SSS-Rank Overlord: Defend the Dungeon or Die-Chapter 275: Episode

The raid formally commissioned by the Ashlan Kingdom ended in failure due to unforeseen circumstances. The raiders spread word of the events across the continent, and the news traveled quickly through the Association. Dinen Pradio's grand scheme was exposed to the world, as was its ultimate failure. The druids of the East, unable to relinquish their claim to the World Tree, blamed the Aneis Kingdom, escalating tensions into a full-blown confrontation between the East and West. Meanwhile, the western nations, their trade with the East severed, openly expressed their hostility toward King Leon and demanded compensation.

"Our kingdom is suffering because of Aneis!" one noble fumed.

"To antagonize the eastern druids… he must be completely insane. Trade with the East is a lost cause now!" another declared.

"The West is already the least developed region. Does he think the gap will close just because a mob of Raiders showed up? We must depose the tyrant at once!"

As the political world unanimously ostracized the Aneis Kingdom, Leon's response only fanned the flames.

—'Those with complaints should show themselves and protest in person. Those who merely whisper behind my back are not worth my time.'

It was a declaration that turned all other nations into enemies. The western nobility, unable to contain their fury, unilaterally cut off all diplomatic and trade relations with the Aneis Kingdom. As the seeds of disaster sprouted in the West, the Peshant Empire in the South officially declared war. Their target: the Ain Kart Holy Kingdom in the center of the continent. Years of friction had finally erupted into open conflict. The Peshant Empire named Karen Dake its commander, while the Holy Kingdom appointed Nephers, both sides preparing for an all-out war. Across the continent, merchant guilds scrambled to hoard iron and war supplies, their focus shifting once more to logistics.

---

The great battle on the Revived Plains. Thanks to Ashuanin's intervention, the tide had turned in an instant. The main forces in the rear provided support with their skills, and Hyena was among them, setting traps. Suddenly, a message appeared, and her world went black.

[S-rank Raider Perun has cast Armor-Piercing.] 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

[S-rank Raider Perun has cast Precision Shot.]

An armor-piercing round tore through the Specter's Mist, powerful enough to obliterate her left shoulder. She lost consciousness before she could even register the pain. She didn't know what happened next. All she knew was that forgotten memories were beginning to surface, one by one.

"Hyena. The college entrance exam is just around the corner. You haven't been in the top ranks, but you're confident this time, right?"

"Hey, Hyena Yoo, what's with that tone? We… Hah. Forget it."

"Are you just ignoring me? Fine, do whatever you want."

Memories from her modern life flooded back. She couldn't recall every detail, but her family came into sharp focus: her parents, constantly stressing her about exams; her two older brothers, whom she had treated with cold indifference because of that stress. And then, the moments after she was transported to the Astral Continent. Pieces of her past were returning.

[Consciousness has been restored.]

[Injury status has changed from critical to minor.]

[Amnesia has been partially recovered.]

Slowly, her eyes fluttered open. The first faces that came to mind were her comrades, the ones she had spent years with. The raiders who had taken her in when she first arrived on this continent, lost and alone. Now, they were all dead, fallen in some forgotten dungeon. After countless trials, she had become an A-rank Trapper, but a reckless challenge had been their undoing.

'After that, I became a slave Raider,' she remembered with a sickening lurch. 'Sold to a Dungeon Master, handed over to demons. And then… the Demon Realm Auction…'

The events became clearer. The demons who had brainwashed her, taking advantage of her amnesia. The Dungeon Master named Taehyun Yoo, who had bought her for three million Zen. The continentals she had killed as a member of Balak. And the feelings she'd had for him, the Dungeon Master of Balak, along with all the humiliating things she'd done. The memories, impossible to forget, swirled in her mind.

'I can't forgive him. I can't forgive him. I will never forgive him!'

She had come so close to dedicating her body and soul to him. Hyena's face burned as she recalled her time in the dungeon's prison. She couldn't remember his face clearly, but the memory of her own actions was vivid and shameful.

"Ah, you're awake. I'm so glad. And I'm sorr—"

"Get out of my way!" Hyena snarled, shoving past Inhye.

