Day 25. In just three days, five B-rank dungeons in the North had been annihilated. It was a clash between Dungeon Masters that could easily be seen as fratricide. No, it was far too one-sided to even be called a clash.

"Not a bad haul. At this rate, I’ll gather enough Zen and Gold in no time."

Taehyun smiled in satisfaction as he watched his finances steadily increase. There was nothing more enjoyable than snatching what belonged to others.

"Didn’t you go around plundering other Dungeon Masters like this back then, too?"

A woman with green hair suddenly clung to his side, linking her arm through his. It was Mederia, once one of Balak’s key Guardians. He ignored the voluptuous curves pressing against his arm and recalled his past. She was right. He was definitely growing in a pattern similar to before.

"Well, there’s no better way to grow this quickly."

"So, when are you returning to Balak Land? I’m always ready. I’m always looking forward to spending a passionate night together like back then."

"No. I’m busy with a quest."

"Or here is fine too..."

Just as she leaned in close, parting her lips to seduce him, the door clicked open, and Arin walked in. For a moment, a heavy silence fell over the room, as if time had stopped. Mederia casually kept her arm linked and flashed a dimpled smile, while Arin silently bowed her head and stared at Taehyun.

Hmm. ’Her gaze is somewhat piercing.’

His Supporter had been giving him subtly murderous looks for the past few days. This was likely proof that she was gradually changing. Thinking this, Taehyun checked the screen projected through his Familiar Summon.

"So this is the last remaining B-rank dungeon. I heard there’s some punk summoned from modern Earth. I should go see his face."

"Oh? Didn’t you say Nikunbel’s summoning system disappeared back then?"

"Looks like someone took it. They must have experimented numerous times in this dimension as well."

Whatever their purpose, any ability interfering with the dimension was a target for retrieval. But before that, he needed to focus on his current quest.

[Applied Curses: 5]

’The others are fine, but the curse that downgrades the soldiers’ stats is really annoying.’

Balak’s soldiers, who originally had high ranks, received an even heavier penalty. It would be much better to just summon new soldiers to replace them.

"Then, shall we get going?"

He curled the corners of his mouth as he looked at the palace on the screen.

---

The Northern dungeon, Tesla. It was a B-rank dungeon in the shape of a palace built between rugged valleys. In the beginning, it was merely a naturally formed place, but since acquiring a Dungeon Master, it had grown rapidly and made a name for itself in the North. However, for some reason, the perimeter security had become even stricter recently.

"Right, I can stop him. He’s just another Dungeon Master at best."

Seonghyun had already summoned more soldiers than usual. He had also deployed Familiar Summons all over the place and had his soldiers conduct reconnaissance several times a day. The current Tesla could stop any enemy that came its way. Believing this, Seonghyun eased his anxieties.

"Leong. How’s the deployment of the Siege-type Soldiers?"

"They have been deployed meticulously without any gaps."

"Good, good. I’ve also set up Position Transfer markers, so no matter who comes, there won’t be a problem."

"Hmm. Master, I wonder if you are over-preparing."

The finances saved up to prepare for an A-Rank Hero had already been squandered. Even if an attack did happen, if the opponent was defeated too easily, it would be no different from wasting everything they had invested so far. Furthermore, Seonghyun’s personality had become aggressive as he suffered from extreme anxiety over the past few days. As he treated the slaves roughly and his soldiers’ loyalty plummeted, his Supporter’s worries also grew significantly.

"No. This guy has destroyed a whopping five dungeons. I have to do at least this much to stop him!"

"...Understood."

"Stop worrying about useless things and keep directing the soldiers’ reconnaissance!"

At the order to leave, Leong hurriedly exited the room. Left alone, Seonghyun huffed before peering into the screen.

’I can’t take my eyes off it for even a second. I might miss him when he shows up!’

How many nights had he stayed up checking the vision? Even now, deep shadows hung under his eyes, but he merely wiped his bleary eyes and continued staring at the screen. As he sat there for a long time, struggling to stay awake, something appeared on the screen.

"W-what the... What is this guy?!"

A massive golem. No, to be exact, a golem made of mud had brazenly appeared in the forest. Seonghyun, who had been meticulously checking the screen, snapped to his senses in shock. The creature began throwing large nearby boulders toward Tesla.

"Damn it. Where did it suddenly pop out from? This shouldn’t be happening!"

His expectation that soldiers would simply charge in had missed the mark. Seonghyun hurriedly activated Position Transfer, and the B-rank orcs that had been on standby began attacking the Siege-type golem.

Squeals and roars echoed across the battlefield as glaives pierced through the squelching mud. Physical strikes didn’t do much damage, but the continuous hits were stacking up. Only then did Seonghyun let out a sigh of relief and sneer.

"To openly expose a Main Force Siege-type Soldier like that. Turns out he’s just an idiot."

If he defeated the golem like this and regrouped, he could reap the benefits without any losses. At that moment, monsters appeared across multiple screens, causing another problem. Their ranks were around C-grade at best. However, the creatures that began charging simultaneously took out his Familiar Summons one by one, cutting off his vision, and engaged his soldiers from all directions.

"Hah. So he scattered his forces. Fine. Then I’ll also..."

"GRAAAANZLE!"

"What the hell is that now?!" he gasped.

Along with a thunderous roar, a Death Knight revealed itself below the valley. Riding a phantom horse, its eyes exuded a red glint as it expressed its fury. Then, leading skeleton soldiers, it charged toward Tesla’s main gate.

"Granzle, are you there? How dare you eat the bread I was saving and run away! I will never forgive you!"

"Damn it. How am I supposed to know who Granzle is? No, more importantly, a Death Knight eats bread?!"

"GRAAAANZLE!"

"Damn it all. First, I need to deploy my Main Force too!"

Fortunately, a B-rank named Keeper was defending the main gate. He was known as Jeduun, the Red-Blooded Mad. With formidable combat power despite being a shield soldier, that Keeper would be enough against the Death Knight.

[Used a buff item.]

[Jeduun, the Red-Blooded Mad has cast Blood Explosion.]

[There is a certain probability that damage taken will be converted into the Strength stat.]

’This is enough preparation. Now, go ahead and try using an Effect Reversal Card. I’ll immediately counter it with the exact same item!’

Even if the enemy used a buff item, it didn’t matter. Seonghyun curled his lips as he watched the two Main Forces clash. At that moment, the Death Knight and skeleton soldiers, who had been raising their swords, vanished.

[The opposing Dungeon Master has used Position Transfer.]

It was a completely unexpected item. Furthermore, of all places, the location was exactly where the orcs were. Seonghyun was so flustered that he failed to counter in time, and the orcs that were finishing off the golem suffered an untimely ambush.

"Ahhh. How thankful. A teacher’s love."

"T-that’s a carriage. And it’s flying in the sky?!"

Three wyverns flew in near the golem, pulling a carriage. The young man who finally revealed himself leisurely sang a song and used a buff item.

"Now then, shall we begin a proper lesson for my cute junior?"

"That son of a bitch!"

Numerical superiority didn’t matter anymore. Now that the enemy had even buffed the golem, there was no point in dealing with the swarming soldiers one by one. Seonghyun fell into deep thought, but the opposing Dungeon Master wasn’t going to wait for him.

A deafening boom echoed as the Main Force Siege-type Soldier systematically threw boulders at the palace. Seonghyun wanted to deploy his Main Forces and soldiers positioned in every direction, but the remaining enemy soldiers were a problem. In the end, he dropped the items in his hands and whimpered.

"What the hell am I supposed to do?"

It was a situation where he could do neither this nor that. It was his complete defeat.

---

All battles had concluded. The siege, which began like an assault on a solid fortress, demolished half of Tesla in an instant. Seonghyun ended up choosing to surrender before he could properly utilize his Main Forces and items. And finally, Taehyun ascended to the top floor of the nearly ruined dungeon.

"Hey. You’re kidding right now, right? Hurry up and get rid of the Keepers and Guardians. If I get pissed off, I might just order them to throw boulders right away. Huh?"

"W-wait a minute. Hold on. Y-you’re from modern Earth too, right? Aren’t you?!"

"Punk, you’re pretty quick on the uptake."

"Then let’s negotiate. No, just tell me what you want. I’ll give you anything. If you just spare my life, I can even give you the slaves I cherish!"

Seonghyun, who was pitifully begging for his life, pointed behind a pillar. There were female Adventurers brought in advance to win his favor. Wearing nothing but a single scrap of cloth, they were shackled in restraints, their bodies trembling. At the sight that brought back memories of the past, Taehyun’s expression rapidly hardened.

"T-there’s not much to think about. If you want, I can hand them all over..."

"Ah, hold on a second. This is very serious right now."

"W-why? Do you not like them?"

"No, it’s not that. Just wait."

A gloomy Demonic Energy slowly spread in all directions. The transcendent being, who had once even ascended to become a Demonic King, suddenly stretched his arm straight out to the left.

With a thunderous blast, the mountain on the opposite side was instantly annihilated without a trace. Every single person on the top floor dropped their jaws in horror. Only then did Taehyun completely settle his uncomfortable stomach and rub his belly with a refreshed face.

"Whew. Now I’m finally digesting a bit. So, what were you saying?"

"Please, just spare my life!"

Seonghyun, who had been frozen for a moment, hurriedly prostrated himself flat on the floor. It was vastly different from his attitude just a moment ago when he was trying to somehow negotiate his way out of the situation. That day, Tesla was permanently annihilated, and Seonghyun was forcibly summoned to the Divine Realm, losing all his memories of this world. And then.

"What happens now?"

"Well, I’ve packed plenty of Mana Stones, and we have enough Zen and Gold, so we should slowly start preparing."

Inside the carriage returning to Radik, the corners of Taehyun’s mouth curled up. All that was left now was to prepare to welcome the A-Rank Hero.

[A-Rank Hero Appearance Schedule: 16 Days]

As the sun slowly set outside, Arin was looking at Taehyun with a complex gaze.