Episode 150

[You have entered the A-rank Dungeon Katarniak.]

[You have entered the 1st Floor.]

[The pollen of the Bedro flower begins to fill the air.]

They stepped into the heart of Katarniak, a dungeon that had devoured more than twenty A-rank raiders. Tamkren calmly noted the floor-based structure.

‘So, Katarniak is a fortress of forty-six floors. That explains its massive scale.’

Despite 160 raiders entering at once, there was no population penalty. The interior was as vast as its exterior suggested. Seeing the shimmering pollen drift through the air, Tamkren immediately cast a barrier.

“There must be a room where they’re cultivating these Bedro flowers. Elder, if you would.”

“Hmm. Very well.”

“Shields up front! Block the dungeon soldiers! Hold your ground within the barrier!”

The Bedro pollen was a potent soporific. With monsters appearing ahead, holding out within the protective barrier was their most efficient strategy.

“Chuchuchut!”

“Chuchuchut!”

“Chuchut!”

Plant-like soldiers swarmed toward them. As ordered, the shield bearers held the line from within the barrier, their shields absorbing the brunt of the assault. Meanwhile, Luist, a mage from the Magic Tower, began his incantation.

[A-rank Raider Luist has cast Exploration Rat.]

[Familiar: Bunny has been summoned.]

“Now, my dear, follow the pollen and find that room for us,” Luist cooed.

“Squeak!”

Exploration-type familiars were immune to debuffs. At Luist’s command, the spectral rat, Bunny, darted past the monsters, sniffing the air as it searched the corridors.

“Agh! My shield is melting!”

“Don’t panic! They’re just B-rank Vanilcons. It’s only damaging your Endurance.”

“Phew. That gave me a scare.”

The B-rank Vanilcons spat acid, threatening the shield wall. But for now, it was only chipping away at their equipment, and the party remained stable. Tamkren observed the situation, conserving his own skills.

‘Forty-six floors. I need to save my skills as much as possible. Manage stamina and mana in tandem.’

They had brought ample supplies. The structure was daunting, but if they maintained their pace, they could reach the top. This was only the first floor; it was crucial to conserve their most powerful items and skills. The presence of five A-rank raiders was their greatest asset, and they had to keep their trump cards hidden for as long as possible.

“Found it,” Luist announced. “To the left, at the end of the corridor.”

“It’s some distance away.”

“Then we’ll clear a path. We must save the Peacock for when we truly need it. Bunny will suffice for now.”

“Understood! All units, advance! Primary target is the Bedro cultivation room. Conserve your skills and engage the enemy!”

A mobile barrier enveloped the entire raid party. Tamkren took the lead himself, fighting alongside the shield bearers to carve a path forward. They swiftly pushed through the monster ranks, breaking into the cultivation chamber.

[You have discovered the room where the Bedro is being cultivated.]

[The entire raid party’s contribution score has increased by 150.]

Inside was a vast garden filled with hundreds of the pollen-emitting flowers. Tamkren took a torch from another raider and hurled it into the room.

‘Fwoosh.’

The garden was instantly consumed by flames. With the threat neutralized, the raid party proceeded safely to the next floor.

—

On Day 2, the Tamkren raid party was camped on the eighth floor. The B-rank raiders looked upon their A-rank leaders with awe, praising their skill in reaching this point in a single day.

“As expected of the Arcas 5. They identified the plant monsters’ weakness and broke through in one go.”

“If they conquer Katarniak, they’ll be aiming for the top tier of A-rank.”

“And they haven’t used a single dedicated item. They’re even looking out for us non-guild members. They’ve definitely earned our respect.”

The “Arcas 5” was the moniker for the A-rank raiders Tamkren, Luist, Farnir, Cyan, and Eludo. They were specialists who tackled dungeons deemed unconquerable, leading parties with their vast experience. Their flawless performance so far had naturally inspired admiration.

For two raiders, however, the admiration was mixed with cold analysis.

“You see it too, don’t you, Dropin?” Loqwin murmured.

“Indeed. That woman, Cyan, is especially skilled. Her swordsmanship might even surpass that Guardian, Grai.”

“What do you think would happen if they invaded Balak?”

“Judging by their stable advance, their decision-making and adaptability are top-notch. If Balak faced them as a B-rank dungeon, it would be conquered.”

“And as an A-rank?”

“…I can’t say for sure, but it would certainly be interesting.”

Amidst the other raiders, Dropin and Loqwin were busy evaluating the Arcas 5. The skill they had displayed so far already surpassed their own. If those five unleashed their hidden single-use skills, they would be killed before they could even resist.

‘My Time Freeze might not even work on them.’

Even Dropin, with his powerful trump card, felt a lack of confidence.

Then, his thoughts turned to Taehyun. As he’d told Loqwin, on paper, Balak shouldn’t be able to stop a raid of this caliber. And yet… for some reason, he felt it just might be possible.

Taehyun Yoo had stopped the Lexner raid party with a mere C-rank dungeon. The cunning he had displayed proved he was no pushover.

Dropin thought with a grim smirk. ‘A guy like you… maybe you could actually pull it off.’

—

On the third day of the expedition, the raid party entered the sixteenth floor and faced its first true crisis. Amidst a deadly trap of falling stone pillars, a powerful illusion formation activated.

“Stay away from me! You dare try to steal my Zen?!”

“C-calm down! You’re caught in an illusion!”

“Damn it! My family… they’re all dead! Who did this?! What bastard did this?!”

Chaos erupted. The atmosphere turned venomous as raiders drew weapons on one another. Tamkren weighed his options. He had already used his vision-clearing item and a single-use skill on a previous floor. His next decision would shape the rest of their ascent.

“I’ll handle this with my skill,” Cyan declared. “A dedicated item is more valuable than a one-off skill, right?”

“Hmm. Go ahead, Cyan,” Tamkren agreed.

“Leave it to me!”

Cyan set down her greatsword and let out a tremendous roar that seemed to shake the very foundations of the dungeon. “Everyone, focus!”

[A-rank Raider Cyan’s Mind Unification has been activated.]

[The raid party’s confusion status has been lifted.]

[Mind Unification Usage Limit: 1/1]

Mind Unification. It was a single-use skill capable of dispelling all abnormal statuses from every member of the raid party.

Sian’s shout shattered the spell, and the raiders jolted back to their senses.

“Huh? What was I just doing?” one of them muttered, looking at his hands in confusion.

“It was Sian!” another exclaimed. “She must have used a one-time-use skill!”

“Damn, that was close,” a third raider breathed, lowering his weapon. “I almost attacked my own teammate. I must have been out of my mind.”

Shaking off the lingering confusion, the raid party quickly reformed their lines and began fending off the falling stone pillars. A satisfied smirk touched Tamkren’s lips as he resumed clearing a path. “Alright, everyone! We’re heading straight to the next floor. Advance!”

“Yah!” the party roared in unison.

Having overcome the double trap, the raiders ascended to the next floor.

—

Meanwhile, in the Master Room, Narae watched the raiders’ progress with a leisurely air. “That’s the second one-time-use skill they’ve burned, right?” she asked.

“Indeed, Lady Narae,” her Supporter, Elaym, confirmed. “The one just now was used to clear status ailments. Everything is proceeding according to plan.”

Her A-rank dungeon, Katarniak, specialized in plant-based monsters, and its primary strategy was to wear down and annihilate raid parties with a barrage of status effects. Just now, her mental control tactics had forced them to use their second one-time-use skill. If she could just bait them into using their Effect Conversion Card, victory was all but guaranteed.

Elaym rechecked the monster deployments before glancing back at Narae. Her attention, however, had drifted from the monitor; she was now staring intently at the faction community window.

“Is something troubling you, Lady Narae?” he inquired.

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing,” she said, quickly waving a hand. “Come on, we have to focus on stopping this raid.”

“Hmm,” Elaym mused, “your entire demeanor has changed since the first Faction War. You’re acting like a young girl who’s fallen in lo—Gah!”

A well-aimed kick sent him tumbling across the floor.

“I-I told you to shut up!” Narae snapped, her face flushed. “It’s not like that at all! There’s no way I’d fall for a guy like that!”

“Oh?” Elaym picked himself up, a knowing glint in his eye. “So there is a ‘guy like that’?”

“Ugh, enough!” she huffed. “Just sit there quietly and keep deploying the soldiers!”

Thoroughly flustered, she turned her back on Elaym and forced her focus onto the screen. The raid party had already reached the eighteenth floor.

[Stress Index]

[Tamkren Raid Party Average Stress Index: 18/100]

‘They’re managing their stress levels well,’ she noted. ‘But that’s to be expected from the Arkas Guild. They must have figured out my dungeon’s gimmick by now.’

They would have grown suspicious after encountering wave after wave of plant-type monsters on the very first floor. Since all her monsters, traps, and installations specialized in status effects, the raiders would be acutely sensitive to debuffs by now. They would do everything in their power to save their Effect Conversion Card.

She had to find a way to exploit that hesitation and inflict as much damage as possible. ‘They can only afford to be this composed because I haven’t sent out my A-rank soldiers yet.’

The raid party was about to reach the twentieth floor. It was time to start thinning their numbers. Narae dispatched a Keeper and her A-rank soldiers to the twenty-first floor with a single objective: eliminate the Bounty Hunters. Since Bounty Hunters could only detect A-rank and lower units at close range, it was a perfectly viable strategy.

She smirked. ‘My own experience as a Bounty Hunter is really paying off.’

If she could take out their scouts—the ones who detected traps and installations—stopping the rest of them would be child’s play.

Suddenly, she was reminded of the first Faction War. The memory was vivid: a lone hunter standing amidst a spray of gore, calmly flicking blood from his weapon after announcing, “Got one!” The image was seared into her mind.

Her face grew hot, and she shook her head to clear it. ‘What am I thinking? Focus. Focus!’

“Ah, so a beautiful love is finally blossoming for Lady Narae!”

“I told you to be quiet!”

—

On the fourth day of the raid, after camping on the twentieth floor, the party advanced once more.

[You have entered the twenty-first room of Katarniak.]

[The scent of Bendromin stimulates your entire body.]

Soon, the interior of the twenty-first room came into view. The floor was a dense carpet of a strange, fragrant plant—’Bendromin’. Atop a watchtower at the far end of the room stood a lone archer. Tamkren immediately ordered his mages to incinerate the plants.

[This plant has developed a resistance to the fire attribute.]

[The Bendromin emits an even stronger scent.]

“She’s already made them resistant,” Tamkren muttered, grinding his teeth. “Looks like we’ll have to clear them out one by one.”

“Tamkren,” a scout called out. “That archer… I think it’s a Keeper.”

“The way she’s holding that longbow, she has to be,” Tamkren agreed. “The question is, what’s her range?” He gave a discreet signal. Parnireu, who was already on standby, nodded and shot forward.

[A-rank Raider Parnireu’s special ability ‘Phantom Clone’ has been activated.]

[Parnireu’s clones charge forward.]

Two illusory copies of the raider sprinted through the dense field of ‘Bendromin’. From the watchtower, the Keeper instantly drew her bow and fired, striking both clones with pinpoint accuracy.

[Parnireu’s clones have disappeared.]

“She starts firing the moment you cross the halfway mark,” Tamkren analyzed. “We can treat her as a sniper.”

“This terrain is perfect for a Keeper,” another raider observed grimly.

The room was choked with the tall, thick plants, making it difficult for the raiders to even see one another. If monsters were hiding among them, the Keeper on the watchtower would have the perfect vantage point.

Left with no other option, Tamkren took out his Radar Detection Net. “We have to break through before the poison sets in. Bounty Hunters, to the front with the shield bearers! Ranged attackers, provide support from the center! Everyone, move!”

The raiders scrambled into formation. Aiming for a decisive breakthrough, Tamkren activated his skill.

[Casting Radar Detection Net.]

[The detection net will operate for a set period of time.]

[Any beings that enter the detection net’s range will be automatically discovered.]

A shimmering net of energy enveloped the entire party. Tamkren pulled a small, ornate peacock figurine from his coat and gave the order to advance. In that same instant, an arrow whistled through the air and shattered the peacock.

“What?!” Tamkren cried out.

He stared up at the watchtower, bewildered. The Keeper was already drawing her bow again, a cold sneer on her face.

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