Rudin, with a solemn expression, gently pushed the scythe from his neck and bowed his head. He had been assigned to follow Junhyun by Duke Peyton's order, and tonight was no different.

"Haa, it was you," Junhyun sighed. "Don't you ever get tired of this? I told you to stop following me."

"I cannot, sir. My lord ordered me not to leave your side…"

The scythe's blade returned to the knight's throat with a soft swoosh.

"It's overprotective, that's what it is," Junhyun snarled. "Because of that old geezer, I have to look at your tiresome face every single day. It's getting on my nerves."

Rudin was the most loyal of Duke Peyton's dogs. He had undoubtedly accepted this escort mission with pride. But in terms of raider rank, he was a C-rank at best. Now that Junhyun was a B-rank, the knight was more of a hindrance than a protector.

Junhyun finally lowered the scythe and sighed in exasperation. Duke Peyton's coddling was becoming a heavy burden.

"My lord is always worried about you, Sir Sebastian. Please, just understand that."

"…Tch. Damn old fool."

"In any case, are you finally raiding the A-rank dungeon today?"

"Yeah. Antelos. It was deemed unconquerable in Jeir, but the A-rank raider Wuther managed to get permission. All that's left is to clear it."

He glanced out the window and saw the first light of dawn breaking over the horizon. Junhyun watched the growing light, a slow, predatory smile spreading across his face.

Just then, Rudin dropped to one knee, bowing his head low.

"I will accompany you."

"Don't, unless you want to die," Junhyun shot back. "If anything happens to you, I'll be the one getting an earful from that old man."

"But—"

"No 'buts.' You're only C-rank. I couldn't get you in even if I wanted to. Now get out of my sight."

The raid party consisted of the A-rank raider Wuther as its leader, with the rest of the members being exclusively B-rank. No matter what Duke Peyton ordered, a C-rank like Rudin could not participate. Junhyun waved a dismissive hand, drawing a clear line.

Rudin, seeing he had no choice, sighed and rose to his feet.

"Then I understand. Please be careful. And always keep your communication device active."

"Aargh, enough with the nagging. Get out of here already!"

"Then, I shall take my leave."

Finally, Rudin closed the door and departed. Left alone, Junhyun fiddled with his scythe for a moment before beginning to pack his gear. While all raider-exclusive items were under Uther's authority, there was no harm in being prepared. After stowing away an Instant Return Scroll, Junhyun left the room.

---

The A-rank dungeon, Antelos. An impregnable fortress that had never once been conquered, even back in its D-rank days. Recently, it had cemented its reputation by devouring Uther's colleague, the A-rank raider Belmeer.

To avenge his fallen comrade, Wuther had negotiated directly with the Jeir branch manager. Permission was finally granted, and Wuther had assembled a party of B-rank raiders for the task.

Today was the day they would finally set out.

'Quite a few familiar faces,' Junhyun thought, scanning the assembled raiders before his eyes settled on the man in the center. 'So that's Wuther.'

He wore splendid golden armor and carried a sword that was clearly a masterwork. With his tall stature and pretty-boy looks, he didn't seem like a raider at all—more like the pampered son of a noble house.

'He looks like a softie, but the aura around him is undeniably powerful.'

From what Junhyun had heard, Wuther was considered one of the top swordsmen among all A-rankers. He was smiling brightly, accepting greetings from the B-rank raiders gathered around him. However, the occasional hardened look that crossed his face was unsettling. It was the look of a man nursing a deep grudge.

'Hoh. And a murderous expression to boot. I quite like it. It makes sense, since his lover Belmeer died here. This should be interesting.'

Belmeer, the A-rank mage raider. It was public knowledge that she and Wuther had been lovers, promised to one another. While Wuther was occupied with another raid, she had apparently formed her own party to challenge Antelos, but she never returned. This raid party was, without a doubt, assembled for revenge.

Junhyun watched the raiders making their final preparations, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes. This could turn out to be a very enjoyable raid indeed.

---

"Wuther. When I come back this time, let's go on a trip to the sea together. They say the sea you can see from the southern tip is breathtakingly beautiful."

Perhaps she had come to the south just because she wanted to see the sea.

"Oh, and I might be promoted to a high-rank raider soon, too. Look forward to it. I'll definitely stand on the same level as you, Wuther."

Perhaps she had attempted to raid Antelos to secure that promotion.

"We'll get married as fellow A-rank raiders. We'll even rent out the entire city! Hmm, would that be too much? Still, if we earn more Zen, it might be possible, right?"

Perhaps she was caught up in a girlish dream, trying desperately to earn enough Zen to make it come true. No, that had to be it. Though she appeared calm and composed to the world, with him, she was nothing but an emotional, soft-hearted girl.

'I'm in the south you talked about now,' Wuther thought, his heart aching. 'I haven't seen the sea yet, but I swear I'll go see it after this raid is over.'

A cool breeze blew in from the distant ocean. Wuther thought of her and looked up. Atop a flight of a thousand stairs stood a magnificent, kaleidoscopic castle. That was Antelos, the A-rank dungeon that had swallowed Belmeer whole.

Wuther checked his inventory one last time and addressed the assembled raiders.

"This raid on Antelos is scheduled for twenty days. The dungeon has a total of forty-five rooms. Even with a generous estimate, it will take us at least that long. Everyone, double-check your camping supplies, torches, and equipment. We depart in ten minutes."

"Excuse me, Raid Leader," a B-rank raider called out, raising his hand. "I have a question."

"What is it?"

"You said Antelos has forty-five rooms. How do you know that?"

At his question, the other raiders murmured in agreement. The number of rooms in Antelos was a secret, unknown even to the Raider Association. Yet Wuther, who hadn't even set foot inside, knew the exact number.

"Ah, as B-rank raiders, you wouldn't know yet," Wuther explained, holding up the device in his hand. It looked very different from the standard-issue radars they were familiar with. "This is a wide-range radar, usable only by A-rankers and above. It can only be activated once a month, but it's an invaluable tool that can determine the number of rooms in a dungeon. You will all receive one when you reach A-rank."

"Ooooh!" the B-rankers exclaimed, their eyes wide with anticipation.

But among them, a few exchanged knowing glances.

'He just used an item with a one-month cooldown, didn't he?'

'That's how obsessed he is with revenge.'

'Firm resolution, determination, vengeance… he's putting it all on the line.'

It was clear he was obsessed with conquering Antelos. After finishing their preparations, the raid party began their ascent up the long flight of stairs, following Wuther into the maw of the beast.

---

Meanwhile, as he climbed the stairs with the others, Junhyun was thinking about the wide-range radar.

'Now that's an item I'd love to have. He said I can get one if I become A-rank? With that, raiding dungeons would be a whole lot easier.'

Despite the one-month restriction, a wide-range radar would allow one to map out a dungeon's layout and plan accordingly. Wuther had likely used it to determine their twenty-day schedule.

Junhyun thought of Balak, and a smirk touched his lips. That place probably couldn't be conquered even with a wide-range radar. Taehyun was just that much of a monster.

'So, this is Antelos.'

A massive castle now loomed before them. It was a beautiful structure, like something out of a fairy tale; it hardly looked like a dungeon at all.

'A Dungeon Master with a twisted sense of aesthetics.'

There was probably no such thing as a pure and innocent Dungeon Master, yet the dungeon's exterior exuded a strange, childlike whimsy.

Junhyun fell into formation as Wuther directed. There were 299 B-rank raiders in total. Including himself, that made 300. It was more than enough manpower to challenge an A-rank dungeon.

"I've confirmed the number of rooms, but we have no idea what to expect once we're inside," Wuther announced, his voice ringing with authority. "Do not let your guard down for a second. Stay focused at all times!"

At his shout, the massive castle gates began to swing open. The B-rank raiders swallowed nervously, steeling themselves for their first A-rank challenge.

Just then, an ominous light flared from within the gateway, pulling them all inside.

[Welcome to the A-Rank Dungeon, Antelos.]

[From now on, you will clear the dungeon in teams of 10.]

[Good luck.]

The raid party was swallowed whole, scattered into different rooms in groups of ten.

---

[Welcome to the 24th Room.]

Junhyun's vision cleared. A system message floated before him. In the small, cramped room, nine other raiders were slowly getting their bearings.

'So, you can create functions like this starting from A-rank dungeons? Interesting.'

He quickly surveyed his surroundings.

