Episode 148

[True Identity has been used on B-rank Raider Valona.]

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

[Information Manipulation Detected.]

[Manipulated information is being restored.]

Valona, a top-tier B-rank raider. Taehyun had assumed all her information was public, but she had been using information manipulation to conceal her true identity all along.

[Valona Anslake]

[Rank: B (Top-tier)]

[Level: 50]

[Class: Archer]

[Title: Daughter of the Anslake Family]

[Affiliation: Sapadin]

[Stress: 4]

[Status: Despair, Mental Collapse]

[Relationship with Comrades: None]

[Description: A top-tier B-rank raider from the Sapadin Guild. She primarily uses magic arrows. She came to raid Balak after hiring other raid parties. She is the daughter of the Anslake family and has reached her current rank with the support of Momonte.]

Momonte Anslake. A merchant who had spent a fortune in Zen to purchase a barony. He must have rapidly expanded his influence after aligning himself with Count Dinen.

“If she could manipulate her own information, does that mean her family ordered her to hide her identity?”

“Now that they serve Count Dinen, they wouldn’t want to show any weakness to Balak,” Riel surmised. “In any case, what are your orders?”

“Clean her up and throw her in a cell. I’m going to make good use of her. And don’t forget to confiscate her equipment.”

“Understood.”

At Riel’s command, soldiers dragged Valona away. Her mind was too shattered to sign a contract. He would have to keep her locked away and wait for the right moment to use her.

‘Momonte Anslake, was it? Every parent cherishes their child. I wonder how he’ll react when he learns his daughter has been captured.’

Momonte must have known something was wrong the moment the raid party failed to return. Asking Count Dinen for aid would be complicated because of Balak, and sending more raiders would be equally problematic for the same reason. He would undoubtedly make his move once word spread that Balak had reached A-rank.

‘As soon as he acts, I can use Valona to exploit him. Better yet, Momonte is one of Dinen’s subordinates. I can start dismantling the Count’s power from the bottom up.’

He would manipulate Momonte to gather intelligence on Count Dinen, slowly driving a dagger into his operations. If it worked, he could not only sabotage their plans but also check their growing influence. Pleased, Taehyun turned his attention back to the monitor.

—So, the tenacious survivors are here. Allow me to personally send you on your way. Pfft.

—Ahhh!

Raimond, summoned via Summon Mercenary, was finishing off the last of the raiders.

[A-rank Named Mercenary, Necromancer Raimond, is casting Absorb.]

[The life force of B-rank Raider Velboat is being drained.]

[Life energy is converted into magic.]

The ability that intrigued him most was Absorb—a dark magic that siphoned an opponent’s life force to replenish his own mana. To Raimond, a defenseless enemy was nothing more than a battery.

—Damn it! Die!

—Oh, my. Are you truly swinging your sword at a frail old man like me?

With that, Raimond floated into the air.

[A-rank Named Mercenary, Necromancer Raimond, has cast Fly.]

It was one of his skills, a flight magic that allowed him to hover for a set duration.

—Blind.

[The vision of B-rank Raider Garnon is blocked for a set duration.]

—Bone Spear.

[B-rank Raider Garnon has been hit by Bone Spear.]

As he unleashed the spells in quick succession, the raider who had attempted a surprise attack collapsed. His vision was plunged into darkness, and a spear of bone was now lodged in his ankle, rendering him immobile.

Raimond gazed down at the struggling man before delivering the final blow.

—Poison Nova.

[A-rank Named Mercenary, Necromancer Raimond, has cast Poison Nova.]

[High-grade poison begins to spread within a set range.]

[Poison Nova Use Limit: 1/1]

A cloud of black poison billowed through the chamber. The raider on the floor dissolved into a screaming puddle of flesh, his pained cries quickly silenced.

‘He’s every bit the wicked necromancer he’s famed to be. The way he toys with his prey is exceptionally cruel.’

With that, his experiment with Raimond was complete. Taehyun dismissed the mercenary and reviewed his A-rank soldiers.

[Basilisk]

[Hell Hound]

[Lesser Golem]

[Nightmare]

From the massive Basilisk to the Hell Hound—the final evolution of the warhound—to the Lesser Golem, a rudimentary version of Deshkar, and finally the Nightmare, a formless entity that inflicted mental trauma. For now, these four soldier types comprised his army.

‘I haven’t had a chance to properly use the Lesser Golems, but the others are certainly effective.’

After Valona fled, the raid party had turned on itself. The few who survived the infighting were eventually killed or captured by his A-rank soldiers.

Soon, the world would know that Balak had become an A-rank dungeon. This skirmish had been the perfect final warm-up.

Having effortlessly thwarted the raid, Taehyun finished his preparations.

“Alright. Welcome to A-rank Balak.”

—

The Depay territory was nestled deep within the Babelt Mountains, a rugged domain that had survived for twenty years. It had endured by fending off constant attacks from wild monsters, but now it faced a crisis.

When Count Dinen abolished the slave laws, all the slaves in the territory fled, and the raiders soon followed. Depay’s only asset was its rich natural resources, which it had consistently supplied to merchants, but even that was now impossible.

‘”I hear the Lord of Depay is heavily in debt to other nobles.”‘

‘”He’s paying the price for defying Count Dinen. His contracted goods are piling up, but he has no slaves or raiders to move them.”‘

‘”A shame for a territory without a magic circle. Monster attacks are common in the Babelt Mountains; how can they send out their caravans alone?”‘

The debt was staggering, and the goods were rotting. For Viscount Depay, it was an undeniable headache.

“Hah… What am I to do?” he sighed, slumping in his office chair.

All his contracts had been canceled, and the goods were simply being stockpiled. At this rate, financial ruin would destroy his territory.

“Damn them all,” he snarled. “Siding with Dinen at the last minute and demanding I repay my debts? I will never forget this.”

The pressure from Dinen’s allies was intensifying daily. Grinding his teeth, Viscount Depay rose from his seat just as a commotion erupted outside.

A piercing screech announced the arrival of a wyvern-drawn carriage from the Balak Trading Company.

“Viscount Depay, the dungeon dwellers have returned.”

“Huh…”

“I will drive them out at once!”

“…Wait. I will go myself.”

The Viscount waved off the knight and strode outside. The Balak Trading Company had already visited twice, and now they had returned. He stopped as the head of the company approached.

“A pleasure to meet you, Lord Depay. I am Kobel, head of the Balak Trading Company.”

“I’ve heard. You wish to trade?”

“It’s more than a simple trade. We wish to purchase the goods that have piled up within your territory.”

“…You minions of a damn dungeon.”

The surrounding knights drew their swords, instinctively reacting to their lord’s venomous tone. But the Viscount, still grinding his teeth, waved them down.

“Hmph. It’s true, goods from canceled contracts have piled up. Fine. I’ll sell. But on one condition.”

“Please, do not worry,” Kobel said with a deep bow. “The Dungeon Master has already given his instructions. No one will know of our transaction. As long as you ensure your people remain silent, my lord, no rumors will spread.”

“A relief. This will be our only trade. Follow me.”

“Oh, thank you, my lord!” Kobel bowed again, hiding a sneer.

‘If you approach him a few times, he’ll have no choice but to accept,’ Taehyun had instructed. ‘However, do not buy all the goods at once.’

‘Why not?’

‘No one wants to be in continuous business with dungeon dwellers. He’ll be no different. He’ll try to end things after the first trade. So, only purchase a portion of the goods. Force him to be the one who comes begging.’

The Balak Trading Company needed a continuous supply line. If they bought everything in one go, Viscount Depay would sever ties immediately to avoid rumors of dealing with demons. Taehyun had anticipated this.

By purchasing the goods in increments, he would force the Viscount into an ongoing relationship. For a man desperate to clear his debts, there was no other choice.

Kobel’s eyes gleamed as he and his merchants followed the Viscount.

—

Meanwhile, the territory of Balak was teeming with raiders. The passage was filled with adventurers drawn by the promise of steady income.

“I heard the Valona raid party never came back. Think they were wiped out?”

“Probably. Hey, did you hear? They say a fairy in a maid outfit shows up in the second Balak. Supposedly she’s gorgeous!”

“Ah, yeah, I heard that too. They say raiders are flocking to the second Balak just to see that Guardian.”

The raiders chattered, swapping stories about the goings-on in Balak. At the back of the crowd, one raider tilted his head in confusion. His companion nudged him.

“What’s wrong, Walter?”

“It’s been a while since I’ve been here, so I was checking the dungeon rank again, but… something’s off.”

“Hey, is that a Dungeon Rank Radar from the Association? Those things are expensive.”

“Yeah. It can detect dungeons up to B-rank, but for some reason, it’s only picking up six.”

There should have been seven dungeons detected: the four undisclosed ones, the Labyrinth of Balak, the second Balak, and the original. Yet the radar in his hand only registered six.

“…No way.”

“Nah, can’t be. Try it again.”

“I’ve tried more than ten times. The original Balak won’t register, even though I’m standing right here in its territory.”

Slowly, their eyes met. The radar was an unlimited-use item; it couldn’t be broken. That left only one possibility.

Balak was no longer a B-rank dungeon.

“B-Balak… it’s become an A-rank dungeon!”

“What? Are you serious?!”

“Hey! What did you just say? Balak is A-rank?!”

The passage erupted into an uproar as all eyes turned to Walter’s party.

—

The integrated Dungeon Balak had become the heart of the West, its influence spreading through its seven dungeons. Having annihilated countless raiders by upgrading both the original and second Balak to B-rank, it was already considered a top-tier dungeon.

Then, one day, a report came in from a handful of raiders.

The original Dungeon Balak had become A-rank.

The Raider Association, seeking to confirm the rumor, authorized the use of an A-rank detection radar. The truth was soon revealed.

[Balak]

[Rank: A]

[Number of Rooms: 35]

In just a year and a half, Balak had ascended to A-rank. The news spread across the continent like wildfire, and once again, all eyes turned to the burgeoning power in the West.

“If Balak is A-rank, that changes everything. With its own territory, the rewards will be immense. Let’s move out!”

“A symbiotic relationship with raiders? What a joke. Perhaps it’s time for a trip to the West.”

“Balak? I’m busy. The great Yuda has his sights set on a single target. Look elsewhere.”

A-rank raiders began to migrate west, and Balak’s old enemies started commissioning new raids.

“If we cannot invade directly, we have no choice but to hire raiders. Now that it is A-rank, not even that Dinen fellow can interfere. Spare no expense! Summon every A-rank raider available!”

—Duke Peyton.

“It has already become an A-rank dungeon? Damn it all! Add a condition. The territory of Balak itself must not be harmed. Add a clause that they can only target the original dungeon. And have the raid parties apply for attempts in an orderly fashion!”

—Count Dinen.

—And the Dungeon Master of Balak, Taehyun Yoo.

The ambitions of the three great powers were now set on a collision course.

—

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep