[A-rank soldier Nightmare has been summoned.]

[A-rank Guardian Knight Grai has been summoned.]

[A-rank soldier Basilisk has been summoned.]

Reinforcements poured in, a steady stream of summons answering the call to battle.

A permanent teleportation circle was already active inside the Crystal Cave. With God’s Teachings in effect, stopping the summons was impossible.

[A-rank Named Guardian Pluton has cast Cube Trap.]

[High Elf Mederia and her personal elves have been trapped in the cube.]

[The previously summoned cube has disappeared.]

As expected, the Rivixian guardian had a skill that could trap enemy forces. This time, Mederia and the elves were caught. However, this freed Drofin and the dolls who were previously trapped.

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

[Time Freeze has been cast.]

Soon, Time Freeze was cast again. Pluton had retreated as far as possible, but there were still many named soldiers on the field. Drofin began to single out and attack specific targets. When Time Freeze activated once more, the cube trapped the raider, which in turn freed Mederia and the elves. Pluton grew flustered and confused. If he trapped the raiders, the elves were freed; if he trapped the elves, the raiders were freed. He was likely casting Cube Trap as ordered, but the damage was inevitably piling up.

“All right. Time for the third wave,” Taehyun said.

Aside from the forces positioned at the entrance, the rest were being summoned through the permanent teleportation circle. Taehyun watched with amusement as he deployed Grai and the dungeon resident unit.

[A-rank Guardian Grai has cast Knight’s Vow.]

[C-rank Dungeon Resident Soldier Paru has cast Wind Splitter.]

[C-rank Dungeon Resident Soldier Ulric has activated Majesty.]

These were the dungeon residents trained as soldiers in the city of Myol. Their firepower wasn’t as great as the other soldiers, but they were the most suitable for tactical formations. Even now, they were taking up positions more proficiently than the raid party, following Grai’s orders.

‘Gurgle?!’

“You filthy Gnoll! Die!”

‘Hiss’. “Humans. They’ve allied with the dungeon!”

“There aren’t many of them. We’ll break through the center!”

With the elven priests casting healing spells, the dungeon residents had nothing to fear. Grai charged first toward the center, where the magic bullets were being fired. The shield bearers rotated with the dungeon residents, conserving as much strength as possible. As the battle in front of the Crystal Cave began to turn, the Rivixian soldiers were slowly pushed back.

[The Dungeon Master of the A-rank Dungeon Rivixian has used Relocate.]

[The positions of the soldiers at the entrance of the Kollad Mountains will be changed to their previously saved location.]

Unable to watch any longer, the enemy Dungeon Master used Relocate. However, Taehyun wasn’t about to let that happen.

[Item Nullification has been activated.]

[Relocate is canceled.]

[Relocation of the Rivixian soldiers has failed.]

“Can’t let you reinforce them with the soldiers you sent ahead,” Taehyun muttered. “Quickly, summon all the soldiers from inside the dungeon.”

“Somehow, I’m starting to feel sorry for Rivixian’s Dungeon Master,” Riel said.

“It’s not over yet. We have soldiers to spare. Good! This time, send in the siege units.”

What he needed now was numbers, numbers, and more numbers. With troops being continuously reinforced, the tide of battle would turn in an instant if siege units appeared.

A powerful battle cry ripped through the air.

The soldier who would finally bring despair to Rivixian had arrived: the A-rank Hero, Deshkar. With the Siege Catapult Drakes already beginning their bombardment, the enemy formation would inevitably collapse once boulders were added to the barrage.

[The shell from the Siege Catapult Drake (Modified) has killed five Gnoll soldiers.]

[Deshkar’s Boulder Throw has killed seven White Orcs.]

[Knight Grai has inflicted a critical injury on a Gnoll Soldier.]

Slowly, the Rivixian soldiers began to fall. The firepower was overwhelming. As long as the permanent teleportation circle remained active, the reinforcements would not stop. With more core troops than Rivixian, defeat was impossible.

“Oh, Master, more troops are coming down from the bridge.”

“So he’s finally mobilizing all his forces. Are those two in the middle a Keeper and a mercenary?”

To be precise, it was a fully armored golem and a female knight holding a spear aloft. The pair descended toward the Crystal Cave along with other A-rank soldiers—likely the entire force that had been guarding Rivixian’s interior. Taehyun smiled faintly and summoned two more Keepers.

“It’s your turn. Go.”

“Understood, my lord!” Zighardt bellowed.

“Haaah. Can’t you give me something a little more stimulating, Dungeon Master? Aah, stop pulling my hand, you idiot!” Angelina complained.

Zighardt, the Shield of the White Colossus, and Angelina of Pleasure were more than enough to handle Pluton and the new Keeper. All that remained was the mercenary Lancer. To deal with her, Taehyun even summoned Raimond.

A sinister chuckle escaped the black mage. “Heh heh. My, my. This is quite an overwhelming display.”

“Shut up. You see that woman over there?” Taehyun asked.

“Hoh. She appears to be a mercenary one rank higher than me. I might be at a disadvantage if I’m not careful.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll give you one more person.”

A mercenary one rank higher meant an A-rank Hero mercenary. Raimond was a mage, not a solo fighter. However, Taehyun had a raider in mind for this.

“I’ll show you the vast difference in power,” Chedor declared, “even among A-ranks.”

—

[B-rank Hero Keeper Zighardt, the Shield of the White Colossus, has appeared.]

[B-rank Named Keeper Angelina of Pleasure has appeared.]

[A-rank Named Mercenary Raimond the Black Mage has appeared.]

One after another, core troops were added to the field. Geonsun, who had been watching with bated breath, shot up from his seat.

“This is insane! Does that even make sense? Just how many core troops does he have? This is cheating!”

“Master, Master, Balak is an integrated dungeon! Of course it’s going to have a lot of Guardians and Keepers!”

“No! Still, this is too much! Why is he doing this to me when I’ve done nothing wrong? Dammit… Right. I still have Lisita.”

His only hope now was the A-rank Hero mercenary, Lisita. He’d reinforced his forces with soldiers from inside the dungeon, so he could still win if he eliminated the enemy’s core troops.

“Heh heh heh. It is a great honor to meet you. My name is Raimond.”

“I am Lisita. Judging by your ominous magic, you must be a black mage. I will plant my spear in your heart!”

A large spear shot toward Raimond in mid-air, but he didn’t even think of dodging, casually holding his ground. In that moment, a wave of lightning blocked the spear.

[A-rank Raider Chedor has appeared.]

It was Chedor, the Wave Swordmaster. He ignored the other soldiers and charged straight for Lisita. As a lancer who specialized in throwing spears, she was bound to be weak in close combat. Raimond cast Blind on her and aided Chedor with Bone Spear. Faced with an unfavorable two-on-one situation, Lisita tried her best to create distance. But without a Keeper to protect her, it was extremely difficult to get away from Chedor.

“Wow, that’s just too much. He has a high-tier A-rank raider, too?!” Geonsun cried out.

“Master, Master, summon Keeper Dek!”

“Haaah… That’s impossible. If I pull Dek, I’ll have no one left to handle their other core units. So that’s it… they’re constantly reinforcing from that cave.”

Reinforcements were arriving at regular intervals. This meant that the relocated soldiers were either hiding inside the cave or being continuously summoned through some other skill.

‘I have to cut off the reinforcements first,’ Geonsun thought desperately. ‘If any more soldiers are added, we’ll be annihilated.’

They were barely holding off Balak’s soldiers as it was. If A-rank soldiers were added to the mix, there would be no hope left. Geonsun took out a buff item and used it on Dek.

[Invincible Golem Dek’s health has increased.]

[Invincible Golem Dek’s defense has increased.]

[Invincible Golem Dek’s durability has increased.]

A buff exclusively for the Keeper was activated. Fortunately, Taehyun didn’t counter it with an Effect Conversion Card. Geonsun focused all his forces on Dek, ordering him to break through a path.

[A-rank Named Keeper Dek has cast Boulder Roll.]

[Dek’s body begins to roll along the ground.]

[Boulder Roll uses remaining: 1/1]

Spinning with incredible force, Dek instantly broke through the shield bearers and forged a path. Pluton, Lisita, and the named soldiers, who had been ordered in advance, followed Dek and arrived right in front of the two Crystal Caves. The soldiers had to be getting summoned from one of them. Geonsun split his forces and had them check the inside of each cave.

[A-rank Named Guardian Raviz has been discovered.]

[A-rank Raider Eleonora has been discovered.]

[A permanent teleportation magic circle has been discovered.]

The teleportation circle was found in the left Crystal Cave. Lisita saw Eleonora sitting in a chair and raised her spear.

“I still have about half my divine power left. Would you like to have a chat in the meantime?” Eleonora asked with a smile. “It’s simply impossible to talk with Miss Raviz here.”

“Don’t make me laugh!” Lisita roared.

Slowly, dozens of spears materialized above her—her main skill, Javelin of Victory. The magically infused spears shot toward the protective barrier, but it didn’t even budge, its durability automatically replenishing.

“Impossible!”

“Eh… hmm. What should we do?” Eleonora mused.

“The Master’s orders have arrived,” Raviz stated flatly. “Deploy the A-rank soldiers.”

“So she says,” Eleonora chirped. “Do your best to stop them.”

With Eleonora’s smile, A-rank soldiers began to appear from behind her. Lisita and her soldiers fell back in a panic, only to find the area behind them was already surrounded by Balak’s forces.

“He had a top-tier A-rank raider, too?! And what the hell is that skill? It lasts until all her divine power is depleted? Is he telling me to die or what?!” Geonsun shrieked.

“Master, Master, didn’t they invade to kill you in the first place?”

“Dammit! Return! I have to at least use the Return item!”

As long as God’s Teachings was active, the permanent teleportation circle could not be destroyed. Geonsun hastily used a return item.

[Dungeon Master exclusive item ‘Soldier Return’ has been activated.]

[Designated Rivixian soldiers will be returned.]

A return portal materialized. Most of his soldiers were already dead, but he could at least save the ones that remained. However, at that moment, Raviz cast two skills.

[A-rank Named Guardian Raviz, Ruler of Space, has cast Spatial Bind.]

[A-rank Named Guardian Raviz, Ruler of Space, has cast Gravity Control.]

The targets were none other than Lisita and Dek. The two were bound in place, unable to move, just as they were about to be returned. At the last second, Chedor appeared, and Geonsun slumped to the ground in defeat.

[A-rank Raider Chedor has cast Wave Splitter.]

[Lancer Lisita has sustained a critical injury.]

[Invincible Golem Dek has sustained a critical injury.]

His only two hopes collapsed. They were barely returned, but it would take a significant amount of time to heal their critical injuries. In the end, Pluton was the only core troop left to defend the dungeon. Geonsun hung his head and slammed his fist on the ground.

“Why are you doing this to me?! I was minding my own business! What did I ever do to you?!”

—

That day, Rivixian declared its surrender. Its core troops were nearly annihilated; the mercenary Lisita would have to be re-summoned, and Dek was critically injured. There was no way to defend the dungeon’s interior. As a Dungeon Master, it was a choice he had to make. Taehyun sat leisurely and looked at the man across from him.

“Geonsun, nice to meet you.”

“…Why the hell did you attack this place? I never even touched Balak,” Geonsun vented.

He was right. Rivixian had never touched Balak, nor had it ever left the Kollad Mountains. In reality, there was no grudge between them. However, Taehyun opened the world map and pointed to the two Crystal Caves.

“The reason’s right here. The. Crys. Tal. Caves.”

“You’re crazy! You brought Rivixian to this state over two ruins?!”

“No. I heard Lacodic crystal stones are really expensive. You can’t trade magic stones, right? They say Lacodic is the replacement for that. How great is that?”

“So that was your goal in the end. Haaah.”

Lacodic, a crystal stone imbued with magic, had served as Geonsun’s source of income in place of raid parties. It was only natural that other Dungeon Masters would covet it. Now, after his surrender, Taehyun himself had come to visit Rivixian. For the time being, Geonsun had no choice but to do as he was told. He looked at the contract on the reception table with a grimace. Taehyun was already pointing at it with a sly smile.

“I’ll let you live. Just sign the contract.”

Sob. “You bastard.”

And so, Rivixian formed an alliance with Balak, ceding one of its Crystal Caves.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep