Balak had a total of thirty-five rooms, and the Eleonora Raid Party had just entered the thirty-fourth. They were on the cusp of the final chamber. The room’s size had been expanded to level 10, and the forest environment had reached a staggering level 6. In the heart of the sprawling woods, the raid party adopted its most stable formation. Shield bearers flanked the group, with melee Raiders positioned to switch with them to maintain balance. With the ranged Raiders holding the center, Rabiz’s Spatial Restraint could do little more than slow them down.

‘Especially that high-grade A-rank Raider, Sihwan Ryu. He’s the pillar holding this entire party together.’

As a Wave Swordmaster, Sihwan was in the perfect position to engage Balak’s main forces while supporting his allies.

[Chedor]

[Rank: A (High-grade)]

[Level: 67]

[Class: Wave Swordmaster]

[Title: Drake Slayer]

[Affiliation: Eleonora Raid Party]

[Stress: 61]

[Status: Anxious, Impatient, Blind, High-grade Curse]

[Relationship with Comrades: Faith and trust in Eleonora, Deep friendship with Eleonora]

Currently afflicted by Raimond’s Blind, Sihwan’s vision was completely obscured. Taehyun had to keep him as distracted as possible to prevent him from aiding his party. He revealed the A-rank soldiers he had positioned in advance.

A guttural snarl echoed through the trees. First came the Hellhounds, the final evolution of pit bulls. These A-rank soldiers specialized in ambushes, possessed powerful fire-attribute skills, and were infamous for never letting go once their jaws clamped down on an enemy.

A sharp hiss followed. The Basilisks, previously used against the Valona Raid Party, were A-rank soldiers with immense Endurance. Their skills were perfect for dealing with densely packed enemies, and their considerable strength made them ideal shield bearers.

A low, droning hum filled the air as the third type of soldier emerged: the Nightmares. These formless, dark-attribute A-rank soldiers possessed incredibly high mana and specialized in status-effect skills, capable of plunging their enemies into total darkness.

The ground trembled. Finally, the Small Golems appeared. Though several times smaller than the enlarged Deshu Karr, their health and strength were substantial. As warrior-type A-rank soldiers with terrain-collapsing skills, they were perfect for engaging multiple Raiders at once.

‘The effects of the Mind Field are gone. They already have intel on my soldiers and main forces, but knowing and fighting are two different things.’

The room on the screen became a chessboard. The A-rank trap was set, and with the unknown variable of Raimond on his side, Balak held the advantage.

‘Nightmares, cast Fear on the shield bearers.’

The Nightmares were the first to act, casting Fear on the shield bearers. The Raiders leading the charge were afflicted with darkness, lowering their block chance.

‘Basilisks, use Pierce on the front line, then follow up with Slam to push them back.’

The Basilisks’ roars thundered through the forest, momentarily confusing the Raiders and leaving them defenseless.

“Hold the line! They’re just big, nothing special!”

“It’s coming! The Basilisk’s Slam!”

“Don’t dodge! The shield is enough—’Gahk’?!”

The Slam sent the shield bearers staggering backward. With their block chance already reduced, their shields couldn’t fully mitigate the impact.

‘Small Golems, advance. Hellhounds, follow them and break through the gaps between the shield bearers.’

The waiting Small Golems began their advance. The shield bearers tried to manage their stamina by switching with the melee Raiders, but facing both Basilisks and Small Golems at once was overwhelming.

“What are the ranged Raiders doing? Hit them with stronger skills, now!”

“We can’t! The skill restriction penalty is still active. We’re still doing damage, but we can’t generate any more firepower!”

“Switch, switch! I can’t take any more!”

Though the Mind Field was gone, its lingering penalty remained. The Raiders were felling A-rank soldiers one by one, but they were slowly being pushed back.

‘Growl!’

‘Snarl!’

At last, the Hellhounds following the Small Golems charged forward. The shield bearers reacted too late as the beasts squeezed through the gaps in their formation.

‘First target: the Bounty Hunters. Second: the Priests. Third: the ranged Raiders. Tear them all to shreds.’

The Hellhounds darted through the raid party’s ranks. The Bounty Hunters died helplessly, their throats torn out. Sihwan turned to support his party, but the two Keepers forcefully blocked his path.

‘Angelina and Sieghart, unleash all your skills and abilities. The Blind hasn’t worn off yet. He’d just turned around on instinct. Create some distance and establish a standoff.’

Maintaining the proper distance was the ideal formation for the Keepers. Simply having them stick close wouldn’t be effective. Even blinded, Sihwan displayed considerable skill, pressuring the Keepers relentlessly.

[B-rank Raider Kloric has died.]

[B-rank Raider Demauro has died.]

[B-rank Raider Gulak has died.]

While casualties mounted on the Raiders’ side, Balak’s A-rank soldiers were also dying in droves. These were likely experienced, high-grade B-rank Raiders. The Priests, having given up on the Bounty Hunters, focused all their efforts on keeping the shield bearers alive.

‘Good judgment. The shield bearers are the core of their party. If they fall, the entire formation collapses. All the Bounty Hunters are dead. All that’s left is to wipe them out with the A-rank trap.’

Taehyun immediately ordered his troops to pull back. It wasn’t a full retreat, but an ambiguous withdrawal that widened the distance. The raid party was taken aback but didn’t give chase. Sihwan, his vision now restored, assessed the situation but hesitated to make a decision. With Balak’s main forces having retreated, both sides were locked in a tense, motionless standoff.

‘Anxiety and impatience. With Inhye captured, he must be in a hurry. What will you do, Sihwan? You’re in a standoff, so you can’t set up camp. And the thought of returning to the previous room… your own anxiety is holding you back.’

With his return items unusable, there was only one choice he could make.

“We continue to advance.”

The order brought a smile to Taehyun’s lips. Sihwan must have anticipated traps, but with the final room just ahead, he couldn’t order a retreat.

‘That’s right. That’s how it should be. You have to conquer Balak quickly and save Inhye, don’t you? Succeed, and you can cure that Hendy girl, too. It’s a win-win.’

When a predator crouches, it isn’t out of fear. It is merely preparing to strike back several times harder. Taehyun watched with satisfaction as the raid party approached the A-rank trap.

“Checkmate, once again.”

—

It was a clear tactic: deliberately retreating to lure the raid party forward, exploiting their anxiety to draw them into a trap. Sihwan knew this, yet he advanced anyway.

‘Damn you. Why are your methods so similar to that S-rank Dungeon Master’s? You’re forcing me to recall memories I wanted to forget.’

The S-rank Dungeon Master who had rendered even their Mind Field useless, who had used every tactic imaginable to raise their stress, read their psychology, and drive them into a cursed fate. This situation felt eerily similar. The party’s stress levels were manageable, but his own mental state was unstable.

‘Trap or installation, I’ll break through it. I’ve cleared more A-rank dungeons than I can count.’

With no Bounty Hunters left, he had to identify the traps himself. Sihwan took the lead, scanning his surroundings as he closed the distance with the enemy forces. Just then, a magic circle on the floor began to glow with mana.

‘What is this?!’

It was a trap he had never seen before. Sihwan hastily backed away, but the mana had already enveloped the entire room.

[A-rank trap Helpless Struggle has been activated.]

[For a certain period, all resistance stats of the entire raid party will decrease.]

Helpless Struggle. He had never encountered such a trap in all his time raiding A-rank dungeons. If it affected all resistance stats, that would include elemental resistances. However, for its rank, the effect didn’t seem particularly threatening. Sihwan hurriedly scanned the area. The trap was active, but he saw no new soldiers, only the ones they were already facing. Then, a gloomy laugh echoed from above.

“Bwhaha. My, my. What delectable prey.”

It was the warlock Raimond, using Fly. Only then did Sihwan remember the Blind spell and realize his fatal mistake.

“Damn it! Everyone, run! Get back to the previous corridor, now!”

“I’m afraid you’re too late,” Raimond cackled.

Poison Nova erupted from the sky. A cloud of black poison instantly spread in all directions, engulfing the raid party. The Raiders fled in a panic, but one by one, they collapsed as the toxic mist filled the room.

[You have been afflicted by High-grade Poison.]

[Poison resistance is at its lowest level.]

[The energy of the High-grade Poison is rapidly spreading throughout your body.]

Thanks to Helpless Struggle, the high-grade poison was instantly life-threatening. The Priests belatedly cast Cure and Heal, but it was barely enough to keep their allies alive.

Sihwan fell silent.

The soldiers they had been facing began to charge. In their current state, the Raiders stood no chance. With the mercenary Raimond and Balak’s main forces bearing down on them, Sihwan himself had been afflicted. He thought of Inhye and Hendy and gripped his shortsword. Even if he ran, he would be caught. There was nowhere left to retreat, nowhere left to run.

“You damn bastards! Come and get me!”

And so, the last Raider’s final battle began.

—

‘Whoosh.’ A fierce blizzard whipped against his cheeks. The weather here was particularly harsh. Dropin pulled his hood down low and surveyed his surroundings. He must have climbed quite a way; the village he’d started from was now a tiny speck below. The Dragonic Mountains, the northernmost frontier of the Mosland Kingdom, were now a deserted range that even hunters avoided. Aside from the village below, it was safe to say no one ever came here.

‘According to that Taehyun bastard, the lodge should be appearing soon.’

He had come all the way here, abandoning his next raid schedule. Based on the instructions he’d received, the lodge should be just ahead. Sure enough, a log cabin began to materialize through the swirling snow.

‘Is that it?’

Dropin headed toward it without hesitation. The area was silent; there seemed to be no guards.

‘He said there was a girl lying inside.’

His target was a cursed Raider named Hendy. Dropin carefully entered the lodge. The entrance was clear. He scanned the cozy interior before heading into the main room, where he was met with the sight of a dozen Raiders standing guard.

“What?!”

“Who are you?” a man slumped on the floor asked, his eyes wary.

Dropin instinctively reached for his greatsword but paused.

‘These guys… don’t tell me.’

Looking closely, he saw that parts of their bodies were rotting away. The Eleonora Raid Party, cursed in an S-rank dungeon. These were undoubtedly her former comrades. Dropin silently sheathed his sword and looked down at the bed. Just as he’d been told, a cursed girl was lying there.

‘So they were guarding this place while the other two were away.’

Their condition was, in some ways, even worse than Hendy’s. They might have been A-rank Raiders a year ago, but now they were powerless. Dropin lost interest and slung Hendy over his shoulder.

“Wh-What are you doing? Let Hendy go, now!”

“Who are you? Did the Dukedom of Peyton send you?!”

“Please don’t take Hendy! She’s slowly dying from the curse! Where are you taking her?”

They all tried to stop him, but Dropin lightly pushed them aside and left the room. Near the entrance, a man was leaning against the wall. He sighed.

“You’re not from the Dukedom of Peyton. A Raider from Balak, then?”

“…Were you once their comrade?” Dropin asked.

“I was a high-grade A-rank Raider back then,” the man said, gesturing to his rotting left arm and leg. “Not anymore.”

One side of his body was completely crippled; it was a miracle he could even stand.

“If you’ve come for Hendy, it’s obvious what happened to Eleonora and Chedor. Take her and go.”

“You’re not going to stop me?”

“Hah. We don’t have the right. As long as you let the three of them be together, we don’t care if it’s in a dungeon or anywhere else.”

“Feeling guilty, are we?” Dropin sneered. “I heard only two people were looking after Hendy. That makes the rest of you the ones who abandoned her.”

A memory of his own past surfaced. Dropin glared at the man with disgust, but the man simply hung his head and stepped aside.

“You pieces of trash.”

The man remained silent.

And with that, Dropin began his return to Balak, carrying Hendy.

—

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep