[Favorability with A-rank Named Mercenary Crybaby Eclat has increased by 1.]

[Favorability with A-rank Named Mercenary Crybaby Eclat has decreased by 1.]

[Favorability with A-rank Named Mercenary Crybaby Eclat has increased by 1.]

While he was monitoring Balak’s inner rooms, Eclat’s relationship stat suddenly fluctuated. Taehyun tilted his head.

“Hmm?”

“What is it, Taehyun-nim?” Riel asked.

“Nothing. Eclat’s favorability just went up. What’s going on?”

Eclat had been locked in prison ever since her status changed to a permanent mercenary. She had fallen into such a state of despair that conversation was impossible, yet for some reason, her favorability was rising. Taehyun checked the feed from the prison. Vera, who must have slipped inside at some point, was chattering excitedly in front of Eclat.

‘That little brat thinks the dungeon is her playground. There are other prisoners in there. Isn’t she scared?’

Vera had completely adapted to the dungeon. Taehyun considered it for a moment before deciding to leave her be.

‘In a way, Vera could change her perception of the dungeon. It might be better to change Eclat’s perspective this way.’

Vera, who had always been a hindrance, was now being genuinely helpful. Taehyun opened the prison door so she could talk more comfortably with Eclat. Banished from the Celestial Realm and now bound to Balak, Eclat had nowhere else to run. If Vera could win her over, she would become a much more useful asset.

“By the way, how long are you going to stay glued to me?”

“You promised. Just for today.”

“Can’t you at least let go when I’m sitting down?”

“No.”

Riel pressed herself closer into his arms. With the soft sensation of her chest against him, this was nothing short of torture. Taehyun broke out in a cold sweat and turned his gaze back to the screen. He was a young man at his peak, and he knew that if he fell into that particular pit, he might never escape. That was why he had rejected Riel’s nightly visits. Her current favorability score was over 80. Remembering Mederia, he knew Riel’s temptations would be even greater. For now, he had to endure it and focus on Balak.

‘Still, she worked hard, so I should concede this much. I’ll leave her be for now and start getting things in order.’

Taehyun stood up, Riel still clinging to him. Just then, Larkan entered the Master Room.

‘I knew this was coming.’

As soon as he stepped inside, Larkan was glaring at him with a furious expression. Taehyun swallowed dryly and took out a contract he had prepared in advance.

“Taehyun Yoo! Did you think I wouldn’t find out? Badon! That damn Commander Badon! And you even formed an alliance with that bastard’s dungeon?!”

Taehyun said nothing.

“On top of that, you accepted help from him when I am perfectly capable and right here in Balak?! What about all the effort I’ve put into developing this place…?!”

“Sign the contract.”

“What?!”

Larkan, who had been fuming, stared at the document. Taehyun grinned and began to explain its contents.

—

“And you expect me to believe that?”

“That’s why I’m saying we should make a contract. You can’t have any complaints with these terms. Right?”

Around the time he had secured support from Antelos, he had already given some thought to how he would deal with the aftermath concerning Badon.

The Brynhart Kingdom had been destroyed by the Frost Queen’s forces. Larkan would surely see Badon and, consumed by vengeance, immediately demand an explanation. Taehyun, however, had already prepared for this.

[Contract]

Parties to the Agreement: Player Taehyun Yoo, NPC Larkan

1. Taehyun Yoo promises to deal with the A-rank Hero Guardian, Badon.

2. Taehyun Yoo promises to defeat the Frost Queen, the witch Yuslan.

3. Taehyun Yoo will recognize all beings of the Frost Queen’s forces as enemies.

4. Larkan will always disclose all information and facts to Taehyun Yoo.

5. Larkan cannot disobey Taehyun Yoo’s orders.

6. Larkan pledges lifelong loyalty as a member of Balak.

7. Larkan is forbidden from harming Taehyun Yoo or any being belonging to Balak.

8. Larkan must do whatever Taehyun Yoo commands.

9. Larkan cannot betray Balak.

10. Larkan cannot flee or speak of this to others.

11. Larkan cannot order, commission, or induce anyone else to attempt a raid on Balak or to harm Taehyun.

12. Larkan is forbidden from revealing any information about Taehyun Yoo or Balak to any being not belonging to Balak.

This contract was the key. He currently had no formal agreement with Larkan, and he intended to turn this crisis into an opportunity. He would convince Larkan of his intent to destroy the Frost Queen’s army alongside Badon, then use the contract to bind him completely to Balak, eliminating any possibility of betrayal.

“I certainly find the first three clauses agreeable,” Larkan said, his voice tight. “However, everything after that pertains only to me. Do you still not trust my word?”

“I’m giving you my assurance, so you need to give me yours,” Taehyun countered. “I know you’ve worked hard for Balak, but how can I be certain of your loyalty? That’s why I prepared this. With it, our trust will be unbreakable.”

“Weren’t you allied with that Dungeon Master, Songyi? Dealing with Badon would mean betraying Antelos, would it not? Do you truly intend to do so?”

“My current allies are merely tools to be used. I’ll devour them later, so don’t worry. Since I’m willing to put this in a contract, there’s no way I’m lying, is there?”

The moment a contract was signed, its contents became absolute. To break it was to forfeit one’s life to Morpina, the God of Contracts. Larkan knew this as well as anyone. Though his suspicion ran deep, the power of the contract would ultimately force him to yield.

“Fine,” Larkan conceded. “A contract will make it certain.”

“A wise decision. I fully intended to keep my promise anyway. With this, we are now on equal footing.” Taehyun watched with satisfaction as Larkan signed the document.

[The contract procedure has been completed.]

[The contract has been activated.]

[Morpina, the God of Contracts, now observes Player Taehyun Yoo and NPC Larkan.]

And just like that, another soul was bound to Balak.

—

[Soldier Population: 1,720/4,000]

Nearly two thousand soldiers had perished holding back the Eleonora Raid Party. Fortunately, the A-rank soldiers had suffered relatively few casualties, but the lower ranks had been all but wiped out. Most of the remaining forces were the residents and dwarves currently being trained by Grai.

Taehyun briefly browsed the Shop before checking on the Master Room. Riel, nestled in his arm, wore a victor’s smile. Raviz stood beside her, her gaze envious, while Mederia watched from across the room with eyes full of jealousy. Angelina was blushing, lost in some lewd fantasy of her own.

“Jeez, I can’t focus,” Taehyun grumbled. “All of you, get back to your posts. I’m about to start summoning soldiers.”

“B-but, Master…” Riel began.

“What’s with the disappointed face? Raiders will be coming again soon. You need to protect the other dungeons.”

One by one, his core commanders left the Master Room. Only then did Taehyun let out a sigh of relief and move to the final chamber.

‘First, goblins are essential for the reconnaissance units. I’ll need priests, too, so I should summon more fairies.’

Aside from the High Elves, the Reconnaissance Goblins had the widest field of vision, and fairies were the most suitable race for priests. Increasing the number of his Direct-Lineage Fairies was the wisest move. He began by summoning C-rank Evil Goblins and B-rank Direct-Lineage Fairies.

‘Next, harpies and gargoyles. Harpies can pick off key targets among densely packed raiders. Plus, I’ve specialized the gargoyles as lancers for charging. I’ll summon them again.’

B-rank Harpies and B-rank Gargoyles materialized in the chamber.

‘Centaurs and werewolves are specialized for forest environments. Lizardmen and fenrirs are also highly effective in swamps. If I plan to use the forest to stop raids, I’ll need them.’

B-rank Centaurs, B-rank Werewolves, C-rank Lizardmen, and C-rank Fenrirs were summoned next.

‘Orcs, hounds, and imps are no longer necessary. As for shield bearers, I just need enough to support the A-rank soldiers. In that case, it has to be trolls.’

Excluding the remaining minotaurs, he no longer needed any C-rank or lower shield bearers. With that decided, B-rank Trolls joined his growing army. Taehyun considered the wyverns and salamanders for a moment, then shook his head.

‘I summoned salamanders as a test, but they’re little more than fire-breathing lizards. And wyverns are inferior to harpies, so I should only keep enough for the merchant caravan.’

Even with their high loyalty, deploying salamanders was a major challenge. Since wyverns were also statistically weaker than harpies, it was better to summon them exclusively for the caravan. After another round of culling, his forces consisted only of soldiers perfectly suited to his strategies.

“Now only the A-rank soldiers are left,” Raviz noted.

“True, but honestly, the small golems are redundant with the basilisks. For now, it’s best to build our core around basilisks, nightmares, and hellhounds.”

Leaving a generous amount of Zen in reserve, Taehyun finished summoning the A-rank soldiers.

[Soldier Population: 3,500/4,000]

With his forces restored to 3,500, his military strength was nearly back to full. All that remained was to fill the empty slots with special soldiers. For the first time in a while, Taehyun checked the Blind Mode and Random Mode shops, but on this particular day, no noteworthy summon cards caught his eye.

‘I’ll have to check again after I get back from Nikunbel’s estate.’

The third Faction War was fast approaching, which meant another gathering. He would have to postpone the pleasure of summoning the rest of his army. Entrusting the new soldiers to Grai and Raviz, Taehyun had them moved to Yuslan’s Ice Palace.

—

“The number one A-rank is Hwanhee Jeong. Unfortunately, he is absent again this time!” Nikunbel’s voice boomed.

The first order of business at the gathering was the announcement of the Dungeon Master rankings. Once again, Hwanhee Jeong was named the top A-rank, and just like always, he was nowhere to be seen.

“Taehyun, was I helpful last time?” Songyi asked.

“Thanks to you, I barely managed to stop them. Thank you, Songyi.”

“Okay!” she chirped, beaming with joy from his lap.

News that Balak had repelled the Eleonora Raid Party had already spread across the continent, and the Dungeon Masters were well aware. As proof, the leaders of other factions, who had never given him a second glance, were now watching him with wary eyes. Taehyun paid them no mind, but he couldn’t help but be annoyed by Naeul of the Black Alliance.

‘As if the women on either side of me aren’t annoying enough. Why is she glaring at me like she wants to kill me?’

A sigh escaped him. At his table, Mihye and Narae had claimed the seats on either side of him. Mihye had always been like this, so he could just ignore her, but Narae had insisted on sitting there, claiming they were allies, making the situation incredibly bothersome.

“Are you interested in our little Taehyun, too?” Mihye purred.

“Wh-who’s your Taehyun?” Narae retorted. “And I’m just sitting here because we’re in the same faction. I’m not interested at all!”

“Oh my, how cute. Taehyun, when did you seduce another little charmer like this?”

“S-stop clinging to the newbie, you seductive bitch!”

As the insults started flying, Taehyun, caught in the middle, felt his stress mounting.

‘If I were a raider, my mind would have snapped by now.’

In the distance, Seonghwi even gave him a thumbs-up, which only made him scowl. And so, Taehyun suffered in silence until the Faction War began.

—

In the abyssal depths of the ocean, a dragon exhaled with a deep gurgle, radiating an immense pressure.

“How much longer must I wait, Master?” the dragon rumbled, its gaze fixed on the city below.

It was the underwater city of Atlantis, submerged at the very bottom of the sea—Hwanhee Jeong’s A-rank dungeon. He moved through the water with ease, breathing as if he were on land.

“I’m busy. Can’t you ask later?” Hwanhee replied.

“Do you know how many years we have been doing this?”

“I know, Rukarsha.”

The A-rank Hero Guardian, Rukarsha, was the sole survivor of the legendary Water Dragon clan. Without sparing him a glance, Hwanhee checked the mana in the crystal ball. The energy, which had been slowly exceeding its limit, began to stabilize.

“Good. It’s almost time. It should be complete by the time the order comes.”

“That is truly welcome news.”

“Ah, really, Rukarsha. Stop sulking and help me out!”

“I refuse.”

And so, in the deep sea beyond the continent, a plan no one could have anticipated was taking shape.

—

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep