Morning came, and the day began in the small city of Partren. From raid parties deciding their schedules to Raiders packing their gear, people began to emerge from the inns, diligently preparing for the day ahead. The city had once been in an uproar due to a monster attack, but things had since quieted down. Residents who had fled to other territories were returning, and numerous Raiders were once again flocking to Partren, all of them heading for Balak.

“Did you pack your exclusive items?”

“Of course. You just make sure the food is packed well. There could be delays.”

“Everyone, check your gear. Anyone with low Endurance, get it repaired in the passage.”

The raid parties slowly gathered near the entrance, a mix of D-rank, C-rank, and even the occasional B-rank Raider. Their destination was none other than Balak. While the original Balak had risen to A-rank, making any raid attempt impossible, its other territories were fair game. There was the labyrinth, perfect for C-rank Raiders, and even a second Balak dungeon for B-rankers. It was no exaggeration to say that Raiders aiming for a long-term Zen income were always roaming those places.

“Move out!”

“We’re moving out!”

“Let’s get a move on! We need to earn some Zen, too!”

One by one, the raid parties gave the order to depart and headed for Balak. Meanwhile, a group of Raiders who had just emerged from an inn were rubbing their eyes and looking toward the entrance.

“They’re so diligent. The ones desperate for performance points and Zen are really something else.”

“That’s us, too. What are you talking about? Let’s hurry up and pack.”

“Makdian, we can afford to go a little slower. It’s not like we’re aiming to clear the dungeon anyway. Why are you in such a rush?”

The C-rank shield-bearer, Makdian, was the party’s current leader. In his rookie days, he had constantly served as a porter to earn performance points, which had recently allowed him to reach C-rank. He looked at his companion Galman’s carefree face and sighed.

“I never even thought about clearing the dungeon. We need to earn Zen, too. With our gear at this level, when are we ever going to advance to the next rank? We have to earn as many performance points and as much Zen as we can in the labyrinth.”

“Ugh, that nagging again. Alright, alright, I get it.”

It was true that their income had been unsatisfactory lately. His party members weren’t unskilled, but they were far too laid-back. At this rate, they would run out of Zen just from equipment repairs and food, let alone earn any performance points. Galman gathered his comrades and quickly started packing, while Makdian, left alone, stared at the entrance with a troubled expression.

‘Am I really doing the right thing? If I had just joined another raid party, I wouldn’t be living this hand-to-mouth existence.’

He was barely getting by at the inn, but now even the lodging fees were starting to feel like a heavy burden. Between securing supplies and repairing their gear every day, they were truly living paycheck to paycheck. Makdian stared blankly at the entrance, then shook his head. “It’s too late for regrets now. I’m the one who wanted to be the leader, anyway.” He sighed.

“Hey, Makdian! We’re all set!”

“R-Right. Let’s get going!”

And so, Makdian’s raid party also began their belated journey toward Balak.

—

Two days had passed since his visit to the Demon Realm Auction. So far, no new A-rank raid parties had appeared. Balak’s territory was once again drawing in Raiders and earning Zen, while the original dungeon had grown much quieter.

But Taehyun, in his Master Room, wore a grave expression.

‘Memories of the modern world. Now that I think about it, I can’t remember the details clearly. I’m pretty sure I was a university student, but that’s it.’

He recalled snippets of conversations he’d had with other Dungeon Masters.

“…Songyi doesn’t know either. I can’t even remember my family now.”

“Hmm. This is my theory, Taehyun. It seems the more you adapt to life as a Dungeon Master, the more your memories of the modern world fade. Of course, Player Raiders are an exception. Even I don’t know why that is.”

The other Dungeon Masters were no exception. Every single one of them had forgotten their memories of the modern world.

Oblivion.

He’d remembered everything perfectly when he first arrived on the Astral Continent, but the more he adapted to his new life as a Dungeon Master, the more those memories began to fade.

‘…My family. How many people were in my family? And my friends?’

His memories were shrouded in a hazy smoke. While the Player Raiders recalled everything with clarity, the Dungeon Masters could barely remember their own families.

Taehyun thought back to the moment he was first transported to Balak.

‘Right. I was drinking with my friends, passed out… and when I woke up, I was here. But who the hell were those friends?’

A cold sweat broke out on his brow. Whenever he tried to recall someone, their face was veiled in a milky haze.

Taehyun sighed and rose to his feet. There was no point wasting time on a question he couldn’t answer.

Just then, the communication device in his pocket vibrated.

—Edchan: Sir Taehyun, this is your butler, Edchan. I was hoping you might visit the Labyrinth.

“Perfect. I was planning on stopping by soon anyway. I’ll head there right now.”

—Edchan: Thank you, sir.

He’d intended to inspect Balak’s Labyrinth before the Demon Realm Auction anyway, so Edchan’s request was timely. Taehyun left the Master Room and made his way to the Labyrinth.

—

[You have entered the Labyrinth’s maze.]

[You cannot return to the entrance until you find the exit.]

[A restriction has been placed on the entire Labyrinth.]

[Some Raider-exclusive items are now unusable.]

[Some skills and special abilities are now unusable.]

This was their sixth time entering the maze. Most raiders would have adapted by now, but not the Makdian Raid Party. Even now, they were wound tight with tension, each drawing their weapon.

Makdian sighed and went over their formation again.

“Did you forget already? In a maze, you never know where dungeon soldiers will pop out. As the shield bearer, I’m at the front, but you, Galman—the warrior—need to cover the rear.”

“Ah, right. Hahaha. Sorry.”

“Hmph. And Beige, Nerua, you stand in the center. In a labyrinth, ranged classes provide support from the middle.”

“R-Right.”

“Sorry, Makdian.”

At last, his companions found their positions. A party of four: himself, the shield bearer; Galman, the warrior; Nerua, the archer; and Beige, the mage. They were an elite team, at least in composition. The only problem was their utter lack of experience—unthinkable for C-rank raiders.

‘They all said they earned their performance points by acting as porters, so they probably have less combat experience than D-rank raiders.’

The Anshlayke family’s guild was filled with raiders looking for an easy way to rack up points. Simply acting as a porter and tagging along was a smooth path to C-rank. The problem, as his companions demonstrated, was that they accumulated no actual experience.

‘I was lucky enough to have a kind senior teach me a thing or two, but they weren’t. I have to lead them as best I can.’

He had dreamed of being a raid leader since he was a child. Makdian steeled his resolve once more and began exploring the maze.

Balak’s Labyrinth was rumored to have no true exit. Temporary portals leading outside opened at regular intervals, so they had to earn as much Zen and as many performance points as they could until then.

[A Skeleton Swordsman has appeared in the maze.]

[A Skeleton Swordsman has appeared in the maze.]

[A Skeleton Brawler has appeared in the maze.]

Before long, dungeon soldiers appeared. Makdian quickly slammed his shield into the Skeleton Brawler to draw its attention.

“Galman, take on the two Skeleton Swordsmen first! Nerua, aim for their legs to throw them off balance! Beige, support Galman by casting spells whenever he’s in danger!”

“Got it! Hyaaaah!”

“Okay. I’ll try.”

And so, the battle between three soldiers and four raiders began. Galman confidently thrust his greatsword at the skeleton on the left.

“You idiot! I told you, when there are two or more, create a standoff with support from Beige and Nerua!”

“It’s fine! A couple of skeletons like this are nothing… huh? What the—?!”

Before Galman knew it, one of the skeletons sidestepped, causing him to lose his balance. Makdian stunned the Brawler and quickly moved to block the other skeletons.

“Ugh! Hurry up and support me! What are you doing?!”

“Wh-What magic should I use?”

“Anything will do!”

Beige, standing at the back, hadn’t even started casting, apparently still deliberating over which spell to use.

‘Swish! Swish!’

“Ugh, why can’t I hit anything?”

To make matters worse, Nerua’s arrows missed one after another, and the party’s formation fell into disarray. In the end, Makdian was left to face the three soldiers alone, buying time.

—

[The 1st Labyrinth exploration has concluded. All raiders, please exit through the designated portals.]

At last, the first exploration was over. The raiders exited through their respective passages and began to set up camp. The Makdian Raid Party let out a collective sigh of relief as they saw the dungeon residents appear from between the walls.

“Ahh, please accept my love today, Peblin!”

“You again? How annoying. You’re in the way of my cleaning, so get lost!”

“My name is Arti—’Gak!'”

While some raiders tried to strike up conversations with the cleaning staff, Makdian’s companions wore long faces.

[Today’s total performance points: 410.]

[Today’s total Zen earned: 39,841.]

Despite fighting numerous battles, the points and Zen they had gathered were unsatisfactory. While other parties were earning over 100,000 Zen, they had barely scraped together 40,000.

‘The prolonged battles are also taking a toll on our gear. Camping supplies aren’t cheap. Dammit.’

Makdian sighed and set up camp with his companions. He prepared a simple meal with the provisions he had brought.

“Vegetable soup again? I’m so sick of this.”

“We’re short on Zen. Stop complaining and eat.”

“Tch.”

His companions began to sate their hunger, preparing for the next exploration. Just then, Beige suddenly dropped her head and started to cry.

“I’m sorry. I feel like our fights are a mess because of me.”

“Th-That’s not true. My accuracy is zero, too. Don’t cry, Beige.”

“Dammit, why are you suddenly bawling? You’re ruining my appetite.”

The party’s atmosphere instantly soured. Makdian frowned as he checked their stress levels and relationship statuses. Every time a situation like this occurred, their bonds frayed a little more.

“Everyone, listen. It’s just because we still lack experience. Blaming ourselves won’t solve anything. If we can’t do it, we just have to keep trying until we can. There’s nothing we can’t do. We just haven’t learned how to fight properly. If we had, we would have breezed through a labyrinth like this. For now, let’s just focus on gaining experience. It’s okay to make mistakes, so let’s just keep at it.”

His words were the exact opposite of what he truly felt. Makdian deliberately emphasized the word “we” to comfort them.

“…You’re right. Makdian’s right. I was being a burden again. I’m sorry, everyone.”

“That’s right, Beige. There’s nothing we can’t do. Just like Makdian said, if we keep trying, we’ll definitely become proper raiders.”

“You all heard him! Those are our raid leader’s words! What do you think would have happened without Makdian? We’d be out on the streets! Alright! During the next exploration, I’ll definitely earn us some real Zen and points!”

The party’s mood was barely salvaged. Makdian let out a sigh of relief and watched the other raiders who were already heading back in.

‘I wonder if we’ll really become like them just by trying?’

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep