Their destination in the North was quite far away. Even before their departure, using transfer gates had been suggested a few times, but the continent’s magic towers were never cooperative. Since the Paslan Empire had previously attempted to conquer the continent, using the gates was impossible without revealing their true objective.

’Since the cult is in the critical phase of taking over the interior, forcefully pressuring the magic towers would be impossible too.’ If not for their current situation, they would have laid their hands on the magic towers long ago. However, there was no need for regret. The expeditionary force had already set up camp right outside their destination.

"Your Grace, Duke Solodos. The mercenary company we recruited in advance has arrived."

"To think he’d even call in mercenaries. He really is thorough when it comes to preparation."

The unidentified black magicians were gathered under the name of the cult. Among them, Balak, whose inner thoughts were particularly unreadable, had poured his heart and soul into the preparations, even though this was merely a dungeon raid. Darun followed the soldier out of the barracks. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"They are the Red Wolf Mercenary Company, specializing in dungeon raids. They reported that they came after receiving a formal request from the Adventurer’s Guild."

"Hmm. These guys?"

The mercenaries bowed their heads while maintaining a somewhat orderly formation. Darun’s curiosity was subtly piqued by the soldier’s explanation. With his arms crossed, he leisurely scanned their ranks. The mercenary kneeling at the very front immediately introduced himself.

"Your Grace, I am Cliff, the humble leader of the Red Wolf Mercenary Company."

"Right. So you’re the leader. Give me a brief explanation of the dungeon."

"Yes, sir. The dungeon’s name is unknown. It’s located in a cave near the border of Hype Gorge and Medes Forest. Its estimated grade appears to be B-rank, and it is considered the cause of the recent disappearance of nearby dungeons. And..."

The explanation continued. To sum it up briefly, it was a B-grade dungeon where a Dungeon Master lurked. There was also talk about the remaining Exclusive Items, but that didn’t really catch Darun’s attention.

"That’s enough. If it’s only a B-grade dungeon, our expeditionary force alone should be more than enough to clear it."

’...Then why ask for an explanation?’

"I just wanted to hear it for myself. You may leave now."

Darun’s attitude as he lightly waved them off was incredibly arrogant. However, no one dared to doubt his skills. ’Duke Darun Solodos, the Mad Dog. As expected, he looks down on the dungeon raid itself, but someone like him has every right to.’

He was the strongest of the strong, capable of instantly dismantling the core elements of a raid: psychological warfare, Exclusive Items, terrain, and stamina management. Cliff carefully wiped away his cold sweat and retreated to his assigned barracks. The expeditionary force would head toward the dungeon as scheduled the moment dawn broke.

---

Day forty-one.

The scheduled appearance of the A-Rank Hero had finally arrived. Having fended off additional adventurers in the meantime, Radik’s grade had grown back to B. Unfortunately, it hadn’t reached A-grade, but their preparations were roughly complete.

"Alright, line up, my little soldiers."

Representative monsters like goblins, orcs, gnolls, trolls, and lizardmen gathered in one place. Their numbers reached a staggering one thousand. Just looking at Radik’s soldiers, summoned by steadily investing Zen, brought a proud smile to Taehyun’s face. However, the moment he saw their messy, disorganized lines, his bright expression crumpled.

"Are you nuts? Can’t you line up straight? You..."

"Taehyun."

Just as he was about to let out a string of curses, Arin shook her head. Like a true Supporter, she was now pointing out his mistakes in various ways.

"Ahem. Anyway, you guys will be facing an A-Rank Hero from now on. You might die in the process. Actually, you will die. Probably."

The monsters fell silent.

The expressions of the soldiers, who had appeared so majestically, instantly turned sullen. Oblivious to their reaction, Taehyun continued his eccentric speech. By the time he finished, their once-overflowing morale had hit rock bottom.

[An A-rank expeditionary force has appeared.]

A message popped up just as Arin sighed. At the same time, the vision shared through the Familiar Supporters began to cut off one by one.

[Darun Solodos]

[Rank: A (Hero)]

[Class: Knight]

[Stress: 4]

[Description: One of the four great dukes of the Paslan Empire. Once called the Mad Dog, Darun has spread his name far and wide by facing the continent’s powerhouses with his swordsmanship alone.]

’So he’s from the Empire, not the adventurers’ side.’ He had actually faced a similar army before, so he had kept various possibilities open, but their numbers alone were formidable. Furthermore, there were about a hundred mercenaries who additionally revealed themselves. They were far too prepared to be considered a simple B-grade dungeon raid party. ’It looks like they came fully determined. If I play this right, the root cause might lie with the Paslan Empire.’

Although it was still at the speculation stage, a rough outline was forming. First, the main threats to watch out for in stopping this raid were Duke Darun and the mercenary company. It would become quite bothersome if the mercenaries started assisting an army inexperienced in dungeon raids. Taehyun organized the key areas while looking at the screens spread out before him.

[1. Steep Gorge]

[2. Dense Forest]

[3. Hill Path Near the Cave]

[4. Inside Radik]

In a way, these were advantageous terrains from a Dungeon Master’s perspective. However, a single Exclusive Item could completely flip the tide of battle. ’Let’s see. Seeing how confidently they’ve exposed their information, it means they’re so sure of themselves that they don’t even need items.’

’The mercenary company doesn’t seem to be touching information-related items either.’ The difference in their positions was clear. The relationship between superior and subordinate was paramount in a hierarchical society. As mere hired mercenaries, they wouldn’t be able to act recklessly without the Duke’s orders.

[Buff Items]

[Movement Items]

[Phenomenon Items]

[Vision Items]

[Information Items]

[Interference Items]

The enemy’s carelessness was a golden opportunity for a Dungeon Master. Taehyun smiled in satisfaction as he looked at the listed Exclusive Items.

"Unlike that damn place, the system messages here are organized, so it’s easy to read. Alright, you guys hurry up and move to the locations I told you."

"Um, Taehyun."

"Yeah?"

While the soldiers rushed off, Arin hesitated in front of him, as if pondering something. She had shown many changes through various events over the past forty days. She hadn’t completely broken out of her blunt personality yet, but she was now expressing her emotions, albeit clumsily. Taehyun chuckled and patted her head.

"There’s nothing to worry about. There’s no raid I haven’t been able to stop."

"...Understood."

A dimple bloomed within her awkward smile. It was the image of a beautiful girl, one you would never think was a homunculus. Having finished all his preparations, Taehyun rubbed his hands together and stared at the screen. The army and the mercenary company were slowly separating in front of the gorge. Falcons flew between the commanders, suggesting they had a separate means of exchanging Letters.

"Now, let’s see how I should cook them up."

The Demonic King’s wicked laughter slowly echoed throughout the dungeon.

---

Leading approximately five thousand soldiers, Duke Darun entered the gorge. And he did so while leaving the hired mercenary company behind. ’Honestly, we don’t need you guys. I’ve roughly understood the information, so I’ll just handle it quickly and come back.’

’If anything special happens, I’ll send a Letter, so keep that in mind. Well, there probably won’t be any reason to send a Letter anyway.’ He maintained his arrogant attitude until the very end, but no one could hastily intervene.

After all, they had been paid in advance, and wasn’t he a powerhouse capable of overturning psychological warfare itself? There was no way a mere B-grade Dungeon Master could cause an upset. ’The fact that he has no raid experience is a bit concerning, but he’s a warmonger who’s been through it all, so he’ll take care of it. We’ve already received our pay, and it’s better for us if we can just rest comfortably before leaving.’ In a way, it was a sweet vacation for them.

The other mercenaries were also resting freely near the barracks, as if relieving the fatigue from being desperately busy for a while. Seeing that sight, Cliff also brushed off his remaining worries and pulled out some rum.

"Hey. You lowly mercenary scum. Drinking is forbidden here."

"...Excuse me?"

"Even if His Grace Duke Solodos is absent, this is strictly the barracks of our Paslan army. How dare you lowly mercenaries try to do whatever you please!"

Both soldiers and mercenaries had remained to guard the barracks. However, the moment one side started looking down on the other, the atmosphere instantly turned hostile. Tsk. ’This is why I hated working with the Empire guys.’

’If it weren’t for the massive payout, I would’ve rejected this long ago.’ Given the difference in their social standings, he had expected this kind of development. Cliff tucked the rum bottle into his coat and defused the situation.

"My apologies, I made a mistake because I wasn’t aware. Please accept my apologies, glorious soldiers of the Paslan Empire."

"...Tch. Be careful next time."

With a bit of light flattery, the soldiers turned their heads away. Only then did the seething mercenaries hide their hostility. With a light hand gesture from Cliff, the mood settled down enough to let the matter slide. Then, after a long period of boredom, a white falcon flew in from afar.

"T-that’s a Letter from His Grace! Check it quickly!"

White parchment could be seen between its sharp talons. A nearby soldier quickly untied the string and checked the contents of the Letter.

"...It seems the situation has deteriorated. His Grace appears to be unharmed, but the casualties among the soldiers look severe."

"Damn it. It was only a B-grade dungeon. What the hell happened?"

"I don’t know the details, but a request for reinforcements has come in. We need to get ready immediately and join the main force."

Having made their judgment, the soldiers began to pack their gear in a flurry. The mercenaries, who had been leisurely resting, watched the scene with bewildered expressions. Their objective changed to joining the main force as a commander relayed the departure order to Cliff.

"W-wait a moment, please. Could you perhaps tell me the contents of the Letter?"

"Impossible. Do you think I can just reveal a Letter that is considered classified even within the military?"

Cliff was too stunned to speak.

The commander, who had flatly cut off the request, silently relayed the orders and left. However, Cliff couldn’t let go of his lingering doubts and stared at the Letter the man held. ’Something is suspicious. It hasn’t even been that long since the Duke and the soldiers went in. Given the skills of Darun, who is called the Mad Dog, and the martial prowess of the soldiers, which is nearly B-grade, there’s no way they’d be defeated this easily.’

Especially since there were also commanders with systematic tactics and a wealth of war experience. Given Darun’s arrogant personality, he wouldn’t easily send a Letter, and even if they weren’t using Exclusive Items, there was no way they’d suffer enough damage to request reinforcements. ’But even if we refuse the order and stay here on our own, an execution order will be issued immediately. We might have established ourselves to some extent, but going up against the Empire is madness.’

There was only one option left. Cliff secretly pulled out camouflage and disguise items from his coat and called over a few mercenaries.

"Listen carefully to what I’m about to say."

"...Understood, Boss."

That day, amidst secret instructions, the reinforcement unit departed, and ultimately, only a few mercenaries and soldiers were left behind to guard the barracks.