Day 21. It felt as though he had returned after a very long time. Operating a dungeon like this, overcoming obstacles one by one—it all felt refreshing. Even though the dimension, the dungeon, and his supporter were different from back then, it didn’t matter.

’I’ve already finished the preparations.’ He had returned feeling somewhat displeased, but he had obtained everything he needed. Taehyun skimmed through the contract he brought from the Divine Realm.

First, lifting the curses that hindered the dungeon’s operation. Second, unlocking the number of summonable personnel to match the dungeon’s grade. Third, configuring the grades and abilities of the summoned soldiers to suit the situation. Fourth, lifting all penalties upon finding the cause or source of the rift.

"Even if I don’t like her, she sure gets the job done."

As expected of a creator who managed vast dimensions, the contract was meticulous. All that remained was to prepare for the A-Rank Hero who would soon arrive.

[A-Rank Hero Appearance Schedule: 20 days]

Fortunately, this world’s system even notified him of high-grade enemies’ schedules in advance. Back when he managed Balak, this was something he couldn’t have even expected.

"The increase in Exclusive Items, and even new functions... It seems the system itself has been upgraded compared to before."

The system that Nikunbel had brought in had now spread to other dimensions. Taehyun let out a deep sigh and stood up.

"Well, it can’t be helped. It’s a quest I took on, so I have to finish it."

The rift in the basement was not a naturally occurring phenomenon. It was likely related to this A-Rank Hero as well.

"Alright. Time to head out..."

"Are you going outside?"

Just then, Arin appeared at the door, beautifully dressed in a black gown. He had been worried because she hadn’t left her room for a day after returning from the Divine Realm, but fortunately, her complicated feelings seemed to have eased somewhat.

’Where are you going, Taehyun?’

Suddenly, he saw Riel’s image overlap with Arin’s. He looked at her with a wistful gaze before letting out a bitter smile.

"Yeah. I need to clear the surroundings to properly prepare."

"...I will accompany you."

It was the first time Arin had asserted her own opinion. He blinked, wondering if he had misheard, but she seemed sincere. It meant that something had changed within her since their visit to Paonir.

’Well, that’s why I stopped by Balak Land in the first place.’

Taehyun stroked Arin’s head with a proud smile. She lowered her head in embarrassment, but even that was satisfying to see.

"Alright. Let’s go together, then."

As soon as the decision was made, a carriage was abruptly summoned into the dungeon. It was drawn by the three wyverns he had seen in Balak Land. However, unlike normal wyverns, these were S-rank.

The wyverns screeched loudly.

"Quiet, you lot."

He opened the door of the sturdy Balak Merchant Guild carriage and boarded with Arin. The wyverns began to run as if they had been waiting. The first targets to seek out were the nearby dungeons. Even though the curses were lifted, they didn’t have any Gold or Zen right now, so they had to acquire them through other means.

’It’d be a bit much to threaten the merchant guild again, so I’ll try this method.’

The second fastest way to grow was to plunder what belonged to others. As the carriage slowly lifted into the air, Arin looked down in wonder from beside him. Taehyun watched her reaction with a pleased smile as he planned out their itinerary.

---

When he was first summoned to this continent, everything was a mystery. Monsters suddenly appeared, and he was told to become their master. He was so full of questions and fear that he lacked the confidence to survive properly, but once he started managing the dungeon to some extent, those worries quickly vanished.

’This is heaven. The fantasy world I always imagined. And I’m the one managing a dungeon!’

At first, he had panicked at the attacks from Adventurers, but as he managed to fend them off, he gradually accumulated experience. The lack of modern conveniences was a complaint, but here, he could do whatever he wanted. Especially the various desires he had been suppressing all along. Although his life was threatened every day, he could indulge his pleasures to his heart’s content by capturing Adventurers or raiding nearby villages.

"Master. We just repelled the Adventurers and captured a few."

Just then, the dungeon’s Supporter, Leong, returned. He was the young demon who had provided the most help by his side until they established themselves as a B-grade dungeon. The Dungeon Master—no, Seonghyun—smiled in satisfaction as he examined the female Adventurers on the screen.

"Satisfactory. Kill the men and keep the women alive in the cells."

"Understood."

"Good. We’re gaining momentum. At this rate, we’ll quickly rise to an A-grade dungeon."

There were some brilliant minds among the continent’s Adventurers, but for the most part, they were nothing but fools. Moreover, since there weren’t many skilled individuals in the Northern Region, it was easy to thwart their raids as long as he handled his Exclusive Items well. Recently, he had even been communicating and exchanging information with neighboring Dungeon Masters, so there would be absolutely no problems in the future. Seonghyun checked his steadily accumulating finances and cheerfully picked up his communication Crystal Sphere.

The sphere buzzed with static.

"Huh?"

The voice he usually heard didn’t come through. It was a Dungeon Master he always communicated with because they shared similar hobbies, but for some reason, the connection wouldn’t go through. Puzzled, Seonghyun tried contacting the others. One Dungeon Master, who belatedly answered the call, brought up a shocking story.

—"It’s a disaster. It seems a Dungeon Master who attacks other dungeons has appeared recently. Lodeun, Maschel, and Kzelos have already been hit!"

"W-What? Those three were B-grade dungeons with exceptionally good terrain."

—"It must be a considerably high-grade enemy... Damn it. It looks like they’ve come here too. I’m cutting the comms for now!"

With those words, the light from the Crystal Sphere vanished.

"Dungeon Masters attacking each other?"

Faced with this unexpected situation, Seonghyun grew extremely anxious.

’This makes no sense. Attacking three B-grade dungeons? Why would Dungeon Masters do this to each other? We could just quietly fend off Adventurers and share the good stuff among ourselves, so why!’

The mysterious attacker was presumed to be at least A-grade or higher. Judging by the fact that they attacked without a prior declaration of war, they didn’t seem like someone who could be reasoned with.

"I need to prepare. Preparations!"

"Master, what is the matter?"

"Leong, from now on, we invest all our finances. Contact the merchant guild right away!"

"U-Understood!"

He would use every method available to stop them. That was all Seonghyun could think about.

’I can’t end this lifestyle. If I can just fend off the attack, I can keep living as a Dungeon Master!’

Drenched in cold sweat, his greed-filled eyes turned toward the bed. A female Adventurer lay there, subdued and naked, both hands bound in chains. To relieve this anxiety right now, he needed her.

"Right. There won’t be any problems. I can fend off any bastard!"

"Aaaah!"

And so, oblivious to the impending crisis, Seonghyun surrendered himself to pleasure.

---

At that moment, the B-grade dungeon Hester in the Northern Region welcomed untimely intruders. The opponents were monsters of the same grade. However, these unexpectedly battle-hardened foes looked like hero-class entities from top to bottom.

"W-What? The displayed grade clearly says they are normal soldiers, but they’re this strong?!"

The ever-changing battle was captured on the screen. Dungeon Master Besche’s face hardened as he watched his soldiers dying one by one. At this rate, the interior of the dungeon would be breached in no time.

"It can’t be helped. It’s a bit early, but I have no choice but to reveal my Main Forces!"

Hester possessed a total of two units: a Guardian and a Keeper. Both reaching the level of B-rank Named, they were the strongest of the strong who led most battles. With the enemy’s Main Forces currently out of sight, he had to strike first and aim for a reversal.

[B-Rank Named Guardian ’Archer of the Wind Jelsi’ has entered the battle.]

[B-Rank Named Keeper ’Guardian of Darkness Lumete’ has entered the battle.]

Finally, the two joined the battle. Jelsi, who specialized in ranged attacks, and Lumete, who had high resistance, were reliable enough.

"Ignore the mere soldiers and head straight to where the Dungeon Master is."

—"Understood."

In such a fierce battle, the only position suitable for commanding soldiers was the nearby hill. The two Main Forces quickly detoured in the direction Besche pointed. And when Jelsi used a skill to secure vision, the Dungeon Master’s figure was quickly revealed. Deep black hair and black eyes. The man leisurely watching the situation from atop the hill was undoubtedly the mastermind behind this attack.

"That’s him. Shoot him!"

Regardless of how the current battle was unfolding, the situation would be resolved as long as the Dungeon Master was eliminated. Lumete created a protective barrier nearby in advance, and Jelsi comfortably nocked an arrow within it. Besche’s lips gradually curled into a smile. But at that moment, mana-infused arrows were fired at the location where the two stood. With a deafening boom, the barrier shattered instantly.

Besche stared at the screen in disbelief.

—"Bringing out your Main Forces was a good move, but your item utilization is poor."

"Oh no. Vision Priority Ticket!"

A piece of paper was gripped in the young man’s hand. It was the Vision Priority Ticket, which allowed one to dominate the number of dice rolls in a Vision Battle. Only then did Besche realize his soldiers had been blinded. Pale-faced, he checked to see who had fired the arrows.

—"It feels like it’s been a really long time since I fired magic bullets like this. Was it decent?"

—"Well, it’s the same as the old days. What could be different?"

—"Oh, come on. You were looking somewhere else just now, weren’t you?!"

A fairy was flying around, scattering powder in all directions. It was a green-haired woman with a pair of wings. She flirted ostentatiously in front of her master before firing a barrage of arrows. She clearly had a deep understanding of the bow; her accuracy was remarkable, and Lumete struggled to block the mana-infused arrows with his shield. With some of the enemy’s soldiers rushing toward Jelsi, the situation turned grim once again.

"N-No. Return first!"

—"Tsk, tsk. A Return Circle? You’re getting desperate and using items recklessly. Here. Effect Reversal Card."

"Grrr. Then, Neutralization!"

—"What an idiot. You should have countered simultaneously with an Effect Reversal Card instead."

After the return item came the Effect Reversal Card. Besche hastily countered with a Neutralization Item, but another item was already gripped in the young man’s hand.

[The opposing Dungeon Master has used a Neutralization Item.]

Besche slumped down with a heavy thud, his expression devastated. The only suitable counter item he had left was an Effect Reversal Card. However, it was already too late to reverse the neutralized Return Circle.

—"As expected of a B-grade Dungeon Master. Shall I go take a look at his face?"

Besche was too stunned to speak. Even as the battle wrapped up, the young man continued to get under his skin until the very end.