Krodin, writhing in pain while bound by chains; the chieftains, grinding their teeth as they glared; and even the Great Chieftain, standing with a visibly tense expression. All eyes were fixed on the coin in Taehyun’s hand. It was an S-rank exclusive item, capable of teleporting an entire dungeon army in an instant. Hasla, who understood its power, had every reason to be afraid.
[Cat-kin Great Chieftain Hasla]
[Rank: SS]
[Level: 92]
[Class: Mage]
[Title: Leader of the Beastn]
Though Hasla was SS-rank, the sa as Hamolton, he knew it was impossible for him to protect all the beastn alone.
’Of course, I have to pursue my own interests,’ Taehyun mused. ’Attacking the beastn indiscriminately isn’t worth it. I need a path that benefits Balak—one where I get the Mana Crystal and put them to work. A show of force should be enough to scare them.’
He had plenty of powerhouses he could call upon. If worst ca to worst, he could even summon Hamolten just to make a statent. Taehyun’s lips twisted into a cruel smile as he activated the item.
[Soldier Summon Coin has been used.]
[Unable to use!]
[Butler Edchan is acting as the deputy Dungeon Master.]
[He is currently engaging a raid party within Balak’s territory.]
’Huh?’
The coin, which had been glowing with an ethereal blue light, sputtered and died, falling from his hand. Despite his dramatic pose, not a single soldier appeared.
"Master?"
"My Lord?"
"Hey?"
His subordinates stared in bewildernt, but the Dungeon Master was just as confused as they were. Taehyun shot a nervous glance at the beastn, then forced a nonchalant laugh. "Ahahaha. This thing isn’t working right. It wasn’t like this before. Must be broken. I’ll be right back, okay?"
"You demon!" a beastman roared. "Where do you think you’re going?!"
"Let’s talk again when I get back," Taehyun called over his shoulder. "Raviz, summon everyone."
"Grr. You’re not getting away!" Pinyas snarled, fox-fire blazing to life at the tip of her tail. She lunged, unleashing a torrent of mana, but her targets had already vanished. The remaining beastn could only stand there, blinking in stunned silence.
---
[The giant ballista, Drake, fires its harpoon.]
[The Catapult Drake (Modified) opens fire.]
[The giant crossbow, Drake, fires a giant arrow.]
The siege units began their barrage. Although the raiders had secured a clear view of the plains, Balak’s lee soldiers had established perfect firing positions for their own artillery.
[Tartan Raid Party’s shield damage at 37%]
The shield cracked almost instantly. With only three priests in their party, its durability was surprisingly low. Still, it should have shattered on the first volley. Those three priests had to be high-A-rank raiders.
"Let’s go, boys," the rcenary King ordered.
"Yes, boss!"
"Right behind you, Captain!"
At last, Hassan himself began to move, charging forward at the head of his shield bearers. The blade of his sword slowly turned transparent as he prepared to unleash Formless Slash. Edchan, who had been waiting for this exact mont, imdiately activated Skill Steal.
[Skill Steal has been used.]
[Stealing S-rank raider Hassan’s Formless Slash.]
[For a set ti, Grizzle will cast Formless Slash.]
An S-rank nad soldier like a Death Knight was more than capable of wielding another’s skill. Better yet, Grizzle was a Knight. A sword-based ability like Formless Slash was a perfect fit.
"The enemy’s main skill has been neutralized!" Edchan commanded. "All units, charge!"
The Hydras and Griffons at the front surged forward. Bigdream, positioned in the rear, quickly activated Black Mist to shield the ranged soldiers.
[A-rank hero soldier, Death Knight Granzle, has appeared.]
[S-rank nad soldier, Nightmare Knight Grizzle, has appeared.]
As the two Death Knights erged from their hiding places within the labyrinth, morale shot through the roof. Each led a contingent of Abyss Knights, striking from the left and right flanks.
"You will all die here!" Granzle bellowed.
"Ho. Skeletons this ti, are they?" Hassan chuckled, unfazed. "Hmm? That skill is Formless Slash. To think you’d get to use the rcenary King’s signature move. You should be honored."
"Don’t talk nonsense!" Grizzle retorted.
Soldiers pressed in from all sides. The raiders who had ventured beyond their shield’s protection were instantly surrounded, but Hassan showed no fear. In fact, he looked delighted as he slamd his greatsword into the ground.
[S-rank raider Hassan has cast Earth Scorcher.]
[Lava erupts from the sundered earth.]
[Earth Scorcher uses remaining: 1/1]
In a flash, the ground split open and lava consud the battlefield. The Hydras and Griffons at the vanguard were swallowed whole, annihilated by the molten tide. Edchan shot up from his seat in alarm.
[The Hydras have died.]
[The Griffons have died.]
[The Abyss Knights have died.]
Hundreds of S-rank soldiers and undead warriors were being wiped out completely.
"A single-use skill that can annihilate even S-rank soldiers in an instant!" Edchan cried out. "How is this possible?!"
He realized then that Formless Slash had been a feint. Hassan hadn’t even tried to counter Skill Steal. His real objective must have been to lull them into a false sense of security, creating the perfect opening to cast Earth Scorcher. Edchan hung his head, the weight of his mistake crushing him. Although the main forces within the Black Mist remained, they had suffered a catastrophic loss.
’A single S-rank soldier takes up ten population slots,’ he lanted internally. ’Their summon cards alone cost hundreds of thousands of Zen, and I lost hundreds of them with a single mistake.’
Replenishing the troops would require a massive expenditure. Edchan couldn’t bear the thought of facing Taehyun.
[High-rank Water Spirit shad has been summoned.]
[High-rank Wind Spirit Sylphiron has been summoned.]
[High-rank Lightning Spirit Pishamiter has been summoned.]
anwhile, Riashu began to earnestly summon spirits, desperately re-establishing a defensive line.
"With the S-rank soldiers down, the two of us have to hold the front," she said urgently. "Are you even listening?"
"I am listening, kuma," Kumakuma replied. "I didn’t like that raid party anyway, since it’s only n. I will defeat them at once, kuma!"
"Then stop sneaking lecherous glances my way!" Riashu snapped. "It’s creepy, even if I am a doll!"
"So an, kuma!"
Their only hope now lay with the main forces. Grizzle and Granzle had already lost their Abyss Knights and had been forced to retreat. The two Keepers had no choice but to hold the line themselves.
"One’s a pretty little wench, and the other’s a giant teddy bear," one of the raiders jeered. "I’m not interested in dolls, so let’s aim for the spirits!"
The raiders began to advance on the Black Mist. At that mont, a ssage flashed before Edchan’s eyes.
[Dungeon Master of Balak, Taehyun Yoo, has returned to the dungeon.]
The master himself had arrived.
---
[S-rank raider Hassan casts Gale Carriage.]
[S-rank nad Keeper, Tyrant Kumakuma, casts Jumping Jumping.]
[S-rank Keeper, Spirit Master Riashu, casts Spirit’s Aura.]
A single raider charged at the two Keepers. He was an S-rank powerhouse, once known as the rcenary King. Unlike Yuda or Vesta, he specialized in direct combat. Taehyun, however, was thoroughly displeased with the entire situation.
"...And that is what happened, Sir Taehyun," Edchan finished his report.
He had already heard the full story, but it did little to soothe his scowl. Of all the tis for an S-rank raider to show up, it had to be right when he’d gone to the East. He had just escaped from prison and was about to put the beastn in their place, only to be utterly humiliated by a faulty coin.
"So you’re telling you were struggling because of those bastards?" Taehyun asked, his voice dangerously low.
"I have no excuse," Edchan murmured.
"And I was completely humiliated. Right? Isn’t that right?"
Edchan, knowing nothing of Taehyun’s own embarrassing failure, could only lower his head. The atmosphere was unusually grim. Taehyun watched Hassan on the monitor, then slowly stretched his lips into a predatory grin.
"I can’t just let that bastard be. The rcenary King. That’s good. Great. I’m very satisfied."
"W-What do you an?" Edchan stamred.
"You just shut up and watch."
Riel and Inhye were currently unavailable, trapped by the labyrinth’s configuration. Having already lost over five hundred S-rank soldiers, sending in more would only deepen his losses.
’Tsk. Is it because he’s only ever managed the labyrinth? He thinks he can just throw high-grade soldiers at the problem,’ Taehyun thought with a sigh. ’An army needs balance. To think he struggled so much against a guy who seems completely vulnerable to item-based psychological warfare.’
Hassan had recklessly used both the ’Vision Omnipotence Scroll’ and the ’Wide-Area Radar Detection Network’. He was clearly an S-rank raider who relied on brute force rather than tactical items. Furthermore, his raid party was small, only about twenty mbers. Taehyun could have easily stopped them by deploying a minimal number of soldiers from the start and simply stealing his items.
’Still, he is an S-rank raider. He’ll have to pay dearly for getting in my way.’
The high-rank spirits were dying one by one. The priests in the back line were continuously casting shields to protect Hassan and the other lee fighters. Taehyun decided to deal with the ’Vision Omnipotence Scroll’ first.
[Casting Item Nullification.]
[Nullifying the effect of the Vision Omnipotence Scroll.]
[Nullification failed!]
[S-rank raider Hassan has cast Item Block.]
[The effect of Item Nullification is blocked.]
Just as he’d hoped, Hassan protected the scroll’s effect with a new, S-rank exclusive item.
"To think such an item exists," Edchan said, astonished. "It is truly incredible."
"Well, Dungeon Masters have Nullification, so why wouldn’t raiders have an item like that?" Taehyun replied calmly.
"But that ans you’ve wasted the Nullification for nothing, sir. The raid party still has a full view of the Revived Plains."
"I expected as much. In fact, you could say it worked out for the better."
His real objective was never to block their vision. The Nullification was simply bait to confirm whether Hassan had a new toy. The true purpose was to force him to use his Item Block prematurely. Taehyun picked up the Forced Location Shift item from the table and let out a chilling smirk.
"This should be the perfect gift."
---
Another spirit shrieked as it was annihilated. That was the ninth one Hassan had slaughtered. The number of high-rank spirits was greater than he’d expected, but he still had plenty of energy to spare. He shoved Kumakuma aside as the bear approached from the left, creating more distance.
"Is this all an S-rank Keeper and an S-rank nad Keeper can do?" he taunted. "You’ll have to try harder than that. Otherwise, this is what happens..."
The heavy greatsword swung, moving like a flash of light.
[Flash Slash has been activated.]
[For a set duration, all sword attacks are converted to slashes.]
It was his special ability, Flash Slash. Hassan unleashed a barrage of energy slashes, cutting down the siege units hidden within the Black Mist.
"Ugh! We have to stop him now, Mr. Kumakuma!" Riashu cried.
"I know that, kuma!"
The two Keepers scrambled to block the attacks, but the damage was already considerable. Fortunately, the main forces were unhard thanks to the Doom Skeletons, but at this rate, even the Black Mist would be useless. Hassan swung his sword leisurely, clearly enjoying himself. Just then, a ssage ca from his subordinates in the rear.
"Captain, we’re running low on holy power. The mages are about to run out of mana, too. Shouldn’t we pull back for now?"
"Hah! Then just wait there," Hassan replied. "I’ll take care of it in one go."
"Ooh, Captain! You’re finally going to use that skill. But shouldn’t we at least set up a location shift marker?"
"Not a chance. We don’t need a location shift. We’re breaking through to the dungeon interior right now!"
The greatsword slowly began to resonate with power. Hassan was entering the final phase, preparing to unleash the limited-use skill he had been saving. At that mont, the plains before his eyes instantly transford into a dense jungle.
[The Dungeon Master of Balak has used Forced Location Shift.]
[The Tartan Raid Party’s location is forcibly changed from the Revived Plains to the Sabaten Jungle.]
It was Taehyun’s S-rank exclusive item. Stunned by the sudden change in scenery, Hassan raised his greatsword defensively.
"It’s the humans!"
"This ti, raiders have invaded!"
"They might be minions of that demon from before. Kill them!"
Beastn sward in from all sides, imdiately taking up battle stances.
"Where the hell are we?! And who are these guys?!"
"C-Captain, this doesn’t look good. They look ready to pounce."
"Boss, we have to fight!"
And so, the Tartan Raid Party was thrown into a desperate battle, with no ti to even think of using a return item.
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