"M-Miss Hyena?" Inhye stammered.

She was likely another Player from the modern world, but that wasn't important right now. She had to find the one responsible for this, the one who had bound her with a contract. Recalling the path from her fragmented memories, Hyena stormed toward the Master Room.

[You have entered the Master Room.]

She saw his back. He was sitting in his chair. Hyena glared at him, her eyes burning with a mixture of hatred and rage.

"Dungeon Master!"

He didn't move.

"Y-You did this to me!" she screamed, her voice echoing in the vast room. "I'll never forgive you! You bought me with Zen, toyed with the heart of someone who lost their memories! Did you think I'd let you play with me like that forever?!"

Overwhelmed by a deep sense of humiliation, she drew her bow. "Answer me! Answer me! Answer me, now!"

"The contract prevents you from attacking me," he stated calmly.

"Shut up, you savage bastard! You were probably just going to play with me until you decided to force yourself on me later! Did you think I wouldn't know?!"

"…Hah." As if deciding a conversation was pointless, he finally turned in his chair. Hyena's eyes widened, and she gasped as he faced her.

"Good," he said, his voice even. "I had something I was curious about, too. Let me ask you one thing. Who are you?"

"Um…"

"I felt it at the slave auction. To be honest, I had no intention of buying you. But my body reacted on its own. And ever since, I've felt this urge to take care of you. It must be a remnant of my own lost memories. So I'll ask you directly. Have you seen me in the modern world?"

"…Bro," she whispered.

"Bro?"

'THUD.'

The bow slipped from her trembling fingers and clattered to the floor. Tears welled in her eyes as she forced out the words.

"My older brother."

"…Huh?"

A profound confusion, layered upon the chaos that already reigned, descended upon the Master Room.

---

"I only know how to fight. I don't remember anything else."

"I'm Hyena Yoo. I've been called Hera since I came here, but my real name is Hyena Yoo."

"Am I part of Balak now, Master?"

He was suddenly reminded of the Demon Realm Auction. A sense of unease had pricked at him even then, but he'd ignored it, unable to form a coherent thought. Hyena Yoo, the Trapper, a Player Raider captured and sold at auction. She was the key to his own lost memories. The way his body had reacted instinctively, the protective feelings he'd always had for her—none of it had been a lie.

Taehyun stood frozen, watching Hyena weep in his arms.

'Does that mean I bought my own younger sister as a slave… and have been driving her into deadly situations all this time?'

A crushing wave of guilt and regret washed over him. The emotions he had buried deep while managing the dungeon erupted all at once. He was in so much agony he couldn't even bring himself to stroke her hair.

"Sob… hic…' Brother, how did you end up here, too?" she choked out.

"…I don't know," he admitted, his voice hollow. "I've lost my memories of the modern world. Right now, I can't even believe you're my younger sister."

"How can you not recognize my face?" she cried. "I know I ignored you back home, but this is too much!"

"Ugh." He wasn't used to his sister's pouting. According to her, their family had five members: their parents and three siblings. The number was completely alien to him. If this was all true, the guilt would be unbearable.

"Okay, for now, please stop crying," he said gently. "Let's talk, Hyena."

"…No. Just let me stay like this for a little while."

"Hoo." She had been summoned here alone, forced to endure unimaginable hardships. Her sorrow was justified. Taehyun scratched his head and shot a glare at the intruders who had gathered at the doorway.

"My goodness," Riel whispered. "You mean to say Miss Hyena is your younger sister, Master?"

"Then what I've been feeling all this time wasn't just a misunderstanding," Mederia murmured.

"I think I'll have to get on Miss Hyena's good side from now on," Inhye added.

The rumor had apparently already spread throughout the dungeon. Taehyun sighed and was about to wave them away when Turner and his group arrived. Turner took one look at Hyena in Taehyun's arms and immediately turned to leave.

"It seems I've interrupted," he said. "I hear it's a reunion after a long time. I'll come back later."

"H-Hey, where are you going? Stop!" Taehyun called out.

