Episode 126

“Ooof! It’s Sir Grai!” a fairy squealed.

“Oh my goodness, look at his blond hair flowing in the wind! It’s incredible!” another gushed.

“He used to be an orc, but now he’s so handsome!”

A chorus of fairy cheers echoed through the halls. Their sparkling eyes and flushed cheeks made it obvious they were completely smitten, looking like modern-day fans fawning over an idol. Grai, however, strode down the corridor without giving them a single glance, seemingly oblivious to the hearts he was capturing.

“Ugh, I really don’t like this,” Taehyun muttered under his breath.

“Sir Grai has become quite popular since his evolution,” Riel commented with a knowing smile. “Especially among the fairies.”

“Is he non-refundable?”

“Oh my. Are you jealous, Master Taehyun?” Riel covered her mouth, her eyes crinkling with amusement.

An inexplicable wave of irritation washed over Taehyun, and he turned away from the monitor. While Grai’s evolution to A-rank was a definite boost to their military strength, the fact that he’d turned human—and a handsome knight at that—grated on him. He’d never given a second thought to appearances before, but Grai’s transformation threw the disparity in Balak into sharp relief.

‘I even got him an A-rank Hero-grade weapon, so why do I feel so bitter?’ The Exploding Sword Gravolta had been an unexpected find. With it, Grai would be far more powerful than ever before.

“Don’t worry, Master Taehyun,” Riel purred, sidling up to him. “You have me by your side.”

“Don’t just slide in next to me like that. Anyway, how is Larkan doing?”

“He started today and has entered the construction phase. Once the road network is complete, you’ll be able to get the city of Myol fully operational.”

“Hmm. I should focus on the dungeon first.”

The original Dungeon Balak was now aiming for A-rank. With enough magic stones, the upgrade would be swift. The problem was collecting B-rank magic stones from raiders. The Ice Palace no longer yielded any, and there was no other reliable source. To make matters worse, magic stones couldn’t be traded or transferred; he had to gather them himself.

‘Come to think of it, wasn’t there another undiscovered ruin?’ He recalled the ruin that had appeared on his map after he absorbed Viscount Crowley’s territory. It was still marked, which meant it was real. ‘Before I go, I should inspect the troops.’ He had summoned a fresh batch of soldiers after Junhyun’s raid, including the High Elves. He’d gotten most of them to level thirty, creating a cost-effective fighting force. It was time to put them—and the new Grai—to the test.

“My Lord. It is I.”

Speak of the devil. Grai entered the Master Room just as Taehyun was thinking of him.

“Perfect timing. Take the new soldiers and go intercept the next group of raiders.”

“Yes! I will obey your command!”

—

[A ?-rank raid party has appeared from the edge of the Barren Plains.]

As expected, a suitable target appeared right on schedule. They had used an item to conceal their identities, but he estimated they were at least B-rank. Thirteen of them in total. They hadn’t bothered to hide their classes, each brandishing a different weapon. Their first move was to take out his familiar summons, a clear attempt to blind him.

“Fools.” Taehyun scoffed and activated True Identity.

[True Identity has been used on Raider ?.]

[All of ?’s disguises and transformations are dispelled.]

The identity of the raider hanging back was instantly revealed. Her true form exposed, she glanced around in a panic.

“She doesn’t even know how she was discovered.”

“How did you know, Master Taehyun?” Riel asked.

“Everyone else is attacking, but she’s just standing there, directing them. It’s not some clever reverse-psychology trick; she’s blatantly giving orders. Who wouldn’t notice?” It was possible she was a decoy, but the fluid, immediate response of her team to every gesture suggested they had been following her lead for a long time.

[Katarina]

[Rank: B (Highest)]

[Level: 49]

[Class: Swordsman]

[Title: Successor of the Sword]

[Affiliation: Sapadin]

[Stress: 19]

[Status: Panicked]

[Relationship with Comrades: Minor squabble with comrade Valun.]

[Description: A mid-tier raider among the highest B-rank. She primarily uses dual swords and has come from her guild to raid Balak.]

‘Well now. A highest-ranking B-rank dual-wielder. A perfect first opponent for Grai.’ The note about her squabble with ‘Valun’ was interesting, but he didn’t need to resort to psychological warfare. This was a test for his new troops, and more importantly, a chance to see just how much stronger the evolved Grai had become.

He sent his harpies in first, positioning his reconnaissance unit in the rear.

“H-Harpies!” one of the raiders shouted.

“Tch. We’re exposed! Radenin, Valun, intercept them!” Katarina commanded.

“Yeah, yeah,” a voice drawled.

The two archers began firing. The harpies used Vision Focus to execute a swift dive, but the raiders were ready, loosing guided arrows that sent them spiraling from the sky one by one. Their Vision Expansion Scroll made interception child’s play.

As his harpies fell, Taehyun deployed his reconnaissance unit. The goblins’ sightlines shot forward, and at that precise moment, Taehyun activated Vision Priority.

[Vision Priority has been used.]

[You have secured four of the six dice faces for the Win/Loss roll.]

The harpies had been bait. The real contest was the vision battle waged by his scouts.

[The vision of Balak’s Reconnaissance Unit clashes with the vision of Katarina’s Raid Party.]

[The Win/Loss dice are rolled.]

A virtual die tumbled through the air.

[The number on the die is 1.]

[Victory for Balak’s Reconnaissance Unit, which held faces 1, 3, 5, and 6!]

[Balak’s Reconnaissance Unit gains the upper hand in the vision battle.]

The outcome was never in doubt. The raiders were now slapped with a vision battle loss penalty. Taehyun ordered his reconnaissance unit to swing left and launch a surprise attack from the hill.

Dozens of arrows sliced through the air. Caught off guard, the raiders threw up a defensive barrier just as two shield-bearers moved to intercept, a remarkably quick response.

‘Gargoyles, charge.’ Taehyun commanded the lancers to break their formation.

The impact of thirty gargoyles shattered the barrier instantly. Lancers weren’t ideal for an ambush, but their raw breakthrough power was undeniable. As the shield wall crumbled, his rogue goblins darted through the gap, making a beeline for the enemy priest.

‘Grai, engage. Target Katarina.’

“Understood!” Grai’s voice echoed in his mind.

The knight, who had been concealed among the soldiers, exploded into the fray. Taehyun cast a buff on him, hoping to bait out a counter-item from Katarina. Instead, she calmly produced something else.

[Katarina’s Raid Party has used a Position Relocation item.]

[The raid party’s location will be changed to a previously saved point.]

A relocation item. She must have set a marker beforehand. In a flash of light, she and her team vanished.

“Master Taehyun, aren’t you going to use a neutralization item?” Riel asked.

“It doesn’t matter where they went. They’re still in my territory, and as long as my watchtowers stand, they’re in the palm of my hand,” he explained. “Besides, you save neutralization items to counter return scrolls. That’s how you prevent their escape.”

Katarina might have anticipated a neutralization attempt, but Taehyun knew she’d have a return scroll as a last resort. Even if she used it, he was confident Grai could annihilate them before they escaped. This raid party was nothing more than a live-fire exercise for his new army.

A cruel smile touched Taehyun’s lips as he scanned the watchtower monitors. Just then, an alert chimed. Someone was requesting entry to the Master Room.

[Vera wishes to enter.]

[YES/NO]

‘Ah, this little brat again.’ It was Kadum’s daughter. After the village raid, the mother and daughter had agreed to his terms and were now living in the main dungeon. He’d spun a story about them being blackmailed by Count Dinen, but Kalisia was still terrified of him. Her curious daughter, Vera, was the opposite, treating the deadly dungeon like her personal playground. Her constant attempts to visit the Master Room made her seem like a pure, innocent child, utterly oblivious to the true nature of this place.

“She comes here every day,” Riel noted. “Perhaps a warning is in order?”

“The kind of warning you’re thinking of qualifies as child abuse, so no,” Taehyun said flatly. “I guaranteed their safety in the contract. Just let her in. She’ll go away when she gets bored.”

“Understood.”

Vera scampered into the room and hopped onto Taehyun’s lap as if it were her designated seat. “Mr. Demon, are you stopping the bad people again today?”

