The reason the time limit was never mentioned, the reason there was no clear objective for the invasion, the reason for the hidden rules, the reason for the item restriction, and the reason for the barrier that prevented retreat—it was all part of a single, elaborate stage set by Duke Nikunbel.

The magic circle and the barrier were always meant to disappear. Yet the Dungeon Masters, conditioned by the game-like System, had blindly trusted the system messages and come unprepared. Many had mistaken the invasion for just another event, never questioning the details that were conveniently left out.

'So we have to survive and escape on our own?' Taehyun thought grimly. Some of them must have assumed the magic circle and barrier would last until the invasion either succeeded or failed. Instead, Nikunbel had factored in the Contribution Points and simply ended the event on the twentieth day. The result: failure.

Taehyun had anticipated the general outcome, but he had foolishly assumed they would be automatically returned once the item restriction was lifted. Now, with the barrier gone, reinforcements could pour in from other cities. And, of course, they would all rush to defend the capital.

A cold sweat broke out on his brow as he watched the tide of Hendal's forces swarming from the distance. 'Hendal seems to have taken almost no damage; their numbers are staggering. And the timing… the reinforcements arriving just as the magic circle and barrier disappeared, right as Partisan launched its all-out attack… It all lines up too perfectly. What the hell happened?'

Hendal was close to the capital, but for reinforcements to arrive so quickly after the barrier fell was unbelievable. Their soldiers were in pristine condition, their numbers undiminished, as if they had never even fought a single battle. And Partisan had launched its final offensive at that exact moment. It was too coordinated to be a coincidence. It was as if they had known precisely when the barrier would break and had timed their request for support to match it.

'What the hell were the Dungeon Masters assigned to Hendal doing?' he raged internally. 'They barely made a dent in the city, and there's no sign they even tried to stop the reinforcements!'

He had used the barrier to hide in the forest, but now that very position made him the first target for the approaching army. Shoving aside his questions about the Hendal Dungeon Masters, he prepared to flee.

"M-Master Taehyun! You must escape! The reinforcements are coming!" Kinjo cried out.

"I know!" Taehyun snapped. "But where do we run?!"

In front of him lay the Holy Kingdom's main army. Behind him, Hendal's reinforcements. Trapped between them were the scattered, panicked Dungeon Masters. With cliffs walling them in on both sides of the plains, there was no escape. Even if he joined the other masters, they would simply be crushed between the two forces. His eyes darted around, desperately searching for an escape route.

"My Lord," Grai said, his voice a low rumble. "Can you not use an item to escape?"

"Why do you think I'm still standing here?" Taehyun shot back, his frustration boiling over. "I didn't bring any! Damn it! I was so focused on the hidden rules that I did something incredibly stupid."

"Hmm. Since my lord's soldiers are unharmed, how about we break a path through the reinforcements?" Grai suggested, drawing his Fire Dragon and Ice Dragon Swords and settling into a battle stance. The other soldiers in the forest mirrored his resolve, drawing their own weapons.

But Taehyun, assessing the situation with cold clarity, shook his head. "Those are fresh troops who haven't taken any damage. And there's probably an Archbishop among them. Even with our forces intact, it's suicide. We have to find another way!"

As confusion and fear mounted, the reinforcements drew ever closer. Just then, a group of C-rank Dungeon Masters, having fled the Holy Kingdom's main army, stumbled into the forest.

"D-damn it! The reinforcements are already here! There's no way out!" one of them panted.

"We don't have any items! What do we do?"

"Huh. Isn't that Taehyun Yoo over there? The C-rank number one?!"

Spotting Taehyun, the C-rank masters' fear instantly curdled into hostility.

"That bastard!" one of them spat. "He acted all polite at the meeting, but he was hiding here the whole time!"

"I thought he was assigned to another city," another snarled. "That bastard fed me false information at the meeting! I was suspicious, but he completely blindsided me!"

"'Subdued the Sebastian raid party,' my ass! Look at him, the coward ran all the way here! He just scraped together 140,000 points and went into hiding!"

With a roar, the C-rank masters sent their dungeon soldiers charging forward.

"You fucking morons!" Taehyun bellowed, his voice raw with fury. "Is this really the time to air your petty grudges? We should be working together or running for our lives, you idiots!"

He had no time to deal with this. His eyes blazed as he scolded them, but they didn't listen. It was as if they had already given up and were intent on taking him down with them.

"Let's finish this quickly," Grai growled, dropping from a tree branch and releasing his formidable aura. But they were facing nearly eight hundred enemy soldiers. It wasn't a fight that could be won quickly, and the reinforcements would be upon them before it was over.

Taehyun's gaze flickered between the approaching army and the charging C-rank masters, his mind racing. He couldn't find a solution.

"What do I… Huh?"

Suddenly, a figure appeared on the branch next to him.

"…Taehyun. This way."

It was the girl who had introduced herself as Songyi Han. She held a small doll in one hand and extended the other toward him.

Taehyun glanced down at the enemy soldiers below, then back at her outstretched hand. He took it.

[A-rank Dungeon Master Songyi Han's Short-Range Teleport is being cast.]

[C-rank Dungeon Master Taehyun Yoo and his soldiers will be moved together.]

His vision flickered. In the next instant, Taehyun and the soldiers of Balak vanished from the forest. The charging C-rank masters skidded to a halt, looking around in bewilderment. But their targets were gone, vanished without a trace.

Left alone, they were swallowed by the tide of the Holy Kingdom's reinforcements.

---

"Well, look who it is. Newbie. It's been a while."

"Yo, Newbie!"

"Taehyun, was it? It's been almost twenty days."

Voices echoed out of the darkness. Taehyun opened his tightly shut eyes and took in his surroundings. "…Where is this?"

Somehow, he had been transported from the forest floor to the top of a high cliff. He looked around in confusion at the members of the Resistance gathered there. At the edge of the cliff, Seonghwi turned from his vantage point overlooking the plains, a bright smile on his face as he gestured to his side.

"It's one of Songyi's skills," he explained cheerfully. "You're part of the Resistance, so I figured we should save you."

"...Teleportation."

"Correct. By the way, I never thought the rookie who appeared like a shooting star would forget to bring a return item. I must say, I'm disappointed."

As he spoke, Seonghwi's narrow, sunken eyes opened, and he fixed Taehyun with a glare. It was the gaze of an S-rank Dungeon Master, sharp and laced with killing intent.

'Is he reprimanding me? Or just testing me?' Taehyun wondered. Based on his brief impression, Seonghwi didn't seem the type to reprimand others. The Resistance itself had a relaxed atmosphere, and infighting was strictly forbidden. This had to be a test.

Taehyun scratched his head and offered a sheepish smile. "I'm not very perceptive, so I guess it slipped my mind. In any case, thank you for saving me."

"…Well, if you're going to thank someone, thank Songyi. She's the one who insisted we save you."

"Ah, I see."

Seonghwi turned back to look down at the battlefield below. Whatever he had been looking for, he seemed to have let it go for now. 'His mood is completely different from when we first met,' Taehyun noted. 'Is he angry about something?' The faction leader was impossible to read.

Breathing an inward sigh of relief, Taehyun turned his head. Songyi was still holding his hand, staring at him intently.

"S-sorry," he stammered, pulling his hand away. "I was holding on this whole time."

"…It's okay."

"Uhm, well, thank you for insisting they rescue me. I'm alive thanks to you, Ms. Songyi." Though she looked young, she was an A-rank Dungeon Master. He couldn't afford to be informal.

Songyi nodded silently, her fingers fidgeting. She looked vaguely disappointed, but Taehyun quickly turned away. One by one, the other Resistance members began using items to teleport away.

'Did they wait for me?'

Soon, only Seonghwi, Taehyun, and Songyi remained. Songyi tugged on Taehyun's sleeve and handed him a communication device.

"…Contact me," she said, her voice soft. "My name is Songyi Han. Make sure you remember it."

"Ah, yes."

"Bye." With a small wave, she too vanished. She was as unreadable as Seonghwi, just in a different way.

Taehyun stood there blankly for a moment before the most important fact dawned on him. 'Wait a minute. Did they just bring me here to save me? How am I supposed to get back?'

The soldiers of Balak stood behind him, equally clueless. Among them, only Grai was glaring daggers at Seonghwi.

"Don't panic. I'll send you back," Seonghwi said, his voice losing its cheerful edge. "And you, the orc with the tattoos, stop glaring. I'm in a very bad mood right now."

"I see. Hey, Grai, that's enough," Taehyun commanded.

"…Understood." At his master's order, Grai took a step back.

Seonghwi sighed, turning away from the carnage below. "You know, all the Resistance members who were in Hendal died. We were communicating just fine, and then… silence."

"…What?"

"It seems to be the work of that faction you told me about," Seonghwi continued, his voice grim. "Attacking an A-rank Dungeon Master out of the blue, cutting off communications beforehand… they're definitely connected to those reinforcements."

The Resistance members in Hendal were A-rank masters. Seonghwi must have been receiving real-time updates from them. Despite his carefree demeanor, he was clearly a competent leader. At the mention of Mihye's faction, Taehyun's eyes hardened.

'So that bitch had other Dungeon Masters working for her,' he realized. 'And they killed the Resistance members to cut off communications. She's no joke.' This meant the Resistance wasn't as overwhelmingly powerful as he'd thought. It was an exclusive faction, inviting only those with exceptional talent, all united by the goal of conquering the Demon World. If their A-rank masters had been defeated, Mihye's faction was a force to be reckoned with.

Taehyun frowned, sensing things were about to get much more complicated. Then, something Seonghwi said snagged his attention.

'Wait a minute. If they're connected to the reinforcements, that means Mihye killed all the other Dungeon Masters in Hendal. Does that mean her ally in the Holy Kingdom holds a very high position?'

It was possible, if they had used information about the magic circle and barrier to seize command. Mihye must have sent a signal for the Hendal forces to be scouted. Her ally would have confirmed the Dungeon Masters were annihilated and then requested support.

'She targeted the masters in Partisan right after Hendal. Is she trying to take on every Dungeon Master? And her ally… that bastard knew about the magic circle and barrier from the very beginning. He must have known before it started flickering. Otherwise, there would be no reason to wipe out the Hendal masters in advance.'

A chill ran down his spine. It wasn't just an alliance with the Holy Kingdom; she was using an ally to control it from within. A profound sense of crisis washed over him as he faced Seonghwi.

'I can't just relax because I've joined the Resistance.' He had only intended to get a foot in the door, but it was clear he couldn't hide in their shadow for long.

"What are you thinking so hard about?" Seonghwi asked, breaking the silence. "I'm not blaming you. You're the one who told me about that bitch Mihye's faction. I'm grateful for that. This just gives me another reason to crush them."

His stern expression softened as he handed Taehyun a return item. "I really can't stand it when my comrades die. I'll get my revenge, and I'll keep them in check for you, just as you asked."

"Thank you."

"For now, just grow strong under our protection. You have potential. You'll become an incredible Dungeon Master." Seonghwi started to walk past him, then paused, turning his head slightly to give him a meaningful look. "And if you don't… I'll eat you up you myself, Taehyun Yoo."

With that, Seonghwi vanished, returning to his dungeon.

Left alone on the cliff, Taehyun stared blankly at the spot where he had disappeared. Then, the corners of his mouth twisted into a cold, bitter smile.

"I don't give a damn whether your comrades live or die," he whispered to the wind. "And just as you said, I'll grow strong. Strong enough to devour you before you can devour me."

---

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