"Since you asked, I'll wait. I have things to discuss with my old comrades as well." His gaze shifted to Inhye. They had much to sort out, but it seemed the intense emotions from their last encounter had cooled.

Taehyun watched the intruders retreat, then turned his attention back to the girl in his arms.

"I was so scared," she whispered into his chest. "Abandoned on this continent, I had to survive all alone, without family, friends, or anyone I knew. I met some comrades and became a Raider, but I never forgot, not for a single moment."

"You've been through a lot," he said softly.

"I always ignored you and our brother because of my grades and the entrance exam. I always looked at you with such cold eyes. I'm sorry for that. I'm really, really sorry. I never knew how precious family was."

"I was just a spoiled brat," she continued, her voice thick with self-loathing. "Making pathetic excuses and taking my stress out on you. Treating you like you weren't my family. I'm a really bad younger sister, right?"

His head throbbed. The same confusion of memories he'd experienced before was clouding his thoughts. After a moment's hesitation, Taehyun pulled her into a tight hug.

"No, it's not your fault. So first, calm down and let's talk. I'm still not exactly sure about all this. If you're really my little sister, there has to be proof. Yes, proof."

"…Okay."

Finally, Hyena pulled away. Wiping her tears, she began to tell him everything she remembered about their life in the modern world.

---

"…and that's what happened," she finished, her eyes fixed on his. "Is there anything else you want to know?"

"Hmm. First, could you stop glaring at me like that?"

"That's because you still don't believe me, Brother!"

He was at a loss for words. At the end of her long, detailed story, he could only come to one conclusion: it was all true. There was no hard evidence, but her explanation was too specific to be a lie.

'Hyena Yoo, Taehyun Yoo, and Taehwan Yoo. Three siblings. And I was the second child, a twenty-two-year-old enjoying college life.'

It felt completely surreal. But he couldn't deny it. Taehyun replayed her words in his mind, and the pieces, however unbelievable, fit together.

"Hah. It can't be."

"You… remember? Brother?" she asked, a flicker of hope in her eyes.

"No."

"Ugh, whatever! I'm not talking about it anymore!" she huffed, turning away.

"But I can tell you're not lying, you brat," he said, a hint of warmth finally entering his voice.

The sorrow she had poured out just moments ago was undeniably real.

Taehyun pulled the pouting Hyena into his arms and stroked her hair. "I'm sorry I didn't believe you," he murmured. "I just… I wasn't entirely sure. And after everything I've done to you…"

"Y-You don't have to bring that up," she protested, burying her face in his chest. "You idiot!"

"You're right." A small, weary smile touched his lips. "In any case, welcome back, Hyena."

"Mhm," she mumbled. "But… why is my heart pounding so fast? I feel so strange. Is it because it's been so long since I've seen you?"

"You saw me all the time while you had amne—"

"Yes, brother?" she asked, her face flushing a delicate pink as she looked up at him.

He was in no state to give her a proper answer. With a grim expression, Taehyun checked Hyena's status window.

[Hera]

[Rank: A (High-tier)]

[Level: 75]

[Class: Trapper]

[Title: Balak's Slave Raider]

[Affiliation: Balak]

[Loyalty: 100]

[Favorability: 100]

[Obedience: 100]

[Skills: Chain Explosion Trap (Special), Imprisonment Trap (Special), Electric Current Trap (Special), Illusion Trap (Special), Sealing Trap (Special)]

[Special Ability: Trap Control]

[Strength: 16] [Endurance: 10] [Agility: 76] [Stamina: 12]

[Mana: 44] [Divinity: 1] [Affinity: 35] [Luck: 49]

[Status: Affection, Amnesia (Partially Recovered)]

Even with some of her memories restored, her favorability was unchanged. In other words, his younger sister still harbored romantic affection for him. Taehyun dragged a hand over his face and snatched a sword from its wall mount.

"Aaaah! What are you doing?!" Hyena shrieked.

"Let go of me," he groaned. "This is it. I have to die."

"D-Don't do this! Why are you acting like thiiiiis—!"

That day, the truth about Hyena spread like wildfire throughout Balak.