“A bad demon is stopping bad people, little one,” he replied.

“But you saved my daddy! You must be a good person. No, a good demon!” she giggled. “Is my daddy working hard today, too?”

Her question brought Kadum to mind. He was probably wandering the Forest of Silence at this very moment, being tormented by the High Elves. “Probably. Anyway, where’s your mother?”

“Umm, she’s probably looking for me right now—”

“Vera!” Kalisia burst into the room, Riel having granted her entry. She rushed over and snatched Vera from his lap. “I’m so sorry! Vera is so curious, she keeps bothering you. I’ll be stricter with her from now on.”

“Mommy, Mr. Demon is stopping the bad people again! He’s amazing!”

“V-Vera, let’s go. We shouldn’t be here.” Kalisia quickly ushered her daughter out of the room. She still flinched at the mere mention of raiders, her fear of Dungeon Masters palpable.

Taehyun turned back to the monitors, a bitter smile on his face. “Yeah. I’m a goddamn demon.”

When had he, a man from modern Earth, started being treated like a monster? And when had he started to accept it as the truth? He didn’t have an answer.

—

“We barely got out, but with watchtowers everywhere, we’ll be spotted again,” Katarina said, pacing.

“How did they ambush us? We were using a Vision Expansion Scroll!” one of her comrades demanded.

“Could it have been Vision Priority?”

“No, if they’d used that, the harpies would have ambushed us first.”

Katarina gnawed on her thumbnail, her mind racing. The logic of the attack didn’t add up. She shook her head, forcing the thoughts away. “This is no time for that. We’ve made it to Hylon Forest. We need to evade the watchtowers and get back to the Barren Plains.”

“Hey, Katarina,” Valun cut in, his voice sharp with frustration. “I told you raiding Balak was a bad idea. We’ve already been ambushed. Why don’t we just go back?” He had been against this from the start, and now he was advocating for using their return scroll. They had relocated to the forest, and maybe he was right. Retreat might be the smartest move.

But Katarina was stubborn. “That bitch Valona insulted our party! I can’t just let it go. She’s definitely planning her own raid on Balak. We have to strike first and pay her back for this humiliation. I won’t be satisfied otherwise!”

“We’re out of relocation items! What’s your plan?” Valun pressed.

“It’s fine. We still have the return scroll. If we can just bait out his neutralization item with something else, we still have a chance. As long as we’re not careless—”

Before she could finish, Valun crumpled to the ground, an arrow sprouting from his head. He was dead before he hit the dirt.

“Ambush! Everyone, to arms!” someone screamed.

“Damn it! Valun! Valun!”

“Stay calm and follow my—’Ugh’!”

As chaos erupted, a figure blurred toward Katarina. She barely managed to raise her swords to block a massive greatsword, preparing to counter. But in that instant, the point of impact exploded.

“Aaaaagh!” The blast sent her tumbling through the air.

“Try to be more deliberate with your attacks,” a deep voice rumbled.

“You demon’s dog!” she spat, scrambling to her feet.

“I am a knight who pledges loyalty only to my lord. Come at me again.” The greatsword swept toward her again, the force behind it immense. It drove low, aiming for her legs. She dodged the flame-wreathed blade and activated a one-time-use skill.

[Casting Scattering Sword Dance.]

[For a limited time, the level of Pardian Swordsmanship increases to 8.]

[Scattering Sword Dance uses remaining: 1/1]

Her blades began to weave and twist, their paths blurring into a dizzying dance. Dozens of phantom sword edges pressed forward, turning the tables on her attacker. The knight calmly used the flat of his blade to parry and deflect each strike.

“Quite a sight,” he remarked. “Is that your one-time skill?”

“Just die!”

“Then it is my turn. Let’s see you block this.” The knight stepped back, gathering energy into his sword.

A powerful shockwave erupted, blasting debris in all directions. Katarina shrieked in horror and stumbled back. “W-Wait! That’s cheating!”

“Here I come!”

“Aaaaaaah!”

And just like that, Katarina’s raid party was annihilated.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep