[Today’s total performance points: 612.]

[Today’s total Zen earned: 71,214.]

That day, the Makdian Raid Party achieved a relatively satisfactory result. Perhaps because he had encouraged them at camp, all three fought with more focus than before.

After exiting the Labyrinth, the party followed the long line toward the passage. Watching the sun set, Makdian knew the day was over.

“See? I told you we could do it.”

“It’s not just the Zen and points. We got a good amount of byproducts today, too.”

“Mhm. I did my best!”

His companions were delighted with their higher-than-usual income. It was understandable, as they had been barely scraping by as raiders until now.

But Makdian couldn’t share their joy. Instead, he just smiled bitterly and observed the other raid parties.

‘The income we earned today is half of what other C-rank parties make.’

They may have tried their best, but reality was cruel. Makdian swallowed the words that rose to his throat and walked on alone.

—

“Still, we earned a decent amount of performance points today.”

“It’s because all my companions worked hard.”

“Hard work, you say. It’s good to work hard when you’re young. Ahh, I was in my prime back then, my looks were really something. Now, all that’s left is regret and longing.”

The female employee let out a deep, palpable sigh of regret, as if recalling a glamorous past.

“Oh, dear. This isn’t the time for that. I’ll register your performance points right away. What do you plan to do with the byproducts?”

The various byproducts from the dungeon—monster corpses, leather, horns, magic ingredients, and all sorts of herbs—were all purchased by the association at a set price.

But Makdian shook his head and only registered the party’s performance points.

‘It’s more profitable to sell the byproducts directly to merchants.’

His companions were probably already back at the inn. Makdian left the branch office and began to sell off their haul.

“Hmph. The condition is better than before. Here you go.”

“These are bone fragments from a Skeleton Brawler. Is this really all they’re worth?”

“Go somewhere else. It’ll be the same everywhere.”

“Hmph. Understood.”

A merchant specializing in dungeon byproducts always had a sharp eye. Makdian proceeded to sell off the rest of the monster corpses and materials. He didn’t earn much, but for now, even this was somewhat satisfactory.

‘This is enough to cover the inn fees. The problem is my gear as a shield bearer and getting a new bow for Nerua.’

The core of a raid party was always the shield bearer. As the one who blocked enemy attacks from the front, their equipment was paramount. Furthermore, Nerua’s accuracy was consistently poor. While part of it was her naturally low agility, the real problem was her bow. The bowstring was made from an Orc’s sinew, making it awkward for someone with her low strength to draw properly.

‘First, I’ll buy the camping supplies and food we’ll need for the week. Then, we’ll save up Zen and get the equipment one by one.’

Planning ahead was also part of a raid leader’s duties. Makdian studied the equipment sold by the merchants, memorizing the prices. They were still steep, but he knew he would be able to afford them someday.

After purchasing the necessary items, Makdian started heading back to the inn.

—

[A Skeleton Brawler has appeared.]

[A Skeleton Brawler has appeared.]

Battles in the maze always started abruptly. The real test was how quickly the raid party could respond.

“Two Skeleton Brawlers! Beige, cast a binding spell on the one on the left!”

“Okay, got it!”

A shimmering droplet of water—the 2nd-circle binding spell, Bubble Cushion—formed above Beige’s hand. She immediately cast it at the left Skeleton Brawler.

[The Skeleton Brawler has been hit by Bubble Cushion.]

[It has been rendered immobile for a certain period of time.]

“Alright! Makdian, let’s go!”

“I’ll stun it with a shield bash first. You get behind it right after.”

“One of them is already bound. Can’t we just face the one on the right head-on?”

“No. I’ll draw its attention from the front, and you inflict damage from behind whenever there’s an opening. We’re splitting its focus.”

The duration of Bubble Cushion’s binding effect was relatively long. With only one Skeleton Brawler mobile, the party’s positioning was simple.

Makdian blocked the brawler’s greatsword and took his position at the front. Meanwhile, Galman quickly circled around to attack from the rear.

“Galman, a little more distance! Beige, every time the brawler turns its back to Galman, cast a continuous volley of fireballs! Nerua, even if your arrows don’t hit, start shooting whenever my shield success rate drops below fifty percent!”

They were targeting the Skeleton Brawler from the front and back. If they weren’t careful, the ranged attacks could hit their own allies. Remembering Nerua’s aim, Galman quickly put more distance between them.

“Yeah, with Nerua’s aim, I could definitely get hit.”

“Sh-Shut up!”

“Save the chatter for later and focus!”

At last, the Skeleton Brawler’s full-scale attack began.

[Shield Success Rate: 80%]

[Shield Success Rate: 94%]

[Shield Success Rate: 71%]

Makdian consistently blocked with his shield, holding the brawler’s attention. It occasionally tried to attack Galman, but each attempt was thwarted by a flying fireball. There was a chance it might rush Beige and Nerua, but Makdian preemptively covered that possibility with a shield bash.

[Shield Success Rate: 41%]

“Nerua!”

“Got it!”

Finally, the shield success rate dropped below fifty percent. Nerua, who was on standby, repeatedly drew her bowstring. But as expected, her lack of strength meant that not only her accuracy but also her range were unsatisfactory.

‘Still, it’s enough to make it flinch for a moment.’

It didn’t matter if the arrows hit; he was just trying to create an opening as the brawler prepared its next attack. Makdian’s eyes gleamed as he cast his second skill, Shield Push.

[You have cast Shield Push.]

[The Skeleton Brawler’s body is thrown backward.]

“Now!”

“I know!”

Following that, Galman’s greatsword cleaved through the Skeleton Brawler’s body. Its bones shattered instantly, and a performance point message appeared.

With that, the brawler on the right was dealt with. All that remained was the one on the left, whose binding was slowly wearing off. The companions exchanged glances and quickly moved to finish it off.

—

[You have defeated the Skeleton Brawler.]

[The Makdian Raid Party’s performance points increase by 70.]

The two Skeleton Brawlers were dead. The Makdian Raid Party had earned a total of 140 performance points. Without a moment to catch his breath, Makdian immediately began collecting bone fragments from the corpses.

“Makdian, take a break. We just finished a battle.”

“Hah. Galman, this is a maze. We don’t know when or where soldiers will appear. You were just as complacent yesterday and got a scare when you fell into a trap.”

“Ugh, why bring up yesterday? I was just worried about you.”

Suddenly, he felt the warm gazes of his companions. Makdian let out a small laugh and continued to put the bone fragments into his pouch.

They were certainly a precarious raid party, but the trust between them was gradually building. It had been a burden at first, but he was getting used to it. Makdian looked at the three of them and smiled.

‘It’s been seven days since then. Things have definitely changed. We still have a long way to go, but because everyone tried hard, the battles have become relatively smoother.’

He remembered the time Beige had cried. Back then, he had doubted his companions, but now a certain level of trust had formed. Their experience was lacking and their equipment was shabby, but they were taking it step by step. At this rate, they would one day be able to display skills on par with other raid parties.

[The 3rd Labyrinth exploration has concluded. All raiders, please exit through the designated portals.]

At last, the third exploration was over. Galman shrugged, and Makdian scratched his head as he headed for the exit.

Just then, Nerua, seeming to have mistaken the path, began walking toward the entrance.

“Nerua, that’s the entrance. Even if we camped near here, is your memory really that bad?”

“Oops. I forgot… huh?”

She tried to turn back, but one of her arms had already passed through to the other side. It was supposed to be impossible to exit through the entrance, but a part of her body had passed right through.

Her companions were stunned and rushed over to her.

“How did you just do that?!”

“N-No, I just reached out my hand, and it was like there was a space on the other side, so it just went through.”

“…No way.”

The true exit to the maze, undiscovered until now. Temporary portals would open, allowing people to come and go, but Balak’s Labyrinth had yet to be conquered. Makdian swallowed and entered the opening with his companions.

[You have entered the Labyrinth’s final room.]

[Uncontrolled mana roams the room.]

They had arrived in the Labyrinth’s final room. Galman and Beige were stunned and pointed at the crystal orb in front of them.

“Th-There’s a crystal orb over there.”

“Does this mean we’re the first ones to enter the final room?!”

Once they grasped the situation, his companions began to rejoice. This was the Labyrinth within Balak’s territory, and they were the first to reach the final room. If they conquered Balak’s Labyrinth now, they would receive an enormous reward.

“Nerua, you were our good luck charm!”

“This isn’t a dream, is it?”

“Hey, Makdian, what are you staring at? You should be happy too!”

Galman patted Makdian on the shoulder. However, his gaze was fixed solely to the left of the crystal orb.

“Makdian?”

“…Run.”

“What?”

“I said run! Now!” the fear-stricken man screamed.

His companions, bewildered, looked where Makdian was staring.

Uncommon black hair, clean white clothes, and cold, sunken eyes. An extraordinary-looking man was watching them.

He gave a light command to the woman beside him.

“Kill them.”

It was a death sentence.

—

[The Makdian Raid Party has been annihilated.]

The raid party that had accidentally entered the final room was wiped out. Angelina looked down at their corpses and sighed.

“You can’t even play with guys like these, Dungeon Master. Why so serious? All you have to do is let me trample you to my heart’s content.”

“I keep telling you, my name is Taehyun Yoo, not Dungeon Master. And I can’t grant that request, so go back for now.”

“Ugh. One day, I swear…!”

Seething, she returned to the Master Room ahead of him. Left alone, Taehyun checked the crystal orb’s mana level.

[Labyrinth’s Crystal Orb]

[Rank: C]

[Level: 5]

[Mana Level: 870/450]

[Upgrade Level: 5]

The crystal orb’s mana level had long since surpassed its limit.

“As per your instructions, Sir Taehyun, I deliberately held off on upgrading its rank, but things didn’t go as planned.”

“What do you mean?”

“Once the mana level reached its limit, I stopped letting it absorb any mana stones, but at some point, it began to increase its mana level on its own.”

“The cause?”

“I’m not sure, but it seems to be absorbing the mana stones within the dungeon on its own. And yet, only the mana level has been rising, and it hasn’t ranked up.”

If what Edchan said was true, the crystal orb had started absorbing mana from nearby stones by itself.

‘Did Edchan say he only noticed this recently? What is this phenomenon?’

It had been several months since the orb’s mana had reached its limit. He had even forbidden it from absorbing mana stones to prevent it from ranking up, but now it was gathering mana on its own.

Taehyun looked at the C-rank mana stone in his inventory, contemplating.

‘What would happen if I let it absorb a mana stone now?’

The mana limit had already been exceeded. If he let it absorb more, it would surely cause some kind of anomaly.

However, Taehyun soon gave up on the idea and closed the inventory window. Balak’s Labyrinth was currently popular with C-rank raiders. If it suddenly ranked up, the lower-level raiders would have nowhere else to go.

“Edchan, continue to report on its progress.”

—Edchan: Yes, I understand. But Sir Taehyun, are you leaving already without looking around more?

“I think the fourth Faction War is about to start. There’s something I need to take care of before that.”

—Edchan: Understood.

The communication ended. Taehyun looked at the Labyrinth’s crystal orb for a moment before returning to the main part of Balak.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep