[You have successfully returned to the central western city, Jeir.]

When the brilliant light subsided, the bustling city street materialized around him. Passersby glanced his way for a moment before looking away, unfazed. Raiders returning from dungeons were a common sight. No one cared that another soul had made it back alive. Junhyun Cha knew this, but the memory of a time when his return would have been celebrated soured his expression.

'Still, I managed to return safely.'

The instant return scroll had been worth every Zen. Wuther's appearance, just moments before the A-rank Guardian finished him off, had been impeccably timed. Without that interruption, he would never have had the chance to use the scroll. Satisfied, Junhyun pulled out his communication device.

—Rudin: Have you returned?

"Yeah," Junhyun grunted. "I don't even have the strength to move. Get over here, quick. I'll send you the location."

—Rudin: Understood.

The line went dead. Junhyun let out a long breath and watched the raiders milling about the street.

"Did you hear? Apparently, Balak is targeting the small city of Myol."

"Ah, that? I heard they've already pushed as far as Hylon Forest."

"Hah. The west has been so quiet, but lately, there's never a dull moment."

Everyone was talking about Balak. The dungeon that had repelled four top-tier B-rank raiders was now making a move on the city of Myol. Junhyun, listening in, felt his interest pique. He stepped in front of a group of passing raiders, blocking their path.

"Huh? What is it?" one of them asked.

"Tell me more about Balak," Junhyun demanded. "I'm dying of curiosity."

"Hey, who are you to be so informal with someone you just met…"

"I'm the great Sebastian," Junhyun cut in, his voice dripping with menace, "and I might just kill you bastards if you get on my bad side."

The Reaper's chilling aura washed over them. The raiders trembled as if they had seen a ghost and immediately began to spill everything they knew.

---

[C-rank Archer Raider Romen has been killed by a projectile from the Elite B-rank Catapult Drake (Modified).]

[C-rank Mage Raider Pellero has been killed by a projectile from the Elite B-rank Catapult Drake (Modified).]

[C-rank Shield Bearer Raider Pantekina has been killed by a projectile from the Elite B-rank Catapult Drake (Modified).]

The continuous barrage cut down the raiders one by one. They had planned to make a stand in Hylon Forest, but it was a futile gesture. Balak already controlled the field of vision. Unless they used a vision priority item, the Catapult Drakes' bombardment would be relentless.

"Why haven't they used a vision item yet?" Riel wondered aloud.

"They're saving it for the defense of Myol," Taehyun explained calmly. "They have brains, after all. They're being tactical."

"In that case, they're essentially abandoning the raiders in Hylon Forest," she observed.

As Riel said, countless raiders were dying for nothing. While it was strategically sound to save their limited items, it was a brutal, pointless waste of manpower.

"He's a fool," Taehyun said with cold certainty. "He thought he could wear down my forces, but in the end, he's just sacrificing his own. He must have thought sending them in loaded with buffs would be enough."

As expected, Baron Coris's judgment was flawed. He hoped to gain an advantage in the siege with a vision item, but without raiders to provide firepower, it would be useless. Moreover, Balak's modified Catapult Drakes outranged any standard siege weapon. The outcome of this battle was already decided.

"Gah! You bastards, have a taste of my arrow!"

When the B-rank soldiers finally emerged from the forest, the tide of battle turned decisively. Taehyun watched the raiders being annihilated, a satisfied smile playing on his lips.

---

At that moment, Baron Coris's face flushed red, then purple, as he read the soldier's report.

"Do you think this makes any sense?!" he bellowed.

"Balak's momentum was overwhelming, my Lord. We were unable to inflict any significant damage. I apologize," the soldier stammered.

"Grr. Get out, now!"

The Baron, who rarely lost his temper with his men, was roaring with fury. The terrified soldier fled the room. Left alone, Coris stared at the report, his hands trembling. Over two hundred of the raiders he had sent to Hylon Forest were dead. He had barely managed to borrow them from the Raider Association; he had no idea how he would handle the fallout.

'What am I to do? Balak's army is on its way, and I have no raiders left to defend the city.'

He had foolishly believed they could inflict at least some damage in the forest. Balak's forces were far stronger than he'd anticipated, and all he had done was send his men to their deaths.

'Damn it. And of all times for Branch Manager Gelix to be called to headquarters. Who can I possibly ask for help?'

Count Dinen briefly crossed his mind, but he was the one who had promoted Gelix. He clearly had no further interest in this region. As he agonized, the soldier he had dismissed burst back into the room.

"Did I not tell you to get out!"

"Th-this is terrible, my Lord! The soldiers on standby in front of the city… they've been flown away somewhere!"

"What are you talking about? Flown away? What nonsense is this!"

"It's true, my Lord! Hundreds of soldiers have been whisked away to another place!" The soldier's expression was one of genuine, frantic bewilderment.

Coris had no choice but to see for himself. He stormed outside the city walls, where his troops should have been waiting.

"Wh-what is this!"

The soldiers were gone. The few who remained were looking around in a daze. Hundreds of men had vanished without a trace. Coris clutched the back of his neck and staggered backward, collapsing. The soldier rushed to help him up, but the Baron's legs had given out.

"M-my soldiers!" he wailed.

"My Lord! You must pull yourself together!"

"Guuuuh…"

Just like that, Baron Coris lost over six hundred soldiers in a single, baffling instant.

---

[Top-tier B-rank Raider Roquin has used To a Faraway Place.]

[642 soldiers from the small city of Myol will be forcibly moved to the opposite side of the small city of Myol.]

[To a Faraway Place usage limit 1/1]

Having signed the contract, Roquin was now a part of Balak. As a puppeteer, her skills were versatile, and she had just pulled off a major coup.

"Will this be enough?" she asked.

"Yeah. You did great," Taehyun said, then paused. "Hey."

"Y-yes?!"

"If this sends them to the 'opposite side' of Myol, where exactly are they right now?"

Taehyun had just used Roquin's skill to displace Myol's entire defensive force. Sending over six hundred soldiers away was an undeniably profitable move, but a question nagged at him. The opposite side of Myol was the very direction his army had come from.

"Ah," Roquin considered, "I believe they probably flew as far as the Arid Plains."

It was just as he'd thought. Taehyun silently took out his communication device and called Edchan.

—Edchan: What is it, Sir Taehyun?

"Hey. A few hundred soldiers just landed in the Arid Plains. Take care of them."

—Edchan: Pardon? What do you mean by that…

That day, it was said that Edchan mobilized even the Labyrinth's forces to deal with the unexpected arrivals on the Arid Plains.

---

On Day 2 of the Siege of Myol, Balak began its full-scale assault. Having lost six hundred soldiers, Myol was a ripe fruit ready for the picking. Taehyun ordered his shield bearers to advance, signaling the Catapult Drakes to open fire.

[Myol soldier Cantona has been killed by a projectile from the Elite B-rank Catapult Drake (Modified).]

[Myol soldier Derus has been killed by a projectile from the Elite B-rank Catapult Drake (Modified).]

[Myol soldier Anid has been killed by a projectile from the Elite B-rank Catapult Drake (Modified).]

The catapults, emerging from Hylon Forest, turned the city into a sea of fire.

"Grai," Taehyun commanded, "take the assault squad and break through the gate."

"Understood."

"Mederia, take the flying units and attack the soldiers on the walls."

"Okay."

Taehyun sent Grai and the assault squad straight for the front. The archers on the walls targeted the charging soldiers, but at that moment, Mederia and her flying units descended upon them.

"Aaaargh! It's a Harpy, run!"

"A Guardian! Watch out for the Guardian's arrows!"

"There are Wyverns, too! Aargh!"

The walls were devastated in an instant, the defenders all but wiped out. Taehyun watched the city of Myol refuse to surrender, even in its death throes, and let out a cold smirk.

"For a Baron, he certainly has his pride."

The walls had crumbled, and the streets were littered with corpses. The blame for this utter destruction lay squarely on Baron Coris's shoulders.

[B-rank Hero Guardian Orc Swordsman Grai has destroyed the gate of the small city of Myol.]

At last, Grai shattered the gate, and Balak's soldiers poured into the city.

[Elite High-rank Evil Goblin has captured Myol resident Halai.]

[Elite Mid-rank Werewolf has mauled Myol resident Mimano.]

[Elite Mid-rank Harpy has captured Myol resident Luisti.]

Following their orders, the soldiers began capturing the residents. A few werewolves got carried away and killed some, but the numbers were negligible. They swept through the burning streets, rounding up civilians as the city of Myol fell.

---

[You have succeeded in invading the small city of Myol.]

[You have captured the lord of the small city of Myol, Baron Coris.]

The invasion was a success. The city was half destroyed, but it could be repaired. Taehyun scrolled through the dozens of messages before turning his head.

"How does it feel," he asked, his voice devoid of emotion, "watching the city you lost on a screen?"

"What, have you lost your mind already?"

Beside him, held captive by Grai, sat a collapsed Baron Coris. He stared blankly at the smoldering ruins of his city before his head slumped forward. He was clearly in deep shock. He might have gone insane, but it was more convenient to lock him away regardless. Taehyun gave Grai a subtle nod.

Grai began to drag the broken man away. Just then, the Baron's tightly sealed lips parted.

"It was always like this," he rasped. "You Dungeon Master bastards… always killing others without dirtying your own hands."

"Killing, stealing… you command your soldiers from the shadows and revel in the destruction. You never even think of doing anything yourselves." Coris's voice trembled, and the veins on his arms bulged with impotent rage. "You merciless monsters. No, you can't even be called merciless. Are you truly atrocious? Or are you just cowards, hiding behind your minions day after day!"

"That's right. You can't answer because I'm right. You're at a loss for words because this is what you've always done!" His voice, thick with fury, echoed through the room. Taehyun watched him silently before gesturing to Grai again.

"Someday… I swear… you will realize it, Dungeon Master of Balak! To others, your actions may seem like the work of evil demons, but in reality, you are just a cowardly…!"

Coris's head rolled across the floor, his final words left unspoken. Taehyun rose from his seat and picked it up.

"You know," he said, looking into the dead man's eyes, "I don't care how I look to others. Whether my actions are seen as atrocious or cowardly, I don't give a damn how I'm judged."

He crouched down, holding the head level with Coris's collapsed body, a chilling smile on his face.

"To you, we may be demons, but we are merely humans struggling to survive. Desperate to find a way back home. A coward? This is what survival looks like. Merciless? If I don't want to die, it's only natural to kill first."

His eyes grew impossibly cold. He dropped the head to the floor and stood up.

"This is by no means the simple game of playing demon that you people think it is. Hah. Grai, take care of the cleanup."

"…Understood."

With that, Grai carried Coris's corpse out of the Master Room.

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