'This cramped space is a sealed chamber. No visible door… hmm. In the center of the floor, there's a hole just big enough for a person. And on the wall, a teddy bear is sitting on a chair.'

Having assessed the room in an instant, Junhyun focused on the sign the teddy bear was holding.

-Please put in just four. Martin will like it. When the hole is full, you can leave the room.

It seemed to be a friendly hint on how to escape.

'So, the doll's name is Martin?'

The large teddy bear even had a name. Junhyun glanced at the other raiders, who were now getting to their feet.

"Wh-where are we?"

"Look. It says this is the twenty-fourth room."

"How do we get out of here?"

They were all confused, but as B-rank raiders, they adapted quickly. Junhyun looked at the sign again, his mind already working, his old habits kicking in.

'Why specifically four people? Why is there a teddy bear here? Why tell us we can leave once the hole is full?'

His gaze dropped to the hole. Judging by its depth and width, it would be perfectly filled by four people.

'But going in there means certain death. Then again, you could probably fill it with corpses.'

The other raiders had now noticed the sign Martin was holding. As the meaning dawned on them, they began to eye each other warily.

Amidst the growing tension, Junhyun let out a soft chuckle. Things were unfolding just as he'd expected.

"If it says to put in four, does that mean we can leave if four of us go in?" one raider asked nervously.

"It says we can leave when the hole is full, so four people should be just right," another agreed.

"But won't we die if we go in there?" a third pointed out.

Confusion, fear, conflict, selfishness, terror—the emotions hung thick in the air. No one wanted to jump into that hole. If it meant death, they would be sacrificing themselves for the others. The raiders exchanged tense glances, their hands inching toward their weapons.

Just then, Junhyun unceremoniously dropped his pack on the floor.

"H-hey! What are you doing?"

"Don't tell me you have a bomb in there!"

"Stop! Stop what you're doing right now, if you want to live!"

The raiders threatened him, their fear making them aggressive. But Junhyun ignored them, pulling out pieces of heavy equipment from his bag. The others backed away, thinking he was reaching for a weapon. After laying out his gear, Junhyun finally looked up at them.

"What are you all doing?" he asked, his tone laced with boredom. "Get out your equipment. You all brought plenty of spare gear, didn't you?"

"Wh-what? Why would we take it out now?!"

"Just do it," Junhyun said flatly. "I know how to get out of this room without anyone having to jump into that hole."

His words stunned the other raiders. The sign clearly stated that four people had to enter the hole. Yet he claimed to know another way.

"Can we trust him? What if he's trying to trick us?"

"Who knows? Maybe there really is another way."

"Come to think of it, we were all just blindly following the sign. Let's give him a chance."

Though still suspicious, the raiders began to unpack their own spare equipment. By the time they started, Junhyun had already emptied his bag and stood up.

"Alright. Now what?" one of them asked.

"What do you think?" Junhyun replied. "We put it in."

"Put what in?"

"This stuff."

He then began tossing the equipment he'd laid out into the hole. The other raiders, who had been unpacking their own gear, stared at him, their mouths agape.

"Why are you throwing away all that valuable equipment?!"

"The raid has just started, and you're ditching your spare gear? Are you an idiot?"

"Do you know how much all that is worth? My god."

Sighs and groans filled the small room. No one seemed to understand what he was doing. Then, one of the raiders, who had been watching the equipment pile up in the hole, let out a gasp of realization.

"Th-that's it! This is how we can fill the hole without anyone having to go in!"

"Huh? You're right!"

"Of course! If we just put our equipment in, the hole will be filled!"

Finally grasping Junhyun's intention, they quickly tossed all their spare gear into the hole. When they were done, however, the hole was still not quite full.

"Is-is there any more?!"

"It's not enough! Doesn't anyone have any more items or equipment?!"

"Damn it! We just needed a little more!"

The raiders frantically searched for anything else to fill the hole, but they had nothing left. One of them turned on Junhyun, his face red with anger.

"We did what you said, and it's still not enough! Now what?!"

"What do you mean?" Junhyun said calmly. "There's still one more thing in this room we can put in."

"D-don't tell me… one of us?"

"No," Junhyun said, a cruel smile playing on his lips as his gaze shifted to the corner of the room. "There's a cute little thing named Martin."

His eyes landed on the teddy bear.

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