"We're at the twelfth room now," Loquin's voice, disguised as a doll's, chirped. "He made it complicated with forked paths, but all that did was help us reach the final room faster."
"He shot himself in the foot," Draxler grunted.
"Hehe. You were the star outside the dungeon, Draxler, but inside, it's my turn to shine. You're not worried about my contribution, are you?"
"Shut up."
Loquin was starting to get under his skin. Draxler scowled and turned away, but he couldn't deny her effectiveness. 'So this is the power of a puppeteer,' he conceded internally. 'The utility of these dolls in a dungeon is astonishing.'
When they first entered, he had seriously considered using his Effect Reversal card against the Dungeon Master's skill. But that would have invited a counter, potentially nullifying his Rescue a Comrade Coin later. Furthermore, Balak's jungle environnt was treacherous. Enduring the debuff would have left them vulnerable to ambushes. Loquin had solved both problems at once.
"My dolls can also change jobs," she had explained. "By utilizing all fourteen, we can uncover ambushes, traps, installations, and any modifications. Just trust ."
She had been true to her word. They had cleared room after room with ease, even camping in complete safety. They had weathered the B-rank Dungeon Master's skill and were now at the twelfth room. 'Those dolls are doing the work of fourteen C-rank raiders. If this continues, I can pick the perfect mont to use a buff item.'
Draxler surveyed the jungle ahead and activated his radar. As he did, a branch on a nearby tree pulsed with magical energy.
[Radar (High) has been used.]
[The structure and status of the twelfth to the twentieth rooms are revealed.]
[Radar operation suspended.]
[The Radar Sealing Trap in the twelfth room has been activated.]
[The effect of Radar (High) has been sealed.]
"Damn. A Radar Sealing Trap." The trap had been perfectly disguised as a tree branch. Draxler clicked his tongue and stowed the useless item. It was a loss, but with Loquin's dolls, it wasn't a critical one. He signaled to her.
"Got it."
The fourteen dolls, Loquin among them, fanned out to search the area. Draxler and the raiders fell into a familiar combat formation. Suddenly, a scream tore through the air from the left.
"Aaaah! Draxler, help !"
It was Loquin.
'An ambush,' Draxler thought, his blood running cold. 'But how did they pinpoint her?!'
He whipped his head to the left. The other raiders were already moving, but the voice had co from a considerable distance. 'I can't lose Loquin here!'
He hastily pulled out his Rescue a Comrade Coin.
[Rescue a Comrade Coin has been used.]
[The location of top-tier B-rank Raider Loquin will be moved to this raid party's position.]
The coin shot into the air, glowing with a blue light as it began to summon her. But just as quickly, the light flickered and died.
[Dungeon Master exclusive item 'Item Nullification' has been activated.]
[The effect of the Rescue a Comrade Coin disappears.]
[The movent of top-tier B-rank Raider Loquin fails.]
The Dungeon Master's Item Nullification.
'Damn it!' Draxler cursed himself. 'How could I be so stupid?' In his panic, he'd used the coin without thinking, completely forgetting about the Dungeon Master's remaining trump card. Regret washed over him, but it was too late. He charged toward Loquin's position with the other raiders.
"H-Help ," she whimpered.
Her disguise was gone. She was pinned by the massive Orc Guardian, a wicked-looking blade pressed to her throat. Draxler felt a cold sweat bead on his forehead.
"How on earth did you know?" he demanded.
"I rely follow my lord's orders," Grai rumbled. "I will be taking this woman."
With his free hand, the Guardian swung his other sword in a wide arc.
"Damn it! Shield bearers!" Draxler roared.
The blade's reach seed to extend unnaturally, sweeping toward the raid party. The shield bearers raised their defenses just in ti. The blade t their shields with a deafening clang, the force of the blow sending them staggering backward. The other raiders tried to pursue the Guardian as he retreated with Loquin, but more of Balak's soldiers erged from the jungle, blocking their path. Draxler ground his teeth, watching the Guardian disappear into the trees. He could try to hit him with a javelin, but there was no telling if Loquin would survive.
"Damn it!"
With no other choice, Draxler and his raiders engaged the soldiers, forced to abandon their puppeteer.
---
Grai returned to the Master Room and dropped Loquin to the floor with a thud.
"Ah… Wh-Where is this?" she stamred, trembling as she took in her surroundings. Even a top-tier B-rank raider could feel fear.
"As expected of a puppeteer," Grai noted. "She's powerless without her dolls. She was easy to capture."
"Well done, Grai," Taehyun said, rising from his seat.
Grai imdiately placed the tip of his Fire Dragon Sword against Loquin's neck. "Make one wrong move, and your head flies. Be careful."
"Ugh. I-I understand," she squeaked as a trickle of blood ran down her skin. Struggling would be suicide.
Loquin's eyes darted around the room. The Orc Guardian stood beside her. In front of a large screen stood a woman who must be the Supporter. And approaching her was the young man who was clearly their master.
"Hey. Stop looking around," Taehyun said, his voice dangerously calm. "You'll get yourself killed."
"A-Are you the Dungeon Master?"
"Who else would I be?" Taehyun's voice was laced with venom. "So, tell . How does it feel? You had so much fun toying with from the shadows. It must suck to be the one in the trap now, doesn't it?"
The black-haired Dungeon Master sneered down at her. Loquin swallowed hard, her hands clutching the hem of her dress.
"How did you find among the dolls? I'm sure I didn't have a True Identity."
"How dare a captive question my lord!" Grai growled, pressing the blade deeper. "You have so nerve!"
"Ah, it's fine," Taehyun said, waving him off. He leaned in close, a vicious smile on his face. "I don't need a True Identity. I could tell just by watching. I knew exactly where you were, laughing at ."
"Wh-What do you an…"
"It was the dolls," Taehyun explained, his smile widening. "One of them was… special. It never took the lead. It was never sacrificed to a trap. It always stayed close to the main party… until this room. Did you get a little careless, Puppeteer Loquin?"
The fourteen dolls had been instruntal, sacrificing themselves to reveal traps and uncover ambushes. The raid party had cleared room after room with ease. But throughout the process, one doll had never been put in harm's way. A doll nad Mis.
"Ah! No way."
"No matter how much I looked, the logs never showed Mis being hit by a trap or installation," Taehyun continued, his voice dropping to a whisper. "Were you that afraid of getting hurt? Huh?"
He had noticed the anomaly in the system ssages and realized Mis had to be Loquin. He'd had Grai lie in wait, and just as he'd predicted, she had let her guard down, straying too far from the main party. Grai had seized the opportunity.
"I asked you how it felt," Taehyun repeated. "How good did it feel, playing with from behind your puppets? Huh?"
"P-Please spare ," she begged, her bravado gone. "I'll do anything you say."
"Wow. A top-tier B-rank raider, now begging for her life. You want to live that badly?"
"Y-Yes!"
The formidable puppeteer had beco a ek little lamb. Taehyun grinned and produced a contract.
"If you want to live, that is."
"…What's this?"
"Sign it."
---
anwhile, the Draxler raid party was frantically searching for Loquin's dolls.
"Sir Draxler, they're nowhere to be seen."
"Sa here."
"We've searched every nook and cranny, but there's no sign of the fourteen dolls."
The reports were all the sa. The dolls had simply vanished. Draxler considered two possibilities. 'Either Loquin is dead, or she's been captured and forced to cancel the skill.' Either way, they were in serious trouble. Their only remaining items were an Effect Reversal card and their buff items. Even if they traded Effect Reversal cards, both sides would just end up using buffs. Worse, without the dolls, they were blind, forced to navigate the ambushes and traps on their own.
'The situation is not good,' he thought grimly. 'There are only fifty-four C-rank raiders left. With the radar sealed, I don't even know how many rooms remain.' He found his hand straying to the Instant Recall Scroll Gelix had given him.
"If any problems arise, please use this imdiately," Gelix had said. "Top-tier B-rank raiders are considerable assets to the Raider Association. It would be troubleso if you were to lose your lives."
He had scoffed then, but now, retreat seed like the only option. It was a bitter blow to his pride, but his life was more important. 'That bastard Gelix. Don't tell he predicted we might fail.' He recalled their first eting, how Gelix had implied Balak was already prepared for them. The man was suspicious. 'I didn't have anything to press him on then, but when I get back, I'll get so answers.'
Draxler made his decision. "With Loquin gone, continuing the raid is impossible," he announced. "We're returning to Partren. Everyone has their recall scrolls, I assu?"
As per Gelix's instructions, the other raiders had been supplied with them. They nodded, pulling out the scrolls.
"Good. Let's return at once—"
The mont the raiders tore their scrolls, they exploded not with teleportation magic, but with fire. Draxler was engulfed in dozens of fireballs, the force throwing him backward.
"Ugh! Wh-What is the aning of this!" he roared. He had instinctively blocked with his spear, saving himself from instant death.
The raiders drew their weapons, moving in to finish the job. Stunned and confused, Draxler's mind raced until it landed on one na.
"Gelix," he rasped, realization dawning. "He ordered this!"
The raiders' faces remained blank.
"I see now," he snarled, blood bubbling on his lips. "Your orders were to kill if I retreated. So that's how that bastard earned Count Dinen's favor!" This ticulous ruthlessness, leaving no loose ends—it was certainly sothing Count Dinen would appreciate. They could kill a top-tier raider and simply report he died in the dungeon. Gelix had planned for every contingency. "Was your secret with Balak so important that you had to kill , a man sent by the Count himself?!"
"Please die now," one of the raiders, Villain, said flatly.
"Ha!" Draxler roared, forcing himself to his feet. "Fine! Co on, then! Even without my teor Spear, I am Draxler of the Sky! I won't be brought down by a pack of curs like you!"
And so, a desperate 50-to-1 battle began. Draxler fought like a cornered lion, taking down ten of his attackers before he was finally overwheld.
The C-rank warrior, Villain, drove his sword through Draxler's heart. As the great raider collapsed, Villain panted, pulling out a communication device.
"Yes. He's been dealt with… Yes… Yes. Returning at once."
He ended the communication and signaled his comrades. They now pulled out a second set of scrolls—the real ones—and vanished in a flash of light, returning to Partren.
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