[Atlantis Crystal Sphere]
[Rank: A]
[Level: 7]
[Mana: 0/900]
[Upgrade Level: 7]
The millions of units of magic he had painstakingly gathered were gone. Every last drop had been absorbed before the thief fled. The soldiers that had surrounded the intruders now lay as cold corpses. Even Rukarsha, his A-rank Hero Guardian, was incapacitated, unable to give chase. Hwanhee stared blankly at the drained crystal sphere, his mind numb.
’You crazy bastard! Where did you take my magic? I spent years of hard work collecting that!’
’Hoot. I received a revelation from the heavens. They say I have a natural talent.’
’What the hell is this talent that you’d do this to ?!’
’Thievery.’
He couldn’t forget the sight of Taehyun giving him a thumbs-up. Like a true master thief, he had taken only the magic and vanished. For a Dungeon Master who had dedicated himself to hoarding power, the sight was soul-crushing.
"Ahahaha... So this is what they an by ‘life is transient’," he muttered, a hollow laugh escaping his lips. "I hid my existence, painstakingly gathered all that power... and it was all stolen in a single mont. How can life be so futile?"
"Krrgh! Cut the theatrics and contact him now!" Rukarsha growled. "I don’t know how he stole the magic, but there must be a way to get it back. Get a grip, Master!"
"R-right. This is no ti for this," Hwanhee stamred, shaking himself back to reality. "Maybe that guy knows a way to get it back."
He had been about to contact him to report his progress anyway. Since the other party was also a Dungeon Master, he might have a solution. Hwanhee frantically took out his communication device.
—"It’s been a while. I hope you’ve been well. I’ve been very busy lately..."
—"Seonghwi! We have a huge problem!" Hwanhee blurted out. "The crystal sphere’s magic has been completely stolen! A million units, all taken by one guy!"
—"...What?"
—"His na is Taehyun Yoo! He seems to be an S-rank Dungeon Master. He just invaded, absorbed all the magic, and fled!"
The person on the other end was none other than the S-rank Dungeon Master, Seonghwi Hyun. The Atlantis dungeon had been sacrificing for the Resistance since the early days of their summoning. Though not an official mber, it had been entrusted with a grave mission, preparing its plans in the deep sea. He was supposed to be reporting his progress today, but everything had changed.
—"...Are you sure?" Seonghwi’s voice was tight.
—"Y-yeah! He definitely said he was the Dungeon Master of Balak. I don’t know how, but he just sucked the crystal dry and ran off!"
—"Well, this is sothing. I tried to bind him to the faction, but it looks like I’m the one who’s been tied up. This might be the worst situation I’ve ever faced."
—"What are you talking about? Explain it so I can understand!"
—"Taehyun Yoo. The Dungeon Master of Balak... is the newest mber of the Resistance. I think we’re in big trouble. No, huge trouble."
—"What?!"
Not so rival faction, but a mber of the Resistance itself. And an S-rank Dungeon Master had made the move personally. In a situation that amounted to one ally invading another, Hwanhee’s mind descended into chaos.
---
anwhile, Taehyun, having safely returned to Balak, was examining the third ability of the Magic Jade.
[Magic Jade Abilities]
[1. Magic Absorption]
[2. Magic Beacon]
[3. Gate Open]
The third ability had finally manifested. While the first two were for locating and absorbing magic, the third was an ability that ’consud’ it.
[Gate Open: Consu 2,000,000 Mana to open a gate to another dinsion.]
’Another dinsion... like the Celestial Realm or the Demon Realm? Could it even open a path to the world where the rcenaries live?’
Depending on how it was used, its utility could be imnse. If he opened a gate to the Demon Realm, for instance, would it be a one-way trip, or could beings from the other side cross over? If it was the latter, it could be more of a curse than a blessing. For now, Taehyun put the Magic Jade away and began to tie up loose ends.
"Alright," Jiyeon said, her arms crossed. "Hurry up and restore Leaf Lake. You’re not going to tell it’s impossible now, are you?"
"I’ll send the High Elves and Spiritist Elves imdiately. It’ll be restored in no ti."
"Is that really enough?"
"It’s the magic of High Elves, who can transform an entire forest just by being in it," Taehyun assured her. "I’ll send the Spiritists as well, so the water pollution won’t be a problem."
The power of the High Elves had already been proven with the Silent Forest and the Revived Plains. With the addition of water spirits, restoration was more than possible. After sending Jiyeon on her way, Taehyun turned to his other guest.
"Sorry for calling you so suddenly. I really needed your skill, so it was a bit of a rush. You’ll forgive , right?"
"...Taehyun," Songyi said, her voice small. "It seems like you only call when you need ."
She had him there. If it weren’t for her teleportation skill, he wouldn’t have contacted her. The look in the eyes of the small girl nestled in his arms turned sharp. A cold sweat broke out on Taehyun’s brow as he quickly made an excuse.
"N-no, absolutely not! I called you because I happened to miss you. The teleportation was just a bonus. Really."
"Still not good enough. This ti, you have to grant my request, too."
"Phew. Alright, I will. What do you need?"
"First..."
A pair of small lips pecked his cheek. For her first request, Songyi had gently risen to her tiptoes to give him a simple kiss. Taehyun furrowed his brow, feeling two intense glares boring into him.
’Are you two really getting jealous of a child?’
’Miss Songyi is not just a child!’ Riel’s voice echoed in his mind. ’She is definitely aiming for you, Master Taehyun!’
’Co to think of it, she’s a Dungeon Master who was summoned a long ti ago,’ deria added. ’That ans she isn’t really a child, is she?’
He could feel the raw jealousy of the two won through their telepathic link. Their favorability had reached its limit, and now they were even wary of little Songyi. Taehyun touched his cheek.
"Hmm. Is there sothing else?"
"Yes. I want to go to the dungeon called Heimdall."
Taehyun said nothing.
The situation he had been dreading had finally arrived. Heimdall, the dungeon made famous by the "bus raid" party. Thanks to the supporter Veder’s special ability, all its soldiers had been transford into cute, harmless versions of themselves. It was only natural that Songyi would be interested. Taehyun shivered as he looked into her sparkling eyes.
---
The click-clack of heels, a rarity on the Astral Continent, echoed through the halls. A woman holding a report entered the master room. It was Pinyas, the chief of the Fox Tribe.
"Ugh. I-I’ve brought the report, M-Master Taehyun," she stamred.
Her discomfort was palpable, but it was no use. Her punishnt for her actions in the Sabaten Jungle had already been decided.
’To think she locked you in prison and insisted on punishnt, Master Taehyun. You can’t let that slide. You must give her the most shaful role and make her suffer!’
Following Riel’s vindictive suggestion, Pinyas had been assigned to handle the dungeon’s administrative work—a secretarial role, in modern terms. Her current attire was likely a butler’s uniform borrowed from Edchan.
"Co a little closer, would you? I can’t reach the report."
"...Understood."
"Ah, thank you," Taehyun said, taking the papers. "I hear the beastn are training the dungeon residents themselves now. Is it showing results?"
"W-we are teaching them the beastn’s unique training thods to steadily build their Mana," she reported. "A few have even acquired the Boxer class through the chiefs’ training. We expect a significant increase in our combat strength."
The beastn were the third demi-human race to join Balak. They were now being utilized in various ways, from training residents to fighting off raid parties. They could have lived freely like the elves, but they had been marked by Taehyun. The terms of their contract bound them to serve Balak. Taehyun’s lips curled into a smile as he read the information about Duke Peyton in the report.
’So soldiers from the Derk Empire have joined him. It seems they’ll be starting their advance soon.’
Dealing with an entire territory would require extensive preparation. While they didn’t have a powerhouse on the level of the two superhumans, their army included thousands of elite knights. With Leon also demanding his attention, Taehyun had no ti to spare for Duke Peyton.
[Ancient Artifact production rate has reached 89%.]
[Modification of so remaining siege-type soldiers has been completed.]
[The rank of the Dungeon Resident Unit has risen to B.]
The territory itself was growing stronger, but it felt like a waste to play his Resistance card just yet. Taehyun made his decision and stood up. Just then, the communication device in his pocket buzzed.
—"Newbie. You must have been upset that I haven’t paid much attention to you. I never imagined you’d go this far."
It was Seonghwi. Unlike usual, his voice was laced with fury. Taehyun tilted his head in feigned confusion before answering.
—"What are you talking about? ‘Go this far?’ I have no idea what you’re accusing of."
—"There’s no use playing dumb. The A-rank dungeon Atlantis, in the deep sea. That was you, wasn’t it, newbie?"
Taehyun was silent.
It was Jeong Hwanhee, the one who had never revealed his identity at their etings. Taehyun had suspected it might be him when the Magic Jade led him to the deep-sea dungeon, but for Seonghwi, the leader of the Resistance, to know about his little act of thievery... sothing was off. Then, a thought struck him.
’Don’t tell this bastard was working with Jeong Hwanhee, having him gather Mana on the side. Without officially including him in the Resistance?’
Hwanhee had amassed millions of units of magic. Unlike Balak, he had likely been hiding in the deep sea for years, possibly since the very beginning of the summoning. He could have t Seonghwi back then, been left as a hidden variable, a secret weapon they communicated with constantly. Taehyun was pleased with this unexpected windfall of information.
—"Well, you’ve got ," he replied smoothly. "It seems there’s no use playing dumb. The plan you were preparing, Seonghwi... I’ve taken it over now."
—"...What do you want? You’ve already earned the right to mobilize the Resistance once."
—"Hah. I don’t particularly want anything. It’s just that a few places have been getting on my nerves lately. A war is about to break out in the West, and a man has to survive, doesn’t he?"
—"This... this... Are you saying you’re going to sacrifice us?"
From the Anais Kingdom to the Gogol Kingdom, the Peshant Empire, the Derk Empire, and the Holy Kingdom—many had their eyes on Balak. If a continental war broke out, Balak would not be safe. He needed to build an army to counter his enemies, and the Resistance, with its dozens of powerful mbers, was the perfect choice.
’The Tarantula faction was absorbed by that bastard Leon. I’ll need a military force of my own.’
He couldn’t care less about the lives of the other faction mbers. They had fought in the Faction Wars together, but he felt no attachnt to them.
—"Is that how you see it? Well, I am aiming to conquer the Demon Realm myself. It probably won’t be on the grand scale you’re imagining. Ah, I’m a bit busy, so I have to go now. Goodbye."
—"Newbie, you really—!"
He ended the call, cutting off Seonghwi’s belated threat. It didn’t matter. Balak was now an S-rank dungeon, on par with Talos. Furthermore, a contract had granted him command authority over the Resistance. Unless they were aiming for self-destruction, they couldn’t touch him.
"Thanks for the unexpected information," Taehyun murmured to himself. "I had no idea, but you went and told yourself. With this, your faction will be mine as well."
He turned to Pinyas.
"What are you standing there spacing out for? You’re coming with to the Ice Palace. Follow ."
"...What is this about?" she asked, her voice trembling.
"Ah. As for what this is about..."
Taehyun’s attention drifted north, his gaze fixed on the world map.
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