SSS-Rank Overlord: Defend the Dungeon or Die-Chapter 276: Episode

"Hehe. So this is my brother's dungeon," Hyena chirped, a strange new feeling washing over her. While her restored memories made her time as a slave raider feel painfully vivid, this was different. Her official status hadn't changed due to the contract, but that hardly mattered. She had now cemented her position as the Dungeon Master's younger sister.

"They say she's the demon's actual sister."

"Hmph. So what? That's got nothing to do with the Roughrock tribe. Let's just get back to work."

"Whoa, she's coming this way!"

The dwarves, deep in the final stages of assembling an ancient artifact, grew flustered. With an expression of pure fascination, Hyena was already running her hands over their creation.

Tuperus, the Great Chieftain, turned pale and bellowed, "Y-You wench! Where do you think you're putting your hands?!"

"I was just looking because it's interesting. You don't have to yell," she retorted, unfazed. "And you look like a shorty, anyway."

"Wh-What? A… a shorty?!" The Great Chieftain froze on the spot.

The other dwarves stared, their mouths agape at her audacity. Just then, one of the most crucial components of the artifact clattered to the floor.

"Uh, oh." Hyena blinked. Then, she declared, "Th-This isn't my fault. Well then, carry on!"

An icy silence descended. The artifact had been moments from completion. Now, because of one careless touch, a critical piece had broken off. The dwarves stared at their ruined work, their faces masks of disbelief.

"Y-Youuuuu!" Tuperus's face cycled through shades of red and purple. Dungeon Master's sister or not, this was blatant sabotage. Fuming, he stomped off toward the Master Room.

Meanwhile, a man who had been studying blueprints in a quiet corner turned his head away. He'd seen this happen countless times. Tears welled in his eyes and streamed down his cheeks, but the feeling was horribly familiar. Wiping them away with his sleeve, he activated the transmutation circle once more.

---

[Territory restoration is in progress.]

The damage from the Hyacinth Raid Party and Dienen Fradio was substantial. Since their targets had been the World Tree and the dungeon itself, Balak's interior was untouched, but the surrounding battlefields were a different story. The Silent Forest, in particular, had been utterly devastated by the entity known as Lost Other.

"We need to get this fixed before that old man Hamolten throws a fit," Taehyun muttered. "Riel, how's Mederia?"

"As you saw earlier, Master, she's perfectly fine. She doesn't seem to have suffered any lasting harm."

"That's a relief. Still, the damage to our forces is severe."

The recent chaos had claimed a significant number of his primary soldiers. To start, there were the Doom Skeletons, Conpas and Haguru. Then, eleven Pargal clan soldiers, thirty-seven beastmen, roughly 1,500 A-rank soldiers, and over 2,000 S-rank soldiers. When he factored in those with critical injuries, the situation was far more serious than he'd initially thought.

''This restoration is going to devour a huge chunk of my funds. I gained a lot of materials for special abilities, but it's still a net loss.'' The chasm between gains and losses was enormous. With a heavy sigh, Taehyun summoned Turner.

[S-rank Raider Turner has entered the Master Room.]

The raider had helped locate the stone monuments scattered across the territory. Though he had invaded as part of a commissioned party, the fact that he had helped remained. Besides, he was a former colleague of Eleonora's; Taehyun couldn't just punish him outright.

''The only problem is that he was an ally of the man who put Hyena in mortal danger.'' In truth, Turner had no connection to Perun, the one who had fired the armor-piercing round, but it was undeniable that he had attacked Balak's soldiers.

"I heard you called for me," Turner said, his voice level.

"I did. Did you finish talking with your old comrades?"

"Yes. Thanks to you, I suppose. I didn't come seeking forgiveness, but seeing Hendy smile… I have no more regrets. I apologize for the disturbance I caused by joining the raid party."

"Hmm. Turner, was it?" Taehyun began, his voice dangerously calm. "Listen closely. Because of you, part of my territory is a wreck, and most of my main forces are dead."

Beside him, Riel lowered her head, her expression somber. Taehyun scowled and gestured to the monitor. "Look at that. Does that look like a dungeon territory to you?!"

"Um, but I was only in the Silent Forest…"

"No, it's a shared responsibility," Taehyun cut him off. "It doesn't matter if you weren't directly involved. You participated in the raid. This all happened because of your party."

"B-But I helped find the monuments…"

"Monuments or not, the other raiders fled. You're the only one left. You're going to compensate me properly. Tell me, how much Zen do you have?"

The man had reached S-rank by taking on countless requests; he had to have a fortune saved up. As if hypnotized, Turner checked his Zen pouch. "Two thousand…"

"Alright," Taehyun said, snatching it. "We'll call it even for the territory restoration."

"H-Hey, that's all the Zen I've saved…!"

"What, you don't know that Hendy, Eleonora, and Sihan live here?" Taehyun launched into a torrent of guilt-tripping logic. "You said you wanted to atone. Well, this is how you atone. Right?!"

Turner, unable to refute the nonsensical argument, simply nodded. Taehyun produced a fan from thin air and snapped it open, casually tucking the Zen pouch into his inventory.

"Now, that just leaves the matter of the soldiers you harmed. What are you going to do? You're out of Zen, aren't you?"

"Um…"

"Ah, but I'll take equipment, too. That… that gear you used to find the monuments, for instance."

"Uh…"

"Oh, right, that won't be enough either. You'll just have to live here. We'll draft a quick contract, and you can officially join Balak. Your old friends are here, after all. It's for the best, isn't it?"

"I don't deserve…"

"Good grief. How long are you going to drone on about atonement? Listen. There's a guy here named Kadum. He used to be a slave hunter, but to atone to the High Elves, he's always with them. They've gotten closer, made a lot of progress. You can do that, too!" The Affinitytic cult leader had him completely hooked.

Turner found himself agreeing before he could even process it. Taehyun slid a contract toward him and pressed a quill into his hand, subtly nodding toward the screen showing Hendy.

"It's good for you, good for me. What's not to love? Come on. Just sign!"

"Uh… okay. I will."

"That's it. That's what comrades do!"

The viciously smiling Dungeon Master and his supporter, who watched with a knowing glint in her eye, were both deeply satisfied as Turner was reduced to a complete pushover. Just then, Tuperus burst into the Master Room.

"You demon baaaastaaaard!" he roared.

The sound was deafening. The three of them clapped their hands over their ears. The Great Chieftain of the Roughrock tribe looked absolutely livid.

"Wh-What is it? Did something happen?" Taehyun asked cautiously.

"That sister of yours! Hyena! She came and ruined our work on the ancient artifact! How are you going to take responsibility for this?!"

"Seriously? Kids will be kids. Why are you getting so worked up over something like that?"

"Something like 'that'? Something like 'thaaaat'?!" Tuperus's fury erupted like a volcano. He gripped the pickaxe at his side, his breath coming in ragged gasps. "I'll show you just how difficult 'something like that' is, you demon!"

"H-Hey, wait a minute…"

"Wait, I have nothing to do with this…" Turner stammered.

"Oh my," Riel gasped. "The Master Room floor…"

That day, not only the territory but the Master Room itself had to undergo restoration, burning through an unexpected amount of Zen.

---

"That trapper woman ran her hands all over my fur and then just took off!" a beastman complained.

"She played with my innocent heart! Kumakuma!" a Kuma warrior lamented.

"L-Last time, she kept stroking my wings… It was very troubling…" a harpy whimpered.

The complaints in Balak were piling up. Riel had already thrown in the towel, overwhelmed by the sheer volume of reports, leaving Taehyun in an impossible position. He'd tried to set aside a day to scold Hyena, but it was useless.

"Ehehe. It was just a little prank. Don't you believe me, brother?"

"No… I think you're right. I was mistaken," Taehyun would sigh, completely defeated. "They must have conspired to lie about you."

"Thaaat's what I'm saying! You're on my side, right, little brother?"

"O-Of course."

It was a baffling phenomenon. The moment she wrapped her arms around him with that bright, innocent smile, his anger would melt away. Before he knew it, Taehyun was completely wrapped around her finger, indulging her every whim and tantrum.

"Little brother, that Minotaur was staring at me funny the other day."

"Um, this is clearly a misunderstanding. Mo."

"I'll have to cut off one of his horns."

He did it because she was his sister. His little sister. As her older brother, he wanted to give her the world, especially after all the suffering he'd put her through as a slave raider. This was the only way he could think of to ease his crushing guilt.

"Hyena, come here a moment. A resident gave me this gift, and I'd like to share it with you," Riel offered kindly.

"Hyena, I'm so sorry for everything. Please accept this as my apology," Mederia said, bowing her head.

"I know I caused you a lot of trouble. I hope this helps you feel a little better," Eleonora added, offering a small, polished gem.

Hyena's influence had become so immense that she was the de facto ruler of Balak. By leveraging her position as the Dungeon Master's sister, she enjoyed privileges far beyond anyone else's. As a result, Taehyun earned an unflattering new nickname and faced a constant barrage of criticism.

"What a fool who only thinks of his sister!" Tuperus grumbled.

"Master, you're going too far. You're a complete… sister-fool… 'Ugh!" Riel choked out.

"Getting all flustered over one girl. My misandry aside, this is just painful to watch," Mederia sniffed.

His main forces protested, and the other races vented their frustrations. Finally, Taehyun took drastic measures and issued a formal announcement.

-If you have a complaint, go get a sister of your own. From now on, anyone who complains about Hyena gets locked in the Ice Palace. Understood?

And so, the Dungeon Master of Balak, through an act of questionable tyranny, was officially designated the ultimate sister-fool.

---

[Turner]

[Rank: S]

[Level: 89]

[Class: Tracker]

[Title: The Raider Who Endured the Curse]

[Affiliation: Balak]

[Loyalty: 20]

[Favorability: 10]

[Obedience: 15]

[Skills: Void Battlefield, Falling Wings, Ominous Barrier, Melancholy Wings, Curse's Cry]

[Special Ability: Crow's Nightmare]

[Strength: 10] [Endurance: 4] [Agility: 94] [Stamina: 7]

[Mana: 78] [Divinity: 1] [Affinity: -45] [Luck: -50]

[Status: High-level Curse (Temporarily Sealed)]

Stopping the Hyacinth Raid Party had taught him one crucial thing: his forces had glaring weaknesses.

''First, they lack resistance to movement-impairing effects. I also need more skills like Kadum's Wolf's Eye to see through stealth. The same goes for territory-declaration skills.''

Without Hamolten, he never would have found the monuments so quickly. And just thinking about the abilities of Hyacinth, McPain, and Perun made it painfully obvious how far behind his own main forces were.

"Hmm."

"What are you worrying about now, brother?" Hyena asked, leaning against him.

"I'm cataloging the weaknesses of our main forces. The fight against the Hyacinth party revealed gaps that even our exclusive items couldn't cover."

"I never realized it when I was a raider, but managing a dungeon involves so much planning. Hehe. You seem pretty amazing now, brother. Back home, you were just a guy at a two-year college getting pushed around all the time."

Her smile was angelic, but her words were daggers. Taehyun just stroked her hair and continued reviewing his troops. Just then, the communication device in his pocket buzzed.

—"Newbie, it's me. We're calling a meeting for all faction members. After what happened last time, I think we need to settle things for good."

It was Seonghwi Hyun, leader of the Resistance. Taehyun felt a grin spread across his face. The time had finally come.

"That's what I was hoping for. Just tell me the date and time, and I'll be there."

—"Good. I'll send the details through the faction community chat. Just show up then."

"Understood."

The conversation was curt, laced with displeasure. A faction member had essentially stolen mana via the Demon Jade and then used a contract to gain authority over the entire faction. The leader had every right to be on edge. Taehyun calmly set the device down and organized his thoughts.

"Was that the faction leader?" Hyena asked.

"Yeah. The guy who tried to tie my hands and got tangled in his own rope. By the way, that skirt is a bit short. You should change."

"I'll wear what I want. Besides, Mederia is always in a maid outfit. Isn't that because of your twisted tastes, little brother?"

"What do you take me for? That maid outfit is strictly…"

"Hehe. So, how do you think I'd look in one?"

"Ahem!"

As an older brother, he couldn't help but feel a certain sense of pride at the question.