Episode 152

[B-rank Raider Berina has been poisoned by Bendromin.]

While they were camped, a raider began showing symptoms of poisoning. The party was waiting on the 29th floor, but they should have started collapsing upon entering the 30th. It was a bad sign for the symptoms to appear this early.

“What’s going on? Why did she collapse so quickly? Intel said she was a swordsman. Do they have such low immunity?”

“Her companion seems to have noticed. But instead of alerting the others, he’s running away.”

“…Marmesia.”

Those two had been bothering her from the start. The ten mysterious raiders had also vanished. It was time to find out who they were.

[Summoning A-rank Hero Mercenary, Black Rose Marmesia.]

A female knight armed with a rapier appeared. Narae pointed to the two raiders on the screen and issued her command.

“Go after those two. Don’t kill them. Capture them alive and bring them here.”

“Understood.”

Marmesia vanished from the Master Room. She would catch them before they could escape Katarniak. Narae fiddled with her True Identity item, her eyes fixed on the unfolding situation.

—

The raid party ascended to the 30th floor. Roquin, who had been carrying an Instant Return Scroll, had already succumbed to the Bendromin poison. Drofin broke out in a cold sweat, his eyes darting between the stairs and Roquin’s unconscious form. He had to choose: follow the raid party or carry Roquin and flee.

The decision didn’t take long. He hoisted her onto his back and sprinted in the opposite direction.

‘First, Taehyun. I have to contact him!’

Contacting Taehyun for help was a much better option than trying to manage a raid party with dozens of poisoned members. Drofin pulled out his communication device as he headed for the stairs, but a female knight suddenly appeared behind him, lunging forward with her rapier.

“They’re on my tail already!”

“You cannot escape my range.”

“Ugh!”

Dozens of thrusts shattered his barrier. His communication device flew from his hand as he rolled away from the attack.

“Uhehe… Don’t do this…” Roquin mumbled, having tumbled to the floor, still not fully conscious.

Drofin watched the knight slowly approach, his mind racing. The power that had pierced his barrier instantly told him she was one of the dungeon’s main defenders. She was clearly acting on the Dungeon Master’s orders.

‘She must have been ordered to capture us alive. That explains why she didn’t kill me right away.’

With Roquin, the puppeteer, out of commission, a lone B-rank Raider stood no chance against a main force soldier. As the knight closed the distance, Drofin made his choice.

[B-rank Raider Drofin’s special ability ‘Time Freeze’ is now casting.]

[The time in the surrounding space is slowly freezing.]

As Time Freeze began to cast, the knight watched with an expression of detached curiosity, a faint sound of admiration escaping her lips. Her relaxed demeanor suggested she was willing to see what he could do. To Drofin, however, it was nothing but carelessness.

[Time Freeze has been cast.]

Space froze. He had only three seconds. With the knight frozen like a statue, there was only one thing to do.

‘Run!’

She didn’t know the effects of Time Freeze; she would be disoriented when it wore off. His best chance was to escape to the lower floor before she recovered. Drofin immediately grabbed Roquin and fled down the stairs.

Moments later, time resumed. The knight, Marmesia, found herself alone.

“…What just happened?”

The raider who had been casting his ability was gone. His collapsed companion had vanished as well. It was undoubtedly the effect of the skill she had so leisurely allowed him to use. She clicked her tongue and took out a communication device.

“That raider—you must catch him. Do not let him get away!” Narae’s voice commanded.

“My apologies. At this rate, he might use a return scroll.”

“No. I’ll activate Return Impossible, so you must catch him. The raid party on the 30th floor is being dealt with!”

“Understood.”

If the main party was being handled, her pursuit wouldn’t be interrupted. Marmesia shot forward.

[Swift Dash has been cast.]

[Movement speed increases for a set period of time.]

She leaped down the stairs, rapidly closing the distance.

—

[B-rank Raider Drofin has cast Time Freeze.]

Time froze, and the monitor went blank. When the image returned, Drofin was already far ahead.

[A-rank Hero Mercenary, Black Rose Marmesia, has cast Swift Dash.]

[Movement speed increases for a set period of time.]

Marmesia activated her skill and gave chase, but the gap between them widened again. Drofin was casting his ability repeatedly, seemingly without any penalty.

“Every time she closes the distance, he widens it again,” Ellaim observed.

“That raider must be captured,” Narae said, her voice tight. “Ellaim, what’s the status of the party on the 30th floor?”

“Lord Randus has just wiped out the B-rank Raiders. Only four A-rank Raiders remain.”

The screen Ellaim indicated showed a man single-handedly fighting five raiders. It was Randus, an A-rank Hero Guardian—a battle mage powerful enough to take on S-rank Raiders. Unlike mages who specialized in long-range attacks, Randus thrived in close-quarters combat, and he was currently overwhelming the raiders with a storm of spells.

[A-rank Hero Guardian Randus has cast Flame Incarnation.]

[Randus’s entire body transforms into a blaze of fire.]

[Flame Incarnation usage limit 1/1]

He even activated his single-use skill. Cyan, who had been fighting desperately at the front, was finally pushed back. All hope for the raid party was lost. Flame Incarnation was a skill that gave even Marmesia trouble. Trusting Randus to finish the job, Narae cast her own ability.

[A-rank Dungeon Master’s unique skill ‘Return Impossible’ has been cast.]

[All return effects for raiders currently inside Katarniak have been sealed.]

[Katarniak’s Crystal Core’s mana level decreases by 500.]

The crystal’s mana dropped by more than half, but it didn’t matter. Farnir had already been incinerated by Randus’s flames. Leaving the rest to him, Narae turned her attention back to Drofin.

[B-rank Raider Drofin has cast Time Freeze.]

The chase was still on, the screen blinking in and out as time stopped and started. Losing her patience, Narae contacted Marmesia again.

“My apologies. I still haven’t been able to catch up.”

“Just use your single-use skill,” Narae snapped. “At this rate, your summoning timer will run out.”

“Understood.”

Even with her leveled-up summoning skill, Marmesia’s duration was limited to one hour. With Drofin heading below the 20th floor and spamming Time Freeze, she had to end this now.

[A-rank Hero Mercenary, Black Rose Marmesia, has activated Mana Release.]

[For a set period of time, all of Marmesia’s stats are doubled.]

[Mana Release usage limit 1/1]

Marmesia activated Mana Release. Compounding its effect with Swift Dash, she shot after Drofin like a bullet.

‘He needs time to cast that ability. If I can close the distance instantly and interrupt him, I can catch him!’

Considering the casting time and the specific posture he adopted, it was possible. And it was working—she was closing in on him. Drofin tried to cast Time Freeze again, but it was no use. Marmesia’s rapier was already lancing toward his leg.

“Kugh!”

Drofin lost his balance and tumbled to the floor. Following her orders, Marmesia bound them both, her pursuit finally a success.

—

[B-rank Raider Drofin has been confined in a Skill-Restricting Prison.]

[B-rank Raider Berina has been confined in a Skill-Restricting Prison.]

The two deserters were captured. One was the raider who had first succumbed to the Bendromin poison; the other was the one who had escaped by stopping time. Time Freeze—a special ability that could be used indefinitely, without a cooldown, as long as the casting was completed. Even with A-rank Raiders invading, Drofin was far more interesting.

Narae looked at the two prisoners and took out her True Identity item. “Who are you? I’ve never heard of raiders like you in the North.”

Drofin remained silent.

“Oh? Not talking? Fine. I’ll find out for myself.”

She activated the True Identity on Drofin.

[Using True Identity on B-rank Raider Drofin.]

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

[Detecting Information Manipulation…]

[Manipulated information is being restored.]

The false information surrounding Drofin was instantly stripped away.

“You belong to Katarniak now,” Narae declared. “That Time Freeze ability of yours… you’ll be using it for me from now on.”

“Hah. Impossible.”

“Oh, you’ll have no choice,” she purred. “First, let’s see who you really are.”

If she could recruit the user of Time Freeze, Katarniak’s strength would soar. A wide grin spread across her face as she read Drofin’s restored information.

[Rexner]

[Rank: B (Low)]

[Level: 53]

[Class: Paladin]

[Title: The One Who Freezes Time]

[Affiliation: Balak]

[Stress: 32/100]

[Status: Regret, Embarrassment]

[Relationship with Comrades: Has built a decent amount of trust with Roquin.]

[Description: A B-rank Paladin raider from the Holy Kingdom of Ain Kart. He became affiliated with Balak through a contract and is currently active in the North under an alias.]

“…Huh? Ba-Balak?”

“D-don’t tell me you know it?”

The two stared at each other, utterly flustered.

—

“…So you’ve been locked up here this whole time?”

Not only had they raided the dungeon of a fellow Resistance member, but they had been captured and had their identities exposed. It was beyond embarrassing. Taehyun sighed and glared at Drofin and Roquin.

“Alright, Drofin, I can let it slide since I guaranteed your freedom. But Roquin, what’s your excuse?”

Hic!

“From what I heard, you were passed out the entire time Drofin was trying to escape.”

“B-but I couldn’t help being poisoned by Bendromin!”

Bendromin, a plant that induced a hangover-like state and lulled its victims to sleep. She was right; once poisoned, there was nothing she could have done. Still, being captured in another dungeon—a fellow faction member’s dungeon, no less—was unforgivable.

“We’ll talk when you get back to Balak.”

“Hieeeek!”

Taehyun gave her a mild threat before turning away. He was fortunate that Narae had found them. He would have to repay her somehow. He sighed again.

“Thank you. I was able to find them because of you, Narae. So, what do you want in return?”

“I haven’t said anything yet.”

“You’ve seen Drofin’s—no, Rexner’s—information, so you know his value. I heard you captured them with the intent to recruit them. Am I wrong?”

The most critical issue was that another Dungeon Master now knew about Rexner. Drofin’s potential was limitless. If Narae had chosen to keep his identity a secret, Taehyun might have lost him for good. Her revealing this meant she wanted something of equal value. Taehyun waited for her answer, tense.

“Well then… form an alliance with me, too.”

“…Excuse me?”

“You did it with Songyi, right? Y-you can do it with me, too. It’s not like I’m particularly interested or anything, so don’t get the wrong idea!”

“Is that really all?”

A raider who could use Time Freeze, a B-rank who could cast it indefinitely. In exchange for returning such an asset, all she wanted was an alliance? When Taehyun asked again, Narae’s face flushed, and she snapped.

“Ugh, fine, if you don’t want to!”

“No, of course not. I’m the one who should be grateful. I accept. Let’s form an alliance.”

And so, Katarniak became Balak’s second allied dungeon.

—

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep