looked at the last village, Kron, on the screen, he felt a strange sense of unease.

'What am I forgetting?'

Nothing came to mind immediately. For now, he had to watch Grai and the surprise attack unit. Taehyun focused on the soldiers who had begun the invasion.

Grai's Storm Splitter shattered the barrier, and his soldiers poured into the village. Just then, a name flashed through Taehyun's mind.

A sense of dread coiled in his gut. 'Damn it. Don't go in. Get out of there, now!' He scrambled to order a retreat, but it was too late. His forces were already inside.

"My Lord, something is not right," Grai's voice echoed through their shared link. "There are no humans in the village. There's some kind of unidentifiable liquid on the ground."

'Damn it all. That has to be oil. Get out of the village with your men, now!' Taehyun commanded.

"Understood… What is that?!"

Through Grai's eyes, Taehyun saw a storm of flaming arrows rain down from the sky. Archers had surrounded the village, their volley turning the sky black. In an instant, the village erupted into an inferno, the flames consuming everything in their path. Taehyun frantically pulled his troops back, but fifty of them had already been lost to the blaze.

"Damn it!" he roared, slamming his fist on his command console. "Branch Manager Gelix. That son of a bitch!"

The name that had flashed through his mind belonged to none other than Gelix, the branch manager of the nearby city of Partren.

---

Flames consumed the last village in Hylon Forest. The strategy of dousing the area in oil and positioning archers to fire flaming arrows had been brutally effective.

"Well? Are you satisfied?" Gelix asked, a smug tone in his voice.

"Hmm. Remarkable," Baron Coris conceded. "They may have escaped, but we eliminated at least a third of them. It's a shame to lose the last village, but under the circumstances, it's an acceptable loss."

Dozens of soldiers, who had charged in completely unaware, were now nothing but ash. The advance toward Myol had been stalled. Coris turned to Gelix, the architect of this victory, with a look of gratitude.

"Thank you for your help," he said. "If it were not for you, my men would have been sacrificed for nothing."

"Not at all," Gelix replied smoothly. "In fact, I was delighted you contacted me. Balak has always been a thorn in my side. This should serve as a solid blow."

"Is that so? A relief, then."

"By the way," Gelix's voice dropped, his eyes gleaming like a fox's, "about the condition we agreed upon for stopping Balak…"

A cold sweat broke out on Coris's brow under that predatory gaze. He nodded stiffly. "Of course. You have my word. If you stop Balak, I will arrange an introduction to Count Dinen."

Count Dinen Pradio. He was the only noble of significant power with whom Coris had any connection. In truth, he'd only met the man a few times, but stopping Balak was so urgent that he'd offered the connection as a bargaining chip.

"Ahaha," Gelix chuckled, waving a dismissive hand. "I did not mean to pressure you. I was merely seeking confirmation. My apologies if I startled you, Baron Coris."

"Not at all, not at all," Coris stammered. "How could I refuse such a simple request when you are doing so much for me? Rest assured."

"Then I shall trust you, my lord Baron." Bowing deeply, Gelix began to withdraw his archers.

Coris glared at the man's retreating back before letting out a long sigh. 'This is why I hesitated to contact him. In the end, I'm forced to grant another impossible request.'

Gelix, the branch manager of the Partren Raider Association, had once been a nobody. But ever since he'd somehow forged a connection with the powerful Peyton Ducal Family, he'd become a dangerously influential figure.

'But if he's already tied to the Peyton Duchy, why is he so desperate to meet Count Dinen?' Coris wondered, unable to fathom the man's true intentions.

Meanwhile, Gelix watched the burning village with a deeply satisfied smile. 'We've never met, but we know each other, don't we? Dungeon Master of Balak. Let's see what you've got.'

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