"Draxler is dead, we've lost communication with Loquin, Shape has returned, and Alex has returned," Villain reported.

Of the four top-tier B-rank raiders, only two had come back alive, and all their C-rank support had been wiped out. They hadn't conquered a single one of Balak's three dungeons, and in doing so, had failed Count Dinen's test. Villain's report was enough to make Gelix sigh in frustration.

"I had my doubts, but I never thought even the top-tier B-rankers would fail," Gelix mused. "At this rate, it'll be difficult to treat Balak as a simple B-rank dungeon."

"Sir, weren't you the one who considered the possibility of failure from the start?" Villain pointed out.

"…Of course, I did. At least it's a relief that troublesome Draxler has been eliminated. That bastard would have started questioning me about Balak the moment he returned. The disposal was handled perfectly, I trust?"

If he had to choose between Count Dinen and Duke Peyton, the choice, for now, was clear. The Peyton Duchy provided immense support, and he couldn't afford to lose such a powerful backer by having Junhyun's contract exposed.

"The disposal was flawless, sir. However, the Dungeon Master of Balak likely witnessed it on his screen."

"That doesn't matter. It was bound to be revealed to him eventually. He can't exactly sell that information to the Raider Association, so we have nothing to worry about on that front. The one I'm concerned about right now is Loquin."

"Loquin was dragged away by a Guardian. It's doubtful she's even alive."

Loquin, the top-tier B-rank puppeteer. She had achieved great success in the raid through her puppets, but in the end, a Guardian had captured her. Once a raider is taken by a Dungeon Master, it's nearly impossible to confirm their status.

However, Gelix suspected Loquin was still alive.

"Oh, she's alive. He'll have either tortured her or forced her into another contract to pull her into Balak's fold. I heard Loquin only became a puppeteer because she developed a crippling fear of death after a near-fatal encounter. She would have begged for her life."

"Still, she's a top-tier B-rank raider. Would she really stoop to begging?"

"It's just a guess, but the probability is high," Gelix said, his voice firm. "For now, I will contact Count Dinen again. You are in charge of the branch until I return, Villain."

"Understood."

Leaving the Partren branch in Villain's hands, Gelix departed to meet with Count Dinen once more.

---

"Gelix, Branch Manager of the small western city of Partren," Count Dinen began, his fingers drumming an impatient rhythm on the table. "Did I assign you such an impossible task?" His expression was thunderous.

'He has every right to be furious,' Gelix thought. 'He personally lent out top-tier B-rank raiders under his name, and I've gone and tarnished it.'

The Dinen family's influence within the kingdom was considerable. The failure of the Balak raid had already sent ripples of gossip throughout the continent. While the raid attempt was officially under Gelix's name, the commission for the top-tier raiders had come directly from Count Dinen. The raider guilds would undoubtedly be buzzing with the news that Count Dinen's chosen champions had failed.

"I am deeply disappointed," the count declared, pushing back his chair to stand. "Let us pretend this conversation never happened."

'Not yet.'

Gelix's eyes tracked the count's feet. One step. Two steps. Three. Just as he was about to take the fourth, Gelix played his trump card.

"Haven Territory, the Wailing Wall," he said calmly. "I've heard it is a territory that has never once fallen to an enemy invasion."

The count froze. The mention of Haven Territory had stopped him in his tracks. He turned, his eyes blazing with fury.

"That is not a matter for you to concern yourself with. Do you wish to lose your head?"

"I also heard you have been waging a territory war with the Dietrich Marquisate for three long years," Gelix continued, unfazed.

"…What nonsense are you trying to spew now?"

"Marquis Dietrich's Haven Territory. Would you believe me if I told you I could bring down that Wailing Wall?"

Count Dinen's eyes widened in shock. Haven Territory. The impenetrable fortress he had been trying to conquer for three years, the Wailing Wall that had stubbornly resisted his every assault. And this man was claiming he could bring it down? It was utterly unbelievable.

Nevertheless, Count Dinen returned to his seat.

"That is an absurd claim, but I will hear you out," he said, his tone making it clear that one wrong word would be Gelix's last.

A slow, cunning smile spread across Gelix's face as he leaned forward, resting his arms on the table. Every word from this point on was critical. He had prepared the matter of Haven Territory as his final gambit long ago. He hadn't had a chance to bring it up during their last meeting due to the sudden discussion of Balak, but he had anticipated this outcome.

'Whether I played this card after succeeding in the raid or after failing, the result is the same. Count Dinen will ultimately accept me.'

He had set the board long before their first meeting. Gelix deliberately revealed only a fraction of his plan to conquer Haven Territory. Even so, the count's face was a mask of astonishment.

"Y-you intend to use such a method?"

"And that is not all," Gelix added smoothly. "If you would only accept me, I will reveal the rest of my detailed strategy."

"You bastard!" Count Dinen roared, slamming his fist on the table. "Are you toying with me?!"

He was clearly trying to project rage, yet on his face…

'He's taken the bait.'

…was a distinct smile of satisfaction.

"Please transfer me to the headquarters," Gelix requested. "I do not mind starting from the very bottom. I will become Count Dinen's faithful dog."

"Puhahaha! A dog? You are no dog!"

"Then what am I?"

"You, sir, are a fox! An old fox, without a doubt!" the count boomed, shooting up from his chair. "Come to the county estate by tomorrow. We will discuss the details then."

"Understood," Gelix replied, rising to his feet and extending a hand.

Count Dinen laughed heartily and clasped it. "You're not going to bite me in the back later, are you?"

"Even if a fox were to bite you," Gelix said with a thin smile, "how much could it possibly hurt?"

"Puhahaha! That's true, I suppose."

And just like that, Gelix secured his second powerful backer.

---

Four top-tier B-rank raiders had failed to conquer a B-rank dungeon. The news spread like wildfire among the raider community. The Raider Association tried to contain the story, but it was too late; rumors were already flying across the continent.

"I heard Draxler is dead and Loquin never came back."

"Loquin, huh? Always wanted to get her into my bed. What a shame!"

"Give it up. As if she'd ever sleep with a pig like you. Tsk."

News of Balak had even reached the southern Plington Kingdom, where it had become a hot topic of conversation, especially in the central city of Jeir.

Inside a famous tavern, the story was on everyone's lips. At a table by the window, one man listened with particular interest.

'He's already devoured two top-tier B-rank raiders? He's becoming more and more of a predator.'

Balak had become a dungeon that was causing a stir across the continent. Sebastian—no, Junhyun—smirked and drained his glass.

There was about a month and a half left on the contract. He'd thought he had gotten ahead by reaching B-rank first, but Taehyun had already surpassed him, devouring even top-tier B-rankers. They were both B-rank, but the gap between them was now undeniable.

Junhyun finished his meal and strode out of the tavern.

'Then I suppose it's time I started showing off my own skills.'

An A-rank dungeon raid was already on his schedule. With A-rank raiders participating, he was certain to achieve significant results. Preparing himself for the day to come, Junhyun headed straight for his inn.

---

[Raider Player's Final Goal]

[Conquer S-Rank or Higher Dungeons 0/1000]

[Defeat Named Rank or Higher Dungeon Masters 0/1000]

[Raise Raider Rank to SSS-Rank 0/1]

[Obtain the Title of Hero 0/1]

Rain poured from the heavens that day, a relentless, gray sheet. When he opened his eyes, he was in a completely different world, a place people called the Astral Continent.

For Junhyun, who had been nothing more than an ordinary office worker, the continent was terrifyingly alien. He'd been designated a Raider Player and given his final objectives, but all he felt was a paralyzing fear. He, a man who had lived a mundane, repetitive life, was now being ordered to conquer dungeons. It was unfair, and it filled him with a dread so profound it was suffocating.

"Why raid dungeons? It's obvious, isn't it? It's our livelihood. To earn Zen, raiders have no choice."

"You from another continent or something? You can't call yourself a raider if you're scared of dying. Join a party and get out there."

"Hmph. A rookie like you has no place here. Get lost."

The raiders of this world all risked their lives for a single reason: to earn Zen. Junhyun couldn't comprehend it, but with no way back to his own world, he had no choice but to try and survive as one of them.

And so, with a hastily assembled party, Junhyun challenged a D-rank dungeon for the first time.

Countless monsters, devious traps, and powerful items wielded by the Dungeon Master. Everything was unfamiliar. He gritted his teeth and fought, not to win, but simply to not die. No, he mostly just endured. What did an office worker who only ever shuffled papers know about raiding? He just swung his sword a few times from behind his comrades.

Somehow, the party managed to reach the final room. Junhyun, believing the ordeal was finally over, allowed himself to relax.

But that day, the raid ended in failure.

"Aaaargh!"

"H-help me!"

"I don't want to die! I don't want to die!"

A swarm of unexpectedly powerful Lizardmen in the final room wiped out the entire party. Junhyun was left alone, seconds away from sharing their fate.

"Kieeeek!"

A Lizardman's scimitar sliced through the air toward him. Junhyun squeezed his eyes shut. In that instant, his life flashed before him, a torrent of memories that swelled his heart with a final, desperate emotion.

But death did not come. When he dared to open his eyes, the scimitar was frozen, its edge a hair's breadth from his neck.

"You're a Raider Player, aren't you?"

The voice belonged to the Dungeon Master. A young man with fiery red hair had suddenly appeared, ordering the Lizardman to stand down as he approached.

"D-Dungeon Master," Junhyun stammered.

"That's right. And you're a Raider Player."

"P-please, spare me!" Junhyun begged, his voice cracking. "I was just an ordinary office worker! I never wanted any of this!"

He groveled pathetically. The Dungeon Master considered him for a moment, then, with a sigh, spared his life.

"I've saved you once, so try to make the most of it, Mr. Office Worker."

Junhyun was instantly ejected from the dungeon. He was bewildered, but the overwhelming relief of survival washed over him, and hot tears streamed down his face. The dungeon—a place of killing and being killed, something he had never imagined—was nothing short of hell.

After that day, he refused to go on any more raids. He wandered the cities, perhaps searching for a way back to his own world. But no such method existed. Instead, he was met only with cold, hungry days.

A raider who doesn't raid doesn't earn Zen. Junhyun knew this, but he couldn't bring himself to set foot in a dungeon ever again.

Eventually, he collapsed on a dirty street with a thump, on the verge of starving to death. He had no more tears to shed, no strength left to move. All he could do was wait for death in numb despair.

How much time passed like that? As people passed by, ignoring the dying man in the gutter, a large, ornate carriage stopped before him. Junhyun stared at it with hollow eyes. From within, a man extended a hand.

"Are you alright? Can you stand?"

They were the first kind words he had heard in days. A fresh wave of tears choked him, and he couldn't answer. The man paused, then ordered his knights to lift Junhyun into the carriage.

And the carriage…

---

He awoke from a long dream, his body drenched in a cold sweat. His face was twisted in a grimace of disgust. The dream had dredged up a memory he had tried so hard to forget. It was nothing short of a nightmare.

Junhyun rose from his bed and grabbed his scythe. He was certain he had heard footsteps just outside his door. He kicked the door open, scythe raised to strike.

At that moment, a familiar face appeared in the doorway.

"It is I," the man said calmly.

It was Rudin, a knight of the Peyton Duchy.

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